Session 58

General Summary

5th of Richfest, year 595 - Level 20
(week of Richfest, the midsummer festival)
What started out as a tense and uncertain beginning to the meeting between Irina and Glasya, remains cordial and polite as Glasya explains she had been monitoring their progress by scrying Thessalia's medallion -- a precaution she had been taking since discovering reason to suspect their intentions in Baatzu, the Nine Hells. That reason, she reveals....
By opening up a portal in the air to ostensibly her palace parlor, where exact versions of the party, plus Valenthe, are seen standing in some kind of held stasis. Glasya explains they were captured infiltrating her palace in search of her blade, Vita’nanis. Wally and Irina notice that these alternate versions of themselves came from the period of "lost time" the party experienced when they explored the time-and-space warping "cabin" nearby the Vortex, when they first met the mind flayer N’gathlodd when he sent them on the quest for the items to close the Locks. They also notice that Valenthe looks . . . odd, in stasis. Like she is slightly insubstantial or has an unusual aura compared to the others -- but this goes unremarked upon.
This, it seems, is that "other group" the mind flayer had said was already sent to retrieve the blade he needed to finish opening the rift.
They quickly reiterate the nature of their (the current versions of them) quest in Hells, and Glasya comes to believe them. She explains to them why the blade is so dangerous, likely desired, and something she will not out of her possession:

When the volunteer archons of greater power, our father Asmodeus, Titiana queen of the fey, Bahamut and Tiamat, agreed to sacrifice themselves in the primal majick that would exile the Elder Gods and seal the Locks, they each needed to craft an item that could destroy themselves. Vita’nanis is the weapon father crafted. It is the only weapon that could utterly kill him. And, as it happens, anyone of his blood -- including, you, sister, and myself. But in crafting it, he was also crafting his plan to cheat oblivion and return to existence. He created the blade such that it would siphon his life force into the newborn offspring between himself and Titiana, you, Irina. In doing so, he would be able to return. But Titiana knew, or at least suspected this, and fearing Asmodeus' cheat might ruin this last-ditch effort to rid the multiverse of the Elder Gods, initiated her own plan. You were put in the care and possession of Titiana's sister, Queen Maab of the unseelie. Titiana had the Huntsman steal you away, replaced with a changeling child. A poor thing that was naturally unable to receive Asmodeus and was destroyed, guaranteeing our father's ultimate destruction. Queen Maab, cheated of her promised boon for aiding our father, cursed the fey Huntsman and made him a minion of her own design -- but that's neither here nor there. Maab was happy to help Moloch in a search of all Material Plane for you, sister. And once you were found, Moloch and she, afraid of what you might claim as your birthright, devised a ritual to destroy you. Yes, because I was the keeper of Vita’nanis, I was enlisted in the ritual as well -- I'm sure it comes as no comfort to you, it wouldn't to me, for me to say it wasn't personal. Be that as it may, something went wrong, and instead of destroying you, your immortality was stripped and you were cast an eon into the future. As well as create a weakening of the barrier between our multiverse and the realm of the Elder Gods. And, well, you know the rest, obviously. Now it seems this arch flayer you met at the center of the Vortex, needs the weapon that can kill celestial beings, contains a connection to the essence of our father, and, retains a sliver of your soul, sister.

