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.