Adriel explained what the Temple of Elemental Evil was.
The Temple of Elemental Evil is a cult made up of followers of the Elder Elemental Eye or the Chained God whose true name i will not utter. They also worship the evil archomentals, who are powerful exemplary beings of the Elemental Planes and the rulers over the elementals, well there two rulers since there are good archomentals. Although they are not truly rulers of their planes, archomentals like to consider themselves as such and often grant themselves regal titles like Prince or Princess. Usually there are four branches of the temple: fire, air, water, and earth. Each evil elemental prince or princess is able to grant spells to the cultists. I've been monitoring them for a while now. The evil elemental archomentals care nothing for their followers, and have been known to kill them just because they can. They hate each other which is good as unlike their noble counterparts who at least work together to combat evil he evil elemental overlords war with one another. And their followers do as well usually scheming and backstabbing with each other while the central branch representing the Elder Elemental eye keeps the four cults from destroying one another completely. Recently they have added a fifth branch: ice. The evil ice elemental lord has no good counterpart so this presents a problem. And now my agents both mortal and immortal have learned that the evil elementals have put aside their differences to better conquer worlds. Once they have control of the material plane they will settle their differences and decide who becomes the ultimate elemental.
”So… it’s a physical church built to an ancient evil masquerading as a terrible god. A single temple, with a small number of squabbling cultists. They want to take over the whole material plane, but their whole army here can fit inside a single temple. And nobody’s started smiting the building yet? No localized lightning storms or tidal waves or earthquakes? A curious show of restraint.”
Atheos ponders. ”Troubling, one way or another. But really, you’ll want to talk to Helm about this. “Stop ancient and terrible evils from invading the world” sounds more like a job for Mechanus and its Inevitables in the natural order of things. I’ll see if I can’t search out some Aeons; they’d probably be best suited for closing any portals that open up, and they’ll listen to me on something like this, but it’s their job more than mine. If the Temple has spies abroad, spreading lies, I can see to that as well, but I don’t think I can help you with the building itself.”
Indeed. The problem is that the temple attracts not only monsters but also bandits and other brigands. And...unfortunately this cult has been defeated but keeps coming back. And while they usually use the ruins of their razed temples and fortresses, they are skilled in using other ruins. I've also learned that Lolth, Cyric, and Shar have assisted the cult several times in the past along with Bane and that devil prince. But they have tried to take over the cult in the past by placing their mortal servants amongst the cult's ranks. Doesn't work thankfully as heroes and adventurers have put a stop to their plans.
He smiled before continuing, the princes of elemental evil are: The evil archomentals are collectively known as the Princes of Elemental Evil. The five most famous include:
Cryonax: Prince of Evil Cold Creatures, Imix: Prince of Evil Fire Creatures, Ogrémoch: Prince of Evil Earth Creatures, Olhydra: Princess of Evil Water Creatures, and Yan-C-Bin: Prince of Evil Air Creatures. I don't normally involve myself in the affairs of the elemental planes...except for that time when I assaulted singlehandedly the City of Brass on the plane of fire. Of course that was when I was bit more headstrong. Anyhow, I have thought about the good elemental lords as well but any help you can give would be useful. I know the efreeti, the genies of fire fear Imix greatly...hm...what we need is more information. I'm afraid my knowledge of the elemental planes is limited. I appreciate your sage wisdom and creativity in aiding me in these quests. I must take my leave now. May the Code of Chivalry aid your followers for all time.
Just as he was leaving, he turned and said, And I'll be sure to send some my celestials to aid your Librarians from time to time.
With that he was gone...
"I sit in the universe's largest library," Atheos adds, as Adriel leaves, "And young as I may be, I wasn't born yesterday. You really don't need to teach me the names of every elemental plane and their leaders."
"Why, you poor dear!" the man cried, and unmoving grin on his face. "How pitiable! Such a beauty in her prime, forced to marry such a disgusting man!"
"Please, sir," the princess begged, "Be you god or demon or worse, I care not! Please don't let this happen! Give me a week, just one week, and I'll be able to sneak away from this place. I'm sure of it!"
"A week, huh? Is that all?" The man smiled widely, and started cackling. "Well, dear, I'd be happy to help. I'll give you your week, as long as you give me something of yours."
"Anything! I'll give you anything!" the elven girl cried.
The man's smile grew wider, as the dream started to fade out. "Well then, consider it done!"
