Assault on Allak

Revolution

The group moves towards the second of their final destinations. They encounter The Talon of God in Feron, monstrosities in the ashen desert, Allak in his tower, then finally they come face to face with The Chained God itself.

The group preps for the assault on Allak by using the morning to shop. They buy a few/exchange a few potions with Theodore Graham, and Mex finally sells those precious gems he's been carrying. Mex wants to improve his armor/shield, but the group insists that there's no time. Thorolund gates into the city to regroup and is immediately bored by Shin's incessant tree facts. Shin and Kell speed towards Feron, while Thorolund keeps Mex back and asks if he can keep a secret. He has another use of the gate spell, he just doesn't like Shin too much. Mex and Thorolund instantly arrive just out of Feron. While the other two are catching up, Mex and Thorolund bond. Mex learns of his life at the church and of his lost love. Thorolund is also revealed to have a love of the finer things in life. Eating off a plate, a cooked meal, a tent, and so on. He reasons that they aren't savages, and an uncomfortable life isn't one worth living. Once reconvened, the group eagerly but cautiously enters Feron. Kell draws a lot of attention at the beginning, but that doesn't entirely stop them from targeting Shin. He gets restrained by 2 spellcasting aarakocra and suffers a lot of damage through their combined efforts. The party in tandem with Thorolund goes through a lengthy, grueling fight but gets the swing in advantage by killing the weaker members of the opposition. Through searching through the town, the group uncovers the atrocities Allak has committed. Indiscriminate killing of everybody that once resided here. They also uncover the journal of the aarakocra commander, as well as schematics on how to build the soul-capturing devices. Unfortunately, they have become obsolete as Allak has begun bestowing this power to his men. The journal revealed that the path to Allak is blocked by monsters.   The group clears through the sandworms of the ashen dunes as they push onto Allak's tower. Upon arriving, they encounter the Unrelenting Force one last time (aka the undying aarakocra that James buried). Its body mangled, its feathers darkened, they roll for initiative. Nothing seems to hurt it anymore. Thorolund creates his spiritual guardian once more, but when it attacks Unrelenting Force, its weapon shatters. In a panic, Thorolund reveals himself to be an aasimar. He calls upon his father and a divine beam begins to smite the aarakocra. As it melts, the team shoves it into the forcefield that protects Allak's tower, dusting the creature. The gate leading inside opens, and they start the ascend.   On the first floor, they're greeted by the countdown puzzle. They circumvent this by breaking a hole in the ceiling. Allak's voice is heard as he berates the party for their brutish behavior. After a back and forth, the party agrees to play Allak's games if it means they get a fair fight. The second floor is easy enough; 4 armor stands with varying design flaws. They inspect each, which looks like them minus Kell, and they destroy them with the proper weapon. Shin solves the third floor by fast-forwarding a clock while the party learns more of Allak's motivations. The fourth floor is trivialized by Mex's ice breath and it is revealed that while Allak can see the future, he did not anticipate that. He then tells Mex he's free to leave: this isn't his fight and he has no issue with him. Mex ignores and they all press on. The fourth floor is a hallucination. Kell sees his parents die and is rescued by Allak himself, Shin murders Ganjo again, and Mex relives the day he left the ring. Thorolund, however, is temporarily reunited with his mother. They all empty out on the final floor; Allak's bedroom. Allak, having just finished his last meal, stands up out of bed. He talks about how everyone in the party lives in a prison of their own making and asks once again if they'll leave (but he already knows the answer).   Each party member fights Allak one on one in the same spot they had the hallucination. Only now the place is littered with the corpses of their friends and family (Shin technically is moved to the training grounds of his monastery instead of the steps leading up to it). Kell, then Mex and Thorolund, then Shin all take their turns. By the time Allak fights Shin, he's a walking dead man. Shin finishes him off, fulfilling Allak's final vision. Allak is sacrificed to the Chained God, who becomes awakened. Shin busts out a wall as a mighty roar is heard outside. The party looks on as a spiraling vortex opens in the ocean's waters. A shield of chains is shattered as a gargantuan, golden dragon breaches into the world of mortals.   After a conversation in Draconic, the group decides that The Chained God cannot be allowed to live. They do reveal its true name beforehand: Nahgi, Suffering Made Flesh. Illuminated in only moonlight, the group relocates to the dunes of the ashen desert. Nahgi declares he won't defile Allak's tower and buries his body before the fight. The fight begins with a futile attempt by Kell to harm the immortal, followed by a very successful attempt by Mex with Godslayer. The chaotic drill of energy pierces through a wall of force the group had not even perceived before then, then through the heart of the God. Shin climbs onto his back before it takes flight and barrages the area with its psychically enhanced breath weapon. Nahgi summons a psychic projection of himself, which engages Mex and Thorolund. Naghi spends most of his time in the air, trying to throw off Shin and not be blinded by Kell. The psychic projection takes Mex 160 ft. into the air. Shin breaks through Nahgi's natural armor, Kell inevitable takes out his eyes, Thorolund summons a visage of Kaxas, and Mex nearly falls to his death. Momentarily dropped unconscious and brought back by Thorolund, Mex shoots another bolt of Godslayer. Enraged, Naghi performs a coordinated assault with his psychic projection. Mex and Thorolund are caught in the middle, taking massive damage. Mex drops yet again, this time failing two death saving throws. Mex immediately takes his turn and his final death save… NATURAL SUCCESS. Mex stands, bloody, beaten, and with 1hp, he action surges. He scales the colossal beast, plunging his trident into as he progresses. The dragon falls by his hand. The group all falls to the ground, exhausted. A few large scales and a tooth are extracted before The Primordial Serpent pulls the body into an extraplanar space. Yang appears and informs the group that Salethar has retreated to Hell. Additionally, his plans don't stop at bringing his parents back. He's using the souls as currency in order to gain power over Hell. Lastly, one thing goes unnoticed. The dragon's essence appeared to be missing, but Mex had absorbed it as he slew it.   P.S. Mex received the cape of Mountebank, Shin got a device to restore his memory, and Kell was promised a weapon made from the tooth of Nahgi.   The group rests in Phywell around midnight.