End of Ages

[bue52]

Avit too follows the group, though he hopes that their time in hell was short, he knows that there is a chance that they may have been gone for a century, possibly even a millennium, either way, their job is to defeat the dragon, maybe they can ascend to heaven after that, or maybe they get to keep their lives and continue living till they die a natural death.

[ixious]

Entering the large room, the smell of fresh air and wet dog hit your nostrils. The first sight you see though, is the dog. Cerberus is his name in legend, a 3 headed hellhound blocking the gates of hell. Ironicly no larger than a young dragon, he is far from the impressive sight of legends. Adorned with rubies and garnets, his "armor" of gold covers his jet black fur. His massive tail, adorned with more gold, sways gently and each head's eyes are shut. He sleeps for now, his full weight on the strangely small "gate". Close to 20 small imps are grooming, adorning him with treasures, and bringing him food they ladel directly into one of the mouths. None of them appear armed but with combs, scissors, and ladels, each wear nothing but a sackcloth. As you enter, none take any notice, but it is impossible to exit the gate with Cerberus and the imps there.

[disorder]

At the first sign of activity in the room ahead, Cale let her light spell fade to nothingness, to avoid drawing attention. Now she peers around the corner alongside the others, trying to gauge the demeanor of the three-headed canine and its attendants.

"You think they'd believe we're here to repair the gate, and we need them to move the dog a little?" she whispers, looking instinctively to Lotho, always the group's expert on duplicity and double-dealings.

[The_King_of_Durf]

"I think its feasible. Basically our options are fighting our way, talking our way out, or sneaking or way out. It looks like sneaking is out of the question. If you'd like, I can go see what I can do with those imps. Perhaps a little quick talk and some false promises might help them be more susceptible to our ideas."

[ixious]

@all

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ok everyone that rolled checks and such I will give a different "picture". The mobs won't aggro or anything like that while y'all come up with a battle plan.

@Cale

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You remember reading that Cerberus is the guardian of the gate out of hell for mortals. Unlike Tiamet, the "front door" guard, Cerberus guards a bit of a side door. His three heads represent glutteny, sloth, and avarice.

@Walker

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Looking at the room, there are charred corpses. The imps appear to be pouring food into one head, adorning another head with gold, and playing a harp to the 3rd head. The imps give off a glow you recognize as the glow each of you gained when you regained your soul. Cerberus isnt as much sleeping as being lazy as you see an eye flutter from time to time.

The dog appears capable of being a very powerful adversary, just as likely to burn you all to a crisp as talk to you for hours, possibly trying to enslave you into being one of his "servants". You remember reading that Cerberus is the guardian of the gate out of hell for mortals. Unlike Tiamet, the "front door" guard, Cerberus guards a bit of a side door. His three heads represent glutteny, sloth, and avarice.

@Avit

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Looking at the room, there are charred corpses. The imps appear to be pouring food into one head, adorning another head with gold, and playing a harp to the 3rd head. The dog appears completely asleep. but completely capable of appears capable of being a very powerful adversary, just as likely to burn you all to a crisp as talk to you for hours, possibly trying to enslave you into being one of his "servants".

[NecroRebel]

Quietly, Walker warns his companions, Be wary. The dog is awake.

He pauses for a moment and considers the things flying around before continuing. These aren't like anything I've seen in the Hells. They only seem to serve the beast. We should set a trap for it, and destroy its minions to draw it out.

[Jokes]

Thonas

Thonas is puzzled by the giant dog. There is something niggling at the back of his mind, but he can't seem to recall it.

"What is that thing?"

[disorder]

"He's called Cerebus," Cale whispers back to Thonas. "I think. In the stories, he should be even bigger."

In a hurried, whispered conference, all five travelers exchange bits of remembered lore about the creature that guards their way, each occasionally peeking out from behind cover to judge their chances of escape by various means. Bit by bit, the outline of a plan begins to takes shape...

[The_King_of_Durf]

Lotho produces an elegant ebony quill and a writ of parchment from his tunic. He scribbles something down, and steps forth officiously, brandishing the paper and shouting.

"You there, imp!" he shouts. "This is an official writ from the Lord of Hell himself. We are here on a routine tour of the gates of Hell, as per the latest invasion by the blighted Gods above. If necessary, we are to perform minor reparations and adjustments.

Now, I will need you to, by whatever means you normally use, maneuver this monstrous beast out of our way. Quickly! The impatient Asmodeus requires this service immediately, and his wrath shall be swift if you impede our progress."

Lotho's performance is, of course, flawless.

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And yes that's a natural 20 on Bluff (31) and a 24 on Diplomacy.

[disorder]

The Tiefling standing at Lotho's left shoulder looks alert and focused, but unimpressed with the proceedings. "They have made no preparations at all," she states in Draconic to her counterpart, a short but powerfully built Tiefling flanking Lotho to the right. Her tone is slightly disapproving, but not at all surprised. "We will have to inform his Lordship of the change in schedule."

[NecroRebel]

The Tiefling on the right shoulder, on the other hand, looks more than a little annoyed by the delay. His Lordship will not tolerate delay. We will need to move it ourselves if they are not ready.

