Session 55-B: In the Blood

## Key Plot Developments

Glyn has just agreed to become an Aspect of Graz’zt, the Dark Prince. He will have the essence of his lord inside of him. This is a way to get them both to the Material plane and grant Glyn some control over the ritual that will mass-summon all the demon lords without directly implicating a full-blooded demon like Graz’zt in it, serving as his proxy. Also, now that he’s associating with THE Tasha/Iggwilv, Glyn is in the big leagues now, but he’s still totally unaware of the true gravity of his situation.

Tasha is going to bond them together, but first she needs to take some time to gather the necessary material components. It will take somewhere around half a week--days and nights--to gather them. Time is not on their side, so they have to hurry. Neither of the higher beings know how long goblins live, but Tasha seems to think that Glyn, who is mortal, could drop dead at any minute!

Graz’zt is all thumbs when he’s around Tasha, which is funnier when one remembers that he has six fingers on each hand. Tasha and Graz’zt go arm-in-arm to a sweet gondola ride that the latter had prepared for them, complete with pheromone candles, so the two of them will be unavailable to him for… a while. So, Glyn has some time to kill to seek out his own pleasures. Glyn likes a lot of the same vices that Graz’zt likes. He’s seen his lord kill effortlessly before. He’s watched him pop people’s heads with the wave of his hand. Glyn has also noted that Graz'zt has a huge obsidian greatsword, but he’s never seen it used before. Glyn searches for something that is like a brothel, but for compliments and praise. He thinks about all the ways that he and Graz’zt are alike. (This might be in response to all the Nicholas Ice Cream-like actions and deceptions Glyn has been committing recently, and he does not like that comparison.)

He then moves to entreat Yeenoghu to help them with their cause and offer him some treats. He goes back to his doomed army and pulls Bolsag aside to tell him he and half the army are going on a special mission. Bolsag is absolutely delighted by this news! Then, Glyn gives a Bogtooth-style inspiring leader speech to his army of pilfered goblin souls, but more Machiavellian and evil. It lands very well; the goblin army is eating out of the palm of his hands. They have total faith in their leader and half the goblin army start running towards the portal that will lead them to their imminent demise. Glyn high-fives and pats many goblins on the back. Lieutenant One Ear is specifically NOT included in these ranks, and he is looking a little bummed out. He wants to gain favor with Glyn by killing gnolls. Glyn assures him that he's saving important business for One Ear. His singular ear perks up when it hears this and is content.

Glyn goes through the portal after them to watch what happens and to ensure that Yeenoghu knows that he’s getting a treat from him. Hideous beasts and malformed monsters are emerging from their chrysalises here. The goblins are 100% confident in themselves. Even Bolsag the Undermining thinks he can kill up to 20 gnolls himself. And as they all rush into battle, many of them don’t even know what’s coming at them as gnolls and spears are all around them, taking off heads and limbs in a flurry of movement. The goblins don’t fully understand the reckoning that is upon them when the Bestest Boi emerges. Yeenoghu, Lord of the Death Dells, appears. Glyn gives him a wave from his place in the air. Then a goblin spear embeds itself in Yeenoghu’s chest. He looks down at it, looks back up, and his Glasgow smile emerges.

Glyn notices his three-headed whip for the first time. It is bound together by bloody chains, and right now, each head seems to glow with ferocious energy. All the goblins try to launch arrows at Yeenoghu, but the good boi is entirely immune to literally anything these goblins can do to him. He leaps into the fray with his whip in hand, cutting, paralyzing, and causing mass confusion wherever he goes. He loves playing with these new toys, launching them off of his back and crushing them in his teeth. The Beast of Butchery is not done. His ferocity is unmatched as he launches into a rampage. Chunks of goblin are sprayed all over the place as he bites into them and does a big shake of his massive head. He casts fear on the crowd, just for an extra dose of chaos. Bolsag keeps fighting because he thinks his lord Glyn has faith in him. Yeenoghu swats him away, breaking his neck, and then charges at his limp body to pulverize his remains.

In 18 seconds, one half of the Green Hand of Vengeance is obliterated. Yeenoghu releases a spirited howl and looks up at Glyn. He wants more things to kill. It seems as though he liked his treat. Glyn tells him that this was only half. He can have the other half if they can be friends. He agrees and Glyn leaves through the portal again. The first thing he does is continue to ruminate on how he and Graz’zt are so similar (and how he’s nothing like that asshole, Nicholas Ice Cream).

