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Eadie sheaths her blade, showing empty hands to the law enforcement officials.
“Does any of the paperwork say who the false bounty hunters are working for?”
The way her gaze cycles from the erinyes to Fendel to Rudzik to Ando and around again, suggests the warrior has little clue about what is going on.
The remaining souls do not press the issue, not with the harms already wrought upon them, and especially after losing one of their number to you, who is glad to assist you further as you like .
The paperwork shows it was issued, but being a falsehood, the name is the Hellish equivalent of Seymour Butts. The Erinyes escort the other pair off for "punishment", and you are left to go about your devices.
You arrive at the Fallen Fastness (the library). This mountainous stone structure pierces the burning skies of Dis like a jagged thorn. A battalion of fiends monitors all visitors entering its hundred-foot-tall iron doors, while inside a legion of diabolic scholars moves through a maze of iron-chained shelves.
Tomes silently beckon to prospective readers and promise infernal secrets, while bottled souls peer longingly or fearfully at passersby. Hundreds of floors stretch up from the atrium, and beneath the smoky obsidian floor, countless imps and other fiends toil over a scroll that spirals downward for miles.
You have no trouble finding him, the investigator Vetrivides (LE agender osyluth) waits impatiently outside Leventi’s scriptorium, tied there by Leventi’s bureaucratic trickery and stalling tactics. Vetrivides looks the your group over dubiously when you arrive. “The servants of Dralneen? Where is your mistress, mortals? I should kill you where you stand for this insult.” Vetrivides exerts their fear aura.
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Oh do try to be reasonable. Zarta is off out looking for evidence the same way we are but we thought it might be useful to check in with you in case there was further information we need to complete this job. I would have thought you would understand that rather than trying to goad us into something foolish but I suppose nature will out as it were.
“You will suffice in this difficult moment. Rejoice in your adequacy.” The osyluth’s stinger settles and the devil rises to their full nine feet, claws clasped behind their back, echoing memories of a dozen venture-captain lectures.
“Phistophilus Leventi stands on the cusp of promotion, with only a final review remaining. My analysis into his work is part of that review, and I have found troubling indications of resources improperly allocated and also of clumsily executed language in his contracts. I am currently stationed here and unable to continue my work, however. You creatures will act as my agents in exchange for certain seized contraband, per my bargain with your mistress.” The devil gestures toward an ironbound collection of parchment.
“Here are my notes, including a list of Leventi’s suspect contracts that warrant further examination. Also, his agents have made several forays to the Ghetto of Outcasts. I have recorded their route as far as my agent followed. Pick up the trail from there to learn more. Also—” They flip musingly through a maze of text before settling a claw on a name. “Yes. Jarluxis. Seek out this other phistophilus here in the Fastness. She has lost several contracts to Leventi and has incentive to demonstrate her competence with a successful investigation of her coworker.”
Closing the book, they refocus their skeletal gaze. “Hasten in your work. When your writ expires, so does your usefulness.” They pause and glare. “Go. Now.”
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“Rejoice in your adequacy.”
While the others digest the osyluth’s words, Eadie throws her hands in the air and dances in a celebratory circle.
♫ We’re not #1.
But we’re not #Last.
We’re not that good.
But we’re good enough for Vetrivides! ♫
“Well, it would be readily apparent that we should take the opportunity to interview Jarluxis whilst we are still here.”
“Do you mean go see that Phistophilus devil Boney-V mentioned, Fen?”
Eadie pretends to think it over. “Sounds good to me!”
The group finds Jarluxis, a female contract devil, on the 50th floor of the fastness. "What do you mortals need? I am very busy as you can plainly see." She seems indifferent to most pleas, however like most in this realm she is willing to help in exchange for a bargain, or perhaps other things you could offer. At current she is looking over a contract for a mortal soul.
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“What do you mortals need?”
“Are you kidding?? After 50 flights of stairs? A nice lie down.”
Eadie removes her helm, holding it firmly under her arm, like she’s expecting a hidden bandit to strike from beneath the contract devil's desk.
