Session 67: Wedding Crashers (Act IV: 'Till Death)

Stool, Pix, and Tremble try to escape from the astral plane, but Stool cannot leave the Araucymos--he is the Araumycos. Zuggtmoy arrives and combat ensues. Pix decides to put on a performance, summoning the most brilliant light she can from her astral plane Dawnbringer, and stabs Zuggtmoy. Although the demon lord takes some damage, she ignores Pix and instead summons her two weakened servants, Sarith and the last treant. Tremble fires an arrow, killing Sarith at long last.  Sarith crumbles into fungus. Tremble takes a moment to honor Sarith with a final arrow shot into the ground.

Zuggtmoy, the demon queen of fungi, advances towards Pix and her allies, threatening to desecrate the area with her mere presence. However, Stool is holding the place together, preventing it from falling apart. Spores burst out from Zuggtmoy, but Pix and her allies are resistant to her mind control attempts. Pix sends a dissonant whisper, and Tremble attacks, dealing a whopping 92 damage in one turn. Zuggtmoy retaliates with a legendary pseudopod attack that misses, then casts ensnaring strike and tracks Tremble four times, eventually ensnaring him.

Just as things are looking dire, Bogtooth rushes in, reuniting the OG Bogteam. Meanwhile, the other group, led by Glyn and Pyrite, faces a wall of fungus heading their way. Pyrite, a T-Rex, attacks the wall as Glyn checks on the goblins and realizes that something is off with Trix--not realizing that Trix is dead.

Back to the fight with Zuggtmoy, Pix stabs her with Dawnbringer, then uses a healing word to restore some of her health. Tremble can't shoot her, and she retaliates by attacking Pix. Although Pix is barely alive, she manages to hit Zuggtmoy with the Dawnbringer again, and Bogtooth lands a blow as well. Suddenly, a huge chunk of Zuggtmoy is bitten off, and the group realizes that someone else has crashed the party on the material plane. Zuggtmoy lashes out at Bogtooth, releasing more spores that affect Pix, but she's still able to fight. Tremble only hits one of his three arrows, and Stool informs the group that he's shrinking. On the outside, something is devouring Stool’s mountainous exterior.

Pyrite grimaces as the bitter taste of the mushrooms fills her mouth. With a fierce flick of her tail, she smashes into the wall of fungus, biting off chunks in disgust. Glyn checks on the goblins, but something seems off with Trix. Pyrite continues her attack on the wall, biting it again and again. Glyn takes aim with her bow, and they hear the satisfying sound of things falling apart.

Meanwhile, back with the first group, a hole appears in Zuggtmoy's rotting flesh. Pix can't resist taking another swing at the diseased demon queen, despite feeling extremely itchy from the spores. She sends herself a healing word to patch up her wounds, but Zuggtmoy has had enough. She intended to infect all of the goblins and make them turn on each other, but now she goes for Pix's throat.

Suddenly, Stool kicks Pix out of the astral plane before she can land the killing blow. Tremble summons his last bit of fighting spirit and all three of his arrows strike true, wounding Zuggtmoy severely. Bogtooth seizes the opportunity and lands three powerful hits, leaving Zuggtmoy with only one health point. But Bogtooth isn't done yet, he pulls out a hellish rebuke, and the lady of rot falls to the ground, dead.

But the victory is short-lived as Zuggtmoy's form reforms into her mythic form. The group curses their luck, but suddenly, they see her being devoured by a massive, oozing creature. As Zuggtmoy fades away, everyone wakes up on the physical plane, with the same amount of health they had before the battle began, except for Trix and Tremble. They see Juiblex, the Faceless Lord, relishing in devouring Zuggtmoy.

Pyrite urgently declares that they need to retrieve the ichor before Juiblex devours it all. Glyn attempts to revive Trix with the power of revivify, but to no avail. Despite this, he offers to fetch the ichor for Pyrite, but she erupts in anger and tackles him to the ground. She does not trust him, as he stood idly by while Veren almost killed her. Pix realizes that Trix's body is not truly dead, which is why the revivify spell did not work.

Glyn makes a run for the ichor, but Juiblex spots him. He manages to grab it and flee, but the group decides not to teleport until Tremble returns, just in case he needs help finding his way back. As they prepare to leave, they look up to find Juiblex hanging from the ceiling above them, looking even more powerful than before.

Pyrite launches a crown of stars at Juiblex, dealing significant damage but leaving no visible marks on the creature. Bogtooth attempts to block Juiblex with a wall of light, but the demon lord simply absorbs the attack. The group realizes that taking a piece of Stool's original consciousness may be their only hope.

