Session 47

Heroes: Jamhand, Alandrovic, Deadbolt, Sengar

The Heroes climb to the top of the ziggurat, where more Broodfiends await them, blocking their way to the base of the spire. A long lost ally returns to join the fray: Aelarion the elven sorcerer arrives riding a lightning, and brings his powerful magic to bear. The fiends are destroyed, and the Heroes arrive at the base of the Spire. There, they rapidly slaughter Maralee and her Kyuss knights, and then begin the long climb to the top of the spire.

The sky darkens, powerful necromantic energy begin to pulse, and from the dark monolith in the center of the platform, Kyuss himself comes forth, terrible in his divine power. But the Heroes have fought long and hard to diminish his power, by destroying the Unlife Vortex, helping the people of Alhaster overcome their despair, and killing Lashonna. Yet, even weakened, Kyuss is a terrible foe.

The Heroes throw at him all they have. Aelarion strikes repeatedly with a Sphere of Annihilation; Deadbolt slashes at him with his Mighty Axe of Wyrm Chopping; Jamhand pellets him with bolts of holy light, while keeping his companions alive; Alandrovic keeps smiting the Wormgod with his Sword of Aaqa; and Sengar, raging like a primordial storm, bashes Kyuss with his magical mace.

Kyuss unleashes his necromantic powers, engulfing the Heroes in his worm-ridden form, crushing their bones with his executioner mace. But not even a god can stand between the Heroes and their fury, when finally Sengar smashes his mace one last time in the physical form of Kyuss, and shatters him, in an explosion of a million worms!

The Age of Worms has been averted; Alhaster, and the whole world, are safe.

Session 46

Heroes: Jamhand, Deadbolt, Alandrovic, Sengar

The Heroes approach the ziggurat, the very eye of the divine storm that is destroying Alhaster. Inside the ziggurat, they face the many guardians placed by Lashonna in place to stop them.

But vampires, devils, Kyuss knights, and not even the devilish daughter of Zeech herself, Hemriss the half-fiend, can stop the righteous fury of the Heroes.

And so Lashonna makes her appearance, her huge dragon form soaring high outside of the ziggurat, her vampire fangs dripping blood, accompanied by a flock of erinyes devils. The Heroes face her on the side of the ziggurat, Deadbolt and Alandrovic flying to her with the power of their magical artefacts, while Sengar and Jamhand perform feats of incredible strength by jumping on her scaled form propelled by their pure grit!

The battle seems to go bad for the Heroes, with the erinyes assaulting their minds, while Lashonna lays waste to their bodies with her terrible claws, and her cold breath. But the Gods of Light (and some of the Gods of Darkness) have not forgotten their champions, and by summoning the power of their divine patrons, the Heroes gather all they have, all their fury and willpower, until Deadbolt, with his Mighty Axe of Wyrm Chopping delivers the final blow to Lashonna!

The erinyes are then rapidly dispatched, and the Heroes look up, to the top of the ziggurat, where Kyuss awaits them for the final battle.

Session 45

Heroes: Alandrovic, Deadbolt, Jamhand, Sengar

The Heroes visit the former manor of Lashonna, now wrecked by the destruction that has befallen the city. Among the ruins, they find Lashonna's former laboratory, containing a still functioning portal. When they activate the portal, they find themselves in the underground of Alhaster.

The whole area is Lashonna's arcane sanctum, where together with the Avolakia's she has fond rituals to create the broodfiends, and several other arcane contraptions. When they arrive, they're immediately intercepted by a cabal of Kyuss liches, pelletting them with dark spells. The Heroes emerge victorious, and proceed to the next room.

The vaulted chamber contains the Unlife Vortex, an arcane engine syphoning the power of countless souls to usher the resurrection of Kyuss. The Vortex is guarded by Avolakia ghosts, which the Heroes must defeat before solving the mystery presented by the contraption. Deadbolt, with his experience guarding arcane treasures, finds a way to send the machine into overload. As the Unlife Vortex implodes, the Heroes escape through the portal.

