"Good Knight! Cesarina! Get this out of the ICU, now! Maybe create a portal and push it through!" Max loudly requests sounding much more familiar than a random civilian witness, but it's in the moment. Please act strange.
He readies to blow his secret identity if the creature threatens another civilian.
If Cesarina opens a portal, Gracie will summon her armor and then swings her blade intimidatingly, trying to drive the creature back.
Cesarina goes over and stands next to Max, then begins making very complex hand gestures
"Open, portal!" she shouts, then creates a door shaped tunnel of shimmering light that leads out the door. She looks directly into Max's eyes as she does this, willing him to understand.
Deep inside her she's disgusted such theatrics are necessary when a man lay dead on the floor, but if it helps save more people from the same grisly fate, she can shoulder the burden of putting on a strong face.
Oz's shadowy figure stands wide-legged, arms slack to the ground as he erupts in laughter "HOLY SH*T THIS GUY IS SCARY AHHHAHAHAHA. WHAT NIGHTMARE DID YOU CRAWL OUT OF, MATE?"
Cesarina's shout snaps him out of it. Oswald shakes his head and refocuses. "Uh.. s-sorry. Yeah, portal, coming right.." a tear in reality opens up beneath the Devourer as the aged Oriental rug of the Nexus's Parlour Room can be seen ".. up. err..down. See ya at home, Big Guy."
A gaping pit of shadow opens beneath this manifestation of The Devourer. The monster scrabbles for a moment, grabbing the hospital bed. The bed rolls with it into the Void. The four armed creature sinks into the Shadow, falling into the Nexus Parlour...
"Alright, let's make sure this guy doesn't eat our new digs!" Gracie follows after.
"Maybe the parlour room wasn't a good idea, but I was thinking about how we could all have a talk....next time I'll focus on that one prison room in the basement or something."
"Restrain this...thing without hurting it if you can, the Professor might still be in there!" Cesarina orders, then begins trying to bind it with the Chains once more.
Max works with the hospital employees in damage control. "Wow. is everyone alright? It was a good thing Team Eldritch got here to take care of that monster. Did someone call 911?"
Cesarina leaps through the portal, finding herself in the familiar parlour off the entrance to the Nexus. She reaches out with holy power, wrapping the strange creature in bands of light. The creature shudders for a moment, something that reminds you of a dog smelling something horrible but still enrapturing to it.
The bands burst as its strange bifurcated arms stretch, growing thicker and more muscular. It's mouth seems to grow as well, splitting more of the creature's torso as it becomes almost nothing but arms and arms, legs, and mouth.
It turns its gaze toward Cesarina, "Yes, you are a servant of the Light. Come to me servant, and I shall escort you along the path to your greater form. Be DEVOURED..."
Max works with the hospital employees in damage control. "Wow. is everyone alright? It was a good thing Team Eldritch got here to take care of that monster. Did someone call 911?"
The monster (and their patient) disappeared, the medical staff shake themselves off and begin to move to restore order. Nurses move to the patients; a doctor appears, a woman of Indian descent, moving toward a patient who is coding, alarms blare on the equipment in his room.
Max stays out of the way of the medical professionals and looks at what's left of the armored UNISON crew for clues to find the Hellqueen. Then, he makes himself scarce before he has to answer any questions.
"Oi! You want light? You've got it!"
Calesvol flares in the direction of the Devourer. Gracie knows her chances of actually blinding the creature are small, she's just trying to keep the beast distracted from Cesarina.
Calesvol's light burns into The Devourer's eyes, blinding the strange manifestation.
Max stays out of the way of the medical professionals and looks at what's left of the armored UNISON crew for clues to find the Hellqueen. Then, he makes himself scarce before he has to answer any questions.
[dice=Investigate]1d20+10
Investigating the armor the UNISON agents are wearing, Max finds that their boots and the joints of the armor have traces of a dark powder, fine, almost like sand or ash.
Blinded, The Devourer halts, its huge mouth opening wide and long sinuous tongue flickering into the air, almost tasting the space around it...
At the same time the monstrous voice echoes within all nearby;
"What have you done to the Professor? How do we know they aren't already gone--that you haven't already consumed him?"
At Gracie's words, the monstrous form chuckles - a strange gurgling sound;
The brute shifts, flexing its bifurcated thews...
Max collects and pockets the dark powder. With the hospital reaction returning to normal, he makes his way to the exit. Along the way, he looks for unlocked, unoccupied, unmonitored room, like a cleaning closet where he can create a Portal of Portheus to the Nexus without being seen.
"If the Professor is still in there, as you say, bring him OUT!" Cesarina orders.
