Chosen Group Session 47

Izaki chose to explore the first of five tunnels radiating from the disc cave, while Victoria, Matthias and Finduilas opted down a passage smelling strongly of the sea. The ice down this way was eroded and the its stone and crystal buttresses exposed, many shining brilliantly and likely what gave the Crystal Caves their name.

Nearing an elbow turn, the group walked into a violet slaad woman, who could barely muster much of a defense before a combo of Matthias and Victoria dispatched her. In a grim incantation, the necromantess raised the slaad back to life as a tireless servant forced to earn eternal peace.

Matthias moved on ahead to a large, open cavern, half flooded with sea water. Below the water, something stirred, and the zombie was sent to explore. Moments later it was flung out, skidding to Victoria's feet, and a cool and confident voice welcomed the group through telepathy.

The skald shed his gear and dove into the water after a redeployed zombie, finding this voice to be exactly what he feared, the Beholder, who in one barrage of ten eye beams utterly destroyed the zombie. He traded an electrified blow with it, then felt the full wrath, one of which overtook him and sent him floating to the surface, dead (though that depends on your definition, since Matthias is very unlikely to admit oblivion at the hands of a floating cyclopean head).

Meanwhile, the girls watched the lights flash under the water, and were met with a challenge from the side cave, two gray slaad that attacked with fervor, though Victoria slew the first with a finger point. The other feigned surrender and managed to belt a summons. The summoner manages off a lightning bolt before also succumbing to Victoria's bane magics, and the summoned green slaad had quite a time tearing into the cleric.

With Matthias dead, Fin fell into a disparaged rage, and conjured a celestial baleen whale into the pool to handle the beholder. The tactic worked long enough for Victoria to conjure a circle of death powerful enough to send even their hidden enemy into the nether. It washed along shore in a violent geyser, a twelve foot monster head of blotchy orange and green, followed by Matthias' husk.

Fin fell over him, a complete mess, praying with all her love and will for his return. The power of the Phoenix overcame them both, Matthias igniting in spectral red-orange flames, and the firebird shrieked in the distance. Within ten minutes, the body regained color, warmth, breath and consciousness, Matthias returned from death, the first so resurrected in a thousand years!

In some dark, poetic fashion, Victoria spent her time beside the restoring Finduilas performing her own returning ritual, bringing the beholder back from the dead as a ghastly servant under her control.

Exp: 3000
Objectives:
1. Purify the first well
2. Find, clear and purify the other 3 wells
3. Save the survivors, if any, and deal with Tasha

Apologies and Info

Apologies for the suddenly bailing out of last night's session. I got to work and was told everyone was working till we were done, which I had no idea meant a 13 and a half hour day, which I spent sitting in a chair from 9am till 10pm. I came home and literally passed out.

Make up is Wednesday if I'm not still working overtime.

This also may mean I might miss tonight's session, depending on the craziness of work, so apologies in advanced to Chosen group if that indeed happens.

This is our final push to get magazines out, but I didn't expect it to be this bad.

Ronin Session 46

The group reunited and took the narrow passage fifty feet down into the Crystal Caves, emptying into a domed cavern of smooth, blue ice with a glacial glow. Three passages shot outward, Izaki noting with his sharp eye a faint blood droplet trail down the center, and largest, one.

The trail became more and more obvious as it was followed down the steadily downward sloping way, till there were bloody streaks and claw marks taking the left of a passage fork. In the distance a slouched something leaned against the wall, revealed to be a pile of bloody pulp and flesh scraps.

Victoria was able to cast a foul magic enabling the mound to find its features and actually talk, much to the disgust of Finduilas. It revealed itself to have been an elf come down with Tasha into the caverns. It was killed by something Matthias later explained with surprising detail was a monstrosity known as a Beholder. Pained by its existence, the final question asked it revealed that Tasha had, in fact, betrayed the seven samurai and left them to their doom.

While Finduilas orated a prayer, Izaki and Victoria caught something faaar down the tunnel turn a corner, see the group, and jolt back out of sight. It was humanoid. Heading down the way, they discovered slimy, fan-like footprints. They followed them into a low-ceilinged, wide cavern, something like a disc.

Fin noticed behind two smooth stalagmites hid two ice elves in tattered armor. She called out to them and they did answer, questioning one and the other until Fin proved she was really a cleric of Raya through the reciting of a rare hymn. They stepped out, looking nearly identical, named Flugg and Glubner. After receiving healing, it wasn't long at all before the entire group became suspicious, especially after they began casting spells (which Victoria identified as Magic Circles Against Law).

Things grew more and more tense, till Matthias swung at Flugg's head, intent on knocking him out, but provoking Glubner into an attack which struck the skald momentarily blind. Victoria wasted no time casting a death spell which sent Glubner into oblivion, only then revealed that Glubner was not an elf at all, but one of a grotesque planar toad-men race known as slaadi.

Flugg fell soon after, seemingly unperturbed by death outside his home plane. Apparently he was simply return to it, though Victoria promised to steal his soul for other purposes. Strangely enough, when he cast the blinding spell on the Lady of Saspien, it seemed to work, though when she slew him with an overwhelming harm spell, she saw just fine, spurring the slaad into asking what she was before croaking (ba da daaaa!).

Flugg has been leading the group toward the middle passage (5 radiating from the disc cavern in all), perhaps to meet the master he spoke of, or the Beholder, or something worse...

EXP: 2000
Objectives:
1. Restore the 4 Wells
2. Save any surviving elves

The Elbib: Evil Religions of Othyr

The pantheon of evil is split by alignment. Chaotic evil is the most powerful and ruled over by an unholy trinity: Chrysaor, Laz, and Delilah-in-Shadow. Neutral evil is exemplified in the power-hungry dragon god Kultuss. Lawful Evil is divided between six Dark Gods: Luxuria (Lust), Pigritia (Gluttony), Acedia (Sloth), Ira (Wrath), Invidia (Envy), and Superbia (Pride).

