The Multiverse IC

[MikelaC1]

LINTESHAR

Linteshar walks into the garden, clearly impressed by the order and beauty of the landscape. She draws a deep breath of the clean, fresh air.

Of course, there is nothing even close to this where I originally hail from...and while I have seen a few, what do you call them, gardens?, on my time out of Abyss, none of them quite match this one. So many flowers, so many colors

She spends the next little while questioning Petronella as to what each different type of plant or flower is. (as much time as the party will allow her) It is clear that she has no understanding about plants at all, although she will sometimes attempt to compare some of them to things that grow in the Abyss.

[Tshern]

Linteshar soon finds out Petronella is more than willing to answer questions about plants and clearly her passion for flowers is deep. Despite this, the garden itself follows no apparent logic with different flowers growing seemingly randomly next to each other, yet the gardeners move and act with astonishing efficiency treating the plants clearly following a predetermined pattern.

"Nowadays I spend very little time here, so it is always refreshing to breath this air. Unfortunately that is not what we came here to do...

After finishing her sentence, Petronella takes her goggles off and gives Linteshar an intense glance as if she could see to the depths of her soul with that look and then proceeds to put the mysterious goggles on again. "I assume you, as a Marilith, wield your swords with utmost precision and devastating strength? I happen to know a few conjurations that might be of some help in case we must face our foes on a battlefield... Consider the offer."

[M. Mayonnaise]

Although Jader appears rather awed by the display of natural beauty around him, Alexander takes little time to admire it. Beckoning for Jader to follow, he makes his way over to where Linteshar and Petronella are speaking. He addresses Petronella, as Jader stands silently behind him, watching Linteshar with a wary gaze.
"Your garden is truly awe-inspiring, m'lady, but perhaps we should focus on the task at hand? I'm sure a scholar of your calibur is as eager to recover those research notes as I am."

[MikelaC1]

LINTESHAR

I am always interested in spells that can help my prowess in battle. I would be more than willing to accept anything you can cast to help me, so many fights turn into an exchange of magical volleys, so when I can finally corner someone and force them into a physical showdown, its important to be at my very best

[Tshern]

Petronella is just finishing her discussion with Linteshar when Alexander walks to the spot, who sees how Petronella draws a plain golden ring from the right sleeve of her robe while talking to Linteshar "Whenever I fight with a swordsman by my side, I try to persuade them to use this ring. It reacts to mental commands and the spells therein are released. One to boost your defense, the other to boost your attacks. The duration of those enchantments are limited, but I can help with that, too. I still suggest we do that right before our departure."

After the final words have been spoken Petronella immediately shifts her attention to Alexander saying "Yes, planning is necessary and we should get to that as quickly as possible. Moreover, we also need to begin our journey without any unnecessary delays, because we do not know how fast Orcus' minions can crack the puzzle they have been given."

[M. Mayonnaise]

Alexander eyes the ring Petronella gave to Linteshar with interest for a moment, then directs his attention back to Petronella and nods in agreement.
"You mentioned earlier that you could gather intelligence by directing questions towards a higher power, no? Have you prepared this spell already today? What kind of answers can we expect from it?"

[Tshern]

"My abilities to tap the arcane energies of the Cosmos go far deeper than merely preparing spells, Alexander. As such, yes, I can contact creatures of divine nature, but it is not without risks. The answers are, in general, reliable and usually consist of a single word."

After explaining the basic idea of the divination Petronella thinks for a second and continues "I would not underestimate the possibility of using divine powers here. Those empowered by belief are able to get perhaps even better answers..."

[MikelaC1]

LINTESHAR

Linteshar accepts the ring with thanks to Petronella. She slips it onto one of her many fingers and concentrates on it for a moment, attempting to discern the powers hidden within it.

[Tshern]

Spoiler

Show

Not sure if you can recognise the spells, but they are Greater Blink and Wraithstrike. Both of which I will persist before the party departs.

[Niezck]

Floating gently to the ground infront of Petronella, Zer'ahn once more resumes his humanoid form, remembering how much humanoids prefer it to his animal forms.

So, how long will be required to make preparations before going?

[Tshern]

"Depends on how fast we get into an agreement what we will divine from Thanatos. To be honest, my divinations mostly require direct questions, which makes it hard to get a big overall picture of the situation there. Otherwise I would be ready to move in already."

While answering Zer'ahn's query Petronella looks as if she had a severe headache, but her expression becomes gradually more relaxed when she pushes her goggles a little closer to her eyes.

[Eldan]

"What we must find out is simple: where is what we are looking for? How do we get there? How is it guarded? After that, getting it is the easy part.""

[Tshern]

"I would be surprised and a little bit disappointed were we able to use simple divinations to find the location of the notes or too much information regarding its surroundings. Orcus has enormous resources and he is smart enough to use them. Hence, I would suggest, we get general information regarding the layer and use more mundane means of reconnaisance when we get there. I doubt we're hunted down the moment we get there."