The princess awoke to a lot of commotion. In the night, some manner of beast had gotten into the garden where the wedding was to be held and destroyed everything that had been set up. The king, too proud to have the ceremony with anything less than perfect decorations, ordered the wedding area to be rebuilt within one week. The princess laughed with joy, but recoiled at the noise that came out; a harsh, choking sound that made her maids flinch with every cackle. Although not pleased with her new laugh, the princess was satisfied with the mayhem and glad to have the chance to flee on her own terms. That night, she attempted to sneak out under cover of darkness. Alas, the guards found her, and dragged her back to her room. For the rest of the week, the princess was unable to go out at night, as the night watch had stepped up their guard. Desperate for a solution, she once again resigned herself to prayer. The night before her rescheduled wedding, the man from her dream returned, looking even happier than last time.
"Why, hello again!" the man laughed. "Good to see you, dear. What do you need this time?"
"Please, sir!" the princess cried. "I have need of your aide once more! My escape attempt failed, and now that dreaded day is growig closer! But I believe I have come up with another way to flee. Please, just give me one more week!"
The man chuckled darkly. "Another week? Surely this attempt couldn't take that long. But, you asked for it, and I am more than happy to deliver! If, of course, you can pay my price."
"Any cost is fine. Anything to avoid him!" the foolish young woman cried.
The man smiled even wider, and the dream abruptly ended. The princess woke up to discover that one of the groom's best men had been savaged by some kind of wild animal. The duke, almost as perfectionist as the king, had sent for one of his friends from his homeland. It would take at least a week for him to arrive. The princess smiled at this news, causing her maids to gasp in horror. She looked into a mirror, and discovered that her formerly perfect teeth had been replaced with jagged, pointed cones obviously designed to rip and tear. The princess, disgusted at her new teeth but delighted to be free for another week, decided to put her plan into motion. Breaking her bedroom window, she adorned her Ring of Feather Falling and leaped out. Unfortunately, the guards snatched her on the way down, and thus the princess was locked in her room for a full week. As the day of her wedding grew closer, the foolish princess prayed more and more, but didn't have any more dreams about the smiling man. On the day of her wedding, she muttered prayers under her breath the entire day, even as she was fitted for a veil and a dress. As she walked down the aisle, her groom already waiting for her, the prayed to the smiling man specifically, begging for his aide. As she approached her soon-to-be-husband, she felt her eyes start to burn, and her mouth formed a wide grin.
The groom, so exited to finally see his new wife in her gown, slowly lifted up her veil. What he found, however, was not the lovely face of an elvish princess. Her eyes were small and perfectly round, her teeth jutting out into jagged spikes. Most disturbing of all, however, was the enormous, open-mouthed smile that took up more than half her face. The noble recoiled in horror as his bride grabbed his shoulders and sank her teeth deep into his neck. The now crazed and blood-soaked princess laughed long and hard as the groom sank to the ground, gasping with his last breaths an order to kill her. The guards advanced, but the monstrous princess simply leaped over their heads and fled into the woods.
It is said that, to this day, she and her spawn lurk in dark woods and caves, eagerly seeking out elvish men to feast on.
Milda's Children: The slender, violent monstrosities known only as Milda's Children lurk in forests where elves are known to live. They appear to be young elvish women, save for their beady eyes, jagged teeth, and enormous mouths permanently twisted into smiles. They are exclusively carnivores, preferring elf flesh above all others. They reproduce asexually, growing lumps on their backs that eventually break off and form new Milda's Children. The offspring resemble their mothers, plus they take after some of the male elves that the mother had eaten. They mostly revere Babaki as the creator of their race, although they readily take to the worship of almost any particularly violent deity or demon lord.
"That would be wonderful Scrapekeee, I would appreciate it." Mystra replies."Any time, shining one," he inclines his head. And besides, a magical goddess who seems willing to share is nice to have a round. "Forgive the unpleasant party talk, but I should warn you, a certain self styled 'dark sun' temple is...was planning an attack on one of your own temples. I gave them something to do."
** spoiler omitted **...
Mystra explodes in laughter. "Don't think me a dark heart for laughing when some mortals suffer, it's just that your worshipers saved my people in quite an amusing way. Thank you."
Seeing Zodaxus get distracted, Babaki and Verruckt take the opportunity to slink off back to the snack bar. Babaki takes a plate of raw steak, and the two move off to the crowd surrounding Lolth. "Well, hello there!" Babaki calls to the Queen of Spiders. "Its been ages! You never call anymore. How's the 'snuff out the sun' plan going? Still going nowhere?" The Lord of Teeth leers at her unpleasantly, chewing on the slab of meat as he talks. "I kid, I kid! I'm sure you'll make it happen eventually. Probably."