Once relating the missing details of how everything is connected, the party, Irina particularly, agrees to let Glasya participate in whatever needs to be done to close the Vortex, re Vita’nanis and Irina's blood, as two of the four items needed to either fully open or fully close the rift. Glasya, again, believes her sincerity.
That resolved, for the moment, turns to Mer'odon and informs him she will make right with him the slight he suffered. She commands the Pit Fiend to return Thessalia to him, which he does by ripping a planar hole in the ground and summoning her through, closing it behind. She asks if that is good enough, to which the still offended devil Lord says he requires recompense for the chaos and violation the theft created. Smiling (in retrospect, there may have been a look of scheming in that smile), she declared Mer'odon to become a full vassal under her, with all rights, privileges and responsibilities therewith, asking if that would be good enough -- to which the nonplussed devil stammers his thanks for her great generosity!
Almost as if on cue, Wally declares umbrage at this development, claiming Mer'odon had no right to Thessalia, neither body nor soul. Glasya (mock?) apologetically, states that according to celestial customs and ways, the contract Mer'odon crafted is valid and he does have a claim on the mortal. . . . Unless, she muses, he had done something to violate the contract such as . . . have the assistance of another non-infernal non-mortal in acquiring her soul. . . .
Wally quickly pounces and explains Mer'don had in fact used the help of a Night Hag to steal his mentor's soul. The rest of the party, Irina on the honor of her infernal heritage, and Malex and Toby on their honor as emissaries of a god, substantiate this. Shocked and aghast (supposedly), Glasya states that in that case, Wally has a right to challenge Mer'odon's claim on Thessalia by right of combat. Wally requests that it be a "combat" of performance, that he would create a song that the devil would need to respond to with his own, to be judged by the celestial in attendance.
In short, Walrick of the fey Fochlucan Bandore, creates a song that requires musical skill and ability that would challenge the best mortal and impress any magical being, with a narrative that features a ne'er-do-well mortal that finds justice at the hands of a land itself that seeks retribution for his broken promises -- themes that particularly strike home to denizens of Baatzu. (With a bit of help from his companions who enhance the experience with fireworks and crowd cheers.) And a musical climax that has Wally flying in the air, literally, with a final flourishing acrobatic drop to the ground.
Mer'odon does his best to answer the challenge. But despite his, often self-professed and boasted upon, skill with rhetoric and poetry, his performance leaves much to be desired, and while evil, the gathered celestials are lawful, and agree to the clear results of Walrick's win! Mer'odon is thrown out of the palace and Thessalia is given to Wally. He carefully frees her from the barbed wire and bandages she was ensnared in, and with Malex's healing assistance, brings Wally's mentor back from the never-ending nightmare she was trapped in. Her senses returned, Wally instantly sees the woman and mother-figure, teacher, he once knew before she descended into murderous insanity years ago. Thessalia is back and she and Wally share a heartwarming reunion.
With all the "entertainment" finished, Glasya decides it's time to return the past versions of the party back to where they came from, and releases them from her stasis enchantment. However, when she does this, each member of the "older" party gains a momentary aura as they decoporate and disappear -- an aura that is momentary seen in 10 or 12 other locations around the visible parlor. Auras that surround invisible shapes that look suspiciously like Valenthe, before they all disappear. And when they do, Glasya drops to a knee in shock while Irina feels the overwhelming sensation of something virtually grabbing hold of her and disappearing to leave the feeling of something having been taken from her. Glasya exclaims that the blade, Vita’nanis, is gone! It has somehow disappeared as the duplicate party did -- and for a moment her rage at believing herself tricked by the remaining party becomes frighteningly evident!
But she is mollified as Irina and party profess ignorance of what happened, indicating that somehow the "splitting" of Valenthe they witnessed was the likely means by which they were still able to gain the blade, and likely return now to the mind flayer! In a moment of near panic as they realize the mind flayer now has the blade, Irina realizes the last component, her blood, could be denied the flayer if she were to die here and now. A suggestion her companions quickly and roundly reject.
And dismissed in any case by Glasya who observes that, clearly being able to use time as a tool, the mind flayer likely has access to some version of her, and her blood, regardless. And with that realization, comes the companion realization that N’gathlodd now likely has everything it needs to perform the ritual to open the Vortex rift completely! The arch vampire's tome, the Staff of Magi, the god-killing soul siphoning blade, and the blood of the semi-mortal scion of Asmodeus whose alteration somehow created the fabric-weakening Vortex in the first place.
They decide they must travel back to the heart of the Vortex, via Yggdrasil once again, immediately to stop the flayer and, if possible, perform the sealing majick. But concern is expressed regarding what dangers they would face, the number and strength of the creatures the mind flayer would have amassed by now. The opposition to their getting to the mind flayer appears overwhelming.
On mutual agreement, Glasya, Fierna and Belial, reveal they have been spending many years of late amassing a secret army of infernal creatures there on Phlegethos with the intent of storming Nessus , the 9th level, ousting Moloch, and taking over all Baatzu for themselves. But if all of reality no longer exists, there's no point in ruling the Hells -- they agree to send their infernal army along to aid the party in getting to the mind flayer.
Additionally, Irina will use her connection as regent in absentia of the Seelie Court to contact Rhiannon and prepare a fey invasion as well. And Malex and Toby will contact Asgorath as only their divine emissaries can do, to enlist whatever aid they can from that corner.

Report Date

07 Feb 2023