OttD Session 43: The End

General Summary

We begin in The Bronze Prince's court. The primary focus for this session is not roll20, but instead a spreadsheet being live-streamed on discord which shows the positions of the gods on the current measure. Penguin explains the premise, and immediately opens with a very successful intimidation check. Adoven Verdonnet follows this up with an impassioned speech, suggesting that the gods should pass the vote in order to protect themselves. Zerrof points out that the mortal gods would also therefore get their chance at vengeance, which immediately convinces Hruggek to vote for the bill. Tornac attempts some intimidation of his own, which is less successful. Adoven Verdonnet and Tornac also make the point that this measure would bring justice to Iapetus. The Bronze Prince argues that Iapetus is not breaking the law. Tornac argues there is a difference between law and justice. This does not sway The Bronze Prince, but it does sway some of the others who are listening.
One of the surviving Dukes of Air makes a dramatic argument about how The nine hells would use this as leverage to exert "undue influence" over the mortal world and realms beyond. The other gods are noticeably shaken by this idea, but with a considerable amount of back and forth the party manages to regain their lost ground by attacking the Dukes of Air and their intentions. They also get assistance from Istus, who points out that The nine hells already have undue influence over proceedings, and that is irreversible.
The measure eventually passes with a nearly unanimous vote. The only two dissenting votes were from the Dukes of Air and Lolth. The mortal not-quite-gods immediately go and attack Iapetus. The fight is quick and brutal, which is resolved through a violence montage. The combatants were:

• Bahamut: Survived
• Corellon Larethian: Slain by Iapetus
• Dukes of Air: Survived
• Hextor: Survived
• Hruggek: Survived
• Mazu: Survived (Protected by the party)
• The Raven Queen: Slain by Iapetus
• Tiamat: Survived
• Vecna: Slain by Iapetus

PC Epilogues

In Session 41: Game of Boats, Part 3 - A Kraken Good Time, Pestle learned from his telepathic interrogation of Aria that his only means of escape was to die outside of Vigrid. This is because if he lived he would eventually be pulled into another Training Game, and if he died he would have two choices: to either fade away from existence entirely or to make Vigrid itself his afterlife, as many of the others in Vigrid, including Adoven Verdonnet, had done previously. His escape was to get teleported to the Prime Material Plane and commit suicide upon arrival.
He sent Izar away, and was dead before he returned. Upon discovering the corpse Izar immediately retrieves several of his family members to perform a Reincarnation spell on Pestle, who is reincarnated as a small sapling. It is planted in Rainy Grove, where the Baduhenna once stood. Izar watches over Pestle for a few years before eventually leaving for his own adventures. Instead Druid Kaiser steps up to take care of the place.
Tornac returns to Avernus with Penguin. Inside Penguin's throne room, Tornac sets fire to the phoenix egg he had received from Mama Bear. What hatches from it is a tiny bird, constructed entire of fire. It is a baby phoenix. Phoenixes are technically asexual, but Tornac names it after his dead wife Marcella.
Zerrof first convinces Mazu to use her wish to regain her immortality. The wish is made immediately, but its effects are not immediately apparent. The pair then go back to The Cobalt Sanctuary, and attempt to raise Zorkul Clalthicul back from the dead. Zorkul Clalthicul refuses the resurrection, saying he has already gone above and beyond the call of duty and he is ready to rest.
The next order of business is, of course, the holy wedding. The entire party is invited, including Tornac, and even Adoven Verdonnet is permitted to leave Vigrid briefly to attend. Pestle, being a tree, is unable to attend in person. Zerrof settles for constantly casting sending to keep his friend up to date on proceedings, and Druid Kaiser also comes to attend as Pestle's proxy.
After the wedding, Adoven Verdonnet spends his time in Vigrid attempting to be a parent to Aria. He does not approve of her relationship with Nihilo, since he is technically two people and is also somewhere in the neighborhood of 2500 years old, but he is happy to assist in her research and to become a member of the Einherjar. He also makes an attempt to learn to play chess with Black and White, but is not very successful.
Vun Roade maintains his association with Zerrof, Mazu, and The Window, but spends the majority of his time traveling from town to town as an itinerant blacksmith. He continues to do this even after he grows far too old for that kind of shit.
A few years after he began his adventures, the innkeeper in an otherwise silent inn approaches him and says that he is actually The Traveler.  The Traveler heaps praises on Vun Roade, but he rebuffs that praise, insisting that his not deserving of anything special.  The Traveler is insistent, however, and gives Vun Roade a wrapped present.  He does not demand that Vun Roade actually opens it, but he is quite insistent that he at least take the gift with him.  The Traveler then removes his hat of disguise, revealing his true form is that of a grey slaad. Vun Roade has no particular reaction to this, and The Traveler does not appear to have been expecting one. Instead, he simply replaces the hat, transforming himself into a gnome then makes a promise: 

