001. "Booze! Now!"

[Corwin]

[19:47] <Kotono> The Astral Plane. The Silver Sea stretches into infinity, its timeless depths like a vast lake of tranquility. Amid this expanse are occasional hunks of material and ground, where many a creature comes and goes. One such is the Silverwick Tavern, wherein a motley crew enjoys themselves. While eating and drinking are not required in the Astral Plane, nonethless drink is consumed here. About are several types, the mismatch of the planes. A sprinkling of humans, dwarves, elves and other such humanoids mix with elemental blooded, aasimar, tieflings, a few githyanki, an orge in the back, a sallow skinned woman with a flower atop her head, a brooding man with cloak and pendant who stares into his drink. It is where each of you happened to have stopped to rest and drink for a time. The tavern itself is large and well lit, globes of light hanging from the ceiling. The bar is wood, the chairs and tables all mismatched. OOC: Go ahead and set each of yourselves up.
[19:50] * Jaela sits by the bar, drinking her dwarven brew slowly. She is not there on a whim; tavens such as these are often good places to catch the latest rumor, and what better way can there be to learn of her next destination? As always, she is clad in her armor, and along with the severe expression on her face that is often enough to discourage anyone from approaching her. Her weapons, however, are stored away to prevent any meaningless conflicts from breaking out.
[19:54] <Afina> Sitting on the bar itself and moodily sipping on a lurid blue fizzing concoction, a tiny woman wearing an ornate purple and black striped dress tries to ignore the stares of certain other patrons who might consider her presence here comical. The garb is abbreviated in cut, yet features wide and showy adornments, particularly around her upper arms and hips, bracketing an expansive set of transluscent
[19:54] <Afina> and almost glowing green wings. A sack containing all her worldly belongings rests on the barstool next to her, a splash of blood nearby giving a clue as to what happened to the last person who wanted to go 'looking for pixie dust'. For her this is just a coincidental stop, a chance to regain some energy by drinking or eating something with exceptionally high levels of sugar. Soon she'll find
[19:54] <Afina> a portal to Mechanus where she hopes to learn more about the ways of Hell from a neutral standpoint. All the better to find a weak link she can exploit.
[19:56] * Willim is sitting quietly at a table, drinking a pale ale and gnawing on a tough cut of dried meat. He wears a torn and burned outfit and watches the place dumbly, waiting for something interesting to happen. He idly scratches behind a horn as he loudly rips the meat apart, smacking his lips.
[19:59] * Ithea sits alone at one of the tables off to the side from the entrance, musing thoughts to herself as she plays around with a clear liquid drink, twirling the tip of her finger over the surface of the drink. She doesn't seem to be paying much attention to the rest of the tavern.
[20:02] <Kotono> As the various patrons drink, the doors to the Silverwick tavern open! The thump of hooves alighting on the ground is heard as they enter. Each is filthy, with a maggot-filled beard and saw-toothed glaive. Five of them in total, each one casting a challenging, defiant look about. One of them wears a red bandanna, stomping forward to the bar! "Booze," it demands curtly, "Now!"
[20:04] * Afina looks over to the door with an expression of mere languid curiousity. Her look soon turns vicious as she recognises exactly the same foot soldiers she saw at the end of Lifasa, and marching across Gehenna. Of course killing these ones won't do much to advance her goal of saving her home, but it'll certainly make her feel better. And the planes could always use less devils. "Forget drinking," the pixie rises to her feet, glaring hatefully at the new arrivals. "All your kind are good for is dying!"
[20:06] * Jaela smashes her mug against the counter and stands up with a clunk of metal. She tosses its remains into the face of the devil with the bandanna, letting ale drip down his beard, and a spear appears in her hand as she snarls, "You dare appear before me, scum?!"
[20:08] <Kotono> A few patrons give the new customers a leery eye, scooting back and away. The ogre in the back growls, as the brooding man rises. With a single smooth motion he draws his skull-hilted blade, which bursts into light! "Well spoken," he says in a quiet voice, spitting to the side, "Baatezu trash have no place but at the end of my blade!"
