This
cache is part of a series of caches titled “Dragons of
Lethbridge.”
The
series is in the order of:
GC164PQ
– Dragons
of
Lethbridge – the Baby
GC164PC
– Dragons
of Lethbridge – the Scourge
GC164PH
– Dragons
of Lethbridge – the Diplomat
GC164PN
– Dragons
of Lethbridge – the Villain
GC164PJ
– Dragons
of Lethbridge – Defender of the
Crown
GC16ABN
– Dragons
of Lethbridge – Exodus One
GC16XZH - Dragons of Lethbridge -
Vilustumenin
These caches do not need to be done in order, but
the story flows a logical sense when read in order.
All parts of this story assume Advanced Dungeons
& Dragons 2nd Edition Rules – Monstrous Manual reference. I
know it is archaic now, but the story was written with that
universe in mind.
DRAGONS OF LETHBRIDGE
Few people nowadays remember,
and there are fewer records still about the Dragons of
Lethbridge. Lethbridge provided one of the best breeding grounds and
terrain for Dragons of days gone by. They had been pushed out of
their traditional breeding grounds in Europe, fled from China, and
moved north through the continent from the warmer, more southern
climes to the area of Lethbridge.
The summers were hot, the
winters cold, but the coulee and the Oldman River (during this time known as the
Belly River) provided ample grounds for a small
population of Dragons to flourish. Alas, over time, a great many of
them have vanished, but some clues can be found among the
rubble-strewn areas, where now a highway runs
through.
Part V – Defender of the
Crown
Canada
had not been a country for
long. In fact, it had only been in 1867 that it had become an
actual country, and Alberta had only become a province two years
prior to these incidents. Nevertheless, the federal
government sent forth a messenger to the last known dragon in
the area, an honourable creature named Huldig. He hailed from
the African continent, and had moved to Canada because he wanted to see the new
country.
Huldig was upset by the actions of both Skyde
and Suututtaa, but also upset by the actions of the humans. He did
not understand the need for the humans to have killed the Baby, nor
did he particularly understand the need for the bridge. He accepted
these as givens, however, and received the messenger. The
government had asked Huldig to intervene.
A creature such as Huldig fighting with the
Villain was no easy task. Huldig – while clearly the stronger of
the two – was far older than Skyde. Suututtaa had been gravely
injured in his battle with Gaikou, but was still raining acid rain
upon the Belly
River.
On the morning of October 27th, 1907
Huldig took to the skies to
engage Suututtaa, who had been marshalling his strength. The battle
was fierce, wide-ranging, and long fought. Eventually, Huldig was
the victor, and Suututtaa was dead, his blood having fallen upon
the side of the coulee, well north of the bridge.
Huldig had enough time to rest for a short
while, before Skyde descended from the clouds, challenging him. As
Huldig took flight, Skyde burned the ground around him. The utter
devastation of the bottom of the coulee created a great deal of
black smoke as both of the massive creatures faced off, trying to
kill each other.
The battle ranged within the walls of the
coulee, but wended from the far north end to the far south end. It
was said that the battle raged for days, but it was only a few
short hours before Huldig emerged the victor, badly injured and
with a broken wing, but standing atop the defeated
Villain.
The new country offered its thanks to the
Defender of the Crown and also offered him to go wherever he wished
within its borders. Huldig abandoned his home, and took flight,
never to be seen by human eyes again.
To find the Defender’s
lair:
Huldig was a particularly honourable and wise
creature. Most people didn’t even know he was there, they merely
thought that he was just another local resident...
From the posted coordinates:
Add: The maximum total (that’s tail and
body) length of a level 8 dragon – 6 to the northing.
Subtract: The maximum damage for the breath weapon of a
level 9 dragon of this type + 6 to the westing.
You can check your answers for this puzzle on
Geochecker.com.