Session 142

General Summary

• Possessed Kesmet attacked the party with Sonta'ar himself, who rose out of the effigy, and eight Pain-Deer that he summoned by sacrificing some of the halflings.
• Working together, Theran neutralized Kesmet so that Marvin could Dimension Door up to him in the air and steal the crown from him.
• Freed from the possession, Kesmet used some of his dynamite — ignited by a max-level Fireball right over Sonta'ar's head — to destroy the crown, scattering the Pain-Deer and bringing Sonta'ar to his knees, and Dazki put a bow on the whole thing by jabbing his sword through Sonta'ar's head.
• They had a good night's sleep, collected a small figurine off of Sonta'ar's remains, thanked the townsfolk for their hospitality, and left with "Barf".

Full Recap

It's A Dry, Heatless Heat

Combat Summary

• Kesmet opened by using a Dimension Door to get out of range of the party, and then he flew up in the air.
• At the beginning, the effigy of Sonta'ar came to life as a large red-skinned fanged devil and entered combat as well.
• The mayor freaked out and yelled for everyone to flee, which most did. Some did not, instead echoing Sonta'ar's voice through themselves: "Now, Thrasher! Now, Lancer! Now, Cancer and Toxin!". Later, this would happen again: "On, Vomit! On, Stupid! On, Fodder and Arson!". With each name, one of the chanting commoners would burst into flames, a Pain-Deer rising from their ashes.
• Marvin, despite being a little drunk from the celebration, successfully got an Ego Whip to stick onto Sonta'ar.
• Dazki focused on trying to get Kesmet out of the air by first throwing his dagger with drow poison on it. He missed.
• Sonta'ar favored using a Hellfire Lance to attack the party member targets, hitting Marvin first to break the Ego Whip.
• Belle, the matron of the Ringslayer family, broke from her kin and did her best to assist in the fight against Sonta'ar.
• Dwardazik, extra drunk, took a little bit to fully comprehend what he was dealing with, but his instincts were enough for him to slam his hammer into some enemies.
• Theran used a "Time-Out!" spell to keep Kesmet held in place, drawing Sonta'ar's attention.
• Marvin used a Dimension Door spell to get up to Kesmet's level. He held on, taking advantage of Theran's "Time-Out!" spell while it was up.
• Shortly after, Sonta'ar focused all three lance attacks at Theran, knocking him unconscious to free Kesmet.
• Dwardazik, still incredibly drunk, finally realized that the big devil guy is probably the threat he should actually be focusing on, so he stumbled up onto the platform and started attacking him, completely forgetting to avoid the flames as he did.
• Marvin finally stole the crown off of Kesmet, who tried to resist but failed, landing on the ground after the attempt. This snapped Kesmet out of it.
• Dazki stabbed Theran back awake with his Rapier of Improvised Triage, right as Sonta'ar blasted Marvin with his lance attack, knocking him unconscious.
• Theran got up and threw a "Mega Frost Blast" spell, hitting Sonta'ar and two Pain-Deer.
• Kesmet, his mind finally his own again, bundled together some dynamite and started yelling:

Kesmet: "You dare... you fucking dare?! We, who have faced demons a hundred a thousand times your better?! Well, you know what?   He grabs the crown from Marvin, attaches the dynamite to it, and hurls it in the air over Sonta'ar's head. When it arcs downward, he casts a Fireball at it.   Kesmet: Kneel to ME!!!

The dynamite explodes on the crown at point-blank range, destroying it outright and bringing Sonta'ar to his knees. The Pain-Deer bicker among themselves, mostly just attacking one another — though Fodder randomly attacks Dwardazik anyway — and Dazki finishes the job running his sword through Sonta'ar's head, causing the rest of Sonta'ar's body to crumble to ash like the effigy that was meant to represent him. The Pain-Deer do the same, howling to the sky and crumbling. Kesmet brings Marvin up with a healing potion, and they regroup.   Kesmet puts out the fire using Control Flames, as the halfling villagers regroup across town.   Theran rummages through the ashes of Sonta'ar, noting that Belle is also frantically and furiously doing the same. He tries to strike conversation with her, but she ignores him, only to slap his hand and grab the pieces of the crown that he picks up.

