The Death of Princess Maria IC

[TheEmperor]

Neroth had only just begun to speak, after a minute and a half of tense silence "Well, if it could be anything, I wou-", but he was cut off by the sudden appearance of the demon, provoking him into charging it almost immediately, in attempt to push it away, and buy time.

"A damned demon!"


Init
[roll0]
If I do win, then Charging Minotaur, which counts as a Bull Rush, doesn't provoke AoO's, and deals [roll1] damage to the demon.
CMB [roll2]
If I don't win init, well, damn, I'll have to count this as my next attack.

[WindStruck]

The cursed demon tries to grab Fenlaen but fails. He was simply too quick for it, as he tumbled behind it and out of harms way. Fen immediately countered by kicking the back of its knee.

CMB: [roll0]
Also have a +2 bonus to this, but it's negated...

And remember, it's free and provokes no AoOs

[WindStruck]

I should have done this with my first post! But you know. Rolls. You can't make new rolls in an old post.

Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

And to not spam again, just in case:
crit confirm: [roll2]
crit damage: [roll3]

By the way, can I still not fly right now?


Fen then takes his concealed dagger out and stabs the purple chain creature.

[NeoSeraphi]

The demon attacks Neroth!
[roll0]
Damage [roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]
[roll6]
[roll7]

[NeoSeraphi]

Sai sits back and watches Neroth screw up his parry. He sips his tea calmly. "Damn. You suck."

[TheEmperor]

Neroth rolled his eyes, and gritted his teeth, as he took the hits, one by one. He took a small, deep breath, and pulled out his sword with the words "I shall not fly with my wings, for they are not for" echoing under his breath. He knew why he fought, and hell taking him down, or someone being sarcastic about his mind being somewhere else wouldn't be enough to stop him from trying.

He simply went with the flow, and assumed a stance, to do his usual opening blow.

"No, this thing does."

Well, I hate you too, Forum Dice Roller
[roll0]
[roll1]
You should know what I'm doing by now...

[NeoSeraphi]

Despite Neroth swinging a little off-balanced, his attack actually hits the creature and harms it. The creature snarls and tries to grab Neroth and choke him.

CMB: [roll0]

----------------

Fenlaen stabs the demon with his knife, which leaves a mark that causes the creature to start bleeding. She roars and glares at Fenlaen, her eyes unnerving and full of hatred.

Fen has to make a Will Save (DC 15) or be shaken for [roll1] rounds. Remember the -2 penalty on saves from crushing despair.

[Diachronos]

Nissa shakes off the spell and charges, Ghellin darting in beside her as they launched a frenzied assault at the fiend.


+2 to all attacks from Charging
**Nissa**
Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
If Critical threat
Confirmation: [roll2]
Crit Damage: [roll3]

**Ghellin**

1st Talon:

Attack: [roll4]
Damage: [roll5]
Crit confirm: [roll6]
Crit damage: [roll7]

2nd Talon:

Attack: [roll8]
Damage: [roll9]
Crit confirm: [roll10]
Crit damage: [roll11]

Bite

Attack: [roll12]
Damage: [roll13]
Crit confirm: [roll14]
Crit damage: [roll15]

1st Claw:

Attack: [roll16]
Damage: [roll17]
Crit confirm: [roll18]
Crit damage: [roll19]

2nd Claw:

Attack: [roll20]
Damage: [roll21]
Crit confirm: [roll22]
Crit damage: [roll23]

[NeoSeraphi]

The demon snarls as Nissa attacks her and her raptor tears her up. She leaps back and raises one hand. A gate opens up under Ghellin's feet and a purple hand appears, trying to drag him down.

Ghellin needs to make a DC 20 Will save or be dragged to the Nine Hells.

[NeoSeraphi]

Ghellin is dragged into the Nine Hells and the portal closes. The demon grins and raises her hands, her chains dancing threateningly at Nissa. "Now...where were we?" she asks in a deep, raspy voice. The same voice Nissa heard in Mullmoon.

[NeoSeraphi]

Neroth manages to pull himself out of the creature's arms. She laughs and raises her hand. "Have it your way then," she whispers, and her four chains pounce on Neroth again.

Sai stops eating popcorn long enough to yell, "Hit her with the left hook, Neroth!"

Attack:[roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]
[roll6]
[roll7]

[Diachronos]

Nissa let out a feral shout and lunged at the demon again, striking with all the fury she could muster.


Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
If critical threat:
Confirm: [roll2]
Crit damage: [roll3]

[WindStruck]

Fen decides it's time to get out of there. He tries to fly but cannot, so he sprints on his legs for where he hopes he hears the clanking of armor, though perhaps he cannot tell that well because of the demon's chains.

moving 40' in some hopefully smart direction, and shaken for 2 rounds

[NeoSeraphi]

Nissa:
She chuckles and spreads her arms, letting Nissa's blade strike against her chest. "Sorry babe. Takes something a little sharper than that to hurt me. Not sure what you've been feeding that dino, but he had guts. You on the other hand? You can sit down and shut up now."

Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]
[roll6]
[roll7]

------------------------------

Fenlaen manages to hide behind some boxes in time for the guards to show up. They corral the demon into a corner and banish her to another plane of existence.

[TheEmperor]

Neroth took the damage, realizing that he was taking quite the pounding, and would probably have to start ending the fight. Or he could man the hell up, and take the attacks like he should have, back all those years back.

It then occurred to him how similar the demon was to the creature that his Uncle had been turned into, and a small, horrific, thought appeared in the back of his mind. He filed it away for later thought, and continued to fight on, with a barrage of non-maneuver attacks from the left, as suggested.


[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
Power Attack, the PF version, I think, has a cap on it. So, 3 points, right?
Please don't fail.
[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]

[NeoSeraphi]

Neroth only lands one hit, but the creature cries out in pain and steps back. "Ugh! You're more trouble than you're worth! I'll get you back soon!" She disappears.

Sai sips his tea and stands up, walking over to Neroth and patting him on the shoulder. "I've gotta say, if that's how you handle a skinny woman with magic chains, you don't stand a chance against Prince Leonis."

[WindStruck]

Fenlaen watches as the guards banish it. Thankfully what Nissa said was true. It was almost all too easy for them, the Order of the Rack... better for the professional demon slayers to fight it than him trying all by himself with the tiny knife...

He hides the kukri on his person again, and comes out from behind the boxes to speak with them. "Hey, thanks! ...I think someone summoned that thing trying to target me. But that's very strange, I was just flying by. I have no idea how they could have put it right in front of where I was going..."

He tests his wings again, seeing if they'll fly this time.

[NeoSeraphi]

Nissa:
The monster moves to finish Nissa off, but both of them stop when they hear a deadly cocking sound. From behind Nissa, a heavy repeating crossbow loaded with silver ammunition points directly at the demon's chest. The creature raises its hands and all four of its spikes assume a similar "disarmed" position.

Lord Highmarch steps forward. "Now now, that's enough of that. How long do you need her to stay put for?"

The creature growls and answers in Abyssal. Highmarch whistles. "Four hours? What kind of bank are you robbing there?" he asks. The creature replies again in Abyssal and Highmarch sighs. "Fine fine. I'll keep her here for four hours. Now beat it. I don't want to clean any more elf blood off this floor."

The creature's pentagram reappears and it vanishes. Highmarch grins and steps in front of Nissa. "Well, you heard the lady. Looks like you're stuck in this temple for four hours."

[Diachronos]

Nissa was about to charge again when the fiend raised its hands. She regarded Lord Highmarch as he spoke with the demon, staring incredulously at the priest. "You can't be serious. That monster just dragged my companion into Hell, and you expect me to just sit here and do nothing?!"

She started toward the temple entrance; maybe she could find someone in the city who could help her get Ghellin back. As she walked, she pulled up her hood, hoping to hide the tears that were starting to flow down her cheeks. Ghellin had to be alive, he had to be... what would she do if she lost him?

[TheEmperor]

Neroth nursed his wounds with a few rubs here and there, as he slid his sword right back into it's place. He didn't really like the way the sensei talked to him, but he had a point. His attacks were seriously bad.

"You are right, sensei, which is why I need training. I have taught myself the Sublime Way through simple memories and unclear stories, as well as some intuition, but I ask you to please teach me."


[roll]1d20+22[roll]
Diplomacy if needed


He thought for a second, and said "if there was any one thing I could do right now, it would be to shield all those who fight for the good of others from the attacks of the evil. To protect those who try to save their kin, their loved ones, or just someone they found under attack. I don't want people to suffer the way my older sister did when she took those blows for me. I hate it that I am helpless to watch self-sacrifice that goes in vain. I fight not because war is all I've known, or because I simply do it because it is good, but because of my selfish desire to stop the suffering of martyrs. What will it take for me to be able to defeat my enemies who stand with the tyranny of evil, and the blade of cruelty in their hands, and stop their maiming of the helpless?"

[NeoSeraphi]

"That's right, I do," the lord says, pointing his crossbow at Nissa's chest. "You're emotional right now, and you can't make a smart decision. You go out there without your partner and try and fight, you'll get yourself killed for no reason. Then who's going to save your pet? You stay here until they finish whatever they're doing. Don't make me use force, you should know by now how that well that goes for you."

The man appears to be perfectly serious, and his finger rests very delicately on the trigger as he waits for Nissa's response.

[NeoSeraphi]

Sai nods. "Okay. Here's how this will work. You come and train with me every day for the next week, and at the end of that week, you'll be a stronger man. Unfortunately, you won't be able to participate in the tournament if you choose to do that, since it's in three days."

[Diachronos]

Nissa wanted to start shouting at him, to accuse him of having some part of whatever the demons were planning, even to force her way past... but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Instead she sheathed her sword and stalked off deeper into the temple, finding a secluded corner where she sank to the floor and pulled her cloak tight around herself.

[NeoSeraphi]

Lord Highmarch follows her. "Good. Now that I've stopped you from doing anything stupid and prevented my God from looking like he was acting against Zon-Kuthon by taking a side in this fight, let's talk about how to get Ghellin back. I think you'll find, as an expert on planes and religion, I'm quite well-versed in the subject."

He smiles and offers her a cup of tea. A peace offering, and then sits on the floor across from her, waiting to hear her answer.


---------------------------------------

The guards look around and then glance at Fen. "You saw what happened here? Did you happen to see anyone near by who was waving their hands, or lighting a candle, or doing anything else particularly suspicious?" he asks.

[Diachronos]

Nissa didn't accept the cup, and for a while she didn't answer him at all. When she finally did speak up, she didn't look up. "I'm starting to question whether I can trust you at all, or any other follower of the Tarot for that matter. I know what blessings you've been given; everything you've said up to this point could have been a lie, and I have no way of knowing what the truth is."

[WindStruck]

Fen looks rather confused. "Um... no..? I was just flying along, above the buildings, trying to find my other friends here, when it suddenly felt like something was pulling me down. And then I landed about here," he says, pointing at the ground, "and there was this glowing pentagram thing the demon climbed up out of, and it tried to grab me!"

"If it helps, the same kind of thing attacked my friends in Mullmoon, and we couldn't figure out who did it there either... is there anything you can tell me about this demon?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Nissa:

Lord Highmarch bows from his sitting position. "Good. Perceptive and suspicious. Both traits I value quite nicely. But earning someone's trust is even more valuable, and if we want to bring back a healthy dinosaur and not a corpse, I don't have time to waste on niceties."

