Hell's Kitchen

[Townopolis]

The motley band of humans, dwarves, halflings, and gnomes that make up everyone else in the room take a step back and blink in Kuru's radiance. Whitescar seems unaffected by the surge of light.

The room is large, and empty of furnishing aside from the barrels on the walls. In a far corner, steps lead up to a rather large set of cellar doors. These doors have been barred heavily from this side, and braced against impact with heavy beams.

Whitescar nods to Cyrick, and grunts to Shalla. It comes out as a low, short growl.

"I won't say you aren't a troubling existence, succubus, but I will trust and work with Watchmen. As you say, the matter of importance here is not you."

He turns to Kuru and Zyldra.

"Greetings, Kurukshetra. And to you, lady of the fey."

He turns then to Cyrick.

"Above us is an inn, the Princely Pint. Outside, the city is under the watchful eyes of the Vrocks and other demons. Dretch," the word sounds like a curse, "patrol the streets in bands.

The innkeeper requests we do not exit his inn directly, we have been taking to the sewers from his kitchen..."

He stops and thinks for a moment, but does not come up with anything more.

"So... what is the plan?"

[Proven_Paradox]

Cyrick shields his eyes a Kuruk opens his wings, wincing as he surpresses an annoyed expression. After giving his eyes a moment to adjust yet again, he lowers his hand and looks to Whitescar with a grim look in his eyes. "Truth be told, we have limited information and don't know the lay of this city well. We have been informed that the Marilith commands the demons from Semonis castle, and we have no information about the locations of the two Nalfeshnee. Those three are our primary targets, of course, and our hopes are to eliminate them with as few encounters with the lesser demons as possible."

He crosses his arms (his armor clanking loudly as metal collides with metal) and dons a thoughtful expression. "Before we plan further, there are a few things I hope you can clear up... Firstly, how secure are these sewers, and how far do they extend? This is the first I've heard of them, and 'twould be a major boon if we could go all the way to the castle through them. Secondly, do you know where the Nalfeshnee--or any of the more threatening demons, for that matter--could be found? According to Lady Shallashandra's unique knowledge of demons--" he pauses for a moment here to let the point sink in, "--they can teleport at will, and I've little doubt that we could summon the Nalfeshnee by directly attacking the Marilith, but battling all three at once seems foolhardy if it can be avoided."

[Stycotl]

Kuru listens to Cyrick's words, and then nods, "I agree. But i do think that we should hit the marilith first. She is by far the more powerful of them, and if we gave her time to prepare, it could have disastrous results.

"I do not want to underestimate the nalfeshnee either, though i honestly do not know much at all about their kind. But from Shalla has imparted to us, they would still be easier to defeat even if they knew we were coming."

[Rachel Lorelei]

"I was hoping to learn more about how and why the demons arrived, and present myself as an agent of their masters, with the three of you as my charmed, ah..." the succubus searches for an alternative to words like "slaves" and "playthings", "...retinue. My kind tend to keep such, to toy with and to protect them physically. That should allow us to travel unmolested, within limits. Some, ah, leashes--you'd have no problems breaking them--would help with the visual effect, but I understand perfectly if you're uncomfortable with that. At that point, we could see if I can fool the leaders into a situation more favorable to us; if not, we'll have to strike hard and take them down before they realize they should flee. They won't at first, I think; demons tend to be... arrogant, especially the leaders. They've won their place by strength, after all."

[Solophoenix]

Zyldra

Turning to Shalla, Zyldra exclaims.

"That's just crazy enough to work!...Does anyone have objections?"

[Proven_Paradox]

Cyrick is about to respond to Kuru when Shalla begins her input, and visibly tenses as she describes her plans, his armor clacking as he shifts his weight a bit. Zyldra's response does nothing to ease his discomfort. He attempts to suppress his obvious discomfort with this plan (and fails miserably) as he says, "I would like to hear what Sir Whitescar has to say before we plan further..."

