This week finds our adventurers in a hallway, still searching for a way to stop the tree of shackled souls. They open a door in the hallway, finding a bedroom with a demon jacuzzi (sunken pit of lava) and a dragon skull. Loskid immediately searches the bed, and finding nothing searches under the bed. Elanor searches the desk, finding sheets of metal (which appear to have been used like paper) with a list of tasks:

1. See to Decrihni. The constant organ playing has got to stop.
2. Speak to the wyrm about the collar. ensure it is still cared for.
3. Speak to Dyr'ryd once the portal is open to inquire about the dispensation of land.
4. Establish plan with Nulin and Shearynn to round up remaining townsfolk as workers for the lord from beyond.
5. Polish Blackfire.

They search the martial training facility (where Elanor ducked to avoid getting pummeled last week), finding a whole lotta nothin. Following the cue from the note, Loskid asks Elanor to look at the collar (that they looted from Moltonwing). She detects that it is indeed magickal, but has no idea what it is capable of other than it is of the school of abjuration. Loskid insists that they try to put it on the tree and see what happens. The ground shakes harder than normal, and Hilde and Melgarin are knocked prone. The team starts running as quickly as they can, somehow successfully making it to the tree. Hilde picks a random branch and attaches the collar to it. There is a giant tremor, shaking the ground and knocking Melgarin prone again. Everyone but Melgarin is then permanently blinded by a flash of blinding light that then emanates from the tree. One by one, Melgarin escorts the three blind party members to the door they entered and reassures them either they've been successful and he'll get them out or it has been nice knowing them. Melgarin attempts to see if there is a better place to place the collar and is permanently blinded by a flash of blinding light that emanates from the tree. After waiting a while, the flashing lights stop, and the rumbling dies down. Hilde casts rope trick and guides everyone into the interdimensional clubhouse where they take a rest, hoping that after some time, eventually the next day will come and Loskid will be able to cure their blindness. Hilde breaks out the booze, and the team gets drunk before taking a nap (while they wait for Loskid to pray relentlessly).

When they awaken, Loskid cures their blindness (though not the lasting effects of the multiple enervates the team encountered), and notices that the collar is gone from the tree. Hilde recommends sweeping the facility, being concerned that the quasit took the collar and is hiding out (which she is afraid will result in them having to come back here again). Unfortunately, they find the entire thing to be empty and find nothing else of interest.

They make their way to the surface, and it seems to be somewhat normal, though a portion of the cauldron rim seems to have collapsed. They decide head towards Red Gorge and see what the people have to say about their experience over the last day. Hilde and Loskid start reading books they picked up in the library. After a short while, they head back to cauldron to see the extent of the damage.

Melgarin reminds the team that there are still cagewrights out there, and recommends they try to hunt them down (at least eventually) to exact revenge (and perhaps protect the material plane). By his count, our adventurers have only killed 1 of them and there are 12 remaining:

1. Adrick
2. Alurad
3. Dyr'ryd
4. Embril
5. Freija
6. Gau
7. Kyan
8. Nulin
9. Shebeleth
10. SSythar
11. Thearynn
12. Thifirane
13. Xokek

They make their way to their house and find it still intact (shockingly)…

Shackled City Home
Last time: Session 78
Next time: Session 80