Session 35: Throw the Book at 'Em

## Key Plot Developments

The heroes are still in Gravenhollow, the library beyond space and time. Glyn has made a temporary truce with Misu, unaware that Misu stole his stonespeaker crystal and has deceived him. They decide to keep researching.

* Trix learns about soul coins. They're the currency of the Nine Hells. They trap doomed creatures' spirits; devils can call on the spirits to perform any deed they could do in life. Trix surmises that, if he's killed, Ichabod will be able to access his clerical powers through his coin. Clerics' souls are particularly valuable, since devils can technically force gods to do their bidding. He also learns he's been a cleric of Twilight since his soul was taken. He then looks into bringing back Drigglezub; if he's powerful enough, he could ressurect her.
* Tremble looks into Bregan D'Aerthe and learns they have contacts throughout the Underdark, including in Mantol Derith. Then, he looks into the K'Gaust family, who seem to be successful merchants, but live in Eastmyr, a less well-off area of the city of spiders. Finally, he looks into Jimjar's present: Jimjar is NOT in Menzoberranzan. He's back in Blingdenstone. He's tongueless, but not limbless; he's been given prosthetics. They don't look well-made. Jimjar was captured by Ilvara, tortured, mutilated, and dropped back in Blingdenstone. Tremble's mentor is a shell of a gnome.
* Misu sees a future where the Demogorgon has killed Orcus and taken his wand and the Deepking's hammer. She reads up on the contracts between the Steelshadows and Asmodeus, and finds that MANY devil-related items were plundered from the vaults by Orcus; Orcus is currently dominating Cyrog, a mind flayer elder brain. She surmises Ichabod wanted to get to the kingdom to check in on the contract, deal with any disturbances, and curry favor with the Big Man Down Below. Finally, she gets a map of Underdark and compares it to a less recent iteration: Araumycos, the swelling fungus, is rapidly expanding.
* Bogtooth finds a tome of the Archfey. He searches for information on Lady Dulcinea, and finds that she rarely interferes with things in the Underdark; rather, she's normally situated in a grove close to the Sword Coast. He's not able to read Celestial, but discerns something about 'the holy three' in relation to Dulcinea. Then, he reads of a possible future: he's at Vizeran De'Vir's tower, trying to complete a ritual, but he fails; a drow leads an army of the undead against them. Finally, he realizes that Dulcinea was either wrong or lying about the 'evil goblin' prophecy. There is no single goblin of destruction; rather, the blood runs in the veins of all six. **"The clan's blood is my blood!"**

Trix speaks to Vizeran about his intentions. Vizeran tries to be clear: he wants the goblins' help with banishing the demons back to the Abyss. He offers to get them to his tower, but Tremble wants to go to Blingdenstone to help Jimjar first. Lemon shares what he's learned about flesh and blood. Bogtooth shares his information and offers to change the clan's name to 'Clan Demonbane'; it doesn't stick.

Trix has intuited Misu's lies about stealing Glyn's crystal. He confronts her. As they leave the library, determined to save Jimjar and then end the threat of the demon lords, Trix vanishes in a puff of red and black smoke.

Trix hurtles into hell, where he's trapped for what feels like months in a DMV-esque line. After enduring an onslaught of bureaucracy and encountering Ix'Thor at the sentencing desk, he meets his public defender (Forneus, responsible for bad-faith arguments). Forneus shares the facts: he's being sued for negligence by Ichabod, his trial date has been expedited by Misu's request, and he has to choose someone to defend him.

Trix offers three names - Garl Glittergold (who, as a deity, is not allowed by Asmodeus's decree), Misu's mother Tilphousia (who is out on assignment), and--surprisingly--Graz'zt. Graz'zt, citing devil case law so he can legally represent Trix, agrees on the contingency he gets what Glyn promised him (Glyn's service in the afterlife and/or Grazilaxx as a consort).

## Memorable Quotations

* **Tremble:** Wilenet’s family is doing really well!
* **Bogtooth:** That’s great! Are her brothers driders yet?
* **Tremble:** No, surprisingly. From the way Wilenet talked about it, you’d think they were gonna be turned into driders immediately.

**Vizeran:** We can banish these demons back into the Abyss if you’re daring enough. Or foolhardy! Haha!

* **Misu:** Do you know about the spell Mind Blank?
* **Vizeran:** As a mater of fact, I DO. It is within my prowess to manufacture the blanking of the minds.

**Vizeran:** If we able to ambush these undead before they are able to ambush US, then we will have the advantage of superior…tactics.

* **Tremble:** Pyrite’s probably really happy where she is right now.
* **Bogtooth:** She’d probably kick us for crying about it. And she'd tell us not to end up there any time soon...so she can take it over or something.

**Lemon:** I’m what they call a ‘biological impossibility’ and that’s okay!

* **Lemon**: Did you know that sometimes there are amoebas that eat the brain?
* **Bogtooth:** That’s terrifying!
* **Lemon:** Yeah! It’s a terrible way to die.
* **Trix:** Great job, Lemon!
* **Lemon:** Now I’m a scholar.
* **Trix:** Well, yeah, you’ve always been a scholar, since the first day we met...

**Lemon:** Wait, you’re asking me to share my truth? Okay! I will! Okay. I’m gonna share all the things about blood! Hemoglobin!

**Lemon:** Lemme try to do a poem! A haiku! The overgrowth. It must be consumed by me. Yes. Consume. Consume!

* **Bogtooth:** What about Clan Demonbane? The demon’ll know we’re there to kill 'em!
* **Tremble:** Hmmmm. I don’t like it.

**Ix'Thor:** You're here because of the trial! It's happening in a day. Your counsel's been filin' some briefs for ya!