Into Citadel Drezen, part 1, the upper Citadel

The party wakes the next morning feeling energized, well-rested, and generally pretty good.  As much of any of those as one can feel in the World Wound, of course - an hour before dawn a pack of ravens landed on several tents as screamed while they turned inside-out, then flew away.  Yikes.

Kand and his team finish constructing the Trebuchet near mid-day, on the other side of the bridge across from the main gate of the wall around Citadel Drezen.  With three well-placed shots the gates come down - an an army of Paladins and Crusaders rushes in!  Our Heroes join in the fracas - and are quickly victorious over the cultists and minor demons in the courtyard around the Citadel proper.

Aron Kir drew the party a map, before his troubles with the Demonsblood Drug:

When the party is inside the walls, they see a pinkish-purplish glow surrounding the Citadel.  The paladins cannot enter, and it's impervious to the kind of dispelling magic Our Heroes have at their command.  The trebuchet launches a boulder, which hits the barrier from above, sinking slightly in and shattering into pieces that float, on the barrier, a foot or so above the top of the citadel.

Torvan and Vig discover that they can, by spending a portion of their Mythic power, pass through the barrier - and soon The Party is scaling the rear-most tower, away from the front gate.  Descending inside they find the lair of Soltengrebbe, the Mythic Chimera - a lair filled with marvelous and magical treasures, as well as a certain large amount of gold.  Into their magical sacks goes the valuables, because there's always time for looting, even as one assaults a Mythically-defended Citadel inside the World Wound.

"You can't win, you know - now you've fallen into my trap."  A voice thick with ennui and despair booms softly into Our Heroes' heads.

"Oh, bother,"  thinks the party.

"Soon your Army will begin to succumb to the pestilence my Masters have designed - a disease infused with Abyssal Toxins, developed specifically to infect Paladins," the voice, stentorious and morose, filters into Our Party's heads.

The Heroes shrug, unable to prevent the monologue-ing in the violent way they are accustomed to as they make their way up to the top of the citadel and over to the front set of crossbows and ballistae.

"It takes my energies and focus to spread and infest your friends, but soon enough, all shall perish, and then I will turn my attentions to you.  Rest assured - Drezen is as much your tomb as it is mine.  Enjoy interacting with the other inhabitants - such as whom still remain."

Our Heroes move to the front of the Citadel, just to the east of the main entrance, where they intend to disable the war machines.  Hearing a voice they open a door in to the Citadel where they encounter a human dressed in furs and skins, wielding a sword larger than she is!  Combat is joined!

And quickly ends - minor wounds for The Party, but major wounds to Jestak, the barbarian.  She is stabilized and then brought back around by Kendra, whereupon she is questioned as to her business in Citadel Drezen:

Her job?  "Being in charge of the Ballista crews."

Where are the Ballista crews?  "Dead, at my hands.  I slew them all."

Why on earth would you do that?  "To show that I'm the evilest and the baddest to the new demons who are sure to come now that Staunton Vhane has gone missing."

(The Party looks at each other and then slowly nods, each thinking that yes, from a certain point of view, that does make sense.)

But why would you want to be here, in Drezen, at all?  "For power and glory - my tribe was weak and would not fight demons.  So I decided to join the strongest force I could."

What happens now?  "I don't know.  I was wrong to join the demons.  I suppose you shall kill me."

What if we were to rehabilitate you - do you think you would want to turn to the side of Good?  "Well - I think you're probably going to be the new rulers of Drezen so - I guess so, yes?"

That's good enough for the party, and so now they are Six.

As the party enters the citadel proper and makes their way back to a staircase leading down (information provided by their New Barbarian Friend), everything

Goes

Dark....

And the party sees a scene, frozen in time, of Staunton Vhane, dressed in glorious steel armor, and wearing the signifiers of a Paladin of Torag.  He is arguing with a council of other Paladins - there is a sense that Staunton is suggesting going on the offense, taking the fight to the demons, while the ruling council of Drezen suggests caution.  In the background are his two brothers, Joran and Millorn - one an artificer, who cares only for objects and constructions, the other barely hanging on to his sanity, as he studies magic to gain focus and control.

The scene shifts.  Staunton meets with a beautiful elf woman, dressed all in green, and promises made and pledged.

Again a shift - Staunton has removed the Sword of Valor from Drezen, and brought it to the lady: "I have brought the banner!  Let us meet with the army you have promised!"

"Oh my delightful little Paladin.  I have indeed brought an army."

Her army is an army of demons.  Drezen falls under their might, without the magic of the Banner to defend against demonic infiltrations.

Staunton also falls - into despair, and away from his Paladinhood.

Again a shift.  Staunton, this time in green, chitinous metal armor, has snuck into Kenabres.  A war hammer has just shattered against the Wardstone, with only the faintest of cracks, as Irabeth launches herself up the tower to do battle with Staunton.

