"Mmm.. It'd still be a good idea to have enough of our plans in place that if they somehow detect you, we could immediately drop into the "lightning raid" part of our plan."
Illia seemed to hesitate before offering her next piece of advice. "If that council of mages or whatever are localized and not too heavily guarded because they're casting all their wards below on the dungeon, assassinating them might be a good way to make our eventual exodus easier. No amount of normal soldiers can prevent us from leaving."
"well.. the crimson one said we should probably take months on this task. Why don't we just settle in? Take a few days, shop in town, make ourselves known.
I doubt we will be unnoticed for long, chances are, if there are factions and general distrust in the city, someone is probably going to approach us with an offer of some kind.
Let's see where the chips falls."
Anaxian cared little for making himself known. He was content in his guise as a lowly familiar or companion. At least for now, at any rate. He had designs on that dragon. That would change things.
"They're certainly not likely to hire a ghost. But what other information do we need? I may be able to learn things."
After a week after Mal and Drisquar arrive, a week spent generally gathering minor information and whittling bones or something, two couriers arrive at the party base-house, each within about a day or so. One carries a letter, the other bears a direct message.
The letter is addressed to Delyliath. It reads,
Dear fellow expatriate of the Abyss,
While residents of the illustrious city of Lavosha are able to keep such constructs and undead as they wish outside the city walls, provided these are not armed.
However, spellcasting undead pets must be registered with the City Guard, and we believe you may be in possession of one such mummified cat. Please stop by the Guardhouse at the Palace when convenient, although failure to comply in a timely manner may be met with unfortunate accidents.
Thank you, and enjoy your stay in our lovely city.
Signed,
-Captain Ayiyasha."
The second courier has a message for Malefeasance, which he has been instructed to read aloud.
"To the newly-arrived Priest of Asmodeus.
You are welcome in the city, even if your god is not. Lady Mencara has been informed that you traveled here with two very unusual elves, in whom she has taken some interest. She would like to meet with you to discuss these strange creatures, your plans for them, and what you might be willing to exchange them for.
-Tian Elyia, Captain of the Palace Guard
Delilyath read her letter and smiles.
"Hey Anaxian. This letters officially states that you are my pet.
Isn't that nice?"
The succubus giggles showing the content of her letter.
She returns serious just a moment later.
"so, we have been noticed. We should take extreme care from now on.
Ayiyasha seems particularly nice in this letter... and I don't buy it one single bit.
Unless she act like this because she has been completely tamed by her master, and in that case I really pity her, these are the kindest words I ever heard from another succubus.
As soon as I learned there is a succubus here I couldn't help but think about ways to make her and all her thralls grovel at my feet and make her accept me as the alpha succubus.
I cannot believe she can have different plans for a succubus that suddenly enters her turf."
The day after the message arrives for Malefeasance. She waits for the messenger to go away before sharing a piece of her mind.
"No Asmodeus allowed... I like that."
Says the succubus grinning with authentic joy.
"And for some strange reason they think you have any kind of authority over our little brigade.
What do you think we should do? Should be play along? Negotiate with them?
They might give us a tour of the treasury to find something we might deem suitable for exchange, or maybe they might be willing to exchange the skull itself for them.
I guess it would be easier to smuggle out something that is actively trying to escape with us rather than some skull"
"I'm wondering how they got the names of someone who uses protection against divination-eee-stuff.." Illia looked worried, raising a nervous finger to her lip with her wings folded behind her back. Master spellcaster she was not, but when she got a ring that was supposed to protect her against divination, and then there was the chance of it not working?
In response Mal says,
"It would seem the spymasters reputations are well earned. "
Thinking a moment
"They think I own you and you're elves. We may be able to use that to our advantage. Perhaps I can negotiate your sale for the skull. You'll need to pretend to be my thralls. Jump when I say jump, that sort of thing. That way she is convinced it's a magic connection. Even if we don't actually sell you then arrange your escape we can at least find out if she knows where the skull is or ideally has the skull. Thoughts?"
Anaxian didn't mind being thought of as a pet. He did mind that his careful wards against scrying and divination had apparently been breached, at least partially.
