Session 51 – Free Action Hiss
General Summary
The Mosaic Construct
With Arkyn freshly Death Warded, the group descends into a massive chamber beneath Pyrus' modest temple. A pit of darkness is held at bay by the flamelight of various, vague Menseya statues around the chamber. A scroll rests at the base of each statue, save the mosaic statue in the center of the chamber. Disembarking the platform, the group splits with Yenush – choosing to pursue his character development arc – moves directly towards the mosaic statue, triggering a shift in the chamber.
The flames dim, while the light near the center platform intensifies. The statues, once vague, becaome detailed; Each armor set unique and even wrinkles and fur lines captured in the carving. Every minute, the faces shimmer like a mirror and shift to the face of another. The wings resting beneath the platform, once mosaic stone, are now composed of radiant light as they curl up around the platform upon which Pyrus paces. His face is a mixture of emotions: anger, frustration, stress, pain, sorrow, and remorse. Two statues flicker to reveal the likeness of Tiaret and a nearly identical image. Pyrus falls to his knees in defeat before them.
Are you with them? Wherever they have gone... far beyond my reach. I am but an instrument of your higher will. What am I now? What use is an amputated limb? You swore you'd never abandon me... yet-
The statues begin to speak: lands burned, villages ransacked, travelers attacked, chaos abounding... taunting laughter echoing behind it all. Pyrus stands, scowl in place, as he is consumed by radiant light. The chamber rockets forward through time until the mosaic statue returns and the statues of Menseya have once more lost all defining features. The mosiac statue suddenly jerks and shifts, summoning a blade to itself as its stone wings flex and bend. Its form shifts through hundreds of faces until it settles on three familiar forms: Mehit, Zmarak... Tiaret.
There is no place for you to hide here, snake. Spineless, dishonorable, oathless lawbreakers. Does the serpent wish to atone? HA Bask in the sins cast by your reflection. Before your flesh is severed from bone.
Milo gets a bless off before moving to the back of the group. Aiaoue does her opening signature (Woodland Beings + Bird) and moves to flank the construct... though she and Yenush quickly note that there is a vaguely familiar sheen covering it. The Construct can currently be attacked... but it may not do anything. Aiaoue screeches and points with her beak. Perhaps the SCROLLS. The construct – looking like Mehit – teleports with a thunderous boom, reappearing in front of Milo and attempting to grab him, but failing. Yenush immediately moves towards a scroll, identifying it as Invisibility. Teagan attempts to do the same, but cannot quite make out the scroll contents; he instead turns towards the Construct.
Suddenly, multiple statues come to life and Pani-Baboons run rampant across the battlfield. Two of which close in and hook their claws in Yenush. The rest focus on Cadence, who is the first in their path (though Cadence Misty Steps out of that situation real quick). Arkyn vortex warps Milo over to a scroll near him as he moves towards another scroll. Milo, however, chooses to cast Wall of Force, trapping 4 of the Pani-Baboon statues... and there's not a thing they can do about it.
Aiaoue, in bird, can't help with the scrolls, but she can help Yenush with his Pani-Baboon situation. She arrive to maul, rip, and tear, restraining one of the animated statues. The Construct, meanwhile, shifts forms to that of Zmarak, before hurling a mote of darkness at Milo, who is able to keep up concentration (and will continue to do so regardless of what is thrown at him). It then grabs Teagan, flies up, and drops him into the darkness... before he reappears back on the platform nearby. Yenush goes Indiana Jones and converts his arm to a whip before sling-shotting himself against the Pani-Baboons restraining him. He sends one into the darkness (though it reappears nearby) and then skirts around the reamining Pani-Baboon.
The group enters scroll quest. Teagan, exasperated by the scroll near him, pulls out Hadúr's head, which very quickly notes that it is Bless and... oh how odd, it seems to be quite the opposite of that spell (Bane) over there. When the two Pani-Baboons are dealt with, Aiaoue fetches all scrolls within the near vicinity and gathers them in the center. Arkyn deciphers a scroll as a modified Spirt Shroud. As Bless is cast on the form of Mehit, the shimmering sheen falls... before its form reverts to Zmarak and the sheen returns. Arkyn gets a spell off on it and Yenush manages to cast, becoming the third member of the supress the shimmer trio. Yenush thinks that he should tell Viren about this. The spellcasting, not the fight.
