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Message: <blockquote data-quote="gideonpepys" data-source="post: 7349272" data-attributes="member: 79141">Session 43, Part OneThe Bloody JuggernautSomnia had told them that her lullaby would only last a few minutes, so Matunaaga set off through the vault at a smart sprint, to investigate the furthest reaches.  Rumdoom left his retinue to keep the doors open and looked into the side chambers, while Uru and others – including Korrigan, Kasvarina and Quratulain, gingerly approached the slumbering juggernaut, fascinated by its sheer hideousness.  Leon opened up several wormholes to aid rapid movement, just in case.Still by the door, Gupta stared in wonder at the scene and came to the sudden, unexpected conclusion that the bloodstone ape was not here.  (Orum Dwist anxiously dismissed this notion, convinced the idol could be found here.)  At once, Uriel got the inexplicable feeling that it was he who had told her this.  He reached into his mind and found an old trick Malthusius had learned from his own prior incarnations: location loresight.  But when he used it, instead of getting a simple answer to his question, he was drawn into a personal memory event, which he narrated as it played out:He saw Gorago, the armoured annis hag, fighting her way through this vault with her cohort – a lamia, a quickling, two satyrs and a handful of goblinoids.  As she went, she deliberately sacrificed her allies to the monsters in the vault, at one point using the tip of her greatsword to hamstring the lamia, causing it to fall victim to and be torn apart by the juggernaut.  She reached a pedestal at the far end of the vault, where a foot-tall ape carved of bloodstone stood.  Gorago took it, whispered a spell and transformed into a flying insect before weaving her way out of the vault leaving her allies dead and dying behind her.While Uriel related his vision, Korrigan used the Humble Hook on the slumbering juggernaut.  Its name was an incomprehensible combination of sensations – screams and stenches – and its life history so vile and agonizing that Korrigan could barely prevent himself from retching.  Uru could not work out if the thing was formed like this, or was rendered this way through vile magic or torture.  (Quratulain, though, could see that the creature had always been this way; not a flayed giant, but a fully formed nightmare of one.) Uru was so unnerved by the juggernaut that his intrepid nature abandoned him and he withdrew to the exit.Not a moment too soon:  Though she had to sustain her lullaby, Somnia gestured to let those closest to her know that she was alarmed and sure enough, the juggernaut (but not the hellhounds) began to stir, too powerful a demon to be lulled for long. As it reared up, Kasvarina struck it and retreated, while Matunaaga took aim and fired too.  The beast was injured and responded by disgorging a flood of acidic, bloody bile over Korrigan and Quratulain.  Then it began to brace itself for a charge, its flayed, bloody flesh hardening; Uriel had already witnessed what would happen next:  the juggernaut would charge, trampling all those before it, healing itself as it went.  But Uriel was locked in his memory event, and could not move aside!Orum Dwist focused his mind and used a powerful hex to harm the creature without the need to pierce its hardened skin. Uru followed this up with a shuriken shot, placed with an assassin’s skill.  The horrifying demon crumbled to the chamber floor. Having already picked himself up from the pool of bile, Korrigan acted quickly and ordered the others to withdraw. He wanted to double-check the Pious Mount and didn’t want to risk anyone else in doing so. As the others obeyed, he ran forward through the double doors, while Leon opened up another wormhole behind him and stepped through in support.  There was nothing on the mount, but Korrigan did spot a small decanter sitting in a tiny flame near the font below. He grabbed it and departed swiftly before Somnia’s lullaby ceased.  As he and Leon dashed out of the chamber, Uriel suddenly snapped out of his reverie and shouted a warning about the juggernaut before realising that it was dead.Welcome AboardBack in the Vault of Damned Souls, a lot of them used the blessing ritual on the Pious Mount.  It was decision time for Gupta, meanwhile: both she and Kasvarina had declined to take up the First Blade of Srasma, upon which Somnia had been lashed.  Each declared themself unworthy to do so.  Kasvarina maintained her stance, but encouraged Gupta to change her mind:  It did not matter that she was not a full-blooded eladrin, the matriarch insisted.  And so Gupta took up the sword and studied it to learn more about its powers.  Quratulain was interested in the sword too and told Gupta it had the power to locate any woman, but should not be used to harm the innocent or the user would be punished.Korrigan suggested to Somnia that they escort her back to Giovanni.  He wanted to talk the man and negotiate further payment for their services!  Somnia said this was not necessary, but Korrigan persuaded her to accompany them instead of flying off.Meanwhile, Quratulain marvelled at Matunaaga’s weaponry and the gith promised to show her how to use them when they had some time.Their path back to Giovanni took them through the Vault of Accursed Items, where they dealt with another rust monster (“Told you,” said Throgmorton) in search of the rod Belcamp had wanted.  They found the rod of negation (powerful; cursed – just like everything in here), and won another magical rust monster egg into the bargain.When they reached the Vault of Unholy Arms and Armour, Somnia flew ahead and away, eager to rejoin her friends, thanking them as she went.  They tried to follow, but were challenged by Grunhilde, who refused them passage.  There followed a debate about honour, fair bargaining and the meaning of the word ‘passage’, but Grunhilde wouldn’t budge: If they wanted to speak with Giovanni again they would have to go through her, violently.They decided not to do so and instead made their way back to the passageway approaching the final vault.  Here, Korrigan turned to Quratulain and said, “One more thing, before we proceed any further. You have journeyed with us through this vault, faced dangers, and proven yourself to be capable and trustworthy. I promised earlier that we would discuss your freedom. I want to know what you will do when you leave this vault.”“I will want to kill Nicodemus,” said Quratulain, plainly, then gestured at Matunaaga's guns: “Even more so now that I know I can do it from a distance.”Korrigan nodded, took out an RHC badge he always carried with him, pinned it on Quratulain and shook her by the hand, saying, “As an RHC officer and leader of this unit, I hereby deputize you. I am giving you the immediate and ongoing assignment of protecting our charge, Kasvarina Varal, from harm.”“I didn’t realise I was in need of a babysitter,” said Kasvarina, almost as taken aback as Quratulain.“Not a babysitter. I don’t doubt your abilities, but I also value your life,” said Korrigan.This action and these words had an unforeseeable and surprising effect: Quratulain still had hold of Korrigan’s hand and through that contact, he was made aware of what was happening – to wit, Quratulain was struggling to pull herself from this memory event; to transfer her being - her conscience, herself - from wherever it was now, entombed under water and ice, and bring herself here, using the power of the Arc – just as Uriel had drawn items out of these memory events. But this act was far more difficult and this may have been Quratulain’s only chance.  Uriel understood what she was attempting to do and used his own knowledge of the Arc to help; Gupta and Korrigan helped too.Not only did it work, but as Quratulain was drawn into a different present, Uriel sought and received divine intervention – from what source exactly, he was no longer sure, but many of his incarnations would have believed it was Triegenes – and Quratulain ‘arrived’ fully healed, blessed and free from impediment.To the others, who had merely borne witness to the event, it appeared to be nothing more than a very long handshake.At last Quratulain responded by accepting Korrigan’s assignment. Then they moved on.</blockquote>

Verification