Age of the Dragon: Chapter 5

### Unknown Location

Sienna found herself caught in a vision of a raging maelstrom where she was contacted by the looming entity to which her powers seem to be linked. The entity begged Sienna to help free it and purge Fenlaros from its being. Sienna resisted the creature's influence, angering it as she came to see Fenlaros struggling against the ancient entity, trying to wrest control and free himself from it. Here she was faced with a choice and managed to free Fenlaros from the creature’s bonds.

### Penastria - Athelburg

Regaining consciousness, she found herself recovering within Athelburg’s keep, with the hellknight commander sitting nearby. Harum explained the current situation and asked for the party’s assistance in delving into the abyss, in order to find a way to enter Infernus. He mentioned that a squad of hellknights would be accompanying the party on this difficult mission. Sienna accepted, and an elated Harum presented her with a mechanical replacement for her limb as well as expressed an interest in recruiting her into the order. And while Sienna was interested, she believed that this would be best decided in the future.

Meanwhile, Elise and Fion spent a bit of time consoling those mourning the dead, and Fion took this opportunity to learn a bit more about the situation within the Obsidian Holds, specifically about the whereabouts of his lost friend, Alice. By asking around, he learned that her most likely whereabouts would be the Obsidian Capital of Angor Madar, where the Gundrake clan maintained most of its holdings. He also learned that quickest way would be straight along the Imperial Highway through the mountains and to the gate of Angor Madar, however, the road would most likely be crawling with demons. Alternatively however, he could follow the passages through the Underdark, which would take longer but might potentially be safer.

Following this, the duo returned to the keep where they had a lengthy discovery regarding all that had transpired, as well as the journey ahead. Deciding to continue into the abyss in order to re-establish communication with the hells, and possibly save Chulz along the way, the trio spent the next day resting and recovering from their wounds. At the end this day they were introduced to the hellknights that would accompany them, one of whom was the adeptus, Bric. A half-orc warrior who would be undergoing his initiation trial during this mission. Led by the orc centurion, Murzukk, the party began their descent into the abyss, in the process severing their connection to Penastria and closing off their escape.

### Dread Abyss - The Ivory Labyrinth

The descent was a quiet one, filled with impossible vistas that constantly changed and shifted. As they descended deeper, Fion perceived a black light that cut through the screaming clouds and twisted mountains, a light which the rest of the party recognized to be a black moon, large cracks spreading along its surface, from which flowed a torrent of black liquid. At the end of their descent they were faced with the entrance into the Ivory Labyrinth, Baphomet’s domain. Towering before the entrance stood three statues made of a dull greyish metal. Two of them metallic bulls that stood at attention, one a minotaur made of scaled metal. As the party approached, the minotaur began to creak and stand at attention before issuing a challenge towards the party, claiming that only the worthy would be allowed to enter the labyrinth. A battle followed, where the guardian proved to be more than the party’s equal: managing to petrify both Fion and one of the hellknights. Thankfully, the party managed to significantly damage the guardian at which point it deemed them worthy, before returning to its post. Left with the petrified duo, it was decided that the Signifier would use her one greater restoration Fion, as Murzukk believed that the druid’s spells would prove more useful within the labyrinth.

Stepping through the barrier and into the labyrinth proper, the party found themselves within a darkened passage, along with a myriad of statues depicting various angels, their expressions twisted in sorrow. Following the narrow passages, the party came across a side room wherein sat the gruesome remains of a decayed corpse surrounded by the angelic statues, many of them pointing at the figure. Looking behind them, they realized that the path had been blocked by these statues and in the brief moment that they had looked away, many of the statues within the side room had disappeared. Not sure of the danger posed, Bric let loose a shot at one of the statues, destroying a piece of its face and revealing a blackened skeleton beneath. Quickly investigating the body before proceeding onwards, the party found a warning written in infernal script to not look away from or destroy the statues. And as they continued onwards, Bric began to hear a feminine voice, formless and yet always behind him, longingly calling out to him. Establishing a defensive formation, the party continued onwards, making sure to keep an eye on any angels as they did. At one point, the path narrowed as one of the angels blocked a part of the passage. Trying their best to squeeze past it, Bric’s armour got caught on something and although he managed to squeeze free when he looked up he found that the rest of the party had disappeared.

The darkness around began to swell and from within he began to hear the sound of singing and footsteps coming closer and closer, catching glimpses of a feminine creature within the darkness. Horrified of the figure approaching him, Bric carefully navigated the passages, heading deeper into the labyrinth before finally entering a large hall made of red marble. Its walls were adorned by beautiful murals that grew more wretched the further along they went, seemingly depicting the corruption of a female celestial. Heading to the end of the path, he found a set of mason’s tools and a block of stone. And looking back at the path he had followed, he saw a congregation of those angels pointing in his direction, as along the aisle appeared that same angel that he’d damaged. Now in a panic, Bric began to hurriedly carve away at the block of stone, his lack of skill apparent as he unsuccessfully tried to replicate the angelic features of the figure. At one point, he looked down the aisle to see the damaged statue now standing mere inches away from him, and upon turning back to his creation noted that it now depicted a grim reflection of himself. Then from behind him, he once more heard the longing feminine voice as a mass of hair began to flow over his shoulder, followed shortly after by a head engulfed by the blackened hair, extending outwards from a spinal cord that coiled around him like a serpent before finally hearing her feminine voice whisper, “It’s perfect”. Face to face with the malevolent being, Bric ran off into a passage that had opened up, finding a khopesh along the way and eventually reaching a dead end as he found himself looking through a glass wall. Bric began frantically banging on the glass, hoping to shatter it before he once more felt the creature’s cold hands and wriggling hair begin to close in around him.

Meanwhile the rest of the party, somewhat disheartened by the disappearance of another companion, trudged onwards, with Murzukk clearly being the most affected by it. Thanks to a few kind words from Fion, Murzukk’s spirits were lifted, and with the centurion’s resolve bolstered they descended deeper into the depths. Finding themselves inside a large cavern, they climbed down the dangerous slopes, all the while keeping a close eye on the thousands of statues that surrounded them, statues that seemed to be trying to crawl out of the cavern. At the base of the cavern, they found a circular passage carved into the ground, with more and more statues trying to crawl out from it. The party entered the passage, where they once more came across a section of script that bore a resemblance to Infernal:

*“And so it was that those who sought entrance into the heart of damnation were made to crawl on their bellies. Their celestial light humbled by the unfaltering gaze of the endless pit.*

*Let their false righteousness be stripped away as they are made to gaze upon the truth of their creation. The Unmaking shall be their penance, and through it they may atone for their divine betrayal.”*

It was a haunting portent of what lay ahead as the path continued to narrow before they were forced to crawl forward. The path eventually opened up into a large circular room, its walls lined with mirrors, from which they could hear the sound of loud banging. The room was filled with dozens of angelic statues each one trying to look away from their reflections. The banging was coming from one of the mirrors, behind which they saw a motionless statue of Bric. At his wit’s end, Murzukk shattered the mirror which inadvertently freed the trapped Bric. The adeptus explained what had happened to him, and after a bit of debate a passage opened up at the end of the room, and urged onwards by the haunting sound of singing, the party pressed onwards but not before Sienna caught sight of the female horror that stalked this section of the labyrinth.

