Cassian surreptitiously identifies the fourteen he doesn't like. "Wherever you think you can take the most of them as soon as this thing goes sideways. Between you and me, we might be best off striking quick, because as soon as they try the mind powers on all of us, we may lose the chance."
Azhar's brow furrows. "A hole? Walls going straight down into nothingness? If anyone's going to check that out it'll probably have to be someone who can fly."
"Anyone can fly." Mathalen comments, "Not everyone can control how they land."
Tarvi shakes her head, "I can probably get everyone in the group able to fly, but it will take a good amount of my energy." She grins, "Or you can all jump and I'll just make sure the landing is soft, which wouldn't take much energy at all."
A pause, then more seriously, "Which would mean I'd be able to let everyone fly when we need to get out of the hole... Because I don't particularly want to rest in this place."
Azhar moves to get the most he can within a 10'radius of himself, short of actually calling them to him.
Zsz, meanwhile, appears to be slowly, almost teasingly, sliding her underwear off in preparation for her supposed bath. Then she stops and pulls them back up.
("I hate to be so hasty,") she says, including the woman she is talking to in this particular Message, ("But it has suddenly become rather urgent that I know how to find Izmiara. Would you be so kind as to direct me to her? After that we could continue the ... current conversation.")
Looking sad, maybe even hurt, the woman shakes her head. "I can't do that." Then she smiles, a bright happy smile, "Mother might be able to help you with that, I can take you to her." She bounces a bit on her toes, one of Zsz's hands clasped in both of hers.
Cassian frowns. "Puppetmaster," he growls.
Looking sad, maybe even hurt, the woman shakes her head. "I can't do that." Then she smiles, a bright happy smile, "Mother might be able to help you with that, I can take you to her." She bounces a bit on her toes, one of Zsz's hands clasped in both of hers.
"Oh, that would be wonderful," Zsz replies, beaming.
"Probably best for me to either be here in the garden or in front of the door." Azhar stays with Amaya. Probably in the garden, unless one of the party thinks he should be elsewhere.
"Oh, that would be wonderful," Zsz replies, beaming.
"Then we can go right now!" And Zsz and the woman disappear.
Resting on a bed of pillows is a middle-aged woman with a noble air. She looks curiously over at the pair as they appear, thought wrinkles deepening in her brow.
She rises to her feet and the older woman's facade fades away into that of a succubus with midnight-black hair and eyes that reach the floor. "Did you really find it necessary to control her like that?"
"I see." Azhar says, obviously not having expected that at all.
"Don't suppose any of you happen to know where they went too?" he asks amiably of the room in general.
"Don't suppose any of you happen to know where they went too?" he asks amiably of the room in general.
"We're looking more for an actual location than something like 'her doom,'" Cassian clarifies.
The shrine visitors in the white robes shake their heads, clearly sad that they can't help. They look a little shaken themselves at the sudden disappearance. The man who gave the group a tour, "That isn't supposed to happen in that room." His tone that of a child who has been slapped.
Smiling at the group, eyes just a little sharper. More cautious maybe.
"Yeah, like that's not creepy." Azhar whispers in an aside to Amaya.
"What room is it supposed to happen in?" he inquires.
"I don't know. But not that one. Or is it?" He asks.
Azhar squeezes his eyes together with thumb and forefinger at the bridge of his nose. ("Well. Unless we can break the control they're under, I don't think we're going to get any information from them...and possibly not even then.") he messages.
And a mental message to Joriavah: Jo? Any knowledge of the identity or allegiance of this one?
"We might have to go in there and see for ourselves," Cassian mutters to Azhar.
"Sure." Azhar responds, "But where is there?"
"My understanding is Dimension Door doesn't exactly cover a huge distance, so they must be relatively close. But by relatively close, I'm assuming within a quarter mile or so."
"The only thing I'm thinking of is, I can drop down the hole and see where it leads. But I really got no idea."
At that point, Joriavah replies. Now I remember. Euphrixia. Not of any particular strength, but she serves Our Lady faithfully. She would most likely be willing to work for our greater good rather than Iz's self aggrandizing.
A pause, She's big on family. Many of the girls above are probably her offspring, either alu-demons or half-succubi.
Meanwhile, Euphrixia has been continuing on. "And then when she thinks your body and mind is ready, she'll take you deeper into the rings. So that you can understand her glory."
"She has a plan for you, you know."
Mathalen looks into the bathing room, then quietly to Azhar, "I think Cassian meant in there." Pointing to the bathing room. Then she walks in. She stops by the clothing cubbies, her forehead furrowing just a bit as something she can't place doesn't seem quite right.
From the other door, the tiefling walks in and smiles at Mathalen. "Ready to wash the dust of the road off?"
Azhar follows Mathalen in, he too scans the area.
A large steaming marble pool lies in the center of this room, surrounded by graceful marble pillars. The pool is very warm and heavily perfumed. Several bottles of perfume stand on a shelf on the north wall, below which sit several clothes chests with keys (in the cubbies).
Azhar follows Mathalen in, he too scans the area.