In flickers now, a sense of motion - Staunton kicks and shatters Irabeth's knee, as she strikes her sword deep into his guts - but he escapes on a giant summoned wasp.

And a final shift - Staunton is tied to a table, and is being... deboned.  One arm lies open, oozing fluids, with all the bones removed up to the elbow, as does one leg up to the knee.  A surgeon is working on his other hand, removing his finger bones - somehow is is not just alive, but coherent through the pain.  Areelu Vorlesh - who the party met, some months ago at the reading of a will - stands over Staunton, observing.

Areelu Vorlesh

Her eyes turn to the party and she looks quizzically at them: "Well, this is unexpected."

I am sure, gentle reader, that both you and Our Heroes are feeling the same way.

"Why are you doing that to him?" asks Kand, getting to the point.

"He must be in agony if he is to become the trap.  Is it you we are setting the trap for?"  Her eyes study The Party, but give no recognition of previous meetings.

Meetings, plural, and yes, gentle reader, I am fully aware of the words that I am using.  Please allow me your indulgence, and realize that time-travelling visions play havoc with verb tenses and subject-object agreement at the best of times.  And as I am sure you will agree - these are not the best of times.

Questions are asked and deflected on both sides - neither Our Heroes or Areelu are willing to give away any more information than necessary - and soon the vision ends.

The party enters the Citadel proper.

And promptly exits, heading back to Saltengrabbe's lair and in through that tower.  "Be careful - there are minotaurs and Thoxel demons ahead!" warns Jestak.  A conversation is had about the wisdom of using a dimension door want to bypass these solid defenders.  "Staunton's brother Joran lies in the chambers before the staircase down - perhaps he could also be turned to the side of good?  I understand that heroes like us tend to do that," concludes Jestak.

But use precious magical energies to bypass a fight with demons and demonic foes?  Our Heroes think not, and enter the northern garrison...

And things go dark.  Another vision.

A tribe of Orcs and Half-Orcs are being marched across one of the many deserts of the World Wound.  Most of the tribe was slain by demons, and another half died in the journey.  Torvan is here, as a child.  Our Heroes are both observers, and Orcs chained together and made to march - they are cold, and hungry, and exhausted.  There is a table here, like you might have in your Dining room, gentle reader, and Areelu Vorlesh stands next to it, two boxes at her feet, and now an Orc has been chained to the table.

One of the other Orcs struggles with their - with your - captors, but is quickly disemboweled and left to die bleeding on the sands.

Oh Gentle Reader I fear that you might be Too Gentle to read the rest of this vision.  I will end this part of the missive soon, and you may rejoin Our Heroes as they descend into the basement of Citadel Drezen.  For while I am aware of the horrors we have seen The Party face, that pales in comparison to what might come next.

I speak of the Dark Tapestry.  The Madness that lies out among the stars, out past creation.  It is thin here, in the world wound, where these orcs, and their demon guards, and our Heroes, and you, all stand.  It is close to Areelu.

Well.  She feeds a glowing purple fluid to the orc on the table, who writhes and - changes, becoming more demonic.  As she grows horns and vestigal wings, Areelu reaches into her chest and pulls out her heart, examining it for a moment and then placing it in one of the boxes next to her.

The Dark Tapestry is closer.  Madness flays your mind.

Again and again - a prisoner is chained, fed the fluid from a small vial, transforms, and dies with their heart in Areelu's hand.  A score of orcs die in this way.

There are three orcs left.  There are three of you left.  Three is all that remains of us now.  Torvan, his sister, and one other.  This one is chained to the table and fed the elixir - but this time, Areelu reaches into the half-Orc's head and removes his brain.

the dark tapestry is very thin.  all sounds are muted, as if whispered.  the brain is placed into the second box.  the brain is handed into the dark tapestry.  the book is handed into the dark tapestry and the brain is removed.  the brain is the book is the tapestry.  everything means nothing and everything and meaning is.

Areelu stops, with a book in her hand, and looks at you.  She looks briefly between both Torvans - the one who is eight years old, and the adult, and then at the book in her hand.  She looks younger - her horns are not as prominent, and her skin has not yet taken on the grayish reddish tinge that she had in the previous visions.

"Well.  Am I in your dream, or are you in mine?"

Torvan and his Sister are set free, and vanish out of sight, and you, and Areelu, and The Party, all look quizzically at each other.

"Interesting," says Areelu, and then

Our Heroes enter the northern garrison, where they see several dead cultists, minotaurs, and Thoxel demons.  It appears that there has been a falling out amongst the several and varied defenders of the Citadel.

Shrugging, the party enters the Vhane brothers chambers.  Joran is there, bleeding but alive, with the corpses of three babau demons dead on the floor.

The party takes this as a good sign, and heals the dwarf - and since he's trapped in here and has already slain some demons, decide that he can't be LESS trustworthy than the Barbarian Friend they already have along.  Now we're seven!

I fear I am weary from the telling, and our Missive must continue on the Next Times.  Until then, Gentle Reader.