14 - The fall of the Collars and the Tiger

Once everybody caught their breath, we asked if the magic users could help us. We learned that most of them are support magic users and healers (as they were gathered to help with Mr. Laughton's unusual sickness). However, one wizard mentioned they can help us by disabling the magic protections of Lord Wringer's door. We let them process, and ask them to wait us as we will try to assess the situation outside.

We find a room where we can have a look on the assault on the front door. We smell a strong odor of a feral animal, but luckily it's empty. We see paintings in that room, which Nesvalyn deduces it was Lt. Owlbear room.
[Investigation check - Pass ✔] Persy finds a fine paint brush.
[Detect magic] The brush is magic (conjuration).

By checking the window, it appears that our team is surrounding them, so we seem to hold the situation outside.
When getting back the magic users, half of the casters already left.
We're freeing Jil so Grappi can lead everybody outside (with Persy pretending to cast a spell to find her, which Grappi believes, even if a magic user is skeptical as it's not how it works). We free her and let the couple reunite (and it's pretty romantic until they start making out wildly).
While we let them enjoy themselves, Persy and Willum banters about their SOs, revealing Persy's girlfriend is named Lillia, and Willum's husband is named Logarius.
In the meantime, the rest explains and confirms the plan to the remaining magic users and Father Thatch. Once Jil and Grappi finished their business, they all leave the castle, leaving us for the final part of the assault: Taking Lord Wringer's down.
We're dropping the Collars' uniforms and head towards Lord Wringer's room.
Back in the middle room, Creep is still asleep, and we're in front of the double gold doors.
We're trying to hear what's on the other side.
[Perception] The door is so thick that we cannot hear anything from the other side.
Before going in, Persy casts Mirror Image.
Nesvalyn unlocks the doors with the Skeleton key and we get in.

We notice an extravagant bedroom, with all the hoarded gold content.
There's only Lord Wringer in the middle of the room, and he turns towards the party.

• It's you.
• Did you expect someone else? asks Nesvalyn
• No, but I'm more disappointed.
• I prefer you angry than disappointed, interjects Willum.

He starts to laugh manically, and gold coins starts to move around, until a pile covers a huge part of the main door, making it us harder to flee.

"I'm going to destroy you and the city and build it again", while flames erupt around him.

Lord Wringer hits the ground after taking Reylynn's darts, then teleports away in a corner.
He does a monologue about how much he despites us, where he sees himself as a savior of Saltspocket, that this town would be nothing without him, and finishes with "I shouldn't have done this deal...", then let out his last breath.
In front of the last step of our plan, we reflect on how easy and anticlimactic it was, and on what to do with him as he will be the proof that everything is over. We decide to bringing the whole corpse and get back to the main entrance.

Once in the bal room, we see Raina. Except she's 16ft tall now, and wields the Great axe we gave her.

We hear a giant roar, then a long eerie silence, and finally, panic sounds from outside.

Upon Nesvalyn's last hit on Anria, she shrinks back and starts to mumble and leaves her final breath.

The darkness finishes to condensates as an humanoid with a black tattered dress, revealing a young woman, with a silver skull covering face, wielding a silver blade scythe.
She appears with a high pitch scream like a banshee, and she observes her surroundings. She goes to Anria and says "Anria, you have been judged and condemned", and bursts into a white fire while she screams, until she disappears, leaving nothing behind.

Nesvalyn tries to call the form, where they answer with multiple voices "Thank you, you'll be spared in the incoming days", then turns to Persy, then finally heads towards the town.
With the grumbling sounds and the panic outside, the party runs outside to check for the giant spectral Tiger and assess the situation.

Once outside, the battle between the two sides is done, where we notice Henmuri Bonefury's corpse surrounded by our allies.
We observe powerless the giant spectral Tiger attacking the town. Suddenly, we notice a black dot getting closer, with a glint of silver light coming from the black dot once it seems close enough of the tiger. A flash later, the spectral head falls and the whole summon is gone.
That's it, the final threat and obstacle, gone. We did it.

However, upon this brief respite, we notice that the mages are staying back. Upon approaching them, we see that they surrounded Father Thatch and Chappell (the fortune teller) who are convulsing and going full seizure, with both saying "The Undying returns! The Undying return!" again, and again, and again...

Next session: 15 - Aftermath and After Saltspocket