The Necromancer's Pact IX: City of Weeping Ghosts

[Dr._Bob]

Zeodoras considers, then accepts Khazrael's offer. Alone, he (a male it turns out) would have had not chance against a retriever. Plus, it seems that there is no love lost between this demon and Lady Valentine. He seems almost happy to play whatever role he can in her demise ...

Wounds are bound as efficiently as possible. Additional magical healing is offered while you march to save time.

Zeodoras clings to Khazrael's shoulder, in a similar fashion to Adalmar's raptor and Elthan's raven. While the birds fret uneasily in the darkness, however, Zeodoras appears relaxed, almost lighthearted, as though invigorated by his new purpose.

The quasit leads you back the way he had come. Only a few small detours are necessary when the passages are too small for humans and elves to pass.

...

You make excellent progress, thanks to the demon's assistance. After about two hours, however, Zeodoras calls for a halt.

"A sentry outpost lies ahead. Two babau, whose incompetence displeased the Lady, were assigned to guard this isolated tunnel as punishment.

"I had no difficulty slipping past them, but this group will not be able to do the same.

"Send your assassins forward to clear the way," Zeodoras advises, eyeing Anika and Damian.

[Erikkin]

Fizahn:

Assassins, huh? They probably won't like that. "Right. Let's go assassins. Got some work to do." Fizahn begins padding forward silently and crouching in the shadows to remain hidden. His 'short sword' hilt is held loosely in his hand, but its blade is tucked up in his sleeve.

Move Silently: - (1d20+13)[15]
Hide: - (1d20+17)[37]
Move silently +13, Hide +17 Make however many more rolls you need.

[barawn]

Damian

Damian nods at Zeodoras, and grins at Fizahn's eagerness, but looks to Anika and the others. "I tend to agree with Fizahn's eagerness, but I doubt even three of us can easily dispatch a pair of demons before they could escape. We may be able to slip around them to keep them pinned while the rest of you come from the front. I don't know much about demons, so I'll leave that decision up to the rest of you."

Unlike Fizahn, who pointedly commented at the designation of Anika and himself, Damian does not flinch at all at the 'assassin' designation.

Walking over to Fizahn after he pockets the gem, Damian looks down at the gnome. "Can I take a look at that gem for a moment?" With a grin, he whispers something to Fizahn quietly.

[blackfox]

Anika

Anika rolls her eyes at being called an 'assassin.' It's technically true, although most of my jobs involved breaking and entering...

Anika does not move from her position. "What is a babau? I know it's a demon, obviously, but what can it do?" She addresses Khazrael rather than Zeodoras, as she is rather skeptical of the quasit's 'good intentions.'

[namo]

Adalmar

He has a tired grin. "I am glad not to be considered an assassin, but I believe I am able too, if it comes to that. My concern is that we will need some light to see where we're headed."

[Aveda]

Gala

"I'm not too good at being sneaky, but I'll definitely be ready to back you up once our cover's blown. Though, I have to say right now I'm not at my best." Gala pauses to catch her breath a bit, her injuries from the mechanical arms throbbing in pain. "Adalmar, or Tryntha, would you mind helping me out? If you could spare a bit of time for my injuries, I'm sure I'd be up for charging back into battle in no time."

Thanking whoever heals her, Gala listens intently to any information Zeodoras and the others have to offer on their next opponents.

[Diarmuid]

Tryntha

Looking around at the wounded, Tryntha doesnt see anything that seems too serious.

She looks to Adalmar, and remembering he was the one who had understood her Rashemi she commented to him,

[Rashemi]"With the loss of the gondsman, my spells will be spread thinner than they would have already been. It may be a better idea to use the wand while we are relatively safe now."[/Rashemi]

Moving to Callos, she whispers in his ear to avoid their new companion listening,

"The stones the Hathran imparted to me can create passageways where none exist. Perhaps we can bypass these babau, or break through the surface somewhere the enemy will not be expecting us."

