"Mr. Kelemvor, tear down this Wall" [IC]

[Edge]

"I too must inquire as to why you have brought us hither, Sophrosyne. I doubt it was for pleasantries, and I strongly suspect that you in fact possess knowledge vital to what seems to be this motley group's shared goal."

Although Haseid's face remains passive, his voice conveys a sense of near impatience.

"And to those who doubt the existence of Fate... my capabilities may yet leave you more certain of it's presence in the multiverse."

[WhiteKnight777]

Keldor

Keldor leaned forward in his seat, his expression meditative. A small smile curled his lip upwards, bearing his teeth a little. "If I had to guess, I'd say you were trying to get us together to do something about the Wall. And the mention of the other Crusades is making me think you're advising us to be cautious about it."

[Dacia Brabant]

Sophrosyne's realm, beyond the portal

The boy's neutral expression finally breaks into a smile at Olethros' last question.

"No, I assure you I have no interest in questing for him, although..." here he trails off and grows somber before nodding toward Haseid and Keldor. "...Although the fate of that poor lost soul is certainly bound up into the cause, the purpose for which you all came to this place. I would not say that I brought you here directly, but it was word of me, or of Udoxas, that you followed so I suppose in a sense it was I who gathered you here. Now comes the great question, why you are here, and the most pertinent one: to 'do something' about the Wall of the Faithless as you say, but not just something, not just anything--do what will succeed at bringing it down."

He pauses for a long moment, looking as if he's searching for an answer as to what that might be, before finally returning his focus on the here and now.

"Caution, yes, caution is needed. That is why I am here, after all, and not in our mutual native plane, but that is also why we are all here, still having to discuss this abomination rather than celebrating its collapse. Caution, but also intelligent planning, and the power, fortitude and presence of mind, unity of purpose and willingness to do anything necessary to achieve this goal. This is why you, you specifically and not anyone else, are here.

"So, now that we have covered the 'what,' unless there are any questions or any other matters we need to discuss, there is the great matter of the 'how'--how do we bring down the Wall."

[Wing]

Arkady

"One possibility is simple and pure rebellion. We assault the plane of the dead with an army." Her marble face creased; she seemed to regret having said it. The cynic in her expressed a wave of skepticism - in fact, all twenty did - but it was the instinct of the community to rely on its own numbers. "This may seem the least practical approach, but look: the most powerful people in the world are Faithful, and most are powerful for that very reason. Who else can we rely on but the legions of the common people?"

[Edge]

Haseid

The Auspicious Judge scoffs at Arkady's suggestion.

"You propose to assault the Wall, an action that would draw the attention of every deity of Faerun in time, and you suggest that we do it with naught but peasantry? Need I remind you that many of the common folk of Faerun are happily Faithful, too?"

Haseid shakes his head before speaking again.

"Perhaps it would be best to discuss the failed attempts of those who came before us. Whilst searching for leads on how to deal with the Wall, I came over numerous mentions of several Betrayers' Crusades, but I could learn little to nothing of the specifics - understandably, the Faithful clergy where rather tight-lipped about it. None moreso than those of Kelemvor."

[VonDoom]

Olethros

The undead mastermind stared at Arkady for a moment, after she made her suggestion, until he mirrored Haseid's reaction with a "Bah. You could foolishly break thousands upon thousands ordinary men and women against the Wall and never even scratch its existence, even discounting the repercussions already mentioned."

"While the Wall certainly has a physical representation and aspect, it is also a conceptual existence. Metaphysical. To destroy the wall, one must attack it on just such a level. Is that not so?" His gaze fell on the entity before them, glowing with a self-satisfied malevolence. "The 'what' was fairly self-evident, though perhaps not to all present; I assume you have a proposal of your own as to the how, since you called us here? And I find your usage of the term 'we' curious; are you, then, to take an active part in our efforts? Will you accompany us?"

