Varius drops his swords with a clatter when the last elemental dies. "Auughhh hot hot hot, my swords are molten!" His hands are raw and blistered, but a bit of balm and bandaging and he's ready to go again.
"Well, after the spiders everything else has been a bit of a let down. So... blood room it is. Perhaps some sort of blood-sucking creature? Hard to tell."
Varius pushes onto the next room, taking one side with Faustinia and Petals.
Alessandro rubs his eyes until the black spots fade and he can see again. Slightly ashamed that the fight is over before he can even participate, he fidgets in the background.
"Well, there's only one test left. So far, they honestly haven't been too bad but I share the same apprehensions you do about this blood room. On the other hand, maybe this really well get us over our fear after that awful play. The same strategy works for me.
I'll accompany Catina again."
⁞⁞⁞⁞ ⁞⁞⁞⁞
What appear to be dozens of wicker bird cages hang by thick ropes from the thirty-foot high ceiling of this cylindrical room, each dangling at a different height above the floor.
A few seconds after the arrival of the heroes, six of the wicker cages above rattle as six insectoid creatures with two pairs of bat wings, a tangle of thin legs, and a needle-sharp proboscis within flap out to swoop down and attack.
⁞⁞⁞⁞ ⁞⁞⁞⁞
The insectoids attack and try to attach themselves to the Irises. Two attach to Petals, and one to Varius and Alessandro. They all start to drain the heroes’ blood.
▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁
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: none
Stirges
Alessandro
Lady Faustinia
Catina
Varius
Petals
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The room looks straight out of the scariest horror tales she knows. Those things are hideous she whispers as the insects start stirring We should really take care of them before they get out of their cages--- followed by the strangled scream as two of them suddenly fly at her and dig their needle noses into her neck.
She bashes and stabs (and whimpers a lot) as best she can with a weapon not meant to attack things on her.
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Faustinia recoils in disgust from the descending creatures. ”Stirges! Filthy, disease-ridden, swamp parasites! Squish those nasty things before they can drain any more blood! They're sitting ducks when they've latched on like that.” Faustinia drops her crossbow and goes for her staff.
She hesitates for a moment, though. ”I might be able to knock them out, but I might hit the rest of you. Should I do it?” Faustinia asks her friends.
---
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"GWAH!" shouts Varius, desperately trying to get the creatures off of him. "Giant mosquitoes - of course!"
He gets to quick work trying to stab at the stirges covering his body.
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Catina gasps at the speed with which the creatures - stirges - fly up and latch themselves onto her companions. "Yes," she calls out to Faustinia. "Do it!"
Seeing how Petals is accosted by two of the creatures, Catina steps past Alessandro, apologizing as she does for not aiding him. Sorry... Petals, hold still." She swings her glaive, hoping to detach at least one stirge from the elven woman. However, she's too worried about hitting Petals and misses them both all together.
--
Alessandro attacks the stirge attached to Varius first then the one on himself.
He then takes a 5-ft. step back. "Blast them Faustinia!"
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The colors slam into her like a tidal wave, giving her just a moment to breath a Wow with wide eyes of wonderment. Not the best defense against the spell though.
So now she is blissfully unable to see the needle nosed insects draining away her life. Not the worst way to go she thinks, a little wonky in her head At least it was pretty
⁞⁞⁞⁞ ⁞⁞⁞⁞
Alessandro kills the stirge on Varius, then the one on himself with his kukris. Lady Faustinia then almost ends the combat, causing all of the remaining stirges to fall unconscious. It’s easy for the party to then kill all of the unconscious stirges. When the last one dies, it shrivels up and transforms into a grape-sized piece of purple amethyst worth 100 gp.