Theran: Hey! I'm pretty sure it's destroyed, but... —   Belle: It's my crown!   Theran: Um...   (Insight 6) obviously, Belle is actively being possessed by a demon right now.   Theran: ...listen, I thought I heard you say something when stuff started getting, um... violent. Something that Sonta'ar was your master? Is he still around?   Belle: I don't know anymore, OK? All I know is that I need the crown back!   Theran: I don't think it's coming back.   Belle: It has to, OK?! It fucking has to!   Theran: What's important about it?   Belle, sitting down in the soot: I don't know!   Theran, sitting down next to her: Um... listen, I know this was an important tradition for you, but... traditions have to change sometimes. Maybe there can be, like, a new festival next year? About... about this? And it won't have the old crown, but maybe it'll have a different crown!   Belle: This festival is meant to remove regret. Help one be reborn into a better self. And all that happened was... was everything got worse, all right? And you can't sit here and lecture me, none of your family is dead!   Theran: OH, ... ... ...sorry, I just got a little outbursty there, because... some of my family is dead, and the rest of my family doesn't care.   Belle: Well, great! Not caring would be perfect right now, which is why I need this crown!   Belle resumes scooping through the soot, tossing aside what looks like a small black statue.   Theran: So, obviously this wasn't supposed to happen... what was supposed to happen?   Belle: Same thing every year.   Theran: And what's that?   Belle: I get a day's peace from all of the regret and terrible din within me. Some drink alcohol, some take on... painting, or birdwatching. But, man, there's no time to be philosophical right now! Help me put this back together!   Theran: It's... not going back together.   Belle begins to weep. Theran puts a hand on her back, as the rest of her (remaining) family come close to also attempt to comfort her. They take her to where the rest of the villagers have gathered.   Theran, calling out after her: Sometimes, masters are bad! And sometimes, it's a good idea to choose them once... and sometimes, it's a bad idea to keep them! I hope that you'll be able to move on!   Theran, muttering to himself sarcastically: Well, that went well...

Dazki and Kesmet head over to Theran to revisit what had happened during the fight. Theran mentioned how odd it is that he's more concerned about how little he was able to contribute than he is about how he almost died — even though, as Dazki rightly puts it, it was his "Time-Out!" spell that gave Marvin the opening he needed to get the crown off Kesmet. Dazki and Theran bond a little over the expectations that they both grew up with, and over how strange it is to focus on "I couldn't do more to help others" than anything negative that happens to themselves.   As they discuss what happened, they start hearing the crowd from the other side of the town gathering around and singing songs, refusing to let the negativity into the new year and refusing to be beholden to it or imprisoned by it.  

Kesmet: Well, at least we're all alive, and everything's good. You know what they say, "whatever doesn't kill you, adds to the ever-expanding pile of traumas". And, uh... yeah! We're good. No one died, so we didn't fail bad enough. Well... maybe some people died, but, uh... nobody we knew.   DM: Eight people definitely died.   Dazki: That is a... refreshingly Kesmet way of looking at things. I appreciate that.

  Kesmet leads the inebriated Marvin and Dwardazik to the nearest unburned house: the mayor's house, where Helen and "Barf" are. Theran picks up the small black statuette, which he identifies: it summons a Pain-Deer at will. In the morning, he discusses with the rest of the party what to do about it. They decide to keep it handy but not actively look for opportunities to use it. They decide it would be best to leave, when the mayor approaches them:

Egbert, anxiously: And you do plan on bringing your dog with you, right?   Dazki: Yes, absolutely.   Kesmet: Hey, I think someone's still missing? "Pappy" or whoever it was? You guys gonna form a search party or something?   Theran: Oh! If I have a picture or something, I think I can help look for him? But it's only got a 1000-ft. range, so I'm not sure how helpful that would be?   Dazki: I contacted our people over in Ashport, and they're sending people over immediately.   Egbert: Oh, wow! I may be the mayor, but you guys really are people with power, eh? Influence!   Dazki: Like I said, what we found is particularly dangerous. And we know the people who are in charge of that.   Egbert: Wow. I mean, I would feel downright humbled if I weren't the mayor!   Kesmet: Our importance is the source of great burden and misfortune.   Egbert: Tell me about it... anyway, yeah! That dog's not stayin' here!   Dazki: Yeah, no. No, he is not. I apologize for any trouble that he may have caused.   Egbert: OK. OK. Just so we're clear...   Dazki: Yeah. He's going on our cart, and he's coming with us. He's not staying here. Helen did not get a dog.   Dwardazik: You afraid of a dog?   Egbert: Listen, I just don't do great with dogs, man.   Dazki: It's understandable to be wary of "Barf".   Marvin: Aww, he's just a good boy!   "Barf" wags his tail excitedly.   Dazki: He can be a bit of a troublemaker, so we're definitely taking him with us.   Marvin, to "Barf": Aww, naww, don't you listen to him!   "Barf" wags his tail even more, and he begins to float slightly.   Dazki: And, in fact, after all of this is done, we might want to have him checked out by some of our friends.   Marvin: Those are the bad people, Barf. We watch out for them!   Dazki: No, no, those are the good people.   Theran: So! Uh, you're going to have "Barf" sent over to Ashport where they're going to """take very good care of him"""? 'cause, I know that he's Turmoil-infused, and that's supposed to be bad, but you can't judge a book by his cover!   Theran: And he's cute!   Dazki: We're going to talk to people we know who have had success in removing Turmoil from living creatures while maintaining the "living" status of said creatures —   Egbert: Wait-wait-wait, what do you mean "Turmoil"?! Once again, never happens here! So...   Dazki: Yep! Never happens here.   Egbert: WAIT, are you guys, like, smugglers or something? OH, I don't know if I like ANY of this!   Dazki: No, we're not smugglers. Someone used this dog to smuggle Turmoil in.   Egbert: Your dog?! Someone used your dog to smuggle Turmoil?   Dwardazik: You're calling us smugglers? You couldn't even build a statue that couldn't fall!   Dazki: Look. We're working with the House of Crystal. We had rescued this dog from the smugglers, OK? We're working in an official government capacity.   Egbert: Oh, you're working with the House of Crystal?   Dazki: Yeah.   Dwardazik: Can we all tone it down just a bit? My poor head is pounding! OK.   Egbert: He might not remember me, but can you tell Jose I said hi, then?   Dazki: Sure, could you give me a description of Jose?   Egbert: I mean... you're working for the House of Crystal...   Dazki: Yes, I don't know everyone in the —   Theran: In Ashport.   Egbert: Ahhhh, Ashport......   Dazki: Yeah.   Egbert: That seems much further away. I assumed you meant The Alizarin Woods, where you seem to have been heading.   Dazki: Heading to the Alizarin Woods to help with some situation down there.   Dwardazik: Hey, uh... Dazki... I'm thinking that, maybe, we've spent enough time here. Maybe we should wrap up the talking and make sure we hit the road before it gets too late? If you've wrapped up everything you want?   Dazki: Yeah, there should be some people from the House of Crystal coming this way to the Alizarin Woods, some others. More officially —   Egbert: So, a different, unrelated House of Crystal, then?   Dazki: Yeah, there's a House of Crystal in Ashport as well.   Marvin: I guess you can say we've been transferred.   Dazki: That's a way of putting it.   Marvin: Yep. That's right.   Egbert: OK.   Dazki: They're working together, and we're heading down there to help with some stuff. There's gonna be another batch of people following along the road, according to the communique that I had yesterday.   Egbert: My, real fancypants people! I didn't realize we had such strong ability here! I probably should've noticed all of the really fancy items and whatnot.   (Insight 24) He is just the mayor of a small town and wants you to feel welcomed.   Dazki: We're trying to keep it a bit on the quieter side. But I think my friend Dwardazik is correct, we should get going as soon as we can. Thanks very much for your hospitality!   Egbert: Oh, the pleasure's all ours!   Dwardazik: Hey, next time, make sure you secure that statue!   Egbert: Man, this is gonna be unforgettable.   Dazki: I'm sure it will be.   Dwardazik: Also, I kinda noticed a couple areas were a bit singed, and a couple of the walls look like they've been blackened...   Egbert: Aww, we've got all year to fix it up!   Egbert: To think, you could've spent ashfall anywhere, and you picked this small little town!   Dwardazik: Yeah... don't remind me... I can still feel my head pounding...   Dazki: That's just his way of saying he had a good time, and that the alcohol was up to his standards.   Dwardazik wanders off looking for more of that alcohol. The halflings seem to have drunk it all.   Dazki: Also, Belle may need a little more support than usual.   Egbert: She's got a large, loving family here. And she may be a little rough around the edges — and her heart might be full of coal — but I mean, you look after your own, you know? Warts and all.   Dazki: You're a good man.   Egbert: I'm the mayor. I sure hope I am.   Dazki: Trust me, I've met some government officials in other places who were not particularly good men.   Egbert: Oh, we don't use the word "official" here. I'm just your buddy.   Dazki: Regardless, you're a good man, and you should be proud of your community.   Egbert: Well, thank you!   Dazki: Thank you for having us, I meant what I said last night. You made us feel very at home.   Egbert: OK, just remember, it's rough out there. Don't let the past way you down, just remember to think of the good times. Nostalgia, instead of regret. After all, anybody you've lost wouldn't want ya feelin' sad, right?   Dazki: You're right. Well, to the road, and to friends!   Theran: There's always another morning to turn a setback into a success.   They all get on the carriage and start heading on their way.   Dwardazik: ...they're all out...   Theran: It's OK, Dwardazik! I hear where we're going, they're supposed to have some really good wine!   Dwardazik: ugh...   Dazki: Look at it this way, Dwardazik. That just means you get to anticipate it all year, and it'll taste even sweeter next year when you come visit!   Dwardazik: ...if I live that long...