This is a recap of my ongoing solo game of D&D. You don’t need to breeze through all prior material to enjoy this chapter – but it’ll probably help. This session has some content from Baldur’s Gate: Descent Into Avernus – specifically chapter 3: Avernus. I’m just saying that here, because without that disclaimer you wouldn’t be able to tell, everything’s been so heavily reflavoured and remixed. You’re spoiler-free.

The party:

<< Elion, a SEIA agent and arcane mechanic with a major survivor’s complex.

Melody, the newly named Tsethem of ice and a refugee from the infinite city. >>

<< Larissa Lightstep, a melancholic heiress and fiend slayer extraordinaire.

Jevak, a Mirling bringing word of a coming invasion. >>

Our heroes stand in the citadel of the infected fortress. Before them, encircled by rings of crackling blue energy, kneels the imprisoned soul of Michael Thane. His words from seconds ago ring in their ears: “The Amber Rider is coming!”

Elion: What the flying fez is the Amber Rider?

Prisoner: He put me here. Forever. It won’t go away. He knows.

Larissa: We must be swift. How can we free you?

Prisoner: One must take my place. Here forever. Please kill me?

Elion: Are we sure about this? *gives a very dubious look* Is he any real use to us?

Larissa: The high cleric believed so. If anyone knows how to defeat Marianne of Sterling, it is her lover.

Prisoner: Kill me, please? I did it. She killed Neneti. Morel. Rukel. Yegor. All of us.

Mel: If we free you, do you swear to help get Rahm Oru back to Tirkosu?

Prisoner: I promise. I broke my promise. I did it.

Elion: I, think that’s a yes?

Jevak: Who take hisss place?

There’s a pause while the team exchanges glances. Elion takes a deep breath, but before he can say anything Melody steps onto the dais.

Elion: No, wait! I’ll do it. I’ll…

Mel: *silences him with a shake of her head, her voice quavering as she speaks* It’s okay. This is what a Tsethem does. Just… Come back for me, okay?

She reaches out to touch the blue energy rings, but a powerful shock sends her reeling back, gasping.

Mel: It’s solid, I can’t get through it!

Larissa: I may have a way. But I shall need to rest to gather my energies.

They don’t really have any other option. Larissa kneels in front of the prisoner, literally collecting her thoughts and focusing them on the creature in front of her. Jevak gets bored after a few minutes and crawls over to trace his dagger in the pools of demon ichor.

Mel: *pokes Elion while he’s fiddling with his suit* What’s with him, anyway? The Mirling? You said you were guarding him?

Elion: Actually escorting. He’s basically a prisoner. Well, more of a defector. It’s a long story.

Mel: I’ve got time.

Elion recounts the happenings of his mission to close the shadow portal on the fey isle, and Jevak’s warning of a coming war. Mel looks rather nonplussed.

Mel: So… Assuming we somehow get back on Tirkosu, we gotta deal with an invasion of shadow beings? Is the world just constantly being threatened on a planar level? Cuz, they told me this spit only happens once every few years.

Elion: *shrugs* Guess you picked the wrong year to discover the rest of the world.

Mel: That’s crazy. *watches Jevak cackling quietly to himself* I wonder what made him defect?..

Crunch

The Adventure Crafter Turning Point

Plotline: Rescue the chained soul (development)

Plot points (characters invokes):

1. Lie discovered

2. It’s business

3. A motive free crime (Amber Rider)

4. Rural setting

5. None



A fiendish voice echoes from the hole in the ceiling.

??: Trespassers! The Amber Rider demands your presence! Ascend, if you are able!

Prisoner: He is here!

Mel: What do we do?

Elion: Larissa?..

Larissa: *shakes her head, eyes wide* Never entertain a devil’s wishes.

Elion: We can’t get out! The door’s locked!

Silence for a moment. Then a scampering of tiny feet follows the voice as it disappears.

??: One minute..

Elion nods to Larissa – they’ve bought themselves some time, so it’s now or never. But she give him a somber shake of her head.

Larissa: I can send one through the energy, but I cannot bring one out. We are doomed, unless the barrier does not prevent exit.

Mel: *nods, her face resolute as she hands Elion her battleaxe and mask* Do it.

Larissa focuses as Mel slowly approaches the prisoner again; this time the energy crackles harmlessly across a mental forcefield. The fledgeling Tsethem of ice reaches out to place her hand on the trapped soul, pushing gently. He falls back through the barrier, screaming as the chains are seemingly ripped from his body without leaving a scratch. Mel in turn cries out as the same bonds magically flow into her through her fingertips.

Prisoner: *slowly rises to his feet* I’m weak. I need time for my energies to return. We should run.

Elion: Melody – I’m gonna come back for you. Okay? Can you hear me?

Mel: *nods with some difficulty, gritting her teeth* Go!

They try the doors – they are indeed locked, forcing Larissa to expend precious energy levitating them through the hole in the roof.

