Evil Takes a Stand IC

[The_Admiral]

Look, armies this size are not, no can not be led by a single man, you need hundreds of sub-generals to run it. Also, to have an army with thousands of fighters, you need an even larger legion of cooks, accountants, blacksmiths and healers following them. With an army like this, cutting off the head won't do us any good, for this army will be able to continue on the sheer bureaucratic inertia generated by it's raising. Therefore the best course of action is to destroy this Inquisition making it possible for us to lay low as it passes over our heads. Clinton say's playing with a king in his hand.
He continues saying It seems like a smaller target and without it, the army is blind.

[Daimbert]

Aegon

After listening quietly for a few minutes, Aegon chimes in. "While this may not be an option for you demonic entities, perhaps we mortals need not continue to try a failed strategy. It seems that armies have not worked, but you have given precious little evidence that the army is not open to more ... accomodating approaches. I know that for myself curtailing my activities to those that would not draw the ire of these 'do-gooders' would be annoying, but infinitely more practical than taking on an entire army. And if we demonstrate a willingness to accomodate in at least some sense, we would be able to draw on the forces of those who are neutral morally and even those who are good who would find this ruthlessness unseemly, and thus gain far more in terms of support and forces than we could normally. Ideally, we need to use the zeal of this army against them; that sort of notion is, as you have said, extreme and so will garner negative reactions from those who are not so extreme as long as we do not demonstrate those actions justified."

[LittleCarp04]

Darvin paces around the room as if trying to wrack his brain for a solution, "I am with Clinton. We should strike at this Inquisition and destroy them before they can alert the army to our presense. But something else has been bothering me..." Darvin turns to the group and then looks to Martinet, "Who are you that some so called devil lords daughter would defer to your leadership? Why would you even need our help at all? Powerful though we no doubt are, we would be paltry compared to those of your power, I am not such a fool as to not see that obvious truth."

[Sneaky Weasel]

Martinet grabs a bottle of wine, swigging from it with relish. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he shakes his head wearily.
"You're failing to take the big picture into account. Even if the army passes by and you escape it's notice, what then? If the entire continent is ruled by the forces of good, what then? You want to live the rest of your lives hiding on the fringes of communities, scrounging a living away from those who would hunt you down? Or masquerading eternally, never able to show your true face? No! This is not the life you should lead. It's time to show these self-righteous bastards that you wont give in. I agree that the inquisition is the priority for now, but the whole army needs to be stopped. If they win, then everyone will follow their example. The whole world will fall under their sway. You can't hide forever, my friends. It's you who should rule this world, not the paladin scum."
He grins as Darvin questions him, he points to himself innocently.
"Me, powerful? Hardly, I'm sure that any of you could best me in a battle. My true power is in my mind, and my voice. But there's a good reason why we can't interfere with this. If the armies of Hell start interfering in a mortal war, you think the Celestials are going to stand by and watch? No, they'll join in too. And if they join, the Slaads and the forces of Chaos will attempt to seize power from Heaven, and the lords of Law will try to keep balance by eliminating the Slaads. If Hell interferes, it turns into total planer war. Thus, we must act through mortals such as yourself."

[The_Admiral]

Good point but you missed out one think, as you said the can not get every single person and with the inquisition gone, this army will be akin to a forest fire clearing the way for new growth.

[LittleCarp04]

Darvin thinks on Martinet's words and nods his head, "Very well, I can't say that the prospect of destroying an army of those fools is not invigorating. When and how should we begin? I am ready always, and about the refreshments you offered, might you have any strong women here that you don't mind being returned somewhat... 'damaged'?"

[Lyndworm]

When Martinet mentions the masquerade, Veriz can't help but allow a sly smile to spread across his face. Still, the silver-haired man remains silent until his chess partner makes his own suggestion. "You're right, of course, my chum, but I'd rather not be cleared away like so much brush. I'm not exactly a woodsman, but an aging fool can tell you that it's the old what gets burned up." Looking rather proud of himself, Veriz locks eyes with the creature in the skin of an orc before continuing. "Everything you've said makes sense, and I've neither evidence nor reason to refute it... with the exception that you couldn't win a fight. Maybe Fancypants or I could take you, and the kid's kind of creepy," he says, before jerking a thumb at Fulvio. "But this guy? The bookworm? C'mon, I've seen centipedes that weigh more than him. You could do it, don't sell yourself short. At least, not as short as he is."

[Darklady2831]

Amnun chuckles. "Martinet, what of the Pact Primeval? Doesn't it stipulate that if a mortal sells their soul for a certain service, that the forces of hell are contractually obligated to fulfill that service." He gestures to a servant who brings him a scroll. "I say, that we need to fight them on two fronts. The army needs to be dealt with, obviously. And the Inquisition must be halted. So, I say, that we gather together our own army, and plant infiltrators within the inquisition... To take these worms down, we'll need both brute force, and subtlety."

[Daimbert]

Aegon

Aegon looked at all of them. "It seems to me that this is turning into an ideological war ... and I have little interest in that sort of ideology. Fight if you wish; I would prefer to simply keep a low profile or, barring that, let the servants of Oghma protect me; I've been useful enough to him in the past that I'm sure he won't mind. Unless you have something to offer me beyond simple ideology?"

