Realms S1E95 Darkness Risen

## Realms of Ukodor | S1E95 | Darkness Risen

Vulraak, ancient lich, creator of gods, shows why his darkness has stood for millennia. The Light Bringers fight their hardest and as the dust settles only one still lives.

### Player Characters Present

Jeidobii, Torq, Denahi, Cerise, Seian, Tormund

### Synopsis

As the battle begins Tormund, Romyn and Denahi are trapped in a Forcecage, while Varys lies bleeding out, Seian and Torq flank Vulraak. Cerise heals Varys just enough to stabilize him. Denahi pulls herself and Tormund out of the Forcecage with Dimension Door. Torq and Seian slash at Vulraak while he throws damage at the party and has his spells countered. Cerise hides from Vulraak among some boulders and wishes the party was invulnerable to the devastating Shadow Barrage spell. Jeidobii summons sixteen large owls to harry Vulraak, and in response Vulraak casts Shadow Barrage, removing the owls but dealing no damage to the party. Seian capitalizes on Vulraak’s shock and threatens him, telling Vulraak there he has no hope of defeating them and demanding the book. Tormund misty steps onto Seian’s back in the air with Denahi’s aid, but the floor quickly catches fire knocking out Romyn and severely injuring Denahi.

Perturbed by the immunity and Seian's words Vulraak flees. Cerise rushes out from hiding to cast a mass cure wounds but is counterspelled, but manages to stabilize Romyn. Seian and Jeidobii look for Vulraak frantically but cannot see him anywhere. Jeidobii summons more owls. The party sees a sword run Cerise through from behind for just a moment before she disappears. The fire on the floor disperses and three Boneclaws climb up from the ground attacking and grappling Jeidobii and Denahi, knocking Denahi unconscious.

Impaled on Vulraak’s sword, Cerise overlooks an unfamiliar plane with two great armies fighting, as Vulraak shows her the ongoing battle on the 10th level in hell, gloating that his creation is stronger than him, Cerise agrees, Riha will have to be strong since they’ll kill him and he agrees that he’s seen his death at their hands, before returning to his keep and dropping an unconscious Cerise before her friends.

As soon as Vulraak returns Jeidobii turns Shadow Barrage on Vulraak and the boneclaws knowing his friends are immune, and then realizes at the last moment he had left an unconscious Denahi at the mercy of the boneclaw grappling her. He watches in horror as it tears her apart and as she falls lifeless to the ground, the soul gem in her chest falls free.

Vulraak turns on Tormund banishing him to the Fey just as he had during his fight with the Travelers over a century go. Seian charges Vulraak commanding him to drop the book and when that fails attacking the arm holding it, trying to chop it off. Tormund barely had a moment to reacquaint himself with his old yurt before the damage from Seian breaks Vulraak’s concentration bringing Tormund back to the fight. Vulraak furiously retaliates knocking out both Seian and Cerise. Torq finishes the Boneclaw that finished Denahi and in a rage at her death runs to Vulraak hurling his axes at him.

As regenerate awakens Cerise she wishes for her friends to regain their health, stopping Vulraak’s counter spell with a prepared scroll, she has a small moment of triumph seeing her friends at full strength before the Wish rebounds on her draining all her life in exchange for theirs. Seeing this Jeidobii casts firestorm on Vulraak and the last Boneclaw, wiping the final Boneclaw off the map, but hitting Seian in the process. Vulraak fills the room with a gaseous cloud hurting everyone still standing and Seian falls back to the ground. Torq closes the distance hacking at Vulraak, finishing what Seian started and hacking off the arm holding the book. He turns his axe on the book, but unfortunately the energy rebounds on him nearly knocking him unconscious. Vulraak slams his staff against the ground causing a burst of energy to hit those nearest him, knocking out Torq and killing Seian. Tormund dashes forward to grab the book and in desperation calls a sunbeam down on himself, the book, and Vulraak hoping to finish Vulraak and the phylactery within the book off, but Vulraak remains standing while Tormund falls unconscious. Vulraak sends out a shadow wave killing Torq, slashes down killing Tormund and only Jeidobii is left standing, Romyn and Varys lie unconscious in the distance.

Jeidobii in pain and rage casts the spell he’s feared to cast since the long past battle with the mind-flayer, the time his actions killed a friend too close to the monster, but there is no friend left he can hurt now. In frightening flash of energy he casts Thunderwave at 9th level. Thunder damage rips Vulraak apart, and Jeidobii sees one enigmatic smile on Vulraak’s face before his form is dissipated. Jeidobii grabs the phylactery, transforming his staff into a mace and smashes the vial into dust. The battle is over. Jeidobii stands alone.