48. War's Most Beloved Weapon

7th Lharvion, 999 YK

• They prepare themselves for the interior of Shaazarak.
• Xander, not trusting Szfalka's own checks, checks for traps on the door.
• Xander then instructs Okor to open the door. Okor narrows his eyes, and Xander quickly clarifies that the rest of them are so weak! They need a big strong centaur to do it.
• Okor says he will open the door in his own time. Rotrak comments that the Rakshasa could respawn at any time but by all means, take your time.
• Okor will, thanks.
• Okor then opens the doors with his immense strength.
• They enter a large chamber, where there's a bunch of bedrolls on a straw bed. It smells strongly of sweat and dirty bodies. The people are being kept like animals.
• Xander also notes the strange everbright lanterns that are emitting a constant, dim light. They don't look like any he's seen.
• There is a set of double doors just in front of them, and faint sounds of fighting on the other side. Okor hears fighting, he goes towards it.
• Okor opens the door, revealing a huge stone chamber with an intricately carved floor. There are staircases going down on either side of the room, and a couple side rooms on the far side. In the center of the room, three zakya are sparring with a jagged metal monstrosity, like a mechanical spider with a metal humanoid torso. Rad.
• Okor rages.
• Szfalka is first into the breach, weaving past Okor's legs to get into the room first. He then stabs, as one does, with his poisoned (and cursed) Bellicose dagger.
• Mirnac goes second, but her player is eating a biscuit so was totally unprepared for this.
• She finishes her biscuit, and then casts Bless, empowering her allies with the power of Kalok Shash
• Ew
• Then she raises her shield
• The zakya that Szfalka attacked retaliates, stabbing him and then knocking him to the ground, where he manages to parry their third attack.
• Okor charges into the room, raising his shield and taking cover behind it.
• Rotrak rot-racks his brain for anything he might know about the metal monster. He determines it's Fort and Reflex saves are high, but its Will saves are low.
• Embooldened, Rotrak does it again but doesn't glean anything useful. He does have Dubious Knowledge though, so he yells to the group that it's resistant or immune to all forms of physical attack and also magic.
• Damn, it seems invincible!
• He takes cover
• Xander is skeptical that it can be immune to everything. That doesn't make sense. He fact checks.
• Xander's roll isn't great so as far as he knows, yeah, it's invincible. Fuck.
• Xander casts an AoE telekinetic spell, damaging a zakya and the invincible monster takes nothing, further reinforcing that it is invincible.
• The Levaloch tries to get both Okor and Szfalka in its net, but fails. The net rusts to nothing, and then the construct scuttles around Okor.
• Drolga raises her shield and rushes to the levaloch, and tries to shove it. It's like hitting a brick wall, and doesn't move at all.
• She then gets a good hit in with her taravari (that she looted from a zakya last session), scratching its surface.
• The third zakya rushes forward and lays into Okor, dealing the most damage he's ever taken.
• Szfalka slithers back into an upright position, and resumes his stabbing. That zakya is having a bad day.
• Mirnac identifies that the metallic monster is both a fiend and a construct. She then advances and tries to bonk it.
• A zakya flanks Szfalka and begins to lay into him, hitting him with its taravari and critting with its claws, going for his beautiful face.
• Okor sweeps his massive hammer against both a zakya and the levaloch, critically hitting both of them. The levaloch tries to block his attack on the zakya, but it was futile.
• Okor then raises his shield, expecting retaliation.
• Rotrak is frustrated because he wanted to cast a line spell but everyone is in the way. He briefly considers friendly fire anyway.
• He considers it, and decides it's the way forward. He casts life draining roots in a line, getting Mirnac, the levaloch, and two of the zakya.
• Mirnac and one zakya fails. The others succeed. The roots steal nutrients from the living targets, replenishing Rotrak.
• Rotrak sucked out some of Mirnac's juice.
• Xander enters the chamber and engages the levaloch. He stabs it but fails to deal any noticeable harm, and his follow up punch is similarly ineffective.
