Mythic Quest - Don't Quill the Messenger

EPISODE FOUR

  After defeating Zelishkar in battle, the party found themselves confronted by a formidable daemon general - Apollyon, the Prince of Plagues and one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Apollyon declared that the party was unwelcome in Abaddon and demanded they leave or face death. He revealed that Zelishkar would inevitably return, as this was his domain, and all the party had accomplished was angering him further. When the party explained they only wished to pass through the portals they had discovered, the general refused, stating they would have to go through him first.   Navilla attempted to negotiate with the daemon general, but despite her diplomatic efforts, he remained unmoved. Kyzikos had earlier identified runes on the nearby portals, recognizing symbols for Nethys and Absalom, which suggested these gateways led to specific locations on Golarion. Realizing the daemon general was far too powerful to engage, the party made the strategic decision to retreat. Kyzikos activated his magical bracelet, instantly teleporting the entire group back to their Fortress of Solitude.   Once safely returned to their sanctuary, the party took time to recover from their injuries by consuming healing potions from their supply. They discussed their lack of knowledge about Golarion and how best to reach Absalom. Kyzikos spent an hour in the fortress library, studying maps and gathering information about the besieged city. After his research, he prepared the necessary magic to transport them directly to their destination, deciding they should proceed immediately rather than rest.   Using powerful transportation magic, Tyrannis brought the party to Golarion, and they materialized just inside one of Absalom's gates. They were immediately greeted by chaos, screams filled the air, smoke billowed from burning buildings, and the smell of burning flesh assaulted their senses. Panicked citizens ran through the streets in terror. A disheveled guard emerged from a nearby privy, clearly distressed and suffering from an upset stomach due to the ongoing battle.   Despite his condition, he quickly recognized the party as potential saviors when they explained they had come to help defend Golarion. He offered to guide them to the nearest Nethys temple, which was under heavy attack. The guard explained that daemons and blighted fey had invaded the city, with the fey moving outside the walls while the daemons wreaked havoc within.   The party followed the diligent guard through several streets filled with running and screaming people until they reached the temple, which stood prominently above the surrounding buildings. A ring of guards struggled to hold back waves of invaders emerging from within. The lieutenant rejoined his squad while the party reassured the defenders of their intent to help. Navilla's words convinced the guards to let them pass, and during a brief lull in the attacks, the party entered the temple to confront the source of the invasion directly.   Inside the grand church, they discovered a scene of devastation. Pews were overturned, pillars stood among burning braziers, and at the far end of the massive hall, stretching nearly two hundred and forty feet, stood an enormous portal. Four massive Purrodaemons, similar but larger than the ones the heroes fought in Abaddon, guarded the gateway. Behind them stood a humanoid fiend with an unnaturally long torso, black eyes, and a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. His rotting, frostbitten flesh was partially concealed by black robes, and four magical shields rotated around him as he channeled energy into the portal.   The battle began immediately as the Purrodaemons noticed the party's entrance. Navilla's legendary star knife flew through the air like a deadly blade, cutting down waves of lesser thralls that emerged from the portal. Kyzikos used his magic to position himself strategically, then created a powerful invisible barrier directly across the portal's opening, preventing more daemons from entering. The channeling fiend reacted with surprise and fury, ordering two of the Purrodaemons to attack the magical wall while he turned his attention to the intruders.   The fiend, whom the party identified as Braismois, the Daemon Harbinger known as the Silent Quill, proved to be a cunning and dangerous opponent. He attacked Kyzikos with supernatural quills that not only wounded but also inflicted a terrible poison, causing silence and draining vitality. Despite being silenced and unable to speak or cast most of his spells, Kyzikos adapted by using his mythic power to cast magic silently. Meanwhile, Navilla unleashed devastating attacks against Braismois, systematically destroying the illusory duplicates he had created to protect himself.   Tyrannis channeled divine energy repeatedly throughout the battle, both healing his allies and harming the evil daemons with holy power. At a critical moment, Kyzikos invoked a powerful temporal magic that briefly stopped time for everyone except himself and his companions, allowing them to heal and prepare without interference. During this respite, Tyrannis cast a potent healing spell that restored significant health to the party and removed harmful effects. The Purrodaemons continued their assault on the magical barrier, slowly breaking it down, while the party systematically eliminated them one by one.   As the battle reached its climax, Kyzikos successfully unleashed a devastating disintegration effect against Braismois, dealing massive damage to the daemon harbinger. Navilla's relentless assault destroyed all of his remaining protective illusions, leaving him vulnerable to direct attack from Tyrannis. The party coordinated their efforts, overwhelming his formidable defenses with a combination of divine power, arcane might, and martial prowess. Despite Braismois's extensive immunities and resistances, and his desperate attempts to poison and silence the entire party, their combined strength proved too much for him.   In the final moments of the confrontation, Tyrannis channeled a devastating wave of divine energy directly at Braismois, dealing catastrophic damage to the daemon harbinger. The Silent Quill, Harbinger of Broken Deals and Unfair Bargains, fell before the party's combined might. With his defeat, the channeling of energy into the portal ceased, ending the immediate threat to the temple and preventing further waves of daemons from invading Absalom through this gateway. The party destroyed the portal and stood victorious amid the ruins of the desecrated temple, having struck a significant blow against the daemonic invasion of Golarion.