That was a small slight, one that made him question his own thoroughness. Further measures would be necessary. More importantly, it was the kind of slight that brought forth remnants of emotion.
It is a common misconception that the Undead are incapable of feeling. In point of fact, some undead, like ghosts, banshees and bodak, are creatures of raw, untempered emotion. It defines their existence. Others, like zombies and wights, still act in accordance with emotions that can best be described as 'remembered' even if new emotions are beyond them.
Liches, mummies and vampires are more unique. They can still feel everything they did in life. The emotions are merely dampened. They are slow to well and weak in power. They are something to be mused upon rather than overwhelmed by.
Anaxian was a dragon. Dragons are primarily defined by pride.
This small breech of his disguises was enough to cause a welling of spite that was surprisingly potent.
It was not enough to cause some sort of fit or outburst. It was simply enough for Anaxian to decide that he would prefer the world without this particular city in it.
The spymasters of Lavosha would likely never know it, but that one instance of revealing what they had learned was what sealed their fates.
It does not matter how their information was obtained. There are many ways. Speculating on them would be folly. Better would be to act quickly. They have revealed they are aware of us. Our timetable is significantly moved forward.
Before stopping by the palace, you're able to do a bit of recon--somehow. It seems that Anaxian triggered a spell designed to detect spellcasters, and the City Guard now consider him to be an awakened zombie cat of some sort--an abomination, sure, but one perhaps considered cute by drow standards.
Upon hearing that he's some sort of Elf slave, Dris lets out an evil chuckle "Well, that's a stupid assumption on their part, but one we can easily use to our advantage, yes. If the best plan is for us to seem like magickally controlled slaves, I say go for it. Though, I will admit, in this case, using Shimsil to gain control of a well placed captain of import or someone else of similar rank is probably a really good idea. This is definitely going to be a much more serious undertaking than any we've done so far. The more allies we have on our side, the better"
"It is good to be underestimated by your enemies. I will send a message to the Captain that I am willing to meet and negotiate. We'll go from there. Shmisil, how long will you need to infiltrate? I will make the meeting after that period of time. "
The dungeon you're trying to get the skull from is, to the best of your knowledge, an actual dungeon--i.e. some part of it is probably jail and torture cells, which is where the drow here store their prisoners.
If you handed them a "prisoner," that would be an easy way to get someone inside and look around, although you might want to see if they'll tell you what sort of defenses they have on the cells and how easy they are to escape.
Alternately, you could try to arrange a "trade" of the object for something--or someone--that would mysteriously vanish not long after.
In a day or two, I'll move everyone forward in two groups, I suppose. Shimsil and TSG can pretty easily hide anywhere, although Shim might have a bit more trouble traveling between groups than the ghost would.
"Soo..... Um.... We're basically still information gathering, right?" Illia was less honestly asking a question, and more awkwardly and obviously trying to lead into her next statement, as showed by how she kept her face pointing towards the ground.
"I'm a devil..." Illia was still coming to grips with what that meant and it showed in her slight consternation, "And Drow like demons, right?" She looked up this time to try and find some confirmation. "I THINK that means I shouldn't show my true self, what with the whole devils vs demons thing? Or am I wrong?"
"Yeaaaaah..." Illia gave a prolonged winch with her eyes closed, obviously visualizing something she didn't enjoy. "Not too excited about that.."
We must act decisively now. Anaxian said, his glowing reptilian eyes narrowing in thought. Here are my thoughts…
We must act decisively now. Anaxian said, his glowing reptilian eyes narrowing in thought. Here are my thoughts…
"Agreed." Mal stats simply.
"It's fine I guess" responds the succubus with a certain hesitation "Except for the whole horde of uncontrolled undead in a cage. I believe that has more chances to explode in our face than in the face of our enemies."
The succubus sighs immersed in her own thoughts
"There are another couple of things... one is you Anaxian. I have to present you to the authorities, and I have my doubts about presenting you as an awakened magic wielding zombie cat instead of an actual Dracolich.
I think they are going to see through the deception, besides, this is one of the very few places where you would have the chance to intruduce yourself as a Dracolich. Are you sure you want to keep pretending to be a simple dead cat even where you could let go of disguises?"
"The other doubt is about Ayiyasha.
