It's been 6 seconds. She's still a half mile away.

Sessions 77-80

There's full tension in the courtyard and Truush is livid. It seems like he's scanning the surroundings with different "lenses" using magic. We're able to see that Truush is truly in charge, from Raokan's change in behavior.

Truush, in Abyssal, says, "Servants — our most precious source of fuel has been taken moments ago. None are to leave until it is found," as he magically closes the gate to the courtyard. It's a prismatic wall of force. "I shall grant a boon to whomever brings me this source of power. Find it now, and bring me the thieves alive."

Warwick the leprechaun, the Warforged guy, and the goblin have no idea what to do. Mint moves next to Truush in a protective posture; other devils move around and fly around scouting, and go to the castle to search. Raokan is putting on an intimidating air.

Æsheryn and Briya try and move closer to the side entrance and are told to stop by Truush. Mint moves up to them to block their path. Briya tries to look for a sign of recognition in Mint's face, but their mind is completely gone. Yahnist uses his sleight of hand to try and cast pass without a trace. He's successful. With a 40 stealth check, he moves to the side entrance with a natural ease.

Back in the basement, Maltheo and Cass hear the magically amplified words of Truush. It seems he sent his message to the entire castle. The incubus guard hurries back to the door of the Luxon room, knowing now what is going on. She shouts a warning. Maltheo hastes himself and rushes the door to whoosh past the guard. He finds an alcove to drop his second disguise back to the first after some chrono-shifting from Cass.

Initiative!

Maltheo's blade speaks to his mind, and tells him to be chaotic. A true "When in Rome" vibe. It gives him the idea to Dimension door directly adjacent to Æsheryn and Briya. In the whoosh of energy he places the beacon directly into Æsheryn's bag of holding.

Truush turns toward our little group and then shouts, "My servants… I shall grant a Wish to whomever brings me this bag." He then casts a 20 foot radius sphere; total silence. However, that does cause the entrance-blocking wall to fade away.

Yahnist attacks Truush, but he maintains concentration. A second attack ends the same way. Truush resistant to fire and lightning, immune to cold and poison. Resistant to magic. Immune to charm, exhaustion, frightened, or poisoned. He moves forward. Truush uses a legendary action to move up to Æsheryn into the silence.

Cass winks for activating a contingency spell, Dimension door. She appears behind our large vehicle, and then casts Vortex warp on Æsheryn to bring him over to the large vehicle. A legendary action leap from Truush puts him on the hood of the same car.

The Goblin says to follow him away; the King of Fate and Flow has an opportunity for us.

Monica and Popovsky mount their motorcycles. Mint moves forward toward Maltheo wielding her two giant claymores. Hits very hard twice and maintains concentration on haste. But fails a second con check from the sword (attack rolls and ability checks have disadvantage). He gets hit again and this time loses concentration on haste.

Æsheryn tries to banish Raokan, is almost counterspelled, and then Popovsky counters that. But he makes the save and nothing happens. Æsheryn stars the car. Truush goes for Æsheryn again but misses because of the cover from the car. Yahnist hits Mint with two attacks. Truush uses two legendary actions and smoky arms/hands activate magical darkness in 30 feet. Covers Cass, Mittaine, Monica, Popovsky, Æsheryn, Mechanical, and Leprechaun.

Briya swoops in and pulls Maltheo up into the air. Spike goes for Yahnist but misses twice. The Goblin stays where he was waiting for us to follow. Raokan regains his blood magic and tries to knock Briya out of the air, but fails. Monica perceives the exit from the shadow and heads toward the Goblin. Popovsky attempts and succeeds on dispelling the magical darkness with a silver spark that blows it away.

Truush uses this round's last legendary action to attack Æsheryn. Misses miserably, and in retaliation Æsheryn tries to banish him again but is foiled by a nat 20 on the save.

Maltheo mounts Briya and attacks Raokan but misses a stunning strike, and does a patient defense. Truush is no longer sure if things will go his way. Raises his claws and attacks the car. Misses. Third attack on Æsheryn hits but Cass chronoshifts it for a miss. Cass tries to stasis Trussh but fails. Briya with Maltheo flies toward the goblin. Lotus tries to banish Truush but fails. Gives bardic inspiration to Æsheryn and leaves on pegasus. Searing pain fills his arm. Some sort of gong is triggered. The race! It's started. (But this is now cheating, using a mount as a vehicle) Contract sigil wraps around his arm and Lotus takes 8 psychic damage. It seems flying is cheating, so he lands and continues out.

Spike moves up toward Monica and the goblin. Goblin closes eyes and casts a spell "Change of plans; meet at finish line; need extraction now". Raokan is furious. Doesn't regain blood magic. Bonus action to start his car that he just entered. Commands 3 of his allies to join in. Monica and Popovsky move up. Mint does the same. Devils get on Raokan's car and he takes off. Æsheryn peels out and flings Truush off the car, prone onto the ground.

Warwick and Warforged join the race.

Maltheo decides to jump onto Spike's vehicle and is successful. Attacks the driver with a stunning strike and knocks him out of the car. Truush stands up. Sees his brother/lover leaving; has one trick in his sleeve. Screams loudly to Raokan "do not disappoint me brother!" raises hand and Truush and a few nearby devils come to him and they all disappear. Cass and Æsheryn aren't sure what happened.

Cass reduces one of the wheels of Raokan's vehicle. It works and it gets knocked sideways. Lotus tries to jump to the now-empty Mint vehicle that Briya grappled and dragged her into the air. He then hypnotic patterns everyone on Raokan's vehicle. 2 imps are hypnotized, harpoon flinger up, Raokan legendary resistance to succeed.

