Planescape: Center of All - IC

[kinem]

“No and no. I have told you all I know. Now free me.”

[Archmage1]

Eilyra looks quickly at Ash, Avakuss, and Rush, seeing if any of them have anything further to ask Klaynth. Not sensing any further questions, and not having any further questions herself, her attention returns to Klaynth. "Of course."
Without missing a beat, her sword appears, and she runs the Nycaloth through.

[kinem]

The Nycaloth is easily slain at this point, though a much harder task is maneuvering the huge bulk of the bloody, stinky corpse into the 10' by 10' Enveloping Pit that Ash uses to carry things. With Avakuss doing most of that work, the task gets done.

Ash then casts Heal on Avakuss (150 hp), and uses a Miracle spell to cast Revive Outsider on Center, consuming a large diamond (5k gp).

The golden-skinned rilmani opens his eyes and rises unsteadily to his feet. "Thanks. I gather that we won. What did I miss?"

After introductions, Ash provides a Greater Planeshift to the portal in Pandemonium, which leads right back to Sigil.

As usual, the Lower Ward is smoggy and stinky, but by comparison to where you have been, it feels like a relief - for a moment. Then it's just smoggy and stinky.

Ash says "Someone should go find Taric. I'm best suited. We don't all have to go."

OOC:

Back in Sigil. Where now?

[Archmage1]

Eilyra quickly goes over what Center of All missed, highlighting the encounter with Rush, the petrification of the skeroloth, the initial encounter with Rush, the remnant need to discuss the future plans with Rush, the capture, interrogation, and execution of the commander, the failure to recover Taric, and the general lack of additional useful information recovered.

For the brief moments she finds herself in Pandemonioum, Eilyra winces, not enjoying the volume of the place, but as she returns to the lower ward, she takes a look around, seeking any watchers, as they had used this portal several times, and if someone was watching them come and go... (1d20+25)[35] Spot

Eilyra nods at Ash's suggestion. "That isn't a bad idea, but we should find somewhere we can keep things like the books, the statue, and the corpses we seem to collect. Perhaps Joel might have an idea there?"

[kinem]

Ash says “We have some funds. Isn’t it time you got your own Enveloping Pit? I never leave home without it.”

[Archmage1]

Eilyra continues walking towards The Black Sail as she speaks with Ash. "Perhaps, however I do not have the funds for such a purchase at this time, even assuming one can be found. Perhaps after we sell the items we took from our most recent expedition, although I think some might be better off being used rather than sold. Selling them will also take time, and delay your search."

[kinem]

Ash sighs. "I should first rest and prepare a Speak with Dead spell. I want that corpse out of there as soon as possible. It's fouling the place. Maybe you should disintegrate the thing afterward.

By then we should be able to sell some stuff."

[Archmage1]

Eilyra frowns, slightly, at Ash's words. "Perhaps. If we don't run into further difficulties, I can petrify the corpse as well." She pauses for a moment, and her tone shifts, slightly, becoming slightly less cold. "We didn't take the body to interrogate it immediately. We took it to make resurrecting it a bit more challenging, and to retain the option to interrogate it later, should a reason to do so turn up."
She pauses once more, then looks to Rush and Avakuss. "Do either of you have any ideas or thoughts on how best to proceed? Rush, do you intend to remain with us for the duration of our current contract?"

[Cavir]

Avakuss

"Selling any of the items will cover the cost of the Pit. Yes, Speak with Dead would be good. If you can petrify the corpse we can hide it in the astral plane on the back side of the temple we found. Who's doing to go looking around the outside of it?"

"Sell what we don't want and one of us checks in with Rule. Then go from there?"

[Archmage1]

Eilyra nods in agreement with Avakuss. "I agree. The goal of taking the body was to speak with dead at a later time, should we have a need of it. With an enveloping pit, we could simply store it, rather than dropping it off somewhere." She pauses, and smiles briefly, a rather grim smile. "At least, after it is petrified."

After that bit of gallows humor(And stepping around some dung in the street), she continues speaking. "As far as sales goes, we have the rod, the box, the axe, and the vest. The vest is probably best used for Center, the box is useful enough to consider keeping, although if we need gold, it may be worth more to sell. The rod, well... it is potentially very useful, but I'm not sure if that utility is outweighed by the value of the item. The axe is an easy sell."

She looks to Ash then. "Perhaps you would care to approach Rule? See if he has any information around Taric, and relay to us at the Black Sail? If you let me borrow your pit, I should be able to move the statues out, along with the books, to prepare for your search."

