Belaphoss roared in the confines of the subterranean ruin, ducking its multi-horned head as its leathery wings brushed the vaulted ceiling. Flames and ash rained down on the adventurers as the fiend hefted its blazing greataxe. Bob moved to a strategic location and twin-casted haste on Siegfried and Varien. Spying the balor, he moved back behind the cover provided by one of the braziers. “Hey Fiendsbane, pull your weight!” he called to the sword. The Obsidian Circle cultists began to move forward. One of the Flamewraths began to cast a spell that wreathed her in protective fire, but Siegfried snuffed it out with a well-timed counterspell . “There’ll be no need for that,” the half-orc said. “This won’t take long.” The second Flamewrath lunged towards Varien, hurling scorching rays at the paladin, two of them missing, but the third striking home with a burst of fire. Belaphoss teleported towards Bob, suddenly looming over the sorcerer with murderous glee. The fiend brought his flaming greataxe down on the sorcerer, smashing him into the marbled floor, which buckled and disintegrated beneath him. Bob stood firm beneath the balor’s attack, maintaining concentration on his haste spell. “No… you !” Bob spit through bloodied teeth. Siegfried put a hexblade’s curse on Belaphoss. The fiend’s flaming aura diminished slightly as the half-orc said, “You’ve laid your hands on my friend, cuckold.” His expression turned dark and dangerous. “ Lat ayh deukavroyun!” he spat in orcish as he cast eldritch blast at the demon, the blasts taking the form of the balor’s own shadows, which multiplied into four, each hefting their own shadowy axe, which it swung at the creature. Belaphoss began to parry the shadowy blows, knocking the eldritch blasts aside with turns of his axe. The demon laughed. Siegfried ran up, landed in Violance’s saddle, and stabbed at Belaphoss with his ethereal cutlass . The demon roared as the blade struck home. “I just want you to know,” Siegfried said to the demon, twisting the blade, “That Vashi never once called your name while we were murdering her.” Then with a stylish flourish, he backed away from the fiend. Belaphoss roared. “You leave Vashi out of this!” he said telepathically to Seigfried as he swung his greataxe at the half-orc. Siegfried cast shield and warded off the demon’s attack. “Oh, but Vashi does love getting things rammed into her!” Siegfried said. Varien turned to face the fiend, its flaming aura licking at his armor. He cast a quickened version of protection from energy and then rushed at the demon. “Belaphoss!” he shouted as he swept Fiendsbane down in a blazing arc. “Look at me when I kill you!” The magical sword slammed into the fiend with a radiant blast, and Varien unleashed a radiant smite that glowed with holy brilliance. He followed that up with another devastating slash. “Do I have your attention now?” Varien yelled. Belaphoss began to beat his wings with thunderous power, unleashing a powerful winged barrage that bludgeoned Varien, Erwen, Bob, and Alec. The gust of dry, hot wind knocked Erwen back into a pillar, dazing the Halfling. The demon flew slowly, taking an opportunistic attack from Alec. Bob cast guiding bolt but the bolt missed the creature as it drifted by. “No!” Bob said, using his sorcerous energy to curve the bolt back towards the fiend, blasting it with radiant damage. “Socks! I need help!” Erwen said, trying to summon fey spirits. He frowned, realizing that the demiplane created by the Obsidian Circle was preventing such activity. He shrugged and cast cone of cold . A blast of freezing air erupted from his outstretched hand, sweeping across the Obsidian Circle cultists and the great bulk of Belaphoss. The cultists shrieked through chattering teeth. The demon frosted over momentarily, but its fiery aura melted the magical ice away. Furious, Belaphoss cast about for the offending druid, but Erwen had crept behind Varien’s shield for protection. With his free claw, Belaphoss pointed at Varien. “Yafr piqut uw fwydyww!” the fiend snarled as it dispelled Bob’s magical haste that was affecting Varien. Varien felt himself overtaken by a wave of lethargy. His sword and shield grew impossibly heavy. “No…” he pushed out an exhausted exhortation. “Not now…” Dhaera looked at the unfolding melee, aghast. “I had no idea…” she murmured. “I’m so sorry…” Haltingly, she moved to Bob and caught him up in a Sunite healing embrace, using her divine reserves to heal the sorcerer’s injuries. “Woo!” Bob said, feeling energized. “Thank you!” Hellenrae brushed ice off her arms and launched herself at Varien, who was leaning helplessly on his shield. “You caught me at a bad