[20:09] * Willim looks over at the commotion and blinks. "What devil-things doing here?" he says in a nasal voice. "This not Lifasa." He pulls himself to his feet, finishing his beer and chomping down the last of his meat.
[20:10] * Ithea raises her head at the new arrivals, the stench fleeting through her nose as they enter and gives off a low growl as her eyes narrow, before grinning at the actions of the two by the bar as well as the man with the shining blade. "I'm going to have to agree with them..." she says with a smirk.
[20:11] <Afina> "Lifasa?!" Afina is distracted for a split second, looking at the hellish seeming troll. "You!" she points at him, "I'll have words for you after I've cleaned out the filth!" So saying she takes off into the air, drawing a gleaming silvery blade from across her lower back.
[20:11] <Kotono> "Hmph, inferior scum!" The red-bandannaed barbazu snarls, "I have slaughtered 99 filthy demons! You wretches will make a fine addition!"  With a shout of pure frenzied rage, he raises his glaive and charges, as do his fellows! OOC: Here we go! Init.

[20:12] <Kotono> roll 1d20+2 man with a glowing blade
[20:12] <Afina> roll 1d20+19
[20:12] * Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+2 man with a glowing blade and gets 10." [1d20=8]
[20:12] * Hatbot --> "Afina rolls 1d20+19 and gets 24." [1d20=5]
[20:12] * Ithea moves her hand behind her back and under her cloak as she stands, before drawing it out while holding a glaive of her own. "Just try it, beast!"
[20:12] <Ithea> roll d20+7
[20:12] * Kotono changes topic to 'Afina(24)>Man with a glowing blade(10)'
[20:12] * Hatbot --> "Ithea rolls d20+7 and gets 8." [d20=1]
[20:12] <Jaela> roll 1d20+6
[20:12] * Hatbot --> "Jaela rolls 1d20+6 and gets 8." [1d20=2]
[20:12] * Willim takes the implied threat in stride, nodding. One more person to hit, maybe?
[20:12] <Willim> roll 1d20+8
[20:12] * Hatbot --> "Willim rolls 1d20+8 and gets 20." [1d20=12]
[20:12] * Kotono changes topic to 'Afina(24)>Man with a glowing blade(10)>Ithea=Jaela(8 is miko bait)'
[20:12] * Kotono changes topic to 'Afina(24)>Willim(20)>Man with a glowing blade(10)>Ithea=Jaela(8 is miko bait)'
[20:13] <Kotono> roll 1d20+8 Barbazu bandanna
[20:13] * Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+8 Barbazu bandanna and gets 18." [1d20=10]
[20:13] * Kotono changes topic to 'Afina(24)>Willim(20)>Bandannaed Barbazu(18)>Man with a glowing blade(10)>Ithea=Jaela(8 is miko bait)'
[20:13] <Kotono> roll 4#1d20+6 da grunts
[20:13] * Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 4#1d20+6 da grunts and gets 65." [4#1d20+6 = 13, 14, 25, 13]
[20:13] * Kotono changes topic to 'Barbazu 3(25)>Afina(24)>Willim(20)>Bandannaed Barbazu(18)>Barbazu 2(14)>Barbazu 1(13)>Man with a glowing blade(10)>Ithea=Jaela(8 is miko bait)'
[20:14] * Kotono changes topic to 'Barbazu 3(25)>Afina(24)>Willim(20)>Bandannaed Barbazu(18)>Barbazu 2(14)>Barbazu 1=Barbazu 4(13)>Man with a glowing blade(10)>Ithea=Jaela(8 is miko bait)'
[20:15] <Kotono> The third one of this fellow, with a wickedly scarred face and a sour stench, takes the initiative! He charges right at Willim through the Silver Sea! His glaive is out, "A leftover from that conquest? Bow!"
[20:15] <Kotono> roll 1d20+11 flatfooted AC?
[20:15] * Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+11 flatfooted AC? and gets 14." [1d20=3]
[20:15] <Willim> OOC: Better than that
[20:15] <Kotono> The glaive comes down, but simply drags harmlessly across Willim's toughened flesh! It doesn't even leave a nick or mark at all! OOC: Alfina.