Looking back to Avakuss and Rush, she continues offering suggestions. "Perhaps you would care to sell the axe, and see about picking up a Pit with the proceeds? We can discuss potentially working together further at the Black Sail."

[Cavir]

"Easy enough." Avakuss takes the oversized axe. At his size the axe isn't as ridiculous looking as it was with Eilyra or Ash. He invites Rush to join him.

He sells the axe and buys an Enveloping Pit, taking the rest of the jink back for the group.

[kinem]

Center, in human form and wearing nothing but his tattered robe, seems fully recovered from his ordeal by now and looks warily at the magic vest. "It might come in handy, but it will need to be thoroughly cleaned first" he notes.

Ash says "No need, I'll be back at the Sail soon enough." What's implied is clear enough: Eilyra, you are not going to borrow my house.

Avakuss and Rush head to the Friendly Fiend and find that the friendly proprietor - the quite unusual arcanaloth, A'kin - is as usual willing to offer the standard resale value for the magic axe. The jackal-headed fiend, amiable as usual, informs Rush that some of the magic gear she sports appears to have been purchased from his shop a long time ago, back when the wizard Sernock was equipping her.

After that the pair head to the Black Sail. This is Rush' first visit there, and it's a sight: Fused to the tavern is the hull of an ancient galleon. A soot-stained sail hangs above the ship's gargoyleish figurehead. Inside the well-kept establishment, beneath a ribcage of dark rafters, is a dim common room lined with curtained alcoves. The tavern's sundry patrons congregate at tables placed in the middle of the room, while muffled voices can be heard behind the thick curtains which enclose the alcoves. As the party passes through the main room, there is currently no sign of the tavern owner, the warlock Joel who help start the whole affair.

Ash returns and tells the others that Rule was quite interested in learning what had transpired but had no new information to offer right now.

After the corpse and other items are moved out of her Enveloping Pit, Ash takes her leave and heads off to search for Taric.

[Archmage1]

Eilyra nods at Center's thought. "Agreed. Fiends do tend to be rather foul when it comes to cleanliness. I suppose it does make sense, in a way, as they are used to more sulphurous environs, but it is a weakness." She looks towards the bar. "I imagine Joel, or someone here will have some ability to arrange for a cleaning service."

She spends the next thirty minutes talking with Center, or continuing her studies, before the return of Avakuss, Ash, and Russ. After their return, taking advantage of the more private room, she splits the funds as agreed, passing Rule's share to Center, before arranging the transfer of books, statues, and corpse(Petrified now) to the newly acquired enveloping pit.

After the transfers are complete(For the moment, simply flying up and down), Eilyra brings the attention of Russ, Center, and Avakuss back to her. "Joel seems to be absent, which might be a sign of an issue. We could attempt to look into that. I've also got the new set of books to read through, which might prove to be illuminating, or might not." She shrugs, clearly not overly optimistic about the possibilities. "Apart from that..." Her voice trails off, and she looks to Rush.
"I gather that you intend to continue working with us?"

[tonberryking]

"If we need a place for storage or just a place to live, I have a castle. It's primary defense though is a caved in portcullis, you have to fly to get inside...unless any of you can magically fortify it properly."

Rush informs the others once they're back in Sigil; apparently she wasn't kidding when she first mentioned she had taken over Sernock's castle. Inside the Sail, however, her glib, almost good natured tongue fails her as she seems reticent and dour. Nervously shifting her weight on her hooves and flicking her tail erratically. Perhaps Rush's afraid she'll be recognized as Senrock's pet butcher. After all, how many other dark brown and blond centaurs go around wearing skull armor?

She also seems rather stunned at the amount of money she's offered as her share, let alone having gotten a rough estimate of the value of her personal gear by the Jackal; she never thought to get rid of it after Sernock died because armor was armor. Apparently some armor is better than others and it's coming out of this faint stupor that she answers Eilyra:

"Well, what else am I going to do? Sit in a partly ruined castle and play my mandolin all day long? I won't forget that you saved me from a second imprisonment, though I would like a better idea of who I'm going to be fighting..."And what I'm to do with all this money..."

[Archmage1]

Eilyra looks thoughtful at Rush's mention of a castle. "Interesting. A castle could be useful, although I think we lack the time to set up appropriate defenses."


In the Black Sail, Eilyra listens to Rush's decision. "That can be arranged, although it might need to wait until we have a touch more privacy than what we have here." She looks to Avakuss. "Do you think you could arrange us gaining access to the secure meeting room once more? It seems that your contact, Joel, isn't here at the moment, but he may have directed his staff to allow access."

