Hell's Kitchen

[Townopolis]

Scree's "Office" is near the middle of the tower, in the upper half. It is really a combination of library and arcane laboratory. The walls are made out of books as far as you can tell, and innumerable charts and maps line the ceiling. Globes, large and small, swing on arms in a huge contraption in the back left corner, and before it there is, of all things, a cauldron boiling in a firepit with runes surrounding its lip. A massive book rests on a low podium, almost touching the ground, before the cauldron, and it lies open. In the back right, you spot a serene pool of water that stands in contrast to the rest of the room. Above it hang several silver mirrors of varying shapes and sizes. Near the front of the room, there is a large desk piled with papers and arcane items, including several small crystal spheres in which you can barely glimpse scenes playing out in miniature. Beside these, there is a large crystal ball on a stand. Scree himself sits behind this desk, reclining in a cloudseat. He is wearing his usual attire: Red vest, white sleeves, black pants, and brown boots. A black wide-brimmed hat hangs on a hat rack by the door.

Once everyone is inside, Scree nods. "To business." He claps his hands and the light in the room darkens as a three dimensional image appears in the air.

The image shows a sprawling city on the coast as seen from somewhere in the sky. The view then zooms in to show the city streets. You can see people moving about the streets slowly, lethargically, going about usual business with barely a modicum of energy. As the view sweeps across rooftops and streets, you soon see an indication of why. A vrock flies over the city, stopping to perch on the steeple of a ruined temple and scan the citizens. Quickly, the vrock swoops down on the streets and grabs a citizen, flying away with its screaming victim. The view watches the vrock as it flies away towards the ruins of a castle at the heart of the city. Then the image freezes.

"This is the city of Semonis. That image is from a divination taken earlier today. Semonis had been under siege by these demons for a while now, and I'd been keeping an eye on them. It looked like we might need to intervene, but I wasn't sure. Well it turns out the city fell, and suddenly.

I have made contact with a band of celestials who also wish to see Semonis restored, but they won't be able to do anything right now.

The city is ruled over by a marilith and a pair of nalfeshnee. Any of these could easily overpower the celestials, and this is where we come in. We need you to go to Semonis and remove the occupying generals. Once that is done, the celestials will be able to join up with whatever resistances still exist within the city and route the remaining demons."

Scree claps his hands again and the image fades, allowing him to look directly at you.

"I have seen a significant force of vrocks and hezrou commanding the city, along with the compliment of dretch soldiers. No doubt you will encounter other demons as well, but these three types seem to be dominant.

Also, Cyrick will head the group for this mission. Cyrick, you will meet one of the celestials when you arrive in the city, he will call the rest of his band when you have finished your task, I expect you'll do your best to see he survives."

Scree leans back in his cloudseat.

"The blue gate in the portal room is set to take you into a safehouse in Semonis, Butler will let you through when you arrive. First, though, are there any questions?"

[Stycotl]

Kuru nods, sitting on his haunches.

"What kind of forces do these three demons control? Obviously they own the loyalty of at least one vrock. Do we know the extent of the rest? And do we have any particular orders on dealing with the others if it becomes necessary?"

There is a glimmer of excitement in the young dragon's eyes, though it is nearly drowned by the golden aura that surrounds him.

[Stycotl]

Then he ***** his draconic head to the side and clears his throat. "Another question: do we know of any of their defenses? Wards? Tactics? Any of that?"

[Stycotl]

((ooc: that is hilarious. i couldn't figure out why my above post had stars in it. obviously didn't like the synonym for 'tilted' that i used.))

[Proven_Paradox]

Cyrick places his right fist over his chest and gives a small bow to Scree. "I shall do my best, sir!" He says, his full baritone is perhaps a bit unnecessarily loud. Once Kuru finishes his questions, he adds (with a more restrained volume), "Do we have any intelligence on where these generals may be found? The less searching we have to do, the less we chance we have of attracting the attention of the lesser forces; it seems best to me if we eliminate our targets quickly so that our celestial allies may move in before more lives are lost. Also, my knowledge of demons is rather lacking--I spent most of my studies on undead. What exactly can these various demons do against us?" He sends a sidelong glance at Shallashandra as he finishes this last question.

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Stycotl, you should probably use the edit button my friend--triple posts are hardly necessary.