---
The group has been successfully tested. As soon as the Irises return in the main room, the sourceless voice suddenly gains a distinct source: it belongs to a diminutive, red-skinned nuisance with fiendish wings and a whipping scorpion-like tail. As every Chelaxian would, you’re able to immediately identify the creature in front of you as an imp. Born directly from the pits of Hell, imps are among the least of the true devils; these vicious, manipulative fiends, however, hold an important role in the corruption of mortal souls. Unfettered from the ranks and duties of diabolical armies, imps delight in any opportunity to travel to the Material Plane and subtly tempt mortals toward acts of ever-greater depravity.
Imps vary widely in appearance, ranging through a spectrum of bestial traits and grotesque body shapes, though most take the forms of red-skinned, winged humanoids with bulbous features. Such a typical imp stands a mere 2 feet tall, has a 3-foot wingspan, and weighs 10 pounds. The particular imp that you have in front of you shares this form, but is clearly a female.
The now visible imp flitters down and tries to take the four gems from you. “The gems are payment for the cures!”, she explains.
As Lady Faustinia perfectly knows, it’s very likely that the imp is referring to her ability to contact her deity (probably Asmodeus, or one of the Hell Lords, or agents thereof) and ask questions that can be answered by a simple yes or no.
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Varius yelps, covering his eyes as the colour spray hits. He manages to resist the spell, and then sees the remaining stirges strewn around the ground. Gleefully, he scampers to each one, killing the little bastards. He looks down at Petals' blissful smile as she twitches out from the spell.
"Fun spell... you didn't... hurt her brain, did you?"
----
Further upstairs, Varius half-draws his sword as the imp appears. He is obviously very, very unhappy. However, he keeps his cool and glances to the rest of the party for direction as the imp tugs at the gem in his hand. "I don't think I mind giving the gems over... I do mind the imp though. Stop that."
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After doing her part to execute the stirges with a few well-placed staff thrusts, Faustinia cleans up the blood squished out of them with a disgusted face and checks on her stunned allies. ”Are you alright, dear?” she asks Petals with genuine concern once the elven girl has recovered. ”Sorry about that - but it seems it all worked out for the best.”
---
When the imp reveals itself, Faustinia crosses her arms and raises an eyebrow. ”Hm. That figures,” she mutters as the creature demands her payment. Meeting Varius’ eyes, she shakes her head. ”No need for any more violence, my young friend. This pest can be reasoned with.”
Faustinia fishes out the gems she had collected from her pocket and holds them out, glittering in the light of her spell. ”Now, little imp, I seem to recall that you promised us a safe way out. It seems like a fair deal to trade our prizes for information now that we’re ‘cured,’ no?”
Catina isn't too happy that this all turned out to be scheme by the imp, but the damage is already done. She resigns herself to the fact with a slightly overacted sigh. "We've already gone thought the effort, so we may as well stick with it now." She adds her voice to Faustinia's against the imps. "If we give these to you, will you tell us which way is forward, and how to safely get through here?"
Faustinia, that was amazing!!! Petals breathes excitedly I've never... seen such... COLOR! she laughs in wonder, before gathering herself, and carrying on at least semi-normal.
She too is more than mildly annoyed at being the playthings to an imp.
We should ask what she gets out of the gems as well. We don't want to being more harm than good in the long run. she addresses the others even though she says that loudly enough the imp can here. All the while, she stares daggers at the infernal creature.
"The one good thing about devils is that they are as lawful as they are evil. I'm sure the gets something out of the deal, but it is likely that we can trust it to be true to its word. I say we utilize this creature if it can help us get through the Knot."
"Yes or no questions only?...Hmmm."
Alessandro consults with the group before asking any questions.
The imp nods and giggles. "You if you give them to me I will honor my end of the deal". Assuming the group gives the gems to the devil, the tiny creature lets out a delighted shriek and flutters at full speed about the room. It then perches atop one of the torches supports in the hall. "Hurry up, now! I'm waiting for your questions! Oh, and the way out from here is considered a question of course..."
