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Thread: Act Three (IC)

  1. - Top - End - #1
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    The alert came in telepathically as most do, and it didnt come in as a yellow alert, or even an orange alert, it went straight to red. And for those who serve Askaretha, they know she almost never uses a red alert. As you walk along the corridor to the main room, you can see the signs of destruction. The bodies of guards, some of Askaretha's finest guards, all slaughtered. Some of them didnt even get a chance to draw their weapons, ichor almost painting the walls in some cases. For those of you who have fought for years in the Blood Wars, you can tell, all of the ichor is that of devils, not a drop of human blood or demon ichor. All along the way, you see the same signs. And since these devils were killed in Hell, they are dead for good, not merely dispelled back to a home plane.
    You arrive at the doors...or what were the doors. They had been huge, thick mithral doors, engraved with all sorts of magical sigils...now they have been ripped from their hinges, crumpled and tossed aside like used tissue paper. The first body you see is that of Hadron. Hadron had been Askaretha's most powerful (at least physically) pit fiend, a pure combat brute. Now his head has been cut off. His arms have been cut off. His legs have been cut off. And his body bears so many sword cuts, it looks like a road map drawn by an insane cartographer of a plane of Chaos. As your look continues in the room, you see the beautiful glass and gold spire that curls up into a cup...a cup where the Sirrus gem should be. But now, its empty. The source of much of Askaretha's power, at least the power that elevated her from Dark Eight to Archduchess of her own plane. Standing right next to the spire are three women and one other pit fiend, Shergan, second to Hadron. Askaretha is to the right, and as always, one step to the right and two steps behind her is her bodyguard, Sabrina. On the other side of the spire is a woman you only know by reputation, Glasya. In many ways, Glasya is a mentor to Askaretha, supporting both her petition to Dark Eight and to Archduchess, and her counsel is the one that Askaretha puts the most weight (outside of Sabrina and one or two others) on.
    This is clearly the work of the Fearsome Foursome, the cuttings on Hadron can only be that of their marilith. You have a problem on your hands
    I have to get the Sirrus Gem back, preferably before they learn how to use it.
    Or release any of its power, you know what Father would think of that.
    Your father is one of the least of my concerns, not to denigrate his power, but I have plans for that power, its been building for some time now, not to mention the fact that I have enough enemies that will be lining up to take a shot at me, without it. But the other real problem, is how demons managed to penetrate to Stygia, without going through all the other layers, and setting every alarm down here.
    She turns to the pit fiend Shergan, you will assemble all of my forces and go forth to find and do battle with those demons...and get that gem back She turns to Sabrina. You will take Roxana with you, and figure out how the demons managed to penetrate to the heart of Stygia, not only doing it but not setting off alarms when they did so
    Before Sabrina can even answer, she turns back to the spire. Roxana, who has learned to read people, can see the reaction on Sabrina and it is not good. The look was momentarily that of outrage, and now shock. Sabrina ALWAYS commands Askaretha's forces and any battle that is fought, she is at the front of it. It's clear that she considers this a massive demotion, and almost an indictment of her powers.
    Last edited by MikelaC1; 2020-09-10 at 04:52 PM.
    #GoreMutualarejerks

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    Default Re: Act Three (IC)

    The brachina arrives immediately when summoned. Seeing her Mistress Askaretha's mood (understandably so, given the circumstances of a demon having done what transpired here), Roxana knows better than to inquire about her wellbeing or even say anything to her, other than "As you command, mistress," followed by a deep bow. The best she can do is to do her given task to the best of her ability and as expedient as possible to at least restore a little peace of mind to her mistress, as well as security her domain.

    However, Sabrina's state has as much of an impact. No one is as close with Mistress Askaretha as Sabrina, and seeing what is going on inside of her right now... in a certain way makes her glad she was ordered to accompany the erinyes. A wounded ego and heart, when it is not to be exploited for one's gain, must not be ignored and left to fester. She has shared much love with Sabrina, and she needs it now more than ever before.

