Session 64

The Artifact Unleashed

• The party discusses their next steps, but suddenly something happens from within the castle, and Lazarus and Idris falter.

The oppressive, blood-red sky of the demon city, already choked with the fumes of sulfur and the distant cries of the damned, suddenly tore open above the obsidian castle. From its highest, jagged spire, a beam of pure, incandescent white light, impossibly bright against the infernal backdrop, shot upwards. It wasn't a holy light, but a perversion–tainted and twisted, crackling with dark energy as it pierced the heavens. Around the base of the castle, where the players stood amidst the grotesque architecture and the leering, demonic denizens, the ground began to tremble. The very air vibrated with a dissonant hum, a chorus of screams and guttural chants that seemed to emanate from the castle's depths. Shadows stretched and writhed, momentarily swallowing the already dim light, only to snap back as the unholy beam pulsed with renewed intensity. The obsidian walls of the fortress, usually a dull, light-absorbing black, now gleamed with a sickening, oily sheen, reflecting the corrupted light in fractured, malevolent patterns. Jagged cracks, glowing with the same sickly white energy, began to spiderweb across the castle's surface, as if the very stone was struggling to contain the immense, perverse power being unleashed within. The demonic populace of the city recoiled. Lesser imps and quivering cultists shrieked, scuttling into the shadows of alleyways and crumbling structures. Larger, more brutish demons bellowed in a mix of awe and terror, their leathery hides rippling as they instinctively cowered, some even dropping their weapons. A palpable wave of fear, mingled with a strange, dark reverence, washed over the infernal throng as they instinctively understood that a power beyond even their own twisted hierarchy was being forcefully wielded from within the black heart of the castle.

— DM's Description

(The Perspective of Lazarus)

As the corrupted beam erupts from the castle, you, as the Aasimar, feel an immediate, profound wrongness. It's not a physical blow, but a searing, internal pain that feels like acid on your very soul. Your divine heritage, the celestial essence flowing through you, screams in protest. The subtle golden glow that usually radiates from you flickers erratically, dimming to almost nothing before desperately trying to reassert itself against the oppressive, tainted light. You feel a sudden wave of nausea, a spiritual sickness that makes your stomach clench. Your features contort not just from pain, but from sheer revulsion at the desecration of something sacred. Next to you, your celestial father is clearly in agony. His normally pure, constant radiance dims drastically, flickering like a dying ember. His form, usually so solid and reassuring, wavers and blurs at the edges, as if the unholy energy is trying to tear him apart at a molecular level. You sense a profound, silent cry of anguish from him, a deep defilement that makes him instinctively recoil, perhaps even clutching at his chest as though struck by an invisible, spiritual blade. The very air around him feels colder, a small pocket of divine protest against the overwhelming corruption.

— DM's Description

• Lazarus can recover, but he recognizes that his father is clearly not. Lazarus tells his father he needs to go back to Mount Celestia. At first, his father disagrees, but Alkin senses that his very essence is being sucked away from him by the corrupted light. His father reluctantly agrees, only asking Lazarus to promise to bring his mother home. With a word of a spell, Lazarus casts a banishment on his father to send him back to his home.
• The party gleaming at the light realizes that the beam is cracking the corrupted ceiling of hell, and it seems to be bridging hell and heaven itself. They also notice legions of demons and devils flocking to the base of the Obsidian Castle, reading for battle.
• With little time to spare, the party rushed to the secret entrance of the Obsidian Castle to stop the corrupted artifact and Kush.

The Basement of the Obsidian Castle and Curious Drinks

• Wild can spot the entrance with ease as they sneak their way past the flocking demons.
• Muta uses the key from Irgretch and can open the door with ease. This leads to a cave where the party destroys some imps. Muta even stuffs one of the imps into a clay pot, while wild bonks the head of them with a stick.
• Another, more structural door appears in front of them, and upon knocking on it, the party is thrown into a battle with some bearded demons. After the battle, the party finds orbs with the roman numerals on them, and Alkinn thinks it has something to do with the Balors guarding the gates.
• Some more searching, Muta and Izen discover a room with a table in the middle of it. The table holds 7 different, unique-looking potions. The party surmises that these potions represent the 7 deadly sins.

(Description of Each)

1. Potion of Burning Wrath - This vial is made of dark, heavy glass, giving it a robust feel. Inside, a deep crimson liquid seems to simmer and shift, as if tiny embers flicker within its depths.

2. Potion of Gluttonous Feast- The bottle is crafted from surprisingly thick, opaque glass, almost like ceramic. It holds a rich, creamy liquid that constantly swirls with an almost unctuous quality, appearing unbelievably thick.

3. Potion of Covetous Greed - This elegant bottle is made of clear, polished glass. Contained within is a shimmering, almost iridescent gold liquid, filled with what appear to be miniature, perfectly formed coins and tiny, multifaceted gems that slowly drift and catch the light.

4. Potion of Slothful Repose - The bottle is a smooth, pale blue glass, feeling cool to the touch. Inside, a murky liquid seems to absorb all light, giving it a dreamlike, hazy quality, making it hard to discern its exact depth.

5. Potion of Vainglorious Pride - This is an exquisite, slender vial of crystal-clear glass, catching the light beautifully. It contains a brilliantly clear, effervescent liquid that glows with an internal golden light, constantly sparkling from within.

6. Potion of Spiteful Envy - The bottle is made of uneven, slightly warped green glass. Within, the liquid is a sickly, bubbling green, and as you turn it, you catch fleeting, distorted reflections of other objects within its depths.

7. Potion of Forbidden Lust - This captivating bottle is crafted from delicate, iridescent pink glass. It holds an iridescent pink liquid that shimmers with an almost hypnotic allure, appearing to shift colors with every subtle movement.

— DESCRIPTION

• The party decides to randomly drink each of the potions. Lazarus takes Pride, Wild takes Gluttony, Izen takes Greed, Muta takes Envy, Alkinn takes Wrath, and Myrion takes Lust.
• Each of these potions has effects coordinating with the type, and chaos ensues as they all make their way through the dungeon.

Caffeine and Demons

• The party converses with a machine with conveyor belts on the ceiling with poles to hang on them, moving down a corridor full of churning lava. Lazarus goes first and leaps onto the moving rods and onto the nearest ledge. Alkinn swiftly follows behind, with Muta right on her tail.
• They uncover a room with cambions seemingly having coffee. Lazarus, with his boisterous pride, starts to insult the demons, and a fight ensues. The party joins the small group in the fight, all the while Izen tries to take the riches and wild drinks from all the demons' coffees. The party can defeat the group of demons and uncover another orb with Roman numerals on it. (The whole battle is a coordinated mess)
• With the cambions defeated, Alkinn pushes forward into the dungeon, while most of the party follows. Myrion and Lazarus, however, go a different path, finding a hidden chamber with a coffin and blood alters across the churning lava.
• Izen uncovers a way to stop the moving machine by blasting the lava with cold rays, which cools the lava into obsidian.
• Myrion fills the bowls with blood, and a demon is released from the coffin!