Agents of the Darklands, Part 2: In Company of Forgotten Evils

Game Master thunderbeard

Okay. Do you get to choose which one you control, or is it just the first one that fails a save? Because in the latter case, you'd get a triceratops.

One of the squirrels, instead of casting dispel magic, runs through the smoke cloud to Big Anaxian, targeting the dragon with Barkskin (+5 enhancement to natural armor).

Initiative:
Drisquar, Anaxians
Enemies

So screw it, I'm going to just assume Anaxian tells me to attack the squirrels he isn't in control of. If that's the wrong move, too bad. I've waited long enough by far for an answer

Dris turns invisible momentarily and unleashes a series of devastating strikes against one of the undead squirrels. Swift action to initiate Blend with the Night granting me Greater Invisibility and 2d6 more sneak attack

Also, since I didn't use Split-Second this round, I have 70% concealment

I thought I did that? Crud. Sorry, either I screwed up, or that post got eaten.

Nope, eaten.

Not positive that Undead Mastery works like that, but we'll go with it.

Striking in tandem with Big Anaxian, Illia- easily cuts the Tyrannosaur to pieces, and it unsummons. Drisquar, covered by Meridian's black smoke, is able to fly above the Siabrae's tremorsense, striking the third squirrel by surprise out of the cloud of darkness. Little Anaxian's channel manages to channel control of the second squirrel, which proceeds to turn its Triceratops summons against the third squirrel which Drisquar has already injured to within an inch of its life; as the squirrel is flattened, it briefly grows to take the form of an old, gray female corpse, before crumbling into dust that crawls and squirms and moves with the earth.

Combat over. Save the Magic Jar spell, as there's not any uncontrolled targets for it.

As the smoke clears, the two squirrels revert to relatively humanoid forms; hunched men, with withered and grayish flesh over clearly-outlined bones. One has a long beard, while the other lacks skin on his face. Both have large, stony antlers growing out of their skulls.

"Umm..." one of the men suggests after a few seconds, "I get the whole 'mind-controlled to protect and serve' thing, but you know this is just going to mean they send more after us, right? The Siabrae are an endless, rising tide, and no force has yet led our people to surrender."

"Yay! We're to talking! Hey, do either of you know where we can find a lady name Diamanda or her bones? Or know where we can find her?"

Meredian sighs loudly

"As mentioned initially, we don't want to fight you. Truthfully we probably have aligned goals. However, at the moment we're just looking for a mutual ally. If you would speak to us instead of vainly trying to kill us it'd be a lot more productive for everyone. I don't want to wipe you all out, but if you continue to try to kill us it may irritate me enough that we track down the lair where you reform and destroy whatever passes as your phalactry. Thereby ending you permanently, then nobody gets what they want. "

Audible inhaling calming breath.

"Be reasonable and just speak to us. Now, as Illia restated, we're looking for one Diamanda. Any ideas where we might find her?

"You may have noticed we do not respond well to threats." Big Anaxian added dryly.

"You may have noticed we do not respond well to threats." Big Anaxian added dryly.

"Verily."

"Yeah, the only guy you even managed to attack was the new guy."

One of the druids shakes his head. "How would you feel if a panoply of heavily-armed angels intruded on your holiest places unannounced? And the land told us that you were the ones to begin the violence."

"And the blighted earth itself is our phylactery," the other druid adds. "You could see us undone by reversing the entirety of the Worldwound and its corruption, but I assume that would be a... difficult feat."

The first druid shrugs. "The name 'Diamanda' does not sound... familiar? Details beyond a single name would be helpful, though true, we do not meet many outsiders in the Forest of Stones. But we are hundreds in number, and the others may know more... if you allow it, we can attempt to bargain with the others for our safe return in exchange for information, and your uninterrupted passage through our lands."

"Well, we could pencil it in. We've already got 'revive a demigod on par with a demon lord' and 'kill all dragons' on the schedule, and we've already ticked off one of those. Technically, only one of us is an angel. Diamanda was a powerful druid, also known as the Blue Gardener."