Lolth, her dark skinned face seeming to gleam somehow even in the dim light, just smiles. "Mortals are just mortals Babaki, what can they do but what is in their nature? Which I see is to be chaotic and selfish in their actions and fail at their endeavors, though I have great sympathy for their frail mortal natures." She says, savoring a chocolate fed to her by one of the attractive party goers, then; "Not that that keeps me from punishing them for their failures, or heck, even when they succeed sometimes."
Lathander looks merrily around for someone to hug and drink with among his fellow Gods while Shar glides around observing the festivities in amusement.
Helm too, observes but without Shar's wry humor, instead his stern gaze seems to critically judge everything he sees.
Mystra explodes in laughter. "Don't think me a dark heart for laughing when some mortals suffer, it's just that your worshipers saved my people in quite an amusing way. Thank you."
Scrapeknee isn't the sort to play the 'you owe me' games, mostly because it's the nonsense that lawful types often use to tie you into ridiculous contracts, but it never hurts to at least plant a seed and let folks do what they might feel they should do anyway, "Don't be ashamed, sometimes funny happens where you'd least expect."
Mystra smiles then nods, acknowledging Scrapeknee's generosity.
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Zodaxus had been mingling and rocking on the dance floor for a while when he left it in search of Lathander. Finding the god with ease, he and a mortal partyguest teleported in front of the sun god.
"Hey," Zodaxus said, "I've got a friend here who wants to meet you." Zodaxus gestured to the mortal at his side. "Big fan of yours, this one." Zodaxus stepped away to allow Lathander and the mortal full view of each other.
The mortal looked up at the sun god, blushing a bit. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again, nervous.
Lolth, her dark skinned face seeming to gleam somehow even in the dim light, just smiles. "Mortals are just mortals Babaki, what can they do but what is in their nature? Which I see is to be chaotic and selfish in their actions and fail at their endeavors, though I have great sympathy for their frail mortal natures." She says, savoring a chocolate fed to her by one of the attractive party goers, then; "Not that that keeps me from punishing them for their failures, or heck, even when they succeed sometimes."
Babaki chidingly wags a finger at Lolth. "That's going to get you nowhere fast," Babaki said. "Sending mixed signals to your followers can really f+%& up your day, in the end!" He pauses to take a huge bite from his steak before continuing. "Trust me. In my younger days, I nearly ran out of worshipers because I punished the wrong people at the wrong time! It was hilarious, of course, but it took a long ass time to build their numbers back up."
Zodaxus had been mingling and rocking on the dance floor for a while when he left it in search of Lathander. Finding the god with ease, he and a mortal partyguest teleported in front of the sun god.
"Hey," Zodaxus said, "I've got a friend here who wants to meet you." Zodaxus gestured to the mortal at his side. "Big fan of yours, this one." Zodaxus stepped away to allow Lathander and the mortal full view of each other.
The mortal looked up at the sun god, blushing a bit. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again, nervous.
"Mortal! How are you!" Lathander bellows happily, wrapping his arms around the person. "As always thank you Zodaxus, you are a good friend."
Babaki chidingly wags a finger at Lolth. "That's going to get you nowhere fast," Babaki said. "Sending mixed signals to your followers can really f$!$ up your day, in the end!" He pauses to take a huge bite from his steak before continuing. "Trust me. In my younger days, I nearly ran out of worshipers because I punished the wrong people at the wrong time! It was hilarious, of course, but it took a long ass time to build their numbers back up."
"Irrelevant." Lolth says languidly, stretching out like a cat would in a comfortable spot. "Mortals mean nothing, if they turn from me I'll just torment them even more! They are an expendable resource, meant for my enjoyment, and I raise them up or tear them down as whimsy strikes."
"What do you mean Zodaxus is having a party and didn't invite me?" Cyric screams at his Marilith secretary, who covers her face with all six hands in terror and cowers before him.
Cyric stands up from his throne and stalks around angrily. "That bird brained God has insulted my greatness for the last time! Make me an outcast will you!"
He turns to the Marilith once more. "Send a messenger to Zodaxus, demanding an apology! If he doesn't follow the Divine instructions of the Supreme God Cyric I will teach him what it means to defy the One True God!"
The Marilith then hastily and fearfully jots down the screaming rants of the Mad God.
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"Irrelevant." Lolth says languidly, stretching out like a cat would in a comfortable spot. "Mortals mean nothing, if they turn from me I'll just torment them even more! They are an expendable resource, meant for my enjoyment, and I raise them up or tear them down as whimsy strikes."
