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Sisyphean Attempts at Self-Improvement #1097364 added September 14, 2025 at 4:02pm
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The Battle of Kyriel (Part III)
As Ethelbert grabs Elgin, lifting him up and carrying him to the edge of the bridge, you all leap into action. Tho deploys his Mizzium Apparatus to cast the Command spell on Ethelbert and his Armanite mount in an unsuccessful attempt to get them to flee, while Antonio manages to land the first attack on Ethelbert. The flurry projectiles distracts Ethelbert enough for Big-E to charge forward on Big-D, colliding with his older brother and connecting with a trio of devastating Sun Maul attacks. Ethelbert loses his grip on Elgin, who grabs onto the ledge of the bridge to keep from falling into the fast-moving river below.
Ethelbert takes a cue from Thogun and casts a Command spell of his own toward Elgin, ordering him to let go of the ledge. Elgin barely manages to resist, and it gives Antonio a chance to cover enough ground on the bridge to hurl Tho’s folding boat in the middle of the two Armanite demons guarding Azura. By uttering the command word, the little box expands into a full-sized ship, which pushes the Armanite demons away from their captive... and also pushes Azura over the edge of the cliff. She just barely manages to grab hold of the ledge of the bridge and avoid tumbling into the river below.
While your group rains down blows on Ethelbert, he continues to try and dislodge Elgin into the water, shouting in frustration and unleashing a Destructive Wave spell, which gives him enough room to attack Elgin with his Dread Flail, dislodging his father and sending him plummeting toward the river. Big-E surprises himself by taking Ethelbert’s life with a barrage of Sun Maul attacks, finishing his older brother off by decapitating him with a swinging mounted strike, and thus inventing the game of polo. He then immediately rides Big-D off the bridge and into the river to help Elgin. In the course of doing so, he happens to land on Thogun, who at the same time had been using his Steps of Night ability to attempt to fly down and grab Big-E’s father in midair. Because of how quickly he leapt after his father, Big-E does not notice that Ethelbert’s body actually decomposes into black ichor, something that Rupert indicated was a sign of that creature being transported back to The Abyss.
Reggie rescues Azura, hauling her up to the bridge and telling her to join Krinn on your side, but she’s caught in the crossfire of an Armanite’s lightning attack and nearly killed. Reggie revives Azura after finishing the Armanites, just as Big-E and Big-D make their way back to the bridge with a waterlogged Elgin. Once you’ve all regrouped, Big-E sings “We Are The Champions” into his magical conch. Thogun slaps the revived Azura unconscious and then revives her again in order to talk. Azura admits that she’s at a bit of a loss for where to go from here. She suggests you all rest, and then requests that you join her the following day when the powers that be meet to discuss the future of Kyriel... or at least what’s left of it.
Returning to Harborcrest Keep, Reggie digs up The Well from its hiding place. Thogun is in a celebratory mood and seeks out Kinea’s companionship, but watching her goddess die in front of her just a few hours prior meant she wasn’t in the mood to receive his amorous advances.
That night, you all have a vision of Ar’unath meeting with you in The Abyss and transforming Ethelbert into a Molydeus demon (a Demon Lord’s personal herald and most dangerous enforcer), promising to return to Aleria and finish what they started. You all jolt awake with the horrifying realization that you just barely survived the onslaught this time; there’s no telling what Ar’unath and Ethelbert might be able to accomplish next time if they’re allowed to reconstitute their forces here on the Material Plane.
Thogun has an additional horrifying realization of his own when he notes the empty bed next to him, and suddenly remembers the previous night’s unsuccessful attempt at propositioning Kinea.
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683 words
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