Evil religions in the Northland are more common then anywhere else in the world, mostly because there is no regional authority or powerful-enough good religion to oppose them. It also helps such ancient evil as the Ice Queen now holds sway in much of the region.

In the south, the dark religions have lost much of their potency. Putting all their ambition into a joint campaign against good known as The Black Blitz, they lost, leaving all their collective church coffers empty and their forces depleted. Now the southern evil religions are all but extinguished, relegated to underground cults or the extreme southern deserts. So like most Northland immigrants, followers of evil have come into the icy regions seeking to escape the law and persecution south.

Evil has a distinct advantage in the north, as there is a plethora of evil races, such as the creatures of Mongrel, with which to align or enslave. All the legendary demons and dragons that survived the Winters War are also said to reside in the Northland and might be willing to grant a particularly adventurous dark priest or blackguard secrets and power. Perhaps most importantly, evil religions have chosen the Northland to remake their strongholds from their ruinous wars south because northern civilization is in an infant and impressionable stage. Evil is poised to get in on the ground floor of what will surely grow into a bustling region in the future and thereby make it that much easier to compromise, corrupt, and conquer.

Chaotic Evil is an unholy trinity of three deities, each an aspect of the cosmic entity known as Chrysaor:

Chrysaor (The Father) was the first god, a sentient manifestation of the vast cosmic vacuum. It wills the erasure of all creation and the restoration of the perfect void. Chrysaor is depicted in histories and religious texts as the detached consciousness of the universe with near-limitless power. It stands as an antithesis of all life and complex matter, and has proven to hold way over forces of chaos, destruction, and basic elements. Thus far Chrysaor has been unable to snuff life, testament that it is not all-powerful or in full control of what occurs within the universe— perhaps due to its extremely chaotic nature.

Presumably, all serving chaotic evil are his minions, including Laz, Delilah-in-Shadow (who are parts of it), their followers, and in small ways anyone who kills, pollutes or otherwise works against creation.

There is no organized religion dedicated to Chrysaor, since Laz and Delilah are his worldly aspects that directly deal with lesser beings. Some dark souls that worship chaotic evil without a preference to Laz or Delilah recognize Chrysaor and worship the unholy trinity as a whole. Chrysaor doesn’t bother listening to such miniscule voices and does not answer mortal prayers or grant mortal priests spells. He only interacts with his other two aspects, granting them their power.

Chrysaor is the sworn enemy of all existence, though its arch nemesis is without a doubt Raya Thawbringer. It was she who first challenged his void, it was she who was responsible for all creation, and it must be she who is extinguished before the great nothing can be restored. Despite whatever promises of power Laz might offer, or whatever sweet seduction Delilah may coo, both serve the ultimate aim of their master and Chrysaor’s only wish is anti-life.

Laz is the god of cosmic cold, destruction, entropy and death.

Aliases: Wintervein, Death, the Grim Reaper, The Doom of All, The Creeping Cold

Races: Oozes, Many Evil Outsiders, Undead

Laz is the avatar of Chrysaor’s will, a deity embodying the Void’s most potent destructive powers. He was sent to snuff Raya (and with her existence), but proved unable to best her. He is locked in an eternal stalemate with Raya, biding his time until chaotic evil may again gain the upper hand as it did during the Winters War. He is the inventor of autumn and winter, aging and death, a cold and merciless being of vast alien intelligence. Histories initially depicted him as a star-swallowing amorphous entity of living shadow, energy and cold, but throughout the centuries he’s been given more humanoid guises, most popular The Grim Reaper.

Upon his arrival untold millennium ago, Laz brought an army of strange minions, including the oozes and select Outsiders of sprawling, terrible power. Some endure today, ever-loyal to their maker and patron, working to tip the scales in their master’s favor and free him to complete his final aim of oblivion. Laz was also the one who ignited the spark of undeath, returning countless mortals as soulless soldiers for his cause. Many continue to follow the mission Laz laid before them, while others (like the vampires) have not, and in fact work against it. With the close of the Winters War, certain mortal sects slowly fell into his worship, succumbing to dark boons involving destruction, power and reprieves from death.

At their height, the black churches of Laz were the most powerful religion within all the evil faiths, and equaled Raya’s in shear scope and might. However, the devastating defeat during the Black Blitz left them crippled, relegated to hidden masses in the depths of mummies’ pyramids, select heartland catacombs, and remote cold barrows.

None but they could describe the depravity practiced in the dark and the cold, but rites are known to involve fresh and old dead, sacrifice, blood and torture. They also practice gladiatorial combat as a form of reverence, using willing and unwilling participants. With Lazian Necromancers, death is a minor issue, and their most powerful warriors are seventh-slain or more, twisted abominations of unholy power with the combat prowess of several lifetimes in the battle pits.

Though the church is in an emaciated state, its members are far from weak. If anything, the hard times have tempered Lazians into much darker, stronger tools of their master’s will. They long plotted ways in which to rise again, and with the coming of the Seven have begun rallying all evil in their secluded regions, commanding spearheads into shaken civilization in efforts to reclaim their former potency. And it seems they are succeeding.

Much like his father, Laz’s enemies extend to all life and all gods not in his immediate service, most especially Raya Thawbringer. She has been his nemesis since his inception, the one he must overcome and smother to fulfill his sole purpose. He hates the First Star from the bottoms of the endless vacuum and seeks her demise through all and any means. Likewise, his followers are bitter enemies of the Rayan clergy, making it their top priority to become thorns in Rayans’ sides.

Delilah-in-Shadow was the goddess of murder, madness and the night.