[kinem]

The stout red-bearded dwarven barkeep, Mugsy, confirms that your group can use the secure meeting room. "I'm not sure where Joel is right now. Maybe he found a female companion. I'll worry more if he's not back tomorrow" Mugsy says.

It's evening here, about twelve hours before your next planned trip.

[Archmage1]

Eilyra smiles at Mugsy's confirmation, before leading the group into the secure meeting room, and closing the door behind them. "It started simply enough. A job offer, in a tavern. Not an easy job. A sword was stolen from Center of All" She nods towards Center of All, before continuing. "Which was, in actuallity, a key to the prison of Tharizdun, god of madness. It seems that one or more of it's cults have been planning this for a while. Possible enemies include Vayyel, a former baatezu duke, various fiends, and a variety of cults. The key can only be used at a few locations, three that we're aware of. We found you at the second that we were checking. Basic parameters of our general task is killing everyone at said gates and attempting to take steps to close the gates more completely. The second part hasn't gone terribly well."

She pauses at this point, to give Rush a chance to ask any further questions.

[tonberryking]

"I take it the sword hasn't been used at the first two?" Rush flicks her tail, trying to follow along, "And what even can we do or what have you tried to make sure the key sword isn't used? Are we allowed to sunder the sword?"

[Archmage1]

Eilyra settles into her narrow backed chair, her tail threading between the gap in the back, and her wings neatly folded to either side of the back as she turns her golden eyes on Rush in response to her questions. "I don't believe it has been, however, from the information we have, it is unlikely. At present, my belief is that the group with the sword isn't necessarily seeking to use it immediately, which gives us a chance to recover it." She pauses, and looks briefly to Center. "From what I know, sundering the sword is likely not an option. Unfortunantely, it is a key component of the effect keeping Tharizdun contained. Breaking the sword would likely result in Tharidun's release, although not immediately. I may be able to find an alternative, if I had the sword, but that isn't the case."
She shrugs, sending a momentary set of embers falling from her burning hair. "We're in the position of acting on the information we have, which is extremely fragmented, and the one who is theoretically gathering more information is not one I would trust to advance any goals but their own. Unfortunately, our only other sources of information tend to be servants of Tharizdun, who are noted for being insane."

[kinem]

The golden-skinned Auromach Rilmani known as Center-of-All says “I’m not sure what would happen if the sword were sundered, or if that’s even possible, but there is also an ancient prophecy that suggests the Key will some day be needed to save the world.

We have an idea where the third Gate is and that’s our next mission.

I have always wondered why the Key is a sword. I feel sure there’s a reason for that. But, it’s not important for us to know, I guess.”

[mati2002]

Ash leans forward, listening to the story and not trying to disguise her curiosity

[tonberryking]

"Well, who made the key-sword to begin with?" Rush asks, with another flick of her tail, "A mortal? An immortal? This is Sigil, after all; does anyone know how to make another? Presumably not your enemies or else they'd have sent three swords to all three places at once, but that doesn't mean the knowledge is lost."

If she was ever offered a drink, now's the time that she chugs it.

"Can you tell me anything more about those who stole it? There's no chance that the actual thief who fetched it was a mercenary who did it for payment and not out of any loyalty to the people trying to free the Madness God?"

[Archmage1]

Eilyra frowns at Rush's question, as she did not know the answer, and she leans back in her chair as she speculates. "I would guess a part of the coalition of gods and other powerful beings who sealed the prisoner inside the prison created the sword. Based on what I know of warding and enchanting, creating another without taking the original spell apart would be close to impossible."

She does, however, nod at Rush's second question. "We don't know who, specifically, stole it. Center was killed by a Gloom, a type of assassin, fairly powerful. Rule of Three, the information broker Center is familiar with, suspects that it's employer is a demon lord named Vayyel. However, this is also suspect, as Rule can't be trusted. Thus, we have been investigating the gate locations, in hopes of finding some way to trace back to the actual employer. At this point, we can say that they probably have chosen to not use the sword immediately, but the reasons behind that decision are unknown."

[kinem]

Center nods. "Eilyra's summary is accurate. The third Gate is likely on the Material Plane in a place called Bavia, which is known for technology and is apparently losing a war.