"Suit yourself, dear Lolth!' Babaki says, shrugging. He leans in close, and whispers into her ear. "But, just between you and me, mortals do have their uses. Where do you think demons come from?" Babaki backs off, and finishes off his steak. "This was a lovely chat, but I've got important business with the snack bar. Talk to you later! Come along, Verruckt."
Babaki leisurely strolls in the general direction of the snack bar, Verruckt by his side. The monster looks up to his master, and says "Siré,̷ for̨giv̨e me͠ for ͞saying̢ thi̕s, ̡bu̢t͞ ̵I͘ ̧d͜ơn̶'t̡ ̨se̴e ͞why̛ ͠y͞ou͡ ͟t̕a̕lk ́t̢o ͢her̶. ҉Sh͡é's no͜t ͟e͘xa̡c͡tl̸y̴ ́g͘rea͜t comp͞a̕ny͞.̶" Babaki doesn't even look at Verruckt as he responds. "Verruckt, my boy, when you live on the same plane as that woman, you try your damnedest not to get on her bad side. Plus, she's a real looker!" Babaki stops at the snack bar to pile his plate completely full of raw pork, and Verruckt simply shrugs and swirls his tongue around his cup of wine absentmindedly.
An hour later a Glabrezu demon appears outside Zodaxus' Realm and asks for an audience with the God. Despite the power of the usually confident Glabrezu it knows it is about to deliver a very insulting and unpleasant message to a Deity and fears for its life, for even if Zodaxus doesn't kill the messenger, Cyric definitely would upon unfavorable reply.
Moloch, the powerful Archdevil who until recently ruled the fifth layer of the Nine Hells, fled across the broken landscape of Avernus, the blasted first layer of the Hells.
Moloch was tall and powerfully built, with skin of cream and a crown of serrated horns and voluminous wings enwrapping her body like a cloak. Bone spines emerged from various places on her body giving her natural weapons in addition to her long nails.
She incinerated a group of five Spined Devils that pursued her across the wastes with blazing magic Hellfire projected from a raised, finely manicured hand.
How had this happened? In the recent uprising in hell she was the only Archdevil that stayed completely loyal to Asmodeus and took his side and now that the Devil God had put down the rebellion only she is ousted from her position?
Trust the King of Hell to punish the only loyal follower he had.
The Devils still hunted her across the landscape, an entire army of them, though fortunately they had separated into small groups to seek her out.
Even the entire army wouldn't have concerned her too much, she was an Archdevil, one of Asmodeus' Demigods, and she had little to fear from them in a battle.
Still, where to go?
Finally escaping through a portal into the starry peaceful Astral plane she realized she only had one choice; to find a new God to serve loyally now that Asmodeus cut her loose and was done with her.
Moloch sent a powerful magically signal through out the planes, calling to the Gods.
"Gods! I seek a new master, one who will appreciate my loyalty! I will serve anyone who provides me a safe haven and a purpose in this universe!"
A growl, or perhaps more of a roar, escaped Osoro's lips as he noticed Babaki and Lolth talking to one another. If there was one major failing that Zodaxus had, it was his inability to see things as they were, rather than he wished it to be. To invite such creatures to his realm... Unconscionable. If it were in his power, he'd scour Lolth from the face of the multiverse.
Then, Osoro's whiskers of omniscience began to twitch. Moloch was a rogue devil? Osoro had one devil wife already, an Erinyes, which had been a source of contention between Asmodeus and himself. It seemed to be an open invitation for war between Asmodeus and any god who gave her protection.
Still, the idea deserved some consideration.
Moloch sent a powerful magically signal through out the planes, calling to the Gods."Gods! I seek a new master, one who will appreciate my loyalty! I will serve anyone who provides me a safe haven and a purpose in this universe!"
A huge living Chaosphere appears before Moloch, its points extending and withdrawing as it 'speaks' to the devil.
"The Prince of Chaos hears your offer" It sings sometimes beautifully, other lines off tune, "...and makes this proposal to you! To free you from tethers you may never have known existed, you would be rebuilt entire...your essence bound to chaos, your visage reflecting your new wants and desires. Even your names might be changed, yes, that name as well. You would no longer be Molach. This would hide you doubly over. Haven would be provided. The Prince of Chaos believes little in purpose, but one would be granted to you if you insist. Submit yourself to be unspun and rewoven, and the harbinger of change can secure you."
The offer might seem obscene, but what better way to bind any last ties the lord of dark contracts might have than to change the individual to one who never made such a bargain? What better way to hide than not be the person sought? All Molach would have to do is submit herself to utter rebirth.
But then, some would say that rebirth would be as ultimate as destruction anyway.