    "Shall we follow the trail back to its beginning? Fela and I can look for traces of magic and analyze the state of the wards there," the brachina softly offers to Sabrina, not touching her (despite wanting to) as to not incense her. She is a woman of strong passion, and the best she can do now is help provide direction and purpose, something to distract from the ache. Fela, Roxana's imp familiar, quietly hovers slightly above and behind her shoulder, keeping herself in check.

    Roxana is a peculiar figure in the Nine Hells, a radiant woman of incredible beauty reading as comforting, sensual, and inviting. As much as it may be abhorred in the hells, it is hard to find a better fitting word for Roxana than "saintly", between her long flowing hair like the purest molten gold, deep perfect blue eyes, flawless fair skin, and full lips. The impression extends further to her honeyed voice, effortlessly and comfortably getting under others' skin and right into their minds and hearts like a warm embrace. Her behavior of patience and care that has others open themselves to her and having an open ear for her dreams and worries. The pure white robes enveloping her generous curves, further emphasized by being almost a foot smaller than the athletic Sabrina. Even her black angel wings fail to read as signs of corruption and more of comfort and protection. Hundreds, if not thousands of mortals have given themselves to her, and for devils, despite being a baatezu herself, she presents a sweet temptation of transgression, to attempt to claim her supposed purity. Few resisted the paths she showed her "victims" which they then happily walked down, often to their damnation.

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    As perfect a compliment to Askaretha that Sabrina is, almost no one would be able to see what her reaction to this demotion is. Both of her blades are still out as she accepts this assignment (although her eyes are flashing their trademark red color, another sure sign of anger), and she turns to Roxana.
    The ichor stains and body count should be easy enough to follow, and if we follow them hopefully one of you two can pick up an aura of teleportation or plane shift magic at some point, where there are no more bodies.
    While Sabrina is a sorceress almost without human parallel, her magic is remarkably focused, almost purely to supplement her battle skills and finding these sorts of auras are not in her area of expertise. She lets Roxana lead, staying a step behind her, her swords still out. It perhaps is a bit pointless, the demons are probably long gone and they only going to meet allies, but then again, any ally outside of Askaretha's sight might be in for a beating from a frustrated erinyes.
    Failure is not an option. It comes bundled with your software

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    Default Re: Act Three (IC)

    Roxana shows a gentle, acknowledging nod. "Of course." And with another quick bow to her mistress and Glasya, the brachina excuses herself to get straight to the matter at hand. The trail, naturally, is not hard to follow, as the signs of passage of a demoness in enemy territory rarely are, especially one as powerful as a notable marilith. As Roxana walks, she radiates a calming presence and while it will do little to calm the storm within Sabrina soon, perhaps she can smooth the waves a little, or at least direct them towards an outlet. Any member of the court looking like they might cross their path receives a gentle recommendation to keep their distance, though if they appear into their view at a too close distance, while the brachina tries to be a soothing presence, Sabrina getting a way to release some of her fury might help as well.

    Once they reach the obvious end of the trail of carnage and destruction, Roxana begins to look for less obvious signs of passage to find the approximate location where the marilith arrived, since she might not have appeared within immediate distance of someone or something to lash out against. Telltale dispersions of dust or carpets having been bunched up in ways suggesting a large serpentine body, furniture pressed aside, that sort. Once the best guess for an estimated point of arrival has been found, Roxana turns to her familiar Fela, the imp being far more feminine than most of her kind, including a mane of black hair and a selection of revealing robes and jewelry fitting her normally energetic and mischievous nature.