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The Irises consult, and once they have some consensus Faustinia volunteers to parley with the imp. Approaching the perched creature, she assumes her most imperious posture and commanding look. ”Imp,” she begins, as if addressing a disobedient servant, ”we will ask two questions initially. First: is there an exit out of the Asmodean Knot other than the way we came in, through the mirror in the mayor's attic? Second: we seek an object called the Chelish Crux. Will we recognize the Chelish Crux for what it is when we are in its presence?”
Catina scrutinizes the imp fiercely. She nods in agreement when Faustinia asks the first questions. She considers it only logical that the person who knows most about the arcane and about the nature of these devils conducts the actual conversation. Before you know it, you ask some silly question and that counts as one of the six... She keeps her lips tightly sealed.
The imp reacts to Lady Faustinia's attitude with a haughty grin. "My name is Livia, old woman. And you should show me some respect if you're interested in learning any information at all..."
The second part of Lady Faustinia's speech at least does not contain any explicit sign of disrespect toward the imp. The devil grins again, this time a little more mischievously, then flutters about the room before landing on the torch holder again. "Double yes".
The Irises know that they have no time to consult themselves now that Livia has entered her communion with her patron. The questions must be quick and one after the other, with no opportunity to go back once asked. Anyone can ask a question, and the question will be answered in order of asking.
Catina bites her tongue, but realizing that time is of the essence makes her break her previous intent. Besides, the imp doesn't sound too bad. She points to the door marked 'Exit'. "Livia, will that door take us to the Chelish Crux at least as fast as any of the other exits from this room?" As an afterthought, she adds "That's the third question, by the way," following Faustinia's example and thinking maybe the questions have to be numbered.
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Um... Is the singing from down the hall there she points toward where they came from Is it from someone good who is trapped here and needs our help? Petals know it isn't part of their mission, but the idea that the singer could be a prisoner like she had been, trapped in a place even worse than she had been, has been eating at her.
Varius just remains in the back, glaring at the imp and not saying much. Although a million questions race through his mind, he just keeps his mouth shut and lets the others follow through with their plan.
I thought the singing was the imp but let's see what it says. Alessandro thinks to himself.
Livia looks at Catina. "Yes", then to Lady Faustinia: "No". Then, its attention turns to Petals. "No". The imp grins. There's only one question left.
Catina hesitates. At least we know which way to go from here, but the password isn't within the Vault. Does that mean that we have it already? Or would she mean that the password itself isn't here, but all the necessary information to guess the password might be? Her brows furrow in thought, and frustration at only receiving such short answers. Still, the answers so far have been useful, so she can't blame the imp too much. the password worries here, and give rise to Catina's question, their last.
"When we find the Chelish Crux, can we take it with us out of the Asmodean Knot, even if we haven't solved it yet?"
Petals guilt for using up a question, is assuaged by the fact no one is needing rescue. That ball of chains can be left alone now. Hopefully.
"Yes" whispers Livia to Catina with a mischievous smile on her little devil-face. Then the imps suddenly vanishes. "I'll be keeping an eye on you, in case you find my master...or what remains of him, after all these years..."
_____________________
Varius blanches a bit as the imp mentions a master. He looks to the others. "If we do not have to return through the attic, then I say we get some rest. I'm still digging spiders out of crevices. Also, Petals - you look like you're going to collapse under the weight of your own hammer."
A rest sounds lovely. the elf admits looking pretty pale after her insect encounter.
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Faustinia starts to reply to the imp Livia, ”Wait, who is - or was - your master? Are you just going to watch us? Not interfere?” The old woman sighs with exasperation. They had some answers at least, but these devils were proving more and more vexing. Did House Thrune truly manage to get consistent use from infernal dealings?
