Chapter Text
For Ser Nazira of House Blackbone, the nine days following her team’s dispatching of Elizenya were the longest of her life. The inky black sky and bleak desolation of the Shadowfell were overbearing, chipping away at her hope bit by bit. What kept her going was Tam, and what kept Tam going was Nazira. Although they never addressed it, it was mutually understood that they were leaning on each other emotionally.
Led by Nuthan, the group had spent nine days trying to reach the portal to the Underdark, but the ever-changing terrain of the Shadowfell made the trip considerably longer than it had been previously. On the first day, Baldir prayed to Gond for some sort of intervention. The god responded by replenishing their supply of food and water, but Baldir’s subsequent attempts went unanswered.
Nine days after eliminating the Drow leadership in the Shadowfell, the Raven’s Flame finally received a response to one of their Sending spells from, of all people, Aluona - the Drow Mother of Rebellion they’d crossed paths with before venturing into the Shadowfell. Within the hour, a portal appeared in front of them, and they stepped through it into what appeared to be the library of the Underdark fortress in which Aluona and her fellow followers of Eilistraee resided.
“Hurry up!” Aluona exclaimed. “This only lasts a minute!”
Titan was the first through the portal, and Nazira was the last, sparing one last glance at the realm of her goddess before stepping into a world of color. Aluona and her guards led the group down the hallway and into a room containing numerous chairs and couches arranged in a semicircle around a roaring fireplace. As they consumed bowls of soup provided by the Drow, they recounted what had happened since their first meeting.
“Based on Calli’s description, it sounds like she’s in the Abyss.” Aluona said after thinking for a moment. “The fact that there are trees narrows it down a bit. Perhaps Spirac, or Death Dells, or the Gaping Maw. Slugbed is a possibility as well. The good news is that it eliminates the Demonweb Pits, which is Lolth’s domain.”
“Can you get us to the Abyss?” Hurushi asked.
“I can, but not until tomorrow.” She replied. “I can only cast Gate once, and Plane Shift only allows for up to eight passengers.”
“Probably for the best.” Sharai said. “I could use a night in an actual bed for a change.”
“Of course.” Aluona nodded. “There are empty rooms in the barracks.”
That night, Tam grunted as Nazira shoved her down on the foot of a reasonably comfortable bed. Tam tucked her legs and quickly scrambled back to the middle of the bed before Nazira pounced on her, pinning her down. Their lips met in a heated kiss, silently communicating nine days worth of pent-up desire. Knowing they couldn’t afford to let their guard down, Nazira opted to leave their shirts on, instead going straight for Tam’s belt. Tam completely shattered those reservations by starting to unbutton Nazira’s shirt while peppering her neck with soft kisses.
“I know, I know, but I need to feel you against me.” She hissed. “Gods, Naz, I need you so bad…”
“Mmm…” Nazira’s eyelids fluttered. “How about you turn into a man and fuck me?”
Tam’s eyes snapped open, and she pulled back, clearly caught off-guard.
“What’s wrong?” Nazira asked breathlessly.
“Please don’t ever ask me that again.” Tam said, avoiding eye contact.
Nazira blinked. “Okay. Why not?”
“I have enough issues with my identity as is.” Tam moved out from under Nazira and leaned back against the headboard. “I don’t need you sexualizing my shapeshifting.”
“Is that what you think?” Nazira shook her head. “Tam, it just slipped out. I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine.” Tam waved her hand dismissively. “I know you didn’t mean anything by it. It just took me out of the moment.”
Nazira moved up next to Tam and nuzzled her neck. “I’ll try to avoid it in the future.”
Even curled up as the little spoon to Hurushi’s big spoon, Qirona found herself struggling to fall asleep. Like the others, she was still recovering from the way the Shadowfell had affected her mind, and it took over two hours for her to finally doze off. In the morning, Hurushi was gone when she woke up, so she got dressed and made her way to the barracks common area, where she found the other talking with Aluona and Arnoa, the Drow Shadowblade who had first confronted them.
“We have people who speak Elvish, but not Drow.” Nazira was saying. “If what Elizenya said is true, which it seems to be, we’ll need all the help we can get.”