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From out of the soot-choked Avernian sky came a near-vertical bridge of violet fire, finding purchase a few yards from Moloch's feet. Down it tumbles a bizarre creature - seemingly more object than creature, really - like a giant spool of omnicolored thread, with any number of protrusions and odd mechanisms of unclear purpose jutting from it. It is the Odradek, Herald of Vortae.
"Serve the Forgotten One," It says in a childlike voice. "and be relieved of Hell's chains. You shall be patron of solar flares, pyromancy, and, I think, betrayal - both those who are betrayed and those who betray, for you have now learned the vice of loyalty, too, have you not?"
Back in Zodaxus's Realm, Vortae approaches Babaki, taking a bowl of clam chowder from the buffet.
"How fares the Abyss?"
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Zodaxus conjures a hat out of nothing and tips it. "Why thank you," he says to the god with a smile, before tossing the hat into a crowd for a lucky partygoer to find.
The mortal takes a deep breath and opens his mouth again. "Hello my lord," he says. "I... I am among your worshipers... I uh... Of course, I uh... imagine you knew that..."
"This little fellow led a resistance movement on behalf of your church a few years back," Zodaxus says. "The Golden Sun I think it was called. Inspiring. Kid was like 16 and he unseated one of Goat-boy's favorite stooges. You should've seen the speech he gave before they marched on that palace. Made one of my Neon Dragons cry."
The mortal looked up at Zodaxus, and then back at his god. "Yeah..." he said, "that was me..."
"You probably remember a cure spell or two you took care of for him?" Zodaxus said.
If Scrapeknee and Vortae are the only ones stepping forward, Atheos muses, thinking on recent conversation, Then I too will play their game. The Hells are a nasty place... but perhaps I can learn something about how they might be redeemed.
In the darkness of Avernum, a black bird descends from the sky, dropping a simple illusory parchment in Moloch's hand. The words hang in the air and speak as she reads it.
"The Voice of Reason offers you employment, not submission. Come to the City of Axis, and you will be granted freedom and safety in your own laboratory—a personal demi-plane in which to wield total control over its physical laws and living inhabitants (subject to annual review), at the heart of the greatest city on the most united, fortified, and defensible plane. You would be offered both purpose and vision, leading one of Atheos's secret projects. If you are potentially interested but wish to learn more, he would be happy to discuss the project and role in question on a more private plane."
An envelope appears before Moloch, It is sealed with Cil'dr's symbol, drifting slightly in the astral plane.
inside A message reads:
Cil'dr has heard of your application and is interested in what you may possibly offer him, enclosed you will also find a blank Resume that should filled out and then Sign your true name, He will get back to you immediately upon completion
The Resume has the following entries all to be filled with about a paragraph of writing, or at least so much space is given.
Past work experience:
Why do you wish to serve Cil'dr as opposed to anyone else who accepted your offer?
Place of birth:
Please explain how being betrayed by your master makes you feel:
Education:
If you could choose your position under Cil'dr, what would your preferred position be?
True Name:
Babaki looks up from his plate of meat, a slab of pork hanging out of his mouth. He swallows it own hard, before speaking. "Ah, hello there Vortae! The Abyss is splendid, as always. I swear, The Carnival looks better every time I look at it!"
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Zodaxus opens his eyes in the middle of a flying quentiple back flip, sensing the Glabrezu demon entering his realm, and its demand of audience.
Bilocating, he manifests in front of the demon. "What do you want?" he asks. "This party is invitation only. Do you have one?"
Greetings fellow being, I, Zodaxus, would happily accept your service.
Duties: In my employ, you would have considerable flexibility regarding the exact nature of your work. So long as your activities pertain to the increasing of freedom and fun in the multiverse, you may serve as anything from a freedom fighter to party planner, or simply partygoer, so long as your presence considerably enhances the parties in question.
You in particular may wish to take advantage of your understanding of the nine hells and the nature of tyranny to use them against mortal tyrants as well as those who betrayed you. None of Zodaxus' policies prohibit any catharsis resulting from such use of your talents and background knowledge.
Benefits: As the only god in the higher planes who regularly employs devils, considerable infrastructure already exists to tend to your needs. Holodecks will provide for any dark desires which may linger despiteyour zap of freedom. Non-evil versions of various normally intrinsically evil spells and activities are available.
Reqirements: You are not permitted to violate the sacred right if any sapient being while on duty or on your personal time. You're also required to be affected by a Zap of Freedom spell. In fact, one has been enclosed in this envelope and should effect you around the time you read this sentence. Zodaxus apologizes for any inconvenience caused by the period of introspection through which you are probably now beginning to go. This is unfortunately necesarry for you to reach a place of legitimate freedom. Various works of Chaotic Good and freedom oriented philisophical literature are available at Super-Awesome-Party-Town-Central-Level-Fivemillion's Library, which you are welcome to visit at any time.
