After a night's rest in the Inn of the Defender's Heart, the heroes wake to the sound of knocking. Lor throws open the door to reveal Aron Galakir, alive and well! Arin explains that a strange, caprine swashbuckler brought his body to the Inn the night before, and that the Knights of the Pale raised him from the dead. Aron is eager to continue the quest for the Sword of Valor so after a quick breakfast, the available companions— Lor, Nor, Elaryan, and Eovan— set out. The plan is to journey to the edge of the Hellmouth, where the Prime Material and the Abyss meet, the use word of recall to return to the defiled temple of Erastil. The heroes make it across the ruins of Anestral City without incidence, pausing once they are relatively certain that they have crossed over to the Abyss. In order to bring Aron along, Nor has to leave Flumph behind, so he orders his little friend to search out the city's water supply. The other companions join hands, and Nor begins to chant. The party is teleported to the chapel's main sanctuary, interrupting a service in progress! Six ghasts sit in rapt attendance. They are led in unholy communion by a ghast cleric named Jadiss and by Nulkineth the half-fiend. Nulkineth is in mid sentence... "and thus did we drive forth the weak mortals from this sacred hall"... when the adventures appear in the middle of the congregation. An awkward silence fills the air for several heartbeats, then combat ensues. The heroes are outnumbered but not outmatched. As usual, Nulkineth slips away, leaving the party diving across pews as they avoid the clutches (and tongues) of the undead. Eovan falls to a pack of three ghasts, and rises immediately under their control. But Elaryan mercifully destroys his friend with a well-placed fireball , while Xhotl finishes off the rest of the enemies. The companions loot the bodies of their vanquished foes, then set out from the temple in the direction Aron indicates. They walk for miles across the blasted landscape, the the towering walls of the ravine growing narrower as they proceed. Aron promises that they are drawing close to Drezen citadel, but the party grows uneasy. And with good reason: as they reach a particularly narrow gap, they are ambushed by a huge beast. It is Soltengrebbe, the chimera that carried Aron away from the citadel! Soltengrebbe is no ordinary chimera. A beast with the heads of a snow leopard, a white dragon, and a mountain goat, it has been infused with mythic powers by demonkind. Its icy breath lingers in the air forming dangerous blizzards, and its three heads coordinate their crushing bites with eerie precision. Worse of all, it moves with unnatural speed, attacking with bite, claw, and horns again and again. Taken by surprise, the party is forced to retreat before Soltengrebbe's mighty blows. But they have not traveled far when they realize that they have lost Aron. Faced with the decision to either leave their guide to the chimera and flee back to town or to return to battle and rescue their hapless companion, the heroes make the courageous choice. They quickly heal and cast a few protection spells, then rush back at their monstrous foe. The battle that ensues is the stuff of legends. Elaryan assumes his mythic form, matching Soltengrebbe's size and strength, while Nor calls upon the powers of the fungal realm to imbue the party with speed, power, and grace. Brave Xhotl serves as a literal wall for her halfling friends, blocking them from the chimera's attacks and absorbing the massive creature's terrible blows. Faced which such power and coordination, Soltengrebbe is overcome, its massive body slumping to the ground. The companions find the body of Aron hidden behind some rocks nearby. Nor raises him from the dead, and the party stumbles onward, buoyed by the trial they have survived and eager to rescue the Sword of Valor. Everyone who played gains 5,000 XP and one Mythic tier.
