I can't do it.
I tried in the beginning but I just don't have the time or energy to continue this.
I can leave this campaign up if one of you wants to take over as DM, but otherwise I'll delete it. My time running this campaign is over.
I'm sorry.
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An enormous shape sprints forward out of the open door. 7' 5" and wiry thin, it has huge feathered black wings and a bald avian head. It's skin is scaly and red, and knife like talons reach forward. It's expression is unremitting glee. Knowledge (Local) DC 19:
A Vrock. Feathered demons of wrath. Normally surrounded by a cloud of spores that, if inhaled, grow into sickening vines in the victims lungs and arteries: oddly, there are no spores being exuded. It goes straight for Rorek and attempts to slash at his chest!
After a few minutes of deliberating amongst yourselves, you see the doors swing open and another dretch slowly walk out. "This way, all of you." he says in slow, angsty voice. You're lead through a few offices, with acti ities ranging from mountains of paperwork, a few employees sleeping, to some kind of game involving punching a bound tiefling. Usual Abyss stuff. When you finally get to the boss's office, the dretch stops and turns around to walk back. The door is simple, bound with this black metal that you've seen throughout the camp. After a moment you swing the door open, when you hear a sat of rapid foot falls headed your direction.
Hello! Briggi here. I have e-mail troubles and can't get onto my main account but i haven't dropped off. Alrighty! I'll make sure to remember that this account is the character one.
To the Damned Troop,
Thanks again for staying,
The Dretch at the desk doesn't even look up as Briggi opens the door up a crack. There's a large group of demons standing in a half-circle and staring at another demon up on stage. 4 Dentro, who up close you can see are not shadows but instead coal black Ptoma saplings. Their faces have no distinguishing features save for a ragged opening that serves as a mouth. 3 more Schir, who are clearly the loudest and most boisterous of the bunch. They all look like they're getting ready to fight somebody, either among the other demons present or among themselves. And interspersed among them are a pair of a kind of demon you haven't seen yet . They have read skin that is oozing some unknown liquid. They are emaciated, looking like a skeleton with skin, and long slender horns jut from their temples.
Identify Demons DC 16 & 17 (Two Rolls):
DC 16Babau are well known assassins and murderers. Their unmatched skill with a spear is known only as well as their lethally acidic skin.
DC 17Shadow demons are effectively Abyssal ghosts, using their abilities to haunt mortals. They can move things telekinetically and even possess mortals to force them to do evil. The room is large and a few chairs, sofas, and cots could serve as cover.
A listen in through the closed door allows Rorek to hear howls of demonic laughter and cheers in Abyssal as well as another language that he's rather surprised to hear: Sylvan (). He estimates that their must be around 10 or 12 demons partying inside, as well as another 6 or 7 slaves. What they're doing within is difficult to ascertain, but the screams and howls of the slaves implies it can't be pleasant.
"Good!" Ntropa claps her hands. "Then if we're all agreed, we'll head to the keep! It's that big stone rectangle over yonder." You're all lead to the keep, it's enormous black wooden doors opening with the slightest push. The room is sparsely decorated. A large wooden bench leans against the wall, and the room is lit with a crude chandelier that burns with the same bluish black flames you saw as you approached the camp. There's a little shop, labeled by a carved sign written in Abyssal. There's a few items, notably demon food stuffs of varying rarity as well as a few objects you don't recognize. It is manned by a small Dretch sitting behind the desk clearly struggling to remain awake. He has a pair of glasses half falling off his face but a closer look reveals that they're fake and only consist of the frames. Two doors lead out of the room. One are made of a strange reddish metal, labeled "Fun Room", oddly enough in Common. Faintly muffled behind the doors you can hear what is either screams or laughter (and probably both). The others are made from more of the dark wood you've seen throughout the camp. The sign for this is labeled "Offices and Shipping" in Abyssal. Ntropa opens her mouth to explain when she suddenly perks up, seemingly receiving a message. "Whoops, guess I'm needed! Sorry to cut this little tour short. Wait in here for five minutes and I'm guessing one of Birch's assistants will summon ya." She leans in really close to Rorek. "I had so much fun talking about your Abysstube career. If your talk goes well we should have a more... detailed chat." Then she quickly leans in and kisses him on the cheek (a non-energy draining kiss, thankfully). And then with a cheerful wave she disappears in a puff of smoke. Five minutes, she said. Just enough to get up to something...
