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The Completion of the Shadow Trials

Last week, the party rested in preparation for performing the Ritual of Purification on the Dark Altar. When they finished resting, Talia told them that there were intruders trying to enter through the shadow portal the party had entered through. She asked the party to get rid of them. Overcome by the desire to be helpful kill things, the party entered battle with the mysterious intruders, who turned out to be a squad of hobgoblins.

The party handily defeated the hobgoblins, and Talia told them that the they had come to retrieve the key to the Book of Creation for Torvid. She said that he served a dark and terrible power, and that they must not be allowed to get their hands on the Book. In addition, she revealed that Book of Creation is cursed, and that the orcs who retrieved the book before were trying to remove the curse. Armed with this knowledge, the party rested and stepped through the portal beyond the demonic ritual room to find the Dark Altar.

When the party emerged from the portal, they saw a slab of deep darkness so pure that seemed to illuminate everything around it by contrast. Atop the altar stood a monstrous insectoid demon brandishing a glowing spear. Four large, ten-legged spiderlike creatures surrounded the altar, and lept upon the party as soon as they entered. The party slew the demon spiders, but not before Maxwell and Lorelai were afflicted with their unique poison. As the fight went on, the poison drew large quantities of blood from their bodies that coagulated into tight, sturdy webs. Maxwell was grievously injured and nearly paralyzed by the blood cocoon surrounding him, but managed to instead use it as an impromptu shield against attacks. The demon on the altar conjured powerful ice magic to attack the party - and when that failed, he skewered Pabst on his spear and drove the spear into the altar, shattering the spear into jagged ice shards that significantly hurt everyone. However, the party worked together to deliver a brutal series of attacks, and the demon was finally defeated.

While the party rested and recuperated, Antimony began performing the Ritual of Purification. As the ritual neared completion, the unnatural darkness of the altar retreated from the stone and floated into the air, coalescing into a humanoid form. As the party prepared for battle, the figure's form solidified into the shape of an orc. It identified itself as Garnuthax, and said it had bound itself into the altar many years ago. It gave the party one of the keys, and charged them to remove the curse from the book before disappearing again.

The party returned to Talia and told her of their success. She was pleased, and they talked about what to do next. She offered to open the portal to the Shadow City rather than sending the party back directly, which the party was intrigued by. She also mentioned the possibility of a "Shadow Pact" with unknown consequences...

Show up this week to maybe explore a city or go fight hobgoblins or run into the forest or run to the capital or I don't even know what to prepare for!

Stupid Awards

Maxwell Lorelai Pabst Antimony Amanita Noah Everyone
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