# [[105_20220108 How to inhale demons especially vrocks]] ## Session Summary > [!info] [[105_20220108 How to inhale demons especially vrocks]] > We took a long rest, and then killed our intellect devourer "friend" and found ourselves in a new place. It was a barren wasteland, with weird colors that made it seem like it was from another world. There was a yellowish cloud, and rocks that seemed to be the bones of fallen creatures. We found a river of detritus and a tower of dead people. I cast Purify Water and refilled our waterskins, and that's when we were attacked! > > A demon we recognized as a vrock began to swoop us, causing significant damage. Maestro teleported up onto the top of the tower and saw a small tear in the fabric of reality. He realized that the only way to repair it would be to kill the demons. ^summary %% [Video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wse0zewApjk) %% ## Recap of last session ![[104_20220101 Gloomtoes's Gift#^summary]] --- ## Log The two remaining dretches come out of Ka'ira protectively. They are ugly and stinky. In Maestro's dream, he sees his handaxe glowing in the [[Neverwinter]] plaza (in front of the [[Hall of Justice]]), and then a cyclone comes and sweeps everything away. In the shadows are people practicing fighting styles. In the eye of the cyclone, he sees an ebon fist. He is reminded of something that he still needs to do. I think about the spell I learned, and the other things Oghma has told me about going back to the Chasm and figuring something out there. I have a feeling that I'm something small and insignificant, and an entity or force far bigger than me approves of what I have realized with the Tiny Hut spell. I feel like there's still more that I have to learn. I'm at the cusp of uncovering it. In Ka'ira dream, she's flying, and then her wings turn to copper and she starts to fall. She remembers people that she left behind, especially those in [[Phandalin]]. She remembers Phandalin as she left it. She also realizes that [[Syrinx]] is still somewhere here - she has formed enough of a bond with Syrinx that she can tell she's still nearby. She prays to [[ttrpgs/Order of the Wandering Mind/Bahamut]] to help her, and she sees the man with seven canaries in her dream, and he touches her. She regains all of her surges. Despite using three of her surges, Ka'ira fails to resist the will of [[The First Blade|Maugwraithe]]. I have to charm her to keep her normal. We know we have to kill the Intellect Devourer! We try to deceive it to get a surprise round: - 24 Me - nat 1 Eraithe - nat 1 Keren - I do 18 radiant damage to it, 4 temp HP ```encounter name: Encounter players: - Xio - Maestro - Ka'ira - Keren - Eraithe creatures: - Thing ``` - Round 1 - Maestro: Falling Leaves or something like that - Keren: Staggering Note, 5 thunder damage to it and pushes it - Eraithe: Booming Blade - 8 damage and marks it - Intellect Devourer: Mind Shock - attempts to push all of us. 9 psychic damage to those who were hit - Xio: 7 radiant damage with Sacred Flame and prone - Ka'ira and ID take damage - Round 2 - Maestro: Fallen Needle. 38 damage The environment changes again as we kill it! Maestro notices that there is a tattoo on the neck of one of the dwarves. It's not familiar to him. [[The Castle Never Control Room#Ring 5 Barren wasteland of demons]]: We see the machine room again, briefly. There are three eel-like, bright blue streaks of energy, and then we are in a barren wasteland. Looks like a desert. The ground is brown and red. There are broken hills and dug-up ground. We smell something in the air, full and overwhelming. There are strange, pale, yellow clouds ahead that are moving around on the wind. They move sluggishly. We see the sunlight filter through the yellow clouds. Occasionally, we see a gush of gas. The soil is like rock - it's unsteady. There's something strange about the composition of the rocks or soil here. We hear a single howl in the distance. Maestro picks up an orange-brown stone. It's compacted soil and he can easily crush it open. Inside, there are minerals of other colors - yellow, white, green. There's a reddish-brownish smudge on his hand. It smells like dried blood. There is a gush of gas that erupts from the ground every now and then. The soil is like rock - it's unsteady. There's something strange about the composition of the rocks or soil here. There are bones beneath our feat that crunch. I notice that it is a humanoid leg that has been broken. It's been here for a few days. Maestro finds a large rock that seems to be filled with some sort of anger - it is filled with the vengeance for something horrible that was done here. The air is quite humid, so it's not really a desert. The ground should be warm from the heat of the sun, but it's not. We see lightning in the clouds. While we begin to travel towards a cave that Maestro has spotted, a patch of sand flies up and reveals a sinkhole. Reflex save! (22 for me) The