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D&D Act One Scene II - Temple District

Fourier

Castius leads the group out of the Cobbler's Gibblets, from under Loter's bridge away from the train line. They turn right at the crossroads past the bridge on to the temple district.

The throng of religious activity is overwhelming. The temples vary in size from kiosk sized to mansion sized along the two mile street. Converters and preachers shout at the characters as they walk past....

"Gambush blesses the strong..."
"Relep welcomes even the elven into his might tree house in the life beyond life..."
"Our world is not to last much longer, the hordes of Glagor will descend upon..."

Continuing further a small crowd is gathered around a newly built temple, made from a converted newspaper stand. The red haired man behind the stand rants about his four day old religion, which stands out as this week's best new faith as he actually has a small doorway to its afterlife clearly visible in the back.

"I don't know how you earn your way in yet, but well....she's there at least...." he bellows into the crowd.

Castius rolls his eyes and gestures to the other guards "We don't need another crowd lost in a small afterlife, the last one could only hold four, keep an eye on him Gauis" and one of the guards remains at the stand.

Finally in the middle of the district they stop.

"Here you all are" he tosses 50 GP in pouches at each of the adventurers. Not everything here is a temple, there's Donnie the Discount Elf's Weaponoporium over there, as well as other shops of armour and weapons. Askit wants ye well equipped."

"Also, any of ye who are religious, please attend to your gods before we continue, I'll be here until you return".

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Fourier

sKeith wrote: »

I'd like to examine what is on the small study desk and if unlocked, maybe look within the drawers too.

Ekbard can see that the papers on the desk are boring designs for a new church to Soet.

He opens the drawers and Askit doesn't even turn around.

Inside are various documents relating to relics recovered from magic sites from the old empire, but it would take a Mage to comprehend them.

Mollyb60

Not taking her eyes off Xestes, Elin slowly backs away from the demon until she reaches the wall. With it firmly at her back she lifts the key and looks at it closely.

Digital Solitude

"This thing must be destroyed, it must not be set free.

Why Askit, do you want this being set loose?"

sKeith

Ekbard dreams of selling his barrel of wine to the devil lord.

Banjo

Fourier wrote: »

...
"Yeah, Askit is a bit of a 'thing', don't know if what's under that cloak is human. But like he's decent you know, gave me an extra turkey at last years Sopspeak and all. And a toy train for me tykes."

*clears his throat*
"no, Askit, lovely aul fella. Couldn't do enough for us. But he's asked me to pop outside... to get...some... special herbs? From... the apokath...athopak..ath... from the chemists on the other side of town?"

*begins to push past the guards*

Fourier

Tell of this 'deal' you have made with the devil. This being will consume us in an instant if given reason and before you release it I want to know if the terms of your deal include throwing (gestures to the assembled adventures) us to the wolves. I profess to no gods and have no claim on any deity to stand between it and I and that frankly terrifies me. Tell us the truth of it before you release it.

Askit turns his hood toward Bandylegs and then Saeros and back to Xestes. He then directly addresses Saeros.

"The dwarf may relax, as may you dear elf. The release will send him back to his own plane, Lord Soet guaranteed this. He has the opportunity to speak to any who wish though"

OldGoat

Searos to Moy
Typical human reaction, kill first and think later. You shall ever be the child race, you'll never live long enough to reason. This being may well be evil but it's no demon and can be reasoned with...carefully...and preferably from a long long way away.

Searos to Xestes
Tell us of this bargain you have made with the priests. How do you profit from it?

sKeith

Ekbard awakens in shock at what he just overheard.

"Askin cleric my'lord sir, Are you saying this devil lord does not really exist here & now, and I can't get my prized devil horn?" Ekbard asks unhappily.

Necro

Bandylegs sheathes his axe. He turns to the elf Searos and regards him suspiciously.

'What do you mean this is not a demon? Horns, flickery tongue, incandescent rage - you've been living up in those trees of yours for too long, elf. We should kill it and kill it now, lest it be unleashed on this world.'

He turns around to face Xestes.

'What value is your life to this dwarf? Why should I not cleave you in to pieces with my axe right now?'

OldGoat

Saeros breaks into lecture mode and tells the dwarf and all who listen that the demons & devils are not the same and that a devil is cunning and manipulative rather than the rage and fury that is associated with demons.

"It's a small difference but a difference none the same" he concludes.

Necro

Bandylegs nods.

'Aye, that makes sense. So it's a demon? I say we kill it still.

Ekbard, you can cut one of it's horns off, I'd say a demon horn would fetch a fair price!'