[WhiteKnight777]

Keldor

Keldor gave a grim smile. "Anything breaks if you hit it hard enough, and even powers have forces they must bow to and sources whence they draw their strength." He nodded, and spoke as if considering. "But we're outmatched, at least in terms of the resources we can draw from Faerun itself. We might travel the planes and gather an army, I suppose - even that old fool Elminster would have trouble against a fleet of Olididnoran skyships, or the walking war-cities of the Night Worlds beyond the Shadow Wall. But I doubt we could convince their owners to part with such marvels - and besides, at the end of the day, it is Faerun's gods against whom we really contend."

[Chambers]

Har

Rocking back on his heels Har listens to the ideas bandied about. "An army...aye, though if I could raise every dwarf up in arms against the Wall, they would fall for nought beneath the angry glare of the Gods." He taps his thick fingers against the top the of the chair. "But perhaps there are...others, that would fare better against the Gods." He clears his throat and glances around the room. "I've heard sages say that there exists a plane beyond our worlds...a realm farther out than mortal mind can comprehend. There strange creatures and abominations roam, and I've heard that some mages can contact and speak with these things."

He raises an eyebrow. "If there is nothing in our world that can go against the Gods...perhaps we should start looking outside our world."

[Dacia Brabant]

Sophrosyne's Realm, beyond the portal

The boy smiles and nods at Haseid.

"This is precisely the prudence of which I spoke. Learn from their mistakes, as they themselves did not. And our Great Presence," he nods toward Olethros, "Has hit on exactly that--the Wall is conceptual, much as the city beyond that portal, and the spire it floats above, the infinite realms that turn 'round it, and, I believe, the forces behind every Power dwelling therein. Without the metaphysical concept, its physical manifestation has no basis in reality and is but an empty shell, one that would not be difficult to crack. But that raises the question: what, conceptually speaking, is the Wall of the Faithless?"

He lets that question hang in the air for a moment before continuing.

"That is a question I have asked I know not how many times, and the closest I believe I have ever come to answering it is that it, much like Sigil, is a prison. But if that is the case, what crimes have the Faithless truly committed? Or is it not a crime at all, but similarly to the many misfit planar denizens of Sigil, is it rather the nature of being Faithless that causes one's soul to be imprisoned? Hmm, difficult to say beyond speculation. I think the answer may lie in the creation of the Wall itself, but sadly I know of no one who still exists with empirical knowledge of that, save for Jergal, but he will not speak with me. Ah, would that Myrkul's spirit had not been devoured..."

"At any rate, unfortunately I have become a known quantity to the forces that would oppose us, so to answer your question: no, I cannot leave Sigil without extreme risk, so I can be of no direct assistance to you. However, I can at the very least provide this location as a safe space that only you, myself and the Lady and her servants can access. I will gladly share any information or counsel that I may possess, and should you wish it I can make my students available to you--a few of them are quite powerful in their own right."

He then turns toward Har with a look of concern.

"Since I am not taking the risks of this matter upon myself, I will not presume to order you to do, or not to do, anything. However, I would advise extreme caution when dealing with those forces beyond the stars. Their motives are unknown and perhaps unknowable to any mind that is not one of them. I have not studied them closely, so it may be that if you could harness and control those forces, perhaps they could overcome the Wall, but it also may be that we would be inviting an evil greater than any other into our reality."

[Edge]

"I too would advise against inviting in things from beyond. Everything has an end, but it is not the multiverse's time. Yet."

Haseid quickly runs a hand through his hair, before addressing the Moderator again.

"Sophrosyne, you mentioned that Myrkul has been devoured. Are you referring to the 'spirit-eater'? Whilst investigating leads related to the latest Crusade, I came across repeated whispers of them, but nothing solid. If they could be located, might they provide, if nothing else, valuable information?"

[Dacia Brabant]

Sophrosyne's Realm, beyond the portal

The boy frowns and closes his eyes for a moment at the mention of the Spirit-Eater.

"I regret failing in my warning to that one the most. As far as I can tell, the great mage from Candlekeep, the lowly orphan boy from West Harbor, the man formerly called Rennes, that person no longer exists. I was not there when it happened, and something is blocking me from seeing him, but from what I gathered from one who was there and is still able to speak, the Betrayer would not be denied his return."