[Rachel Lorelei]

Pleased that Cyrick is not calling her alleigance into question, the succubus--dressed in white from head to neck, remarkably demurely, though no less lovely for that--considers the situation and the question.

"I would hope that the celestials have been informed that you are sending me, Scree." Her voice is a mild contralto, expressive and very musical; listening to her is a minor pleasure for most. "I would like to avoid as much suspicion and as many misunderstandings as possible."

With that said, she turns to the paladin.
"I've never catalogued the powers of each kind of demon, truly. Tactically, our first concern will be that each and every one of any rank can teleport about on a whim. Getting to the leaders without giving them warning will be next to impossible--a single Vrock teleporting into a group of demons, and telling each of them to teleport and warn another group, and suddenly everyone is aware of our presence. Hopefully, one of us can provide a Dimensional Anchor spell or something similar, and on a regular basis. We can also, likely, expect them to teleport to us at any given moment. I have something that will delay them slightly, warning us and giving us a little time. Beyond that--Vrocks can gather together to perform a mighty dance of ruin, Hezrou have a foul, poisonous scent... we will want to make arangements for those of us who are vulnerable to poisons... and Nalfeshnees have several powerful spell abilities, including a potent Dispelling. All of them will be quite apt in melee--the Marilith especially, but don't underestimate her magic, either."

[Solophoenix]

Zyldra

Zyldra listens to the discussion, before chiming in.

I'm unnerved by the fact that many demons can still see me, regardless of my invisibility, and the range of this vision extends beyond that of my attacks. Guess I'll have to be more careful than usual...

[Stycotl]

Kurukshetra
Kuru stretches, working some kinks in his shoulders and long neck.
"Well, I should think that we ought to take 10 minutes to go over strategies while we pack."
He smiles as he says this, knowing that he will be doing no packing.
"I do not think it preposterous to say that this could be a walk in the parks of Celestia if we do it right--or it could be disastrous if we are not prepared."
Kuru says this with confidence, revealing first of all that he thinks he knows the fiends of the abyss, and second that he thinks he knows this team.

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since some of us have only been here for a few days, none of us long enough to get the requisite training underway, we ought to use this campaign to determine what kind of teamwork benefits, and what companion spirits, if any, we decide to utilize as a group. i'm gonna do some investigating into the possibilities during the next few days (now that finals are over), and make some proposals.

[Townopolis]

Scree nods thoughtfully as the questions are asked, waiting for a few to be voiced before responding.

"The celestials have indeed been informed of your presence, Shallashandra, they expressed disbelief but have agreed to work with you on my word.

We do not know the full extent of the demonic forces, but I would expect at least a dozen vrocks would be necessary to patrol the city, as they seem to be doing. Expect fewer hezrou, but they will be present. I do not know about glabrezou or babau. Countless dretch will be nearby, of course. If at all possible, you will want to keep moving to avoid getting swamped.

The marilith will be found in the ruins of Semonis castle, the nalfeshnee may be commanding their forces from elsewhere, but as Shallashandra suggests, they will likely arrive in short order should their general come under attack."

He nods to Shalla

"I had expected you would know your kind better than anyone."

[Proven_Paradox]

Cyrick frowns at Kurukshetra's words. "You think this might be easy? I certainly do not. Do not underestimate these fiends; from what Shallashandra describes, we will have a very, very large number to deal with if we cannot slay them before they've a chance to run. That's a tall order." He sighs and brings his gauntleted left hand up to stroke his beard thoughtfully. "Stealth isn't an option due to my heavy armor unless others can silence it. I can produce nothing of a Dimensional Anchor sort of effect, and from your words--" he looks to Shalla, "--I assume you cannot either. What of a banishment effect? 'Tis beyond my powers, but what of yours?"

[Rachel Lorelei]

"I'm afraid not. I do, however, have the advantage of my true form--depending on the situation, that may well let us infiltrate. Social stealth rather than physical. Speaking of others arriving--I'm afraid I can only teleport myself. We'll want some way of getting out in a hurry as a group, even if it's only a pair of scrolls. Scree, I don't suppose you could supply...?"

Shallashandra gives Cyrick--telepathically, so as not to disrupt the conversation--a basic rundown of her sorcerous abilities.

(Spell list is on the sheet.)

[Stycotl]

"i have only fought minor demons, i admit. but every one that i have ever fought has bled. with sound tactics, good intel, and the right amount of improv, we can certainly take them by storm."

