Previously, the heroes had dealt with the fallout of the victory at Old Llygad and in its wake made a plan to assault the Crimson Tower. They got a small group together and made their way across the lake, blessed by Sedna to allow them to walk across water. They defeated one of the guardian elementals, and made it through the protective dome. Inside the tower they found much like it was the first time they entered, but found a small imp named Sadwick who had been stalking them. Sadwick was one of Atilesceon’s companions, but one who was tired of being obedient to the artificer. As they ascended the tower they came across a group of horned humanoids with reddish skin who were Atilesceon’s disciples. Several escaped further up the tower and when the heroes pursued them they came face to face with Atilesceon himself.
Third Day, Third Wik, Æftera Līþa (Pasture Mōnaþ), 736th Year of the Crusade
When the confrontation started, some of their company were still on the floor below, funnelled in a single file by the trapdoor leading up. This caused some issues for Hejduk, Ser Fulton, and Gorden, who were all stuck behind brother Connal who was struck by sheer terror and frozen in the doorway at the sight of Atilesceon. When Luca tried to magically command Connal to move. He did, but not in the direction that Luca had intended. He fought his way down the stairs, through his companions, causing a lot of confusion and chaos; something which Atilesceon made use of when he invoked a horrible, toxic cloud on that floor, which took the four companions trapped there out of the fight.
As James and Astrid quickly engaged Atilesceon in combat, it appeared that any damage he took from their attacks was magically transferred to his disciples, killing them one by one. After the fight was over, it was revealed that each one of them was wearing a curious trinket on the back of their necks, shaped like a scarab, made from a Lyrium crystal with brass and copper finishing.
At regular times, Atilesceon’s tower seemed to act in his defence. Occasionally, an infernal tether anchored to one of Atilesceon’s enemies and transferring some of the damage he was taking into the victim. At other times, the tower conjured up the spirits of the doomed crusaders, and sent them forth to attack Atilesceon’s enemies.
Sadwick kept popping in and out of sight, harassing Emma in battle, but not really moving the needle much. After getting wounded, he quickly turned invisible and departed the scene of the fight.
Atilesceon himself managed to throw high level magic around, noxious clouds, bolts of fire, cones of freezing cold, and turned Astrid into solid gold. All the while he was trying to entice the heroes to tell him what it was that they wanted, that he could get them anything they wanted. His honeyed words had no effect on our heroes; they were determined to defeat the artificer.
And so they did. Eventually they managed to slay the fallen Senhadrim. Once Ser Quentin plunged his lance into Atilesceon’s body, the glamour that he had cast on himself fell away, and he returned to the pallid-skinned, balding man that the heroes had seen on the painting hanging over the fireplace the first time they entered the tower.
Before Atilesceon had taken his final breath, the spirits of the doomed crusaders rose up one final time, plunging themselves through the dying mage, whisking him through the open doors onto the balcony and over the railing, being tossed through the air like a bone in a kennel before plunging into the cold waters of the lake.
