After days exploring the Pit’s treacherous depths—having ventured even to the third layer below the choking fog line—our weary heroes finally emerged to recuperate. Ner sought comfort at The Hagfish tavern while Variel returned directly to the Rusty Dragon’s familiar hearth.
The following day brought an enthusiastic greeting from Kaleb Valdemar, heir to one of Sandpoint’s founding families though he typically resides in Magnimar. He introduced his companions: Adimar Scarnetti of the notorious Scarnetti family, Chertus Jheed, and Arika Avertin. The fellow adventurers were eager to exchange tales of their exploits.
Though Kaleb clearly harbored secrets, he proved generous, pressing a skeleton key into their hands and offering 200 gold pieces for proof that the Pit truly connects to the legendary Darklands below.
A more tender moment followed when Ner spoke privately with Arika. The conversation unlocked painful memories—Arika revealed how she’d lost her entire previous party to the Sandpoint Devil within the Pit’s darkness. That trauma, finally voiced, helped her find clarity: she was done with adventuring. She would return to her mother and leave this life behind. As thanks for Ner’s compassion, she gifted her holy prayer beads before departing.
The party’s peaceful brunch and subsequent relaxation shattered with a tremendous crash and the rising chorus of screams. The Sandpoint Devil—the very beast from Arika’s nightmares and the temple murals—had descended upon the town!
While citizens fled in terror, our heroes charged toward the nightmare made flesh. Ner dove aside from gouts of hellish flame but slipped, catching the full force of the Devil’s burning breath. Though X’s holy magic sealed her wounds, deep flame scars remained etched into her skin—permanent reminders of facing such evil.
The battle raged through Sandpoint’s streets. X’s divine power proved crucial, both mending grievous injuries and searing the unholy beast with sanctified fire. When the wounded Devil attempted to flee, Variel’s sharpshooting expertise ended its reign of terror with perfectly placed shots that brought the monster crashing down.
The beast’s corpse smoldered in Sandpoint’s streets—undeniable proof that the Third Doom had been averted. No nightmares would tear free from sleeping citizens this night. But five dooms remain, and the visions promised even greater horrors yet to come.