Recalling Shalla's telepathy, but unsure how exactly it works, he attempts to direct thoughts to her in hopes that she can sense them. You really should have saved that suggestion for later so that our celestial friend would have time to get used to you... It probably would have sounded better coming from me as well. I doubt this will go over well with him as presented.

[Townopolis]

At Shallashandra's suggestion, Whitescar's nostrils flare, hackles raise, and a growl issues from his lips. He regards her with narrowed eyes and an expression that almost bespeaks vindication.

Whitescar turns to Cyrick and forces himself to adopt a neutral expression before responding.

"The sewers, I'm afraid they are not secure. They can be accessed at will by anyone from inside any sizable building or even the streets. They also stop before reaching the castle or even the foundations of its walls. A security measure taken by the city's engineers I believe. However, it is useful for moving about the city and... the castle walls aren't much any more.

The Nalfeshnee are, I believe, commanding the city from the old arcane college and the old temple of Arok. Those two are the most solid and largest buildings other than the castle, and the animosity between their memberships ensured they were in opposite halves of the city. From what I know, they do not leave those posts lightly, though the general has been known to roam... the city."

[Proven_Paradox]

Cyrick silently takes all this again and nods (*clank*) as Whitescar finishes. He turns to Kuru and says, "My qualm with attacking the Marilith first is the demons' ability to teleport. Whitescar has said that the Nalfeshnee will not leave their strongholds lightly, but I would expect their general coming under serious attack would qualify, and would lead to us fighting all three at once in short order. We should take out at least one of the Nalfeshnee first, and I would really like to have both dead before then." He turns back to Whitescar and asks, "Lady Shallashandra brings up something that has been bothering me as well. Do you know how all this started, and what kind of resources do the demons have for summoning more of their kind to this city? Also, have you seen any succubi about? We've been warned to expect many types of demons, but they've been mentioned not at all, which I find somewhat curious."

[Stycotl]

Kurukshetra sits on his haunches, thinking. "Maybe there is an alternative." He then turns to Shalla, "How far does your telepathy extend?"

"And how do you feel about your chances of ambushing a nalfeshnee?

"I am thinking that it might not be a bad idea to divide our forces--at least for the first part of the battle. Shalla could spearhead an assault on one of the nalfehsnee, with one other ally, while the rest of us take on the marilith.

"I know this sounds risky, but hear me out. Because of their teleportation, and possible telepathy, fighting one of them could very well turn in to fighting all of them at the same time no matter what our strategy. But Shalla has the same tricks up her sleeves. I do not consider myself a match for a marilith, but i would bet that i could dance around her for enough time to keep her busy while Shalla ends one of the lesser threats.

"If I can get one more of you to taunt and hamper the marilith for a few moments, and Shalla can get the other to aid in her strike against one of the nalfeshnee, I would bet that by the time Shalla joined us--through her own teleportation--we would still be in fine shape against the marilith."

Then he turns again to Shalla, "This would all depend on your confidence that you, and one other, could take on a nalfeshnee, and whatever support it might immediately have.

"I am open to suggestions, but i do think that a quick, skirmish-style assault would be best, and if we are worried about the nalfeshnee becoming an immediate hindrance, maybe this is the way to go."

[Rachel Lorelei]

"This is a demonic army, Cyrick. Succubi typically work through guile. There shouldn't be very many here."
Shallashandra turns towards Kuru. "A typical Nalfeshnee is a simple matter. One that has been appointed general, or clawed its way to the title, will no doubt be tougher than a typical Nalfeshnee--but I would certainly be willing to try my luck. If we split up, the good Praetorian can come with me; that way, he can feel secure that I am doing the right thing. Unfortunately, I can't reach minds beyond a hundred feet; across the city is completely out of the question. If one of the Praetorian's allies can connect us via a Telepathic Bond, that would solve the issue.
If the general roams the city, however, it may be simplest to start with her. Mariliths are warriors: by the time she stops fighting back and decides to flee, we should be able to finish her."

