The Devil's in the details (So I hope you read the fine print)

"That depends on which faction you ask I am afraid." The Magister says with a small sigh. "The Angelic host believe that their brothers who fought in the first "Blood Wars" as my brother called it were tainted by the demons in some shape. They no longer were pure of heart like those who had stayed in the heavens. As you can imagine the fallen angles that would become known as devils believed instead that their brothers refused to accept what had to be done. And choose to ignore that those who had fought were in fact simply following orders to protect mankind." The Magister says, though her voice makes it clear she refuses to choose a side on this matter. " All I personally know for sure about the matter is that a deal was made where the former angels would continue to fight their age old enemies so those above would not have to, and evil souls who followed a code of conduct or set of rules would when they died join their ranks so they would never run out of soldiers for the war. After all the Abyss simply creates new demons, devils are not made in such a manner. Perhaps had the two sides tried to see the others side their would still only be angels and demons, however that is simply a theory, and not a very popular one you can imagine as the fallen angles have their own culture now."

"I am not a god so I can not say why they waited this long, even with all the gifts they have given me I still do not understand their reasoning or views of things. Perhaps they saw a shift in power that would not be seen for generations, and wished to make sure that no one side gained more power than the other. Or perhaps they simply did it to do it. The minds of a god our very alien compared to those of a man. It would be like a worm trying to read the mind of a human in comparison. We can guess at their intentions, but never truelly know what the truth is. Not even I have spoken to the gods directly, always through an intermediate or an avatar of theirs. Never the true deity."

Madclaw is understandbly confused by all this, and voices his confusion. "So, are you good, or bad, or what?" He is a simple goliath, and his question betrays his simplicity.

Spoiler: OOC

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Any chance we can change teal to something more easy to read?

As Madclaw asks his innocent but important question you all note that the Magister seems to pause before answering, as if thinking what the best way to explain what she was would be difficult. " I believe sometimes people do evil things for the right reasons, just as I believe good people in extreme cases can do good things for the wrong reasons. I guess to put it simply I would be the "or what" as you put it Madclaw." the Magister replies. " Knowledge, Magic, Nature, Time, all of these things can be used for good or evil. But left alone are neither of the two. I am the same. My purpose is to maintain balance, so at this moment in your eyes I guess you could say I am good as no doubt you see my brother as evil."

Jonas purses his lips thoughtfully at that. "I have always thought of good and evil as a matter of perspective," he notes. "When one is prepared to go to any lengths that are necessary in pursuit of a cause, whether that is deemed good or evil depends on one's sympathy for the cause.

"But, leaving aside the vocabulary of moralism, Ryl's plans would clearly be disastrous for everyone living in this region - perhaps the whole world. As long as we and those we care about live in the world, we have little choice but to oppose him.

"I tried before to argue rationally with him. But clearly, his motivations are not rational. He seems to be set on fighting a war that ended centuries ago; and to identify with the devils who took him in when the world turned its back.

"So, if he cannot be reasoned with, he must be stopped, and it is something we should all be prepared to work towards. But given his level of power, is there anything we can usefully do to help your efforts, Magister?"

Abben chose not to speak, but listened intently as the others spoke about him. He and his brother would not be separated, and Abben was committed to following Madclaw if he chose to fight the devils with Jonas and Hadrian.

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Jonas purses his lips thoughtfully at that. "I have always thought of good and evil as a matter of perspective," he notes. "When one is prepared to go to any lengths that are necessary in pursuit of a cause, whether that is deemed good or evil depends on one's sympathy for the cause.

"But, leaving aside the vocabulary of moralism, Ryl's plans would clearly be disastrous for everyone living in this region - perhaps the whole world. As long as we and those we care about live in the world, we have little choice but to oppose him.

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"In this region certainly, as for the world, I am sure their are in fact many that would listen to Ryl's call if he were to actually try and recruit mortals. Those with the art often live in towers for instance, have you not found it odd that most people live in normal houses, but a wizard, or sorcerer tends to live in a tower of some sort they can easily defend themselves in?" The Magister asks you, before continuing not giving you time to answer. "While the world has come to accept the art in all its forms as a whole, it does not mean their are not people who would not wish to return things to the way the world was before. It is these figures no doubt the devils show my brother proving that humanity has not changed. And so he refuses to bend or break, in his eyes he is doing good, just as from our point of view he is only creating the world he fears."

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"I tried before to argue rationally with him. But clearly, his motivations are not rational. He seems to be set on fighting a war that ended centuries ago; and to identify with the devils who took him in when the world turned its back.

"So, if he cannot be reasoned with, he must be stopped, and it is something we should all be prepared to work towards. But given his level of power, is there anything we can usefully do to help your efforts, Magister?"

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"Wanting a world where magic is a gift all children have and can practice freely is irrational? For that is what Ryl want's in the end. A world where what happened in the past can never happen again, his ways of going about his vision are wrong. But his vision itself is pure. It is why he will not turn from his path. You see the devils as evil that only lie, I have known devils that are more truthful than angels. And if you gain one's loyalty it is a rare gift indeed, they are simply an extreme and because my brother was raised by them he has come to only know how to live in that way. It is either one way or another, their is no middle ground."