[20:18] <Afina> With the speed of thought, two spells settle across the bar before Afina is on the devils like a flash! First she bestows herself with enchanted haste, thoughtfully sharing it with all those who stood against the devils - the armoured angel, the catwoman, the man with the glowing sword, and even the fiendish troll. Her other spell transmutes the lead devil's weapon into a mere floating puddle
[20:18] <Afina> of molten metal in the astral. Then she flashes out her blade at the two barbazu immediately on the leader's left and right before zipping back right where she started!
[20:19] <Afina> OOC: DC 24 will for metal melt on his glaive
[20:19] <Afina> roll 1d20+26 bounding attack on barbazu 2
[20:19] <Kotono> roll 1d20+6
[20:19] * Hatbot --> "Afina rolls 1d20+26 bounding attack on barbazu 2 and gets 33." [1d20=7]
[20:19] * Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+6 and gets 10." [1d20=4]
[20:19] <Kotono> OOC: Hit.
[20:19] <Afina> roll 1d20+21 bounding attack on barbazu 4
[20:19] * Hatbot --> "Afina rolls 1d20+21 bounding attack on barbazu 4 and gets 39." [1d20=18]
[20:19] <Kotono> OOC: Also a hit.
[20:20] <Afina> OOC: provokes AoO on bandana from movement if he has combat reflexes, AC 47 vs AoOs
[20:20] <Afina> roll 1d4+10+5d6+5d6 skirmish/holy, holy surge
[20:20] * Hatbot --> "Afina rolls 1d4+10+5d6+5d6 skirmish/holy, holy surge and gets 43." [1d4=2][5d6=5, 1, 5, 6, 6][5d6=3, 1, 1, 1, 2]
[20:20] <Afina> roll 1d4+10+5d6+5d6 skirmish/holy, holy surge
[20:20] * Hatbot --> "Afina rolls 1d4+10+5d6+5d6 skirmish/holy, holy surge and gets 42." [1d4=4][5d6=4, 1, 1, 4, 4][5d6=2, 3, 4, 4, 1]
[20:21] <Kotono> OOC: He doesn't.
[20:21] <Afina> OOC: then nobody AoOs me~
[20:21] <Kotono> The barbazu are ripped open, sides tearing apart to spill fiendish blood all over! The fairy is like a whirlwind of death, as the snarling barbazu raises it's glaive up! As this happens...OOC: Willim.
[20:22] <Afina> OOC: his glaive is now a puddle
[20:22] <Kotono> The barbazu's glaive shudders, melting into a puddle at the same time! It stares down in a moment of dumb shock!
[20:24] * Willim looks at the puddle, then at the devil. "Weapon broke, me think. Me break you now."
[20:25] <Willim> roll 1d20+24
[20:25] <Willim> roll 1d20+24
[20:25] * Hatbot --> "Willim rolls 1d20+24 and gets 39." [1d20=15]
[20:25] * Hatbot --> "Willim rolls 1d20+24 and gets 35." [1d20=11]
[20:25] <Willim> roll 1d20+19
[20:25] * Hatbot --> "Willim rolls 1d20+19 and gets 31." [1d20=12]
[20:25] <Willim> roll 1d20+13
[20:25] * Hatbot --> "Willim rolls 1d20+13 and gets 22." [1d20=9]
[20:25] <Willim> roll 1d20+19
[20:25] * Hatbot --> "Willim rolls 1d20+19 and gets 36." [1d20=17]
[20:25] <Willim> OOC: Last is a bite
[20:26] <Kotono> OOC: Those all hit. Bring the pain train.
[20:26] <Willim> roll 4#1d10+10
[20:26] * Hatbot --> "Willim rolls 4#1d10+10 and gets 60." [4#1d10+10 = 12, 12, 16, 20]
[20:26] <Willim> roll 1d6+10
[20:26] * Hatbot --> "Willim rolls 1d6+10 and gets 12." [1d6=2]
[20:28] <Kotono> With a cold savagery, Willim takes the barbazu up and slams it into his knee! It's spine breaks explosively, sending bone flying out to the floor like sharpnel! As it struggles in vain Willim's head darts down, teeth ripping it's throat out! It shudders twice as it bleeds, before becoming a foul black oil all over the floor, it's glaive clattering! OOC: Ow. Bandannaed barbazu is up.
