Realms S2E23 Trials of Ascension

The journey to the top of Pyriel's Castle continues, as the group struggles to defend themselves against the onslaught of foes!

### Player Characters Present

Eclipse, Naphako, Keywynn, Kyrealle, Kerrick

### Synopsis

The Good Buddies continue their ride up the elevator.  Following the 4 floors of fighting, and a reawakened Eclipse, they now rest on level 11 as an hourglass appears. This one larger than the last, and it’s assumed that they now have enough time for a long rest. Ky casts the hut and they all decide to just rest, passing uneventful watches. After several hours another table of magical food arrives, granting much needed boons. As they finish up their meal the fire flicks from green to orange singling the battle will be resuming.

All of a sudden, a snake woman with 6 arms, a Marilith, appears along with two giant snakes. Ky strikes first, followed by Eclipse. Kerrick, not to be outdone, pulls out his gun and fires it at the main woman. The snakes lash out. One of which grapples and starts to smother Eclipse. Naphako tries to talk to Marilith, but it proves fruitless.

Eclipse will try to free himself by casting enlarge, but the snake proves stronger. Kerrick is the next to get entangled as a snake coils around him. Ky brings the thunder and the lightening, unfortunately striking Kerrick. Eclipse uses his new size, sword, and agility to eventually break free of the snake.

Meanwhile Kerrick calls on his acid breath, covering the snake forcing it to release him.  The snake turns its attention on the air genasi instead, wrapping up Ky. After some shots from the Marilith, Rolan is the first to fall. Naphako keeps striking out at the Marilith while trying to reason with her. Naphako makes no headway, and the Marilith cuts Naphako down, but not before Reye has a brief moment of control and blasts her with a hellish rebuke before falling unconscious. Eclipse once again uses the sword’s divine word on the combatants, this time instantly killing one, but his celebration won't last too long, as Eclipse will get wrapped by the Marilith.

Kerrick manages to kill the second snake leaving only the Marilith. Meanwhile, Eclipse is the next to fall unconscious, still wrapped up. Keywynn stays up long enough to heal him, before she falls. Ky manages to save the day once again as she raises Naphako and kills the lady.

Taking a nice solid breath as they raise to floor twelve. A few of them now see an arrow slit in the wall and looking outside it's determined that they've been in this tower for four days. They don't have much time to process this as they must take a short rest before the next fight. This time they are confronted by a single enemy: an undead zombie, mind flayer who announces he is the final.

The creature opens up with a fireball at the party. It then hits a mind blast on Rolan and Kerrick turning them into mindless buffoons. Keywynn puts up a wall of fire in front of the baddie, but it is quickly doused with a dispel magic. And so the fight continues, Naphako trying to help revive Rolan and Kerrick, and Eclipse and Kyrealle flinging spells at it and Keywynn keeping Eclipse from dying. Eclipse gets paralyzed and the mindflayer begins to feed on him, but they eventually take it down thanks to a well placed hit by Keywynn.