    There is instant understanding between the two, the imp nodding and unable to keep herself from smiling even in such a situation. Fela delights in fulfilling Roxana's wishes, every look to her brachina mistress filled with love, devotion, and desire, and the acknowledgement is answered with a grateful smile, never failing to make Fela's heart flutter more still. A thorough sweep of the area is conducted, systematically dividing it into sections to cover it optimally with the cone area of detect magic in as few applications as necessary, with Fela positioned at the very tip of the invisible cone projected by Roxana's spell and vice versa, as befits infernal discipline. Any detected aura is analyzed, with particular attention paid to conjuration magic (teleportation), abjuration magic (avoiding detection and circumventing wards), and transmutation (means of disguise or ethereal intrusion). Any wards and warning spells of Askaretha's domain are also looked at to see if any were compromised or altered. As they work, Roxana keeps Sabrina abreast of their findings, the erinyes also feeling the processes of her mind sharpen, one of those mysterious effects experienced from time to time in Roxana's presence.

    Spoiler: Actions
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    Roxana activates her motivate intelligence aura, granting herself and any ally within 60ft a +20 to intelligence and intelligence-based skill checks.

    Roxana uses her detect magic cantrip, while Fela uses her detect magic at-will spell-like ability.

    Spot check to notice any less obvious signs (1d20+37)[51]
    Search check to look for signs of where the marilith may have arrived (1d20+36)[44]
    Knowledge (arcana) to theorize possible methods of intrusion without triggering any of the wards or alerts (1d20+64)[76]
    Spellcraft to analyze any auras found, the local wards, and any other magical oddities (1d20+68)[81]
    Fela's spellcraft to do the same, using Roxana's ranks as per the familiar rules (1d20+52)[66]
    Last edited by Ridai; 2020-09-11 at 05:36 AM.

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    The blood and ichor trail is quite easy to follow, leading the group away from the main hall and into a courtyard. Sabrina continues to walk with both weapons drawn and seeing as everyone else still sees her as Askaretha's champion and obviously in a bad mood, any other devils that they pass quickly find some other place, far away, that they suddenly need to be at.
    The trail comes to an abrupt halt at the middle of the courtyard, and it only takes moments for the detection abilities of Roxana and Fela to find the magical aura of a portal of some kind, although their spells determine that it is quickly closing and disintegrating. Any attempt to use it will have to quick and not subject to a whole lot of speculation.
    #GoreMutualarejerks

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    Eager to escape the scene of her unexpected demotion and looking for some way to reattain her lady's favor, Sabrina steps through the portal without hesitation.
    Failure is not an option. It comes bundled with your software

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    Default Re: Act Three (IC)

    Without further ado, Roxana takes Fela, safely putting her into her familiar belt, and follows Sabrina through the portal, casting a moment of prescience on herself (and sharing it with Fela, just in case).

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    Its a good thing Sabrina had her blades out, because the portal leads into a room dominated by a strange creature, it looks like a lean, carnivorous cat, but with thick, dragon-like scales instead of fur and instead of a mane, it has a protective plate. And worst of all, it has three heads, all of which are snarling.
    #GoreMutualarejerks

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    Not wanting to mess around with a big, dumb cat and really ready to unleash her fury on something sentient, Sabrina uses a wraithstrike on her weapons and delivers a series of power aided blows with her swords.
    Failure is not an option. It comes bundled with your software

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    Default Re: Act Three (IC)

    With Sabrina engaging, Roxana finds herself in the situation she is least suited for: combat. However, that does not mean she is no help in it. The speed of the devils increases drastically, the brachina's contours becoming fuzzy and evershifting. With fluid motions, Roxana seems to glide through the air, reaching out to touch the creature and have it convulse in a sudden rush of ecstasy, before dancing straight up into the air and out of the creature's reach.

    Spoiler: Actions
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    Initiative (1d20+38)[48]

    Swift Switch aura to Determined Caster (Cha to CL to overcome SR)

    Free Cast haste due to Swiftblade's sudden casting ability, affecting Roxana and Sabrina. Due to being hasted, her Swiftblade abilities come online, giving her 50% concealment, single-target spells aimed at her have a 50% failure chance on top of that, she is under the effect of freedom of movement, the haste on her counts as extraordinary and can't be dispelled, and she gains an extra action per round.