He goes around Azzagrat to search for those who will give him insight into those similarities. He ends up at a place called the Weal of the Blooded, a cabal of vampires whose lair resembles a blood-soaked Eladrin temple. He is greeted by the Blooded, who are all wearing masks. They all speak in one voice to him and all their heads crack and turn in the same manner. They ask him to present his arms. He does so and three Blooded surround each arm, taking off the bottom halves of their masks to reveal mangled mouths--not of vampires, but of vargouilles. Each of them bites into him and he can feel their venom flowing through his blood. He begins to hallucinate. Glyn’s vision quest had begun.

He starts by going back to a time when felt helpless. He finds himself back on that fateful day when the adventuring party used him and his clan as a meat shield. He, a goblin child with normal-sized ears, hears the adventurous banter with a druid with a Russian accent over which of the larger creatures has the right to dominate this town. The conversation makes Glyn angry. Who are they to decide the goblins’ fate? But now, he also empathizes with the adventurers more as someone who has had control over goblins and has tasted more power. He has seen the weakness that some goblins possess; Drigglezub was a prime example, and seeing how easily goblins fell in the Infinite Battlefield was another. He starts to feel a combination of rage at them and himself.

He experiences the first real layer of similarity with the Dark Prince. Glyn hears echoes of the rage that he had towards the other demons, the devils, and the system he abandoned, towards all others who stand in the way of what he wants, which at its core might be the same things Glyn wants. He wants a connection with everyone, validation from everything, and everything that stands in his way, whether it's a bureaucratic obstacle or a violent barrier, it is something that is morally repugnant and ought to be destroyed!

Things then become hazy in the vision. Roots of the Gulthias Tree sprout and overwhelm Glyn’s vision. When the roots are chopped down, there are images of trees turning into fungus and visions of stool and fungal drow shoot past him. Some of the roots look like the tentacles of the Demogorgon who split up his family. Then he ends up in the grove where crystals grew everywhere. They remind him of Nicholas Ice Cream and his resentment and hatred over the manipulation he suffered at the hand of the demon lord of deception. It also makes him think of all the friends in Gracklstugh that he has lost to the crystals and their magic. But on the other hand, he also sees crystals like the ones he’s seen on Suortin and the idea of bringing people back. Crystals represent death and life to Glyn along with conquering and manipulation. And in those crystals, Glyn can see a reflection of himself that makes him very uncomfortable.

Unfortunately for him, Glyn starts to hallucinate a conversation with himself. His dream self looks like him, but has the voice of Nicholas Ice Cream. He turns into what Glyn imagines is his true form, which is made up of huge crystals in the shape of a humanoid centipede. He mocks Glyn about his desire for power and all the lives that were taken because of it while he was being deceived. Glyn begins to walk away from the demon’s image. The floor he’s walking on is also made of crystal and it begins to shatter. Glyn falls into a liminal space, similar to the one that he thought Drigglezub had fallen into when Nicholas Ice Cream deceived him into thinking she had fallen off that crystal bridge.

As he falls, images of smaller experiences he’s had flash by. The moment in Sloobludop where Tremble was crying and he called Pyrite 'Pickles' for the first time since they were in the village. He sees the silken paths with Spiderbait and Yukyuk and the freedom he felt when gliding across those webs; this inspired a newfound chaos in him. The moment of speaking with Mayor Pierce and learning that if people treat you like a kid, they don’t respect you, and that good leaders listen to their people. There are flashes of Stonespeaker Hgraam. When he healed Misu after an encounter with the Demegorgon, only to see her run back to her death. He thinks about the preciousness of life: the people whose lives you save don’t even value their own lives after you save them, so why should he care about them as much? He sees the true Dark Prince in the library. The tavern in Gracklstugh and wondering why Trix seemed blind to Glyn’s presence. His blatant distrust and disdain really hurt Glyn. A flash of Grazilaxx and the message Glyn left for Trix if he died. He wonders if Trix forgot that message.

As Glyn reflects on all this, he’s able to able to make some connections with his own journey and that of Graz’zt; a connection with someone who he deeply loved, but circumstance and value alignment has led them toward a lot of conflicts. This is reminiscent of Graz’zt’s relationship with Tasha the Witch-Queen. Glyn knows that part of Graz’zt’s portfolio is being obsessed with sex, but he thinks about why that is for the first time.

Glyn is a far cry from having as much experience in this field as the demon lord of seduction, but he understands this. If Graz’zt’s guiding light is, “Let me develop meaningful connections and remove all barriers to that connection," then sex would be one iteration of how that connection presents itself. It shows raw intimacy and that is something to build toward. If only all of society was just an endless orgy with sheep’s entrails just popping out of everyone! Then, that would be a society that was raw, unfiltered, and ultimately connected. This is just a rose by a different name in terms of what Glyn wants: connection, praise, and validation.

