TRS15 - Pyrriaic Victory

Pyrriaic Victory is the fifteenth and penultimate session in the campaign The Red Star. In it, the party have two hours to find another way to stop the Red Star.

Summary
Iago and Eptol recall everything they've gathered on their journey - the silver ring, the 'Yir scroll', taken from Captain Nau, and the diary they took from Dr Langstorm's partner. Iago flips through the pages of the diary, and finds a section on summon forces such as devils and daemons. He reads the scroll, an finds that it is an adapted spell made to draw out Yir. Resmi suggests making a deal with a devil, offering them the fragment of Yir inside Pyrria. Pyrria says that rather than summoning any specific devil, they should offer Yir up to the whole of hell. Iago reads about this possibility, and finds a way to establish communication with hell, allowing them to send a message to the whole plane. The party go to the bottom floor of the tower to enact their plan.

Iago reads about the ritual they need to perform. He draws a summoning circle on the ground. A gold sacrifice is apparently required as a sort of 'anchor', so Iago uses Edus' hat. Iago reads the incantation, and a red whirlpool appears in the middle of the room. Nothing happens for a moment, and Malachi sends Compy in to investigate. Compy is swallowed up by the shadow, and Malachi loses connection with it. Flynn tries to communicate with the devils, but is too vague about things. Pyrria is clearer, telling the plane that they are willing to trade Yir for their help. Something moves in the whirlpool, and the party hears a voice from the darkness.

It says that it's interested in Yir, but that the party only have half of it. He is willing to strike a deal, and tells the party that he can give them the means to undo Flynn's mistake, but he wants the other half of Yir, too. He can give the party a way to get Yir's other half, but until they did that, he'd keep Pyrria. A giant red claw reaches out of the portal and grabs Pyrria, puling her down into the vortex. The portal closes, leaving two objects behind - a metal gauntlet and a strange knife holding a black gem that seems similar to a daemonic soul gem. Iago suggests that the gauntlet will help them with their current situation, and the dagger will allow them to capture the other half of Yir.

They return to the top floor of the tower, and explain the situation to Kraft. Flynn puts the gauntlet on, finding that it fits like a glove. The gauntlet vibrates in proximity to the hole he made when he stabbed the terminal. Flynn places his hand in the torn metal, and the gauntlet stabs into his hand. It rotates, tearing his hand up, causing blood to flow from the slits in the metal. The blood seems to repair the terminal, and Flynn activates it. Iago looks up at the screen and watches as a white pillar pierces through the Red Star, destroying it, though some chunks survive. They watch as a part of it falls and hits the tower, and another, larger part falls into the Basin of the Gods, the major water source of the area.

The party heads down to the bottom floor, where a group of abberations awaited them. The battle begins.

Trivia

 * Introductions: This session introduced no new characters.
 * Deaths: In this session, Compy died(?).
 * Notable Events: This session saw the party make a deal with a devil, a devil taking Pyrria hostage and giving them a quest to seek the other half of Yir, the party destroying the Red Star, and a chunk of the Red Star falling into the Basin of the Gods.

Quotes
''"He was under a lot of pressure." ''- Sarinak

''"Looks like you're helping us one last time, Edus." ''- Iago

''"DOVOS HAS HAMMER. DOVOS WILL SMASH THE STAR." ''- Dovos

''"Hey, Pyrria! If you see Compy, make sure he's safe, alright?" ''- Malachi