The Fires of Heaven IC [Archive] - Giant in the Playground Forums

LostLight

2014-10-24, 03:05 PM

Dormal has looked around, surprised. One moment, he has just finished preparing his spells. A second afterward, he was in that weird room, surrounded by people he have never met. While it was easy to loose control in that situation, he had to maintain some degree of control over himself- that was not the situation to start screaming like a mad dog.

From what he could guess, there were several options- either his mind was attacked by some powerful illusion, or that someone has summoned him and the rest of the people. Considering that he was all alone in his room when he prepared his spells, the chances were that it was the second option. However, if he truly was summoned by some powerful spell, why was he the one to be called? After all, he didn't knew any of the other people. What kind of connection was between him and them? And who could be powerful enough to summon so many people (who, apparently, came from many different places) all at once? Maybe their summoner had some plans in mind which required the skills of each and every member in the room? Or maybe it was a death match for the pleasure of an unseen watcher?

Whatever the reason was, he had to prepare himself. He noticed that there was only one person in the room who wasn't near them- a receptionist of some kind? Was he the one who called them? In that case, why doesn't he come and talk with them? Something was stink in the whole situation. Thankfully, he was summoned only after his spells were imprinted in his brain- so he could have defended himself in the case the death-match scenario was the right one.

"Well.." he said eventually with a cool voice while playing with one of the needles of his hair (he hoped that the others would see it as a sign of being nervous- and not that he was ready to rain sharp death on everyone. After all, if it WAS a death match, he planned to be the winner) "Does anyone has any idea what in the name of the nine hells is this place?"

qwertyu63

2014-10-24, 03:43 PM

The receptionist sighs and says "Actually, you're more right than you know. Welcome to Avernus."

J-H

2014-10-24, 03:58 PM

Alshoon
The average-looking blonde man with a blonde beard, dressed in average-looking clothes, looks around, surprised. Seeing others arrive in the room, he chooses a seat in the corner, and smiles at the receptionist. Anyone watching closely will note that his smile looks...wrong...somehow.

One of the others speaks, and the receptionist answers.

"Oh, Avernus? Isn't that...interesting. Why are we here?"

asdflove

2014-10-24, 04:04 PM

Relenius stands stiffly, zir hands in stiff fists at zir side. Xis white hair is messy and an inky black blindfold is tied tightly over zir eyes. Ze takes a deep breath and fingers the bow on zir back, clearly ready to take it out in an instant.

"Well.." he said eventually with a cool voice while playing with one of the needles of his hair (he hoped that the others would see it as a sign of being nervous- and not that he was ready to rain sharp death on everyone. After all, if it WAS a death match, he planned to be the winner) "Does anyone has any idea what in the name of the nine hells is this place?"
"I'll second that ques-"

The receptionist sighs and says "Actually, you're more right than you know. Welcome to Avernus."
"You have to be kidding me. We're in hell? Great. Just great. What, if I may ask, are we doing here?"

qwertyu63

2014-10-24, 04:12 PM

"You have to be kidding me. We're in hell? Great. Just great. What, if I may ask, are we doing here."

"Hell if I know. I was told you guys would be here soon and that I was to sit here and let you guys shout at each other for a few minutes."

LostLight

2014-10-24, 04:17 PM

Dormal looked at the receptionist with surprise, not sure how to react. This may answer his question about why he was summoned here- perhaps the death match scenario truly was the right answer. Oh well- it wouldn't be the first time he had to butcher his way out.

"Well, well, well..." he whispered "This is one place I never thought I'll see.." he puled one of the needles from his hair and played with it. He shouldn't look threatening- but he had to be prepared "so who wants to start.. shouting?"

LucarinZer0

2014-10-24, 04:45 PM

"Hell, huh?" Rose mutters, pondering whether or not all of Avernus - if not the nine hells - looks like this.

"Guess I can't complain." She says as she pulls aside a chair and sits down, crossing her legs.

