Session 32 Report

Dante informed Izaki and Aeryn that Lastlight had no formal inn and the town completely shut down as soon as the sun set. He offered one place to rest that would be safer than staying in the open, though the other two might not like it...

Izaki's eyes narrowed as he followed Dante off the road and to a lone shack where no things grew and not even the mist dared curl. "Why wouldn't I like this place?"

"Because of the owner," Dante answered, knocking once then opening the door.

"... Whose the owner?"

"The Minister," Dante answered, disappearing into swallowing shadows.

Aeryn, by her pious nature, felt a great repulsion to the place and headed for the Church to see if they would offer a fellow priest sanctuary. Izaki, against his better judgment, followed after Dante, whom after so many battles he'd learned to trust.

His mistake. Once inside, the shadows passed like a curtain and Izaki was met by a grotesque sight. The Ministry's largest room resembled a chapel, with starved servants constantly coming in and out of the kitchen with golden platters laden with food. Their destination, the foot of an altar where a morbidly obese man with white skin and blood-red robes feasted. But it wasn't a man. Six stain glass windows stretched behind him, each depicting one of the six dark gods, with Gula's (Gluttony's) window being the largest. The Minister finished a lamb leg with uncanny quickness and wiped his black lips with the back of his small, clawed hand.

It was revealed Dante had been hired by the Minister to hunt down and kill Kasper and the he was most displeased by the apparent lack of progress. However, Dante's description of his new-found allies was enough to assuage the Minister's appetite for assassination. In fact, the Minister was inspired to pledge some of his devil soldiers when the time came to do battle with Kasper's many allies.

The pair were offered food and a place to rest for the night. In their search for a room, they stumbled upon a pillow-choked harem of obese harlets that took a special liking to Izaki. Even after Dante found a safe resting place and let a desperate Izaki inside after him, the unholy whores threw themselves against the door, desperate for a taste of the ronin.


Alisaadi awoke the next morning to the frowning face of Rees's father, a dashing red-haired elf. He was MOST alarmed upon finding an armed stranger sleeping across from his child. After some words and complete compliance by Copper, including the forfeit of her sword, the elf lord calmed down enough for introductions. His name was Firnod Powers, a majority land holder in Lastlight and the surrounding fields. His family had been in the hills since before even the vampires and from the embittered way he spoke sounded as if he would never leave, come hell or high water.

He and Ali discussed the Minister's grip over Lastlight as they made their way down for some breakfast. After eating, and despite Firnod saying it would do no good, Ali visited the Church of Raya to appeal to the priests. When she arrived, she was ignored by the ancient clerics during their morning prayers. However, just as Ali was really getting angry, the oldest priest greeted her, giving his blessing for her intentions of ridding Lastlight of their devil. However he could offer no help himself, one for being so old, and, as he put it, "If I had some secret weapon against that evil, don't you think I would have used it by now?"

He also shed some light onto the Powers family, specifically Firnod's late wife, who had been a paladin of Raya. Disgusted by the evil in her town, she led a group against the Minister over sixty years ago... never to return.


Dante and Izaki woke to an annoyed Minister, shocked at their lack of initiative with Kasper still on the loose. He lifted Dante and Izaki up by their collars and literally kicked them out the door.

On their way to regroup, the guys stumbled into Alisaadi as she exited the church. When she found out they'd stayed the night in the devil's house, she was furious, even more so at the suggestion they work together with the Minister in order to find Kasper. However, despite her first intentions of walking up to the Ministry and attacking the devil, she realized her sword was still with Firnod. She made her way back to the Powers mansion, the ronin and half-vampire following after.

They met Rees who was surprised they hadn't seen her father, since he'd been on his way to the church in order to return Ali's sword. Immediately the group assumed the worst and Rees was wracked with worry. Alisaadi stayed with the girl while Dante and Izaki went to the church for some clues to Firnod's whereabouts. In the church, Izaki poked around the empty chapel while Dante became invisible and searched the priest's quarters. However, after opening a noisy door, he found the way blocked by three old priests eating their meals. One even seemed to look up at him and smile. Not wanting to risk being found out, he slowly backed away. He found Izaki frowning before the golden idol overlooking the altar. Dante glanced down and matched his companions grimace. A puddle of warm blood pooled at the statue's feet.