She clenches her fist, and light gathers inside.
"Do not force me to resort to violence, monster. If I cannot bind you, perhaps destruction is better."
Despite her harsh words, her face shows a pained contortion.
"If you were part of a triad you wouldn't threaten to swallow them both. Seven years ago they were a balanced pair--a powerful concept on its own in legend. And Yin and Yang don't need a third wheel, so to speak. So how about this: if he's still alive, bring us the Professor now, else we assume Prof and Eoten are gone, and we make sure you cease to exist in every dimension we can."
Calesvol flares brighter with the Good Knight's righteous fury.
The vertical maw opens ever wider, and fetid vomit pours forth. As the floor puddles with hissing acid, the twisted form of the Devourer pukes itself into the violent regurgitation. As the form dissolves, you see a long thin arm emerge from the maw, its hand clawing at the air. The form of an aged scholar follows it as Langfellow pours out into the parlour. The form of the Devourer vanishes completely into the mess, its voice echoing through the halls of the Nexus.
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The Shade skitters around the floor in amazement. He'd seen many things in the shadowed halls of the Nightmare realm but that?
"THAT WAS HILARIOUS! AHHHHAHAHAHA... THE TENSION, THE SUSPENSE, THE IMMINENT DANGER, THE PUDDLE OF VISCERAL GUTS AND GORE. TELL ME, ELDRITCH, WERE YOU SCARED? BE HONEST, KNIGHT-- DID FEAR LICK AT THE HAIRS ON THE BACK OF YOUR NECK? PRIESTESS, DID YOU BEGIN TO FALTER? DID THE THOUGHT OF BREAKING YOUR VOWS CROSSED YOUR MIND? MAGUS, YOUR CORE WAS SHAKEN WAS IT NOT?"
Oswald's voice crackles with a malignancy that has not yet been heard. His voice intertwines with something more serpentine, something more sinister and ancient. After a breath, the shade stands upright and sheds itself into nothingness. Oswald, back to his mortal flesh-and-blood self doubles over immediately as his stomach upends itself. Pearlescent black ichor spills from his mouth and all over his clothes.
"I don't feel well. That-- that wasn't me I am so sorry."
Grace swallows her gorge, trying to keep herself from being overwhelmed by the sudden sequence of not one but two teammates vomiting their way out of possession. She calls out to the air, "Do any other otherworldly monsters want to puke all over the Nexus while we're at it?"
After a moment of composing herself. "Sorry. Is everyone alright?"
"As fine as can be expected under the circumstances." Cesarina says.
She moves in to check on the Professor. As she does so:
"Are you okay Oswald? Your powers. They certainly seem to be...a burden sometimes."
Distastefully disgorged, the Professor weakly nods at Gracie's concern, then leaning on Cesarina he rises unsteadily to his feet.
"My thanks. Mistress Villa isn't it? Burdens? Indeed our gifts are so oft so. The incongruity of it all I suppose..."
He shoots a concerned look at Oz and the glistening oil he is splattered in, then wrinkles his nose at the state of his own bile coated countenance;
"Balderdash! Perfectly good suit and brogues ruined!"
Æthelweard pauses, rubbing slime from his furrowing forehead;
"So what in the name of Boudicca happened? Last thing I remember clearly was those elementals attacking the exhibit. Then I... changed... became The Giant... but, not like I normally do. Not like before..."
The old academic's voice trails off as the gravity of what occurred seems to come creeping back to his cognisance...
"As fine as can be expected under the circumstances." Cesarina says.
She moves in to check on the Professor. As she does so:
"Are you okay Oswald? Your powers. They certainly seem to be...a burden sometimes."
With a hand covering his mouth to hold any further vomitus, Oswald mumbles "What could've possibly given you that idea?"
A few seconds pass and he seems a bit more steady. "It's cool, the horrifying visions and blood-curdling screams from Nightmare World kinda end once I drop the shadows and I'm just left with the haunting scars as I cry myself to sleep. It's truly a blessing, Cessie."
Æthelweard pauses, rubbing slime from his furrowing forehead;"So what in the name of Boudicca happened? Last thing I remember clearly was those elementals attacking the exhibit. Then I... changed... became The Giant... but, not like I normally do. Not like before..."
The old academic's voice trails off as the gravity of what occurred seems to come creeping back to his cognisance...
"I recognized Eoten... but then he turned into something out of Call of Cthulhu. 'The Devourer.' He... I'm sorry Prof, he ate one of the UNISON guards who attacked you and Max. You're saying this is the first time this happened?"
