### Conditions - **The Ribbon** - 1 use (-2 penalty to death saves) - **The Fiddle** - 1 use # Session Start > You stand waist deep in mucky blood. Your hands reach to the walls to stabilize yourself against, but they are met with deteriorating soil teeming with sharp tangling roots from the plants above. The smell of iron penetrates your nostrils, and when the sphincter-like door periodically releases its clenching flesh, you see flashes of a strange conversation taking place between Bimbap, Parabellum and Father Renathyr. > > The sentinel guarding the door remains, seeming composed entirely of flowing blood, and you wonder how you will proceed... # Session Summary #### The Pen and The Sword Session began with the group split - Parabellum and Bimbap on one side of the sphincter, and the rest of the group on the other. - Marius first delt with Inquisitor Cromwell by freezing her in space using some exotic blood magic spell. - Father Renathyr then invited Bimbap to handle the sword to prove his worth as an supposed agent of "the prophecy". Bimbap at first was reluctant, but eventually agreed after Renathyr didn't seem swayed to let the other members of the party into the room. - Marius then challenged Parabellum - if he is so sure that Marius' approach is bad/wrong, then he should put pen to paper and demonstrate that he can do better! Parabellum agrees. - Meanwhile, the rest of the party is outside the door trying to figure out a way into there. Eventually, some good checks reveal that the blood elemental is sensitive to holy water. #### Bimbap meets The Crimson Rose Once Bimbap agreed and touched the sword, he immediately entered some sort of trance... - His reality faded away before dissolving into a new scene - a dark room with a slender attractive woman sitting in a leather chair and sipping wine in anticipation. - The woman seemed to be disappointed with Renathyr, and encouraged Bimbap to take him down and become her champion. - After some discussion, Bimbap agreed to spill blood in her name with the understanding that doing so could lead to him being granted a great power. #### Parabellum's Argument Parabellum took a moment to formulate his argument before proceeding to tear down the failing logic of Renathyr's reasoning. - Parabellum's multi-point argument started by addressing the logical problem with the concept that all people could be universally flawed, as those flaws would instead just be aspects of human nature. - He continued to question Renathyr's sincerity by pointing out that his followers are heavily manipulated into accepting his poorly defined ideas. - The argument concluded with Parabellum's approach, which critically depends on fostering growth and accepting human imperfection rather than criticizing what Renathyr sees as fatal flaws/sin. - Renathyr did seem to take some of the points that were made, but ultimately was not swayed by this doctrine, seemingly because he did not seem to have a problem with making decision that are not founded in logical reason. - Once the argument was completed, Renathyr took the page and casted a spell that somehow immortalized the words therein. #### Rock Meets Hard Place Eventually the group got through the sphincter by rendering the blood elemental afraid (Louis), at which point he was forced to run away. - Once the group made their way into the chamber, Bimbap came to his senses and a fight broke out! - After a certain point, Renathyr intolerance grew to a point that caused him to transform, sprouting wings and taking on a new terrible form! - Blood then rushed from pool around them, forcing them through the vein back into the cathedral where the battle continued! - Bimbap used some information he gained from the Crimson Rose to emotionally effect the Father by reminding him of his human past. - Ember attempted to trap Renathyr in the chest cage. He resisted at first, but eventually began transforming into a birdlike creature! - Renathyr was starting to do some damage, nearly killing some of the party, but he was eventually overcome by Cletus' magic - confronted with the memories of his past, a feedback loop of destructive thoughts flowed and rebounded back and forth growing and growing until it became unbearable, killing Renathyr in a final bloody explosion! #### The Crimson Rose Appears After the fall of Marius Renathyr, strange shadows began to wander throughout the cathedral until a strange (but familiar to Bimbap) woman appeared with a proposition of sorts... - This woman addressed Bimbap and Ember specifically with her proposition - *“What a pathetic disappointment you are, Renathyr. But perhaps, you who slew him would replace him? His mission remains incomplete, and I can sense your hunger for power. Cast aside your petty concerns, turn away from the weaklings huddled around you and become the bloody instrument of my will.”* - This woman stressed that this position comes with great power, but accepting it is permanent and cannot be undone. - At this point, both Bimbap and Ember have a choice - will they accept her power and become Bloodless, or refuse the powerful diety?!