But their troubles are not over. From the crater left by the implosion, huge overworms emerge, harbingers of Buldumech the Pit Fiend! As the archdevil flies out of the crater, the Heroes jump on his huge form to batter him down. An aerial fight takes place, until Buldumech manages to shake all the Heroes off, to plummet to the ground below into the maws of the overworms. When the colossal vermins are destroyed, the Heroes focus their attacks on the fiend, until Sengar smashes his face with his magical mace, and sends him back to Hell.

Session 44

Heroes: Jamhand, Deadbolt, Sengar, Alandrovic

The Archmage Manzorian summons the Heroes to Magepoint, where he updates them on the current events. A horde of demons and worms has attacked the city of Alhaster, where the ziggurat to summon Kyuss has been completed, and the Wormgod is about to step into the world.

In order to weaken Kyuss before he fully manifests himself, the Heroes must fight the despair in Alhaster, destroy the Unlife Vortex that is syphoning souls to power the Wormgod, and kill his main apostle, Lashonna the traitorous dragon. To help them, they receive an additional fragment of the Rod of Seven parts, and a scroll that will open a portal to a place called the Tomb of Horrors, where they can retrieve a powerful destructive artifact called the Sphere of Annihilation. Then Manzorian teleports the Heroes to Alhaster.

The city has suffered greatly. Mobs run in panic and despair, trying to find safety; many buildings have been destroyed by the huge worms summoned by the ritual; clouds of poisonous green mist can be seen rising from many districts; in the distance, a huge tower grows out of the ziggurat, rising up to the heavens, where dark clouds gather and spiral.

The Heroes must contend with the minions of Kyuss, among them overworms, Kyuss knights, liches, and vampires, while at the same time protecting the citizens of Alhaster to make sure they do not fall into despair.

As a sign of their prowess, they enter one of the poisonous clouds, finding out the source of this plague: a huge broodfiend spreading acid and disease in the streets of Alhaster. The Heroes destroy the creature, greatly bolstering the moral of the populace. But the demon is only one of the many horrors unleashed upon the city. The Heroes gather their strength, and look for the Unlife Vortex and Lashonna.

Session 43

Heroes: Jamhand, Deadbolt, Alandrovic, Sengar

Before exploring the pit, the Heroes decide to check the other rooms on the floor, to make sure nothing attacks them on their way back. In finely appointed rooms, they find Mahuudril, a noblewoman they met weeks before at Prince Zeech feast. She tries to turn the Heroes to Dragotha's side, but her attempts at diplomacy fail. When the Heroes attack her, she assumes her true form, that of an Avolakia high-priest.

Having killed Mahuudril, the Heroes complete their exploration, and then go back to the pit. They soon realize that the magic of the pit allows them to float up or down the tunnel. With millions of green worms infesting the lower caverns, the Heroes decide to go up, where they find a tunnel guarded by a trio of Nightcrawlers. But not even these creatures can stop them, as they make their way to a huge cavern.

There, a broken ziggurat bleeding the green divine essence of Kyuss awaits; perched on the ziggurat is Dragotha himself, the ancient dracolich and first servant of Kyuss. With the help of the ghost of Balakarde, the Heroes throw themselves at the fearsome undead and destroy him. With Dragotha dead, Balakarde thanks the Heroes for freeing his soul, and departs.

But the Heroes have no time to linger and enjoy their victory: Manzorian contacts them with a spell, and urges them to travel to him immediately. While they were busy fighting Dragotha and his minions, the Age of Worms has begun!

Session 42

Heroes: Jamhand, Deadbolt, Sengar, Alandrovic

After defeating the wyvern and its dark dwarf rider, the Heroes approach the Tabernacle of Worms. When opening the double doors of the temple, they summon a huge overworm that tries to stop them.

But there's no stopping the Heroes, as they slaughter the beast, and enter the compound. There they face and destroy disgusting avolakia priests, unholy servants of Kyuss.

Delving further, they reach a huge cave, infested with worms and green mist. There they're ambushed by a dragonworm, one more aberrant creation of the cult of worms. The Heroes keep their wits about them, and slaughter the monster.

Session 41

Heroes: Alandrovic, Sengar, Jamhand, Deadbolt.