time,” Varien slurred as the monk hit him with a kick to the head. Her second attack missed. “Is that the best you’ve got?” Varien moaned as Hellenrae hit him with a stunning strike. His words bled away to slurred mumbles as he saw stars. Belaphoss roared again and teleported out of sight into the next chamber, bellowing in Abyssal. “Xy luqq ojis dtx zjuye ip eizzodt KOSSUTH!” Varien translated that as “I call upon the cleansing fire and power of the Spark of Kossuth!” “K-Ko-s-s-s-suth,” Varien stuttered in his daze. Alec dragon-formed his hands into claws and rushed headlong at Hellenrae, the mercurial greatsword flashing as he swung it at the monk. He slashed Hellenrae twice with his greatsword and then clawed her, slicing her to ribbons. Hellenrae fell to her knees, bleeding from grievous wounds. “Levistus…” she said, blood gushing from her mouth. “I have…failed…” “Yeah,” Alec said as he shot her point-blank in the head with his hand crossbow. Hellenrae jerked back from the impact of the bolt through her left eye, crumpling to the ground. Her corpse immediately froze solid, an icy cocoon forming around her. Alec twirled his hand crossbow and placed it deftly back in its holster, and then put an arm on Varien’s shoulder. “Brother, this is no place to die!” he said reassuringly. “T-hanks,” Varien mumbled. Alec turned, holding up his sword menacingly, and began to dash towards the sound of the balor’s guttural chanting. Bob climbed out of the Bob-shaped crater, looking around for the balor. He took note of the approaching Obisidan Circle Razorblast and Flamewrath cultist. He twin-cast fire bolt , but surmising that the cultists might be immune to fire, he changed the spell into a bolt of cold . The impact of the frozen projectile staggered the cultists. Another Razorblast made his way carefully past Alec and stabbed at the still-stunned Varien, jabbing with his smouldering spear. Varien’s plate armour withstood two of the stabs, but the third found a weak spot, jabbing between the plates. The Razorblast ignored Varien’s mantle of flame . The second Razorblast closed with Siegfried, stabbing at him. Siegfried deftly parried each attack. “I usually have better luck against less-skilled opponents,” the Razorblast quipped, puffing ash with each breath. “That just means you don’t have skills yourself,” Siegfried said with a disdainful parry of another spear attack. Another cultist attacked Alec, missing at first, but landing a critical strike through Alec’s chest with his second attack. Alec grimaced as the burning spear stabbed him again. The flamewrath nearest Bob began to cast a fireball but Bob wagged his finger at her, counterspelling . Her companion stepped up and cast fireball . All Bob could do was shoot her a dirty look as the glowing particle ignited in a blossom of blazing energy that enveloped the northwestern quadrant of the chamber. Bob, Alec, and Erwen dove for cover as Varien took the full brunt of the attack. Dhaera was caught up in the blast as well, but avoided the worst of it. Siegfried jumped into Violance’s saddle and the nightmare half-glided, half-galloped into the next chamber, which was glowing like a furnace, There, Siegfried could see Belaphoss tapping into some sort of primal, elemental source of fire that appeared like a flaming tornado emanating from a circular aperture in the great domed chamber’s eastern wall. “Belaphoss!” Siegfried shouted. He cast eldritch blast , sending more shadowy axes at the demon, who parried three out of the four. Violance dashed towards the demon and Siegfried swung his sword, which spanged off the balor’s natural flaming armour. Violance shied away from the demon, bringing Siegfried back around in a loop in mid-air, 30 feet from the stone floor. YOU HAVE ANGERED ME , Belaphoss said telepathically. Siegfried raised his arms. “Come at me, Belaphoss! I have so many swords to throw at you!” THE SPARK OF KOSSUTH SHALL NEVER BE YOURS, Belaphoss said. “Yeah, but the Spark of Levistus is banging Vashi right now!” Siegfried said. LEAVE VASHI OUT OF THIS , Belaphoss retorted. “Vashi is leaving herself out of you!” Siegfried said. Enraged, Belaphoss slammed his flaming greataxe into the floor, cratering the floor in front of him. There was an arcane shattering sound of volcanic glass, and from the sizzling black hole created by the axe, a horde of goat-headed minions began to pour out, their stench making even Violance’s jaded nostrils flare and close up. Bleating horribly, the demons dashed across the stone floor towards the western chamber. As Siegfried watched the creatures run beneath him, Belaphoss teleported into mid-air beside him and his