"Your injured feelings aren't an immediate concern and the specifics of your situation will not protect you. I can assure you this is a resourceful group. We're far better allies than enemies as I hope has been shown. I'm fine with you bargaining with others for information and safe passage. I hope it's clear that those who stand against us end quickly. "

"Clarification: You were attacked because you surfaced, unannounced, within melee range. Such an action has two purposes, to attack, or to intimidate. This one reacted accordingly. Additional Response to Point: To require lesser beings to announce oneself is is to announce one's ego too fragile to withstand a negative answer. "

"Right, then." One of the druids picks up a rock from the ground, and begins massaging it; gradually, dirt falls away, leaving behind the stone skeleton of a small rodent, which begins to twitch. He entirely avoids looking at Meridian and Inubrix, choosing to speak entirely to Anaxian, although he seems less unnerved by Drisquar and Illia-. "Should I send a message, then? 'Powerful outsiders, seeking information, will return hostages without ill-will,' only make the whole thing sound friendlier and using secret signs to show we're not under duress?"

"Right, then." One of the druids picks up a rock from the ground, and begins massaging it; gradually, dirt falls away, leaving behind the stone skeleton of a small rodent, which begins to twitch. He entirely avoids looking at Meridian and Inubrix, choosing to speak entirely to Anaxian, although he seems less unnerved by Drisquar and Illia-. "Should I send a message, then? 'Powerful outsiders, seeking information, will return hostages without ill-will,' only make the whole thing sound friendlier and using secret signs to show we're not under duress?"

"Yes."

Meredian says desire not being the one addressed.

While everybody else was negotiating, Dris took wind form and decided to scout the area much more in-depth. He'll fly around for a couple minutes, canvasing the area, but won't stray more than a half mile or so from the party. 1d20 + 34 ⇒ (5) + 34 = 39 Perception. Could I take 10 to break 40?

Little Anaxian still hasn't made himself known. He's invisible, stealthed, somewhere in the trees above.

Anaxian's mental voice reached out to his party, and his new slaves. "I am loathe to maintain control over intelligent creatures. It is never worth the effort required. You will be released soon."

"Attempts at reprisal will be met with far less restraint than I have shown thus far. "

Drisquar gets a decent look at the area—stone circles, caves, and where the clearing gives way to petrified forest. He counts at least twelve spots that might be entrances to underground tunnels.

* * *

"You think this small mischief is worth reprisal?" one of the druids responds. "We Siabrae have a bit more patience than that. But I will send our message." And he whispers something to the skeletal squirrel the other holds, and it dashes off into the ground, disappearing.

Half an hour passes. The undead, horned druids stand completely still, waiting. And the squirrel returns, rising back out of the ground. "Right," one of the druids says, after hearing its whispers. "I have permission to take you to the First Hall of Jade. There will be no violence, unless you begin it."

With the party's permission, the druids lead you across the clearing for about a quarter mile, and then into one of the nondescript cave openings into a hill. The path slopes downwards, through tunnels rough-cut into earth and loose stone. Perhaps five hundred feet underground, this opens into either a small cavern or large room. There are no lights in the darkness, though darkvision shows a circle of figures seated on chairs of various sizes, and Illia- sees a unadorned room, filled with old, motionless druids seated on thrones of green stone. Some move, at the party's approach, while others appear to be meditating, or perhaps just statues.

One of Anaxian's Siabrae introduce the group in Druidic, which Anaxian understands through Tongues. The basics are straightforward; a discussion of your situation, whether or not the party should be allowed to live, and confirmation that the elder druids believe it is more valuable to honor their terms, let the many insults slide, and see if your combat skills can be used to their own advantage.

The name "Diamanda" is tossed about, and there appears to be some contemplative silence, brief and scattered discussion. And then a druid with some of the largest horns in the room, seated near the back of the chamber, calls out, in Common, "Oh, you mean the Shadow Druid?"

There is a shimmer of recognition across the room, as perhaps half of the druids seem to recognize that name. "You didn't mention you were looking for the Shadow Druid, one of Anaxian's controlled Siabrae remarks. [b]"I was... not part of it, but I have heard the stories."