[Koji]

Khazrael

Khazrael grins at Zeodoras, then responds to Anika.

"Babau? They're sneaky, they use their claws mostly. They look like people, more or less, only all black and red. I don't know that it's safe to send just two humans against them. Maybe we could do a staggered assault--send someone ahead to try and get the drop on them, then the rest of us pile in behind them?"

[Callos_DeTerran]

Callos

The mage glares at the little demon as Khaz talks with it and the two come to a mutually...beneficial agreement between the two of them. Grudgingly he lowered the hand but he held unto the spell for future use, not like it wouldn't come in handy soon anyway.

It was when Tryntha approached him that he finally stopped and glanced over at her. His voice dropped down to a whisper then as she whispered to him. "The surface is no good...we have no idea what chaos is going on up there but we can't get involved with it. How many of these stones do you have? I mean...we've fought two babau before, they didn't seem all TOO threatening, if you don't have many stones it might be better to just erase their scourge. I mean...they ARE demons."

[Diarmuid]

Tryntha

Continuing their whispered conversation,

"I have three such stones. Each will function five times before its magic is spent."

Pressing one such stone into the necromancer's fleshy hand she explains their use to him.

"Keep this one with you in case we are separated. I keep them in the pouch on my hip....in case something...well....just in case."

[barawn]

Damian

Damian looks over to Khazrael, who seems to have some knowledge. "'Sneaky'? How so? Would we easily be able to sneak around them? How did Zeodoras get through the first time?"

[Koji]

Khazrael

With a furrowed brow, Khazrael replies, "Well, he's tiny. He would have had a much easier time of it. I'm not exactly big myself, but I don't think I could manage, nevermind the fact that some of us are wearing armor. Demons have keen senses and those two have gotta be itching for a fight by now--I don't think we'll all be able to sneak past them."

[Dr._Bob]

Adalmar uses his wand to heal the fighters, almost depleting the item completely. Callos and Khazrael are still feeling the effects of the retriever's eye beams, but press on stoically.

While the quasit might have been able to sneak past the pair of babau, it seems unlikely that your entire party can do the same.

Some, like Fizahn, are eager to press directly on, but Callos and Tryntha consider using the breachstones to bypass this guardpost altogether.

A decision needs to be made quickly, before the demons detect your party's torches or footfalls.

[blackfox]

Anika

"I don't know if we should waste Tryntha's stones on these demons. They sound like they'd be at a disadvantage in a straight fight--is that right, Khazrael? If they can't hide in the shadows and ambush us, then we can beat them?"

[kuja.girl]

Tiriel

Tiriel thanks Adalmar for the healing. She hadn't really realized how much damage she'd taken until she'd started feeling better.
Demons...babau demons...? Wait weren't... Tiriel frowns trying to remember the details of a fight that seems long ago but really wasn't. There had been two dog-things covered in nasty quills and these ugly, gooey, demons riding them.
"Callos, didn't we fight a couple of babau before? Don't they have some kind of acid coving them? It might be better to avoid fighting them if we can't dispatch them quickly."

ooc: since Callos and Tryntha's conversation was whispered I'm repeating some info. & asking for confirmation.
[HP now at 53/58]

[namo]

Adalmar

Eyeing his wand critically, he slows down to get on a level with Khazrael, then Callos, and provides them with some much-needed healing. "We can't have Tryntha running to your help all the time" he quips at Khazrael, but the joke sounds forced.

"My concern is not the demons themselves, but rather the possibility that they raise the alarm this early...

Perhaps the stealthy ones could wait in ambush, then loose a volley of arrows and quarrels right before the rest of you come charging in ?

Or if the little one can approach them without arousing too much suspicion, it could create a diversion..." He eyes the demon, unsure what to make of it.