With Azhar, Amaya sneezes once, then tries to stifle more caused by the perfume.
As Amaya sneezes, Azhar looks down and smiles apologetically at her discomfort, then moves to the northernmost pillar. ("Buttons on the base of this and the westernmost column. Someone want to get on that one and we'll try pressing them at the same time and see what happens?")
With a shrug, Mathalen moves over the western pillar. It takes her some time, but she is able to find the tiny marble button. She waits for Azhar's signal and, getting it, presses the button.
As they do so, the section of floor north of Mathalen drops, forming a spiral staircase down with a quiet chunking sounds.
The noise distracts Euphrixia, who pauses to listen. "You were correct about them being impatient." One midnight eyebrow raises, "Are they as reasonable as you?"
Gravlax carefully sets down the fruit, and walks over to the distortion. He looks at it closely.
Azhar tries pushing the button again, just to see if the force wall disappears.
The force wall disappears just as Gravlax gets to it.
Coincidentally when Azhar pressed his button.
The stairs remain.
("See anything super interesting? 'cause I think if not, we should probably head down and see what's there.")
At the sound of moving stone, she adds, "I must be brief. My companions are difficult to predict, and, once their ire is raised, they are an unstoppable force of mass slaughter. I have seen them dispatch a devil lord with scarcely a scratch, and I have been able to find almost no pattern whatsoever regarding whom they choose to spare and whom they choose to slay. You and your family are frankly at great risk from them, and I would advise you that attempting to subdue them would be a mistake."
"However, they are not here for you. They, and I for that matter, are after the heretic Izmiara, who has made the grave mistake of poaching humanoids from our territory."
"I honestly cannot say whether they will listen to reason or whether they have already convinced themselves that you must die for some obscure reason or another. Talking to them is sometimes effective, but if that fails, or you do not wish to risk it, I would strongly suggest you retreat with your family rather than attempt hostilities either subtle or overt."
"I can't just let them ransack it. They'll hurt my books."
Then she straightens, "And I've ensured that my shrine is always a place of rest for everyone who is brought here." Clearly offended.
"And if you must flee, I will do my absolute best to protect and preserve your books."
"I didn't bring anyone here." She says, hedging. "But I couldn't let them go out there." She motions to the outside. "They'd be torn apart by the baregara or shot full of arrows by the Sisters of Vigilance. I just took care of them."
She smiles, "I can flee, but my daughters can't and they'd be almost as helpless as the men and women upstairs against the things in the jungle."
"And my daughters before me."
("See anything super interesting? 'cause I think if not, we should probably head down and see what's there.")
The walls of this chamber are lined with bookshelves groaning under the weight of tome after tome. Comfortable leather seats are positioned back to back in the center of the chamber, while reading desks occupy the four compass points of the room. Next to the stairs there is a button whose edges are glowing.
In the northeastern wall there is a closed door. Those with keen hearing can make out two calm female voices ever so slightly through the wall.
Cassian goes to the door and eavesdrops.
Unknown voice, soft alto: "Izmiara will kill me if I let them go. And my daughters before me."
Zsz's voice: "Ah. Shall we put it, then, that you have been protecting them as best you can, but dare not let them go until Izmiara is killed? At which point you would be happy to see them safely returned to their homes?"
Unknown voice: "All things considered I guess that's fair. It will be lonely without their voices though."
Cassian opens the door. "Knock, knock."
Just beyond the door, with her back to it, is Zsz speaking with a dusky-skinned succubus with midnight-black hair and eyes. The room itself is surprising austere with only a few furnishings like the small bed tucked into a corner. Instead the room seems to be focused on the incredibly complex telescope positioned by the walls that have been treated to show the starred sky outside. Near the telescope, the woman who teleported off with Zsz watches the two women with a happy smile.
As the group, or as the group becomes visible, the succubus smiles tentatively at them. "Hello, welcome to the Shrine of Rest and Fulfillment. I'm Euphrixia, the caretaker."
"Euphrixia and I were discussing the mortals upstairs," Zsz says. "She is quite fond of them, as it turns out, and would be happy to see them returned to their homes on our planet if we can assure their safe conduct in so doing."
"The stumbling block is that Izmiara would slaughter Euphrixia and her daughters if she tried to let them go. So our intent of eliminating Izmiara would seem to be a mutually agreeable plan."
Gravlax nods. "I am in favor of keeping the slaughter to a minimum." He addresses the next question to Euphrixia. "Is there anything you can tell us about Izmiara that will help us eliminate her?"
Cassian watches everyone in the room, waiting for a false move.
She smiles apologetically, shrugging her shoulders a bit, "I'd really prefer not to."
"I mean it's one thing to let you pass. It's another to help you when history tells me chances are you will die or worse in her temple. Then if I've helped you, she will have to punish me."
She takes a step back holding up her hands, "Don't misunderstand me. I believe her," motioning to Zsz, "When she says you are quite capable murderers and maybe your numbers will give you an advantage, even if you lose a few along the way, but I've seen the Insatiable Queen destroy some that are more powerful than you."