20 Lamashan (Oct), 4720
After dismissing the
Bloodsworn ,
Elias Tammerhawk took the
Saviors of Sandpoint aside and offered them a place to stay for the evening. That way, he could ensure they didn't leave town while ensuring they were comfortable before their duel.
Elias provided the heroes with rooms, then had a lavish meal prepared. During dinner, he asked about the relationship between the two groups, and what their business was.
Jayvielle told him about
Mokmurian, the Runelords, and an impending invasion from an army of giants.
With dinner out of the way, Elias took the group to a meeting with
Clegg Zincher. Clegg sized up the party and told them they would have the semi-main event spot before his tournament's main event.
Ultimus , the killer golem, would be bumped from the undercard spot and perform his ritual execution before the Saviors and Bloodsworn battle.
Clegg acknowledged that the Bloodsworn did not have enough members to balance the teams, but he assured everyone that he would have someone to fill the vacancies. With that, the heroes adjourned for the evening.
The next day, the Saviors went to
Maly's Wondrous Vault to pick up supplies. They met young
Anen, who was surprised to see people from Sandpoint. She had gone to the market in Sandpoint on occasion to sell potions. While she excitedly set about to sell more potions to Sandpoint's saviors, Alora Grasswillow, a cleric of Iomedae, came out from the back to see what was going on. She and Anen bid the heroes good luck in their upcoming battle.
Late in the day, the heroes returned to Zincher's Arena. They placed wagers on themselves before making their way to the arena floor. Both teams entered the arena, and a surprise competitor was announced as a late addition to the Bloodsworn -
Tiberius Dragonhammer!
The battle was filled with surprises. Tiberius seemed to be helping the Saviors while appearing to be opposing them.
Quilith and
Kumiko shut down
Doran while
Mite and Jayvielle kept the gunslinger Carson Highridge busy. That left
Kilgor and
Xuk free to go one-on-one and settle their blood feud.
They did. The Saviors of Sandpoint laid waste to the Bloodsworn. Kilgor killed Doran and was compelled to rip the ioun stone out of his forehead. The stone floated into the air and disappeared through the arena's gates. Moments later, Ultimus entered the arena with the ioun stone embedded in his forehead. Doran's corpse began to smoke and tear itself apart while screaming "I AM FREE" in abyssal. In that moment, Quilith and Kumiko - who understood what the creature was saying, understood what had happened. The demon lord that had once lived inside the mighty golem had been freed from his prison by the ioun stone now embedded in its forehead.
So what power, what entity, now controlled Ultimus? What was so powerful that it was able to free a demon lord from a cursed magical item? That was a question best left for later. The massive form of the demon lord Dreg'drokar had taken the corpse of Doran, twisted its flesh and made it his own. He rose, free from its imprisonment, and stared down at the heroes.
The fight, it seemed, was not over.
The Riddleport Wrecker, Tiberius Dragonhammer, bravely fought against the odds.