[ixious]

adorned with a golden horn bows his head slightly.

Oh yes sir, anything for his greatness, as you can see quite plainly your servant the great hound continues his "presence" here. The flow of souls pointing to the mosaic on the floor




continues just as he ordered, though as you can see, with each cycle we become slightly less the warriors we once were. but with the great hound's presence here it is hardly a concern

Flying over to the corner of the gate visible over Cerberus, the imp signals Lotho closer
And please please tell him all three locks are still engaged. Though this is a small rift, I know our great lord is concerned for such things as security. I would show you the locks, but the great beast has become more and more difficult to arouse,beneficial to his role if not for a presence like you. If your company will step back a bit, I will attempt to grant you a clear view of the locks so you may confirm them yourselves!

The imp begins frantically working and chittering in a language none of you can recognize. The great beast stirs and shifts granting view of the top portion of 3 intricate locks.

Well, that is best i can do for now, but as you can see Sloth (pointing to first lock) Avarice (pointing to second lock) and Gluttony (pointing to a graven image identical to the design on the floor) are all in place, the most efficient devil could not unlock Sloth, a king's fortune doesn't begin to sate Avarice, and Sloth..well... The soul cringes looking at the design on the gate and the floor. It is obvious from all 20 of us being here that it is still quite sound....Any more questions great sir? We have some food and drink you can have, it is truely rare for us to see other flesh-bound souls here. It makes sense, the "blessed" (spat like a curse) wind in here makes anyone without a soul quite useless, and "it" (pointing at the 3rd lock) makes a naked soul quite in danger...

The imp looks nervous, peering at the third lock then back at Lotho....

[The_King_of_Durf]

"I must speak with my fellows for a moment here. We are going to inspect the locks more thoroughly soon." Lotho tells the imp. He then draws Cale and Walker into a huddle, whispering.

"What can we possibly do with those? I don't think my thieves' tools would give me a hand in this case. Any ideas?"

[NecroRebel]

Walker whispers, I didn't expect them to take that so well. We don't know how the locks open... I'll make sure the dog doesn't attack while you get the locks. Straightening and striding towards where Cerberus now lies, he speaks aloud. Great beast, I saw one of your teeth chipped. You will let me inspect your weapons; they must be kept sharp so that you can destroy any interlopers.

[ixious]

Each of the giant dog's heads open their mouths lazily. His teeth have various oily half-chewed food. Each tongue is pierced in multiple places and adorned with shiny a white metal stud adorned with a precious stone. He appears indifferent and one head appears to even be half-asleep.

So close to the door, you spot writing, the body of Cerberus blocking most of it

.....his gate lies the world of the living
.....door erected as order of Asmodeus......
.....locks impossible to the damned sou.....

............pable of dedication to this task, simp...........................
............ice, incapable of paying the cost, par..........................
...........onous, unable to part with their dinner..........................

[bue52]

Avit looked as the plan seemed to be going well, it was annoying as Avit could not compare to the skills of the other three members, even though he is able to trick a child, his abilities were nothing compared to theirs. Impatient as he was, he knew that rushing in for some action would definitely cause their plan to fail, hence the only thing he believed he could do was scout around, moving about as silent and stealthily as he could he searched the room, hoping to find something, anything that can help them, specifically the corpses, since that was the only thing he can do right now.

[Jokes]

Thonas

As the group goes about convincing imps and such, Thonas rests against the wall, humming an old lullaby his mother used to sing to him.

[The_King_of_Durf]

"Alright then!" Lotho barks out. "Let's see if you pathetic bastards still can keep in formation! As the last line of defense if Cerberus falls, you need to be ready for combat and defensive tactics. Now march, and don't let me see you slip up!"

Lotho will force the imps into drills about the room to distract them, and if suggested by his companions, will attempt to march them into the maw upon the floor.

[The_King_of_Durf]

Lotho, with a bit of sadistic glee, marches the imps into the maw, drummng a beat upon the floor with his foot to a count of "Hup! Two, three, four!"

Once the last of them has been gnashed to pieces he salutes comically and saunters away.

[ixious]

Cerberus, enraged, sits up, hearing the screams of his "servants".

you..stop..my...food, you...look...tasty...I KILL YOU!

Still half waking up, cerberus props up into a sitting stance and growls loudly.

Behind him you see the full inscription below the locks,

"Beyond this gate lies the world of the living
this door erected as order of Asmodeus himself
The locks impossible to the damned souls

The Slothful, incapable of dedication to this task, simple as it may be
The Avarice, incapable of paying the cost, parting with their wallets
The Gluttonous, unable to part with their dinner, offering it to the room"

and more details on each lock

The first lock has below it the words "Why leave? It's so much easier to stay!"
with an area below it with a thorn, a scroll, and an area to place the rolled scroll.

The second lock has 5 notches and the words "Why leave? It will cost you so much!"

The third lock, unlatched now, resembled the seal on the floor, it's words, now dripping with blood read "I am too hungry to let you leave, feed me!"