In the largest cave, they meet N'vesh'nkar, a monstrous Apostle of Kyuss in the form of a gigantic worm. Only after defeating the disgusting monster can they retrieve the last fragment of Balakarde's soul.

Once all three fragments are together, Balakarde's ghost appears. He reveals what he knows about Dragotha, most importantly the fact that Lashonna is actually a servant of Kyuss!

He then guides the Heroes to the entrance of the underground sanctum of Dragotha. The entrance is guarded by undead Chimeras, which the Heroes dispatch of easily. After more than a mile of descending into the rock, they arrive at an Underground Lake. As they cross the stone bridge to the huge green doors, they're attacked by more Guardians.

Session 40

Heroes: Sengar, Jamhand, Deadbolt, Alandrovic.

With Thessalaar defeated, the Heroes investigate his laboratory, accidentally releasing the lich's latest experiment: a monstrous skinless creature of tentacles, muscles, and bones! They kill the creature, and in doing so they release a fragment of an imprisoned sul that was used in the experiment. they soon leran that this is a fragment of Balakarde's soul, the mage who was obsessed with the Age of Worms so many years before.

Riding their hydra pet, the Heroes travel to the opposite side of the gorge, and reach Zulshyn's tower. The mysterious lillend is initially amenable to the Heroes, but when they start to destroy her art collection, she and her marble golems attack. But not even her righteous rage can defeat the pure power of the Heroes, and she's made captive. She reveals what information she has about Dragotha, while the Heroes find a second fragment of Balakarde's soul in one of the statuettes made by Zulshyn.

With Balakarde's soul almost unified, the Heroes feel a pull to travel the Earthcancer Gorge, one more terrible location inside the Wormcrawl Fissure, where they must contend with monstrous vermins, on their way to find the last fragment of soul.

Session 39

Heroes: Sengar, Alandrovic, Deadbolt, Jamhand

The Heroes travel to the Rift Canyon, looking for an entrance to Dragotha's lair. Deadbolt experiences a vision where he sees the lost mage Balakarde descending into the Wormcrawl Fissure to face colossal green worms.

While exploring the rift, the Heroes discover an ancient fortress, inhabited by the Lich Thessalar and his monstrous creations, the thessalhydras. Initially, they try to get some information from the lich, but eventually decide to destroy it and its abominations.

Session 38

Heroes: Deadbolt, Sengar, Alandrovic, Jamhand

Set on opening the Vault, the Heroes face also Kagro Thundersmiter, the leader of the fire giants guarding the Citadel. They slay the powerful giant, and retrieve his key.

They then make their way to the Vault, where they're welcomed by an old friend, the ghost of Alastor Land (see HERE). The ghost helps them to perform the ritual of opening, and they finally enter the Vault.

Inside, the Fabler reveals himself as the traitor he really is, not a spriggan anymore, but a spawn of Kyuss. He tries to steal the phylactery, while Brazzemal the Burning melts the walls of the Vault from outside, and joins the fray.

While Sengar runs after the undead spriggan and kills it, the Heroes face Brazzemal, until Deadbolt kills him with a devastating blow (420 points of damage on a crit!).

Having recovered the phylactery, the Heroes destroy it. Their path is once again clear... now they must face Dragotha himself!

Session 37

Heroes: Jamhand, Deadbolt, Alandrovic.

The Heroes delve deep into the carrion pit, until they find the Mother Worm; in the guts of the monstrous creature, they find one of the keys necessary to open the Vault.

They return to the Citadel of Weeping Dragons, where they meet again with Vercinabex. But this latest meeting with him does not end well, especially when the giant introduces them to his Marilith demon ally. The Heroes decide to forsake their deal with the giant, and slaughter both of them.

Session 36

Heroes: Deadbolt, Jamhand, Sengar, Alandrovic.

The Heroes make their way to the Citadel of Weeping Dragons, but are attacked by a dozen of black dragons on the bridge before the arched gates of the citadel. They're almost overwhelmed, when the Ominous Fabler, prince Zeech's fool, appears to save the day with his weird magic. After the battle, he reveals to be a servant of the Giant King, since he's not just a gnome, but a spriggan, capable of becoming a giant himself. He wishes to help the Heroes in thei quest, and sing of their legandary battles.