Aliases: The Mother of Demons, Lady Night, Id, The Horror

Races: Demons, Aberrations, Many Evil Magic Beasts

To mock the blessed union of Raya and Lordanna, Laz sired a daughter of his own, emptying his darkest dreams into the quintessential temptress. Delilah-in-Shadow proved to be more than he hoped for, the most malign and malevolent being in the universe. She bore the demon race and initiated the Winters War. Her will broke the Dark God Greed and she murdered the goddess of life itself. Delilah was destroyed in the process, but even in death she is the source of nightmares and madness, and rotting in the Plane of Shadow she continuously spawns aberrations. Scholars often depict Delilah as a tentacle beast of unspeakable obscenity, whose voice once drove out all sanity, joy and beauty from whatever cowered in earshot. However, others wrote of Delilah as being so beautiful it was painful, her voice so mellifluous only gods had any hope of resisting her, and her essence so cruel, vindictive and utterly black that even her father grew fearful of her ultimate potential.

Delilah-in-Shadow’s main followers and favored children were without doubt demons. She created them to be the most terrifying forces the other races had ever seen, with abyssal power dozens, in some cases hundreds, of times greater than mortal soldiers. All demons still revere her, usually their main focus of worship, even after so long in the grave. During the time leading up to the initial plunge by the combined might of demons and dragons, Delilah coerced many others of all races and stations. Those converts were the founders of the mortal cults that now exist in alarming number over the continent, always in secret. Delilah was also a goddess of corruption and took many of Lordanna’s magic beasts and twisted them for evil. As such, most magic beasts of dark inclination revere her. And if aberrations are capable of reverence, they too hold her in high esteem, having sprung from her godhead.

Delilah’s church has always existed parallel to the normal world, a hideous shadow just slightly removed, whether that be hidden in the black hearts of cities, deep in abandoned mines, behind locked doors or under cover of night. Her followers, if not monstrous, look all too good, always charismatic, well-kept and likewise unassuming.

Like all evil religions, Delilans suffered terrible losses during The Black Blitz, but have made a remarkable recovery since the rise of the Seven and the spread of war. It may be that Delilans never pledged their full numbers to the blitz, or perhaps there are just that many new converts in the wake of the freed demonlords. They’re rampant now in every land, risen cults with gall enough to challenge other religions. That doesn’t mean they’re foolish in their methods, relying on assassination, terrorism and always keeping their bases well-secreted.

The known rites of Delilans usually revolve around sexual perversions and orgies combined with sacrifice and all-out murder. The darker rituals are mostly unknown, depraved beyond sanity, maddening even, but evoking terrible and potent effects. Delilan priests often consult demons for information on these black ceremonies, which they often preside over. Delilah’s priests are still granted spells, presumably drawing from the lingering energies within her corpse on the shadow plane.

The most powerful and degenerate of these mortal dark priests are known as Mistresses, bondage-clad and addicted to torture, luscious as they are insane. They are demon-lovers, often spawning many hybrid followers within their lifetimes, and possess keen knowledge into unholy arcana. The most powerful Mistress (and the battle for supremacy is always raging in secret wars) is known as the Matron of Pain, the black pope of the Delilan church. She is the mediator between the clergy and demon and aberrant kind.

Delilah was an enemy to all things, more so than even Laz, for even though his aim is total annihilation, he seeks it with little pleasure. But his daughter loved the killing and suffering. She reveled in it and defined what it was to be evil. Her dark legacy carries on, even after the millennia following her death. Demons still terrorize the universe, aberrations spring from her corpse, and her followers number some of the mightiest beings beneath the gods. Her obvious nemesis was Lordanna Manythings, Delilah’s twin, opposite in every way, her shadow.

Neutral Evil is headed by the former sinlord Greed, whose vice-drawn power from the unholy trinity has made him as infinite as he is cruel and selfish.

Kultuss is the god of greed, abundance and waste

Aliases: The Star-Eye, Greedragon, Dragon-Father, He Who Hoards

Races: Dragons, Scalykind

Kultuss was once the dark god Greed, a deific personification of the mortal vice. Tempted into treachery by Delilah-in-Shadow, Greed suckled on the power teat of the cosmos, indulging to a point he became bloated on unholy energy. He took the name Kultuss, expanding his horizons beyond the limits of mortal imagination (for all dark gods are, to an extent, confined and dependent on mortals). He sired the awesome race of dragons and corrupted or copied Lordanna’s reptiles to make servitor scalykind races. At the close of the Winters War, his allies defeated but his might so great none of the other gods could conceivably slay him, Kultuss was banished with the errant souls of his defeated dragons into the Polarbite Glacier. Underestimated, he began to break free, but the goddess Vaness, a dragonslayer by her divine nature, reinforced his prison, and so he has remained ever since, trapped and waiting for free dragons and loyal followers to devise his release.

Kultuss is usually depicted in one of two forms. Ancient texts written and drawn by witnesses of the Winters War show the god in the form he took during his battles, a titanic five-headed dragon, the exact colorings varying per text, perhaps suggesting he can assume any. Ironically, dragons do not think of him as draconic in image at all, but worship him as a vast, celestial being a galaxy in breadth and power, with a blazing red Star-Eye.

The greatest of his followers are his children. Dragons are his chief worshippers, mediating lesser scalykind and whatever mortal cults may be within their territory. Most reptiles also revere Kultuss, even those of Lordanna’s goodly or neutral sway. At the very least, they will treat devote Kultussites indifferently, and in some cases consider them allies and help them if possible. The more violent the reptilian species, say crocodiles or iguanas, the more likely they are to lean favorably toward Kultussites. Any serpentine race not of the natural world also owes their existence to Kultuss, and almost all of them worship him.

The Church of Kultuss is cellular and run by the Elder Dragons still free and roaming the earth. There is no tally of how many or what kinds of Elders exist still, or which lands they frequent, but each is considered a high priest for their particular Kultussite parish. They are always attended by scalykind, who likewise worship Kultuss, mostly through the collecting of items and the increasing of the high priest’s hoard (deposited through ceremony). Collecting can, of course, mean anything from actual salvaging and crafting, to stealing and pillaging. Mortal sects, dwarf, elf, human and the like, are usually kept distant from the Elder, scalykind acting as go-betweens with instructions and information. Only particularly powerful or promising mortals are ever allowed to see a dragon, though it isn’t unheard of. The Elder’s children, if any, treat with these marked persons, and perhaps once in a lifetime with the Elder. These choice followers are usually being groomed for breeding or something very special.