Crunch

MUNE Intervention: Character Entity Positive (Elion > Jaysen Longstrider) Hah! Extremely coincidental. It’s been over 24 hours since they left Rahm Oru, which means Jaysen will have had enough time to rest and regain his spell slots. I didn’t write it out at the time, but he and Anika (Tsethem of light) faced off against the Amber Rider in Rahm Oru before escaping into the catacombs.



While they struggle with a squad of fiends left to guard the hole, Larissa is startled by a sudden telepathic message from Jaysen Longstrider.

Jay: Hallo Lari! Wassup? Just got all the civilians to safety. Anika’s back on Tirkosu, managed to banish herself there. Need any help?

She excitedly gives him directions to the infected fortress, urging him to hurry. The last fiend is decapitated by the prisoner with Melody’s axe: Even without his full strength, he’s a powerful ally in combat.

They creep their way to the surface – but before they can slip out of the exit tunnel, a thunderous roar behind them alerts them to their discovery. Elion grabs the prisoner and shoots off into the air, still propelled by Larissa’s mind, while she and Jevak scramble to escape the thundering steps behind them. An enormous orange-skinned pit fiend smashes its way around a bend in the tunnel, black fire crowning its head and followed by a trio of small flying devils.

The fiend easily catches up to them with a wing-powered jump, lashing out at Larissa while the other three leg it out of the fortress. A massive spined wyrm-like creature twists in the air outside – the Simurg is nowhere to be seen. Elion and Jevak jump onto their twin-EPEs and start them up, while Larissa ducks inbetween the Amber Rider’s legs to catch up. Before they can fly away full-throttle across the jagged terrain, a fireball from the Rider catches Elion off guard and nearly destroys his craft: He barely manages to keep it airborne with a hurried Mending cantrip.

He half turns to the prisoner sitting behind him, fuming beneath his helmet.

Elion: You’d better be worth this. You’d better be fezzing worth this..

* * *

The blue light inside the citadel contrasts against the orange glow of the Amber Rider as he approaches Melody. A wave of his hand dispels the energy field surrounding her, but the chains still ripple beneath her skin. The fiend gets down on one knee, murder dancing in his eyes.

Amber Rider: (telepathy) You have made me very angry, mortal. I crave vengeance. I beg you not to make this easy too for me.

He demands to know how they found the citadel – she truthfully tells him it was the seer in the bone forest, but doesn’t disclose that it was the high cleric Nina who drew the connection between the prisoner and the Scarred Lady’s downfall. The Rider next asks where her friends are headed – which she genuinely doesn’t know.

But he doesn’t believe it – and so he burns her, roasting the defenceless Tsethem of ice in hellish flames. The last thing she hears before passing out from the pain is the fiend’s malicious laughter.

* * *

Elion calls for a halt once the infected fortress is well out of sight. He asks the prisoner if he has a plan – he doesn’t, which makes Elion see red for a second.

Prisoner: I said I don’t have a plan – not that I won’t have one. I don’t know why or how she brought Rahm Oru here, but if I’m to guess it would likely be tied to her power as Archdevil. If we kill her she will be reduced to a Lemure, and the town will be freed.

Elion: In theory.

Larissa: It has merit as a plan, theory or not.

Elion: *looks the prisoner up and down* You think you can take her on?

Prisoner: Alone? No. But perhaps, with help.. *nods at Larissa* You said a Tsethem is headed for us? Is he seasoned in combat, or just an amateur like the girl you left behind?

Elion: *takes an infuriated step towards him, but is mentally caught by Larissa* Take that back, you son of a shad-

Larissa: Enough! If we cannot control our tempers we are doomed to fail! *she nods to the prisoner* Yes, Jaysen is a well-practiced mage.

Prisoner: Good. Then we have a plan: Meet with this Jaysen, locate… Her, and free Rahm Oru. *nods to the twin-EPEs* Let’s move.

Elion: *gives an annoyed frown* Yeah.. Let’s move. What he said.

They decide to follow the directions Larissa gave Jay in reverse, in the hopes of meeting him coming the other way. The hour-long ride across the blasted wasteland is as uncomfortable as ever, but also uneventful: And not long after they pass the Simurg’s destroyed prison (which seems to be somehow decaying), they’re lucky enough to spot another twin-EPE speeding through the smoke.

They land their craft on a flat area or rock, the white-haired, green-skinned Waitanga giving them all a cheery greeting before pulling Larissa into a hug.

Jay: Typical, innit? One minute you’re watching the races, wishing your responsibilities didn’t stop you from competing, next thing you’re dancing with devils. I’d say wrestling with fiends is a nice break from raising a kid, but eh. *gives Larissa a friendly punch* And of course you got roped into it. You chaps all good?

Larissa fills him in on the details, introducing them all.

Jay: *nods at the prisoner* Hallo there. Think my grandma offed your wife, back in the day. The first time, at least. Or the second, if you count the soul thing she did to your team.