Stepping through the wall of light; Bric, Elise, Fion and Sienna found themselves standing within an oversized terrace, which was a mixture between a living abode and a laboratory. The floor was covered in skeletal remains which Sienna noted were all identical. Exploring the area, they were finally approached by its inhabitant, a skeletal lich who claimed to be imprisoned within this section of the labyrinth. The lich introduced himself to be Lucius, he revealed that he was once a terrible tyrant (a fact which drew Bric’s attention due to his homeland’s history with this lich), but in seeking atonement for his actions he had consigned himself to this torturous afterlife. The lich was surprisingly courteous and welcoming, seemingly starved of any conversation with outsiders. During their time together, the lich explained his various interests, specifically with the extraplanar and Dunamis, much to Fion’s excitement. The two indulged in a lengthy conversation where Lucius explained his discoveries on the subject and on the astral entities which hounded the party.

Lucius claimed that there was an imbalance between Chaos and Order within the cosmos. He believed that the dread abyss had surged outwards in response to this imbalance, the source of which was unknown. He also revealed that the entity known as the Scarlet Hunger was not always known as such but the uttering of its true name had been forbidden by a divine pact. Sienna attempted to perceive the entity’s true name by delving into his mind, her attempt was unsuccessful but she did manage to glean a bit more insight, as she briefly saw a flash of an impossibly beautiful infernal figure, holding a contract written in blood in one hand and a dagger in the other. A figure, which to her confusion, fit the common depiction of Asmodeus, the lord of the Hells. Troubled by this discovery, she believed it best to keep it to herself for now, as Lucius led Fion towards a telescope that he had set up at the edge of his lab. Using the telescope allowed the party to view different planes of existence, with Fion noting various lights throughout. The most interesting plane of existence was Valastia, the Realm of Light, aeons past this plane of existence had been locked away for reasons unknown. Peering through the telescope, they saw that the plane was seemingly encased in a large cube, cracks forming along its surface, almost as if it is slowly shattering, and from these cracks they saw occasional flares of golden light. Lucius explained that recently he had seen a celestial body launch from Penastria towards the plane which ultimately led to the formation of the cracks, he did not know what the celestial body was, although he was interested in finding out what it was.

Curious as to what else he could perceive, Fion asked if it would be possible to integrate the amorphous green stone that he had been gifted into the design to perhaps enhance the telescope’s capabilities, and an interested Lucius obliged, noting that the stone seemed to easily merge into the machine. Upon doing so, Fion could perceive far more, noting that a surge of blue and white light was spreading along the surface of Penastria before finally receding and coalescing to form two spheres around its orbit. As this happened, each member of the party saw a ghostly apparition appear. Bric, Elise, and Sienna each glimpsed a pale female figure, garbed in flowing white robes, who slowly approached them before fading away. In Bric’s case however, the figure managed to place a soft hand on his chest and whispered to him the phrase, “Come to me.”

Meanwhile Fion saw another figure, a humanoid creature with tall and lanky hands, a large humanoid skull from which protruded a pair of insect-like mandible. From between a series of cracks within its skulls, Fion perceived a blue eye, focused solely on him. Similar to the white lady however, the figure slowly approached him before fading away. Hoping to find out more about what was happening, Fion asked Lucius for help in deciphering this mystery, to which Lucius offered him a small skull encrusted with gems and runes. Lucius claimed that this skull was attuned to his previous’ masters plane of existence. Although he warned that the Undying King was not known for his social skills. With the labyrinth once more beginning to shift, the party prepared to head on but before they could leave, Lucius made one final request. Seemingly exhausted from the eternity of suffering that he had been consigned to; Lucius begged them for their help in freeing him from this prison. After a bit of debate, the party ultimately decided to leave the lich to his fear, especially as Bric could not forgive the tyrant for what he had done to his people. And so they left the lich behind as they pressed on deeper into the labyrinth.

### Penastria - The Crescent Tower

Meanwhile back at the Crescent Tower, Thomas had spent most of his days hard at work on Sienna’s replacement arm and on deciphering the Heart of Dunam. It was during one such day that he was approached by the familiar figure of the Lantern King who needed the goblin’s expertise in order to design two bombs for the Summer Solstice, which he revealed would be at the end of the month. In exchange the Lantern King would owe him a favour. Thomas was curious as to why he required the bomb, having not forgotten his previous troubles with such things, however, a quick smile from the archfey assuaged many of his fears, after all the archfey had proven himself trustworthy. Thomas ultimately agreed to the terms, and as the duo shook on it, he heard a scream from downstairs and a commotion in the tower grounds.

Peering out, both him and the archfey watched as the arcane defences that surrounded Atheluin were momentarily shattered, and the clouds that emanated from the rifts were overtaken by flashes of blue and white light. Many individuals within the ground stood motionless, seemingly rooted in place before suddenly floating upwards and turning to dust, an assortment of blue and white specks. Rushing down the stairs, the duo found Alan, shielding a horrified Rea, as Theobald began to hover in place above his chair exclaiming that he could see a white lady approaching. All of a sudden, he too began to disintegrate, his body turning to this whitish dust and leaving behind no trace. Thomas then caught sight of a humanoid creature, spectre that slowly approached him, the same one that had approached Fion. In a panic, the goblin pleaded with the archfey to protect his children, and the archfey obliged shielding both Thomas and his children from the figure, which dissipated before it could grab Thomas. For now it seemed as if they were safe, although they were left with more questions than answers.

### Dread Abyss - The Ivory Labyrinth

Switching back to the rest of the party, having stepped through the portal they found themselves beneath the stands of an arena, where hundreds of demonkin were celebrating a festival of debauchery and revelry while watching a battle unfold. Doing their best to investigate, the party soon realized that the battle involved the other three members of their expedition, as Murzukk and the remaining Hellknights were faced with a tide of demons, and strangely enough mutated devils. Examining the crowd, Sienna caught sight of a trio of individuals seemingly leading the entire affair. She recognized one of them to be a legendary champion of Baphomet, a mortal who broke his oath to Asmodeus and succumbed to the corruption of the abyss, a champion now known as the Master of Cruelties.

Now fully aware of the danger, the party decided to reinforce the Hellknights, and rushed into the arena. A desperate battle ensued, where the members of the party managed to successfully defeat the demonic forces all the while feeling the pervasive presence of the champion at the back of their minds as he read their minds. Things took a dire turn however, when the Master of Cruelties joined the fray, the champion overwhelmed the surviving members of the party and slaughtered the remaining Hellknights. Sienna endured the brunt of his assaults, and as she succumbed to her wounds, Fion noted the red light that accompanied her grow unstable, as Fenlaros manifested in her place. And while he did provide them with a fair bit of help, even the sorcerer’s abilities were not enough to contend with the champion who cut him down as well. With most of the party now bleeding out, Fion noticed that the unstable light within Sienna suddenly erupted outwards in a blinding explosion of light.

In the aftermath of this event, each member of the party found themselves caught in a vision wherein Bric and Elise were forced to relive the moments that defined their path in life before finally being contacted by an astral entity. Fion meanwhile, once more found himself in his office, where he had another discussion with the astral entity which continued to question him on his knowledge of Dunam and push him onwards. In contrast to these peaceful interactions, Sienna found herself floating in absolute nothingness, caught between life and death alongside Fenlaros. Here in this endless void, she finally saw her companion’s true form, a large tentacled monstrosity, a creature which should not be alive, but that persisted through sheer stubbornness. Seeing the future that might await her, Sienna finally resigned herself to death, however upon feeling Fenlaros’ desire to live, intertwined with regret, resentment and sorrow decided to live. The Scarlet Hunger had other plans however, as the astral entity attempted to forcefully drag her into the afterlife. Dragged into the depths, the entity unleashed its fury on Sienna, berating her and insulting her, channelling its hatred for Sienna’s perceived betrayal. At the end, with Fenlaros’ help, Sienna managed to break free of the entity’s clutches.

