Session 139: Gifts of the Rifts

General Summary

14th Sydenstar 836PD   The worn-out party take a moment to survey the attempted corruption of the Everspring. Zeni and Arthur notice the pool is self-filling, drawing the magical moisture within the cavern, and theorise it will rejuvenate in time. Raphael helps it along by clearing and cooling it with his prestidigitation.   Climbing back up through the rocky isle, they reunite with Thrasturn, whom is eager to question Zeni as another stormborn of how they fared in battle. Before Zeni can pass an unconvincing bluff, Simeon shares his plan to pull on the peak of his healing powers to regain the party’s strength.   Thrasturn cautions that the island is a conduit of magical energy, and with its positioning across the leylines at the weakest points of planar edges, any spells or magics cast can put pressure on the protective barriers that surround it, causing dimensional rifts to open on the isle.   The party weigh the risk, but decide if they must survive on this rock, they should be at their best to face whatever greater threat bursts through the planes. Simeon looks to the sky where the Catha moon would be placed and speaks a powerful prayer to the Moonweaver, a flood of healing energy flows from him to his party and the injured Thrasturn as he casts Mass Heal.   As soon as the powerful 9th circle of magic is cast, the isle trembles and a flaming rift opens high above them. A large fiery demon falls backwards from the sky, and soon following it out of the rift is a shooting speck of shining metal that lands square in the demon’s chest. The demon claws at the metallic figure, but it holds onto the flaming torso and seemingly strikes back with radiant sparks.   The party rush back to the cover of the cavern as the tumbling demonic comet crashes down onto the rock edge. A thunderous thud echoes across the isle with a cloud of smoke and rock dust that blow from the impact. As the cover soon settles it reveals the large demon, broken, its flames extinguished. Standing atop of it, drawing his glowing sword from the demon’s chest, is a human Knight in shining armour embossed with a golden set of balanced scales.   “Well, that was certainly a grand entrance, definitely one for the books!” Arthur nods in agreement with the voice by his side, then double takes and lets out a quick yelp of surprise as a small Satyr scrawling on parchment is suddenly next to him!   The Unbroken and the respective new guests from the rifts cautiously regard each other, before the direct human introduces himself as Felictas Mountainglade, a Paladin of Erathis, the Lawbearer. The small Satyr gives a deep bow and tip of his hat, as he eloquently introduces himself as Flufvineo 'Fluff' Dyonides, a Bard of the Wild Fey’s Awful Court. Zeni recognises a symbol of Ioun, the Knowing Mentor, as a badge upon Fluff’s cap.   Raphael wryly notes from his challenge at the recent Council of Celestia, that while the Prime Deities couldn’t directly intervene, they could influence, and it seems they have with the arrival of their new allies.   With Thrasturn also assured of the new visitors, he cautions that they will not be able to stay long as the Everspring’s corruption will soon clear, and barring any more expressions of powerful magic that could interrupt the island’s planar protections, they will recover enough to banish back those that have travelled through rifts. Explaining why every incursion is so intense and deadly as each assailant quickly tries to destroy the isle or corrupt the Everspring’s magic to halt their banishment.   However, before the guardian giant could further lecture in his slow booming voice, several screeching shrieks cascaded through the upper levels of the cavern. It seems Felictas and Fluff weren’t the only ones to break through the rifts!   The reinforced party make haste into the isle’s caverns, climbing to the upper levels of the rock where they find 6 Greater Babau demons, tall slime covered skeletal creatures with their heads elongating into a great horn shape.   Zeni leads from the front, emboldened by Thrasturn’s expectations of her as a Stormborn, and strikes the nearest demon with her shocking grasp. The lightning dances over the Babau’s body as a tickle, but the red slime that coats the creature’s skin burns the tielfing’s skin.   Orlando’s guns volley into a Greater Babau at the back, the demon burnt by the radiance and magic lead of his gun, smartly targets his gun Prayers with a heat metal spell and retreats further into the cavern.   The first Greater Babau next to Zeni stares with its pale eyes, the wizard’s strength is sapped by the demon’s weakening gaze. A third Greater Babau mutters a dark speech that covers the rest of the party in magical darkness, but the shining Paladin is not deturbed and strides forth to Zeni’s aid.   Felictas brandishes his flaming longsword and strikes true into the demon’s shoulder, however the corrosive slime of the Babau’s skin begins to melt the edge along his blade. Fluff with a toot of his pan flute dispels the darkness covering the party, providing a clear view for Simeon to toll the wounded first Babau to its death.   The fourth Greater Babau moves up to take its fallen ilk’s place in attacking Zeni, but Raphael intercedes with his chilling hex and distracting blast of eldritch magic. Zeni returns the favour, weakening the Babau with a psychic sting of her mind sliver, giving Raphael the opening to eldritch blast a hole through the demon’s horned head.   Orlando chases after the second Babau and finds it hiding behind a grand stalagmite. He grits through his teeth to keep hold of Prayers and gives the Babau both barrels, killing it and breaking the heat metal spell. But just as Prayers begins to cool, the fifth Greater Babau is equally as cunning as the second and casts the same spell to heat the metal of Orlando’s other gun Thoughts!   The third Greater Babau finds a critical opening in Felictas’s heavy plate armour, stabbing its claws deep under the armpit of the Paladin. The Lawbearer’s Knight takes a deep breath and brings his sword down upon the Babau, cleaving it fully in two. As the bloody slime sprays across his sword, each corrosive mark on the blade is a notch of victory over evil.   Arthur is wise to keep his distance from the corrosively covered demons, and continually crushes the sixth Greater Babau with the spectral skeletal hand of his chill touch. Orlando pursues the fifth Babau and with Simeon’s word of radiance, the two clerics burn down in holy fire the demon, freeing Orlando’s second gun from the burning hellfire.   The sixth and final Babau attempts to escape, but is unceremoniously blasted across the cavern by the eldritch blasts of Fluff’s fey magic, till its body breaks apart across the rocky wall.   With the Greater Babaus cleared, the Unbroken continue up through the cavern to inspect the top of the magical island.