Loose threads -
Participants Hakuto Hector Varnick Stanelin Shazorwyn Buddy Bones Toy the Toymaker
Locations Spire Hills
Short summary:
After gathering a party to deal with the issue, we ventured towards Spire Hills.
Eventually we stumbled upon traces of a battle, but upon discussing possibilities we moved away from it and eventually found a talking corvid, which lead us to the devil's camp.
He tried to employ us to help capture a person who fled from fulfilling his contract, so using various methods we wriggled our way out of making a properly binding contracts and split his forces. After finding the man apparently going by the name of Elias, we destroyed the Hell Hounds that accompanied us, and then put fake manacles on the man to return to devil's camp.
While just before the goal, we were approached by a group of devil's minions, and after defeating those we approached the humanoid devil.
Turns out he paid something bigger to face us while he himself was hiding nearby.
Not the easiest fight, but there were no casualties.
After disposing of this bird-like fiend, we found and captured the employing devil.
More of his forces were still around, so after taking a short rest, we prepared for another battle, which turned out quite well, allowing us to capture the devil for... reasons.
Full Report
After a couple days of travel, when we arrived at the Spire Hills, we eventually stumbled upon signs of a battle.
Noticing smell of sulfur informed us of the possibility that this battle involved fiends. Though the signs suggested the man fleeing from the devil is deeper in this cave, after no short debate we chose to ignore it for now, in favor of learning more from a more unlikely source.
The devil himself.
Couple hours later we were found by a raven, its strangely unnatural appearance hinting at the fiendish influence that took over it.
Asking about the whereabouts of the "big man with an axe" we quite honestly replied that we did not, and so instead it took us to a camp atop one of the hills. We spent some time observing and conversing with the humanoid devil, who seems to be able to perform an incredibly quick ritual that not only infused creatures with fiendish energies, it also gave them intelligence and granted the devil control over them.
Seeing many a forces at his disposal, multiple patrolling unkindnesses of ravens many Hell Hounds and Chokers-turned-fiend it was clear a pure brawl will only end in our deaths.
So we set another plan in motion.
Using various methods of intruding on the validity of a contract, we took a gamble and signed a hit contract - using some help from devil's own forces, we were to capture the man who fled his own contract.
So with a pack of Hell Hounds we returned to the cave, where as soon as we found the man called Elias we turned on the hounds.
Though we had limited trust in each other, some honesty earned us a solid plan of attack.
Using Elias as a bait, held by poor quality manacles he could break out of without issue, we approached the devil's camp. Luck was on our side, as he sent some of his forces to meet us before we reached it, splitting his forces even further. We took that opportunity and through some pain and blood we disposed of these demonic gorillas and chokers, though unfortunately ravens managed to flee to inform their master.
After a really short break, just enough to catch our breath, we followed up on our initial attacks, hoping devil's forces would still be scattered enough to avoid taking on too many foes at once.
Unfortunately, he seems to have had another idea in mind.
With apparently occult magic, he summoned what appeared to be a huge, vaguely humanoid bird creature. By his own words it is a demon, and I imagine a devil would know the difference.
Though a tough fight, we managed to hold off until it was defeated, or the time the devil hired it for ran out, we're still not quite sure which it was.
But the devil was still around. And right enough, he was hiding in some hole in the ground nearby. With that capture was complete, and Elias left after burning his contract.
But it was not the end, as there were still many creatures up and about in the distance.
Using time afforded by our swift strike, devil being unconscious and general confusion, we prepared for one last battle as soon as the remaining gorillas, hounds and ravens return.
This time, high on success, we effortlessly destroyed remaining minions while keeping hold on to the unconscious devil.