The Pinion of Service was an abyssal soul anchor that was used by ancient Aeorians to bind the grand demon Dominox, leaving him "harmless" and unable to return to his plane of origin.
Description[]
The Pinion looked like a spinning purple crystal covered in runes, originally connected to the Nox Engine powering the city of Aeor.[1] However, it was "of the Abyss", so that although demons when slain normally return to the Abyss, Dominox would instead return to the Pinion to forever run the engine.[2] As long as the seals around the engine remained intact, Dominox would remain bound.[3]
History[]
At some point during the Age of Arcanum or at the beginning of the Calamity, the flying city of Aeor used the Pinion of Service to trap Dominox, Grand Demon of Loathing. Thanks to the device, the dangerous fiend was contained and shackled to an engine, and his power used during an extraction process that would slay him, forcing him to return to the soul anchor instead of re-spawning in the Abyss.[4]
In 843 PD, likely after the apogee solstice, the Pinion and the engine were disturbed in some way, breaking the seals and causing Dominox to be released.[5] The demon was still bound to the crystal, being unable to attack it or get too close to it, but also incapable of walking away or leaving the engine room; moreover, although he was able to psychically perceive things and people from a distance, everything outside the chamber was dark to him.[6]
Thus, Dominox used his powers to send visions to Bells Hells, an adventuring party visiting the ruins, first torturing them but then using the voices of people they knew to tell them to find and destroy the crystal. When they finally found the engine room, they started negotiating conditions to release the grand demon, but he got impatient after failing to trick them into destroying the device (telling them it was the treasure Ludinus Da'leth wanted), and ended up attacking them. Imogen Temult tried and failed to move the Pinion with Telekinesis, and when Ashton Greymoore used his Space rage to teleport Dominox towards it, he was repelled and fell on top of Fearne Calloway. She, however, took the form of a wombat to get to the crystal and put it in her marsupial pouch, after which she gave it to Chetney Pock O'Pea, who put it inside his Bag of Holding, angering the demon. Even when the Pinion was in an extradimensional space its connection with Dominox didn't fade, so when Imogen used her powers to send Chetney through a hallway, Dominox was yanked in the same direction. Eventually, with some magical intervention from Ludinus, the Grand Demon of Loathing crossed a portal to the Abyss and was killed there by Teven Klask, presumably preventing him from regenerating, either in that plane or in the Pinion of Service.[7]
Fan art of Delilah, captured, by Rachel F. (TheWhaleLord).[art 2]
Later, after the party encountered Ludinus Da'leth, and Delilah Briarwood briefly took control of Laudna's body, Fearne identified the Pinion as a powerful, but now empty soul anchor. The party discussed using it to trap either Ludinus or Delilah, before deciding to have Essek Thelyss research the possibility of binding Delilah such that she would be captive but her power would remain available to Laudna.[8] After the party Teleported to Rexxentrum, Essek performed the ritual with assistance from each of the party members, successfully forcing Delilah's soul into the soul anchor implanted in Laudna's chest, where she provided power for Laudna's warlock magic but would be forever imprisoned and unable to control her actions.[9]
Trivia[]
- Since the Pinion is described as "of the Abyss", it is likely that it was crafted in that plane and/or using something powerful from the Abyss.
- This device is somewhat similar to the Athtiri-Mentaal, also used to trap powerful fiends.
References[]
- ↑ See "Ancient Sins" (3x97) from 3:34:12 through 3:35:51.
- ↑ See "Ancient Sins" (3x97) at 3:36:22.
- ↑ See "Ancient Sins" (3x97) at 3:35:22.
- ↑ See "Ancient Sins" (3x97) at 3:36:22.
- ↑ See "Ancient Sins" (3x97) at 3:35:22.
- ↑ See "The Nox Engine" (3x98) at 1:29:53.
- ↑ See "The Nox Engine" (3x98).
- ↑ See "Reconciliation" (3x102) at 3:29:56.
- ↑ See "Cages" (3x103) from 0:13:59 through 1:01:09.
Art:
- ↑ Screenshot of the Pinion of Service from "The Nox Engine" (3x98). This file is a copyrighted work. Its use in this article is asserted to qualify as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.
- ↑ Fan art of Delilah, captured, by Rachel F. (TheWhaleLord) (source). Used with permission.