"Today is a good day to .... Yes, I'm ready as I'll ever be. Let's do this." Argon is now itching to get going.
Opening his eyes after several minutes of silent prayer to the Mad God of Magic, Ssilax begins to chant a multitude of prayers. The air shimmers slightly as the protections layer around his friends, Dog and finally settling around himself.
A grin finds its way to his muzzle as he channels the divine magic, shaping it around them. True, chants of divine language and gestures were required, which felt crude. Nethys had shown him another way, but the understanding was still beyond his grasp. Something about channeling power from other realities.
"Well, we are ready, everyone is protected from acid and fire, to a degree. Once the spell has absorbed a good deal of elements, it will fade, so do not be over confident," Ssilax informs the others. "Also, beings of an evil nature will have a more difficult time striking us for a short time."
Spells are cast, protection is offered, Wrathe nods and casts Teleport, the world disappears for a moment as you are in one place (Riddleport) and are now seeing the back side of a dragon. Riddleport has disappeared and you now stand at facing a dragon, Wrathe had teleported the party that if the dragon wants to get close it can, but will not have the ability to make a full round attack action.
The dragon turns around to face the party and you can see the madness in it's orbs as they widen, a cruel smile stretches across it's maw and you can almost hear the words " fresh meat ".
Argon felt better with protections, and had cast his own buffs on his weapons (Weapon of Awe on his Falcata, Greater Magic Weapon on his bow). Then the world turned upside down, and now they stand behind a dragon.
Argon's first action is to cast a fast spell (Quickened Summon Monster V - Celestial Dire Lion - swift action). The huge beast appears up to 45 feet away, ten feet on the other side of the dragon, if possible (or off to the side if not, but ready to charge then flank). It then charges and jumps on the dragon, digging all its pointy bits into it (pounce, full round attack on charge, rake, AC is 13 after charge, Smite Evil).
Argon then quickly assesses the situation by glancing around as he moves to the dragon (move action). What kind of terrain are they in, are there dangers or potential advantages to be had, obstacles? Is the portal visible? Are we inside or outside?
He knows his protections will be limited, so he needs to make his early attacks count. He moves to flank the beast with his lion, giving the dragon his best one handed attack with his magic shield (Power Attack).
Confirmations:
Rake 20:
Shield attack and crit damage:
Status:
HP: 126/126
Mana remaining: 15 Domain, 35 Regular
AC: 33 (35 vs Evil)
Prot from Fire, HP rem 108
Prot from Acid, HP rem 108
Prot from Evil, +2AC vs evil
Stoneskin, DR 10/Adamantite for up to 90 HP. HP rem 90
Hasted (+1 attacks, +1 dodge AC, +1 reflex saves, extra attack during FRA)
Weapon of Awe (+2 dam with Falcata, dur 9min)
Celestial Dire Lion: 60 hp, AC 15, Fort +9, Ref +8, Will +3,
- Attack: bite +12 (1d8+7 plus grab), 2 claws +13 (1d6+7)
- DR 5/evil, SR 11,
- Smite Evil 1/day, +8 dam vs. evil
Almost the same heartbeat the teleportation magics wore off, Ssilax was already gathering his energies and shaping them. Touching the divine source and augmenting it with more power. The trappings needed to generate the divine magics shot out from his maw, fingers tracing the unseen to complete the spell.
Feeling the drain as the spell flows through the dragonkin's form, Ssilax begins shaping another spell. Letting the arcane magics mix with a touch of the divine source, Ssilax points at the corrupted dragon releasing the nasty spell at the dragon. Well, nasty if it makes it through the dragon's magical resistance.
"Not today, dragon," Ssilax hisses to the massive creature in their native tongue.
Daxniss shakes off the teleport's affects with a shake of her head, blinking at Argon's spell not to mention Ssilax's casting of spells, she darts forward drawing her dagger as she moves. Once she get's close enough she rolls around the dragon to get into better positioning glad that they were outside in a flat patch of land.
Daxniss comes out of her roll and stabs the dragon with her dagger, not bothering with her rapier for a change of pace against such a foe.
Daxniss shakes off the teleport's affects with a shake of her head, blinking at Argon's spell not to mention Ssilax's casting of spells, she darts forward drawing her dagger as she moves. Once she get's close enough she rolls around the dragon to get into better positioning glad that they were outside in a flat patch of land.
Daxniss comes out of her roll and stabs the dragon with her dagger, not bothering with her rapier for a change of pace against such a foe.
The dragon snarls at the group:
Please ignore the double post from Dax, it seems that in my rush to get a post put, it my browser posted twice.
Claw attack on Lion
Claw attack 2 on Lion
Bite on lion
Wing slap on Argon
Wing slap 2 on Argon
Tail slap Daxniss
Claw 1 damage
Claw 2 on lion damage
Bite on Lion
Wing slap 1
Wing slap 2
Tail slap damage
The damage from the party's attacks and spell are evident from the blood that is leaking from it's scale. The black blood starts to smoulder the blackened ground, but it doesn't try to fly away in fact roars at the group.
Argon Reflex save:
Hasted
Simba Reflex save:
Although expecting the fire to appear sooner than later, a started curse slips out of the dragonkin's maw as he is suddenly surrounded by flames. Keeping his fear in check, thanks in large part due to his protections, Ssilax remains focused on the battle at hand.
[ooc]Reflex save:
Chanting a quick prayer, Ssilax lets the destructive energies wrapped within him flow out to the others, except the dragon of course.
