A Matter of Faith

[Quellian-dyrae]

The Summit has ended.

After almost a fortnight of deliberation and discussion - and arguments, and ultimatums, and threats, and shouting matches, and impressively only one outright battle - the representatives of faiths and the gods from around the world and throughout the planes have come to a tentative consensus on how to deal with the threat presented by the Eternals.

You begin in the blasted remnants of the one-mighty fortress of Baerngard. There is little left of the fortress but strewn rubble, and even that is more than can be said of the land around it. As far as you can see is nothing but an expanse of blackened ground stretching out in all directions. The several colorful tents and temporary structures that have housed the Faithful of the Summit are the only landmarks for miles.

It's not a sign of the strength of the Eternals, but it does show the sort of power required to bring them down.

You have been given your mission. All around, the various clerics, Outsiders, and other representatives of the divine are preparing to take their leave. Several of them are banding together into their own teams, discussing plans and strategy. The sun is beginning to set, and for now, everything is quiet.

[Dunkoro]

Muc, who already packed all his stuff, being ready to travel turns to his assigned companions:
Looks like we all have been assigned a job to do together. Since we're going to cooperate, I suggest we begin with getting to know each other more before we set off. I'm Muc Kranith, pleased to meet you.

[DracoDei]

"I am Martin Morgan, servant of Heronius. He has granted to me both the more usual sort of divine spellcasting, and the sort that I hear is useful for keeping the Eternals dead permanently in an extreme." he says, his armored tail waving gracefully, approximately parallel to the ground. "I specialize in the use of post-mortal flesh invested with the energies of life, unlike the undead, which are empowered by the energies of death. Would you like to see my intelligent servant? He isn't much in fight, but he is cute as a button."

[ScrambledBrains]

"Alton Highhill, Brother of the Rushing Winds Monastery, and Chosen of Yondalla." The Halfling of the group replied simply, extending his hand to Muc first, before turning and also shaking Martin's hand, withdrawing his own back close to him as soon as it was released from Martin's grip.

[DracoDei]

"I see you will require some time to adjust. I am used to that. In order to speed things up, I feel I should mention that I confine myself to animals for my source materials, although our current mission may persuade me to make exceptions. I also am liberal with the soap and water after doing any work, and my servants are as clean as the average man*."

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*Remembering that the average man doesn't bathe more than once a week, and walks in streets with open sewers.

[ScrambledBrains]

Alton shakes his head at Martin, "I have no issue with your method of dealing with our potential enemies. It is just that I am...unused to contact with any but my fellow monastery brothers. Forgive me if I offend.

[DracoDei]

"Ah, my mistake!" he says, then turns to the only one yet to speak. "And what of you?"

[TwelvePointFive]

The woman had been studyin the various celestials, priests and servants, internally categorising them after species. It was quite an impressive turnup, from a biological viewpoint. Wen she was spoken to she focused on her new allies, and as she turned her head, several thin white scars from battlewounds where highlighted on her face. "I'm Larael, Larael Sóphia. I've studied a lot, I guess... I can fight a little, and have been training my mind. It's really quite exciting stuff, see, if you focus your mind just right, you can change the world around you! It requires training, of course, but I think it's much better than magic; noone really knows where magic comes from, so it can go away any time, but this is one hundred procent me, and thus, I'm not reliant on external forces or influences at all!" Larael pauses to take a deep breath. "Anyways, it's nice to meet you all."

[Dunkoro]

I might not be able to prove it, but I DO know where magic comes from. I've called the primal energy every matter in the world is made of the Æther. I'm still learning to control it, but it has unlimited potential, at least compared to conventional magic.

[DracoDei]

To Larael Sóphia:"Mental powers then? A very flexible resource if so."

To Muc: "Unlimited in what sense or senses?"

[Dunkoro]

Unfortunately, I don't yet have enough of a grasp over it for it to be of truly limitless power, but I can use it whenever it's needed, no questions asked. I am not limited to some number of forgings, unlike most magic-users.

[TwelvePointFive]

"The physical power is as important as the mental power. The mind can't evolve without the body, lest what knowledge might have been gained is lost. You need to be ready to receive new concepts before you can grasp them. And one day, I'll be ready to understand it all." She could go on for a long time, and is on the verge of doing so, when she remembers their task. "How do you think we should go about our quest? It seems an insurmountable task."

