Returning to Sigil
Gnarls has a heart to heart with his brother, things are really grim on Old Earth. Vecna's grip on the world is nearly absolute. He pleads with Gnarls to stay and help, but Gnarls has to refuse. Our quest is not done, and may be the only way to stop Vecna.
Just as we go to use the portal key back to Sigil, Fell has a Sherlock Holmes moment, a series of memories all locking together into a single realization:
- In Neverwinter at the ritual where Vecna appeared, it was Vecna who killed all the cultists and sent us to the Shadowfell.
- Kiona, in Evernight, the painting of Kas.
- Sigil, the exotic Von Kessel asking about the twins
- Mordekainen's odd behavior, unexplained disappearance
We're headed into a trap!
A Grand Reveal
The magic whisks us away nonetheless and we arrive. We quickly realize we've been turned into Cranium Rats! Illustrial's place is a disaster, we're in a large domed chamber.
Mordekainen is there, or is it actually Vecna?! He has Illustrial bound by magic, unconscious. Tasha is there too sitting on the ground staring at candy, completely entranced and helpless.
Mordekainen takes some blood from Illustrial, the Rod of Several Parts from Rat Gnarls, and reveals himself to be none other than Kas! He's an extremely powerful vampire, wielding dark powers and a vicious looking magical blade.
The Hand of Vecna tells Sugar the sword at Kas's belt must be destroyed, it can destroy the Hand.
A door blows open, a female half elf appears and goes for the rod, Seraphina! There are more figures entering the room; a mob of cultists, a demon, and the twin Drakon.
Rat Fell climbs up onto Tasha's nose to bite her and try to break whatever has her bewitched. Rat Gnarls' knowledge of magic tells him that both the witches are enfeebled, unable to help us until that's addressed. In the commotion, Rat Fell falls off and turns back into himself! Putting together that damage reverts us to our true form, Rat Jain climbs up a statue and leaps off to land on her head, breaking the spell. She frees Gnarls next, and Fell helps Sugar.
While that's happening, Seraphina snatches the Rod from Kas.
The Battle for the Rod
Gnarls uses Suggestion to send all the cultists back to a room for a nap. They sleepily obey.
Sugar uses Finger of Death on Seraphina! She was gravely wounded by Kas during their struggle over the Rod, and the dark power of the spell kills her on the spot. She starts to rise as a zombie.
Drakon is enraged and goes for revenge, but misses Sugar with a spell. He closes on Kas instead.
The demon brought along with the twins and cultists goes for Illustrial.
Jain darts forward and snatches the Rod from Seraphina's corpse, then runs back across the room. Kas teleports to her but isn't strong enough to wrest it away from her.
More battle ensues!
Drakon takes control of zombie Seraphina with his clerical powers and tries to escape through a glowing portal opened by Kas at the other end of the room. Jain intervenes and cleaves Seraphina's head off, causing her second death in as many minutes.
Kas lands some heavy blows on Jain & Gnarls, but they remain standing. Gnarl's Spirit Guardians of Rock prevent the vampire from regenerating.
Fell keeps doing big damage to Kas with his arrows, each striking true and wearing the creature down.
Kas escapes through the portal as cloud of bats after Jain brings him down in a flurry of blades and screaming.
Gnarls & Sugar finish off Drakon, who's inconsolable at the loss of his Vecna worshipping, Warforged consorting, goblin genociding, irredeemably evil, sister.
On to Pandemonium
As the dust settles, the party is alive. The Rod of Several Parts is still in our hands. Illustrial and Tasha are injured but still standing.
We try to piece together a picture from what just happened
- Kas said Vecna is on Pandemonium.
- Kas and Vecna are arch enemies.
- Myska is an arch demon, imprisoned by the Rod of Several Parts, on Pandemonium.
- Kas said it's been Pandemonium all along.
- Von Kessel was Kas, spying on and coercing us.
- The final piece of the prison key is the Rod of Several Parts
- The quest for the Rod was at least partially a trick from Kas, in order to contest Vecna's dominion.
Tasha was successful in her quest and gives us the Chimes of Unmaking. We need to get Vecna below 25% HP (whatever that means), then use the Chimes to banish him.
Sensing that time is of the essence, and having got what information we can from the witches, the party goes through the portal. They're pulled through the magic currents and arrive standing on Pandemonium. Not only on a precipice, but on the eve of... Destiny? Salvation? ... Ruin?