There we go. Once again, sorry for the delay, college homework has been atrocious. I'll try to make it a goal to post once every other day. Thanks for sticking around!
Expect a post tonight. Sorry for the delay.
If Ntropa takes the group to the Keep, who's going where? Portia and Rorek are basically obligated to go with her (barring a really good persuasion check) but she's probably not gonna notice if not everyone tags along.
Ntropa raises an eyebrow. "You don't know? You came all this way and you don't know?" she says accusatorily. She glares at you for a moment, only for her expression to soften as she chuckles. "Just kidding! Not surprised you don't know, he's kind of a nobody. Never got his real name, but everyone here just calls him Birch the Butcher. He's a..." she stops and ponders the question for a moment. "big black tree. You know, like the Dentro but bigger. He doesn't do anything but sit in his office. It's the Vrocks he works with, Koff and Kaff, that actually bark orders." She smiles and points her finger at Rorek's nose. "Kaff's a bigger fan-girl than I am, and she'll have my head if she doesn't get to meet you. So like I said, you're not going anywhere."
Ntropa turns to you with a very curious expression, one you can't quite read. "Erm, is someone less hungry gonna go with him?" she finally says after a moment. "Bud, those slaves cost more than everything you're wearing. People eating is cool and all but you've really got to read the room better."
Ntropa turns away from Rorek and glares at you for a moment before rolling her eyes. "Whatever, we were just getting to it! Honestly, for a bottom rung you sure are bossy." She turns to Rorek. "And you're not going anywhere. The Boss is especially keen on meeting you specifically, superstar!"
Briggi eyes the various locations in the cap. So how do you keep the devils from just teleporting out? "We ask em real nicely not to."
Ntropa chuckles. "Can't say. I'd probably say 'Succubi' but then again I am a bit biased. As for your weapon, I'm not sure, but I'm betting you'd measure up with best."
Sorry about the delay, I've been swamped in college homework. I'll try to post something tomorrow.
As Ntropa steps through the gate she pauses and points at the two other structures in the camp barring the central keep. "Over there-" she points to the right. "is the slave pen. That's where they keep all the schmucks that get planted and turned into trees. Every once in a while they'll have something cool like an Axiomite or even a Celestial, but currently all they've got is tieflings, some living mortals, and a couple of devils they caught in a raid." She turns to point with her left hand. "Over there is the armory. They keep all the axes and saws for cutting down the trees over there too, but the weapons are the cool part in my opinion anyway." She waits for your responses, looking expectingly at Rorek.
Ntropa is a complete mystery to you. As far as you can tell, she's a fangirl to Rorek and is paying no attention to the rest of you.
Ntropa smiles at you, a surprising intensity in her eyes. She doesn't hook arms but she does gingerly grab your elbow and shoulder, and you briefly feel her squeeze your bicep eagerly. She giggles. "That was spot on hahaha!" What is a Lady like you doing on a dunk like this though? Must have been a dreary experience, how long did you have to suffer it? Is there at least anything worth playing with in the slave pens? Ntropa rolls her eyes and her expression sours. "Oh you don't know the half of it! It's so unbelievably boring here. All they ever do is cut up slaves and plant them, cut down trees, and sing their sad work songs. Not to mention the work bosses are constantly trying to get me to hook them up with big money. There are days when I'm tempted to take the express route out-" She pantomimes hanging herself and sticks out her tongue. "But this is part of my 'Pseudomortal Botany' class so I can get my degree and do some real work. My coworkers say that Succubi have no chance at getting Fey souls down below but I say f*** em! They'll see: just a few more decades and I can ditch this dump and prove my hypothesis right."