[The_King_of_Durf]

Lotho grins. "Aww, come here puppy!" He whistles and dances back around the Seal of Gluttony, placing it between himself and the monstrous dog.

Dancing, cajoling, and irritating Cerberus, Lotho will attempt to lure the beast to its death while the party solves the locks.

[ixious]

Cerberus charges at Lotho enraged, when he gets to the seal in the middle he starts chomping into air, tendrils come from the floor that he claws and bites at, voices in your head scream "You have fed us VERY well..."


(it will take Cerberus 2 "turns" to escape, and another turn before he can attack, so y'all got a while to do whatever it is you need to do)

[The_King_of_Durf]

In case his companions have difficulty breaking the locks, Lotho will attempt to see to it that Cerberus dies before he can escape the maw's clutches. He fires bolt after electric bolt at the beast.

[ixious]

Cerberus, thrashing hard against the tendrils writhing from the floor is an easy shot for Lotho's attacks, each one distracting him pushing him further into the maw upon the floor. One of his three heads begins to look bloody as it bites against any vines that get near it.

[The_King_of_Durf]

Lotho maneuvers as far back from Cerberus as he can keep, keeping up a steady stream of bolts. Each one that connects forces the beast further down into the gaping maw. As he sees it start to crawl up he swears and keeps firing, hoping that due to its impeded speed and his increased defense, it won't be able to get to him.

Beads of sweat start dripping down from Lotho's hair as he maintains his volley.

[bue52]

Avit runs from the corpse, making sure everything he has found is kept safely, with his free hand he grabs his bow tightly, ready for the beast to rise at any moment, and to knock him down again. They needed all the time they can get.

[The_King_of_Durf]

The lightning reflected in Lotho's eyes makes him look nearly mad. Laughing wildly, he fires bolt after bolt down into the maw where Cerberus is being torn to shreds.

The eminent victory bolsters his confidence. He feels lithe and powerful again. Surely the challenges posed by the world above will be just as easy.

[ixious]

Barraged by attacks, both by the vicious halfling, and by the maw below, cerberus lets out a horrid scream, shaking the walls and shattering a "fake wall" to your left. In his deathcries cerberus attempts to throw fire at all of you, missing, then his eyes go dark. The lock of Gluttony falls to the ground and closes, you see it is made of solid gold and gems (2,300 gold worth of gems in fact!) and looks as if it could be worn as an amulet. (The door wore it as an amulet and see how well that worked out, let's give it a +4 to all saves but it can't be desynthed, if you arnt getting the hint C U R S E D)

XP Reward for Cerberus: (Everyone) 2,300xp

Behind the fake wall is 5 mannequins, like those that you got your gear off from earlier, and a chest. The mannequins have plaques on them

The Warrior

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Cold Iron+2 Fullblade
Black Iron+2 Armor
Bloodsoaked bracers +2 (Taken by Thonas)

The Holy Knight

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Symbol of Confrontation+2
Lifegiving Platemail+2
Amulet of Physical Resolve

The Trickster

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Luckblade+2 (taken by Lotho)
Sylvan Leather Armor+2 (Taken by Lotho)
Rogue's Gloves (Taken by Lotho)

The Hunter

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Vicious +2 Handaxe
Tyrant's +2 Khopesh
Beastlord +2 Hide Armor (The hide itself is cerberus, thus carries a +2 Fire resist and extra +1AC) (Taken by Avit)

The Mystic

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Orb of Inevitable Continuance+2
Fireburst +2 Cloth Armor
Fireburst Boots

The chest contains

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13,000 in gems
3 Alchemist's Fire
3 Alchemist's Acid
Ritual Book of Transfer Enchantment
Floating Lantern
Shroud of Revival
Bag of Holding
Handy Haversack

The corpses of the imps contain:

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30,000 gold worth of trinkets and "armor", easy to melt down
3 potions that work like Cure Light Wounds
1 Raise Dead ritual book with 3 "crib sheets" in the back
(the book needed to learn RD at level 7 and 3 "scrolls of raise dead" essentially)
Harmonious Harp
Horn of Summons
20 days trail rations

[The_King_of_Durf]

Lotho strides over to the maw where Cerberus' mangled corpse lies, and chuckles. He spits into the hole, thinking that the maw could probably wash down the dog with a drink. As a matter of fact, so could Lotho. "I think I could go for a round of ales." he says, shrugging and moving away from the hole.

Lotho stoops down to pick up the amulet, swinging its chain around in a circle before dipping it into his pocket. "This could fetch a pretty penny. Better to sell it than risk toying with the tools of the damned."
He then crosses to The Trickster and inspects the mannequin and chest.

I am one bad son of a bitch.

[Jokes]

Thonas

Thonas strides over to the Halfling. "That was incredible. I would have jumped in but you seemed to be handling yourself."

He steps through the false wall and admires the mannequins. Stopping at the Warrior, he admires the armour, but doesn't remove it from it's place, instead just taking the bracers and strapping them to his arms. He ignores the Cold Iron completely.

He walks back into the main room and begins studying the locks. He pricks his finger against the thorn, and simply writes "T" on the parchment, before setting it back.