Æthelweard's eyes widen in horror at Gracie's words, and stutters a shocked response;
"Ate... Devoured... First time? Yes. No..."
Crestfallen, the lanky academic seems to shrink into himself, and his voice becomes wearier;
"You have all witnessed Eoten. A giant, by definition can be brutish and belligerent. The hunger... the need to devour has arisen before. When we fought Bres and his formorians seven years ago..."
His mind wanders, as if recalling the events;
"I suppressed that hunger to consume and destroy within Eoten, then with Maxwell's help learned rituals and techniques to allow my other to fall into quintessence. When the elementals attacked that distant voice roared back and I was helpless..."
The old man's shoulders slump as he rubs his temples;
"Eoten is still with me, but only his voice. No other... at least not at the moment... By the Gods... does this mean I am responsible for that poor agents demise?"
"No." Cesarina says firmly, placing a hand on the Professor's shoulder.
"The only one responsible was that...manifestation. And it will be held to Judgment in the end."
"The Devourer suggested he was some sort of unholy trinity--uh, don't mean to profane, Cesarina--between you, him, and Eoten. If there's a way we can help you get a handle on what's going on, we'll do it. But... well, let me know when you're ready to hear the 'but.'"
She lets the Professor absorb what he's hearing so far. When he's ready, she'll continue:
"We're in deep trouble, and if you're up to it, we could use your help. Those guys that attacked the Museum, the Factor Four, they're working for Hellqueen. She's looking for artifacts called Bloodstones, and I reckon if she gets to all of them, the end with Judgement that Cesarina is mentioning is likely to come sooner rather than later. I don't want to put you at risk... or even Eoten, he isn't an evil bloke, just primal. But your knowledge might help us understand where we're going and what we're up against a lot better."
A familiar Portal of Portheus opens into your room of the Nexus connecting a storage closet in the hospital. Plain-clothes Max steps through. His face alights with a smile of relief when he sees the professor. "Professor! You're back! What happened? Are you alright?"
Kathar:"Pretty mysterious guy, right? Apparently he worked with one of the Master Mages in the 1800s. Middle Eastern fellow. Plays it pretty close to the vest. Just showed up on the scene a few months ago, apparently back from the dead, or exile, or something."
Harut: "Harut and Marut, two of a kind. Dependin' who you talk to, they was either thrown out of Heaven or sent down here on a mission. Both magical wizkids, like, taught mortals all sorts of Sorcery, which was appreciated by some, condemned by others. Are they temptation demons? Are they guides to a higher plane? Or are they objective/non-judgy sources of knowldege? 'Reply hazy, try again.'
Factor Four: Ooo, ooo! Sallah knows this one: "Adrian never had much occasion to quarrel with the Four. Despite the source of their powers being the Prime Elements, magical stones linked to each elements, they were more involved in material heists than otherworldly horrors. They did approach him, oh, it must have been back in the 80s*, seeking a way to regain their moral forms. Adrian told them he could do it, but it would strip them of their powers. They weren't willing to give up their elemental strength."
HellQueen:
Bloodstones: 1 Alex is wearing. 1 was just stolen. 1 is part of a scepter that is part of the Crown Jewels of the island of Hy-Brasil, a magical island in the North Atlantic. 1...
Bloodstones: 1 Alex is wearing. 1 was just stolen. 1 is part of a scepter that is part of the Crown Jewels of the island of Hy-Brasil, a magical island in the North Atlantic. 1 is held by the Under King in the domain under Kalkajaka in Australia. The last one is in an Antarctic Valley called Nullatempus, The Place Outside Time. Big roll there, 4 degrees of success, so you get the whole dump.
Æthelweard tips the nod to Max, then smiles weakly at the understanding displayed;
"I am fine as I can be Maxwell. Your collective concern and clemency is admirable... and appreciated."
Trying to remain dignified with an ichor covered countenance, the Professor focusses on Gracie's question and account;
"A trinity... indeed. I have done my own research of course, and this was a driver to having to secede from actively summoning Eoten. The giant is, as Ser Grace rightly says, a primal force. It would seem The Devourer is also from an ancient time. I believe that giants and titans of lore who were possessed by this entity became more voracious and monstrous in their behaviour and appearance... Hence perhaps their unsavoury reputations in myth and lore... but I digress..."
He pauses again, as if mulling his own words;
"The creature exists to devour and consume. Mortals and gods alike. The Devourer itself is only one aspect of the greater being named Vhoka the Destroyer; the legendary Eater of Gods, an primordial troika that destroys all in his path, consuming it so it may be reborn anew. This much was revealed to me by studies and the ancient wisdom of our erstwhile Titan ally Briaereus. It was he too who furnished me with the Waters of Lethe to sedate Eoten, and ergo The Devourer."