Then he listens for a bit about dimensional anchors and various other effects of which he knows next to nothing. "Can we buy scrolls or something to simulate the effects?"

[Proven_Paradox]

Cyrick is about to respond to Kuruk's words when he receives Shalla's telepathic message. Unused to that sort of mental communication, Cyrick awkwardly directs thoughts in her direction describing his own spell selection in hopes that she can somehow hear them.

Returning to speaking out loud, he says, "Lady Shallashandra's plan may have merit, though I think convincing the celestial that accompanies us to play along may be difficult depending on what type they may be... As far as escaping, I think once our targets are eliminated, the celestial host that arrives to route the remaining demonic forces will be enough to cover our withdrawal. Still, a scroll or some such to planeshift back here would be a good investment. As expensive as they are, I doubt Dismissal or Dimensional Anchor scrolls will be available in enough supply for this mission..."

[Townopolis]

As the team discusses their options, Scree pokes around his desk, shuffling paper, fiddling with various small objects, and absentmindedly petting the cat that sneaks out and alights on his desk. He looks up at the mention of your return.

"Your return to the Watchtower will be seen to once you are ready to depart, it will not be an issue.

You can ask Mory about the scrolls, he'll be at the armories at the bottom of the tower, there's a circle that goes between it and an alcove adjacent to the portal room. Mory keeps the armories stocked with some scrolls, but his supplies are finite. Take only what you need.

And... if your celestial ally objects to your tactics, as long as you aren't violating his morality, you may as well remind him that you are the cavalry, and you're the best for a reason.

Several reasons, actually."

[Stycotl]

Kuru fidgets at the idea of disguise and infiltration. He is decent at sneaking around, but not so good at hiding his heritage.

"If we decide to go with some sort of infiltration, I could hide away somewhere down low, or circle overhead a few thousand feet until given a signal."

[Rachel Lorelei]

"I'll speak to Mory, and meet the rest of you in the portal room."
The end of the last word almost gets cut off as the succubus vanishes. Her teleport takes her down to the armories, and she glances around, looking for Mory.

[Proven_Paradox]

Cyrick nods at the space where Shalla had been just a moment before, and seems surprised when he looks up to find her gone. He recovers his composure quickly, and says to Scree, "That is true, but I've seen pride make fools of many men. I've never dealt with celestials directly before, and if our ally possesses the same flaws I've seen in mortals, 'twould possibly be a problem." After stating that, he turns to Kuru and shakes his head. "I'm hesitant to have us split up. The entire point of the current plan is to negate the need for standard stealth. If you are caught and we are not there to aid you, you will almost certainly perish. Demons may bleed, as you pointed out before, but so do dragons. I do not like that idea at all. We should stay together."

[Townopolis]

The armory is in the underground section of the tower. At one end, a staircase leads upward, and its teleportation circle is carved into the stone next to it. A couple of yards into the room, A large wooden table rests. Beneath it can be seen three stacks: one of mugs, another of small belt pouches, and a third of bedrolls. Behind the table, the walls are lined with scroll racks and cabinets of potions. The inner room is full of shelves similarly stocked, and more than a few bundles of wands hang from the ceiling. The whole array is actually somewhat impressive, or would be if it were more than half stocked.

As Shalla enters there is silence for a moment, then a deep voice comes from somewhere further in the room.

"Huh? Someone here?" The voice is followed by heavy footsteps.

Mory appears. An elderly looking bugbear wearing a monocle, ruffed shirt, red sash, khaki trousers, knee-high black boots, and black leather gloves. In contrast to this all, his right hand sports what appears almost to be a fully articulated steel cramp-on for the hand, except with more formidable spikes. They seem pitted and worn though.

Mory smiles at Shalla as she comes into his view and, after walking up to stand behind the table, greets her with a friendly tone.

"Aha! You must be one of the new watchmen, let me guess... Xena, was it? What can I do for you, Xena?"

[Rachel Lorelei]

The slight whoosh of displaced air announces her arrival by teleport, but Shalla coughs lightly to announce her presence anyway--it's only polite.

