TABLE 2: Evil Party for custom DarkSun game [IC]

[Marcarius5555]

In the unfathomable depths beneath the Free City of Tyr, acrid smoke bellows forth ceaselessly from the Pit of Aghrabahn. The uncountable flames that feed this caustic exhaust offer an ominous hint of the Pit's terrible nature, for the fires which rage inimitably, absent kindling or the vivifying encouragement of any terrestrial breeze, possess a color not encountered in any natural holocaust. Indeed, they flash forth in a guttering torrent of midnight and sickly tendrils of an luminescent serpentine green, as if the hallucinogenic lime green natural to the belly of a poisonous ophidian had been distilled into a effervescent light within the pitch tendrils of the roaring black inferno. Day and night, without beginning of years or end of days, the fires of this terrible gulch have smoldered without pause, a hidden memorial to the great power which slumbers fitfully beneath the teeming city, unbeknownst to all but the wisest of its inhabitants.

In the depths of the Pit sleeps the terrible form of the xxyth lord known alternatively as the Mother of the Deeps or the Shadefather, among many other, similarly foreboding epithets. This powerful entity is the greatest of a race of ravagers born of the very stuff of chaos, given birth by the departed creator god of Athas, the Grand Architect Temulea. Driven to a blind rage by the betrayal of his divine children, who stole the marvelous artifact know as the Daegir, the Grand Architect resolved to punish His work by submerging it once more in the chaos and deluge from which it came.

And so He raised forth the xxyth from the darkness of his rage, twisted abominations birthed from the formlessness and void of non existence, and they arose from the lightless abysses of the northern oceans to consume the world.

Koulan Tyr, the great city of the Creator's chosen children, an enigmatic race of beings known as the mistji whose very bodies were said to be made of Temulea's light, was among the numberless habitations of mortals devoured in the apocalyptic war which destroyed the young world of Athas. Endless hordes of xxyth encompassed the sprawling city which lies beneath the deepest layer of the high tell upon which resides the current settlement recently renamed the 'Free City'. The ravening tide of the xxyth laid low the many wonders of Koulan Tyr created by the mistji -- dispelling the wall of mist which surrounded the city's vast reaches, far larger than those of the Free City and toppling the Star Tower Khalon Yatyr, among other acts of destruction.

However, in their hour of greatest plight, the most powerful of the mistji arcanists wove a mighty incantation to immobilize the xxyth lord who led the assault, and so the abomination came to rest in a pit deep beneath the isle upon which once stood the Star Tower Khalon Yatyr. The isle was hidden by a veil of enchantment, and forgotten in the millennia that followed. One city after another rose on the bones of Koulan Tyr -- the halfling canal city of Ty'ragi in the Blue Age, the Green Age metropolis of Tyre, guided by the wisdom of its druidic rulers, the enslaved city state of Tyr, conquered by the upstart defiler Kalak, a former disciple of the Red King Hamanu who had resolved to make himself the equal of the original Champions of Rajaat, and, last, and most recently, the Free City that has emerged with the death of Kalak only a few months past.

The years have passed, but the Pit still burns, awaiting the day when the Hands of the Maker, the hidden cult which serves the Grand Architect of Athas, arises to claim the city for its rightful masters. The Hands have long plotted in their vast domains beneath the Free City, though their power was once held in check by the power of Kalak and his Templars, who frequently dispatched forces to the far reaches of Under Tyr to prevent the increase of the cult's influence. But the sorcerer-king's recent death has opened a yawning vacuum within the under reaches of Tyr, and now the Hands of the Maker find themselves free to pursue their intended destiny, to awake their sleeping master and reclaim the city, and eventually subjugate the entire world to the power of its rightful rulers.

The passing of Kalak has also witnessed upheavals within the orders of the Hands. Until recently, they were ruled by the Greater and Lesser Councils, comprising the Right and Left Hand of Temulea. However, these ruling conclaves were disbanded and slaughtered during the tumultuous events of the Night of Unsheathed Knives, when the enigmatic entity known only as the Nightingale descended into the depths, heralded by her Speaker, the twisted nethermancer know as Anapatore Grasagh. The Nightingale, a masked entity concealed in a voluminous azure robe, its visage hidden beneath the sheer surface of a white mask with feminine features, has installed herself as the new leader of the Hands. She claims to have enjoyed a renewed communion with the sleeping xxyth lord that has not been achieved in eons, and to have been given the task of performing the dreadful rites that will reawaken the sleeping abomination.

