Quickly cloaking Brother Summit it invisibility & granting him magical flight, he teleported above the protected area and flew down into the recently opened roof. While there he sliced off a scale from the dead black dragon and then rushing off before the area was swarmed by guards.
Not wishing to squander an opportunity, the Knot wasted no time in teleporting straight into the sanctum of the now dead great worm black dragon. And were much surprised to a band of merfolk who were raiding. A squeak in common of "It's Chargammon" followed by "that's not Chargammon!" revealed they weren't the only ones here to steal from a black dragon.
There may be honor amongst allied thieves, but not so much when they aren't allied as a fight broke out immediately between the tw.o bands.
The merfolk reverted into their native tongue and communicated to each other jumping into & out of the water as the knot unleashed into them.
The recent kingslayer's flexed their might. They rushed the Merfolk, causing them to scatter in and out of the murky pool. As some Merfolk fell before the Ninth, more rose up out of the pool to replace their numbers.
As the fight raged something... large... stirred beneath the murk.
The Knot kept back from the shore, flying high in the air, decimating the Merfolk who refused to flee from their might. Rumblings and bubbles rose from the lake as the battle continued, yet nothing confronted the Knot as the finished destroying the light resistance.
All the Merfolk were defeated, and still the Knot hesitated, reluctant to enter into the unknown. The Knot started casting stones with magical light & illuminating the pool.
Only after the depths were fully visible did the Knot explore it.
There they found tracks from a Brine Dragon that lead down a passage out into the Ocean. And they found another passage, leading into a massive treasure room full of chests of coins. Though noticeably absent were any magical items.
A couple quick speak with deads confirmed their suspicion. The Brine dragon was like a god to a near by city of Merfolk. They raided the great worms lair while he was away and the Dragon used his followers as fodder as he fled with some of the loot.
The Knot filled their bags of holding to the bursting point with all the coins and rushed back to their island fortress, leaving the bulk of the treasure behind.
Back at the island they dispatched shroud members by boat to recover the rest of the treasure as they had Trik contact Dessiter to ask for help. The contract devil's response "Not yet, Tiadora's coming. Soon. Contact me after." The Knot rested up in the vault of the now dead copper dragon and prepared for the coming battle.
They had little to wait.
In a few hours a guard came rushing into the vault and hurriedly roused the Knot. "The devil woman is coming with nine she-devils, they would not wait at the docks with Trik, they'll be here any moment!"
The Knot rushed upstairs, buffing themselves in powerful magic as they went.
Shortly Tiadora arrived in her human form, her nine Erinyes in tow.
As Dessiter warned, she offered to take the Ninth to see Thorn. But her tense nature and demeanor suggested she doubted the Ninth would go willingly. And they flatly rejected the offer.
She began to respond, but Quell, fearing she'd declare an "order" from Thorn that would violate their contract, drew his blade, ending the conversation. She reverted into her true form, that of a terrifying Handmaiden of Hell, a Gylou Devil.
The Ninth thought they were prepared, yet they did not expect the 9 shadows of the Erinyes to peal off & attack them separately.
An all out brawl ensued. The Ninth were particularly hamstrung when Wasyli was ensnared by Tiadora casting black tentacles and then getting hit repeatedly by the Erinyes bow attacks, though not before the Shadow Sorcerer managed to dimensional anchor the Handmaiden Devil.
Mardus was forced to divert & free Wasyli, and heal his brother in arms instead of focusing on unleashing torrents of fire on the enemy.
There was some luck though, Quell somehow repeatedly fended off magical enchantment spells directed at him from Tiadora and laid into shadow and devil alike, with Emmerick & Brother Summit joining in. Helbrand was soon drenched in the blood of Hell.
Yvainne bursted negative energy across the battlefield, the Midnight Lord's blessing destroying the devotees of Hell.
Tiadora called out. "If you all won't come, I'll just take you one at a time." And she reached out to grab Quell with her tentacles as the elf tried to fend her off with his blades.
But her ploy was too late, with Wasyli freed, the might of the Ninth was brought to bear and Tiadora fell under the blows.
The Knot quickly stabilized Tiadora & bound her with manacles. They paused and someone asked, "What about the Eyrines?" Emmerick turned and said to the few remaining Devils "Will you yield?" He was treated with an arrow in his shield. "Then we slaughter them." And that is just what the Ninth did.
All the Eyrines & Shadows lay dead and Tiadora was unconscious & bound. A quite thorough victory for the Ninth marking their open revolt against their master.
