Divine Group, Session 4

Gimme the Loot
Before continuing on with their mission, the group divvied up the loot Finduilas had recovered from chests, webs and mattresses. As the Archdruid watched with mild amusement, everyone else took what they could use or looked expensive. Among the items, Gravant gratefully claimed his old armor and flaming greatsword Integrity.

Fork in the Passage
The large group collected, the paladin now in the mix, at a fork in the passage Serren and several others took the narrow hall up to a hammered tin door depicting scenes of Saspien. The immortal managed to unlock it, but a howling wind trap activated, blowing everyone down and out. There was a shriek of surprise, then a few moments later the dark sorceress Opal emerged with a sheepish hello.

Opal's Ruse
After a failed death spell from Victoria, an angry Opal motioned everyone inside her chambers, saying everyone didn't understand. Once Fin, Victoria, (and Serren) were inside, she triggered the door shut. Two wranglers dropped from the ceiling and one of the worst abominations you've seen yet emerged from the library: Spider Mother.

Its upper half looked like a bloated, pregnant mother with human and spider features, all the color of a sore, and the lower half that of a bristly tarantula. She proved capable of an alarming power, the continuous birthing of demonic spiders. It seems the group had found the source of the spiders on this level.

Force walls, Fire and Acid, Oh My!
It was a desperate battle, the group divided. Many spells and shoulders were thrown before coming back together. In arrogance, or perhaps foolishness, Serren attempted to separate the wranglers from their victims. However his manipulation of the energy wasn't accurate enough and he ended up slicing off Finduilas's face and Victoria's arm. More force walls went up. Matthias kicked down the door. Spiders died. Finduilas reattached her face and went after Opal was a passion, who had be slinging death spells. A silenced Opal eventually burned to death, and before all was done in the room even Spider Mother fell (the remainder of her brood tearing out of her stomach in attempts to swarm the enemy). Contained in a force wall, the dozen brood were tentacled and acid fogged to death... but for one.

Needless to say, tensions ran high, and it became apparent some no longer considered Serren much of an ally, in fact another threat. Before anything could truly be resolved, screams echoed down the narrow hall, a goblin archer's... then a tiger's...

The Restless Jarl and the Fallen Prince
Matthias was first down the hall, shying a bit in the face of one of his childhood heroes demented by demons and risen from his eternal slumber to become a creature of unfathomable evil. He looked terrible beyond reproach in his gnarled armor and mammoth-tusk helm, eyes red, skin a deathly white, gore splattered over him and on his once-pristine glaive of legend corrupted into a tool of Anansiel. Izaki's legendary blade stuck in his chest, though the creature seemed unperturbed.

And beside him danced his fallen son Sigfein, the sad prince possessed and used to bring about the fall of the Fist, but now with a twisted, rictus grin on his otherwise handsome features. He swiftly wielded a runed greatsword, cutting Tasha over and over.

Izaki and Sirocco were dead. Pieces of them littered the floors, walls, ceilings, and even Tasha, Gravant, and the giants. As the battle was joined by the rest of the group, Tasha and Gravant took point, fending back the dozens of demonic and monstrous spiders trying to flood the passage in search of their silent mother.

Matthias managed to remind them of their past lives through a dirge, but the peace was quickly broken as Victoria attempted to rebuke them. Sigfeing awed, but the jarl seemed less impressed. Matthias then leaped onto the Jarl and stabbed him with a live lightning bolt, someone persisted through the power of his Ixitilan gloves. Massive holy and unholy energies swirled as Finduilas and Victoria attempted to destroy and control the giants. The Rayan did manage to overcome the prince with positive energy, casting him into final sleep, but the jarl only looked more angry.

"I DEFY YOU!" He roared like the bellows of a hell forge.

The battle must be won. If this party, the world's last hope, falls... the result would be the destruction of all creation.


Experience: (humongous amounts coming when Jarl Rhathgar is done)

Objectives:
1. Find Ilpa/the Hoping
2. Kill Anansiel
3. Destroy the Portal Network
4. Find and Prevent Shalraza's Ascension
5. Win!

Monsters: Spider Mother, Brood Spider

NPCs: Opal, Undead Prince Sigfein, Undead Jarl Rhathgar

Places: Opal's Chambers, Opal's Library, The Unnamed Hall