Aluona shook her head. “If what that bitch said is true, then we’ll need all our forces in one place. However, I can offer you an alternative. Among the items we found while searching the fortress are two Helms of Comprehending Languages. I would be willing to part with one of them.”
“Alright, that works.”
“If you can spare any healing potions or diamonds, we would be most grateful.” Gromak said. “We’re running low.”
Aluona nodded. “I believe we can spare a few potions, yes. Diamonds, I’ll have to check. I can get you a map of Pazunia. Possibly other layers as well.”
“I still think we should go to the Material Plane first.” Nazira said.
“We talked about this.” Tam reminded her.
She sighed. “I know, I just…never mind.”
“Now we just need a guide for the Abyss.” Baldir said.
“I’ve spent time there.” Sharai chimed in. “Enough to have an idea of how to navigate the different layers.”
Titan looked at her. “I thought Tieflings were descended from devils, not demons.”
She nodded. “We are. I was doing research.”
“I’ve been there as well.” Gromak said.
Qirona raised her hand. “I speak Abyssal.”
Once they were ready, Aluona cast Gate, and the nine of them stepped through the portal and into Pazunia. The first layer of the Abyss was a vast land of rocky, windswept barrens containing pits, canyons, tors, and mesas. A red sun lit the land, and iron fortresses dotted its terrain. They quickly spotted a river nearby, and after getting his bearings, Gromak determined that it was east of them and flowing southwest.
“Whatever you do, don’t go in the water.” Gromak said.
“Why not?” Hurushi inquired. “Is it toxic?”
“Not in the way you’re thinking.” Gromak replied. “It’s the River Styx. It wipes the memories of whoever touches it.”
“Which way?” Baldir asked.
“There’s a settlement upriver.” Sharai pointed northeast. “We should be able to get our bearings based on how long it takes to reach it.”
They had been walking for two and half hours when they finally saw signs of civilization ahead. The sullen-looking town consisted of clay buildings, and as they got closer, they saw five bipedal demonic creatures heading in their direction. They recognized four of the demons as babaus, but the leader was unfamiliar. It stood over 12 feet in height and a muscular body covered in crimson red skin. Its head resembled that of a wolf, and what initially looked like a tail was actually a serpent growing from the back of its neck. A jagged-looking glaive was clutched in its clawed hands. Spotting a dock by the river, Sharai turned to lead the others towards it, only for the demons to move to intercept them.
“What’s the one leading the others?” Hurushi asked.
“That’s a molydeus.” Sharai replied. “Not sure why it’s coming after us, but I don’t really want to find out either.”
Behind them, Titan activated his maul, which started to glow. Nazira started walking northwest, and Tam followed, having taken the form of an Eladrin woman in her spring season. One of the babaus did the same, so they stopped.
“Do we see what they want, or just kill them?” Nazira asked, looking back at the others.
Before anyone could respond, Qirona saw the molydeus casting Polymorph and immediately cast Counterspell.
“Seize them!” It roared, pointing its jagged glaive at her.
Tam immediately targeted the nearest babau with her Evil Eye, then raised her right arm and shot it in its emaciated-looking chest. Snarling, the molydeus fired a bolt of lightning from its glaive, hitting Qirona, Titan, Gromak, and Nuthan. Nuthan immediately cast Finger of Death, hitting the molydeus in the chest. While Baldir cast Death Ward on himself, Titan charged the molydeus head-on. Flowers and vines sprouted from the ground around the Warforged as he swung his maul. The molydeus blocked the first attack with the shaft of its weapon, but the second hit it square in the ribs. The weapon emitted a bright flash, but the demon averted its eyes. The molydeus struck back its glaive, burying the blade in Titan’s left shoulder.