"Hello, Mory," she favores the hobgoblin with a sincere smile. One of her hands touches the symbols on her pendant, and the other comes out for a handshake should Mory so choose. "Shallashandra, actually. I'm sure you see a lot of us, though. Scree sent me; my group is about to depart on a demon-fighting mission, and we were hoping for supplies. A Plane Shift, arcane or divine, and a Teleport. On top of that, a few Dimensional Anchors if you can spare them--the stronger the better."

[Townopolis]

Mory smiles and nods and bustles about in search of the desired items.

"You aren't by any chance seeking the Plane Shift to return here, are you? Because Butler ought to be taking care of that before sending you out. Now where did I put that..."

He returns with six scrolls. "Well now, here's one teleport, and I was able to find five anchors. I can also fetch that shift if you truly want it. Is there anything else?

Otherwise, I'm afraid we do need to pay for these things ourselves. If you'd like to do so now, these cost us 4,612 mixed gold pieces, or you can have these on credit and try to collect their worth in the field. Oh, and if you don't end up using these, you can bring them back, or if you find any scrolls yourself, for full value credit."

((If there's anything else people wish to grab before leaving, tack a shopping list on to your next post, you'll buy or borrow it in retroactive downtime))

The Portal Room

Is large and round and sports five portals. Each is more a teleportation circle than what one might expect of a portal, a circular platinum disk ten feet across and engraved with all manner of runes and sigils. Each portal has its carvings filled with a different color: red, green, gold, blue, and gray. A circular staircase leading up and down and an alcove with a teleportation circle are at opposite sides of the room. Aside from these various objects of transportation, the room is completely barren wood floor and stone wall.

Butler, the strange leader of the native stirges, flies about the room energetically. Spotting the group as they enter, he buzzes over to you.

"Aha, good day madams and sirs. You are departing on your first mission, yes?" His attempt at high society demeanor is ruined as he cracks a toothy grin. "Well I suppose it is my duty to send you along. If you would stand on the portal please, I'll attune you and put you through.

Now remember, madams and sirs, that once you are attuned to the portal, it will stay connected to you until you complete your loop. You can go through without letting me attune you, but that isn't reco... advised. After I put you through, you may complete your loop by reciting the password thirteen times. This will return you here, but be careful, the process may take a minute or two on either side.

Now, if you'll stand on your portal, today's password is Argelfraster, remember it."

((once everyone says they're ready (standing on the portal constitutes saying you're ready) we'll begin))

[Stycotl]

Kurukshetra whispers a prayer to Bahamut and steps onto the portal.

[Solophoenix]

Zyldra

Zyldra steps on to the portal and vanishes from sight as her invisibility activates.

"Don't worry, I didn't zap off early, just invisible" she says to the room.

[Rachel Lorelei]

Stuff:

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Okay, I have Shadow Conjuration. I can use it to make any Conjuration buff of 3rd level or lower, so if you want one, take your pick. A noteable one is Create Magic Tattoo, which can give +1 CL or +2 competence AB as the most noteable bonuses.

Smoothe, what's the CL on the Anchor scrolls? Just the base won't prove too useful; ah, well. Also, Shalla's gear changed very minorly, and a feat change that apparently didn't do earlier, plus replaced a couple spells after talking to Paradox. This is the final version; no more changes.
Shalla has several spells up; they're
BTW, I *just* reread the X for/to Dragons books in a flurry of nostalgia. Nice password.

Shallashandra the Redeemed

Shalla takes the Teleport and Dimensional Anchor scrolls, promising to pay Mory back upon their return (not everything could be used, after all). Then she disappears, teleporting over to the portal room. She arrives beside the portal and steps onto it.
"We are all prepared, I think. If we arrive to meet a celestial, there should be time for spellcasting there." Nevertheless, she flicks a wand, then tucks it back into her sleeve.

[Proven_Paradox]

((Add three scrolls of Fly to Cyrick's tab.))

Cyrick walks into the room just as Shalla appears, carrying a helment with a purple plume in the crook of his arm. When she speaks, he responds, "I'd rather not take any chances... Allow me a moment, please." He then takes about 20 seconds, first touching his armor, then his shield, then the spikes of his shield, causing each one to glow briefly. ((Casing Magic Vestment and Greater Magic Weapon on each.)) He then dons the helment and flips up the visor before stepping into the circle.

[Townopolis]

OOC:

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Hmm, yes, didn't catch that SR bit about the dimensional anchors, I'll up them to CL 10 and give you a new estimate on their price.

