### _Bazgoth, the Crimson Blade_ --- ## Opening: Outside the Naked Maidens The session opened with the party gathered outside the Naked Maidens in the mid-morning, processing the intelligence gathered from [[Ravika - Erinyes Commander of Hidden Legions|Ravika]]'s interrogation in [[Krynvia]]'s lower chambers. The group debated their next moves, settling on two immediate priorities: visit the Talismatic Nine to consult [[Meka Dug]], and allow [[Cub]] time to commune with his goddess [[Eshuall|Zotia]]. They chose the Talismatic Nine first, with [[Cub]]'s divine consultation to follow. --- ## [[Grom]] Returns As the party moved through Polaria's morning streets — breakfast smells in the air, the city going about its business — the sky tore open ahead of them. A familiar pair of hands wrenched the rift wider, and [[Grom]] stepped through. The portal closed behind him in a curtain of hellfire. He looked different: more frazzled, heavier around the eyes, the unmistakable wear of someone who had lost track of weeks. He greeted the group with a theatrical bow and immediately asked if he could share his news while they walked. [[Grumthar]] agreed and the march resumed. --- ## [[Grom]]'s Report Walking alongside the party, [[Grom]] recounted his months in the Nine Hells. Using blood gathered from his previous visit, he had managed to track [[Syllin]]'s soul to the fourth layer of the Hells — Phlegethos — where it is currently held by an infernal soul broker named **[[Valdrathar]]**, operating under the arch-devil [[Malakor the Ascendant - Aspirant Archdevil of the Tenth Hell|Malakor]]. [[Grom]] believed a loophole existed within the soul contract that could be exploited, but only if he could secure a formal audience. To do that, he needed to arrive as a figure of consequence — meaning the entire Bazgoth company presenting themselves together. There was one condition he had withheld until now: **[[Syllin]] has less than twenty-four hours before her soul is consumed in a ritual.** The group had no time to spare. [[Grom]] also disclosed that the infernal forces were growing wise to his movements. The window for action was closing. He acknowledged that an overnight preparation and departure the following morning would be their fastest viable option, but not much beyond that. [[Grumthar]] pressed for clarity, observing that the party faced competing directives — [[Krynvia]]'s request regarding Ashkavar's Cut, the corrupted node in the Prismatic Forest, the Eldertree in North Angoria, and now [[Grom]]'s plea. He rolled an insight check attempting to find some logical overlap between the missions. He found none. The paths do not converge — each pulls in a separate direction, and the group would have to choose. --- ## The Talismatic Nine The party arrived at [[Meka Dug]]'s establishment in the Wizards' Quarter. Meka — silver-haired and composed behind her ledger — greeted the group with measured warmth. [[Tarnik]] took the lead, laying out the broad threats: Ashkavar's Cut, the Prismatic Forest node, and the Elder Tree. Meka confirmed what [[Krynvia]] had already told them about Ashkavar's Cut: it was a former wayshrine to Elandra, goddess of peace and magic, seized three months prior. She added that there were **warded chambers deeper in the tunnels that the devils had not yet breached** — and that something in those depths was being searched for. She offered a formal quest: carry a special artifact compass into Ashkavar's Cut. The device would passively attune to the group's collective moral character over the course of the mission, and upon their return, she would know whether to trust them with the full intelligence of the Talismatic Nine's network — including keys and tools to more effectively dismantle the corrupted portals and nodes. Regarding the **[[Sylrathis|Eldertree]]**, Meka confirmed recent events: a Behemoth — a creature of apocalyptic power, capable of reducing a god to mortal flesh and devouring them — had been awakened near the tree. Four of the fabled **[[The Seven Brides of Dracon|Seven Brides]] of [[Dracon]]** had intervened, aiding a coalition of barbarian tribes, free kingdom forces, and cloud giants in containing it. The Behemoth was not destroyed, merely sent back into slumber. The [[Sylrathis|Eldertree]] survived, but [[Anam]] is not finished with it. On the subject of the **corrupted nodes**, [[Meka Dug|Meka]] grew more guarded. She confirmed that the Chorus timeline is accurate — the corruption is now five months away from becoming irreversible, not eight as previously believed. She was explicit about one concern: somewhere in the broader network fighting [[Anam]] — be it the Wizards Conclave, the Polarian throne, the Orcish Union, or the Elven Union — there is a **traitor or informant**. Every time forces mobilize to counter a node, something goes wrong. She was unwilling to share the full depth of her intelligence until she could trust those receiving it. She restated the terms of the quest: carry the compass into Ashkavar's Cut, return with it, and the full resources of the Talismatic Nine would become available to the group. She then returned to her ledger. --- ## The Crossroads — Choosing a Path Outside the shop, the party debated. [[Tarnik]] called for a vote. [[Saszotah Sseth'kaar (Sasz)|Sasz]] offered a characteristically blunt summary: were they truly going to leave the city and its people to possible doom for the sake of one soul? [[Grom]] blew a puff of pipe smoke in [[Saszotah Sseth'kaar (Sasz)|Sasz]]'s direction and answered without hesitation: yes, without question. [[Grumthar]] pressed more carefully, asking what the infernal time dilation might mean for them. [[Grom]] confirmed what he had learned over his months in Phlegethos: time passes faster in that layer. Weeks in the Hells translate to roughly a day on the surface. If they acted quickly, they might rescue [[Syllin]] and return before the world had meaningfully moved on. [[Grom]] then revealed something he had previously kept to himself. Veilra had appeared to him in a vision and stripped away certain illusions he had held about himself. In that moment of honesty, he had decided to stop hiding things from the people he trusted most. He told them plainly: they would not be walking into a negotiation. They would be walking in as **bait** — the souls of the Bazgoth, sufficiently valuable to a devil of [[Valdrathar]]'s ambition, were the only thing that would guarantee an audience. The plan was to invoke the soul contract's loophole while preventing [[Valdrathar]] from claiming what he wanted. How exactly that would unfold, [[Grom]] admitted, had not been fully worked out. [[Volza Redhand|Volza]] stared at him. Then shrugged. "Blaze of glory," she said, and drew a dagger. [[Tarnik]] put a hand on [[Grumthar]]'s shoulder: "[[Syllin]] is a member of Clan Bazgoth. End of story." [[Cub]] echoed agreement — [[Syllin]]'s druidic bond with the natural world, if restored, would strengthen their power against the very corruption they were trying to stop. Even [[Saszotah Sseth'kaar (Sasz)|Sasz]], when [[Grumthar]] pressed him directly, admitted that following the group's collective judgment was "this one's" most rational course. The decision was made. They would go immediately. [[Cub]]'s communion with [[Eshuall|Zotia]] would have to wait until their return. --- ## Through the Portal [[Grom]] drew out the Tear of [[Aria, Goddess of Birth and Death|Aria]], held it toward the sky, and spoke a quiet prayer to [[Aria, Goddess of Birth and Death|Aria]], the Moonlight Guardian. A tear split the air in front of them, widening into a portal framed by cracked earth and licking flame. Polaria's morning street traffic froze and stared. One by one, the party stepped through. [[Tarnik]] summoned Shiv before entering. [[Cub]] paused at the threshold, breathed, and whispered _"[[Eshuall|Zotia]], watch over us in hell."_ A warmth pressed briefly against him — a sense of acknowledgment — and a voice said simply: _"I shall be watching you. Come, return to me."