Session Report 90

General Summary

Father Sorgfalt stood before the Muskrats, blocking the path to the portal. Calling upon the power given to him by Anathema, Father Sorgfalt threw himself at the party. He immediately swung his fist-wing-like appendages at Dami and began to pummel her. The Muskrats discovered quickly that Father Sorgfalt was made of stern stuff and had incredible healing. Continually Father Sorgfalt removed a massive stone prayer book each time he healed chanting verses from the book. As Dami tried to hold Father Sorgfalt he slammed his wings into the ground sending a massive shockwave out nearly driving Dami to the ground. Seeing that the Muskrats were relatively unscathed, Father Sorgfalt called upon the fire of his divine God and let out a blast of fire that bathed each of the Muskrats in his golden-red fire. The Muksrats attempted to disperse but Itzal, who was too focused on his maze spell, grouped back up with his comrades and was struck by the flames. In the midst of this, Zorron escaped from the maze, but Itzal and Cambio did not waste a moment. Cambio pulled Zorron back into the powerful flames of his son and Itzal locked him within a mental prison. The reign of Zorron Zypher over House Vassa ended as the flames conjured by his son burned him alive. He collapsed into the murky water below the sacrificial altar and sucked into the whirlpool. 
With Zorron dispatched, the Muskrats shifted their focus completely to Father Sorgfalt. The battle continued back and forth. Dami wrapped her kraken band around Father Sorgfalt preventing him from getting away and targeting Itzal, who he was attempting to diligently target the entire fight. He called upon the flames of his God and burned the Muskrats once again. Counter Saval collapsed and lay dying before the Muskrats. Itzal jumped into action and revived the holy man once again in the span of mere seconds. Unfortunately for Father Sorgfalt, the flames of his God were not enough and Dami soon delivered a killing blow driving the massive man to the ground. Before Father Sorgfalt uttered his last breath, he warned Dami that, "Anathema shall maker thine repent for thine's sins!" 
With the death of Father Sorgfalt, the Muskrats set about investigating the ritual chamber and the very deceased in the chamber. Itzal plunged into the whirlpool below in hopes of finding the Staff of Power wielded by Zorron Zypher. Upon reaching the bottom of the whirlpool, Itzal discovered a gruesome scene. Numerous skeletons had collected in the bottom of the whirlpool. He found the staff he had been longing for, but also found more than he had bargained for. Inspecting the skeletons he discovered that nearly all of the skeletons were tieflings. As he investigated further, he realized that the reason that the inner circle of House Vassa had remained so small for numerous generations was because the family was constantly sacrificing each other to fulfill their pact with Mizanoros. Itzal returned to the surface with the horrors he had discovered. Dami and Cambio began to look through the prayer book owned by Father Sorgfalt and found that a single line was repeated through the over four hundred pages of the book: "Thine shall Diligently follow the orders of Anathema." Additionally, the Muskrats began to ponder what to do with Master Linel's body after Tazmeth had disappeared. Rummaging through his belongings the Muskrats found a single letter addressed to Tazmeth and sealed with a red wax seal bearing the letter "L." The Muskrats concluded to save the letter and Master Linel's body until reuniting with Tazmeth so he could decide how to proceed. The Muskrats took the opportunity to take a quick break before heading into the unknown on the other side of the portal. The battle between the devils and the Blades of Purity continued above them. 
After catching their breath, the Muskrats headed into the portal and found themselves in Magmarath Caldera on the fourth layer of the Nine Hells, Phlethegos. Immediately, the Muskrats were hit by the offensive odor of sulfur from the volcano below the city. A faint orange glow of light filled the alleyway that the Muskrats had exited to. Black hazy smoke wafted through the alley. The alley was flanked by noisy foot traffic on either side and the sound of loud machines and their grinding gears could be heard in the distance. As the Muskrats surveyed the scene they realized that they entered into a murder scene. Numerous bearded devils were dead and the Magma Militia, the resident security forces were beginning to investigate and they suspected the Muskrats. Three pit fiends were investigating and it was looking bleak for the Muskrats until Dami heard "psst, psst, psst." Dami turned and saw a young marileth on the other side of a grate for an airshaft. She urged the Muskrats follow her and without much other option, the Muskrats hopped into the airshaft and started climbing up the airshaft. 
The marileth introduced herself as Lyllis, an apprentice at the Living Armory to the legendary smith Vistara. She informed the party that they were present in the Burning Ire, the region of the city where devils resided. She explained to the party that the city was divided primarily into three regions that was split between devils, demons, and fiends. She told the party about the Iron Maw Arena where many individuals engage in battle. One of the most important events in the Iron Maw Arena was coming up, the Nine Trials. The winner of the trials had the opportunity to have a feast with the presiding member from the Tribunal of Wrath over the Nine Trials. The next instance of the Nine Trials would be presided over by Mizanoros, the fiendish member of the Tribunal of Wrath who mediated most of the conflicts between devils and demons. He had grown in prominence in recent decades and was recognized as the de facto leader of the city. 
Before the Muskrats exited the airshaft, Lyllis warned that Vistara could be extremely talkative and was incredibly interested in weapons. Upon exiting, Vistara immediately rushed Dami and began grabbing at Inferno's End, asking about the blade and she had a lot of information to share. She informed Dami, that Inferno's End was forged from a material called Mourningsteel, a type of metal that is infused with the souls of the dead. The more powerful the soul the more powerful the resulting weapon. She informed Dami that she had seen few other weapons as powerful as Inferno's End and one of the few was Hatred, the axe wielded by Mizanoros. Before, the conversation could continue the always gross sight of Pata'traeya appeared.

Report Date

13 Jun 2023