No matter what you do, no matter where you go, no matter who you are, there will always be new surprises waiting for you.

He then places a hand on his amulet and disappears to places unknown.  Vun Roade stares at the box for a long time, but does eventually leave, box in hand.  He does not open it.

NPC Epilogues

Mama Bear and Edward DuThane were already married long ago, prior to The Blood Crusades, but they never admitted this fact to any of their peers, so a few months after Ragnarok they hold a simple ceremony in the town square.
Aria and Nihilo proceed to spend the next few decades in a constant on-again off-again relationship. The two somehow manage to be both the best couple and the worst couple in all of Vigrid simultaneously. Aliquid eventually learns common and becomes confident enough to stop hiding behind her illusion.
Sconce and Madani continue to be the most lively pair in all of Vigrid. The two of them combined frequently claim victory in the Training Games, and become the de facto leaders of the Einherjar. When The Raven Queen eventually passes on Sconce returns to worshiping Olidammara and moves the Death Day Parties to the local graveyard, so that the Einherjar can dance upon the graves of their fallen.
Penguin and Ophelia have a long, loving relationship as dual rulers of Avernus. Penguin is eventually ruled a god, despite his objections. Ophelia takes up some hobbies of her own, including a private line of brothels. Once a year the two sneak away from the rest of their responsibilities to sail down the River Styx.
The kenku race, now free from their curses, find themselves dedicated to Penguin. They travel The multiverse spreading the good word about their new god, and sharing stories about their travels through the various planes. They begin defining a culture of their own extremely aggressively, pushing new kinds of particularly aggressive and self-assertive music, creating great works of art, founding bardic colleges, and of course breeding prolifically. By the time the gates close every plane in The multiverse has a sustainable kenku population. Even the Dukes of Air reluctantly open their borders and allow the kenku to return.
In Sigil, Pixo and Jane continue to oversee The Window. Once the gates close The Window becomes the de facto government of the city, and so the two spend their days trying to keep the city safe. Izzik, now a pit fiend in recognition of his service, is present to help maintain the portal but otherwise refuses to follow orders from anyone else in the city. Even Garfield pitches in, though rumors abound that he has some shady connections with the black market.
Zasina eventually goes back to her old faith and founds a temple to Mazu in The Beastlands. She does not have much luck converting the local populace, but she tries anyway.
Nader uses her new life to terrorize various villages in the Prime Material Plane. She is eventually slain again by Vun Roade.

God Epilogues

Bahamut, Hextor, and Tiamat all die of old age within a few years. The Dukes of Air are still alive, barely, at the beginning of the next campaign. As the campaign begins election campaigns are underway for who will rule in their absence.
Asmodeus, Dispater, Penguin, and the other dukes of The nine hells continue to work tirelessly to expand their influence on the other planes. The work proceeds quite smoothly, thanks to a recent improvement of their public image.
Deep Sashelas continues to rule the Elemental Plane of Water, aided by Mazu and Zerrof.
Lolth eventually finds herself to be the sole deity remaining in Gehenna, and uses this to gain considerable influence over the inner planes.
Olidammara takes over control of death and the Astral Plane from the now-deceased Raven Queen.

Report Date

30 Mar 2020