[M. Mayonnaise]

Alexander shakes his head at Syan. "From what I understand of these types of divinations, we'll need to be far more specific than that. We need to know where the notes are, how many liches are translating them at any one time, what kinds of guards are in place, how the guards and liches communicate, whether we should expect them to be reinforced in force and how quickly such reinforcement would occur.. information will be our greatest weapon in this affair."
Jader chimes in, turning to Linteshar and asking, "Would you be recognized on sight by Orcus's minions? Perhaps you could perform some reconnaissance for us."

[Niezck]

I can ensure that nobody here will ever be recognized at all during our mission, if we so wish.

[Tshern]

"The Abyss is infinite and as such it is less than likely someone will recognise any single demon. Whether we want to risk that or not is another matter entirely. I suggest we keep our preparations brief and leave within 24 hours to Thanatos and find the notes. Bear in mind we do not know how much time we have."

Again Petronella seems to be in agony for a brief moment before adjusting her glasses once more.

[MikelaC1]

"Would you be recognized on sight by Orcus's minions? Perhaps you could perform some reconnaissance for us."

I never had any dealings with the minions of Orcus...or even the fat one himself. Graz'zt, Malcanthet, Baphomet and perhaps Demogorgon might recognize me, but none of old roly-poly's undead

[M. Mayonnaise]

Alexander touches his scar, looking miles away for a moment. Jader shoots him a brief look of concern before glaring suspiciously at Linteshar, but Alexander seems to either not notice or not care. Taking on a mildly reproving tone, he says to Linteshar,
"You shouldn't take the demon prince of the undead so lightly, Linteshar. If you feel you are up to gathering some information for us, however, it would be a great help to our mission, but don't underestimate our enemy."

[Tshern]

Orcus must be preparing for a raid of somekind. A Demon Prince does not live without enemies and his are plenty already within the Abyss, so he must have taken all possible precautions. Underestimating him might prove more devastating than death."

[M. Mayonnaise]

At this Alexander quirks an eyebrow and smirks slightly. "I'm not sure exactly how something could be "more devastating than death", but yes, Orcus will undoubtedly be on guard simply because it is his nature as a demon prince."

[Tshern]

With a smile on her face Petronella responds "Try having your soul captured by a Demon Prince then..."

[M. Mayonnaise]

Alexander simply waves her off. "Better captured than dead, I say, but in any case we should aim for neither."

[Eldan]

Syan hums to himself for a second, his fingers flashing a complicated pattern in front of his body, at the end of which his eyes glow a dark blue for just an instant. He then draws his sword slowly, whirling it around in a few quick slashes and then standing in a strange stance, one leg stretched out, the other slightly bent, sword raised in front of his body.

Spoiler

Show

Casting Moment of Prescience
Entering Wraithwalker Stance:

Spoiler

Show

While in this stance, whenever you use a Shadow Hand strike or boost against an opponent, you can use any illusion spell you know as a swift action. Additionally, if attacking an enemy with a Shadow Hand strike or boost from a hidden position, you gain a bonus to the attack roll equal to your ranks in Hide divided by 4.

And Grace of the Wind Stance

Spoiler

Show

As you assume this stance, your body is filled with celerity and grace, allowing you to move like the wind. You gain a +30 ft. enhancement bonus to your base land speed, and gain a +5 bonus on all Balance, Climb, Jump, and Tumble checks. You can move unhindered by most obstacles, as the freedom of movement spell.

[MikelaC1]

I never underestimate a demon prince, I was just commenting on his appearance. Everyone knows what the true nature of Orcus is. But when we get to his home plane, I would be more than willing to scout ahead, the appearance of one more marilith wouldnt be cause for comment. Or at least, it shouldnt, at least not as much as when I try to scout into a human city.

[Eldan]

"Of course, our scout could also just be a person who won't be seen in the first place."
Syan makes a vague gesture with his hand, as he turns around to the rest of the group.
"A person invisible and immune to the most common forms of detection, able to move through the ground, and able to hide on Orcus' nose, if necessary... yes, I'm talking about myself, as you might have guessed. I'm better at this than you."

[M. Mayonnaise]

"Perhaps, but remember that the area we're going to be raiding will, presumably, be full of liches attempting to decipher those notes. I'm sure at least some of them will have a way to penetrate your invisibility - unless you have a way to circumvent spells of true seeing, Linteshar will probably be our best bet. She has no disguise to be seen through."

[Niezck]

You seem to be missing the obvious possibility. Make Syan look like a Marilith, then have him use his superior skills and his new looks to scout the city.

[M. Mayonnaise]

Jader shakes his head before Alexander can respond. "A true seeing divination can penetrate shape-changing spells as well as invisibility. Linteshar will appear demonic regardless of what divinations are used on her."
Alexander nods slowly, looking pensive.
"The question remains, however, if that security from divination is worth sending Linteshar instead of a skilled infiltrator like Syan.. no offense meant, Linteshar."

[Eldan]

"Oh, I know..."
Syan grins brightly, his eyes flashing.
"But... how far into a wall does True Seeing extend?"

[M. Mayonnaise]

Alexander nods in acquiesence. "I had forgotten about your unique abilities. Very well, if you feel you are capable, it may be best for you to go in Linteshar's stead."