Meanwhile, Alisaadi tried getting Rees's mind off the fact her father had disappeared. The discussion led to some uncertainty as to whether or not the little girl was indeed Rees or some sort of imposter. Alisaadi grew suspicious and questioned Rees thoroughly, to the point the little girl grew upset, even angry. She ran off crying into the fields behind the manor, the idea of her father being hurt or dead added with the sudden mistrust from her new friend being too much. Ali guiltily chased after.


Sev continued his discussions with Calalas and the two agreed the best course of action was to rally the Houses against Kasper. Calalas, also lord of House Calalas, abandoned his neutrality and agreed to back those against Kasper in order to tip the scales. He promised that while Sev and his friends worked to thwart the would-be vampire king, he would work every political connection he had to see their goals achieved, against Kasper and his biggest supporter: the Ice Queen. He also mentioned that the best way in which to align the Houses was through their common religion, that of the Dark Gods. Sev would have to make treaty with the head of the faith, a devil emissary from Torment itself named the Minister.

The meeting was abruptly interrupted by unnatural shrieking and the sounds of battle. An astonished Calalas rushed to the scene, Sev close behind. However the arch druid quickly became aware of someone he did not expect... another goblin hiding behind the trees. Curiosity overtaking his concern, Sev investigated and met a southern-accented goblin who later revealed his name was Sirocco. Sirocco urged they help in the battle across the green, but they arrived at the tail end, Calalas having easily gotten the upper hand with his extraordinary magic. However the battle wasn't over, as the smoke from the flayed demon became an elemental of pure hatred. It trapped them in cages of pure electricity and struck Sev with a mighty blow. Sirocco then proved himself to be a master archer, firing purple missiles that left holes in the living storm cloud. Sev transformed into a massive sloth and escaped the cage and ultimately Calalas ended the creature.

Sirocco then pledged himself to the arch druid, claiming to work for an old friend of the Northland. Sev agreed, but before the eager duo could be off to meet with the Minister, Calalas gave the goblin druid a mighty boon, the legacy of all the Northland arch druids: The Belt of the Northland, once worn by Lordanna herself in the fight against Delilah-in-Shadow.

The pair traveled into the night, where the welcoming hills turned dark and evil. They came upon the smell of good food and the sound of pleasant merrymaking, then found a crossroads. However the signs did not bode well, labeled Death, Life, Love and Happiness. Sev gave it a good, long thought and decided not to risk traveling on any of the roads, moving in between two instead. A disembodied and fairly annoyed voice whined they weren't playing fair, that usually people picked a road and died. Sev found a safe place to camp not long after and wisely began swapping turns at a night watch.


Nailo and Taras made their way across the Saspien hills toward the southern mountains and the marshlands along their base. Nearly upon the swamps, they were met by a silent black dragon gliding above them. He led the pair into the heart of the swamps, where Nailo met with the elder black dragon, whose age must have been beyond measure for the size of her (her head alone compared to the size of an orca whale and exposed claw the span of a large cart).

Taras's words about Nailo being marked by the dragon god were true and Daithrak recognized the shadow lord as one of the chosen. She was able to replenish Nailo's old gear down to every item, beckoning a tribe of enslaved troglodytes to take what he listed from her vast, sunken horde. In the course of their conversations, Daithrak revealed that Tisiphone not only survived the explosion, but since then murdered her other two sisters and taken over House Huma. While the ancient dragon and Nailo scryed from the marsh pool, they also saw Kasper speaking with her. Nailo made some other arrangements and was given a room, a hut on stilts with the bare minimum, but a resting place none the less (and the safest one he'd slept in in quite some time). Before bed he managed to cast a scry spell, checking up on Tonsi, Northstar and Izaki.

He awoke the next day to a troglodyte servant delivering a gourmet meal of steak and greens, most likely conjured through magic, but delicious all the same. He ate and made his way back to the marsh pool to speak again with the elder black.