Heroes into Hell

[Quxelopqr]

Nick

"That order sounds good to me. Let's get goin."

Putting his cloak back on and strapping his swords back to his belt (because who needs those while eating?) Nick stands up and moves over towards the door.

[dyslexicfaser]

Sonny

"Have people with muscles the size of Sonny's head between Sonny and pointy death?" The cleric grins approvingly. "Sonny agrees."

[Cyrus112]

Connor nods.

"It sounds good to me. If I can help others to avoid the fate that met our departed companion, I will do so. If it means I die so others may live, so be it."

[....]

(Assuming everyone heads out, and dosn't want to do anything funny in Sigil...)

You arrive at the Lady of Pleasure brothel about twenty minutes after leaving Sluk and Challa's hideout. The building is suprisingly large, and finely made from white and blue marble. It brings gods and worship to mind, rather than more carnal desires.

Any doubts as to what the building's purpose is are quickly put to rest by the figure hawking its services; a floating head of a beautiful female that may be a human or may be an elf or something more exotic, her hair flows in a phantom wind. The reference to the Lady of Pain is obvious to anyone who has ever even heard of her.

At the apporoach to the eight of you, this apparition sqeals with delight and glides down the wide stairs that lead up to the entrace of the brothel.

I pauses before Feng, first, light sparking down from where its neck should be and forming into an attractrive and scantily clad female body.

"My my," the lady says in a husky voice, "Its been a while since we had such an interesting arragement of menfolk," she caresses Feng's face and smiles, not without a hint of something that may be cruelty, "I could be your mommy, big man."

Before Feng can say anything, she glides effortlessly past him, her eyes seeming to caress all the members of the party. She settles her hand and gaze on Nick next, her form shifting to a young, fresh girl ith long red hair and a dress, "And one so young as this. Would you let our girls teach you a thing or two, handsome sir?"

The form gasps and slides past Nick, eyeing Melanthum now. Her forum changes to one of a dark-skinned beauty now, wearing flowing and sheer robes of black, "Here's one with power." she whispers into Melanthum's ear, "seen and done things these boys never could. Perhaps I could aid you in your studies?" she looks over his shoulder and sees Korral.

"So stoic!" she cries, and stands before the hobgoblin, "do you think I could melt that iron reserve of yours? I bet underneath it all you are just as wild as that orc-man over there."

She approaches Gryfe, looking like an elf, her eyes picking out his courtblade, but drinking in his odd apperance, "You're no Prime." she said, "Tell me, sir, what does the Shadow smell of?" After speaking she puts her face close to Gryfe's shoulder and inhales deeply, chuckling. As she does so she looks down to see Sonny.

"Ahh, we've something for your kind too, little fellow." She kneels before Sonny, so she can meet his eyes, "beautiful goblin maidens, or if you perfer, obediant human girls, eager to be chained and enslaved."

At last she turns to Is'Sara and Connor. She seems less pleased to see these two, and does not approach them, instead standing back and staring at them, her head cocked.

"Unusual for us to get your kind near here," she says, twirling her hair, "Still, I know angels can fall... and a cleric is no paladin."

[Dorizzit]

Korral shows no emotion at the apparition's advances.

[Quxelopqr]

Nick

As the girl talks to him, Nick barely maintains his composure. How the...how could she know about her? Maybe she can read minds? As she moves on to the others, Nick shakes his head and clears his thoughts. He then gives a smile and an interesting look to this "Lady of Pleasure". "I think I could teach your girls and thing or two, miss."

[dyslexicfaser]

Sonny

Sonny smiles thoughtfully at the offer, though he honestly seems more interested in the apparition's unusual powers than her murmured enticements. "Human girls?" he wrinkles his nose. "Sonny not know how you humans can find each other attractive, nevermind Sonny."

[Tyrolin]

Feng stares until the apparition moves past him, then mutters "Mother" in a pained voice, and begins crafting another doll.

Spoiler

Show

Craft check : (1d20+18)[28] against DC 15(?).

He finishes the doll quickly, putting away his supplies and the doll, and only then realizes that the apparition was nearly everything he'd ever wanted in a women, and feels the desire pull strongly on his heart.

[Zimmia]

Is'sara

Is'sara takes a couple of leisurely steps forward. "Fortunate or not, none of us have time to play today. Perhaps another time we can discuss comparative morality," she says with a half smile.

[Cyrus112]

Connor sneers at the woman.

"You have nothing I want or desire, wench. Were it up to me, I'd raze this place to the ground. Perhaps it is best I have more important matters at hand. Maybe one day we could continue this most...enlightening conversation."

[Dorizzit]

Korral steps away from the building. "You can go ahead," he addresses the party. "I'll wait outside."

[WhiteKnight777]

Melanthum

Melanthum throws his head back and laughs, returning the woman's caress with a brush of his gloved hand to her cheek. He grins at his allies and their varied reactions as she finishes her inspection, then speaks in a mirthful voice.

Ah, lass, I've no doubt we could entertain each other all night with tales and other... interesting diversions and exploits, alas we've not the time at the moment... and I'm afraid some of my companions have not the taste for such earthy delights... some other time, perhaps.

[Neftren]

Gryfe

"You think petty parlor tricks are going to fascinate me? Try again. I've seen things that would make you flinch. Run along you petty excuse for a ghost. As for the elves? My respect for the woodland rangers of the great forests are unparalleled. Do not test me, otherwise you may face my blade."