Her eyes widen at the mention. "OMG I remember that! That clip was viral on AbyssTube for a full year! Those dumb Lawful types always think that they have things figured out and then BAM! All the magic in the universe can't fix stupidity." She pauses for a second. "Well, I guess it can, but you get what I mean."
The Schir hates you all: he's a demon of spite after all, it's in his nature. Still, a combination of Garidan's honeyed words, Rorek's threats, and whatever was told to him by the Dentro has more than cowed him. He has no intention of getting violent with you. At least, not yet anyway.
The Schir laughs when Rorek identifies himself; it's not a genuine sound of mirth but a fake laugh clearly intended to come across as friendly, though it's not especially effective. "But of course! Everyone knows Rorek Thricedamned! You know, with all the pranks and the cooking, and the... mortal combat." he trails off. He chuckles at Garidan's diplomacy attempt. "You talk smooth, mista lawyer." his smile drops and is replaced with a dark grimace. "I f***ing hate lawyers. I laugh extra hard when me and the boys plant em cuz they beg and scream the most." He flinches when Rorek threatens him. "Hey, don't worry 'bout it. We'll be extra helpful to ya. Got a few of Vellexia's employees here actually, so we're inclined to get along swell~" As he finishes his sentence he smiles, revealing a mouth of rotten yellow teeth. He lights up as he receives a telepathic message. "Speakin' of..." A figure strides up to you all through the gate. A female form, curvaceous to the point of inhuman proportions, her mouth is fanged and her skin is pink-ish red. Her arrow-tipped tail lashes and her wings shuffle slightly. A succubus. Her outfit is interesting; a corset made of black leaves. She stares at you all for a moment, then her eyes fall on Rorek and she smiles, a lopsided smirking grin. "Rorek! Long time no see." she pauses. "Well, for me anyway. You've never seen me but I've seen a lot of you~" as she finishes her sentence she winks. "I was oh so sad when you dropped off the face of the Mazmezz Web. There were so many more shows for you to get involved in: Brain Drain, CB Tuesday, Cone of Fear Factor. I'd even heard rumors you were gonna get an Axiomite as a co-host!" She strides up to Rorek and practically jumps into his arms, then leans in close to whisper in his ear. "Last I heard they crucified him on a giant hashtag. Hilarious, amiright?" She stands up straight, and walks back to the portcullis, saying "Anyway, let's get this over with. Hi, I'm Ntropa, and I'll be your guide today. If you'll follow me, I'll lead you to the main buildings and then you can talk boring numbers with the boss."
She looks directly at where Briggi is hiding. "You coming too, dwarf, or would rather sit in the bushes all day? You're in the Abyss, nobody cares if they see you jerkin it!" She then looks directly at Portia and scans her disguise. "Not bad, but you should know that tieflings down here wouldn't be caught dead without a few identifying tattoos. Keeps em from being targeted by slavers and stuff."
Why did Miriani roll Sense Motive? I reread that post and I'm not sure what you were going for.
Sorry about the delay, I started college just last week and I'm struggling to get into the rhythm of school again. I'll try to get a post in by Wednesday.
From the top of the wall, a demon walks into view and shouts at you. "Oy!" he screams, his voice hoarse and rough. "The only thing you're gonna get yelling at us like that is an ass whupping, you here!?" The demon is a strange humanoid. His skin is pink and raw, like a shaved animal. He's covered in little more than a loincloth, and in his hands is a halberd dribbling with spittle. Most notable is his head, for from the shoulders up he resembles a furious billy goat. Knowledge (Local) DC 14:
This fellow is a Schir, a demon formed from the souls of spiteful and petty mortals. They're common among the front line troops of demon lords. If the above check lands above 19:
Schirs love jumping into combat and using mobility tactics. Worse, their halberds are covered in their spit, which inflicts a horrific disease on those unlucky enough to get hit. He looks at you all, eagerly seeking a fight, and his eyes fall on Portia first...
