Session 5

The Party found themselves once again teleported by the powers of Paris. They were sent to a place that was unfamiliar to all of them. The sky was filled with ash, the land barren, the air stunk of sulfur. The wind blew a chill right to thier very bones. Not knowing where they were, but knowing that danger could not be far, Sam Fariman and Marcus Hildebrand temperarily put thier battle aside, but the feelings were still there, Marcus refusing to provide Fariman with any treatment for his wounds.

They took the only path they could, which led them into a deep pit. The pit was constructed like a maze and was filled with dog-like monsters, far larger than a normal dog and covered in spikes. Utilizing his grappling hook to pull himself atop ledges and scout ahead, the party found its way through the maze. As they neared its end they heard the howls of a horde of the dog-creatures chasing close behind them. They ran, and at some point the dog creatures turned around and fled for reasons unknown.

Those reasons soon became clear as the party found themselves ambushed by a large squad of men armed with crossbows. The men were incredibly suspicious of the party, and how they had managed to get out of the "howler pit." After some convincing, the party convinced these men that they were here not by thier own choice and they had no idea where they were. They were led to a camp and treated for thier injuries.

The leader of these men introduced himself as Colonel James Bastion, of the Crusade of Light. The area, which he only referred to as "North-Eastern Quadrant II, was under the control of the Demon Lord Beil. In fact, according to Colonel Bastion, the entire world was under control of the Demon Lords, and the dragons and dieties were nowhere to be found.  This led Skarl Hrolfson and several others to think they had been sent to an alternate plane or reality, whereas Aravo Zacksted theorized that perhaps Paris was showing them the future.  Either way, they could figure no way out.

Colonel Bastion explained that his organization fights the rule of the demon lords, and in a recent push against a nearby tower they had been seperated from the other squads, including the one led by thier general. The geography of the area was constantly shifting due to the will of the demon lords, and they were left cut off from everyone, without supply lines or reinforcements, and with a number of seriously injured. Over the next week, Marcus helped take care of the injured while Skarl attempted to raise the morale of the troops and Fariman and Aravo joined the camp border patrols. When everyone in the camp was back to fighting condition, a fresh assault on the tower was planned.

Bastion and his men would assault the tower from the front, in order to draw all the forces of the tower to them. Two strikes teams, one composed of the party and the other a selection of Bastion's men, would attempt to sneak into the tower from alternate paths while the tower's forces were otherwise engaged. Once inside, the strike teams would scale the tower and destroy the source of Beil's power in this region.

The party took a path that would lead them through the tower's stables. When they heard the sounds of battle begin, they began thier approach. Several small demons attempted to sneak up on them, but they were discovered and dealt with. Then the party was forced to engage the residents of the stables themselves, powerful demonic horses, which Bastion had warned them were as smart as they were dangerous. The fight proved to be long and exhuasting, but in the end the party proved to be victorious and succeeded in reaching the tower. Now, the challenge of scaling the tower lay before them.