Relations between succubi are ... complicated.
I don't think she is going to ignore the fact that there is another succubus in town.
She will probably try to get close to me ... maybe as a playmate or accomplice, but I won't count myself so lucky, she will probably see me either as a threat or as a possible thrall.
I have no confidence at all that we will manage to do anything without involving her.
And me enthralling the guards... is as much as a straightforward challenge as it gets.
I'm good with the plan .. but let's start the plan with how are we planning to dispatch Ayiyasha. Because there is no chance she will stay idle as I take for myself people that probably are already enthralled by her."
She looks around for suggestions but pretty soon she start smiling and comes with an idea of her own.
"Or I could play it nice. I am very good at playing people. Even for a succubus, and I'm protected from spells that detect lies.
I wonder if I can bring her to our side.
She is bound to Lady Mencara. Do we have any option to break the bondage? I have seen other bonded succubi going maverick on their masters before. You won't believe what we are capable of when someone break our chains on a few years of enslavement.
Or the other option is I get close and personal enough to drain her to death."
Delilyath close her eyes and smiles while taking a deep breath.
"It's been so much since the last time I devoured a fellow succubus. I hardly remember the taste."
I see no need to reveal myself if i can avoid it. I believe I can simply alter my cat disguise so that it is capable of casting spells. Then you can present it as a unique pet.
Anaxian's cat skin suit walked into the room, turned itself inside out, lay down and remained motionless while the little Dracolich began to scratch strange symbols onto the inside surface of its skin.
The cat is quite small. This should only take a few hours.
I see no need to reveal myself if i can avoid it. I believe I can simply alter my cat disguise so that it is capable of casting spells. Then you can present it as a unique pet.
Anaxian's cat skin suit walked into the room, turned itself inside out, lay down and remained motionless while the little Dracolich began to scratch strange symbols onto the inside surface of its skin.
The cat is quite small. This should only take a few hours.
Alright, so: Looks like I've gotta take my computer into the shop. Will see if I have a place to post from in the next few ways, otherwise it might be a few before I have both free time and a machine to use.
In any case, when I get the chance, I'll move the party to the palace/guardhouse/dungeons (for anyone who wants to break in). I've got a vague sense of what the various factions and NPCs' responses would be to each of Anaxian's plans, and can easily implement those in response to whatever plans the party goes with (or slightly retroactively decides to go with).
(Since the NPCs have asked that you respond in a timely fashion, Mal and Anaxian can have up to one day's worth of skeletons in a cage somewhere, with no need to stat them out unless they get into combat)
Where is everyone going? (my best guess)
This is what I will assume people are up to, with changing these plans totally reasonable.
Delyliath:
The party succubus has been summoned by Captain Ayiyasha to "register" her "pet," which is in fact Anaxian's now-spellstitched cat. Captain Ayiyasha is one of the three captains of the city guard, and a fellow Succubus. Succubi rarely get along with each other.
Anaxian:
Potentially, hiding inside the cat, where it can hear and respond to his instructions. Since most people wouldn't have reason to cut open a mummified cat, this shouldn't make him too easy to detect.
(If you don't already have stats for this thing, I'll treat it as a Juju Zombie of an Awakened cat, with SLAs provided by some variant of the Spellstitched template)
Malfeasance:
Mal has been summoned to report to Lady Mencara herself, along with his "unusual elf" associates, Drisquar and Iranaset.
Since Mal's player is afk at the moment, his character will perform any reasonable actions y'all suggest, or if no suggestions are forthcoming, I will bot him with my magical bot alias.
Note that Mal bears a distinctive glyph on the back of his armor, which is currently being covered up by some sort of cloak, as you are not sure how Lady Mencara would respond to it.
Iranaset:
Iranaset disappeared right after reaching the city. Some members of the party may suspect sabotage, or treachery, but there are currently no clues as to where she has gone.
Drisquar:
Drisquar may be willing to travel with Mal to meet Lady Mencara, since his unique Bralani abilities allow him to turn to wind and escape from nearly any ambush or prison at a moment's notice. This is what I will assume, although he may not wish to do so.