[The_Admiral]

Clinton moves next to the fire, warming his hands. He cracks his knuckles and yawns, closing his eyes momentarily as the discussion rolls over the room. His eyes opened as Amnun said, our own army. After Amnun finishes speaking, he say's Raise an army? Where can we get one? Armies aren't found around every corner, Do we even have the resource to hire one? A small band of mercenaries cost around five hundred gold for a single job. Imagine how many we have to hire to counter the army. as he waves his hands about in an overly dramatic fashion.

[LittleCarp04]

"I say kill the Inquisition now, and worry about the army once it loses its brain. Sure it may still be an army, but with no direction it will be much easier to end their nuisance."

Darvin sits in a char and begins to pick out his teeth with what seem to be claws on the end of his fingers.

[Dire Reverend]

Celeste's expression had been one of a bored child, with her only half-listening to the conversation at hand. (The flooring of this new place was more interesting). Suddenly, Celeste's eyes widen. "Ooh! I gotta idea! What if we get those inquisitors tricked into slaughtering the wrong people, and have everyone hate them for being mean?" She looks enthusiastically at her new comrades.

[Sneaky Weasel]

Martinet listens as you debate your course of action. At Veriz's comment, he shrugs, as if to say that his own ability in combat is a matter of supreme indifference to him. When Amnun speaks, inquiring as to the Pact, he nods thoughtfully.
"What you say is true, although we are free to exploit all the loopholes we can find. However, most mortals who attempt to make pacts ask for considerably less than 'destroy an army of Good'. And mortals can pray to the Angels as well, so the less we interfere the better."
He continues to listen, his eyes narrowing in thought.
"I agree that both sides of the army must be dealt with using separate methods, and infiltration would be a good tactic- Except that the Inquisition is designed to spot evil, and it would be extraordinary hard to hide within their ranks. If it could be done, this would be a viable course of action."

Aegon chimes in, expressing a distaste for the whole idea. At this, Glasya enters the discussion.
"If this is what you wish, we cannot stop you. However, as you will all be working for our best interest, you will be given any reward we can provide if you succeed, as well as the respect of Hell itself, a thing not lightly given. As a collector of knowledge, I am sure that you will not pass up this opportunity." She smiles lopsidedly.

As Clinton brings up his worries, Dhazda replies for the first time.
"You wouldn't have to hire anyone. There are plenty of people who would resist the army anyway. All you have to do is unite them under one leader, and you have an army. Anyone who understands the danger would be a fool not to join you." He lapses into silence, head rocking back and forth. Darvin then speaks once more, and is answered by Martinet.
"Unfortunately, Darvin, the army would be far from useless if the Inquisition is removed. As of now, however, you are right in thinking of it as the lesser threat." He smiles as the undead child presents her opinion. "The only problem with your plan is that if the Inquisition has one thing that they are better at then finding evil, it is making sure that even if they inadvertently kill an innocent, everyone will still think that they were right about him. If the Inquisition kills someone, then he is evil by definition." He stares moodily into the distance, swishing his wine around in his bottle.

[Darklady2831]

Amnun suddenly smiles wide, a smile that only comes when an idea of great malevolence and deceit is formed. "Make them kill their leader..." He says. "Make them think that their leader is evil, use powerful magic to deceive the inquisition into cutting off it's own head..."

[LittleCarp04]

Darvin thinks on Amnun's idea, "I like that but then how do I get to kill any holy warriors? Malar demands their blood, and its just plain fun!"

Darvin feels comfortable enough that he removes his sword from his waist and takes some food and drink from the table. He obviously doesn't care much for manners and begins shoveling food and drink into himself, "Hey, thish ishn't have bad... What else you got?"

[Darklady2831]

Amnun chuckles, turning to Darvin. "As we've been saying, this is a problem too big for one kill to solve. Whilst we may slow or even halt the inquisition, there's still the army to deal with. There will be no shortage of bloodshed for you." Motioning to a servant, Amnun gesture to Darvin. "Get him any food he wants, that we have."

Amnun then sips from a goblet of wine in front of him. "No, if we can use the Inquisition's own methods against it, then we'll have cut off one of the army's arms. Without that, they'll be less effective. That should pave the way for both rebellion within conquered lands, and a full force opposition in the free lands."

[Sneaky Weasel]

"Fooling the Inquisition into destroying itself from within might very well work, and it would be poetic justice at it's finest. It would be difficult, but well worth the effort." Martinet swigs from his bottle and belches loudly, grinning at the look of disgust Glasya throws him. Ignoring the orc, she turns to Darvin.
"It seems to me that some among you would be better suited to infiltrating the Inquisition, well others, yourself included, would be best in harrying the army and leading a force against it directly. Perhaps it would be best to attack on two fronts, splitting you up by your abilities."
She frowns, and turns suddenly to Aegon.
"I'm sorry, I forgot to give you your book. I believe it will be to your satisfaction." She hands him a large book, bound in red leather. The title, in spindly black lettering, is The Fiendish Histories: A Discourse on Hell.

