Session 45-B: The Need to Be Needed

## Key Plot Developments

**GLYN’S STORY:**

Glyn becomes accustomed to Azzagrat, Graz’zt’s realm. Graz’zt resides in the Argent Palace in his capital city of Zelatar. Glyn, supervised by Rule-of-Three (ROT), ferries a river of salt to traverse the three layers of Graz’zt’s domain (called the Triple Realm). ROT explains the infinite opportunities to engage in vices at Glyn’s disposal.

Glyn wants vengeance on those who hurt his family—gnomes, gnolls, and anyone else who stood in their way. ROT gifts Glyn with a cursed glaive of vengeance (sickly green, with purple veins), which Glyn names No-Ears. Immediately, No-Ears begins enforcing its chaotic will upon Glyn. Glyn offers up some mental resistance, but the weapon and its wielder seem aligned in their aspirations of violence.

ROT describes how to quickly traverse the three levels of the Triple-Realm and the remaining layers of the Abyss—through blazing portals of green fire. He explains that, later that night, he, Glyn, and a third party member will enact Lord Graz’zt’s will in exterminating gnolls. He leaves to fetch that individual.

Glyn explores a market of sin and a boulevard of fortune tellers. He meets a totem pole with 100 heads that calls herself Grandmother Fortuna. He asks Fortuna about where to find Drigglezub in the afterlife; Fortuna assures him Drigglezub will be discovered when Annarei returns from an extraplanar mission.

Glyn burns off some steam at a gladiator pit. He mercilessly kills lesser demons in his way before hopping over the railing to defend a marilith. ROT, checking in on Glyn, whips the crowd into a cheering frenzy for Glyn, one of Graz’zt’s new favorites. The marilith and Glyn kill every other beast in the pit before she tells him to come see her later.

ROT, impressed, escorts Glyn back to the Argent Palace. Graz’zt introduces Glyn to another one of his right-hand men: a tall, bleached-white humanoid with no mouth or nose, dripping with fiendish ectoplasm. This creature, Verin, challenges Glyn’s worthiness to serve Graz’zt. Glyn doesn’t back down. They agree that Verin will take Glyn’s glaive if Glyn is killed; Glyn will take Verin’s demonic whip if Verin falls.

ROT leads the pair through a green-fire portal to Yeenoghu’s abyssal layer, the domain of gnolls. Verin and Glyn attempt to provoke each other. Soon, the group catches up with a pack of fiendish gnolls, hyenas, and other beasts. ROT pelts them with poisoned daggers, Verin uses psychic power and his whip to annihilate them, and Glyn gleefully cuts them down with his glaive. The trio resolve to kill every gnoll there is—a suitable goal for the followers of Graz’zt, lord of excess.

**PIX’S STORY:**

Pix, relaxing in Elysium, finishes journaling. She takes in the soft hills and lovely lakes before encountering a powerful, angelic guardian named Asura. Asura tells her of Elysium’s layers: he mentions Principality, a small section of the plane unclaimed by the gods and rumored to be the resting place of a great phoenix who only reveals himself to the worthiest. He also references a section called Release from Care, a place for wayward souls to relax. Pix wants to be useful during her time in heaven, so Asura flies her to a forested area where goodly creatures must come to terms with their legacies and align their desires with their actions. Their souls are in need, and other noble spirits—like Pix—can help.

Soon, Pix encounters a cartoonish ghost: Pelek! Pelek is overjoyed to see Pix but confused about his death. He insists the other goblins will soon join him post-teleportation at first but expresses a deep anxiety that he’s been abandoned by his friends again. He attaches himself to Pix, who’s happy to assist him in this (literal) soul-searching journey. They make up travel songs together.

After some time, they come to an abandoned farmhouse. It’s a bit disheveled, but it’s pastoral and pleasant. Pelek, who doesn’t have legs, floats to the basement. He tries to bring a barrel of wine to Pix, but he’s incorporeal. Soon, they hear the chittering of little soot sprites. Their leader, Bop, introduces himself and (with some trouble) communicates their desire to go to a new home. They ask for Pelek’s help.

Pix realizes this is a heavenly set-up: it’s a test to help people who want to do the right thing but lacked the confidence when they were alive. With Pix’s encouragement, Pelek agrees to help; the soot sprites launch into a celebratory dance. Pix notices that, as Pelek behaves more confidently and heroically, his cartoonish ghost features begin to morph into more human, recognizable ones.

Pix leads Pelek and the soot sprites on a journey to find a resting place. She delights in being part of a beautiful land that consciously makes her feel valued and wanted. The group comes across a river; the sprites admire their reflection and Pelek keeps them from falling in.

They reach a river. A hollyphant named Lulu guards it. Lulu says only true heroes can pass. The sprites look at Pelek. Pelek looks at Pix. Pix encourages Pelek to speak his heart and Pelek gives a speech about what the goblins taught him about true heroism. Lulu, impressed allows him to pass. Pelek becomes even more corporeal, growing legs.