"It is speculation, but I suspect Akachi is still out there, and with him all those souls he and his unwitting pawn devoured. Though if he is, he truly is the Betrayer for it would mean he escaped--likely with his love--while the Spirit-Eater's Crusade collapsed. Ah but as I tried to tell the Dove, beware of traitors. She knows that now, not that it does her much good in the Abyss. I could direct you to her if you wish to speak with her, that would be much easier than trying to find Akachi or what has become of him--though I cannot help but think his fate will be of importance to the quest."

"One other thought I have had though, is that if other conceptual constructions similar to the Wall could be found, something of value might be learned from them. Are you familiar with a thing known as a Caller in Darkness?"

[Edge]

"I have passing familiarity with callers in darkness. Enough to bring the end they have eluded, albeit unwillingly. Psionic ghost-entities, are they not? But the Dove..."

The Calishite strokes his close-cropped facial hair gingerly.

"Any information would be valuable. And if she is in the Abyss, then I believe we can slay two vultures with one stone. The demons of that plane raid the Wall to claim souls for their armies, do they not? Therefore, they must know the means by which souls can be extracted from the Wall. It would not be enough to destroy the Wall, not on its own, but with other knowledge and tools..."

[WhiteKnight777]

Keldor

Keldor smiled wryly at the boy's comment about those... beyond. "Aye. I've seen one or two places where people tried to weaponize them. Fortunately they were small incursions and limited weapons - usually only one or two crystal spheres were reduced to balls of cinder, ash, and ice. They've never been able to interact with our reality for long, thank the Source. Not all of us want to see everything gone to ruin in our quest for the Wall's demise, after all." He eyed the "former" chosen of Shar suspiciously. He didn't have any evidence the creature was lying, of course - but, well, it was Shar.

He smiled, pursing his lips thoughtfully In any case, I think the Abyss is a good starting place - Perhaps we can stop by one of the less-lethal Demon Lord's thrones. Graz'zt might be willing to treat with us. Or we can try to torture the information out of one of the lesser raider-demons. Either way, I think trying to get the Dove on our side is a good way to start. She's a decent sort, by all accounts.

[Wing]

Arkady

The marble lady did not look phased by the skepticism of her new companions. It was a people's suffering that was the mission; and those with the most right to it were those oppressed; in any case, armies gave her comfort. She was an army. "The Abyss are probably more reliable allies than gods or mortals - they have no scruples and are made of self-interest. Any demon-lord would have much to gain from selling information to us; not to mention from the invasion of Kelemvor's realm. Unfortunately, that also means all of his colleagues will have much to lose, and every reason to obstruct him."

[VonDoom]

Olethros

The Messiah of Oblivion remained silent at the snide remark from Keldor's direction, at first, until he finally spoke after a few seconds had passed. "Even my patience has its limits. Continue testing it at your peril," he rumbled, his pale face devoid of any emotion. "Particularly as you speak unwisely. Even if I were not cast out by my former mistress, there is no gain in letting in those abominable creatures. Shar seeks a return to the nothingness before creation, not the twisted pleasures of those monstrosities."

As he spoke, a strong longing gripped the powerful necromancer; a longing for the nothingness only complete oblivion could promise. But now was not the time for such indulgences and he dismissed his desire.

"The Tan'nari may prove useful," the undead reasoned, "but never think these abyssal residents reliable. Their very existence is the antithesis of that concept -- amongst others."

"Under different circumstances, I would suggest an alliance with their axiomatic counterparts. However, my presence amongst our group may prove detrimental to such a course of action -- most Archdevils no longer make contracts with me. Apparently they have come to the conclusion that our past dealings were not to their greater advantage." He chuckled.

"However, I do understand that they would very much be interested in the souls held within the Wall. Unlike, say, Graz'zt, they may even keep true to a contract promising them a certain percentage of whatever is freed during the process of its destruction."

"Of course," he chuckled as his eyes glowed a dark red, "if they'd betray us while remaining within the terms of the contract, it would be a small matter to destroy these souls utterly so their percentile payment amounts to nothing at all."