Bogtooth tries to grab a handful of the tinmask mushrooms, but time is running out. Pix takes charge and teleports the group away. As they flee, Glyn can hear Juiblex speaking, ominous words echoing in his mind.

Cut to Tremble, who finds himself alone in a desolate space in the astral plane. He still possesses the silver cord of his consciousness, but it is now joined by a second cord. It's Lemon! Lemon wants to be like Stool. Tremble, Stool, and Lemon share a touching moment. As long as part of Stool's physical body is alive, he will remain as well. Lemon tries to inject some humor into the situation, but Stool begins to disappear--Juiblex is eating him.

Tremble and Lemon return to the group just as Stool fades away from view--gone for good.

## Memorable Quotes

**Sarith:** You see, Bogtooth? This is what happens when you don’t take me seriously. Very well, words will not suffice. It’s time to take action.

* **Stool:** She’s coming.
* **Tremble:** Who? The Lady of Rot?
* **Stool:** She’s commuting on the outside of my core. And she’s heading here right now!
* **Tremble:** Stool, you can’t go with her. We gotta get you out of here.
* **Stool:** I cannot leave this place, for I AM this place.
* **Tremble:** Well, how do we get her to leave you?

* **Stool:** No! I can hold her back! Please figure something out!
* **Pix:** Stool, you’re being incredible. You’re doing exactly what you need to do! Force her out! WILL her out! Make her LEAVE!
* **Tremble:** I don’t know exactly how to deal with this, but I’m gonna do my best to protect you!
* **Stool**: Thank you! Love youuuuuu!
* **Tremble:** I love you too!

**Zuggtmoy:** Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.

* **Bogtooth:** Kept ya waiting, huh?
* **Tremble:** In the middle of something.
* **Bogtooth:** That’s why I’m here!
* **Pix:** Get the bog and make the mushroom go POP!

**Glyn:** One Ear, when you run out of javelins, feel free to take Tremble’s bow.

* **Tremble:** Hey, Stool, I don’t think we're gonna be able to hold out here much longer.
* **Stool:** Thank you for trying...

**Bogtooth: T**his is the path that’s gonna take us to the future, bitch! No matter what, I won’t stop!

* **Bogtooth:** You always make the path. That’s always been our strat.
* **Bogtooth and Tremble:** Ya shouldn’t have done that!

* **Tremble:** Stool, you’re okay! I think you’re being attacked by an ooze monster!
* **Stool:** I don’t think I can do anything about it. I can’t...move.
* **Tremble:** Oh, that’s inconvenient.
* **Stool:** But I can move here with you.
* **Tremble:** Yeah. I don’t know how to get out of here.
* **Stool:** Oh, I do!
* **Tremble:** But not now. What’s being a big continent like?
* **Stool:** I kinda felt like I was part of a big pod. I could feel every part of it. I felt like I was asleep on it. I dreamt of bioluminescence. And all the mushrooms getting along. And I guess they kinda did.
* **Tremble:** Oh! That reminds me! We met your pod! They go by Stool Team 5 now.
* **Stool:** Oh. Have seven of them rejoined the natural order?
* **Tremble:** Yeah.
* **Stool:** This is good.
* **Tremble:** Stool, I’m really sorry we let this happen to you. If we had been a little smarter back then, we would have known what he was plotting.
* **Stool:** Sarith was in a lot of pain. He kept talking about it while he was patting my head. He said we would do the right thing together and destroy the bad guys. And I didn't really get it.

* **Stool:** What's that?
* **Lemon:** Hey, what's going on?
* **Tremble:** Lemon! This is Stool.
* **Lemon:** Can I be Stool?
* **Stool:** I think you already are.
* **Tremble:** You are Stool? What do you mean?
* **Stool:** It's alright. I'm not your comic relief anymore. I'm a continent.
* **Lemon:** Cool! One day, I can be a continent.
* **Stool:** No, you can't!

**Stool:** If I were to be revived, it would be a different consciousness. So I can give you the power to do what you want to do as long as I'm still a continent--as long as I'm still a city.

* **Tremble:** If you disappear altogether, will you truly be gone?
* **Stool:** No, because I'll be with you. You're my hero.
* **Lemon:** Think nothing of it.
* **Stool:** Not you!

* **Tremble:** It was good seeing you, buddy.
* **Lemon:** Yeah, you're a pretty fun guy.
* **Stool:** Tremble, tell everyone I love them.

* **Stool:** I'll always be with you. Riiiiiiight here!
* **Lemon:** Meeee toooo!
* **Stool:** Sigh.

**What Glyn heard Juiblex say in Abyssal:** "Such burdensome vessels. Sluff them away. Achieve your true potential. Let your true forms free."