He stands up and raises one hand into the air. His aura glows and a deck of cards appears above him. "I, Lord Severus Highmarch, High Priest of The Devil, officially...reject my fate!"

The cards shuffle and The Devil is drawn, and then it turns itself over mid air until it is in the Reverse Position. Lord Highmarch's aura turns black and he groans as the curse afflicts him.

"Ouch. That hurts. A lot. Seriously, this is more pain than I've felt in a while. Am I talking too much? Sorry if I am. It's been a long time since I told the truth, so it's going to be like a floodgate at this point. It's cold in here. I should probably get better insulation but I'm not sure if I can afford it because I've been siphoning some of our collection money to spend on gambling. Oh s**t, shouldn't have said that. Man, do people actually swear oaths to tell the truth? Voluntarily? Because this sucks."

The Curse of the Devil:
Face of the Cursed Devil: Lord Highmarch is physically incapable of lying.
Can't Hide the Truth: Lord Highmarch has to make a Will save to resist answering a question he doesn't want to answer truthfully.

-------------------------------------------

The guard frowns and makes a few notes. "A summoning with no caster, that's troubling," he replies. "That creature was a kyton. A chain devil. They're not as common as other devils around here, but they're nasty and they have no problems attacking adventurers, especially when one or more of the adventurers is an attractive female. Looks like this one was attacking on someone's command, she seemed to submit immediately when we showed up. If she was here for her own reasons she would have resisted or ran."

[Diachronos]

Nissa scowled and looked up at him. "So you can't lie now, is it? Tell me... have you been truthful with me about anything you've said since I walked into this place? And why would you go along with what that monster is planning?"

[WindStruck]

Fenlaen tries to think... lighting candles, strange rituals? "Oh, wait. I came across a cleric who I think might have been trying to summon a demon on the outskirts of the Caratid Swamps nearly a week ago. Um, the whole thing is sort of a long story." He sighs. "Long, convoluted, disheartening... and I still don't even know what's going on. Let's see, his name was Xaron Allstaff, and he worshiped Zon-Kuthon..."

[NeoSeraphi]

"That's right, I can't lie at this point! And I've been one hundred percent truthful since you got here. The only time I lied is when I called you a 'lovely creature' when I first noticed you. If I'm being honest I've had my legs humped by dogs prettier than you. God looking at your face makes me want to vomit. I'm no prophet but I see dying alone and childless in your future. Can you please change the subject now before I keep going? Like how I wish I could change your face into a paper sack so I wouldn't have to keep looking at it?"

[NeoSeraphi]

"Where was this? And where is this Xaron Allstaff person now?" the guard asks, taking notes in his book again.

[Diachronos]

"Of course, I can't imagine why you'd want to be honest about that. For the past 10 years people have only seen me as a tool to get what they want or as a nuisance."

Nissa pulled her hood down over her head. "Why are you even willing to help me? You don't have anything to gain out of it, you said yourself that you don't want to get involved out of fear that others will think that your damned Tarot is going against Zon-Kuthon... From the sound of it you'd only be wasting your time helping someone like me."

[WindStruck]

"You know, the Caratid Swamps? Between Jazi and Sar'khan? On the way to Sha'Zhen?" Hmm, maybe these people could be helpful? Still, it would be a lot of explaining... "And... Xaron is dead now. He was just.. I don't know what happened, I was trying to interrogate him, and then he just randomly died, choking on his own blood! Assuming the coroner did his job and they were able to find the body, he should be buried in Sar'khan now..."

Fenlaen shrugs, "But the thing is, apparently Xaron was forced to do this. And he said it was likely that other clerics were as well... Like I said, it's a long story. Do you want to hear everything?"

[NeoSeraphi]

The guards look at each other and one of them says, "That's above my pay grade." The other nods and the two look at Fenlaen. "Why don't you come down to the barracks tomorrow? We'll have an appointment made so you can speak with our commander. That way you know your information is being heard by the right people and won't just be shoved in a desk somewhere."

---------------------------------

"Oh come now. Is it really a waste of time to help other people? To be generous, kind, and nice to someone? To reunite a little girl with her lost dog, as it were? Your raptor is an innocent victim in a dangerous game you never even wanted to start playing, Nissa Revane," Lord Highmarch answers, frowning. "And perhaps I can't do anything about how your father treated you, but I can certainly stop the demons involved from taking anything else from you. Helping people is why I became a priest in the first place. It's not a waste of time. It's the only good use of my time."

[Diachronos]

"How is it you know who I am? This is the first time I've ever come to this temple, and I don't recall ever meeting you before I left."

[NeoSeraphi]

The lord's aura blackens and he closes his eyes and concentrates very hard. "I'm...not really...at liberty...to say. Someone confided in me," he replies.

The area behind him darkens and three chains appear out of nowhere, with three red locks clicking over the intersections. The center lock is clamped shut over Highmarch's heart. "Blast this curse. But you understand, that particular detail is not that important right now."

[Diachronos]

Nissa raised an eyebrow. "Arios Heartshield, I assume? Or Commander Marx?"

[WindStruck]

Fenlaen nods. "Uh... ok... where is that? And also, you're saying that the Kyton won't likely attack anyone other than the people it was instructed to?"

[NeoSeraphi]

One of the locks on the side of the chains snaps. Lord Highmarch shakes his head quickly. "Enough. Let's change the subject, okay? Do you want your raptor back or not?"

------------------------

The guards give Fenlaen directions to the barracks, as well as a time to be at the office.

"Yes, summoned creatures rarely go after random people in the street, it encourages violence between the planes when they do that."

[Diachronos]

Nissa couldn't help smiling in spite of everything that had happened. For some reason she found it funny that the first person she got to "test" her secret-revealing power on was the same person who'd taught her how to utilize it. "It must be Arios, then. Commander Marx told me that even he, someone who's protected from fear by his faith, fears angering Arios Heartshield. Plus I overheard Arios telling Commander Marx that he'd seen me in the Forest of Despair shortly after I arrived here."

[NeoSeraphi]

"Fear? Me? I'm not afraid of that man, and you have nothing to say that I would be!" Lord Highmarch responds, and shakes his head. "Unless you can show me evidence that I'm afraid of Heartshield, then this line of questioning is over. Now then, let's get back to the important stuff."

[Diachronos]

"Perhaps I'll have to go see him myself after I'm done here and ask what he's done since he got back here..." She shrugged and let out a small sigh. "Is there truly a way to bring Ghellin back from Hell?"

[WindStruck]

Fen thanks the guards and continues on his search for Nissa and Neroth.

By the way, what time? Nothing too early, is it?

[NeoSeraphi]

The air returns to normal and the locks disappear. Lord Highmarch continues. "Yes. As long as you act quickly, you can venture into Hell yourself and rescue the dinosaur from its fate. In order to do this, you will need a method to travel to Hell, and some method of protection to keep yourself alive in that place. It won't be easy to find either of these items, but you shouldn't give up hope. Ghellin was still alive when he was dragged to Hell. That means his soul has not been damned, he was just taken somewhere else. You can rescue him as long as you get there before one of the devils kills him for fun or boredom."

------------------

At this point, it's about 10 PM for Fenlaen. (It's around 5 PM for Nissa and about 3 PM for Neroth).

[TheEmperor]

Neroth nodded, and said "As much as I would like to participate in the tournament, I am not nearlyskilled enough. And the tournament will happen again, but the troubles that plague me, my friends and the rest of our world, are far more important. When do we start?"


Should we do a time skip or something for the training? Because me being all the way back at 3 PM is pretty bad.

[Diachronos]

"What sort of items would I need? And what kind of 'protection' would be needed aside from weapons made for killing demons?" She considered how long it might take to locate these items... would Ghellin stand a chance of living long enough for her to rescue him?

[NeoSeraphi]

"You can't just walk into another plane. There's no air to breathe in the Nine Hells, for example. After all, none of the human souls there are alive to breathe it. The spell that was used to teleport Ghellin there also tainted his body enough to where he'd be able to survive on the plane on his own, but you'll need something else. We in the divine field refer to it as 'planar adaptation'. And I can see that worry in your eyes. But it's not a question of whether you can find them in time to save him. You will find them and save him. That's all you need to know. Right?" Lord Highmarch asks, giving Nissa an encouraging smile.

--------------------------------------

Neroth and Sai train for the rest of the day. Sai works with him to define how his maneuvers can be used to help others and then coaches him by having him run simulations where a female marital adept was given the role to play as his older sister and Sai was the monster that killed her. Neroth found himself easily able to land his strikes and hit even harder than usual by the end of the day.

It was about 10 PM when Neroth finally left the dojo. He spots Fenlaen on the street talking to some guards nearby.

[Diachronos]

Nissa did her best to manage a smile, but she was still worried. "...Do you have any ideas of where to start searching?"

[NeoSeraphi]

"Not off the top of my head. Do you know of anyone who can plane shift? If so that person likely either has the means to travel to the Nine Hells and/or a method of surviving on that plane when he or she gets there." Lord Highmarch points out.

[Diachronos]

"Now that you mention it... yes, I saw Arios use it when he left us behind in the Forest of Despair, right before it was..." She went quiet for a moment, recalling all of the innocent lives that were lost due to the events in the forest and how much it had devastated Fen. "Before it was dragged into the Nine Hells by a demon. A Nelfenshee, I think."

[NeoSeraphi]

"Well, there you go. In four hours, you can go to Heartshield's place and talk to him then. Problem solved!" Lord Highmarch says, trying to cheer her up.

[Diachronos]

"If he'll even help me. I mean... he said when he was talking with Commander Marx that he was interested enough in me to use a wish to resurrect me, but... I have no idea why." She looked outside, noting that it was late afternoon to early evening. "Four hours from now he'll probably be asleep..."

[TheEmperor]

By the time Neroth was done, he'd had one hell of a day. He didn't even notice the time and condition of the skies until he realized that he was bumping into walls due to the lack of light. It had been... quite the time he'd had. It occurred to him that Fen and Nissa were probably still out there, although he felt like they knew where he was. He frowned, as he looked around, realizing he had no idea the where the hell he was.

Perhaps he could find Nissa or Fen around?


[roll0]
Rollin for the perceptions

[NeoSeraphi]

"I seriously doubt that," Lord Highmarch replies, and before Nissa can speak, the chains and locks are back. It appears that Lord Highmarch and Arios Heartshield have a complicated history, but for now it seems like Nissa can trust him at his word that Arios will be awake when she goes to see him.

[Diachronos]

"Well, seeing as I'm stuck here for another 4 hours, there's something else I'm curious about... why would you agree to keep me here at the request of a demon?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Lord Highmarch sighs and shakes his head. "Because...because I know what the demons are doing. They're congregating in town at the request of one Jacob Revane to do something on his behalf, and I know that would make you want to storm out of here and do something stupid about it and get yourself killed."

[Diachronos]

"I... see..." Her hand moved, tightly gripping the hilt of her sword. "So you're helping my father, is that it? Doing his dirty work in exchange for a cut of the profits from his new gold mines?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Lord Highmarch raises his crossbow and points it at Nissa. "Little girl, I am being totally honest with you right now. I am cursed to do so. So believe me when I tell you that you would die before you finished drawing your sword. I have what you might call a 'homefield advantage', and that's why no one can stand up to me here. It's why that demon decided to leave you alive in my care rather than try and fight me for the chance to kill you."

