The Age of Worms / Hall of Harsh Reflections pt. 13 / Eire the 6th, 3592 CE / 10-13-19

Deep underground in the lair of Zyrxog, Lulu, Rikit, and Lucifer stand assembled around what appears to be a magical pool of scrying. Lulu tests her divine abilities by concentrating, and is able to summon both images of the party (though not, oddly, Rikit), and her friend, Auric the gladiator. Rikit decides to scout down the passage leading from the scrying room, from which emanates a greenish glow. There he finds himself on a balcony looking down on a cathedral-like chamber, occupied by a massive black column covered in glowing green runes, and a pool of some glowing green liquid that fills the chamber with a soft, alien glow. The only other living occupant of the room is a bizarre alien being with rubbery purple skin and four tentacles surrounding its mouth. The creature speaks directly into Rikit's mind, threatening to destroy him and his companions for their intrusion. With no doubts that this is Zyrxog, Rikit hurries back to warn the others. Meanwhile, Lulu and Lucifer have noticed a large animal prowling the laboratory from which they had just come, a creature Lulu identifies as a chimera. With the door leading from the laboratory to the scrying room still open, Rikit attempts to make his way over to close it, but is too late, as the chimera has detected their presence, the dragon head breathing fire at Lucifer and Rikit as the beast attempts to cram its way through the narrow passage between the two rooms. The party fights valiantly against the beast, finding unexpected aid from the sudden appearance of Tirra the elf rogue, who has tracked them to Zyrxog's lair at the behest of Auric. As Rikit, Lucifer, and Tirra simultaneously deliver mortal blows, the beast falls dead. The party begins debating how best to handle Zyrxog, but it is too late, as the hideous alien creature speaks into all of their minds, alerting them to his presence moments before blasting Lulu and Lucifer with psionic power, which Lulu is able to resist with the aid of her amulet, and Lucifer through sheer force of will. The party engages Zyrxog in deadly combat, but the wily mastermind cuts off Tirra from the group with a wall of fire and seems resistant to Lulu's spells. As Lucifer valiantly engages the creature in toe-to-toe combat, Zyrxog pulls the half-orc close with its tentacles, and, to Rikit and Lulu's horror, uses a proboscis to consume the samurai's brain, killing him. However, through sheer martial discipline, Lucifer astoundingly is able to strike back even in death, as his arms reflexively thrusts his katana upward, skewering Zyrxog and killing the creature. As they mourn the death of their companion, the party plans next steps. Finishing their investigation of Zyrxog's lair, they find bizarre artifacts, several of which Rikit stuffs into his bag of holding, as well as bags of coins from Zyrxog's dirty dealings. One of the cursed objects, a vacuous tome, begins sucking away Lulu's very mind as she attempts to read it, before she hurriedly throws the book away. Rikit uses a potion of comprehend languages to attempt to interpret the strange runes covered the black column. Though doing so strains his sanity, he learns that Zyrxog was a creature called a thulid, hailing from another world, and that the green pool is full of the larvae of his species, which grow by infecting a host and taking over their body. Dumping any poisonous material he can find into the pool, he encourages Tirra to make sure that every last larva is destroyed. In Zyrxog's office, the party finds a ledger, detailing a history of dark deals. Two entries stand out, both showing transactions with Loris Raknian, the master of the Free City Arena. The first shows a sale to Raknian of an artifact known as the Apostolic Scrolls. The second is for a sale of services, the deaths of Rikit and Lulu! It appears that Loris Raknian ordered the hit on the pair, but for what reason they cannot comprehend. Tirra tells them that she was also tasked with delivering a message from their contact, Eligos the Sage. The note implores them to return to Eligos's manor immediately. Realizing the extent of the threat they face, having somehow made an enemy of one of the most powerful men in Kedesh, Rikit and Lulu agree this is a good idea, and make arrangements with Tirra to use the Thieves' Guild for safe transport to Eligos, but not before Rikit has a chance to check on Corvina. However, returning the chattel pen, he is dismayed to find that the drow noble appears to have revived and escaped her bindings. Searching the cell, he finds the note he gave her, with a new note scribed on the back. The missive, though written in Corvina's usual dismissive tone, assures Rikit that his efforts to free her from Zyrxog were not unappreciated, and that once she regains her title from those who have usurped her, he is welcome to return to her service. Rikit is overjoyed, but there is little time to celebrate. Lulu gives Tirra instructions for the final wishes of their fallen companions, Drask, Los, and Lucifer, and then the pair are taken to Eligos, where they find a warm welcome from the sage. That evening, he reviews with them all that he learned from the artifacts and information they left with him, as well as his own research. Lulu receives the diadem of the Wind Duke Zosiel, the occupant of the Whispering Cairn, as well as the defunct talisman of the spheres. Rikit receives the segment of the Rod of Law, as well as a new clue to its use; saying its owner's name, Zosiel, acts as a command word, granting the user enhanced speed. Eligos elaborates on the ancient conflict between the Wind Dukes of Aqaa and the forces of the Chaos Queen that lead to Zosiel's death and the fragmenting of the Rod of Law into seven parts. He also mentions that though the party fought the Ebon Triad back in Ludon, he does not believe they are the true threat. Instead, focusing on the preserved green worm as well as the story of what transpired in the Mist Marsh, he says that the Cult of Caius has returned. Caius, he reveals, was a magic-user and prophet of doom from a long-ago age who attempted to achieve godhood at the cost of massive human sacrifices. His followers still believe in a series of prophecies regarding a time of darkness they refer to as the "Age of Worms," when Caius will return and fulfill his dark destiny. When shown Zyrxog's ledger, Eligos is deeply disturbed to see that someone as powerful as Loris Raknian is involved in the plot to kill Rikit and Lulu, and even more disturbed to see that the arena master has purchased the Apostolic Scrolls, which Eligos tells them contain a formula for an engine of undead creation called an ulgurstasas. Between Lulu's spreading plague and the price on their heads, Eligos insists that the pair return to Cauldron and lay low under the protection of his friend Sarcem Delasharn, High Priest of Cauldron's Church of Jeda. Rikit and Lulu agree, and make preparations to set sail the next day on the Mermaid's Tale.