Session 048: The Inverted Bastion
Summary
With Midday Glen's revelation of a lost artifact capable of controlling the relic that destroys city, the party descended into the massive pit carved by the Fiend Worm beneath the ruins of the original Bastion. What they found below was a city—twisted and vile, built not by mortal hands, but by demons, for demons.In this "Shanty City of the Damned," demonic spires stitched from bone and sinew loomed over hovels teeming with lesser fiends. The air was acrid, burning with brimstone and the stink of desperation. Here, the trio met a twisted devil—wretched and broken, its wings clipped and eyes burned blind—who offered them information in exchange for a secret name. It called itself Grash'thuck the and warned them of the Three Houses below.
But they were not alone. The party was ambushed by three powerful demons—a rage demon with flensing claws, a whispering shadow fiend that sought to possess, and a bloated hungerer that spewed black ichor. It was brutal, but Otto’s radiant magic, Tama’s command over nature, and Quinn’s infernal cunning prevailed.
The Descent
Deep within the inverted shanty-town, the adventurers were herded into a cracked amphitheatre where the triumvirate of demon lords awaited: Velmorga of the Flame Crown coiled her six flaming blades around a pillar of slag; Zzurska of the Ouroboros Coil shimmered out of shadow, scroll-worms coiling like living vestments; and Igron the Molten, crowned in pulsing fungus, dripped lava and rot in equal measure. In a tense chorus of ash and whispers they named Archbishop Xal’zarax the architect of the bastion’s fall, hinting that his ritual chains still bind a power far below. Deeming the mortals “useful poison,” they handed the party to Grash’thuk the Broken—an envoy bearing all three house sigils nailed into his flesh—who led them down fetid stairwells and fungus-lit tunnels toward the abyssal lower levels where Xal’zarax waits behind his wards.
Level by level, they descended, passing through layers of warped architecture—once holy stone now desecrated, inverted altars, and murals defaced with infernal symbols.
Boss Fights
On the third level, they faced a dual threat. A Molydeus stood guard, wielding a silver axe that could sever soul from body, and a Death Drinker slithered behind the columns, its hollow eyes draining vitality from any who met its gaze. It was a trial by fire. Tama was nearly cleaved in half, saved only by Quinn's interposing spell. Otto called down divine fire that blinded the Death Drinker long enough to finish it off. In the end, they stood victorious—but bloodied, shaken, and unsure what deeper horrors yet awaited.Treasure and Rewards
Relic Key of the Inverted Vault
Demonhide Satchel of Spell Resistance (Quinn)
Bone-Cord Ring of Undead Control (Tama)
Sanctified Embercore (Otto – component for divine crafting)
Character Development
Otto’s faith surged after invoking a Miracle to close a collapsing wall of fiendglass.
Tama experienced another haunting vision of Midday Glen—this time as a chained dragon surrounded by ash.
Quinn’s dagger whispered for blood, hungry for more than demons—it thirsted for angels.
Notable Quotes
Otto: “The ground may be turned, the walls may rot—but Pelor still shines in the dark.” Quinn: “Tell me your name, devil... or I’ll give you one.” Tama: “The forest remembers. Even here. Even this far down.”Cliffhanger
As the party rested in the silent chamber of victory, the wall ahead cracked and moaned—revealing not stone, but eyes. A thousand watching, twitching eyes.The Inverted Bastion watches back.