[Solophoenix]

Zyldra

"Taunt and hamper? Have you started reading minds now Kuru? Count me in!"

[Proven_Paradox]

Cyrick sighs as the conversation turns to splitting up. His tone is openly exasperated as he says, "I cannot adequately express how bad an idea I think separating to be with mere words. There is already a danger of being swarmed by the demons while we are all together, and 'twould compound the problem if we divided our numbers. Catching a foe by surprise is only so much of a boon, especially when they've had time beforehand to prepare for a general assault." He faces Kuru and says, "As you said yourself, fighting one could turn into fighting them all, no matter how we approach the situation. If we're uncertain of our ability to stand against their united forces while together, what chance have we against them while separated? That strategy invites our foes to focus on one group at a time. Divide and conquer is a basic military tactic, and it only gets easier if your target divides itself."

As he speaks, he tries to keep an eye on Whitescar to gauge his opinion on the matter.

Once finished, he recalls Shalla's words on the working of succubi. "A moment while I check for infiltrators... I should have done this first thing." He does a sweep through the room with his detect evil ability, his eyes aglow.

[Stycotl]

Kuru grins at the pixie. "I think that we would be dynamic together in a guerilla-styled harrying tactic."

He then turns to Cyrick and shrugs, tail flickering absently behind him. "I only suggest it because you thought the idea of going after the marilith to be strategically unsound. If you look at it from the viewpoint of who you want to give more time to prepare for our arrival, i think i would rather allow the nalfeshnee to prepare than the marilith.

"Therefore, my suggestion is that we either assault the marilith first, or at the same time as the nalfeshnee. As i mentioned, assuming the battle with the nalfeshnee goes well, Shalla would be with us against the marilith in no time. If the battle is spoiled, she can always ditch and join us anyway, giving us a warning that the nalfeshnee is about to pounce.

"But again, what I think it comes down to is that we should decide who we want to give an advanced warning to. If we attack the nalfeshnee first, leaving the marilith alone, she will be one-hundred percent prepared when we finally get around to her. and if we fall in battle, the most we have done is to weaken or destroy two of her probably replaceable officers.

"But if we attack the marilith first, she will not have time to prepare. the nalfehsnee might, but from Shalla's experience, she does not seem too worried about that. And if we fall, we will have at least weakened, or possibly destroyed the marilith, leaving a not-so-easily-refillable void within the demonic leadership. Maybe our allies down here could then take advantage of the breach, and end this war.

"I would rather fight the marilith fresh, with your spells and wands full, and fight the nalfeshnee later, rather than the opposite."

[Townopolis]

Whitescar listens to the various plans with relative neutrality, Shallashandra's suggestion that she and he be a team causes him to rankle his nose, and her indirect inquire for a telepathic bond causes him to speak up momentarily. "No, I'm afraid."

That is all as far as his reactions go. Eventually he takes a seat on the floor. The rest of the motley resistance have clumped together in small groups, resting or talking amongst themselves, about you or who knows what.

Cyrick

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You detect no evil.

[Proven_Paradox]

Cyrick looks thoughtful as he considers Kuru's words. "I think our differences in opinion stem from one disconnect. I have no expectations of being done quickly. This is a war, and we'll have to win many a battle before we can claim final victory. As this place demonstrates, this city still has a few places safe from the demons' influence. If the demons know of this group, I doubt they would still be here; I admit I know little of the way they think, but I find it difficult to believe that they would allow Whitescar to remain whole and unharmed if they knew of him, no? I think we will have chances to refresh our spells over our time here, though I grant that they will likely be few and far between."

