The party returned to Uravian after spending the previous day refining a contract with help from Menhem and Morlibint. Uravian judged the draft adequate, and after one last round of rules clarifications about hidden clauses and breach terms, Venris signed. The signature burned through him as blood-bound magic, which Uravian framed as mutual assurance, but the trick worked: Uravian angrily conceded that the party had gotten the better of him. [S68 00:08:22; S68 00:09:28; S68 00:10:35; S68 00:16:11; S68 00:21:13; S68 00:23:45; S68 00:26:44]
Uravian paid out the bargain: the party received 2,000 gp, his passage-making pen, orders for servants to clear the rubble, and the stated key to truly defeating Belcorra: focus the gaze of Nimbaloth upon her. He then removed the barrier, the party felt a wave of malice, and they chose today as the day for Uravian to handle Calito. Veve noticed a strange wall divot nearby, which led the group into a hidden portal room with nine levers, a much deeper descent, and a milestone level-up to level 9. [S68 00:27:02; S68 00:27:09; S68 00:31:19; S68 00:35:01; S68 00:37:18; S68 00:41:20; S68 00:42:51; S68 00:44:14; S68 00:46:32]
The portal work went badly. Abbas led the rituals while the others aided, but the party failed multiple activation attempts, and Abbas took stupefied 1 for 24 hours from the backlash. The table clarified that repeat failures would renew the stupefied 1 duration rather than stack it higher. Cid examined the nine-lever apparatus and got a dense riddle about materials, wraps, colors, and two golden levers, but the party left that puzzle unsolved and headed toward the library. [S68 00:49:47; S68 00:54:27; S68 00:57:55; S68 01:05:56; S68 01:08:17; S68 01:14:57; S68 01:16:33; S68 01:20:12]
On the stairs toward the library, the party ran into two flickering lights and two shrouded Nimbaloth priests. The enemies used invisibility, Sanctuary-like protection, Toxic Cloud, Harm, fear, and twisted-vision effects. Venris killed one will-o'-wisp with a critical kukri strike, and Cid used Blind-Fight to hit and finish the second invisible wisp, but the priests turned the corridor into a grind of clouds, fear, and spell damage. [S68 01:40:09; S68 01:47:13; S68 01:48:25; S68 01:54:30; S68 01:57:56; S68 02:12:50; S68 02:15:49; S68 02:24:01; S68 02:44:30]
Venris became frightened 4 and fleeing, and Cid physically stopped him from bolting out of the fight. A later blast downed Venris exactly, but Abbas pushed through stupefied casting risk to heal him back up. Cid stood Venris upright and charged back in, while Abbas used advanced first aid to reduce Venris's fear. The fight still nearly killed Venris again before Cid and Venris cut down the priests. [S68 02:31:28; S68 02:33:19; S68 02:51:03; S68 02:52:42; S68 02:59:41; S68 03:04:25; S68 03:13:04; S68 03:26:46; S68 04:02:26; S68 04:08:31; S68 04:12:50]
After the fight, Abbas found that the priests' souls were not headed to the River but awaited oblivion, and the party destroyed Nimbaloth symbols while recovering. The loot recorded from the priests was two +1 striking flails, two studded leather armors, and two scrolls of Neutralize Poison. The group then tried to continue portal work, but Cid heard a metallic sound near the library and Venris scouted two incorporeal dread wraiths moving through it. The party avoided that fight for now and returned toward Uravian's area to attempt another portal; the transcript ends mid-roll after a critical failure result on the attempt. [S68 04:13:24; S68 04:16:26; S68 04:18:33; S68 04:21:10; S68 04:21:12; S68 04:21:16; S68 04:27:31; S68 04:30:01; S68 04:31:56; S68 04:33:37; S68 04:42:42; S68 04:44:19; S68 04:44:56]
| 00:00:42 | Recap Before the Signature After pregame setup, the table recapped that the party had spent the previous day refining the Uravian contract with Menhem and Morlibint, then returned to the Gauntlight ready to try out-contracting a contract devil. [S68 · 00:08:04 · turn 0070 · scene 001] |
| 00:10:10 | Venris Signs Uravian's Contract Uravian judged the contract adequate and offered the quill. After one more rules clarification about hidden clauses and breach terms, Venris signed. The contract burned through his wrist and effectively signed in blood, which Uravian described as magical assurance. Uravian then became visibly angry and delivered the bargained demands: the pen, 2,000 gold, orders to clear the rubble, and the promised Belcorra weakness answer. [S68 · 00:10:35 · turn 0114 · scene 002] |
| 00:31:32 | The Barrier Falls and the Portal Room Opens Uravian led the party onward, cast to remove the barrier, and the party felt a wave of malice. They chose today as the day for Uravian to handle Calito. Veve noticed a strange wall divot; with her help the party opened a hidden portal room containing nine levers, a deep descent, and a milestone level-up to level 9. [S68 · 00:34:51 · turn 0600 · scene 003] |
| 00:49:34 | Failed Portal Rituals and the Lever Riddle The party began trying to activate portals with Abbas as primary caster and others aiding. The first attempt failed, leaving Abbas stupefied 1 for 24 hours, and the table ruled that further failed attempts would renew rather than stack that value. A second attempt also failed. Cid examined the nine-lever array and received a long riddle about materials, colors, wraps, and two golden levers, but the party left it unsolved and moved toward the library instead. [S68 · 00:49:47 · turn 0864 · scene 004] |
| 01:39:59 | Ambushed by Wisps and Shrouded Priests As the party climbed toward the library, initiative began against two flickering lights and two shrouded figures. The enemies used invisibility, Sanctuary-like protection, Toxic Cloud, Harm, and fear effects. Venris killed one will-o'-wisp with a critical kukri strike, while Cid used Blind-Fight against the second invisible wisp and destroyed it. [S68 · 01:40:09 · turn 1810 · scene 005] |
| 02:25:30 | Venris Falls and Gets Pulled Back The priests pressed the fight with fear, Harm, and an area blast. Venris became frightened 4 and fleeing, and Cid intercepted him with a grab when he tried to run. A later blast downed Venris; Abbas used healing through stupefied flat-check pressure to bring him back, Cid stood him up and rejoined the attack, and Abbas used advanced first aid to reduce Venris's fear. [S68 · 02:31:28 · turn 2912 · scene 006] |
| 03:17:07 | Priests Defeated, Loot Claimed The fight continued through more visions, fear, toxic cloud movement, and entangling flora. Cid and Veve pressed one priest while Venris used cloud cover and Fogcloak tactics to kill another with a chakram. The final priest nearly dropped Venris again, but Cid finished him. Afterward, Abbas sensed the priests' souls were bound for oblivion rather than the River, the party healed, destroyed Nimbaloth symbols, and recorded loot: two +1 striking flails, two studded leather armors, and two scrolls of Neutralize Poison. [S68 · 03:19:43 · turn 3928 · scene 007] |
| 04:23:16 | Dread Wraiths Block the Library The party tried to continue portal work. Near the library, Cid heard a metallic sound and Venris scouted ahead, identifying two incorporeal dread wraiths moving through the library. The party decided against fighting them immediately and instead returned toward Uravian's area to attempt another portal while Calito was supposedly out for the day. The transcript ends mid-roll after the final portal attempt had already suffered a critical failure result. [S68 · 04:27:31 · turn 5472 · scene 008] |