Session 23

Heroes: Thoradin, Tarkin, Moryak, Ruthinn

The Heroes recover from their wounds, and they meet again with Vizeran. The drow mage commends them for their courage, and invites them to visit him when they've concluded their researches in Gravenhollow. Before leaving, he gives them a map detailing the path to reach his Tower of Araj.

The Heroes are granted an audience with the three stone giant librarians of Gravenhollow. The librarians thank them for their efforts in battling Fraz-Urb'luu, and reward them with a stonespeaker crystal, a magical item that will grant them visions when they visit the library's archives.

The dwarves visit again the archives of the past, present, and future, and receive visions confirming the involvement of Gromph Baenre, archmage of Menzoberranzan, with the arrival of the demon lords. But it looks like the archmage was not the only responsible. From the visions, Thoradin learns that the demon queen of spiders, Lolth, has manipulated the events somehow.

Having learned what they can from Gravenhollow, the Heroes travel to Araj where they meet with Vizeran. The mage reveals that he has a plan to stop the demonic incursion by performing a ritual that will summon the demon lords to Menzoberranzan, where they will battle against each other. He trusts that the party will then be able to defeat the last demon standing, thus sending them all back to the Abyss. Vizeran will need the Heroes' help in order to acquire the components necessary for the ritual.

• The intact and unhatched egg of a purple worm - for channeling great physical power. 
• The central eye of a beholder - to break down magical resistance and overcome magical forces. 
• Six feathers from six different angels - the authority of the celestial realms and a force to enrage fiendish creatures. 
• The heart of a goristro - to reach and influence the hearts of other demons. 
• Thirteen timmasks, also known as "devil's mushrooms", sprouted from the footprint of a marilith, a balor, or a goristro - a lure to draw demons in. 
• A few drops of blood or ichor from a demon lord - to connect with the demons the ritual will call. 
• Gromph Baenre's grimoires and notes on his ritual - to assist in better understanding the power that summoned the demon lords.

Yet, the demon lords do not sit idly. While the Heroes are planning with Vizeran, Graz'zt and a marilith companion make their entrance in the wizard's sanctum, set on killing Vizeran. While the Heroes cover him, Vizeran escapes.

Battle is joined, but unfortunately the marilith rapidly assaults Ruthinn, entrapping him in her coils. The demon lord uses powerful magic to turn invisible, and then harrasses the Heroes with his acidic sword and his abyssal powers. The fight quickly turns to the worst, as one by one the Heroes fall. When Graz'zt pierces Tarkin's heart with his blade, Ruthinn begs the goddess Sune to come to aid. Miracolously, the goddess makes her appearance, raising Tarkin from the dead, and healing the others.

With Graz'zt's attention now focused on hunting Vizeran, the Heroes decide to run for their lives. As they leave the tower, the screams of terror and pain of the former archmage Vizeran fill the cave.