He pauses for a moment to gather his thoughts again, then continues. "My qualms with attacking the Marilith first have already been stated." With a grim tone, he says, "Doing so would bring the Nalfeshnee and all of their servants down upon us at the same time, and that is a battle I do not think we would win." He pauses once more to give that a moment to sink in, then continues, "Think of this as one might in a war. The Marilith is the lord, commanding the entire force. The Nalfeshnee act as lieutenants. A good lord knows that his or her capture or death will likely cause the entire campaign to end in failure, and thus would risk their safety only in dire circumstances. A good lieutenant knows this as well. Their own deaths or captures would be a blow to the army, but if the lord was strong, they could rally together and still take victory. Thus, a lieutenant and would risk their own life to save their lord for the good of the campaign, but a good lord would not risk their own lives for their lieutenants' for the same reason. They may send a group to aid a besieged lieutenant, 'tis true, but they would not send more than they can spare."

"Also, think of this from the point of view of an ambitious commanding officer. Should their lord come under attack, saving them would gain them their lord's gratitude, and possibly a promotion in the process, giving them further incentive to come to a lord's aid. Meanwhile, the lord has little to gain from obtaining his officers' gratitude in the same way unless there is a question of loyalty involved."

"Your point about giving them time to prepare is a valid one, but consider that they have already had some time to prepare--the city fell suddenly, but according to Scree, the city had been under siege for a while before that. If we had hoped to catch them before they had a chance to prepare, that time has already passed."

He pauses here and looks to Shalla. "Does what I've said reconcile well with your knowledge of demons?"

[Stycotl]

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all right. now i think we are getting into the differences between real-world warfare, and rpg warfare. i still have a hard time with the idea of actually going through the 20-level dungeon, starting at level 1. i am always looking for the way to get right to the heart of the conflict (breaking down walls so that i can start at dungeon level 20).

i honestly don't know l.smoothee's style, or what he has planned. but then again, that's half of the fun. if he has a preference, i'm sure he'll make it known somehow.

as far as real tactics are concerned, getting to the general would be primary ojective, and underlings would come as second priority.

Kuru shrugs again, scales rasping against each other. "Like I said, I am willing to consider all options. But I think that if we go into this operation with the idea of a war in mind, we are missing the point. The whole purpose of a small kill team is to effect quick, devastating assaults, not long, drawn-out wars. I think the Watchtower would have sent more than a four-strong team if this were to be a campaign rather than a strategic strike."

[Rachel Lorelei]

"Kurukshetra has the right of it, I think. And besides, I am not particularily afraid of facing all three of them, especially since help won't be called in right away. If the marilith wanders the city, starting with her will be our best bet; either she is constantly linked to the other two, or she isn't. The bigger worry is keeping her from running."

[Townopolis]

Some of the resistance members check at the door leading up and head through, into the inn above. Others remain, glancing at your group from time to time. Once or twice someone approaches Whitescar and they speak in quiet voices. The snatches of these conversations you catch range from people wanting to touch one of Kuru's scales to people wishing to express admiration for the group, to people making various remarks about the two women in your group. The Leonal addresses all of these and tries to keep you undisturbed as you debate strategy.

((Not much is going to happen here, you have time to sync up and get a plan of action. If you have any questions, Whitescar will answer them or find someone who can. Of course, not all questions have available answers. Once action starts, I will continue to cover Whitescar's RP, but since he will be serving as Cyrick's cohort this adventure, he will have tactical control of the kitty. Whitescar has the base leonal stat block.))

[Rachel Lorelei]

"Whitescar--you said the marilith moves about the town, sometimes. How often? Is there a pattern, or a place she always goes? When can we expect her to do this next? Does she go alone? An ambush would be our best option."

[Stycotl]

Kurukshetra turns then to Whitescar, "I am unclear as to your intended role in this. Are you to accompany us, and if so, by yourself, or are you working independenty?"

Then he begins looking about the room, "Where do you all go for observation? I would assume that you have some method of spying on the upper city. IS there a porthole or a scrying glass that I can review in order to get the lay of the city?"

[Rachel Lorelei]

"I could pop high up, draw you a map," Shalla suggests.

[Townopolis]

Whitescar looks up from a conversation with one of the others.

"I am to follow and aid you in your mission, then to report back to my fellows once the commanding demons have been dealt with.