I contest the freedom zap, with a message from my core(not the me at the party) that we should not interfere until Moloch makes a choice(thus giving the option for zodaxus to back off), and that I do not mind the freedom zap in principle but find it unfair to subject someone to it when several gods are interested in the subject in question. Though, I do find "Freedom" Zap creepy.
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I respond with a similar message, claiming that the whole point of this is to make her choice freer, meaning that if we wait until after the choice, it will be too late.
I offer to remove the period of introspection, meaning that her inability to do good and urge to do evil will be gone, but she will not in any way be encouraged to think about her philosophical beliefs and lifestyle in a way that would be disruptive or intrusive to her at the moment.
I'm fine with this since an assured limit is better that the chance of no limit, but still find the condition creepy, and let it happen so long as the described conditions are met.
getting more than a little creeped out at lolth, I decide to go off and wander around the party for something interesting to watch.
getting more than a little creeped out at lolth, I decide to go off and wander around the party for something interesting to watch.
"Looks like you feel about her the way I feel about old buckethead," He says referring to Lolth and Helm respectively
"Looks like you feel about her the way I feel about old buckethead," He says referring to Lolth and Helm respectively
getting more than a little creeped out at lolth, I decide to go off and wander around the party for something interesting to watch.
"don't even pretend you're disturbed by buckets?"
"heh, not in the same way I suppose, no."
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I'm fine with this since an assured limit is better that the chance of no limit, but still find the condition creepy, and let it happen so long as the described conditions are met.
Then thusly I act.
The archdevil no longer finds evil intrinsically more attractive than good and is now perfectly capable of changing her alignment from Lawful Evil to anything she chooses.
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The Sun god smiled down at the boy. “I thought I recognized you,” he said with a wink. “In all seriousness though, I’m always super proud and super humbled at the same time to have a servant of mine accomplish great things.” Lathander patted the chair next to him. “Why don’t you sit next to me and we chat?”
The boy looked up at him. He nodded, sitting on the stool by the god he worshiped. “Do you remember the speech I gave before we stormed the temple of Asmodeus?” he asked.
Lathander nodded.
Zodaxus, seeing his work apparently done, teleported away.
Adriel arrived at Zodaxus party, with two guests! One was his solar angel herald, the Knight of the Holy Sun, Sir Kay de Sunfire. The other was a vulpinal agathion named Lady Chevisa, the Bard Maiden of Lore, a celestial well-versed in the lore of heroes.
Lady Chevisa wore a bliaut of a bright sky blue colored silk, finely pleated and long enough to trail on the ground. Her long wide sleeves are puffed twice in the upper arm with ties of mithral ribbon. The close, round neckline and sleeves of an ivory silk under-gown are seen at the neck and wrists. Over the bliaut is worn a close-fitting corselet in a honeycomb pattern of gold thread. It has a 'V'-shaped opening to admit the head, with ornamentation in silver, bronze, and greenish-blue in the center of the bodice. The belt, wound twice round the body, is of mithral and gold embroidery with silver cords and tassels.
Her hair is brought down over the ears from a center parting and are plaited on each side, with the plaits of hair being put into long cases of twisted gold and silver ribbons, which end in small fringes. The long veil is of fine white gold gauze and is surmounted by a foliated gold coronet set with canary yellow and brown diamonds. She carries a harp made of pure solid gold and the chords crafted from pure starlight.
Greetings Zodaxus, my friend. I apologize for my lateness, but I had to take care of some...errands that had to be taken care of. I hope you will forgive me if I brought more than two guests. I of course, brought refreshments as an act of apology for not following your invitation's instructions.
With a clap of his hands, several lantern archons and cassisian angels appeared carrying baskets of fruit, apples and oranges to be specific, grown in the Endless Orchids of Avalon, for these fruits had the power to mend wounds, cure diseases, and even lift the spirits of mortals. The very aroma of these fruits while a wondrous smell to mortals and celestials, were enough to drive away the very lords of the lower planes into the nearest hole and close it up behind them!
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Adriel arrived at Zodaxus party, with two guests! One was his solar angel herald, the Knight of the Holy Sun, Sir Kay de Sunfire. The other was a vulpinal agathion named Lady Chevisa, the Bard Maiden of Lore, a celestial well-versed in the lore of heroes.