[ooc]Activated domain ability Destructive Aura (Su): At 8th level, you can emit a 30-foot aura of destruction for a number of rounds per day equal to your cleric level. All attacks made against targets in this aura (including you) gain a morale bonus on damage equal to 1/2 your cleric level and all critical threats are automatically confirmed. These rounds do not need to be consecutive. (+4 to damage and auto confirm crits for 9 rounds)
Argon feels the dragon has been hurt more than it has hurt the group. His summoned lion is hurting but will keep fighting. Daxniss has moved in, and Ssilax has cast a powerful spell. He's not sure about Wrathe, but he's sure he must be doing something effective.
The huge lion keeps attacking, under orders from his summoner (flanking, Smite Evil, Destructive Aura).
Argon takes half a breath to note how the beast moves, and spots a potential weakness in its defences (Studied Target, swift action, flanking, sneak attack). He draws his Falcata and his inherited scabbard magically props up the falcata (+3 for 3 rounds). Taking advantage of the slight misplacing of the feet of the dragon, Argon stabs with his shield, and the chops at the beast three times with his falcata, ending his flurry with another slash from his shield. A fleeting moment of glee crosses his mind as he feels an aura from Ssilax that makes his weapons hit even harder.
Status:
HP: 126/126
Mana remaining: 15 Domain, 35 Regular
AC: 33 (35 vs Evil)
Prot from Fire, HP rem 108
Prot from Acid, HP rem 108
Prot from Evil, +2AC vs evil
Stoneskin, DR 10/Adamantite for up to 90 HP. HP rem 90
Hasted (+1 attacks, +1 dodge AC, +1 reflex saves, extra attack during FRA)
Weapon of Awe (+2 dam with Falcata, dur 9min)
Studied Target +2 attack, +2 dam
Simba, Celestial Dire Lion:
HP: 28/60
AC 15,
Fort +9, Ref +8, Will +3,
- Attacks: bite +12 (1d8+7 plus grab), 2 claws +13 (1d6+7)
- DR 5/evil, SR 11,
- Smite Evil 1/day, +8 dam vs. evil
Daxniss moves in concert with Argon, stabbing twice at the dragon's hindquarters glad that they had managed to get the drop on the dragon, as she doesn't try anything too fancy, aiming for the tendons.
Between Ssilax, Argon, the cat, and Dax, the dragon quickly falls prone, it might have still had some semblance of life left in it, but the rogue's blows, made sure that it wouldn't be getting up again.
Pulling a worn pair of blood red lens out of an inner robe pocket, Ssilax balances the lens upon his snout and looks at the corrupted dragon. He wanted to get an idea of just how battered the dragon was, not to mention an estimate on the creatures age.
The dragonkin takes a moment to look around at their surrounds, trying to gather more information about the dragon. He wonders if there is a chance that he can convince the being to abandon the portal and join up with them, perhaps to aid in guarding Sanctuary. Admittedly, the dragonkin didn't think that this was very likely, but felt it was worth the attempt. Ssilax did have a soft spot for dragons, he couldn't lie to himself about that.
Still, he wan't about to bring a flying murder machine to Sanctuary on a corrupted dragons word of promising to "Do Good." Ssilax wanted to believe that beings could better than what they where, that they could rise above their inner demons, but the dragonkin was far from naive.
Glancing at his friends, the dragonkin chants a brief prayer, letting warm healing energy flow over his friends. That done, Ssilax reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small figurine. Placing the small dog figure on the ground, he releases the spell and Dog appears in the statues place with a happy bark. His familiar looks at the dragon and whines slightly, hiding behind Ssilax's robe.
"I just want to see if there is anything worth trying to redeem left within this green dragon," Ssliax says, looking at his friends once more. The dragonkin sighs, looking back at the corrupted dragon. "I highly doubt that will be the case, so keep your weapons ready."
Argon watches as the injured dire lion disappears, and can't help but thinking that Simba would have been a much better mount than Surefeet.
He hears Ssilax talk about hoping to redeem the dragon, and looks sideways at him. "That wrym..... you saw the way it looked at us when we arrived, right? Like it was going to enjoy chewing on our bones..... Or are you concerned it might be your cousin?"
He looks around for signs of the portal they came for.
Ssilax can see that the dragon is indeed expired, it has shuffled off this mortal coIL, that much is certain. With his knowledge of dragon's he knows that green dragon's are usually evil, although they can be bargained with..... sometimes. This green was evil as the group can see multiple bones from smaller Humanoids including half melted bones of children, animals that are leading into a cave that would have been hidden if not for the trail of bones and recent meals.
Upon reaching the cave, the party can smell carrion and something gleams in the darkness.
The cave is about a mile away from the dragon, the trail of bodies has lead you to the cave, standing at the cave's entrance, Dax peers into the darkness and sees a small pile of coins and in the center of a ringed gate can be seen, lying dormer waiting.
Looking around the area seeing the mounds of various corpses, Ssilax eyes narrow behind the blood red lens. The skeletons of multiple too small to be halfing corpses answered all of the questions he needed. Turning, he watches as the corrupted dragon bleeds out.
"No, more of a half baked idea of mine," Ssilax says to Argon with a shrug of his shoulders. "A theory I will have to test out a further date. The idea popped in my head after a discussion Wrathe and I where having about our resident black dragon. More or less it boiled down to the nature of evil, whether it was innate, or a choice that comes from upbringing or events on finds themselves in. A theory I'd rather not visit the Hells or the Abyss to verify," Ssilax adds with a shudder running up his spine. Glancing back at the corpse, Ssilax looks at Argon after a few moments. "Besides, my ancestry is forged from the metallic blood line," he says with a smile curving his snout.