The fire giant guards of the fortress, having witnessed the Heroes slaughter the dragons, allow them to enter. They're introduced to the fire giant Bram Cleftshank, a fearsome dragonslayer. They explain to him they're looking for Dragotha's phylactery, but he does not seem to know anything about it. The giants of Kongen-Thulnir protect a mystical vault, but they have forgotten what it contains. In any case, the sacred vault must never be opened.

Bram then brings the Heroes to Vercinabex Tor, the arcane expert of the clan. When he's alone with them, Vercinabex makes a deal with the Heroes: he will help them open the vault, and they can have the phylactery, but he will get whatever else is in it. He also reveals that to open the vault the Heroes need two keys, and a "ritual of opening" must be performed. One of the keys is with the leader of the clan, Kagro Thundersmiter, while the second key has been lost in a place called the Carrion Pit, a dark hole in the Undercity of Kongen-Thulnir.

The Heroes cross the city once more, to reach the Carrion Pit, but on their way they're attacked by the great blue dragon Vermirox. Despite its prowess, the Heroes kill the wyrm, and proceed to the Undercity. There they meet a Hill Giant warrior of great strength, wounded from previous battles, but still fierce. The giant tries to stop the Heroes, but he's also defeated.

Session 35

Heroes: Alandrovic, Deadbolt, Sengar, Jamhand

The Heroes travel to the Great Rift, where they witness a veritable dragon army flying up in the sky, bound to the giant fortress of Kongen-thulnir.

When they also arrive, they find the giant guardians of the fortress besieged by the dragons. The Heroes try to offer their help, but the giants are deaf to their plights, so they're forced to fight on two fronts, against both giants and dragons.

As they make their way through the battlefield, they manage to kill two of the leaders of the dragon invading force: Necrozyte, a fiendish green dragon, and the deadly fang dragon Xyzanth.

Session 34

Heroes: Alandrovic, Sengar, Jamhand, Deadbolt.

Stepping through the portal, the Heroes find themselves in Last Resort, a demiplane created by the ancient druidic Order of the Storm, to protect the most dangerous knowledge of the mortal world.

They're welcomed by the Wild Watchers, fey creatures of incredible power, born from the sacrifice of the druids of Order more than 1,500 year ago. The Watchers inform them that, to earn the right to drink from the Fountain of Dreams, they will have to first complete four trials.

First they take the Golden Belt from Kratahnos the Titan; then they silence the song of despair of the Ancient Night Twist tree; then they slaughter a murderous Nightmare Beast; last, they climb titanic mountains to retrieve a living feather from the Roc King. Unfortunately, Darl Quethos and his summoned Cornugon Devil have preceded them, retrieving the feather and killing the roc.

When the dark priest and his devilish ally try to steal the Golden Belt from the Heroes, they're quickly defeated, and the Heroes return to the Wild Watchers. There, one of the fey, enraged for the death of the Roc King, challenges the Heroes to trial by blood. But our champions cannot be stopped, and overcome this last obstacle.

They're finally allowed to drink from the Fountain of Dreams, and find themselves catapulted in the past, during the last stand of the Order of the Storm against Kyuss' armies. The Druids ask the Heroes to hold off the invading armies, while they travel to Kongen-Thulnir, an ancient giant fortress, to hide Dragotha's phylactery.

While the Heroes battle the undead, up in the sky a silver dragon, the true form of Lashonna, battles against the dracolich Dragotha. As the Heroes defeat the last of the undead, they witness Lashonna falling before a victorious Dragotha.

The Heroes return to the present, and Alandrovic receives a vision of his golden dragon mother, in human form, being visited by a handsome paladin of Heironeous... Prince Zeech before his fall! The revelation of the identity of his father gnaws at the dragonborn soul.

The Heroes now have the knowledge of the location of the phylactery; alas, the Watchers inform them that now that this knowledge is not hidden anymore, certainly a creature powerful as Dragotha will aquire it in no time through magical divination. Still, the path ahead of them is clear... Kongen-Thulnir awaits!

Session 33

Heroes: Alandrovic, Sengar, Jamhand, Bellamin.