Lady Chevisa wore a bliaut of a bright sky blue colored silk, finely pleated and long enough to trail on the ground. Her long wide sleeves are puffed twice in the upper arm with ties of mithral ribbon. The close, round neckline and sleeves of an ivory silk under-gown are seen at the neck and wrists. Over the bliaut is worn a close-fitting corselet in a honeycomb pattern of gold thread. It has a 'V'-shaped opening to admit the head, with ornamentation in silver, bronze, and greenish-blue in the center of the bodice. The belt, wound twice round the body, is of mithral and gold embroidery with silver cords and tassels.
Her hair is brought down over the ears from a center parting and are plaited on each side, with the plaits of hair being put into long cases of twisted gold and silver ribbons, which end in small fringes. The long veil is of fine white gold gauze and is surmounted by a foliated gold coronet set with canary yellow and brown diamonds. She carries a harp made of pure solid gold and the chords crafted from pure starlight.
Greetings Zodaxus, my friend. I apologize for my lateness, but I had to take care of some...errands that had to be taken care of. I hope you will forgive me if I brought more than two guests. I of course, brought refreshments as an act of apology for not following your invitation's instructions.
With a clap of his hands, several lantern archons and cassisian angels appeared carrying baskets of fruit, apples and oranges to be specific, grown in the Endless Orchids of Avalon, for these fruits had the power to mend wounds, cure diseases, and even lift the spirits of mortals. The very aroma of these fruits while a wondrous smell to mortals and celestials, were enough to drive away the very lords of the...
Zodaxus smiles at Adriel. "Thanks," he says. "And it's no prob. The +1 rule is just so I have a pretense to stop everyone from bringing so many people it fills the castle."
Zodaxus summoned a cart and teleported the fruit into it. "Thanks a jillion for coming. Your presence is an honor."
Youre welcome. And I have something to tell you...
After putting his arm around Zodaxus and led him away from the other partygoers, the Angelic Paladin explains to the god of freedom about the situation involving the mad king and the Temple of Elemental Evil.
Both are dire threats I'm afraid. But the Temple of Elemental Evil is of great concern to to everyone. If the evil elemental princes gain a foothold in the material plane many lives will be lost. And I will not stand for this.
Smiling a bit he asked, So what do you say? Will you aid me?
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Babaki looks up from his plate of meat, a slab of pork hanging out of his mouth. He swallows it own hard, before speaking. "Ah, hello there Vortae! The Abyss is splendid, as always. I swear, The Carnival looks better every time I look at it!"
"That's quite something," Vortae finally responds, the Lonely One's conversation skills not being the best in the pantheon.
Vortae's head tilts sideways at an odd angle, as though studying Babaki. He's keeping something hidden, He thinks to Himself. What could He possibly feel the need to hide from Me? 'Bashful' is one thing I never took Him of all gods for.
"That's quite something," Vortae finally responds, the Lonely One's conversation skills not being the best in the pantheon.
Vortae's head tilts sideways at an odd angle, as though studying Babaki. He's keeping something hidden, He thinks to Himself. What could He possibly feel the need to hide from Me? 'Bashful' is one thing I never took Him of all gods for.
Babaki continues sloppily eating the meat, and looks at Vortae suspiciously. "Yes, it is indeed something! Did you want something, or did you just feel like wasting some time with me?"
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The archdevil looks over her options. She thinks. She has a clear idea of which possibilities intrigue her. She sends two replies.
Past work experience: More than 11 Millennia as ruler of a circle of hell, with all the administrative duties implied.
Why do you wish to serve Cil'dr as opposed to anyone else who accepted your offer?: Retention of Lawful Evil alignment which would allow me to work best to my strengths, reputation for warm, familial work atmosphere.
Place of birth: Unknown, I forgot it during the eons of torture as a damned soul before ascending to devilhood.
Please explain how being betrayed by your master makes you feel: Frustrated, annoyed.
Education: Apprenticeship under Ba'al prior to ascension to archdevil status. Internship taught extensively of the nature of tyranny, torture techniques, administrative and leadership skills, and the operation of heavy polydimensional mystic devices.
If you could choose your position under Cil'dr, what would your preferred position be?: Administrator of a large inhabited settlement, ideally a penal one. Else, any administrative position would be pleasant.
True Name: Moloch
Atheos gives Moloch a time, and location, and, excusing himself from the party he has begun to tire of, goes to meet Moloch in the heavily-warded wordforge at the center of his library.
Atheos sits behind a wooden desk, on which rests a toy of swinging metal balls that clack back and forth. Moloch has been provided with an over-sized, heat-resistant chair carved from solid obsidian.