And, after a minute, the room quiets, and the druid with large horns is allowed to tell his story. It is brief, and to the point. "Three shadow druids came to our lands, a century ago. They brought with them the faith of a Southern god of pain and darkness, hiding in the darkness like a hungry spider. We had no need for their ugly god or their sad displays of power, but their blood was strong. The two acolytes are now esteemed members of our order—I have never seen a novice subjected to the Ritual of Eternal Dying with such little screaming."

"But their leader—yes, I believe 'Diamanda' might have been her name? Perhaps. We had many names for her of our own. Their leader bit off her own tongue, and choked to death on blood before the first hour of the ritual had finished. Strength, yes, but foolish. And then, a week later, she returned, preaching the same foolish talk of worship and alliance. So we tied her to the Altar of Torn Hearts and began the Ritual, and once again, she died."

"The third time, we did not bother with the Ritual. We simply killed her, quickly. The fourth time, we killed her slowly. I do not recall all the details of what happened then, or afterwards. But eventually we ceased to be amused. And so the Shadow Druid was encased, hands and feet, in stone, and we cemented her to the walls of our old enemy's keep, at Greengrave."

"So, there's your answer, to a question which you seem to have trouble asking. The woman you seek was doubtless devoured body and soul by Shaorhaz a century ago, likely only after decades of clever demonic tortures. Should you seek foolish vengeance, you can find his fortress at the edge of the Forest of Stones, a hundred miles East. The demon will doubtless tear you limb from limb—though he kills angels quickly—but if you wish to put up a good fight, you'll need some way to block his teleportation. And should you happen, somehow, to end the Glutton's tyranny over the Stonewilds, you will have our eternal thanks, as well as all the gems you can carry from this forest's caves."

"I'm pretty sure someone said shadow druid. Perhaps it went unheard over the droning of impotent threats." Meridian says irritatedly. then thinks to her companions "Dotering old fools"

Then she composes herself,

"What kind of demon is Shaorhaz? Describe it if you're unsure. Details matter."

Once they had the information they sought, Anaxian, true to his word, quietly released his control over the pair of druids.

Drisquar, who had been in wind form the entire trip to this hall, reverts back to his humanoid self. "All the gems we can carry you say? Give us your word on that, and we'll take care of this demon problem for ya"

::"All the gems we can carry is almost certainly a lot more than they are expecting us to be able to carry." Dris comments to his friends telepathically with a chuckle.

I dunno, when you've got enough magic to take care of one of the council of colors, you've probably expecting someone who can mop the floor with your minions to have some good magic too.

"You think we have a use for material wealth?" one of the druids asks, skeptically. "The Green Faith worked this land for centuries. We know its secrets, and its treasures, and only the first is of any consequence."

There is some shuffling, and further discussion in Druidic, when Anaxian releases the druids. They seem primarily interested in your fighting capabilities, and the fact that one of your angelic companions apparently fights with waves of profane energy. A few of the druids in the back of the room whisper among themselves, and finally one of them, a horned woman in long robes, steps forward.

"So. You are serious about taking the war to Shaorhaz? Foolish, but potentially amusing. Very well, we will tell you what we know."

"When the Vrolikai abomination took a fortress as his own, assaulting the forest itself, the druids of the Green Faith came through the stone walls and floors, assaulting his forces in the dungeons and halls. But he fought us back, and turned our magic against us with the aid of his cultists; and the forest died."

"When we had learned to overcome death, we assaulted Greengrave Keep again. But Shaorhaz had filled the dungeons with pools of lava, and many of us died painfully. So when the land returned us, we learned to overcome fire, and swam through the lakes of heat and stone. Much of the demon's cult was destroyed that day, but still his forces fought us off, erecting new barriers and wards against undeath."

"When we returned in full force, the fortress was impenetrable. Bands of iron and steel cross-cut the walls and basement, halting our passage through the stone; behind these, where we cut through, stood a network of force walls, established at great cost by one of Deskari's greatest wizards. Prismatic Walls stood behind doors and gateways, allowing the passage of demons in and out but blocking all other creatures."