“Word on the street is Leventi’s eaten your lunch. And as a result, you ain’t getting promoted anytime in the next millennium or two.”
“Unless … you can dig up some dirt on that guy, pronto. (That’s Galtan you know).”
Jarluxis shares that Leventi’s agents recently transported Gellius Thrune’s imp Tholvinis to Widow’s Cry. She laments her colleague’s sloppy binding of the imp after Gellius’ death, insisting that anyone unable to control an imp shouldn’t be trusted to command mortals.
Jarluxis continues working in the Fallen Fastness for the remainder of the adventure, and she can help analyze any contracts or other legal documents.
"You might try speaking to Phlagantres, otherwise I don't know how much else I could assist you. I thank you for your aid, wise Fendel." She smiles. "Perhaps you have a place here..."
"Of course, sorry I thought he would know. Phlagantres is at the help desk, at the entrance. You surely saw his bulk as you entered?" She seems honest enough, and also seems to be flattering dear Fendel a bit. What can one say, but in Hell an eye for detail is quite the asset.
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“Wait, wait. We climbed all the way up to the 50th floor so you could hit on Fendel’s brain??”
Eadie shakes her sweaty head, wondering if there’s any way to blame the investigator for this.
Not really. It’s that asshat Vetrivedes’ fault. Can't let that stop me though.
“This is all your fault, Fen.”
Eadie *plonks* her great helm back over her head with a hmph. “Your skillset attracts too much trouble. And when did it ever help us, eh?”
The warrior begins heading back the way she came. “So are we making our descent to see Phlagantres then?”
Man. Hell sux.
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Fendel shudders at the offer.
“Your skillset attracts too much trouble. And when did it ever help us, eh?”
"When did it-?" The detective just shakes his head. "Don't be jealous Ms. Navhelan. The realization was disconcerting enough." Then begrudgingly, he admits to himself, Though the accumulated knowledge in this facility? Tempting. Wait! What am I saying? "We need to resolve this situation and begone from this place!"
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“Don't be jealous Ms. Navhelan.”
What-EVAH. *under-armor eyeroll*
“The realization was disconcerting enough.”
Hm. Fair 'nuff.
“We need to resolve this situation and begone from this place!”
“Now you’re talking. We’re on an express elevator to H℥ll.”
Eadie *smacks* a steel-shod fist into her palm. “Going Doooooown!”
It would have been hard to not notice Phlagantres on your way in, though you didn't know his name.
You can't help but notice the immense floating blob on his levitating throne.
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Oh my
Ando cautiosuly approaches the immense throne. Yes, as my friend here says, we are currently investigating the contract devil Leventi on behalf of Hell and the osyluth Vetrivedes. I assume you would wish to co-operate with an official investigation into irregularities by any servant of Dis. Of course your assistance would feature prominently in our official report...
"And what do you need from me? Certainly I have nothing to testify against, and you mortals never seem to know what you need, which is why you're always making contracts. What do you need of me, and I will fulfill it if it's not too bothersome. I care nothing of the goings on of Leventi or any of the others, I merely do my job." He seems on the up and up, he'll help you, but he isn't able to tell the future so he doesn't know what you need before you tell him.
"Ah, yes, I certainly have examples of his work, I will see what I can find you..." He doesn't seem even remotely happy to help, but he does so. A book is left open on the table he was at, and you certainly could look at that if you so desired, but otherwise he returns shortly with exactly what Ando asked for.
Fendel finds the book disturbing, it details the exploits of a prolific angel-executioner known as Shyakurl, and the book has a strong evil and lawful aura. Any random passage almost certainly details one of Shyakurl’s blood-soaked exploits in grisly detail, and just processing the information is painful.
It takes Fendel some time, even given his expertise, but he can spot several embarrassing loopholes in one of the contracts as well as identify examples of Leventi trading Hell’s resources for personal gain.
This, combined with your several other pieces of information might be enough to confront him, or you could stop by the palace as the paracountess had indicated.