Illia-:
Illia's Kolaryut disguise would actually be pretty perfect here. Of all the neutral outsiders, Kolaryuts are among the easiest to bind, provided the binder has strict terms and follows a code of conduct exactly as laid out in their binding agreement—just the sort of thing a Priest of Asmodeus would be comfortable doing, especially one with a Chelaxian accent.
Thus, unless otherwise suggested, I will assume that Illia travels with Mal to meet Lady Mencara, posing as his priestly escort and giving him credibility as a powerful, important cleric.
Shimsil:
If Shim wants to cause a ruckus in the barracks, he should travel with Delyliath—otherwise he could easily stay with Drisquar, and possibly get "lost" somewhere in the Palace, finding a guard to possess who normally works dungeon patrol.
TSG:
The Summoner's Ghost can stealth through walls pretty much anywhere, and with invisibility could scout straight ahead into the dungeon; but without explicit plans, I'll currently assume he's with Del and Anaxian (to balance the party split?), with his Drow Eidolon masquerading as Delyliath's servant.
Delyliath stands up from the seat where she was slouching, sipping some drowish wine, generously offered by her host.
"I guess it's about time to get moving and honor Captain Ayiyasha's requests.
So... me and Anaxian are going... anyone else?
Shimsil? It's not like a slave about to be sold is expected to show up with a diamond sword by his side.
Anyone else?
Illia? or maybe Mr. spooky?"
Asks turning to the ghost.
Note that the party is currently split just too far apart for the two halves to be able to contact each other through a Message spell, although one of the sneakier characters could probably relay messages by hiding in a hallway or wall somewhere in between.
The Guardhouse
-Delyliath
-Anaxian(?)
-(TSG)?
Note: You all know by now, from Delyliath, that Succubi can Detect Thoughts at will. You've also heard enough to know that this ability requires a line of sight—anyone invisible, or hiding inside a wall (TSG), inside a cat (Anaxian), or inside a scabbard (Shimsil), is probably safe from it. I'm also going to house-rule that Succubi are immune to each other's Detect Thoughts ability.
The center offices of Lavosha's barracks are surprisingly well-kept; none of the dripping skull chandeliers or glowing blood-fungus you'd expect in a Drow army. Despite the lack of proper enemies, the commanders of the guard seem to keep to a rather regimented and orderly military in place.
The office is open—more of a bureaucratic station, really—arranged in such a way that the officer on duty can keep an eye on the guards down the hallway, giving little chance to directly mess with them. Picture a sort of city hall permit office, with a roped-off line and some chairs for anyone waiting a long time. No other visitors are waiting.
This does not look like Captain Ayiyasha's normal office; it appears to be some sort of permit office typically held by a lower-ranking officer, with nameplates hastily swapped out. Clearly, the Captain appears interested in meeting you.
Delyliath, I'd assume, arrives at the office several minutes late, or in some slightly snide way as a sort of testing affront to the other Succubus. If this is the case, Captain Ayiyasha does not comment on it in any way; and if not, it makes little difference.
"Well, well..." she says, looking up at you. Her uniform is military in color, but cut at odd angles and extremely graceful in the way it flows around her—clearly a magical tailoring job. Her wings stretch out lazily, arching and then folding themselves behind her head as a sort of improvised head-rest. "It'ss been quite a while since I've met another even remotely-charming demon on thiss plane."
Ayiyasha's accent is heavily Abyssal. It seems somewhat clear that she has not spent nearly as many years as Delyliath on this plane, or at least has far less experience with mundane tongues.
"Please, place your pet on the table, for inspection. There are a few formss you'll need to fill out, although it's all boring paperwork—we just don't like to turn a blind eye to the weaponss and oddities people bring to thiss lovely city. And then, perhaps, you and I can reminissce for a bit about the banks of the river Sstyx, which I have not laid eyes on in far too long." She smiles.
You are unable to find any obvious signs (either from the way she talks, or the magic in the room), that Captain Ayiyasha is being directly bound against her will, although some subtler magic or influence may be at work.
Captain Ayiyasha wears a great deal of magical jewelry, including at least eight rings of various natures that should not be able to (and probably do not) function simultaneously.
The Captain doesn't appear to be your ordinary, garden-variety succubus—you'd guess she's seen training or talent beyond that of a typical one of her kind, which may well translate to a few extra hit dice or class levels.
