Alquam, Demon Lord Of Night

As they group awakens in the ancient temple made inside the corpse of an ancient demon, they find Rook creating a simulacrum. As the creation takes form they watch it begin to resemble Hope, their tiefling bard. Soon Hope stands face to face with her likeness. The only way to tell them apart is the fact that the simulacrum stands naked in front of the extravagantly dressed bard.

Hope vs Hope

The group rummages through their belongings and soon enough the new Hope is equipped with its own clothing and weapons.

As the group moves through the intestinal tunnels the air becomes acrid and foul. A green fog grows thicker and deeper around the adventurer's ankles. As they walk they notice a growing darkness. Most of the group's darkvision penetrates the dark less and less. They cast light but find that it's usual strong glow is being hampered. Katya lights a torch but the light from the torch barely extends beyond her reach. Something foul is afoot.

Soon they enter a vast chamber which they can only imagine its size by the sounds of their echoing voices and the sound of liquid lapping at the shore which exists below them. They stare off into the vast darkness. They see only the precipice they stand on and the greenish liquid and fog which lies about 20 feet below. Lirath casts dancing lights which he sends out over the sea of green foul waters. They see various objects floating half rotted bobbing in the mostly still waters and green fog.

Alquam, Demon Lord Of Night
35,000 XP

There is a deep and sinister laughter from somewhere in the chamber. They shout out demanding who is out there. Suddenly, there is a magical darkness cast around Hope, Rook and Hope2. There is the sound of flapping wings and Hope is attacked and grabbed and taken into the air. The group watches as she is taken out of sight.

Hope casts dimension door in hopes that she can escape the grasp of whatever creature has taken her. As she manipulates the weave, she feels it slip from her usual confident fingers but she is able to compensate and soon she is standing back with the group. They all stand with weapons and spells ready.

Their adversary repeatedly swoops out of the darkness to claw, bite and try to grasp them. Soon Lirath is grasped and taken out over the foul waters. He is able to escape but drops into the waters. The green waters begin to burn into Lirath's flesh and clothing. He is able to clamber atop some floating debris and then steps into ethereal form and strides above the waters back towards the group.

Lirath communicates to the others what he has learned of the creature. Using this Rook discern's what he thinks the creature is. It is Alquam, Demon Lord Of Night. The demon lord had long ago disappeared from his usual layer of the Abyss, abandoning it to the chaos such a power vacuum creates. No word or knowledge of the demon lord has ever surfaced since. They have found its whereabouts.

It continues its repeated attacks out of the darkness and continually casts darkness at various members of the group. The demon lord is able to shrug off spells and the ground around the adventurers begins to open with tentacles grasping at them. At one point after an attack, Rook watched Alquam retreat once again. Knowing it would return again to devastating effect, Rook casts Tasha's Hideous Laughter and the demon lord howls in laughter at the puny mortals. It's laughter causes it to crash into the shores near the opposite side.

Smallfang and Katya are quick enough to round on the fallen creature and being to attack it. When Lirath arrives he is able to psychically push the creature deep into the acidic waters. Rook manipulates his mirage arcane to cover the acid lake with a deep layer of smooth stone, then wills it to become real. They breath a sigh of relief.

But the reprieve is not for long as the demon lord materializes again above them.

Smallfang rushes to attack but not before Hope2 is destroyed. Her life was short and filled with pain and terror. Smallfang attacks the unholy creature and soon it lies dead at his feet.

As the group tends to their wounded, Rook manipulates his mirage arcane once more and creates shelter. Smallfang was very brave and effective, he thinks.

He begins to create a new simulacrum. He shall name it Smallfang2.

The Demon's Throat
40,000 XP

The next morning the group carries on. The eventually come to a large long chamber. Vast wide stairs lead down. At the bottom is a tower. The tower is made of the same tissue-like material that they have been walking through the past few days. It is ringed with bony structures which ring the tower which reaches the ceiling, some 100 feet above them. The only feature of note is a shimmering doorway at the base. A silvery watery material shimmers in the doorway. Nothing can be seen through it.

Hope bravely approaches and touches the surface. She instantly finds herself inside the tower which is filled with clear water. She tries not to panic and hold her breath.

The others simply see Hope vanish and they stand hesitant to follow Hope to her death. Rook uses his x-ray vision to try and see into the tower. But on the other side of the flesh wall there is simply a vast nothingness. Smallfang's attempt to cut into the tower yields the same result as he had found before. Under a thin layer of a tissue-like substance there is a material which seems impervious to his sword.

Inside the tower, Hope look all around looking for  a way out. The water goes up for what seems hundreds of feet and all around the circumference of the tower are white long sharp bony rings which circle all the way up. At the bottom of the tower is a round stopper like structure made of metal. Hope swims down to it and tries to pull it out. It doesn't budge. So Hope tries to twist is out. The circular device rotates easily and clicks as Hope twists it.

Smallfang decides to not leave a member of their group alone to face danger. He touches the shimmering door. He appears inside the tower floating slightly above Hope as he watches her twist the metal cylinder.

The Death Of Hope

The water all around them begins to move swirling around the tower. Soon they are both caught up in the current and tossed around the sides of the tower. The bony ring structures cut deeply into them. There is a scraping sound as Smallfang's armor is cut open. The water fills with swirling blood clouding their vision. Smallfang swims as fast as he can towards the top.

Soon Smallfang bursts through the surface of the water into air. Smallfang gasps as he gulps lungfulls of air. The body of Hope floats slowly up beside him, her lifeless body face down in the water. Smallfang revives her and once she is safe he climbs out and explores the tunnel which branches off and down. The water sluicing over the edge and falling down creating the sound of a loud waterfall.

After the waters calm themselves, the rest of the group arrives at the top of the tower breaking the surface of the water.

Lirath and Smallfang scout ahead. Carefully treading down the tunnel, avoiding the treacherously slippery slope and finding rows upon rows of razor sharp teeth at the bottom of the slope. At the mouth of the tunnel they look down into a land covered with a white fog.

In the distance a large grey structure rises out of the fog. A large skull-like rocky structure. Judging by it's distance it must be larger than most castles.

They have arrived.  Ahead of them Citadel Cavitus. Vecna's home.