Ishmael Mk III

[planswalker]

Great energy floods out of your body, sending a beam of power at the cat.

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congrats, that'll do it. Just barely, but it does.

[Monodominant]

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So attack roll and damage like last time I guess...

(1d20+14)[30] - crit (1d20+14)[28]
damage (36d6)[129] - crit (36d6)[112]

And...

IMAFIRINGMYLAZORZ!

The power of magic and raw force energy starts taking a clear form as Ishmael holding his breath concentrates it into a thin scalpel like edge.

And then he exhales as the power is released, raging towards the cat.

[planswalker]

Your force slices the cat into irregular halves, each half gushing flames. As the dreamscape closes in on you and you begin to awaken, the cat says, Impressive, mortal. Next time we wish to spar, I shall not play with you.

[Monodominant]

Yes, thats what I tell those that beat me... that I was going easy on them. he projects as he stirs in his bed.

Waking up Ishmael blinks twice and checks his body for bruising or other wounds that might have 'translated' from the dreamscape to his own body.

Are there any effects of a fight in the dreamscape? Exhaustion, psychosomatic pain, derangement or anything like that? he projects to the Cat assuming its still alive and answering.

[planswalker]

I am a cat. Playing with the prey when it is no true threat is in my nature. Congratulations, on the dreamscape of my mind, you are now considered a threat.

You awaken to a headache and a bit of fatigue but are otherwise unharmed.

You can feel its presence, but it seems a bit put off with you at the moment. He does not deign to reply.

[Monodominant]

Ishmael shakes his head to get rid of the headache and has a hearty breakfast.

He deserved some calm after the success of last night. He had defeated the blues, with the help of the clan off course, and the cat in its own turf.

After being satisfied with the breakfast he passes by Hagans store and grabs a crystal of reformation. He uses it to make some... changes that will prove useful in the future feeling the power of magic reform some experiences so that valuable lessons experiences become better learned and others... forgotten.

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Will do the reformation tonight and let you know what the changes are. The one sure thing is Leadership...

He then, taking all precautions, heads to find the boy messenger he had tasked with creating the beginning of a spy network. He does not waste time with the boy but simply gives it another 500 gold.

"You still dont need to do anything. You can keep 200 gold for yourself and you can give the remaining 300 gold to the others a signing up bonus. I would like them know me as generous with coin but let them know I will be as relentless and merciless to those that betray me as I am generous and faithful to those that serve me well".

And with those words of wisdom he will seek the sewers and return to the clan to watch the interrogation.

[planswalker]

The boy goggles at all the gold you hand him, but dutifully promises to do as you command. He does have one tip for you: "Jimmy long-ears heard from Max in Old Town who heard from the Sneaks in the Docks that Little Krusk heard that the Khan is starting to favor his crazy necromancer even more. The details are fuzzy, but apparently the hobgoblin necromancer who runs an arena down there is becoming the Khan's top hitman. The rumor is that he's out to single-handedly kill all the skulks. Anyways, just thought you might want to know about a new mage in the Slums who's becoming important. Maybe he could help you sometime if you need some magical might and can't do it legally."

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to be clear, Jimmy long-ears is part of your network, and the rest is rumor mill.

When you arrive in the sewers, the entire place is in an uproar. The red-cloaked priests are having a shouting match at each other in Infernal, and the Shadow Spider is standing in the midst of it all trying to restore order. The Ebon Blades are nowhere to be seen, but you have a vaguely foreboding sense that very deadly killers are nearby and, thankfully, not pointed at you.

[Monodominant]

Ishmael thanks the kid for the tip and nods.

"Yes... perhaps he would be useful." he says simply before departing.

Not knowing Infernal, Ishmael just observes for a while. He observes whomever the Shadow Spider seems to be the most annoyed with and he truly observes in his... special observation way.

Once he has determined how that person could more swiftly be dealth with he approaches the Shadow Spider.

"What seems to be the problem?"

[planswalker]

"It would appear that Shendrix betrayed us. A hobgoblin dreamwalker entered the dreamscape last night and made a bargain with Shendrix and that thrice-damned pact-making devil saw fit to uphold his end of it. Of course, since the redcloaks teach that Shendrix is the herald of the god who will give us our revenge, its betrayal is throwing them in an uproar."

[Monodominant]

Ishmael approaches closer and whispers to the man.

"As far as my... own demon tells me, Sphendix is just another agent of their master. It might have been helping the clan for years but its ultimat goal is soul collection... if the hobgoblin offered it enough souls in return I am not surprised at the betrayal and dont see why they are..." he then leans back and speaks.

