3 points of interest await you. The first is an unstable gate, spilling out light-gray light, giving all the objects in the room an unnatural palor.
the second point of interest is the corpse of Lord Urisatra. his shirt is cut open, and 4 punctures radiating demonic runes are on his chest.
the third is a note, written in demonic script, on heretical paper The portal won't last more than 5 minutes longer. What do you do?
Ron looks directly into the former cultist's eyes.
The Emerald Lady guides my hand, in all things. We need to move.
Ron grabs his gear as well as the leader's axe and begins marching.
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I glance at the note. This is clearly a trap, but...worst case I get to slay some asmodeans, so it’s somewhat balanced.
And yet...
"There's no way we're not going through that, is there?" Belym says to no one in particular, as she waits for Conwall to read the note. While the elf studies, she kneels, and places her good hand on the cell's floor.
Strength. Prowess. Speed.
"I would not doubt that she has set Uristrata to collapse the dungeon. The other side of the portal may be the safest place for us. We haven't the time for hesitation." Roshan pushes past the leaking corpse toward the portal.
Ron
Aye, praise be her mantle and bow. the cultist replies
Conwall
The note is in elven, an archaic dialect, but definitely elven.
My child, why do you spurn me so?
I would but that you would return to me. I miss you so.
I am leaving you a gate to my realm open. please, step through, come home.
the note is signed with the same sigil that was carved into Urisatra's chest
Belym
from the stone of the floor emerges the shape of a hound. large, with a short snout. were it real, it would be underfed, probably malnourished. what do you do?
Roshan
Ron
good news is that you know you're in the trolls territory long before the troll does. you'll ave to tread carefully, but their range is large, you could well escape notice. The bad news is that the rations are kinda low, and that you've lost half a day going north instead of east. If you try to hunt, you'll almost certainly attract the troll (like sharks with blood) but if you don't, you mark a debility next time you rest, until you guys have food.
what do you do?
Ron curses as he realizes that the group has been traveling off course. He reorients, and the group marches ownards. There is no time for hunting, Belym's life is at stake.
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I shrug and dive in. That message is the sort of thing that Pelnor would write, but...
Belym shakes her head as she follows Conwall through the portal, elemental in tow.
Cassandra is the last to cross the portal, biting her lip till it bleeds. "She's sure lucky I've got nowhere better to be..."
Ron
you arrive at the gates of the palace, almost a day later . One of the guards stop you. What just a second, what're you doing out here, your supposed to be inside already?
The Hell's Godslayers
As you step through the portal, you find yourself in a sunny grove, overlooking what appears to be a set of dwellings. the dwellings are enormous, made of an unfamiliar type of stone (unfamiliar to all but Belym, that is. She recognizes the stone as the same stuff that the labyrinth was made out of, and the stuff the golems were made from.
two creature, which would bear a remarkable resemblance to elves, but for their 7-foot height, the visible black veins on one, and the vicious claws and cats eye slits of the other one, are moving toward you. meanwhile, a woman in white with a smug smirk waits behind them. Oh, dear. You people really are quite detirmined to capture me, aren't you?.
Roshan doesn't turn to face the speaker, having not heard her, but keeps her hand on the crossbow hanging at her side.
Cassandra's head is on a swivel, and when she sees Sarah approach, she makes a series of handsigns to draw on Roshan's power...
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I eye the hellves suspiciously. I know what this suggests, and I’m not crazy about the implications.
Belym, do you want the one with the veins or the one with the claws?
Belym nods at the black-veined figure. "That one." she replies to Conwall.
Seeing Roshan's apparent indisposition, Belym replies to Sarah. "As a general rule, I try not to let mass murderers run around. " As she speaks, a few pebbles fall from her stone arm, a quick test of her conduit's function here... wherever here is.
in the weird dimention
The Hellves are holding back, though the veined one draws a short Baton, and the clawed one paired scimitars. Mass murderer, I didn't kill anyone In Eolen... well, I suppose besides Urisatra. "Sarah" says. If it makes you feel better, I don't intend to return there. I was just there to reconnect with someone I love dearly.
Besides. A voice behind you says. if you look behind you, you see another Hellf, this one shorter, but with vestigial wings, like a cardinal's scaled up linearly, and attached to his back, with matching hair. You must realize how inconceivably outnumbered you are. We may be the lest of the Demonic hoards, but you are a mere impure cambion, conduit, Imp, and hedge mage. know when you are beaten.
I'm sorry, you must be mistaken. I've only just arrived to town. I need to speak with Conwall immediately. The elf. Could you take me to him?
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I shuffle my feet awkwardly.I hate to interrupt your monologue but I’m afraid I didn’t follow your allusions. Am I supposed to be the cambion or the conduit?
Roshan continues to watch the three in front of them, though watching eyes lets her know there is someone behind them. She makes a gesture to the others expressing her plan to keep them at a distance with the crossbow.
"You can keep your honeyed tongues in your skulls. We're here to see the end of that creature's interference with the human settlement of Eloen."
Ron
Yer companions were looking for Lord Urisatra's adviser, a lady known as Sarah. Couldn't tell you where they got off to.
Through the portal
Oh for the god's sake, take the wax out of your ears, I'm not an enchantress, and I don't enjoy repeating myself Sarah screeches, before taking a deep breath, and regaining her composure. neither she nor the Hellves move, none of them eager to be the first to get hit with the crossbow.
