Session 6: Dancing Bears and Demon Lords

Overnight, Vojta has a vision of Muntgard being destroyed by the black dragonborn who killed Tusk. He brings it up while on the ship to New Galead. Ahrm confirms that the Muntgard cleric order was destroyed by the Last Light Gang, a group of elite assassins. The group decides to fully inform Thorim about their situation, but he remains carefree about the danger they’re heading into. During the voyage, Vica draws a humorous image of Ahrm (shown below).

In New Galead, Thorim is called out by a friend from the war, Erias Greyhammer, who treats the group to lots of beer. Vojta and Thorim get shitfaced and end up dancing around in bear form and fishing in the docks without a fishing line. Vica makes another drawing of Vojta as a drunk bear. Meanwhile Ahrm recognises his former employer Gyrra behind the counter. It turns out that Gyrra left a note in Ahrm's bag before fleeing from Muntgard to point him towards a gold stash, but Ahrm didn't see the note in time to retrieve the gold. Gyrra betrays that he has some knowledge about the Last Light Gang and pulls Ahrm into a back room to discuss, but when Ahrm returns he gives no new information other than telling the others not to discuss the gang in public, lest they get targeted. At the end of the night, the more sober members secure a ship to Ironclad Port and herd the drunkards onto it.

Six days later, the group arrives in Ironclad Port and crosses through the tunnel to Ironclad. Feeling broke, Thorim and Vojta perform a dancing bear act for the inhabitants of Ironclad and earn a bit of silver. An elf then approaches and gets the group's attention by showing that he pick-pocketed the kraken priest dagger from Arran. Ahrm sucker-punches him, but Bear-Vojta restrains Ahrm so they can hear the elf out. The elf shakes off the punch and returns the dagger, then presents the group with an aquamarine pearl. He says it can be used to answer all their questions if they speak Draconic to it under a full moon, then leaves into the masses.

The group heads into the wilderness north of Ironclad and sets up camp there. With the full moon in the sky, Vica activates the pearl by speaking in Draconic. This causes a crystalline devil to emerge and injure Vica. Ahrm attacks the demon, but his spinning kick is dodged and knocks out Vica instead. Thorim zooms in with great speed to pull Vica out of danger while Vojta heals her back to consciousness. Ahrm, Vojta and Thorim then pile on the demon while Vica and Arran dismantle it with a rain of arrows. When defeated, the demon explodes into magical energy that transports the group to another plane of existence.

This new location is a huge library with an aquamarine throne. Vica recognises it as Eximum, the realm of Pha’uel, the demonic lord of truth. Pha’uel himself, a dome-headed humanoid with many spider-like arms and legs, approaches them and offers information at a price. When asked about the oncoming disaster that Tusk spoke of, he muses that two others have asked the same question before, and says only to seek out Arran’s contact in Ceneza. The group asks about the Last Light Gang and other personal matters, but Pha’uel demands a soul in return for the information. He says that he can’t ask for Vica’s or Arran’s souls because they already have demonic ties, nor Vojta’s because his soul is protected by the Lunar Man. He offers to take Ahrm or Thorim’s soul as payment, but the two refuse. The devil tells Vojta not to fail Etreath, as it would be inconvenient for everyone. He then transports them back to the material plane, where the pearl has been broken.