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Message: <blockquote data-quote="THEMNGMNT" data-source="post: 8227521" data-attributes="member: 6809274">121st session. Five players running seven 20th level PCs with six epic boons each. Plus an ancient silver dragon. And, by the end of the session, an archdevil.This was the second-to-last session in the campaign but I think it will prove to be the emotional climax. It was exciting, unexpected, and moving. Really fantastic stuff.Tiamat has escaped from Hell with the aid of Glasya, ruler of the sixth layer of Hell. Together, they slew Bahamut. Tiamat absorbed his divine powers and portfolio. Tiamat is now attempting to conquer the heaven of Celestia while her legions are engaged in pitched battle with the gods of good, including Corellon and Moradin. Glasya sits on Bahamut's throne in the ruins of his palace. In her hand she holds the severed head of Ilmater, god of suffering and patron of the PC vengeance paladin.Glasya had tried to recruit the PCs into her scheme to backstab Tiamat and become a god herself, but they were having none of it.  Glasya is the mother of the PC tiefling shadow sorcerer. She also once held captive the soul of the PC halfling lore bard. And she still holds the soul of the half-elf whispers bard, who started as a villainous NPC but evolved into a PC controlled by the same player who runs the halfling bard.The whispers bard has become the ruler of Avernus, the first layer of Hell. In theory, that means he should have command of the devil legions ravaging Celestia. But since his soul belongs to Glasya, the legions are actually under her control.Last session, the PCs attacked Glasya. She turned the whispers bard against them. But the lore bard used Feeblemind to take the whispers bard out of the fight. Glasya and four pit fiends battled the PCs along with a horde of minion devils. I found the battle to be a bit of a grind. I was underwhelmed by what Glasya could do -- I used the stat block for Zariel and her DPR is surprisingly low. So prior to the start of this session I crafted a "phase two" of the fight. A new wave of devils and a retooled Glasya who hit harder and had dirtier tricks.At this power level you can't really play fair if you want to challenge the PCs.Phase two began with Glasya giving the PCs one last chance to surrender. They refused, naturally. She summoned more devils to descend upon the PCs. Then she used the head of Ilmater to heal up to full strength...and to break the spell on the whispers bard. Glasya attacked the PC human beast master ranger. She dropped him to zero hit points, then hit him again for two failed death saving throws. From his body she claimed the Sword of Io -- the mythical blade that created Tiamat and Bahamut, was used to slay Bahamut, and could be used to destroy Tiamat. There were two shards from the blade needed to bring it back to full power...which were held by the paladin.This is where things got interesting.The PCs quickly realized they were in trouble and needed to change their tactics. The paladin charged forward, smiting Glasya for nearly 200 hit points. The sorcerer used Telekinesis to wrest the head of Ilmater from Glasya. Then the PC elf arcane trickster rogue healed the ranger. The ranger stood up and wrenched the Sword of Io from Glasya's grasp.Meanwhile, the lore bard cast Wish in an attempt to reclaim the whisper bard's soul from Glasya. I told him he had to make an opposed Arcana or Religion check, in addition to the Wish spell. He rolled...and failed. He spent Inspiration to reroll. And failed again. The player started scouring his character sheet trying to find one more bonus. "What about my epic Boon of Fate?" asked the player. It let him add d10 to another character's skill check. I offered him a devil's bargain -- use the Boon of Fate to aid himself but lose it forever after, win or lose. He took the bargain...rolled the d10...and finally overcame Glasya's skill check.The whispers bard then brought out his lyre, a magical instrument used to trap souls that had been created by Glasya. Earlier in the campaign, the lyre had held the soul of the whispers bard, and then later the soul of the lore bard. Using this instrument to entrap Glasya's soul would be delicious irony. I offered him another devil's bargain -- he could entrap Glasya's soul, but the lyre would forever lose its power. And so would another magical item he possessed. And he would have to give the soul to the PC sorcerer. He agreed.At this point, the players had held off Glasya's best effort. I wasn't particularly interested in having them kill her here in Celestia, then going to Hell to kill her yet again. This felt like an earned moment where this plot line could be resolved in a dramatically satisfying way. From here on out, I handed narrative control over to the players. Together, we discussed and agreed to everything that follows.With Glasya's soul in the sorcerer's possession, she was now the ruler of the sixth layer of Hell. That player decided Glasya would be more use alive than dead -- an ally in the upcoming fight against Tiamat.The paladin wanted to resurrect Ilmater. Ilmater not only relieves the pain of others, but feels each and every bit of pain that he relieves. It's not easy to be the god of suffering. The powers of Ilmater flowed into the paladin as he took on the god's burden. Ilmater, finally free of pain, was granted peaceful, eternal rest. The paladin is now the new god of suffering.In the spot where Ilmater was laid to rest a crystal monolith emerged. The ruins of Bahamut's Palace sunk into the earth and the land was renewed and replenished. This is now the holiest site of the god of suffering. All PCs were granted the benefits of a long rest.Moradin, dwarven god of the forge, arrived. Aided by a pair of lesser gods, he finished forging the Sword of Io. Now it can be used to permanently kill Tiamat...and perhaps bring back the original god of dragons, Io. Moradin passed the blade to the ranger.Together, the PCs began to ascend Mount Celestia, where Tiamat is locked in battle with the forces of good, and where their final fate awaits.Next session: The end!</blockquote>

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