Session 36

Faced with a nay-indestructible foe, the Knot decided to try to stall the dragon, while they tried to find and rescue Quell.

Brother Summit, Wasyli and Trik rushed back into the massive dome structure, leaving Emmerick, Mardus and Yvainne behind to hold off the beast.

Wasyli and Trik tried to keep up, but Brother Summit rushed on ahead.  Under his breath Wasyli said "He's getting too far ahead..."

Brother Summit rushed up the stairs and found Quell, in rags, chained to the wall.  Two crystal gargoyles guarding him.  Summit, out of breath, braced for an attack, only to look on in horror as he saw one of the gargoyles turn on their unarmed, restrained prisoner and shred him under their claws.

The other gargoyle, making sure their ward was dead, then pushed on to engage in the Monk.

By the time Wasyli & Trik arrived, Quell was beyond even a breath of life.  Still, revenge was had.  Both crystal gargoyles soon were nothing but chunks of rock.

Meanwhile, outside the remaining Knot was faced with a daunting task.  Then Emmerick had an idea.  The anti-paladin grabbed the unconscious and bleeding Rakshasa and placed Helbrand at her throat.

The Dragon stopped his attack & growled.

Mardus asked to stabilize her and got permission to get outside the anti-magic field and stop the bleeding while Emmerick tried to get the Dragon to offer his life for that of his concubine.  A low rumbling growl was the only response he got.

A quite but tense banter developed between the Anti-Paladin and the Copper Dragon.  In the end, the anti-paladin and fire oracle of Hell do what they do best.  Agree to a pact.  They offer to free the Rakshasa, if they can simply leave with their elf.  The catch, the Rakshasa has to leave and never return to the island of Talengarde.  And the Knot will not return for two days, to give the Dragon time to send her off to another plane.  The Dragon agrees, with an addendum.  The Elf can never return to the island, so long as he still draws breath.

A dagger to bleed the two followers of Hell and the paw of the copper beast followed by a shake was enough to seal the deal.

By the time the dragon and anti-paladin arrive, they find Quell and the gargoyles dead.  Still, the deal was struck.  The Knot hand over the Rakshasa and leave.

Over the three days the Knot collects a large number of vials of alchemical reagents, preparing an elaborate trap of using telekinesis to hurl vials through the anti-magic field.  Also using dark magic, they bind a vicious barbed devil to their service.  And raising Quell from the dead, even though they'll have to keep him on the bench.

Returning, the Knot wastes no time in assaulting the top of the dome, melting the roof, revealing their target, the Copper dragon.  Though he's not alone, his tree-woman concubine is back from the dead and with him.

The battle is joined.  And their plan is never able to be executed.

A fire storm from Mardus forced the dragon up next to the waiting Knot.  His joke about "third time, still not very charming" falls on deaf ears as the Knot unloads on the dragon.  Brother Summit, Emmerick, all of the Knot attacked in coordination.  In a matter of seconds, before the Dragon could even respond with an anti-magic field, he falls under the blows of the Barbed Devil.  Falling back down into the roaring inferno below.

Mardus still tried to telekinesis a dozen vials at the tree-woman, and didn't even get close.  Still, Wasyli dimensional anchored the tree woman, and Emmerick made short work of her, sending her after her lover into the fires of hell.

With the island theirs, they began to explore.  Yvainne confidently flying down into the Dome.  The vampire rejoicing in her new "home".

With the Dragon dead, Wasyli left to grab Quell and return.  With the Knot reformed, they quickly explores the Dome complex, finding many, many items of interest.  Massive, magically controlled stone figures comprising a chess set, dozens of book about all kinds of oddities and other strange items.  By far the greatest find was figuring out the riddle to move the Queens of the Chess Set to open the vault of the ancient dragon.

Within the treasure horde they found two items of great interest.  The first, the pommel of Helbrand, which Emmerick quickly attached to his blade.  The second, a suspended skull floating in a jar, a Demi-Lich...

Before the Knot fully cataloged their find, they return to the Dome and are greeted with slow clapping.  There, standing in the middle of the massive chess set is the contract devil, Dessiter.

In a very matter-of-fact voice, the Devil says what the Ninth Knot already feared.  What Emmerick had been saying since they first broke out of Branderscar Prison over a year ago.  Cardinal Thorn was about to betray them.  When they finish their mission, and the King of Talengarde lays dead.  Tiadora will come and summon them to the High Cardinal of Asmodeus in Talengarde and there.  In his throne room of his secret fortress far to the north.  There, Cardinal Thorn will kill them all.  They will have the wicked reward they so justly deserve.

Silence descends...