The surprise at seeing seven other incubus only lasts a moment for Milamber. He knew that demons couldn't be trusted. When he sees the one leading the party teleport over to the double doors at the south side of the room, he recalled his teachings about the foul creatures - they could teleport at will. Counting the creatures in this room, Milamber's concern grows.
Hmm, with the seven in this room that totals 8 incubus along with the two giants that went back into the room with the large machine, that makes 10 enemies that we know of. We are already outnumbered and it wants us to go into another room with who knows what creatures.
Leaning over to Iona and whispering "I count 8 of them now. They outnumber us 2 to 1."
Concerned about a possible fight Milamber attempts to recall the strengths and weaknesses of an incubus.
"It's a good think they're outclassed then." Iona whispered back. "But we're in the middle of this now... So keep your head." She added before she made her way down the steps to follow the one who had come to get them.
"Fellow followers?" Iona asked the one leaving them to this Mistress of his.
Your demon smiles widely at Iona, "Those? Layabouts and malingerers all! I'm the responsible one! " he declares loudly, eliciting a few hisses of disagreement from the other demons.
He steps to the double doors, and grabs each door, then looks back to make sure you're all following...
Iona motioned for him to keep going when he looked back to see them following.
Aladir gives a very slight frown when he notes that at least a few of the demons have noticed his passing...he continues to maintain the invisibility, though, in the belief that a few of them knowing he's there is better than all of them knowing he's there.
Hyram smiles when he sees the other demons. More demons to send back to the abyss by his sword. He nods with satisfaction and continues on.
Such confidence these heroes have. I wish I shared their optimism. Looks like we are going in.
Milamber whispers to himself this time "Here goes nothing."
He takes a deep breath as the demon opens the door...
The demon pull open the doors, calling out loudly, "Mistress! They have arrived! "
He stands aside and gestures you to enter.
Before you is a room : The ceiling of this large chamber rises up to what appears to be a vaulted height of about forty feet, although exact distances are hard to judge because of the purple, miasmic haze that lingers in the room’s upper reaches. The walls are lined with worktables covered with alchemical experiments and tools. The center of the room features a large stone slab; atop the slab, what appears to be a five-foot-diameter fishbowl sits within a complex metal-and-crystal framework over an open fire. Inside the bowl bubbles a thick purple sludge, the vapors of which waft up to join the haze above. No fewer than eight snaking tubes extend from below the glass cauldron, each attached to a smaller alchemical contraption at the edge of the table. The air in this room is sharp with the eye-watering stench of chemicals.
In the alcove to your right, are three figures. One leans against a worktable, arms crossed, his face a mask of annoyance. The other is a large , flying, bulbous, tumor-riddled mass with numerous arms, no legs, and a leering, three-eyed face. The third is a human woman, who seems to have just finished giving the two demons a tongue-lashing.
At your announced entrance, she turns and with a curt gesture sends your escort back into the other room, closing the doors behind him.
"Ah, you've finally arrived. Tales of your exploits..." she states, then considers you closely, "Hmm, I see there are replacements...and you're missing one, he must be the sneaky one!"
She chuckles at her witticism, "Still, it is an honor to meet some of the Heroes of Dezren, and their new colleagues ". She seems somewhat annoyed that she wasn't aware of the change in the composition of your party.
It appears to be a cambion demon. But , much more accomplished and powerful than your run-of-the-mill cambion.
Gibrileths are known as filth demons because their appearance is so vile that even other demons find them appalling—including some hezrous. A gibrileth’s body is composed almost entirely of quivering, globular, acidic tumors, save for its batlike wings and the nest of spindly, atrophied arms growing from the top of its body. It can walk with a clumsy gait, using its long arms, but it prefers to be on the wing.
These creatures enjoy spreading nausea and sickness, either via their spell-like abilities or through violence—in fact, they are one of the primary sources of demonplague throughout demon infested lands.
You are shocked to realize that this woman is the same you've seen in depictions of the legendary Crusdaer, Yaniel. Whose blade Hyram now wields.
Milamber looks around the room fascinated with all the alchemical equipment. He recalls one particular experiment during his youth when he mixed two liquids hoping to get another array of color changes. Instead, the ensuring reaction resulted in a small explosion that resulted in some minor wounds and a small fire.
"Wow! Look at all this stuff. This is fantastic!"