"I guess its always a matter of if you want something done right, do it yourself... we kept no other prisoner and now we have no information as we wanted it. Perfect... So the hobgoblin and the goblin just managed to walk out of here?"

[planswalker]

"Well, yes, but we had a pact with it, and it has betrayed that pact as best I can see. What the priests are doing in between bouts of name-calling is trying to figure out how in the world Shendrix thinks that it has upheld its bargain with us by betraying us. The technical matters do get... complicated, but I'd thought I'd nailed the sucker down to prevent just this sort of thing." he whispers back.

One of the redcloaks drops from the shouting match and says to you with contempt. "I am sure it's beyond the understanding of a layman like you, but the dreamwalker spoke to Shendrix on the dreamscape and struck a bargain there. When their negotiations were done, Shendrix simply shifted the prisoner from its plane where it was being held to the dreamwalker's physical body."

[Monodominant]

Ishmael does not appreciate the tone. He grabs the redcloak from the scruff of the cloak and looks him in the eyes.

"Listen here you little prick. I came up with the intel on this goblins, I cam up with the idea of catching them, I was the bait for them to be caught and I drained 3 of their souls, I got some info from them and the Ebon Blades captured them. What did you do? You lost the one prisoner we had. You pray to Sphendix, you sacrifice things to Sphendix and you failed to control it.

And before you answer, know that my own Demon is fairly hungry right now and IT doesnt bargain with others... and you look pretty tasty to both of us..."

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(1d20+17)[28] intimidate

Regardless of the effect, though he hopes it was sufficiently scary, he looks around the room.

"So we have no soul and no body of the goblin? I understand having the spirit or soul escape in this silly dreamscape business but do we also not have its corpse to ask questions or any way for my own... Cat... to track it and kill it?"

[planswalker]

The priests eyes widen in fear as he recognizes you. When you drop him to the floor, the insolence has left him.

"It should have been impossible for Shendrix to have relinquished the goblin. The third article of the Fifth Covenant clearly states that the clan may entrust a prisoner into the care of the Pactmaker to ensure that it is secured for the clan's need, body, mind, and soul. It is ironclad!" one priest shouts.

"But the seventeenth article of the Second Covenant states that any open-ended alliances must be renewed every fortnight or they shall become void. That combined with the latter half of the subset on the eighth article of the Ninth Covenant allows us 24 hours to make a payment of souls after services are enabled before the contract is void. There is a gray area there where we have not paid for a service, yet one is being granted which wasn't foreseen in the Second Covenant." Another one responds.

"Enough!" the Shadow Spider bellows.

[Monodominant]

Ishmael takes in the stream of covenants, numbers and lawyer speak. He had no idea of those despite the fact that he tried, as a rule, to be consistent with his decisions, plans and behaviour.

When the Shadow Spider yells he turns to the elder skulk bowing his head and taking a step away from the red-cloak he skulk-handled.

[planswalker]

"All of you are ignoring a very important fact. What is the first article of the First Covenant?" the Shadow Spider continues.

As one, all the red-robes bow their heads and recite, "The Clans United shall work to bring about the coming of the White Lord. While this work stands, the pactmaker, Shendrix, shall do all in its power to bring the Shadow Spiders to power."

"This is the one central undeniable fact of the multitude of pacts we have made with Shendrix. So, then, can someone tell me how it is that the Shendrix saw fit to disregard its part of the First of the First?"

Sullen silence greeted him.

[Monodominant]

Ishmael unaware of all those details and regulations and uncertain if the silence is a matter of decorum or thought speaks up.

"As a new member to the clan I can only see two options... either this White Lord has come... or some of the former clans that became the Shadow Spiders have now different agendas and do not work towards that goal..."

[planswalker]

"Those are two of the three possible explanations, yes. Rather a good start for one not initiated into the full works. The other one is that Shendrix itself feels that what he has done is the best course of action to bring the clan to power. The first one you mentioned is not possible, as his only two agents in the world capable of opening a passage are Shendrix itself and the Devourer, neither of whom are powerful enough at this time to accomplish this. Besides, I doubt we'd not notice blinding light from the sky and the sudden, immediate death of every cleric of every god native to this world within the city. This means that either there is a rebellion in my midst that I am unaware of which has evaded my spies and has therefore enabled Shendrix to choose when to or not to uphold various other aspects of the treaties as it sees fit or that it has decided that it is now the guiding force in how the clan develops instead of me. None of the priests dare propose either theory, for if either one is true, the implications are that we will soon lose our power in this city."

[Monodominant]

Ishmael is surprised and almost left speechless by this.