[ScrambledBrains]

Having been following the conversation, Alton turns to Larael, "We go to Initos, we find the cult, we defeat them, and if we cannot defeat them before an Eternal is summoned, then we kill the Eternal as well. It does not strike me as a task in need of much complication."

[Dunkoro]

If it were simple, we wouldn't have been assigned doing that. They'd simply send a task force. It strikes me as if they have chosen us especially for our mental capabilities, so that we might deal with potential issues as they arise.

[DracoDei]

"And how do you propose to 'find them'? I doubt their headquarters is marked with a sign after what happened here."

[ScrambledBrains]

"I never claimed finding them would be easy. All I described is the path of events we should follow to perform the task given to us, not the difficulty of performing said events. However, we will not accomplish anything unless we leave for Initos soon."

[Dunkoro]

I support this motion. Is there anything anybody would have to be done? If not, we better get going. Unless anyone has an objection, I'd think that flying there would be the best and fastest way of transport.
I recently discovered a way of forging Æther in such a way, that it creates a 25-feet radius bubble, which then I can direct to fly us to our destination at great speed. If we won't all fit inside with your living undead I could always form two or even three of these bubbles at the same time, so that's not a problem at all.

[DracoDei]

"There is much that could be done here. I am not the most skilled of tongue of those I have heard speak over the last few days, yet if there is none better among us I would still seek out the more free spirited sort of celestials, and even the Devils and ask if any of their adherents who sought them out originally because of a yearning for something beyond their normal lives might have dropped out of contact. Such individuals might have wound up as Seekers if their search for meaning caused them to wander more than their initial departure from the paths that the ordinary man trods. We might even try the demons, although that would be a double-edged sword.

In addition, though I live in Initos, I am imperfectly familiar with its laws. Usually others come to me when my aid is needed, so I don't know if we would be best advised to obtain a writ from one of the higher ranking celestials formally authorizing our hunt. It is probably a matter we could handle before-hand with the local law enforcement, but a little insurance never hurts.

When we DO depart, a single bubble of that size should do quite well. I left the only creation that might strain that behind for just that sort of reason."

[ScrambledBrains]

"Martin raises a good point. Information is one of the most powerful things we can have. However, I myself am...not the most persuasive of men, but I will gladly accompany and protect anyone who wishes to go talk with the Devils, or the Demons." Alton replies firmly to Martin's idea, holding his fist to his chest at the end.

[Quellian-dyrae]

You know of the following fiends present at the summit that might be worth speaking to:

Nirkutahl, a glabrezu with an interest in the arcane. It provided a fairly comprehensive overview of ritual practices which might be used in summoning Eternals, and has a reputation for granting wishes to mortal mages in exchange for the performance of apparently minor rituals to some unknown ends.

Vashreik, a cornugon. While it had simply given testimony regarding tactical and combat capabilities of some Eternals, it has a fairly robust cult of its own that basically runs a small city elsewhere in the world.

Ezzit, an imp. As minor a fiend as it is, Ezzit is ancient, one of the oldest Outsiders present at the summit, which is saying a lot. It has a wealth of knowledge and is typically very willing to share - for a price.

[DracoDei]

((Assuming that was "you" plural, so we don't have to RP through having the guys with high Knowledge[Planes/Religion] explain it to the guys with low.))

"I say we have someone tell Ezzit that it could be worth is while to stick around. They don't have to be good with words. I just don't want him vanishing before we can talk to him LAST.

Meanwhile, one or two of us contact Vashreik. If we find out anything from him, we verify it with Ezzit so we aren't just walking into a trap. Devils you can trust to their sworn word, demons not so much. Speaking of sworn word, we will need appropriate assurances that EZZIT won't be selling US out, or by extension whatever cults loyal to Vashriek we get a line on, to one of his colleagues looking to make a name for himself in the current whirl of events.

If Vashreik gives us nothing... we still go to Ezzit, since we would be asking him to stick around, and courtesy now might earn us further cooperation later, it is just his price would be higher if he was giving us new information, rather than verifying .

