Session 44

The Ninth faced their enemies both in front and behind.

The Frost Giants moved in only to find themselves having to fight fire, and gravity reversing on them.  Even the massive King had to grab hold of a pillar to not fly forty feet up and wobble, suspended in thin air.

With the stall tactics on the Frost Giants working, the Knot focused on the interloper astro-daemon.  The creatures shifting form made it difficult for the Knot to target it, but still they unloaded on it with all they had to bear.  Emmerick taking point with Yvainne backing him up.  And others raining ranged attacked down on it.

Still, it wasn't enough.  Then the King rushed forward.  Forced to leap out of the reverse gravity field, he was unable to bring one target down with his full destructive might.  Instead he made a massive cleaving attack.  Emmerick staggered under it but instead of targeting Yvianne next, the astro-daemon was attacked.  The King stopped in confusion as his blow went through thin air.  The displacement of the creature saved it.  And as the King stood confused, it in turn saved Yvianne from a blow she was sure to regret.

Emmerick & Yvianne stood in the breach, all the while the other ice giant guards fell under the blade and fist of Quell and Brother Summit.

In another round of blows the astro-daemon fell and the Knot turned back to their original target.  Quell and Brother Summit got in their licks but it was Emmerick who showed the King of Frost Giants who was to be King of all of Talengarde.

Gripping his adamantine mace he hit one knee cap of the King causing the brute to stagger, then he swung around and hit the other knee, a sickening crunch resounded as the Giant fell to his knees.  Quell managing to get in a outflank sneak-attack and as the King fell forward, the Anti-paladin twirled the mace back and leaping into the air he brought it down over the head of the giant.  The massive mithril crown of the King of Frost Giants crunched under the blow, along with the tissue and skull underneath it.

There would be only one King in Talengarde.

Then, stepping out from a cloistered area further in the Cathedral was the Queen of the Frost Giants.  With a low bow, the towering beauty introduced herself.  It was clear a deal could be made with her and so the would-be King of Talengarde and his less than marry band, dealt.

After securing a blood oath from the Knot that the Queen would bend a knee to the Crown but retain all her lands and sit on the new King's counsel, she told the Knot everything she knew about the fortress they were in.

The Knot cataloged the extra intel and bid the Queen leave.  Before she left, she healed up the Knot & buffed them for the dangers below.  As she walked out, she scooped up the Mithril helm of her late King and exited the cathedral.

After she left, Emmerick heard a familiar voice in his head.  His sword spoke to him.  He listened.

Mardus & Wasyli were still studying the massive alter they just swore on.  They were sure it was powerful, but unsure of how it worked.  Then Emmerick strode up without a beat drawing the blade, gripping his bare hand and sliced.  Mardus & Wasyli stood dumbfounded as Emmerick's blood dripped of the blade into the bowl on the alter.  The blade shone brightly, the magic of blade and alter fused.  And Emmerick smiled.  And knew, if he spoke, the Prince of Hell would here.  He had but to wish to commune with his dark god and it would be so.

Armed with their intel, the Knot send Quell in to scout an area expected to be lightly guarded & their intel pans out.

The elf is able to explore a section of the compound undisturbed.  He spotted a large guard barrack and avoided it.  The Knot's hope was to find the necromancer wizard Ben, who was rumored to be in residence, instead they find his empty study and laboratory.  Near by Quell finds the room containing a clearly operational negative energy machine.  Channelling negative energy, clearly from a breach in the planar barrier.  Their intel suggests this is the device that is powering the defensive aura of the compound, but still, Quell leaves it be for now.  Remembering the hounds of Tindalos, the elf opts to not even enter the room and scurries away.  Though, he did block what he thought was the door to the undead servants room.  Just as a precaution.

With one section explored, the Knot came at it another way, this time going in force, the Knot tunnels through walls to were a isolated prison wing should be and once again, they turn out to be right as they burst into the back of a locked prison cell.

And then their intel finally let them down.  Expecting a sealed prison wing with doors, Yvainne ghost forms into the hallway to find there is no door.  And beyond are a squad of graveknight guards.  They all turn up & look in unison at her.

Thinking fast she floats into the prison cell on the other side of the hall.

This goes on a couple times, the vampire in ghost form bouncing between rooms, dragging the confused graveknights further into the prison wing.  Once the graveknights got all the way into the hall, then the Knot struck.

The rest of the Knot burst out of their prison cell, shrouded in a silence spell.  This time having perfected their technique, they kept the silence forward and well clear of their casters.  Allowing them to seal the hallway behind the squad of graveknights, insuring their fight didn't draw the attention of the near by guard room full of graveknights.