And so her Speaker, for the Nightingale does not communicate directly with her followers, has issued orders to the Hands. In the last several months, they have united many of the disparate powers of Under Tyr, chief among them the largest of the Slaver Clans. The slavers have begun to raid the surface city for the sacrifices necessary to awaken the Mother of the Deeps. The Nightingale has also effected a treaty with the White Gnomes, a forsaken race of twisted fey who inhabit the deep reaches of Athas known as the Worm Holds.

Among the allies of the Hands of the Maker is the cult of Ta'amtum, a society of malcontents from the Red and Terrible City of Urik who have made their way to the Free City to commune with the leviathan Tiamat or Ta'amtum, who they identify with the xxyth lord known as the Mother of the Deeps.

In days of yore, in the Red and Terrible City of Urik, the Society of the Resolute, known also as the Cult of Ta'amtum, served with valor in the legions of the metropolis, defending it against the terrors of the Demon Waste which sprawls beside the realm of Hamanu, the Lawgiver. Built on the bones of a Godbeast, one of the original creations of Temulea, the departed Grand Architect of Athas, the Cult of Ta'amtum venerated the remains of the great monster, deifying it as the bride and daughter of the Grand Architect.

After the Fourth Jihad against the Daemonborne of the wastes, the Cult was viciously extirpated from Urik by a plot among their rivals in the legions of the sorcerer-king. It was whispered that their loyalty to the daughter of the Grand Architect was greater than that to their monarch, her conqueror and heir.

And so they were cast out to wander the wastes of Athas until they heard the siren call of the xxyth lord that sleeps beneath the Free City of Tyr, the entity they now accept as the nightmare or soul of the Founding Wyrm Ta'amtum.

When they arrived in the vast underworks of the city, they were shepherded to the Pit of Ahgranbahn, many tens of miles beneath the earth, where the sleeping abomination rests.

The time of the return draws nigh, and now the councils of the Hands and their allies gather beneath the earth to enact the next stage of their grand stratagem.

The Nightingale hovers ominously above the fires of the Pit, issuing ear-splitting harmonic emanations at regular intervals, the import of which only Anapatore appears to discern. The pustule-ridden face of the dark-cloaked Speaker squints in recognition as he addresses those gathered within the Pit.

"Her Sublime Serenity, the Nightcaller of the Mother of the Deeps, has received valuable intelligence from her communion with the mind of our Great and Terrible Mistress, the First Handmaiden of the Age That Was and Is to Come. She has invaded the dreams of the pathetic hedge mages of the Veiled Alliance, and thereby discerned the location of several of their purported safehouses throughout the city."

"It is time to announce our presence, and annihilate a particularly troublesome redoubt of our enemies. On an island within the Ephrathra River which runs from the tip of Lake Ba'al Yammim and through the heart of the Free City stands an enclave which purports to be a new-founded kārvānsarāy of the mountain town of Amlitkayek, an ancient settlement in the Ringing Mountains established on the ruins of a flame shrine that dates to the Blue Age, and which was associated with the halfling city of Ty'ragi. The emissaries of Amlitkayek, claiming to have descended from the heights on the direction of the Holders of the Flame, the council who rules the village, visited Tithian in the Golden Tower in the weeks following Kalak's death. They purported to seek new opportunities for their settlement in the wake of Kalak's fall, having been restrained from fully exploiting the resources of their mine of blood obsidian because of restrictions placed by the previous regime. They wish to re-establish themselves within both Tyr and the rest of the Tablelands."

"But this is a ruse, for the emissaries are in fact members of the Veiled Alliance who required a cover story to establish a new base of operations in the heart of the city. They call rue the day..."

"Tonight, we shall begin the first movements of the Reclamation, and wipe this redoubt of sniveling meddlers from the Free City!"

