Session 52
General Summary
1st of Richfest, year 595 - Level 19
(week of Richfest, the midsummer festival, begins)
Mahadi invites the party to partake of the pleasures offered at his establishment, the "Infernal Rapture," where the food and drink is sure to be the best they will ever experience in all the Nine Hells! To pay, however, the party will need "soul coins," the preferred coin of the Hells, and are told Fhet’Ahla at the "From Here to Avernus" can exchange coin and gems for them. Also, other establishments in the Wandering Emporium may trade for them. They pay a visit to Fhet’Ahla and discover he is an amnizu devil, very likely running a traveling messenger service not entirely out of choice. He is able to trade [X] amount of the party's coin and treasure in exchange for [X] number of soul coins which Irina takes possession of. However, the unexpected wave of psychic energy coming off the coins that evidently possess actual souls, and not just a metaphor, is nearly too much for her to handle and it drops her to a knee. She recovers and leaves by her own power, but she realizes as long as she holds onto so many of these haunted coins, her abilities will be hampered. As the party crosses the caravan's courtyard, Wally begins to feel a presence, both familiar but strange. And a voice calls to him for help. The voice beacons him to a particular tent, which he heads toward accompanied by Toby. Malex and Irina, meanwhile, check out the traveling forge mounted on modified war machines. Inside the tent, Wally and Toby discover an apothecary of sorts, but one that seems to focus on materials, totems, and reagents for the darker spells and enchantments. While Toby draws the attention of the proprietor, a strange gnome with wandering eyes, Wally zeroes in on the voice calling for him, discovering it behind the shop's counter, from inside a small box. With preternatural dexterity, Wally steals the box while Toby, a little outside his element continues to distract the gnome, as Wally departs and Toby soon follows. Wally begs off Toby in order to find a dark spot to explore his findings. Opening the box, he discovers a shocking surprise: the actual pendant that used to be worn by his one-time mentor, the Priestess Thessalia, from his hometown of Tilldale. He last saw her wearing it on that fateful night he ran from her body and his home, and now here it was inexplicably in his hand. And with her voice in his head, asking him to help her! The shock of this rattles Wally deeply. Inside the Firesnake Forge, the rest of the party encounters three salamander proprietors named Rassh, Skids, and Slagg. Brothers who worked under Bel himself, Hell's legendary weaponsmith, until Mahadi helped them escape some years ago. Now, aided by magmins and animated armor, the creatures make their own weaponry and armor for sale. And indeed, their wares are among the best the party have ever seen. If, however, a bit "dark" and grim in aesthetic style. The conversation with the salamanders leads Malex to show them his cursed warhammer, "Krovozhadnost," which he has kept safely stored in the Bag of Seclusion. They are overwhelmed by the sight of it, revealing that this was a creation of Bel's for a duke of the Nine Hells, evidently lost when he fell and stolen away to the Prime Material. How it made its way to the forgettable shop in the Westlands can't be guessed at. But the sibling weaponsmiths agree that if Malex were to give them this weapon, they would forge a new weapon for him and his "holy" companion, each. Once given the specifications, they promise the construction will take exactly six days, and they can have them delivered anywhere in the Hells to them. When they leave, they encounter the troubled Wally who, while reticent to do so, shares some of his tale with his companions, and admits to the theft of the pendant while under its call. He agrees with his companions that perhaps it would be best to admit to the theft if it means perhaps discovering how it came to be in the gnome's possession. The gnome merchant, Bazruldruuhd, reveals he was not exactly ignorant of the theft. He had detected some kind of psychic energy coming off it, felt some kind of call, but had not been able to understand it. When he saw Wally so drawn to this item he had concealed, he was curious what would happen and was planning on following Wally. Now, with the help of a bribe of the hag's "enchanted" wineskin, Bazruldruuhd forgives the theft and tells the party that he acquired the pendant only the day before from some scavengers who had raided a devil's villa on Dis. Unfortunately, he doesn't know anything more, yet, as it would likely take a skilled sorcerer to learn more from the object. The party leaves and decides it's time to finally relax and eat, as all food since arriving in Avernus has tasted of ash, and they have gone certainly more than a score of hours since their last rest. They return to the Infernal Rapture, greeted warmly by Mahadi, and are once again reassured that a full prix fixe meal and rest would cost but one soul coin each, and the cost of any and all other extra services would be told to them in advance. An assurance they appreciate all the more when they discover that to enter the Rapture requires each to sign a contract that should they attempt to leave without payment of all services beforehand, they forfeit their souls to Mahadi for a set time of service. Passing through the tent's entrance, Irina and Wally feel a shift of magical energies, like perhaps they have been teleported somewhere, and additionally, all offensive magic seems impossible. They are alone in a warm, comfortable space full of cushions and candles, given drink and hors d'oeuvre, when their host invites them to tell their story....