With this the entire party awoke to find themselves floating in an endless expense of white alongside the Master of Cruelties. They also found themselves exhibiting a few changes, with Bric and Elise having differently coloured eyes (red and green) respectively. Fion also realized that for the first time in years his sight had been restored and in his hands he held a golden jewel. Adjusting to their situation, the party discussed what had happened and after a failed discussion with the demonic champion, he cast plane shift and escaped. Now left on their own, the party discussed what they’d do next, and took the opportunity to learn a bit more about the space they now found themselves in. They realized that they could use the power of their minds to move and following this train of thought realized that they could also plane shift to wherever they wanted to by working together. In the end, they decided to travel to Infernus in the hopes of enlisting their aid. Led by Sienna, they plane shifted to Qonhar’s Fortress, manifesting on one of the battlements and were immediately faced with the sight of the ravaged battlefield below.

### Infernus - The First Layer

Standing at the top of the battlements, the party were able to perceive much of what was happening throughout the first layer, with the hordes of demons wandering the wastes, and an enormous marble citadel dominating the horizon. However, they could not afford to rest on their laurels, as they noticed the battle lines below suddenly shatter as a gargantuan worm-like demon erupted forth. The various pieces of artillery along the fortress walls began focusing their fire on the demon which spat forth a ball of black flame in retaliation. Impacting the bastion that the party currently found themselves on, the group watched on in horror as an entire section collapsed, and the sound of fighting could be heard amidst the wreckage beneath.

Unwilling to let the demons establish a foothold they descended through the wreckage, only to find that the remaining devils in this area had been overrun by a small horde of maw demons. A battle ensued where they successfully managed to slaughter the maw demons and repel a duo of locust demons. They were then approached by a trio of avian demons, who expressed an interest in Elise and Sienna, claiming to know them. And after a brief encounter where the demons were seemingly more interested in discerning their identity then directly fighting them, the trio eventually attempted to escape after their curiosity was sated, with two of them successfully doing so.

Relatively safe for now the party surveyed the distant battlefield below, noting that there was little they could do to help as the demonic worm came under concentrated artillery fire. Now left to wander the fortress' halls they came across a duo of Narzugon knights whose initial suspicions were dispelled by Sienna who revealed her infernal mark. The duo led the party through the fortress towards the commander, the familiar figure of Agarron. The pit fiend had assumed command of Qonhar's fortress in the aftermath of her defeat, having become an influential Duke of Hell. Agarron remembered the service that Sienna had done him and welcomed the party warmly. He explained much of what had happened, revealing that while the plan to drag Parascent into Infernus had succeeded they had not foreseen the lengths to which its inhabitants would go to survive. It seemed that in their desperation, the mages had manifested an Arcane Balor, which transformed the city into a demonic fortress, through which the demons had severed the Hells' connection to the rest of the cosmos.

He also explained that after the fall of the three north-eastern Gates of Hell, Qonhar had personally led a counterattack where she successfully felled the avatars of Baphomet and Yeenoghu, but had ultimately fallen at the hands of an angel. The marble citadel had erupted around her body, engulfing a large swathe of the north-eastern mountains and in the aftermath many demons and devils were drawn towards it and left entranced by it. In light of his mistress' defeat, Agarron had assumed command of Qonhar's Fortress, although he revealed that there were two other dukes vying for power in her absence, as well as various warlords who had grown unruly without the fear of Qonhar's retribution.

At the moment, Agarron believed that securing the allegiance of the warlords and leading a direct assault against Parascent was the best course of action as it would allow them to receive much-needed reinforcements from the other layers of Infernus. The party however, firmly believed that the marble citadel should be their main target, as it might hold a way to resurrect Qonhar. After a short discussion, Agarron offered them one of his infernal war machines, a demon grinder known as "The Inferno", as well as any other help that he could provide them. In exchange the party would help him in pushing back the demonic forces, as well as uncover the mysteries of the marble citadel. In order to further aid them, he offered to brand them with his mark, and offered a diabolic charm which would remove their need to eat and drink. However, he also mentioned that these gifts would come at a price and that their souls would be bound closer to him. Bric and Sienna accepted these last boons, whilst Fion and Elise did not. During their conversation, Bric also noticed a humanoid shadow looming behind Agarron, but the shadow disappeared when Bric looked away.

With this the party, began their descent but before their meeting could conclude, Sienna asked Agarron if he had any information about Ekhios' whereabouts, to which the duke revealed that she had fallen at the hands of a Balor, one that held a particular grudge against Ekhios and Sienna after the duo had slain him years ago. The Balor was one of the demonic commanders leading the assault and sought to exact vengeance on Sienna as well. Armed with this knowledge, Sienna bade Agarron farewell and the party set off in The Inferno. Here they met their Imp co-pilot, Zaroc who was undergoing a penance for some unknown reason.

Their journey through the wasteland was mostly a quiet one with Sienna at the helm, throughout their journey the party passed by a fortress overrun by demons as well as various gnoll warbands, all of them heading towards Qonhar's Fortress. However, adamant that they would not draw attention to themselves, they ignored all of them and continued onwards, noting that an ash storm was gathering over the horizon. Hours into their journey, a distracted Sienna almost lost control of the war machine, only barely avoiding dropping into a gulley. Driving by various fissures, she noted that they contained the wreckages of many other less fortunate war machines.

She also noticed a group of imps salvaging the remains of a massive vehicle in one of the larger pits, and after a brief discussion the party decided that it would be a good idea to barter with them and possibly procure some upgrades for the Inferno. Bric and Sienna set off to talk to the imps, who revealed themselves to be members of the Hell Riders, a group working for one of the warlords known as the Doom Rider. They were seemingly interested by the prospect of bartering but believed it prudent to leave such matters to their leader, who strangely enough was an eladrin who introduced himself as Branch.

The duo attempted to barter with Branch who revealed that the wreckage was in fact his own after he had suffered an unfortunate accident. He was willing to part with an acidic bile spitter, in exchange for a lift back to the Hell Riders' base of operations, the Scrapyard. Bric and Sienna thought that this was a fair exchange and would possibly give them some goodwill from the faction, although they would only escort him as close as they could to the Scrapyard as they were unwilling to waste too much time.

Branch agreed and continued salvaging the wreckage with Bric's help, whilst Sienna went to run the idea by the rest of the party. Throughout their conversation, Branch expressed a keen interest into the party's travels and goals, and both his charm and comforting demeanour made it easy for Bric to open up. During their conversation, Bric also noticed something of interest, one of Branch's bracelets stood out and seemed familiar, the jewellery being in the form of a silver grail, a symbol that he had seen on Elise's Rod of the Pact Keeper. However, caught in what seemed like a trance, Bric revealed that the party sought to resurrect Qonhar, a quest that Branch found admirable and rather interesting. Their discussion took a turn however, when Bric spoke of possibly unifying against the common threat that was the abyss, a possibility that seemed to worry the Eladrin who grew suspicious and demanded to know whether Bric was working for the Scorn.

Bric, completely unaware of who this individual was, explained that this was not the case, and after a brief back and forth, Branch apologized, seemingly convinced that Bric was speaking true. Sienna returned shortly after, informing Branch that the party had agreed to the terms, but grew suspicious when she realised that Bric had revealed so much about their mission. However, her fears were assuaged by the eladrin whose charming personality seemed to draw her in. The group then returned to the Inferno where, Branch introduced himself to Fion, but was caught off-guard when he caught sight of Elise, the mood once more shifting.

