Session 32

Knot members rush to check Mardus' eye damage.  Yvainne determines the eyes are salvageable, just with some healing magic she doesn't currently have.

The other Knot members go about securing the mountain top & exploring.  Their primary objective is the flame that burns above the temple.  Using some of their unholy water collected from the now ruined Horn, the forces of Hell quench the light of Mitra & plunge the mountaintop into darkness.  Only two more flames to put out.

The Knot with-drawl and returns to their forces camped outside Sanctum.  They send Trik with some bugbears and shroud guards to go to the mountaintop & maintain desecration on the phoenix.  Meanwhile the leaders of the shroud organize their forces.  Some minions have already spread out among the cities of Talengarde, but others being procuring large quantities of acid.  The Phoenix will be melted down into nothing...

And there in Sanctum the Knot waits until morning when Yvainne is able to restore Mardus' eyesight.  At one point the invisible Ogre Magi, Raiju, spots Mardus slipping into the house commandeered by Izeval & her undead horde.  But the Ogre simply shrugs & returns to his silent patrol.

In the morning Yvainne restores sight to Mardus & the Knot head out.

While in route to the Gardens outside the Cathedral, the Knot are surprised to see a flock of hippogriffs come swarming over the Vale, lead by two huge Rocks, one of which is bearing a jovial yet brutal Storm Giant.

The two massive birds at the head swoop down on the Knot, as the hippogriffs fly by.  Some heading for Sanctum, others to the Phoenix mountain top.  Mardus, unsure of Trik's ability to keep the Phoenix remains from being resurrected, lobs fireballs at the hippogriffs heading to the mountain.  And when the burnt birds arrive, they are quickly overcome by the soldiers stationed there.

Meanwhile, the Knot is forced to fend off the vanguard of the assault.  A mixture of magic & ranged attacks takes the Rock being flown by the Storm Giant down.  Though not before the Giant chained lightning through the Knot.  On the ground, the Storm Giant struck out at anything he could reach.  He nearly took off the head of a Hell Hound, and seriously injured Quell.  While the other Rock swooped low & grabbed Emmerick from the ground.

As the Storm Giant fell before the Ninth, Emmerick was still being carried away by the mighty bird.  Brother Summit & Mardus rushed along the ground underneath, as Emmerick's Nightmare lagged behind.  The bird eventually dropped Emmerick, to have him plummet hundreds of feet to the ground, before it was blasted out of the sky.

Mardus was surprised to see Emmerick somehow managed to survive the fall.  But the Hell Knight was more surprised to see that when he rouse, Mardus' eyes were wreathed in fire & he spoke with an alien voice.  "Give the Storm Giant to me.  Sacrifice him in my name."

The Knot quickly sacrificed the fallen Storm Giant to Asmodeus.

As the blood of the chaotic good creature spilled on the ground in the Vale of Valternia, the hippogriffs still alive returned and circled overhead.  And there, before all to see, they transformed into fiendish monstrosities, wholly under the command of the Ninth Knot.

Hell was pleased.

Back in town, some of Hekkarth's Headtakers used the cover of the Hippogriph attack to attempt to loot the town & kill some villagers.

Roderick and the other shroud minions were still recovering.  But Raiju and Izivel were quick to rally and stomp out the Bugbears foolish enough to cross the banks of the river.

By the time the Ninth Knot returned to Sanctum to drop off their fiendish hippogriffs, the banks of the river already had a couple beautiful bugbear statues decorating it's banks.

With order restored, the Ninth turned around & once again made the trip to the Garden's.  This time on the backs of hellish hippogriffs.

As the Knot rushes over forest & river, they arrive at the stone dock to find six legion archons.  The angels rush to engage with the forces of Hell.  Over dock & river, flaming swords clash, a couple hiphogriffs fall under the onslaught, dropping Quell and Brother Summit into the river.  But the Knot does not faulter.  They push on and crush the celestial inervention, and push on to the doors of the Hunter's Hall.  And beyond, the Gardens of Serenity.