mount. WAIT. I HAVE SEEN THIS HORSE BEFORE. HITCHED TO THE RAIL AT VASHI’S PLEASURE DOME. Belaphoss said telepathically, his burning eyes widening in recognition and rage. NOOOOOOOOO! “You mean her boyfriend’s palace,” Siegfried corrected. “Why are you doing the dirty work for this woman and her fancy-man, anyway?” With a bellow of rage, Belaphoss swung his greataxe at Violance, slashing the nightmare. The flames, of course, did nothing. “Hey man, I was just along for the ride,” Violance said to Belaphoss. “I’m not a part of Lorcan’s treachery. I have no say in where my master takes me.” The goat-headed demons spilled over one another as they rushed into the western chamber, bleating and screeching. A wave of rot seemed to precede their arrival. Erwen’s nose wrinkled as the necrotic cloud of rot nearly overcame him. This was corruption far beyond the natural circle of life. Erwen frowned at the approaching creatures. He identified the creatures as Bulezau demons from the depths of the Abyss. Conscious of the Obsidian Circle cultist right next to him, Erwen cast another cone of cold spell, saying an apologetic prayer for Alec, who was also caught up in the blast of ice that flowed out from him. The cold wave rushed over the Obsidian Circle cultists and the approaching demons. The cultist standing before Erwen and Varien was frozen solid in an instant, becoming a statue of ice. Erwen fished around in his pouch for a carrot and jammed it into the dead Razorblast’s nose. He stood back, hands on hips, grinning, but then noticed a reddish glow building up inside the frozen statue. There was a sudden explosion of frozen flesh, ice shards, and bits of splint armour shrapnel as the Razorblast blew up. Varien’s shield took the brunt of the blast, while Bob and Erwen managed to avoid the full force of the explosion. Another Obsidian Circle cultist turned into a frozen statue as its companion’s skin turned black with frostbite. Alec winced as he nearly froze solid while the cultist next to him turned to ice. Suddenly he felt a wave of heat as the frozen Razorblast exploded, peppering him with flaming and frozen shards. The phalanx of Bulezau demons were bowled over by Erwen’s blast of frozen fury. Five of the six were immediately killed by the cold. Belaphoss took another swing at Violance. Brushing cinders from her armour, Dhaera cast bless on Bob, Varien, and Alec. Alec slashed at the nearest Flamewrath, cutting her apart with quick, deft slashes from his draconic claws. Then he rushed to the demonic creature and cut fiercely down on its neck, slicing its goat head from its overmuscled body. The fiend dissolved into a puddle of ichor that seemed to leach into the stones of the floor. Alec spun and fired his crossbow at another Razorblast, but the bolt splintered against its splint armour. Bob cast teleport and took himself, Erwen and Varien into the next chamber. They emerged beneath the flying demon. The remaining Razorblast stabbed violently at Alec, missing with his first jab but stabbing home twice more. Flames washed over the barbarian. Violance kicked Belaphoss in the face, connecting with the fiend’s jaw. Siegfried slashed at the balor with his cutlass, hopped off his mount and as he fell, fired eldritch blasts at Belaphoss, hitting the fiend with several shadowy axes. In a rage, Belaphoss snapped out with his axe and cleaved through Violance, who had a chance to say “ouch” before puffing into non-existence in a cloud of purple haze. Siegfried hit the stone ground with a crunch. “Well, Belaphoss, you took my wings, so I shall take yours.” His face twisted into a regal glare. “KNEEL!” he commanded, casting Siegfried’s undeniable authority. Belaphoss reared back his horned head and laughed scornfully, scorching the domed ceiling with his fiery breath. YOU ARE NO PRINCE OF THE ABYSS TO COMMAND ME, WHELP. “Well, you know what Belaphoss? At least you’re not on your knees like Vashi was,” Siegfried said mockingly. Belaphoss roared and teleported to the stone floor over Siegfried, smashing down with his flaming axe. Siegfried cast shield and caught the axe. “Nice try, Belaphoss, but I’m not Vashi in Lorcan’s house last night.” Belaphoss squinted, turning his coal-black eyes into diamonds. LISTEN, NOW YOU ARE MAKING THIS PERSONAL. “Oh, this is supposed to be,” Siegfried replied. YOU ARE REALLY STARTING TO HURT MY FEELINGS HERE, Belaphoss said. “You killed me horse!” Siegfried said. WELL, THAT HORSE WAS PART OF KILLING MY DIGNITY , Belaphoss replied. ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION, IT IS BECOMING CLEAR. “Well, perhaps it’s time to end the cycle of hatred and turn over a new leaf,” Siegfried said. Belaphoss snorted. NICE TRY. “Well, I guess your mind is as small as your dick,” Siegfried said. Steam came out of Belaphoss’s eyes. Varien leaped over his friends and quickened a destructive wave . The thunderous and radiant wave blasted Belaphoss, who weathered the worst of the effects. While the balor was off balance, Varien slashed at it with Fiendsbane. Belaphoss suddenly surrounded himself with explosive fire as he called down an abyssal storm on the adventurers. The party members were blasted with fire, magma and wind. Siegfried, laying in a groove on the floor, saw the storm pass over him. Erwen used absorb elements to weather the storm. The storm reached Alec and the remaining Razorblast, but both of them managed to stay on their feet. Belaphoss laughed. “Harder, daddy!” Siegfried called out. Erwen cast reduce on Belaphoss, saying, “Hey, Vashi told us you were bigger than you actually are!” “That’s the spirit!” Siegfried said. Belaphoss’s laugh continued as he shrugged off Erwen’s magic. Then his laugh trailed away. Steam spouted from the demon’s eyes. THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN MAKE ME FEEL SMALL IS THAT ONE. He pointed his axe at Siegfried. Siegfried pointed up at Belaphoss’s crotch. “It’s not hard, you know!” Roaring, Belaphoss slammed his axe down again, but Siegfried’s shield held. Erwen wildshaped into the form of an earth elemental, spinning up into an aggressive pile of rocks. Alec rounded on the Razorblast and clawed him with his claws, slashing away parts of his smouldering splint armour. Then he drew his unholy greatclub and bashed him upside the head. As the Razorblast staggered back, he took out his crossbow and fired a bolt into his midsection. Bob pointed a finger at Belaphoss and spoke an eldritch word of power. “Yeet!” he said, casting power word: stun on the balor. Belaphoss staggered back, his psyche overwhelmed by Bob’s magical stun attack. The Razorblast stabbed at Alec, who parried, but the attacker’s second attack managed to break through the barbarian’s defences. Siegfried stabbed at Belaphoss, cutting him deeply, and then danced out of range, casting eldritch blast . Like before, the shadowy versions of Belaphoss loomed from all directions, bashing the fiend with shadow versions of its fiery greataxe. The stunned balor roared in impotent rage as he was disarmed and grappled by the shadow demons. The struggling fiend was brought to its knees as the shadows grabbed his horns, pulling his head back to expose his bulging neck. Siegfried looked at Varien. “Off with his head,” he said. With pleasure , rattled Fiendsbane. Varien approached the demon. “With this, you are vanquished.” He stabbed his sword down, taking Belaphoss’s head from its neck. There was a tremendous crash as Belaphoss’s horned head slammed into the floor, pulverizing the stones beneath it. Lava-like blood began to spout from the balor’s body, which began to convulse. “Oh,” Siegfried said. “I think we forgot something-” Belaphoss exploded in a rolling fireball of ash, brimstone, magma and ichor, catching the party members in the blast wave. Alec and the Razorblast did not escape the blast. The Razorblast was blown apart by the barrage, and then exploded himself, peppering Alec with shrapnel in a chain reaction of destruction. The only thing left behind by the balor was a scorched blast mark on the floor. The hole in the floor disappeared as the last of the abyssal smoke was cut off, and the Obsidian Circle’s demiplane appeared to break apart, depositing them back into the Prime Material. Silence descended on the ancient elven chamber. Varien’s attention was drawn to the eastern end of the chamber, where a desecrated statue of Sune stood half-intact in a narrow alcove. Above her was a circular stone frame that looked about the right size to fit the crystal panes of the Arcetalos. “Can it be?” Varien said. “Bob, get your bag of holding .” “Nero! Dhaera! Theryn!” Siegfried called. “In here!” The three soon joined the rest of the party in the chamber. Varien cast remove curse on the statue of Lady Firehair. Bob retrieved the crystal panes from his bag of holding . Siegfried used a vial to scoop up the remaining demon ichor left behind by Belaphoss. Working together, Varien and Bob reverently laid out the panes in pre the circular depression in the chamber wall. “Remember the inscription,” Siegfried said. “ From fire's reflection the name shall be spoken; From the ashes the flame shall be awoken.” He repeated the phrase in Elvish. Varien nodded to Siegfried. Earth-wen lifted Bob and Varien up so that they could finish placing the crystal panes in the frame. With