The Soup King

Fourier wrote: »

Xestes obviously awaits questions and conversation from the group, but takes the time to speak directly into Arry's head

"Clever little one, you or your people have had experience of my kind?"

"I know evil when I see it demon"

OldGoat

Rather than engage in a battle we could never win don't you think we should be asking about how much treasure we might get? About what we should expect to find in this tower? About the key hanging from the neck of the thief? I have debts to pay and I won't be able to pay them if I'M DEAD! I need coin not death by bravado.

Lets find out what we can and get away from here as quickly as we can. I have unfinished business with the barmaid back in the tavern that I would like to conclude.

Mollyb60

Elin steps forward while the men argue. Questions burst forth in a rush:
"Xestes, why does a thief need to hold the key? What if I give it to someone else? What if I die? Is this harmful to me? Can you tell us anything about the terrors in the tower?"

She then shrinks back against the wall.

Necro

'Treasure? Now you're speaking Bandylegs language.'

He regards Xestes.

'Where's the treasure and how do I get there? I don't have time for riddles or rhymes demon. Speak.'

sKeith

"I've had enough of this charade"

"Askin, speak more of this quest. What do you want of us? Do you want us to find you treasure, specific items, a person or what? Don't release this cretin until you have told us what you want. Once we have our assignment, we may know better what to ask this knob head. If we allow you to release it now, then listen to your quest and find out we need to get something and this devil lord had the knowledge to help us, we'd be righteously pissed off."

Lord TSC

Fourier wrote: »

Saeros and Alexander's perspective:
The being in the center of the room is clearly extra-planar. The fabric of reality around it buckles under its presence, it shouldn't be here. A large amount of divine energy surrounds the being, holding it in place. Too much for it to be the Clerics work. This is no ritual, a god is directly intervening here. Xestes could most likely kill everyone in this room if set free.

Alexander only:
On closer examination he is from the plane of Phlegethos, a fiery realm whose inhabitants are bound by pacts. Evil by nature, but amenable to deals.

Alexander sighs. Every fiber of his being is telling him to run, and get out of the room. And yet standing before him is proof of a troublesome power with an agenda. And not a good one either, if it's summoned a monster like this one.

Alexander: Are we really going to trust the information something so obviously, monstrously evil is going to provide? This creature strikes deals. It will want something in return. And my understanding is that when creatures like this look to make deals, they never end in favorable outcomes for the likes of us.

My main worry right now is what happens if this creature gets free. We're not powerful enough to fight it at all. But if it gets lose, it could do some serious damage to everyone nearby. I'm not inclined to just believe the cleric here that releasing it from its binding simply returns it back to its realm. These creatures are evil, through and through. If someone has let it be summoned and bound, it's for a reason. There's a strong possibility that the clerics are either lying to us, or perhaps were even lied to themselves. I don't trust evil.

The Soup King

OldGoat wrote: »

Rather than engage in a battle we could never win don't you think we should be asking about how much treasure we might get? About what we should expect to find in this tower? About the key hanging from the neck of the thief? I have debts to pay and I won't be able to pay them if I'M DEAD! I need coin not death by bravado.

Lets find out what we can and get away from here as quickly as we can. I have unfinished business with the barmaid back in the tavern that I would like to conclude.

"I agree. Let's get what we can from this fowl creature and be gone. I don't like standing here with it chains or not"

Fourier

Mollyb60 wrote: »

Not taking her eyes off Xestes, Elin slowly backs away from the demon until she reaches the wall. With it firmly at her back she lifts the key and looks at it closely.

The key holds the image of a viper amid a field of stars etched on its bow.

Tigger

Goodie continues to sort of fade into the background

Digital Solitude

Lord TSC wrote: »

Alexander sighs. Every fiber of his being is telling him to run, and get out of the room. And yet standing before him is proof of a troublesome power with an agenda. And not a good one either, if it's summoned a monster like this one.

Alexander: Are we really going to trust the information something so obviously, monstrously evil is going to provide? This creature strikes deals. It will want something in return. And my understanding is that when creatures like this look to make deals, they never end in favorable outcomes for the likes of us.

My main worry right now is what happens if this creature gets free. We're not powerful enough to fight it at all. But if it gets lose, it could do some serious damage to everyone nearby. I'm not inclined to just believe the cleric here that releasing it from its binding simply returns it back to its realm. These creatures are evil, through and through. If someone has let it be summoned and bound, it's for a reason. There's a strong possibility that the clerics are either lying to us, or perhaps were even lied to themselves. I don't trust evil.