With a quite, isolated fight, the Knot makes short work of the gravenights.  Even with the tight quarters, Quell has no problems tumblig around the undead warriors, while Emmerick simply smashes everything in sight with his mace.

With Brother Summit backing him up.  And as Mardus, Wasyli & even Yvainne enjoys some blasts of magic.

The only slightly concerning moment is early in the fight, when the gravenights try to command Yvainne, but the priestess of death simply shrugs it off.

And faced with the combined might of the Ninth, the undead warriors died yet another time.

The Knot is wise enough to leave the armor around, soon they'd be the ones commanding the undead warriors, no reason to not let them rise again.

With the prison ward quietly secured, the Knot got to exploring their new claimed prize and found seemingly little of value.  No angel prisoners, nobles, nothing, just one half-naked, body of a man who starved to death a year ago or more.  And a quick speak with dead revealed he was a fur trapper from far away Farholde.  Hardly the high valued target they were hoping to catch.

Still, having already spent the effort, they still tried to find out what information they could find from him.

And then they got a huge break, when the dead trapper explained how he was brought before Thorn.

Checking their intel and impromptu maps, the location everyone thought was the throne room wasn't the actual throne room.  The Knot didn't need to say it.  A trap.

Such a helper wasn't to be ignored.  And Yvainne was feeling benevolent.  The vampire death priest asked the trapper her last question.  "What should be done with your remains?"  The trapper asked them to be returned to his kin in Farholde, or at least buried somewhere outside in the pristine wilderness, not left to rot in the dank prison.

The Knot collected the remains before deciding where to go to next.

Session 43

After much deliberation, the Knot resolved to get their own house in order.  And that all revolved around eliminating Cardinal Thorn and seizing power of the Knots.  The Paladin of Mitra and his hearty band would simply have to wait.

The Knot decides to bring a bigger squad.  Their Ogre Magi and Medusa would accompany the 6 Knot members and their new Black Dragon.  Even Trik would come along, to buff them before they attacked the fortress of their former master.

With so many members, Wasyli would be reduced to a teamster, having to use his teleportation magic to transport the large number of creatures into the frozen north.  Faced with that prospect, the Knot decided to travel to the isolated area outside the cairn where they found Thorn's twisted phylactery heart.

Once there Wasyli shrouded them in a field of protection from divination, ensuring they'd not be bothered by any extra-planar visitors sent by their dear former master.  What they got was extra-planar creatures from the area around them.  Over a half-dozen angry elder earth elementals attacked the Knot as they rested.

The Knot was quick to react.  The Black Dragon rushed forward to engage as the other followers bolted, getting clear from the massive mounds of earth.

Wasyli cast mass fly on the fellow members shooting out "To the skies!"  As knot members jump up & start flying into the air with Wasyli dropping darkness and hiding in the shadows.

The massive earth elementals slam into the dragon, forcing it to flee away as the elementals rush into the Knot's camp, Wasyli floating barely out of the massive reach of the beasts.

Emmerick, still waking up doesn't bother to fly away, instead drawing Helbrand and gripping it in two hands, clearly disinterested in avoiding the fight.

The Elementals take an arcane beating from the Knot's casters before slamming into Emmerick as the anti-paladin somehow shrugs off the attacks without his plate armor.

The elementals have a harder time shrugging off Helbrand, the bastard sword cutting off huge hunks of rock as more magic reigns down on them.

Seeing Emmerick stand in place bolsters the courage of the other melee fighters of the Knot and they rush to his aid.

Despite initial concerns, the fight quickly turns into a slaughter and before Yvainne is even able to take the field the enemies of the Knot are nothing more than rubble on the already rocky ground.  Yvainne gives a shrug and returns to her vampiric sleep with indifference as the rest of the Knot recover from the battle.

The Knot are able to resume their sleep and before long they are rested up & ready to find Thorn's lair.

Shrouded in the shadow walking spells of Wasyli and guided by the intelligence gathered from the Nameless Tyrant along with the keen survival skills of Brother Summit the Knot find themselves before an immense Cathedral, all alone and isolated.  Clearly it was meant for a multitude of followers yet nerry a village was in sight.  Even the bugbears and other intelligent creatures of the Savage North give this place a wide birth.

After a brief reconnoiter around the exterior of the massive cathedral determined the best approach was the massive double doors in the front.  Quell did see a trap, and was greeted by an odd programmed image of Thorn asking them to leave behind his phylactery and leave.  But the Knot simply ignored the image and Quell easily disabled the trap, leaving it ready to be rearmed later.

