23 Dec – Returning to the plane of Ash, the party confronts the Deva. Charged with a divine quest to retrieve the Orb, they are forced to battle the Deva. In the conversation before the battle, though,
Sorgul coaxed the Deva into revealing its true name. By a stroke of luck,
Sorgul succeeds in weaving a complex spell which returns the Deva to its rightful abode, thus sparing them the regrettable act of slaying a Deva. They return to the Material plane and to
Edric's castle. Shortly after dark, the castle is attacked by the
Dark Mage. In the battle, the
Dark Mage reveals that he possesses the Evil Sceptre of Might.
Edric, realizing that his spell can rid the world of the evil mage (at the cost of his own life), begins casting his spell. Under a terrible strain, the
Dark Mage uses his Sceptre to deflect
Edric's spell. The spell then fails, but its side effects are felt as
Edric drops to the ground dead. His body, though, fades away leaving no trace. At this time, the little girl
Erin enters the courtyard and seeing the frightening image of the
Dark Mage, she screams in terror. The extent of her powers are then revealed as her scream pierces each and every being in the castle to their souls and causes every iota of evil in their being to flare in pain. The members of the
good party experience severe discomfort. The
Dark Mage, though, already weakened by the over-use of his Sceptre is overwhelmed. Only his mental reflexes and his ability to
Dimension Walk saves him. The
good party, though, will not allow the weakened Mage to escape alive. Fearing they will have no better chance, they pursue. However, by the time they find him, he has recovered enough to fell
Lord Ozzie and Master
Sly in a sword combat.
Sorgul is then dismissed into a mental Maze, and
Rathwyn is slain by his hand. After escaping the maze,
Sorgul restores life to his comrades and returns them home.