The Heroes visit Lashonna at her mansion, where she allows them to read fragments of Balakarde's Journal; apparently the wizard was a friend of Lashonna, and he left his research with her before proceeding with his quest.

Lashonna points the Heroes to the island of Tilagos, where the Library of Last Resort is rumored to be situated. There they will be able to find the location of the phylactery of Kyuss' strongest ally: the dracolich Dragotha!

Unfortunately, a group of villains, led by the arch-priest of Vecna Darl Quethos are also travelling to the island, and the Heroes must hurry. They teleport to the shores of the Lake of Unknown Depths, where they hire a fisherman and his boat to bring them through the raging, unnatural storm surrounding Tilagos island. Although the boat does not survive the ordeal, the Heroes manage to reach the sandy shores of their destination.

The Heroes have just got their bearings, when they're assaulted by orc pirates, also stranded after having transported Darl Quethos and his companions to the perilous island. They rapidly subdue the orcs, and then enter the labyrinth of Tilagos, where they must find their way to the magical portal that will bring them to the Library of Last Resort. In order to activate the portal, they must retrieve three different kind of crystals to be found in the labyrinth.

But the place is not without peril: the Heroes must defeat many guardians and terrible creatures, including a horrendous creature known as "octopus tree". Bellamin does not survive the ordeal, but luckily the Heroes earn a new ally: Deadbolt, the clockwork warrior from the Upper Plane of Mechanus, joins the party.

After retrieving the three crystals, the Heroes approach the portal, but are ambushed by Krekie, the kenku assassin at the service of Darl Quethos. The kenku is defeated, and the Heroes activate the portal.

Session 32

Heroes: Alandrovic, Sengar, Jamhand, Bellamin

The feast continues, and the Heroes have more chances to exchange pleasantries with more of the guests, among them an amoral business man, and a loyal captain. They also do not miss the opportunity to anger the Prince, especially when Jamhand, quite drunk, decides to jump on the dessert, an 8-feet tall cake shaped like a ziggurat.

During the closing dance, Lashonna informs the Heroes she will call upon them soon to discuss the reason of their arrival in Alhaster. She also gives them the antidote to the poison they unknowingly ingested during the feast, one of the preferred ways of the Prince to dispose of those that displeased him. The party reaches an end, and the Heroes depart.

During the following days, the Heroes still find the time to pick a fight with the Blessed Angels. After having defeated the winged devils, a servant of Lashonna seeks them out, and informs them his Lady will receive them the following night.

Session 31

Heroes: Sengar, Bellamin, Alandrovic, Jamhand

The Heroes arrive at a dark pit, more than 300 ft deep; along the walls, blaspheme prayers to Kyuss are inscribed. At the bottom of the pit lies a dark temple of the Ebon Triad, guarded by an aspect of the Overgod, a powerful manifestation of the collect faith of the evil cult. The Heroes destroy the abomination, striking a severe blow to the Ebon Triad. In a secret room, they find magical treasures, and a ledger containing important information about the Ebon Triad and their involvement with Kyuss.

The Heroes return to the surface, and clean up to get ready for the festivities; when they're all dressed up for the party, a decadently sumptuous carriage brings them to the Palace of the Prince. They're welcomed by Prince Zeech, and his entourage of weird servants. During the events preceding the feast, the Heroes get the chance to interact with some of the guests, among them Hemriss, rumoured to be the Prince's daughter; Mahuudril, a mysterious noblewoman; Mariss Quemp, a dashing half-orc captain; and Shag Solomon, a civilised quaggoth with a short temper.

The Heroes compete in several feats of ability and intellect, aimed at entertaining the guests, but also at earning the favour of the Prince. During these events, Bellamin performs a poem aimed at shaming general B'kruss. The furious hobgoblin challenges Bellamin to a duel, and the bard obliges him by stabbing him through the neck.

After such amenities, the feast begins in earnest, and finally Lashonna makes her entrance. The Heroes hope to have a few moments to talk to her about their mission, but in the meanwhile enjoy the bizarre courses served at the table of the Prince.

