Breaking the Obelisk

Cultural event

The Path of Nightshade discover the location of one of the Obelisk and seek out a way to destroy it to return Rockshire back to the material plane.

As the Demogorgon is defeated Big Tuna and Trigger ask The Shades what is the next coarse of action. Gilly tells them to check on the people of Ivy Hill. Bobushio tells them to make sure it’s known that Gilly is the savior of the city and she’s going to make sure it is returned to the material plane.   Gilly asks Big T and Trigger to get Reginard and Lousie HaHa’s bodies. Bobushio makes campaign buttons for Big Tuna and Trigger and puts one on Gilly too.   The Party decides to seek out the closest Obelisk just outside the city near Ivy Hill. The beam of light shining from the sky makes is easy to locate. Working through the city, and as the dust starts settling the people of Ivy Hill have begun to realize the titans are done fighting. As the city starts to stir the smaller demons/devil/angels are venture forth and begin small skirmishes in the streets of the city.   The city is eerily vacant, no peddlers or shopkeeps, aside from the ones hiding under their carts. The Shades make ther way out of the city without engaging in any fights. There is a sense the angels and demons may have seen the battle with The Demogorgon and weary of thier power.   As the party arrives at the light tethering the city to this plane they see it permates into the ground and it seems like the obelisk is underground. Alcath sticks an arrow into the light and it vaporizes.   Caia casts Detect Magic and senses illusionary magic, but it’s moving through the brush. She discoveres an invisible little imp hiding and holding a knife. Bobushio approaches it and asks if he’s hungry and willing to make a deal. The imp says he’ll exchange food for “what he found,” but Bobushio wants it to be specifically the entrance. The imp is unfamiliar with potatoes, but loves them and wants more. He says "I will take you to the doors I can not open for one more potato." They find out his name is Xyzzyx.   He leads them to a tree stump with a hole in it roots where the earth has been dug away enough that a halfling could fit through it. Carved on the tree stump in Reginard’s handwriting is unreadable wording. Bobushio gets from Xyzzyx that there are locks on the door and the imp doesn’t know what’s behind it.   It’s so dark even with goggles or darkvision no one is able to see anything in the darkness. Written along the wall is more Reginard writing in Infernal. “Life leads us down dark roads, but sometimes it’s necessary to see the light. The road may be dark, but the light oft doth blind.”   Gilly and Caia at halfling size go into the hole followed by the Imp Xyzzyx. Gilly starts feeling around for a lock, but Caia stops her and says they should tie themselves together to make sure they don’t lose each other. Gilly walks and the light immediately disappears around them and when she tries to walk back, the light doesn’t reappear. Gilly and Caia can hear each other, but not anyone or anything else.     Gilly brings out a potato for Xyzzyx, and he asks “are you do blinded by your sight that you cannot find the way?” Caia closes her eyes and walks for ten minutes, then feels they are near braziers and a bunch of doors. Caia opens her eyes, lights a brazier and can suddenly see a beautiful room with a big door with six locks. Each lock has a language written on it. Gilly sees “Open” written in halfling. They decide to see if they can backtrack and bring the rest of the party.   Thuniel tells Meera to go back to the stables to see Snips.   Moz and Caia reduce Bob and Alcath, then let us all know to close there eyes as we go or we’ll just walk forever. We all make it to the room with the door.   First lock: Halfling: Open   Second lock: Draconic: Close   Third lock: Giant: Open   Fourth lock: Infernal: Close   Fifth lock: Abyssal: Open   Sixth lock: Undercommon: Close   Seventh lock: Druidic: Close     Gilly picks the Halfling lock and the lock opens, but the door isn’t open yet. They take Ian out and he says the third lock says “Open.” as he can read Giant. Moz casts Comprehend Languages and finds out the last one also says “Open.”   Gilly gets the first one open, but needs extra time on the second.   Caia gets the impression that Xyzzyx is just really curious and wants to know what is behind the door. She starts feeding him potato slices.   After the doors open the party enters a hall of mirrors. The door shuts behind them, and as they look into each mirror, they see the version of themselves that we hate the most. As they look, they cannot move, only can the speak and hear eachother.   