## New NPCs

1. Verin, Graz’zt’s trusted servant
2. Grandmother Fortuna, psychic monstrosity
3. Lulu, hollyphant guard
4. Asura, divine guardian
5. Bop, soot sprite leader

## Memorable Quotes

* **Rule-of-Three:** Lord Glyn, it is my pleasure to welcome you to the city. Where would you like to head to first? Name the vice. We will see it’s satisfied.
* **Glyn:** Well, what is there?
* **Rule-of-Three:** Everything that your heart desires.

* **Glyn:** It’s perfectly balanced.
* **Rule-of-Three:** It will need a name.
* **Glyn:** …No Ears.

**Fortuna’s salesman:** Step right up, step right up! Ge tyour fortune told! Here we are! What you learn will tickle your teeth, comb your hair, make you feel like a millionaire. You there! You wanna know how you’re gonna spend the rest of eternity?

* **Glyn:** I don’t have any money..
* **Fortuna’s salesman:** Got no gold? And you know what means: I’m gonna have to take your finger! Gimme your finger right now, learn your future!
* **Glyn:** Are you keeping it?
* **Fortune** MC: I’m gonna eat it!
* **Glyn:** I’m okay…

* **Glyn:** Will I see Drigglezub again?
* **Grandmother Fortuna:** The power is in your hands to reach out and grab her.

**Marilith:** When you’re done with the gnolls….ssseee me.

**Glyn:** I AM LORD FUCKING GLYN!

* **Graz’zt:** Glyn! How was the day?
* **Glyn**: It was… stimulating.

* **Verin:** Try to keep up.
* **Glyn:** I find that I’m more effective lower down. Getting up just gets in the way.
* **Verin:** Not bad… if the gnolls kill you, I get the glaive.
* **Glyn:** And I’ll take THAT if they kill you.
* **Graz’zt:** Splendid! Gnolls now.

**Rule-of-Three:** Gnolls are stupid animals. Only their leader, Yeenoghu, is a good boy. All the others are bad boys.

**Verin:** Money where your mouth is…lead the way.

* **Verin:** Let me help with you with that (explodes gnolls around Glyn).
* **Rule-of-Three:** Ah, such teamwork!

**Verin:** If I squint, I see what he sees in you…now keep up.

* **Asura:** Did you ever meet someone named Pelek?
* **Pix:** Sounds kinda familiar.
* **Asura:** He is a soul in need. He is asking after one much like you.
* **Pix:** Wait, how…how do I see you again?
* **Asura** (a giant creating with a flaming sword): I am hard to miss!
* **Pix: T**hat’s faaaaair.

* **Pelek:** Hello? HELLO! I have called out to the skies and my prayers have been answered! Truly, this is heaven!
* **Pix**: Something like that. Paradise? Eternity? There’s waterfalls. There’s these little elephant guys that go weeee!
* **Pelek:** Can I give you a BIG hug?

* **Pelek:** The dark elf man did the teleport and then I am here…so we just have to wait for everyone else to come here!
* **Pix**: HERE?
* **Pelek:** Yes! They are coming to get us!
* **Pix:** But…but… they’re not dead like me, right?

* **Pix:** You’re not abandoned! We’re gonna stick together.
* **Pelek:** Yes, I will stay by you always!

**Pelek:** It would not be a heaven for me if all my friends were not here.

**Bop:** Ello. My name’s Bop!

**Bop:** Is there any way you could be our fran?

**Bop:** If someone were to help us, we would be der fran forever.

* **Bop:** We need da hero who can help us find the place, we’re just little sorts, we dunno, we’re just little guys…
* **Pix:** You all ready to go?
* **Bop:** If you strong enough and good enough and brave enough, fraaand!
* **Pix:** So, yeah?
* **Pelek:** SO YEAH!

**Pelek:** I don’t know if I can carry all of you….BUT I WILL TRY! I have a chance to beeee the hero!

**Pelek:** Oh no, my little friend! You do not want to fall in!

**Soot Sprite:** Hejaba! Hejaba!

* **Lulu:** I am the hollyphant who lives on the bridge! If anyone wants to pass…they better be a reeeeal hero!
* **Pelek:** Hello! I am Pelek!
* **Lulu:** Hello, Pelek. I am Lulu. Are you a real hero?
* **Pelek:** Lulu, I am the friend of real heroes! And they have taught me to be a real hero! Misu has taught me to give the space to go into even if it is a big panther. And I AM that space for my friends! Trix has told me that it is good to help the people, and just because they died horribly does not mean that they are bad or unloved! And Glyn has told me that it is important go and talk to people, even if you are anxious about it and they are mushrooms or a hollyphant. My name is Pelek! And my friend Pix has told me that your friends will come to you if you are good to the universe!
* **Lulu:** Well, I guess we got a real hero on our hands…you can pass. I will go back to being the hollyphant under the bridge.