[20:28] * Kotono changes topic to 'Afina(24)>Willim(20)>Bandannaed Barbazu(18)>Barbazu 2(14)>Barbazu 1=Barbazu 4(13)>Man with a glowing blade(10)>Ithea=Jaela(8 is miko bait)'
[20:28] <Willim> "Taste like leather. Not bad."
[20:28] <Kotono> The leader of this merry band of fiends snarls in utter, thunderstruck fury! With it's filthy claws out it charges at the pixie, snarling invectives!
[20:28] <Kotono> roll 1d20+12 AC?
[20:28] * Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+12 AC? and gets 21." [1d20=9]
[20:29] <Afina> OOC: 43
[20:29] <Kotono> But Afina flutters out of the way, dodging with barely an effort at all! Meanwhile the first and fourth fiends charge, one going on Jaela and another on Ithea!
[20:29] <Kotono> roll 1d20+11 Jaela
[20:29] * Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+11 Jaela and gets 19." [1d20=8]
[20:29] <Kotono> roll 1d20+11 Ithea
[20:29] * Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+11 Ithea and gets 22." [1d20=11]
[20:29] <Kotono> OOC: ACs?
[20:29] <Jaela> OOC: 21 flat footed
[20:30] <Ithea> ooc: miss
[20:30] <Kotono> One glaive hits Jaela's armor, clanging off with a pure steely rattle! The other simply misses Ithea altogether, going past her! At this the man with the glowing sword darts through the Astra, going 'round to attack Jaela's opponent from behind!
[20:31] <Kotono> roll 1d20+17 (+2 flank, -10 PA)
[20:31] * Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d20+17 (+2 flank, -10 PA) and gets 30." [1d20=13]
[20:31] <Kotono> roll 1d8+33+2d6+5d6
[20:31] * Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d8+33+2d6+5d6 and gets 64." [1d8=3][2d6=5, 1][5d6=5, 3, 5, 4, 5]
[20:32] * Kotono changes topic to 'Afina(24)>Willim(20)>Bandannaed Barbazu(18)>Barbazu 2(14)>Barbazu 4(13)>Man with a glowing blade(10)>Ithea=Jaela(8 is miko bait)'
[20:32] <Kotono> With a straight skewer the barbazu is impaled from behind! It gurgles once and goes limp, fading to wretched blood all over the floor! OOC: Ithea and Jaela.
[20:33] <Jaela> roll 1d20+19 K:P
[20:33] * Hatbot --> "Jaela rolls 1d20+19 K:P and gets 33." [1d20=14]
[20:35] <Jaela> "Braggarts," Jaela calls, redirecting her spear towards the hasty devil with the bandanna. "Fools. You walked into the wrong bar!" And then that spear strikes out at the fiend, again and again!
[20:35] <Jaela> roll 1d20+20 6pa
[20:35] <Jaela> roll 1d20+20 6pa
[20:35] * Hatbot --> "Jaela rolls 1d20+20 6pa and gets 25." [1d20=5]
[20:35] * Hatbot --> "Jaela rolls 1d20+20 6pa and gets 34." [1d20=14]
[20:35] <Jaela> roll 1d20+15 6pa
[20:35] * Hatbot --> "Jaela rolls 1d20+15 6pa and gets 25." [1d20=10]
[20:35] <Jaela> roll 1d20+10 6pa
[20:35] * Hatbot --> "Jaela rolls 1d20+10 6pa and gets 22." [1d20=12]
[20:35] <Kotono> OOC: Those all hit. Bring on the pain.
[20:36] <Jaela> roll 4#1d8+12+4+12
[20:36] * Hatbot --> "Jaela rolls 4#1d8+12+4+12 and gets 124." [4#1d8+12+4+12 = 30, 32, 33, 29]
[20:36] <Jaela> roll 4#2d6+2 die!