[Stevesciguy]

Towering over many of the others in the room, he deep red skin of Kusarikku's face splits with a wide grin. It had been much too long since he was given the opportunity to do what he did best. He had only been guarding the would-be sacrifices, whom he could not touch, for their purpose was greater than to be his own amusement.

"You shall hear the screams from here."

With a sharp whistle, Kusarikku summons his pet, an immense inix, twisted by his hellish magic. The creature had simply appeared one day, and Kusarikku declined to say where it had come from. The beast was as savage and cruel as its master, and none were foolish enough to try to separate the two.

"Is there anything else that need be done, or are we to simply eliminate them?"

[Marcarius5555]

Towering over many of the others in the room, he deep red skin of Kusarikku's face splits with a wide grin. It had been much too long since he was given the opportunity to do what he did best. He had only been guarding the would-be sacrifices, whom he could not touch, for their purpose was greater than to be his own amusement.

"You shall hear the screams from here."

With a sharp whistle, Kusarikku summons his pet, an immense inix, twisted by his hellish magic. The creature had simply appeared one day, and Kusarikku declined to say where it had come from. The beast was as savage and cruel as its master, and none were foolish enough to try to separate the two.

"Is there anything else that need be done, or are we to simply eliminate them?"

Anapatore spreads his hands, each tipped in a jagged black nail, in a capacious gesture. This seemingly innocent motion gathers his voluminous black robes into an undulating torrent which seems to writhe with a tormented energy as it pools around the arcanist's slender body, continuing to move with the wracked motion of a dark sea as its wearer speaks again,

"Faithful One, the Nightingale requires not only the spilling of their blood, but the capture of one of their number, a special soul whose blood is sought by the Mother of the Deeps. This chosen sacrifice is Estherel, a shape changer who may assume the form of a lioness. Beware her power, but be sure to return her alive to the Pit so that her ichors may feed our Sleeping Lord."

[Heavenblade]

A red serpent, his eyes glowing in green, rises in the middle of the crowd, and then, in one swift move, transform into a bowing halfling. he raises his head and smiles, his lips open in an unnatural way that show his immense jaws and teeth. his eyes glowing in the same sickening-green color, and each of his fingers end with a sharp claw.

I assure you, holy one, We shall bring her back. when I am done with her, she will beg to be sacrificed to our masters in the darkness.

The halfling rises, salutes with his battle-rod, and then leaps backwards and transforms into a red hawk with the same burning eyes, flying to the dark ceiling and transforming back into a halfling, casually hanging from one of the cavern's stalactites, his burning gaze piercing through the room like a blade through a piece of parchment.

[Warlawk]

Gre

Gre listens from his place near the edge of the chamber, anyone paying close attention would notice that his head is cocked at an angle indicating he is listening intently... to a voice not emanating from the speaker. He seems to nod shallowly, almost more of a tic, though not at appropriate times. Chitinous legs clatter against the floor in rhythm, one might even say excitement, as his bladed tail weaves behind his head.

The massive man tucks his front legs beneath the bulk of his glistening black lower body sketching a surprisingly well executed, if somewhat shallow, bow. As he moves toward the exit his torso is held at a slight angle as if leaning to be closer to someone speaking beside him as they walk, his head occasionally moving in that slight tic of a nod, acknowledging the words. His hand grips and twists on the haft of his massive obsidian polearm, anticipating bathing it in the blood of... well, anyone really, but enemies this night in glorious service to his mistress.

[Genth]

A soft hand caresses the chitinous shoulder of the scorpionlike monster, a whisper coming through the shadows to his ear. "Blood will come soon, my darling Girtablullu, very soon." the voice says before the presence falls away to nothing.

A small rise about thirty feet ahead of where Anapator speaks is left alone, a small gap left around it for the small, innocuous-looking creature who sits atop it, cross legged and smirking... well, apparently smirking. When it comes to the 'Exalted Serpent' Musmahhu, it's impossible to say what he's really doing. Today he appears as a shrouded figure, almost - though not quite - in mockery of Anapator's appearance, save that his face is smooth - utterly smooth, a vague face-shaped surface with two bright, glitteringly violet eyes, and a pantomime-smile painted on its lower surface, the grimacing smirk of a skeleton.

