Session 52: Interview with a Fiend
General Summary
Orcs and goblin-kind controlled the upper keep while the heroes barricaded themselves in the kithen with time running out. The doors would only hold for so long, so Brimble Knackles used his crystal ball to scry once again on Theodocius. He saw the mage walking down a dungeon corridor, entering a room converted to a temple of Grazz't, and then returning to a laboratory. Brimble surmised that the dungeon corridor could not fit within the footprint of the keep. The crafty gnome then suggestied using his teleport scroll to confront Theodocius in the dungeon, but this was deemed to risky, given the chance of mishap with a relatively unknown person. A second option presented itself, the party would use Nolzur's magical pigments to paint a hole in the ceiling next to the stairs and bypass the wall of force protecting the tower's upper levels (see Session 51: Battle at Durgan's Folly). This the party successfully did and boosted themselves into an audience chamber, owlbear rug on the floor and portraits upon the wall.
And growling Hell Hounds to the attack. Although Jolee Bindo was silent in his Boots of Elvenkind and Mitsu is ever-quite, the hounds' keen smell brought them around the corner. Althoug the elf loosed arrows at the beasts, one discharged his fire breath and wounded the two heroes. With more arrows and well placed staff from the monk, the hounds were sent back to hell. The party regrouped as a voice from the stairwell leading up called to them. "Come and entreat with me" said sly and sweet voice. Jollee, Rivine and Mitsu ascended with Jolee under the cloak of invisibility cast by Brimble; the monk continued up the stairwell to a 3rd floor. Rivine and Mitsu, however, found themselves in a comfortable meeting chamber, and across a table laid with comestibles was a red-skinned, black clawed, and be-winged fiend. They, for unclear if such a thing could be man or woman, bade the heroes talk and asked on the disposition of the Libre Mortis (the book first appears in Session 11: Somethign to Answer For), pointedly stating that it was in Rivine's possession. Thus began a lengthy and interesting conversation between elf, half-elf and fiend. The fiend desired the book to destroy it as a way to keep it from Iuz who would disrupt the balance with such evil at his command. Mitsu countered that the party could not, in good faith, let go of such a powerful artifact without seeing it destroyed themselves. The fiend noted that physical destruction here was not possible and that higher power, that of Grazz't, must be called forth, so that the heroes (they snicker) could not, in fact, destroy the book. An impasse of sorts, into which Mitsu uncharacteristically stepped. The elven ranger-rogue made visceral and impassioned (for him) argument that they must see the book destroyed and would do so in whatever way necessary. As an act of sincerity, Mitsu revealed his face to the fiend, a visage that few have seen. The fiend's pupils dilated imperceptibly, and he smiled. "You speak true and will destroy the book with the help Goresh Kar, who can bring the might of Grazz't to bear in our lord's new temple in the dungeon below." The fiend momentarily became translucent and then faded from the Oerthly plane.
The party hurriedly moved through the tower, reviewing scraps of paper containing bits and bobs, local intelligence and such (a note on the table, seemingly left by the fiend stated simply 'make Goresh Kar count'), personal effects and an odd parchment with spells and components listed. The parchement must be a cypher. Indeed by linking components to spells and identifying a letter pattern across the paper, the party revealed a word of command: presto!
With this command word Trina suggested they investigate the ground floor laboratory as this is where she would sometimes see Theodocius "disappear". The party gained entrance again with the magical paints only to find an Oni now inhabited this scholarly respite. While Brimble cast illusions to distract the ogre-mage into the next room, the heroes spoke the command word and revealed a secret door in the far corner floor, the dungeon entrance! As the party made for the levels below, a rotting humanoid was thrown into the room, followed closely by the enraged Oni. The giant sliced his glaive across Mitsu's chest, but by this time the party was down the secret entrance and Mitsu deftly retreated from the monster to join his comrades.
And growling Hell Hounds to the attack. Although Jolee Bindo was silent in his Boots of Elvenkind and Mitsu is ever-quite, the hounds' keen smell brought them around the corner. Althoug the elf loosed arrows at the beasts, one discharged his fire breath and wounded the two heroes. With more arrows and well placed staff from the monk, the hounds were sent back to hell. The party regrouped as a voice from the stairwell leading up called to them. "Come and entreat with me" said sly and sweet voice. Jollee, Rivine and Mitsu ascended with Jolee under the cloak of invisibility cast by Brimble; the monk continued up the stairwell to a 3rd floor. Rivine and Mitsu, however, found themselves in a comfortable meeting chamber, and across a table laid with comestibles was a red-skinned, black clawed, and be-winged fiend. They, for unclear if such a thing could be man or woman, bade the heroes talk and asked on the disposition of the Libre Mortis (the book first appears in Session 11: Somethign to Answer For), pointedly stating that it was in Rivine's possession. Thus began a lengthy and interesting conversation between elf, half-elf and fiend. The fiend desired the book to destroy it as a way to keep it from Iuz who would disrupt the balance with such evil at his command. Mitsu countered that the party could not, in good faith, let go of such a powerful artifact without seeing it destroyed themselves. The fiend noted that physical destruction here was not possible and that higher power, that of Grazz't, must be called forth, so that the heroes (they snicker) could not, in fact, destroy the book. An impasse of sorts, into which Mitsu uncharacteristically stepped. The elven ranger-rogue made visceral and impassioned (for him) argument that they must see the book destroyed and would do so in whatever way necessary. As an act of sincerity, Mitsu revealed his face to the fiend, a visage that few have seen. The fiend's pupils dilated imperceptibly, and he smiled. "You speak true and will destroy the book with the help Goresh Kar, who can bring the might of Grazz't to bear in our lord's new temple in the dungeon below." The fiend momentarily became translucent and then faded from the Oerthly plane.
The party hurriedly moved through the tower, reviewing scraps of paper containing bits and bobs, local intelligence and such (a note on the table, seemingly left by the fiend stated simply 'make Goresh Kar count'), personal effects and an odd parchment with spells and components listed. The parchement must be a cypher. Indeed by linking components to spells and identifying a letter pattern across the paper, the party revealed a word of command: presto!
With this command word Trina suggested they investigate the ground floor laboratory as this is where she would sometimes see Theodocius "disappear". The party gained entrance again with the magical paints only to find an Oni now inhabited this scholarly respite. While Brimble cast illusions to distract the ogre-mage into the next room, the heroes spoke the command word and revealed a secret door in the far corner floor, the dungeon entrance! As the party made for the levels below, a rotting humanoid was thrown into the room, followed closely by the enraged Oni. The giant sliced his glaive across Mitsu's chest, but by this time the party was down the secret entrance and Mitsu deftly retreated from the monster to join his comrades.
Rewards Granted
Combat:
Ogre x 1: 450
Hellhounds x 2: 1400
Dybuk x 1: 1100
Social Interaction:
Winning over the fiend: 2900 (same xp for killing)
Illusion to trick Grimulak: 500
Exploration:
Learning of dungeon via scrying:500
Solving the Spell Components puzzle: 1000
Finding information through searching tower: 500
Using Nolzur's Pigments to breach tower: 500
Total XP per PC: 2090
Ogre x 1: 450
Hellhounds x 2: 1400
Dybuk x 1: 1100
Social Interaction:
Winning over the fiend: 2900 (same xp for killing)
Illusion to trick Grimulak: 500
Exploration:
Learning of dungeon via scrying:500
Solving the Spell Components puzzle: 1000
Finding information through searching tower: 500
Using Nolzur's Pigments to breach tower: 500
Total XP per PC: 2090
Rivine and Mitsu Parlay with a Fiend
Report Date
06 May 2024
Primary Location
Related Characters
Comments