Ring of Fire (Part 3)
You arrive back in the realm you met Eclavdran did without much ceremony bearing your half-stolen artifact in hand. The clearing is exactly as you remember it only the symbols you wrote to keep the demon in place are gone, and there is someone in the clearing that had not been there before. Namely Astaren. You've succeeded in the first part of your task. Now you only need summon the demon and gather from him the information which you seek.
Astaren offers a yawn as he is waking up, a hazy fog dissipating around him. He stretches and stands up, picking up his pillow after and stuffing it into his haversack. The pillow decorated in towers and wizardly keeps. "Ahh, late? Did I oversleep to much? Should not of taken a left at Dragonier..."
Mikilos ummms. "Before we hand this over.... I'd really like to know a little more about it. I've picked up a divination recently that should help. Will take a little time, but with the Forlorn Hope right here, shouldn't be too long."
Kravar takes the Forlorn Hope out of his haversack, exhaling slightly. "I wasn't sure that would work," he admits. He presents it to the others. "So...we are really going through with this?" He looks at the others. "Really?"
Mikilos looks to Kravar, and shrugs. "We swore. And so did he. Failure to follow though would be.... bad." He takes a seat on the ground, pulling a few items from his pack. "But, no need to rush. This will take... twenty minutes, maybe twice that."
GAME: Mikilos casts Legend Lore. Caster Level: 12 DC: 24 GAME: Mikilos rolls 1d4: (1): 1
Kravar hands over the artifact when Mikilos is ready. Then he withdraws a shortbow and a quiver of arrows from the haversack. The Aesir's cloak changes into wings, but he stays on the ground for now, keeping watch on their surroundings.
Astaren walks over and tilts his head, "Mind if I ask what is going on? Only just arrived and should probably get the situation and all." Glancing to the others then to Mikilos and Kravar.
Mikilos sits quietly, murmuring softly to himself, and frowning mildly. After a minute or so he pauses a moment to glance to Astaren. "We made a deal with a devil. Or a demon. Duke of Hell. When and where the White Tower will be, name of the one who owns in, in exchange for a series of favors. First was to fetch him the Forlorn Hope." He falls quite again, focused on the spell.
GAME: Astaren rolls knowledge/arcana: (10)+28: 38
"This is the last thing I want to do," says Sandy, giving a look towards Astaren when he mentions dragonier. She takes a moment to put on a pair of steel toed boots.
Just sayin'.
Kravar nods in agreement with Mikilos' explanation. Then he steps over to Astaren, speaking in a lowered voice to avoid distracting Mikilos. "He needed us to retrieve it because it was in a museum on a Celestial plane." Kravar pauses and thinks. "Or maybe it was The Celestial Plane. I can't remember which. Not that it matters, I doubt we'll be welcome there again."
Astaren blinks a moment and sighs, "A item that grants a boon, with an unknown price. Stolen from a celestial plane area. So glad I was late now." Glancing to Sandy and tilting his head, "What are the next parts of the bargain then?" Stepping away from Mikilos so he can concentrate.
Mikilos murmurs for several minutes more and finally falls quiet, rubbing his eyes and stretching. "Interesting, but not overly useful. The Forlorn Hope either shows what you desire, or grants what you want." He nods to Astaren. "Yes, that. I'd hope to find out more, but nothing solid. I can't say I'm overly happy about handing it over, but not too worried either. The remaining tasks will be named later."
"It's not as bad as it sounds."
Pause.
"Okay, it's pretty bad, but the price should be minimal and the boon granted should apparently be nothing we find 'distasteful'. Truthfully, I think he just enjoys us dancing to his game and knows he can't push us terribly far and get something entertaining out of it. Demons." Sandy shrugs, seeming to find the entire thing horribly vile.
Kravar nods. "That is true. He was careful to say he wouldn't ask anything that would compromise our honor." He pauses. That's not exactly what the demon said, was it...? "Or, nothing that would be against our morals." He shakes his head. "Unless he was just doing this to assuage our doubts."
Astaren shakes his head, "dancing to his tune...' he offers thoughtfully and frowns a bit more, "Simple rules with creatures like these. Your not going to out smart them, so we are dancing to his tune. if he has information we want, means he may very well be involved, or even the source. How did we find out this fiend knew anything about the plague and white tower?" Pulling out a pouch of silver, starting to prepare a circle.
"/A/ tune, yes, "He /is/ bound by the agreement in the strictest sense, but we were able to place some limits." Sandy shrugs. "We're not going to 'win' here but we can at least make it less bad. She seems unhappy about all of this.
GAME: Sandy rolls spellcraft: (6)+24: 30 GAME: Astaren rolls spellcraft: (3)+28: 31
Mikilos shrugs. "Guild contacts. This, by the way, is the Immortal Lands. Make an Oath, and the land itself listens. -Break- an Oath, and you are Forsworn, and fair game for the Wild Hunt. Not something even a Duke of Hell is likely to risk."
GAME: Mikilos rolls spellcraft: (8)+29: 37
Astaren glances to the Forlorn Hope, "Unless you have an item that can grant a boon that can break a word. We could be handing over his very means of escape." Glancing back to the others with a thoughtful look.
Kravar peers at the Forlorn Hope. "Does it grant one boon?" he asks. "Only one? And not even always a boon?" He smiles mirthlessly. "If there's any justice, the demon will only be shown his desire rather than granted it."