Musmahhu had always been... strange, and in the new order of the Nightingale, his position is... curious. Just as Anapator is the speaker for the Nightingale, Mahu is speaker for the Great Dragon, the leader of the Cult of Ta'amtum, and a complete unknown. Whispers abound about the Exalted Serpent assisting in the Nightingale's rise to power, and certainly a few.. choice foes were ended at the hands of the Cult's more... esoteric members. At any rate, he is afforded latitudes of respect that no others would dare breach, speaking to Anapator as a colleague, as a peer.

A strange, high-pitched giggle echoes around the chamber as Musmahhu raises a finger. "It would appear, Reverend Speaker, that the Cult of Ta'amtum has graciously volunteered itself for this task, one we are... enthralled to enact for our Mistress." The difference in theology, another strangely permitted sticking point between the two. "Their blood will coat the walls in symbols confounding and frightening, and their pitiful psyches will be imprinted upon the very landscape." he continues, standing and bowing grandiosely. "My fellow Children of the Saltwater, we shall gather in my villa to... refine our plans."

[Gunhaven]

A corpse of a Thri-Kreen stirred before it stood up in a series of jerking motions. It then took two shaky steps forward before leaping towards the call for duty, blinking it’s multifaceted eyes as it appeared to listen to what the others were saying. For a moment it remained still, almost as if it had returned to being just another corpse, before it stirred and attempted a bow of it’s own. The movements were unnatural and only helped add to the reality that it wasn’t really a monstrous humanoid any longer.

For a second the animating force left the body like a howl of hot wind that echoed through the chamber. It’s voice was that of a sandstorm, not of the chittering insect that it used, as it said ”What kind of prey will we be hunting, Tekchakak? We wish to be effective with the slaughter straight away instead of wait for the dead to fall.” Perhaps because of it’s common body, the memory that spawned it into this moist world, or some tic but still it referred to both Anapatore and Musmahhu in the same way it would any other guide and protector for the Clutch.

It then turned more properly to Musmahhu and seemed to process what the small creature said. Then, in the same voice, it added ”It will all return to dust and blow away. It matters not where we talk, Tekchakak. We wish to see this building and these smooth skins to harvest is all.” It almost seemed disinterested in the entire moment.

[Marcarius5555]

The 'Great Dragon' Ušumgallu, enigmatic patriarch of the Cult of Ta'amtum hovers slightly above the ground, his voluminous, if tattered, black robes billowing in the strange force generating by the roaring inferno within the Pit of Aghrabahn. Like the Nightingale, the Great Dragon's visage is concealed beneath a mask, in this case a bleached skull. Also like its counterpart within the Hands of the Maker, the mysterious entity does not commune directly with its followers, but instead directs the Cult of Ta'amtum through its own representative, the diminutive black Gnome called Mušmaḫḫū.

After Anapatore has finished speaking, some dread communion passes between the Great Dragon and Mušmaḫḫū,

Spoiler: Mušmaḫḫū: Telepathy

Show

The immense power of the Great Dragon's voice resounds like a storm within the gnome's head, threatening to collapse the cavity of his skulls with it's awful force:

"THE MOTHER OF MONSTERS DESIRES ALSO THE BLOOD OF THESE MEDDLERS. MY WILL IS ABOVE AND BEYOND THAT OF THOSE WHO PRAY TO THE BUILDER WHO SLEEPS AND HEEDS NOT THEIR VOICES OR THEIR DREAMS. THE WARREN TO WHICH YOU ARE DISPATCHED BY THE SLAVES OF A SLEEPING AND UNCARING GOD HAS ALSO A TREASURE WHICH I DESIRE TO POSSESS. THE LIBRARY OF THE HEDGE MAGES OF THE ALLIANCE CONTAINS A TABLET WHICH DESCRIBES THE MEANS OF ENTERING THE VOID, AND I MUST GRASP THIS KNOWLEDGE IN MY HAND. YOU, MY LOYAL SPEAKER, MUST PLACE THIS SACRED TOME INTO MY HANDS, AND TOGETHER WE SHALL ATTAIN A MIND NEAREST TO THE VOID, AND BRING MANY MINDS THITHER UNTO IT."