Putting the lens away, Ssilax and the others make their way down to a small cave. It was hard to miss, thanks to the trail of the fiendish beings devastation and remains of meals. Looking inside the cave a small grin finds its way to the dragonkin's muzzle.
"It would be a pity to leave the coins to tarnish further," Ssilax smiles. "We should do our part and find them a good home. Like our coin pouches." The dragonkin looks around the cave from where he stands at the entrance. "Ah, there is the inactive portal. Let's what until we claimed our wealth before activating it with the twisted ring we were given."
"Dax, would you mind contacting the Doctor to let him know that the dragon has been slain?" Ssilax says as he enters the cave, looking around at the chamber.
While he wanted to head straight to the coins lying there, the dragonkin wanted to make sure that he wasn't walking into an ambush or trap. Unlikely, given the fiendish dragon, but one could never be absolutely sure when it came to dragons and their wealth.
Daxniss moves forward her fingers extended, walking in a circle around the cave, and stops about 10 feet from the coins. Frowning, she pulls something from the shadows itself, and crouchs close to the ground after spending a number of minutes she shakes her head and says " Tricky, very sneaky of the dragon, I wouldn't have thought about something this. It was a leg trap mixed in with a Geas, serve the dragon. It is taken care of but if it had something like this, I would guess that there are a number of these style of traps. I'll need an hour of two to make sure we have no other suggestions of traps. "
Daxniss goes through the cave a finds a number of traps, some of similar themes, a number of acid tras can also be found. All in coin and gems there is enough that each member of the group recieves 12,000 in coins and gems.
Argon follows the trail of bones to the cave, his brow creased. He sees what appear to be children's bones, and it makes him feel sick. Focusing on the cave and the portal, he keeps up with the others.
He thanks Daxniss for the trap finding, and looks around the cave, not touching anything. As she's disabling them, he asks her about them in the hope of learning something.
Daxniss chuckles and tells Argon " It was no worry, a good portion of the traps were more tied into bending a person's mind into serving the dragon, it is a decent way to help protect treasure, if you are out and about a someone blunders in get's their leg trapped and is not strong enough of mind to resist the spell, then they are waiting for the caster of the spell to give them orders. it is hard to find these kinds of traps and their is enough objects to obscure easy detection with spells. "
" As for the other traps, some are damaging but not enough of them are the kind that blows up in a person's face. Must be the nature of this dragon to seek to control rather then risk damaging it's treasure. "
Ssilax watches as Daxniss works her own type of magic against the traps that had been laid out for thieves. He had cast Detect Magic a few times as the rogue disarmed the traps, watching the magical essence fade.
"What an interesting idea, rather insidious way of guarding ones wealth. Hmmmm, I wonder if...," Ssilax muses out loud, tapping his snout. The slight veins of crimson pulse slightly as his clawed finger makes contact with the scales.
Looking back out of the cave at the trail that led them here, the dragonkin was glad they put an end to the fiendish dragon. He could very well imagine the wake of destruction it could have caused if it was left alive. Before the encounter, his thoughts had been more of a merciful bent, tis true. That feeling had withered almost instantly after getting a good look at its victims remains.
Once Dax finishes up and shows off what she had discovered, not to mention a guesstimate as to the value of the coins and gems, Ssilax whistles through his teeth, impressed. 'That will make for some nice additions to my spellbook,' the dragonkin thinks with a smile.
"Would anyone mind terribly if I use the quarterstaff?" the dragonkin asks his friends.
The dovtor has been contacted, loot has been picked up, wounds healed, and it is now time to activate the gate to Sigil. Ssilax and Wrathe both spend time trying to activate it without the ring, after all it could lead anywhere. Once they get close to the gate with the twisted ring, a flash of green light opens up at the center of the gate. It is now active, ready for the group to step through.
"Certainly," says Argon to Ssilax. "I suggest we put all that gold into the magic bag, and I can carry it." He hefts the bag (35lbs) and adds, "It's not too heavy..."
He picks up the bag, and also the falcata. It is a lovely weapon, and would have its uses.
Before heading to the gate he checks the cave entrance for tracks other than the dragon's just in case.
"So here we are. I wonder who set that beast to guarding this portal. Any ideas? No matter, it's open, and we have somewhere to go. I would volunteer to go first, but perhaps Dax would be a better scout. Can anyone make her unseen?"
He peers at the gate, trying to see what's on the other side.
The only thing that the party can see through the gate, is a swirling green light, as if the portal itself isn't able pierce through the veil that is Sigil. Of course if the information that you have gotten is true, this is your only current option to get a chance to off of Golarion and to Sigil and then after rescuing Master Dainoth.
Dax takes the rapier and hands the quarterstaff over to Ssilax, since he was the only one that really used one regularly enough and besides it seemed to suit the dragonkin the best, Wrathe nods at Argon's words and says " I would but I think that Dax can make herself invisible without my help, I also suspect that the since we each have a ring to open the gate, and it might also be a one-way trip for us. "
The coins and gems are quickly added to the bag of holding, and the fact that Argon is able to heft it with little difficulty to say the least. Still disagreements that what would be the best way to travel through and if there would be scouting mission and returning back.