Spoiler

Show

K: (1d8+1)[2]
C: (1d8+1)[3]

[King_of_GRiffins]

Elthan

Elthan becomes just a bit lost trying to listen to all of the debate. It would be a simple thing to just go in and kill them quickly, the faster being the better. Why did there have to be so many voices for every decision? Smaller groups making individual tactical decisions, with a group affirmative to move forward, would work much faster than forming a single coordinated effort for every encounter.

But, that was just how he felt about the matter; Now really wasn't the time to mention it. Instead of pitching in to the current conversation, he mulls over what he'll be doing as a part of the main group.

If I cast Slumber upon them, that would ensure they could not escape or raise an alarm. Though, it might only affect one demon per casting, if at all. May the gods curse our ever increasingly powerful adversaries, and their resistances towards magic.

The half-elf taps Damian on the shoulder to gain his attention. "I believe now would be the perfect time for you to take a spell of mine. Both of us casting Deep Slumber at once, one casting on each demon, would incapacitate them quickly."

[Koji]

Khazrael

With a wry grin, Khazrael shakes his head at Anika.

"A demon that specializes in sneaking is still more than a match for a human in a fair fight. There's another thing to consider. Zeodoras could be downplaying the strength or number of our enemies in order to ensure that we do what he wants."

He looks at the little demon thoughtfully, and says, "Sorry if that's a baseless accusation, but you have to agree that I'd be a fool to trust a demon outright."

After giving the quasit a knowing wink, he turns his mind to focusing on the battle ahead.

[barawn]

Damian

Damian nods at Elthan, and looks to the others. "Elthan's got a good idea, in my mind - he's got a sleep spell that both he and I can cast right away, hopefully putting away both babau before they have a chance to act. Then we slip in, eliminate them, and continue on. If it fails, then we attack - but at least in this case there's a decent chance that both fall without being able to raise the alarm at all."

[Diarmuid]

Tryntha

Tryntha listens to the newest suggestions. She quietly chews her lip behind her porcelain mask, torn with her own thoughts;

They would have to be able to see these creatures to cast their spells. Damian might be able to sneak up on them, but he would also need some way to see in the dark. Elthan could have some way to see in the dark, but doesnt look as stealthy as Damian. But if I say anything, we'll only sit here squabbling longer.

She looks over at Callos while wishing someone would just make a decision. Each moment spent wasted in these caverns was costing her countrymen more blood up on the surface.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Callos

He palmed the stone that he had been given, rolling it around over and over in his hand while he thought about what should be done in a situation like this...with all the usages of the stones and the number of stones themselves..

"...We go around. Even if we can kill them quickly, there is ALWAYS the chance they send out a call to their brethren for aid. Not to mention if something comes by this way again, such as another demon or even an undead, then they'll know that someone has gotten past this check point. If we slip by, without them noticing, and strike off the head of the army, there'll be too much resulting chaos for them to recover and we'll most likely have another escape route at that point besides beneath ground."

Eyes flickering over to Zeodoras, Callos couldn't help but tighten his skeletal hand into a fist, still glowing from the lambent spell-energy within, then over to Tryntha with a nod.

[Dr._Bob]

Khazrael
"There's another thing to consider. Zeodoras could be downplaying the strength or number of our enemies in order to ensure that we do what he wants."

He looks at the little demon thoughtfully, and says, "Sorry if that's a baseless accusation, but you have to agree that I'd be a fool to trust a demon outright."

After giving the quasit a knowing wink, he turns his mind to focusing on the battle ahead.

Zeodoras rolls his eyes in an almost human manner. "If you say so, master."

...

Aeroz smiles grimly, "No doubt there will be other opportunities for demon slaying. I like the idea of avoiding this encounter if possible."

Zeodoras leads you a bit farther ahead along the twisty passage, then points toward a spot on the wall.

Tryntha places one of the stone tokens against the cave wall. A rune flares, then suddenly there is a dark passage leading into the solid wall.

The passage is narrow, but straight as an arrow. As Tryntha leads on, the passage extends ... 20 feet ... 30 feet ... 40 feet ... 50 feet ... until finally you emerge into another cave passage.