"I'm not helping your father. I'm helping you. Did the part about you getting yourself killed not register with you? You couldn't even handle one of those demons after Ghellin was taken from you. What makes you think you could stand up to a group?"

[TheEmperor]

Now that he'd found Fen, he waltzed right up to him, as he looked over at the policemen he was talking to. "Lemme guess, you were assaulted by a demon? Same thing here. Are you alright?" he said, since it was a reasonable guess.


Although he sure as he wasn't alright. because his metagame powers allowed him to notice that he was at 40 ish hp out of 118.

[Diachronos]

"I'm... I'm sorry..." She let go of the sword and shrank back into the corner, squeezing her eyes shut. He was right; she was in no state to do anything about what she'd seen or learned right now. "Do you know what it is my father's planning? Or did the demon not specify what his intentions were?"

[NeoSeraphi]

"Her exact words were 'I'm going to make sure the girl stays with you for a while. Unless you want to earn the ire of the new Senator, I suggest you comply with our wishes'. I'm not particularly worried about Revane's opinion of me, but I saw an opportunity to keep the two of you separated and I took it. You really don't want to be anywhere near the man right now, do you? You're clearly still infuriated about what happened. Plus, as I said before, you have a face that could break a mirror and you stink like hellfire."

[Diachronos]

"No, I don't want to see him again. Not unless it's with a sword in hand and ends with him getting what he deserves for what he did to me, my mother, and that poor woman who fell for his charms."

She scowled at his last remarks. "I get it, you've seen more attractive women. You don't need to keep rubbing it in..."

[WindStruck]

"Oh, hey Neroth! Uh.. right. Just a few minutes ago, it appeared out of nowhere here. You were attacked by a demon too? A Kython? When? Where?"

[NeoSeraphi]

"Actually I've seen more attractive ooz-No, you're right. I need to reign it in. If you'll excuse me, I think it's time to put an end to this horribly unpleasant experience."

He stands up and waves his hand. The deck of cards appears over him and The Devil is redrawn and rotated into the upright position. His black aura returns to its comfortable shade of blue. "Ah...much better. Oh hello Lady Revane. You're looking especially fetching today. So, would you like to pray while you wait for your voluntary imprisonment to end?"

[TheEmperor]

"Oh, hey Neroth! Uh.. right. Just a few minutes ago, it appeared out of nowhere here. You were attacked by a demon too? A Kython? When? Where?"

Neroth nodded, and said "A few hours back, although I was able to beat it down... But since it was done with a surprisingly large amount of ineptitude, I got told off for lacking form by a Sublime Way master."

He looked over at the police, and said "The Sublime Way dojo over there also had a similar summoning, although I can easily claim that no one I saw there could have summoned it. It was pretty easy to deal with, at least for the people inside the dojo. Had I failed, the master would probably have taken care of it with a few strikes."

[Diachronos]

Nissa stood and walked away from him, not saying a word. She didn't try to leave, though, seeing little use in trying to sneak past the clergy without any issue. She sought out a quiet place to continue working on the flute she'd been crafting, hoping to make a little progress in the 4 hours she was stuck there.


Apparently I've been forgetting about her masterwork artisan's tools this whole time.
Craft: [roll0]

[NeoSeraphi]

Nissa manages to finish her flute in the time she spends working on it.

Because honestly, why not. Crafting would take forever otherwise, so go ahead and have your cheap instrument.

[Diachronos]

As soon as she was permitted, Nissa left the temple, and started heading for the address that Commander Marx had given her. Along the way she kept her face hidden beneath her hood and scarf, and kept an eye out for her companions.

[NeoSeraphi]

Nissa arrives at a small brick house near the docks. When she knocks, the door opens and Arios Heartshield is standing there, fully armored including his helmet. "Nissa Revane is it? Well well, what are you doing here in Mys'tai? I would have thought you'd never voluntarily return to this place."

[Diachronos]

"Believe me, Sir Heartshield, I would not have returned if circumstances did not force me and my companions to come here. When the forest was swallowed by the Nine Hells, we were stranded on this side of the crater." She sighed and thought back to what she'd learned today. "Though, truth be told, I'm somewhat grateful I did return."

[WindStruck]

Fen looks back over to the guards. "Hmm. I guess they can put it in their report too, but I do find that strange. Seems someone is able to target us from a distance and without setting up any kind of fancy ritual!"

[NeoSeraphi]

"The appropriate title for someone in my position is 'Grandmaster', not 'Sir'," Arios replies. "Took you longer than I expected to get here. I would have thought dropping your name while you were eavesdropping would have gotten you to my door within the hour. I guess
..you must have gone to see Taalia."

[Diachronos]

Nissa stared at him for a moment before shaking her head. He was on the Council of Mythos, so of course he would have seen her following him. "...No, actually, I haven't been to see my mother. I decided against it after Commander Marx said that he didn't want her to be around the kind of anger I felt after what she's been through."

She regarded him for a moment before crossing her arms. "Why did you want me to come here to begin with?"

[NeoSeraphi]

"Well, it's certainly nothing inappropriate, I assure you. I've had my leg humped by dogs prettier than you," Arios answers, stepping out of the way to allow Nissa inside. "I simply wanted to make it clear that I had nothing to do with Maria's kidnapping. After the way your little group harassed Orion and Sakura I thought I'd save myself the trouble."

[Diachronos]

She frowned and crossed her arms as he let her in. "Your rudeness aside, I didn't come here to accuse you of being involved with that. My companions and I are certain that the culprit is posing as members of the Council of Mythos; Fen's met Orion and I've met Sakura, and they are nothing like the person who abducted Maria or the one who destroyed Sha'Zhen's Temple of Death and killed Fen."

"No, I came here for... for personal reasons. I'm sure you've already heard about the demon that attacked the Temple of Tarot earlier today?"

[NeoSeraphi]

The armored man gives a slight nod. "I believe Severus mentioned something to that effect, yes. Kytons are a strange group, to be sure. Thankfully no one was harmed seriously. Er...you are going to get that wound looked at, aren't you?"

[Diachronos]

Nissa blinked and looked down at herself, suddenly realizing that she was still wounded from the fight. With everything that had happened, she hadn't even thought about her own injuries. "Oh... right..." She pressed her hand against the cuts, a soothing power mending the wounds. "I'm sorry, I've been distracted after the fight. The... the demon dragged Ghellin into its home plane..."


Cure Moderate Wounds: [roll0]

[NeoSeraphi]

"Ghellin? What the hell is a Ghellin? I seem to recall that short flying rodent that travels with you had a stupid name, but I thought it started with an 'f'. I only remember that because it reminded me of 'fairy'." Arios replies. "In any case, my condolences. He was annoying, but I'm sure he was an important traveling companion for you. May he rest in peace."

[Diachronos]

Nissa grit her teeth. "My raptor, you imbecile! The reptilian creature that was with us when we came to the forest, the creature I've bonded and hunted with for the past seven years! The damned demon opened a portal that dragged him into the Nine Hells!"

She bit back her next part of the rant, taking a deep breath as she closed her eyes and got herself under control again. "Highmarch told me that I'd need something that he calls 'planar adaptation' if I'm going to go to their plane and save Ghellin, and that I should come ask you for help."

[NeoSeraphi]

"Did he now?" Arios asks, sitting back in his chair. "And what makes you think I would help you? Was giving you your own life back not enough charity to offer a complete stranger?"

[Diachronos]

Nissa crossed her arms. "True enough, but I'm curious as to why you expended something as valuable as a wish to bring me back. If you just wanted to provide them with a way to revive me, why not just provide my companions with the funds to do so and send them on their way, or direct them to someone who owes you a favor?"

[NeoSeraphi]

The darkness appears again, and five red locks on chains appear, criss crossed all over Arios's chest. "No reason in particular. Sakura seems to have taken a liking to you, that's all." he states simply.

[Diachronos]

"She's taken a liking to you too, it seems, judging by that statue in her entrance hall. That still doesn't explain why you'd use something so valuable on me; why not just send us back to Sakura to have her see about resurrecting me?"

[NeoSeraphi]

"Yes, she took a liking to me about six times before she was satisfied she could recreate my likeness from memory. Since then she's taken a 'liking' to me at least once a week. Claims that having a statue just makes her miss the real thing even more," Arios replies drily, completely unembarrassed. "And since you seem to be forgetting, sending you back to the city where you were killed seemed to me like a terrible idea at the time."

[Diachronos]

Nissa's eyes wandered around the room as Arios gave his "explanation", looking for anything that might give her some help with breaking through those damned locks.


[roll0]

[NeoSeraphi]

Since someone didn't declare what they were doing, just rolled a dice with some random modifier attached to it. :smalltongue:
The inside of Arios's house is covered in shields. There are literally 200 different types of shields spread out throughout the living room. They all have their own style, each of them looks hand-crafted and masterwork, from different regions and with different race makers. There is a fireplace burning with a shield hanging on the mantle proudly over it. That shield has the Jazi coat of arms on it. There are two exits to the room. One leads to a staircase that goes up to the second floor, the other leads into another room Nissa assumes to be a kitchen.

[Diachronos]

"So, you spent a wish to resurrect me just because Sakura took a liking to me? And why bother to tell Commander Marx about seeing me just to get my attention? Surely you'd think he would have told my mother that I'd been seen nearby..."

She crossed over to regard the shield with the Jazi symbol on it. "There's also the fact that I've been hearing your voice in my head ever since I was brought back..."

[NeoSeraphi]

That part about her hearing the voice in her head was just to emphasize that his voice sounded familiar to her. It's not an actual magical effect or anything like that.

"You speak as if you know what a wish is from experience. For all you know, I could conjure myself a new ring of three wishes without so much as a thought," Arios shoots back, waving one hand for emphasis. A kitten appears out of thin air and climbs into Nissa's lap. It mews and purrs, rubbing up against her seeking attention, and then Arios waves his hand again and it vanishes.

"I have no interest in Taalia Marx. I only brought her up before because I figured that was the only thing that would keep you from coming here and asking the same questions you're asking right now."

[Diachronos]

Nissa sighed. "Why would I ask my mother about reaching the Nine Hells? She's a seamstress, not some sort of demon hunter... And you said that you brought me here to tell me that you weren't involved in Maria's kidnapping? Why not just tell us back in the forest, when you could have told all of us?"

[NeoSeraphi]

One of the locks breaks. Arios crosses his arms. "What a petulant child you are. Does my reason for reviving you really matter? You still haven't offered a shred of gratitude for that, by the way. Not to mention, you're avoiding the real question here: why possible reason would I have to help you get your pet back?"

[Diachronos]

"My apologies, Grandmaster. You have my thanks for providing the means to resurrect me. Be that as it may, there are still things about this situation that bother me. Such as why your voice seemed so familiar to me while we were travelling here."

[NeoSeraphi]

Another lock breaks. Three left. The mage clears his throat. "You used to live here in the city, did you not? You probably knew me then. I'm quite famous around these parts after all."

[Diachronos]

"I think I'd have remembered meeting a member of the Council of Mythos as a girl. Especially if you dressed like that," she gestured to his armor, "at the time."

