Session 25-A: The Courage to Move a Mountain

## Key Plot Developments

Glyn and Trix, escaping through the Whorlstone tunnels on Glyn's crystal wraith, have the dragon egg. Trix realizes they've left both Pelek the gnome ghost and Nigel the flumph behind. They speak about Misu's disappearance and assume that she's dead. As they round a corner, hoping not to run into the hydra Nigel warned them about, they encounter Droki, the abrasive derro. Droki follows them as they dive through tunnel after tunnel. They slam into yellow mold, nearly killing Trix. Eventually, they reach the exit. Leaving everything in the tunnels behind, they escape into the derro-inhabited West Clef district of Gracklstugh.

Trix delivers a sending to Pelek, asking him to visit them back at the inn. Pelek doesn't recognize the name but replies that he wants to see the goblins again. They don't have much time to rest; the derro, noticing them emerge from the tunnel, attack the intruders en masse with improvised weapons. Glyn and Trix prioritize keeping the egg safe and flee into the main city.

Meanwhile, Misu is outside the Deepking's hold. The Hold of the Deepking is a dark and foreboding edifice lodged between two great columns that rise up into thick clouds of smoke that conceal the cavern ceiling. Giant basalt braziers filled with molten lava bathe the palace facade in a hellish glow, and the thick stone walls bristle with iron turrets and battlements. She announces news of demonic activity in the city and demands to see the king.

Misu is ushered in by a series of guards and deposited in front of an imperious, elderly dwarven woman named Harmond Redmane. Lady Harmond interrogates Misu about her intentions and the veracity of her information. Misu bluffs her way past the counselor, insisting that Lady Harmond will be punished and held publicly accountable if she doesn't allow Misu to warn the king.

Misu claims to be a devil. Lady Harmond doesn't take her seriously, but allows her into the throne room. Lava pours down troughs cut into the black basalt walls of this vast hall. The heat is oppressive, and the air reeks of sulfur. Thick black columns support the heavy ceiling, and at the far end of the hall stands an iron throne atop a polished obsidian dais. A crowned duergar encased in armor sits on the throne.

Deepking Horgar Steelshadow V is a deceptively calm, soft-spoken leader. He waits for Misu to explain herself; when a dwarven guard sneezes and interrupts, he passively orders the guard's execution. Misu, looking past the king's erratic behavior, explains that the various factions of dwarves can't be trusted and must be killed (the council of lairds and the council of savants). Additionally, she describes three demon lords interfering with his rule: the cult of the Demogorgon, the cult of Orcus, and...one more, whom she dubs "Old Nick."

Glyn and Trix sneak through Gracklstugh, trying not to call attention to themselves or their egg. They make it back to the inn, where they see Shuushar. Shuushar hears of Misu's alleged death; he offers his respect to her purported decision to die fighting in the face of overwhelming odds. Trix shares information about Sarith, Pelek, and the cults underneath the city. He says the city is doomed and they should leave as soon as possible. He even proposes tricking the Stone Guard or Themberchaud into creating a military coup or other diversion. Shuushar points out that could mean the end of the city, which could be left in a power vacuum. Glyn suggests he could take control--it's just a matter of courage.

Shuushar doubts Glyn's ability to rule Gracklstugh. As they argue about Gracklstugh's future, the Stone Guard storm the inn, looking for Glyn. The king is ordering that Glyn be captured and brought before him. Trix forces Glyn to hide and bluffs away the guard. When the guard leaves, Trix immediately urges Glyn and Shuushar to leave through the Darklake as soon as possible; alarmingly, Glyn is now a known and wanted presence in the city and he can't figure out why.

As Shuushar and Trix talk, Glyn prays to the Dark Prince. His patron goads him into being "a conqueror, not a coward." The Dark Prince implies that Glyn is the only one who can save the city from the various demons at play, suggests that Trix's reluctance to get involved can be blamed on his connected to Ichabod, and infers that Trix is acting abusively towards him.

Before the group can decide on their next move, a mad derro teleports into the inn. The derro, a warlock of the Demogorgon named Narrak, bombards the group with spells and demands the egg back. Shuushar uses his recently acquired trident to keep Narrak at bay as the goblins orient themselves. They beat Narrak to the point of death, but he uses his last ounce of power to self-immolate and destroy the room. The inn, now full of broken, smoldering beams, is falling apart. Trix starts to jump out, demanding Glyn join him. Glyn refuses, claiming that he won't be a "coward."

As Trix and Shuushar run away with the dragon egg, Glyn runs towards the Deepking's hold. He turns himself into the guards, confident his patron will protect him. The Dark Prince warns him about a succubus in the throne room--a shapechanger who cannot be trusted; Glyn intimidates the guards into letting him enter with one of his weapons.

Glyn strides through the Hall of Flames. Lady Harmond immediately bristles at his impertinence but lets him in (hoping he'll be executed).

When he enters, he sees Misu next to the king. He realizes the king has sent the Stone Guard to purge the cultists of the Whorlstone tunnels, the council of lairds, and the council of savants. Misu begins to explain to the king that Glyn should be arrested and incapacitated because he's been corrupted by Nicholas Ice Cream; before she can make a cogent argument, Glyn takes control of the situation and accuses one of the king's advisors, Shal, of being a succubus in disguise. Glyn's confidence and divine sense exposes the succubus--who curses Glyn for ruining their long-term plan, promises the Dark Prince will have his revenge on the goblin (which Glyn, believing he's working for the true Dark Prince, dismisses), and disappears into the Ethereal Plane.

