Having been ambushed by 3 goat headed Bulezau the party is split by a dropped portcullis
- Hayate summons a spiritual weapon on the far side to help Marco and Strum before channelling Tente’s power and turning the fiend which flees back up the hole in the ceiling
- Vigil and Eliseo finish off one of the demons fighting them and it collapses into a pile of maggoty flesh
- Marco and Hayate manage to raise the portcullis and the party is reconnected
- The final demon is quickly dispatched
Marco collapses to the floor and despite looking unhurt, declares that he is exhausted and must take a rest
- Strum conjures a floating disc and starts giving him a ride back to the camp
- The others can hear Abyssal chanting from up ahead and debate continuing on without them
- As Marco and Strum pass the hole in the ceiling the demon returns and the party is forced to rush over and defeat it as Strum runs away pulling Marco behind him
- The party decides reluctantly to follow them and returns to camp
They report a partial clearance of the catacombs to Cpt Frieda and try to get some rest
- Marco’s extra rapier and Reya’s sword are given to the smith for silvering
- Strum plays a song of remembrance to those lost in the city
- Gathers a crowd of crying people
- Hayate goes to talk with Itsuki
- Declares that his mission is to find Asuka (deceased) to try and find out what their original mission to Elturel was
- Apparently Asuka had received instructions from an “Otou-san” who had had visions of Elturel
- Itsuki could not offer any further information on their mission
- Also wants to find out what happened to the missing members of his group
- Itsuki seems happy to stay here and help the refugees
- He gives Hayate a crash course in Abyssal
- Vigil confronts Strum on why he has joined them in hell
- Strum asks him about emotions, clearly doesn’t think much of Vigil’s emotional range
- Explains that he is here for someone he loves
- Not sure that they are here or how they got here
- Strum wants to look at the shield of the hidden lord
- Explains to Vigil that the shield has been talking to him, offering advice
- Thinks it might want them to do something
- Strum takes a look and communicates with the shield
- Determines that it can be used without proficiency for a +2 AC
- Can cast Fireball and Wall of Fire
- Inspire fear in its foes
- Can communicate telepathically in Infernal and Abyssal
- Vigil asks if he thinks it’s worth using despite the risk
- Strum thinks it is, so Vigil offers it to him, asking him to say if it starts to seem malicious
- Strum is unsure, suggests that Vigil should use it, him being less ‘bendable’
- Strum is clearly hiding something from Vigil, who decides not to press further
- Marco identifies the bracers as Bracers of Defence and attunes himself to them
The party finally gets a chance to rest
In the morning Vigil reports in to Frieda and the party returns to the site of the battle
- They advance further into the catacombs finding a crypt for scholars and engineers before stumbling upon several demons performing a summoning ritual
- Marco and Hayate are keen to break it up
The party charges into the group of demons including a huge fly like Chasme, three manes and three bulezau
- The manes die quickly as Strum Shatters the group and the party rushes over to the Chasme which starts to drone
- Eliseo takes out one of its eyes with a perfectly aimed throw of his sword
- The droning of the huge fly’s wings is physically painful and Eliseo falls unconscious under its effects
- The rest of the party is able to power through with the help of Hayate’s blessing
- The battlefield is covered in buzzing flies that emerge from the Bulezau and swarm over the party
- The Chasme is killed leaving party to focus on the goats
- The goat-like demons attacks are diseased and both Strum and Hayate are infected as the fight continues
- Marco and Vigil take some hits before the demons are finally defeated
Strum and Hayate are gripped with disease, Strum doubles over and coughs up flies whilst Hayate wounds start to suppurate
- Hayate heals himself with Lesser Restoration whilst Vigil uses Lay on Hands to do the same for Strum
Hayate takes a look at the unconscious Eliseo and suggests that some pain would wake him
- Marco stabs him in the buttock with his rapier and wakes him
Hayate explores the room, heading up to a raised section where he finds the master staircase to the catacombs which has collapsed
Meanwhile Vigil and Reya check out stairs down to a shrine with a stone slab with a discarded cloak
- They recall a legend from before the appearance of the Companion
- A dragon threatened the city, extorting gold and killing livestock
- A woman in battered armour and wielding an axe challenged it to a duel
- She won, beheading the dragon but dying in the process
- She was given a hero’s burial, in the catacombs, but her body never decayed
- Rumors abound regarding her source
- Was she a paladin or summoned by Heol?
- Known as “The Unknown Martyr”
- The body is missing
Hayate determines that the ritual circle was indeed to summon more demons into the catacombs
The party continues exploring
- Finds a tunnel, around the entrance to which is a pile of corpses
- Vigil follows it and finds himself looking out over the plains of Avernus and the battle below
- There is a huge chain anchored here, seems that the demons climbed up it then tunnelled in
- Marco alarms the passage in case they return
- They also find another tunnel in the ceiling
- Marco uses his owl to determine that it connects to the other ceiling tunnel
They return to the survivors and report to Frieda before setting off towards the barracks