"I will defer tactical decisions to you. I will note that I can make it highly likely for you to be able to get into the country with no bloodshed, though avoiding the notice of the Technic League is up to you. Going via the Ethereal will most likely allow you to avoid the mortal authorities, but I don't know much about the state of Numeria's etheric reflection. It could easily be exceedingly dangerous," he shrugs, spreading his hands in a helpless gesture.
Urashu jumps in before Morvan can respond. "Lord Vezivo, if I may. You mentioned the decision to support Ms. Nought, how long ago was that decision made? And has it been common for Hellion to engage in affairs outside of his borders? "
"Also, would you have any contact with the Blades of Aaramor, your lordship? Would you be able to arrange contact with them in the same place as Ms. Nought? I'm knowing an to the Blades." Kallant surprisingly asks from the cheap seats.
"Lord Vezivo, if I may. You mentioned the decision to support Ms. Nought, how long ago was that decision made?"
"Perhaps a month? A month and a half? I don't recall precisely, though I can find out if it's relevant."
"And has it been common for Hellion to engage in affairs outside of his borders? "
"Not that I am aware of. To the best of my knowledge, the capture of your Hellknight is the first time it has acted outside of Numeria."
"Also, would you have any contact with the Blades of Aaramor, your lordship? Would you be able to arrange contact with them in the same place as Ms. Nought? I'm knowing an to the Blades."
Lord Vezivo's eyebrows raise in surprise.
"Not in some time, no, but I have worked with Chief Rothgar before. If I may inquire, what is your relationship?"
"Rothgar and I are friends, you lordship. My name is Kallant." He replies without emotion.
It had been years since they had seen one another. But Kallant's tattoo and tribe membership was for life to acknowledge the life debt.
"Rothgar and I are friends, you lordship. My name is Kallant."
"Indeed? Interesting. Well, I can try. They are on opposite sides of the country, so scheduling may be a conflict."
Urashu hesitates for a second, making sure Kallant is done with his conversation. “Lord Vezivo, Are there movements for Hellion that you know of? Like a public appearance, or even reported meetings he might be having?”
“Lord Vezivo, Are there movements for Hellion that you know of? Like a public appearance, or even reported meetings he might be having?”
"Not that I'm aware of. It's been in hiding since Ms. Nought defeated it at its previous stronghold. There is the possibility that it was present at the ambush on your forces, but I rather doubt it. Intelligence on it is difficult to come by, it is rather heavily warded. Ms. Nought is probably the only person available with enough... potency to pierce its wardings," he says sourly.
“Understood. Maralictor, I have no other questions at this time. ”
Does anyone have any theories on why Hellion would devote so much effort to attacking Hellknights so far away from Numeria? Kizziar asks. The assault on our caravan probably took significant resources, and it sounds like this creature has enough enemies already.
Knowing Kizziar is communicating telepathically, Morvan thinks, Later.
"It seems this...entity...known as Hellion has a long reach, and a great deal of resources at its disposal - both magical and otherwise. I suspect it would be unwise to seek out a direct confrontation with it. That said, it may also be unavoidable. Is anything known of this Hellion's weaknesses or strengths, Lord Vezivo?"
Does anyone have any theories on why Hellion would devote so much effort to attacking Hellknights so far away from Numeria? The assault on our caravan probably took significant resources, and it sounds like this creature has enough enemies already.
"Last we spoke, Torchia insinuated that he had found a weapon that could prove effective against Hellion, and would be able to deliver on his side of the bargain with Ms. Nought soon. My assumption would be that somehow Hellion found out, and is attempting to get more details or sabotage such."
"It seems this...entity...known as Hellion has a long reach, and a great deal of resources at its disposal - both magical and otherwise. I suspect it would be unwise to seek out a direct confrontation with it. That said, it may also be unavoidable. Is anything known of this Hellion's weaknesses or strengths, Lord Vezivo?"
"Unfortunately once again, the best I can tell you is that Ms. Nought is the one best qualified to answer your question. I can tell you that it is partially divine, and can grant spells to worshipers. It tends to employ followers with tribe mentalities, orcs, ratfolk, and Kellid barbarians. However, it also has an uncanny way with those peculiar golems native to Numeria."
He pauses and thinks for a moment.
"Robots, I think the Technic League calls them. Anyway, as for Hellion's actual combat abilities, the best I can tell you is that it is very physically powerful. It does have some magical abilities I believe, but they're rudimentary at best. Though of course, given how powerful it is, even rudimentary magical ability can be deadly."