[Genth]

The Gnome flinches, but manages to control his illusion, giving no hint to the force of his Master's message. Eyes flicker, briefly, towards the form of Usumgallu, before snapping back towards Anapator. "It still strikes me as odd that our, heh, 'gracious' Lord Tithian would be unaware of this infiltration attempt. Hoping to step on a few toes, Speaker? We could play some delightful games with the sheep by say, making the murder appear to be at another's hand..." he muses, appearing to relax ever so slightly. The pantomime face on his glamour shifts, becoming a smirk with a raised eyebrow. "Perhaps a discussion for less formal gatherings." he adds.

Silently, his voice responds to the booming invective within his head.

Spoiler: Ušumgallu: Telepathy Response

Show

I hear thee and obey, oh right-hand of Destruction. The will of THE MOTHER will be done. What fate doth thou desire for the sacrifice? Our alliance demands we hand her to the singer, but... there may well be a few precious hours for my whispers, if there be a use for them...

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Bluff to feign against the YELLING IN MY BRAIN EAR!

(1d20+35)[53]

[Marcarius5555]

The illegible keening of the Nightingale suddenly pauses, and, apparently responding to the untranslatable instruction, Anapatar concludes the convocation,

"Go forth, heralds of the new dawn, go forth in power and deliver unto the inhabitants of this city a sign of its true masters!"

[Marcarius5555]

The Gnome flinches, but manages to control his illusion, giving no hint to the force of his Master's message. Eyes flicker, briefly, towards the form of Usumgallu, before snapping back towards Anapator. "It still strikes me as odd that our, heh, 'gracious' Lord Tithian would be unaware of this infiltration attempt. Hoping to step on a few toes, Speaker? We could play some delightful games with the sheep by say, making the murder appear to be at another's hand..." he muses, appearing to relax ever so slightly. The pantomime face on his glamour shifts, becoming a smirk with a raised eyebrow. "Perhaps a discussion for less formal gatherings." he adds.

Silently, his voice responds to the booming invective within his head.

Spoiler: Ušumgallu: Telepathy Response

Show

I hear thee and obey, oh right-hand of Destruction. The will of THE MOTHER will be done. What fate doth thou desire for the sacrifice? Our alliance demands we hand her to the singer, but... there may well be a few precious hours for my whispers, if there be a use for them...

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Bluff to feign against the YELLING IN MY BRAIN EAR!

[roll0]

The Nightingale's speaker has apparently not deigned to acknowledge the gnome's concern regarding the possible surveillance of the caravanserai which hosts the Alliance cell.

However, another member of the Hands, a confidant of Mahu from the days before the ascendancy of the Nightingale, inclines her elfin visage, the grey long locks of her voluminous hair spilling out beneath a cowl the color of the morning mist. It is Kantila Greeve, a half elven oracle whose pupiless white orbs have witnessed many of the same horrors opened to the gnome's mind.

"Yours is not an empty worry, Speaker of the Great Dragon, for it is not questioned that King Kalak restrained the power of the One who Sleeps Below, and that his 'earth watchers' -- the Iyrinha'aretzim never ceased to trouble our halls and the warrens of our allies during his long reign. What means to you propose, old friend, to confront or put aside the attentions of the sorcerer-king's former deputy and his 'Grand Council' of meddlers?"