Kultuss sees every god as an enemy, and doesn’t put much faith in the old alliances, since it was the late Delilah that formed that partnership. The most obvious enemies of Kultussites are the gods of good, Altan, Raya, but most especially Vaness. Vaness rose to godhood by slaying the Dragon King and has ever since been a patron of slayers. It was she who trekked to the glacier to reinforce his prison, a curse that still holds him bound. Kultuss also despises his former siblings, holding nothing but contempt for the beings which he now sees as close-minded and stupid, a weak reflection of what he once was.

Lawful Evil is comprised of six dark gods; embodiments of everything wicked in mortals, who appear like clockwork in each soul, the age-old adversaries of good within us all.

Dark Gods (the Sinlords) are the gods and goddesses of mortal vices

Collective Race: Devils, Many Evil Monstrous Humanoids

Originally, the dark gods were the seven vices of man, sprung to life soon after the creation of mortals. Greed betrayed them, eventually becoming Kultuss, and their number now holds at six. They are, despite their quirks and other-alignment leanings, lawfully evil, in that they appear in every mortal, like a natural law, always tempting, always present, and ever-ready to take control of a person, even in a moment of passion, to unfortunate ends. They aided the side of good during the Winters War, though only for self-preservation, as dark gods are dependent on mortal kind to feed them their vices and worship them, directly or indirectly. Make no mistake, the dark gods are every bit as twisted and sadistic as chaotic evil, it’s just they go about things in a much more systematic way.

Each dark god is served and worshipped by devils, specifically the species he or she created. They are revered by the respective race they created, and each also has hidden cults of other races scattered throughout the world and the planes. Many monstrous humanoids owe the dark gods their existence and nearly all of them worship one or more.

The Church of the Dark Gods is entirely different from specific cults to say Pride or Wrath. Cults focus on one god in particular, striving to live by the tenants of a sole vice. The Church of the Dark Gods, which participated in the Black Blitz, and was the most popular amongst mortal worshippers, treated the six as aspects of the same whole, a six-headed deity, defining the mortal spectrum of evil, or what many Darklings would have considered the spectrum of true freedom and guiltlessness. The cults exist in as much force as they always have, present in the modern day, but uncommon. The official Church of the Dark Gods, however, is nearly wiped out thanks to the Black Blitz. Hardly any clergy remain today, those that do having buried themselves in unassuming places and unsuspecting guises far, far from their old power centers, and similarly any surviving worshippers. The collapse of the official church, which was openly worshipped in cities up until the fall, did serve to swell the cults, for a time, but on the whole it seems that the organized worship of the six has greatly diminished.

For most gods that would be devastating, but considering the two ways in which the six draw power, it hasn’t really affected them much at all. Organized religion plays more to their vanity, especially Superbia’s, but the main source of their power is every mortal living every day, experiencing nutritious moments of lust, jealousy, sloth and the rest. As long as people exist and make mistakes, the dark gods will exist within each and every one of us.

Everyone is their enemy. Good is their antithesis, especially Altan. Altan embodies hope and perseverance, everything that cancels and combats the six vices. Kultuss is another on their list, the black sheep of the family who betrayed them. Chaotic evil is a close third, their hated reflection in the pool of evil, working to extinguish everything (and in essence destroy the dark gods with it). Understandably, Devils hate Dragons and Demons, and monstrous clergy shun serving under such. Then again, devils and monstrous humanoids often hate everyone anyway, just like their masters.

*Cults dedicated to the dark gods are individual and unique, no two worshipping the same sinlord ever quite the same. However, there are some universal truths for each deity, and an established image and aspect once held in esteem by Darklings of the Church of the Dark Gods.

Luxuria (Lust)

Aliases: Queen of Shame, The Fleshmonger, Desire

Race: Bugbears

Voluptuous and vile, Luxuria can be anything you want her to be, crossing all racial and even gender and species boundaries as suits a person’s darkest fantasy. She takes supreme pleasure from the effects of her shape shifting on victims, initial ecstasy quickly turned to anguish and fear. Her most popular guise is a pale woman with pale hair, done in black makeup and wearing bright furs, hides, horns, feathers and scales from exotic planar creatures.

Her doctrine is one of pleasure to the point of pain and suffering. Light the fires of passion and enjoy the momentary heat, then stay under the flame until it burns, then chars right through you. She is a wrecker of homes, true love and loyalty. She is obsessed with new and unusual pleasures, especially those previously denied her. She is a being of mind-blowing beauty, but beneath lies a villain the likes few can imagine. Lust is a natural emotion, or so her followers would say, and should be indulged, not repressed, to remain healthy. The catch is that Luxuria and her ilk want to see the fruits of lust to their bitter ends, to points of dependency, obsession, stalking, heart break, suffering, killing or suicide.

Her northwestern corner of Torment is reflective of her vice, a steamy jungle of surprising beauty, with lush flora, sweet smells and soft music, leading visitors to a great palace along a lazy River Styx. Yet, just beneath the surface lies the true evil, much like Lust seems, at first, irresistible then regrettable. The plants are vampiric and the blossoms deadly poison, her most prized the strain of infernal lotuses along the river banks. The sweet smells wafting through the air are euphoric and addictive, which have bound many infernal predators to lairing in the tangles. The music comes from many of the deadly devils in Lust’s Harem or visiting creatures such as sirens. The Palace of Supreme Pleasure, looking a tan stone from a distance, is actually made of bricks of living flesh. Likewise, everything from the door hinges to the window treatments is derived from mortal bodies, though deceptively ornate enough to escape first glance notice.

Her main servants are Lust Devils, as they are most numerous, though neither her most powerful nor her most favored. Created in their mistresses’ likeness, they too can assume any shape, though their true forms are luscious mortal woman nearly eight feet tall with fruit bat wings and scorpion tails. Just below them on the power scale, and nearly as numerous, are the Erinyes, with wings akin to parrots and birds-of-paradise. Many other humanoid temptresses and tempters also are in her employ, as well as monstrous eunuchs who’ve proven mighty enough on the material to garner the honor of service.