Finally Dax says " As much as I hate to say this, but with all the help that the Pathfinder Society has given us, plus Doctor Earbris and Zass have given us, I think we should go through, if not now then tomorrow with a number of protection spells that Wrathe and Ssilax can cast on all of us. I have a feeling that anything that we can consider about the portal and if it leads to Sigil will still bring us surprises to say the least. "
After spending a little bit of time reviewing what Ssilax and Wrathe know about Sigil and the fact that each of you have a key to the portal, that only this gate could activate, there is little chance that this portal could lead to anywhere else but Sigil. Wrathe, Ssilax, and Daxniss can now see a magic aura around the twisted rings that everyone is carrying. Before the rings held no magic what so ever, even through careful study of magic, it would seem that the magic lies dormant until the right condition happens, such as the key to gate.
"I'm expecting surprises, surely. Since it appears there's no way to warn those on this side, I think we should all just jump through," says Argon. He looks to see confirmation from the others.
After debating, the party decides to go through the portal, as there was little choices on what else they could do, as each of you steps through the portal, light flashes and you can feel yourselves being pulled forward for a brief second, when the light clears you find yourselves some where else.
Sigil, the largest planar metropolis in the Planes, and one of the most important cities in all of the multiverse, is located in an impossible location: at the top of the Infinite Spire in the center of the
Outlands. The City of Doors is located in the inside face of a large torus that floats in the center of the Outlands, making everything about the City absolutely unique. No matter where a cutter stands in the city, if they look up to the skies they’ll see nothing but more buildings.
Sigil’s not a place for Clueless, particularly arrogant Clueless. Cagers are arrogant beyond measure, but they can get away with it because they’re wise to the way of things. But visitors shouldn’t
strut their airs, and they’d do best to find themselves some kind of guide to help them navigate the curves of the kriegstanz, the war of belief that’s waged in Sigil’s streets every day.
The Cage is not like any other place in the multiverse. An infinity of portals link Sigil to everywhere in the multiverse – any doorway, window, arch, or frame might be a dormant portal waiting for the right link to activate it and send an unwary sod to the deepest pits of the Abyss. But this makes the city vitally important to trade throughout the Planes – here, merchants from everywhere gather and meet to sell and distribute their wares. Business is conducted between opposing parties, adventurers come to launch expeditions into the Planes, and the unfortunates of the Planes get marooned in its back alleys. Cutters can learn the way of the Cage – even Primes – while the Clueless are left behind to die.
Sigil is a torus with a 5 mile diameter and a 20 mile circumference – at least by official Guvner records. In truth, the layout of the city is mutable at the whims of the Lady of Pain, although this magical shifting is very rarely apparent, and is notable only in the Hive, where it’s said the Lady hides her Mazes. Despite this large size – at 20 miles of surface, the city is huge – the city always feels
crowded. Tiny spaces in buildings that would normally house closets or pantries instead become shops or whole apartments for families. Buildings crowd each other overhead, and some streets are cut off from the skies altogether, cut off by buildings and other streets.
The city is divided into six different Wards, with each Ward divided into various districts and neighborhoods. The Wards aren’t delineated by borders or lines – it’s hard for even the oldest Cagers to tell specifically where one Ward ends and the other begins. Wards are more delineated by the people who live and toil in the Wards – as various neighborhoods fall into disrepair or grow into prosperity, they shift and grow and fall into different Wards.
The most famous planar metropolis in all existence is the city of Sigil. Located at the center of the Outer Planes and built on the inner surface of an enormous ring, Sigil claims to be the true crossroads of the multiverse. The city is ruled by the dreaded Lady of Pain, a mystery credited with enormous power -- including the ability to bar divine beings from her realm.
Bards call Sigil the City of Doors due to its large number of portals, but the locals aren't that poetic. They just call it the Cage, a name suited to a city that's tough to get into and tough to leave. Not just physically -- though unless you know a little something about portals, even that's a challenge -- but emotionally. After all, what could you ever need that you couldn't find in Sigil? The place has everything and then some. It's a filthy, noisy place, with smoke-choked alleyways and crowded streets, but Sigil is alive in a way that no other city could ever hope to be.
As befits its paradoxical nature, Sigil is located in the center of an infinite plane (the Concordant Domain of the Outlands), floating above an infinitely tall spire and built inside a gigantic hollow ring of unknown material. The place has no sun or moon (see Illumination, below) and no real "horizon," and only naïve visitors wonder aloud about what's on the other side of the ground.
The only way in or out of the Cage is through its interplanar portals. Locals claim that you can get anywhere from Sigil if you know the right portal. While that might be an exaggeration, it isn't far from the truth. See Entering and Exiting Sigil, below, for more on the portals that give the city its reputation as the gateway to everywhere.
Traveler's Tip: Of all the planar cities, Sigil is the least inimical to travelers, no matter how extreme their philosophies. If you can reach Sigil, it can serve as the launching pad for further explorations, or as an end in itself; Sigil is known for its strange inhabitants, services, and distractions.
Newcomers should hire a guide (a tout, in local parlance). As with any large city, Sigil has its bad areas, and wandering without guidance could lead into dark alleys -- or worse. A tout can help travelers find fair-priced inns, places to buy essential materials, and contacts who can provide needed information . . . all for a fair fee, of course.
Sigil (Metropolis): Nonstandard; AL LN; 200,000 gp limit; Assets 250,000,000 gp; Population: 250,000 (37% human, 20% planetouched [aasimars, mephlings, neraphim, tieflings, and the like], 10% elves, 10% halflings, 3% dwarves, 20% other).
Authority Figures: The Lady of Pain (LN female, unknown race); Arwyl Swan's Son, leader of the Sons of Mercy (LG male human paladin 12); Rhys, member of the Sigil Advisory Council (N female tiefling fighter 2/wizard 15); Shemeshka the Marauder a.k.a. King of the Cross-Trade, information broker (NE female arcanaloth).