To the annoyed looking demon he asks "Is all this yours?"
The purple haze stings Milamber's eyes and he coughs.
"It must be wonderful to be able to play with all these chemicals. [cough] Too bad you didn't get any help setting up proper ventilation. Doesn't this stuff [waving his hand at the haze] interfere with your experiments?"
Looking at the woman he adds "This must be your mistress. So, what did you want to see us about?"
Her face seems somewhat familiar but he can't place it. He is also curious about both the annoyed and floating demons.
Hyram ignores the demon and focuses on the woman. Enough pleasantries! Tell us why you are so eager to meet with us!
The demon information is recalled immediately and to the annoyed demon he asks:
"So you are a cambion demon - I don't recall any of your ... background ... working with this Baphomet/Deskari alliance. What could they possibly offer someone like yourself to belittle themselves with this kind of work?" as he motions to the boiling cauldron.
"And why would you want to associate yourself with these filthy things?" motioning to the floating demon. "I thought most of your kind find them appalling - spreading disease and sickness to everyone who comes near them. How can you possibly conduct any kind of experiment with them near by?"
A look of disgust on Milamber's face is replaced after a few moments when the memories of the Legendary Crusader Yaniel returns to his mind. He points at the 'mistress' with surprise.
"Wait! It can't be. I've heard stories about you - are you Yaniel!? What are you doing here? Queen Galfrey will be so surprised to hear that you are alive and well. Why haven't you contacted anyone in Kenabres? I'm sorry, but I have so many questions."
Feelings of both excitement and confusion flood Milamber's thoughts as he has tries to make sense of what he has just seen.
Aladir only barely contains a gasp of shock upon seeing Yaniel herself, the legendary wielder of Radiance itself, berating the other demons in the room rather than cutting off their head (or whatever passes for their head).
Fortunately, at the last moment remembering that he's still maintaining his invisibility and suppresses the audible sound, but his mind nonetheless still reels at this revelation.
Doing his best to take advantage of the fact that they haven't yet recognized him, Aladir moves to Milamber and whispers to him, so only he may hear.
When Milamber mentions Yaniel, Hyram unconsciously glances to Radiance on his hip. I do not know whether to give you a bow of respect or a look of disgust. One of your reputation consorting with demons! he says to Yaniel.
At first the Mistress...Yaniel...blinks at Milamber's rapid fire questions, and a flash of annoyance flickers across her face as he addresses the cambion, and not her.
For his part, the cambion looks initially interested in answering some of Milamber's questions about the lab, but another curt gesture from Yaniel causes him to subside, leaning back against the worktable and crossing his arms once again.
When she turns back, all can see the look of hatred the cambion directs at the Mistress of the Fane.
Her hands closed into fists at her hips, Yaniel smiles at both Hyram blunt statements and Milamber's confused questions.
Then she raises her hands, palms open now, "It is simple really. I realized the futility of the battle I was fighting. " she states, looking directly at Hyram , "You speak of reputation. What reputation is that....of failure? How many years have the Crusades thrown life after life against the Worldwound...how many sacrificed on the altar of Pride and wishful thinking? When I had returned to the Worldwound to fight, I came to the realization that the Worldwound is destined to win. In that moment, I forsook my oaths and swore myself to my Lord, Baphomet! The power that he's given me dwarfs any that the Crusades or that pompous, b&#+& Galfrey could give me! "
She pauses, her face alight with her conviction, "That is why I sought to bring you to me. You are powerful, you've attracted the notice of powerful beings. You, like I, could receive great power should you swear to their service, as did I! "
At first Iona was stunned into silence at what Milamber and Hyram's words said this woman was. How could she? How could that have happened?
Then this, Yaniel spoke and that snapped Iona out of her silence. The holy symbol of Iomedae which graced Iona's forehead since the moment of her birth began to glow with bright radiant light, along with her eye giving her an otherworldly look.
"You. Dare." Iona spoke, her voice strong and stern. "Just because you where too weak, do not assume we are the same. Though I can only speak for myself, hear this! I am Iona Pentaghast, marked by the goddess upon my birth, blessed by her to carry within her magic, and her Holy Vindicator! I am the Bulwark, I am the shield. You, you are nothing compared to me. But you are even less compared to my companions!" Iona boldly said. "You believe your power is greater failure? Let us test that theory."
With that she sent out a wave of positive energy which filled the room.