[Edge]

Haseid Khalid

"It is my understanding that the baatezu already have a contract with Kelemvor, one that allows them to claim any soul that accepts a bargain with them prior to their judgement. I doubt we would find any help from them."

Haseid pauses a moment and again strokes his beard before continuing.

"No, I think the Abyss is a much better place to delve for the required information. And I do not think any agreement would be necessary." he says, "I cannot speak for you others, but I dare to assume that you are supremely capable individuals like myself. Together, I believe we could assault or infiltrate the realm of a demon lord or prince. And together, I believe we could subdue said demon, and offer it its life in exchange for the information we require. It would not be easy, of course, and I would much prefer a more expedient route. I would therefore strongly recommend we attempt to find the Dove."

[WhiteKnight777]

Keldor

Keldor gave the former Chosen of Shar an even look. "Therein lies the problem. Even cast out, you worship nothingness. You are a harbinger of oblivion. I find your personal philosophy repugnant. I love life, and I value it, even the life of those you would consider low. I think existence is an inherent good. We won't ever be friends so long as you stay fixed on nihilism. But we might be associates. I'll stop the jibes at your expense, but know that I'm keeping an eye on you."

Turning back to the matter at hand, he nodded towards Khalid. "That's an idea, but not one I recommend. That sort of brute force only works as long as you're holding a threat directly over the creature's head. I'd try it only if we were planning on using them and then destroying them utterly immediately afterwards - we don't need a demon lord stabbing us in the back at a crucial moment."

[Dacia Brabant]

Sophrosyne's Realm, beyond the Portal

Once it became apparent from the discussion that the "Areteia" had decided to meet with Kaelyn the Dove, the boy appeared to enter a deep but brief clairsentient trance. When he came out of it a moment later he actually looked surprised.

"Strange. Kaelyn is in Torremor now, and has been for as far back as I can see. I know she has been using Occipitus as her base of operations for this fool's errand of hers, which is relatively nearby as Abyssal layers go, but she believes Graz'zt holds her siblings captive and Azzagrat is far removed from there. Hmm..."

He pauses his thoughts for a moment, considering that minor revelation, before shrugging and continuing.

"Well, I am sure you will find that out and more, but first a word of caution: the Dove has many virtues, but her single-mindedness is not one of them. As I alluded to, she is in the Abyss trying to rescue her siblings--'the Menagerie' I believe they called themselves--after Rammaq proved himself every bit the betrayer as his captain. I am confident Graz'zt deceived her into believing he has them, but since I could not produce their whereabouts she refused to believe me. So, when treating with her, I ask that you bear that in mind."

With that said, he reaches into a fold in his rags and pulls out a thin metal tuning fork and offers it to Keldor.

"Here, this is attuned to my humble abode. Whenever you wish to return to this plane, this beacon will always make sure you have the right destination. And do not worry about it falling into the wrong hands, a few others have, but after all you still must be welcome here in order to come here."

OOC:
Everyone trained in Spellcraft/Psicraft:

Spoiler

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You're able to tell that Sophrosyne/Udoxas manifested Metafaculty in order to locate the Abyssal layer where the Dove is, but did it as a standard action.

Also, the rod acts as a use-activated Anchored Navigation, augmented to function across any planar boundry, only its destination is pre-set to Sophrosyne's Realm.

[Dacia Brabant]

The Abyss, Torremor

(((First Movement/suggested listening: Dies Irae, Karl Jenkins and Adiemus, with Surrealist scenes by Alfred Kubin (slight content warning))))


Regardless of the methods you undertake to travel there, you all arrive at the Abyssal layer of Torremor crowded atop a stone spire that on all sides drops down several hundred feet to another narrow platform, and that one to another, and yet another and another and another, until finally disappearing from view due to the dark choking mists of the atmosphere--which is remarkably heavy for as high as the elevation must be.

The only noteworthy feature of the spire, apart from its crumbling masonry and that it's just wide enough to fit you all atop it, is that it's hooked up to several thick, rusty chains that run up at great length to higher ledges of other spires jutting out of the mists around you. Some of the neighboring spires are connected to each other by long, narrow arches and causeways--no handrails, naturally--but most of those have broken and fallen apart. Many of the spires have what appear to be great nests or aviaries atop them (fortunate that yours does not), and there are sights and sounds of denizens about, but they're mostly just vrocks.

