SOTDL CAMPAIGN DIARY: THE END IS NEAR PT 3, 10/24/17 - THE FINALE

The Heroes:

·   Ecna Lubma: dwarf priest grudgebearer healer

·     Gruntbelly: dwarf magician sorcerer wizard

·     Kane Arroway: human warrior fighter sharpshooter

·     Mathias: jotun jotun juggernaut spirit warrior

Picking up where we left off, our heroes had just confronted Katandramus and the Brotherhood of Shadows as they performed a ritual that tore a hole in the sky above Crossings in order to let the Demon Lord into this world.  Gruntbelly had been killed by a spell cast by Inquisitor Masivar and Katandramus himself was in the center of the town square, surrounded by a protective field of magic as he completed the ritual while his Dark Brothers and demon servant attacked the heroes.

Ecna recovered from his injuries enough to restore Gruntbelly to life.  Gruntbelly used his magic to get out of the danger zone and, after healing up, they provided support to Mathias, who was fighting the demon and the cultists toe-to-toe, while Kane rained down arrows from his perch.  As they whittled away at the cultists, the tear in the sky widened revealing a great, red eye (the Demon Lord?).  Also as they fought, Kane saw several cultists disappearing across the square as a blur moved from building to building apparently taking them out. 

To make matters worse, the ground begins to tremble, and at a distance outside of the city, they see the enormous bulk of the Destroyer of Worlds, approaching Crossings. 

Katandramus completes the ritual and focuses his attentions on the heroes.  Using the Eye of the Demon Lord, he unleashes wave upon wave of destructive energy upon the heroes, forcing them to use every resource at their disposal to avoid being disabled or killed. 

Gruntbelly uses his magic to pound away at the barrier protecting Katandramus and finally brings it down.  Mathias risks moving away from the demon to confront the cult leader and draws the Sword of Unmaking to end his threat, but as the weapon comes down upon Katandramus, it stops and refuses to hit him!  Katandramus laughs and explains that the sword and the eye are brethren and will not harm each other.  But his amusement is short lived as Gruntbelly strikes him with magic that stuns the cultist and then the blur that had been aiding them throughout the battle, emerges from a building and reveals herself as Lucretia!  She attacks the defenseless Katandramus, tearing out his throat and feasting upon his blood.  As he dies, his connection to the ritual maintaining the tear in the sky ends and it begins to close, locking the Demon Lord away once again.

At this point, the tremors become so intense that its all the heroes can do to stand and they see that the Destroyer of Worlds is at the city gates.  Buildings around them fall, and the very earth erupts in stone and magma at the demon prince’s approach. 

The heroes find their magic carpet nearby and use it to fly to the Destroyer of Worlds.  They fly above the enormous abomination and Mathias drops down upon it from above, attempting to use the Sword of Unmaking on the monster.  But Mathias is unable to get a good strike on the demon prince initially, and the Sword of Unmaking begins to unmake him instead!  Finally, thanks to assistance from his friends, Mathias gets two solid strikes on the Destroyer of Worlds, and the demon is unmade and disappears.

The heroes scoop up the falling Mathias, head back to the partially destroyed Crossings and take stock of what has happened.

Kane’s family are found safe.

Ecna recovers Stohk Ironbrow’s body and uses his magic to restore the dwarf to life.

Most of the town’s leadership is dead, along with the inquisitors that had imprisoned Randofus, Crowley and many others.  Randofus remains alive, but gives up his title of Inquisitor to wander the land seeking a deeper truth. 

At this point, the heroes settle down for a well-deserved rest, as they have saved the world from certain destruction.  But elsewhere, the Great Dragon stirs in its mountain, awakened by these disturbances, and a great hunger burns in its belly…