Shaking the stray thoughts from her mind as the others contemplate resting, her attention turns to Catina. She approaches the tiefling with a look of concern. ”Catina… I know that we have to press on soon. And I know that… thing you found is time sensitive,” she alludes, trying to avoid giving the invisible imp any more information by mentioning the runecurse. ”But I fear we're too worn out to push on heedless of the dangers ahead. What good would it do to speed toward the Crux and die because we pushed ourselves too hard, right? The cells will make us rested in a mere two hours, which makes some difference in our progress but not so much that it isn't possible to return to the mayor's party.” Faustinia, holding her hands clasped in front of her, meets Catina’s eyes. She takes on a sadder look, though her eyes remain dry. Lowering her voice she says, ”This isn't an easy situation, I know. But I don't want us to be so unprepared or worn out that what happened to Sev and Lorenzo happens to someone else.”
When the imp has disappeared, Catina suddenly feels sorry for her, in an odd kind of way. She must not get a lot of people coming through here, to play her 'games'. It probably gets really lonely. And she did give us very important information. The remark with regards to the imp's master, makes her wonder, but she doesn't just want to leave without saying anything else. "Euhm, I guess you're still here, Livia. Thank you for the answers. We'll... we'll be on our way, I suppose."
When Faustinia approaches her, Catina is surprised at first. As she can recall, she hadn't seen such concern and 'closeness' from the noblewoman before. Also, she's a bit startled because dealing with the four trials and the imp had pushed the runecurse to the back of her mind, sort of... Still, she doesn't hesitate at all. "No, you're right. We have no idea to know what's waiting for us, and we'll need out strength. If I can get you all safely through this before... Well, you know." Trying to sound upbeat, but failing because the dazing effect of the runecurse is back in full effect, she raises her voice to the others. "Come, we could use a good rest and regain some strength."
Livia's voice, although its source is not clear anymore, shrieks an answer to Lady Faustinia. "My master was..." Here there's a pause, and you can hear a sound similar to that produced when one slaps himself in the face for having said something stupid. "H-Hm. Pardon. My master is a man, a human, named Dargentu Vheed. A prince among your kind, the one who rules the mighty city of Westcrown, as you call it. And an incredibly gifted wizard...I...I can still feel it...It's like he's with you somehow. But I can't see him. Where is he?! Tell me! Please!"
It's clear that Livia has gone a little bit mad during the time spent in the Knot.
---
The group takes his leave, but has to solve the problem of returning to the cells. Jumping there is simply impossible, because the destination platoform is higher than the starting one.
Lured into an almost fog at the prospect of sleeping, she startled awake by the buzzing little imps words. With wide eyes she whispers to Faustinia Isn't Vheed our last mayor, the one supposedly dead?, whispers cause she doesn't want to agitate the imp any more than it already appears to be.
Varius looks at Petals incredulously now that he's done glaring at the imp. "Wait... so the former mayor is here but he's also not physically here. Maybe he is the knot? Or his spirit haunts it? Hard to tell. I'm not excited about what we find next. If we can find your master we'll let you know though."
Eager to get some rest, Varius leads the way back to the cells where he happily collapses to allow the casters to rest, swapping watches with Alessandro. While resting, he takes a while to go through the papers he stole from the mayor's attic.
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”Yes, he was. All I know for sure is that he was a powerful mage, and the rumors were that he was a sadistic and cruel man as well,” Faustinia whispers back. Faustinia frowns and her eyes dart back and forth as she thinks. A powerful and cruel wizard… the mayor's imp residing in this place still… and his presence is with us?
Faustinia eyes the room, unsure where to look to address Livia. ”Livia, the name is of course familiar to us. If he was - is - your master, why are you here? What does Dargentu Vheed have to do with this place?”
---
Catina looks very worried at the imp's words, and Petals's explanation. She hurries out of the room with Varius. When they're out of earshot, she confides in him. "Do you think that's the runecurse, that Livia felt? Could she sense its caster?"
Despite the grizzly cells, Catina tries to get some rest and performs some quick prayers to Shelyn, thanking Her for the power she's received to keep her friends safe and sound so far.
"I don't know if it is the runecurse, but perhaps something about one of the other items we picked up. If this Dargentu Vheed was a wizard, he could be magically living on somehow. Hopefully, not as a lich, but this place seems to have strange properties. It is very possible he lingers here in some form."