    Move Fly adjacent to the creature at half speed (50ft due to haste), tumbling to avoid opportunity attacks (auto-success)

    Standard Defensively cast (auto-success) Irresistible Dance on the creature. Touch attack (1d20+38)[53]
    Caster level check to pierce spell resistance (1d20+48)[60]
    edit: Duration: 3 rounds

    Second Move Fly straight upwards at half speed and tumbling.
    Last edited by Ridai; 2020-09-12 at 12:47 PM.

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    The dance spell takes hold of the creature, and it begins to caper about, unable to defend itself. Sabrina proceeds to carve into it severely, but the beast is monstrous in size and has damage to spare, despite the fact that she is bypassing his resistance and his armor is useless against her wraithstrike weapons

    Round 2&3. Since the creature cannot act, take 2 rounds each.
    #GoreMutualarejerks

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    Never one to truly play fair in battles, Sabrina continues to wraithstrike her weapon and power attack the creature, not sure of how long it can continue to stand against her but willing to find out.
    Failure is not an option. It comes bundled with your software

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    Default Re: Act Three (IC)

    Gliding back down, Roxana contributes what she can, even if it pales in the face of Sabrina's fury. Her touch is as gentle as the one before, and in much the same manner, she draws life force from the creature.

    Spoiler: Actions
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    First round Move back into touch range, providing a flank for Sabrina

    The standard actions of both rounds are used on vampiric touch, same with the extra actions.

    (1d20+38)[57] touch attack, (1d20+40)[56] vs SR, (10d6)[35] damage (bypasses DR as magical damage)
    (1d20+38)[42] touch attack, (1d20+40)[46] vs SR, (10d6)[42] damage (bypasses DR as magical damage)
    (1d20+38)[48] touch attack, (1d20+40)[52] vs SR, (10d6)[31] damage (bypasses DR as magical damage)
    (1d20+38)[48] touch attack, (1d20+40)[44] vs SR, (10d6)[29] damage (bypasses DR as magical damage)

    Highest instance of damage done is also given to Roxana as THP, lasting 1 hour.

    Second round move action Move back out of reach

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    A three-headed sissurush has a mountain of hit points to be sure, but it doesnt have that many and it cannot withstand the full fury of erinyes, not to mention having its life force drained away by the brachina and eventually falls.
    Looking around what is now revealed to be a cave, the first thing the devils note is that they are now on the Prime, so this attack was not launched from the Abyss or the Hells, its not surprising that the Fearsome Foursome are not in the Abyss, everything that is known of them is that they spend as little time as possible there. The group is at the far end of whatever complex these caves are as there is only one way out of it.
    #GoreMutualarejerks

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    Default Re: Act Three (IC)

    The sound of combat has likely carried far, thus Roxana wreathes herself in magic, preventing any sound she makes cannot escape her arm's reach, but not deafening her to the world. She stays right behind Sabrina from then on out, so she too benefits from this. The creature is given a brief examination for any signs of ownership, subjugation, or the like, clearly having been placed here as a defensive measure. Roxana does not walk, she hovers, her wings not even needing to truly move, allowing her to move freely as well as stay in the air perfectly still. Sabrina knows one other who moves like this, the erinyes Ivara, who was sent to assist her in retrieving the Sirrus Gem partway through her quest. Perhaps she taught this secret to Roxana, implying the brachina having a rapport with the... peculiar and private huntress and assassin, as well as perhaps satisfying her particular appetites.

    Roxana looks to Sabrina, who is thankfully unharmed. Experiencing her in combat has always been a treat, though particularly so for Lythala. The spymaster has always had a weakness for her fiery passion. I will search for magic auras as we go. Please lead the way, my spell will mask our sounds.

    Spoiler: Actions
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    Quick examination of the body, then Roxana casts zone of silence, creating a 5ft. radius around her from which no sound within escapes. She stays adjacent to Sabrina, hovering diagonally behind her, and uses detect magic as they go, to perhaps avoid a few magic traps or warning systems.

    Roxana switches her aura to motivate dexterity, granting herself and Sabrina a +20 to dex checks, dex-based skill checks, and initiative.