Among her rivals, her sister Superbia tops the list. In many ways they are alike, and in other ways vastly different, as most sisters are. They fight over trivial and important matters with equal fury, Luxuria being easily offended and Superbia hardly every giving up a point because of, well, pride. Despite their dislike of one another, they can rely on the other’s forces should anything truly threatening occur, as they are strangely linked, Pride and Lust.

Chief on the list of Luxuria’s truly hated enemies was Delilah-in-Shadow, the malevolent goddess who (according to some) trumped Luxuria as the greatest deific temptress, a point that remains sore to this day. Luxuria is adamant in her suppression of the demon threat and goes out of her way to thwart demons, especially succubi.

Gula (Gluttony)

Aliases: God-Mouth, The Cosmic Hunger, He Who Is Without Bottom

Race: Trolls

The always-hungry, ever-wanting lord of northern Torment is a disgustingly fat creature of a hundred rolls, bulging to the point of bursting, with hundreds of mouths capable of stretching to swallow anything whole and which lead to a bottomless pocket plane akin to an acid ocean.

His doctrine is one of meeting any and every sensual need, which may seem to overlap with his siblings, but for the fact he is unbiased in what is overindulged, and thinks little of the what or why, just the doing. He is a creature that lives perpetually in the present, looking for instant and endless gratification, often of the palate, neither tasting or enjoying what it is he eats, simply recognizing the faint nerve that he is in taking. He is a selfish creature, never thinking of the effects of his gorging on others, nor of those that have nothing themselves. Sharing is alien to him, cooperation a close second. Of all the sinlords, he is most like the demons, a monstrous aberration that has no clever motives, no real observation for the grand scheme of mortals and sinlords, and would probably devour the world and existence if given the chance. He may very well have joined Delilah had it not been for his brothers Invidia and Ira, who inspired jealousy and anger toward Greed for being the first Delilah went to. That, and the fact when Delilah came calling he kept trying to eat her.

Gula’s realm is also referred to as the Meat Mountains, millions of mortal creatures damned for all eternity to be piled upon one another in smothering, crushing fashion to form landmasses the breadth of actual material mountains. However these mountains constantly sway and writhe and produce a collective wailing that is deafening. The worst sinners are placed near or at the bottom, though the top ones are no less punished, subject to the scalding, poisonous atmosphere of northern Torment and slow, anguishing erosion. And none are safe from the Hell Dwarves, dwarves of fiendish ancestry who mine the Meat Mountains, piercing and picking their way through the endless flesh in search of distilled fear, anguish and the like which occasionally crystallize into powerful magical gems.

Besides Hell Dwarves, Gula is attended by a number of other beings. His favored sons are the Gluttony Devils, obese, obscene pit fiends of terrible power and appetites akin to their master. They are lead by five first sons, kings among Gluttony Devils, known as the Aquinals, and so named Praepropere (eating too soon), Laute (eating too expensively), Nimis (eating too much), Ardenter (eating too eagerly), and Studiose (eating too daintily). He and his sons are also serviced by select gluttonous souls who are damned to wait on the sinlord and his kin while perpetually starving. And those trolls who have been deemed worthy warlords are, after death, not devoured as is the fate of all dead trolls, but held in high honor within The Gizzard, a hall of trollish delight where all their wants are forever satisfied (a troll’s infernal Valhalla).

Gula holds no deep hellish politics, no ulterior motives beyond the obvious, and has garnered no real rival or enemy. However, the other five collectively keep their brother in check so they do not succumb to the potential universe-swallower. Likewise, Gula hates no enemy, in fact yearns for them, so they might join the unsatisfiable pit that his planar stomach.

Pigritia (Sloth)

Aliases: Accidia, Boss P, Breaker, The Heavy Handed

Race: Ogres

A great beast of a sinlord, the hulking Pigritia may appear a lazy, napping monster something akin to a titanic werewolf, but half the time his idleness proves more devastating than any plot.

Pigritia’s doctrine is put off to tomorrow what can be done now. He is the patron of the lazy and the idle, prone to taking many naps or simply wandering and hanging around Torment. His idleness is where the most damage is done, as he is often bored, and in that boredom invents cruel, destructive games and pastimes in which to amuse himself. His hobbies include torture, breaking things and fornicating with nearly whatever he can get his hands on, and encourages such in others. Life, his followers say, is wasted on worries and goals, and should be taken in stride, at every one’s own personal pace. However, Pigritia’s pace accomplishes nothing at all, nothing of worth anyway, existence like an endless vacation long overstayed.

Pigritia’s usual haunt is in the northeastern sector of Torment known as Torpor, a sprawling cityscape where he frequents corners, back alleys or seedy devil-run clubs and torture chambers. He’s often found defacing things, his most favored targets being spoils from enemies (a stolen statue from out front a major Rayan Temple, for example). Those damned souls once guilty of idleness, apathy or ignorance are doomed to work as continual maintenance, forever fixing what will only be destroyed again later.

Sloth Devils are his favored children, always in gangs that wander the city or stick to some territorial portion, resembling teenage mortals but for slightly feral features. They often kick about, breaking things, hurting and torturing when they can, and figuring out the most obscene ways in which to deface property and ideals so as to garner Pigritia’s fickle favor. There are dozens of different gangs in Torpor, all themed and rather strange, often headed by one or more bastards of the god himself. Gang wars are not uncommon. When ogres or other monstrous humanoids Pigritia created die, they’re usually left to their own devices within the city, often incorporated into a gang or running amuck, sometimes spilling over into other sinlord’s sectors, which always frustrates whichever lord that is. Pigritia has yet to do anything about the roving souls. Their fate is usually to be thrown into the damnable curses along with punished souls in whatever region they unfortunately wandered into.