While the others rest, Alessandro keeps watch over the cell entrance just in case something comes by...Hopefully not.
“He left me here…”, Livia explains to Lady Faustinia. “He was also experimenting with these place…In fact, most of this place was created by him…”
---
After levitating up the tunnel thanks to Faustinia’s spell, the group reaches the cells and enjoy some hard-earned rest while some of them keep watch.
The rest lasts for 2 hours, and nothing happens while the Catina, Faustinia and Petals sleep. When they all wake up, they find they can prepare their spells again, although Lady Faustinia’s magic armor is going to disappear soon. The group will need one more hour to allow the spellcasters to prepare their new spells.
3 hours have passed since the group came here to rest. Now, with new spells prepared and part of their energies recovered, the Irises of Westcrown slide down the tunnel once again.
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Presuming that Livia has accompanied them to their rest in the cells, Faustinia speaks to the air after preparing her spells, unsure where to look to address the imp. ”Livia, I've had some time to think about it now… you say that Dargentu built this place? But that he also somehow is with us?” Faustinia wrinkles her brow further in thought. ”If you sense him with us, but hadn't before, then perhaps he left something of himself in this place? Livia, if you would deign to oblige my silly questions: is he a great devotee of the Dark Lord Asmodeus? And are the rumors true of his interests in… hurting people?”
---
Facing the slide again, this time without a handy way of going down magically, Faustinia swallows nervously. She peers down the rough-walled tunnel, obviously not happy about the prospect of being dashed against the walls. Mumbling something, she pulls a scroll from her bag and casts the spell. Her skin takes on a clammy pallor, and she shudders. ”Well, this is unpleasant, but it should help,” she mutters before sitting down and trying to slide down without hurting herself.
---
Lady Faustinia talks to the walls.
"I can sense something like a shard of his presence. His soul is among you, or part of it. Or perhaps he's just hiding somewhere here and you can't still see it. I used to be his familiar. His soul was so tasty, it would have granted my a promotion, for sure...But then he disappeared..."
The voice suddenly stops.
"But you...you ask a lot of questions...and you're a wizard like him...perhaps we can strike a deal, don't you think? I know of a forbidden, infernal technique to create a bond between a devil and a spellcaster so that the first becomes the familiar of the latter for a short amount of time during which whatever bonds the spellcaster has is temporarily suspended...Believe me, I've got a lot of information...I just need a good reason to share them with you...Information not only about this world...Not only about mundane magic...I know the deepest secrets of the Nine Hells...They're just here for you to grab them...You just have to say "Yes"!"
Catina isn't sure what Faustinia is trying to accomplish, and she's too tired to ask about it. However, she notices that the noblewoman is still injured, and quickly fixes that with the magical power she's got left. "Here Faustinia, this should makes you sleep better as well." The rest of her remaining healing she spends on Alessandro, who seems to have taken it worse than the rest of them. "Thanks for taking watch, both of you. See you in two hours." With that, she rests her head on the hard floor, and is quickly asleep - it's not the first time she'd had to sleep in rough conditions.
--
--
The next morning, feeling somewhat refreshed despite the few hours of sleep, Catina prays for spells. Once she's regains energy, she uses the first bit to undo the weakness that the shadow had instilled in her.
--
With that done, the tiefling girl follows the others back into the Knot. "So, back to the room where we talked to Livia, and then on to the exit?"
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On the way back to the Observation Room, Faustinia lags behind the others a little bit and mumbles to herself…
Alessandro breaths a sigh of relief once the rest is complete without disturbance.
"Well that worked out. I'm ready to continue. Now that we're "cured" the exit door sounds like a good enough way to continue as any."
Varius shoots Faustinia a somewhat befuddled glance, but then decides to let wizards to their wizardy things. He's here to hit things.
"To the exit door. Give it a look over and we can see what dreadful things await us next."