He thinks on all the connections he’s made with other members of his family like Tremble, and the empty scabbard killers, and the bartender at fire fest--all of them helped him get something he wanted. He realizes that his relationship with Trix was even more important than his relationship with Drigglezub. She was just this floating, unattainable entity. He concludes that there are some people who are more deserving of his connection, who are stronger, who are more worthwhile. Trix is stronger than Drigglezub. He’s deserving. Not her.

Glyn then has a passing thought that he’s been tripping for a series of days and now, based on the massive demonic injection he just got from The Blooded, Glyn is now far more demon than goblin. How much goblin blood can remain before Glyn can even keep calling himself a goblin at all? **The clan’s blood is my blood.** He looks at his green hands and sees the inky black veins that are spread all over them. He remembers other people, like Misu, who were considered part of the clan. He decides that their clan motto is just a metaphor and won’t be taken literally. There is part of him that wants to hold onto his goblin roots, and a part of him that does not want to be part of the group that is constantly subjugated by other creatures.

The cabal of vampires directs Glyn to someone who has been waiting for him. It’s Tasha. It’s been about four days since he started his trip. She is ready to take him through the next steps of the ritual that will bind Graz’zt to him. She’s looking bright-eyed and excited, but her hair is all kinds of messed up. She has a tome in her hand that she’s scribbling things in; this is her own tome and she’s been writing this ritual from scratch. She loves writing new spells and breaking the laws of magic to fir her needs. She’s like an old artist coming out of retirement with some fresh new visions in her head.

She’s already set up a couple of circles. They form a venn diagram. Graz’zt can be seen inside one of these circles, hanging upside down from a cross, nude. Glyn questions what sort of magic would require this particular compromising position to be necessary. There doesn’t seem to be a reason, but Tasha insists that this is exactly what they need right now. Glyn begins to remove his own clothes, but Tasha quickly stops him.

She starts asking Glyn about all the things that connect him and Graz’zt together. He tells her what he learned on his journey. She whispers everything to him as she speaks. This room of the palace is eerily quiet. She asks him if he is certain that their bond is very clear. If not, the binding ritual will not work. With no hesitation, Glyn says yes. With the snap of her fingers, a pair of beautiful golden manacles appear. A chess board, representing their obstacles, appears. On the board, the king and queen are particularly large pieces and the pawn are old and chipped. In the middle of the board, a mint chocolate chip ice cream cone appears. Then a hammer appears and smashes it down. It’s a manifestation of their shared rage.

Tasha begins her chanting. It last for literally days. Glyn gets hungry and thirsty but stays in the room the whole time. Graz’zt is still very much upside down throughout. After a long while, magical tendrils start emerging from Glyn and start reaching their way over to where Graz’zt hangs. They are the classic grey and purple colors that are normally associated with Graz’zt, but also have some flecks of goblin green running through them like small roots and vines that stretch out and hold each other together. Later, similar tendrils start to appear coming from out of Graz’zt, reaching for Glyn. They are a pure, eerie bright purple with black lowlights coming through. There’s the occasional pink that darkens into a deep red--

On the final day, Graz’zt now looks more like the primordial demon form that he has adopted rather than the devil that he initially was. He has twisted his head entirely around so that he has a clear vantage point of everything that’s going on. This new Graz’zt is entirely delighted in watching Iggwilv work her magic. Glyn can sense his unbridled joy. Graz’zt never really focuses on anything for too long, but now this woman is the closest thing he, a Demon Prince, can come to love and devote himself to. Graz’zt is on cloud nine.

Iggwilv has been chanting for days, and now that she is on the last page, she turns to Glyn and asks him to vow himself to the Dark Prince. He does so and all the chess pieces that once stood between them vanish. A new piece of a demon lord’s soul now resides in him. Glyn feels more powerful. He feels an uncannily stronger connection to Tasha. He feels a stronger need for connection. He also feels a sense of freedom. The ritual was immaculately successful. Glyn can now use legendary actions. Glyn takes a first glance at himself. He looks more like Graz’zt now than ever before.

## New NPCs

1. The Weal of the Blooded, a cabal of Graz’zt’s vampires

## Memorable Quotes

* **Tasha:** Glyn, darling, you can ruminate or meditate or whatever you do. I know that time is of the essence for a mortal like you…. Uh…how long to they live?
* **Graz’zt**: I…..how long do goblins live, Glyn?
* **Tasha:** 12 months? 19?
* **Glyn:** Well, uh, it depends on if you get killed or not.

* **Graz’zt:** I’ve taken the liberty of preparing a gondola ride, as it were.
* **Tasha:** A gondola ride? For the two of us?
* **Graz’zt:** Oh, well if you insist!
* **Tasha:** The pheromone candles are a bit much, Graz.
* **Graz’zt:** Hmmm is that so? I thought they weren’t enough.
* **Goristro:** You want I should put these pheromone candles…here?