Pigritia’s rival is his brother Ira, the most assertive and commanding of the sinlords. Obviously, by their very natures, they are opposites, and often get in quarrels. On more than one occasion, Ira has sent squads of Wrath Devils to police Torpor, so as to quell the spilling over of souls and general useless destruction Pigritia’s minions cause to other sectors. On the flip side, Pigritia seems to get along very well with Luxuria, perhaps because of his lust for his sister, or the fact his ideology jives well with hers.

Ira (Wrath)

Aliases: The Furor, St. Anger, The King of Tyrants, Ork

Race: Orcs

Ira is the quintessential evil warlord, a brilliant strategist with a penchant for overkill, enjoying the humiliation and suffering of enemies. His tactics are merciless and surgical, utilizing fear and brutality to achieve victory. He is dawned in the finest set of armor ever forged, tempered in the hottest hell fires and worked over by the greatest planar smiths. He is a genius with every weapon, though prefers swords, and expert in every tactic, though prefers bold, head-on assaults to underline his unholy strength.

Ira’s doctrine is survival of the fittest. Only the strong deserve to rule, lesser creatures allowed to exist only by their whim (and usually then just for cannon fodder). Violence is the true test of a being and those who can funnel their anger into achieving goals can do anything. Rage is a powerful tool, like a weapon or a winning strategy, one that no warrior can be without. Anger and adrenaline are essential for any victory, hardwired into mortal biology. Ira, of course, seeks to continuously stimulate such primitive, chemical reactions, favoring barbarian shock troops in large numbers, though favoring even more the cool vengeance of an intelligent, heartless general. Ira is only satisfied after his enemies break and he oversees their years of subsequent enslavement, or their execution if too dangerous to let live.

Ira’s sector of Torment is a police state, with him as absolute tyrant, located in the southwestern Pikes, a forest of persons impaled on pointed trees, sometimes thirty or more deep depending on the size of the tree. The damned are reborn as impaled infants and grow an entire lifetime in the perpetual torment of being skewered. Then, once very old, they are reborn once more, and so on and so on forever more. It is no more pleasant in the city of Fuel, Ira’s capital, where every roof is riddled with crowded pikes and blood gutters flowing into grotesque fountains in his honor.

The unwaveringly loyal police force within Fuel consists of Ira’s Wrath Devils, looking like tall, muscular crimson orcs of terrible strength, trained and armored in the very best. They travel in units around Fuel and Ira’s territory, maintaining his order and will, training, or being sent on missions to other regions of existence. The Commissioner of Fuels police force is a particularly skilled Wrath Devil known as Novaco the Provoker. Ira’s sons are also prominent in the region, one a crab-like Wrath Devil known as Doctor Maimonides, chief interrogator and scientist of hell, and the other Hochschild the Rioter, a red-haired fiend capable of making any woman swoon and often sent to insight rebellion, unrest and violence among enemy ranks. The souls of dead orcs are of little concern to Ira and are usually put to work in the vast smithies, mines and lumber yards to help fuel Ira’s many war efforts. Ira doesn’t like to encourage any sort of rewarding afterlife, as it usually makes his children try even harder during what time is given them on the material. Ira’s minions also include some very strange races, enslaved from planar conflicts across regions unheard of to mortals, the most powerful of these monsters and warriors taken into Ira’s elite or regular army, depending.

Ira hates Altan with a passion, a warrior god with polar opposite ideals to himself. Valor, honor and mercy have no place in life-or-death battle. Vaness is hated nearly as much, her code of bushido entirely fraudulent in Ira’s mind.

Invidious (Envy)

Aliases: Hatemonger, The Scowler, Old Scratch, Picklesoul

Race: Goblins

A twisted and spiteful being, Invidious is the eldest of the sinlords, and the most self-absorbed, having watched as each new god, race and thing came about and having subsequently grown more and more jealous of what they possesses that he did not. He is an ugly creature, hunched, gnarled, and incapable of duplicating the other gods’ stature and awe. However, he is the chief plotter of the six, a conniving web-worker whose thousands of years of hellish politics have made him perhaps the most powerful, should he be tested.

Invidious' doctrine preaches patience and thought above all things. Normally that might sound as very reasonable, even healthy. However, he seeks to use this time to plot the downfall of those he deems better off than himself. It isn’t so much trying to gain what they have, more making them pay for ever having it. Invidious is plagued by self-pity and is very sensitive, even paranoid. This trembling nature has spurred him to spin his intricate plots and ensure that should any cross him they will pay dearly. He puts little effort into appearance or maintenance, but cherishes what little beauty comes his way, that is until it reminds him of his own ugliness at which point he destroys it. Others will always look down on you because you are different, his followers say. Best to galvanize your few strengths and cripple your enemies through their many weaknesses.

Invidious’ crooked palace dominates an island amidst the Bobbing Sea. Damned souls start with their heads above water and their ankles bound by long kelp wires. The person is allowed several precious seconds of air before being dragged to the bottom and drowned. They are then floated to the top, where they return to life, are allowed several breaths, and then are dragged back under in an endless process. The sea is so filled with damned souls that the surface is constantly rolling with bobbing heads garbling pleas, gagging and slurping. Of his palace itself, the highest spires reach into the highest points of the plane, and occasionally offer a special view of the Soulstorm, that is a hurricane of fire, lightning and acid that slowly roves hell, raining damned souls who plummet to their deaths, only to evaporate and become absorbed again into the storm. The lowest dungeons are said to be the worst in all Torment, feared even by other devils, dug near hell’s heart where the heat is so intense even creatures born of fire can be burnt.

