EvilParty: The Battle With The Pit Fiend

Various things are going on in the world. The tarrasque is still rampaging, the dark army is nearing the Imperial province, and a portion of the main elven army has been destroyed; human forces hold the western section of the elven settlements. Elven extremists have taken over Caristhium and, among other things, hanged Emilianna Fontaine, the King’s Great-Aunt and Tavros’ mother. 

Meanwhile, Evil!Party is confronting Balaam within the staff. Jenny charges and hits him. Balaam hits us with a meteor swarm, and then drops a quickened fireball and then a Power Word Stun on Chuck. Chuck is stunned, and Durest has now used up all his fire protection. 

Jenny attacks again and maims Balaam. Balaam decides that she’s the threat, and attacks her with everything he has, but fails to take her down. He afflicts her with fear, but Durest removes the fear. Chuck is still stunned. 

Jenny then moves in and beats him down. 

Chuck claims the sixth medallion, and the other five vibrate in harmony with it. A pedestal with a burning brazier rises from the ground. Chuck starts dropping medallions into the flames. We start by throwing Jenny’s medallion into the fire, and each time we do a sort of incandescent veil lifts from us and disappears into the fire. The staff is no longer linked to us. Then we throw in the snow spirit, and Lord Prisius, and both of them are drawn into the brazier. At that point the world starts shaking and it’s obviously starting to come apart. Burhea appears and tells Chuck to throw the final medallion into the flames. 

Burhea: “Throw it in!”

Balaam: “Liar!” 

Chuck puts on the medallion, and half the room just falls away. We’re looking out onto this vast rocky landscape with lava rivers, crawling with hordes of devils. In the distance beside a river of lava is this layered fortress made  of obsidian: this is the Fortress of Appollyon, the Devil King. A frost devil is walking up a path, followed by chain devils carrying chairs, followed by lemurs (least devils) carrying various things including writing skins, pens, and ink. One more is waddling along with a short staff. They’re all headed this way. 

Balaam looks alarmed. 

Burhea: “Quick! Throw it in the fire! Destroy this place! You’ll set us all free and destroy one of Appollyon’s generals! You’ll never have a chance like this again.”

They stop in front of the shimmering at the edge of the room. 

Chuck: “Hey, Balaam? I think you know how this is going to end. I think we better start working together a little better.”

Ice demon: “Master has become impatient for the return of his good servant. Will you not invite me in?”

Chuck: “Come on in. Let’s open the negotiations.”

The whole procession presses through the barrier, and sets up the chairs and tables. The ice devil seats itself, and Chuck sits across from it.

Ice Demon: “The sealing ritual prevents the Master from entering Midgard, but this soul gem provides a point of contact.”

Ice Demon: “Master Appollyon, true-blooded descendent of the first, true heir to the world, desires the return of his servant. But Balaam’s defeat in battle places him in your debt. The Master offers this rod in exchange, and if you accept the debt will be paid for you and the Master will collect his servant’s debt for the creation of this item.”

One of the lemurs brings the rod over, and the ice devil touches the rod; suddenly the lemur is covered in amazingly expensive clothing, and it straightens with a newfound dignity and an aura of power. “In addition, it can create a palatial manor to house many of your kind and augment your spellcasting powers, making you far stronger than you are now.”

Chuck: “Balaam? What’s your counter-offer?”

Balaam: “Don’t take gifts from that pathetic–” he spits on the floor “Gelugon. Chuck… I will pay off my debt. You have beaten me in battle; I will help you.”

Despite the weird pincers and the inhuman face, the ice devil seems to be smiling. “This is… allowed…” A couple of lemurs come over with the parchments, and… yeah, it’s skin. The ice devil unrolls it. It’s a contract saying that Balaam must serve Chuck ninety-nine times before he can return to the dark realm. 

Jenny: “So in terms of this service, is the foreplay one service or is it the whole sex act?” 

Durest elbows her. After some discussion, we work out that Chuck would be able to summon Balaam more or less at will if he chooses this option. The rod is pretty powerful too, though. 

Chuck: “What do you think Appollyon has planned for Balaam if I take the rod?”

The ice demon looks at the Chuck, looks significantly at the lemur, and then looks back at Chuck. 

Jenny asks about defeating Balaam again once we use up all our summonings: could we renew the deal that way?

"No," says the ice devil. Appollyon’s hierarchy is all about strength; a pit fiend who got defeated twice is no longer a pit fiend. 

Chuck looks at Balaam: “Well, call me an old softie but… Balaam, I think you’re going to be sticking with me.”

Burhea fades out, still cursing Chuck. 

Ice Devil: “So you are decided?” 

Chuck: “I’m decided.”

The ice devil lays a dagger on the contract. Chuck puts a bloody handprint on the contract. Balaam crawls over and signs his name in his own blood. The scroll rolls itself up and the ice devil turns to depart. The floor here starts to harden, until we’re in a cubic stone room. Then it all goes a bit hazy as we fade out. 

We fall out of the staff into the room where the ritual was done. We’re back in Sol Povos, in Wellfort. 

There is screaming and chaos upstairs. 

We come up and find the dead body of Maodeus in the courtyard, in full dragon form. The cardinal is rushing out to raise him back. There are some beat-up bugbears and ogres around as well. Durest strolls over to the nearest bugbear, asks, “What happened?” and heals him.

Meanwhile… King Luc is pissed about the death of his aunt. Viggo the Whisperer, the All-Knowing, the king’s spymaster is exhausted from trying to hold the kingdom together when half the king's whims would tear it apart, including a recent decision to recall the Solari that were blocking the Tarrasque so that they can defend the Imperial province. The latest two cities that the king left undefended against the Tarrasque were evacuated and the bridges burnt to leave the Tarrasque restrained. The poet Dante and Father Montaigne worked together to get it done. All the king’s advisors look tired. Dante in particular looks… a little sad. 

“Viggo! I want the loyalty mandates stepped up!” yelled the king. “And find that goddamn Silver Fox!”

Viggo: “I have a particularly skilled bounty hunter on job already.” 

The king wants The Silver Fox drawn and quartered. Or eighthed. Or however many pieces they can manage. The Seneschal suggests a particular form of tortuous execution which will be called “The King’s Rack”. The king is enthused. 

They manage to redirect the king from executing all the elves that his field commander has under her rule. 

The poet Dante distracts the king with the story of an ancient dragon buried beneath the dragonmound. They tell the king that it really exists, and they know how to wake it up. The king instructs them to wake it up. And – dear gods – the king wants to send Duke Corbin back up to the Northern Front. The Duke had sent him a letter. And the king is insistent – very insistent. So that's probably going to happen.

But the King's advisors have found a way to wake this ancient, legendary elder wyrm. This is the dragon who annihilated Maodeus’ army and killed him. 

The hierophant explains the situation to us, including the return of the Great Worm, in a massive meeting of all the Vecna higher-ups. So they’re suggesting that we go with the Hierophant Malafar and Maodeus to attack this dragon. We agree, with a bit of bargaining: Chuck gets a book of Vile Darkness, Durest gets a Shadow Scepter that’s… very nearly made for him… and Jenny gets a guarantee that they will replace Ferroustopher when he inevitably gets destroyed. 

Chuck uses the book and levels up twice; Durest levels up, and adds a level of Hierophant so he can now do touch attack spells (or heal) from thirty feet away. He'd feel a lot better about this if he could become a lich first and then fight the dragon, but there's no time for that now.