The Professor flashes a warm smile at the mention of the Hundred Handed Titan, before his brow furrows again;
"The Devourer could sense these Bloodstones you mentioned; taste their presence like a snake to its prey. They are somehow connected to its greater self, Vhoka. As for who would have the hubris to attempt to bind such a monstrous being I do not know, though with your aid It would seem we have stymied whatever plan they had. As for Eoten, it is likely the brute is also free from The Devourer's dominion. However until l summon him anew, we cannot be sure..."
Max nods at the professor's story absorbing and cataloging it. "We need to secure the Bloodstones before they are used to against the world. Which one should we seek out first?"
"The creature exists to devour and consume. Mortals and gods alike. The Devourer itself is only one aspect of the greater being named Vhoka the Destroyer; the legendary Eater of Gods, an primordial troika that destroys all in his path, consuming it so it may be reborn anew. This much was revealed to me by studies and the ancient wisdom of our erstwhile Titan ally Briaereus. It was he too who furnished me with the Waters of Lethe to sedate Eoten, and ergo The Devourer."The Professor flashes a warm smile at the mention of the Hundred Handed Titan, before his brow furrows again;
"The Devourer could sense these Bloodstones you mentioned; taste their presence like a snake to its prey. They are somehow connected to its greater self, Vhoka. As for who would have the hubris to attempt to bind such a monstrous being I do not know, though with your aid It would seem we have stymied whatever plan they had. As for Eoten, it is likely the brute is also free from The Devourer's dominion. However until l summon him anew, we cannot be sure..."
"Bloody he-" She stops her cross-referencing curse with an apologetic look to Cesarina before continuing, "Er, blimey. So this all ties into Hellqueen then too."
Max nods at the professor's story absorbing and cataloging it. "We need to secure the Bloodstones before they are used to against the world. Which one should we seek out first?"
"Before we got distracted by all... well... this, I remember that we figured the Factor Four had been sent to three places to get the stones--the Island of Hy-Brasil, Domain of the Underking, and the Place Outside Time. Two likely were sent to one place and then one each to the other. I had suggested going to wherever the two went so we could stop two at once, and I guessed that might be the Domain of the Under King, where both the earth guy and the fire guy's powers would be strongest. I'd come here looking for expedition gear, but Oz came and took me to the hospital before I could really figure out what we might need."
She nods at the Professor and then to Max. "Speaking of what we might need, Max, is there a place the Prof can get cleaned up?"
Æthelweard surpresses a smile at Gracie's self control, then nods at the agreed course of action;
"Blimey indeed Grace. Domain of the Under King, all sounds very Jules Verne I must say. Well over the years I have accompanied numerous expeditions; the Cumbria Hills, Isle of Orkney and even the Lascaux Caves! Though I dare say this will be a little more perilous?"
He once again, the Professor looks at his countenance with a degree of disdain;
"I have... ahem... suits of identical fashion back at my office. I've found that bulk buying is most economic over the years. Can pick up my tea-flask, pack and cagoule. "
Max smiles when he hears the professor's sense of humor return. To answer Gracie's question, Max offers, "we can portal to the professor's office and get him prepared."
"We can assemble back here when everyone has their expedition gear."
Oswald furrows his brows at the mention of Titan ally Briareus...
"Titan... Uncle Bri?.." he whispers to himself. He lets it go, realizing there are more pressing matters.
"You guys head to the office, I'll go grab some essentials."
When you are ready, it is trivial for you to use the Nexus' ley line travel to take yourselves to Kalkajaka, as the mountain lies at a convergence of several ley lines. While most of your experience with Nexus travel involves passing through a door in the Nexus through a door at your destination, this time you pass through a door in the Nexus and find yourselves exiting into the white mid-afternoon sun.
Kalkajaka, also known as Black Mountain, is a mass of black granite boulders. Gaps and passages between the boulders allow passage into the mountain, and those in the know know that those passages lead deep into the earth.
Gracie grabs some climbing gear, a multitool, some botany sample collecting tools, and other various useful objects (matches, first aid kit) and stuffs all in a daypack. She looks and dresses more or less like she is going camping. The joy of magic summonable armor is you can always have comfy, if utterly unfashionable, cargo pants on underneath.
As the stabby damage sink/part-time herbalist in the party, she leaves the navigation to the others and follows their lead.
Max asks Sallah if he has any artifacts from the three dimensions that they want to go (the Island of Hy-Brasil, Domain of the Underking, and the Place Outside Time) that he can use as a key his spell from Anog.