Session 44 - Maybe the real BBEG was the friend we made along the way

The air-minotaur-thingy creature has been defeated. Our heroes gathers around for a tactical assessment inside Pilus's laboratory. Pilus's assistant, Kayla, resides in the chamber beyond. Having blown the element of surprise, we charge headfirst towards the the heavy double doors. They swing open silently on well-oiled hinges and reveal the study beyond. The room is beautifully organized, with glass sky-dome for ceiling and a hanging statue of the Stormchaser Eagle and Firebringer Dragon suspended above the entrance. There is a second room balcony and we catch the sight of movement. We also glimpse something through the glass dome: a shark suspended in the sky?

Saphire carefully steps into the chamber onto the beautiful hitherto inanimate rug and is caught completely by surprise as the hitherto inanimate rug animates and wraps itself close around him, completely enveloping the poor dragonborn. On the second floor Kayla has revealed herself and started to throw shurikens at Siveril. We try to get Saphire out, but to no avail. Mergrim grows suspicious of the overhead statue and shoots out one of the chains, hoping it will swing away from overhead. Unluckily though, the statue instead falls, almost TPKing the party. Chaos ensues. Siveril's mother instincts kicks in and Zunigri goes STRONK INDEPENDANT WOMAN.

We keep fighting Kayla and it's not looking great. She has great mobility and mostly manages to keep away from the martials. Siveril goes down briefly, the spellcasters start running out of spell slots, and a storm is picking up above. Kayla monologues like a proper bad guy and shatters the glass ceiling. She starts trying to run away, but we're pissed and won't let her. Eventually we manage to knock her down. The tornado overhead has built in power. We rush from the chamber and flee the underground laboratory. Using some flying magics and a bag of holding we escape back to the surface. There is a real chance of an avalanche from the mountains above, so we start running for the relative safety of the forest.

As we emerge from the previously mist-filled "bowl" of the valley, we turn and take towards the sky. Thunder is striking from the sky, briefly illuminating the insides of the clouds above. A creature hovers above the storm. A shark-like being of massive proportions. It is easily 100ft across from side to side. On its belly is an enormous disc-like eye. How is such an enormous creature even possible? What hope do we have against FLYING fish now that the master baiter has left us? Find out next time on War of the Burning Sky!

Kayla lore-drop:

* Kayla has a master. We have intrigued said master by our previous deeds. The Seaquen envoy made it here as well, but they were killed and turned into those icy zombies we fought outside the laboratory :(
* Kayla mentioned something about that if we hadn't come here we might have actually managed to retrieve the Torch. With that in his possession, no empire would have been able to stand against her master. Does this mean that her master retrieved the torch while we were busy, or that she assumed she would kick the shit out of us and we'd never have a chance to go after it?