Taking to the air, Qirona unleashed a tendril of inky darkness, but the molydeus was able to resist the worst of the spell’s effects. While the molydeus’ snake head bit Titan, Sharai cast Synaptic Static between the third and fourth babaus, which snarled in pain. Three of the four babaus cast Heat Metal on Hurushi, Nazira, and Baldir’s armor, then they split up into pairs to attack the first two, scratching them with claws coated with some sort of acid. Drawing Concluder, Nazira retaliated by slashing at the fourth babau, which dodged her blade. While Titan dodged the molydeus’ glaive, Gromak’s staff glowed, and a pair of Quicklings attacked the first babau, stabbing at its legs with their daggers. Drawing his swords, Hurushi cut the first babau’s throat, then carved into the second with both blades. Nazira cast Divine Favor, then slashed at the fourth babau again, cutting into its abdomen.
Tam moved her Evil Eye to the third babau, then fired her arm-mounted Lycan Hand Crossbow and missed. Rapidly reloading, she fired a third bolt, hitting the demon’s right shoulder. Taking a step back, the molydeus cut Titan down with a swing of its glaive, then turned its attention to Baldir and bit him with both its wolf and snake heads. Nuthan hurled his dagger, hitting the second babau twice and killing it. Baldir cast Healing Word on Titan, then swung his ax at the molydeus and missed. The molydeus cast Lightning Bolt, only for Sharai to stop it with Counterspell. Picking himself up, Titan closed with the molydeus and slammed his maul into its back, only for the demon to cut him down again.
In the air, Qirona pulled out a piece of glass and cast Wall of Force, separating the molydeus from Titan and Baldir with an invisible barrier. The molydeus glared up at her, and its snake head hissed. Pulling out her Tentacle Rod, Sharai attacked the fourth babau, hitting with all three tentacles. The third babau burned Nazira again, then it and the fourth babau continued scratching her. A unicorn spirit appeared next to Titan, then Gromak rushed over and cast Cure Wounds on him. While the Quicklings stabbed the third babau to death, Hurushi cut down the fourth.
“That just leaves you.” Nazira said, approaching the molydeus. “Mind telling us what this is all about?”
The molydeus growled, then muttered an incantation. Qirona cast Counterspell, but it failed, and the demon vanished.
“Fuck!” Hurushi exclaimed.
“It’s fine.” Sharai said, scanning their surroundings. “We’ll just have to keep an eye out in case it comes back to finish the job.”
After finding a shop in Styros that accepted Material Plane currency and topping off their rations, they followed the River Styx northeast. Around midday, they stopped to rest for a bit, and Sharai spent the downtime writing furiously in one of her journals. Recognizing that one of the molydeus’ attacks had sapped some of his life force, Baldir cast Greater Restoration on himself. As they continued on, they soon reached a hole in the ground measuring around 35 feet across. Hurushi approached the edge and leaned as far forward as he dared, but he was unable to see the bottom.
“What is this?” He asked, stepping back.
“A pit.” Gromak replied. “A portal to another layer.”
Sharai pulled out another of her books and flipped to a page near the end. “Looks like this one leads to layer…663. Zionyn.”
“How do you know the number?” Hurushi inquired.
“They’re numbered by the order in which they were discovered.” Qirona explained. “Baphomet, for example, rules over the 600th layer, the Endless Maze.”
“Lolth controls layer 66.” Nazira added. “The Demonweb Pits.”
“This is where we need to make a choice.” Sharai said. “There are portals in this layer leading to two of the three most likely places Calli might be. If we follow the river, we’ll reach a portal to layer 88, the Gaping Maw.”
“Demogorgon’s domain.” Qirona added.
“The other option is that we turn west.” Sharai continued. “The portal in that direction leads to the 71st layer, Spirac.”
“There’s a third option.” Nuthan said. “The Grand Abyss.”
“The Blood Rift?” Gromak shook his head. “No way. Too risky.”
“It’s the only way to get to Death Dells from this layer.” Nuzan pointed out. “All I’m saying is that we have three options.”
“Based on Calli’s description, Spirac and Death Dells seem more likely than the Gaping Maw.” Sharai said.
“Which portal is closest?” Titan asked.
“From where we are now? Spirac.”
“Then I say we start there.” He said. “We can always backtrack, right?”
“In theory, yes.” She flipped through her book. “Some portals close from time to time, but this one stays open as far as I know.”
Tam and Gromak were the first to hear wings above them. Looking up, they saw three winged creatures circling overhead, each one surrounded by a sphere of darkness that made it hard to determine their size or make out any features.