Remembering the information they received from the Horned Devil who betrayed Thorn, they readied for the likely Frost Giants who awaited them on the other side.  They had Trik add some extra magical buffing before he Word of Recall'ed away leaving the Knot braced for the fight to come.

They busted open the doors to find a contingent of Frost Giants waiting for them, just as expected.  In the hopes the diplomacy might work, Emmerick and Yvainne use their surprise to plead their case in a truly elegant fashion.  In a way direct, blunt and yet somehow also polite, in a few words they manage to lay out the only logical course of action for the King and his clan.

The King gave his response with a growl and the brandishing of axes.  Diplomacy would not work on this King, only battle was an option.  So battle there was.

The forces of hell clashed, the Medusa and Ogre Magi took the flanks as the Knot surged forward as the Black Dragon breathed acid on the King.  The King's axe fell hard on the Ninth, at one point Mardus pushed ahead of Quell and took a particularly savage blow, bending but not breaking.  The elvan rogue was clearly quite grateful.

Then from behind, they arrived.  An Astro-daemon with two odd looking insectoid like daemons that chittered in a truly horrifying way.  The hideous astro-daemon brandishing a green crystal that the Knot immediately recognized.  For they watched over it for the better part of a year. It was one of the eyes of Vitra-Kali.  A fact that was removed from any doubt with the Astro-daemon made it's one sentence proclamation "Vitra-Kali sends his regards."

Yvainne acted before anything could happen and blasted the group with a powerful banishment spell.  A spell she'd planned to have to use on a Devil not a Daemon, but it worked none-the-less, pushing back the two insectoid daemons before their feeblemind aura was able to destroy Wasyli and the other spell casters.  Yvainne was rewarded with her bravery by a blast of negative energy from the Astro-daemon, the vampire actually enjoying the enervation array, much to the dislike of the Astro-daemon.

Still, stuck between the Astro-Daemon and an angry Frost Giant King, the Knot's flank's collapsed, the Medusa and Ogre Magi forced to flee before the might of Frost Giant foot-soldiers.  All around the enemies of the Ninth surrounded them.

Session 42

The Ninth Knot, having secured Thorn's phylactery and the massive treasure horde of the Cairn Linnorm, declare themselves done with the ancient cairn of the ice elves and leave.  Also, they noticed a scrying sensor.  Thorn likely knew they acquired his heart...

A quick use of reverse gravity and they are back out the way they came.

Out on the surface, they are greeted by a large plum of fire and brimstone.  At first, they think it is a particularly grandiose entrance of Dessiter, until, when the hell smoke cleared they saw a brute the size of a war horse.  The hulking draconic looking devil raised his hands and the Knot reached for blade & spell pouch until the horned devil called out.  "Wait, wait!"

Quickly asking them to give him something to kill, he reveals he's been ordered by Thorn to kill, show them slaughter & taste their blood.  And after that, retrieve his heart.  But the devil clearly has no interest in following through with the intent, just the literal meaning.

The death of one summoned animal & 'showing the Ninth Knot slaughter' the devil was content to give small pin-pricks of blood tasting.  Yvainne though, not afraid of pain, slit her wrist, pouring copious blood into the maw of the gleeful devil.

With the deed done, the Horned Devil & Knot bartered.  The Horned Devil wanted one thing, his true name back from Thorn, unread by any other.  And the opportunity to advise the Ninth, should they come to power in Talengarde.  In exchange, this minion of Thorn would provide them with ample intelligence from his years of service to the Lich.

The Knot eagerly agreed.  Though, only after Wasyli wrote up a contract to protect the Ninth.

With a pile of fresh intel at hand, the Knot contemplated what to do next.

As they discuss the need to check in with Fire Axe.  He seemed to be the most likely to revolt against Thorn.  As he expected to be doomed by the King's Army as Thorn refused to deliver him from his apparent doom.

But then they get a message from the Fifth Knot, Barnabas Thrane.  It seems their arch-rival, Sir Richard, was spotted by the knot member & he's urging them to come quickly.

Still, the Knot decides for caution and instead focuses on checking with the First before the Fifth.  Also, it had been days since they'd received any reports from their spies infiltrating the King's army about the upcoming battle.

As the Knot makes ready for their trip to the ruins of Daveryn, they get a report from their cell.  One lone survivor is all that's left of an apparent slaughter of the command of the army.  The other operatives are missing, presumed dead.  And the army appears to be in rout.

With this news any doubt leaves the minds of the Ninth, the First must be visited.  Still, with a brief hesitation, they do cast a sending ahead of them & receive a friendly response from Fire-Axe.

They meet with an elated Fire-Axe.  It becomes clear with the recent victory that any doubt the Bugbear had for his Master has vanished.  He seems quite pleased at his epic victory.