* **Glyn:** Hey, Bolsag, I have an important mission for you. I’m going to be sending this half of the army into a pretty important fight. so, I’m gonna need you to keep your eyes peeled and try and make sure you survive, okay?
* **Bolsag:** So, you’re sending ME, Bolsag the Undermining, on a special mission assigned by Lord Glyn himself?!
* **Glyn:** Uh huh.
* **Bolsag:** Weeeell, looks like everything’s turning up Bolsag!

* **Glyn:** Green Hand of Vengeance! You have been loyal servants and accomplished warriors! You have proven yourselves time and time again that you can defeat the gnoll scourge! And today, I ask you to continue doing what you do best: Killing. Fucking. Gnolls! We will be taking over the city of Kesk, a place where there are gladiator pits and where Yeenoghu himself anoints his most powerful warriors! This is a very important place, and if we can secure it, it will be significant in our conquest to defeat them! I know you can do it, which is why I’m only sending half of you because that should be all that we need!
* **A Scrawny Goblin:** That’s right! Half is all we need! Half of a goblin army! That’s worth five of every fucking gnoll army!
* **Goblin Army:** HUH! HUH! HUH! GAAAAH! LORD GLYN! LORD GLYN! WE HAVE ABSOLUTE  FAITH IN OUR LEADER!!!
* **One Ear**: Lord Glyn. I was hoping that I could curry your favor by wiping out every gnoll. But if they do it first, then there’ll be no more gnolls left for me to wipe out for you.
* **Glyn:** Well, One Ear, this isn't all the gnolls. There are three cities! There are three major specific points! No, I’m saving the most important stuff for you!
* **One Ear:** I am blessed to have you as my leader, Lord Glyn.
* **Glyn:** And I am quite lucky to have such a loyal follower.

**Yeenoghu:** Hnnnnnn. Time for treats! YAAAAAAAAH!!!

* **Bolsag:** GAH! My lord Glyn has faith in me! Yaaaa!
* **Yeenoghu:** No, Thank You!

* **The Blooded:** Lord, Glyn. this is the first time you have graced us with your presence!
* **Glyn: i**ndeed! And I think I’ve taken too long to do it!

* **The Blooded:** This may hurt a bit.
* **Glyn:** As long as you don’t kill me.
* **The Blooded:** Ahaha, ahaha, ahaha.

**Dream Nicholas Ice Cream:** Heeey! My old friend! More than friends, right? Especially now! We’re really like family now, aren’t we little Glyn?

* **Glyn:** Fuck you! Fuck you! You piece of shit! I’m nothing like you! You’re insignificant! I’m going fucking roast your balls off in acid with the Dark Prince! The REAL Dark Prince!
* **Dream Nicholas Ice Cream**: Look at you! You’ve done some growing. I like it! I like this new side of you that I’m seeing, Glyn! I think this side probably wouldn't have let all those people die back in Gracklstugh. Would he?
* **Glyn:** That wasn’t my fault. It was my family! They were stupid! And it was YOU! It was you more than them! You tricked me… you tricked me into using those necklaces. And I was just a kid. You took advantage of me. Cause you’re an evil son of a bitch.
* **Dream Nicholas Ice Cream:** But it was so eeeasy, Glyn! It was SO easy. I mean, you got killed by some bugs and I just scooped you up! And after that, all I had to do was scare you a little bit and show you what you wanted. And then you’d do whatever I wanted! Anything, Glyn. You gave people the necklaces. Everyone told you not to, but you did, didn’t you? And I think I know why. I think you knew, deep down… I think you knew that wasn’t the right thing to do. But I think the power was more important to you, wasn’t it? The opportunity to conquer, to be in charge of something, that’s what you really wanted. You didn’t care about their lives. they didn’t matter as much, did they?

* **Tasha:** Are you ready to begin the ritual? This is dangerous magic. Old magic. I make no guarantees for your safety. Are you still willing to participate?
* **Glyn:** I’ve been taking risks my whole life.
* **Tasha:** Beautiful.

* **Tasha:** Graz’zt, darling! I need a favor from you! The ritual isn’t quite starting yet, but I STILL need you to be upside down.
* **Graz’zt:** It’s good! I feel the blood going…everywhere!
* **Tasha:** Perfect, that’s exactly what we need! Exactly!

**Tasha, to Glyn:** You…you can keep your clothes on, that’s fine…we don’t need that.

**Tasha:** I need you to tell me desires, passions, or revulsions that bind you and the prince together.

* **Tasha:** Young Glyn. What are your vows to the Prince of Darkness? How do you pledge to keep his soul within you?
* **Glyn:** I will take the soul of my highness and my friend. And I will keep it as a friend would and as a servant would. As a general would. As a fiend and as a goblin would. I would hoard it like something precious.