Session 12

After killing the Foulspawns, the Godsends started to climb down the very tall ladder leading into the dark pit. They soon found out that non-magical light did not work here, and that magical light only worked just a bit. All they could see was 15 ft or so.

Coming down in the pit, they found themselves in a small maze of corridors. Suddenly Moaz De'Su says:

The Fallen One, he can't be trusted, even to save himself

He falls on his knees, grabbing his head as if in excruciating pain. Slowly, as if he forcing the words out, he says:

The Giants are stirring, and the Engine will work once again

upon which he starts to convulse while bleeding from his ears and eyes. He then whispers:

One must sometimes ally with ones enemy to win

and falls over. Dead. Then his eyes open again, for a  brief moment, and he whispers:

The Fallen One... Do not trust him...Do not...trust...

After making sure he was dead (Rolen performed an autopsy of sorts) and indeed a human, the Godsends took a break from the maze to discuss Moaz and who he was. Theories ranged from a (demonic) vessel to a madman. The "Fallen One" was discussed as well. Rolen thought it might refer to Asmodeus, while Eric noted that no fewer than 7 different (at least) persons had been called that throughout history, normally good and just persons who had lost faith and fallen from grace, such as fallen paladins, priests or fallen angels.

With no conclusion, exploration was resumed, and the Godsends started to use gold pieces to find their way around the maze. Just as it seemed as if they had gotten out of it, the very walls burst tentacles and attacked them. For once, the otherwise brave to the point of foolhardy Godsends didn't stick around for the fight, and they ran (leaving Jonas to die)... right into another maze, this one with big holes in floor and ceiling at every intersection. As they were making their way past the intersections, they started to get assaulted from the dark. It turned out to be a nasty-looking beholder.

After a rough fight, the Godsends were victorious, in no small amount due to Grum, who jumped up on the beholder, riding it while the others had trouble striking it.

Searching on, they found the portal (and the beholder's loot) and the portal keys they needed to continue. However, Grum and a couple of the others refused to rest there. The voices from the walls were getting on their nerves. The Godsends decided (vote) to port to the common rooms and into the demon section.

As it turns out, it was a very poor idea. Already well beaten up, the Godsends ported into the Demon Fane, where there was no rest to get as well. While the murmurs of madmen were gone, they had been replaced by a constant screaming of people in permanent torment.

Down a huge staircase they went, constantly assaulted by demon heads on the walls and the non-stop screaming. They arrived in a circular chamber, where 3 cultists were sacrificing a 7-year old girl. GrubKo and Grum charged head first into battle, trying to save the girl. Demons appeared and joined the battle, and soon the Godsends had their hands full. But they still came out on top and saved the girl from a certain death. Finding a secret staircase going further down, they decided to take the girl along, since leaving her here would almost certainly be her death.

Down they went, finding what appeared to be some sort of torture chamber. A couple of something that once were human were strapped to various devices, and Grubko made short work of them. In the middle of the room was a huge steel coffin, wrapped in chains.

Argii opened the locks, and Grubko unwrapped the coffin as they heard muffled screams and calls for help. Once freed, the man inside (John?) told them that he was but a mere shepherd who had been captured and subjected to a lot of different things, from vile potions to foul rituals. When asked why, he could not answer, although he did remember the cultists becoming agitated as they locked him in the padded coffin, screaming:

Kharesh, El som ti Kharesh

When asked of the meaning, he said: Madness, he is madness, but didn't seem to understand why they would have said that. Then suddenly he started to cackle like a mad man, louder and louder. Grum took charged and put his axe halfway through the body of the "Cackler", but that didn't even made him flinch, it just made him scream. Loudly.

And the fight of and for their lives was on for the Godsends.