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    The cave passage has no side tunnels off of it, so the route is pretty straight. At one point, going around a turn, it suddenly widens into a large cavern, in which are 3 more sissurushes, although these are the one headed variety, clearly subordinate to the master that the group already killed. There is also a 3/4 eaten corpse of a dragon in the room, the sissurush preferred food. The preturnaturally good senses of the beasts prevent it from being a total surprise, but they are clearly put off by the party coming from behind them instead of the front, and the group does have initiative in the first round.
    #GoreMutualarejerks

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    Default Re: Act Three (IC)

    Sabrina feels herself speed up again, as Roxana floats up, towards and above the creatures. Even with the aura of silence around the brachina, Roxana's voice is heard as she puts a finger to her lips. "Shhh..." It is a gamble, as such powerful beasts often have strong wills, yet she attempts to lull their minds into blissful, dreamfilled sleep.

    Should any of them fall asleep, leave them to me. I will dispose of them, Sabrina hears in her mind.

    Spoiler: Actions
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    Motivate Dexterity is still in effect, so Sabrina and Roxana will have +20 initiative next round.

    Free Cast haste on Sabrina and herself. Enables miss chances and extra actions on Roxana.

    Move Fly up and closer to the creatures, so she is within 90ft of all of them.

    Standard Cast hiss of sleep on the creatures, Will DC 40 or fall asleep for 26 rounds (no further saves for waking up prematurely). Spell resistance does not apply.

    Second Standard Should any of the creatures still be awake, cast hiss of sleep again (please let me know if a second casting was needed so I can keep track of my spell slots)

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    Default Re: Act Three (IC)

    Sabrina feels herself speed up, but before she can jump into action, the spell from Roxana knocks all of the creatures unconscious
    #GoreMutualarejerks

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    Default Re: Act Three (IC)

    Roxana is pleased to see the beasts all fall under her spell, though she knows better than to take such turns of events for granted. Reaching beneath her robes, she retrieves a tiny well-hidden object, which enlargens and unfolds into Sweet Dreams, her usual implement for granting a swift death to sleeping targets. Gliding over to the beasts, still imbued with her preternatural speed, she sets the pick to an eye and grants the coup de grace with minimal bloodshed, piercing the brain, repeating the process shortly after for the other two beasts.

    Spoiler: Actions
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    Roxana unfolds her hideaway light pick as a swift action. Every round, she uses her extra action to move adjacent to one of the beasts and does a full action to coup de grace.
    Damage rolls against each creature:
    (4d4+108)[118]
    (4d4+108)[119]
    (4d4+108)[117]

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    Sabrina polishes off one of the other sissurushes and looks around. There is only passage out of the cavern and once Roxana finishes the last one off, she takes the lead on the group once again. After several minutes, the passage opens up, putting the group on the side of the mountain. Off in the distance, the group can see a city, but its too far to see what city it is.
    #GoreMutualarejerks

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    Default Re: Act Three (IC)

    With Sabrina possessing true sight, the chance of them having missed some magically hidden passage appears rather low. The brachina looks over the mountainside for any sort of other path or structure that may be connected with the exit they emerged from, and failing that, she picks a spot closer to the city to teleport to with Sabrina to identify it, but not close enough to be easily spotted.

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    Default Re: Act Three (IC)

    Sabrina picks out a spot to teleport to, and takes the hand of Roxana and Fela so that they all arrive at the same spot. She peers into the distance at the city for a moment, then turns back to the brachina.
    It is Rennador, the flags identify it as such. The city has been ruled by a succession of either outright demon worshippers or people who would have no qualms about summoning and using them. While the 3 drow that rule the city are not active worshippers, having been fled the Underdark after being on the losing side of some family feud, they would not have a problem doing so and a demon would not cause a panic in the highest levels of government.
    She pauses and continues.
    The nalfeshnee would likely take refuge here, the succubus would gravitate towards the money and the lack of sexual limits in Kroy, or to the temple of Noticula in Erandol. The marilith would seek out battle in any number of more wilderness areas, and the balor, well, he could be anywhere but would want a place to dominate and the drow wouldnt allow that much latitude.
    Failure is not an option. It comes bundled with your software

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    Default Re: Act Three (IC)

    Roxana playfully taps her chin as if in thought. Naturally, the processes of their minds are much faster than those of mere mortals, so it is only for theatrics.

