153: Lord of Ignorance

Synopsis:

• The seminary imps returned with reinforcements. The party faced the Lord of Ignorance, an amalgam of undead demon, angel, devil, and mortal souls, including Isabella's late father King Dante. [a dozen level 28 standard brutes with modified hp and a few nifty attacks and auras, combined with a mini-boss whose effects spread battlefield wide.] Mercy was able to draw the tortured souls from the abomination in order to destroy it. The imps were all of them destroyed.
• The curse of undeath now threatens all beings, not just mortals. Gabriel has also solved the riddle of radiant vulnerability in undead.

• The Bleak Seminary was destroyed in the fighting between Tomeburn and Archdruid Curck. An unknown amount of lore was lost.
• The stairwell connecting the watchtower with the lower levels (formerly the seminary and any adjoining room) is closed.
• Narra discovered the Siege was a strange breed of Anubian ship, with heart intact. It is a wounded, angry, and maddened AI that lashed out whenever contacted. 
• The Confessor of Orcus invited the party to parlay with his lord and master. Mercy vehemently disagreed, but not all the party followed suit. It became painfully apparent that there is no one leader amongst the coalition, rather all were leaders (who more or less were used their judgements taking precedent and their wills being done). 
• Renato, Thamior, and Isabella followed the confessor to Orcus, who is apparently detained by Gabriel, whatever that means. Tyvis, Narra, and Eilessa remained with Mercy, finishing her analysis of the trident-etched teleportation tile.

Objectives:

• Try to prevent Prince Orcus from becoming a hostile enemy.
• Use the ritual books in Isabella's possession to summon forth two planetary spheres upon the Altar of Seven World Trees within the Mothers' Cloister (wherever that is).
• Locate 4 other planetary spheres and insert them into the Standing Stone in the watchtower in order to cross the archway and reach the Gate.
• Kill Gabriel and claim the Gate (whoever lands the killing blow).
• Perform the ritual to attune the Gate to Mercy.

Experience:
From now until the end of the campaign, I am changing the way in which we level. I've decided to base these last few level ups on accomplishment and story progression and not necessarily a target number. Resolving the Purgatory Siege will be enough to level up to 26.