(week of Richfest, the midsummer festival, begins)
Mahadi invites the party to partake of the pleasures offered at his establishment, the "Infernal Rapture," where the food and drink is sure to be the best they will ever experience in all the Nine Hells! To pay, however, the party will need "soul coins," the preferred coin of the Hells, and are told Fhet’Ahla at the "From Here to Avernus" can exchange coin and gems for them. Also, other establishments in the Wandering Emporium may trade for them. They pay a visit to Fhet’Ahla and discover he is an amnizu devil, very likely running a traveling messenger service not entirely out of choice. He is able to trade [X] amount of the party's coin and treasure in exchange for [X] number of soul coins which Irina takes possession of. However, the unexpected wave of psychic energy coming off the coins that evidently possess actual souls, and not just a metaphor, is nearly too much for her to handle and it drops her to a knee. She recovers and leaves by her own power, but she realizes as long as she holds onto so many of these haunted coins, her abilities will be hampered. As the party crosses the caravan's courtyard, Wally begins to feel a presence, both familiar but strange. And a voice calls to him for help. The voice beacons him to a particular tent, which he heads toward accompanied by Toby. Malex and Irina, meanwhile, check out the traveling forge mounted on modified war machines. Inside the tent, Wally and Toby discover an apothecary of sorts, but one that seems to focus on materials, totems, and reagents for the darker spells and enchantments. While Toby draws the attention of the proprietor, a strange gnome with wandering eyes, Wally zeroes in on the voice calling for him, discovering it behind the shop's counter, from inside a small box. With preternatural dexterity, Wally steals the box while Toby, a little outside his element continues to distract the gnome, as Wally departs and Toby soon follows. Wally begs off Toby in order to find a dark spot to explore his findings. Opening the box, he discovers a shocking surprise: the actual pendant that used to be worn by his one-time mentor, the Priestess Thessalia, from his hometown of Tilldale. He last saw her wearing it on that fateful night he ran from her body and his home, and now here it was inexplicably in his hand. And with her voice in his head, asking him to help her! The shock of this rattles Wally deeply. Inside the Firesnake Forge, the rest of the party encounters three salamander proprietors named Rassh, Skids, and Slagg. Brothers who worked under Bel himself, Hell's legendary weaponsmith, until Mahadi helped them escape some years ago. Now, aided by magmins and animated armor, the creatures make their own weaponry and armor for sale. And indeed, their wares are among the best the party have ever seen. If, however, a bit "dark" and grim in aesthetic style. The conversation with the salamanders leads Malex to show them his cursed warhammer, "Krovozhadnost," which he has kept safely stored in the Bag of Seclusion. They are overwhelmed by the sight of it, revealing that this was a creation of Bel's for a duke of the Nine Hells, evidently lost when he fell and stolen away to the Prime Material. How it made its way to the forgettable shop in the Westlands can't be guessed at. But the sibling weaponsmiths agree that if Malex were to give them this weapon, they would forge a new weapon for him and his "holy" companion, each. Once given the specifications, they promise the construction will take exactly six days, and they can have them delivered anywhere in the Hells to them. When they leave, they encounter the troubled Wally who, while reticent to do so, shares some of his tale with his companions, and admits to the theft of the pendant while under its call. He agrees with his companions that perhaps it would be best to admit to the theft if it means perhaps discovering how it came to be in the gnome's possession. The gnome merchant, Bazruldruuhd, reveals he was not exactly ignorant of the theft. He had detected some kind of psychic energy coming off it, felt some kind of call, but had not been able to understand it. When he saw Wally so drawn to this item he had concealed, he was curious what would happen and was planning on following Wally. Now, with the help of a bribe of the hag's "enchanted" wineskin, Bazruldruuhd forgives the theft and tells the party that he acquired the pendant only the day before from some scavengers who had raided a devil's villa on Dis. Unfortunately, he doesn't know anything more, yet, as it would likely take a skilled sorcerer to learn more from the object. The party leaves and decides it's time to finally relax and eat, as all food since arriving in Avernus has tasted of ash, and they have gone certainly more than a score of hours since their last rest. They return to the Infernal Rapture, greeted warmly by Mahadi, and are once again reassured that a full prix fixe meal and rest would cost but one soul coin each, and the cost of any and all other extra services would be told to them in advance. An assurance they appreciate all the more when they discover that to enter the Rapture requires each to sign a contract that should they attempt to leave without payment of all services beforehand, they forfeit their souls to Mahadi for a set time of service. Passing through the tent's entrance, Irina and Wally feel a shift of magical energies, like perhaps they have been teleported somewhere, and additionally, all offensive magic seems impossible. They are alone in a warm, comfortable space full of cushions and candles, given drink and hors d'oeuvre, when their host invites them to tell their story....
Report Date
22 Feb 2022
Comments