Still, some oddity's around the tactics of the King's Army leave doubt in the eyes of the Ninth.  They fainted & instead of attacking weak points, assaulted the strongest point.  Odd tactics indeed.

A quick trip to the sight of the King's camp with goblin wolf-riders reveals an interesting site.

Multiple groups assaulted the command tent.  Some wielding arrows that looked identical to Tiadora's Erinyes but others getting impaled and ripped asunder by some kind of brutes.

The Knot manages to find the remains of their minions.  With the bodies intact, they discuss a couple speak with dead spells.  Still, this was turning into one of their best cells.  They infiltrated the King's camp.  Worked their way close to high members of the army's command.  And greatest of all, they managed to stop the informant of the Copper Dragon from alerting the King to all their secrets.

A waste to leave them dead.  In a bold move, the Knot uses raise from dead on all three of them.  And reform their most elite unit.  Clearly a group in need of a name...  Also, they got their Intel, as well as a much more loyal & vicious organization.

Tiadora did arrive here before her visit to the Ninth Knot.  Along with her Nine Erinyes, but they were not alone.  A group of Barbed Devils also attacked.  They slaughtered all the commanders, save one.  The High Commander of the King's Army, General Vastenus Barca.  It seems he was in league with Thorn as the Cainite Knot.

With the discovery of the identity of the Eighth Knot, more of Thorns secrets are revealed.

With this information in hand, the Knot prepares to visit the Fifth Knot.

They discuss a possible risk of an ambush, however, none of their interactions with Barnabas were negative.  And it seemed unlikely he'd try anything.  Fire-Axe for example seemed oblivious to their revolt on Thorn.

The Knot still arrived with a little bit of caution.  But sending a couple to scout out & speak with Thrane raised no red flags, as Barnabas seemed completely sincere in his desire to speak with the Ninth.  With one of Thrane's classic "come to this late night lecture" secret meeting set-up.

The Knot spend some time shopping & resting in town before their late at night meeting at the university.  Surprised to find the plague in town was in rapid decline.

When it was time, they met Thrane in his usual deserted lecture room.  The same as so many other meetings they've had with Thrane.  The cleric of hell certainly was a creature of habit.

As the Knot entered the room, Thrane began to speak, but before he got more than a sentence or two out about getting some secret note with a unicorn on it, he and half the Knot all froze as 6 barbed devils revealed themselves.  Behind them, two more came in snarling.  And with them, a massive horned devil who was silent as a ghost.  It was an ambush.  Just not one Thrane seemed to know anything about.

The Knot considered trying to rescue Thrane, but with half their party under the effects of hold person and facing an array of enemies, the Ninth decided to flee instead.  Quickly bunching up, they teleported away, leaving behind a helpless Thrane.

A day later and another sending revealed Thrane survived unscathed.  Though he seemed reluctant to re-engage with the Ninth.  Still with some coaching, he met the Ninth in a rough & rowdy tavern in town.

The scholar and priest of "Mitra" looked decidedly out of place and uncomfortable in the surroundings and the conversation with the Ninth was terse.  Clearly, he now knew something was up between the Ninth & Thorn.  But still, he spoke to them for he'd been trying for days to warn Thorn to no avail.

The princess was on the move, rallying support.  And the Sons of Balentyne were helping her with Lord Havelyn at her side.  And they knew some of the secrets of the Knot.  But not all was accurate.  The Sons were next to explore Charmagon's lair, who they falsely thought was one of the Knots.  Also, in a point Thrane seems awkward to bring up, they think the Ninth Knot are the masters of the organization.

But with Thrane having communicated the movements of the princess & Sons to both the Ninth & Thorn, he feels his obligations have been fulfilled.  And he quickly takes his leave of the Ninth & their dispute with Thorn.

Interested in the rapid decline of the plague, the Knot does spend another day in town, gathering information.  They find people who seem to be cured, but in fact are infected with another disease, this one an apparently benign one.  Yvainne resorts to Commune to get more information & the Knot finds out one rather important task.  It seems the Princess's mother, the great worm silver dragon, Agetha Regina, created or provided some sort of good counterpart.  An intelligent disease, that hunted the evil one.

The Ninth Knot stood split.  Some arguing to strike at the Paladin now.  Others urging caution, reminding the Knot of the need to eliminate their Master and seize power now.

Session 41

The Shroud minions came in & started to clear out the dead as the Knot digressed into discussing what to do with their master's lieutenant.  Many suggestions were offered.  Kill her, free her, interrogate her.  The loudest voices urged restraint.  Keep her alive, bound (as best they could) and unconscious.  And await Dessiter.