I say Ezzit over Nirkutahl because he probably understands especially well what is at stake here. Besides which it seems that Nirkutahl might be the guy to go to of the three for figuring out WHERE they might try to summon an Eternal, but I would rather that the seekers don't actually get far enough to actual GO to any prospective ritual site. It isn't like we are un-versed in arcane theory ourselves, or we can ask a Celestial instead.

Of course, if we can form two teams with decent negotiation skills, we could try Vashreik and Nirkatahl at the same time.

I don't think Ezzit would stick at selling out the cults of his allies if it came to it, and he might even know a bit about the goings on of demon-cults. His price might be either expensive or distasteful... which actually brings up a rather sticky point in general. Whoever we get the information from, we may have to promise them that any information on illegal plans by the FORMER cults of any apostate fiend-worshipers never makes it to the city authorities. I wouldn't blanch at that if it means keeping an Eternal from materializing in my home town, I just need to know if the rest of you are willing to go with me on that. If you are ok with that, we can play it 'dead and corpse in no condition to be interviewed' or 'Here is the isolated monastery (in either sense of the word as our resources indicate) you will be seeking purification at... we will tell them of your background with the Seekers, but not of what you did before that, and we will be checking in on you periodically.'. Shoot, if the information from the fiend is sufficiently choice and the captive sufficiently uncooperative, we could even hand them over to their former cult.

Of course, there may BE no captive in the first place."

[Dunkoro]

I think it would be best of we split up. It's not like we want to waste any more time than there is a need for, right?
I'd say I go with Larael to go see Vashreik, while you two go and talk with Nirkutahl, then we go together and see if we can get anything out of Ezzit.

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As a side note, I'm constantly under an effect of Persistent Æther Revelation for 5 (80 feet of unblockable supersense) and Persistent Æthereal Advantage for 4(+2 luck bonus on attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, saves, and skill checks to all allies and -2 on all these things to all enemies within 30 feet from me)

[ScrambledBrains]

"I agree with Muc and Martin. It is imperative that we not give the Devils or the Demons a chance to take advantage of this situation for their own gain, but on the other hand, they will probably be very good sources of information. I will go with Martin, if that is what is agreed upon Alton murmurs, his eyes darting around the area, trying to see if any of their informants are within sight.

[DracoDei]

"So, any apostate diabloists we get a lead on don't make it to the authorities to report on their fiendish connections? Or are you saying you stick at that? I wouldn't blame you if you did."

[Quellian-dyrae]

You see Nirkutahl off a ways, speaking to a few priests of Boccob.

[DracoDei]

Martin approaches Nirkutahl and attempts to discern (without speaking) if he would be welcome to join the current conversation, or should wait at a distance too far to be thought to be eaves-dropping, but close enough to make a polite but rapid approach after they have wrapped up.

"I shouldn't think that they would hold a private conversation in the open like that, some of the creatures here probably have extremely keen hearing, not to mention that certain of the Faithful could enhance an ally greatly in that regard. Still it never hurts to be careful and polite when making a first approach." he thinks to himself.

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Sense Motive (1d20+9)[14] (Spending a point of Faith before-hand to turn my +4 into a +9 bonus)

Perception[Listen] (if necessary) (1d20+11)[12]

((If I get the idea I should join in, I will join the group and listen quietly until... something I want to talk about is mentioned, or the subject begins to wrap up. I will want to include the clerics of Boccob in the first part of what I have to talk about if they will stay.))

[Quellian-dyrae]

Their body language doesn't indicate they're talking about anything particular private or sensitive. It's hard to hear over the general din of the various people packing up, disassembling tents, saying goodbye, and so on, but the snatches you get indicate they're talking about some arcane subject or another.

[DracoDei]

Martin joins the group.

"Hello. I hate to interrupt, but when you all have a moment I wanted to discuss the situation in Initos."

[ScrambledBrains]

Alton, having followed Martin, stays close to his ally, trying his best to look imposing but not get into his way. However, he does keep his ears alert for any information he can help Martin parse.

[Quellian-dyrae]

The priests turn to you with polite smiles, one of them saying, "Of course. How can we assist?"

Nirkutahl crosses his smaller, human set of arms before him, regarding you with disdain. "Yes. Happy to help in any way possible." he says, not even trying to cover his sarcasm.