[20:36] * Hatbot --> "Jaela rolls 4#2d6+2 die! and gets 40." [4#2d6+2 = 8, 10, 11, 11]
[20:37] * Kotono changes topic to 'Afina(24)>Willim(20)>Barbazu 2(14)>Barbazu 4(13)>Man with a glowing blade(10)>Ithea=Jaela(8 is miko bait)'
[20:37] <Kotono> With a loathesome scream in Infernal, the devil falls! It is skewered and slaughtered, gushing it's blood straight back onto the wall as a result of Jaela's massive blow! OOC: Ithea.
[20:37] <Jaela> Her free hand glows darkly, then, and Jaela steps towards the devil assaulting the catgirl before slamming it into the side of its head!
[20:37] <Jaela> OOC: Swift Harm, Will 25
[20:38] <Jaela> roll 1d20+13 SR
[20:38] * Hatbot --> "Jaela rolls 1d20+13 SR and gets 27." [1d20=14]
[20:39] <Jaela> OOC: 130 damage, half on a save
[20:39] <Kotono> The harm touches makes the barbazu stumble terrifically, withering to a nearly dried out husk!
[20:39] <Kotono> OOC: Doesn't matter, takes it to 1 either way.
[20:43] * Ithea frowns slightly as her opponent is taken down before she can do anything herself, but seeing one of the devils still alive, she smirks as she vanishes, reappearing in a flash behind the remaining one and attacking it savagely before it realizes where the attacks are coming from. (OOC: using quickened dimension hop, then full attacking)
[20:43] <Ithea> roll d20+16 (PA-6)
[20:43] * Hatbot --> "Ithea rolls d20+16 (PA-6) and gets 35." [d20=19]
[20:43] <Ithea> roll d20+16 (PA-6)
[20:43] * Hatbot --> "Ithea rolls d20+16 (PA-6) and gets 23." [d20=7]
[20:43] <Ithea> roll d20+11 (PA-6)
[20:43] * Hatbot --> "Ithea rolls d20+11 (PA-6) and gets 17." [d20=6]
[20:43] <Ithea> roll d20+6 (PA-6)
[20:43] * Hatbot --> "Ithea rolls d20+6 (PA-6) and gets 13." [d20=7]
[20:43] <Kotono> OOC: Those all hit.
[20:44] <Kotono> OOC: Well, the last doesn't.
[20:46] <Ithea> roll 3d10+30+36
[20:46] * Hatbot --> "Ithea rolls 3d10+30+36 and gets 93." [3d10=10, 10, 7]
[20:46] * Kotono changes topic to 'Afina(24)>Willim(20)>Barbazu 4(13)>Man with a glowing blade(10)>Ithea=Jaela(8 is miko bait)'
[20:49] <Afina> The one devil left looks like a swift breeze might put him over, but not having command over the winds Afina has to settle for a magic missile launched at his ugly face.
[20:49] <Afina> roll 1d20+15 SR
[20:49] * Hatbot --> "Afina rolls 1d20+15 SR and gets 34." [1d20=19]
[20:49] <Afina> roll 5d4+5
[20:49] * Hatbot --> "Afina rolls 5d4+5 and gets 18." [5d4=2, 1, 2, 4, 4]
[20:57] <Kotono> With a teleport and a flash of her glowing blade, another barbazu is cut down! Only one remains, looking about in blind panic and shock at the sudden reversal of fortune, "Too bad for you," The man with a glowing sword observes darkly. OOC: Afina.
[20:57] <Kotono> The barbazu also takes a magic missile in the face, but not quite enough to put it down!
[20:58] <Kotono> Yet a second later, the barbazu collaspes, melting into slag! OOC: Free act.

[20:59] <Afina> "Yeah, thanks everyone else, good job," Afina distractedly thanks the other participants in the fight before she zips over to the troll. "You!" she points accusingly at him. "You're from Lifasa?"
[21:00] * Jaela shakes her spear to get devil bits out of it, and then observes the bar coolly. As moments pass and no one seems set to attack her, the weapon once more disappears with a flash. For the time being, she is content to watch the confrontation between troll and fairy.
[21:00] <Ithea> "Well, that certainly freshens this place up a bit...even if the smell still remains," Ithea comments as she kicks the corpse of the devil she killed away from herself. "I don't know about the troll, but I am."
