Mythic Quest - When the Gods Call In Sick

EPISODE FIVE

  The heroes emerged from the Temple of Nethys in Absalom, having successfully closed a demonic portal that threatened the city. Lieutenant Nasmyth and High Spellpriest Darron, an older half-elf who led the temple, greeted them with profound gratitude. Darron revealed troubling news: over the past few days, all priests of every faith had mysteriously lost their divine powers, leaving them helpless against the demonic invasion. The pantheon itself had gone silent, and without the heroes' intervention, the temple would have fallen.   The Lieutenant presented a strategic plan to reclaim the city from the remaining demons. He divided the party into three groups, assigning Tyrannis to lead a squad clearing the left flank toward the keep, while Sir Orrin would take the right flank. Kyzikos, with his ability to levitate, was tasked with commanding three squads from the air, directing them like a general on a battlefield and using his magic to extinguish the fires consuming parts of the city. Each hero was provided with soldiers, archers, and healers, though the healers could only rely on wands and potions in the absence of divine magic. Before departing, Kyzikos took time to prepare spells that could freeze and collapse the flames threatening Absalom's districts.   The operation to clear the city took the better part of the day. Tyrannis made his way to the keep, where the captain expressed relief at his arrival and provided additional forces. He then systematically cleared the gate and streets, listening for sounds of combat and watching for smoke. Sir Orrin led his squad along the right flank, zigzagging through buildings and alleys, gathering more fighters as he pushed toward the docks. Above them all, Kyzikos floated like an angelic figure, directing his squads with precision and unleashing freezing magic upon the fires at the Ascendant Court and the Merchant District. The flames froze and collapsed into steam under his power, saving valuable sections of the city from destruction.   As the sun began to set, the three groups converged at the docks, having successfully pushed the scattered demons into a concentrated area. There, they encountered four towering Astradaemons—gaunt fiends with hideous fish-like faces, lanky limbs, and writhing tendrils. The battle began with Sir Orrin casting enchantments to quicken his allies' movements before charging past two of the creatures, deflecting a vicious claw with his shield. The daemons attempted to strike back with dark magic, but Kyzikos descended from above and touched Tyrannis's shoulder, granting him the ability to see through the creatures' illusory displacement and perceive their true forms.   The fight intensified as Tyrannis unleashed devastating strikes with his greatsword, cleaving through one demon with brutal efficiency. Kyzikos raised his hand and unleashed arcs of blue and purple lightning that jumped between the three remaining fiends, scorching their twisted forms. Sir Orrin fought with sword and shield, landing blow after blow in a rhythmic assault that rang out like a war drum. The demons retaliated with terrible magic—one pointed a finger at Tyrannis and unleashed a death curse that would have killed a lesser warrior, but Tyrannis resisted, taking only a portion of the necromantic damage. Others reached out with glowing green hands, draining the life force from their foes with vampiric touches that left dark energy crackling across their victims' bodies.   Despite the daemons' fearsome abilities, the heroes pressed on. Tyrannis continued his relentless assault, his greatsword singing through the air as he cut down another fiend. Kyzikos finished off a severely wounded demon with bolts of pure magical force. Then Sir Orrin, his eyes blazing with righteous fury, raised his sword to his face and recited an ancient prayer:

"Blade with whom I have lived, blade with whom I now die. Serve right and justice one last time. Seek one last heart of evil, still one last life of pain. Cut well, old friend, and then farewell."

His blade erupted with holy light as he invoked his divine power, and he unleashed a devastating series of strikes that tore through the final demon, ending the battle in a spectacular display of divine wrath. The onlookers stared in awe at the sheer power the heroes had displayed.   The party returned to the Temple of Nethys, where priests and civilians had set up tables laden with whatever food and drink they could gather. Tavern keepers had brought kegs of ale and bottles of wine, and despite the death and destruction, the atmosphere was one of cautious celebration. Civilians approached the heroes to express their gratitude, though many avoided direct eye contact, intimidated by the palpable power that hummed around the three warriors. Tyrannis sat quietly, reflecting on the day's events and the strange flashes of memory that had surfaced during the battle—visions of ancient conflicts where he had led soldiers with the same confidence and skill, as if it were second nature.   High Spellpriest Darron approached their table and sat down, studying them intently. He revealed that he could see through illusions and perceive the true nature of beings, and what he saw in them was extraordinary. Their forms had been completely altered at a fundamental level, and at their core, they radiated contained power unlike anything he had encountered. He observed the confusion in their eyes and asked directly if they knew who they truly were. The heroes admitted they did not, and then shared everything they had learned—the note from Valentia, their experiences in the Tower in Abaddon, and the daemonic invasion they had witnessed.   Darron's expression grew grave as he absorbed their account. He explained that the alliance between daemons and Cyth-V'sug was deeply troubling and unnatural. Cyth-V'sug, he revealed, was once a Qlippoth lord who had committed such heinous acts that he transformed into a demon lord, leading to his rejection by his own kind. He despised what he had become and still harbored hatred for demons, yet he was using them as pawns in a grander scheme. Cyth-V'sug's ultimate goal was to eliminate all humanoids from Golarion, thereby removing the capacity for sin and cutting off the demons' source of power—the souls they consumed. By wiping out all life, he would starve the Abyss itself. Darron suggested that the heroes themselves were likely the answer to stopping this apocalyptic plan, though they did not yet understand the question. Their memory loss was a clue, indicating that whoever orchestrated this knew they were capable of stopping it and wanted them incapacitated rather than dead.   Darron urged the heroes to investigate the mystery of their amnesia while also checking on the state of other cities and temples dedicated to their gods across Golarion. He warned that this attack on Absalom was likely just a test, and a much larger force would follow. The city would rebuild and prepare, but the heroes needed to act. As Kyzikos sat in the temple, he experienced clearer visions of ancient battles—images of himself leading soldiers in epic conflicts of good versus evil. His staff, Blackthorn, appeared in these visions as a constant companion and his ultimate connection to Nethys. Though the meaning remained elusive, the flashes were becoming more vivid and coherent.   The party decided to return to their safe house, the Fortress of Solitude, to rest and prepare for the next phase of their journey. There, in a magical room where time moved differently, Kyzikos began the meticulous work of disenchanting the various magical items they had collected. He mentally and magically disassembled weapons and armor, breaking them down to their fundamental components and drawing out their magical essences. These essences swirled around him as he worked at a great desk, combining them into the party's legendary weapons and armor to make them even more powerful. Meanwhile, Tyrannis and Sir Orrin spent their time in the fortress's library, researching the locations of the major temples dedicated to their gods—Iomedae, Gorum, Nethys, and Shelyn—across Golarion. By examining the symbols on the weapons stored in the fortress's armory, they identified which gods were represented among the sleeping heroes. They determined which temples would be most critical to defend. Over three days, they prepared themselves for the battles to come, knowing that the fate of Golarion might rest on their shoulders.