[NeoSeraphi]

A third lock broken. Arios tilts his helmet down, looking at his armor. "Ah yes, I suppose it slipped my mind, but I've only been a member of The Council of Mythos for about five years. So I guess you wouldn't have seen me in this town then. You mentioned that this other person was trying to frame us though. Maybe he appeared as someone else in front of you and just used my voice to make you suspicious?"

The funny thing is that all of this could have been avoided if Nissa had made that one Int check a while back to remember where she heard the voice from

[Diachronos]

"That would be a possibility, if it weren't for the fact that my resurrection in the forest was the first time I'd heard your voice since before Princess Maria was abducted."


Don't rub it in :/

[NeoSeraphi]

The other two locks break at once and Arios sighs. "Fine...you win. You forced my hand here, Nissa." He reaches up and slowly pulls his helmet off. Nissa immediately recognizes him.

The person sitting in front of her is a male half-elf about the same age as her. When she was growing up in Mys'tai, the two of them were friends. His name was Sora Lightcard. "Look, I don't know if you remember, but when we were kids we used to spend a lot of time together. You were one of my good friends when I was a teenager."

[Diachronos]

Her eyes widened when she saw whose face was under the helmet. How could she have forgotten Sora's voice of all people? "...How could I forget one of my best friends from my childhood? But, I don't understand... why all the secrecy?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Arios doesn't immediately reply. Instead, he unhooks his sword from his belt and sets it on the ground. Then he stands up and begins the long, silent process of unhooking his armor from his body. Slowly, surely, he unties every knot and unbuckles every latch. The enormous heavy armor falls to the ground, and Arios is left with nothing but some simple clothes protecting him. He opens both hands wide and closes his eyes. "I've been dreading this day since you left, Nissa, but go ahead. It actually feels good to get this off my chest, and all you can do is cut me up after all. Here goes. I'm...I'm the person who taught your father the ritual to open a gate to the Abyss. I'm sorry."

[Diachronos]

Her jaw dropped. This was the last thing she'd expected to hear from him. "Sora, I... I don't understand..." She stood and walked over, kneeling in front of him to meet his eyes. "Why? Why did you teach him such a thing?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Arios frowns. "I honestly had no idea he would go as far as he did! You know what kind of city this is! I expected him to simply call a succubus or a kyton to come to his service and help him further his political goals. It never even occurred to me that the portal could be used to make a living sacrifice! I was young and naive, I honestly thought the worst he could do was ruin someone else's life politically."

[Diachronos]

Nissa reached out and pulled him close, holding onto him tightly. "I know you didn't mean for this to happen, Sora. You're not that kind of person... you wouldn't have told him anything if you'd suspected that he might do something like what he did."

[NeoSeraphi]

Arios is quiet for a moment, letting her hug him but not returning it, before stepping back. "Glad to see you're okay. Though I suppose things haven't changed a bit. You saw right through my lies and evasive language. And you're just as stubborn and pushy as ever." He laughs and starts putting his armor back on, finishing with his helmet. "Anyway," he continues, taking his seat again, "after the accident I left Mys'tai in order to learn more about magic, and also to get away from all the bad memories I had. I ran into Justin and the two of us became fast friends. I told him that I had some people I had to apologize to, but I wasn't sure if I'd ever be able to make up for what I'd done. So he told me to become strong. Stronger than anyone else in the world. If I did that, I could apologize a hundred times and people would listen, because my one mistake would be erased by all the good I did for the world."

He sighs and waves his hand again. An enormous wall of magic appears between Nissa and Arios. Nissa can see it is actually seven walls stacked together, each one inch thick, and all different colors and pulsing with energy. Arios picks up a dagger from a foot locker near his feet and tosses it at the wall, where it promptly evaporates into dust. He waves his hand and the wall dissipates. "I don't question my success. It is an absolute. I am the strongest abjurer in the world, and the only eldritch knight in the Council of Mythos. Becoming a supreme master of the arcane was not enough for me. I trained with all kinds of weapons and I got so used to my armor that I could sleep in it no problem. Casting spells, even advanced spells, while wearing this full plate is second nature to me. And my strength rivals that of a giant. After ten years of hard work, I came back to this city, convinced that I had finally become the person I needed to be. And then I found out that you were already dead. ...I found that ring in a dungeon three years ago. I told myself I'd give it to you if I ever found you again, as a way to make up for what you'd lost. But something happened, and I needed to use a wish to escape from the dungeon unharmed. Then last year I was shipwrecked and my spellbook was lost to the waves. So I had to use another wish to retrieve it so that I could use my magic to save myself and my crew. But since then, I stayed firm. Harpies, chimeras, warlocks and demons, I never used that last wish no matter how dark times got. I always thought if I handed it to you and said, 'Here's what I did. You can wish that I was never born, and then you and your mother and father would still be a happy family', that that would fix everything. But...you were already dead."

[Diachronos]

Nissa shook her head and walked up to him, placing a hand on his cheek. "You know I could never have made that wish. Even if you're to blame for my father knowing how to perform the ritual, it doesn't change the fact that he is the one that tried to sacrifice me. He is the one who abused the knowledge you gave him. And I've no doubt that if you hadn't taught the ritual to him, he would have found another way. Even if I could bring myself to erase you and what you've done from history, it wouldn't have changed my father's lust for power."

She looked down at the floor, her hand dropping to his chest. "...Don't worry, Sora. Your secret is safe with me."

[NeoSeraphi]

Arios places a gloved hand on hers over his chest. "Nissa, I can't imagine how it must feel to be back here, around all this. But I will say that I am on your side. Er...I mean, well, you know. You can count on me, on all this power that I've spent years building up in order to be worthy to stand by you again."

[Diachronos]

She looked up at him. "I'm glad to hear that, because we might need it. Something big is happening, and I'm positive it's something bad."

She told him everything that had happened to them up to that point: "Orion" abducting Maria and killing Amora, "Sakura" destroying the Temple of Death and killing Fen, their encounters with the real Orion and Sakura, the incident in Mullmoon that had led to her death, and both attacks by the chain devils. "According to Severus, the demon who attacked me at the temple was working under my father's command. I don't know if he's involved in this or just trying to profit off of it, but... I don't know..." She pulled her hand back. "Maybe whoever is orchestrating all of this is responsible for my father obtaining those gold mines, and this is how he's repaying them."

[NeoSeraphi]

"Well, those of us who weren't locked up against our will happened to see what went down in the town square around four hours ago. A group of kytons appeared out of nowhere and attacked the nobility's residential district. Every time a guard showed up to banish them, they'd go back to Hell and reappear in another spot five minutes later. At first, it wasn't entirely clear what their mission was, but..."

Arios sighs and shrugs helplessly. "I'm sorry, Nissa. Honestly, until you knocked on my door I was in the middle of trying to figure out how to solve this problem. The Marx Manor was completely destroyed, and Lady Taalia Marx was kidnapped from inside its walls. Her whereabouts, as well as Jacob Revane's, are currently unknown."

[Diachronos]

Nissa stepped back and covered her mouth, her eyes wide with fear. "They... they took my mother?" She closed her eyes tightly, trying not to break down. After all these years she'd learned that her mother still lived... and now she'd been taken, likely at her father's command. It took a large amount of effort to keep from screaming curses at the gods; hadn't they taken enough from her already?

"We need to find her. If those kytons were working for my father as well, then my mother's likely with him, and I'm afraid of what he might be planning for her." She turned to Sora, a pleading look in her eyes. "There must be some way to find out where they took her, isn't there? Or to find out where my father is?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Arios walks over to a closet and opens the door. He begins rummaging through the items in the closet, and produces a crystal ball. He sets it on a table. "This is the last thing I can try. Casting this spell will take approximately one hour. But it should let me see through her eyes."

[Diachronos]

She nodded. "If it has even the slightest chance of telling us where she is, we need to try. Is there any way that I can assist you with the spell?"

[NeoSeraphi]

"Do you have anything that belonged to her? A necklace or a ring? If so letting me hold it will strengthen the connection." Arios explains.

[NeoSeraphi]

It's getting late, so Fenlaen and Neroth need to find a place to sleep for the night. Fenlaen recalls the suggested inns Natasha gave him. If Neroth hurries he might catch the last ferry to his island home.

[Diachronos]

Nissa reached for her belt and pulled out a simple steel dagger, with her mother's family crest etched into the blade. "She gave this to me a few weeks before I ran away. She said that it's the same one that she used when she was growing up."

[NeoSeraphi]

Arios takes the weapon and goes into a deep trance, chanting under his breath in a language Nissa has never heard.

It occurs to Nissa that if he's really going to be at this for an hour she could use the time for other things like going to meet with her friends, going to examine the damage at Marx Manor, going to her old home or even just snooping around Arios's house.

[Diachronos]

Nissa stood as Arios began casting the spell. "I'm going to see if I can find out anything about what happened at the Marx manor. I'll come back once I've had a chance to look around." She headed out the door and began crossing the city to where Commander Marx and her mother had lived. Hopefully the commander was still alive; she didn't want him to die from getting caught up in all of this.

Along the way, she kept an eye out for any sign of her companions. Though with the time of night, she wouldn't have been surprised to find that they'd already found a place to stay for the night.

[NeoSeraphi]

Arios and Marx actually live in the same district. It's just a five minute walk to Marx Manor, or what's left of it. Commander Marx is standing outside a pile of scorched rubble looking very irritated as he answers a guard's questions.

[Diachronos]

Nissa walked up, but waited until the guard had finished speaking with the commander before addressing him. "Commander Marx, I'm glad to see that you're alright. I... Arios told me about what happened..."

[TheEmperor]

Neroth looked at Fen, and said "No need to stay at an inn. If we hurry, we might still be able to find a ferry that leads to the house King Caineghis gave me. We can stay there, although 'd wish that we could find Nissa first. I'm sure she's fine, since she has Ghellin with her, but it's still worrying."

[NeoSeraphi]

The commander turns to greet Nissa and blinks in surprise. "Sweet Asmodeus, what in the Nine Hells happened to you? Pick a fight with a bicycle?" he asks, indicating her severe wounds and the somewhat bloody impressions of chain left on her skin. "Yeah. I get home from work only to hear that the commander in charge of this district has been running around like a chicken with his head cut off looking for kytons in the area, and while they were chasing ghosts the demons all came back to this spot and torched the place. There was no body found so we assume that Taalia was kidnapped....No, not assume. I know she was kidnapped, and I know she's still alive." The commander says the last part to himself, like he's trying to encourage himself. There is a great deal of pain in his expression.

[WindStruck]

Fenlaen brightens up a bit and says, "Sure! Should be some kind of ferry by the docks, right? Let's hope they're still going this late."

Fen goes with Neroth, and he'll try to help find this ferry as well as try to delay them from leaving without Neroth if possible.

And I'm sure Nissa is fine since she has Ghellin with her... :smallwink:

[Diachronos]

Nissa placed a hand on Commander Marx's shoulder. "Sor... I mean, Arios is scrying for her right now. I'm positive he'll be able to find her, or at least an idea of where she was taken."

A worried look crossed her face as she debated over whether or not to reveal her suspicions as to who was behind this. "A kyton attacked me at the Temple of Tarot earlier today, and when Father Highmarch tried to intervene the demon told him that she was there at the request of Senator Revane, to keep me from interfering with something. Apparently he'd disappeared as well around the same time as the attack here."


