For backgrounds on the characters played in this campaign, look here~
Returning to the dark sanctum of the Deathbringer assassins, the party forayed boldly into the blackened recesses of the Citadel–finding therein the ruined remnants of dwellings and facilities long since laid to ruin. As Cassandra and Pandora maneuvered among the fore, once more the adventurers were waylaid in ambush by the shadow-fostering assassins–this time, faced as well with a powerful witch whom seemed one of their leaders. Cassandra was subject to a potent hex, retaliating then with her bloodline of the stars to send the witch into the reaches of -space—if only temporarily.
As Emma and Anselme struggled to fight their way past a throng of assassins to assist Cassandra, Pandora fell victim to a potent and baleful polymorph–becoming a rabbit in mind and body before being whisked away unseen, beyond the reach of Brother Vang’s status. With numerous assassins slain, the witch and her remaining vanguard fled into the inner workings of the citadel away from the party’s pursuit–leaving the adventurers to seek out Pandora’s fate as they continued to explore the citadel.
Pandora was not to become a stew, however–the rabbit recovered from a strange and remote section of the citadel by a frightful figure: a bone devil, whom upon breaking the transmutation which bound the drow so, introduced himself as an agent of Baalzebul. The bone devil explained his charge to operate within the citadel, intent on thwarting the designs and machinations of Orcus’ faithful and–where he might–assist the adventurers in the mayhem they sowed so well. Though wary, the two parted ways then–leaving Pandora and the party re-united and prepared to explore further the lowest level.
A menacing statue was encountered in the last wing of the Citadel, trapped with powerful magics as it guided the party to a number of torture chambers–apparently designed to direct victims of such devices to their final fates. Within one such chamber the party fought a flayed angel in a brief but grotesque battle; braving and surviving the other mechanisms so that they might ‘appease’ the powerful statue for further passage, the party as well encountered an immense zombified behir powering an electrical conduit which they also swiftly slew. When finished, a way higher through the Citadel was revealed–and so the party made haste to ascend and see what else lay ahead.
Upstairs, the adventurers soon entered a room strewn with wood and kindling–and shortly after their arrival, a serpentine monitor demon emerged from an adjoining chamber and gleefully set the room ablaze. As Anselme erected potent protection from fire for the party, the others quickly assailed the demon, sprayed it with a decanter of endless water, put out the flames and dispatched the peculiar foe. With the way cleared, they proceeded out into a long hall which curved about in a circle, exploring successive forges–some less derelict than the others.
When faced with a thoroughly bound and barriered door upon which–in a great many languages–insisted that it never be opened, the party wasted little time in urging Pandora to open the path and saw to dismantling and disabling the many locks and protections which wreathed the door. The instant the door was opened, half a dozen huge fire elementals sprang into existence in tandem with a rapid succession of delayed blast fireballs–for the party had unleashed a powerful arcane entity!
Chaos erupted through the hall as the party scattered and scrambled into the sudden fray; seperated from one another by towering flames, the adventurers struggling to wrangle their numerous foes and gain sight of their unleashed adversary. Pandora narrowly avoided detonating countless explosive runes when attempting to breach the formerly sealed chamber, and soon enough Cassandra, Meryk and Anselme along with Brother Vang bore first witness to their new enemy: an ancient goblin lich who flew about within an adamantine iron maiden.
Numerous wickedly powerful magics were unleashed in a pitched and perilous battle, with many pushed near to the brink of death as a mad scramble continued in an effort to overcome the unknown lich. Though heavy damage was leveled against the iron maiden within we he rode, the party was unable to pin down the powerful spellcaster–and after weathering a vicious disjunction of arcane energies, the lich vanished from the scene–leaving the adventurers with a sense of impending dread at what doubtless lay in store thereafter.
Searching the chamber which had been sealed after Pandora saw to the many protective traps about its entrance, the party discovered a gruesome laboratory within which a great many creatures–most of whom resembled former ‘Deathbringers’ from below–had been warped, twisted and reshaped over a great length of time. Dispatching the remaining abominations, the party recovered a great deal of magical armament and wondrous items left behind in the wake of the lich–though much to their great chagrin, were unable to locate anything which seemed apparent as the lich’s phylactery. In their anxious haste, as adventurers are so often wont to do–the party had unleashed what would no doubt come to be one of their most fearsome adversaries ahead…