JBarca

2014-10-24, 06:12 PM

Flerikin

A short, thin man with bright green eyes stands completely still off to one side. He glances about a bit, shrugs, and stares off into space. He has a small, thin, twisted red horn, barely visible underneath his hair, growing out of the left side of his skull, and his right arm appears to be covered in a deep, angry red rash. He is truly an ugly man.
A thin circlet of tiny rubies circles his head, and a bag hangs over one shoulder. A glint of metal is visible beneath his tunic.
When the receptionist speaks, he glances in that direction briefly before returning his gaze to the wall.

At the offer to start shouting, he turns his head toward the speaker and locks eyes, raising an eyebrow. Waiting.

J-H

2014-10-24, 07:08 PM

Alshoon
"And who exactly told you to do so?"

TheEmperor

2014-10-24, 07:16 PM

The tall man who stood at the back of the room had been quietly watching, coldly and silently. He looked with the cold stare of a man whose mind had experienced trauma after trauma, a death stare of a thousand yards. The eyes of a man forged in war.

He wasn't one to be surprised, and years of experience as a military leader had toughened him up against surprise, combat or not. But this was certainly disturbing, and a jolt to him, considering he'd managed to find himself here without rhyme or reason.

Especially as he heard the receptionist comment on where they were. Avernus, and if he knew anything at all, this was the place his superiors had fought to help, and had made him, as well as his men, give their lives for.

Perhaps this was going to be a terrible day. Perhaps not.

Definitely not normal, at the very least.

qwertyu63

2014-10-24, 07:32 PM

Alshoon
"And who exactly told you to do so?"

"I'm afraid I'm not at discretion to reveal that information."

She casts her gaze upward in a manner that you recognize as receiving a sending.

"My boss is sending a next-level associate to handle you; they should be here soon."

Gospel Noctis

2014-10-24, 07:39 PM

Instead of a shout, the sound that broke the air was a loud, drawn out yawn. "Well, at least they had the courtesy to wait 'till I finished my nap."

Laying on the floor at the edge of the group rested a man dressed in semi-ornate armor. Stretching lazily he rose to his feet, casually analyzing his surroundings. "So, we're in Hell, huh? From what I know, you all aren't doing so hot these days. Heh, get it?" Running a hand through his mop of black hair he looks to the receptionist, grinning ruefully. "Anyways, the Order has been in a tizzy for months."

asdflove

2014-10-24, 07:41 PM

LostLight

2014-10-25, 04:16 AM

Dormal has started to giggle.

From what he could see, the ones to summon that group were pretty high in the hierarchy of hell- or, at least, high enough to have at least two levels of servants. The fact they were a group meant that what ever the reason to summon them was important enough to make a number of truly selfish beings to work together. That meant that the death match scenario was no longer likely- possible, but not likely. The fact that they withheld information from them meant that either they wanted to sow paranoia among them, or that it was some kind of secret and they still weren't in a "safe zone". Maybe they wanted to rebel against the King of Hell and needed their help? Unlikely, but possible- and very amusing.

"In that case" he said with a smile while returning the needle back to his hair (not that he wasn't still prepared to fight- he had enough spells who required no more than a gesture and a whisper) "I assume all we need to do is to sit and wait" he took a chair and sat, and then turned his head directly the horned man, his smile vanish at once. "Seeing something interesting?"

qwertyu63

2014-10-25, 12:56 PM

Suddenly, a white dragon walks out of a secret door next to the receptionist's desk. A glance shows that the dragon is rather young.

The dragon says "Perfect, you're all here. Come, my boss is ready to speak with you." He then steps back to let you through the door.

LostLight

2014-10-25, 01:20 PM

Dormal looked at the dragon, surprised. Considering that the receptionist who has greeted them looked human, he expected the higher ups to be the same- maybe a devil of some kind, but not a dragon. Maybe Tiamat, the Queen of Dragons, was behind this? Or maybe one of her allies? In that case, why did she called them? None of them looked pretty dragon like.. sure, he was taught by a dragon-like being, but he didn't thought it was connected. Anyway- it was interesting.

He got on his feet and said "It is not like I've had anything else to do..." he walked toward the door, and than turned around and said "are you all coming?"

J-H

2014-10-25, 01:50 PM

Alshoon
Alshoon follows silently, all-too-aware that his lack of combat prowess puts him at a disadvantage in this situation.