Invidious’ minions are the most numerous of all sinlords, bought or blackmailed or simply broken into service. Envy Devils comprise the majority of his servants, arachnid fiends used for spying, scouting and uncovering secrets. Unlike other sinlords, Invidious was able to retain some level of creative power from Lordanna, duplicating it through mysterious means in the depths of his palace, and as such can turn deserving goblin souls into Envy Devils, affording him the ability to create an army in much less time than any of his siblings (who rely on devil fornication and maturation). He also employs healthy levels of planar mercenaries, daring even to use demons and dragons whom he’s bound in some way or another, but not limited to any monster the universe over. He likely has at least one of everything under his thumb somewhere. Another unique line of servants whose creation is known only to Invidious are golems. This is a great point of pride to the sinlord, who guards their creation methods well, and uses them as rewards to loyal followers and gifts to powerful allies.

By nature, Invidious sees everyone as a rival, good, neutral and evil, from Raya to the local barber. He trusts no one and works to ensnare existence over in his contingency plots. It’s said he possesses a library of little black books, filled with secrets on anyone and everyone who ever lived or lives. Such a library would be invaluable, but besides its location being a secret, it’s whispered to be guarded by an impossible gauntlet of traps of Invidious’ own devising (traps being a hobby of his). He has no friends, no allies, and only cooperates when necessary, otherwise refraining from much contact with anyone unless it serves him.

Superbia (Pride)

Aliases: Vanity, The Doom of Fools, Queen of Mirrors, The Golden One

Race: Hobgoblins

Superbia the Flawless! Superbia the Uncontestable! Superbia, the golden goddess of the most common of all sins: vanity. Anything with a consciousness succumbs to her (in one degree or another), even other deities, whether they realize it or not. She is a tall, well-shaped figure encased in gold and hidden behind an emotionless, gem-encrusted mask. She carries a wondrous scepter with which to dispense her decrees and keep all other beings at a distance. Quick to anger or offend, she is even quicker to get even, and, though her vice makes her so self-important that she believes herself the pinnacle of every facet of existence, in actuality she is not far from the mark. Whenever tasked, she has proven to actually be near-perfect, one reason she wears the body casing (as it’s spoken in hell her beauty rivals Luxuria’s or that of any other being). In fact, it is also whispered she has the capability to best anyone at anything, and could prove a better strategist than Ira, smarter than Invidious, stronger than Pigritia, and even more ravenous than Gula.

Superbia’s doctrine is to believe in yourself to the point of irrationality. You really are just that good. There is no reason to doubt, no reason to question, live your life with the unwavering knowledge you are the best. This might be true for a goddess, but for mortals that leaves a lot to be desired, persons easily becoming disillusioned, even dying from such assumptions of perfection. And to say nothing of the heart or diplomacy, which pride often strangles. Pride leads to cruelty, callousness, and acts as a gateway to all other vices.

Superbia dwells in the southeastern section of Torment, in a barren waste. One thing glimmers on the dead plane, her palace, dubbed The Hall of Mirrors. True to its name, it is a grand castle constructed almost entirely of reflective surfaces, and surrounded by a glassy moat. However, looking into these mirrors is a deathtrap, as victims immediately become fascinated by their reflections, which always look better than reality. Looking in the mirrors makes you sound better, feel better, think you are better. Many a soul is stuck simply staring at the Hall, and in fact a forest of swaying souls surrounds her territory, all facing the direction of her home, all captivated. Those living who fall under the spell eventually wither and die, then are cursed to wander the strange pocket dimension behind the glass as Mirror Wraiths, one of Superbia’s hopeless slaves.

Though Mirror Wraiths are numerous, her main servitor race is Pride Devils. However, these devils are not like any of the other sinlord’s infernal children. When Lordanna was dispensing the power of creation to the dark gods, she specifically forbade it to Superbia. There was no exact reason why, though many theories. Her minions adhere that Lordanna feared what a goddess of perfection would do with such a gift, perhaps create the perfect being, a race that would have wiped out all others, demon, dragon and mortals included. Though it was no secret Superbia and Lordanna were the very furthest from friendly, in fact were nearly as at-odds as Lordanna was with Delilah, and it could have very well been out of spite, if Lordanna was so capable of the emotion. As it was, Superbia, watching her siblings get to play with creation, and grew jealous. She stole away some of each other devil and made them her own, encasing them forever in gold and twisting their essence until they recognized her as their one mistress. Superbia is also served on the material by a number of varied races, usually those who’ve grown in love with themselves to the point they could not possibly recognize any higher being but the goddess of perfection. Of these mortal races, hobgoblins, originally created by Invidious, fell into her worship, allowed to do so with Invidious’ blessing as a gift to his shunned sister and for gods know what in return…

Superbia is often at odds with Luxuria over many and every thing, though they also have enough in common to join forces when the need arises and have never truly been at war with one another, though their heat of their arguments might suggest otherwise. Superbia always hated Lordanna for all the praise she got both in life and now after her death. Likewise, Superbia despises Raya for being the sun and hence brighter than herself.

Ronin Session 45

Risen from their long-overdue slumbers, Finduilas and Matthias lazed about a bit in their guest bedroom, gathering themselves before grim reality came knocking. Like clockwork, a knock on the door heralded a new crisis, this harbinger a lithe ice elf named Tonsi Daraka. She was to be their escort around the city, eventually taking them to one of the elven generals once she'd answered their questions. After a question-and-answer period, in which the elf became better acquainted with the skald and priestess, they left the underground level and entered the stunning streets of Ivristel.

Constructed by Vaness herself, the pair's breath was stolen by the intricacy and beauty of the ice elf capital. Tonsi mentioned that up until a few months ago, Ivristel had been forbidden to all but ice elves, but desperate times called for desperate measures and even the creatures of Mongrel roamed the streets in defense of northern life. She led the group to the walls, where the group witnessed the awesome scope and power of Shalraza's army laid bare, flooding the valley between the Whaleback and the Wyrmback.

Victoria joined Mat and Fin on the wall, where tensions ran high between the priestess of Raya and the magess of Saspien. Mat mediated as best he could. Tonsi led the group further along the wall where they met with the General, stoic and stone-faced, staring out at the vast horde below and beyond.

He thanked the group for their work across the planes, but scolded them on their undisciplined, reckless methods. He asked if the group could put aside differences of kind and pride for the greater good of the city and the North, which Victoria, Fin and Matthias vowed sincerely.