[....]

The shifting form steps back from the party, smiling as looking you all over.

"Well, I assume you've come here for a reason?" As she speaks, her form shifts again, this time her hair shortens and becomes gray, her face becomes less narrow, wider, and wrinkles form. She is now a he, an older man wearing the robes of a priest of Pelor. His voice has a singsong quality, as if a woman was deepening her voice, "Then please, welcome to the Lady of Pleasures. Do go in, and find whatever you may to suit your fancy."

The figure smiles at Is'Sara and blows her a kiss, then turns away to bother some other passerby.

[Quxelopqr]

Nick

Seeing the woman leave, Nick turns to the group. "Alright, now that she's gone, how do we want to go about this?"

[dyslexicfaser]

Sonny

Sonny's short attention span identifies the quickest and goblin-iest solution to their conundrum: "Sonny suggest plan: 'go in and find book first, then kill anyone who has problem with Sonny taking it.'" He added, "Preferrably with stab in back."

Sonny added insincerely, "Very sad, but saving world come first. Sonny have spell called 'Doomtide'..."

[Cyrus112]

Connor looks at Sonny with thinly veiled disgust.

"Perhaps we should try and talk our way to the book first, and only resort to violence as a last resort. I don't think the authorities would appreciate the chaos we would cause."

[Tyrolin]

"Feng think we look. Not know where, but look anyway." He frowns in thought as he concentrates mightily. "Maybe split up?". Feng then sighs as though that phrase caused him physical pain.

Feng looks around the building, and asks "How many floors?"

[Zimmia]

Is'sara

Is'sara smiles sweetly at Sonny. "Of course you do. And I have a spell called Holy Aura. Let's not get into spell-like arguments yet. After we save the world, then we can play."

She then looks at Feng and the others. "I think that talking our way to the book is the best idea. And splitting up here would be... ill advised."

[Quxelopqr]

Nick

Nick chuckles a little then speaks up. "If we'd like to go on a magic tangent, I have a spell of disguise I could use to sneak us in. More importantly, I agree with Is'sara. Splitting up could put us all in compromising positions." Nick rolls his eyes after saying the last part, as usual, he did not realize as he said it the context it could be used in.

[dyslexicfaser]

Sonny

Sonny shrugged agreeably, though there was something in his eyes that said he would not be adverse to 'playing' with Isara after their current quest was over. "Talking good too. Sonny not have to do so much work that way."

[WhiteKnight777]

Melanthum

Melanthum nods in agreement with his compatriots. He didn't even bat an eyebrow when the creature turned into a male. He'd seen stranger things in planes. After all, in an infinite multiverse, everything happened somewhere.

I concurr... I'd rather try to talk our way to the book. We've not enough information on what we might be facing should hostilities commence.

[Neftren]

Gryfe

"Well, there's no real sense waiting around out here. Lets do something." With that, he strolls forward, into the brothel, boldly taking initiative.

Spoiler

Show

We're moving kinda slowly, and not everyone is posting very frequently, so we might as well move the game along faster by pushing it forward. If our DM wishes to throw another encounter at us, then so be it.

[....]

The inside of the brothel is mostly a wide hall with several benches and shallow pools. Doors and archways lead into other areas.

The whole area is filled with inscence and other, less wholesome smokes and scents. A harp plays quietly from some corner, its song filled with more than just melody, you all feel the slight magical power in the song, but easily shake off whatever effects it may have had. Guttering torches and candles provide shadowy illumination, and you can make out several forms reclining around the hall on couches or in the pools, surrounding by the employees of the brothel, some fair and others so foul it nearly gags you yo look at them.

Gryfe, being the first on in, spots a man far across the hall, his face is covered by a black hood, and his body by long black robes; very out of place in the explosive heat of the brothel. He is apparently ending a conversation with two drow men wearing stylistic leather armor and armed with scimatars. Gryfe has just enough time to see the drow nod, and then step aside to reveal a door, which the man enters quickly.

[Quxelopqr]

Nick follows Gryfe inside and looks around, trying to keep his eyes off the employees of the brothel. After a quick scanning of the room, he whispers to Gryfe. "You find anything out of the ordinary in here? Best I can see is a couple of dark elves over there. Looks like they're the only ones here not enjoying themselves."

Spoiler

Show

I'm assuming Nick didn't enter fast enough to see the man talk to the drow, but he would notice the only things in the room with weapons.

[Dorizzit]

Korral, seeming to having changed his mind, joins the rest of the group, sizing up everyone in the room. "Let's get this over with." He says.

[Cyrus112]

Connor enters and looks around, not noticing anything out of place, but keeping his eyes peeled for suspicious activity none the less.

"Where do you all propose we start looking?"

Spot
(1d20+21)[28]

[....]

Cyrus spots the two drow guards, as well as two more drow dressed in a similar fashon. They are reclining on benches near the guards, but seem more alert than the other patrons.

[Zimmia]

Is'sara

"The only real problem I see," Is'sara says, keeping her voice just above a whisper, "is that very few people in here are going to enjoy being interrupted for a little chat, and even freer with information." She pauses, knowing this suggestion will be unpopular and not particularly liking it herself. "Maybe one of the working girls..."

[Quxelopqr]

Nick

"As much as I'd enjoy chatting up one of them, remember our magic conversation earlier? I have some of my own. I can change into a drow myself or I can just try to charm or take over one's mind. Would those options be better?

Nick will wait for a reply before trying anything.