A visit to the Pleasure Gardens

Gozran 2, 4712

Returning from the Emerald Spire,  Omok reports to Roscoe that he met the Mistress of Thorns. He explains to him what "deal" he made with her. Roscoe philosophically ponders whether he should suffer death, then be resurrected, and whether by doing so the Mistress would be able to claim his soul. He questions Omok as a priest, and Omok replies that his god would not allow Roscoe's soul to be claimed.

Roscoe decides to seek a second opinion. He reflects on what he learned as a paladin and he clearly remembers missing that specific lesson in paladin school due to a heavy bout of drinking the night before.

Seeking answers to his questions, Roscoe and the Cooper sisters visits Abernard Royst. There he finds the old wizard hard at work with Gerald. He questions Abernard on devil lore and how one can remove a tether from one's soul to the devil. Abernard reports that there are several options, including contact an infernal lawyer friend of his in Daggermark to find a loop hole in the contract that binds the soul. Another option is to invoke the little known right to annul the contract by single combat.

Roscoe then asks Abernard about creating a phylactery and placing his soul in it. Abernard informs him that in theory one should be able to do so and avoid a devil's claim. However, he says, there is a risk that the ritual required to effect this change could go wrong, causing the individual to transform into a lich. Roscoe is intrigued, but decides not to pursue this possibility at this time. Daryle reveals to Roscoe the history of the Shadowborn and the family curse as well as the fact that demon blood runs in their veins.

Faced with Omok's treachery and the tense situation in Fort Inevitable, the Coopers decide to head back to the Emerald Spire. Along the way Daryle tells them that if they come to doors with runes, they should prop them to keep them open. The Coopers enter the tunnel leading to the third level, then use the Spire transport token to travel down to the twelfth. They ride the elevator from the automaton factory and come out in a small room on the thirteenth level. Daryle spots a symbol of a skull head with a crown on a set of doors inscribed with runes in Azlant. She takes her spikes out of her bag. Omok translates the runes to a warning that an enemy of the Azlants has been sealed behind this door.

There are two armored statues in this room, and after careful examination Darelle notices their eyes are shifting and following their actions. The Coopers tie their legs and remove their weapons. They then place them on the dais by the elevator. Darelle looks for traps but finds none. Daryle then opens the doors. The statues do not move from their pedestals, and there isn't a monster right behind the doors. Daryle spikes the doors open.

The room beyond is a large cavern filled with exotic and strange plants. Darelle has never seen any of these. She begins picking up samples. Daryle finds tracks of creatures through the ground cover. Omok decides to explore the building to the south of the cavern. He opens the doors and steps into a theater. An imp appears, and soon a demonic orchestra begins to play. The music is absolutely terrifying, but because Omok's hearing is bad, he doesn't mind. Darelle follows the music, and closes the door, then returns to tell Roscoe and Daryle about the music room.

The group breaks up and begin to explore on their own. Roscoe goes to the bathhouse across a bridge over a swift flowing current. He finds two beautiful women, one nude in a bathtub filled with steam and bubbles, while the other washes her hair. There are two other tubs in this room. One is filled with mud, while the other one is empty and appears dirty. They begin to talk to Roscoe. He resists their charms and he manages to leave the bathhouse.

Darelle grabs more plant samples. Omok tires of the concert when nothing but bad music occurs, and he rejoins the party in the cavern. Stepping into a section of the cave from two different angles, both Daryle and Omok transform into a stone. Realizing this, Darelle and Roscoe manage to pull her out by using a rope. Looking for help, Darelle goes to the bathhouse. Two beautiful men are busy oiling their finely toned muscles. Darelle asks them for help, and after many tergiversations they finally agree to help the ranger.

Roscoe chisels the Orb of Command out of Omok's statue, and uses it. The Orb indicates that placing a stone statue in one of the tubs will transform it back. Roscoe relays the information to his sister and they manhandle Daryle's statue into the sweet scented tub and the statue begins to sink in the bubbles. Darelle and Roscoe make increasingly painful small talk with the men/women, while waiting for Daryle to return to life. They decide to speed up the process and they go retrieve Omok from the room. They place him in the empty tub for now, and they notice that he begins turning back to flesh. Confused, Darelle grabs Daryle by the legs and pulls her out of the tub. Unfortunately she only manages to get the legs out. Everything else has disappeared in the bath of acid!

Using the wand of resurrection's last charge, Roscoe brings Daryle back, and with Omok regaining consciousness they attack the succubus. They slay one of them, but the other one manages to escape. Since Omok got out early, however, he retains a certain amount of stone on his body, which increases his protection but slows him down.

Roscoe enters the cave where Omok and Daryle were turned to stone, and he spots an eye totem an instant before he's turned to stone. The sisters retrieve him, place him in the empty tub, and eventually Roscoe returns to flesh. Everyone returns to the room, and, carefully avoiding gazing at the eye totem, they destroy it. Darelle harvests a piece of the rainbow star flower, and feels an immediate connection with her deity. For once, she feels at peace in the world...