The Madman's Crown

Welcome back to the Lair of the Abhorroghast! The tidal wave has swept you further into the dungeon, and Sam predicts that you'll need oven-cleaning elixirs, scrubbing brushes, and bin bags for the next session. Don your rubber gloves of cleanliness and return to your noble quest!

The floodwaters ebb away, and you find yourself in a long, narrow cave with glittering walls. The walls begin to close in as Kit and Ameline bicker. You'll need to find a way out before you're crushed. Ameline is frozen in fear, but Kit creeps along, running his hands over the walls. You'd better help if you want to survive!

You spot a lever on the ground. When you pull it, the walls stop moving, and you stumble out of the cave - and onto the edge of a huge chasm! Across the chasm is a gate of red stone, with lava pouring down on each side. You look up and see winged demons swooping towards you. Prepare to face the fiends. Better get scrubbing if you want that treasure!

The bodies of vanquished demons lie around you! You pass through the door in the rock, and immediately feel a deathly chill and hear something slithering through the tunnels. Something big. A giant tentacle reaches towards you from the ceiling. Kit distracts the tentacles, while Ameline drives them off with the glowing light of her staff. You need to reach its heart to destroy it!

Ameline leads you to a chamber of black stone filled with treasure, with an inky pool in the centre. You search the treasure until finally you find it: The Madman's Crown. Ameline and Kit begin to argue over who should take the crown, but you're distracted when the chamber starts shaking. Ameline demands the crown and prepares to attack you. You hurl the crown away, only for it to be caught by Kit. Ameline reveals that she and Kit have been in cahoots the whole time. They flee with the crown, leaving you to face the Abhorroghast alone!

You've defeated the Abhorroghast! It slinks back into the water and you're left alone. You root through the treasure and find Ameline's spellbook. She must have dropped it when they fled. Inside is a drawing of wizardly figures, bowing down to someone wearing the Madman's Crown. Whatever they have planned doesn't look good! But that's a story for another session. Well done! You've done a lot of cleaning done. It may not seem like much compared to zombies, but a good tidy can help you feel like you have some control over the world. And when it's all over, you've made the world a little bit better.