Sigil is located inside of the Outlands, a plane at equal distance from each of the Outer Planes, hovering above an immensely tall landmark known as the Spire that sits at the plane's center.[5] In a certain fashion, this puts Sigil at the center of the planes, at least according to the Great Wheel cosmology, but since the multiverse is infinite in all dimensions there is no true center.[6] Still, Sigil is the closest thing to a center (other than the Prime Material Plane) that there is. Curiously, from the Outlands one can see Sigil atop the supposedly infinite Spire.
Sigil has the shape of a torus and the city is located along the inner surface of the ring. It is generally agreed by knowledgeable people that this should be impossible,[4] since the center of the Outlands is void of any and all magic,[5] and yet it apparently is. Theories to explain Sigil's location and existence vary wildly, though one of the more popular is that the Lady of Pain either created it or keeps it intact — or both.
There is no sky, simply an all-pervasive light that waxes and wanes to create day and night. The city cannot be entered or exited save via portals; although this makes it quite safe from any would-be invader, it also makes it a prison of sorts for those not possessing a portal key, giving Sigil its nickname "the Bird Cage" (or simply "the Cage").
Sigil contains innumerable portals: any bounded opening (a doorway, an arch, a barrel hoop, a picture frame) could possibly be a portal to another plane, or to another point in Sigil itself. Thus, the city is a paradox: it touches all planes at once, yet ultimately belongs to none; from these characteristics it draws its other name: "the City of Doors." This feature make Sigil a prime destination for travelers as well as a center of trade throughout the multiverse.
Sigil is divided into six districts, called wards, listed below:
The Clerk's Ward : an affluent district, home to most of the city's lower-rung bureaucrats and middlemen.
The Hive Ward : the slum and the ghetto, home to the poor, the rogues, and the unwanted dregs of the city.
The Lady's Ward: the richest and most exclusive section of the city, is home to the elites of society and of its government.
The Lower Ward : an industrial district, clogged up with the smoke from the foundries and from the portals to the Lower Planes.
The Market and Guildhall Wards : are the home to the traders, craftsmen, artisans, guild members and other members of the middle class.
The ruler of Sigil is the mysterious Lady of Pain. The Lady is sometimes seen in Sigil as a floating, robed lady with a face bearing a mantle of blades.[citation needed] The Lady does not concern herself with ruling the city directly; she typically only interferes when something threatens the stability of Sigil itself or crosses one of her few but unforgiving edicts, which amount to keeping the peace and refraining from worship of her. The Lady is an entity of inscrutable motives and often those who cross her path, even accidentally, are flayed to death or teleported to her hidden "mazes", extra dimensional labyrinths, and lost forever.[4] It is widely believed that she never speaks, although some unconfirmed rumors to the contrary do exist.
Although the Lady of Pain does not take action directly, she does act through a number of servants known as dabus, who simultaneously serve as the Lady's eyes and ears as well as maintaining the structure of Sigil. Like the Lady, the dabus do not interact with Sigil's inhabitants or travelers much and it is best to leave them be, since antagonizing them can bring down the infrequent but harsh wrath of their mistress.
Sigil is, theoretically, neutral ground to all: no wars are waged there and no armies pass through. Furthermore, no power can enter into Sigil; the Lady has barred them from the Cage.[citation needed] Of course, Sigil is hardly peaceful; with such a condensed population, consisting of everything from angelic devas to demonic glabrezu, violence is common, usually befalling the foolhardy, the incautious, or the poor. Most natives of Sigil ("Cagers") are quite jaded as a result of living there.
Sigil is also home to several extra planar "factions," which struggle with one another for power and prestige but generally do not engage in open conflict. The Lady of Pain tolerates the existence of these factions so long as they do not interfere with her or her nebulous goals and several even serve useful purposes, such as the Guvners, Harmonium, and the Mercykillers, which serve as the judges, jury, and executioners of Sigil, respectively.
The average prime is likely to be a bit taken back by the enthusiasm of the factions on the Outer Planes. On the Prime Material Plane, philosophy's just one person's way of seeing things. Here's the
real chant, and pay attention, berk: All this attention to ideology is important because it can actually cause the borders of the planes to change! If enough folks in a town hold a belief contrary
to the rest of their plane, that town's going to drift away to another plane, slipping from the grasp of one reality to join another. To put it another way, if enough folks outside a power's realm start
subscribing to that power's beliefs, then its realm's going to expand to include them. That means anywhere on the Outer Planes could conceivably become part of somewhere else.
What a sod believes in, then - law, chaos, good, and evil - has a direct influence on the multiverse. Philosophy is more than just talk, philosophy is action. Hence, the Outer Planes are the site of an end-less struggle for the hearts and minds of everyone on them.
Think about it, berk. The Blood War is more than a mindless battle of extermination between fiends. It's a war to establish a single, united Lower Plane. To a fiend's way of thinking, those that can't be persuaded to its point of view must be eliminated, put in the dead-book, and so the War rages on. In the same vein, the factions in Sigil aren't there just because it's convenient; they're each trying to sway the city to their point of view. If they do, the whole Cage'll vanish off to some other plane. (That's why the Lady of Pain isn't just a figure - she's Sigil's anchor against the rest of the multiverse.)
All of this means something to the player characters, too. It means their actions can sometimes change the face of the planes. By getting involved with the philosophical politics - for instance, by either thwarting or supporting a faction's coup in a border town - they might keep that burg from the brink or give it the final push over the edge, sending it to another plane. When they choose, they make a difference a person can see and know.
