Session 32: The Massacre of Elta

General Summary

Storming the Gates

26th of Wintercrest 22nd year of the Second Era
The Regulators made two bombs to assist in their destruction of the catapults at the gates of Elta, but based on Meara's knowledge of the Ogres that were loading the catapults, they decided to try making temporary allies first.
Leaving the ship they stealthily approached the gate, and Zuko, using his ring of invisibility, slipped through the defenses to talk to one of the Ogres. He asked for one of the ogres to destroy the catapult if he freed the ogre's "brother stone." The ogre seemed to agree and Zuko freed the stone quietly enough that none of the demons were aware anything was wrong until it flipped the catapult through the town wall. Zukoe then freed the other Ogre as the rest of the party started their attack. The second ogre destroyed its catapult and the two ran off towards the Twilight Forest, causing the remaining demons to scatter.

The Welcoming Maiden

Malcolm called Serenity to come closer to town as they went to The Welcoming Maiden to look for Arget Ethyn along the way they found streets covered in blood, doors broken in, and demonic graffiti on the message board, but no bodies. On the front port of the Maiden, they found bloody footprints, indicating that someone, most likely a female was dragged out fighting by demons and even managed to escape back into the building, as well fresher blood drops trailing inside. Malcolm tried to storm inside, but Meara overpowered him and held him back while Zuko went invisible and investigated the inside.
He found most of the tables turned over and a lake of blood in the main room, as well as signs that the bodies had been dragged to a western window and thrown outside. The trail of blood drops led through the room towards the kitchen. Malcolm finally pulled himself free of Meara rushed into the tavern, the sound spurred movement in the basement below. Malcolm and Zuko went into the kitchen and followed the blood trail to the basement door, which was somehow secured on the other side.
They managed to force the door open and rushed down the stairs, where they heard the sound of metal scraping against stone. Meara illuminated her hair and proceeded into the basement as a female voice called out "stay back demons." When Meara was in range, they found a pale hallucinating Ethed tucked against the wall. She had a sword leveled at them but was barely able to hold it. Meara kicked the blade aside and kissed her, just barely getting through to her that they were not demons. Looking her over, Meara realized she was suffering from blood poisoning. SHe picked her up and rushed her up the stairs as Malcolm called back to the ship, informing Kaylee they were coming back with an injured person.
Serenity was already gliding to a landing in the street as they exited the tavern. Kaylee confirmed Meara's diagnosis and gave Ethed a potion that helped clear her mind. Ethed explained that she was just returning from a hunting trip when she found the demon army storming the gates of town. She scaled the wall and found Arget being dragged toward the tower they were building in the ocean behind the town. She tried to follow but first found herself defending fleeing townspeople trying to get to the local temple for safety, and when she tried to pick up her trail later, she was swarmed by demons and barely managed to get to the Welcoming Maiden.
Malcolm told her to get some rest, and they would make sure Arget got out safely. They had the ship drop them on the bridge spanning from the town to the tower. It, like the tower, seemed to be made from the remains of the townsfolk, bone and tendon. As they crossed the bridge, Malcolm found that one of the floor planks was still attached to a partially living person, and mercifully killed the suffering citizen. When they reached the door, they found that it was made from muscle, skin and bone, and would only open in response to pain. The first room spanned the entire diameter of the tower. On the other side was a staircase leading to a series of rocky floating platforms some 300 feet above. Between them and these platforms was a lattice of sharpened bones. Them and the staircase was a floor of bone and tendon like the bridge outside, but was extremely unstable in parts, and was the only thing between them and a pit of liquefied remains below.
At first, the party attempted to cross the room using the flying carpet. Malcolm and Zuko were pulled off and into the spiked ceiling by two undead arms before being dropped. Both were fortunate enough not to go through the floor at first, and Malcolm managed to get to the other side just before Zuko slipped through and sank into the much. Malcolm tossed him a rope and helped him climb to safety.
They reached the floating platforms above and found each of the seven circular rocks was flooded ankle deep with blood. A deep voice called out to them as if it was coming from the walls. "They told me you would come, but I didn't believe them. I've never been so happy to be wrong." Out of the central platform, the 30 foot tall demonic demi-god Diabolus appeared. A bulbous hybrid of demon and undead, with an iron cage for a belly, full to the brim with writhing undead humanoids. He tapped his spine shaped whip on the cage. "You must be here for her. Well I'm keeping her safe until they decide what to do with her, but you won't be around to find out."
To be continued.... Session 32: The Massacre of Elta 

Report Date

05 Aug 2020