JBarca

2014-10-25, 01:57 PM

Flerikin

As the Dragon turns and leaves, Flerikin follows, glancing at Dormal as he does so.

LucarinZer0

2014-10-25, 04:13 PM

Rose follows the dragon's lead, whistling some sort of childish tune as she walks.

Gospel Noctis

2014-10-25, 08:26 PM

"Oho, chromatic dragons now." The warblade chuckles merrily, leaning upon his glaive. "Things just keep getting more and more interesting. This is turning out to be the kinda stuff legends are made of. I approve."

asdflove

2014-10-25, 08:47 PM

"Handle us?" Relenius snears. "What are we, wild animals?" Ze pauses, pursing zir lips. "Actually, being that your boss, whomever they are, expected us to start shouting at each other, assuming that they think of us as wild animals isn't really all that much of a stretch."
Relenius frowns when the dragon enters the room. "I suppose asking who your bass is is a moot point."

"Oho, chromatic dragons now." The warblade chuckles merrily, leaning upon his glaive. "Things just keep getting more and more interesting. This is turning out to be the kinda stuff legends are made of. I approve."
"Oh, so this second level associate is a dragon? Interesting." Ze says, before following.

TheEmperor

2014-10-25, 08:54 PM

The tall and proud man simply walked past everyone and any one who didn't immediately follow the dragon, and walked right through the doorway, following the dragon with questions on his mind, and a doubtful heart in his chest. Things were looking quite... unwell.

First, he landed up in Hell itself, and then Chromatic dragons were running around pandering to a boss. He hoped it wasn't Tiamat.

He seriously prayed it wasn't.

qwertyu63

2014-10-28, 08:33 AM

(OOC: I'm assuming person 8 is following along.)
it is
You are led to a room with a long table. You enter at one end of the table. There are 4 chairs on each side of the table. At the other end of the table is another white dragon; however, this dragon is much larger and older.

(OOC: the new dragon is Gargantuan in size.)

LostLight

2014-10-28, 01:28 PM

Dormal looked at awe on the dragon. While he has seen dragons before- that truly was the greatest he has ever met. He could have felt his nerves burn with excitement and fear- things has truly became interesting. Was the dragon the one who has summoned them? Was he another chain in the hierarchy? And if he truly was the one behind the scenes- why, from all the places in the multiverse, the creature has decided to make their meeting in Hell? Something was going on- and it was interesting.

Dormal has walked toward one of the chairs and set near the table without waiting for the others, sitting in a way he didn't turned his back to anyone (especially to the horned man. He didn't liked the way he looked at him) and looked directly at the dragon, waiting in perfect silence.

JBarca

2014-10-28, 02:54 PM

Flerikin

Seeing the Dragon, the man with the horn raises an eyebrow with interest. He then walks to the table and selects the seat directly opposite to Dormal, paying him no attention as he does so.

Once he is seated, he nods at the Dragon, then turns and locks eyes with Dormal immediately, maintaining his blank face and unblinking eyes.

You hear a voice in your head.

"Your name?"

LostLight

2014-10-28, 03:02 PM

Flerikin

You hear a voice in your head.

"Your name?"

Dormal maintained straight face, but one could see he was a bit surprised
"Dormal- and yours?"

asdflove

2014-10-28, 03:14 PM

Walking towards the room, he hesitates a moment before they actually get there. "Wow. Aren't you big." He mutters, and goes in, quietly taking a seat.

Gospel Noctis

2014-10-28, 04:17 PM

Glancing around the room as he walks in Wei Xiao's eyes eventually come to rest on his rather large host. Glancing up and down noticeably, he sizes up the wyrm, before moving forward to take his seat at the table.

"So, lets cut the crap, shall we?" The warblade begins, voice reverberating with a confident swagger. "What do you want? You went through the trouble of summoning us here and prepared a swank little reception area for us instead of tossing swarms of fodder our way which usually means you want something from us. So again, what do you want?"

While I doubt it matters at the moment, I'm currently in the Hunter's Sense stance, which gives me the Scent ability. Is there anyone/anything in the room that something like that would give away to me?

