Dramatis Personae
Alfaren “Alfred” Eredel – Elf transmuter
Boecca – Half-orc inquisitor of Erastil
Carlos Santiago - Half-orc (Alkenstarian) evoker
Slavé/Jancen – Tiefling (in guise as a human) rogue/assassin
Tavo Dechirent - Human cleric of Pharasma
Oathday, 16 Calistril, 4709 A.R.
After regrouping in the Hall of Hellscapes, the Returners move on with a still-comatose Alizander in tow. Soon after they leave the Hall the group is set upon by an unknown assailant – a silent, brawny half-orc wearing little more than a pair of short, loose-fitting breeches. The half-orc attacks without explanation, wielding no weapons but his hands and feet. The half-orc makes a brave show against the Returners, but woefully underestimated the might of the champions of Westcrown, and is summarily dispatched by the group. Boecca calls upon the divine help of Erastil to determine some details of the dead assailant, learning that his name was Zol, and that he worked as a professional assassin. The Returners deduce that he was likely sent by the Council of Thieves, likely the usurper group led by Eccardian and Chammady Drovenge, considering that several of the thieves guarding the ruins upstairs had escaped.
The group returns to the Gallery of Burning Lovers, where the fiery minotaur statue still guards the way beyond. Boecca steps into the room bearing the rune-etched iron ring, the rest of the Returners gathered near him. With the ring in their possession, the Returners are permitted through the door without resistance from the burning guardian. Through the door they find another stairway leading downward, spiraling out of sight. Following it, they pass through another iron doorway into a round chamber featuring a lone guardian standing beside a small ebony table, upon which rests a cracked crystal ball. The figure, a humanoid being of polished metal and complex clockwork gears, rises to its full seven-foot height, layers of dust falling from its green cloak as it stands at attention.
The clockwork being bows, introduces itself as Signatory Vaccha, and requests that the “carrier of the contract” present himself for inspection. Jancen does so, and Signatory Vaccha examines the contract retrieved from the Lord-Mayor. Satisfied, it nods and steps aside, permitting passage through the chamber. The party speaks with the being for a time, learning that in the chamber beyond the party will encounter a final guardian referred to as “the Librarian”, and that they might be able to negotiate safe passage without fighting the Librarian if they can both convince the Librarian that they are agents of the current mayor of Westcrown and display proof that they should be in the Nessian Spiral with knowledge of the dungeon and its workings.
Moving on, the Returners next enter the library, a pleasantly warm chamber lined with bookshelves heavy with tomes, featuring tables laden with alchemical gear, crafting tools, and other laboratory devices. Standing at one of the tables is a feminine figure – presumably the Librarian – wearing salmon-coloured breeches and an intricately embroidered bodice. A mass of snakes writhes atop her head, and as she turns to face the party they note a black veil obscuring her face. The Returners speak with the Librarian for some time – she keeps her face veiled throughout – seeming to convince her that they are in the Nessian Spiral on the Lord-Mayor’s orders (by showing her the contract). Over time they discover that the Librarian, who calls herself Zovarue, has been bound to this room for as long as the Nessian Spiral has existed, acting as advisor and crafter of magical items to the first two mayors in residence. Zovarue seems eager to help the party on their quest against Liebdaga the Twin, believing that her binding will be destroyed with the complete shutdown of the Spiral. She explains that following the shutdown of the five cooling chambers above, there are two more steps necessary to stop the engine for good: the destruction of the physical structure of the infernal cage housing the engine, and finally the destruction or dismissal of the engine itself – the pit fiend Liebdaga the Twin.
Several party members stay and speak with Zovarue for a time. Jancen and Alfred discover (without her knowledge) that the medusa has her own secret designs on the rule of Westcrown, and catch a brief glimpse of her own personal list of laws and statutes. Finally, the party decides to head back to Signatory Vaccha’s chamber and rest for their final showdown with Liebdaga the Twin.
Fireday, 17 Calistril, 4709 A.R.
The party moves on, bolstered by their diplomatic encounters with the denizens of the Nessian Spiral. They encounter a series of locks blocking the entrance to the Infernal Engine chamber, and manage to bypass these by interpreting the password-inscriptions on each door. Finally, the party enters the Infernal Engine chamber.
A fifty-foot-high domed ceiling rises above the massive room, the air of which is blisteringly hot. An immense, fiery pentagram, inlaid in the floor with strange glowing gems and metals, reaches out to touch the walls. Suspended in the centre of the room by seven immense chains is a ten-foot-diameter adamantine cage. Crimson crystal ribs extend up from the walls to the ceiling above where they connect to pillars of what looks like crystallized blood that descend down to surround the centre of the room and the dangling cage therein. A discordant humming fills the air of the room, causing everything to vibrate and shake. Every few seconds, a blast of heat washes over the room as a wreath of fire washes over the cage and then slithers like fiery lightning up along the chains to be absorbed by the blood-red crystal ribs.
Within the adamantine cage is a large flickering form, a deep red pit fiend forced into a fetal position, whose body seems only partially physical – alternating between flesh and fire and smoke with rapid fluctuations. As the party enters the room, the cage shakes and rattles in place. An instant later, the cage lurches into life, sprouting three smaller chains with which it can smash and grab foes. The larger chains lashing it to the walls of the chamber extend and retract, allowing the cage to move as if of its own free will around the room. The battle against the cage and Liebdaga himself is long and treacherous. Boecca is nearly crushed by the massive chains whipping back and forth from the cage. Luckily, with the Talisman of the Twin in their possession, the Returners manage to cause Liebdaga such distress that when the cage is finally destroyed and the devil freed, it takes of the pit fiend’s willpower to act against the party. Finally, inevitably, the one-time duke of Avernus is put to the sword once and for all, and the Infernal Engine shutdown.
Treasure
· From Zol
o Potion of barkskin +4 (2) (worth 300 gp total)
o Belt of physical might +2 (Str/Con) (worth 5000 gp)
o Bracers of armour +1 (worth 500 gp)
o Ring of protection +2 (worth 4000 gp)
Experience Awards
· Zol, Council of Thieves’ assassin – 9600 xp
· Story Award (bypass the burning guardian) – 4800 xp
· Story Award (negotiate passage from Signatory Vaccha) – 19,200 xp
· Story Award (negotiate passage from Zovarue, medusa librarian) – 9600 xp
· Liebdaga’s Cage (Infernal Engine shutdown stage two) – 4800 xp
· Liebdaga the Twin (Infernal Engine shutdown stage three) – 19,200 xp
· Total – 67,200 xp
· Per PC (5) – 13,440 xp
Current XP Total per PC
· Carlos, Slavé – 74,055 xp each
· Alfred – 71,520 xp
· Boecca – 71,300 xp
· Tavo – 70,310 xp
· Alizander – 56,935 xp
· Total Current Fame Points – 18
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