Shadowdark #16: 'The End! ... for now?'

Realising that Lord Trum is in fact a wily and powerful Rakshasha, and he has some sort of means of teleporting betwixt the castle and the caves of chaos, and that he is in fact responsible for all the trouble with moonstone production, AND that he is responsible for the bloodline that created Dagmara the Sorceress, whose blood will aid him in planar travelling across the multiverse, ...the characters should probably run away bravely...instead, they stay and fight.

Our heroes...

 Lady Maureen - Dagmara's mother, and the old yet 'sprightly' Priest - Byden, will accompany them...they being the only remnants of the old adventuring group that originally explored the vile caverns years before...losing the fighter Devlin AND,  not realising that Lord Trum had been transformed into something far less than human. 

'I used to worrrrrk forrrrr Morrrdorrrr'

 Dropping in on the now quiet cave complex via Jeralt's Griffin, they enter the top most rear cave...immediately encountering a Wraith in the caverns.

Wraith in the web spell...winks out and then attacks again

 This of course, is the undead remnants of the fighter - Devlin, previously a member of Lady Maureen's adventuring party...after some dodgy moments, he grants them a clue to the next 'trapped' room, which the characters eventually get after losing a whole batch 'o' hit points.

 

'yea though i expire....a clue I shalt give theee...or you could just ignore it like...'

'there must be a pattern..wait..FIREBALL...INCOMING!'

 Then, the final conflict...as they enter Lord Trum's...otherwise known as 'Crasus the Rakshasha's' - throne room, clearly part of some ancient spaceship, with which he either escaped, or was exiled from, the Tabaxi realm of Drymoon by the children of Duke Leto...or...has that even happened yet?...(all makes total sense to me).

'CHARRRRGE!'

 

'I'll just hang about behind this handy pillar, shall I?'

The Rakshasha - Crassus...has time to summon a demon, but is engaged by the fighters, before he can summon any more (he has a whole selection), fighting a defensive battle at his throne dais, as the characters force him to roll disadvantageously behind the now erected 'Mountainholme' magical shield wall...of course, his prescient mind-reading ability means the fighters have to do the same, when rolling against him.

Mountainholme in action pose...

 Casting out an energy ball, he manages to summon one demon before he is engulfed in combat - though this one - Balor himself..will prove to be a tough opponent.

'He seems friendly...'

  

The Sorceresses dally with the creature, trying to convince him to break the deal he has ...as Crassus screams (meows) 'BRING ME DAGMARA!' ...and the demon nods as a pact is made. Spells go off, one after the other .many failing...and many fumbling - it is just not the Sorceresses' day!

Spell effects..when they work...

Balor manages to rope in Dagmara, but she blinks out with Misty step, much to the Balrog's annoyance...

awww...he was really niiice

The growing Owlbears that Dagmara had adopted also attack (clearly now with magical improvements to attacks...uh..ahem...that enables them to tackle 'Balor the Balrog')... Biden too tries to both heal and take down the Balrog, where he can...

Balor destroys ALL in his wake...so far...

The Sorceresses conjure up a plan to become invisible and move behind Crasus, with Dagmara eventually finding her way into the hidden control room behind him, realising that breaking Balor's pact will not work...Maureen moves up, planning to use her 4th level spell on Crasus (as lower levels will not work on the Rakshasha)...casting 'Cloudkill' AND...it fails... She immediately uses her 'pearl of power' to regain the spell, the characters move out of the way ...AND...it fails again GAHHH!

'It's behiiiind you!'

Meanwhile,  Balor kills the Owlbears, and poor old Byden the Priest...then the demon flies toward the characters at the throne..who are CLOSE..very close... to killing Crasus himself.

Taking on Balor the Balrog...

Spying Dagmara, and still under pact, Balor moves to the rear control chamber to grab her again..and is deceived by her mirror image spell, grasping an illusion..and screaming his defiance! 

By now, Crasus has been worn down, and a triumphant Leeta the hobbit, slowly being turned into a dwarf by Mountainholme (a Dwobbit?, a Hwarf?...a Dwarbit?), leaps forward with the 'blessed magical crossbow bolt of doom' - the only thing that will kill a Rakshasha..and stabs him between the eyes - GREAT SUCCESS! ...except, now...the vile Balor is released from his pact with Crasus, and turns upon the characters. 

Bjorn Down!!! Bjorn Down!!!

Bjorn goes down in a flurry of horrible blows from the Demon Lord...just as Leeta, picks up his dropped magical Elven blade herself and rushes the huge beast....taking him down with a heroic CRITICAL...rolling for triple damage! WOW..what and end to the campaign... as Leeta the 'Dwobbit' saves the day!!!

Saved by the Dwobbit

Bjorn is revived, and our heroes have won the day...

Reasoning that the room was filled with portals to the other planes, which a sacrificed Dagmara's blood would have used to activate, and thus allow Crasus to escape...the party opts to destroy the whole place and (hopefully) end any future attempts to kidnap Dagmara...all's well that ends well...for now... 

 

  

Leeta the Brave

 

Lady Maureen goes on to become Castellan of the citadel now that Trum/Crasus is gone... 

Leeta the 'Dwobbit'...becomes her top bodyguard

Dagmara the Wise

 

Dagmara the Sorceress inherits her mother's Witchy-Woo Tower

Jeralt the Holy

Jeralt the Paladin takes over the church of Saint Terraginis in the citadel, succeeding his dead Mentor, Byden...

Bjorn the Mighty

Bjorn is promoted to 'Captain of the Guard' in the citadel

 But, it is rare in this world that heroes such as these, the only survivors of the 12 characters that started the campaign, are allowed to rest for long... 

  

Balor goes on to open a sandwich shop in Norwich, identifying as a cat called 'Bob'.