So how's this work in play? Well, first it gives a whole new set of teeth to the old phrase, "a clash of ideas." Good, evil, neutrality, law, and chaos are all trying to gain new lands and new adherents at the expense of all the others while trying to hang on to what they've got. When two factors get to debating in Sigil, one may just decide the other's too dangerous and hit him, arrest him, publicly humiliate him, frame him, kill him, or hire adventurers to get the goods on him. It's not because the factors personally don't like each other, it's because this is a campaign where ideas have real power. That's a clash of ideas, planar-style.
Those of you with access to Divine spells feel a slight discord with your connection to you gods, as if there is a filter between your divine powers and you. While you can still cast your divine spells, you feel like their is an limit on what you can cast.
Argon looks around to see if they are in immediate danger, and to see what their surroundings are.
"I imagine we'll need to find a guide first, and then we need to seek someone with a peripheral interest and knowledge of our home. From there we might start to collect rumors and hints about the whereabouts of our prey, " suggests Argon.
A question occurs to him. "Do any of you think our mounts can be summoned here? Not that I would do that normally, but it would be good to know, just in case."
"Uh, huh? I'm sorry, what did you say? Ssilax blinks several times, tearing his gaze from the "sky." It looked like a city built inner lining of a ring that was mindbogglingly large. "Our mounts? Yes, they would probably still work," the dragonkin says looking a street crowded with a number of beings that he had never imagined existing. 'And humans, lots and lots of humans, naturally,' Ssilax thinks to himself.
Shaking his head to clear it, Ssilax frowns slightly coming to realize that something was off. His connection to Nethys, felt as though it was being.., muffled. It was a curious sensation, an effect that he had fortunately read about. Something about the Lady of Pain didn't allow gods within her realm, no one really knew for sure.
"I agree, we definitely need to find a guide," Ssilax says, as he glances around at their immediate surroundings.
There could be danger lurking everywhere since you are in a squalor, the neighborhood gives everyone a vibe of not caring. The citizens look over you, and give a snort. You all hear the words 'Primes' and a shake of their head, and move on about their day.
A tiefling walks toward the group and bows her head and says " Oi, Berks! You look like you need a tout, a guide so to speak, it looks like you just made it into the cage, or Sigil. "
Looking at the tiefling, Ssilax nods his hooded and cowled head. His sapphire orbs glance at the indifferent crush of beings as the woman separates and walks towards them.
Although the nature of the beings was different, not to mention the plane of existence, Ssilax was struck by an odd feeling. It was almost like he had walked into the Dock ward during the busiest part of the day. Not quite the same of course, but it served the same purpose. The dragonkin felt a bit more on edge, just enough so that he was a bit more aware of his surroundings. Much akin to walking around Caern before the War had happened.
"Greeting to you," Ssilax says with a slight bow of his head. "Your eyes serve you perfectly, as we are indeed in need of a guide, er, tout," The dragonkin chuckles slightly, glancing around the tightly packed buildings, and rat's nest of side streets and crooked alleyways. "We are looking for..., well a decent inn for starters. And, would your service happen to be available for a few days? As I have the feeling we would greatly benefit from the advice and knowledge of a local." The dragonkin says to the teifling.
"Apologies, I am being rude, my name is Ssilax," the dragonkin says with another small bow of his head. "I would be happy to discuss your payment, miss...?" Ssilax waits for the tiefling to introduce herself.
Argon watches the Tiefling closely (Studied Target, sense motive). He doesn't know who to trust, here, but they have no contacts to rely upon or advice to follow regarding choosing a 'tout'.
"At the very least you could show us to a cleaner neighbourhood... My name is Argon."
He wonders where the air comes from, if they are in a closed torus. Air needs to be replenished, though the world of Sel Torin is a closed system and Argon also does not know where fresh air comes from there. It would eventually run out, if not replaced, wouldn't it (0 ranks in Knowledge/nature)?
OOC: Could you describe the Tiefling?
The tiefling woman appears to be around 24 years old, a tail can be seen close to her legs. Her clothing looks well made enough, she is wearing leather armor, on top of that a little bit of silver can be seen on her hands.
At her side you can see a short sword, alon with a number of daggers. Her clothing is the color of yellow, you can see a number of other touts leading Primes around this location.
There is no sense of deception, this would be her job, perhaps not the only one. There is no sense of danger coming the woman, and you don't get the feeling that she is going to try and rob you.
" Ah manners, well first off I'm sure you have a number of jink, err coins that you will need to get exchanged, and mayhas a bank. As for a place to get your feet on the ground, try not to look up, it always takes Primes a little bit of time to get used to seeing the city above you. "
Almost unable to help himself, Ssilax looks upwards. He had read about the descriptions of Sigil, not that any of them really did the planer city real. A metropolis of beings from every stretch of the planes and realities crowded into the strange city. Sigil seemed to built on the innerside of a great ring. Supposedly, it floats above a tower that stretches down into infinity.
Letting out the air that he had been holding with out realizing it, the noise comes out as a soft hiss. Shaking his head to clear it, the dragonkin drops his gaze from the "heavens" and back to the ground.
"Wow. Seeing Sigil first hand beats reading about it, or hearing about it second-hand," Ssilax says after reopening his eyes. His stomach flip-flops for a moment as the dragonkin thinks about the horizon that curves upwards.
"How many from the Prime planes actually follow that advice and avoid looking up?" Ssilax asks with a laugh as he unsnaps his cowl. "My stomach is still doing loops."