Only for his smile to fall and be replaced with an incredulous raised eyebrow. "And uh, Mistress Vellexia sent a bunch a mortal slaves on such an important meeting? You're all brainless if you think I'll believe that shi-" Before he can finish, a humanoid shape materializes out of the wall and whispers something in the demon's ear. Knowledge (Nature DC 14):
This strange creature is called a Dentro. In the same way that Dryads protect trees on the Material Plane, so too do these monstrous shades protect the fleshy growths of the Abyss. You can't see it properly, as it's outline moves and shifts even when it holds still. As it talks to the Schir, it points a single jagged finger at Rorek. The Schir starts with surprise at the shade's words but says nothing. He turns back to you. "You know what?" he says, now surprisingly more cordial. "I think my eyes are a bit foggy. We don't get visitors too often. Of course you've been sent by Vellexia! Everybody knows about her sending mortals on business trips; oh so eccentric, those demon lords! We'll let you in right quick!" A telepathic message is sent to the other Schirs patrolling the walls, who pull a few levers and like that the portcullis is drawn open. "Give us a minute to get you all a guide." he says, then pausing awkwardly, he continues. "So, uh, what're yer names?"
Things have been stressful this week and I was half paying attention, yes, but I honestly was waiting on the DM to describe the entrance and introduce an NPC for us to make our Bluff. I didn't think to just shout at the gate. Sorry. I'll try to pay more attention. Understandable. I suppose I could have made that more clear.
If Portia hasn't posted by tomorrow, we'll move forward without her and Rorek (or someone else, if they'd like to) can Bluff in her place.
For Garidan, the results of your augury: These results are muddy. Perhaps it's the alignment of the Abyss fouling your infernal magic or maybe the situation is simply too open-ended to discover a solid outcome. At any rate, the Lord of Darkness gives you no answer.
Is Garidan still using Augury? I feel like it might be misconstrued by my post that I was ignoring the spell: I was just trying to communicate to you all that the 15 minutes of spell prep would go uninterrupted.
Various animals call and cry. A few sound somewhat like songbirds our howling wolves, others make sounds unlike any animal you've heard before. The air ripples, the ground trembles; on the horizon, the terrain shifts, as if millions of years of erosion and tectonic activity were happening in mere minutes. The river continues to flow. The fire continues to burn. On the walls of camp, the guards shift and walk their rounds. Some armed with polearms, others bows, and a few have weapons that you can't identify from a distance. In the faintest corners of your mind, you feel the urge to do engage in cruelty and malice, an energy that radiates from the very Abyss itself.
So, has everyone settled on a plan?
You notice that the river is somewhat shallower upstream; going further up you'd likely find a spot you could wade across. From there, swampland and marsh would provide you more than enough cover to hide from any pursuers, since you'd be blocked in sight, sound, and smell. Messing with the trees reveals a curious phenomena: not only do they bleed when their bark and branches are disturbed, their moaning gets louder, from a quiet murmur to an upset grunt. You surmise that the trees would likely scream if actually damaged or cut with an axe.
GM, can I ask you to pin a link to the map (by the way, it's beautiful!) somewhere in the header? It's taken me a while to find her at all right now )) Donezo: Should be visible on the Campaign Info tab.
Ups, yeah, replace Abbadon with Abyss, thought it was on the borderlands, would make a fair bit of sense for clashes to be in Abbadon though. You're all somewhat near Abaddon. You're probably never going to end up there, but you might get to interact with some of the natives *wink wink*.
That would depend on 1) the other party members and 2) your Charisma based skills (which, given that Charisma is your second highest stat, you probably don't have to worry about that).
Is Rorek unaware that he's in The Abyss? Abaddon is where Daemons live, this where Demons live. CE, not NE.
Query: Can Vellexia, in character, speak to people who are not Rorek or Mendax? Vellexia can tell Rorek to say things to the rest of the party, might in a pinch be able to use Sending to communicate a simple message, anything else and she'd have to be physically present. Which Mendax would not be cool with.