JBarca

2014-10-28, 04:34 PM

Flerikin

"Flerikin. A pleasure, I'm sure. What are your thoughts on these circumstances?"

The scarred, horned man continues to stare impassively at Dormal. When Wei Xiao speaks, he glances toward the warrior, the faintest smile crossing his expression. A mixture of approval and amused condescension is visible, and he watches the host for a moment to see his reaction, before turning his bright green eyes back to Dormal.

J-H

2014-10-28, 04:48 PM

Alshoon
Alshoon pauses momentarily at the door, his eyes widening. He then picks an open chair as far away from the dragon as he can get, and sits there.

qwertyu63

2014-10-28, 08:50 PM

Glancing around the room as he walks in Wei Xiao's eyes eventually come to rest on his rather large host. Glancing up and down noticeably, he sizes up the wyrm, before moving forward to take his seat at the table.

"So, lets cut the crap, shall we?" The warblade begins, voice reverberating with a confident swagger. "What do you want? You went through the trouble of summoning us here and prepared a swank little reception area for us instead of tossing swarms of fodder our way which usually means you want something from us. So again, what do you want?"

"Rather brash, I see. I suppose I should introduce myself; I am Kracitss. I have gathered you here for a mission of great importance... Tell me, have any of you heard of Ixen?"

DC 10 Knowledge (arcana) to know who Kracitss is.
DC 20 Knowledge (local) to know who Ixen is.
Anyone who can speak Draconic knows that Ixen means Fire.

LostLight

2014-10-29, 01:03 PM

still ain't sure. Something important enough that the dragon had to summon us all- yet delicate enough that he can't do it by himself. It should be dependent more on the individual skills of each of us, and less about "us" as a group. In your case, I assume your psychic abilities are needed. Also, Ixen means "fire"

Dormal keeps looking at the horned man in silence, while thinking whether he ever heard the name of the dragon in the past

OOC- Knowledge Arcane 23 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?380616-knowledge-Arcane&p=18330468#post18330468)

JBarca

2014-10-29, 03:58 PM

Flerikin

"Agreed. Are there any unique talents in your possession of which I should be aware? Also; I am wholly unfamiliar with either of the names mentioned, unfortunately. Which is passing strange, given my extensive studies of the gods and the outer Planes. Regardless, are you at all familiar? Excuse my impoliteness, but I suppose I should cease ignoring our host."

A few seconds after the Dragon finishes speaking, the horned man turns his head toward the creature and inclines it slightly.

"Greetings, master Kracitss. Are you attempting some sort of Draconic humor? Of course we have heard of fire. Unless this "Ixen" is a rather unoriginal name, I suppose. A rival of yours?"

qwertyu63

2014-10-29, 08:25 PM

"Of course it's a name! I speak of Ixen Di Guawysvern... Rival isn't really the right word; she is, after all, one of the largest threats to our kind on the planet."

"Ixen Di Guawysvern" means "Fire of Heaven" in Draconic. Also, with the full name, the Knowledge (local) DC has dropped to 10.

Gospel Noctis

2014-10-30, 04:04 AM

"So, she's some sort of big shot dragon slayer?" Wei Xiao inquired. "What'd you all do to piss her off? Eat her friends? Burn down the family barn? Steal her favorite broach?"

qwertyu63

2014-10-30, 06:39 AM

"More like a 'big-time' evil slayer. She is one of old Platinum's biggest servants. Well, in power anyway. In terms of size, she's smaller than everyone in this room. But the worst part is her plan; she is posed to wipe out evil itself forever, practically handing the entire material plane to the upper planes. I need you guys to stop her."

J-H

2014-10-30, 07:22 AM

qwertyu63

2014-10-30, 08:22 AM

Alshoon
With a thought, Alshoon deactivates his disguise. He gains a couple of inches of apparent height, while losing weight. You can now see that he's a skinny, almost skin-and-bones, man. Instead of a regular mouth and jaw, he has a circular maw surrounded by four tentacles that twitch independently as he leans forward.
"Tell us more... and tell us how we make a difference, when you cannot."

"You see, there are two very important things to consider on that front: stealth and the Divine Pact."