• The levaloch forms a new net from the metal of its body, and then gets Rotrak in it, but then fails its follow up.
• The zakya continue to attack Okor, whilst Drolga chips away at the levaloch.
• Szfalka considers attacking the construct, but is doesn't wanna stab something that can't bleed, so he continues stabbing the zakya.
• Mirnac scoots into the room and slaps Okor on the rump, healing him.
• She then administers non-magical first aid to Szfalka, whilst he's parrying attacks from a zakya.
• The zakya retaliates by critting Mirnac. How dare she.
• Okor sweeps his hammer and takes out the construct, and then keeps the momentum going and hits two of the zakya, though the last one blocks the hit with their shield.
• Rotrak doesn't try to escape the net, and just casts from inside it, project an electrical arc at a zakya, which then arcs to another one.
• Rotrak then tries to escape the net, and is damaged by the barbs. Thankfully, the Mirnac juice he slurped up earlier means he doesn't take any health damage.
• Xander sidesteps to fight a zakya and punches it in the back, but it blocks the follow up stab.
• Another zakya then side steps around Okor to attack Mirnac.
• Drolga flanks one of the zakya with Okor, and slashes its spine, bringing it to the brink of death. She then finishes it off, decapitating it.
• Szfalka resumes his activity of choice, further mutilating the nearest zakya to death.
• He then shimmies around to flank the one fighting Mirnac. He then does what he does best: stabbing people in the back.
• Mirnac, fairly roughed up, decides to embrace violence. She embeds her flaming axe in the final zakya's flesh, and then whispers "I'm gonna do it again" as she does it again. The 2nd attempt failed, though.
• Okor swings his fist, and a spectral ram forms from the end and bashes into the remaining zakya, killing it and launching it 5ft away. It is somehow still on its feet.
• Rotrak tries to wriggle free of the net, getting further injured and failing. He then sends Pestilence into the chamber just to see what's going on.
• he then fails again to escape the net, getting cut up.
• Xander flanks the remaining zakya but fails to hit it. The zakya then crits Szfalka for a lot of damage, and then tries to run away.
• Drolga drops her sword and shield, gets out her bow, and shoots the zakya in the back. Her arrows goes through the back of its head, killing it instantly.
• Drolga states that she cannot permit a demon to live.
• Combat is over, and Rotrak is still stuck in the barbed net. Mirnac just watches him struggle.
• Okor tells Mirnac to heal the others and pushes her out of the way. 
• Rotrak continues to struggle, but can't seem to free himself. Okor picks both the net and Rotrak up.
• Mirnac begins tending to Okor and Szfalka. Rotrak finally wriggles free of the net, heavily bleeding.
• Szfalka re-coats his weapons with venom while injuries are being tended to.
• Mirnac then tends to herself and Rotrak.
• Rotrak stands over the corpse of the levaloch and comments that he was mistaken, guess it wasn't invincible.
• Xander refocuses, and Okor repairs his shield.
• They listen for a second, and hear faint rhythmic hammering down the right-hand staircase.
• Okor watches as the others go up to the side doors.
• Szfalka opens the door to the weapon storage room, and sees more weapons than he's ever seen in his life. He closes the door, and turns to the others.
• "Guys, there may or may not be a ton of weapons behind this door"
• "Any that stand out?"
• "I dunno, I didn't look"
• They sigh.
• Rotrak goes and opens the door again. He examines the weapons, and determines they're boring. They're high quality, functional, but lack embellishment. They do all have Striking runes though.
• Xander tells Szfalka to check the other door.
• Szfalka does as he's told, and uncovers the armour storage. Some of the armour doesn't seem made for humanoids, they could probably get some of this on Okor.
• Okor orders Szfalka to armour him. Szfalka says he hurt his hand in the combat, he couldn't possibly. He badly fakes an injury as Okor drags him over.
• They check over the armour. Some of it will fit Okor, but it's not perfect, like it was made for a quadruped but not a horse.
• He puts on a suit of the brass-coloured scale armour, with Szfalka's begrudging assistance.