[21:01] <Kotono> The man with a glowing sword kneels down and dries his blade on the remnants of the barbazu's clothing. Once done he sheathes it, approaching the troll and fairy but keeping his own council.
[21:02] <Afina> Afina twitches as someone else admits to being from her home, her gaze flitting back and forth between trolldemon and catgirl. "You were both there? When those monsters attacked, when everyone died?!"
[21:02] * Ithea twitches, and nods curtly. "Yes."
[21:03] <Jaela> "Make that three," Jaela speaks up. "What of it?"
[21:04] <Kotono> "Four," The man with a blade says quietly, "I was in near the Ascended Throne before it fell." His dark hair rustles as he shakes his head, "Cast out to the four winds of Creation."
[21:05] <Afina> Afina's wings stop and she falls in mid-air, only righting herself just above the floor when Jaela speaks and fluttering back up. "Another one?! What are the- if it wasn't for those devils we'd have gone our seperate ways and never known!" her words tumble out breathlessly. "I thought hardly anyone had survived, I didn't even think to look, the planes are so big!"
[21:05] <Willim> "Mmm. Was in monk place. Tempus-men teach me. Devils came out of sky, crushed many, but could not crush them all." He eyes the fairy in his face.
[21:06] <Kotono> "No one could." After a moment's beat, "Adrian Barnan. If you'd care for my company, I'll pay for a round of drinks."
[21:07] <Jaela> Her own introduction is brief, and consists only of her name. "Jaela." Still, maybe there are more devils where these came from, and she decides to stick around for a bit and see if she is in luck.
[21:07] <Afina> "I'm Afina... Gloaminggloom" she hesitates a second over her second name. "I served Queen Ilsenine, in the Gloaming Forest... I don't know if you know of it. We kept people out, for all the good it did in the end."
[21:09] <Willim> "Willim." The blackened troll says.
[21:10] <Ithea> "I'm Ithea. For what it's worth, you're not the first I've met from there, we got lucky, we had a lot of capable people where I lived and a decent number managed to evacuate," Ithea says, her eyes turning a little haunted as she remembers all the death and her own helplessness.
[21:11] <Afina> Fluttering over to the bar and grabbing her sack, Afina flies back and looks out a table. "What have you four all been doing since then? It's obvious you can fight against devils, at least."
[21:11] <Kotono> "You're...fortunate," Adrian murmurs, glancing about. The tavern is recovering, as an empty table is found. "Killing any devils I come across and..." He pauses a moment, shaking his head. "What of you all?"
[21:12] * Jaela snorts. "What else is there?"
[21:12] * Ithea shrugs. "Getting into trouble. Trying to -cause- trouble for those bastards where I can."
[21:13] <Willim> "Me just try to get by, is hard. Women scream and men throw things. Me not smart, but me strong." Willim nods. "Me good at moving heavy things. Sometimes people pay gold or meat."
[21:15] <Kotono> "Hitting them when you can..." Adrian murmurs, and after a moment her eaches for his pendant. It's a white stone on a gold chain, hollowing hitting against the breastplate her wears. "Been trying to do something, anything against them. Any luck at all?"
[21:16] <Jaela> "I'm still here," Jaela responds concisely. "But so are they." It does feel a bit futile when she puts it that way.
[21:16] <Afina> "I ended up in a place called Gehenna. There's lots of devils and other monsters there," she glances at Willim, recalling some of them. "It seemed like the ritual went wrong when all the dryads died, opening portals throughout the forest - that's where I got sucked through to." Shrugging with practiced nonchalance, "It didn't bother me much after what I'd seen, at the end. It was only after I
[21:16] <Afina> found the soul of some elf from Lifasa, about to be sold like currency down there... I helped him get to Arvandor. They were all very nice there, talking about how devils are evil and must pay... not much was said about actually saving Lifasa, though. But there has to be some way to get rid of the devils and fix things - even if it means killing everyone of them. That's what I want to find out
[21:16] <Afina> - I was going to Mechanus, heard that was the best place to find out about devils without visiting Hell proper," Afina explains all this, her words coming out rapidly but precisely enunciated.
[21:18] <Kotono> "Medicant." He says the word consicely and quietly, keeping his voice down. "Does that mean anything to any of you?"