"I myself am quite large and easy to notice and my chosen spells do not lend themselves to stealth. If I went out to try and stop her myself, she would notice immediately and swarm me with her enforcers; I may be powerful, but even I can't hold out against 17 gold dragons and likely Ixen herself. You guys, on the other hand, are rather unassuming; she wouldn't react to you in that way. If you can get to her, you may be able to take her out; of course, you would need to get more powerful along the way."

"There is also the issue of the Divine Pact. I'm sure some of you have heard of it, but I'll explain. The Divine Pact is an agreement by all the gods that they nor none of their direct servants will act directly on the material plane; any who violate it grant the right to act in an equal capacity to the most affected god. I myself am bound by its terms. If I were to act directly against Ixen, that would give old Platinum an excuse to act directly as well and we definitely don't want that."

LostLight

2014-10-30, 05:02 PM

Gospel Noctis

2014-10-31, 04:51 AM

"So this really is why all of the old geezers are freaking out?" The warblade questioned. "I figured something big was going down, but are you really trying to tell me that this Ixen chick is waging a war against all evil and winning? How?"

The Order of the Lunar Cycle were an old conspiracy dating back to ages past. The Order believed that the true balance of the universe was maintained through cycles. Heat followed by cold, chaos followed by order, light followed by dark, and good followed by evil. An endless circle, perpetually in motion. That said, sometimes there were hiccups in the system; Something or someone that would upset the natural balance of the world. This is where the Order stepped in. Using whatever means necessary, they would correct the imbalance, setting the world back upon its proper course. As of late, the senior members of the Lunar Cycle had been in a tizzy, and if this dragon was telling the truth, he could now guess why.

qwertyu63

2014-10-31, 07:49 AM

Dormal has broke his eye contact with Flerikin and said "In that case- I have three question to ask you. First- are you working alone, or are there more collaborators who work with you? If the answer is yes, I think we should know about everyone who is involved. If the answer is no- than I wish to know why the other so called "forces of evil" don't react to the threat. Second- how does that dragon slayer plans to destroy all evil- who are her allies and what means she plan to use, for we need that information if we wish to stop her plans. Third, and most important" he smiled sweetly "What do we get from this?"

"All fair questions. Let's go one at a time."

"First- Most of the other gods of evil are helping. They've pooled our resources to... allow me to do what I am doing right now. They've also all notified their clerics about the dire situation. If you have one of these," he sits a small pile of charms on the table, "they should help you as much as they can. That said, they too can't do much more without breaching the pact."

"Second- I've no idea. As far as I can gather, her allies are a massive army of mostly kobolds; I'm not sure on the size. I've heard reports ranging from fifty thousand to fifty million. As for her plan, it seems to be brute force; take over the world one area at a time and purge it of evil. I don't know how it's working but it is. I suspect Platinum is already breaching the pact, but we can't prove it. If we could, things would be much easier."

"Third- I was hoping you'd ask. To start, not being killed; if I sent you all home, Ixen would surely get around to killing you. Second, should you be successful in this rather difficult mission, the various gods of evil have agreed to promote any of you who wish it to the title of god. Last, those same gods are willing to pay out one million gold pieces to each of you."

J-H

2014-11-01, 09:30 PM

Alshoon

Alshoon spreads his face-tentacles wide for a few seconds, before returning them to their usual position. "That is an offer I cannot refuse."

JBarca

2014-11-02, 02:00 PM

Flerikin

The horned man, for the first time, looks genuinely surprised.

"Godhood? Interesting. You've got my support in this. Where do we begin?"

LostLight

2014-11-03, 02:44 PM

Seeing that everyone got excited (which is natural, of course, considering the fact that the offer was tempting, something the gods of evil were good at), Dormal stood up and said "before we agree, I think our host needs to tell us two things- first, why especially we were chosen to that mission, and second, how can we be sure that the gods of evil will be true to their word?" he bowed before the dragon "not that I don't trust you, great Kracitss- but some of the dark gods are known for their... unpredictable nature"

qwertyu63

2014-11-05, 07:51 AM

"With regards to the first point, I have no idea. I was not trusted with that information; all I was told is that you were carefully chosen."