"So, I'm looking for a director for a new, semi-secret research project I've planned. I'd rather not create a demi-god from scratch to run the program, since I don't want to contaminate it with unconscious personal biases. Your past experience ruling a level of hell makes you by far the most qualified candidate out there. So, here are the details best discussed in private."
"Recently, I've become fascinated by a concept called "evolution." The relative differences in the age of life in the universe can best be attributed to the fact that some creatures were created whole-cloth, while others seem to have gradually arisen, due to a competitive process of natural selection driven by forces that you may have heard associated with names like 'Ishalla' and 'Lolth.'
"I wish to learn more of evolution, and possibly harness this force's power for my own ends, but the process takes thousands, if not millions, of years to achieve results. And so I've gradually reconfigured my library, devoting an entire quarter of my demiplane to a research laboratory for this purpose.
"The demi-demi-plane, if you will, is currently subjected to the maximum time dilation the laws of physics allow. One hour in the material world corresponds to nearly two years; one year corresponds to fourteen thousand. A few decades would allow 25,000 generations in the laboratory, which should be sufficient to achieve a few interesting results.
"There are some other conditions present on the laboratory plane as well. A blanket enchantment prevents its inhabitants from feeling more than moderate amounts of pain, a necessary ethical consideration on my part. All souls involved in the project are volunteers or taken from animals of no sentience, to be recycled through reincarnation within the laboratory until such time as the project is reviewed or changed.
"Now, the interesting part. A million souls, over tens of thousands of generations. Structured any way you like; cities, wilderness, or a million individual cells with identical puzzles and food sources. You could observe them over all that time, or spend your time in the library, popping in only occasionally to let the time fly by. I encourage creativity here, and would allow you a great deal of freedom, but there are some questions that I would like to test.
"One: How does intelligence arise, and what data can be gathered over the process? I envision a world full of tests and traps, where animals that display intelligence would survive and receive food, while those that do not perish, their souls recycled after death. The thousands of deaths would need to occur through real traps, puzzles, competition or predators of some sort, though their mechanism of operation is unimportant to me; simply allowing you as an observer to smite the animals you consider less intelligent would introduce unacceptable observer biases. If you prefer, the evolution of intelligent life from plants, fungus, or primitive elementals could also be an interesting set of experiments, to run sequentially or in parallel.
"Two: Can one breed an organism that feeds on magic? Outsiders have no need for food or drink, but most living creatures do, save the rare few that seem to satiate themselves on magical energy alone. I am interested in the evolution of such a process; either through tests on primitive animals or humanoids faced with increasing scarcity, with the end goal of a set of blueprints for the construction of humans that need not eat, drink, sleep, or possibly even breathe.
"That is the project I have in mind. Do you have any questions of your own?"
Adriel thought for a moment...
"the usual medieval technology. The king's army actually don't like him but they're too afraid of his special enforcers, who...." he lowers his voice some, I believe are servants of Bane, our common foe. So it is no doubt the blackguard has a hand in this. Luckily, a band of adventurers have taken upon themselves to liberate the kingdom. Now, I know that in a neighboring nation there's a small temple dedicated to you. The local lord's son is a warpriest among your faithful so it might be beneficial if you were to send him a vision that he needs to find these adventurers and aid them. In doing so the local lord upon learning of what is going on he will inform his fellows of the neighboring mad king. Can I count on you to do this?"
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Babaki continues sloppily eating the meat, and looks at Vortae suspiciously. "Yes, it is indeed something! Did you want something, or did you just feel like wasting some time with me?""That's quite something," Vortae finally responds, the Lonely One's conversation skills not being the best in the pantheon.
Vortae's head tilts sideways at an odd angle, as though studying Babaki. He's keeping something hidden, He thinks to Himself. What could He possibly feel the need to hide from Me? 'Bashful' is one thing I never took Him of all gods for.
Vortae considers for a moment, unable to shake the incongruity of the Laughing Man's subdued behavior.
"There is something, I think: I could use Your help. There is a powerful civilization, a spacefaring empire that has managed to conquer a truly impressive number of worlds over the course of a few dozen millennia. For all its power and age, it's spectacularly unenlightened, and its preoccupation with Order has only intensified exponentially. They're now poised on developing reliable mass planar travel, and they will use it to strike at Our realms - and We cannot permit them to discover the secrets of pocket universe construction, which they almost certainly would have if they weren't so sanctimonious and stupid. It's all become something of a cancer, and I say it's high time it was pruned. I was thinking their ongoing War On Chaos - yes, they actually call it that, if You can believe it - is worth You and I and a few other Chaos gods forming a coalition of Our forces for an enjoyable excursion of liberation, discovery, and vengeance."