Once everyone is ready, Butler holds up his diminutive hands and narrows his eyes in focus. The circle begins to hum and vibrate, at first producing an irritating sensation to all standing on it, then the sensation fades although the hum remains. Butler takes a breath and rubs his hands together.

"Alright"

Next, he holds his hands forward and begins focusing again. The room very quickly loses focus. It becomes blurry and all senses of space become vague. From far away, Butlers voice can be heard.

"Arglefraster!"

Suddenly, the world snaps into focus.

It is much cooler now, and darker. The room appears to be an old cellar, judging by the barrels and kegs lining the walls. Lights are hung from the ceiling, but these cannot make up for the lack of natural light, and the atmosphere is oppressive to those who rely heavily on light to see.

In the dim light, several figures react to your sudden appearance. You can see crossbows hastily leveled at you, and a shuffling of feet as a dozen or so people jump and scurry back from your sudden appearance. Nothing is said. The figures all appear to be human or humanoid, dressed in common fashion. Only some of them are armored. All of them are armed, if only with a knife and a simple weapon.

One figure stands quickly, it is larger than the rest, and pushes to the fore. As it walks beneath one of the hanging lights, an oil lamp, its features show clearly. A humanoid lion, he wears only a broad belt and a wrap of white linen turned loosely around his upper legs. That is all he needs, for his hefty physique is covered in luxuriant golden fur.

At first, he seems ready for a fight, but seeing who you all are, the leonal quickly relaxes.

"You must be..." his eyes sweep over Shallashandra and he fails to suppress a twitch of his lip that is the beginning of a snarl, "the watchmen.

I am Praetorian Whitescar."

You now notice that the praetorian does indeed have a thin scar crossing from his right forehead to his left nostril, a white line where his fur does not grow.

[Proven_Paradox]

Cyrick seems unphased to see so many crossbows trained at him so suddenly, confident in his armor's ability to protect him (though he is silently relieved that he decided to cast his armor-enhancing spells before they arrived). His eyes adjust slowly to the sudden dimness, and he visibly squints as he turns to the creature in the light. One the lion-like man has introduced himself, Cyrick responds, "Indeed we are. I am Cyrick Bladebreaker, head of the group for this mission. 'Tis an honor." He gives a small bow, before continuing, "This is Zyldra, Shallashandra, and Kurukshetra," indicating each member as he states their names.

[Stycotl]

Kurukshetra opens his wings, cascading light in scintillating patterns throughout the room, and gives a dramatic bow, eyes alight and maw curled lightly into a grin of excitement and mischief.

"Well met."

[Solophoenix]

Zyldra

Dismissing her invisibility as she is introduced, Zyldra gives a small wave of greeting to Whitescar.

[Rachel Lorelei]

Shallashandra steps forward. Unruffled by the teleport, she holds a thick white staff set with a red gem; her white surcoat takes on its hue. The pendants at her throat, the holy symbols she wears, are prominent, and she wears a small white square with the celestial rune for faith upon it as a pendant on her forehead, the thin cord that holds it disappearing into her hair.
She bows to the leonal, and spreads her hands wide--one holds the staff, the other is empty. Not an old celestial, this, she thinks, looking at him. Not in the terms that celestials and demons reckon age.

She speaks plainly, knowing any attempt at charm would be seen as succubus guile; her presence gathers around her, an almost-palpable thing that thrums in the air like a pulse, and one might half-hear the very distant sound of beating wings.
"Praetorian Whitescar: I am Shallashandra, called the Redeemed. I come to you for the Watchtower, to save you from the demons that plague you. I work for the greater good, and have no ill intentions: if you will not trust the Watchtower's judgement, trust the paladin and gold dragon who come with me.
If we are to work together, I must have your trust. We can not afford to have you watching me out of the corner of an eye, waiting for a wrong move; we can not afford to second-guess each other. When we strike, we have to work together, without doubt.
I understand your hesitance, Praetorian. I understand your doubt. I have faced them before. They are reasonable, but in this situation, they can not be indulged. You came into existence walking the path of grace; I have had to travel a long way to get there, but I walk it just as surely.
Place your trust in me, Praetorian, as you have in the Watchtower. I'll need it--we'll need it, in order to do this."

[Stycotl]

Kuru gives a little cough and pretends to be indignant, "Radiant dragon actually. An extraplanar, like yourself."