Prisoner: *stares stoically* You talk too much, mortal.

Elion: Uhh, here’s an idea: Why don’t we go back to the fortress and rescue Melody?

Jay: *blows out his cheeks* Pff, I dunno mate. She’s pro’lly gone by now. Not gone-gone, *hastily pats Elion’s shoulder reassuringly* but they most likely didn’t keep her there. And the town’s pretty close to going under. I’d give it another forty eight hours before… Yeah.

Prisoner: That’s plenty of time. Besides, we’re blind to the Archdevil’s whereabouts. The Rider will know where to find her.

* * *

And so they turn their craft around and head back to the infected fortress. Unfortunately, clouds of ash have rolled in from some distant volcano to obscure the landscape. It’s not long before they’re going around in circles, trying to find a landmark to navigate by.

Jevak spies a clear spot in the smoke – as they get closer, they can make out the carving of a massive dragon skull in the rock below, dotted by hundreds of white winged creatures. They decide to skip over the place, but after a brief ride through the ash they find themselves returning to the clearing, as if compelled by magic. Or extremely poor navigation. Jevak, I’m cool with you rolling two consecutive natural-ones now and again, so long as you don’t do it during combat. Save it for stuff like this, aight buddy?

Erm, right. Back to the tale: The winged creatures seem to be approaching them, staying low to the ground. After a brief argument between Elion and the prisoner, they decide to parley and see if they can discover the Scarred Lady’s location from them.

The creatures turn out to be dragon-like fiends, who calmly ask the party what the flying fez they’re doing, circling the temple like that. Jaysen quiets their worries, and gets the direction of the fortress – but when the prisoner asks about the whereabouts of the Scarred Lady, the dracodevils’ recoil and urge them to leave.

Dracodevil: Currrses on you, morrrtals! You’ll bring her wrrrath down on us all!

Jay manages to calm them somewhat, and with a little application of the Longstrider charm he gets them to point in the direction of Archdevil’s lair – situated in a volcano, completely out of their original rout’s way.

And so another argument breaks out, this time being the prisoner versus everyone else. He wants to skip out on trying to save Melody, head straight for the volcano. Jay argues that without their help he doesn’t stand a chance, so he’d better step in line. The prisoner throws it back, predicting their defeat if they try taking on the Amber Rider without him. Elion puts his foot down.

Elion: I’m sorry, but I’m really not sorry: We’re going back for Mel. It’s only an hour or less to get there, and she’s actually not terrible at fighting. Besides, *looks daggers at the prisoner* I gave her my promise.

The prisoner reluctantly nods, and that settles it. Tensions are high as they arrive at the fortress again – still no sign of the Simurg. Thankfully there’s also no sign of the Rider or his entourage as they head back into the fetid tunnels. They approach the hole above the citadel with caution, peeking down into the blue-lit depths.

Elion breathes a sigh of relief: Melody is still chained to the dais, unburnt and flanked by two armoured devils. He signals for the others to follow, and they head down to the lowest cavern. The gates there are destroyed, the prayer scratched out by a gigantic claw. Entering the citadel, the group slowly approach the fiends, who threaten to harm Melody if they come any closer.

Devil ichor is quickly spilled, Jay calling the wind to his aid while the prisoner makes swift use of Larissa’s silvered blade. Jevak feels something tugging at his mind – something is trying to break into his thoughts! He retreats from the fight, crouching behind a pillar and trying to discern where the intrusion came from.

Larissa: Hold! Do not kill this one, I can make use of him!

Her psionics overpower the devil, forcing it to touch Mel and take her place in the chains. But as she collapses on the stone floor, Larissa seems to snap: turning about sharply, she unleashes the full force of her mental power against the prisoner. He stumbles back in surprise, gripping her blade.

Prisoner: What in the nine hells..?

Elion: Larissa, no! *gets between the two of them* We need him!

Larissa doesn’t answer. Another thundering psionic attack sends the pale fiend spinning across the room. He scrambles back to his feet and charges, snarling as he pierces Larissa with her own weapon.

Eloin: NOOO! SHAD! *tackles Larissa to the ground*

Jay: *sends the prisoner flying back with a burst of air* Lari, cool it! I know you hate fiends, but come on!

Jevak: Sss! *bounds out from the pillar behind which he’s been observing everything* Not Mmmelody!

Jev leaps onto the dais and drives his dagger through Mel’s back. Instead of crying out, she hisses and scrambles to her feet – a flash of red entering her eyes before she fades into the ethereal plane.

Jevak: Sssaw it whisper en-chant-ment. *holds out a claw to help Larissa stand*

Jay: They pro’lly guessed you’d be back. So then, where’s..?

Elion: Melody? Please no.. *crouches down where the succubus disappeared* They must have taken her. She’s gotta be okay..

Slowly, he turns to the devil chained to the dais.

Elion: I got some questions. The prize for answering correctly is not dying. Let’s start – Where in the hells is Melody?