The contract devil did not disappoint.  He arrived on the docks, politely requesting entry to the island.  Unlike Tiadora he waited his turn and was led into the great dome of the island.

He grinned broadly at the Ninth Knot, side-stepping some minions dragging the last of the Erinyes corpses from the room.

The contract devil was quick as ever with his praise of the Ninth.  For their killing of the King, or their killing of the Azata ally and for capturing his "sister", Tiadora, alive.

Around them the servants scrubbed away the blood splatters.

Continuing on, the agent of hell was eager to free the Ninth from their contract, and for that he informed them they had to meet his Master, the Marquise of the Fourth Misery, the Pit Fiend, Nabarius.

The Knot asked for a few moments, which Dessiter offered, but with a warning: "be quick".

Dragging the unconscious devil upstairs into the library stacks, where the previous resident had held Quell prisoner, the Ninth deposited their prisoner.  Also they piled mounds of the teleportation negating crystal rocks around her and had Yvianne stone shape it up around the handmaiden devil to her waist.  Rocks intertwining with her tentacles and binding her in place.

Satisfied with their prison for their immortal "guest" the Ninth returned to Dessiter and returned to the docks, where, with a poof of sulfur and brimstone, the devil brought the Ninth Knot into the personal pocket plane of the Fourth Marque of Misery.

There, before a nobel of hell, Dessiter introduced the Knot.

In a booming voice, Nabarius dismissed the contract devil.  "Do you have to hide behind the compliments of others.  Speak of your deeds.  And know, Hell is watching."

The Knot stumbles a little, but with a couple soft whispers from Dessiter, they manage to speak of their great deeds.

With a rumble the Marque speaks.  "And why Dessiter, are these mortals before me?"

Dessiter explains the plight of the Ninth and further explains he's found a way out of the contract.

"Your lord, the second pact is quite clear, they are bound to he who is known as 'Cardinal Adrastus Thorn, High Priest of Asmodeus in Talengarde'.  If he were to no longer be High Priest of Asmodeus..."  Dessiter quickly explains.

With a rumble the fiend responds, "interesting... and do remind me, who bestowed this title on Thorn?"

"Well you did" responds the contract devil.

The Ninths eyes widened as they all shared a look at that revelation.

"So with but a word, I could reduce him to just a priest?"

"Your knowledge of the finer legal points surpass mine oh guardian of the guillotine gate" responds Dessiter.

"Still, it is a trying time in Talengarde.  I would hate to leave such a vital post unfilled.  Is there no one who could step up and claim the mantle?"  mused the fiend.

Seeing the opportunity, Mardus stepped up and with the support of his allies, he spoke of his greatness and ability to lead the faithful.

The pit fiend waived a hand.  "Silence, I have heard enough.  I had high hopes in Thorn.  But he has failed me.  I renounce his title.  And I appoint you, Mardus, as the new High Priest of Asmodeus in Talengarde.  Now be gone all of you, do not let me down.  And Mardus, do not forget about what has happening to your predecessor."

With a snap of his fingers, the pit fiend then banished the Ninth back to the docks of their island headquarters.

The Ninth, eager to attack their former master, discuss finding and assaulting his fortress.  But Dessiter dampens their great plans.

"Thorn is not a simple mortal man.  Slaying him and he'll return.  He is no mortal."

"What is he, how can we destroy him." Asks Wasyli.

"Quite simple, he is a Lich.  And I might have a lead on the location of his phylactery."

Dessiter then proceeds to tell the Ninth how for the past few weeks he's been off trying to find it & may have a lead.  References to the priest, Samuel Havelyn, the mortal form of Thorn, references a Cairn Linnorm far away in the savage north,

With the Ninth Knot given a starting point on the next step, Dessiter bows & departs.  Leaving the Ninth Knot to plot next steps.

Researching the Library, the seized records from the diviner in Daveryn and Brother Summit conversing with their trapped Demi-lich, the Ninth assemble a host of information about the Cairn Linnorm.  The biggest concerns, the need to use spells like Death Ward.  And a death curse.  Whoever fells the Cairn Linnorm risks being doomed to a swift, unnatural aging and death.  An unpleasant prospect to be sure.

And yet, a possible option, existed.  the Demi-Lich spoke to Brother Summit that somewhere in the Cairn, was an artifact, that if still functional, could remove the curse.  A massive stone Obelisk, that the Linnorm dragon hated & gnawed on.  If the beast hadn't managed to destroy it there could be hope.  The Demi-lich also offered to aid the Ninth, if Brother Summit would free him.  An "offer" Brother Summit turned down.