"That... that... is an interesting possibility. I guess betrayal from inside might be preferable in that case. Still even if it is the second option that holds truth then Sphendrix is not omnipotent... it knows what it knows and plays its own games.

Regardless, cant the priests simply ask it? That would solve the problem no matter how painful the answer." he says trying to calm spirits down.

"If it proves that the demon does not consider us powerful enough to continue down the path then perhaps we shall look for another patron or make... a change in our aims..." he says considering this an opportunity to extinguish the greatest weakness he sees in the Skulks plans... their pathological and homocidal hatred for humans.

[planswalker]

"Normally, yes. However, Shendrix is not answering the queries, no matter how they are worded. I won't bore you with the details, but the only way that is possible is if either the pacts no longer apply or if such an answer threatens to unravel the clan if spoken of."

The Devourer intrudes a thought in your head: Hm... I need to speak to my cousin about this latest shenanigan. By ancient powers that bind the two of us to our very essence, he cannot deny me or my proxy a meeting in our capacity as harbingers.

[Monodominant]

Ishmael listens and nods. It was surprising to him that learned... skulks like the Shadow Spider and the priests had allowed space for 2 possible options to any contract...

Still he had to help the clan if possible.

"I am being told that maybe I can force it to answer... dont know how or why but apparently its possible. Is there a space the Sphendix resides that is NOT the dreamscape? I had one of those experiences already and as I am not the most imaginative of dreamers I am at a disadvantage there." he says calmly.

[planswalker]

"It does normally contact through dreams, yes, but it actually resides on the plane of shadow in this area. I take it the Devourer says it can force an answer?"

[Monodominant]

"It is also interested in learning why it has done what it has done, yes." Ishmael confirms.

"Plane of shadow is one thing... difficult perhaps but manageable and definetly better than the alternative... Any tips on how to deal with Sphendix? I know even less about it than about the Devourer..."

So how do we do it? he projects to the Devourer.

[planswalker]

"If you enter the plane of shadows from within the sewers, you will not have difficulty finding Shendrix at all. My biggest piece of advice is that Shendrix is by its very nature a bargainer and a deal broker. It has never broken a contract with anything, and it is always willing to negotiate something if it can. However, be warned: it has been brokering deals since long before Aldhaven was even a warren of kobold tunnels on the edge of an undeveloped wilderness."

Since you are my agent in the mortal realm, merely invoke our shared devotion to the White Lord when speaking to it, and it is bound to speak with you concerning matters related to our shared goal. This actually was a pact enacted between us at the behest of the White Lord so that Shendrix could keep an eye on me to ensure I do not get out of hand. It will be quite satisfying to turn it around on him.

[Monodominant]

"That might be an issue for me... but still I guess using simple language and short questions does not allow for much loopholing... as for bargaining... from what the Devourer tells me, their pact works still so I hope I wont have to offer up anything to such a creature... and seeing as they are allies I will need to seriously annoy it for it to harm me..." he says trying to sound courageous.

"There is one thing though... how do I cross to the Plane of Shadow?"

To the Cat he projects.

Good, I hope I will give you some pleasure while pushing him to answer my questions... as compensation for making you feel bad and beaten. Is there anything more I should know about dealing with it?

[planswalker]

the promise of a bargain can manipulate it to do anything, but be very careful about what you actually agree to. It ALWAYS collects its debts.

"We can send you over with a simple ritual here, since we are in a place of darkness where the veil between the two has been worn thin."

[Monodominant]

"And I hoped to take it easy today..." he mutters.

Considering if he really had to solve this problem as well Ishmael frowned. Where was time for himself? Vessel to the Devourer, secret dagger for the Duchess, pawn for Edistris, problem-solver for the Clan... what about his own hopes of how he could enjoy all he worked for?

He shook his head and stilled his mind.

"Very well... lets get on with it. Also... I hope there is a way for me to turn of my own free will right?"

[planswalker]

"There are places where one can more easily travel from shadow to material. Or you can negotiate with Shendrix."

If nothing else, from the plane of shadows, I can drag you to my lair, and from there you can return through the dream plane.

[Monodominant]

"Negotiate with the ancient spirit of plotting... ok... will keep that in mind" he said bitterly.

"Very well. Lets begin that ritual then..." addressing the gathered skulks.

[planswalker]

Two of them pull out pieces of charcoal and inscribe a double circle with symbols in between around you. A half-dozen words later, you are staring at a murky, shadowy version of the sewers. Slimy ebon tendrils cover the walls and ceiling.

[Monodominant]

"Well that was easy... I wonder if I can simply try and enter places I want by doing that ritual and sidestepping..." Ishmael ponders as he looks around.