I hate you two right now :smalltongue:

[NeoSeraphi]

The pair make their way to the docks as the moon rises in the sky. In the distance, a wolf howls and the breeze picks up. Neroth subconsciously pulls the mithral sleeves of his breastplate down, trying to cover more of his arms as the temperature rapidly drops. Finally, after half an hour of walking in the cold and the dark, the pair reach the docks, but just as they're about to board the ferry, a rumbling voice from nearby catches Neroth's attention.

"Oy! Would ya look at tha' man? Tha' man with the great big sword on 'is back! 'E looks like 'e could use a drink! Oy! Mate, why don'cha come and 'ave a few ales with me? My treat!"

Neroth turns to see one of the largest dwarves he's ever seen before.

http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20141023215827/leagueoflegends/images/b/b8/Gragas_OriginalSkin.jpg
The dwarf is calling at Neroth from a pub, The Rabble Rouser, and holding up an ale that even from this distance Neroth's cultured palate identifies as delicious and expensive.

[WindStruck]

Fen shivers a bit as it gets colder. The stupid clothes Jalessi left him were hardly good for anything at all except covering up one's modesty. But maybe they didn't have time for a drink...

The pixie sat on a nearby railing eying the dwarf and the pub dubiously. Then he looked back toward the ferry for any signs of activity.

[NeoSeraphi]

"'Arios'?" Commander Marx repeats, looking at her suspiciously. "If you don't want to experience his wrath, you best respect him and refer to him as 'Grandmaster Heartshield', like everyone else, even when it seems like he's not watching." Marx looks unnerved even as he only mentions Arios's ire. "Yeah, trust me. The second I heard my house had been hit, Castle Revane is the first place I looked. But he's gone. I got so angry I decided to satisfy my curiosity and take a look inside that new door he had installed, but it's sealed tight with some kind of magic. It won't budge no matter how hard we try, and believe me, we tried. I had ten men on that door including myself."

[Diachronos]

She nodded and looked off in the direction of her old home. "I may have a way inside, Commander. If I can get in, I'm sure I can find a way to get the door open to let you and your men inside." Nissa had a determined look on her face as she turned her gaze back on her step-father. "Don't worry. Somehow we'll rescue Lady Marx, and bring Jacob Revane to justice..."

[NeoSeraphi]

The commander nods solemnly and hands Nissa a small brooch. It is heart-shaped, and blood red, with a soft glow to it. "This was recovered from the wreckage. I'm not sure what it is, but I know it's nothing of mine or Taalia's."

[TheEmperor]

Neroth was quite worried about missing about the ferry, but as he was making his way to the ferry, he was heavily distracted by the call of a very large dwarf, with a mug of ale in his hand. He squinted a bit, trying to see the ale in his mug, and when he saw it, the texture immediately called to him. Fifteen years of almost constant drinking had left him with a supernatural recognition power for good ale. And he hadn't had any in a few weeks, which was terrible.

"Fen, uhh... You take this, take the ferry. I'll come across later... if you don't mind." he said, handing the key to Fen, before he thought about it, and said "Actually, you come with me. We're going to get hammered.", and made his way towards the bar.

[WindStruck]

Fen sighed and said, "damnit" under his breath. He really wanted to see the house. He imagined it would be quiet and peaceful, beautiful, and the birds might wake him at dawn...

On the other hand, a stiff drink didn't seem like such a bad idea. Or twelve. He certainly had an excuse to get smashed... so, he hesitantly began to follow Neroth.

[Diachronos]

Nissa accepted the brooch, examining it in the dim light. "Perhaps Grandmaster Heartshield will recognize it, or at least have an idea of who will. I'll ask him when I go back." As she put the brooch away, she remembered the amulet she'd found back in the Cavern of Fate. "Commander, I don't know if this is related, but..." She produced the black sun amulet and showed it to him. "My companions and I found this while we were assisting with an incident in Jazi. After everything that we've experienced up to this point, I think whoever left this amulet behind might be connected with the kyton attacks in some way."

[NeoSeraphi]

Neroth and Fenlaen take a seat and the dwarf orders them all a round. The drinks come and they have just the right amount of burn going down Neroth's throat. The taste is different than Fen is used to, but it does taste about as hard and fermented as he always guessed dwarven ale would taste. Their drinking buddy calls out, "Oy, Natasha, get tha' beautiful ass o'er 'ere!"

The nymph songstress appears from across the room and sits in the dwarf's lap, holding her own mug. Her cheeks are flushed with liquor. She turns and gasps in recognition. "Oh my! It's little Fenny! Hiiiii Fenny!"

The dwarf looks at Fenlaen in surprise. "Lass, you know the li'l one?" "Yep! Fenny, meet Gragas!"

Gragas turns to Neroth and raises a glass cheerfully. "Gragas Mineflooder, Esquire. A pleasure to meetcha, laddy! And where do you 'ail from, eh?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Commander Marx gasps in surprise. "That's...that's a Black Sun identification amulet! And you've got the third ranking member's! Oh, he is going to be pissed when he finds out that's missing! Super pissed! Like pissed enough to show up out of nowhere and shoot two of your party members in the throat for seemingly no reason!" He twists it over a few times, apparently looking for something to verify its identity. "Yep. This is the real deal. The Black Sun is a group of renegade warriors and mages out to make everyone else suffer. They kill, steal, rape and plunder for seemingly no reason at all. They commit crimes all over the world in every city, and each one of the major cities has a high ranking member. See this number 3 here? This means that the person who dropped this is third in command. In order to be in charge of a base, you have to be 5 or higher."

[TheEmperor]

Neroth chugged a very large gulp of ale, letting the amazing liquid, the one thing that he dared call the Nectar of the Gods, flow right down his throat. He banged it down on the table, with a very happy smile on his face. "Well, I am Neroth Vandire, and I come from where ever they serve ale... Being an adventurer is really good for ale lovers. And it's a pleasure to meet you, too. Say, what made me catch your attention, if you don't mind asking?" he said, after which he drained the entire mug in a very greedy gulp. He signaled for another one from the bartender.

[Diachronos]

"I think we know who's responsible for the abduction of Princess Maria, then. And for the murder of Princess Amora." She looked at the amulet in Marx's hand. "He was masquerading as Grandmaster Orion from the Council of Mythos, and he spoke of taking control of Mullmoon's army to lead it against Kha'Rest. It's possible that he or another member of the Black Sun is posing as Grandmistress Sakura as well."

She thought back to the kyton attack in Mullmoon. "When we were in Mullmoon, another kyton had attacked me. Do you... do you think that what happened there could be connected to the attacks today?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Commander Marx frowns and strokes his chin thoughtfully. "First of all, that's Grandmaster Gravestorm and Grandmistress Ashmond to you," he reminds her, shaking his head. Kids today. No respect for their elders. "As for your question, I have no idea what to tell you. The Black Sun presence in Mullmoon isn't that strong, at least, from what I've heard, but the guards there are so militant and think of themselves as basically being secret police and foot soldiers at the same time that they rarely communicate with other nations."

--------------------------

The dwarf grins. "It's good to meetcha Neroth. And I agree, ain't nothin' two men can argue over tha' can't be settled by a stiff drink, aye?" Natasha hiccups. "Yep! I loooooooove booze! Booze is how I met six of my boyfriends! Was it six? I don't remember now..." She slumps sleepily on Gragas's chest. The dwarf chuckles. "You'll 'ave to excuse the lady, she ain't got much of an irongut, but she sure knows how ta party!"

When Neroth asks Gragas what drew his eye, Gragas points to the gaping chest wound. "Like I said, ya looked like ya could use a drink or two."

[Diachronos]

Nissa rolled her eyes; the man was lecturing her like he was her father. "What of the Black Sun's position here in Mys'Tai? Do they still operate, or have they been driven into hiding?"

[TheEmperor]

Neroth looked down, and said "Oh. I didn't notice that until now. Well, at least the armor's all right. Paid a bit for it. But oh, who cares. It'll heal naturally, but you know what won't? The fact that I haven't drunk in weeks! That I need to resolve."

He looked over at the nymph, frowned, and looked at Fen. That was when the ale began hitting his head, and he decided he'd ask later.

[WindStruck]

"Oh, hey Natasha!" the pixie beams. "Great to see you again!"

His mood all but collapses in on itself when Gragas asks where they come from, however. "I... I used to be from Sil'va Mi'se. You'd probably know it better as The Forest of Despair.. but... it's gone now." He sniffles and his eyes begin to water again. "May as well call it The Forest That Is No More..."

He downs another gulp of the ale. Ugh, he didn't know if this was helping...

[NeoSeraphi]

Natasha grins when she sees Neroth's expression. "I know *hic* it might seem weird to you, but I have twelve boyfriends in all! Oh, but not Gragas here. No, we're just f**king." She winks at Fen and hiccups again. "Don't get me wrong, I do love my boyfriends and all that, but a woman has needs too!"

Gragas nods eagerly. "One more round on me then! 'S no skin off my nose, seein' as I own this joint!"

-----------------------

Marx frowns and looks around. "I don't want to say too much in case I jeopardize our investigation, but we've tracked The Black Sun's presence to a seedy joint near the docks. It's a pub called The Rabble Rouser. We believe their number 2 runs this city and that person is holed up in there somewhere."

[Diachronos]

"Then I suppose we'll have to look into that when we get a chance. After we've saved Lady Marx, of course." She surveyed the remnants of her mother's home with a small sigh. The Black Sun was going to have to wait until her father was dealt with, and her father was going to have to wait until her mother was safe...

Nissa tried to pull the feral bond that had given Ghellin the endurance of a bear into herself, only for it to tug back. Ghellin was still alive, at least, and with the effects of King Caineghis' ring empowering his claws and fangs any fiend that targeted him was going to get far more than they bargained for. As much as it pained her to leave him in the Nine Hells, she had little choice right now; he was more than capable of taking care of himself until she could go there and rescue him, but her mother was in danger.

"Thank you, Commander Marx. If I find any news of your wife, I promise you'll be the first to know." She bowed to the commander and turned, heading toward the docks where he'd said that the second-in-command of Black Sun may be. It hadn't been long enough for Sora to finish his spell, and there was a chance that Fen and Neroth had gone to Neroth's new home for the night, so she could just see if the ferry was still running.

[NeoSeraphi]

With the ferry being on the opposite side of the city from the residential district (there are docks everywhere in this city), it takes Nissa an hour of walking to reach it. As she spots the ferry to board in order to reach Neroth's home leaving on its last trip of the night, so also notices her friends sitting at a table together with two creatures she's never seen before. The name of the pub is The Rabble Rouser.

Entering the place, she spots Neroth and Fenlaen sitting with a very drunk, very top heavy nymph and a very drunk, very shirtless dwarf.

[Diachronos]

Nissa came over and sat down beside Neroth, letting out a heavy sigh as she rested a hand on her forehead. "I thought you'd have gone to the estate you were given, Neroth. Perhaps its better you didn't, though..." She raised an eyebrow at the sight of his injuries. "Let me guess... chain devils attacked you as well?"

[TheEmperor]

Neroth chugged down another one, and as he let down the mug again, he looked at Nissa. He raised his eyebrows, and said "Wow, I thought people became better looking when you got drunk... Nevermind, then. Yea-" he stopped, hiccuped a bit, and said "Yeah, I did. Wasn't that big of a deal, I trashed it. Took like, twenty seconds." He hiccuped again, and deemed it was because there was an empty mug in his hand. He asked for another.

