Session 15: The altar and the key. Report

General Summary

As Mathew, Wrynna and Edward began making their way back, Mathew bid Edward stay behind. He suggested using Wrynna as bait for the guardian of the Key while the two snuck around and sought to grab it, effectively leaving Wrynna to die. Edward agreed to the plan in an attempt to buy time before Matthew struck at them. He then urged Wrynna to go up and meet the creature.   During the ascent, Wrynna's nimble physique assisted her in gaining a lot of ground compared to the other two and soon she found herself alone at the summit. She saw on an altar a stone hand holding a purple gem which glowed faintly. Behind it, on a pedestal a winged humanoid creature perched. Its limbs were long and thin, its face featureless save for a mouth with razor sharp teeth. Its hands and feet bore enormous claws and its wings draped over its shoulders as if they were a cape. It beckoned Wrynna to come closer.   First it gave her the Test of Wit, asking three riddles which Wrynna managed to answer correctly. The second was the Trial of Courage, upon which the creature challenged it to combat. Wrynna armed herself with her dagger and hesitated. The creature drew its claws and came closer.   At this point, Edward and Matthew made their way up the stairs at last and saw the creature and Wrynna locked in a silent standstill. Matthew and Edward attempt to sneak around the plateau while Wrynna finally breaks the standstill and lunges for the creature and stabs it across the arm. It then wraps one hand around Wrynna and lifts it up into the air, both of them disappearing into the darkness.   In this moment Matthew and Edward begin moving towards the gem and Edward makes his move, stabbing Edward in the back. The two begin fighting again.   Wrynna is then presented with the last Trial. That of Sacrifice. She spoke of her desire to live. Her anger. Her want to be useful and accepted and needed, and yet how she was thrown away and sacrificed repeatedly. Her will clung to life with the hardest of desires. And yet below she had Matthew and Edward fighting for the gem. Would she sacrifice herself and drop to her death below so that the two may claim their prize and leave at last? She accepted the bargain and was found worthy of the Trial of Sacrifice. The creature brought it down and released her and she quickly joined the fight.   Drinking the potion of Dragon's Breath she unleashed a torrent of fire which burned Matthew to a crisp, effectively saving the already wounded Edward who had kept him busy during this whole time. Then, using Matthew's dagger, they plunged it on the wrist of the stone hand, forcing it to open and liberating both the gem contained in the dagger and that which the altar held.   With both items in hand, they then requested that the creature assist them in leaving this place. It grabbed them in its hands and flew through the darkness, far and above the altar chambers in which it lay. It dropped them in the flooded plaza which they originally came to. Then, with its last request done and freed from its duty it ascended into the darkness and they were left alone. All that was missing was freeing the remaining miners and fulfilling Edward's bargain.   After recovering the group, out of which only five remained, they some of the few remaining torches and began the trek upstairs. It wasn't until they were in the sacrificial chamber that they decided to rest for the night and part ways, Wrynna overseeing the remaining miners and Edward himself going to fulfill the bargain he had made...