Session 71: Showdown with the Wolf Spider

After returning to Darkshelf, six pieces of the rod in tow, the party met up with Qadeej to plan their next step. He told them that the last piece was being held in the Citadel of Chaos, where Miska was imprisoned in the abyss. The Abolitionists prepared a series of spells, readying for the battle that surely awaited them. The magic users protected the party from poison, and gave them the ability to fly before Qadeej took them to the 87th layer of the Abyss.

The 87th layer is dark, with themes of black and red. Most of the plane consists of interconnected spider webs the size of tree trunks, where spyder-fiends run and hunt whatever creature is unlucky enough to find themself on this layer. A howling wind dominates the layer aurally, and it is said that at times it is loud enough to drive men mad. The citadel of chaos is a massive fortress guarding the plane, roughly a 1/2 mile on a side and dominated by a keep complex whose towers run 700 to 900 feet high. A shimmering white barrier encloses the castle, the cocoon of law that keeps Miska imprisoned.

The journey to Miska's home was harrowing, Qadeej's planar chariot pummeled by the chaos of the Abyss. Qadeej circled the castle, and he noted a gap in the southeast corner. "That must be where the spyder-demons took the last piece through the curtain." He let them down on the western wall, and told them he'd wait to bring them back. Volodemir took out the rod, and it pointed to the central portion of the keep, southeast and somewhat above them.


The castle was strangely quiet, and free of dust and webs. There was a gate made of a strange silvery metal, trapped with hidden blades, that turned out not to be locked, and then some stairs took them up to Miska's apartments. The suite was silent, the floors black marble, and the walls had a mosaic of white, black, and red tiles. The rod pointed to the center, so the party went straight there. Upon entering the central room, Gahl'akr spotted the seventh piece of the rod sitting on a knee-high altar of white marble. Volodemir moved up towards the rod, and three spyder-demons, a raklupsis and two phisarazus, burst in. Unfortunately for the fiends, the abolitionists had grown strong, and they posed no threat. Volodemir took the last piece of the rod, and in no time at all he had the entire rod assembled. Miska then teleported into the room.

Miska is an enormous, armored spider, 15' long. He has three heads. The central head is human and stunningly handsome; two sleek and terrible wolf heads flank the human one. He has four massive human arms covered with long, stiff hairs. The fur on the wolf heads in rust red, as are the hairs on Miska's arms. His human head has long, flowing hair as black as a moonless night. His spider body is blue-black, like a knife blade discolored by a flame, and marked with bands of gray, silver, and blue. His arms are as white as bleached ivory. He roared, and with a single punch caused Volodemir to drop the rod and flee from the room. The battle was joined!

MacGuyver found his weapons useless against the demon lord, but Gahl'akr hewed mightily with his greatsword, taking massive hits from Miska in return. Flint grabbed the Rod dropped by Volodemir, and beseeched Adreham's aid against the foe. Lynnya peppered him with arrows, and Varis unleashed a plague of insects in his face, but nought availed until MacGuvyer pulled the Iron Bands of Bilarro from his pack. One perfect toss and the fiend was caught, unable to burst his bonds. In response, he exploded in a flurry of webbing, and Varis, Goblin, and Flint were trapped in acidic cocoons. The fight continued bitterly, with Gahl'akr shaking off anything the demon spider could deal out. Varis used bursts of eldritch power to blow the cocoon open, magic streaming to injure the trapped wolf-fiend. Goblin teamed up with his spiritual weapon to burst his silken coffin, and dealt Miska a blow that left him unconscious. Flint was freed from his enclosure, and he took the Rod and stabbed Miska through the heart. The erstwhile king of demons was dead, but the rod shattered, and its pieces scattered as if flung by a giant hand.

After Miska's death, the castle began to fall apart, and spider webbing the size of a purple worm began to plunge through the keep. The party fled to the rampart where Qadeej was to meet them, but he was gone! With few options left, Goblin prayed for divine intervention, and the party was astounded to see Vassa herself appear, clad in her leather armor, bearing her trademark whip and eyepatch. "I would not normally come myself," she stated, "But it appears you have done us a great service. Here, let me take you home." With a crack of her whip and a crack of thunder, a lightning bolt came down around the party, and they reappeared at Arquestan's manor, safe and sound.