Gilly sees herself as small and insignificant, looking more like her father than usual. Moz sees her indecision and lack of purpose, and it’s endangering her friend. Alcath is alone, angry, hoping to survive, but unwilling to do anything about it. Caia sees a changeling rather than Caia. Thuniel sees herself soaked in blood, for no reason, with no past, future or purpose. Bobushio can’t let any other town burn.   Moz is able to keep it together, but she starts hyperventilating and Gilly can hear Moz’s indecision. Gilly yells to Moz to shut up and her own visage gets more terrifying. Bobushio asks for help, but it makes Moz continue to spiral. Caia tries changing, but the image doesn’t change. Caia keeps trying to encourage the party. Moz feels more relieved, but Thuniel gets more bitter and angry.   Alcath talks to himself, and tells himself he’s grown beyond who he was. He sees his reflection mouth the words, “Tell me about the others,” and he gets the impression he’s meant to speak well of the others. He tells Caia that she’s grown and come into her own. He tells Gilly that she’s not scared anymore and she’s our captain now. Caia and Gilly feel the weight subside a little. He tells Moz that she’s really become strong and the moral compass of the group. Alcath jazzes Bobushio a little bit, the humor bringing a little relief to all. Alcath tells Thuniel that he knows how hard it is to fail one’s family and try to move on, and that Thuniel is dependable. Thuniel does recognize that building each other up will help us be free.   Thuniel, Bob, then the rest of the group talk Alcath up until he can free himself. Gilly talks about trusting him, Moz sincerely compliments him and cracks jokes that makes the party boil in laughter, and Caia thanks him for saving her when she was young and dumb. Alcath feels his body merging into the mirror, and he’s no longer in the hall.   Bob compliments everyone and gets out. Gilly goes next. Then Moz, Caia, and Thuniel (and Zyzzyx) make it in.   In the room, there’s a basin split down the middle, with holes in the bottom that lead into channels that wrap around the obelisk going down. Alcath determines which side which blood goes into. There is a staircase off to the side that leads down   At the bottom is a blacksmith mold that looks like a hammer. On the mold, it says, “Use your heads, paint me red, Inside of these holds the keys to your return, be careful what you give, for what you spurn will be returned.”   Thuniel goes up to pour in blood. Alcath casts Protection Against Good and Evil on Gilly, then joins Thuniel. Everyone else stays with Gilly. Xyzzyx is just super interested.   As the party pours, the DG’s blood, the blood begins to illuminate the pillar. It reaches the first design, and we hear/feel a boom, and two voices say, “You will not stop this.” The DG begins to materialize. It reaches the next one, and we hear “Hello, little birds,” and see a visage of Vozgan. At the third pattern, we each hear the cacophony of voices that Nereeza in our heads. Then Jenny Greenteeth’s cackle, and Lord Vax whining to her. Next, Thuniel hears her grandfather talk to her and he starts to materialize. Then the silver dragon the vault during the Audition of the Troupe. As the blood hits the mold, the parts starts to feel themselves going mad. Bobushio and everyone sees and hears a figure in black of Ukaru with flaming hair scream, “destroy this whole island!” We see Lord Winter, the River King, etc. As the hammer forms, so too does the Demogorgon. The terrifing images of past trama disapear as a complete and healthy Demogorgon has summoned himself back to stop the last attempt to destory the Obelisk and stop his assention.   Alcath runs up to distract the Demogorgon while Gilly grabs the hammer. The Shades take turns trying to hit the obelisk while the Deep Father attacks. Thuniel eventually smashes it and it explodes on all of us. The Demogorgon yells at Caia that her kind always causes trouble, Alcath’s madness will overtake him, and Gilly is the least of her family. Bobushio will always be broken and turns to Moz and then he can’t get anything else out as he is sucked into a portal and set back were he came from.   The gravity in the room shifts and the party starts to float as the city begins to fall out of the plane it was suspended in. Alcath falls and Caia manages to get to him and heal him a bit. Then the shaking of an entire city falling from the sky is jarring as the party falls to the ground. The hammer then melts in Thuniel’s hand.