And yes, you are the impure cambion. closer to 1/16th, or maybe 1/8, you are very skilled. your kind is infused with demonic genes... though, some more than others. she gestures to the Hellves
Cassandra tugs the wadded cotton from Roshan's ear.
As if it were possible, Roshan grows more still until it would seem she's been petrified.
Cassandra clicks her tongue impatiently. "Are we all satisfied? Can we friggin leave now? This was so stupid... Sir."
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I can see that Sarah is getting more annoyed and likely to make a mistake. She’s not used to people talking to her this way. The hellves are hesitating which means they’re afraid which means we can hurt them, even here.
Wait, so then which one is Roshan? The imp? Probably the imp right? Or is it Belym because she’s, you know... I hold my hand up on my body approximately Belym’s height and mouth “short.”
Ron's shoulders deflate visibly. Could ye take me to the Duchess? I know I am not presentable, but I have news critical to the Duchy.
Belym glares at "Sarah", pointedly ignoring Conwall. "Just because someone else held the knife doesn't mean the deaths aren't your fault." She glances at Roshan, expecting the Templar to have taken the initiative by now.
Ron
Aye, the lady is in her chambers. We just out down a bit of unrest. she will be weary, so be brief.[/b] he says. They escort you to the Duchess, and a greatly reduced number of her court (down to 4).
In the Hell dimention
Did Roshan never tell you? She used to be my sweet Rhistel, before horrible woman took her, and poisoned her against her family. Seprahime says, ignoring Belym's point
Now, I would really rather we all parted ways as friends, or at least only slightly hostile acquaintances you two and maybe the girl... Cassandra was it, may take your leave, and let me to my family, and my Lords will.
At the word 'Rhistel' a red bolt of Wrath erupts from the veined hellf's chest as Roshan flinches. The crossbow discharged, Roshan coughs blood into her shoulder and resteadies the crossbow against her hip.
ok we’re doing this...
I spin and swing catastrophe at the demon behind us.
I need to finish this quickly, so I leave myself open to retribution.
"You didn't love-" Roshan chokes back the rest of the sentence. She still hasn't moved, but a fresh bolt slides into place in the crossbow's channel. "W-why now? Why would you come to collect it- me now?"
With Roshan's Wrath concentrated in the crossbow, the shield is broken. Cassandra draws her chakram and stands back to back with the Templar.
In the hell dimension
Seprahime doubles over as the bolt strikes her I did, Rhistel... I missed you so dearly. That woman would not let me come for you... but now she's gone, and we can be a family again.
Conwall , meanwhile, strikes down the Helf behind him, though not before the bastard puts a skysteel dagger in Conwall's gut
the other two helves draw heir weapons, a skysteel Axe, and wickedly barbed spear, and move in on your group
I wince as the dagger slides in Skysteel? How can that be?
He whips the dagger from his belly to the Helf with the spear.
As the others engage, Belym opens her conduit wide, attacking the target she'd previously indicated with stone and her elemental.
At the word 'Rhistel' a red bolt of Wrath erupts from the veined hellf's chest as Roshan flinches.
Seprahime doubles over as the bolt strikes her
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Expecting that, surely, on the second shot, she would manifest a blessing of Hebron, Roshan waits for the hellves to close before firing at the pale one a second time.
Without the concussive burst, Roshan has little time to drop the crossbow and draw a weapon.
Mi'Lady. Ron bows his head deeply. Please forgive my appearance. It has been a trying time.
If she allows it, he describes his journey since last leaving the Duchy to head for the mountains.
I must find Conwall and Lady Kaur. Do ye know where they are? Belym is in grave danger.
In hell
Roshan and Belym's volleys lay low the veined Helf,
The clawed Helf, on the other hand, almost dances out of the way of the knife, taking it in the arm., and lunges for Belym
Come now, Rhistel, stop this. We needn't fight. Seprahime says, her voice somehow carrying over the sounds of combat.
In the throne room
You... I believe we had sequestered you and your companions in Lady Ravabella's household. Why have you left her rooms?
Sequestered me? What do ye mean? I have only just arrived in the city.
I rush to place myself between Belym and the clawed helf, blocking his strike with Castrophe.
[ooc]Spending 1 hold to halve the damage. I’d redirect but Belymis rocking more HP than I am. I’ll reserve the other two.[/dice]
Roshan drops the crossbow as if it were a snake. It swings at the end of a chain attached to her armor. "You no longer out number us... Sarah. So much for your lauded transgressor superiority." It's a thin excuse, and the way her fists clench and unclench serves as a tell.
To act against her imp conditioning would be a feat of will.
Belym pivots to the remaining hellf, and unleashes a torrent of stone, trying to push it away before it reaches her:
Ron
You and the dwarf arrived last night... unless... Eogen, inform the guard, we may have a shapeshifter in the castle. The duchess says
in hell
The Clawed helf lunges, though Belym's defense and Conwall's parry render his lung less effective than he would have liked. It recovers to Seprahime's side. We have no desire to fight you. You two she indicates Belym and Conwall may leave.
The dwarf? Belym? She's alive? She's here? And Iron Tom too? Apologies, but I must see them at once. Could ye task a guard with directing me to Lady Ravabella's?