“We might have a problem!” Tam exclaimed, aiming her crossbow upwards.
Reaching into one of her pouches, Qirona rubbed sulfur and between her hands, then fired a bright streak of light that blossomed into a fiery explosion with a low roar. All three creatures screeched and dove towards the group. Titan gripped a javelin and waited for them to get closer, and Nuthan did the same with his shadowy dagger. Tam aimed her Evil Eye at the first creature, but it failed to take hold. Cursing in Undercommon, she raised her crossbow and waited for them to get closer. Nazira muttered an incantation, then gripped Concluder and waited.
The creatures were around 7 feet tall and bore a passing resemblance to gargoyles. Their emaciated bodies were leathery, scaly, and covered in tight, sinewy muscles. Their heads looked elongated, lacked noses, and had large, tusked mouths. They had steel gray eyes and bat-like wings and ears, and their limbs ended in talons. They were a dull shade of black with similarly shaded tufts of hair on their shoulders and chests. Sharai recognized them as demonic nabassus, and as they got closer, Titan, Nuthan, and Tam threw and fired their ranged weapons, landing hits on two of the three demons.
The nabassus split up, attacking Nazira, Tam, and Titan. Each demon glared at its target, but they had no effect, so they closed to melee range. Naizra immediately slashed at the first nabassu, and her blade emitted a bright flash of light as it cut into the demon’s chest. Roaring, it lashed out blindly, missing with its bite but managing to scratch her left shoulder with its talons. Tam twisted her body so the second nabassu’s bite hit her arm instead of her neck, then gasped when it dug its talons into her gut, and Titan yelled as the third demon bit and scratched his abdomen. Each time it hit him, a jolt of energy shot out from his body.
Sharai cast the most powerful Chaos Bolt she had, hitting the blinded nabassu with thunderous energy. Gromak’s staff glowed, and three winged beasts appeared overhead - a giant vulture, a giant eagle, and a larger quetzalcoatlus. The eagle attacked the second nabassu from above with its beak and talons, then the vulture attacked from the left, then the quetzalcoatlus swooped in and bit its right wing before immediately flying up out of retaliation range. Focusing his mind, Hurushi fired four arrows from his yumi, two of which hit the third demon. At the same time, Baldir missed the second demon with a Guiding Bolt.
Flying above the others, Qirona cast Błight, draining the second nabassu. Titan’s maul started to glow as he swung it at the third nabassu, only for it to dodge both attacks. While Nuthan moved up and stabbed the third nabassu in the back, Tam again failed to curse the first nabassu, then drew her shortsword and stabbed in the back. Nazira cast Divine Favor, then slashed at the blinded demon, cutting into its wings. While it lashed out blindly, the second demon attacked Gromak’s beasts, killing the eagle with a bite and the vulture with its claws. The third demon put Titan down with a bite, then scratched him while he was down. While Sharai rushed over and healed the Barbarian, Gromak cast Blight on the first nabassu, and the quetzalcoatlus continued attacking the second, diving in for another bite. Drawing his swords, Hurushi rushed in and slashed at the third demon, cutting into its back while Baldir cast Banishment to no avail.
In the air, Qirona cast Mind Whip on the third nabassu, causing it to snarl and grab its head. Picking himself up, Titan teleported behind the first nabassu and slammed his maul into its back. Nuthan drove his dagger into the third demon’s back and pushed down, opening a deep gash. It howled in pain, and he followed up by cutting its throat. Finally targeting the first nabassu with her Evil Eye, Tam fired her crossbow, hitting the side of its neck and invoking the Curse of the Debilitated to add a necrotic surge to the attack.
Nazira’s sword started to glow as she slashed at the first nabassu, cutting its throat and causing its body to briefly glow before it collapsed. Not missing a beat, she closed with the second demon and sliced into its right wing. It glared at her, and she shuddered under its gaze, then it attacked, missing with its teeth but clawing deep gashes into her side that caused her to collapse. Sharai hit the demon with a warbling ball of pure force, and Gromak cut its head off with a swing of his scimitar, then cast Healing Word on Nazira.