Ancient one, we can not send you back today, but if we survive until tomorrow I should be able to.
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Lady Gabrielle takes a defensive posture after being suddenly and unexpectedly lunged at. "You are welcome to return home with our group once we ourselves are able," she says. "Do you recall your time in this place?" she then asks.
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I was in my forest sanctuary when the demon attacked me. I resisted for a fortnight. But then one night by the light a full moon it came upon me with such force! It broke an amulet I wore, protecting my mind. Then took me! You can not imagine the horrors that I have seen in the deeper chambers below our feet.
Astounded by the gold dragons aggressiveness, Elros dropped back another step, clutching at an arrow; but seeing Gabrielle speak diplomatically, he doesn't fire.
He wonders now if the dragon was actually as innocent as he had assumed, and uses his Detect-Evil-at-a-glance at the gold dragon.
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Elros detects the dragon as evil. Which is confusing, but he has come to trust his intuition over his adventures.
The dragon answers Gabi: You will not survive if you venture below. There are three more levels. First, the Ring of Obedience. Then the Ring of Seduction. and Finally, the Ring of Ecstasy where Izmiara makes her abode. The dragon sees the pamplet sticking out of Gabi's pocket. Your guide may have more information as you descend.
With that the dragon coils her body. I am tired of fighting. Perhapse, perhapse I have enough power left to take myself away from this place...
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"I do admit, I would have wished for a bit more of a sense of confidence in us and our chances," she comments.
"Perhaps we should regroup in Euphrixia's shrine? I could certainly use a bath before venturing into the Ring of Obedience."
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You venture back up the caverns, up the moon-elevator, to Euphrixia's observatory, where you rest and recover. The bath here is more like a heated pool, fully 6 succubus could entertain 15 humanoids in there! Plenty of room for Gabi. And Sandin can recharge his spells.
Nixie joins Gabi in the bath. gadz this feels heavenly! I've half a mind to jsut stay here for the rest of this adventure and let you guys find Professor von Lunarshine! haha!
Looking up from the book he is reading, Knut looks at Elros quizzingly. "Mate, what did you find?"
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"Euphrixia certainly knows how to make someone feel comfortable," she says to Nixie, before slipping her whole self underwater for a moment.
"To be quite honest, Charlotte, I had nearly forgotten about the Professor for a moment there. This news of my family has entirely overtaken my thoughts," she explains, following up with a deep, calming breath. "The exact nature of Izimara's wrath is a puzzle. There have not been any strange deaths or disappearances in generations. If we are facing our downfall, naturally, I must assume that my mother and her wastefulness is to blame. What would Izimara have to do with her, though?" she asks.
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Perhapse the demon we just met doesn't know the full story. It isn't like the denizens of hell to simply kill outright for no reason at all. Usually they expect to gain something from their dealings. Does your family have something a duke of hell would desire? Besides, well you know, your souls I guess.[/b]
Elros and Knut reach into the portable hole and pull out a veritable treasure trove! Together you work to identify the items
a +2 light crossbow,
a +1 bashing heavy steel shield,
a dusty rose prism ioun stone,
a pair of boots of striding and springing,
four +2 axiomatic arrows,
three potions of cure moderate wounds,
a scroll of mage's magnificent mansion,
an immovable rod,
2,588 gp,
13,503 sp,
88,341 cp,
a +1 Succubus' Dagger worth 16,400 gp
Elros, lost in thought about the awful feeling he had about the Gold Dragon, abruptly jerked away from the Wall.
"Mate, what did you find?"
"I... don't know. I felt something in the wall I was leaning against... move." He said, a little wary.
Cautiously, he felt around on the wall. Some of his fingers seemed to disappear."Some kind of dimensional space? Maybe?"
Daring, he reached in his hand and pulled out... Treasure!
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"I am afraid that I am not in a position to know, and that is troubling," she says, sinking into the bath until her chin is touching the water. "As Euphrixia has chronicled, I am a small sprig of an ancient tree. There are likely to be bloodlines, debts, curses, and treasures which have all been lost to time. A child of Aroden himself could lie in that tree, or an Apcher could have been the center of some prophecy about defeating the Chelish House Thrune, or we might possess the secret to controlling Absalom without even knowing it. The line extends as far back as the birth of the Empire, when monsters roamed the earth and humanity was afraid to venture outside its tiny tribes. The Empire brought light to many regions of darkness. It would be natural for some of the more romantic bits of history to have been picked up along the way by my ancestors. All we need to do is discover just which one the devil wants."
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Heck, says Nixie, U and I could be related somewhere back in that mysterious tree, haha!
She floats on her back, letting the floating rose petals caress her body...I'll bet the Library of the Seventh Circle has some answers. Hell's chronicalers certainly have more information than those of Golarion. And if I remember right... she stands up in the bath....Sandin bargained a free pass to the Library for himself! Isn't that right?
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"Any opportunity to fill in our missing knowledge would be most appreciated," she says with a clever smile. "And perhaps you are correct about the relation. Shall I call you cousin henceforth, simply out of endearment? Though, I prefer the sound of 'sister,' do you agree?" she asks.
