Following the party’s chess boxing victory, the handsome devil and the leaders of the remaining 29 of the 36 Chambers begrudgingly kneel to Master Flo and the party
Master Flo announces a grand celebration that evening to honour the new champions
The party suspects the devil is connected to the bone devil last seen with the stolen instruments from Lyric
They try to question him and are told to find him later, during the party
The devil shows a brief reaction at the mention of The Synth
The Celebration
Helia sets off fireworks as the party gathers around a large fire
Fragments build up: “see the run,” then “Janie was lovely,” then “watch the young man run”
At full frenzy it becomes clear: “watch the young man running against the wind”
Nature and Arcana checks confirm the wind is deliberately trying to warn the party of something bad
The devil volunteers information about the stolen instruments from Lyric
He admits to conducting experiments with them, apologizing for the trouble with the lyrics
Asked his goal, he claims to be trying to “establish power over the musical gods”
In a truth-for-a-truth exchange, he reveals he has used the instruments to “understand the truths of the universe and augment various parts of my army”
The devil offers a deal: he will sell the party the betrayal of a “certain friend,” in exchange for their loyalty and a favor performed at the moment of the betrayal
The party deduces the “friend” is Maurice, the establisher of the cycle
Louis worries Maurice “cannot die,” making betrayal pointless, but the party notes a betrayal need not involve killing
The party does not accept the deal
Louis looks out and sees a massive battle below: the 29 opposing clans against hundreds of demons
The party realizes the entire clocktower conversation was a trap to stall them while the battle raged
Three struggling banners bearing Master Flo’s colors are visible in the chaos
The Devil Is a Decoy
The devil takes out his glowing whip and offers a “performance,” attacking Harloc as the party turns to leave
The whip restrains Harloc for 6 damage, reducing his speed to zero and granting advantage on attacks against him
Harloc cuts the magic whip for 9 damage, but the whip is unaffected; combat begins in earnest
Helia casts Moon Beam on the devil for 18 damage (failed Constitution save)
Moonbeam instantly reverts any shapechanger to its true form
The devil’s skin ripples, literally separates from the body, and runs off the platform
Left behind is a smaller, mechanically-enhanced humanoid construct, not a devil; the “devil” was a decoy the whole time
The construct still grips the whip, keeping Harloc restrained
Louis casts Shatter on the inorganic construct for 18 damage (failed save at disadvantage)
The construct begins speaking in a much more robotic voice
Escape and Charge
The party escapes by leaping off the tower, with Louis casting Feather Fall to land the whole group safely
Harloc grapples the construct (athletics 25 vs. the construct’s 5), mounts his steed, and drags it off the tower with the party
They land in the battle roughly 200 feet from Master Flo’s embattled banner
Helia shifts into her warhorse form; Louis casts Haste on the horse (double speed, +2 AC, advantage on Dexterity saves, extra action)
The party charges through the battle, forming a “double horse clothesline” with the whip, dealing up to 46 force damage to anything in its path
They cover the first 120 feet through groups of devils and become the center of attention
Near a Goliath-like creature, the construct’s whip-arm gives way, freeing Harloc, who claims the magic whip for himself
The Wind of Change
Approaching the banner, the party hears a chorus carried on Master Flo’s voice, turning the tide of his battle
The chorus (Wind of Change) sings of “the wind of change” and “children of tomorrow,” and the music’s pitch suddenly drops
This creates a 40-foot bubble of slowed time around the banner, causing enemies to retreat
A History check reveals “children of tomorrow” refers to the orphanage of orphans in Lyric - the children the party rescued during the Material Plane Riots - tying the song to them
The effect reads as a manifestation of the coming Wind age of change
New threats close on the bubble: two cannon-and-helm constructs and a very large spidery construct
The party enters the slowed-time bubble on horseback, advancing only about 10 feet
Outside the bubble, the constructs move twice as fast as the party
The unfolding spider deals 27 force damage; the party is at a disadvantage inside the bubble
An Arcana check reveals the slow-time effect is an external area spell cast by the large spider, not a ritual from the banner
The party realizes it needs to get out
Defeating the Spider
As the party exits, the machines stop targeting them and turn on the allies still inside the bubble
Harloc grabs the devil construct to throw back into the circle as a distraction; its chest piece comes off, then he successfully hurls it toward the banner
The construct initiates a self-destruct sequence (a common feature of these mechs)
Louis loses concentration on Haste after taking damage (Constitution save failed)
The spider fires a beam at Master Flo, freezing him in place; cannon fire follows, one shot hitting Harloc for exactly his armor class
Helia (still a warhorse) re-enters the bubble to kick the self-destructing construct away from the allies
Her first kick fails, only clipping the head; Louis uses his Portent to retcon the roll into a success
The kick sends the construct bomb soaring out of the bubble
The party disengages and runs, anticipating the blast
The construct explodes in a massive shockwave, dealing 10 damage to everyone inside the bubble
The explosion ends the combat: the spider is destroyed, the other constructs are wrecked, and the two flying constructs retreat
Aftermath
Master Flo remains paralyzed amid barely-coherent, unconscious, and dead allies; Louis treats him with a medicine check and Flo begins moving again after “36 seconds”
Harloc mends the whip’s physical damage, but its magic is not restored; the mended sections are noticeably less restraining
The party salvages two intact legs from the dead spider construct, identifying them as powerful lances usable as weapons
Investigating the wrecked machine, they find a tiny trapdoor and retrieve a set of pan pipes hidden inside
Retrieving the pan pipes triggers a surprise self-destruct: a gigantic fireball at least 30 feet wide
Velden sprints past the group at full speed, the “young man running against the wind” the wind’s warning had foretold
The party, caught on the edge of the 40-foot blast radius, takes damage as the session ends
Recovered
The devil’s whip, physically mended but with its magic (and much of its restraining property) lost
Two spider-construct legs, salvaged as powerful lances
A set of pan pipes pulled from the wrecked construct