The Climax?
General Summary
The adventure began with Pomplin's dramatic arrival through an inky black portal into the lower sanctum, having spent eight hours in the ethereal plane where he experienced visions of his old home. As he traveled through the darkness, he saw the walls of his childhood castle and felt compelled to enter through a servant's entrance rather than the grand front doors. When the portal deposited him in the sanctum, he found his friends in mortal danger, facing a mind flayer and two pustulent hags with oozing green and black skin.
Pomplin immediately noticed a sinister ticking sound emanating from a woman who looked remarkably like Sylrie - though it was actually Joanna, who had been imprisoned and fitted with a magical bomb. Without hesitation, he teleported into combat using Misty Step and bonded with his new sword, which matched his grip perfectly. The blade ignited with green flame as he launched a devastating assault on the mind flayer, his strikes dealing massive damage through slashing, fire, and poison. The green flames spread to nearby enemies, and Pomplin's relentless attacks quickly overwhelmed the tentacled creature.
Meanwhile, Joanna desperately tried to protect herself by casting Time Stop, freezing time for everyone but herself for four precious turns. During this suspended moment, she layered protective spells upon herself - Mind Blank for psychic immunity, Globe of Invulnerability for magical protection, and Stone Skin for physical defense. However, her preparations were shattered when a hag fired a purple dispel magic beam that stripped away all her magical defenses, leaving her vulnerable once more.
Pomplin continued his devastating combat performance, using Action Surge to unleash additional attacks that terrorized the remaining hags. When one attempted to flee after casting Vicious Mockery at him, he resisted the psychic assault and delivered a fatal blow across her back as she turned to run. His combat prowess was unmatched as he systematically eliminated the threats one by one.
Tupolo transformed himself using Guardian of Nature, becoming a massive tree-like guardian that towered over the battlefield. His new form granted him enhanced abilities and created difficult terrain around him that hindered enemy movement. Though he initially struggled with a spectacularly failed Guiding Bolt that rolled double ones, he eventually redeemed himself with a powerful radiant attack that completely obliterated the final hag in an explosion of light and illuminated shards.
As the combat concluded, Joanna frantically communicated through sign language about the true horror they faced. She revealed that the magical bombs were artifact-level magic, controlled by six mysterious orbs. Three orbs were used to implant bombs in prisoners, while the other three kept them dormant. The party realized they had limited time to solve this deadly puzzle before the bombs could detonate.
Working together, they manipulated the six magical orbs to create intersecting purple beams. The orbs pulsed with increasing power before exploding in a massive wave of anti-magic energy that knocked everyone to the ground and rendered Sylrie unconscious. The explosion created an anti-magic field that neutralized all magic in the area, causing weapons to lose their enchantments and leaving the party temporarily powerless.
In the aftermath, Pomplin used his healer's kit to revive Sylrie while Tupolo felt the full weight of his age without magic to sustain him. The party discovered that the pressure from the magical bombs had disappeared, indicating that the threat had been neutralized. They quickly fled the anti-magic basement, running upstairs until their magical abilities returned on the first level.
Sylrie immediately used the Ring of Home to teleport everyone, including Tansy and Joanna, back to the safety of the Dragon of Virtue's throne room. There, they reported their findings to the powerful dragon, with Pomplin revealing the Dewhold family's connection to the demonic activities while Sylrie chose to remain silent about her family's involvement.
The Dragon of Virtue mobilized her forces to clear the remaining threats from the Dewhold sanctuary in the north, working alongside elven contingents to eliminate hundreds of demons and soldiers. Over the following weeks, Sylrie officially inherited the Dewhold name and became a lady of the Elven Court, though she struggled with accepting this new title and responsibility.
A grand celebration was held in the party's honor, culminating in a ceremony where the Dragon of Virtue granted each member a magical boon. Tupolo received "Visions of the Stars," allowing him to provide oracle-like insights about the past and future. Pomplin gained a protective ability to switch places with allies and deliver devastating counterattacks. Sylrie was granted the power to cast spells through sign language within a field of magical silence.
In the quiet days following the celebration, Sylrie processed the trauma of recent events by removing her token of Durastray and packing her belongings, ready to leave at a moment's notice. She focused on preparing supplies and contingency plans for Joanna's safe return home, while both sisters remained haunted by the knowledge that their mother's fate remained unknown. Despite being addressed as Lady Dewhold, Sylrie refused to acknowledge the title, preferring to remain simply Sylrie as she contemplated their uncertain future.
