Session 10: The Ascension and Fall of Jazzulath, Scion of Demogorgon

In the Gap

Evening (post battle), 3rd Sunday, Stormswane 25 AR   The team stands panting after the battle with the two headed baboon monstrosity. The battle was fierce, with many blows landed by both sides. Dances on Stumps landed the final blow, firing a lightning bolt through the beast while it hurled the unconscious body of Gnarly Toes right back at him. They are battered and tired. But more insidious than that, three of their members have a lingering remnant of the madness of Demogorgon afflicting their minds.

• Althea - Is of two minds about everything
• Gnarly Toes - has a hard time controlling his anger when people disagree with him
• Dances on Stumps - Believes someone is out to get him, and that he must strike first

With newfound purpose, the team reports to Badraa and the bastions about Xabu's vision. Badraa wastes no time in gathering the town this very night to put an end to the Demogorgon Kids once and for all.

An uncomfortable meeting

Later that night   At Badraa 's call, the town quickly gathers, confused and slightly frustrated at the late hour. Dances on Stumps gives an impassioned speech about the dangers of the Demogorgon Kids and warns the townsfolk about the threat lurking in their own homes! He also says that they have a better option - get themselves some religion and follow him as the Cat Lord!   Badraa takes over the speech, not sure whether the Tabaxi was doing more harm than helping. She bluntly tells the town that Stumps is at least partly right - there is a demonic threat to the town and they need everyone to help them find the members of this gang so they can prevent any further attacks and bloodshed.   With the help of an incredibly observant and intimidating Bastion named Feleis, Badraa and the rest of the Bastions organize the townsfolk into groups and begin questioning to sort people into groups. Many individual teenagers (orphans mostly) and families are led toward the central building, for further questioning.   After the speeches, the team of Lookout's Landing gathers with Domoth Brevin and Feleis in the store to discuss their own plans. Xabu is adamant about leaving for the northern mountain (called Split Peak by Brevin), and Feleis offers to take the team to the mountain herself.

Journey to Jazzulath

4th Moonday, Stormswane 25 AR   Feleis picks up the team in the Creaky Quarter the next morning, and they begin their journey northward to Split Peak. The journey is relatively uneventful, as Feleis has familiarity with this part of the island. She Returned near the mountain, and remembers journeying southward and across a small river before she got to Brevin's Gap in the early days.   The mountain itself is the largest in this chain, with a small jagged opening seen near the base. The air feels thick and ominous as the party travels closer...   Inside, the tunnels twist and turn, with each step the discordant energies of Demogorgon burrow into the heroes' minds. Dances on Stumps is particularly effected, and the landscape of the cavern changes and shifts to that of a barren and burned Lookout's Landing. He sees one of his sisters, Lightning Strikes Twice standing over another, Rainbow Reflected in the Sea . She claims to be a Thunder Cat, and that there can be only one, giving him a wicked grin and flexing her bloody claws.

The Fall of the Ascendant

Later that evening   The visions fade and the groups travels forward until they hear chanting from ahead. They spy their long time foe, the Rakshasa Jazzulath ahead, chanting a ritual above a carved circle in the floor. Misty tendrils pour through the walls of this stony chamber, curling through the air and funneling into the circle. The team looks on in horror as the figure turns toward them and with two heads addresses them. Not just the head of the Rakshasa, but also the head of their long dead companion, Dante! Since last seeing this fiend, it has ascended to a stronger, two-headed form more fitting it's master!   Let's roll initiative!   As Jazzulath takes to the air, the team jumps into action. Stumps blows a gust of air toward the circle, pushing the mist away from the circle. Gnarles raises a tower of stone, allowing his friends to climb and engage with their foe. The Rakshasa turns out to be a nimble and difficult foe to pin down, teleporting around the battlefield and dispensing quite a bit of damage on the team. Xabu enacts a defensive field of spirit guardians and works to keep his allies alive while Relic, Feleis, and Althea continue their assault on the fiend.   Finally, with a mighty swing Gnarly toes smashes the head of Dante off of the body. The feline head of the Rakshasa gurgles a final curse toward the normally friendly firbolg: "I.. will.. find... you..." and then perishes, the body slowly melting into a pile of amorphous ichor. Dante's head remains, mangled badly, on the floor. The mist stops pulling from the walls, the first indication that the ritual has been ended

A Veil Lifted

Xabu sets about cleansing the ritual site and the crystal formation directly beneath it of the taint of Demogorgon. The group rests on the slopes of the mountain before returning to Brevin's Gap. As they rest, The Silver Flame speaks to Xabu.   "They are here" the voices say to you, Xabu. "Others long lost to this world. The darkness of the prince of madness has kept them at bay. We sense them now. A chorus of voices, distant as through a veil:
Dawnfather, of crop and sun, his name is Palidor .
Moonweaver, of love and illusion, their name is Sehanine .
Talespinner, maiden of stars and scribe of legends, her name is Siaska .
The Still Lady, of the grove and spring, her name is Eldath.
Archeart, of music and art, the loves of the elves, their name is Corellon .
Soulforger, of skill and crafting, the loves of the dwarves, his name is Moradin .
Wildmother, of nature and the wilderness, her name is Melora.
Lawbearer, of civilization, progress, and order, their name is Erathis .
Changebringer, of travel, luck, and freedom, her name is Avandra.
Foehammer, of strength, storm, and bravery, his name is Kord.
Knowing Mistress, of magic, balance, and foresight, her name is Ioun .
Matron of the Grave, of fate and death, she is known only as the Raven Queen.
These voices are new and join that of the Platinum Dragon, of protection and justice, her name is Bahamut ."

A reluctant report

Buscador speaks to Relic after the fight. "Master! You have done exceptionally well recently! I especially appreciated your clever use of tactics and resolve! One note: next time do refrain from falling to the ground. Perhaps a wider stance will protect you. Information on Protegar: I am obligated to inform you that I can sense my counterpart has awoken. I do not know how far away, but I can sense an awareness. Perhaps he was awoken as I was, when you found me."

A Jumbled Glimpse

Gnarles spends time glimpsing into his Dwarven Miner's stone. As the vision ends, echos of the voice and conversation reverberate in his consciousness. As the words echo, joining them are more words: from the halfling, from a farmer, from the apprentice... these words speak all at once, melding into one another and bleeding together. They jumble in his mind, tangling and clarifying in turn, like children at play . Gnarles tries to make sense of these words and is unable to get anything coherent through the din. *What do you do?*