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You read the documents, all those that concern your family. At first, you might have thought to burn the pages, ball them and throw them away, tear them up. But as soon as you read the first words, you understood that it was not the yet another tale about vices and corruption. Instead, the story told by the documents speaks of greatness and glory, courage and faith, patriotism and desire for freedom.
It seems like before Aroden’s death, the Rufanos were to the apex of their power and influence. They were beholden to a different family, the Tilernos, known for their affiliation with the Church of Aroden. From the records, it seems like a Rufano was in charge of an entire battalion of Cheliaxian soldiers takes with protecting the northern borders of the Empire; a Rufano was responsible for the supplies of ceramic of the entire Cheliax; a Rufano was the High Priest of Aroden in the modern Archduchy of Menador; a Rufano was among the founders of the first Hellknight order, the Order of the Rack; fifteen Rufanos counted among the members of the Knights of Ozem, in Lastwall; two Rufanos were among the most loyal counselors of Iomedae; and, if the stories told in the documents are to be believed, a Rufano was even rumored of being the lover of the then mortal Iomedae! When she became a deity in her own right, the Rufanos swore allegiance to her, and most of his member became paladins of her orders.
Then all of this glory faded very quickly during the civil war. The fact that all of the above mentioned stories are told as a condemn rather than a praise, tell much about what happened to Cheliax after House Thrune rose to power after the Civil War. The documents you’re holding in your hands are, actually, the papers of the trial that was held immediately after the end of the Civil War against your family. Everything you’ve read, and which seemed like great things, something to be proud of, were the charges against the Rufano.
The papers don’t tell how the trial ended, except that the then patriarch of the family accepted to denounce the errors of his family, renounce his legacy and swear allegiance to another family. Especially, all of the Rufano were asked to publicly repudiate their faith in Iomedae, for which they were famous. And they did, because the most idealistic in the family died during the war of fled when things went bad. Those who remained were the coward and the craven, and they bartered their family’s name and history for a fistful of gold and the promise of mercy.
“It is forbidden because it is too powerful. It is forbidden because only those who live in one of the Nine Layers should practice it. But I know it. Because I’m powerful. Very powerful. And I’m skilled at stealing secrets. Something that I may do for you in the future, if you accept my offer”. The voice, as you can notice, is growing increasingly fast.
“You shouldn’t worry about you bonded item. Your link with it will go back to normal when the one with me will be interrupted, something that we will decide before stipulating our contract of mutual collaboration. The ritual is long. It will take one entire day. As such, we can’t perform it here. Take me out of this place, and I’m sure the right moment will come…Deal?”
The group slides down the tunnel!
--- ---
Alessandro, Lady Faustinia and Petals slide down the tunnel without problems. The same cannot be said about Catina and Varius, who experience more difficulties, slipping and falling and then immediately sliding all the way down the tunnel without control.
--- ---
Fortunately, Catina manages to arrest her descent, but Varius isn’t able to and ends in the straight hallway at the lower end of the tunnel, badly injured.
Varius' hands tremble as he excitedly goes through paper after paper, devouring the contents. When it's time to go he very, very carefully folds them before placing them in his pack.
I... my family was amazing! A beacon of light before Aroden fell. They were magnificent. I should be proud of my name. I.. I need to think about this. Once we're out. Faustinia may know something. She knows everything.
Once the group is ready to go Varius is kind of wide-eyed and silent, obviously excited about something. So excited that he keels arse over teakettle as he plunges down the tunnel before cracking his head with a sickening whack at the bottom. Although not badly injured, he's barely conscious and curls up, letting out a loud, low groan.
Catina sees Varius slipping and hears the awful sound of his head impacting the wall a few seconds later. She makes her way down as quickly as she can without slipping again, then carefully seats Varius and makes sure he's OK. "Oh, silly man. You wanted to go too fast, didn't you? No, don't try to get up yet. You might have a concussion. Let me see..." She fusses a bit, then decides that it would take him way too long to recover on his own. "Here, this should help."
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