"If you wish to help however I would suggest seeking out places where their is strong magic, as it will tend to have a portal in these locations. Or actively look for the agents of my brother on the material world and stop them to slow him down. Eventually he may take notice, however by than I believe you will be much closer in power to him than you are now." the MAgister says as she takes out an odd metal contraption that has numbers on it much like a sundial, however the hands seem to move on their own.

"My time is almost up, is there any more questions before I depart?"

"Truth is a funny thing," Jonas notes. "People assume that truthfulness is a virtue. But with the right truth, you can start wars or break marriages; drive a kindly man to murder; you can blackmail, extort, even drive the listener to suicide.

"Not all truth is honest; and by being selective about which truths you tell, you can manipulate more effectively than through any lie.

"Still, it is not the truthfulness of devils - or otherwise - that I take issue with. It is their passion for dominating and enslaving others; to say nothing of their reputation for claiming and abusing the souls of others."

He considers the Magister's words further.

"You think your brother rational in his drives? If I lived on an island with no predators, and spent all my time building shelters to protect against tigers, is that sane? Does it become sane just because I grew up around tigers, if I know full well there are none around now?

"But, rational or not, his goals are opposed to ours.

"I admit, I was hoping for something a bit more specific we could do to help! Still, we will perhaps discuss the matter among ourselves before we come to a decision.

"One further question before you take your leave: is there a way to contact you if we find we need your aid with one of Ryl's schemes?"

"There are always many roads, though if one is careful most will lead them to the same place in the end. After all it is the journey not the destination which is important. I have faith that the four of you will come to the correct road in your own time without me having to tell you what to do. After all if I didn't believe you could be helpful I would not have trusted the fate of this portal in your hands. I would rather see another wasteland than allow my brother to open a portal connecting the material plane and Hell together." she points out.

"As for contacting me, simply saying the name of the Magister in the arcane tongue grabs my attention and immediate tells me someone is speaking about me. It is why my brother never allows his minions to even speak of me. It would allow me to scry on him with ease. You could also try a simple sending spell."

Ï have just one question. Is it possible to destroy the portals or make them inoperable to Ryl?"

"Anything can be destroyed or locked, however what the effects may be, and how much power will be required is an unknown. I know it would not be possible for one person to do on their own for example." She says with a hint of curosity in her voice, as if she had not thought of doing such a thing before.

Abben, not knowing a thing about portals, and not curious to know much about them either, cuts in. While you all discuss the finer points of magic, we could be making ourselves much more formidable. I say we eat richly, get a good night's rest, and then go back to the cave come morning. We can hunt for clues and destroy whatever remaining threat there is to the villagers.

Jonas nods. "That would be best, at least in the short term. Where we go after that, we can decide later."

"I wish you all luck. And know I will be doing all in my power to stop my brother as well." The Magister says kindly to you all as she walks to the door, and it slowly begins to shimmer before she opens it revealing a dark room made of some pitch black stone, if not for the magical light inside the room you would not even be able to tell where the walls started and ended.

To soon the vision is gone however as the Magister steps through the doorway and the door closes, the glow seeming to vanish and once again become an ordinary door.

Once the Magister is gone, Madclaw turns to the group--"Thoughts?"

Looking about Hadrian's workshop, Abben notes the lack of smells of warm food. My thoughts are on a roasted chicken and a pair of pints. Possibly a third. If we are to head back tomorrow in the interest of the villagers, it would do well to let them know our intentions in the event that something drastic happens... to them or us. Abben's stomach growls in expectation of food - and a tavern is a good place to accomplish both of those things.

Madclaw recalls the hunting parties that he'd experienced success with, and those he'd experienced failure with. "If we are to fight a war against these Devils, perhaps we may be able to recruit some of the villagers as well. There is strength in numbers."

They could at least carry some torches, Abben remarked sarcastically, but making note to pick up several torches alongside provisions for an extended underground stay

Jonas grins at them. "Hot food certainly sounds welcome, whether or not it leads to help from the villagers. And, perhaps, a bath?"

He makes a show of looking the group's ichor-soaked clothing up and down and turning up his nose, before opening the door and heading for the tavern.

"Well if you want to look for helpers you must make sure to keep them safe," Hadrian says, following after Jonas. "We also have to decide what to do with the treasure, particularly the adamantine."

Jonas raises an eyebrow at that. "What's to decide? Split it four ways and reinvest it in equipping ourselves to fight these devils."

Looking over Abben and Madclaw, he adds in a stage whisper, "Well, unless you think we should protect our friends here from themselves and invest it on their behalf? After all, they'd probably waste it all on ale and women.

"Do you think they know how coin works, do you think, or is Goliath economy still based on exchanging goats?"