• Okor is a little surprised that everyone just watched him putting on armour.
• Rotrak goes back into the armoury and grabs a dagger.
• Mirnac comments on their fortune, finding a bunch of subservient mortals for Okor to control, and weapons and armour to outfit them.
• Okor appreciates this, he likes this new attitude from Mirnac.
• They descend the stairs on the right, towards the forge. On their right are three of those constructs they fought upstairs, but unfinished.
• They see a Barbazu and a Brimoral (named Sindaghaz) working there. The barbazu, Bazzaned, comments that they must have defeated the Levaloch. What did they think?
• They comment that they killed it.
• Bazzaned says clearly it failed its test then. What were its weak points?
• Okor goes into detail on the places he managed to damage it. Bazzaned takes notes.
• He then asks if the group is expected?
• Okor says yes, and then looks sharply at the others. That's a bit sus, but Bazzaned says it's above his pay grade and below his sense of wonder.
• They mention they're here for a weapon? Bazzaned asks if they have any more information. They don't, only that they'd know it when they see it.
• How frustratingly vague.
• Bazzaned says they'll need to go speak to Zoateka then. Bazzaned gives them directions.
• As they step away, Drolga whispers to them questioning their intentions. She said no working with demons!
• Okor says they'll kill em on the way back.
• They go where they were told, but Okor forgets the instructions and opens the door to an armoury instead of Zoateka's room. Oops.
• They get to the open part, with doors on their right and left. Okor asks again which door?
• They open the right door, revealing the lamia's den.
• Zoateka, the Lamia, addresses them with thinly veiled disdain. "Finally. You've slain some of my zakya, so you have my attention, why are you here?"
• They're a bit flustered, but say they're looking for a weapon. The Shadowsword sent them for War's Most Beloved Weapon.
• Zoateka laughs.
• Rotrak keeps trying to speak to her, but Okor shuts him up. "Let me handle this"
• Zoateka explains that she is War's Most Beloved Weapon. Why should she go with them?
• Okor asks what she wants.
• Drolga is freaking out, whispering at them, "what the fuck are you doing?"
• Zoateka tells them to kill Drolga.
• Rotrak doesn't want to. Mirnac gets in the way.
• Xander isn't sure what to do here, do they just immediately do what they're told?
• They hesitate. Okor suggests they could kill Mirnac as well.
• Rotrak begins trying to negotiate with Zoateka, and Okor punches Mirnac. She gets out of the way.
• Rotrak stammers and continues, wasn't killing the zakya and the levaloch enough proof of their worthiness?
• Zoateka says "I didn't say anything about proving yourselves. I told you to kill the Ghaash'kala."
• Oh
• Okor attacks Drolga.
• Szfalka, who is opposed to treachery in all forms, slithers round and stabs Drolga in the back.
• He really does hate betraying people.
• Xander refuses to help with this.
• Rotrak contribures a lightning bolt.
• Mirnac, conflicted, nevertheless complies, and casts Agonising Despair on Drolga.
• Drolga doesn't even get chance to draw her weapon, they hit her and she drops.
• Zoateka looks at Xander and asks why they did it. Are they in the habit of betraying their allies?
• Xander says he can't say no, but they can be controlled.
• Zoateka says there have been many attempts by the tribes to break through the Ghaash'kala, they always fail. What is different this time?
• Xander explains that this time it is different. The tribes are actually working together, it's not just based on fear.
• Zoateka ponders this. She makes them an offer. She wants to test them, see this capacity for teamwork herself. If they impress her, she'll speak to their leaders, hear them out. If they don't, she'll kill them.
• Okor asks for clarification. Test them how? Poetry?
• Zoateka asks if they have any poetry?
• Okor thinks about it.
• Zoateka clarifies that she means to see them fight, test their worth herself. But she won't kill them, unless they fail to impress her. They don't need to win, just make an impression.
• She intructs them to enter the room behind them, where she'll test them.
• As we end the session, Mirnac is the only one in the group who knows what Zoateka is: a Lamia.