Daemons!

Everyone on the strip of beach peered into the darkness of the cave warily. They’d just landed here, after defeating the ghost of Emperor Ito, and they had no idea what might be waiting for them inside. Zhustin climbed up the bank of gravel and cast a Light spell into the new cave. To their relief, nothing roared out at them. The cave was large, but with a lower ceiling than most of the other chambers they’d been through down here. The ceiling had the requisite stalactites, but the floor was mostly coarse sand. Zhustin cautiously moved farther into the cave, sending his Light spell into its far reaches, but saw nothing. Behind him, he could hear Sandru and Sandoval climbing the bank and following him.

Possession is Nine-Tenths of the Law

“Well this isn’t good,” Sandru grumbled, as he eyed the wall of solid stone that now blocked their only escape from the cavern. The ghost of Emperor Ito had apparently escaped, casting a spell on his way out that left them trapped in his underground throne room. “I’ve got it,” Marie assured him, and sure enough, her Dispel Magic caused the wall to vanish. Everyone readied their weapons and spells, but the vast cavern outside was empty. Marie flew out, her Invisibility Purge still active, but she found no sign of the fleeing Ito.

The Emperor's Ghost

Bella was used to being the one who sliced through opponents, leaving them gutted before they even knew what had hit them. But now the Graveknight deep within the Well of Demons had turned the tables on her. One combination of blows had left her bloody and reeling, and she had barely managed to scratch it. The heavily-armored undead warrior drew back its katana, and unleashed another furious series of attacks. Bella’s uncanny reflexes let her dodge first one slash, then another. But the tireless enemy just wouldn’t quit, and the rusty katana slashed through her belly. The pain was unbelievable, and she dropped her weapons and clutched her abdomen, trying to hold in her entrails. As he swept the blade through Bella’s body, he whipped the blade clean, slinging a mess of blood and gore directly into Marie’s face, sickening her.

Scouring the Devils

Things were looking grim for the band of adventurers who had crossed the world to try to place one of their own on the throne of an empire. They were deep beneath an island trapped between planes, surrounded by devils. Bella, usually a sure source of death and destruction, was paralyzed by an invisible assassin. Sawyer, with the ancestral sword Suishen, was stunned and helpless. And who had stunned him? Their very own Nicki, who had apparently turned on the party and thrown in with the devils who shared his bloodline. The only positive was that the former Empress Amatatsu Maemi, now the devil’s handmaiden, lay dead on the cavern floor.

A Marriage Contract

“Follow me, master.” The horned assassin, Shiori Heikkaki, turned to lead the party deeper into the caverns, taking them to her mistress, the Empress Amatatsu Maemi. The group had dodged a bullet when Nicki had Dominated the devilish creature after it had (temporarily) killed Shinjiro. But now everyone else was a bit uneasy seeing the deadly killer acting so subservient to Nicki. For his part, Nicki was feeling pretty pleased with himself.

The Shogun's Bargain

Deep within the Well of Demons, the party was fighting their way through a seemingly endless succession of the caverns’ namesake. The Hezrous’ stench had left Sandru retching in the corner, and Zhustin was staggering around the room, hopelessly sickened by the foul secretions that had rubbed off on him when one of the demons grabbed him. Sandoval, fearing he could do little damage against the thick-skinned creatures, cast Heroism on Bella, counting on the little rogue to do enough damage for the both of them. She didn’t disappoint; her adamantine short sword sliced deep into the flesh of the nearest Hezrou, leaving it howling with pain and rage.

Demons Galore

The party was finding that the Well of Demons was aptly named. Those who had made it to the relative safety of the high ledge were beset by Babau Demons that had been summoned by the Omox Demons churning the water below. Sandru swung his scimitar and scored a solid hit on the Babau in front of him, but the weapon’s blade simply rang against the thing’s bony exoskeleton. Worse, the acidic slime that coated it hissed and bubbled on the sword’s steel, threatening to weaken the blade beyond use. Deciding he could be of no help against these Abyssal foes, Sandru ducked behind Sawyer, hoping to stay out of the way and let the big boys do their job.