After a bit of hiatus, we're back in the land of Rul for our grand finale.
The characters take a day to rest, and then head for Seven Spires. Oballa draws them a diagram of the city, and points out the four paths leading up the hill, three of them leading into a tower, the fourth (the Southern Path) leading up to the gate into the city. The city is, of course, surrounded by the seven towers, but one of them (the Tower of the Hammers of Justice) has been completely destroyed and is naught but ash and burning rubble.
The heroes talk it over and decided to head up the Northern Pass, as it leads to the tower of the Keepers of Lore (and Homraz is pretty sure nerds will be no problem). Oballa obtains them a horse-drawn carriage. Dagmar dismantles Skadi and puts it in the back of the carriage, and Mayfly powers down and lays in the back. Homraz quaffs a potion of invisibility and ascends the hill between the paths with Bashir, who can remain stealthy thanks to his training as a druid and woodwose.
They find as they go, though, that the whole hill is under a shadow. They feel disjointed and weighed down, and they all feel their minds and souls being torn. Dagmar's skin becomes puffy and swollen, and they start to emit a sweet, unpleasant stink. They cover up with a cloak and decide that they need to stay covered. Bashir, meanwhile, glances skyward and begins to obsess over flying things. Homraz grows an extra finger and toe on each hand and foot, respectively.
The characters get to the top of the hill and find that the doors to the tower are open. A man in scholar's robes comes out, gibbering and clawing at his face, and then picks up a rock and tries to scrape off his flesh. Bashir knocks him out, and Dagmar reassembles Skadi so that they can be fully covered. They also wind up Mayfly, who takes the Shadow in better stride.
The walk into the city and people stare at Skadi, but aren't really sure what to make of it. As they're walking towards the palace, they note people looking up, and spot a woman with wings and a fiery sword incoming. Bashir screams and rolls under the wagon, and the woman swoops down at Dagmar. Dagmar braces and strikes it, and Homraz bursts from invisibility and attacks. As people from the city scatter, Homraz hacks away with his ax, and Mayfly puts a bullet in the creature's head, killing it.
The citizenry recognizes Homraz and starts chanting his name. Homraz, never one to ignore an opportunity like this, screams at the people to reclaim their city, and people start grabbing pitchforks and going after demons. Homraz drinks down a potion of growth he's been saving for a special occasion and grows to 15 feet tall, leading his companions to the palace gates - the nearest ones are close to the burned-out wreckage of the destroyed tower.
When they get to the gate, a number of skeletal guards away them with bows. The creatures fire and the characters attacks; Homraz smashes one to bits and Bashir and Dagmar jump in as well. And then they notice the ground is shaking...Mayfly flits up to the edge of the wall around the palace for a better view, and spies an immense reptilian head coming up out of the ash. "DRAGON!"
The dragon rears up and spews fire over them, setting Homraz alight but barely harming Bashir (thanks to his Oak Hide spell). Homraz charges in to fight the beast, and Dagmar hands back and shoots at it. Bashir follows Homraz, striking at the monster with his club, but doesn't manage to injure it much. Homraz, of course, cuts it open pretty good, but a second blast of fire injures Homraz further and destroys Skadi (though Dagmar jumps clear unharmed).
Dagmar, furious and exposed, shoots the dragon in one of its ax-wounds, and it shrieks and falls. Homraz lops off its head with his ax, holds up the head and screams "This is going on my wall!" The citizens cheer, and Oballa motions them into the palace - she's opened the gate while they were fighting the dragon.
Inside, everything is dim, quiet, and eerie. A horrible slimy mold runs up the walls. They start walking, looking for a way toward the palace, but the mold seems to be growing. It slides down to the floor and starts oozing up their legs. Homraz tries to free his legs, Dagmar tries to beat the mold with his club, and Mayfly lights a torch to it...and then they see the mold vanish from the ground. It's still on the walls, but it's just mold, and it's not moving.
Bashir, unfortunately, is still very much convinced it's covering him. He pulls off his trousers and falls down, trying to roll away from the stuff. Homraz picks him up and smacks him around until he comes to his senses, and he tugs his pants back on. The group heads deeper into the grounds, and Bashir spots something that looks like a humanoid figure with antlers darting across his field of vision. "Faun," he mutters, and everyone goes on alert.
The group sees a faun appear from the shadows and fire a crossbow bolt at Homraz, screaming "Death to monarchs!" But Homraz see through the illusion and it falls away. Mayfly, tired of these images, casts a spell to create sunlight and the characters realize that the mold definitely gets thicker in one direction. Homraz pulls out a pendulum and asks if following the mold will lead to Tain Faw - and realizes that yes, it will.
They press on until they come to the gates of the Palace, and a courtyard that's completely covered in mold. Homraz beats his ax against the wall and calls out Tain Faw, and the demon answers. It appears in their midst and slashes at them with its claws, but the characters fight back bravely. It injures them, teleporting around the area, but then Homraz catches it off guard and buries his ax in its chest. Mayfly shoots it in the face, and Tain Faw dies, receding into the mold. The mold, in turn, seeps away, and the Shadow of the Demon Lord fades.
Homraz returns to Caecras and takes up the mantle as the Emperor. He makes Dagmar his chief engineer, and installs Mayfly as the head of the Cult of the New God (the Mechanarch). Over time, the Cult's faith merges with worship of Father Death.
Bashir, meanwhile, is granted a large plot of land in the most peaceful part of the Empire (probably the Low Countries). He takes one single dragon scale and turns it into a fruit dish, the sole reminder of his days as an adventurer who fought to free Urth from the Demon Lord's shadow.
FIN
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