Elise recognized the individual, noting that he was a prominent member of the Lunar Court, a skilled diplomat known as Kuornellion who had disappeared a few years prior to the party's arrival in Parascent having apparently been on a mission. The eladrin who stood before Elise however, was a shell of his former self and was clearly horrified by a presence that loomed over Elise. The presence was revealed to be her accursed specter, Priscilla, a creature which Branch revealed had once been a prominent member of the court, but had been turned into a specter after she had spoken ill of her Celestial Majesty. Her presence clearly horrified Branch who revealed that she was commonly used as a reminder to those who defied or failed the court as to the fate that awaited them.

Doing their best to de-escalate the situation Elise and Fion managed to calm Branch down, and learned that he had been in Parascent when the city had been dragged into Infernus. Stranded in Infernus, the eladrin wandered the wasteland for a while, the plane having a noticeable effect on him, twisting him and driving him to madness and sorrow. In his desperation he was approached by a devil who offered to take away the sorrow in exchange for his services, and his heart. Branch accepted and was inducted into the Hell Riders where he was used to scout the outskirts of the Marble Citadel.

The party debated whether they should help Branch with his current predicament but ultimately decided that their mission to the citadel was far too important and he did not provide enough help to warrant changing their trajectory. Having wasted too much time, they chose to honour their original bargain and the party set off as the ash storm finally hit. Caught up in the storm, Sienna, with Fion and Zaroc's help, tried her best to navigate the wasteland, occasionally running over groups of gnolls and at one point crashing into an Ash Giant which tried its best to rip the war machine apart. Thankfully Bric and Elise, through the use of the chomper and wrecking ball managed to "subdue" the giant, clearing the way for the machine to continue. However, as they continued onwards, Fenlaros and Sienna noticed a psionic tether, not necessarily reaching out but present, the tether growing more and more noticeable the further they went. The duo also deduced that it was not coming from the citadel but rather from due north of the party.

Continuing on for a few more hours, Sienna finally decided to stop finding that she was unable to concentrate on anything other than the tether and after finding a small cave the party decided to take shelter within. Sienna immediately decided to reach out to the tether, and Fion decided to use this opportunity to read her thoughts and deduce what was happening. Things did not go as planned for the druid as his thoughts were derailed and his mind was dragged elsewhere. Sienna meanwhile established a connection with the tether, discovering that it belonged to a devil who called himself Asura (a name which she noted was decidedly not infernal). Asura and Fenlaros seemed to possess a shared history, and with Sienna's help they managed to uncover it. Asura had once accompanied Fenlaros, and when the latter was faced with a crucial decision Asura had stabbed him in the back and left him for dead. The mood quickly shifted as Asura began to project his hatred and vitriol towards Fenlaros, promising that he would find them and make sure to kill Fenlaros this time.

When she returned to consciousness, Sienna noticed that Fion was sitting a few feet away from her, his skin a dull grey and the tips of his fingers turning white. Bric tried to slap him awake, only to find that his body had turned hard and rigid to the point where he was certain that he would have broken his hand had it not been for his augmented strength. Not wanting to risk losing anymore time, Sienna used her astral absorption ability to end whatever was happening to him.

### Unknown Location

Fion meanwhile, found himself in the ruins of a city, faceless shades wandering through the empty streets and between the twisting buildings. The architecture was foreign to him, bending and twisting into unnatural shapes and nonsensical designs. Heading deeper into the city he began coming across statues, some depicting alien creatures, humanoid but extremely tall and slender; others statues depicted the familiar shapes of devils. The statues depicted fighting within the streets and in between the dull and muted colours, Fion noticed grey roots wrapping themselves around many of the statues and buildings which had a flaky texture.

Heading deeper into the city, he finally came across a massive domed structure outside which he saw a crowd of infernal statues, in the process of breaking in. Making his way through them, he found that the interior resembled an indoor amphitheatre. More of those slender humanoid statues crowded around its centre, around a circular altar. Standing atop the altar was a statue depicting a heavily armoured angel his body turned to stone apart from the blade of his sword which still burned with holy flame. The only source of light and heat in this otherwise desolate place.

As he stood there, the silence was broken by a figure that followed behind him, a skeletal humanoid with deep amethyst eyes who was garbed in black robes. The skeleton questioned Fion as to who he was and why he was here, and after a bit of a back and forth revealed that he was a piece of the Undying King. He did not reveal why he was here, although he eluded that he sought knowledge and when questioned further revealed that he too could see the lights much like Fion. He also revealed that his search had muddied the lines on who was right or wrong in this conflict, and claimed that the tapestry was wrong, a declaration which caught Fion's attention. He then urged Fion to make up his own mind and learn from the shades as he had.

With his time here coming to an end, Fion quickly reached out to one of the shades, and managed to observe its final moments. The creature had sought to escape a great calamity, and had found shelter within the dome, and with it had many of its kin. Those same tall and slender creatures which Fion now recognized to have grey skin, pale white eyes, and long silver hair. They spoke in a language that was foreign to Fion, almost melodious, however he managed to perceive their meaning. Desperation, fear, and sorrow filled the air, in these their final moments, the end had come and as if to punctuate that admission, the infernal forces broke through the membranous doorways and piled into the dome, setting up lines in anticipation. All of a sudden, the roof of the dome shattered as an angelic figure descended onto the altar, clad in golden plate and wielding a blade that was made of holy flame.

The angel had brought with him the wrath of heaven, and declared his intent to purge these creatures of chaos before giving the infernal forces the order to cut down the shade's kin. In its final moments, the shade began to hear the beating of a heart, that grew louder and stronger before finally fading away as Fion was dragged back to consciousness.

### Infernus - The First Layer

All of them now conscious, the party discussed what the duo had uncovered and continued to connect it to what they had learned thus far. With Fion once more noting that he was growing more uncertain as to who the enemy truly is. Finally they decided to settle in for their long rest, with most of them not really maintaining a watch in light of all that had transpired. At the end of their long rest, the storm began to die down just enough for Bric to notice something skittering outside the war machine carrying a piece of the Inferno's wheels.

Chasing after the creature, they found themselves faced with a line of bearded and barbed devils, their leader was an olive-skinned tiefling with long brown hair and a barbed tail. The tiefling revealed himself to be Asura who had arrived to kill Fenlaros as he had promised, Branch tried to defuse the situation, revealing that Asura was the devil that he had sold his services to. Branch informed Asura that they were all on the same side, as the party was attempting to resurrect Qonhar but his pleas fell on deaf ears as Asura was hellbent on killing Fenlaros. Upon learning that Fenlaros' soul was tied to Sienna, he revealed that he was more than willing to kill her if it meant making sure that Fenlaros died with her.

A battle ensued where the party initially found themselves overwhelmed by the line of bearded devils, until they met Elise who singlehandedly managed to hold the line against them through the use of a few potent area-of-effect spells. Meanwhile, Fion and Sienna faced off against Asura whilst Bric manned the Inferno's wrecking ball, and dealing a significant amount of damage with it. They cut down Asura multiple times but each time, he regenerated his wounds after consuming one of his infernal allies. However, they noticed that the more he regenerated, the less stable his form became and something else began to happen as a loud buzzing began to fill the air around him.

In the end, Fion attempted to reason with Asura explaining that there was no way he could win, a statement which seemed to resonate with the devil as he began to absent-mindedly mutter to himself. The situation reached a head when one of the bearded devils, seeing the mutations overtaking his master pierced him with an infernal halberd, this was the final straw as Asura's body began to bulge and contort, before finally erupting outwards in a wave of shadow.