The Deepking is oddly unaffected by the tumultuous goings-on. Misu, happy that Glyn exposed a fiend but incredibly nervous about Nicholas Ice Cream's plan, tries to convince the king to arrest the goblin. Glyn argues that Misu, as a devil, is misleading the king. The king, finding the situation amusing, absently orders both of them to be kept in the dungeon for a night as everything gets sorted out.

On his way out, Glyn offers the Deepking one of his necklaces. The Deepking allows a guard to retrieve it. As court mages test it for malignant magic (to no effect) and it moves through the line of guards into the king's hands, Misu screams about Nicholas Ice Cream's plan. The tiefling and goblin are going to the dungeon, the city is undergoing a state-mandated military massacre, and Trix and Shuushar have the dragon's egg.

## New NPCs

1. Horgar Steelshadow V, Deepking of Gracklstugh
2. Narrak, derro warlock of the Demogorgon
3. Lady Harmond Redmond, advisor to the Deepking
4. Shal, succubus servant of the Dark Prince

## Memorable Quotations

* **Trix** (looking at a crystal wraith): What is this thing, Glyn?
* **Glyn:** That's a good question. It's a crystal...being...that I can summon. It helps me.
* **Trix:** Why does it look so much like those things that Ms. Anne used to attack us?
* **Glyn:** Huh. Uh. Yeah.

**Pliinki:** Wait! Come back! Do you know the Demi-daddy? What tickles his fancy? Come on, buddy, be a sport!

* **Trix:** I'm gonna send a message to Pelek. "Meet us in the city. At the inn. Be sneaky."
* **Pelek:** I do not know where that is. But I will scour the earth until it is known!
* **Trix:** F\*ck. Poor Pelek. He didn't spend any time here before he was fully murdered in a cult ritual.

**Harmond Redmane:** You will use the FULL TITLE when addressing his Excellency, Deepking Horgar Steelshadow, fifth of his name, may his axe always glisten!

**Deepking:** Wee one, you have my attention. That's hard to keep.

**Shuushar:** Misupheles died fighting a battle she could not win. A noble death. Perhaps I misjudged her.

* **Shuushar;** I shall pray to the Sea Mother?
* **Trix:** I already prayed a little.
* **Shuushar:** Did you hear her watery gurgles?
* **Trix:** I didn't hear anything.
* **Shuushar:** I shall pray harder for you, so you may pray harder for her.
* **Trix:** Thanks, Shuushar.

**Trix:** I found out from Tremble, that...uh, what's his face? That asshole? The one who kept talking about strategy? Sarith! He turned Stool into an evil plague or something.

* **Trix:** If you meet a ghost named Pelek, he's cool.
* **Shuushar:** This is good to know. Otherwise, I would have destroyed him utterly.

**Trix:** Maybe we can tell the Deepking that the Keepers of the Flame want to attack him, and we tell Themberchaud that the Deepking will attack him, and they all kill each other, and we don't have to kill any of them.

* **Trix:** We don't want to do something crazy unless someone could bring stability to the city.
* **Shuushar:** Who could take control? What do you think, Glyn?
* **Glyn**: I mean, I could do it.
* **Trix:** What?
* **Shuushar:** What?
* **Glyn**: Yeah.
* **Shuushar:** You would stay in Gracklstugh?
* **Glyn:** Oh, no. If you're the ruler of a place, you don't have to stay there.

**Dark Prince:** You're not a coward, Glyn. You're a conqueror. You're Lord Glyn. You're like my own kid. If I ever became the Dark King, you could be the Dark Prince. Would you like that moniker?

* **Dark Prince:** Glyn, they don't understand you. I don't know if they ever will. Haven't we heard how Trix was involved with devils? Who knows what he's hiding from you?
* **Glyn:** That's true. He has been lying. He said he'd tell me the truth after we leave.
* **Dark Prince:** That's a classic tactic. It's an abusive tactic. Delay, deny, make promises. They're never upfront with you. What you need is honesty. Real feelings. Real emotions. Lay it all out there. Sometimes you fight, lose a limb, get a new one. That's what family's all about.
* **Glyn:** Yeah. The clan's blood is my blood.
* **Dark Prince:** It takes a lot of courage to stand up to a king, but even more to stand up to an abuser.

**Narrak:** Hahaha! I finally found ya, buddies! You guys ran a long way!

* **Glyn:** I'm Lord Glyn! Don't fuck with me!
* **Narrak:** I wasn't planning on it! Not my type.
* **Shuushar:** Trix! Glyn! Are you alright?
* **Trix:** We're fine! Kill that guy.
* **Shuushar:** It would be my pleasure.

**Glyn:** I'm not a coward, Trix. I'm going to do the right thing. I'm going to help these people. This city is controlled by demons and devils. I'm going to fix that. I'm going to see the Deepking. I hope to see you there.

**Shuushar:** Woopsie daisy!

* **Glyn:** I am a member of the Keepers of the Flame. I will come willingly, but I will NOT be cuffed.
* **Harmond:** I hope he cuts out your tongue for this insolence. My lords, I present Glyn the goblin--
* **Glyn:** LORD Glyn.
* **Harmond:** What?
* **Glyn:** Lord Glyn.
* **Harmond:** This insolent goblin.

**Shal:** Who the f\*ck do you think you are? I have a very powerful patron. You will never be safe. I will find you in your sleep. I will drain the blood from your veins. I will tear out your tongue. Your eyes will be jelly. I am a servant of the greatest demon lord, the Dark Prince, and you f\*cked this one up!

* **Glyn:** Misu, I know you're a liar.
* **Misu:** Look, I'm telling the truth! Nicholas Ice Cream is a silly, silly name. That's exactly why the demon lord of deception is using it!