Mission 10 - Fort Knucklebone

[!abstract] The Job
Descend into Avernus, reach Fort Knucklebone, and get Lulu's memories back.

The Fall

We dive off the edge of Elturel, aiming for Fort Knucklebone. Landmarks announce themselves as we pass, whispered by the map straight into Baktha Tassup - Ryan's mind.

We land. The air smells like burning tar. The wind alternates between gale and soft breeze. Ash chokes the air, and giant flies are everywhere. Nupperibos crawl on the ground. Puddles of demon ichor dot the wasteland like the world's worst picnic.

We pick a direction and walk. The first few hours are mercifully quiet.

The Wandering Emporium

Then, off to the side, Lulu points out The Wandering Emporium, ringed with a perimeter of demon grinders. Inside, we meet its proprietor, Mahadi The Rakshasa, who recommends the Infernal Rapture if we're hungry. Payment due at time of service. Alternative payment available. I do not like the sound of "alternative."

He offers to sell us an infernal machine for roughly 10 soul coins, about 1,000 gold. It runs on soul coins.

Stalls inside the Emporium:

Infernal Rapture: a tavern.
Firesnake Forge: weapons and armor. We sell a pile of spare gear for 10 soul coins.
Burnie the Barber: a barber shop where you forget everything that happened after you leave. No thanks.
From Here to Avernus: a post office.
Ichors Away: an apothecary of ichor.
Zeneth's Larva Farm: six large larvae in cages.

Thomus - Thomas spends the visit trying to piss off every local by asking each why they're sentenced to Hell. At the Infernal Rapture, a tall, grim, hook-nosed humanoid with spindly fingers stands at a podium and asks if we'd like to come in. The prices are exorbitant. Baktha and Iliran Tilorri - Mike order dessert. Thomas orders tea. I order nothing, and it kills me.

The Wasteland

We walk until we can't, then camp. After a rest, we move on. The wind shifts to our tails and four lemures attack. We dispatch them and arrive at Fort Knucklebone.

Fort Knucklebone

Gnomish creatures stand sentry on the walls and heckle us for the password. I tell them it's knuckle sandwich. They want a secret dance. Baktha does the worm. They laugh, open the gate, and let us in.

Inside are Chukka and Clonk. They bring out an old hag with red-eyed ravens on her shoulders and a giant fleshy golem trailing behind: Mad Maggie. She says she can help Lulu recover her memories and goes off to prepare a ritual.

Chukka and Clonk are struggling to fix a demon grinder. Mike studies it and finds a gear suffering from a demonic energy malady. Baktha casts a spell and the machine whirs back to life. Clonk dashes off to tell Maggie we're useful.

We meet the golem, hurt. Lulu discerns his name: Mickey. Thomas studies his wounds and heals him up a bit.

An impish interloper tells us Maggie's ready. He turns into a raven and we follow him to her quarters.

The Ritual

The ritual pulls us into a dream. We push through the first level and end up dream-fighting devils. When we beat them, they beg us to let them live, and they'll serve us for eternity. We spare them.

Then we wander a vast black landscape of devastation, overwhelmed with loss. Maggie's disembodied voice: "Don't let the sludge consume you, you must push through her defenses. You must look." The black goop begins to envelop us. Baktha breaks free first and floats in the air. The devils we spared return just as I break loose, taking psychic damage as despair tries to drown me. Thomas follows, then Salah, and finally Mike, with an assist from the devils.

The next vision: Lulu approaches a spyglass, presses her eye to it, steps back, and cries out that she knows where the sword is. We all wake.

Lulu is ecstatic. She is ripped and ready. Maggie seems deeply contented, happy to have shared that suffering with us, and rewards us with gifts. We rest and set off, promising to return and show her the sword if we can.

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#session #mission