cave has bones of something big that used to live here, but it must have been a long time ago. It looks like it must have been some sort of bear. Maestro sends Lydia out. Lydia hears bubbling sounds coming from this bit of terrain that seems to be moving. There are gross things on top of it, like bits of food. Lydia landed on top of it, fell in, and dissolved! It's miles long, but about 20-58 feet wide. I cast Endure Elements on everyone, which will last for 24 hours. We see some rats scrounging around. We spend an hour walking in one direction. We see rain falling from yellow clouds. Examining them, I think that they might be from another world - not the world that I know. It's eerily quiet. There are no birds chirping. We see another howl - this time, it's closer. We decide to move towards the howl, which is also near the thing that's moving. We realize it's a river. We all have to make a Fortitude check, but we all pass except Maestro. We came across a spurt of gas that hits all of us, but only Maestro gets confused by it. It's really stinky. At the end of this river, we see a tall structure: it's dull, white, and has spears sticking out fo it. It's about 50 feet tall. It's a tower of flesh and bones. There are round things at the end of the spears. There's orange smoke coming out of it from the top. We find a body - it's an animal with body parts that are different. Some of them are longer or shorter than usual. There's blood around it but we don't see a clear cause of death. It probably used to be some sort of boar, but its hind legs are longer and its snout is shorter. Its reddish-brownish hide has orange discoloration. It looks like we've walked into the remains of a battle that occurred a long time ago. One of the fallen people have the symbol of Helm. Keren, Eraithe, and I realize that the animals are demons. Demons are banned from entering this realm, but there are loopholes, like when a mortal inadvertently summons them. They usually copy, corrupt, and take the form of creatures in the area. There's something pouring down the tower: dark orange and faintly glowing. It flows into the river. I cast Purify Water and it works for 4 squares of water. It works, but it just eventually mingles with the gross water. Maugwraithe says he once ruled a kingdom that was safe and powerful, but he's never heard of "Ioxian League". He doesn't know anything about the other six blades that I asked him about. We hear a flutter of wings and something flies in front of us. We are all surprised! Only Maestro is not hit, and of those that were hit, I'm the only one who didn't get critted. We get ongoing 5 poison damage! - 24 Me - 23 Eraithe - 22 Maestro - 17 Ka'ira - nat 1 Keren - Round 1 - Me - Standard: Light towards it - Bonus: Healing word on myself - Monster check - It's a vrock! They can carry cows. They are used for air support for demons. They are naturally resistant to poison because that's what they were exposed to on their home plane. They also tend to get resistance to the first elemental attack that they receive. They have wildly different abilities. Each one might have different powers. - ![[vrock.png]] - They are foot soldiers and are one of the lower demons in the hierarchy. - vrocks are disloyal and like to plot against their leaders. - It's already bloodied! - It has a green sheen to its feathers. - Eraithe - Lightning Lure - vrock - It speaks in Abyssal, which is a very guttural language. _Humanoid. More. Meat. Eat. Feed. Gone._ - Flyby attack which is an area attack. (moves 8) - Everyone gets hit except for me (because I moved away) - Ka'ira gets a slashing wound that means she's slowed until she gets it treated. Eraithe and Keren are bloodied. - Move: 8 - Eraithe tries to hit it with a 22 vs Reflex (miss). - Maestro - He flies up to the top of the tower and sees a small bit of light where there is a tear in the fabric of the universe! Through the portal, he sees yellow, dying trees and a yellow shoreline. He sees a dretch pass by. He realizes that some of the bodies in this place are soldiers from [[Helm's Hold]]. But there is a small body on a stick in the portal that is impaled from stomach to the tip of his head. It is [[Father Tyson]], put there as a message to Maestro. He's been there for a long time. - Round 2 - Me - Move to Ka'ira - Wrath of the gods: +5 radiant damage to all damage rolls for the encounter - Standard: Moment of Glory - Minor: Light, but I couldn't find it. - Eraithe - Attacks it. The vrock's lightning resist is higher than the damage Eraithe would have done, but Ka'ira's Wrath of the Gods makes him still do damage. - vrock - Makes Eraithe vulnerable (easier to crit for it) - _Revenge. Humanoids. More meat for Hell on Earth._ - Keren - vrock's reflex and will are both 23 - Ka'ira - Attacks vrock - Guardians/orbs so far - Goblins in a desert - Zombies indoors in dark passageway - Gnoll camp in a desecrated temple - Underground dwarves - Barren wasteland