With the protective sheen down, Aiaoue sprints on stone bird legs, leaps, and hauls the creature down out of the air, slamming into a nearby statue. Teagan makes it over next, and although the protective barrier shimmers back up temporarily, he grapples and throws them to the ground. Yenush mutters a distant "DAMMIT". Arkyn loses a Psychic Lance to sanctuary before he is stunned by the roar that shakes the chamber. The pinned Construct teleports once more out of harms way, but is pursued by Aiaoue and Teagan. Yenush calls out to Pyrus, noting that he is unworthy of the Menseya who line these halls. As the barrier forms and breaks as spells cast upon it are cast and fail, Teagan summons the Chains of Tamasvi, and paralyzes it... locking it into one form, unable to shift and change. With a casting of Invisibility, the barrier falls... and Yenush fires, shattering the construct's throat.
Pyrus Fairmane, The Will of the Law
Silence pervades the chamber, before a stone breaks free of the Construct's blade and clatters to the ground... and then another, until the Construct is nothing more than a pile of various colored stones. The chamber rumbles, the flames flikcer and flare, and low and threatening growls echo from below. The chamber shakes aggressively as the massive mosaic wings bend and flex, stone grinding upon stone. The wings surge down once, ancience stone looses, and the wings fall into darkness.
Is this what Geryon's pretender taught you? To pick battles you cannot win? Are you so desperate to stand before the most valiant beacon of the Law? To bask in the radiant glory tainted by betrayal? Cursed by the vile serpent's influence. Condemned by mortal failings.
Claws dig into the stone as a massive head rises from the darkness, its mawfilled with razro sharp teeth. Along its serpentine neck, orange scales – Colossite – glitter in the flamelight. Its glowing eyes survey the chamber before setting on Yenush who wastes absolutely no time in trash talking. Yenush notes that Pyrus deserves to be like this. Oh, how fall you've fallen. You fell for Faust's trap. You are undeserving of the Menseya and are a poor reflection of Geryon's Law. You have failed. Another set of clws emerge, shattering the mosaic floor as, with a beat of massive wings, the creature fully emerges. A serpent with 2 heads, both of which twist and writhe, maws opening in unison to speak.
I am Geryon's Will. I am the Teeth and the Claws. I am THE LAW.
Arkyn is certain Psychic Lance will work this time... except the Colossite scales flare as Arkyn casts and the spell is reflected back at him. Arkyn manages to JUST make his own saving throw as one of Pyrus' maws turns to look at Arkyn. Milo takes this opportunity to get Beacon of Hope up and running as Aiaoue moves into the fray, her Gup-Arahnas unable to land any hits along Pyrus's form. Before Yenush can shoot, Pyrus looks him dead in the eye before stating: All Weapons Peace Tied. Yenush fires anyway and Pyrus reacts, but Diamond's charm turns Pyrus' attack against him... though he's immune to his own damage. Yenush then discovers that Pyrus... cannot be critically hit. Yenush uses his free action to hiss. Teagan arrives and clambers atop the serpent to pry his fingers beneath a loose plate of Colossite and begins to heave pealing it halfway off the giant serpent.
Pyrus summons the spectral forms of 3 of his Consorts, immediately healing all damage Yenush had dealt. He then lunges at Yenush, restrains him, and then proceeds to barrel through the rest of the group, dragging Yenush along the stone walkway the entire time and nearly downing him in one turn. Yenush keeps hissing until Pyrus finally crunches down and renders him unconscious... only for that cycle to repeat a few times as healing from Arkyn, Cadence, and Milo kept bringing Yenush back up. Eventually, annoyed, Pyrus flings a bleeding Yenush over the edge, and he reappears, unconscious, elsewhere in the chamber, face down.
