Session 55

The Shroud considers what last minute moves they need to make before the final battle.  Quell urges they return to the Kraken and slay it.  They have no need for it and it's titan-tainted blood would power his ring.  The rest of the group was unsure.  Attacking a Kraken under water, in it's lair, still seemed too much of a risk.  Quell was unhappy but deferred to the ruling of the group.

One concession the group made was that perhaps the killing of a fiend might help and there were some on the group, like Wassili that were worried about the presence of powerful angels.  Perhaps by contacting their patron, the Pit Fiend Naburus, they could garner a favor by dealing with a rival and get his help, along with a more powerful ring.

A sending to the Fourth Marquee of Misery returned a positive response & the quick arrival of the contract devil Dessiter to spirit the Shroud to the pocket plane that was the Pit Fiend's lair.

The Shroud put forth a rousing case for help from the Pit Fiend with Yvainne leading the way.  Highlighting among other things, that divine agents would be arrayed against them, and that if they won, Hell would hold Talengarde forever.

In the end, the words of the Shroud rang true in the ears of the Fiend.  The Fourth Marque of Misery would come and aid them in the final battle.

The Shroud went on to ask if he had any minor rivals that needed to be eliminated.  They had an artifact ring they wished to power up.  The Marque was surprised, but he mentioned a minor bone devil who was hassling some of his agents.  Not a caring leader, he had no interest in intervening to help his underlings, but if the Shroud needed something to slaughter, that was an option.

But he further urged caution on the ring.  It was a powerful artifact, that if fully powered, would summon it's Titan master.  And further, even increasing it's power a little might corrupt it's wearer.  The Shroud took the Pit Fiend's warnings under advisement and left.

Once back in the capital, Wasyli cast a powerful wish spell that would alert the Shroud if the Sons teleported into Talengarde.  During the following week the Shroud considered what to do about the noblewoman interested in their King.  They announced an engagement, but decided they would not have time for a proper wedding.

And that proved correct, for at the end of the week, the wish alert triggered.  Their scouts were placed on heightened alert.  But they still failed to see any major enemy troop movements over the next day.  So, the Shroud prepared their final ploy by marshelling their remaining soldiers in the capital and prepared to leave the following day.

That night, on the eve of their departure, Emmerick woke to the sounds of combat and his bedroom door crashing open.  There, standing in the doorway was the High Inquisitor of Mitra.  His inquisition allies assaulting Emmerick's royal body guards as he rushed into the room.

The guards tried to push their way in, one managing to get into the room to the Kings side as others tripped the inquisitors outside.  But the High Inquisitor was all over Emmerick, slashing him with his powerful blade as Emmerick touched him with his touch of corruption causing the inquisitor to wince in pain.  Before long Brother Summit and Wasyli responded to the sounds of combat, teleporting in.

Wasyli cast suffocation and at first it seemed like the Inquisitor would shrug off the effects, but then he finally fell down, chocking.  Emmerick stepped over the chocking High Inquisitor, still in his nightshirt, as other inquisitors fell and gave a speech to his guards.  Thanking the one guard for rushing through attacks to come to his aid.  Wasyli gave a dour look and Brother Summit rolled his eyes at it as the other Shroud members came rushing with more guards to quite the odd scene.  And no one noticed the High Inquisitor, ignored, slowly suffocate to death.

The following morning the King was roused to alerts from across the city.  Angels were spotted flying above the skies over the capital.  Four planetars in total, preaching the return of the Princess and the end of the wicked false rule of the usurper.

The shroud readied themselves and then Emmerick strode out onto his balcony overlooking the old palace in the heart of the city.  From there he called out the Angels as they flew by.  The angels turned & sneered at the King before drawing steel and swooping down on the monarch as the rest of the Shroud burst out onto the balcony met them.

Wasyli cast fly on everyone and Emmerick & Brother Summit flew and twirled into the air, clashing with the leading angel as another came down onto the balcony.  Another angel cast Holy Aura on it's allies and the last brought a blade barrier down over the doorway.  Yvainne managed to dismiss one of the angels immediately back to it's home plane as Quell ducked through the blades & struck the angel on the balcony, only to be blinded by it's holy aura.  He then had to blindly flee back into the castle where the vampire priestess was waiting in the dark to heal him.  Blindly dodging spinning blades in the process.  The death priestess restored his sight and told him to get back out there & forcefully shoved him back through the blades, the rogue had to jump & weave out of the way as he was pushed back through.

By the time Quell got back out there, he was shocked to see the Angels all destroyed.  Wasyli had used his magic to rend into the Angels.  While Brother Summit & Emmerick had savaged them with blades.  But Mardus was a sight, enlarged & taking on a celestial aspect himself.  Whatever the commoners must have though is hard to say, an Angel fighting along side the King against four other angels.  What they saw for sure was, the four angels all falling to the ground far below.  Destroyed by the King & the might of the Shroud.

With the angels out of the way, Emmerick rallied his army & marched from the city with much fanfare.  And as soon as they were out of sight, they marched their forces straight into Mardus' pocket plane.

The bait worked as planned.  Within a day scouts reported seeing an army emerge from the forest, apparently from a massive slopped earthwork underground entrance that showed up overnight.  And the fears of the Shroud were realized.  The army included not only the Sons, but some kind of Titan, the Princess, her dragon mother & some sort of powerful angel, likely a Solar of Mitra.

The only small benefit, the actual size of the army was relatively small.  In fact, only a fifth the size of Emmerick's large host.  And very few resistance or freedom fighters flocked to the Princess' white unicorn banner.  Still, it was small army & it was quickly moving toward the capital.

The Shroud used the pocket plane to drop a quarter of their army to guard a choke point on a bridge while they used the rest to flank the army from the other side of the river.  As the Princesses forces started to push on the bridge, the flank army moved in.  Splitting the Princesses forces with the Titan and a small force of fighters moving on the bridge head, the Angel leading the host toward the large battle on the open field and the Dragon apparently no were to be seen.

The pieces in place, the Shroud prepared to move.  Yvainne requesting a miracle from the midnight lord to be clocked in night and as she walked into the morning sunlight her form and the area around her turned pitch black.  The Lord of Darkness heard her prayer.

Would the Lord of Hell hear the prayers of his followers & deliver Emmerick victory.  Or would it be the pleas of Mitra that would finally be heard.

It was time to find out.