    "It appears to me we will best learn what our mistress asked of us here..." Roxana leans in close, conspiratorily so, Sabrina feeling her body against her own. "...from the nalfeshnee himself." As she speaks, a spell takes hold, like a veil drawn over the both of them. Looking at herself and the mental image Roxana shares, Sabrina has come to look like a flame-haired amazon battle dancer, athletic, graceful, beautiful, and deadly. Roxana, too, has assumed the appearance of an amazon, but one seemingly unfit for battle and much more at home on a stage (and in the bedroom), managing to translate her beauty to this mortal form. Given the demon-worship of Rennador, the assumption will easily be that they are evil amazons.

    "This illusion will mask us from all senses, including touch, though touch may give especially strong-willed ones a chance to glimpse the truth. Of course, those possessing true sight like the nalfeshnee will immediately see through this, but if we are that close, we may already be able to get what we need." Roxana takes Sabrina by the hand. "Your lover and charge Ava is ready to see Rennador, dearest Serena."

    Spoiler: Actions
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    Roxana switches her aura to motivate charisma, granting herself and Sabrina +20 to all charisma and charisma-based skill checks. She also casts improvisation on herself, granting her a +13 luck bonus on the next four checks she makes within the next 26 rounds.

    Roxana casts veil over herself and Sabrina, creating the disguises described above, meant to appear like (most likely) evil amazons. Should anyone directly interact with the illusions, they get a Will DC 36 save to look through. The spell lasts 26 hours.

    Disguise check (1d20+111)[118] (+68 modifier by Roxana, +10 due to veil, +20 due to motivate charisma, +13 due to improvisation)

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    Sabrina leads the way to the city gate. When the group gets into view, the eyes of the guards almost pop out of their heads. While amazons are not unknown in the world, they are actually rare and few people (at least among commoners) have seen them. So when the guards see not just one, but two, they can hardly believe what they are seeing. The lead guard eventually composes himself enough to come forward to demand the toll entry to the city (10 gold person), while the other two just hang back and ogle the situation.
    #GoreMutualarejerks

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    There is no way that Sabrina is paying to enter a city, even if she has more than enough to pay what is an obviously inflated price. She winks at Roxana to take care of the other two.
    That seems a very steep price, and we are just poor travelers who didnt have a whole lot of success on our last mission. But why dont you tell us a good hotel to stay at, and when you get off shift, come by and I'll show you a night that will be a lot more than some measly gold coins
    Spoiler: Bluff
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    (1d20+63)[71]
    Failure is not an option. It comes bundled with your software

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    Default Re: Act Three (IC)

    (Sabrina gets another +20 to her check just by Roxana being with her)

    Just as the other two hang back, so does Roxana let Sabrina take the lead in this "negotiation". Her gaze briefly meets the lead guard's eyes and just that glance and smile makes his heart beat faster (just as her body beside Sabrina's makes it very hard to think for him), but her eyes just so happen to catch the other two ogling her. There is a brief moment of them realizing she knows full well what they were (and are) doing, a brief moment of dreading having soured whatever chances they might have had with her.

    Never interrupting Sabrina's efforts or distracting away from her, Roxana has a different way of dealing with mortals, and she has learned long ago that often no words are even needed, sometimes just the smallest thing being enough. The other two guards' moment of dread feeling like a small eternity before it is washed away by a radiant smile, welcoming their lust and returning it with a look and posture full of desire as well as, to their surprise, cherishing them for it. No word is uttered, yet the invitation for them is clear, just as Sabrina makes her offer. All you need is to come to me and ask, and I will show you what love truly feels like.