_ He stepped in. [[Saszotah Sseth'kaar (Sasz)|Sasz]] was last. He paced the edge, muttering to himself that this had not been the plan, that they were supposed to use these people as shields, that there was still time to leave. A large orcish hand reached back through the portal and pulled him through. --- ## Phlegethos — The Fourth Hell The portal sealed behind them. Heat came down like a ceiling. Cliffs of black stone rose around them, crawling with devils that leered from above before vanishing back into crevices. The screams of the damned were already audible — distant, layered, constant. [[Grom]] was recognized almost immediately. A horned devil named Grunan descended and addressed him by name, acknowledging his status as a lawful petitioner and confirming the gem of [[Aria, Goddess of Birth and Death|Aria]] as sufficient warrant for transit. At [[Grom]]'s formal request — delivered entirely in Infernal, invoking the protocols of territorial law — Grunan confirmed that this domain fell under [[Malakor the Ascendant - Aspirant Archdevil of the Tenth Hell|Malakor]]'s authority, and that [[Valdrathar]] was its soul broker under him. When [[Grom]] demanded a lawful route to [[Valdrathar]]'s seat without trespass, Grunan smiled: "He has been expecting you." The surrounding devils withdrew into the cliffs. [[Volza Redhand|Volza]] pulled [[Grom]] aside and asked whether he was certain this wasn't a trap. He allowed that it almost certainly was, in some form. The question was whether they could stay ahead of it. She took out her dagger and kept it in her hand for the rest of the walk. --- ## The Bridge and the River of Souls The road to [[Valdrathar]]'s fortress took the better part of the day, if time could be said to exist here at all. Eventually they crossed a great bridge spanning a river of molten fire — and below them, half-visible in the lava, were **souls**. Not orc souls or elf souls or human souls. Just souls — formless, suffering, reaching, indistinguishable from one another. The screaming worked on the mind. Everyone except [[Grom]] rolled against a DC 20 Wisdom save. Several failed, and each took 26 points of psychic damage as the noise pressed through rational thought into something more primal. [[Cub]] moved to [[Volza Redhand|Volza]] and stabilized her with medicine and calm words. [[Cub]]'s own training held. [[Tarnik]] recited a childhood prayer to [[Gonosh]] and moved past it. [[Grumthar]] spoke the same prayer, gripped the rail, and passed. [[Saszotah Sseth'kaar (Sasz)|Sasz]], with [[Tarnik]] close enough to provide a bonus, narrowly made it. Narzag's eagle, looking through the heights above the lava, failed its save and began to spiral into distress, requiring animal handling to bring back under control. At the far end of the bridge, [[Volza Redhand|Volza]] stopped, looked down over the edge — and held herself there for a moment before stepping back. _"The hells won't have me,"_ she said. _"I have my mother to return to."_ --- ## [[Valdrathar]]'s Tower The fortress was iron and infernal stone, its walls sweating heat, its corridors lined with statues that shifted almost imperceptibly — souls smelted into permanent form. Perception checks revealed more: [[Cub]], in the higher results, recognized one of the statues. [[Syllin]]. Her face cycling between agony and a brief, terrible calm before the fire took her again. He reached for her. The hellfire burned his outstretched hand immediately, and he recoiled. [[Grom]], seeing her at last after months of searching, held himself together — barely, on an 18 against DC 18 — forcing the grief into something narrower and more useful. Past the hall of souls, the guide led them to a set of double doors covered in infernal script. He explained the terms: once they crossed the threshold, they were formally party to [[Grom]]'s wager. Should [[Grom]] lose the contest of wit and contract, [[Valdrathar]] claimed all their souls alongside [[Syllin]]'s. Should [[Grom]] win, [[Syllin]] goes free and the party walks out. He invited them to enter. The doors opened. Beyond was a chamber of iron and lava, caged souls on either side — six in total, three on each flank — and at the far end, on a platform floating above a river of fire, sat **[[Valdrathar]]**: a human-seeming figure in an immaculate suit, horns curving back over combed hair, watching their approach with the patient satisfaction of someone who had already decided how the evening would end. _"Oh, [[Grom]] — such a pleasure to finally meet the one who has been searching for a soul. I know your name. You know mine. I am eager to hear what you have brought me. Though I confess — I already have my sights set on the Bazgoth. It is such a rare treat to feast upon souls blessed by multiple gods."_