Session 80: The Decent of the Bastion Part 2

General Summary

Grash'thuk and the Abyssal Descent

  In the shadows of the Abyss, not all monsters are enemies—some, like Grash’thuk, are simply waiting to bargain.   Summary: The players encountered a terrifying yet strangely diplomatic figure—Grash’thuk, a shifting mass of writhing bone-latticed flesh, black ichor, and yawning teeth that spiraled like a conch. Its voice rang like a funeral bell through an open throat in its chest. It offered guidance through the Abyss in exchange for demon teeth—currency of control and essence in the infernal layers. These teeth, it explained, allow the bearer sway over creatures beyond the Abyss, and perhaps even dominion over what lies deeper.   The Shantytown: With Grash'thuk as their guide, the party ventured through a desolate region until they came upon a shantytown clinging to the skin of a colossal abyssal corpse. Crude scaffolding, filth-soaked hovels, and demonic sigils carved into flayed flesh made up this grisly community. The moment was tense—a Glabrezu, standing sentinel near the entrance, moved to attack. But Quinn, standing firm and exuding a chilling authority, spoke a single threat that halted the demon’s advance. His command, whether bolstered by magic or sheer force of will, stayed the fiend’s claw.   The Houses of the Abyss: Inside, the players were introduced to the political ecosystem of the shantytown—a constant game of tension and blood between three dominant houses: Velmorga, Zzurska, and Igron. These factions, each made up of lesser demons, warlocks, and devout demon cultists, sought dominion over the lower layers but were halted by an ancient truth: none could pass the third inverted layer. A devil known only as the Archbishop ruled beyond, hidden by old and forgotten magics.   The Artifacts When pressed on the subject of an artifact that could have inverted the bastion like this, Valmorga said the gods hid it away, but the Archbishop holds the tomb of the champion of mortals that weilded such power, and the artifact that helped him control it. The houses offered a single request—bring them the Archbishop. Alive or bound, they did not care. For them, it was not vengeance but opportunity.   Through the Layers: As the party descended through the second layer, Grash’thuk slithered beside them, its many limbs leaving a trail of seared ash on the path. The second layer was a realm of grinding stone and acidic winds, where whispers from unseen mouths filled the air and gravity shifted with each breath. But it was in the third layer—an impossible space shaped like the inverted skeletal ribcage of a titan—that Grash'thuk warned them:   "This place is where the unrulable dwell. Not beasts, but truths that have eaten their names."  

The Pool of Profanity:

There, the party found a profane ritual underway. A Molydeus, its twin serpent head lashing and howling, stood opposite a towering Deathdrinker, draped in sinew and bearing a greatsword forged of marrow and void-light. Around them, dretches and wretched lesser demons were being sacrificed—split open and tossed into a glowing, seething pool. Viscera smeared in arcane patterns spread across the scorched ground.   The two demons, surprisingly, spoke in Common.   "Soon, it will rise. Soon, vengeance is not a dream. We have waited, and now the chain rusts."   "Their gates weaken. Our power grows."   The implication was clear—these entities were not mere warlords. They were heralds. Preparing for a cataclysm that could extend far beyond the Abyss.   The Battle Begins: Realizing the magnitude of the threat, the party launched an assault. But the battle turned quickly. The Molydeus’ glaive cleaved through magical barriers as if they were paper, and the Deathdrinker absorbed spells as offerings. Even Grash’thuk, despite its cunning, offered no aid—only watched, its laughter echoing as the party began to falter.   Spells were countered, strikes were parried, and the pool pulsed faster with every drop of blood spilled. The session ended at a critical moment—the heroes bloodied, but alive. Facing the truth that their might may not be enough here, in the land where the unrulable dwell.   The Abyss does not give. It waits, and it changes you.