"You are once again correct, miss. We should change our coin to something more suitable, any banks that you would care to recommend? In addition to lodgings, would you mind telling us some more about Sigil? We know that the Lady is in charge, but most of what I know about Sigil is generalized," the dragonkin thinks for a moment before asking another question. "Why did you refer to Sigil as the Cage a few minutes ago?"
Ssilax was very, very glad that his friends where there as well. Dax keeping an eye on the shadows that sought to plunder and harm. Argon keeping a sharp eye out for anything meaning them harm, or even thinking about it. Wrathe's kept his silver eyed gaze on just about everything else.
"I suppose they do not take gold from other realms, here, miss....? Not that our pouches were full when we left home..." Argon wonders if he's forgotten her name already, or if he hasn't told them.
He tries not to look up, but his eyes will not obey his commands. He gazes in wonder at the strangest sky he's ever seen. He supposes that those who travel the planes see very odd things all the time.
"If I shot an arrow up there, would it get to the other side? Or .... I guess it's farther than it looks."
He keeps his hand on his equipment and watches closely if someone comes too near.
" Oh most of the Primes that come here usually have to empty their stomachs, I think vertigo, something about the mind trying thinking they might go flying up into the air. Sigil is also known as the Cage, since there are portals everywhere, and since the gods can't be here, and if somehow you manage to attract the attention of the Lady, whom has a habit of putting people in Mazes That you never return from. Other than that it is just a phrase that we who are born here and eventually get penned in the Dead Book. Call me Aliza. "
All you at first find it odd to see another ward above you, while the people traveling around on the 'heavens' appear upside down to your eyes, to them it is you that is upside down. Aliza leads you through twists and turns, you see other beings walking down the street, Angels and Demons, human and non human all going about their business.
Aliza leads you first to a nicer part of the ward, and informs you that you have left the Hive ward and are now in the Lady's ward. Everyone in the group notices when they have left the Hive ward, as their were courtsans on the corner of every spot, to seeing armored figures walking around in the Lady's Ward. Aliza informs you that these are MercyKillers, members of a faction that act as law around in Sigil, the group also sees members dressed in greyrobes that offering coin for a person's dead body. The people who take the coin are still alive, it is a contract that once you have breathed your last and penned in the Dead Book that your undead body will serve in the mortuary.
Aliza leads you to a building that is well crafted but is only two stories tall, you learn that space is premium here in Sigil, most apartments are little bigger than a closet, since most cages and Primes are on the move.
Prices for lodging isn't cheep and the fact that many 'cutters' are willing to knife a person just for a spot to sleep in the Hive ward. Aliza also tells you that the banks are much bigger on the inside, since there are so many Cages and Primes that use the bank of Sigil.
Aliza also informs you that no one who makes a deposit and sets up an account is never without their funds, as both angels and demons have been heard to use the banks of Sigil.
Upon entering the building the group can see that the inside of the building is much larger then it's outward appearance let's on. Tellers of all types can be seen, exchanging coin for a more general currency. You overhear that the Sigil exchange rate is more far as merchants often give back less change.
Looking around the group sees devils, angels, demons, humans, and all sorts of beings standing around, acting as security. You also see the same as clients depositing all sorts of things, and on one hand you see a devil getting tossed out by a demon and the words thief is said by another angel guard.
As they walk into the Sigil bank, once more a hissing whistle escapes the dragonkin. He leans back, sticking his head back out into the street
looks around before reentering fully.
"Hmmm, dimensional expanding magics? Or pocket dimensions, the latter would probably be easier on a mass scale," Ssilax can be heard muttering to himself as his mind whirls in thought. He looks over to their tout. "Aliza, do all buildings use such dimensional pockets? Or just those with enough coin, er, jink afford it? Just curious to know if this is a natural effect of this plane, or if is manufactured through magical means," the dragonkin says to the teifling with a grin on his muzzled face.
Dog sticks close by Ssilax, as he was being almost overloaded with sights, smells and sounds. All of which he wanted to go and explore, but didn't want to lose the others in the process. With this many scents in the air, he wasn't sure he'd be able to find the others by scent alone.
Waiting in line for his turn at a teller to convert his monies, Ssilax is given a chance to see more of the normal day-to-day life of those living in Sigil. It was so much to take in, almost as if what was excepted to be Planer fact about beings, (angels, devils, demons and the like), decided to go and take a break, leaving everyone to just deal with it.
'And we're supposed to find Dainoth in all of this? I'll have to try Sending or the like,' Ssilax thinks to himself as the line inches forward.
Aliza nods and says " It is the new thing lately, even though it is permanent enough, the Lady's Dabius can work to take these things down rather quickly. It all depends on what the Lady want, generally speaking the bank has been moved many times, but the contents have never been lost. Although it isn't cheap, most of the business in the Lady's ward have it, still I don't know about other places. " Shrugging her shoulders the Tiefling waits for the exchange of coins to happen.
Aliza leads you to an inn called Weeping Styx It is located in the center of the Lady's ward and isn't terribly hard on the purse strings.
Argon doesn't know about dimensions and stuff, just that some things are strangely bigger on the inside than the outside.
He changes 200 gp for now (at a cost of 202gp) and gets some coins with a likeness of the Lady of Pain. He looks at it, and wonder how accurate a likeness it is.
He is still taking in the wonder of it all. All the strange creatures are the most interesting...
Mentally identify several more planer beings that in just about any other circumstance most sane people would be running screaming in the opposite direction, Ssilax was looking forward to setting down. The dragonkin was definitely ready for a few minutes of not being stunned. It had been a mind boggling.., hour or so. The dragonkin blinks a few times as he realizes it had been an hour or so since they arrived.
