Session 77: The Stormcrest Shackle

General Summary

2nd Unndilar 836PD   Passing the final trial of Ioun, Kamaljiori the Androsphinx shares the knowledge the Unbroken have earned to defend the shackle. It is deep within the Strormcrest mountain, surrounded by rivers of magma. The Shackle is a stone plinth immune to non-magical damage, it will weaken before it fully breaks. There are 7 shackles, each one placed in charge of a Prime Deity and their highest Clerics:   

• Ioun precedes over the Stormcrest shackle, currently under attack. 
• One to Pelor in Wildemount has fallen.
• One to the Raven Queen (Raph's Grandmother as Kamaljiori states) has survived an attack but is weakened. 
• Vasselheim holds Bahamut's shackle.
• Moradin precedes over a shackle in Kraghammer.
• One shackle to the Arch Heart is hidden off the material plane in the Fey Wild.
• Kord's shackle is unknown.

The party rest and prepare themselves, with the Sphinx bestowing a feast fit for Heroes that helps them to gain their strength back. The sphinx opens a portal that can reach the outskirts of the shackle and they enter. It is a deep, dark and hot cavern, dimly lit by the glow of the magma rivers. They stealth through and notice several demons and the Lock-Breaker in the main chamber, in the middle of a ritual.   Zeni takes the initiative and summons a storm sphere right in the centre, shocking and buffing the Lock-Breaker enough to break their concentration on the ritual. The rest of the party ante up and continue to focus on the Lock-Breaker as main target. The party weaken them enough near to the point of death, but the demons interfere and provide enough cover for their master to make their escape out of the cavern. Twice they have broken free from the Unbroken’s grasp!   Two Psoglav demons turn invisible and they shoot dark shadowy rays into Orlando and Simeon, knocking Orlando deep down a chasm into the lava. The demon’s rays steal and animate both of Orlando and Simeon’s shadows, turning them to attack the others. Sabali lays into a large ape demon, Apau Perape, each strike spurting acidic blood against him.   The Glabrezu starts to continue attacking the shackle, and soon weakens it. The pressure rises on the party to give up their focus on the Lock-Breaker and destroy the demons. Raphael's cold magic rips through an ape demon, whilst Sabali manages to shake off the stun of the glabrezu and returns the favour by stunning it with one of his strikes. Simeon destroys one of the undead shadows, and Zeni uses a cold orb to freeze the last ape demon. The two invisible demons continue to assail the party. The glabrezu is wearing thin, but so is the shackle...