    Spoiler: Actions
    Show
    Bluff check (1d20+88)[95]

  27. - Top - End - #27
    Dwarf in the Playground
     
    RogueGirl

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    Default Re: Act Three (IC)

    Sabrina sighs inwardly, she didnt want this to go this far, her intention was only to get into the city, get the name of an Inn, and then be nowhere near it when these louts got off work. She projects to Roxana I have no intention of bedding any of these guys without a contract and we dont have the time needed for that...and any guard in this city is probably demon-bound anyway and thats not a tug of war Im interested in.
    She turns back to her quarry with a smile and promise in her eyes that would melt an iceberg See what I mean...so just tell me the name and when we can expect you, and then Ara and I will be waiting for you.
    Failure is not an option. It comes bundled with your software

  28. - Top - End - #28
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Ridai's Avatar

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    Sep 2008
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    Germany (GMT +1)

    Default Re: Act Three (IC)

    No need to worry. Spreading love is what I do, and with it comes longing. Longing that will remain for a long, long time, should it not be fulfilled. Sabrina feels a telepathic beatific smile. Lythala once described it to her as Roxana planting seeds in people's hearts wherever she goes, that faint hope for Roxana's love and attention. Some seeds she lets blossom immediately (and sometimes they die afterwards, having given their lives for Roxana), some are brought to full bloom later (with reminiscence and wistful memory making it all the sweeter), and some will lead the rests of their lives longing, festering in their hearts, several souls having perished with their last thoughts and words for that stranger they could never forget. There is little telling how many hundreds or thousands in the world are part of this "garden".

    For these three demon servants, there will be decades of a very particular cruelty ahead.

  29. - Top - End - #29
    Titan in the Playground
     
    MikelaC1's Avatar

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    Nov 2009
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    Default Re: Act Three (IC)

    The two guards caught in Roxana's web are beside themselves with anticipation, while the leader dealing with Sabrina can barely croak out...Dew Drop Inn, its 4 streets over and 3 blocks down, you cant miss it. We will be off 3 hours from now.
    He waves the pair through the gates, with visions of an unforgettable night dancing in his head.
    Once inside Rennador, Sabrina and Roxana see a very gray city, with large imposing buildings built of solid stone and large block construction, clearly the people fear unprovoked battles tearing them down. The people move about their business quickly and suspiciously, trying to keep their gazes averted so as to not offer offense to someone, yet be able to see danger coming when it does.
    #GoreMutualarejerks

  30. - Top - End - #30
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Ridai's Avatar

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    Sep 2008
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    Germany (GMT +1)

    Default Re: Act Three (IC)

    As time is an issue, the usual process of acquiring information is deemed too slow, as it would take a few hours. Thus a more guided approach is needed. Candidates for providing information are members of the local court in case the nalfeshnee stays there, but that may carry quite the risk for something not truly certain. Identifying those who are most aware of the going-ons in the city and getting a hint towards the demon's whereabouts from them is another possibility, perhaps the owner of a more "prestigious" (where Rennadorian values are concerned) meeting spot, or those acting in the shadows, but that also involves identifying those people first.

    Are you aware of the nalfeshnee's primary interests or pursuits? We may narrow down our search significantly that way. And if we find someone who may be in the know, I am certain I can convince them to share. A Nocticulan may know, but that may also be needlessly playing with fire. Roxana herself also digs through her knowledge of the Fearsome Four, even if she has had little cause to familiarize herself with them.

    Spoiler: Actions
    Show
    Switch aura to motivate intelligence. Using the remaining points of her previous improvisation spell below (+13)

    Knowledge (the planes) for information on the nalfeshnee's interests, "profession", and pursuits
    (1d20+54)[55]

    Knowledge (local) for information on notable locations and establishments in Rennador, as well as important "need to knows" about the city itself and its customs
    (1d20+54)[71]
    Last edited by Ridai; 2020-09-20 at 08:26 PM.

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