The Knot were ready to go.  And with the shadow magic of Wasyli they could turn a week long trip into a few hours if they walked between the shadowplane & prime material plane.  Yet the concern about the otherworldly horrors around the Caer Bryr gave them pause.

Mardus remembered the magical way to examine people told to him by the archmage in Ghastenhall.  He quickly reviewed Brother Summit and was relieved to see his companion didn't show signs of corruption.  Then, he absently checked his other members, something he hadn't done before.  And to his horror he say most of this companions were showing signs of taint, in particular, Emmerick.  Clearly their fight in the ruined sanctum of Mitra in the Cathedral of Mitra-Made-Manifest, had an unexpected affect on all of them.

With that unsettling news, the Knot decided to carefully use teleportation magic to get around the Caer Bryr and in half a day arrived in the area of the Cairn that the Linnorm called home.

Exploring the outside of the Cairn, they see only one obvious entrance.

The knot waits & has Brother Summit approach and it's when Brother Summit's half-orc vision that spots some stone guardians waiting inside the entrance.

Unwilling to advance, the Knot regroups and decides to do one more check of the Cairn's exterior.  That's when Quell noticed the large cap stone of the cairn looks to actually be movable.

Yvainne uses her vampiric gaseous form to slip into the cracks around the cap stone & finds within a massive stone chamber.

The Knot decide they've found the likely lair of the Cairn Linnorm.

The forces of hell ready themselves.  They shroud themselves in powerful magic & when they are fully warded in powerful magic, they attempt to dimensional door into the Cairn, and there magic fails.

Unwilling to waste all their spells they think on their feet & Mardus casts reverse gravity on the massive stone slap, lifting the huge bolder into the air.

Below there's a roar, and battle is at hand.

The cairn linnorm rushes up and attacks the Knot as they stand ready around the slap.

Blasting them with breath weapon after breath weapon, the magical wards hold and the Ninth Knot manage to shrug off the beasts attack.

The more direct tooth & claw prove more damaging.  But still somehow the Ninth manage to weather the attacks as their melee members fly in, braving the lightning strikes of the creature.

The magical might of the Ninth Knot fail to penetrate the spell resistance of the dragon, but armed with cold iron, the Knot rips into the beast with death cold steel.

The Cairn Linnorm managed to inflict some damage as it howled in pain from the blows against it's form.  But were as lesser attacks had bounced off, or immediately healed up, these blows ripped through it's form.

In a flurry of steel, Emmerick plunged Helbrand into the beasts form, piercing it's hard.  The blood of the dragon washing over the blade.  Emmerick removed the sword and watched as the monster fell down into the darkness.

The death curse reached out, but the anti-paladin simply shrugged it off.

Flying down below, the Knot found the form of the dragon impaled on a massive stone obelisk, it's blood soaking into the stone.  The obelisk glowing in the darkness.

Then the Knot looks around and finds a massive treasure horde.  Coins, gems, magic items.  And sifting through the pile they find the true prize.  A golden coffin, within it a lock box containing a blackened and burnt human heart, wrapped in strands of iron, barbed with spikes of iron that dig into the heart.

They found it.  Cardinal Thorn's phylactery.

Their victory over the Cardinal was close at hand.

Session 40

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.

Session 39

The Knot headed back through the empty halls of the first floor residency to search the secret door in the King's personal bed chamber.

Past trap and look they found a massive stone room below.  It was outside the protective forbiddance magic of the rest of the keep.  And a large ornate door leading deeper into the underground bunker.  The way to the teleportation sanctum of the king was near at hand.

Quell checks the door and finds a trap he deftly disables and notes the door is warm to the touch.  Some of the Knot stays up above, looking down the trap door as Quell opens the door with Yvainne supporting him.

Beyond is another stone room, but part of it's corner has been melted down to bedrock by a pool of lava.  Standing out of it is an Azata, an outsider of fire & earth.  Quell remembered the request of the contract devil Dessiter.  "Within the Adarium lies a foe you must kill, an Azata named Bridgett..."

The Knot hesitated but the Azata waisted no time.

As the Knot creeped forward, many having to drop down the trap door first, they were greeted by summoned lava elementals.  Irfan the assassin still with them, but reluctant to charge ahead against creatures he couldn't sneak attack.

Arcs of magic clash above the heads of combatants as the Knot finally rallied & surged forward into the room.

The lady of lava ducked down into her pool to heal her wounds as her minions were blasted away.

The Knot realized the issue of her unfettered access to a lava pool.