Raokan tells imp to take over driving seat. He moves to the back and performs some blood magic. 10 ft high blood spikes burst from the ground within 15 ft of Raokan. 27 to car/13 damage to Cass and Æsheryn. Mishap! Furnace ruptured. Speed decreased by 30 ft (to 70) until repaired.

Warwick jumps over the "prone" car and joins up front with the rest. Mint hits Briya for 67 damage. Cass gets shot at and takes minimal damage. Æsheryn is able to jump his vehicle over Raokan's and move in front. Warforged fails his attempt to do the same.

Maltheo moves up. Cass tries to repair vehicle. Briya dashes up and drops Mint from 100 feet then heals herself. Raokan is pissed, more. Steals mechanical bike and teleports and breaks the rules and takes major damage doing so.

The chase begins and happens with lots of Mario Kart madness.

Virtue, Briya, and Maltheo headed for the finish line. Briya, then Maltheo, are able to see near the end that they're not the only ones who thought about this. It's a rocky canyon area. One of the last stretches of road; narrow path opening into a 1000 feet wide chasm.

Above that entrance is the finish line banner. Hanging from the banner is Truush, waiting patiently for whatever is coming. All around are more devils. It's clear from his positioning he's there for the racers in order to influence them to Raokan's advantage. Track spirals into the death bowl. Air crackles with magic. Red sky, and lightning.

At the very center of this arena is an obsidian pedestal glowing with infernal runes. Above it, a second blazing infernal banner sways in the wind. Telepathic link: Truush is waiting for you. The finish line isn't a line to cross. It's a pedestal to stay on. King of the mountain.

Initiative!

Red storm clouds ripple with lightning. Lair action grows rock spikes near the entrance banner. Virtue gains a light beacon "sunbeam canon" and brings it to Briya after Lotus jumps onto another vehicle. Popovsky lands on Cass/Æsheryn vehicle. Truush powers up a spell that seems to affect the sky; his movements seem to be related to time magic. Cass isn't sure. It's a 9th level time stop for 3 turns.

Summons a gargantuan (5x5) plant thing, gains some sort of body-surrounding 5 black stars in a circle, and body coated in something? And then a final spell that breaks his stop, some sort of giant ice storm on our vehicle.

Cass, Æsheryn, and Lotus fail saving throws and take cold damage. Popovsky says she can port us to the platform that Raokan and Mint have reached. Maltheo goes for a chest, and it turns out it's a mimic! He runs away. Cass and Æsheryn's vehicle gets hit with magma jets. The Bear King and his friends arrive.

Popovsky teleports Æsheryn, Cass, herself, and Lotus to the top platform. Æsheryn banishes Mint successfully, but fails on Raokan. As did Lotus. They then take their teleport-caused psychic damage, halved for Cass because of the staff she carries. Cass hits with Momentary Stasis on Raokan. Monica hits the plant with some darts.

Truush is furious and finally makes it to the platform, sends a black star toward Lotus, but rolled a nat 1 and nothing happens. Calls on the power of decay in a 30 ft cube. Cass and Popovsky fail. Cass is down! Lotus and Popovsky are not looking good.

Briya hits Truush with a sunbeam item. Corpse flower takes some fire damage from burning and makes 3 tentacle attacks. Hits Æsheryn moderately. Bear King lands on the platform and goes for Raokan and waits, and takes his hybrid form.

Maltheo takes his Aarakocra form and dashes next to Briya. Lair action infernal chain appears on the platform. It attacks Raokan and restrains him. Lotus healing words Cass and moves to the giant car. Popovsky moves up and attacks Raokan. Monica attacks the flower. Truush uses legendary action to land next to Cass, and then takes his turn. Takes 3 hits at Cass. They all hit and she takes 2 death saving fails.

Briya's turn. Flies over and drops form. Casts a 5th level cure wounds that Trussh isn't able to counter spell. Goes down again after another legendary action from Truush. Monica keeps hitting the flower. Bear King makes two attacks against Raokan. He's not looking good at all! Raokan is still restrained, but attempts to attack Lotus and hits twice. Cass makes a death save. Æsheryn brings her back up, and then Truush knocks her down again with the final legendary action this round.

Maltheo sneak attacks Raokan who, with only 3 HP, disintegrates into a pile of blood that goops onto a few people. Maltheo's blade levels up. He hits Truush and is able to land a stunning strike.

Lair action is a pulse coming up through the platform. Only affecting vehicles. Strength save succeeds so nothing happens. Lotus steps off the platform to give Cass a chance at winning the race. Healing words Cass. Briya calls lightning down onto Truush. He's resistant but it still hits. She flies up out of melee range.

Bear King also moves into melee with Truush and makes attacks. Cass moves into the vehicle for protection. Æsheryn casts Harm but he makes the save. Maltheo misses a bunch of attacks, and Truush is no longer stunned. A lair action brings down the red storm cloud into the arena. It feels strange; like people are here but they're not. An illusory manifestation that's meant to attack the senses. Intelligence saving throws are all successful except for Bear King and Popovsky. Disadvantage on stuff and difficult perception. "Medium obscured".

Popovsky misses everything. Truush casts born of darkness so he can hide. Briya can't do much but holds an action. Back around to Cass, and as the last standing participant of the race, she wins. Her cat's paw infernal contract red markings disappear. The Winner!

Vehicle has entered the arena that we can hear a bit far away. It's the goblin, who we thought crashed and died in the race earlier, and we hear the loud roar of a lion. The cloud dissipates. And Cass is magically indicated as the winner on the platform. The goblin drops his glamour, and a beautiful magical lion appears in its place. "So, uh… what did I miss?"

It's the King of Fate and Flow!

Lotus's mark also goes away. Mint is banished and Truush is gone. Maltheo's blade is now Awakened. Raokan is dead.

Level up to 13!