Teagan and Aiaoue begin to tag-team scale removal, prying off the first and then the second. Arkyn removes the summoned Consorts and is then grabbed by on the maws as he performs an Unsanctioned Use of Magic. While crushed within the jaws, he decides to cast Shatter down Pyrus' throat, converting it to acide - which seems very effective - before Silver stepping away. Pyrus' focus then shifts to Aiaoue, grabbing her within his jaws and then dragging her across the chamber and slamming her into a statue before stopping near Yenush. Now knocked out of bird form, she's able to cast again!
Through Diamond's charm, Yenush is able to mitigate multiple rounds of Pyrus' attacks; flashes of Diamond appear in his periphery... though Yenush notes she seems sorrowful; though he may have been the one to kill her, it is not Pyrus she blames. Gritting his teeth, Yenush pivots. If she has forgiven you, I can forgive you. You owe it to them –the Menseya – and to your lands to come back. Let us do this. The larger maw, snarling and spitting scowls: There is no point, they are gone. The smaller maw looks almost morose: I am not worth it.
Arkyn leaps onto Pyrus to help with scale removal as Teagan moves to start attacking. As the final scale is removed and the larger maw snarling over Yenush, Teagan brings the warhammer around, critically fish hooking the maw and knocking out countless teach as he deals over 100 damage (with some help from Milo's accelerate). Pyrus begins to drop people over the edge, into the darkness below as he begins to bleed more and more profusely. Arkyn learns a little late that Pyrus is immune to poison. Aiaoue continues to bop him with Flaming Sphere. And Yenush fires right through the eyes of the larger maw...
The serpent collapses against the walkway, its wings hardening to stone and the light fading from its eyes. The Void Shard appears in front of Yenush. Aiaoue offers motivation by pulling out a cheese grater and taking it to one of the Colossite scales, Teagan uses his Void Shard to reinforce Yenush, Arkyn gets bonked so he can give Yenush advantage, and Milo offers bardic. Yenush navigates Pyrus' mind pulling out a portion of his essence, but first... if he invoked Geryon's Law, would Pyrus serve as judge? There is no verbal response, but with critical insight, Yenush sees images of Pyrus' serving as judge in the past... and he was woefully inconsistent. There is a sense of "You do not want me to judge".
As the chamber begins to rumble and a maelstorm of debris begins to form, the group grabs the Void Shard and the 3 pieces of Colossite and hauls ass back to the rising platform. Although Yenush does not see any lingering trace of Diamond, there is a sense of peace that radiates from her pendant.
Report Date
10 Dec 2025
Primary Location
Secondary Location
Related Characters
The Void Shard
As you connect with the Void Shard, a wave of otherworldly cold settles over you first. And then something pries its way into your mind; everything goes dark.
The sun sets over the grassland before you, picturesque, yet it takes every ounce of your will to not shake; to bid the tears not flee your eyes. You dare to look back; the shame in his eyes tears through your will like paper. The tears flow, though nothing changes. His decrees are Law… even for his own son.
You wince with every step; the wound in your thigh deep, red, bleeding, and screaming. Your eyes burn, yet you have no tears left to cry. Hunger ravages within you, anxiously waiting to feast upon what little still clings to your own bones. You collapse. It goes dark.
At first, your vision is blurry. Pointed ears, a gentle voice, a soothing touch. A man leans over you, speaking in a language you do not recognize. You wonder if you died. The world you came from is not this kind.
Home. You have decided this place is home. You have quickly outgrown the chairs, and the doorframes are not built for your size, much less your wingspan. Yet in the gardens of this city, you could listen to Geryon speak of his dreams forever. Of the world he envisions… bathed in light, in order, and in righteous kindness.
You would do anything to make his dreams a reality. A shadow, an otherworldly presence. A hand extended in offering. No, it was never an offering, it was a command. You swallow; something cuts within you – unwinds and weaves your being anew once more.
Your demands are met. Geryon’s dreams feel tangible. As you stare out at the grasslands beyond the walls of Moralis, you shake… not in fear or in shame, but in excitement, hope. Your teeth and claws are sharp, ready to be wielded.
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