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Elros called the others over.
"Take a look! Someone had a secret stash here..."
Arrayed neatly on the floor are:
a +2 light crossbow,
a +1 bashing heavy steel shield,
a dusty rose prism ioun stone,
a pair of boots of striding and springing,
four +2 axiomatic arrows,
three potions of cure moderate wounds,
a scroll of mage's magnificent mansion,
an immovable rod,
2,588 gp,
13,503 sp,
88,341 cp,
a +1 Succubus' Dagger worth 16,400 gp
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"I do not believe that stealing from our benefactor is a wise decision at this point," the Lady says. "However... Sandin, might we steal away to the infernal library? Some important background on this abyssal feud might lie within its halls."
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Elros thought a moment and nodded at Gabrielle.
"Yes, I see it. You are wise Lady Gabrielle."
He puts the loot carefully back where he found it.
We could travel to the library, though it might not be as safe for anyone I bring along. I only bargained for my own safe passage. We could always mind blank you to prevent magical detection, mundane stealth would be up to you.
After the ladies had their turn, Elros used the bath himself.
A little girly, He thought as he sank into the warm scented water. But still enjoyable.
Sandin finishes preparing his spells for the day. As he finishes he flips his neatly bound bleeder book closed and looks up.
He quickly casts a few incantations.
If you all are ready then we might as well be off.
He holds his hands out and let's everyone grab on before whisking the party half way across the multiverse.
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"This is quite an exciting opportunity," she comments. "Elros, I assume you did not expect to stumble across an opportunity to dethrone a lord of Hell?" she asks as they arrange themselves.
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Elros shook his head gravely.
"No madame, I did not. I hope I brought enough arrows..."
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Your souls feel as though they are being ripped from your body, stretched out across space and time. Then suddenly your physical bodies snap back into place. There is a thunderous crack in your ears and you appear on the Plane of Hell. Your cloths and armor smoke with fire and magic.
You breath in the sulfurous air. You are standing on a small rocky beach of what appears to be a lake, or perhapse an ocean of molten rock. The ground beneath your feet appears to be made up of pebbly glasslike rocks of all colors (DC45 knowledge) Perhapse precious gems?
There are cliffs on 3 sides, but a stone door is set into the rock to the east. Yet, to the west, a causeway leads to a massive stone monolinth on a tiny island over the lava. There is scrawling ancient glyphs and writing carved upon the stone, which stands some 15 feet high. A man is standing before the stone, studying it's glyphs. Small halos of neon lights circle around his head. He must know you have arrived. But he ignores you. MAP UPDATED.
The sky above you is made of ominous black clouds and fire swirls within them, like the clouds of Liavara (Jupiter).
Welcome to Hell.
Quickly, Elros glanced around for threats, his fingers touching the next arrow in his quiver.
Then he used his paladin's Detect Evil At-a-glance on the man studying the stone.
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"It appears that we may have stumbled across an ally of circumstance," the Lady quietly tells Sandin, tilting her head to speak to him while watching the being.
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Checking the man for any known persons, he patiently waits for the others to make their move.
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Elros detects the man as Lawful Evil. But it's also ovbious he is not a demon or anything sinister. Just a human being.
Sandin detects all kinds of magic all over this guy...potions and items and amulets of great power...
Seeing the little comets of light encircling the man's head, Knute remembers a story about a Wizard named Gargamel.
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the man slowly turns to face you. He is very old and speaks with a tired voice. Ah, travelers he sniffs toward you, from the Material Plane, just like me! How unfortunate for you that you should Plane-Shift here to the Beach of Captive Souls.
He turns back, and continues to read the stone monolith. You notice a small black cat purring and brushing itself upon the man's legs. The cat watches you with shining eyes.
The beach of captive souls, what keeps souls captive?
Sandin appears genuinely interested in his favorite subject.
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Gargamel, still studying the monolith: I've been asking that very same question for about 20 years now. I believe the answer must be somewhere on this monolith. See, you can travel anywhere within the seventh circle: visit the Pit of Unending Woe, read text from the First Cosmos in the Library of The Seventh Circle, even visit lord Miglaru's Palace and the dungeon where he keeps captives the mother of all Succubi...but you can't leave. Only way out, according to these inscriptions, is through the double doors yonder... He nods toward the doors set into the cliffs to the east. Giant stone doors. Big key hole. Flanked by stone reliefs of two angelic beings with massive wings, dark helmets, and blazing bright rune-swords.
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Lady Gabrielle lets out an annoyed gasp of air. "Free passage in does not imply free passage out. How lovely," she comments.
"The mother of all succubi, you say? Sandin, Elros, Knute, Nixie... is it at all possible that we all find ourselves suddenly thinking in concert?" she asks the group, a clever smile washing across the Lady's porcelain face.
"Anything to get out!"
Perhaps Sandin says in reply to Lady Gabrielle. A look of annoyance at not seeing through the devils trickery crosses his face. Well that is why one never reveals all of their cards.