Chapter 22: A Divine Encounter
The savage seven departed for the wandering emporium, and arrived without incident some time later. They found a caravan of infernal war machines transporting various merchant stalls and establishments, all run by a man named Mahadi. The charismatic man with a beaming smile greeted them at the entrance and detailed the services at their disposal within the emporium, including salamander blacksmiths, a fiendish notary, a human mage buying and selling demon ichor as well as magical components and a Calishite barber. After learning of their purpose, Mahadi led them to the main tent where they found the restaurant and spa known as the Infernal Rapture.
Before entering, Pan and Kathra were made to sign a deal to ensure payment for services rendered (with vague repercussions if they failed to honor the deal). Mahadi revealed himself to be a servant of Asmodeus himself, and above even Zariel in the hierarchy of the nine hells. Within the establishment, Pan and Kathra were offered the finest dining in all of avernus as well as spa treatments to ease their weariness but both declined to partake. Having failed to convince them with these services, Mahadi offered services tailored to each of them (the chance to sleep with any creature in the multiverse for Pan, and secrets of the best smithies in the realms for Kathra) but again failed to reel them in. After scheduling Red Ruth's spa appointment and paying for her service, the pair tried to leave but were approached again by Mahadi who asked for their help in locating a Dragonborn priest of Tiamat named Arkhan. He tried to have them sign a deal to find this information, for which in return he would provide them with information about their quest to find the sword of Zariel. After discovering a fine print clause stipulating they would have ten days to accomplish this task, they chose to decline and left the establishment.
Outside, the group perused the merchant stalls. Pan and Kathra visited the barber, who spun tales for them as she worked and revealed rumours about a mage in a tower employing fiends (named Morden...something) and the dragonborn Arkhan and his strange hand. She refused soul coins, and after stepping away from her neither Pan nor Kathra could remember their encounters with her or her name. After purchasing spell components and potions, the group left and returned to the bone brambles and Red Ruth.
The hag left in a hurry, excited for her centennial bath. She left the party to watch over her grove, during which time a massive undead treant populated with dryad spirits attacked and tried to bring down Red Ruth's lair. The group defeated them, and found a dead halfling within the tree who carried pair of magic items. During their watch, lulu told them the story of Elturel and Thavius Kreeg's deal with Zariel that ended in the city being dragged into hell. When the hag returned, she revealed to them that the Dao could be freed with the blood of a titan. She told them of Uldrak the empyrean, who resided nearby but would need help returning to his proper form before spilling his blood. They left Red Ruth behind and traveled to Uldrak's grave.
There, they found a massive helmet and sword. Inside the helmet hid a spined devil, who turned out to be Uldrak. Long ago, he had come to Avernus to battle Tiamat and bring glory to his lord Surtr. He failed, and Tiamat turned him into a spined devil rather than kill him. The only way he could be restored was by spilling the blood of Tiamat on the ground of Avernus. Uldrak asked the group to seek out the dragonborn Arkhan, who he learned carried a vial of Tiamat's blood in a reliquary around his neck. He offered the orb within his sword (an orb of dragonkind) to trade with Arkhan. They agreed, and set out towards Arkhan's tower with the orb. At the tower, they found a massive white dragon circling the skies and encountered a tortle priest of Tiamat with draconic runed etched into his shell named Krull. A servant of Arkhan, Krull asked them their purpose. When they revealed the orb and their task, he asked them to give him the orb but they refused--saying they would give it to Arkhan himself. After some persuasion, he agreed but only while one of Keladrien's skeletons held the orb (unable to use it against them). He led them to the monument to Tiamat (a massive dragon skull carved into a mountain) and teleported away.
As they approached, they found the monument filled with draconic fiends (abishais). Arkhan stood in a nearby tent along with his minotaur bodyguard and pet manticore. Before they could reach him, a voice echoed 5 times screamed out "ABOMINATION!" as 5 different colored beams shot out from the mouth of the cave and obliterated the orb and the skeleton carrying it. Left without anything to trade, the group revealed their purpose to Arkhan who proved impatient to hear why they had disturbed him so. After much discussion, he agreed that their purposes aligned (both being aligned against Zariel) and offered them a deal. He would give them the blood if they would provide him with a pure soul to sacrifice to the hand of vecna (which slowly drained him if not fed good-aligned souls). He explained that he found the hand during his travels to the world of Exandria, and that he sought to use its power to return his mistress Tiamat to her rightful place as ruler of Avernus. Baen mentioned the unicorn trapped within the demon zapper, and they decided to sacrifice it to Arkhan (though Kathra and Lulu would also serve their purpose). Kathra was most reluctant, but found it the lesser evil compared to sacrificing lulu (to whom she had become quite attached). Arkhan made them sign a deal to ensure they would return with the unicorn after freeing the Dao (carved into the flesh of a severed arm), and gave them the reliquary. If they do not return with the unicorn as soon as possible, they will face destruction by Tiamat. The deal also protects them from danger after they fulfill their end of the bargain.
The Savage Seven left the monument heading back to Uldrak's grave. On the way, they were attacked by seven bearded devils on devil's rides (two-wheeled infernal engines), but soon after a fiery tornado ripped through their path. Pan managed to swerve out of the way, but the twister ripped through their pursuers and slew them all (destroying all but one of the devil's rides). They looted the devils, finding ten soul coins. Baen claimed the surviving devil's ride, and they made their way back to Uldrak...
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