The landscape, or rather airscape, goes on much like this for as far as your eyes can see, except for the southern sky which is dominated by what from this distance appears to be a tremendous black mountain that no amount of mists could conceal. These planes are technically infinite of course, so it's impossible to say how far away it actually is--or if distance even has any meaning--but it's still incredible.

There are no evident signs of the Dove at present, not without specific magical assistance at least.

[Edge]

Haseid Khalid; Torremor

Haseid accepts Sophrosyne's gift with a bow.

"My thanks, Moderator. And now, I think we should depart."

The Auspicious Judge dons his head wrap and visor once again, as reality bends around his form, allowing him to slip through the multiverse to their intended destination.

A similar warping occurs on the top of the spire the group find themselves on, Haseid literally stepping out of a depression in space.

"Now, if you will give me but a moment, I will attempt to ascertain the location of the Dove."

Hidden behind his visor, none of you are able to see Haseid close his eyes, but the level of his meditative concentration is accurately conveyed by his body language.

Spoiler

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The only means of planar travel I have is using bend reality to duplicate psionic plane shift. Of course, this costs me XP. Scylfing, if you'd be willing, I believe I still have 4,000xp left over from the crafting/miscellaneous xp bonus you gave us. Could I have it eat into that?

Also, making two Profession (astrologer) check to use Forewarned is Forearmed, leaving me with 9 uses left today. My check's high enough to guarantee a discern location effect, but here're the rolls for formality's sake:

(Gah, edit ate my rolls. See next post.)

So, yes, greater scrying followed by discern location cast as spell-likes on Kaelyn the Dove.

---

* post roll count doesn't match database

[Edge]

Spoiler

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(1d20+79)[91]
(1d20+79)[83]

[VonDoom]

Olethros

At Keldor's warning, the undead mastermind merely chuckled. A dangerous, unspoken threat of his own lingered in the air as the red glow of his eyes briefly flared with greater intensity.

Still, at Sophorsyne's words in regards to the Dove, Olethros chuckled. "Single-mindedness can be very useful," the arcanist commented, "as I assure you Graz'zt is well aware of."

Once Keldor had received his present, Olethros briefly had a contemplative look before addressing the others. "While I trust all of us are capable of making the journey on our own," the former Sharian rumbled, "I would suggest saving our energies if we are to travel the Abyss and potentially face one of its Princes. As a gesture of my good will, I will take along any who dare join hands with me."

A deep chuckle burst from his throat; he was amused at the thought, though he didn't intend any threat. More to goad those who would normally be wary into accepting, as he was quite certain that any arcane energy left unexpended might benefit them later.


----

As the arcane energies of the Planeshift spell dissipated, the Messiah of Oblivion crossed his hands behind his back, taking in the vast sights of the Abyss. The chaos and horrors there were of no particular concern to him, as he had no doubt seen and committed his fair share of similar if not greater misdeeds.

"Well? Have you located her, judge?", he finally asked, after a suitable amount of time had passed. He himself was quite well-versed with such magics, so the time he had waited was fairly reasonable.

[Dacia Brabant]

The Abyss, Torremor

The Auspicious Judge reaches out metaphysically to pull into view the strand of Fate that is Kaelyn the Dove, but as he's about to so a powerful mind repels him, denying his effort to divine her present fortune.

However, just as the connection is being severed, Haseid notices an unmistakable (and much more powerful) sense of hatred and loathing coming from all around him like an onrushing wind, screaming her name mixed with the (unintelligble) name of another and streaming toward the mountain in the distance.

Spoiler

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Scrying failed, but even a limited understanding of the Outer Planes can tell you that this layer of the Abyss knows the name of the Dove and it does not want her here.

[Edge]

Haseid Khalid, Torremor

The Auspicious Judge's intense focus ends as soon as it began.

"The Dove's will rebukes by efforts to see where she is fated to be. Irritating."

