Story

You followed in the wake of the golem’s passage, suppressing a laugh at its habit of walking through the door frames instead of under them. The first room was as you expected – some kind of holding area where the fiends that Bathus had summoned were trapped. Clearly, they had been there for some time, based on the number of scribblings etched into the walls. You shook your head at the mere happenstance that the golem’s weight cracked open their prison and let them loose upon you.

In short order, you reached a large, columned hall where you found a group of devils waiting – calmly – for you to enter. That was unsettling enough, but their interest in parley was truly surprising. Now you stand before the group, eyeing them warily, hands resting cautiously on your weapons.

The leader, easily as tall as your golem, speaks to you in a confident tone as she gestures for the others to keep their distance. “You say you hunt for that thrice-cursed artificer, yet you are accompanied by one of his creations. Why should we help? You seem quite capable on your own.” A wicked grin appears on her face, the matching glint in her eye giving you pause as she asks, “What’s in it for us, mortals?”

Over the chorus of whispered threats and hisses from the other devils, you call out, “Revenge. Freedom. Take your pick. Help us prevent Bathus from collecting the souls he needs, and we’ll ensure you a painless return to your plane.” The leader flicks her horns disdainfully at the implied threat, but is clearly considering the offer nonetheless.

Her answer is cut off, however, by a voice booming out from a pair of golems that burst through a secret door at the far end of the hall. “Minions!” Bathus’s projected words ring out. “How dare you betray me! Destroy these interlopers or you will suffer!” Brilliant blue and white lights shine forth from the runes carved into the golems, causing the devils to clutch their heads in pain before either running from the room or succumbing to the mage’s control and turning towards you.

All that is, except the leader and her elite cadre. Fighting back against the magic, she spits out the words, “Our deal is struck, but I claim Bathus’s last breath.” Not waiting for your acknowledgement, she hurls herself into the coming onslaught, her lieutenants only half a step behind. Deciding to worry about Bathus’s fate later, you follow her in.

Development

The remains of golems and devils alike lie scattered about the hall – even the one you controlled was eventually ripped apart, weakened by some kind of neutralizing magic that emanated from the other two.

But the devils’ leader still stands. Stands, in fact, with hardly a scratch from the fight. She favors you with another wicked grin as she looks over your own handiwork. “As I expected, you fight well. This alliance of ours may prove fruitful. Come, mortals, the artificer’s ritual chambers are this way.” She turns and leads you toward the secret door, the remaining devils falling in at the rear.