The General then described the immediate dilemma, well, beyond the thousands of undead, demons and cultists, commanded by the Ice Queen herself, outside the gates: Four holy wells across the city are drying up, after thousands of years of being plentiful. These wells are the ONLY thing keeping the demons from entering the city, most especially Shalraza. Once dry, the city will be open to the full brunt of the army's attack and quickly succumb. The General generously assessed the wells could last maybe another week. Their source, the Crystal Caverns, brilliant caves below the city winding into the heart of Mount Ilon (the mountain Ivristel is carved into). Four days ago, the General sent the group's dwarven ally Tasha Thornleaf with a contingent of elite Ivristelian samurai into the caverns, with instructions to report back daily through sending spells. There has been no word. The General obviously suspects demonic plots and asked the group to once again turn the tide in the city's favor by restoring the wells and saving the lost group, if they can be saved...

Tonsi led them even further down the wall to a crystalline tower, down its spiral flights and into a basement filled with ammunition and supplies. A corner grate proved the entrance into the Crystal Caverns. Tonsi wished the group luck and speed, promising to have a healer and courier there at all times.

Exp: 2000
Objectives:
1. Restore the 4 Wells
2. Save the lost group (Tasha and seven samurai) if possible

Archdruid Session 49

Sev and Sirocco faced off against the two matrons guarding over their patch of children. The larger proved an incompetent rager, but served her purpose as distraction and shield long enough for the Lazian witch to cast some powerful magic, sending the archdruid into a nauseous fit. She may have done more and the battle been much different, but the animal howl from Shuldash in the main cavern forced her to take a dimensional door after her liege.

Meanwhile, Serren and Shuldash continued their epic fight, blow for spell, the hydra in between, one or the other becoming dazed, or the troll growing dumber. When he finally dropped from the lobotomizing rays, the troll witch emerged from the shadows and restored her lord clean. The hydra made quick work of her, but not before she nearly succeeded in forcing Serren's limbs from his body and into tiny zombies under her control.

Though the witch died, her sacrifice had not been in vain, as Shuldash was again conscious and ready to fight. Though falling under the same spells as before, the surviving troll matron in the cavern beyond was able to signal reinforcements, what the troll king called his children.

Sev and Sirocco finished off the troll rager, Sirocco then exiting to help Serren finish the king, while Sev struggled to collect the squealing, terrified children into a huge marsupial pouch while in an teddy-kangaroo-sloth form.

Thoom, thoom, thooms heralded the coming of the children, the hydra in the meantime deciding to stay of its own accord, though taking quite a beating from the king. However, it was likewise dishing, testament to just how tough Shuldash really was.

With the thooms on top of the trio, a beckoned-up Tazjaree revealed her assessment of the shadows: two trollish stone giants charging in and a third creature keeping itself cloaked.

Objectives:
1. Save the 7 children in the pouch
2. Save the 3 children still missing in the Lesser Caverns
3. Save the 1 fey in the Lesser Caverns
4. Collect the 2 fangs needed to open the Coatl Portal and enter the Greater Caverns

Archdruid Session 48

The group finished off the troll mob, thanks largely to a summoned fire hydra, then followed after Rend, some using the tunnel, others making their own.

The group encountered the Troll King Shuldash riding a giant gecko and possessing a wicked returning axe and an incredible tolerance to fire. He marked the spell caster fairly quickly and traded attacks with Serren, whilst the hydra and the gecko fought. During a dizzying spell, the gecko spilled its guts, revealing what was left of a chopped-up, lifeless Rend. So it goes...

Sev and Sirocco were drawn to even more pressing matters, the sounds of chopping and children's cries. The archdruid was the first to discover a grizzly scene: ten Lordani children in various states of butchery, loomed over by two bulging matrons with dull, red cutlery.

The gecko soon met its end and Shuldash, given enough rays, was reduced nearly to an animal state, foaming at the mouth.

Exp: Pending
Objectives:
Save the children
Save the one fey in the Lesser Cavern
Retrieve 2 fangs to open the Couatl Portal

Ronin Session 44

The battle with the Firelord continued, after Izaki confronted the efreeti, trading blows enough to withdraw for healing, and Fin and Matthias engaged the sex-frenzied Salamanders.

The Firelord proved MOST powerful, whipping and swiping and spellcasting with near-irresistible force. Izaki used himself as a meat-shield buffer between the efreeti and the group, able to do so and counterattack as long as he did only through the healing graces of Finduilas. Meanwhile, Matthias silenced the fireball/efreeti healer Salamander and raced to the Phoenix. Using the Brand, he aided the legendary firebird in shattering her cage.

Just then in a teleportation flash, a woman of pale, macabre allure, who immediately rubbed Finduilas the wrong way, appeared beside her, intent on aiding the group in the fight. However, even her spells, which did look impressive, failed against the Keeper of Phoenix Forge. However, there was little he could do against a freed Phoenix, and the lord of all birds doubled in size and stature, consuming all the oxygen in the room and robbing the efreeti of his fuel.

The Phoenix told the group to flee while she ensured this cursed place would join the Firelord in oblivion. In true heroic fashion, Matthias ensured the efreeti could perform no other trick, and dispatched the outsider in a skald's dramatic fashion. He then flew to where breath could be drawn and blew the Horn of Recall, splitting reality and exposing a crack back to Ivristel. The group escaped to the sounds of the forge crashing down behind them.

Jarless Northstar was there to welcome them, along with six ice elven wizards, using all manner of strange talisman and instrument to assess the group and then the portal which closed up. Finduilas found she did not come back alone, revealing to Matthias a special prize.

After a quick debriefing and a strange parting with the halfling planeswalker Arin, the group found some empty chambers and got some much needed rest, while Victoria sought audience with the most elusive leader in the known world.

Experience: 3500
Objectives:
Report to the Elven Generals
Meet back up with Tasha at the Gates
Help resist the remaining Undead, Demon and Cultist siege