"As to your second question, a wise concern. However, you're in luck." he drops a stack of paper on the table "We have it in writing."

asdflove

2014-11-06, 11:44 AM

Relenius sits silently listening and sighs when it's mentioned that it's in writing. "Writing? Could anyone possibly read that aloud?"

Gospel Noctis

2014-11-07, 07:46 AM

"Well, the offer for godhood does sound tempting, but the evil gods and goddesses aren't really that well known for their trustworthiness. That said, I know a guy in the Order who specializes in magically binding contracts by the name of Alverius. Send a copy of the contract to him and have him look over it for me. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt while he checks things out and go along with this entire ordeal. If he gives the clear then we'll be in business. If it turns out you're trying to screw me over, I'll leave you to sort out this mess on your own. Hows that sound?"

qwertyu63

2014-11-07, 08:13 AM

"Very well." He snaps his fingers and a second copy of the contract appears on the table; he snaps again and it vanishes (teleported off to Alverius). "However, I must warn you; this contract already went through Mechanus itself, so your friend may find the wording more complex than he is used to."

Gospel Noctis

2014-11-08, 03:13 AM

"It'll be fine." The warblade waved, casually dismissing the comment. "Guy works better under pressure. If anything, he'll be thrilled at a chance to tackle something needlessly complicated. Anyways, where do we start? All this talk about obliterating holy armies is getting me excited."

JBarca

2014-11-08, 10:41 AM

Flerikin

Raising an eyebrow in disbelief, Flerikin asks, "May I?"

Without waiting for an answer, he reaches for this contract, and, assuming he is not stopped, gives it a brief reading, looking for any obvious signs of betrayal.

qwertyu63

2014-11-08, 02:09 PM

A quick skim of the contract reveals the following pertinent points:

1: it is 31 pages long.
2: the first 2 pages is the part you guys need to agree to and sign.
3: that part is relatively straightforward and reveals the dragon is being honest.
4: the first two pages also state that, in addition to the rewards the dragon has stated, you will each be furnished with one predetermined magic item each after signing the contract but before beginning your quest.
5: the remaining 29 pages contains the results of 52 evil gods and powerful evil outsiders negotiating exactly who will be providing exactly what part of the rewards.

J-H

2014-11-09, 10:08 AM

Alshoon

Alshoon skims the contract, then signs it. He checks the 29 following pages to see if any Illithid-related deities are involved.

qwertyu63

2014-11-09, 10:37 AM

There do not appear to be any Illithid-related entities involved.

JBarca

2014-11-09, 01:52 PM

Flerikin

Flerikin shrugs, glances at Dormal and offers a bit of a smirk, then signs the contract.

"And so it begins."

Gospel Noctis

2014-11-12, 12:02 AM

"So where do we start?"

qwertyu63

2014-11-16, 08:33 AM

"We will begin once the rest of you sign the document."

qwertyu63

2014-11-20, 02:26 PM

(I'm advancing as if the rest of you silently signed the document.)

"Alright then. Follow me to the equipment room."

He leads you to another room. In this room, there are 9 black boxes. Each of you has a box with your name on it, and there is one unlabeled box.

"Each of you gets the contents of the box with your name on it. I'll stand out in the hall here; let me know when you are ready to go."

JBarca

2014-11-20, 03:48 PM

Flerikin

Without moving, Flerikin waits until the guide leaves the room. Then, raising an eyebrow, he walks toward the unadorned box.

"Listen at the door."

Without checking to see if his command was heard, he attempts to open the box without a name on it.

qwertyu63

2014-11-20, 09:27 PM

Within, you find several items:

--3 pairs of matched stones.
--A scroll labeled "Raise Dead X5".
--Three very tiny spears.
--A large green gem.
--A stone with a draconic rune on it.

JBarca

2014-11-20, 10:18 PM

Flerikin

Quickly gathering up all of the items and stuffing them into his Haversack, Flerikin concentrates for a moment before calmly walking over to his own box and gathering the item therein.

Inside of the minds of each person in the room can be heard a voice. We'll see about determining the use of the extra items once we leave this place, so as not to attract attention.