The Knot walks into the Hunter's Hall and their toughest fight yet.

Somehow Quell's keen elven eyes fail to spot the expertly hidden Lional.  The angel lays in wait until the Knot fully enters, then it strikes.  It roars, unleashing a holy blast, blinding and stunning many of the Knot & leaving Emmerick's nightmare paralyzed in place.

As Knot members struggle in the face of this angel's divine wraith, the Lea the Huntress follows it up by dropping a Wall of Force & isolating Brother Summit & the blind Emmerick from the other 6 knot members & their three Nessian Warhounds.

Brother Summit calls out to Emmerick so he knows they're isolated, then he does what he always does, rush into melee.

The Monk & Anti-Paladin tag team the celestial, as the other Knot members start to recover their sight & assess the situation.  A couple small holes high in the rafters gives those knot members with flying an option to slip through & help.

Arcane and divine spells are flung throughout the Hunter's feast hall.  Yet the divine wards around the angel prove to great and they fissile and fail to land any effect.  Still, the raw physical might of the Knot stagger the Lionel.  Lea staggers back & slips back to roar again, blinding the Ninth, then quickly healing herself, wiping away the damage so painstakingly inflicted on her.  Then another wall of force is created.  Effectively restarting the battle.

Round two of the battle commences, but it goes better for the Ninth.  This time, knowing what they are up against, they trudge forward undaunted.  And slowly, excruciatingly, the Ninth wear down the angel, until, through pure force of will, the angel falters and falls before the combined might of the Lord of Hell and the Midnight Lord.

Meanwhile, as the Knot rests before the entrance to the Gardens, their minions continue to claw their way into secret posts.  So as King Markadian V of Talengarde holds court in Matharyn and finishes rallying his mighty army he doesn't even realize spies for the breakers of Balentyne are in his court, quietly watching & waiting.

Session 31

As a dark dawn opens on the Vale of Valternia, the town of Sanctum finds itself ruled by a new set of masters.

Seeing a chance, even a slim one, to save villagers, the Mayor of Sanctum quickly bends a knee to their new overlords.  And what a benevolent set of overlords they are.  The Knot keeps the bugbears at bay, having their own human minions patrol the town.  Their only cause for tribute is to search the town for any magic items.

Emmerick taking particular pleasure in recovering a magical mithril shield adorned with the trappings of Asmodeus.  A trophy of the Mitrian conquest of the Lord of Hell.  Better if they'd have melted it into scrap.  Now the anti-paladin would use the shield to protect him on his quest to kill as many celestials in the Vale as he could find.

With order maintained, the Knot quickly posts a set of guards on the gates leading into the Vale.  And in a matter of days their preparations pay off.  For a ragged war band of Mitrians tries to break out, only to be captured.  Their leader, a man claiming to be Lord Roderick of Farholde, is in possession of some interesting trade contracts.

A few minutes alone with Yvainne's gentle company and he coughs up the truth.  He's no Lord, he's just a simply hustler, Robert the Rapier, a rogue from Ghastenhall.  His con warms Mardus' black heart.  Reminding him of his own glory days.  The Knot offers Robert a choice, join them and earn come coin.  Or die.  Either way, his contracts were forfeit, destined for the Knot's close ally, lady Shalyn Marsten. The con artist picks the obvious choice & joins the Shroud.

With order established in Sanctum, the Knot set their sights higher, literally.

They sail by boat to the base of the Mountain of the Phoenix and stare up it's jagged cliff & ice covered switchback stairs.

Brother Summit tries the snow choked stairs & confirms they are a bad option.

Using the Nightmare & zombie silver dragon and Mardus using his flaming wings, the Knot fly up the cliff-side.  They come to a screeching halt when Quell notices a shimmering energy field.  There is some sort of trap.

The Knot regroups at the base & considers their options.  But with little alternative, the Knot buffs for a fight & rushes up through the magical trap & land at the grand foyer entrance to the Mountain top temple.

