Tired and bloodied from their battle against the raging morlock, the Coopers withdraw back to the room where they left Gerald, Thorne and the two remaining Hellknight soldiers. After bandaging their wounds, they decide to rest and heal.
Abadius 21, 4712, part 1
After an uneventful night, the Coopers and their guards continue to explore this level of the Emerald Spire. Returning to the scene of last night's battle, they begin clearing some of the debris piled around the room. One of the Hellknights discover a door buried in the rubble. Since it is locked, Thorne attempts to disable the lock, but fails miserably. Gerald uses knock and the door opens. Behind it is a hallway stretching north and south. A quick peek reveals another door in the north wall around a bend. The Coopers decide to check it out.
Of course that door is also locked, but this time Thorne's skills open it. The Coopers enter a virtual chamber of horrors. There are cages hung from the ceiling, and a large table in the back corner is covered with entrails and torture implements. Only one of the five cages is currently occupied by a barely alive male nephilim. Darelle heals him and eventually discovers that his name is Jherao. Both Thorne and Darelle attempt to pick the lock, but they fail. Jherao reveals that the Mistress of Thorns, who rules this level, captures creatures and executes them in strange and cruel rituals. The Coopers decide they will remain here and they will ambush the Mistress of Thorns when she comes in to claim Jherao. Roscoe hides behind the door, while Daryle, Darelle and the Hellknights stand in the next room with their bows drawn. Gerald hides under the torture table, and Thorne stand behind the cage.
They wait, and wait, and wait some more. Getting restless, the Coopers wonder how long they will have to stand here. Jherao tells them that the Mistress doesn't come in regularly. Suddenly they hear noises in the hallway outside. Three morlocks dressed in disgusting priestly garbs enter the room and head toward Jherao's cage. The Coopers jump into action and the priests are swiftly dispatched.
Gerald clads himself in the nasty garments of the priest. He plans on surprising the Mistress when she comes to investigates what happened to her priests. The rest of the group returns to their positions and the waiting begins again.
A few hours slowly pass. No noise can be heard in the hallway outside the door. Suddenly, a shimmering purple globe appears nears Jherao's cage and out steps a large devil, about seven and a half feet tall and over three hundred pounds with barbs protuding from her shoulders and back. With a wicked smile, the Mistress of Thorns steps forward and looks at the captive.
The Coopers spring into action, and the battle begins. They are able to score a few hits, but the Mistress' violent attack forces Roscoe back. Then something stops her counter attack. She seems pleasantly surprised to see a Hellknight in her abode. With everyone holding their attack, she tells Roscoe that it's a pleasure to once again have a Hellknight visit her. It turns out that she has encountered Hellknights before, and has the utmost respect for the work they do. She tells them she's researching how to retrieve the morlock chief who has been imprisoned in the Emerald Spire, and she seeks more tokens. Darelle reveals that they have one in their possession, but they are not willing to give it to her at this point. The Mistress replies she understands, and she hopes that when they are done exploring they'll reconsider. She suddenly opens the cage, grabs Jherao, and disappears in a purple shimmering.
Surprised at this turn of events, the Coopers decide to continue their exploration but will stir clear of the Mistress. Gerald removes his stinky garb, and the party proceeds down the hall. They come upon a large room featuring the green glow of the Spire. There, the Mistress appears to be conducting some sort of ritual with Jherao's dead body, surrounded with dozens of morlocks. The Coopers wisely decide to avoid this room.
They eventually discover a short hallway that leads to the staircase heading down. This hallway looks and feels similar to several others they encountered on this level, with large debris piles lined on either side. Gerald casts flaming sphere and clears the hallway. If there was a trap, the morlocks are now dead. The Coopers enter the hallway and head for the staircase ...