Mikilos shrugs. "I don't know for certain what it does. But he's Duke of Hell. Escaping isn't an issue. Fairly sure he can leave Hell without too much trouble. The problem, for him anyway, is the moment he does, every angel, adventurer, and other goodie goodie comes after him. Not worth the hassle."
"I don't think he's bound anymore, not the way he was," says Sandy, shaking her head, but she seems ready.
The ugly little statuette left in Karelin's care is set in the center of the circle scribed on the ground by the group, and with the utterance of his name there is suddenly a cloud of sulfuric smoke billowing outwards. It takes time for it to clear, and once it does the beast himself is standing before you in all his unholy glory. His wings beat out and the smoke clears a little faster. Red eyes blaze over the group and fall quickly on the Forlorn Hope. "You /succeeded/."
Rows of sharp teeth flash out and he holds a hand outward. "The map, and the Forlorn Hope. Come mortals, I don't want to waste my time around here."
Astaren stands in the back, watching intently as he considers. He wasn't there for the deal, but so far it seems he is not going to interfere either.
"Yes, we have. And we've brought backup. Someone who was smart enough to /not/ deal with you. The rest of us idiots owe you. Now, tell us what we want to know and you get your precious statue and we get the wrath of celestials *and* boons owed to you." She sighs. "I really fucking hate demons."
Mikilos looks over the now blank map. "This is a very interesting item. I'd love to know more about it. I'm sure I can figure it out eventually. It's not really useful to me in its current condition, but you did just -give- it to us." He looks to the demon, and intones formally. "Tell me about the map, and I promise to return it swiftly and in its current condition."
Astaren stares at the demon for a long moment, then screams, "You! I know you! Your that demon that almost bit off my face when I opened the door back in that tower in the other realm..." trailing off as he goes quiet, "That also had half the wall melted away... and also the... oh dear. I think I have a lead on what is behind all this now." rubbing his head.
"A certain tower, right?" says Sandy to Astaren with a sigh.
The demon shakes his head and laughs a deep sound and shakes his head again. "I will tell you that if you don't want /me/ to show you the direction to the tower, that the map is your best option." He flashes those wicked teeth again. "Enough information for you?"
Astaren nods over to Sandy, "Quiet embarrassingly so. Lots of traps, but there was a ooze on the side, black and kinda anti-magical if I recall. I will have to get my notes, but I don't carry that book on me. The wizard inside was studying time magic, and trapped himself and his tower out of time for like a milenia. Tried to help him unphase himself, but I think he was kinda a dick and said we ruined everything. Or somebody with us said something stupid, one of the two. Typical adventure stuff and all. That guy." Pointing to the Pit Fiend like he wasn't in the room listening to all this, "Was there. Which would explain how he knows anything of any of this. Probably stuck in that tower for quite some time. So his intentions may also be more bent on getting revenge as well." glancing to the demon, "Not my call to make, but we have some new leads to follow up on all this. I am such an idiot for not putting this together sooner. Been to busy studying anti-void rituals and ley line mapping in Dragonier." Rubbing his head.
"I was there, after all," mutter Sandy, a hand over her head. She seems annoyed. "Unfortunately, there's not a whole lot we can do. We still need to find it, and it is't so easy." She puts her hands on her hips. She looks at Eclavdran for a long moment. Then Astaren. Waiting.
"The mirror and the map." Eclavdran reminds them impatiently. Still holding out his hand.
"Fine. Give it to him," says Sandy to Karelin.
She doesn't want to do it. She doesn't even want to be here today.
Karelin looks at Sandy, and snorts. He looks at Eclavdran, handing over the mirror. "As bargained." Lips thin, he's as pleased to do it as Sandy is.
The demon takes the mirror and the map, summoning a huge wicked blade to his hand. He glances at you, expecting shock at this and shrugs his shoulders. Then with a strike of the weapon he cuts open his hand, bleeding on the map great gouts of demonic blood. Then he sets his other hand on the mirror. "Forlorn Hope."
He speaks in a booming bass voice and the Forlorn Hope responds to him. Speaking back. "You seek knowledge."
"Yesss." Eclavdran hisses. "All the knowledge of the White Tower imprinted on my mind." He grins at you and the Forlorn Hope responds even as the realization that maybe... just maybe... he hadn't known /enough/ slithers into the mind. But the Forlorn Hope speaks.
"Granted." The Forlorn Hope sparks up, and Eclavdran laughs and then... he screams in pain as the light from the Forlorn Hope starts to spark over his body.
The demon throws the map at you, "This will take you to the tower when you choose to go. But it will only take you /once/." The demons voice is harsh with pain. "The wizard Zehier is to whom the tower rightfully belongs, though another has taken it now. If you want to know who... you'll have to bargain again." He laughs and lets out another bark of pain.
Sandy just stares at him with deep annoyance. So much annoyance.
She hates him soooooooooooooo muuuuuuuuuuuuuch.
"...right, then. That won't be necessary. Can you fuck right off now?" she asks.
Karelin glances at Sandy. "D'you think we can?" He sighs, acknowledging the likely outcome of the uncompleted question, then nods. "I think fucking off is best."
Eclavdran glares. "If you want to go, go." The lightning from the mirror arches over demon in question, but he looks none so pleased.
Karelin looks at the map, looks at Sandy. "You need anything else?" He looks at Kravar. "Do you need anything else?"
"Let's get out of here," says Sandy, "Though I think Eclavdran should go back whence he came," She smiles at him, grimly, before turning and heading to depart.
With that you return to Alexandria, a map promising to lead you to where the tower is in hand. Now... you only need use it to go there.
-End