When the light from her eyes faded, the other could see tears of blood falling down Iona's cheeks. "You will find no mercy from me"
Iona's reaction along with Yaniel's declaration clearly indicate that this is not the Yaniel that he was told about. Something had to be done - but deep inside his heart he did not know if he could bring it upon himself to attack her. He tries to think of an alternative.
The look on the cambion demon's face is difficult to ignore. Hmm, it seems like those two don't get along, perhaps it is time to add some fuel to that fire. If I can get those two fighting, it would kill two birds with one stone.
Milamber looks deep within his new found mythical powers - searching for a spell that can help bring action to those looks of hatred.
Milamber casts Vengeful Outrage on the cambion demon having it target the 'mistress'.
To the cambion demon: "Haven't you had enough of this 'mistress'? Now is the time to take action against her and release your outrage! Vengeance! Take out your vengeance upon her!"
Round 1 Order
Milamber
Cambion
Gibrileth
Iona
Aladir
Hyram
Yaniel
Iona's holy energy fills the room, causing both demons to smoke a little, the Gilbrileth shrieking in outrage, the cambion merely looking a bit put out. Yaniel is unaffected, in fact it seems as though the wave of energy merely passes right through her.
Milamber's gambit fails, his magic not effecting the cambion at all. However, instead of looking angry the cambion shoots the mage a look of annoyance and makes a surreptitious motion with his hand as if to say Cut it out! .
Yaniel doesn't look surprised by the response to her offer, shrugging, "Typical Crusader stubbornness..."
With confrontation a foregone conclusion, Milamber casts haste.
Milamber's spell penetrates the cambion's innate defences, and he looks angrily at Milamber for a second before his face goes completely impassive, cold...his now chilling, menacing gaze going not to Yaniel but to the door at the back of the room. With a leap, the cambion flies directly across the room in a flash and crashes through the door.
A screech rings out, "You fool! What are you doing! ". Yaniel reacts as if she were the one being attacked by the cambion!
The floating demon, ascends up into the air until it is 20 feet up, then goes still as begins to mutter and chant, the air beside it begins to shimmer and warp...
Iona watched the as the cambion demon ran off, but also noted how Yaniel reacted. "Aladir, go after that demon who ran off! Milamber, cover him so he gets through alright, Hyram I'll hold off the pair of demons, you deal with your traitor!"
With that Iona ran into battle, using another channel, Bulwark of Victory lit up and re-enforced itself with Iona's divine magic.
Hyram snarls, You cannot wield this sword any longer, but it will slay you!
He moves up to the fallen paladin with Radiance at the ready.
"In a minute!" Aladir replies as he turns his bow against the floating demon chanting, hoping that he's able to disrupt whatever spell the creature is casting before it goes off.
-------------------------------------------------------------
"Don't kill Yaniel! She might be bewitched!" Aladir calls to the others.
As Iona fortifies her Holy defences , Hyram strides over to Yaniel and using her own sword levels a devastating slice at her midsection.
However, while she was seemingly dealing with an assault by the cambion, she gracefully moves out of the way of Hyram's attack. She moved much more quickly than one would think of one wearing plate armor.
Aladir's arrows all pierce the bloated, stinking demon floating above the fray, it's shrieks of pain echo in the strange laboratory.
From whence the cambion had flown, it now came careening back , as if thrown by some force, landing up against the large central cauldron with a loud thump.
From your vantage point, you can see a duplicate of Yaniel standing in the door where the cambion just was thrown from. Then that individual slams the door shut!
Yaniel looks over her shoulder and sees that Hyram saw what he saw, then shrugs "Well, it was fun while it lasted. Curse you all, Crusaders!" she spits, then fades away as if she'd been made of gossamer...
Round 2 Order
Milamber
Cambion
Gibrileth
Iona
Aladir
Hyram
Following Aladir's assault on the floating demon, Milamber uses power gleaned from his rod to enhance his spell. He sends a series of snowballs into the air aimed at the Gibrileth.
Milamber's snowballs strike the floating demon hard, causing it to shriek in outrage once more.
The cambion shakes his head and gets himself back up on his feet.
Still under Milamber's geas, he plucks a number of crystalline objects from his bandolier and throws them at the single door in the south wall, trying to get at the object of his Vengeful Outrage!
All three bombs hit the door and explode!
The door is blown completely off of its hinges, sending bits of wood and metal in all directions...