### Unknown Location

Having been the only member of the party not caught off-guard, Fion managed to successfully dodge the brunt of the eruption and came to standing on a small island in the middle of a subterranean lake. Using detect thoughts, he realised that the slimy water was teeming with the thoughts of thousands of creatures screaming outwards in pain. He also detected something else lurking within the murk, a powerful presence that was slowly but surely closing in on him. Seeing no other avenue, Fion opened his thoughts up to it and was assaulted by a feeling of anger and pain.

The creature dragged him into a vision of the day he lost sight, however, unexpectedly showed a level of compassion when it saw what had been done to him. Sensing a moment of weakness, Fion turned the tables and took control of the memory, shifting it into an illusion of his office. Here he began speaking to the creature, uncovering more about their relationship with Fenlaros. The voices explained that Fenlaros was a parasite that was leeching off of them, and growing stronger by consuming them.

Meanwhile, Bric having regained consciousness, found himself stuck in a cocoon of slime, having grown a pair of gills and his skin turned translucent. Cutting himself free, Bric began navigating the depths, led onwards by a shadow and eventually coming upon another freshly made cocoon. Inside this was a humanoid creature with grey skin and silvery white hair, a creature that was wearing Elise' gear. The creature revealed itself to in fact be Elise, stating things that only she would know and successfully alleviating his fears. The two then continued to navigate the labyrinth together eventually reaching its heart, a massive oval-shaped chamber with a hooded statue in its centre. At the edge of the chamber they saw a large eel-like monstrosity coiled around Fion as if about to consume him. However, a few feet behind it, kneeling in front of the statue ready to plunge a knife into her chest was Sienna.

Sienna had also escaped a cocoon a bit earlier, having been rescued by Fenlaros. Together the duo began navigating the tunnels, with Fenlaros doing his best to help uncomfortable Sienna. However, the two of them were caught by the presence that roamed these waters, and much like Fion were plunged into an illusory realm. In Sienna's case she was forced to relive more of Fenlaros' memories, forced to make decisions almost as if the creature was testing her. The illusion culminated in her arrival in the centre where she was faced with another version of herself, a version which claimed to have fully committed to the tenets of Infernus and refused Fenlaros' corruption. Faced with a choice Sienna claimed to still be loyal to the cause, but would honour her promise to Fenlaros as she believed that the rigid ways by which Infernus operated were the reason why they were losing the Blood War.

Her decision made, she was shaken awake by Elise and the two of them alongside Bric attacked the eel-like monstrosity, forcibly wrenching it and Fion free from their discussion. The creature put up little resistance, however before she could strike the final blow, Sienna noticed the creature regenerate and heard a whisper coming from behind her, telling her to use her Astral Absorption ability to consume the monster. Seeing little other option, she did so and the creature was consumed into her essence. In its place however, it left a crack in the fabric of reality, a crack which the shadow leading Bric seemed to be clearly interested in.

The demiplane collapsing around them, the party, led by Fion (some willingly, others not) rushed through the crack and found themselves in another of Fenlaros' memories. One where the sorcerer had gone seeking knowledge in the realm of a demon lord, and found a forbidden tome. Through his memories the party read the contents of the tome (Appendix: The Cycle) wherein they learned a great deal about the cycle, and Fion would at the end uncover a hidden chapter, one which he delved into alone (Appendix: Fion's Vision). Within this hidden chapter, he was able to connect many more of the loose threads that made up this mystery, however at the end he realized that as part of the tapestry he possessed the power to slightly alter the course of events, to tamper with the faintest thread of fate. He attempted to project himself into the centre of the board but failed to do so, however, something seemed to take notice of him and a tether latched onto him.

### Infernus - The First Layer

The party came to within the cave, having survived their ordeal and here they met up with the remaining infernal forces and Branch. Their leader defeated; the devils pledged themselves to Sienna who wasted no time in giving them orders to repair the Inferno and search through the creature's remains. Meanwhile Bric noticed that the shadow was interested in the taciturn Fion, seemingly reaching out for him. Challenging the shadow, Bric managed to elicit a response as a beam of red light descended from the skies, and cracked the magical barrier that had been set up by the demons. Within the cave, materialized Fenlaros, no longer a mere shadow or vestige. Fenlaros spoke to each of the party, revealing that he had a vested interest in their success, having given Bric his new sword: Crimson Vow, and had been working to further their interests.

Fion was understandably suspicious of the figure, and refused to bandy words with him, believing to be untrustworthy. Fenlaros meanwhile, revealed to Elise that the enemy's next target would be the Feywild and that she would be wise to inform her mistress before it was too late. Before he left, he congratulated Sienna on her work and loyalty; and promised that he would hold his end of the bargain, shattering the demonic barrier completely and therefore allowing infernal reinforcements the chance to arrive. With the tide finally turning, Fenlaros bid them farewell, claiming that he was expecting them at their journeys' end and that he hoped he would welcome them all as friends when the time finally came. Should that not be the case however, he would let destiny decide that outcome.

In the aftermath of this event, Branch recovered his heart from the amidst the corpses and used this opportunity to escape but not before giving a meditating Fion a rose. Bric frustrated at what happened and at not getting a rose, found solace in the wise words of Zaroc, with the imp head proving surprisingly proficient at giving advice. With the citadel in sight, the party set off towards their goal, alongside their new infernal squadron. They managed to clear much of the distance towards the citadel but had to stop about 26 miles out from their destination, just outside the range of whatever afflicted the devils and demons. From here on out, they decided to set out on foot, leaving Sienna's new infernal soldiers in charge of the Inferno.

Hoping to cover as much distance as possible the party immediately began making their way through the eerily empty wasteland, however as they approached the citadel they began to notice clusters of demons and devils, the fiends having seemingly been petrified. Through their blindsight Fion and Sienna perceived thin strands of gold which tethered the petrified fiends to clusters of gold that hovered in the sky. Using the Detect Thoughts spell, Fion attempted to pierce the petrified fiends' minds, however realized that they were for the most part vacant, although something lingered deeper within. Digging deeper into their thoughts, he finally found the presence that lingered here, a presence that promised atonement, and forgiveness; proclaiming that the war was over and that Heaven's gates were open once more. Finding himself drawn to it, Fion recognized the danger and immediately severed his connection. Before they could examine them further the entire party felt a sudden increase in air pressure.

They were all suddenly filled with a sense of awe and primal fear, an inescapable fear as they realized that the Lord of the Hells had finally arrived. Driven by anger at what had transpired within the First Layer, Asmodeus spoke to all of them, although they recognized that he seemed to be addressing all of the layer's inhabitants. He promised the abyssal invaders that he planned to make them suffer for their transgressions however, he also expressed immense disappointment in his soldiers, those devils who he claimed were responsible for the abyssal incursion.

His voice receded after he relayed his proclamation, however his presence lingered adding a suffocating heaviness to the air. Recognizing the increasing urgency of their situation, Fion offered to turn two of them into Giant Eagles in the hopes of expediting their journey. The party immediately agreed and flew across the wasteland hoping to cover the last leg of their journey in as little time as possible. High above they could see more and more of the battlefield below where thousands of petrified fiends stood, each of them tethered to the large clusters of gold in the sky. As they flew close to these specks, they were able to make out more specific details within the specks, noting that they were in fact large alien creatures with slender bodies, multiple limbs that stretched outwards, ovoid heads and large spines jutting from their backs which were akin to branches. These creatures also possessed tethers which anchored them to the citadel, which grew stranger as they approached, with dozens of bastions and spires that seemed to jut out of the terrain in awkward positions, defying gravity and in some cases seemingly phasing into each other. As they approached however, this close to their goal Fion also noted a strange detail about the golden pillar of light that had guided him during the party's time in Infernus, namely that the pillar was in fact in the shape of a golden tree, immense in size with roots digging into the ground and thick branches reaching out towards the sky from which countless tethers of gold emerged.