The crimson executor then begins pacing in thought, one hand at his chin, the other at the hilt of his sword.

"However, I can confirm that she is still on this planar layer, and it does not want her here."

[VonDoom]

Olethros

"That much is obvious," the undead mastermind noted, his tone neutral. "Perhaps the layer itself may assist us once it realizes our intent will ultimately remove her from this place, as well."

The Messiah of Oblivion briefly chuckled as he raised a single hand, fingers spread apart, looking at the chaos beneath. "While I am hardly a creature of chaos, I have at times been called a being of great evil. Perhaps an attempt of my own may prove more successful."

He still stood at the very edge of the spire they had arrived upon, now raising both hands to call forth a greater amount of dark power, seemingly resonating with the plane itself as arcane energies flowed both from and through him.

"Where," he suddenly asked, his voice taking on a certain hollow-sounding echo, "is the Dove?"

Spoiler

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I will use my 1/day Ex-Ability of Vision gained via the Epic Intelligence Epic Virtue from the Epic Hero PrC at CL24, with no material components or XP as per the ability.

Assuming we can count 'The Search for the Dove' as an, er, Encounter for the purposes of this ability, I'll use the Fateful Excellency from Olethros' Epic Destiny to make the result of that roll a 20 and thus automatically succeed, since his bonus combined with a roll of 20 easily matches any given DC of the spell.

Both abilities are linked in Olethros' character writeup found in my signature, to make things easier..

[Dacia Brabant]

The Abyss, Torremor

Cacophonous whispers from all around the Messiah of Oblivion return an answer to his question:

"on wings above onstrakker's nest." The hideous voices echo off toward the south.

Olethros receives a fleeting image of a lovely celestial woman with silver skin and hair, but wings of slate gray, clad in supple mithral chainmail and brandishing a mace whose radiant head shines with the force of a blazing sun. Before it burns through his vision completely, he can see she's in the midst of a tangled mass of garbage and giving battle to a wave of mutant demons that are an even more tangled mass of fangs, claws and mismatched body parts.

Right at the end, Olethros gets a sense that there are other presences with her, older and greater than she, but that is all as the vision washes out and fades back to the dark of the mists.

[VonDoom]

A wide grin flashed as Olethros' witnessed the plight of the Dove, even as his vision was cut short by whatever celestial power resided within her magic weapon.

"Yes," he said aloud, his voice still hollow and echoing. "There she is. Above Onstrakker's next." The strange effect suddenly stopped as the undead pointed towards the impossibly large mountain to the south. "Right there, on top of this mountain of refuse, battling the endless forces of the Abbyss. A struggle as futile as it is doomed, but she has strong forces with her. They may be enough to ensure her survival, but I would not place much confidence in such a statement."

He turned around, his black cloak billowing with the rush of his own movement as the undead mastermind stepped closer towards the others. "I have seen her precise location. I'll take you there."

The evil arcanist held out his hand towards the others in what one might conceivably take for an inviting gesture, if it was done by anyone who wasn't Olethros.

Spoiler

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Olethros casts Greater Teleport, with the target being the area he just saw in his vision.

[Edge]

Haseid pauses for a moment before taking Olethros' proferred hand.

"Such a gentleman. Shar evidently taught you well."

[WhiteKnight777]

Keldor

Keldor snorted lightly at Haseid's comment, but in the interest of diplomacy he said nothing. Instead, he focused on gathering the powers of the Source to him, reaching out for that source of purity in this tainted place. Keldor had little patience for the Abyss - while he would freely admit that he was no paragon of morality, and that he saw the world in shades of gray rather than black and white, the Abyss, along with most of the lower planes, was different. While he had seen many strange things during his years on the planes, and while he knew that even among demons and devils there were occasional pariahs, the lower planes disgusted him. He had done awful things on occasion, but he liked to think he had good intentions.

Of course, he thought looking grimly around as the once-Chosen of Shar began to teleport them, he was sure there were plenty here who would have said the same.

Spoiler

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Keldor is readying his action to cast Time Stop when they pop out of the 'port, if things look immediately hostile on the other end.