Session 95: Dàngér vu

General Summary

26th Unndilar 836PD   … a kaleidoscope of colours and disorientating sensations blast through Raven and then suddenly he’s back in the tunnel. Listening to the Unbroken making their plans to assault the Elder Brain, he’s heard this all before and he knows how it ends.   Raven yells at them to stop as he collapses to the ground, exhausted by the stress of casting the Luck Blade’s wish. Simeon goes to help him up, and notices that Raven has two shadows, one lying down with him and the other standing as if Raven was stood where the original team were planning.   Raven tells them that their plans will fail, and that he had used the wish to turn back time to be able to warn them and avoid a total kill of the party. The Unbroken are initially sceptical, concerned that it might be another mind trick of the Elder Brain.   Orlando examines the blade, and as he examines it Raven tells him that one of his guns breaks in the future conflict. Orlando stops to check Prayers and notices a small obstruction, which would cause a serious misfire. There is no way that Raven could have known of that fault, which gives them enough credence to believe Raven.   The Ranger shares the other misfortunes that will befall each of the Unbroken, and the missteps in their battle with the Elder Brain and its horde of Outsiders. They alter their plans, focusing on removing the threat of the mind eating minions first and staying away from the reach of the Elder Brain.   Simeon summons the Couatl and asks of its favours to restore Raven’s strength, as well as blessing along with Orlando the party. Pluto summons his burning bees and shields himself in fire. Raphael wreathes himself in the dark shadows of his patron, and the party rush out to face the Elder Brain (again?).   The Elder Brain expecting a mental tete a tete with these strangers is soon surrounded by a roaring fire storm! Pluto steers the fire storm to cover some of the crystals that housed the swarms of outsiders, cooking a few of them inside. Others start spewing out towards the party, but Raphael and Orlando clear the first wave with bullets and blasts.   Simeon flies forward upon his radiant wings and slices a Mind Flayer taking cover with his spiritual Khopesh. The Couatl take his celestial conjurer’s lead and bites into the spiritual wound of the Mind Flayer.   Both the Mind Flyers cover the party in cones of psychic blasts, only Raphael’s resolve slips but a couple of the surrounding outsiders fall foul of their masters’ blasts and explode!   Pluto sends scorching rays of flying flaming chickens that peck into the Mind Flayer and burn the outsiders, and Simeon’s spiritual weapon cuts down one of the Mind Flayers. Orlando and the Couatl wear down the other Mind Flayer, leaving an open shot for Raven to take it down for good.   Raphael is swarmed by the outsiders, but the Couatl’s sanctuary and the healing flames of fire lilies that grow nearby Pluto’s wildfire spirit keep the Winter Knight from falling. He snaps from the stunning magic, covering himself in shadow to run ahead and blast the Elder Brain with his eldritch magic. Raven follows the magic blasts with the sharp powerful shots of his arrows.   With its minions defeated and the Unbroken’s sights fully set on it, the lone Elder Brain tries to reach out with its psychic powers. It connects with Raven, seeing the once future victory that was now stolen from it by the Wish. The Elder Brain quits this fight in an indignant rage “No I saw it, I had won! You cheated!” and escapes to another plane.   The Unbroken clear the rest of the chamber, the remaining outsiders unfocused without the hive direction of their cerebral creator. Orlando’s amulet points towards a platform surrounded by lava, as he reaches down the Amulet acts as key and a door way appears before them. The entrance to the World Anvil!   The Couatl warns them that they cannot cross over with them, and it senses a dark alien presence waiting for them on the other side. Its knowledge is limited, but it knows the entities attacking the shackle are attracted to life forces and the scale of the attack will be immense once they cross over. It bestows the last of its boons to prepare them, and with their well wishes Orlando opens the door way.   They arrive in an entrance hall, typical architecture of well-crafted functionality befitting Moradin and inherited by the Dwarves. Up ahead a lone human male sits at a table, their feet nonchalantly up on the table. They stare at the Unbroken as if they’ve been expecting them, but where they try to meet the person’s eyes, they find empty pools of darkness.   This is an Aspect of Tharizdun, it tries to engage with the Unbroken but Raphael dismisses them and tries to push on. But he’s frozen in his tracks with the merest wave of the Betrayer’s wrist. Simeon anoints his eyes to see truly through the aspect, an endless hunger is masked by this form, but he notices it falters slightly. There is a limit to this form, and holding Raphael is draining it.   The Moonweaver’s chosen leads the rest of the Unbroken to walk onwards together in the face of oblivion. He blesses the party, and Raphael hexes the human form. The mad God outraged by the mortal laying magic on them obliterates the hex. The group push on, testing their will against the Chained Oblivion, whilst it is powerful it is still chained. Its attempt to delay soon weakens as Raphael steps forward, he swings Frostweaver but it’s stopped by the aspect’s hand.   Raphael pushes the blade forward, the ice spreads from the blade freezing over the God’s hand. The Winter Knight calls on the full power of winter in his blade, the blast of ice freezes and crumples the whole arm of the Betrayer. There is still much to learn about Frostweaver, but Raphael knows this is the place where it was created by the Raven Queen as a weapon to kill a God!   The dark eyed ‘human’ surveys the Prime’s Chosen, they’ve held them off for long enough but this will not be the last time they meet. They still have plenty of nightmares in stall for the Unbroken. The aspect vanishes and they party are free to move onward.   Behind the doors is a small forge, with masterwork tools and several apprentice anvils but the onward doors are locked. Raven and Orlando find several dwarven bodies, inflicted with necrotic trauma. They check the other side room, where the Master Forger of the Anvil resides but find it empty and no sign of them amongst the bodies…