Landing before the central dome, they found a small clearing amidst the jagged peaks and winding battlements; in the centre of this clearing and in front of a large golden door knelt a hell knight surrounded by knot of golden roots seemingly imprisoned within. On the brink of exhaustion, the party decided that it would be best to take a long rest before continuing into the citadel, understandably wary of facing whatever dwelt within. Cautious of whatever prowled the wastes they set up watches with Sienna taking the first one. During her watch, Sienna found herself curious as to what was truly going through the minds of the fiends that seemed to make up the walls of the citadel. Choosing to use her ability to delve into the minds of those around her she began to read through the hell knight's thoughts discovering that he had been part of an expeditionary force sent by one of the Infernal Dukes in order to uncover the purpose of the Marble Citadel.

She learned that the expeditionary force had been picked off by an invisible force that wandered the area surrounding the citadel. While looking through his mind she also perceived an invisible creature standing before the kneeling hell knight. Believing that the creature was holding him in place she attempted to disrupt whatever it was doing through the use of her psionic abilities, and succeeded in doing so; seemingly freeing him. Her success was short-lived however, as with the connection broken the hell knight's body began to wither and harden, eventually petrifying him. In addition to this, the golden door opened ever so slightly, golden beams of light shining from within. She resisted the urge to investigate and the rest of her watch passed by uneventfully.

She woke Bric up next, informing him of what had transpired and warning him to be wary of unseen creatures lurking about. Taking his place next to the petrified hell knight, Bric kept a watchful eye on the doorway but was unfortunately caught unawares by one of the unseen creatures which drew him towards the doorway, breaking through his mind and lulling him into a sense of complacency; promising atonement, peace, and heaven. Thankfully the clanking of his infernal armour alerted the rest of the party to his predicament and thanks to her astral absorption ability, Sienna was able to dispel the effect, freeing Bric from the creature's clutches. Now more wary of the danger present, they decided that it would be best to have Elise keep watch with Bric, and the two of them finished their watch without further interruption.

Finally able to fall asleep, Sienna realised that her sleep was a dreamless one, a peaceful sleep devoid of the screams that haunt her every waking moment. In the vast void that were her dreams she saw only a red tether, a tether which she reached out to. This tether allowed her to project herself to Fenlaros, who offered a few answers but also brought up more questions. Revealing that his intentions spread far beyond just destroying the Abyss and might in fact put him at odds with the Lord of the Hells, a path that Sienna was reluctant to follow. In response to this reluctance, Fenlaros revealed that it was in fact Asmodeus who created the Dread Abyss, a statement which perturbed Sienna. The two had a short discussion on how far they would go to achieve their goals, with Sienna admitting that there was a simplicity to the life of a simple soldier following orders, a life that she was slowly but surely leaving behind. And while Fenlaros disagreed with this sentiment, the two did agree that they could not always rely on others, with Fenlaros having a stronger stance on the subject, although Sienna did manage to catch a longing for companionship amongst the myriad of thoughts and emotions going through his mind. In the end, the projection was concluded, but Fenlaros reassured her that he would still be watching her, and that she could always contact him through her dreams.

The rest of their long rest passed without incident, and after packing up camp they directed their attention towards the slightly open door. Making their way towards it the door opened in its entirety bathing them in a wave of golden light. After the passing of their momentary blindness they found themselves standing within a circular hallway with two statues in the centre, one angelic and one infernal; and between them locked within a glass box was a silver heart wrapped in chains and with a rusted nail in the shape of a sword embedded into its centre. Beyond the statues there was a large golden double-door covered in depictions both angelic and infernal. Perceiving the reliefs that adorned the double-door Fion noticed a subtle carving that he realized resembled the commonly used depictions of the Celestial Aeons. Two other passages stretched onwards on either side, of the room. Finding no success when trying to open the double-door the party decided to head down the passages.

Each passage led to a long hall, similarly to the rest of the interior one hall was angelic while the other was infernal in their appearance. In fact, Bric noted that the halls were very much similar to the one he had found himself lost in during the party's time in the Dread Abyss. At the end of each hall they found a small pool of silver liquid which they assumed might be Qonhar's blood. Touching the blood allowed them to catch glimpses of her memories, memories before and after her fall. And throughout these memories one theme persisted, one desire, Qonhar's own desire for atonement and redemption, and the lingering question of whether that is even possible.

With both passages explored, they returned to the centre where the lock box had been unlocked, Sienna chose to take the heart and considered ripping out the nail in the hopes of atoning Qonhar. However, after listening to Bric's advice and opinion decided it would be more prudent to wait until she had the entire picture before doing something so drastic. The double-door now open they pressed on deeper into the citadel, quickly reaching its very heart. Here they saw what had ultimately become of Qonhar. The archdevil having fallen in the field of battle, had now been imprisoned within a chrysalis, the roots and tethers all attached to it and all feeding an immense amount of magic into it. Both Elise and Sienna noted that the chrysalis looked identical to the one they'd encountered beneath the temple of the Undying King.

Stepping forward, Sienna made her way towards the chrysalis noting that things within the chamber were not as they seemed, as she noted that many of the angelic statues present were in fact illusion hiding more alien depictions. Using her psionic abilities Sienna attempted to connect to Qonhar, who she realised was being forced to relive her many failures while the alien presence that dominated the citadel was changing her, moulding her into a form more suited to its needs. Sienna used her telepathic link to call out to Qonhar, she reasoned with the archdevil, telling her that atonement was possible but it was up to her to find it, and that could only be achieved if she accepted what she had become. With that Sienna tried to pull out the nail from the heart but a strange thing happened, the nail instead embedded itself deeper, but the chains were broken. Qonhar was reborn, neither an archdevil or a solar but something in between. Pieces of her angelic heritage had been restored, but trace of her infernal history remained. In response to this, the alien entity began to manifest, the very chamber coming to life, however, with Qonhar now resurrected the party had a chance to escape, a chance which they took.

The citadel itself came to life around them trying to halt their escape as Qonhar took hold of the party and flew upwards, crashing through the domed ceiling in an attempt to escape. Its influence halted, the citadel's exterior began to morph and change, giving rise to screaming mountains and writhing bastions. This drew the attention of Asmodeus himself who caught a brief glimpse of the party as his very essence converged upon the citadel. With nowhere else to go, Qonhar plane shifted the party out of Infernus and into the House of War within the Pyrean Easterlands, much to the surprise of those stationed there. Wasting no time, she continued flying onwards at full speed in an attempt to escape, until she finally broke free from the infernal base and into the wilderness beyond.

### Penastria - Pyrean Easterlands

Qonhar flew a fair distance away eventually stopping and landing within a small clearing amidst a thicket of trees. Here the party spoke to Qonhar who gave an account of her final moments before her death, and her experience imprisoned within the Marble Citadel. She expressed an interest in returning to Valastia now that its gates had been opened, but believed that it would be foolhardy to do so alone, to that end she believed it best to find help within Elysium, and perhaps enlist the Guiding Mother's help in speaking to Asmodeus.