* * *
The Palace
-Mal
-Illia-
-Drisquar(?)
-(Shimsil)?
The Palace is another matter. Layers upon layer of construction, coup, and betrayal have led to a sort of cake-like aesthetic, with bricks and stones of various colors and eras piling on top of each other, and the occasional old funguswood door bearing heavy scorch marks or acid damage.
There's a standard sort of grand entry hall where you wait an hour or two while the lady sees other petitioners. A few hooded, black-robed drow enter before you, and then exit. Directly ahead of your group is a sullen, quiet minotaur, with heavy chains dangling from his horns, who enters the throne room and does not exit again.
Finally, Mal is called in. Lady Mencara is a rather typical-looking Drow princess, with gilt-edged robes both priestly and noble. A jeweled scepter sits at her side; her throne itself is simply a large, tall chair carved from strange, dark wood, with spider legs carved into the top. Six guards stand where you can see them, with more likely hiding in the dark, curtain-edged space behind the throne.
If Drisquar is not present, ignore the next section
vvvv
With a wave of her hand, two of the guards gesture and finish spells they have been holding, both targeting Drisquar in an instant.
The wizards have cast Silence and Hold Person.
Unless he succeeds at a DC 18 Will save, Drisquar is unable to hear the rest of the conversation. The other spell appears to have no effect.
"Sorry," Lady Mencara says quickly, and powerfully, before Mal can react violently, "But I wish to speak without your companion overhearing."
^^^^
"Now," Lady Mencara begins, speaking in earnest, as a hush falls across the room. "It is not every visitor to the grand city of Lavosha that is awarded an audience with its ruler. But you bring such intriguing companions with you, Priest, even if your god is not welcome here."
"As you may or may not know, we Drow have both suspicion and interest towards our traitor kin on the surface. You have come here with two of the strangest surface elves I have ever heard of; and rather than have you arrested or execution on suspicion of espionage, I have decided to offer you a trade, instead. If you'd be willing to surrender your elven companions to my custody for examination, I'd be quite willing to pay whatever they're worth to you—and I can assure you they won't be mistreated."
"...." Illia behaves like a normal Kolyarut. Completely boring. Illia also decided to concentrate really hard on orange peels in case they have a mind reader.
~Kolyarut's are supposed to be really strange and esoteric, so orange peels should be perfect, right?~ She accidentally thought.
p.s. also...
The cat hopped up onto the table and gave a bored dead stare up at the demoness before sitting down. It's skin moved like it was breathing and it's whiskers twitched. The only indication that it was not alive was it's eyes, which were made of smoked glass lenses.
Illia-: "Kolyaruts are by far the most talkative of the inevitables, naturally possessing a courtly grace and an encyclopedic knowledge of social customs, which they use both to assist them in gathering information on their targets and in issuing challenges."
So feel free to chat it up with the Drow (or speak for Mal), but I suppose a quiet and esoteric inevitable would not be too unusual either.
Delyliath: The closest undercities are probably Umberweb and Sverspume, both of which are still about a month's journey away. Sverspume is a small but cosmopolitan trading city, with some ties to the surface, and a population of primarily dark folk with only a few drow. Umberweb is a highly isolated Drow city with a large population of driders and a general fear of outsiders.
Neither is exactly an enemy of Lavosha, as the distance and lack of conquerable resources in the space between makes them more reluctant/occasional trading partners. The local armed forces concern themselves mostly with nearby vegepygmy settlements and Duergar fortresses, many of which have turned to banditry.
Drisquar: I think the party should actually be level 8? I believe we started at 7 and leveled once. But you should have 2 levels of inquisitor on top of your racial HD, which I guess might come out to 2 HD total.
Shimsil: Just read Magic Aura carefully, and I think it can hide from Detect Thoughts just fine.
"so... freshly out of the abyss?" asks Delyliath sitting on a corner of the table and crossing her legs.
"Where were you from? I was born in the midnight isles. Been in the material plane for a few decades. It's not like I don't miss the abyss but, things are a little too tense there for my tastes. And I do enjoy it here with the lesser creatures. More fun and less competition... which leads me to.."
