The Belly of the Beast

As the VHS Schism, newly hijacked by the Hot Garbage Adventuring Company, those so-called Lords of Lakewood, flew in its damaged state towards the Woespire, Count Umbridge, tied to the gunwale of his deck, had one final trick up his sleeve. Offering access to his locked and trapped quarters where he could provide the party with intelligence and items that would help on their journey, the group untied him and let him at spearpoint to make good on his promise.

His attempt to have his deep-gnome assistant untie his hands was unsuccessful, and led to Radcliffe losing patience and successfully charming the Alchemist and inventor. Now charmed, Umbridge was more than happy to advise the party and provide material support.

As the group came within range of the Woespire, a sickly green energy could be seen cascading up the huge stagmite-like tower that overooked the Cataract City, and shot energy from its point into the dark green clouds above. Motion could be seen at the landing deck, and Radcliffe, now disguised as Umbridge, led the invisible and shape changed group to the landing deck of the Woespire.

Having tricked the Ambassador, expecting Umbridge, to gain access to the top level of the tower after activating a levitating platform with his key-rod, the party proceeded in a mostly descending trajectory, killing the priest and his body guard and a myriad of other sentinels living and undead. The party finds one of several prisons contained in the spire and rescues the long-unseen monk Hazel from bondage. Hazel reveals that she had been under the spell of Wu Shen who has grown tired of her efforts to escape, and is at the tower for a conclave of Baron Rottli’s generals leading up to The Final Battle (she also reveals her real name to be Wan Ling and carries a grudge against Wu Shen and Rottli that would make Captain Bonny’s sidekick jealous).

Further into the Woespire the group of invaders encounters an “arrival dinner” where Rahu prepares to entertain guests with a feast of local innocent village children, but the group dispatches with an assortment of vampires and mind flayers, killing Wu Shen who is sent to investigate the commotion (even if Thraxus and Rahu do manage to escape for the time being.

Further descending, the group is worn down by a manner of encounters including a courtyard containing dozens of zombies and ghouls, including two large two-headed undead. After this battle Rottli surely knows of their presence, as demonic beings of power are summoned to the floor until the group decides to activate the Lockdown Crystal which prevents all manner of summoning and provides them a chance.

Proceeding past a guardian Symbol of Death with the help of Wu Shen, the party makes it into the very bowels of the Spire and the center of evil, now rescuing the entrapped Lord Ashwind (Lady Ashwind’s father) who, though weakened, fights alongside them. The group finds another set of de-levitating platforms, surrounded by the progressively decaying souls that appear to be providing the energy to the tower that is hurtling the world towards an uncertain end. In a pitched battle where Thraxus, using his Obsidian Staff in defense mode to counter the Silver Spear, seemingly ends up destroying both in a blinding flash, grieviously injuring Thraxus and leaving Father Pat without his most powerful weapon. Untimately both Thraxus and Black Nan are killed in this descent, but the party is largely spent as they enter a still more evil chamber.

There, at an alter with a large crystal embedded in it, Lord Rottli finally introduces himself from behind a veil of dark guarge like chain mail, only green eyes showing. Rahu begins to harass the group while an unholy giant undead creature tries to suck the very life of the party into his rib cage.

It is during this battle that, subtle voices which had been growing louder as the party descends the spire, make their nature known. It seems that the activated Lockdown Crystal is attuned to the giant crystal in this chamber and, attuned in turn to the crystals at ley lines around the world, the party can first hear and then see ghostly images of the allies they have faced over the years that now guard similar crystals in strategic locations.

From his position, while Clinton and Porkins attempt to activate the gate located at the Belly of the Beast, Rottli in grim fashion encourages the group, indicating that they are playing into his hands all along, as his goal, if he is to be believed, is not for a final victory of evil over good- for what is evil without good to oppress? But a final cancellation of all into nothingness by killing all of the living creatures of Urf in one last wave, which, without worshipers, will then cause the gods themselves and the plant to cease to exist, thereby enacting his final revenge on the beings that spurned his advanced into demi-god stature.

Where his discourse is a final explanation or a delay tactic was remained to be seen, when, using True Seeing, the party realizes that the gate was on the other side of the chamber and invisible all along, whereby Rahu, looking decidedly uncertain for the first time in their encounters, is guarding. Radcliffes forcecage, which for a time Rottli has seemingly been content to hide behind, falls to one of Rottlis spells.

Father Pat is overcome with a wave of nausea at what he witnesses in that chamber, as Rottli emerges from his magical cage, and all goes black…at least for a time.