Expecting a fight they wait.  But don't see one immediately.  So the Knot gathers, buffs more & bursts into the temple, only to find themselves confronted by overlapping walls of fire.

Emmerick strides forward and calls out to beyond the roaring fire.  "Your doom has arrived.  Prepare to die."

A voice calls back.  "Then come, for Doom there shall be."  Then the sound of casting follows, as a near by brazer of fire explodes, choking the Knot in smoke.

The fight with the Angel of Fire has begun.

The ensuing battle is a slug-fest of fire and smoke.  The Peri unleashed the full measure of her fury.  And the battle dragged on.  The Knot never able to land a solid blow.  But as the damage worn on her, the Peri flew out into the open to get away from the melee members of the Knot.  And there, flying 400 ft above the placid lake below, Wasyli struck.  Using his devil pact with his Suffocation spell, the Shadow Sorcerer of Hell pierces the celestial's defenses & sucks the air out of it's lungs, suffocating it mid-flight.  The majestic creature plummets the 400 ft to the jagged rocks below.

There's a pause, as the Knot catches their breath.  Then a roar sounds from the top of the mountain, and the temple shakes.  The Phoenix stirred.

The Knot members rushed into the Temple, closing the door.  Quell climbed up the column to get at an odd glowing sphere he'd spotted during combat, likely the source of whatever trap or ward was in effect on the mountain top.

As well fumbled around, other Knot members tried to shake off the lingering effects of the choking smoke, and bar the doors into the temple.  Then a great roar reverberated at the large double doors to the temple and they were bashed down.

Emmerick stood his ground & coming roaring through the thick smoke was a massive flaming phoenix, it's aura of heat washing over the anti-paladin.  Mardus's magics warding the Knight of Hell from the divine Phoenix's flames.

The pitched battle went on for a while as other members of the Knot tried to heal their still fresh wounds & see if the stairs out the back of the temple lead anywhere.  Rushing out they found the sacred flame of Mitra burning under a completely open sky.  No cover to be found anywhere.

Meanwhile back in the temple, the Phoenix flew back out the doors under relentless attack where it healed itself before spotting various Knot members fleeing up the narrow stairs toward the flame.  And it's nest!

The Phoenix soared above the mountain & swooped low over the stairs & flame of Mitra, clawing & screeching at any it saw.  And there above the stairs, a pitched battle was fought.

Brother Summit tried leaping onto the Phoenix, only to have the massive bird shrug off his grapple and leave him tumbling back down to the stairs below.

Yvainne tried in vain to cause significant damage to the celestial.  The beasts resistance to spells proving too great.  Resorting to buffing magic, Wasyli got busy trying to magically fly his allies.  The magical flying failed for Brother Summit, forcing him to fall a second time down onto the mountain top.  However, Emmerick was lucky enough to stay aloft.

Emmerick, augmented with magical flight, was able to engage directly with the bird.  And soon the fiery winged Mardus rushed to his side to heal him & provide light melee support.  The beast tried dispelling Emmerick's flight, but only managed to remove his fire resistance.  With Mardus close beside, Emmerick took only some damage.  Still, it was frightening to feel the unrestrained heat of the beast, without protection.

Between the healing & energy resistance, Mardus got the full furry of the Phoenix as the beast turned it's full attention on the Fire Oracle.  The snapping beak was followed up by back to back claw strikes.

Emmerick looked over in horror as Mardus grabs for his eyes as the Phoenix finishes clawing at his face. Down below, unsure if his compatriot is blind or not, Wasyli once again pulled out all his power. he called on his devil pact to empower his arcane spell & once again cast his Suffocation spell.  The air was quickly sucked from the lungs of the Phoenix, the massive bird fell to the mountain stairs below, where a waiting Brother Summit beat it do death in a flurry of blows.  Yvainne, wasting no time, quickly encircled it's corpse in a desecration spell to stall it's self-resurrection ability.

The fight over, the Knot looked to assess the damage.  The most concerning of which appeared to be Mardus' eyes.