[21:18] * Jaela scowls at the mention of Arvandor. "That's where our portal took us. They all decided to stay, and that was the end of it."
[21:18] * Willim shrugs.
[21:19] <Afina> "You mean begging?" Afina blinks at Adrian, assuming he meant to say mendicant.
[21:20] <Jaela> roll 1d20+19
[21:20] * Hatbot --> "Jaela rolls 1d20+19 and gets 32." [1d20=13]
[21:20] <Ithea> roll d20+20 K:P
[21:20] * Hatbot --> "Ithea rolls d20+20 K:P and gets 39." [d20=19]
[21:27] <Jaela> "That old tale?" Jaela asks in surprise, before she scoffs openly. "What of it?"
[21:29] <Kotono> "One of the Elder Magi serving the Ascended Throne made it through the portal. He was horribly injured and weakened by the devil attack, but he survived. In the days after he dreamed constantly of the story of Medicant, which he told me. I can have it repeated for you, if you care to hear it." Not waiting for an answer right away, "He was too weakened to search himself and bid me to search. I've
[21:29] <Kotono> been chasing information for it in the years since then, slowly getting closer to real information about it."
[21:31] <Jaela> Jaela's expression mellows out, and she raises a questioning eyebrow over her visible eye. "And have you? Do you have a real lead on that fortress?"
[21:31] <Afina> "And?" Afina prods, too ignorant to scoff as the angel does.
[21:31] <Ithea> "You really think you can find that? It's been lost for ages. How likely is it to be found in this day and age?" Ithea asks, looking doubtful.
[21:33] <Kotono> "I choose to think I can, and I believe a githyanki sage has information about Medicant," he says, keeping his voice stil low. "You all understand the pain we share and that we can't just sit here and pretend Lifasa didn't exist. We have to do something. Perhaps you're right and it's a fool's errand...but should it be, when my time comes, I'l sleep better knowing I gave my life's work to the
[21:33] <Kotono> land of my birth."
[21:34] <Afina> "The rest of the universe is happy to let Lifasa rot under a devil's heel, of course we've got to look out for ourselves," Afina agrees with that. "But would you mind explaining what this Medicant is and how it's useful?"
[21:35] <Jaela> "Hmph. You're on the right plane for githyanki sages, at least," Jaela mutters. Knowing what she does, she doesn't need any more to make her decision. "How about we travel together, for as long as you're on Astral? I can spare that much effort on that strange quest, at least."
[21:36] * Willim scratches his head and grunts. "We go find place?"
[21:36] <Kotono> A nod as he holds his pendant again, "This will repeat what Elder Magi Tepen told me. I fear it's voice is not nearly the storyteller's voice he had, but it will have to sustain us." At Jaela's words a smile comes to his face, "If you are all willing, yes. If this quest bears fruit...even if I find Medicant soon, I am no sorcerer. I would be lost in a ruin of magic and mystery."
[21:38] * Jaela was only speaking for herself, but will let the others speak for themselves rather than correct him.
[21:40] <Afina> It seems she's the only one ignortant here... or at least ignorant and wanting to address it, she amends thinking of the troll. "So what does it do?"
[21:40] <Ithea> "I'm willing to try and find it," Ithea says after a bit of thought, grinning as she speaks. "I don't entirely think we'll find anything, but it could be nice to travel with people from back home for a bit."
[21:41] <Kotono> From the amulet a woman's voice is heard. A leering, croaky old voice, one sounds like a fever-stricken grandmother. "Come and listen 'round the fire. Sit down and put aside the weight of years that you carry, it's a heavy burden. Close your eyes and smell the scent of the crackling fire. I remember when my Dad gave me bread and milk after playing all day, sat me down before the fire and told
[21:41] <Kotono> me stories. When I close my eyes, I can remember the scent of smoke. Aaaah...
[21:42] <Kotono> "It all started a long time ago. All the good stories are like that, aren't they? The past is always sweeter than the boring present and the uncertain future. As you know now, Creation is vast. The gem of Creation is the Prime Material Plane. It is an infinite prism, each reflection of light another full world. Infinity is something we can't really understand...but if you close your eyes and
[21:42] <Kotono> imagine it...just like that, I think you can see it. Do you? Look closer. Look deeper into that prism. Look at the world I speak of, see it's reflection in your mind's eye."
