Session 102 - Revelations Beyond the Roots

General Summary

Within A Dimension Prison

Unsure of where they had landed and trying to make sense of what happened, Janora stalked up to the shaggy man demanding to know who he was and why he was here, chained up. The man said his name was Haplo and explained he was the bait for the trap built to capture Zazriel. He begged for them to free him and promised that he knew how to get out, but they needed to go now…before the demon showed up. It sounded plausible to most of the group, but Janora was still suspicious and warned the Humblefolk cultists who had come along not to get any closer to the man.
Both Ollie and Snakebite were freaked out, but handled it very differently. The larger honey badger continued to attack Jilken, but Snakebite was freaked out and looking for any way to get out. Ignoring the witch, the ferret-like Mapach rushed over to try to unlock one of the manacles and got hit with an Eldritch Blast from Janora. Grack pounded on the Resilient Sphere but couldn’t do anything more. Jilken hit Ollie back but stood down when Ell convinced the two flunkies that they would be better off working with the party. Especially once the giant clock-hand swept around to the left column, causing white light to flood through the geometric patterns and a line of force energy blasted forward, striking Haplo as well as Snakebite and Janora.
The prisoner let out a mad howl and began babbling and begging to be freed. Janora was still untrusting and got him to tell the party that the pillars were the key to getting out of here. Denye came over to examine the manacles, extending her arcane senses into the rune covered chains. Ollie and Jilken took care of two zombies as Ell went to inspect the cracked black pillar and found a metal plate on the back bearing a strange language around a hand print. Ell’s gift was able to translate it as, “If given me, you’ll have many or none. What am I?” Putting his hand on the plate made a white light glow under the edges of the plate. The light went out as soon as he took his hand away. Sharing the words over the link, he began moving toward the northern column as the clock hand swept forward.
Before the young man could get to it, a bolt of lightning struck the ground in front of the pillar and a 18 ft tall hulking shape appeared. Black stone-like skin covered the being, it was humanoid, although the limbs were grotesquely stretched. It had a central eye with several smaller eyes around it. It spoke in a low, rumbling voice, “Ah new toys, we shall have fun with you.” There was a clap of thunder and an inverse copy was standing in front of the southern pillar. Solid black eyes and hard white skin, it spoke in a high, screeching voice. “Ooooh, yes….such fun we shall have.” More lighting and thunder echoed around the platform and a half dozen smaller versions of the two demons appeared, each still at least 8 ft tall but with only a single eye. Grack, free after Denye dropped concentration, rushed up to the black domino demon and fell to his knees, babbling in adoration of the “Master.” The lethal looking fiend cocked its head before reaching down with long fingers to pick up the Vulpin. Bringing the fox up to its mouth, the demon simply bit off his head.
Still suspicious of the prisoner, but recognizing the threat, Janora sent several Eldritch Blasts into the larger, white demon behind her. Whipping her head around she fixed Snakebite with a glare as he began working on one of the locks. With a yelp, he backed down off the platform and sent a pair of necrotic bolts into the nearest Aspect. Denye had been inspecting the magical chains and trying to work out what exactly they did. With a sigh the wizard stood up, her talons already conjuring the bowl of sunlight. With a caw of triumph, Denye sent a Sunbeam to skewer the white Domino Demon. It burned at its skin, the pristine white starting to char and smoke. More importantly, the light had blinded the fiend. With a new enemy to fight, both Ollie and Jilken turned and rushed at the black Domino Demon. Being lightning based the Aiel’s spear wasn’t as effective as usual, but it still cut the onyx form and the honey badger’s battleax left a large gash in one thigh.
While the demon was distracted, Ell dashed past to the northern pillar. As he did so, one of the Aspects tried to get in his way and the young man used a Telepathic Shove to push the being off the edge of the platform. Catching his breath he read the inscription, Each ring, each branch, each leaf tells my tale, through wind and rain, I will not fail. What am I?. This was just as incomprehensible as the first, but he shared it with the others over the link. The large clock hand swung around to the northern pillar which began to light up with a neon green light. A moment later, there was a pulse and the green energy swept out in a wide circle, healing all within but with an energy that felt twisted and not entirely wholesome.
Janora glared down at Haplo as he jabbered and pulled at the chains and she ordered him to shut up as she fired off a Blight spell, withering one of the white Aspects. Denye fired off another Sunbeam at the white Domino Demon while Snakebite followed up with several more necrotic blasts. Laughing madly, the white Domino Demon rushed at the small ferret Humblefolk and squashed him flat. Meanwhile the black Domino Demon switched places with one of its Aspects before attempting to smash Ell between its large fists. Without the large enemy to hit, Jilken and Ollie split off, each taking on one of the black Aspects and rocking their worlds. Ell scrambled out of the way of the fiend and pulling on his patron’s power managed to Banish the Black Domino Demon, including all of its Aspects. The clock-hand moved again, landing once more on the ivory pillar. The column flared, sending another force beam out, destroying one of the white Aspects and striking both Denye and Haplo.
As they fought the party continued to argue for or against releasing the poor prisoner. Janora did not want to release him but the others argued that it would be the merciful thing. Grumbling the witch turned her attention on the white demon and cast another spell at the fiend. Feeling much more merciful, Denye brought the two manacles close together and focusing her arcane skill, cast Knock. A clear bell tone echoed through the space and both cuffs sprang open, falling to the ground. Haplo followed, crying and babbling, he scrambled forward to kiss Denye’s feet. The white Domino Demon changed places with the Aspect engaged with Ollie. The honey badger swung his battleax, trying to cut into the thigh of the towering fiend, but his strike was blocked. Before he could swing again, the demon picked him up and ripped the Humblekin in half. Jilken finished off one of the other Aspects with a single strike before rushing toward the primary and delivering a savage strike to a knee. Ell pulled out his Rod of Passage and used it to open a Dimension Door and stepped through to stand behind the western pillar. Glancing at the script, he translated, ”I grow without water, yet I am not a plant. With time I get bigger, regardless of chance. What am I?” Placing his hand on the plate, it lit up with white light as the other had, but when he said, “Tree” the light flashes red once before returning to white.
Janora fired off a couple more Eldritch Blasts, finishing off the remaining White Aspect. Denye meanwhile turned her bowl of sunlight on the primary demon and fired off another Sunbeam. The golden beam of light tore a hole through the middle of the demon and it melted away like smoke. With all the enemies gone, the party took a moment to breathe as quiet settled over the platform, broken only by the crying of Haplo. That crying soon became laughter as the shaggy man rose to his feet before rising into the air. As he did so his form stretched and shimmered as a pair of skeletal wings, draped in smoke cocooned the figure. Before anyone could react the wings spread revealing a large skeletal figure in rusted, tarnished armor with skeletal wings, a few raven feathers still attached

Report Date

23 Aug 2024