At least, Ssilax thinks that is the case, but he was finding it very hard to tell due to the lack of sun moving across the sky.
Ssilax extends an offering of a whatever-time-it-is meal, (his treat), and break from walking them all over the place to Aliza. That held the bonus of allowing him to ask the teifling more questions while they ate, plus, they wouldn't have to fins another tout.
Sliding his hood off as they enter the Weeping Styx, Ssilax looks around the inn. The dragonkin's sapphire orbs scan the crowd, hoping to find a place to sit down. The dragonkin finds himself wondering what interesting foodstuffs that they might have.
Sniffing at the air, Dog "Wuffs," his tail wagging eagerly as the scent of food travels through the air.
"Well, let's grab a bite to eat, and figure out what we are going to do next," the dragonkin looks at his friends, a grin visible on his Masked snout.
Daxniss had been stranglely quiet for the most part, ever sense they had arrived, a glance in her direction from those that have known her her whold life knows that she has faded a bit into the background into a state of hyper vigilance, while appearing nonchalant.
The inside of the Weeping Styx is a smaller inn then what the group has seen in the past, it was an only two story affiar, upon entering the building you can see more evidence that this building is indeed larger on the inside. Sections of the inn are dimly lit, shadows on the east half of the bar where patrons can be left alone to drink in peace.
On the other side of the bar, you can see patrons in the well lit, are anything from angels to other beings from various planes. Looking over at the bar you can see a balding short stack human tending to the patrons on the dimly lit section, on the light section of the bar an elf with plantium hair and coal black skin is serving the patrons on the light side of the bar. In the middle a tiefling is handling orders from whomever walks up to him, his hear has two horns one of which is broken off.
"Would you order for us, Aliza? We're still in observation mode, I think," says Argon, looking at Daxniss and Wrathe. "Some ale for me, and some hearty food."
He looks for a table where they can observe from but not be near the center of attention. And he watches the patrons and their interactions.
Nodding towards the teifling bartender, the dragonkin chuckles as he spies a table bordering the dimly lit and normally lit areas.
"There is a good spot for us to sit," Ssilax points out the table to the others. "I am going to order for myself, after I talk to the the bartender to get a better idea of my selection of what sounds good. Preferably, something that is very meat based, lightly kissed by flame and still a bit bloody." Ssilax pauses for a moment, thinking. "Actually, I will most likely order for you three as well. Given how many years I have prepared our meals, I have a pretty decent idea of what to order." the dragonkin smiles, his razor sharp fangs glinting in the light.
Asking Aliza if she has eaten here before as they head towards the bar, Ssilax greets the teifling working between the split sections of the bar.
Daxniss, Wrathe, and Argon choose seats that Ssilax pointed out, it was a good enough spot, Aliza chuckles and says " Not a bad choice, being new arrivals, " The Tiefling looks at Ssilax when he greets him, the tiefling doesn't speak but words pop up in the air in front of him. The lighting on the words are easily seen by Ssilax as the Tiefling dressed in greys stops cleaning his Tankard and nods at Ssilax.
" Greetings Berk, before you ask, no I can not speak, as my tongue was removed long ago as a payment for a job. No healing magic can restore it, the words that pop up are what I'm thinking to you at the moment, so I'll give you a few moments. "
He 'says' and smiles at the dragonkin.
Argon thinks (thankfully with no thought bubbles) Good thing we can read.
But he says, "Apologies, but what's a berk? Someone not from Sigil?
Blinking a few times in surprise, Ssilax reads the floating words with a glance and taps the side of his snout. Some many things to ponder and investigate, something new lurking almost around every corner.
"Healing magics will not work? Were you cursed?" Ssilax asks curiously, looking between the words and the tiefling. Shaking his head, the dragonkin looks a touched embarrassed. "Sorry, that was very rude of me to ask, I apologize," the dragonkin says with a small bow of his head. He eyes the fading words once more and raises an eyeridge. "How do you generate the words, with illusion magics? Sorry, I am being nosy once more." Ssilax grins at the teifling.
"Well, now that I am done throwing questions instead of exchanging greetings," the dragonkin chuckles. "[b]Greetings, I was looking to rent sleeping quarters for a few days for four people. I would also like to order a meal of the six of us,{/b]" Ssilax says, including Dog and Aliza. He doubted Wrathe would eat, but, the dragonkin might find something that almost human would be interested in.
After inquiring about what the establishment had in the range of foodstuffs and drink. A number of the choices required some descriptions, as the dragonkin had no idea as to what in the Hells they were. After thinking over his choices the dragonkin places his order, adding a generous tip to the teifling bartender. The dragonkin grins slightly, thinking that Wrathe would be in for a little bit of a surprise, giving the spiciness of what Ssilax orders for his stoic friend.
Having exchanged about 1000 coins into Sigil based coins, the dragonkin was prepared to spend a little bit. Plus, he had no idea as to what Aliza would want for her fee. Ssilax was guessing that the female teifling was going a bit above the normal call for the duties of a tout. But, once more, that was a guess on his part.
Aliza chuckles and says " Berk is slang for many things, normally used for sir, ma'am, or hey there. People from other places mostly the prime material planes are called Primes or if you want to insult them Cluess, warriors are called cutters or bashers. Hang around here long enough and you will get the slang. "
The bartender cocks an eyebrow at Ssilax hoping that he had gotten over his shock and 'says' " Anything that exists in any planes, I've got it, blood wine, Elemental heart, vampire eyes, meat from evert sort of being, and the like. Whatever you are looking for we can fry it, cook it, pour it. "