[Genth]

With a painted smile on his features, Musmahhu bows deeply to Anapator and turns to leave, jerking his head for Kantila to join him. "Kusarikku. Umu Dabrutu. Girtablullu. Come. Basmu, head to the surface and scout out this warren of fools. May the Mother's Breath keep you from sight." he commands, voice sharp suddenly. He waves a hand at Basmu, concentrating for a moment to allow the cultist to become hazy, indistinct before practically vanishing from sight. With a sharp turn, he leads the others away from the pit, heading into the warrens. "Kantilla, my dear, your perception is a beautiful one. My thought is this - we shall paint signs and sigils to indicate that it is indeed the 'Grand Council' and it's chief meddler who are responsible for the carnage we create. Beneath the obvious visage however, we place traces of Obsidian and hints to Urik. Thus inspire confusion among potentially three of our enemies." he tilts his head, lips pursing as his disguise shifts back into his usual form of a purple haired gnome, beautiful and androgynous. "If I recall, my sweetness, you always had a few fingers within the black markets. Do you think you could find me a few shards of Godbeast Bone from unscrupulous traders? The kind they pawn off as charms for the weak-minded, too small to be useful as weapons."

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Placing a Glamour on Basmu of Invisibility, spending a spell point to extend it. So 2 SP used, and Basmu has 110 minutes of +11 to his Stealth, and always has concealment. I'm fun. 34 Spell points left on Mahu#1

[Stevesciguy]

The immense figure of Kusarikku turns to follow the gnome, another sharp whistle ringing out for the twisted inix to follow. The ground shakes under the heavy footsteps of Kusarikku and his pet. He remains silent until Musmahhu describes his plan to Kantilla. A sneer crosses his face, as he speaks:

"You would give the credit of our slaughter to another?"

[Heavenblade]

Basmu smiles as he fades out of view, and the last thing that stays seen is his wide terrifying green. he backflips away from his corner, transforms into a red hawk mid-air, and flies through the tunnels, almost invisible, speeding towards their target

OOC

Spoiler

Show

rolling stealth
(1d20+33)[35]

[Genth]

Mahu turns to the demonic figure beside him, a soft smile on his features as a soft wave of hypnotic magic washes over Kusarikku. A harmless flicker of the Exalted One's power to remind the warrior. "Kukku, you ravishing, beautiful fool." he replies, words soft, sweet before he continues. "You don't need credit from the peons and cattle of the city. We shall know of your mighty force," he leans in, placing a hand gently on the creature's arm, almost a gentle caress as he croons. "And so shall the Great Dragon, and our Mistress above all. Revel in the livestock's confusion, my champion, care not that they recognize what you are..."

the gnome says, voice twisting into a cacophonic hiss.

[Gunhaven]

The Kreen turned to follow the gnome, small bounding steps as it seemed gravity had a lesser grasp on the insectoid than it should've. It blinked it's eyes as it seemed to contemplate what the plan was and nodded in one jerking motion, before it spoke. "We will know the hunt we perform and the signs we leave...the limbs we sunder, the gashes in the bodies, the dust and scorches. Tekchakak will you be the one to draw these symbols? We are a gythka, not a brush."

[Warlawk]

Gre
Gre follows along behind the others, seeming only vaguely aware of their conversation as he strokes a finger across the obsidian head of his blade. Nicking his finger on a ridge the blade seems to drink the gentle flow of blood, as it does the heat haze surges from the glistening black surface and covers his misshapen body. With a grimace of distaste at the necessity, the clatter of chitin fades as his massive lower body shifts and flows with the haze surrounding it until he walks on only two human legs, prepared to move through the city above to execute the wrath of the Mother.



Those words seem to sink through his perpetual haze, replacing his grimace with an ugly smile of anticipation.

[Stevesciguy]

The demonic giant makes a dissatisfied grunt.

"We shall follow your plan for now."

A disturbing grin of malice splits Kusarikku's face once more.

"When are we to launch this attack? Perhaps tonight, I could terrorize the druid in her dreams, weaken her for our upcoming slaughter."

[Marcarius5555]

Anapator almost screams in reply,

"These Alliance vermin must be cleansed this very night!"