"Your first difficulty would be reaching the inside of the Keep, or gaining an invitation. We are bound to the land by the same magic that gives us life; Shaorhaz knows this, and many of his forces conduct raids from the sky, flying freely in and out of his fortress. As you can see, however, some of our younger initiates have grown restless, itching to bring the battle back to Greengrave," and she points at several druids, in a room where every single one sits motionless and silent, "And should you find a way into the fortress, they would be happy to create a distraction by tearing the heads off as many Glabrezu as they can find."

And she coughs, clearly an affectation. "Sharohaz's forces are weaker than they once were, we believe; with the battles of the Stonewilds gone to slow warfare and stalemate, Deskari will have recalled his cultists, leaving the fortress with only its most sadistic and patient devils. Shaorhaz has a fondness for Glabrezu and Babaus, though the latter should give your kind little trouble. He once commanded Mariliths and Gallu, but they are likely long gone from boredom, along with his once-armies of winged Vrocks. He'll have at least one Katpaskir demon advising him, as a safeguard against ambush by teleportation, and several Nalfeshnee."

"As for the Vrolikai commander himself... Shaorhaz has the same strengths of any of his kind. Massive spell resistance, near-immunity to non-angelic weapons, the ability to teleport away at will. Madness-inducing poison, flight, combat skills... Vrolikai specialize in draining their enemies' life force—their weapons, spells, and their very gaze will can suck away an enemy's soul, turning it into a mindless zombie puppet. And Shaorhaz has additional strengths—impenetrable armor, and spells to repel and control undead."

"Ooh, ooh, you said he killed angels quickly? Does that mean if I popped up right outside and started taunting them, they'd probably send some guys out for us to fight?" Illia- volunteers the plan she thinks will get to her getting to start fighting the soonest.

While the woman speaks, explaining what the druids know of Sharohaz, and for some time after word, Shimsil speaks to Dris telepathically, imparting its wisdom and offering suggestions from millennia of hunting down and slaying outsiders.

Finally after several long minutes after the druid stops talking, the stalker speaks, "I believe I have some ideas that might be able to assist with successfully taking the fight to this demon. If you'll give us leave shortly, I will discuss my plans with my companions and we'll see about ridding you of the your little demonic problem"

Statement: This one has no angelic weapons. Inubrix chimes in over the telepathic link.

It sounds like Align Weapon and Death Ward will be our friend.

After finding an initiate willing and able to cast Death Ward and Barkskin on Illia- and getting some good directions, Illia- pops a fair bit outside Greengrave, lets say 750 feet, with whoever wants to be in on the mission. She gives them time to approach closer if they're confident in their stealth. Then, alone, she pops in to 150 feet away and 100 feet up and yells loudly at the fortress.

"Neeeh neeh neh neeh neeeeeeeh neh!" She also proceeded to wave her hands in the air like she just didn't care.

NOTHING CAN GO WRONG WITH MY GLORIOUS STRATEGERY!

Buffs running- Death Ward(save granted against all death effects, with +4 morale bonus, immune to energy drain negative energy), Shield of Faith +5 Def AC, Barkskin +5 Nat AC (assuming at least level 12), Resist Energy Acid/Cold/Lightning 30 resist, both blade powers activated, Primal Warrior Stance.

Also, haven't put my upgrades from my feats/maneuvers chosen in my bio yet, but I think I'm gonna choose the boost that allows me to make an intimdate check and add the result to my damage.

The druids allow the party leave to discuss tactics and plans. "I would not try teleportation," one of them suggests as you walk away.

Illia-, if you'd like to continue with your previous "pop over and taunt" plan, we can run that in spoilers.

Sure, Illia- wants to see what the defense is, and is pretty confident in her ability to leave if things go south.

Given that she's going in by herself, she'd probably go in 1000 feet above on first teleport instead, and just drop a small rock, as she's looking to grab a scout or two rather than attract an entire battleforce.

Yay! I finally get to use the anti-melee, anti-teleporter specialist demon only found in the Worldwound and at dimensional rifts!

Oh, right, forgot.

"Well, that was fun!" Illia- says as she pops back in. "Anybody got a spare casting of dimensional anchor?"

"And I've got a plan! If you guys sneak into location, and hide, then I'll pop in, anti-teleport guy shows up to kill me, and we all kill him, and suddenly they've got more problems with teleports!"