"I agree with the spellcaster, this creature is not to be trusted. I will not for a second believe its goals align with our own. Should we dare believe we can control whatever it wishes retrieved?"

Fourier

Xestes laughs at the hustle and bustle.

"Well Askit, you should be open with them should you not? It's only fair. I'm evil you say, but at least I'm fair"

Askit pauses and speaks an unusual language, he then groans as if in pain, before continuing. (OOC: Alexander test intelligence to understand what he says)

"A wizard of the ancient northern empire once had a home long away from here in what was then an idyllic country town. He is said to have found the secrets of the universe, he was an astronomer of sorts, although some texts say he was a chemist after a fashion....regardless, his powers had grown to the point where he could capture a god. And so he did and took that god's blood, killing him. He disappeared shortly before the war, however the tower was never recorded as destroyed and so we have sought for it and this blood, which would have great power. At last years Sopspeak, Soet informed us that Xestes here was in possession of the towers key and its location. Although it will not tell us how it came by these things.

I ask only that you find the tower and return to me the blood, you may keep all the other great treasures that lie within the tower. If you do this, I will reward any of you with a permanent home here in Soetrard and more treasure than you have ever seen."

sKeith

"This god's blood, how much of it is there? will we need a carraige to bring it all back for you? what does it taste like?"

Fourier

The Soup King wrote: »

"I know evil when I see it demon"

"Wise little halfling, you'll be spared I think. At least from me"

Mollyb60 wrote:

"Xestes, why does a thief need to hold the key? What if I give it to someone else? What if I die? Is this harmful to me? Can you tell us anything about the terrors in the tower?"

"You can't give it to somebody else, it only has a physical presence around your neck. Should you die, well..."

he vomits forth a larva

"This is an infant form of my corporeal body, should you die your compatriots can simply plant it in the ground and grow me an adult form. It takes very long for me to gather enough matter to have a physical body on your plane, so this is the quickest way of summoning me. I will then be more than happy to grant the key to another"

He exhales heavily with a black fog escaping his mouth, some embers can be glimpsed in his throat

"As for why it is you first. It's because you are the most likely to help me repay an old debt. You'll find out more at the tower thief."

Fourier

Lord TSC wrote: »

There's a strong possibility that the clerics are either lying to us, or perhaps were even lied to themselves. I don't trust evil.

The starry void beneath Askit's hood turns a shade of red and Askit's voice sounds somewhat angry

"Lord Soet would not lie, he has directed us to this blood for the good of the city"

Xestes seeing this seizes the opportunity

"Really now Askit, why would a god require me to tell you and to get the key, couldn't it release the doors itself?"

Mollyb60

Fourier wrote: »

"Wise little halfling, you'll be spared I think. At least from me"

"You can't give it to somebody else, it only has a physical presence around your neck. Should you die, well..."

he vomits forth a larva

"This is an infant form of my corporeal body, should you die your compatriots can simply plant it in the ground and grow me an adult form. It takes very long for me to gather enough matter to have a physical body on your plane, so this is the quickest way of summoning me. I will then be more than happy to grant the key to another"

He exhales heavily with a black fog escaping his mouth, some embers can be glimpsed in his throat

"As for why it is you first. It's because you are the most likely to help me repay an old debt. You'll find out more at the tower thief."

You say this larva will summon you, but will it contain you as you are contained now?

What do I get if I help you repay this debt?

Fourier

sKeith wrote: »

"This god's blood, how much of it is there? will we need a carraige to bring it all back for you? what does it taste like?"

Xestes answers

"Oh very sweet indeed, like a fine wine. I'm still learning to tell your minds apart, but was it not you who thought to give me wine earlier? I should like some wine, what are your terms?"

Lord TSC

Fourier wrote: »

(OOC: Alexander test intelligence to understand what he says)

(OOC: Rolled a 10 with an INT score of 14, so pass?)

Fourier

Mollyb60 wrote: »

You say this larva will summon you, but will it contain you as you are contained now?

"Very astute little one. No it won't of course. I promise to play nice however."

Mollyb60 wrote: »

What do I get if I help you repay this debt?

"There is simply something I want retrieved, but it will require a thief of great talent to do it, it lies in a chamber in the tower. The challenge alone should be enough for true artist of your craft, but a magic set of lockpicks also lie within this chamber. Perhaps that interests you."

sKeith

"get out of my mind devil lord. My dreams are not for your consumption. But if you are after our barrel of wine then we'll part with it for terms our group collectively agree upon. My mind is too simple to do dealings with one such as yourself."