Session 32 - No Rest for the Wicked - Report

General Summary

Date: 10-14-283   After slaying the Hydra and Froghemoth that tried to disrupt the summoning ritual, the Gang watched in awe as a 30-foot-tall construct rose up out of the ground (and Tally slipped away into the shadows). After the construct rose to its full height and the tremors faded away, Sorend placed his hand on the giant sentinel and appeared to be casting a spell, likely to give the sentinel instructions or orders of some kind. Upon receiving these orders, the sentinel immediately targeted Lyra... or rather, Lyra's pet, a small abyssal bat.   With Sorend making a quick change to its orders, the construct turned back toward Silmaniir and started walking. With the Gang following suit (and Master Roshi scouting ahead), everyone soon arrived in the city to find it nearly empty. The Gang decided to investigate as stealthily as they could, eventually stumbling upon a demon who had a very bloodied Aquila kneeling before him and a knife at her throat. After taking an arrow to the chest, the demon slid the knife across her throat and let her lifeless body drop at his feet. Now enraged, the Gang - with the exception of Naemaris, who was keeping a cautious eye on the sentinel to make sure it didn't destroy the city, and Linda, who struck off on her own through the forest - went in to full attack mode.   Meanwhile, Linda decided to leave the party to go on her own adventure. Shortly after leaving the city, she noticed that there was something following her... something familiar... something that sounded suspiciously like the four-armed Girallon's the Gang had fought previously. Shortly after noticing this, Linda also noticed the head of a Hydra peeking around a suspiciously small tree. Sufficiently scared now, she ran back toward the city, running across several more disembodied Hydra heads along the way. Eventually her path was blocked by a floating Hydra head that bobbed and weaved with her every move to try to get past. As she lodged her sword in the head, cackling laughter could be heard nearby, coming from none other than Antanasia. Satisfied with her childish prank, Antanasia informed Linda that the Girallon following her was not her doing, and that she should probably still be running back to the city. She did buy Linda a bit of time, however, by hitting the Girallon with a rock and knocking it out of the trees (almost certainly angering it in the process).   Back in the city, the rest of the Gang mercilessly beat the demon that had just killed Aquila. Strangely though, the demon made no attempt to fight back, even raising his arms to his sides presenting himself as a target. After being restrained, and subsequently breaking free, the demon did make an attempt to flee, taking flight from the 40-foot high walkways of the City in the Trees... which turned out to be his metaphorical - and literal - downfall. With Master Roshi hopping through the air to kick him down, and an invisible Naemaris flying in at just the right time on his magical cittern and using his two-handed greatsword to further accelerate his fall, the demon was little more than a twitching bit of Abyssal flesh after finally hitting the ground. With his last dying breaths, the demon managed to choke out, "This is only the beginning. I am but one. More are already coming." before Roshi poetically slit his throat with "but one" of his claws.   Linda, now finally back in town, tried running for the rest of the Gang but her path was once again blocked, this time by a very angry Girallon. After taking quite a beating, Linda prayed to her god for a miracle and was struck with the idea to cast a spectral weapon to aid in her fight. Sorend "The Silmanii Scythe" also dropped into the fight from the city above to help Linda and demonstrate just how he got his nickname. His help was uneeded at this point however, as Linda's spectral weapon sprung into existence and... committed acts against the Girallon too profane to be mentioned in the public domain. Sorend watched in a mixture of horror and disgust as he began to question everything he knew of gods and wondered what sort of deity would allow a being such as this to ever serve them. With the crimes against nature now finished, Sorend climbed back up to the city to reconvene with the rest of the party, Linda following close behind.   Reunited once more, the Gang was tired both physically and emotionally, so Sorend suggested they rest for a short while while he traveled to Mythrenluna to retrieve the orb he had promised them. Lyra accompanied him so that she could gather some keepsakes from her late sister's belongings. Searching around her room, Lyra found a few trinkets, as well as the Basilisk egg she had entrusted Aquila with previously, now resting in some kind of incubator. With the egg and her keepsakes in hand, Lyra returned to Silmaniir along with Sorend and the second orb, which he unceremoniously handed over to the Gang.   Feeling a bit more rested now, and with the second orb in their possession, the Gang set off toward Naporia for a proper rest before heading off in search of the third and final orb. However, with everyone tired, and the sun long gone (along with Yonce), the Gang decided to make camp just outside the forest... but not before setting some traps just in case. As expected, halfway through the night the party awoke to the sound of a creature ensnared by one of the traps, as well as another close by - an ambush by two Barlguras. With one ensanred and the other quickly being stunned by Roshi, the battle didn't last long, but long enough for Alexander to throw two daggers, missing with the first, and missing so horribly with the second that he nearly hit Roshi who managed to catch the dagger midair and attempt to throw it himself, missing once more and hitting a very unfortunate deer. This was only the beginning of the deer's troubles though, as he would soon realize that the creatures responsible for lodging a dagger in his ass, wanted that dagger back. Try as he did to escape, the bloodthirsty creatures made quick work of tracking him down and turning him into their next meal.   Waking the next morning, the Gang still wasn't feeling entirely refreshed, and reluctantly embarked on their journey home. Arriving mid-afternoon, everyone parted ways to catch up on some much needed sleep. Alexander and Linda, however, decided to check on Linda's two remaining children back at the Crooked Cloak, only to find that they had been taken, and their abductor had left a note with Chen. Looking over the note, Alex recognized the handwriting as that of Brax, so they decided to pay a visit to their hideout down in The Red Nest. Once there, Brax's right hand man, "Freddy", allowed Alexander inside, on the condition that Linda stayed outside. Being uncharacteristically rational, Linda agreed, and Alex went inside to find Izel and Nadir playing cards at one of the tables. Brax told him that the kids seemed bored wandering around town, and he could use a bit of help with some small tasks around town, so he recruited them and "taught them a few things".   ***   Date: 10-15-283   Fully rested at long last, the Gang headed off into the mountains the next morning with Izel and Nadir along for the ride this time. They headed back to Morkov's Sanctuary after having their suspicions confirmed by Master Tyrey at the Mage's Academy. Once back inside the first room, the Gang found everything as they had left it, but this time heard a disembodied voice call out and ask what they were sought. Answering the voice with "The Demon Orbs", the voice instructed them to complete each room exactly as it should be done, and they would find what they were looking for. Making quick work of both challenges, the Gang once again entered into the final treasure room, but as they entered in, a hole opened up in the floor with a staircase leading into a secondary room. Cautiously checking for (and finding) multiple traps along the way, the Gang eventually found themselves in a small chamber containing only a pedestal with a glowing orb resting upon it.   Excited at the thought of now having all three of the orbs, the Gang quickly headed back out of the Sanctuary (forgetting all about the traps they had just slipped past), but as they approached the exit everyone noticed a strange sound. They heard a distant but powerful flapping sound. Lyra slowly crept outside to see what was responsible for the noise, and saw a huge White Dragon circling overhead. She then decided to completely blow their element of surprise and lob off a couple arrows at it, landing one and doing just enough damage to piss it off.Quickly running back inside, Lyra ducked around the corner just as the icy reptile touched down directly in front of the doorway...