Oh, daaang, forgot about the Ring of Counterspells. Then again, the demon would have acted differently if it knew.

Demon's spellcraft to identify Ring of Counterspells effect: 1d20 + 27 ⇒ (12) + 27 = 39

Well, it might have some idea *now*...

Seconds after Illia- teleports back to the group, Anaxian's symbol of Revelation triggers, illuminating an invisible sensor hanging over her head. The party, via spellcraft, immediately identifies this as a Clairvoyance sensor.

(telepathy) <<Strategic Notes: This one can survive lava with minimal-to-no damage. Prismatic effects would require that this one ride inside of another, which can be done painlessly. Aside from this one's natural weapons, it has only a ranged weapon that damages with heat. As such, magical enhancements that confer the ability to bypass the demon's resistance to non-angelic weapons would be required.>>

Dris shakes his head as Illia pops off and suddenly returns "I'm guessing that didn't go as planned, huh? I know its hard for you to pay attention, but if you did, you would have learned that a lot of our typical tactics aren't going to work. They have an anti teleport demon, wards against the undead, and walls of force which likely stop my entering via wind form. No, in order to successfully defeat this foe, we need new tactics and strategy. Thankfully, I have some ideas along those lines"

Once they are away from the druids, who Dris reminds his companions are not truly on their side, he continues telepathically ::"We need allies, those who are far more skilled at battling demons than we. Thankfully, this is the Worldwound, and there is no shortage of crusaders. Illia and I can go to them, posing as celestials, and attempt to get their aid. Meanwhile, I believe we also could use some planar help. While actual celestials are of course a good idea, it might not be a bad idea to look into Infernal forces as well. Finally, demons don't exactly get along with each other. Perhaps we can divine a hated foe of Deskari and thus Shaorhaz who would be willing to aid us in destroying him."::

Telepathically: "I do like the idea of making our enemies work for us. I can pose as an elf if that helps."

"Mmm... I don't think you're going to find allies stronger than these druids that we can fool, and I don't think the angels or crusaders would play nice with the druids."

"Anyway, I just found out that we can kill one of their strongest demons by abusing the fact that he'll teleport in alone to attack me when I show up. So, my tactic will work perfectly, the only difference being the method of taunting. After that is done, they've suddenly lost their ability to counter teleportation as a strategy."

::"One, you assume things will go exactly as they did last time. Why? I get the feeling this foe learns from his mistakes. In fact, again, if you were paying attention, you would know that's exactly what he does. Also, you assume that there's only one anti teleport demon. All we were told was there is at least one." Dris pauses, for a moment, thinking "We don't need the angels or crusaders to play nice with the druids. We need them to destroy a powerful, entrenched demon. Have you never heard the saying 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend'?"::

"Alright, fine, call me up when it's time to attack, I'm not gonna waste these buffs, so I'm gonna go fight the psychic acid worms some more." Illia- pops off.

Anaxian made a mental noise that was remarkably close to a sigh.

Is any of this actually relevant to our intended mission, or are we simply amusing ourselves?

::"Am I the only one paying any sort of attention?? Diamanda was apparently devoured body and soul by Shaoraz. So yes, I believe destroying the demon might be the only way to have a chance of bringing her back. Also, doing so would not only gain us massive riches, but likely secure these druids as allies as well"::

Your approach is more complicated, and therefor more prone to deviation, but also with greater potential for reward.

We can afford to take our time with this. I advise we gather additional information. The notion of engaging the crusaders as allies amuses me, but I believe our true natures would be difficult to keep hidden during the ensuing conflict. Their presence would require a subtlety that would be hindering. However, having them engage Shaoraz' minions elsewhere at the same time as our assault would serve us well.

He flapped over to Meridian's shoulder taking on his guise as a simple familiar.

"Such subterfuge is not my strength. I will remain here as a liaison while the rest of you treat with the crusaders."

Did anyone want to do anything about the Clairvoyance (scrying-ish) sensor before talking?

Also, as a reminder: Dris can psychically detect the locations of all Bralani within several hundred miles, if he concentrates.

Right. Assume Anaxian tried to dispel it as soon as he saw it.

Dispel Check: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (17) + 11 = 28