In an old cult library on Pandemonium, which we later found out was a path to the first Gate, we met a Lich and a Wooden Avatarist's constructs, and well, killed them. They were from Bavia, it seems, and went to the library fairly recently. Too much of a coincidence for me not to think they had some connection to the Key. But we found the first Gate, on the Astral plane, and no one but us had come there in ages.

I hope the papers we took will shed some light on what was going on at the second Gate, but right now, it looks like it was just fiends being fiends. If Vayyel is involved though, we need to watch it somehow. I guess we should ask Rule to help with that.

Another thing about the Bavian Gate: Ash did her magic and found out the terrain of Bavia. There was a large area that her magic couldn't reach. We think the Gate must be there. What we don't know, is what blocked the magic. If it's a dead magic zone, we might be at a real disadvantage. It might be something else. Strange place, Bavia."

[Archmage1]

Eilyra nods sagely at Center's additional information. "Does that answer your questions, Rush?"

[Archmage1]

Sensing no further questions from Rush, Eilyra stands, and stretches her wings for a moment, before looking back to Rush. "Perhaps now might be a good time to visit your castle? We can also consider whether it may be worth making any additional purchases before visiting Bavia."

[tonberryking]

Rush nods, "Yes, well, my sword still works even if other magic can't in a dead zone, but don't ask me how I know this." That's mostly because she doesn't know. "And yes, please, just follow me and mind the first step..."


Castle Sernock, now Castle Rush apparently, is large enough for the centaur's needs but it looks equal parts ugly and in disrepair. Some minor magic to make the sandstone walls of the keep blackened has since faded, making the stones appear to be caked with fading, bleeding ash or charcoal, clashing with the stone's natural pale tan color now showing underneath. As she's mentioned, the entrance is a caved in portcullis which she simply flies over, revealing the small courtyard to be relatively cleared and kept, and the doors leading inside to have once been well oiled but are slowly starting to squeak and complain of lack of maintenance. The interior is...thankfully... bereft of the blackstone coloration, but the place looks like it was literally ransacked and only given the bare minimum cleaning following the sacking. Torn remains of tapestries and wall hooks of framed art, scratched up or even broken end tables put back where they were as best they can...A full length mirror that has a single crack down most of its surface but still functions halfway decent for it's purpose.

And yet, Rush seems comfortable clopping through its hallways as she points out where things are for the others.

"Now, I'm pretty sure there are about... 4 bedrooms apart from the master that actually have beds, but I took all the mattresses off the bedframes to make something to fit my needs. They should still be comfortable enough for bedrolls stretched out over them, though. The dining hall is on the second floor; I did clean THAT up so we can put that cabinet there."

[kinem]

Rush's Keep - now dubbed Castle Rush - is dustier than Rush recalls, with numerous cobwebs to be cleared and a few rats that scurry away as you approach.

Of particular interest to the group is the wizard Sernock's former office, which is in the cellar and lit by a Continual Flame. As ransacked as the rest, it contains a desk, some scattered books and papers, and a tapestry depicting a bird-winged-humanoid - perhaps an angelic figure - walking down a spiral staircase.

Spoiler: Rush

Show

The portal that took you to the Grey Waste is behind the tapestry.

Spoiler: Spot or search DC 30

Show

On another wall, you can make out the outline of a stone block that protrudes a bit more than the others and shows what could be scrape marks as if it were a secret door.

[tonberryking]

Rush seems a bit confused. "How long was I in the bottle? The castle wasn't THIS bad when I went through that portal...I think. My memory was just coming back right then, but the portal I used is behind that tapestry."

Spoiler: OOC/rolls

Show

I literally cannot make either the search nor the spot but if I roll a nat 20 it's an automatic success, right?

(1d20+5)[11]

[Archmage1]

Eilyra follows Rush's guidance to the somewhat run down, poorly maintained, poorly decorated castle, and she shakes her head as she takes it in. "Everything I've heard about Sernock points to him being an idiot, but this..." She shakes her head. "Only an idiot would decorate a castle like this."
She easily flies past the walls, her wings providing more than enough force to keep her aloft, before she lands smoothly on the other side, and takes in the generally ruined and abandoned state of the castle. "It does appear that the keep could do with a significant amount of maintenance work, and it is lacking wards, but it may be useful, although I am dubious about leaving anything of value here absent a significant increase in security."

In Sernock's office Eilyra collects the scattered papers and books, storing them along with the books from the Grey Wastes, to be perused at a later date, before she takes a long look around the room. "Interesting." She looks to Avakuss. "Perhaps you might try pulling or pushing on that wall." She points towards a slightly protruding stone. "It might produce interesting results."