Episode 100e

This is the fifth and final part of the special Acq, Inc. crossover Episode 100 of Dice, Camera, Action.

The Party
(Ryan) Donaar Blit'zen - Dragonborn Paladin

(Amy) Walnut Dankgrass - Wood Elf Druid

(Anna) Evelyn - Human Paladin of Lathander

(Nathan) Paultin - Human Bard

(Kate) Rosie Beestinger - Halfling Monk

(Kris) K'thriss - Drow Warlock

(Holly) Strix - Tiefling Sorcerer

(ProJared) Diath - Human Rogue

We've got two DMs today, known collectively as DM-o-gorgon. It's Jerry and Chris.

Falling Through the Stars
The people of Red Larch melt away like candles in a blowtorch. A woman comes out of the mist. Apparently, this is Laksha, the dark power. She is brightly dressed and makes her way over to the dead man on the ground. She kneels down beside him and touches her hand to his dead heart. She says, "This was not our time, my love. But our time will come, I have foreseen it."

Van Richten moves into position to stab her. She tells him that now is not the time.

Paultin sides with her, and blames Walnut and Donaar for the death of her lover. "I believe in love."

She takes them to a bluff. She says, "Your friends are waiting for you in Nightstone." In the stars, they see caravans traveling, draped in a starry cloak.

The group is hurled into darkness, as is the other group. Together, all 8 heroes fall through the night, hurtling like meteorites. A universal force pulls them into the void. Van Richten is with them.

Paultin wants to use Van Richten to break his fall. He rolls a check to do so, and gets a natural 20.

K'thriss casts fly on Donaar. As the adventurers plummet, they pass by hovering planar beings. The heroes land safely, except of Van Richten, who Paultin lands on. He is hurt but not dead.

NightStone
They see that Nightstone has a palisade outside it. It has a moat. There's a church and an inn.Townsfolk and villagers are cowering, wondering if this is the end of their lives. They are actively panicked.

A man staggers around, terrified. He bumps into Waffles. He says that he knew that he knew that this was going to happen. He was right.

Evelyn spots a temple of the Morninglord. A gleaming bell rings out. Evelyn says that the Morninglord has called them.

There are demons flying around in the sky. Strix worries that the Blood War (the eternal war between demons and devils) is leaking into the Material Plane.

They go into the church. It has a dirt floor. It appears that this building was a barn that was converted into a church. There's about 12 frightened citizens inside. Evelyn addresses them and calms them down somewhat.

Evelyn doesn't like what van Richten is doing - he's hammering wicker heads to the walls. She wants him to stop. Van Richten has been taking a lot of abuse. He challenges Evelyn, pointing out that if she's so tough, she should go out there and face the devils. "Why do you cower under his dress? You're a paladin. Prove it."

Diath threatens him.

Van Richten pulls out a bag of salt and makes a large circle. Apparently, this will protect those within it somehow.

He says he's protecting the innocent.

There's a knock on the door. Van Richten says it's Strix's family. The door has been spiked shut with lead spikes.

A voice beyond says in the infernal language, "We've come to take Strix home."

There's no response. Someone on the other side shrugs and says, "Well, they're the general's, now."

The church steeple is ripped off the roof. Half of the building just flew off. Standing in the opening is a creature that is 15-feet tall. It's a pit fiend!

The Pit Fiend
It launches off a fireball, but Strix counterspells it.

Rosie runs up and punches it.

Kate points out that watching the DM roll dice without a screen is like seeing your dad get out of the shower.

A hail of arrows comes at Diath. Other devils are shooting at him! The group realizes that the pit fiend is the general.

Donaar casts command. The pit fiend rolls a 13 on its save. It fails! He commands it to count the grains of salt at its feet.

Paultin gives it the evil eye, giving it -4 to everything. Paultin's eyes are super-bloodshot for a moment, then it goes away.

Evelyn notices that the pit fiend has an aura that buries hope. Evelyn runs up next to Rosie. Evelyn's aura protects those within 10 feet from being frightened.

The pit fiend boasts to Evelyn telepathically that it hasn't killed a servant of the Morninglord for a while.

Jerry is handling legendary action type things.

Strix points at the pit fiend and yell in Abyssal at the demon army that he's incapacitated. Her voice carries even over the noise of the battle due to the acoustics of the church.

Van Richten pulls out two desiccated hands and calls out, "You are all blessed!" Everyone had the benefit of a bless spell. Waffles is hiding.

The pit fiend looks at Diath, turns to his adjutant and says, "He's the last Lorcatha".

A woman, a demonic creature called an erinyes, comes after Diath. She has black wings and a bow. She pulls out a lightning whip. Strix cast sanctuary on Diath. She uses her whip to trip up Diath.

A marilith arrives. The marilith hacks into the general five times.

It starts to get dark outside: An eclipse shrouds the sun. Evelyn senses a sudden diminishment in the power of this place.

Paultin gets knocked across the church. Evelyn stabs the pit fiend.

The doors to the church are blown open. A bunch of  black-robed tieflings swarm into the room. They are all wearing bucket helms with their horns coming out. Where their eyes should be is just a glyph - an ancient, crescent-shaped arcane rune with 7 smaller signs in it. The same symbols as are on Strix's staff.

Rosie climbs the marilith like a ladder, jumping limb to limb and then leaps off the top of her head. She jumps at the pit fiend and strikes it.

The Skizzikses pull out twisted daggers and try to stab Van Richten. One succeeds, but Van Richten joyfully shakes off the poison, to the tieflings' amazement.

K'thriss is dropped. He is making death saves. A spear of crystal comes out of the eclipse and pulls the top half of the marilith into the stars.

Evelyn uses a divine smite on the pit fiend, doing 54 points of damage. She destroys it!

She sees an armored woman with black feathered wings confronting Diath and Strix. Evelyn runs over to fight it.

The crazy man walks in. He orders the erinyes to return to her post. He pokes the pit fiend with a stick. Then he transforms into the archdevil known as Asmodeus, the lord of the Nine Hells. When he speaks his name, fiends in the sky explode.

Lord of the Nine Hells
Asmodeus says, "I have machinations, schemes and plans on the prime material. Strix and Diath can't be together. It can't exist. Walk away. I have intimate knowledge of the contract that maintains this peace. I am open for business. If any of you mortals have a solution to this problem..."

Asmodeus suggests that Strix goes to another plane forever.

Evelyn asks if it is possible for Strix and Diath to somehow separate from their families. What if their souls could be disconnected?

Strix asks Asmodeus, "Are you my dad?" He says that he is not.

Rosie says that they could be part of her family. Asmodeus is intrigued by this idea. He calls her "Grandmother Night", which makes her very uncomfortable.

Van Richten throws three tiefling heads on the ground. Nobody is impressed.

It is said that when children become Rosie's responsibility, she takes on their burdens.

Diath or Strix must leave their clan. Strix doesn't want to be a Skizzik.

Asmodeus declares that Grandmother Night will have to kiss the rod to seal the deal.

Evelyn asks if Strix might lose something by giving it up.

He extends the rod. Rosie kisses it. Strix immediately feels like a burden has been lifted. Some of her fears are gone. Strix gains a sudden appreciation for the beauty of the world.

Asmodeus says he isn't her enemy. We give and we give.

Strix hugs Diath. Jared says that for the first time, they embrace.