his heart in his throat, Varien pushed the crystal panes home. They fit snugly, perfectly, into the stone frame. Varien stood back and watched the stained-glass circle. The depiction of the Phoenix began to move, slowly and unsteadily at first, with a tinkling glass sound as its wings stretched up and around the circumference of the crystal pane. Then the crystal panes shattered. There was a piercing screech as a Phoenix burst from somewhere beyond the crystal panes, flying a circuit of the chamber trailing holy fire as it pumped its majestic wings. Dhaera fell to her knees. “The Arcetalos…the Aspect of Hyolyn…the legends were true!” Tears rolled down her cheeks. Nero of the Garden placed a hand on her shoulder pauldron as his eyes reflected the glory of the Arcetalos as it glided around the room and alighted in front of Varien. Erwen dropped out of wildshape and cast beast sense in an attempt to see the world through the eyes of the Arcetalos. He suddenly saw the chamber and its occupants in a weird sort of thermal vision, with the stonework appearing a cool, dark grey, while the living beings in the room were outlined in halos of orange and red, their life’s essence glowing brightly as they radiated heat. Magical items too gave off radiant glow that the Phoenix could detect. Siegfried patted Varien on the shoulder and walked out the room, manifesting a healing spirit to help Alec with his injuries. “Erwen, come with us,” he said. Erwen followed reluctantly. Arcetalos began to speak in Celestial, in a voice like ringing churchbells. You heard my call. “And I answered,” Varien said in Celestial. And you answered my call, Arcetalos said. Thank you. I am Arcetalos, and I am in your debt. I will serve you with the loyalty and determination that you showed me. Varien bowed his head. “I will not waste it,” he said simply. The Arcetalos mimicked Varien’s movement, bowing its long neck low. Bob joined in the bow. Your companions are also to be commended for their bravery, The Arcetalos said, looking at Bob. To Varien it said, You withstood the temptations of the Dark Lord Levistus, whom I fear is not finished with me yet. “I don’t think we’re finished with him, either,” Varien said. The Arcetalos nodded. That is what I was hoping to hear. Together, we will stand and together we shall defeat the Lord of the Fifth, Levistus of Stygia. Varien reached out a gauntleted hand and touched the Arcetalos’s burning feathers. He felt no heat and no burning sensation. “Good bird,” Bob said. The Arcetalos turned to Bob. “Good Bob,” it said. Bob blushed. “You may rest now,” Varien said. The Arcetalos stared deeply into Varien’s eyes. If I may be so bold, it has been a long time since I have stretched my wings. “Then allow me to take you outside,” Varien said. Gracefully, the Arcetalos followed Varien out of the chamber. “Is it appropriate to recall my nightmare steed who fell in battle in this place?” Siegfried asked Nero. Nero gave Dhaera a significant glance. “This place is desecrated enough already,” the saint said. “Perhaps it is best if you conjured him elsewhere.” “Understood,” Siegfried nodded. Varien tapped Alec on the shoulder as he walked by. Erwen looked up at the Arcetalos. The Arcetalos turned to regard the Halfling. You played a role too, Halfling. Thank you. Erwen wasn’t sure how to respond. The Arcetalos manifested a flaming saddle. Varien climbed aboard, and began to fly around the skies of Waterdeep. Siegfried moved a discreet distance away from the Temple of Beauty and summoned Violance. The nightmare steed appeared in a puff of purple smoke. “We got him!” Siegfried said. Violance shook his fiery mane. “That hurt,” it said. “We’ll see about getting you some defensive barding,” Siegfried said. “You’d better,” Violance muttered. As the Phoenix flew over Waterdeep’s wards, townspeople turned their gaze upward and gazed, slack-jawed, at the heavenly sight. Siegfried took Violance back to his family’s house and flew to his second-storey window. Climbing into his room, he changed his clothes and put on a formal outfit for the opera. Then he thumbed through his collection of Shadowfell lore, looking for material on Evernight. His resources on Neverwinter’s shadowy counterpart was a little thin, but he knew that the Great Library of Candlekeep would have what he needed. He grabbed a volume on necromancy to give to Varien for some light reading. The rest of the party cleaned up at the Temple of Beauty, shedding the coatings of ash, demon ichor, and blood that coated their armour. Siegfried returned to the Temple. He held out the tickets to his companions. “Time to go to the opera,” he said with a smile.