[Marcarius5555]

With a painted smile on his features, Musmahhu bows deeply to Anapator and turns to leave, jerking his head for Kantila to join him. "Kusarikku. Umu Dabrutu. Girtablullu. Come. Basmu, head to the surface and scout out this warren of fools. May the Mother's Breath keep you from sight." he commands, voice sharp suddenly. He waves a hand at Basmu, concentrating for a moment to allow the cultist to become hazy, indistinct before practically vanishing from sight. With a sharp turn, he leads the others away from the pit, heading into the warrens. "Kantilla, my dear, your perception is a beautiful one. My thought is this - we shall paint signs and sigils to indicate that it is indeed the 'Grand Council' and it's chief meddler who are responsible for the carnage we create. Beneath the obvious visage however, we place traces of Obsidian and hints to Urik. Thus inspire confusion among potentially three of our enemies." he tilts his head, lips pursing as his disguise shifts back into his usual form of a purple haired gnome, beautiful and androgynous. "If I recall, my sweetness, you always had a few fingers within the black markets. Do you think you could find me a few shards of Godbeast Bone from unscrupulous traders? The kind they pawn off as charms for the weak-minded, too small to be useful as weapons."

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Placing a Glamour on Basmu of Invisibility, spending a spell point to extend it. So 2 SP used, and Basmu has 110 minutes of +11 to his Stealth, and always has concealment. I'm fun. 34 Spell points left on Mahu#1

The oracle appears to carefully consider the gnome's proposal, pursing her at once plump and unnaturally venous purple lips as she ruminates. Suddenly, the wide crescent profile of her eyes is occluded by a cloud of milky whiteness as she replies,

"But what would be the explanation for this unexpected betrayal, for it is the Great Council that has invited the Alliance to establish the safehold more openly than was previously permissible under the reign of Kalak? For what reason should they wish to then extinguish it?"

[Genth]

"It hardly matters, my friend. Suspicion alone will cause strife, and besides, the council is led by a former Templar. The first answer they will leap on is simple disgust for their not being wealthy, and leftover suspicion from years of murdering mages." Mahu replies, smiling softly. "Can you get the Godbeast bone shards?"

[Marcarius5555]

"It hardly matters, my friend. Suspicion alone will cause strife, and besides, the council is led by a former Templar. The first answer they will leap on is simple disgust for their not being wealthy, and leftover suspicion from years of murdering mages." Mahu replies, smiling softly. "Can you get the Godbeast bone shards?"

The pale-skinned Oracle nods, the twin nimbuses of her opaque eyes seemingly focused on some great mystery both distant and invisible to all others in the gathering,

"Indeed, I believe that shall be within my power."

I think we can move along to a cut scene and fade into the assault on the stronghold unless anyone else objects -- start thinking about the buffs you want to employ.

[Genth]

In an alleyway, perhaps 200ft from their target, the Cult of Ta'amtum gather, Mahu throwing a glamour around the entrance to the alleyway, to make it boarded up, impassible. He leans against the wall, gently tossing the small shards of bone delivered to him in the air and catching them. "Aha, Brother Basmu." he croons as a shimmering shape lands beside the group, dismissing the invisibility with a hand. "Tell us what you found, so that we may better spill their blood?"

[Marcarius5555]

Spoiler: Basmu: Scouting

Show

The Alliance safehouse was recently established under the pretense of being a merchant's emporium from the village of Amlitkayek, a settlement in the mountainous hinterlands that surround the Free City of Tyr. A small delegation of the Alliance pretends to represent the enigmatic ruling caste of Amlitkayek, known as the Holders of the Flame or the Red Brotherhood, a title which signifies this village's hereditary devotion to the element of fire.

The 'Red Brotherhood Citadel' which serves as the cover of the Alliance safehouse is built on a small island in a river that runs from the Port Ras Shamra on Lake Ba'al Yammim through the major population centers of the Free City. The shadow of Kalak's aerial pyramid touches the edge of the enclosure.

The citadel is a luxurious villa with courtyards, paradisaical gardens, and a tall surrounding fortified barrier which obscures these grounds from the surrounding city. It is guarded day and night by sentries who wear distinctive red livery. At night, scores of braziers lit on the top of the wall light the darkened square surrounding the citadel, making any stealthy approach by conventional means night impossible.