[WindStruck]

Fenlaen had nearly downed his entire mug. For someone his size, one of those things was equivalent to at least 5 for someone like Neroth. He certainly didn't appear sober at this point... As Nissa came in, Fen was recounting one of his many adventures. Just any kind of rant would do, and Natasha was still so eager to hear one of his stories.

"-- and so then I said, 'I've seen hags uglier than you!' " The sheer stupidity of the statement caused him to laugh. And no, it was completely unrelated to all the other unwarranted teasing Nissa has been receiving. :smallwink:

[Diachronos]

Nissa scowled and waited for the next round of drinks to be brought in for her companions. She then reached down to the floor, acting like she was drawing something from her boot. Instead she touched the floor, warping the wood making up the floor beneath Neroth's and Fen's chairs and causing their chairs to topple backward.


Casting wood shape to shape the floorboards so that that the chairs Fen and Neroth are sitting in both tip backwards and fall over

[NeoSeraphi]

Meanwhile, Back At...THE PLOT!

Arios comes out of his scrying trance and shakes his head, looking down at the dagger in his hand. "Nissa, I know where your mother- Nissa?" He looks around, confused. "Marx Manor isn't that far away...wonder where she could have gone? Oh well. This is too important to wait, after all. Taalia is in danger! I'd better go handle this myself." He pulls his helmet back on. "Teleport!"

[Diachronos]

"Now that that's out of the way... I got attacked too, and the demon pulled Ghellin into the Nine Hells. It turns out they're working for the city's new Senator, Jacob Revane, and they've just abducted Lady Taalia Marx. Grandmaster Heartshield is looking into Lady Marx's location, and I need to meet up with him to see if he's found anything out. Are you two coming, or should I go alone?"

[WindStruck]

Fen nearly falls to the ground but catches himself, beginning to hover. He scowls at Nissa. And also looks rather confused.

But after listening to her story, he says, "Oh no! They got Ghellin!?" Doesn't seem he registered some other person was kidnapped.

[Diachronos]

"Yes, and Grandmaster Heartshield is probably the only person who can help me get him back. He was looking into the abduction when I left, but he's likely finished by now. I need to get back to him as soon as possible to see what he's found out."

[WindStruck]

"Oh.. right! Grandmaster Heartshield! Of course! ...wait, who was that again? C'mon, we need to go rescue Ghellin!!"

He slams his nearly empty mug down and flies out the door, shortly returning. "Um, which way was it now?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Arios swings his greatsword and cuts another kyton in half. Jacob Revane stands a good 100 feet away from him, with a portal to the Abyss on each side of him. Six more kytons come out of them and surround Arios. Arios pants and braces himself for the barrage of spiked chain attacks.

"Can't take much more of this...my stoneskin is almost used up. I could recast it, but with this many enemies I'd be lucky if it lasted another 30 seconds...not to mention I'm not even confident I can cast it with monsters on all sides."

Revane smirks. "What's wrong? Is the great and powerful Grandmaster of Abjuration unable to protect himself from so many enemies at once?"

"Damn...I really wish Justin was here!" Arios mutters, blocking an attack with his greatsword.

[TheEmperor]

Neroth, getting pulled back out of nowhere, deftly managed to pull himself to together, and ended up back on his feet in moments, which was really something to see, considering his height. However, as he looked back at his mug, he realized it was... emptier. That was when he looked at his chest, and began to feel the sting of the alcohol on his wounds. That was what wracked him back to a bit of a better state, and he made a small cough, before saying "Apologies. I've just consumed a whole load of ale..." he counted, and then started again "Like, five or six mugs, I don't know. I'm sorry about your loss, but I'm damn sure we can get Ghellin back. We'd better hurry then, and catch up with your Grandmaster... Wait, the last person with a similar title was Sakura... Have you made friends with a Mythos Council member, again?"

[Diachronos]

"It's on the other side of town." She looked back at the table. "Yes, I did. He's actually the same person we ran into in the forest. Don't worry, though... if there's one member of the Council of Mythos we can trust, it's him."

[WindStruck]

Fen looks rather shocked. "You mean that guy that killed Olivia and destroyed my home? Well if you say so..."

He moves closer to Neroth and tries to say covertly to him (but doesn't really manage it) "We better keep an eye on her. Might be mind controlled like the others."

[Diachronos]

Nissa glared at Fen. "I knew Arios Heartshield before he was on the Council of Mythos. Well enough to know that he would never betray me."

[WindStruck]

"Riiight, that's a good story there, 'Nella'. What, were you two sweethearts back then?" Fenlaen giggles. "Well, even if that's true, what if the guy you were talking to was really an imposter?! It could all be a trap!" he points a tiny finger in Nissa's face.

[Diachronos]

Nissa narrowed her eyes. "I think I'd remember the man I grew up with well enough to recognize an impostor, Fenlaen."

[WindStruck]

"Alright, alright! Geeze! Stop wasting time already, and let's go kick some butt!"

[NeoSeraphi]

The group starts to head back to Arios's house. Gragas and Natasha wave and Gragas tells Neroth that he's welcome in his bar any time.

As the group leaves, Sakura Ashmond appears in front of them and slaps Nissa in the face. "You moron! If I have to dip into my resurrection fund to save Arios then you're going to pay every copper back! Now get in the portal and let's go!" She orders.

[Diachronos]

Nissa held her cheek and stared blankly at Sakura for a moment while she processed everything. But what she said had sunk in enough for her to know that Arios was in danger, and she stepped through the portal as instructed.

[WindStruck]

"Oh no! That witch has come to finish us off! Run for your lives!!" Fen panics and flies around the corner of the pub trying to flee a crispy death.

[NeoSeraphi]

Sakura narrows her eyes at Neroth. "This train is leaving the station so if you want your winged friend you'd best grab him and get a move on. Unless you're too drunk to fight and you just want to leave it to us girls?"

[TheEmperor]

Neroth grumbled something about how he was actually too drunk to fight, but he needed to be strong in this time of effort. He said "H-hold on a second.", as he drew his blade, and tapped into a sourcewell of willpower to shake off the amount of problems the alcohol in his system were beginning to cause.

It worked.

With his mind back in focus again, without any danger of it happening in the middle of the fight, he said "Alright, let's move in for it." and tentatively stepped away, ran and grabbed Fen, and ran back to the portal if he was okay with it, after explaining what they were doing. He then stepped in through the portal with Fen, squinting at Sakura the entire time, and hoping she was actually trust worthy.

[WindStruck]

As Fen gets dragged back to Sakura and the portal, Fenlaen asks, "But -- but are you sure??" He peers over at the nymph with a pleading look of 'please don't kill me' and hopes this thing they're going into isn't some heinous death trap.

[TheEmperor]

Neroth rolled his eyes, and said "Oh, believe me, I'm worried too. But things gotta get done, quick. But I'll go in first, so if there is something, I'll die first. Is that any consolation?"

[WindStruck]

"N-no, not really..." He watches Neroth step through the portal, then he asks, "So, where does this thing go?" However, the icy death gaze of Sakura makes Fen not want to wait for an answer, and he flies in too.

[NeoSeraphi]

The group arrives outside of a cave. Sakura glares at it. "This place shouldn't have too many wildlife inside it, but you can expect to meet plenty of demonic resistance once we enter. Additionally, though the cave isn't magical, something is preventing us from teleporting directly to the center, as well as teleporting around or inside while we're in it. To be honest, I'm not sure any humanoid creature, even a member of the Council of Mythos, could restrict magic like that. I'm afraid that whatever Revane is planning, his goddess is backing him up here Herself."

She turns to the group. "I honestly have no idea what we'll find in there. Arios's distress signal was very weak. I imagine scrying and detection magic also don't reach in there very easily. I asked Cassandra to help me with this, but she said, and I quote 'That boy stuck his nose where it didn't belong, mon. He's gonna hafta deal with de consequences on his own'. Obviously I'm not of the same opinion. But one thing is clear. That woman, Taalia Marx, is also in this cave, somewhere."

[WindStruck]

Fen looks around, noting that they weren't in the depths of the Nine Hells roasting. Or in room filled with lava, with lava breathing sharks, spikes closing in on the sides, and upside-down volcanoes...

Ok. Probably not a death trap. Yet.

Sakura comes in, and at least he might have a reason to believe she isn't going to kill them. Assuming all the stuff Nissa said about Arios Heartshield was true. And Taalia Marx. Who was that again? At any rate, since maybe this was the 'good' Sakura after all, Fen asks.

"So... do we actually have some kind of plan for dealing with a horde of demons?"

[NeoSeraphi]

"Mythic banishment!" Arios yells, swinging his blade in an arc. A blast of energy flies out in a crescent shape and tears into ten kytons, instantly banishing all of them. Arios pants hard and his sword falls to the ground. He drops to one knee and tries to catch his breath. "That's it...I'm out of mythic power...how many more of them are there?" He looks up only to see the gate flash again. Six more kytons march out of it. "I don't suppose you'd consider taking a break? Letting me catch a few Zs?" Arios calls out.

Revane's eyes glow red as he points forward. "Kill him. And do it nice and slowly. I want his screams to echo throughout the cavern." The devils all march forward silently.

Arios pushes himself to his feet and picks up his sword. "What did you sacrifice to get this kind of army? Seriously, Revane, after all this time, what could you have possibly had left to offer Her?"

[TheEmperor]

Neroth shrugged in answer to Fen's question. "Sakura'll probably blow them to kingdom come!" he said, in a hopeful manner. He looked at Sakura, and raised his eyebrows in hope

[Diachronos]

Nissa walked over and traced her fingers over the mark that had been made all those years ago. "'If we say this cave is ours, then we get to make the rules'... Well, Sora, my rule is that you're not allowed to die here."

She turned back to Fen and Neroth. "Well, I know that if Ghellin were here, this would be a lot easier because of the ring Caineghis gave me. But he's not, so..." She sighed and drew her sword. "The only other thing I know is that I'm going to bring Arios and Lady Marx out of this place alive, or die trying."

[TheEmperor]

Neroth frowned that the weird words that Nissa was talking about, before simply letting it go, so that he could ask it later. Then it occurred to him that everytime he filed something away in his head, he'd forget.

But it was really not the time. "And we're here to make sure you don't actually die trying."

[NeoSeraphi]

Sakura nods. "I'm packing plenty of firepower, and I'm not interested in holding back. ...Arios." She looks at the cave and bites her lip, then raises one hand into the air. "Mass greater magic weapon!" Fenlaen's kukri, Nissa's dueling sword, and Neroth's sword of the lion all glow red hot.

Then she touches a necklace on her throat and speaks softly. "Mythic haste." Everyone feels lighter, leaner, and ready for action.

Everyone is now wielding a +5 flaming burst weapon in addition to its other properties. Unlike the standard greater magic weapon, the mass version allows the weapons to bypass damage reduction and regeneration. Everyone is affected by mythic haste, which lasts 30 minutes and gives +4 to attack rolls, a +4 dodge bonus to AC, a +4 bonus on Reflex saves, and two extra attacks at your highest attack bonus as part of a full attack action.

[Diachronos]

"Thank you, Sakura." Nissa tightened her grip on her sword and started into the cave, ready to tear into any kyton that stood in her way.