[21:43] <Kotono> "A long, long time ago a powerful sorcerer known as Medi rose to greatness. Do you remember the stories of Fol, King of the Ascended Throne of Heaven? What of Cleric-King Darral, or a dozen other heroes of Lifasa? Medi was all of them and more. In his reality he was burn near the End Times, when all would be rent asunder by ruin and the Triad would bring judgment to the wicked and salvation to
[21:43] <Kotono> the faithful. A dreadful time, a wondrous time! A time for heroes! Medi was truly the greatest...the legends say that he found where the avatar of ruin was held before his destined release. So great were his arts and hubris that he went to this place to challenge the avatar. In a battle like none other he destroyed the seed of destruction that had slept in his world since it's creation. See in
[21:43] <Kotono> your mind's eye as a hero changes the destiny of an entire world...! Such was his sorcery that he vanquished the inevitable destiny!"
[21:44] <Kotono> "With the world's fate changed and his victory making him a hero in all the world, Medi took rule of the world. He ordered all the world's resources mustered to build a great fortress. A castle that could move on it's own, a mobile throne. Imagine as decades and centuries pass, magic unimaginable wrought to create it! On it's completion he dubbed it Medicant and declared that the battle was not
[21:44] <Kotono> over. In his studies he had gained the wisdom of the Gods themselves, and knew that there were more battles to be waged. His grand castle would leave this world and at last take the battle to the sources of ruination themselves! A great gate was opened and Medicant's crusade began. Lo, did he got to the heart of evil where he waged a great war. But at last, his hubris had gone too far. "
[21:44] <Ithea> "...Hey, wait, should we be listening to this here in the tavern?" Ithea tries to interrupt the storytelling from the amulet, looking at Adrian. "If this has your clue to it's location, shouldn't we take this somewhere more private? Before it says anything important?"
[21:45] <Willim> "Shh! Is good story!" Willim hushes.
[21:46] <Afina> Medi...can't? Afina hopes this isn't some bad pun. That would make putting up with the horrible voice even less worthwhile. Though the catgirl does raise a valid point as well. "She's right. You can also summarise for us," she says with a hopeful look.
[21:47] <Jaela> "He invaded the lower planes and lost," Jaela does just that at Afina's request.
[21:48] <Kotono> "This is just the story," Releasing his grip on the amulet as the tale stops a moment, "Any student of lore can find this out if they care to dig enough. We can get a room if you all would like privacy." After that he shrugs, "In essence, he developed a great mobile fortress and seiged the Hells. He was eventually defeated not by might, but by the fiends whispering into the hearts of his friends.
[21:48] <Kotono> Betrayed and dying, he cast a final spell to hide Medicant and deny it to the fiends. Since then it's been lost, but Elder Magi Tepen charged me with finding it. If we could find this fortress, we could use it to fight back."
[21:49] <Afina> "Okay," Afina nods briskly. "That's what I needed to hear. I'm in."
[21:50] <Kotono> "If you're all in," With a look to them, "We can leave immediately," he glances down at the remnants of battle, "Care you to claim the plunder of the barbazu?"
[21:50] * Willim looks at the man, confused. "You use big words."
[21:51] <Jaela> "I just break them if they're evil," Jaela mentions, before checking anything the devils had and didn't melt down with them for such.
[21:51] <Afina> "It's just devil garbage," Afina shrugs, uncaring about anything they possessed.
[21:51] <Kotono> Of what's left, the four glaives radiate evil. There's a few coin bags that aren't radiating evil, and the red bandanna does not, either.
[21:52] * Jaela goes around to stomp on each of the glaives with an armored boot to ensure their demise.
[21:53] * Willim picks up a bag of coins and puts it on the bar. "They pay for damage, yes?"
[21:54] <Kotono> The coins are taken, the barkeep nodding quickly, "Quite good of you, sir."
[21:54] <Kotono> The glaives are stomped, breaking quite nicely.
[21:54] <Willim> "Is nice place."