As you step into the portal all of your previous sensations melt away. You’re surrounded by a thick red mist. The sound of Mendax and his dungeon muffles before falling silent. The ground beneath you evaporates away, and yet you feel no sensation of falling. For a fraction of second, it goes dark, and all you can see is each other. And then, just as quickly, your feet touch the ground and you can readily take in your surroundings. The ground is a disgusting jagged mess. The texture almost reminds you of hamburger meat or a dried scab, and it’s roughly the same color. There doesn’t seem to be a sky, just an endless expanse of floating masses and stacked layers of landscape.You hear the calls of what might be birds, but it’s strange and alien. In the distance a few animals run across the landscape, too far away for you to identify. The air is heavy and smells metallic. To your left is a river, which flows evenly downhill. You’re in the middle of a forest, but not like anything you’ve seen on Golarion. The trees are roughly the size and shape of a maple, but they have no leaves and their bark is black. They vary in size, ranging from ones that reach up to your knee to ones as big as mature oaks. As you step closer you notice something disconcerting: the base of the trees look like corpses, complete with faces frozen in anguish. As you get closer, you can just vaguely hear a faint moan come from the trees. In the distance, roughly 1000 feet ahead, is a walled encampment, with a small circle of smoke rising up from within it.
Sorry about the delay! Things have been a bit crazy at my house. 100% promise this time: expect a post no later then 5:00 PST today.
I figure I'll give you all a choice: do you want to continue talking in Mendax's office, or would you rather get on with the adventure? I'm absolutely cool with either.
Sorry for the delay! I've been visiting my brother who lives 5 hours away and I wasn't sure if you guys were done posting. I'll try to get a post in either tomorrow or on Wednesday.
Oh, sorry! Forgot I needed to confirm this. Sure!
Who is "Makki"? Also two people didn't join the Roll20 game yet.
Just letting you guys know that I accidentally spilled a smoothie on my laptop, so my next few posts might be delayed. The damage doesn’t look too severe though, so it might be fine. Thanks for understanding.
You can argue amongst yourselves, I might (with the permission of both players) allow some nonlethal combat. Anything else is verboten. There's actually an in-universe justification: we're getting there.
By the way, just about every interaction you've had with Mendax involved a pun. That's not an accident, and I had two reasons for that: first, he's a contract devil. Wordplay comes as naturally to him as breathing and sleeping. And second, I can think of no thing more evil than bad puns.
Don't even worry about it, RL stuff comes first. I'm just glad you made sure to mention it to us.
I'll just answer that question here then, although unfortunately there aren't any really good answers. Mendax's boss is Asmodeus, as you all can already tell. Granted he does still have some responsibility to Mephistophiles, the ruler of the ring, but as a Contract Devil he has a direct line to the big guy himself. As to devil rivals of Mendax: he doesn't have any. This is unique enough to make note of, since all devils usually have someone they're feuding with, but among Mendax's peers there's no one he has a special enmity with. He's instead the rival of a certain powerful demon, but I haven't brought that up yet since I'm waiting for Tariq to post.
By the way, since this hasn't come up in gameplay yet (I fully expected at least one of you try to attack Mendax upon seeing him), you're all still currently petitioners. So while your minds are still mostly intact, your memories are all fuzzy and you have minimal powers and stats.
Portia struggles for a moment to recall: she lacks the direct influx of knowledge from her headband, so she instead relies on her Infernal studies while alive. The memories are fuzzy and indistinct, but with a moment of concentration it comes to her: Lore of the 8th Circle:
In the modern tongue, this circle is known as Caina, or The Bones of Hell. In the distant past, it was known by a different name, one some devils still use: Malebolge, the Evil Ditches. This circle is dedicated to the torture of mortal sinners, and as result it is quite common to find Lemures (tortured souls so broken they no longer remember their mortal lives) shuffling around, being led by more influential demons. It is also known as the circle of lies and fraud, and certainly, those guilty of such crimes can find especially heinous torment here. It's organized as a serous of ten concentric trenches, each of which contains sinners of a certain kind. Spikes jut out at random angles across the landscape. Ice Devils crawl up from the lower circles, as do many devils of the more decietful and tricky nature. This place is also the home of many Contract Devils. Most serve Mephistopheles, but a few serve his lordship Asmodeus instead. Which, as evident by the painting on the wall, includes Mendax here.
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