[WindStruck]

"Alright, let's do this!" Fenlaen exclaims, awing at his weapon and super speed.

"Hmm... should we just run in? Or... I could go ahead a bit and take a looksy?"

Seeing Nissa head into the cave, he just shrugged and flew ahead of her.

[NeoSeraphi]

The group comes immediately to a crossroads. There is a sign that reads "Step to the left if you wish to be freed. Step to the right if you wish to impede."

[TheEmperor]

Neroth raised an eyebrow at the magical enchantment of his sword without his permission, but was quite alright to let it slide, considering how it was a nice thing to have been done. He looked around, and said "Fen, scouting is a good idea. Just try not to die. Also, I am quite terribly wounded, so while I know both of you want me to stand in front, please try not to just let me die?"

As they came across the crossroads, he said "What on earth is this?"

[WindStruck]

"Well. It's a sign, Neroth. And as my uncle used to say, if you come to a fork in the road, take it!" His face immediately grew gloomy again. "Gods, I hope he wasn't in there when everything went to hell..."

"Who would put a stupid sign here anyway? Be freed from what? Impede what? That isn't very helpful at all!"

[Diachronos]

Nissa stopped at the crossroads and turned to tend to Neroth's wound. After casting a healing spell on him, she passed him a couple of the healing potions she carried. "I'm sorry I couldn't do more for you right now, but time is short."

She looked at the sign, she thought over what each could mean. Impede what was what she wanted to know.


Survival to see if Arios left any tracks on the way in, assuming he actually walked in: [roll0]

[NeoSeraphi]

Nissa sees a pair of footprints that look like they were made by armored shoes heading to the right path.

[Diachronos]

Nissa started toward the path on the right, pointing out the tracks. "He must have gone this way."

[WindStruck]

"If you say so. Let me try going first, though, just in case!"

Fen tries to carefully move through the tunnel, with his only light source being that of the flaming curved knife he held. He's not sure what to expect, but he's ready for evasive maneuvers and doing 180 degrees at any sudden sign of danger.

I'll be right back. If I need to make any saves...
fortitude: +7
reflex: +12
will: +1

This is counting the crushing despair effect already.

Somehow, I think I calculated will saves wrong. Was using fraction saves, and I don't have any idea where an extra +.5 to my will save came from. Eh, don't think it affected anything.

[NeoSeraphi]

Nissa and Fenlaen head into the next room on the right side. There is a hiss and they are set upon by an enormous spider!
Initiative: [roll0]

[WindStruck]

Fenlaen's face pales at the sheer size of the spider. "Uh, Nissa? What do you say we fall back and protect Sakura as she turns this thing inside out?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Sakura brings up the rear and raises an eyebrow at the creature. "If you want me to toast this thing, I can, but that'll leave me with less firepower later." She glances knowingly at Nissa. "This is your show. I'll let you decide."

[Diachronos]

Nissa narrowed her eyes and began casting a spell as the spider approached. "The only thing that's going to make me fall back is if this thing starts to fall on me." As she finished casting, a ball of flames appeared, and she directed it straight into the spider's face.


Casting flaming sphere and hitting the spider with it for [roll0] fire damage
Also going to activate Animal Focus for Tiger (+4 Dex) and Bat (Darkvision 90ft) for 1 minute

[WindStruck]

Fenlaen takes a defensive stance, waiting for the spider to come to them first. "How about a single spell to weaken it? Hinder it? Block its path??" He looked nervously as the thing came closer.

I'll try a total defense action, in hopes that it doesn't have a massive reach? Though.. honestly, it probably does... I'm not sure though. Space in the cave has gotta be cramping it somewhat...

The idea is to try to hold some defensive line anyway, but I suppose I can see if my Body Guard feat will work if it decides to attack nissa.

[NeoSeraphi]

"Weaken it? I think I can handle that much. Maximized intensified fireball!" Sakura yells, blasting the spider with the same spell she used to kill Fenlaen. The creature roars in pain and leaps forward, attacking Nissa.

Reflex save (Flaming Sphere) [roll0]
Reflex save (Maximized intensified fireball) [roll1] (80 damage on a failed save, 40 on successful)
Bite on Nissa: [roll2]
Damage: [roll3] and Nissa has to make a DC 23 Fort save or take [roll4] Strength damage and be paralyzed for one round.

[WindStruck]

Now this was Fen's cue to start kicking ass. The spider came to him, not the other way around, so he was able to unleash a fury of blows upon the hulking monster. "Go for the eyes!!" he shouts in a way that would probably want to make any bystanders groan.

These are all piranha strikes.

attack: [roll0]
damage: [roll1]
fire: [roll2]

attack: [roll3]
damage: [roll4]
fire: [roll5]

attack: [roll6]
damage: [roll7]
fire: [roll8]

Now I assume it's time for Neroth to do his thing. You think it would be a good idea if he stood next to Fen, also ready to unleash a full attack?

[Diachronos]

Nissa let out a pained cry as the spider's fangs sunk deep into her, though the impact felt weaker than it should've been. The spider's poison still did its job, though, and she felt her muscles weakening and locking up, leaving her helpless in front of the beast.

[NeoSeraphi]

Fenlaen strikes the creature twice and damages it, leaving wounds inside it. The spider hisses and turns around, running right over Fen.

Spider is going to Trample Fen. Fen can either make an AoO with a -4 penalty or attempt a Reflex save for half damage.
[roll0] damage, Ref DC 32 half

[NeoSeraphi]

Fenlaen's upward thrust knocks the wind out of the monster and it collapses. On top of Fenlaen. Sakura rolls her eyes and waves one hand. The enormous creature lifts off the pixie before it can truly harm him. She also touches Nissa and removes the poison from her body, though she can do nothing about the damage it's already done.

The group continues past the spider's corpse into the cavern and finds another split road with another sign. "Step to the left if you wish to be freed. Step to the right if you wish to impede."

[Diachronos]

Nissa gave a thankful nod to Sakura and pressed her hand to the spider bite, doing what she could to mend the damage. She lingered for a moment as everybody moved on ahead. This was the second time today that she'd nearly gotten killed because she let her emotions control her actions; how could she save her friend and her mother by rushing in and dying?

At the fork, she looked again for any sign of Sora's passage.


Cure Moderate: [roll0]

Survival: [roll1]

[NeoSeraphi]

Again, Nissa sees armored tracks going to the right.

[WindStruck]

"Oh bloody hell. Not this again..." Fen picks up a rock and throws it down the left passage.

"What do you suppose is to the left? Freed from the mortal coil perhaps?"

[Diachronos]

"I don't know, but Arios' tracks go to the right." She looked down both paths; maybe there was some trick to the cavern that they were missing?

[WindStruck]

"Hmm... well, I am curious. Famous last words..."

Fen cautiously flies like last time but to the left.

You told the others there were stairs, so when he gets to them, he'll stop at the top and peer down.

perception: [roll0]

[NeoSeraphi]

Both paths extend into darkness. Nissa hears the sound of stone striking stone multiple times as Fen tosses a rock. She believes there is a staircase of some kind down the left path.

She can also tell the tracks to the right are different than the ones from the first hall. Left by the same person, but in different positions (basically, you haven't looped back to the first room)

The stairs extend into darkness.

[WindStruck]

Fen calls back, "There's a staircase here! Want me to see what it leads down to?"

[TheEmperor]

Neroth frowned, and looked over at Nissa. He then looked over at the right, and said "Check it out, then. Would be good to know what the hell's down that way, but I'm pretty sure we also want to reach Arios pretty soon. I don't like the odds of him against a whole damn group of those monkey demons with chains on them, even if he's a Mythos mage. Quantity over quality does work, sometimes."

[WindStruck]

"Alriiight~" the pixie says in a playful tone, kind of like they're making a huge mistake. Wait, but he's going down! Oh well...

Fenlaen starts going down the stairs, also cautiously, expecting there to be some portal to the abyss below waiting to swallow him up or something.

[NeoSeraphi]

Fenlaen reaches the bottom of the staircase. A busty blue female creature in a nurse uniform with batlike wings and a spaded tail is sitting in a chair looking bored. She doesn't appear aware of Fen's presence yet.

[WindStruck]

Oh what the hell. We'll continue with some drunk shenanigans. Also: it's a succubus, isn't it.

Fen whistles appreciatively. "Helloooo nurse!"

[NeoSeraphi]

The woman looks up from the magazine she is perusing. "Oh thank Lamashtu. I was starting to think I'd given up my night for nothing. Hey do you know Jacob Revane? I'm supposed to be helping him but he hasnt shown up yet. He's a human male. That's all I know. If you see him, could you bring him here?"

[WindStruck]

"Um. Dead or alive?" Well, this was awkward.

[NeoSeraphi]

She chuckles. "Alive, preferably. I haven't been paid for a resurrection."

[WindStruck]

The pixie shrugs. "Well then. I'll, uh... see what I can do?" Then we waves goodbye and flies back up the stairs.

When he gets to the others he says, "Well that was weird. It was a dead end and some kind of demon was dressed like a nurse just sitting there. She's looking for Jacob Revane... Hey wait. Wasn't that the guy who kidnapped Taalia Marx?"

[Diachronos]

"Yes, he is. Why is she looking for him?" Her grip tightened on her sword, but she sheathed it and drew her bow; right now she didn't feel like she could handle getting into melee combat.

[WindStruck]

"I really have no idea. Said she was supposed to 'help' him I guess, though she claimed she didn't even know what he looks like. Anyway, waste of time, c'mon Neroth..." Fen begins tugging on Neroth's arm toward the right passage.

[Diachronos]

"Wait." She grabbed Neroth's other arm and pulled him back. "I want to know what kind of 'help' she's offering to him. Neroth, can you pretend to be Jacob Revane for a minute or two?" Time was of the essence here, but if what they learned here could be used to help them save Sora and her mother, or at least bring down her father, it would be worth the time.

[WindStruck]

Fenlaen rolls his eyes. "Ugh, for all we know, she'll 'help' him into a nice cushy spot into the Nine Hells."

[Diachronos]

"If it turns out that's what she's planning to do, then we'll leave, find Revane, and drag the son of a bitch back here. Though admittedly, that's far too good of a fate for him."

[TheEmperor]

Neroth wasn't very used to being pulled around in two directions outside of combat, and pulled his hands out of both their grips. He looked at Nissa, and said Sure? What should I try making it look like?"

He turned around, messed around with his hair, and then turned back.

"Is this even remotely close to what she described?" he asked Fen.


[roll0]
>inb4 nat fail

[WindStruck]

"You look ridiculous. And... no, I don't think she described him at all..."

[Diachronos]

"Oh for the love of Ketephys, you look nothing like him. Come here."


I probably won't do any better, but here goes!
Disguise: [roll0]

[WindStruck]

Fen starts laughing and he can't stop, almost like he's affected with hideous laughter. After about 30 seconds he picks himself off the floor and says, "You guys.. haha, maybe you only need to worry about acting like him? If you really want to do this... heh, I'll just say I found you or something. And you're having a bad hair day." He starts snickering some more.

[Diachronos]

"Well, Revane always had problems keeping his hair under control, especially when he was frustrated that his daughter wasn't acting like a 'proper lady'." She stepped back to take a look at Neroth. He looked... passable. At least enough that she felt a faint urge to smack him, so that would hopefully be enough to fool the demon.