As the elemental lady resurfaced she was struck by a roaring wave of hellfire from Wasyli. Drawing on his infernal pact of hell, he stripped her immunity to fire, forcing her out of her lava protection.  There, flying above her pool, she was savaged by the Ninth Knot of Hell.  They showed her the full fiery fury of hell.  Her form finally fell back into the lava pool, burning into ash.

The Knot pushed forward, Quell once again deftly disabling the next trapped door to enter into the next room.  And there they found the inner sanctum of the King of Talengarde.

After a brief discussion the Knot opted to stay put and not explore the rest of the Adarium.  They were here for one mission and one mission only.  Kill the King.  They stationed Brother Summit near the trap door exit as the rest of the Knot readied themselves.

After a while they know that Charmaggon had arrived when the whole foundation of the keep shook and dust filtered down onto them.  They readied themselves for the coming battle and they were not disappointed.  In a few minutes, the room pulsed with some unknown magic before the King & his allies teleport in.

The King's eyes steel as he sees his disgraced former body guard before him.  "Emmerick" he hissed as the Knot launched their surprise attack.

The King's inquisitor fell before he could even lay a blow.  And many knights staggered under a reign of magic and steel as well.

By the time the King's company could put up a proper defense they were only a fraction of their original number.  The King still showed good form, he managed to block a ray of dimensional anchor with his shield & he relentlessly dogged Yvainne, trying to disrupt her spellcasting.  Irfan the assassin readied to strike, only to be blinded by the holy word of the King's priest before the priest was hacked down.

But still, his allies staggered and fell one by one until only the King was standing, shrugging off blows as he tried to wear down the Knot.

But eventually, a well placed blast of destruction from Mardus transformed the Monarch of Talegarde into ash.

And the Ninth Knot of Thorns finished what would likely be their last mission for their master.

With the building still shacking from above, a brief argument ensued.  As Mardus stripped corpses of the dead & dragging their bodies into the room of lava to be "disposed of" Quell & Brother Summit argued.

Brother Summit urged action.  "Why have any doubt, let us act now!  Aid the black dragon, bring low Talengarde.  Destroy the Princess and vanquish the Sons of Balentyne."

Quell argued caution.  "Our mission was to kill the King.  We have done it.  The dragon might not look on us with joy.  Why get in the way of his feasting.  Besides some of us have already died on fools errands."

After finishing their discussion, all while the building shook, the Knot decided to say put over Brother Summit's objections.  Though, using divine magic, Mardus did look on the fighting going above by using his fire oracle powers to view out from the flames of torches mounted on nearby guard tower torches.

It was there that they saw Charmaggon charge at the Princess only to be stopped by a lone Paladin.  Sir Richard.

And from far below they witnessed the near death of their arch-rival.  Until the princess rushed forward to his aid.  And she brought down mighty arcane magic, harnessing her mother's draconic power, and savaging the mighty Charmaggon.

They witnessed the destruction of the great worm black dragon by a girl.  A girl.

They then saw the rest of the Sons rush in, grab Sir Richard & the Princess before using arcane magic and fleeing.

As the magical sensor fades, Brother Summit turns & glares at the rest of the Knot.

The awkward silence was broken by an unexpected suggestion.  "We should grab a scale & resurrect him..."

The rest of the Knot turns in surprise, even Brother Summit's glare disappears as he considers it.

Session 38

Over platters of delicious foods, the Baroness and Knot work up a plan to sneak Yvainne into the palace.  A simple late day visit by the Baroness that lasts too late into the night and she along with her guard (Mardus) and handmaiden (Yvainne) will say the night with her in the palace.

While the Knot waits, they spend some more time researching the defenders and powers in the Adarium, with Quell continuing to play the role of the a cook's assistant.  And that's when they find out the Sons of Balentyne are guarding the princess in between going on some other no doubt heroic adventures.

The Knot decides to go ahead with their plan and a few days it goes off without a hitch.  Yvainne is invited into the keep and spends the night under the roof of the King as the handmaiden of the Baroness.

And two days later, at midnight, the assault begins.

The Knot stealths into the Palace grounds and pick up Quell.  Cloaked in an invisibility sphere, stones with silence on them and telepathically linked to communicate, the six Knot members, and the assassin Irfan al-Janbiya use stone shape to create a door into the first floor of the Palace and enter it, sealing it up behind them.

The Knot quickly ransacks the first floor residence of the palace.  They make sort work of the handful of traps in the area, finding a secret trap-door and the book Thorn asked them to find, the Libram Darius.  Along the way the Knot members tried to ignore the constant internal monologue Emmerick seemed to have with... something else in his head.  The rest of the Knot knew something was off with their anti-paladin, now they knew.  He talked to himself or... something else.

