The Compact
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Summary, Synopsis and Characters |
| "The Compact" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Campaign 1 session | |||
| Session no. | Session 30 | ||
| Session date | July 3, 2022 | ||
| Timeline | |||
| Start date | January 9, 353 WSK | ||
| End date | January 9, 353 WSK | ||
| Starring | |||
| Bean – Pine DMarty – Ricoril GuardianAngel – Gael Nixup – Versa and Bunnies as the Dungeon Master | |||
| Narrative chronology | |||
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| Session order | |||
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| List of Campaign 1 sessions | |||
"The Compact" (1x30) is the 30th session of the first campaign of Itora.
Synopsis
Guided again by Ricoril’s uncanny sense to track one of two specific figures down, the party march ahead in the jungle. They choose to travel cautiously, as to not be ambushed once again. The decision pays off, as they encounter yet another group of guard drakes, however the creatures stop in their tracks, called off by their imp handler before they attack. The imp, Vinny, calls for a cease fire because their master wishes to speak with the group. The party ask whether the imp was aware of their missing mounts, who remarks that he saw them in passing and knows where they are. Hesitantly, they agree to follow the imp.
Traveling through the jungle for an hour, they keep on high alert, but ultimately reach their destination without trouble. They approach the mouth of a cave through a clearing covered with constructed barricades. Posted throughout the space are a legion of guards in full armor, featuring an unnerving metal cast of a face on their heads, who allow the group to pass without issue. Entering a small cave, Vinny speaks a few words in Infernal that cause a stirring of metal as a panel in the rock opens up. He tells the group to head in, and after some hesitation Versa enters, and the rest follow suit.
Inside, they are greeted with a comparably warm interior carved into the rock. The walls are paneled in treated, blackened wood; the floors are tiled, simply, but deliberately; in several places, banners featuring the emblem of a three horned ram are hung. Vinny tells the group to follow the bend and find the large set of double doors at the end of the hallway, where their master will be. He tells them not to keep him waiting as he floats up and turns invisible.
Like clockwork, the party snoop around every visible door. The first room contains produce from Digford and weapons from Salut, indicating some degree of relationship between the devils and both villages. Versa manages to find a Potion of Greater Healing as well as a Knock scroll amidst the supplies. The second room contains sleeping arrangement for imps, who hiss at the party until they close the door. Arriving at the third room, a common area and kitchen, Versa surveys the area for something to steal. In the meantime, Ricoril and Pine investigate a hidden door that Ricoril sensed. Collectively, no one is able to discern how the passage opens, so they move on. The final stretch of doors appear magically locked, and the party finally decide to head towards their destination.
Versa attempts to dramatically push both doors open but fails spectacularly, moving nothing and bonking her head on the door. Ricoril follows up to perform the intended dramatic entrance. They are greeted by a white-scaled, winged, horned devil, sitting at a desk, writing. He invites them in to take a seat, claiming that they have much to discuss. Everyone takes a seat, with the exception of Pine, who allows Gandalf to take his seat. Looking around, Gael notices that they are not able to see the ceiling of this chamber, even with their superior darkvision.
The Compact
The devil introduces themselves as Math’tamoth, and claims that he believes he had a deal for the party that is mutually beneficial. He explains that he is willing to guarantee a wide variety of rewards in exchange for ceasing their interaction with the village of Digford. The group argue intensely over the implications of signing the pact. Some feel that they are in no position to run away or fight, that signing the pact is the only safe option. Others see no virtuous way that involves allowing the devils to continue their work. The debate continues.
Versa casts Detect Thoughts, attempting to probe into the mind of the devil, gaining scattered information. The debate gets contentious once again, as Versa refuses to sign, threatening to resolve the situation with violence. A voice echoes from above, addressing the devil.
| — Trugdrithog to Math’tamoth
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A second devil lands in the room, leaning up against the desk. Versa asks whether the devils will let them leave, to which they reply that they would, however they would not guarantee their safety after the fact. Versa lunges at Trugdrithog, who parries the attack and flies back up into the darkness, threatening that things will be handled his way if the group doesn’t behave.
After more tense debate between Versa, Gael, and Math’tamoth, Ricoril signs the contract while Versa was distracted. Seeing this as a point of no return, Versa lunges at the devil, initiating combat.
Negotiations Break Down
Ricoril and Gael attempt to prevent the exhausted Versa from approaching the devil, but she moves like water, breaking grapples and evading any attempt to slow her down. Trugdrithog descends once again and casts darkness over Versa and his partner. Ricoril charges in to defend Versa as she came under attack from the devils. Gael fires an enchanted Sleep arrow to incapacitate Versa, but Ricoril’s Shield of Missile Attraction drags the arrow to hit him instead. Pine dispels the darkness, negating the devils’s visual advantage.
The party work cohesively to protect Versa; the combination of Ricoril’s Guardian Emblem to negate a critical hit, Pine’s Protection from Good and Evil cast on Versa to give the devils disadvantage on attacks, and Gael’s cure wounds keep Versa in a fighting state throughout the fight.
Ricoril’s smites decimate Trugdrithog in only a few blows, while Math’tamoth suffers repeated strikes from Versa and the bloodthirsty Gandalf. Assessing the situation, the devils decide to flee into the darkness. Ricoril, who previously cast Locate Object on Trugdrithog’s scimitar, fires a Fire Bolt to finish off the fleeing devil; however it was Math’tamoth who fell to the ground, struck by the spell. Versa pops out wings and tosses out a paralyze/blindness poison in the direction of the remaining devil, who immediately suffers the effects, falling to the ground, nearly dying from the fall. In a coup de grace, Gandalf finishes off the vulnerable devil, feasting on his flesh, and earning his first kill.
The darkness above dissipates, and Gael notices, high up in the ceiling, a break in the wall - likely an escape route the devils were heading towards. Versa tears up her and Ricoril’s copy of the contract, though Gael pockets theirs. Versa moves to investigate the desk to find any information about the devils’s plans. Ricoril investigates the bodies but they begin to decompose into a sticky goo, and he is only able to grab their scimitar. Versa’s search manages to find quite a few important-looking documents, but they’re all in a cipher.
Gael hears the sound of explosions and clanking metal in the distance. They open the door to see several guards rounding the bend, only for the wall beside them to explode. Out of the dust and debris steps Warble, triumphantly announcing that they’re happy to be creating again - as another explosion echoes in the distance. They are followed by Sela, who tells the party that they’ve found their mounts but they have to make a quick exit.
Featured characters
Player characters
New
Returning
Mentioned
- Bhilkydd (first mentioned)
Quotations
References
Art:
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