[Dire Reverend]

Celeste looks at Glasya. "Which team can I be on?"

[The_Admiral]

Clinton paces around saying, It seems like I have to avoid the infiltrator role even though I seem like the only one with something resembling a conscious here. pausing for a while while finishing that sentence.

[Lyndworm]

"...Why would having a conscience make you a better spy and manipulator?" asks Veriz. "I'm barely aware of the concept, and I've done alright."

[The_Admiral]

Clinton scratches his chin and answersHmmm, lets see, how about knowing how the hell to react on seeing an atrocity? This kind of reaction is natural and from my experience, cannot be faked.

[Lyndworm]

"That's because your experiences didn't include me until tonight. Please, allow me to demonstrate..." Veriz clears his throat, displaying an obvious flare for the dramatic. "This... This is terrible! In the name of all that is holy, and the thousand gods of Miresi, what monster could've done this?!" Turning a blank stare to Clinton, the actor asks "How was that? Too over-the-top?"

Spoiler

Show

Howabout a Bluff check to show that Veriz can, in fact, feign just about anything he wants to feign?

DC 32.

[Daimbert]

Aegon

Aegon accepts the book with a nod of acknowledgement, but no other visible emotion. He is, however, pleased both with the book and with the satisfaction of the debt. To that end, his attitude moderates slightly, and he thus chimes in, "In that case, let us talk about the plan and any division of work. However, once that's done, we shall need to discuss more ... specific payment before I commit to this endeavour."

The last he directs at Glasya specifically.

"I am no general, and my use as the head of an army would be limited at best. That would seem to leave me on the infiltration team, although I suspect my acting skills are not quite up to the standards of ... some others. In this plan, I am so far not quite seeing what role I could play effectively."

[Sneaky Weasel]

Glasya smiles at Celeste. "Well, I feel you would be better at engaging the army directly, as I don't see that the Inquisition would accept a child into their midst."
As Clinton raises his question of conscious, Martinet raises an eyebrow.
"Any 'atrocities' witnessed well working with the Inquisition would by performed by the Inquisition itself, in all probability. They would not hire someone who is overly squeamish." He watches Veriz's display with amusement. "I can see that you would be particularly well suited to taking down those bastards from within."
As they are conversing, Aegon accepts his book and questions Glasya. She gives a thoughtful look before replying.
"I have to admit that while we do know that all of you are powerful, and have your own unique skills, we are not quite sure on the specifics of what you can accomplish. Perhaps you could all enlighten us as to what abilities you do posses? In your case, Aegon, I know you are a pursuer of knowledge, which may be the key to winning this war."

[Lyndworm]

"Oh, very well, then." says Veriz to Glasya. "It's not like I haven't wanted to show you guys, it's just that I don't normally do it on the first date, is all..." With a heavy sigh, a bit more than an annoyed breath leaves the man's body. Veriz shrinks by at least a foot in height, his hair darkens to a midnight black, and his entire body shifts proportions. Simultaneously, Veriz's simple clothes morph into an impractically tight and elaborately patterned green dress, though his leather vest remains unchanged. When it's done, the voluptuous young high elf clears her throat before speaking, in perfect, sultry Elven, "What do you think, boys? And also a couple girls, I guess?" She can totally pull of the vest. "That's not all!" Veriz exclaims in Common, using the more familiar, more masculine voice. "I can also do children, dwarves, orcs, halflings, gnomes, goblins, and a bunch of stuff most of you've probably never seen. So... pretty much anything worth being, really." The shapeshifter examines its handiwork while it pretends not to notice the others' reactions.

Spoiler

Show

This is just Veriz's augmented racial Minor Shape Change ability, which he can pull off as a Move action, coupled with his Vestment of Many styles, which is activated as a Standard action.

[The_Admiral]

Clinton steps away from Veriz, more than a little creep-ed out saying Okay, that's creepy. I need to forget that ever happened.

[Sneaky Weasel]

Martinet gives his widest grin yet.
"That is brilliant. I've never seen a mortal who could change their shape so completely at will. Guess I need to get out more."
Glasya nods approvingly. "I can see we made a good choice in drawing you here. I only hope the rest of you can prove so useful." She turns an inquiring gaze to the others.

[The_Admiral]

Clinton takes out a pawn from his pouch and discretely rolls it behind Glasya and activates it. A mechanical soldier appears behind Glasya standing at attention. As it activates, Clinton says This good enough?

[Dire Reverend]

"You've seen my pretty bow can change my appearance from living to not-living." She extends her claws an extra five feet. "I can get people faaaar away from me." She grins sinisterly. "My most favorite power of mine is the ability to drain and consume to souls of those who I hit with my claws." after a moment of silence, her eyes widen. "Oh, I almost forgot! Spellcasters tell me that when they cast dead people magic it becomes stronger or something."

[Daimbert]

Aegon

Aegon replied to Glasya, "I have some small skill in that area, yes." Careful observation would reveal that he was almost amused.

Aegon noted the tricks and filed them away for future reference, in case he needed it. But other than that, he watched in silence.