"Then we should make sure we have a way to defeat these...robots...as they are called. Do you know anything about them?"
"A little," he replies, sitting up straighter and looking engaged.
"As you can see," he gestures towards the little clockwork dragon that is currently pestering Kizziar, "I have a certain fascination with clockwork constructs. While such things are not exactly like robots, they do possess a few similarities, the largest one being a rather potent weakness to electrical assaults. Obviously robots can be far greater than even the most complex clockwork creation, but I posit that they are merely some more advanced form, rather than something different entirely. So while a robot can carry out much more complex and long term instructions than a clockwork could, they both still require instruction, and if presented with situations they are not instructed to deal with will likely shut down or respond inappropriately. Sadly I have yet to get a working model to test on my own. If you perhaps should manage to acquire one on your ventures, I would gladly, and generously, compensate you."
Urashu frowns, he doesn’t like not knowing about something. “Theyre using magic to create these robots right? Like a construct? What kind of material are they using?”
"I have no idea. I would presume so, but I have also found that presuming much leaves much room for error. As for materials, that I do know. Most are crafted from an alloy of iron and adamantium called glaucite. It has the same tensile strength of steel, but is significantly harder and heavier. Some higher end models I'm sure are crafted from purer adamantium, but the vast majority are armored with glaucite."
"Such armor will be difficult to cut through if we face them. We should make sure to have means of shocking them with electricity. When we purchase supplies, are there merchants we could purchase magical items capable of replicating or casting such spells from?"
"I have taken the liberty of gathering most supplies for you. Included are shocking swords and a fully charged wand of lightning bolt."
Urashu smiles, Thats going to be helpful.
”Thank you. That will allow us to get underway more quickly.”
"Indeed. If there's nothing else, Jade will show you to your rooms," Lord Vezivo gestures, and the door opens to reveal Jade, standing expectantly.
Urashu follows Jade, a thoughtful look on his face. When they arrive he waits for Morvan to start the conversation.
"I don't believe there is anything else at this time. Thank you for the information, and your hospitality, Lord Vezivo." Morvan stands and offers a respectful bow, before turning and following Jade to their quarters.
Once they arrive, he speaks a prayer to Asmodeus and begins sweeping the room for any signs of divination auras, motioning to Urashu to do the same.
Urashu frowns, “I don’t have that prepared. Kizziar?”
He will visually inspect the room.
Kizziar nods and examines the room, looking for auras.
There doesn’t appear to be anything magical or otherwise suspicious in the room, aside from our gear of course, Kizziar informs Morvan and the others.
Urashu nods in agreement.
"No divinations, either. Just Abjurations and Transumtations. Good. What I am going to speak of is for our ears alone."
Looking at the group, Morvan says, "Lord Vezivo mentioned several things that caught my attention for why this Hellion would be interested in raiding the Hellknights, especially given how far away we are: first, he said the the Vicarius insinuated the Hellknights had recently acuired a weapon that could defeat Hellion. Second, he said that these robots were vulnerable to electricity. Third, he said Hellion seems to be singularly devoted to chaos and the destruction of all authority not himself. Who else might we have encountered that is devoted to chaos and the destruction of all authority? Who may also have a strong affinity for lightning-based spells?"
Morvan will pause and see if anyone else can see what this is all about.
Urashu nods along with Morvan’s statements. “Well laid out, Maralictor. One of the uncertainties though, is why Hellion’s information is incomplete. Is he jumping at rumors, or half - truths? Is he that desperate to act quickly? Or has someone like Ms. Nought figured out his aim and is providing false information? Whichever it is, if Zakat is his goal he does not have a complete picture.”
"Jumping at rumors, most likely. I imagine that he heard something of that troublemaker as he made his way through Druma. He likely has no first-hand accounts, but knows the Order of the Gate is involved with Ms. Nought. He then sought to snatch a Hellknight in order to interrogate him about that. As well Vespartius has no first-hand experience with that annoyance - it will hopefully help to stifle Hellion's attempts to learn anything."
Yes, it seems he either lacks accurate information or is simply impulsive and illogical. I don't see how we could have controlled Zakat, and capturing Vespartius has simply forced the Order to act against him. Hellion has made a significant blunder, though to be honest I'm not particularly surprised that such a chaotic being would make this sort of miscalculation.
"Whatever Hellion's ultimate goals are, we can't allow him to continue in this present course of action," Melii says. Her eyes glint with anticipation. "I've never killed a robot before. Should be interesting."
"Interesting..."
