4/6/2022 Last session ended with the party returning to Slora, having completed his task to raid the Orc fort. Recall also they stole a hiltless rune sword. Slora was overjoyed with the party's performance. Furthermore, he was aware that the party stole the rune sword and suggested that the party did not understand the nature of the artifact they possessed. He explained that the rune sword contains the soul of a demigod who sacrificed themselves in order to power the blade. The weapon was created to seal Moloch in the fort. Buried somewhere below the fort is the hilt of the sword, which keeps Moloch tied to that place. Slora explained that powerful beings such as other demigods will seek out the power of the rune sword, making the party a target for forces far more powerful than themselves. So, Slora offered the party a trade. If they simply left the sword in a corner of the room Slora could not reach, he would give them a ring of three wishes. The complex itself would shield the rune sword from detection by the aforementioned powerful beings. After much debate, the party eventually decided to accept Slora's offer. Slora also provided the party with a map of all areas of the complex he could see (and that therefore did NOT contain the chalice). By cross referencing this against the map of the complex he already had, Igny was able to deduce where the Chalice was. The party promptly set off in that direction. As they came down a corridor they encountered some imps. Xaris made quick work of the imps in his way while Igny ran ahead to a doorway off the corridor. In the room on the other side of the door dozens of imps were congregating, coming through a massive portal in the room. Igny quickly closed the door and drew his massive magic greataxe to try to use it to prop the door closed. Chance took the axe from Igny and cleverly wedged it between the door and the opposite wall to jam the door closed. It was clear that this would hold off the imps for some time, but not permanently. The party moved on, and passed by a room with a huge demon that beckoned the party to come closer as it had a proposition for them. The party declined and continued down the corridor and came to a large round room with a table holding several items, including the Chalice! But alas, the room was guarded by a massive slime creature. The party quickly attacked. The bludgeoning blows from Xaris' maul did not appear as effective as he expected, however. Similarly, when Igny slashed the creature with Kekax, it wounded the creature less than expected. However, Chance drew a mighty elephant from his bag of randomness, which very effectively gored the creature. During the battle, the creature took a disk off of the table. When the tide of the battle turned against it, the cowardly slime creature did something with the disk and instantly disappeared from the room. The party grabbed the chalice, which was decorated with butterflies. Additionally, they took the disk left behind by the slime creature and several crystals from the table. All of these items registered as magical to Zelis. There was also a great deal of treasure in the room. The party took 750 valuable gems and as much gold as they could physically carry. As the party left the room, they quickly encountered a column of imps in the corridor. Chance's elephant charged ahead and easily trampled all of the imps, clearing a path for the party to return to Slora. They asked Slora several things. First they asked if he knew how the chalice worked. Slora explained that the chalice could cure any illness or condition or extend someone's life, but required the user to drink the blood of a red dragon from it. Slora also identified the crystals as the power sources used by the Great Northern Empire. Finally, he revealed that the disk was a stone of pocket worlds. Fearing that the slime creature was hidden in one of the pocket worlds, the party was a little unnerved. However, Slora showed the party an image of the slime creature having returned to its room. As a last favor, Chance asked Slora to recharge the sun stone, and Slora obliged. The party made their way to the secret door where they knew Whamperi would be waiting for them on the other side. Chance activated the sun stone while Zelis readied the staff of warding. As they opened the door, the Whamperi cowered before the light of the sun stone and kept their distance, allowing Zelis to mark the floor with the staff, placing a ward which prevented the Whamperi from passing. On their way out of this section of the complex, the party stopped by the first room they had entered with the chaos creatures that ate metal. With Xaris having already wished the creatures dead [see last session summary], they quickly looted the room. Inside they collected 10 more gems (one garnet and 9 jets) and three magical items: a hand crafted Elvin mandolin, pan pipes, and a runic orb. The party returned to the Prince who promptly took the chalice and poured some red dragon blood in it and drank. A giant slug-like creature left his body and began approaching the party looking for a new host. Chance zapped it with a fire bolt before Xaris took one mighty overhead swing with his maul which completely crushed the filthy creature. The Prince was in a weakened state, but very happy to finally have been cured. He happily gave the remainder of his stock of red dragon blood to the party. The party continued on to exit the complex, stopping to collect the infernal books they had discovered when they first entered. As they exited the ancient complex, the party encountered none other than Halkin! Halkin explained that just as the giant spider was about to suck his blood, he transformed back into a dwarf and the spider couldn't bring itself to kill him. He had been waiting outside the complex for the party to return ever since. Halkin explained that his near-death experience caused him to reevaluate his actions and he felt remorse. The party explained that Igny had been possessed by a demon at the time, and had misled the party into making the decision to sacrifice Halkin. Halkin joined the party, and they all made their way out of the caves. As they left the caves, there was a popping noise and the staff of warding Zelis was still holding transformed into a portal from which Slora emerged. Slora thanked the party for freeing him, and told them not to worry about the rune sword. He then turned towards the cave opening and cast a spell, causing the entire mountain to collapse down on the caves and complex. Before leaving, Slora informed the party he would be in the Thousand Isles, if anyone is looking for him. The party met up with Thormdal and gave him the mirror. Thormdal proved very nosy and kept asking all sorts of questions about why an entire mountain collapsed just when the party left the caves. Eventually, he took the mirror and walked up to a spot above the caves and used the mirror to dispatch the demon the party had ignored inside the complex. The party returned to Ivy Shade, where they handed the evil books over to the Inquisitor and spoke at length with Mango. Xaris let slip that the party had inadvertently freed a Slith mage from the complex, which Mango was alarmed to hear. Mango said that sometime in the future, after the party had gained more power, he would call on them to help stop Slora from whatever he was scheming in the Thousand Isles. With Mango, the party tried out the stone of pocket worlds, appearing on a seemingly peaceful tropical island before quickly returning to Ivy Shade. The party decided to rest up and train for two weeks before starting out on their next adventure. And with that the session ended. TLDR: the party got the chalice, cured a Whamperi, accidentally freed a Slith, and gave the mirror to Thormal, all while getting filthy rich in the process. And Halkin is still alive. Best one-liner: Xaris