[WindStruck]

Fen leads Neroth down the stairs. "Ah, here he is! Was just coming by now, as a matter of fact. Said he was delayed because he got into a tussle with some knight from Jazi or something."

[roll0]
...and may as well blow a hero point on this, since we're only allowed to keep up to 3.

[NeoSeraphi]

The succubus stands up and bows politely. "Hello Master," she coos. The way she says the word makes Nissa feel sick. "I am the healer you requested. I can have you and up to six other people feeling ship shape as often as you like, though each casting of my ritual takes five minutes. A lot can happen in five minutes. You've already paid for the service of course so feel free to use me as often as you like."

[Diachronos]

Nissa regarded the demon suspiciously upon hearing the offer. On one hand, how did they know this wasn't a trap of some kind? On the other... she wouldn't put it past her father to request something like this. Especially the "busty nurse" theme.

While Neroth spoke with the demon, she closed her eyes and focused, whispering a few words under her breath. Please be alive, Sora...


Sense Motive on the demon: [roll0]
Casting Find Quarry to locate Arios. If he's within 20 miles, the spell will tell Nissa what direction he's in and how far, plus if/how he's moving.

[TheEmperor]

Neroth rolled his eyes as Fen dragged him to the left. But as he got there, he was dazzled by the the wom- demon's charm the minute he entered. Had he ever made it clear how little experience he had with women to the rest? Oh yes, he had. But did they care? Noooo. They were going to get into a fight.

He muttered something along the lines of a rhyme under his breath, and then put on the best thing he could do that was close to an air of authority. He tried to remember, the tenets of White Raven. It did not matter that he was no good as a leader, but he was a commander, and he'd like one.

"Y-" he coughed a bit, realized his voice was a tad bit recognizable if she came looking for him later, and then started again "No, I do not require healing yet. What with the damn adventurers coming around though, maybe I might. These wounds you see were made as part of a smaller ritual, a while back, and do not concern me."

[NeoSeraphi]

This woman has been paid and she has all the eagerness of a person who is sitting at a retail cash register for four hours before her first customer shows up. If there was a detect apathy spell her aura would be overwhelming.

Nissa concentrates on Arios. She senses his presence within less than one mile of her. He is moving around, but never more than 5 or 10 feet at a time, and there seems to be a lot of back and forth.

[Diachronos]

Nissa turned to the succubus, taking on a respectful tone. "Apologies, but Senator Revane has urgent business to attend to, and I fear we don't have five minutes to spare on these scratches. Should he become seriously wounded, though, I will see to it that he is brought straight to you for healing."

[NeoSeraphi]

She sighs and sits back on the table, crossing her legs. With Nissa's keen eyes she can see that there are no panties under that nurse's skirt.

The group returns upstairs, where Sakura raises an eyebrow at them, but they move on. The next room to the right has a door with three keyholes at the back of it, and three vials on a table. Each vial has a picture of one of the PCs attached to it. The vial on the left is green and has a picture of Fenlaen. The vial on the right is red and has a picture of Neroth. The vial in the center is gold and has a picture of Nissa. As the group approaches the table, they can see there is also a sealed envelope on the table, with the words "To Nissa" written elegantly in Jacob Revane's handwriting.

[Diachronos]

Nissa picked up the envelope and turned it over. So it seemed he was expecting here, was he? She broke the seal on the envelope and began viewing its contents.

[NeoSeraphi]

"To my Dearest Daughter,
Sending a servant to clean up your messes? Perhaps you weren't a total waste of my time after all. Taalia will be thrilled to know you learned something from all those classes we had you take as a girl. The ones you skipped, figuratively lighting a substantial part of my money on fire as you did so. I'm going to enjoy killing him. I might hang his head above the fireplace. Would you like that? If you don't turn back now, I'll make sure you spend the rest of your life in a cage, in a room with nothing on its walls or floors but his head, staring at you, until the day you die.
All my Love,
Father"

[Diachronos]

Nissa growled and crumpled the letter in her hand before tossing it aside. "We need to hurry. Sora and my mother are running out of time... if they haven't already..." She turned to the vials, studying each of them and trying to determine what their purpose was.

[WindStruck]

"What the hell is this...?" Fenlaen asks, upon seeing the vials, the pictures of each of them, and everything else.

"Is it just me, or is anyone else getting the feeling that everything here is some kind of sick obstacle course for us?"

He flies up and closely examines the door.

[NeoSeraphi]

They are vials with liquid in them. Nissa can only assume they are for drinking.

[TheEmperor]

Neroth raised an eyebrow at the pictures, feeling rather creeped out by the fact that the man they were facing had actual images of them already. Being watched without his own knowledge was not something he considered a favorable past time.

He tentatively lifted the vials, raised his eyebrows further up, and said "I don't enjoy stating the obvious, but I don't think drinking these could do much good, from what we've seen. What does the letter say?"

[WindStruck]

"Well. I'm not playing some creep's game."

Fen starts trying to break down the door.


damage: [roll0]
fire: [roll1]

damage: [roll2]
fire: [roll3]

I have a feeling overcoming hardness will be my biggest problem here... If only we had some big strong human guy with a special technique just for destroying constructs and other objects....

[Diachronos]

"As far as I'm concerned, it's Jacob Revane's death warrant." Nissa lifted the golden vial and invoked her magic-detecting orison to study it. After a moment she carefully uncorked the vial, attempting to identify what it was.


Spellcraft: [roll0]
Heal: [roll1]

[NeoSeraphi]

The liquid contains an illusion magic that also unlocks the door.

Fenlaen's attacks do not scratch the door.

[Diachronos]

"Well, it looks like our best bet is with these vials. This one opens at least one of the locks." She set the gold vial down and repeats her examination with both the red and green vials.


Green vial Spellcraft: [roll0]
Green vial Heal: [roll1]

Red vial Spellcraft: [roll2]
Red vial Heal: [roll3]

[WindStruck]

"Argh, damnit..." Fen complains. Then he remembers something. "Wait a minute. Where did Arios go? I'd find it hard to believe he did this..."

[TheEmperor]

Neroth frowned again, letting those surprised eyebrows take a rest. He looked over at Nissa, and said "Lets not trust those things. Aroden knows how difficult it would be to work with these. I have a better idea."

Redrawing his blade again, he walked up to the door, politely asked Fen to move just a step, and then assumed a stance. He let the fire of the sword coarse through it, and with powerful stroke, he attempted to break right through the door, all with a really worried expression on his face. If he was caught off guard by something from the other side, if the attack worked, then he'd be in trouble. Perhaps he should truly have taken the suc- no, he wouldn't.


Punishing Stance
Elder Mountain Hammer
[roll0]
[roll1]
Fire Damage [roll2]

[NeoSeraphi]

Nissa can tell the vials are not poisonous. Each one corresponds to a different lock.

[NeoSeraphi]

The second Neroth touches the door with his deadly weapon, a pentagram appears in the center of the room! A kyton steps out and attacks Neroth!

Attacking Neroth: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[Diachronos]

Nissa drew her sword and stepped toward the Kyton with a quick strike.


Attacks are including the +4 from mythic haste and +5 from Sakura's greater magic weapon
Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll]1d8+9[roll]
Fire: [roll1]

Crit confirmation: [roll2]
Crit damage: [roll3]
Flaming Burst: [roll4]

[TheEmperor]

Neroth took the hit right in the square of his back, as he expended his energy into the almost-indestructible like door. Not a dent. He turned around swiftly, and ran right up to the monstrous demon, and attacked it with another Mountain Hammer line form, although it was a weaker version of what he just used on the door.


Get up close
MOUNTAIN HAMMAH
[roll0]
[roll1]
Fire: [roll2]

[WindStruck]

Fen also charges and attacks!


attack: [roll0]
damage: [roll1]
fire: [roll2]

crit confirm: [roll3]
crit damage: [roll4]
burst: [roll5]

[TheEmperor]

As Neroth's sword slid through the creature, something occurred to him. The slice seemed too... unnatural. Too clean. Even with the skills of a Sublime Way Master, something like that would be far too improbable for them to occur.

His mind then saw through the illusion, and he yelled "Wait, this isn't even a real monster!

[WindStruck]

Fen continues stabbing at the demon mercilessly.

"What do you mean it's not real?! It just -- oh, wait... an illusion??"

should I make another will save with some bonus? +4 I believe...

will save: [roll0]

[Diachronos]

Nissa looked at Neroth, then back at the kyton. It sure seemed real enough...


Attempt the Will save again: [roll0]

[NeoSeraphi]

The illusion simply vanishes. Though Neroth's wound does not.

[Diachronos]

Nissa sighed as the kyton disappeared. This was getting irritating. "I don't think we're going to be getting through that door through brute force." She picked up the gold vial again. "I don't like it either, but all of these vials are tied to the locks on the door. They're not poisoned, but... they've got some sort of illusion on them."

As a last-ditch effort to find another way, she looked around for any sign of Arios' tracks, to see if he'd gone another way.


Survival: [roll0]

[WindStruck]

"Huh. Seems like it still left a mark on you... strange. Do you think this door is an illusion? With a blow like that, I'm certain there should at least be a dent. Or a scratch..."

Fen ponders a bit and has an idea. "Oh, I know! Don't listen Nissa, this is secret!" He flies up to Neroth and whispers in his ear.

"Ok, let's try something. You'll pick Nissa up, spin her around, and place her right in front of the door. But we won't tell her she's so close. Then we'll tell her to walk forward with her eyes closed. If it's only an illusion she'll go right through it! ...I think?"

"Ok, let's try this! You close your eyes. Neroth will pick you up and spin you around and put you here," Fen says, pointing to around the spot the fake Kyton came from. "You keep your eyes closed, and I'll help guide you to the door! If it's fake, you should pass right through it!"

[Diachronos]

Nissa stared at Fen for a second, until she remembered that he was drunk from whatever they'd been doing when she went to get them. "What in the world makes you think that would work?"

She stared at the vial in her hand, before looking over at Sakura and the others. "Well... here goes nothing..." After a deep breath, she uncorked the bottle again and poured it into her mouth, though she didn't swallow it just yet.

[WindStruck]

"Because an illusion should only work if you believe it! And you can't believe an illusionary door is real if you don't know where it is! Oh no! Wait!"

damnit!

[NeoSeraphi]

The liquid has no effect until Nissa swallows it.

"Banishment!" Arios grunts, wracking his brain for any other spells he's prepared. The portals' humming was making it really hard to concentrate. He couldn't remember if he had already used his 8th level spells up. All he knew was this was the largest horde he'd ever faced and as time went on, he was having to rely on his sword much more. As an eldritch knight, Arios was confident in his swordplay skills, but without his magic he was just a warrior in armor against seemingly the entire horde of The Abyss.

Wait. Something was wrong. Arios turned quickly, counting the portals. He had only heard 5 hums this time, and only saw 5 portals with 5 new kytons. Where was...he looked down and saw a purple pentagram at his feet. "Damn..."

[Diachronos]

Nissa swallowed the liquid in her mouth, looking expectantly at the doorway while praying to any god who might listen that she wasn't going to regret doing this.

[NeoSeraphi]

The center keyhole glows and there is a click. And then Nissa has to make a Will save as she feels her mind being pulled into the chaos.