The voice snaps you back to reality, and you find yourself staring at Jade as she examines you critically. The world around you is vibrantly alive, the air warm and humid, and cluttered with dense vegetation. While it is definitely dark, far darker than you feel like you should be able to see through, you can somehow still see everything clearly.
You look at Jade, confused and expectant.
"Well come on then, let's give it a try," she says, turning and moving away. You follow her. You take half a dozen steps and the jungle turns into a wide, open plain, with incredibly large, blue horses thundering across it. Another two steps and you are inside a sphere of glass, with snow and sand swirling around you in equal measures. Fourteen steps more and the blizzard becomes nothingness, and you feel as if you're falling, but somehow still upright and stable. Four steps after that you arrive inside a large room. Bookshelves surround you on all sides, stretching back farther than you can see. In the center of the room is a thick, squat plinth, upon which rests a large book.
The book is bound in stiff, thick black leather, with clasps and locks of electrum, the spine and cover writ on with elegant lines of phosphorescent ink.
To the left of the book stands Lord Vezivo, looking as you remember, but now armed and armored with an expensive looking rapier, and a thick leather jacket over a chain shirt. To the right of the book stands a tall, slender, but still curvaceous woman, her face and little else obscured by a loose, billowy mantle, though her eyes are visible as an emerald glow. She has pale skin and four arms, holding a wand, an orb, and a crystalline knife. Her skin is covered in golden, slowly shifting, symbols and geometric designs.
"Welcome, Signifer Imperato," Lord Vezivo nods his head politely, "Given that you're here, might I ask a small favor of you?"
He pauses, gazing at the book a moment before returning his attention to you.
"This is the last thing I have left of my birth family. While, I freely admit, I was never exceptionally close with my father, neither was I particularly distanced from him, and our relationship was good enough, considering we both have... had rather introverted inclinations," he sighs and pauses again.
"I have a considerable skill with magic, and yet I find myself unable to open the book or glean any significant information from it. What evidence I do have points to my father having bound his astral echo to the book as a safeguard. Such a defense is difficult enough to overcome even with the resources at my disposal, and even moreso to overcome it without harming the book. I have acquired the aid of several spirit channelers before, and while most of them could indeed contact my father's echo, he soundly rejected each one. Jade here detected that you have that ability yourself, and, in all honesty, your Hellknight discipline gives you a far greater chance at succeeding that the flighty wanderers that I have thus far found. I would be exceedingly grateful if you were to attempt to channel his spirit," he looks at you with a mixture of dread and hope.
Taking the grimoire, the medium creates a circle of candles and sits cross-legged in the center. She focuses on the tome, calling out to Vezivo's father's spirit in an attempt to channel him.
The voice hits your mind hard enough that your ears ring and you taste blood.
So my son is finally learning then. An impressive feat, to find a Hellknight spirit channeler. Tell me little spirit-monger, are you aware of the contract I made?
I can tell him nothing that would be of any use to him. I ensured that he would be taken care of, and that he would be protected from the Order. You on the other hand... the spiritual laugh gives you chills.
I have need of a certain ritual to finish my end of the contract. Assist me with it, and I will grant you what arcane potency I have left. I'm confident my son will aid you, though you may need even more help than his. Is this agreeable?
"That depends on what the ritual entails. Tell me the details of it."
More to the point though, I am confident that you and my son can pull this off. While I doubt you have the depth of knowledge my son does, the spirit says, an obvious note of pride entering its voice, I will be more than able to make up for any shortcomings. Though as always, secondary casters will of course make things easier. Is this agreeable?
"Signifer! Are you alright?" Lord Vezivo's slightly concerned voice calls, hovering at the edge of your circle, unwilling to break it, just in case.
Given leave, Melii will seek out her comrades to explain the situation to them.
Jade leads you out a door and down a hallway, ending in a blank wall. She gently takes your hand, then touches the wall. The most subtle jerkflash of teleportation magic assaults you before Jade walks off, back down an identical looking hallway. A few turns and staircases later and she gestures towards the wing of rooms given to you.
"I'll be here when you're ready," she says, crouching down in a frog position with her back against the wall.
Melii nods, then returns to where the squad is staying.
"I've just come from a meeting with Lord Vezivo. He wanted me to attempt to contact his departed father's spirit. In order to do so, though, I will need to perform an occult ritual. I'll need some help in doing so, if you are willing to provide that aid. I feel that doing so will not only please our host but give us an advantage against Hellion."
Morvan awakens, then considers Melii's request. "If it's going to give us an advantage against Hellion, then we'll risk it. Do you know what kind of ritual, and how long it will take?"
Melii provides the details as best she understands them.