The succubus pauses for a second and smiles at Ayiyasha.
"I'm not here to invade your turf. Just waiting for some associates who are doing a job in Sverspume.
I have softened a few locals to get a little bit of hospitality and favorable treatment while I wait for them.
I plan to wait for them, maybe trade some baubles in town and be on my way to earn yet some more baubles."
Delyliath giggles and playfully bites her lips.
"so... what does a Succubus does around here for fun? Any suggestions?"
Dris shakes off the Silence spell, and the Hold Person has no effect on him. However, he stays silent and stock still, pretending to be affected.
The Guardhouse:
-Delyliath
-Anaxian
-(TSG)?
At Delyliath's words, the Succubus merely nods her head in thought. After Delyliath has finished speaking, she furrows her brow, waves her hands and casts a quick, nonthreatening spell.
Everyone present has enough Spellcraft to automatically identify the spell: Zone of Truth. Will save, DC 21, to ignore it entirely (on a failed save, you know the spell has affected you, and can modify your answers accordingly). Since undead are immune, Delyliath is the only one potentially affected.
And then Captain Ayiyasha answers. "For fun? Drow, mosstly, I suppose. Lavossha certainly hass some strange and interesting residents, but not a whole lot of them. And it is a bit cold up here, for ssure, but compared to the monotony, endless work and constant danger of fighting in an Abysssal army, the job iss quite nice."
"You wouldn't believe what they pay me, either, including... shall we say... voluntary bonuses," she adds, smiling. And then, remembering herself, [b]"Not that I sshould tell you, or would. Sso let me take a look at this pet of yours, then."
Her spells, cast on Anaxian's crunchy outer shell, are quite cursory. Detect Magic, Detect Evil, Detect Thoughts. To all intents and purposes, this appears to be a mindless undead with some sort of innate, on-command triggered magic abilities crafted into his hide. "An impressive piece of work, all in all," the Succubus muses, clearly taken aback by the fine workmanship of the spellstitching. "If it were a bit warmer, I would want one of thesse as well. Did you craft it yourself?"
The Palace
-Mal
-Illia-
-Drisquar
-(Shimsil)?
Malfeasance steps forward, kneels politely, and then stands. "My Lady," he says, "I worship the Prince of Devils, yes, but that is not the same as acting in his service."
"In fact, my companions and I have come to this city for a rather specialized purpose--we seek to purchase a rare artifact which we have been told you may own, somewhere in the city's vaults. My elven companions are expendable; I am not."
"Alas, one of them seems to have perished right after we arrived at the city--but the other, as you can see here, is still quite healthy, strong, and indignant. So, I would like to propose a specific trade. My elven companion here, for the treasure. It is a jeweled, human skull, kept by the rulers of Lavosha for centuries, with great sentimental value to us--I believe it may have once belonged to one of my ancestors."
"I only ask that you place this elf in a cell with a bit of a view. Surface elves tend to pine away for their lost forests and skies; if you can imprison him next to a painting of the surface, with cell bars that he can easily gaze out through, he should last a good bit longer."
Lady Mencara looks puzzled. For a few seconds, she appears about to speak, then furrows her brow and waves over one of her guards, a slender woman in an ornately-embellished suit of mithral armor that makes her stand out from the others. After a minute of consulting, the Drow Ruler finally speaks.
"You must be mistaken," Lady Mencara says. "No such treasure exists within these halls. I don't believe this city ever had possession of such a thing; a jewelled skull would certainly make it into one of the ledgers, and it seems the Sergeant here has never seen anything even remotely like it."
|
Everyone present has enough Spellcraft to automatically identify the spell: Zone of Truth. Will save, DC 21, to ignore it entirely (on a failed save, you know the spell has affected you, and can modify your answers accordingly). Since undead are immune, Delyliath is the only one potentially affected.
Oh, forgot about that ring. Good call; and no, I don't believe she knows that you're immune.
Huh.. Kolyaruts are part of the Inevitables right, and they follow some sort of plannie thingie? What's it called? Could someone tell me so I could say something like, "The planie thingie does not lie. Perhaps it is disguised as something else."
Illia uses her telepathy on her nearby companions to ask a question. If relays are in place, the whole group will hear the question.