For observation, these people are all citizens of the city, they can walk the streets without tipping the demons off to anything, that is how they keep an eye on the city. I stay here, when I emerge, I will not be able to blend in.

The Marilith keeps no schedule or pattern. She leaves the castle and wanders according to her whim, but she has a favoring for the places where she can parade before many people. She does not bring guards with her, but there will almost certainly be other demons nearby."

[Proven_Paradox]

Cyrick sighs and says, "And should she truly be in trouble she could have all of the demons in the city upon us in short order. It is either arrogance or a trap, and I have a feeling it is the latter more than the former."

[Stycotl]

Kurukshetra nods to Whitescar, obviously sympathetic to the celestial's difficulty with disguise. Then he listens to Cyrick and nods, "I think it would be wise to go in expecting a trap. I think that we should plan our assault, and also our withdrawal. We will have to be flexible of course, but there is almost no way that I foresee that we could attack our objectives and expect to leave at leisure. I think it will be a fighting withdrawal, and quite possibly a fierce one."

[Townopolis]

The resistance members slowly trickle out of the room, leaving in small groups. Before leaving, most of them leave you wishes of good luck and the favor of various local gods, Arok is mentioned quite a bit here, as you plan your strike.

A few people return with food and drink, which they take into a corner by themselves, and soon it is only these people, you four, and whitescar left in the room.

((Just tell me when you're ready to head out))

[Rachel Lorelei]

"I have a Teleport scroll; we're nigh-guaranteed at least one safe escape. Besides which, I can cover your retreats and then simply whisk myself away. I can be remarkably difficult for those who'd like to put me down. I don't think the Marilith will be able to call too many demons down on us if she's out and about; the sound of violence isn't going to be something usual. What we need is to wait until she patrols, then intercept her on the way."


(Pretty much ready here. We could talk about this forever, but we might as well get out there and do it. It's just a marilith, right? )

[Stycotl]

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just a marilith! hah!

Kurukshetra nods, "I say we at least get a heading before we bail out of here. And maybe get a consensus as to what would be our target, and our strategy."

He thinks for a bit.

"I liked Shalla's idea about pretending that we are her slaves. That migth get us inside of the marilith's fortress without ever having to disarm a trap or whack a petitioner."

[Proven_Paradox]

Cyrick seems visibly relieved when Shalla mentions her scroll. "I wasn't aware of that. That makes me feel far better about this plan, without a doubt. I still don't like it, and I still think we should aim for the Nalfeshnee first. Still, if I'm right, we'll have another chance at it, and if I'm not, we'll be better off."

He turns to Kuru and adds, "I'd far rather fight her in the open streets. What point is there in being taken back to her stronghold, where no doubt she has many servants to aid her? If she teleports, her ability to escape is exactly the same no matter where we fight."

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Honestly, I'm expecting a Marilith, two Nalfeshnee, and a bunch of lesser demons here, all possibly with class levels and/or max HP with hitddice. Here goes nothing I guess.

[Rachel Lorelei]

"Indeed. That would be a social attack--I could try to persuade her of untruths, set her against the Nalfeshnee. If she walks the streets, we'd best attack her there.
A bit of good news, Zyldra: I don't believe she'll be able to see you.
As for a plan, I'll do my best to weaken her... if she's not quick enough, my spells will keep her too stunned to fight back or run away... then wade in for the kill, assuming I have the time to cast a few spells before we can ambush her. I'd caution the rest of you against staying in melee with her, at least before I've landed a few spells--it's difficult to defend against so many blades.
Cyrick, some of the Anchor scrolls are yours--try to land one. After that, she's ours. If help comes, preferably we finish her before running, but better flight than being overwhelmed. I'll cover our retreat, if it's not through my scroll; I can teleport myself."

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I'm half-expecting a regular Marilith, frankly, with a few other assorted demons. We'll see. I'm sure we'll be fine. We'll see. Wings of Flurry should be a pain for her to deal with.

[Solophoenix]

Zyldra

"If either of you have spells you'd rather be casting, I can cast scrolls of either type"