She was reluctant to issue any direct orders to the party, however stressed that they would be wise to secure the allegiance and protection of the Elven Gods, especially now that the Lord of the Hells had taken direct notice of them. Following this, Fion took her aside, asking if she knew anything about his ability to see lights. This revelation took Qonhar by surprise, claiming that he possessed the sight of Pharasma, a forgotten goddess who held dominion over fate and time. When questioned further by Fion, she explained that Pharasma had been killed by Asmodeus when the latter had sought to alter the tapestry of fate. She also explained that throughout each cycle, certain individuals would be born with the ability to see the lights just as Pharasma once did, these individuals were referred to as prophets, and that their coming would herald the imminent end of a cycle. She did however note that it was strange that he was not born with the ability. Regardless, she explained that this put him at odds with Asmodeus, and he would therefore have to thread carefully if choosing to confront him.

She then proceeded to thank the party for saving her, claiming that she would come to their aid should they ever require it. However, for now she would depart for Elysium, and would contact them if presented with the opportunity to safely meet the Lord of the Hells, and possibly travel to Valastia. Once more plane shifting away, the party were left alone somewhat uncertain of what to do next. Taking some time to acclimate themselves to their surroundings they realised that they were close to the northern edges of the Easterlands, which Fion noted was about a week and a half away from the Obsidian Holds.

Still worried about Alice, Fion asked the party if they could make their way there to check on her as he believed that she was in trouble. The rest were eager to follow up on this, and help him although they were uncertain if they could spare the time considering the demonic invasion. However, Zaroc reminded Sienna that she still had access to the Inferno which would greatly expedite their journey. Summoning the Infernal War Machine the party set off towards the west and the Obsidian Mountains.

They drove through the countryside, the abyssal corruption which dominated the rest of the peninsula having not yet spread into the Easterlands. During their drive Elise realized that the magic infused into Chulz' longsword had faded, and worried about Thomas she used a sending stone to contact Beranabus, who explained that Thomas had been busy working on something for an elven friend (who the party noted fit the description of the Lantern King), apart from that he explained that things had changed but they were working on a weapon to finally defeat the abyssal incursion. He then projected to the party, in order to explain in greater detail, revealing that something had happened a few days prior which led to the disappearance of a great many elves. He offered the party help in returning to Atheluin, and also revealed that he needed Elise's expertise in order to deal with a delicate situation at court. A few minutes after ending his projection he once more contacted Elise to tell her that Thomas had disappeared and that they would investigate.

After this their journey was altogether a quiet one, with them finding the border forts along the Rimoulk River to be abandoned although it was unclear if the forts had been overrun. Crossing to the other side, they finally entered the Pyrean Midlands where the effects of the abyssal corruption were far more pronounced, as was the rift that tore through the sky.

### Penastria - Pyrean Midlands

Travelling through the Midlands, they continued making their way through the ruined landscape eventually stopping for a long rest alongside a collapsed cottage. Their long rest passed by without incident, and they once more set out towards the mountains, occasionally seeing packs of dretches and other lesser demons wandering the countryside although none could hope to catch up to the Inferno.

Once more the day passed without any issue and the party eventually found a small thicket of trees where they could settle in for a long rest. It was a quiet rest, the silence occasionally broken by the ambient sound of demonic screeching. During his watch, Bric approached Fion, explaining that of late he was constantly hearing the sound of distant screaming, which seemed to grow louder while holding Crimson Vow. Fion attempted to examine the weapon, hearing the sound of screaming alongside pleas for help as the souls trapped within screamed out for help, begging them to free them of the parasite that sought to devour them. The two were uncertain as to how they could help, although Bric believed that the answer was tied to the red light that Fion could see. They continued to discuss their situation and broached the subject of Bric's desire for vengeance, and how far he'd go to achieve it.

Before they could delve too deeply into it however, they heard a loud roar off in the distance followed by the sound of screeching, looking through the cockpit they saw a crystal dragon plummeting downwards a mile ahead of them, surrounded by a swarm of flying demons. They woke the rest of the party up and drove the Inferno in the dragon's direction, finding it perched atop the collapsed belfry of a church as it fought off a horde of demons and demonic champions. Using the Inferno they easily dispatched the demons, finally crashing through the belfry in order to save the crystalline dragon from the grasp of a huge demon. As the battle drew to its end, they approached the quickly shrinking dragon which began to clear the wreckage of the church desperately looking for something. The dragon reappeared a short while after, its form now changed into that of Artemis, gravely wounded and barely able to stand as he limped towards the party carrying Chulz' broken body. He collapsed a few feet in front of Sienna who moved to cast *Death Ward* on him but momentarily hesitated as she realized that this was the perfect time to consume the vestige.

Urged onwards by Fenlaros' desire to consume Artemis' power, Sienna was faced with a choice, however the compulsion to consume Artemis was in no way overwhelming, but through her connection with Fenlaros she discerned that his trust in her was absolute. That being said, Sienna ultimately chose to spare Artemis, a decision which led to her connection to Fenlaros momentarily weakening as she sensed his presence suddenly retract in response. Although she successfully cast Death Ward on Artemis his wounds were supernatural, the worst one being a deep gash down his chest which he claimed had been a parting gift from the Horned Lord himself when Artemis attempted to escape with Chulz. This wound refused to heal its edges darkening as the necrosis continued to quickly snake outwards and consume him; although the spells cast upon him by the party helped to slow its spread.

Fion began tending to Chulz while Bric quickly returned to the Inferno hoping to fix the damage done to it during the battle. As he examined Chulz, Fion noted that he was indeed dead however, much of his body had been mutated, showing clear signs of demonic corruption which seemed to enhance his lycanthropic traits. While Fion did this, Artemis urged the party to quicky leave, as Aluvias himself was coming to reclaim Chulz' body. He offered to stay behind and buy them time, however Sienna offered him the chance to continue the fight, the clear implication being that she would consume him. Artemis quickly refused her offer, citing that he would much rather die free than continue to once more exist in servitude. As he turned to face his death, he gave her one final warning. He told her to be careful, for the path she walked was a dangerous one, Fenlaros did truly care for her but his goals would supersede all else.

With that Artemis bade them farewell and hobbled to the chapel's entrance where he sat down to face his death. With Bric having successfully repaired the Inferno, the party set off in the direction of the mountains; only managing to catch a quick glimpse of Aluvias' descent before hearing Artemis' last roar of defiance. It did not take long for Aluvias to catch sight of the Inferno and even less time for him to begin catching up in spite of the spells and attacks that the party hurled in his direction. The chase was on.

Frantically driving through the corrupt countryside, Sienna desperately looked for somewhere to hide while Elise released a barrage of *eldritch blasts* in hopes of losing their pursuer. A few of the cantrips successfully hit the fallen angel, buying a few precious seconds which allowed them to widen the gap. Thankfully Sienna managed to spot a narrow cave opening and charged the Inferno in its direction just as Fion used a *Sleet Storm* to temporarily blind Aluvias. This bought them just enough time for the Inferno to crash into the cave, where Bric used the wrecking ball to collapse its entrance. The last thing they saw as the entrance was sealed off was Aluvias slowly walking towards them, struggling against the raging *Sleet Storm*.

Taking a moment to catch their breath, they began hearing the sounds of frantic pounding and clawing at the entrance of the cave, and quickly surmised that he had summoned demons to aid in the pursuit. Unable to fit the Inferno, they set off on foot, leaving the war machine behind safe in the knowledge that they could resummon it if needed. The narrow passages snaked downwards before diverging off into three different paths. The party stuck to the left, where the path led to a steep ascent. They began struggling upwards, with some struggling more than others, and their struggle was made all the more desperate as they heard a loud crashing sound behind them followed by heavy footfalls and rushing hooves. Struggling onwards, Elise cast Fly on herself and Bric hoping to ease their ascent, however, Fion unable to see where he was going was finding it extremely difficult to climb. However, while their pace was slow, Sienna's use of Pass Without a Trace allowed them to travel quietly, and leave no tracks which ultimately led to them exiting the cave system without being detected.