You find yourselves ankle deep in cold water. The passage runs slightly uphill, presumably toward the heart of Shandaular, and gradually downward, presumably toward the Lake.

Once the party is through, the breachstone passage disappears. The breachstone itself crumbles into dust.

...

The party wades upstream. There is no sign of the demon guardpost. Either you have cut behind them, or this is a completely different tunnel from the one you were in previously.

You take a break on a large flat rock after another hour of walking. The room sized rock keeps you up out of the water. You take the opportunity to break into some jerky and bread and to sip from your waterskins. "We should be close to the inner circle," estimates Adalamar.

The journey has been surprisingly uneventful, perhaps boding well for your mission.

"You would have thought they would have guarded these tunnels better," mutters Aeroz, munching on some flatbread.

Anika splashes her way back to the rock and nimbly leaps up and shakes herself dry. She has scouted ahead and has found three gated archways blocking the way forward.

Zeodoras isn't sure which one to recommend.

[kuja.girl]

Tiriel

"Well we got somewhere. And it's different than where we were before, but we still don't really know where here is.
"Are you not sure where we are, or do you not know how each of the tunnels are guarded little demon?" Tiriel asks with some amusement. Considering the situation she could either get frustrated or be entertained; and entertained is the more enjoyable of the two.

[Koji]

Khazrael

"Three, eh? Well, let's take a closer look at each one and if they're all the same, we'll just take the middle route," Khazrael offers.

[blackfox]

Anika

Somewhat sarcastically, Anika says, "Flip a coin?" She realizes somewhat too late that now is not a particularly good time for sarcasm, and amends her answer. "Let's go take a closer look, I only scouted the place out."

[Aveda]

Gala

Gala mentally shrugs as she sits at the edge of the rock. She'd gotten disoriented within the first hour of walking and was more than happy to let others decide which was the best route to take. As long as we get where we're going in one piece...

[Dr._Bob]

After the short break, you slip back into the shallow water and wade toward the three gates.

The natural cave passage transitions into roughly worked stone masonry. The arched aqueduct appears to once have been part of a sewer system below Shandaular.

The water here is only a couple of inches deep and appears to be nearly still. The light from your everburning torches refracts off of the gently rippled surface and creates mesmerizing patterns across the curved ceiling above you.

Following the passage deeper you reach three arches as described by Anika. Each of the three tunnels feeds into the passage you are standing in, and each is sealed by an iron portcullis.

The tunnel to the left extends deeper into the darkness for as far as any of you can see. Clear cold water flows toward you.

The center tunnel angles upward slightly. The flagstones are stained a dark umber but seem to be dry now.

The tunnel to the right makes a sharp bend 40 feet beyond the portcullis. A faint howling can be heard by those of you standing directly in front of the gate. A light breeze can be felt.

[barawn]

Damian

Damian looks to each of the three tunnels curiously. Wading in water, trying to guess where to go. Fun. "I would say either the left or the central passage is most likely. The left passage probably comes from the sewer system's water source, which may or may not have an above-ground access. It could be in the center of the city, though. Most settlements start by being built around a water source."

He glances back towards Adalmar as he speaks, hoping he knows something about the settlement.

[kuja.girl]

Tiriel

Tiriel wades over to each doorway in turn. She stops longest at the third doorway. Eventually she reaches a conclusion and heads back to the flat rock. "That one," she says gesturing at the third doorway, "seems familiar. We got caught in something similar last time we ran into Valentine and it lead to a huge underground waterfall. I'm no expert but usually when water makes that noise it's going somewhere, fast, and that usually means down."

[blackfox]

Anika

Anika grimaces. "Don't remind me." She looks back at the tunnel on the left. "That one could be hard to get through, since the water's coming towards us... if it gets any faster it would just knock us over. I don't think it's the sewers, though, because the water's clean."