He watches the brothers out of the side of his eyes, waiting to see if the comments get a rise from them.

Abben, as always in good humor, responds; "goats, chickens, pelts, and anything that can be useful to life in the rugged wild. One time I bought a rich stew forndinner with a bag of acorns!" He says with a hearty laugh.

"As for the metal, I'd very much like to fashion itninto a new weapon-head for my guisarme."

Spoiler: OOC

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I am going to assume you rather go eat first saying it has come up the most.

Deciding it would be best to finish your conversation in the tavern, with hot food and cold drinks preferably, the small group makes their way to the Spiteful Dryad where they note as they enter a few of the villagers seem surprised to see them again. It is clear something had happened while you were away to give them this impression, however given the fact you had not encountered any devils or other such foul creatures close to the village besides that initial attack it is doubtful that it could be devils.

"Well what took you boys so long? Thought I had lost my two best lumberjacks to a group of miners." Calls out the familiar voice of Logan, one of the few people to have survived the encounter with the devils in the woods just a few days before. As he gives a short curt nod to Jonas and Hadrian before pulling up a seat besides the two brothers, the smell of liquor as clear as day on him. "It's good to see none of you died, I can not say we have been so lucky in town however though. A stray wolf has been harassing us for the past two nights, and most of the families that have children are thinking about packing up and leaving for safer places after what happened with those bloody creatures that attacked the village. Can you believe we tried to burn the bodies and it took almost all of the wood we brought back last week to get rid of them. The suckers didn't burn like a normal person. Those ladies that were staying at the tavern said they were not of this world whatever that means, they are gone now though. Left this morning with a group of caravans leaving the village." Logan explains before downing the remains of his mug, his words sounding sluggish and on a few occasions he even had to stop to think about the word he wanted to say.

Jonas frowns at Logan's words. Signaling the waitress, he orders four ales and four bowls of the stew he can smell cooking over the fire.

"Anything for the rest of you?" he quips. The weak jest gets no response, however, in the somber ambience of the tavern.

Sighing, he looks to the Goliath brothers. "Sounds more like your expertise than mine, my friends, but that seems strange behaviour for a wolf. We don't often see them this close to the village, let alone a solitary wolf daring to attack groups of humans.

"Might it be something else?"

Abben sniffs the air like an animal searching for prey. "The wolf has graced me in spirit. Might be that it has a connection to Madclaw and I. I have no problems with sleeping under the stars if it helps clear up that problem. "

Madclaw nods. "I will spend the night where the creature was last sighted."

"And this is why I pay you two the most, I bet with the whole wolf problem under control we could stop a few of the people from leaving the village. All we would have to do after that is begin making sure we can not get attacked like we did again, and maybe have a few of the boys take watch at night?" Logan says, suggesting young teenagers that stay behind take watch at night, clearly he has been drinking to much, though it would be a good way for them to learn in the mornings perhaps.

Just as Logan finishes talking the barmaid comes back with the requested drinks and soup looking to all those at the table. "Last place it was seen was out by the north exit, seems to stay far enough away during the day, no doubt sleeping close to the river, but at night for some reason it keeps on coming back, all alone. Please whatever you can do, I'm afraid one of these nights it will try and get in my house and eat my children." the barmaid says looking to the four brave heroes to save the village.

"With the leader of the devil's in the mine gone, we should be able be able to spare some time on the wolf," Hadrian says. A dangerous beast acting strangely couldn't be allowed to remain near the village.
"Do not fear for your children," he tells the barmaid, "as a single wolf shouldn't be much of a threat to us and be easily dispatched."
This he says as a simple statement of fact with no hint of boasting or pride.

Jonas nods at that, although he watches the tribal brothers obliquely.

"If it comes to that, a lone wolf should be within our capabilities," he agrees, lowering his voice and aiming it at Hadrian alone. "But do not underestimate them. They are skilled hunters, physically powerful and keenly intelligent.

"And two more pertinent points. First, I sense a wolf has some significance for our friends' beliefs. Slaying the beast might not be their preference.

"Secondly, we have only the villagers' description to identify it as a wolf. It may yet be something more sinister."

Hadrian listens to Jonas and softly speaks back.
"If our friends have a way that keeps the village safe but doesn't kill the wolf then that would be preferable. Taking a life unnecessarily is wrong and should be avoided in all things, but if there isn't a way to stop it peacefully then we can't let it risk human lives."

"True, if it didn't get too close to anyone the villagers wouldn't be able to see any sign that it was anything other than a wolf. if it isn't natural, it could be linked to the devil's in the mine."

"Oh thank you all, I was worried me and my family would have to leave our homes to seek shelter somewhere else, losing everything we have. You don't know how much your offer means to me, and no doubt many other families in this town." The barmaid says with tears in her eyes thanking you all a thousand more times before vanishing to go about her work.

It is still a few hours until the sun will begin to set, and with this hot meal before you and the adamantine by your side you have time for no doubt one more stop before going to look for the wolf if you plan on doing it tonight.