Session Report 86

General Summary

The battle against the corruption devil continued to rage on. The Muskrats divided into two groups. Cambio, Tazmeth, and Dami fought their way through the lower hallway. Meanwhile Itzal charged back towards the main chamber to duel the corruption devil. Much to his surprise, he came face to face with an ice devil. He started to backpaddle, but Itzal has twelve left feet and the ice devil froze him with his chilly breath before he could escape. The cold began to sap away at his stamina. Cambio attempted to backtrack to assist his dear friend, but the ice walls that the ice devil placed in response made it futile. Cambio had no choice but to leave Itzal to his own troubles. Luckily for Itzal, he broke free of the ice shortly after and trapped the ice devil within a wall of force. He scampered over the dome he had created and came face to face with the chort. One of the greatest duels in the history of the Muskrats began. Ice walls were erected on either side of Itzal and the chort. Within a ten by feet chamber a true hell in a cell match had started. The remainder of the battle between Itzal and chort occurred outside of the battle with the corruption devil. Back and forth they went. A true test of will. At one point Itzal made a high IQ move to polymorph himself but was then quickly dispelled and was subject to free hits by the ice devil and the chort. 
While the mano a mano battle took place within walls of ice, the other Muskrats dealt with the corruption devil. He forced Tazmeth and Cambio to retreat and then unleashed brutal strikes upon Dami. Her almost unbreakable will to remain on her feet during battle began to waver. He called to her and compelled her to move closer to the ritual circle. The power of the Curse of Corruption overwhelmed her and pushed her towards the circle. Cambio and Tazmeth returned as backup. After Tazmeth's near death experience with Ulthe, he knew that he had to step up to save his friends. However, before he could make it to assist Dami, she was struck down and lay dying on the ground. Dami's collapse had created an opening and Tazmeth took advantage. He rushed the corruption devil leaping over the devil and with one swing swiftly cut both of the the devil's wings away. With his acrobatic movement, he backflipped over the devil to deliver the killing blow. Tazmeth's Ki Blade cut through the thick gut of the devil and greenish entrails spilled out. 
Tazmeth was unaware of what fate Itzal may have met, but regardless he charged in and smashed through the ice walls to strike down the chort who was one strike away from killing Itzal. The ice devil remained trapped in the wall of force. Cambio aided Dami and was able to successfully stabilize her. With the help of Itzal, the party was able to get Dami back up on her feet. The Muskrats inspected the chamber quickly. They discovered numerous interesting facts. First, the magical circle was used to capture souls and give birth to devils. Second, the party found reference to a fiend named Mizanoros, the Black Fulcrum. He was a prominent devil within Magmarath Caldera. He was neither devil nor demon and served as an arbitrator between the two groups. He was heralded as the true master of blood magic and was responsible for corrupting numerous celestial beings with his blood magic. One such celestial was Anathema, the leader of the Blades of Purity. Finally, Itzal conclude that a strong possibility existed that Mizanoros was the unnamed benefactor of House Vassa. Previously, the Muskrats had learned from Mayathangi's notes that House Vassa was backed by an unknown benefactor of fiendish origin. 
On the way out two, notable events occurred. First, Counter Saval Nasso devoted himself to Cambio, who freed him from his cell that had been covered in ice. Counter Saval swore to do what he could to repay his debt. Cambio saw an opportunity for Counter Saval to manage Cambio's numerous financial obligations: children, his father(s), Malar, and the estate of the young girl he brutally murdered in the woods. Second, Dami was once again bombarded with the whispers from beyond the locked door. This time she was too tempted and she entered into the chamber. Inside, there was an iron maiden, who commanded Dami to place her hands upon her. Once she did so, Dami was transported away to another location. She stood in vast pool of blood. She could hear splashing in the distance. When she looked in the direction of the splashing, she saw herself. The blood around the feet of her duplicate began to ripple and hands began to emerge. Individuals started to climb upon the duplicate. They ripped into her flesh and tore the duplicate to pieces. As Dami watched she realized that the individuals tearing into her duplicate was her family and friends. When they finished their meal they turned to her. They dipped below the top of the vast pool of blood and began to rapidly swim towards her. 
Dami felt her hands grow heavy. Looking down she saw that her hand had appeared and shackles now held her in place. Two distinct voices began to speak to her. One on the left was one she did not recognize. A soothing, comforting voice filled with love. It was a voice that seemed almost familiar, but Dami could not place who it was. The voice seemed to strike deep within her and she longed that this voice would have been there for all those years ago when her family sold her. The voice urged her to accept her pain and past and to move forward. The sharp tone of the voice on the right was the only constant in all of Dami's life: it was Mephistopheles. He ordered her to cut them down and serve her purpose in this world. The two continued to struggle and fight while the ghosts of Dami's past grew closer. In the midst of the bickering, Dami made her choice. Her ghosts scrambled up her body and devoured her. Despite the immense pain, a freeing sensation came over her. The years of pain seemed to have diminished. She returned to the dimly lit chamber with the iron maiden. It whispered, "Interesting choice, child. Have my contents." The iron maiden swung open revealing a deceased paladin wearing a suit of Armor of Invulnerability. Dami grabbed the armor and left to rejoin the Muskrats. Her mind was heavy with the events that had transpired, but somehow was freer than she may have ever felt. 
The Muskrats regrouped and left the catacombs and the ice devil. They hoped for an opportunity to rest, learn of what had transpired above, and finally strike a decisive blow against one of their greatest enemies, House Vassa.

Report Date

15 Apr 2023