The Gibrileth, is enraged that whatever it was trying to do earlier was disrupted by Aladir's arrows. It floats down in front of Iona, seems to concentrate for a moment then it emits a foul , dark wave that flows over all of you. The moment it strikes, you feel a horrible fatigue lay heavy on your bodies.
The horrible creature laughs liquidly as it sees your shoulders slump...
Iona slashed at the creature even through all the fatigue. She had spent nights without sleep before, this would not stop her!
Hyram will go open the door. Come out Yaniel! Face the consequences of your actions!
Grumbling briefly under his breath, Aladir moves to follow after Hyram, now turning his bow against the cambion demon since Iona seems to have her situation well in hand against the demon that he (hopes) he has already seriously injured.
While firing at the demon, Aladir repeats to Hyram,"Again, don't kill her, she might be bewitched!"
Iona cuts the vile, floating demon deep....a stream of diseased ichor spilling to the floor...but it still lives, screaming it's pain and anger!
Despite the arrow pincushion his back received from Aladir, the cambion also still stands, and following Milamber's compulsion, flies past Hyram into the room beyond the destroyed door.
...to find the cambion standing in a small bedroom, looking searchingly around , growling, "Where are you , you b%+#~?
Each of Milamber's rays of fire hit the floating demon directly, but the pustulent secretions seem to counteract the effects of the rays entirely...
The gilrileth snaps it's whip in the air and sends it curling through the air towards Iona...
The whip snakes around Iona's ankle and with a swift twist the demon pulls Iona's feet from under her, toppling her to the ground.
When she hits the ground, the demon howls with joy, and snaps the whip down on Iona again...
...but the wicked whip snaps harmlessly against Iona's armor.
Chuckling to itself, it one again floats upwards out of reach..
Iona let a slight cry of surprise leave her lips as the creature's whip tripped her up and landed her on her back.
Iona's wild swing from her back just misses the demon as it floats mockingly away....
Aladir turns his attention, momentarily, back to the demon that has now grounded Iona, arrows flying from his bow towards a target already pierced by many of them.
--------------------
Iona narrowed her eyes, then her birthmark and eyes glowed bright with holy light.
Iona raised her sword, pointed it directly at the demon above her and let loose a beam of searing light!
Hyram will cast see invisibility on himself.
Annoyed that the pustulent secretions counteracted his rays, Milamber aims his next spell up at the rising ball of filth.
"Take this you foul creature!"
He casts Cone of Cold
The combination of arrows, Holy Light and magical cold all serve to puncture, burn away and crystallize the putrid material that made up the body of the floating demon.
With a series of yells and screams of frustration, noisome ichor and other thankfully unidentifiable fluids drain out of the demon as it's eyes roll around wildly. Then with a soft, disgusting noise it deflates into a small roiling ball which disappears in a puff of brownish smoke.
As you look with satisfaction on the demise of the gibrileth demon, the double doors to your back suddenly open. Looking over your shoulder, you see your escort incubus flanked by the other seven.
The escort blinks and quickly takes in the scene: No gibreleth, no cambion...door on the other side of the room obliterated. With a sardonic smile and a blown kiss, he obviously decides to leave well enough alone and launches into the air and flies away though a pair of double doors to the right. After a moment's hesitation, the other seven incubi follow him....
The cambion doesn't seem to care that you're mere feet away casting a spell. You complete your casting and look about the room but cannot see any invisible entities.
The cambion stands, shoulders slumped, arrows sticking out of its back, muttering, "That b&@~+, that slut, that conniving whore...she's gone...gone!"
He then looks over at Hyram, sighing dramatically, "What now, Crusader?"
Milamber will move down next to Hyram to determine what is going on in that far room.
"Hey, I just saw the incubus leave through those double doors. I think the way is clear for us to check out that room - once we figure out what happened to Yaniel. Hyram, did you see where she went?"
No! And I can see invisibility, so she is definitely not in this room! Shall we move quickly and see if we can find her?
With Yaniel nowhere in sight, Milabmer suggests a new course of action.
"She may have gone elsewhere - perhaps behind those double doors. If she is not here, then she must have teleported somehow - I was not aware that Yaniel was capable of that. But this is most likely not the Yaniel we were told about - definitely not one who would so blatantly swear allegiance to Baphomet. Let us go search for her elsewhere."