[Genth]

As Basmu explains the situation, Musmahhu taps his chin thoughtfully with one of the shards. "It would seem that a distraction would be most desired in this situation. I am open to strategies, my comrades, but a plan does form within my mind." he waves a hand, and several illusionary shadows whirl about on the ground, forming into a rough map of the compound. "I shall send one of my... imaginary friends, perhaps a couple, towards the gates as vicious beasts. The guards will surely thin their numbers to defend that corner of the compound. Kusarikku, might your noble steed also enjoy this task?" he asks, raising an eyebrow. Without waiting for an answer he continues. "While that battle commences, the rest of you will attack from the shadow of the pyramid. A subtle clue but an important one. Smash through the wall if you are able, make it loud, vicious and bloody. Scream 'For the King' if you like. If the guards prove... weak, I shall join you within for the slaughter. Elsewise, I shall join you after to create our little show."

[Warlawk]

While waiting in the alley Gre shakes his head several times in the manner of a man trying to shake blood from his eyes. Moments before Basmu's return he slams the side of his head against the wall of the building next to him hard enough to draw a trickle of blood, then again a second time. He shakes his head once again to clear the dust from his face and gives a small smile as his eyes seem to focus more clearly. The scar over his temple leaks a thin trail of obsidian colored smoke where it was broken, like ichor flowing into the air instead of flowing like blood.

As Musmahhu begins to explain his plan Gre moves toward the back of the group and allows his disguise to vanish in a heat haze. With an ugly grin of anticipation his chitinous legs clatter softly as he levers himself upward between the two buildings forming the alleyway, preparing for the assault on the walls.

[Stevesciguy]

The twisted inix moves to Musmahhu's side. While the reptilian features are normally difficult to read, there is now an unmistakable look of eagerness upon the scaled face.

"It shall follow your commands for now. See to it that it returns alive."

A grating sound fills the alleyway as Kusarikku draws his blackened sword; when fully drawn the grating is replaced with crackling heat as the blade ignites with hellish flame. The creature's face breaks once more into an evil grin as it tests the weight of the familiar blade, then readies the gargantuan shield to accompany it.

"What shall the signal be? And who is to hunt down the druid and capture her?"

[Marcarius5555]

Updated my 'signature' area with a battle map of the first level of the Veiled Alliance compound. Just wanted to check in to make sure everyone can access it and understands what they're looking at -- if there are questions I can explain before we get started.

[Genth]

Mahu steps away from the wall and grins. "Something flashy and obvious. You know my tastes, darling." he says, letting his hand gently caress Gre's side, the carapace splitting where his finger touches to allow pain and blood to flow. "You can always ask, my dear. I'm all to happy to oblige."

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Gre takes 1 point bleed damage

. He pauses for a moment.

"Go. Do our Mistress' bidding."

-----------------

Ten minutes later, shadows flood through the street, coming right up to the door of the compound, before with a flicker, they dissipate, showing the image of a shadow-wreathed Templar, arms crossed and sword at his side, glowering at the guards on the door. Flanking him is the Inix and what looks like a Dune Reaper, deadly creature of the wastelands, only much larger. Wordlessly, silently, the Templar raises a hand, and the beasts move to attack.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Initiative, I guess, since I'm not really doing a surprise ATTACK, revealing my presence before attacking. (1d20+4)[20]

Initiative for the Inix, I don't know what it's initiative is (1d20)[10]

[Gunhaven]

The Kreen removes the simple disguise as it joins the other chitinous one on the rooftop with a light chitter. It made sure the pyramid was in place before it moved, leaping into the shadow and seeing if it could determine where the enemy lay before it actually attacked. When it landed it relayed the location of at least the sentries so everyone else could be on the same page.

Spoiler: Final Scouting

Show

Initiative: (1d20+11)[14]

To get to that point: Swift Action Air Stunt.
First Acrobatic Check: (1d20+26)[28] 56ft into the air
Second Acrobatic Check: (1d20+26)[45] 144ft into the air

Distance is x2 and the DC is 1 per foot leaped up. Also fall damage isn't counted for the double jump portion.
DC 15 for 30ft reduction in fall damage. Every 10 above the DC increases fall reduction by 10ft.
Time to try and not break an ankle on the fall: (1d20+26)[44] 6ft fall, under the 10ft to take damage.

In case they're needed:
Stealth Check: (1d20+12)[25]
Perception Check: (1d20+15)[29]