Return to The Paragon Protocol
Overview: The party learns the truth behind the murder of Charon and race to restart the River Styx by hunting down those responsible for destroying it, the Ordained, a band of fanatical giants who seek to resurrect their ancient god, the Shattered Mountain. Along the way they will travel the planes of Minarous, Phlegethos, Stygia, and Malbolge atop Mammon's personal airship, the Golden Gallion, and combat the evils of the dragon Barroth the Unredeemable, and the returning villainy of the Pit Fiend Bel.
Arrival in Minarous
After using the Last Wish of the Efreeti Dalia Embervale to escape Dis, the party arrives in the vast and putrid swamps of Minarous where they find a golden carriage awaiting their arrival. The carriage would take the party through the swamps before they would arrive at the capital city of Minarous, a city of great wealth and greed. Arriving at the city's central palace, the party would be escorted by golden devil's to the realm's ruler, Mammon, Archduke of Greed and ruler of Minarous. Mammon congratulates the party for escaping Dis and opens up his palace and city for them to stay in.
The party gets some much needed rest in the golden hall's of Mammon's palace, but awake to the next morning to discover some horrifying news. Dispater, Lord of the the Second Layer of Hells had begun a full invasion of the Material Plane with his armies of Iron Devils, massacring countless mortals in order to add their souls to his armies. Around this time as well, the party was made aware of the witch Mackrea, a member of the Cloven Coven and coven sister to Grandmother Theresa who had instructed the party to seek out Mackrea in order to learn more about that they were to soon face.
After getting a full night's rest and learning of the invasion of the Material Plane, the party decided to see what they could learn from the newly rescued Last Demon, Ratatrosk. Ratatrosk shares that he is an ancient Demon Lord from the Abyss, and that he was the one responsible for killing the ferryman of the River Styx, Charon. He says he performed the crime on behalf of a group known as the Ordained, the leaders of the Cult of the Shattered Mountain. The giants that the party had already met, including Angrboda, Stratia Nimbus, and Waord were among these Ordained. The party shows Ratatrosk the Stone Rune they took from Waord and Ratatrosk tells them that each member of the Ordained possesses such a rune bestowed upon them by the Shattered Mountain.
Ratatrosk shares that after he killed Charon, he used Charon's oar to stop the flow of the Styx, and the Ordained used these runes to help destroy the oar to make sure no one could undo what they had done. But Ratatrosk believes there may be a way to make a new oar if the party is able to gather each of these runes together in one place. But that would require hunting down and defeating each of the remaining five members of the Ordained who were scattered all across the Hells.
Mackrea, the Creeping Blight
Seeking guidance and for ways to stop the encroaching infernal corruptions on their souls, the party journeys into the dense and rotting swamps of Minarous in search of the witch Mackrea. The party finds her lair in the skull of a long dead titan, full of vines and swarms of bugs. Mackrea reveals herself to the party, showing that she was a horrifying fusion of bug and fiend.
Mackrea allowed each member of the party to make a request of her in return for a heavy cost. After sacrificing things like their privacy, their identity, and their connections. Mackrea shared her knowledge and resources. To the party she gave baggies of diamond dust, allowing them to fend of the infernal corruption beginning to take over their minds.
To Balaam, she shared the history of his curse, the Curse of the Scapegoat.