The Knot pushed on, proceeding through the rest of the first floor, Yvainne reading the book & using her gaseous form to slip into the various guest rooms and they find only one guest saying on the first floor.  The court wizard, all alone and asleep.  Emmerick decapitated the wizard in his sleep with one swift stroke of Helbrand.

With the first floor of the residence secure, the knot leaves the upstairs and secret trap door alone.  And instead head for the exit to block the main Palace door in preparation of the fight to come.

Along the way Yvainne reading about the start of the Darians and their fight with the old line of Kings, the Barcans.  And about the origins of Helbrand, the infernal blade Emmerick now wields.  Also, how, after the last Barcan King died, his blade, Helbrand, was broken into three pieces.  The last missing piece was added to the old throne of Talengarde.  Some of the Knot members discussed if the Throne could be the one here.  But decided it was likely still in the old throne in the old Palace back in town.

At the exit of the residence the Knot readied and in a rush the busted out into the main foyer of the Palace, taking the handful of knights guarding the doors to the residence by surprise.  The guards weren't expecting an attack from inside their warded area.  Failing to realize the dire situation, the guards turned & fought the Knot, instead of rushing to the exit to warn the compound.  Their mistake may well cost their King his life.  It certainly cost them all of theirs, as in a matter of seconds they all lay dead, while the guards outside the keep continued to go unnoticed.

After dragging the corpses of the Knights into an unused armory, the Knot approaches the front door and uses their silence stone to silently bar the main door to the Palace so the guards outside wouldn't notice.  They were forgetting the magical forbiddance spell around the keep kept those outside unaware of any noises coming from within.

The Knot almost completed the ground floor foyer when they all turned at the sound of the Librium Darius falling on the floor.  They all turned & looked at Yvainne.  She looked at her companions and her voice filled their minds via their telepathic bond.  "The princess.  Her mother.  Is a dragon..."  They rest of the Knot reviewed the book where it stated Princess Bellinda's mother was in fact a powerful silver dragon, the great wyrm mother of the silver dragon they killed at the Horn of Abaddon.

Mardus made a half-joke saying, "Well, maybe tonight's attack will make her hit her magical, draconic puberty."  The joke fell flat as the Knot member shifted in place, contemplating Mardus' comments before resuming their search.

But before long they had something new to deal with.  Emmerick felt his sword pulling him up to the throne room above the foyer of the Palace.  Apparently the old throne of Talengarde was moved...

Wasyli went first, magically invisible, and hiding in shadows.  It still didn't stop him from being spotted by two powerful angels who flanked the empty throne of Talengarde.

Declaring themselves as brothers of Ara Mathra and that they knew the Knot would arrive at the throne the Knot plotted to steal, they stated their desire for something simple.  Revenge.  Then the two angels drew swords and advanced.  Wasyli madly screaming in the minds of all the other Knot members for help.

The forces of heaven and hell clashed in the empty throne room of Talengarde.  A battle over the throne of Talengarde that the millions affected by it's outcome would likely never know about.

The two brothers of Ara Mathra struggled to do their brother honor.  The Ninth Knot was savage in their assault.  A well timed feeblemind from Wasyli, using his Infernal boon crippled one of the angels.  And the other got swarmed.  Even Irfan even tried to help, though he was blinded by the radiance of the angels and unable to help.

Over and over arcane & divine magic slammed the angels, along with fist and blade with Helbrand drenching itself in angel blood.

The Angels manage to do some damage back, but they, like their brother Ara Mathra, fall before the Ninth Knot.  One of them even having it's wings ripped off by the fast blades of Quell & Emmerick.

With victory in hand, Emmerick strode forward.  Helbrand dripping blood off it's tip.  The anti-paladin stepped over the fallen bodies of the Angels, his boots squishing in pools of angel blood.

He calmly sat down in the Throne of Talengarde, turned and looked at the rest of the Knot, a wicked grin playing on his face.  Then it twists into rage as he stands and turns on the Throne, pulling out his adamantine mace.  Brother Summit rushes forward, getting out the stone with silence on it as Emmerick savages the throne, indifferent to the noise it makes before it's blanketed in silence.

The rest of the Knot stood in silence as Emmerick turns the throne of Talengarde into rubble. Poking through the remains with his mace, the finds it.  The last piece of Helbrand.  He picks it up & secures it to his sword and the voice of Helbrand is clear through the Telepathic link to all the Knot.

It is rebuilt, free, intelligent and ready to bring ruin to the Mitrians and raise Asmodeus back to prominence in Talengarde.  And it was in the hands of the usurper.  The time to kill the King was close at hand.