Now outside once more, the party contemplated summoning the Inferno however Zaroc pointed out that it would only serve to advertise their location to Aluvias, which the rest agreed with. Taking full advantage of Sienna's spell they crawled through the countryside towards the mountain, giving a nearby hamlet a wide berth. A smart idea, as they soon saw more demons materialize within it. A few minutes later they once more saw Aluvias fly upwards and scan the surrounding countryside for them. Thankfully they managed to avoid his notice, as they slowly began to head towards a stone cairn that jutted out from the top of a nearby hill.

They slowly crawled towards the cairn, but just as they approached the cairn they saw Aluvias zipping towards in a flash of sickly green light. Realizing that he had seen them, they made a break for it with each of them rushing towards the cairn. Bric, who was carrying Chulz, began to fall behind, a fact that Aluvias took full advantage of as he used a spell to paralyze him. Thankfully Sienna used her Astral Absorption ability to dispel the spell, allowing all of them to rush into a narrow opening at the side of the cairn. Unable to fit inside, Aluvias landed outside the entrance and promised to spare them if they handed Chulz over. The party paid his promise no heed instead heading deeper into the passage beneath the cairn all the while hearing the sound of approaching demons.

The passage was a narrow one that grew narrower the deeper they went, as they descended further Fion noticed dwarven runes carved into the walls realizing that this was in fact a hidden dwarven passage. The passage eventually opened into a small cave at the end of which was a smooth wall of stone. Elise and Fion took to searching for an entrance while Bric and Sienna kept a watch on the passage behind them. Through a combination of spells and frantic investigations Elise and Fion found a hidden entrance inscribed with magical runes however they noticed that the runes' power was waning. Pressing a hidden button, a doorway opened revealing a pitch black passage beyond. Taking a few seconds to check for traps, the party rushed in closing the stone door behind and evading capture. At least for now.

Their relief was short-lived however, as they realized that the dwarven outpost had long been abandoned, piles of bones littered the floor (bones which Fion noted were not dwarven, but rather seemed to have belonged to humans), in addition to this, the walls were covered in a viscous black webbing. Refusing to let down their guard, the party cautiously made their way through the ruins eventually deciding to rest in a cramped storage room.

Settling in for her long rest, an exhausted Sienna reached out to Fenlaros, hoping to repair any damage done to their partnership. Through their connection she projected herself to him and found him standing at the edges of a rocky coast looking upon a raging storm. He did not speak to her, he did not need to. His thoughts were a torrent of doubt and fear, she quickly discerned that he was not angry but he was disappointed; he was worried, worried that she would betray him, that she would leave him...that he would push her away like he did so many others.

Sienna explained her reasoning to him, explained that she didn't want to forcefully take away a being's freedom especially one which had aided her. She also explained that she doubted that the others would have stood by and watched had she chosen to consume him, the logic behind her decision made sense, something that a more analytical part of Fenlaros noted and agreed with. He immediately began thinking of how he could help her odds should such a situation arise again, noting that Bric would be a valuable piece. His thoughts were interrupted as Sienna place a hand on his shoulder, calming him down and once more giving way to his more emotional side. Fenlaros assured her that while he did not agree with her decision, he would not hold it against her. He said that it was only a minor setback and together they would see this to the end.

With that she was pulled away from the projection as she was awoken by Elise for her watch. The first hour of her watch passed by without incident, however shortly into her second hour she began to hear skittering outside the storage room. Trying to look through a crack in the door she saw nothing but through her blindsight perceived something rushing by. Looking back to the rest of the party she saw a long claw reach through a wall to grab hold of Chulz. Sienna quickly reacted and slashed the creatures claw which disappeared back into the wall. As soon as she did this, she heard the sound of rushing skitters as a trio of mutated spiders rushed towards the door.

The rest of the party were quickly awoken by the spiders, and a battle ensued where the party used their defensive position within the storage room to hold back the swarm of spider horrors through a combination of might and magic. Sienna meanwhile used her manoeuvrability to shift through the spiders and strike at them picking them off one by one. As the party began to push them back, Sienna heard the sound of something shift beside her as a large, slender arachnoid creature with a face that may have once been human but had now been twisted beyond recognition. The creature charged towards Sienna and then disappeared only to reappear a few seconds later.

As that happened, Fion used a *Watery Sphere* to imprison a few of the spiders and seal off one of the passages, hoping to stem the tide. Unbeknownst to him, another one of the larger arachnoid creatures materialized beside him and quickly grabbed hold of Chulz. Seeing the danger Bric rushed in and slashed at the creature managing to cut off one of its many limbs but unable to save Chulz as the creature once more disappeared. The party quickly dispatched the rest of the spider horrors, and unable to detect the creature with her blindsight, Sienna quickly surmised that it might be using an ability akin to her *Blink* spell to enter the Ethereal Plane. Using the spell, she entered the ethereal plane and managed to catch sight of the creature descending into a hole carrying Bric with it.

She quickly informed the others, and without a second thought used Dimension Door and teleported the full distance to follow the creature. She immediately realized her mistake as she found that the hole led to a massive cavern which went down hundreds of feet. Thankfully being in the Ethereal Plane meant that she took no damage from the fall, as she found herself in a massive dwarven throne room, its lower levels flooded in black ichor and its walls covered in black webs. A swarm of spider horrors quickly attacked her at the behest of a heavily mutated matriarch which lumbered towards her, the walls shaking with its every step.

Realizing the danger she was in, she telepathically explained her situation to Fion and began frantically fending off the swarm. As this was happening the rest of the party jumped down the hole, surviving the fall thanks to Elise' casting of *Feather Fall* at the last second. A brutal battle ensued where the party was almost overwhelmed by the swarm. In the midst of battle, Bric once more reached the limit of the strength that Crimson Vow could grant him, his muscles growing to unnatural sizes as the sword ripped apart those it touched.

The tide now turning, the matriarch retreated deeper into the throne room where the party saw a massive cocoon. The matriarch frantically began forcing more ichor into the cocoon, while the arachnoid creature that was carrying Chulz rushed towards it. Seeing their opportunity Bric and Sienna rushed towards the cocoon, which they now saw contained a partially formed Balor. Not wasting any time, Sienna finished off the horror and the matriarch; and then proceeded to slay the Balor but not before the demon could call to Aluvias. Letting out one final breath the demon exploded outwards in a flash of abyssal fire which tossed Sienna back into Bric's arms.

The battle now over, Elise and Sienna began searching for loot, finding a few potions, some sets of dwarven armour and what Sienna assumed was a magical crown. Meanwhile, Bric and Fion began making their way out of the throne room, but, with the adrenaline of the battle now fading, Bric began to struggle. The half-orc was unable to stand on his own, as he began to hyperventilate and stumble onto his knees. His muscles shrunk back to normal and it seemed as if he was older, weaker. Helped by Fion, Bric slowly made his way out of the throne room and the two of them came to the dwarven city beyond; situated within a large cavern with various buildings carved into its walls. The lower levels in the centre were flooded by black ichor, and not wanting to take any further risks the duo found shelter in a nearby building in the upper level. Bric unable to stand, instantly collapsed, his body seeming to finally give out from the exhaustion.

Meanwhile, having secured their loot, Elise and Sienna made their way towards the others but not before setting the cocoon and the entire web aflame, and just in time as the duo saw Aluvias begin to materialize within the cocoon only for his form to fade within the flame. But before he could completely disappear he begged them to do the right thing and return Chulz.