Session 22: The Ultimate Showdown

On that door was an inscription. They translated, and it resolved into another, which they also translated. Then someone noticed that there was a place for a key—and Sigrid happened to have the key that Gannen had told them they should take. It fit, and they opened the door.

On the other side of the door was a large room, open room, with several floating platforms spinning around a central pillar of black-veined light. And Monala, sitting in a throne on the other side of the room, cackling. They were immediately set upon by fire elementals, which they fought off while Monala monologued at them. Something about taking over the world, and bringing back the Hora Quan empire, and how they had no hope to survive. And that Lord Morek was working for her. Mostly, they were too angry to care.

Paerk, meanwhile, took advantage of her relative distraction to start sneaking invisibly over to her area.

They defeated the fire elementals, (Soern pulled off some choice moves, combining acid pits and iron walls) but were thereafter joined in combat by K’max’s, the dracha working with Monala—and there were some revelations about Mixastomere’s apparent involvement in the schemes. They were able to take him down fairly quickly—Rellik dispatched him with grace and efficiency—but they were caused rather more trouble when Gannen attacked Soern, who survived only through great heroic fortitude and quick thinking by Jocelyn.

This resulted in some rapid-fire conversation, while Paerk blasted Monala and she started flying around, causing trouble. Apparently, Monala had captured Gannen’s brother (who had indeed been mentioned, once, many months ago) and now he was sort of working for her. Sigrid frantically tried to talk him out of it, while battling K’max’s, and Monala started going on about the how the pillar of light in the center was the source of her power and the Aur Xica had been forged here and how they were all doomed.

Finally, Sigrid got through to Gannen, and the two of them gated to the pillar and cast the Aur Xica into it. (I don’t remember exactly why, it seemed like a good idea at the time. There was something about removing the corruption, but I don’t remember exactly what it was.) Captain Blank iced Monala, Gannen got some weird weather power, and they all went back up to the city to watch the sun come out.