Session XLIII: An Expected Arrival

Chapter 4: Casus Belli

General Summary

23 Dripping, 1305 AM

… were politely greeted by a phistophilus, a contract devil, whose counterpart was half-asleep. A holy delegation consisting of a higher priest and three Oval Knights from the Karapanate stood silently in attendance. Refusing to engage the devil in lengthy conversation, the phistophilus finally dropped the facade and the party suddenly found themselves surrounded by a contingent from the Legions of Hell. A gelugon, an ice devil, commanded an assortment of ascensoriels (crusader devils), barbazus (bearded infantry devils), and erinyes (fury devils). Furthermore, the Asmodean Forge Cleric, his housecarl, and the Hellknights drew their weapons, joining their infernal patrons in battle. Tropam found himself standing right in front of one of the crusader devils and his barbazu troops, whilst the ice devil summoned a Wall of Ice that wounded both Baldur and Jacqualine. Caerlin summoned an aberration, which successfully broke the Forge Cleric's concentration. However, Jacqualine calculated that the odds were decidedly not in their favour, and as such decided to call upon the spirit of Lucia Alynor, Exemplar of Tor Elvatar and Silverhallow Knight of Hyx. She appeared in a resplendent suit of armour and with a set of luminescent constellation-like wings, and immediately summoned three clones that lanced the devils, leaving two erinyes and four bearded devils in smoldering ashes, their essences sent back to the Hells. Lucia herself thereafter suspended her silver glaive in the air, conjured two radiant blue shortswords, and brutalised the closest of the crusader devils, after which she wounded a bearded devil (which Jacqualine finished off). However, even with the Silvehallow Knight's presence, the devils and their allies did not falter in their wanton villainy. Whilst Tropam managed to kill, with his new sword, a Hellknight paralysed by one of Lucia's spells, both Jacqualine and Caerlin were sent to death's door; Lucia placed down a shimmering banner that eventually stabilised and revitalised Jacqualine, but Caerlin was struck with a mortal blow by one of the Hellknights, who used the power of his oath to guarantee a hit on the dying sorcerer. Baldur launched a smite on the offending Hellknight (killing him, naturally) and Lucia lanced to death the other crusader devil squad. Once only the commanding ice devil and the deputy contract devil remained, something akin to a retreat occurred, and the two devils disappeared in fiery portals (possibly incited by the rapidly approaching Lucia). Del'Gado killed the Forge Cleric and wounded the housecarl; which allowed Baldur to utterly destroy him afterward, cutting off his lower left arm. Tropam sacrificed, short-term, his wizardly plans for his diamonds in order to allow Jacqualine to cast a Revivify spell on Caerlin. With the combat settled, Lucia's pledge fulfilled and spirit departed, and all party members standing, they cast their gaze towards the silently observing members of the Karapanate…

Campaign

The King on the Threshold

Protagonists