The consortes collect their strength following the devastating battle with the Theraltean Guardian and prepare for an assault on the mountain fastness of Hecatesseus. Mendelor and Owen depart ahead of the rest to reconnoiter the magician's lair, while Friar Sidrach and St. James arrive to offer their assistance. But before the main group can depart for the distant Sheldings, Hecatesseus brings the battle right to our heroes. Outside the doorway to Valerius's magnificent mansion, a strange band assembles: six figures, all identical in appearance, hairless with pale gray skin, their faces crudely painted to resemble Hecatesseus.

The consortes swiftly arm themselves, cast protective spells, and offer up prayers to the Five in anticipation of the imminent battle. They charge out of the mansion and discover that the figures waiting outside are some new type of construct, made out of a flesh-like substance. Four of the figures are able to stretch their limbs to unnatural distance, while the other two hang back and cast bolts of lightning into the fray.

These new constructs fight hard, but are not nearly as tough as the other creations of Hecatesseus. When these creatures are slain they melt away into a strange blue gel. Once the battlefield is cleared the weary consortes scarcely have but a moment to collect their breaths when a glimmering shape is spotted far on the western horizon -- presumably one of Hecatesseus's splendent eagles.

Just then Hecatesseus himself appears in a cloud of smoke, along with several allies, including three more of the new constructs, the swarm of swirling, bejeweled dragonflies, and a little bronze man fashioned in the master wizard's own image. Hecatesseus cries out for revenge for the thwarting of his many schemes and launches a devastating sorcerous attack. Sir Hamral disappears in the wink of an eye and finds himself trapped in a strange maze of shifting walls. Meanwhile Valerius is hit by a vile ray that saps vitality from the magician in black. Then Hecatesseus takes to the air, rising up as if borne aloft by the winds.

The consortes spring into action. Dominic moves to lure off the swarm of copper dragonflies, while St. James climbs a tree and begins placing well-aimed arrows into the battle. Purer and Sidrach cast several prayers at Hecatesseus, stripping the flying magician of many potent spells. Meanwhile Vandoren advances to sing up a charm of doom against Hecatesseus. Draak charges headlong into combat with the three constructs, which hang back and fire arrows at the consortes.

Hecatesseus responds with another volley of terrible magic. His prismatic spray tears into Purer Grundry, who is killed by a beam of deadly flames. A fireball explodes nearby, badly hurting Vandoren, Sidrach, and Valerius.

Valerius casts a powerful spell upon Noxumbra that negates all magic within several paces and the bird then flies into the battle, swooping in on Hecatesseus and causing his spells to fail. Hecatesseus screams for his constructs to begin aiming their arrows at the raven, and the bird is badly hurt. Achrach leaps on one of the archers to protect the raven. Hecatesseus then launches a blast of chain lightning that kills poor Friar Sidrach and brings Vandoren perilously close to death. A curse of blindness is cast upon Valerius, sending the magician in black into darkness.

Dominic blasts Hecatesseus with his own bolt of lightning, which badly hurts the master wizard. Noxumbra swoops in again, and Hecatesseus is brought to ground where he is suddenly vulnerable to attacks from Draak and St. James.

The wizard, at this point badly hurt, screams in fear and fury and attempts to flee on foot. But St. James fires an arrow into his back and Hecatesseus falls. With his dying breath he curses the consortes for interfering with his intricate plans, and then collapses. Just then another cloud of smoke bursts next to Hecatesseus's corpse and a monstrous creature appears. With the body of a lion and the head and wings of a hawk, it snatches up the body of Hecatesseus and flies off into the air. Fearing that this is one of the Lady's own gryphons, the consortes allow the creature to depart unmolested.

The consortes quickly mop up the rest of Hecatesseus's unliving servants. The dragonfly swarm disperses, Draak bashes in the little bronze man, and the other constructs collapse into more blue gel. Our heroes gather up the corpses of their two fallen friends and retreat to protection of the mansion.

After taking some time to mourn and heal from the costly victory, the consortes make a side-trip into the Ruckish Hills, where Draak meets with his chieftains to urge them to assist Jonam (the converted ruck-man once known as Prince Nestor) in his insurgent campaign. The consortes then meet with Jonam himself, who reports moderate success. He is gaining converts to quickly replace his lost Pentian ruck-men, so the number of his troops has held steady throughout his drive toward the Yron Citie. The converted ruck-men are devastated by the news of Friar Sidrach's death, and vow to avenge him. Sir Hamral urges Jonam to send some of his ruckish engineers into the lands of Derwich to build a shrine that will attract pilgrims from throughout Pentiandom.

With these efforts completed, the consortes travel back to Upchurch in search of news from the siege at Heremac.

The Roleplaying Award (RP) includes PBM responses as well as participation in the live session.