Session 30

Heroes: Sengar, Bellamin, Alandrovic, Jamhand

The Heroes leave the dragon's lair, and begin their search for Rhorsk, as indicated by Balakarde's notes. They come into contact with the dwarven cleric Jamhand Stoneheart, who is also searching for whatever is left of the Temple of St. Cuthbert and his priests.

On their way to the ruined temple, they're stopped by B'Kruss, one of the hobgoblin generals of Prince Zeech. The proud hobgoblin challenges the Heroes to several feats of heroics, where they distinguish themselves, while also humiliating general B'Kruss. The furious soldier promises to settle all pending scores during the party at the Prince's palace.

The Heroes proceed to the Church of Blessed Deliverance, now nothing more than a burned ruin. They discover a secret passage leading underground, where a flesh-eating undead creature is hiding. They soon realise that the undead in Rhorsk himself, cursed by the gods for his cowardice.

The Heroes manage to extract some information from the pitiful creature: in life, he opposed the cult of the Ebon Triad, and he can point to them their ancient hideout under Sinner's Sanctum. He also reveals that the Ebon Triad was in contact with someone called Mother Maggot, who gave them worm-infested undead. Having learned what they could, the Heroes destroy Rhorsk and hasten him to his final judgement.

They proceed to Sinner's Sanctum, an hovel where the poor and diseased go to look for healing, but only find death. The half-crazed old woman taking care of the place is easily fooled by the Heroes, who get permission to inspect the compound. They soon find a secret passage leading 100 feet underground, inside some sort of hidden temple. As they explore the place, they must face a deadly Hangman Golem, a magical creature made of ropes intent on strangling them. Having destroyed the creature, they delve deeper into the compound.

Session 29

Heroes: Bellamin, Sengar, Alandrovic, Hesna, Aelarion

Back in Magepoint, Manzorian and his associates have not been idle. They discovered that the sage Balakarde had visited the city of Alhaster, in the Bandit Kingdoms, during his quest for knowledge about the Age of Worms. He even left a few notes, mentioning the need to meet a woman called Lashonna.

Manzorian teleports the Heroes to Alhaster, where the city is preparing for the celebrations of the twenty years of rule of the "beloved" Prince Zeech, the Hextorian fallen paladin in charge of the city.

While exploring the town, they decide to make a name for themselves by attacking the city watch (!). They manage to attract the attention of the blessed angels, the hellish elite police of the Prince.

They avoid to anger them further, and end up in the Deluxury, a gambling hall, brothel, and inn, where they earn the appreciation of the owner; he rewards them with an invitation to Prince Zeech's party.

Having also learned that the black dragon Ilthane's lair is not too far from the city, they decide to pay a visit, hoping to score some easy loot, since they already killed the dragon back in Diamond Lake.

They enter the lair, and must fight an acidwraith before they can claim whatever treasure remains. But upon leaving the cave, they're ambushed by Ilthane's brood, set on avenging their mother, and claim their treasure. The Heroes defeat the dragons, but not before poor Hesna is burned by the acid, and then eaten by one of the young dragons.

Session 28

Heroes: Sengar, Alandrovic, Aelarion, Bellamin.

The Heroes cross a veritable sea of worms, guarded by more disgusting minions of the evil god Kyuss, receiving more visions and insight into Kyuss' history after defeating them: it seems that upon his ascension to godhood, the dark god was almost immediately imprisoned in the monument that channelled his divine power. Only when the Age of Worms will come to pass will Kyuss return to lay waste to creation.

The last of the guardians of the ziggurat, Mak'ar the Harbinger of Worms, awaits the Heroes in his finely appointed chambers. The undead, alien creature seems disinterested in the Heroes, but realizes that they've still a part to play in the coming of Kyuss. Alas, when they decide to destroy him, he unleashes his necromantic powers on them. The Heroes emerge victorious, and receive a last vision: all the prophecies related to the Age of Worms have come to pass, save for two. It is now their duty to try and stop them from ever happening.

After this last vision, the monolith on top of the ziggurat comes crashing down on the obsidian ring. Whatever minions were left in Kuluth'mar make their way to the surrounding jungle. The Heroes lay waste to these low-lives, and then travel back to Magepoint thanks to Aelarion ritual of teleportation.