Io's Labyrinth

[Anastasia]

"Really?" Antenora answers, giving you a look. "Why colors?"

Meanwhile Oberuth follows as you reach the door, unremarkably. It's there to open if you want to.

"Why not colors?" Amaryl says, "Numerology make make sense in hindsight, but every time I try to apply it to something happening, I end up chasing my own tail."

[Ebiris]

"It's more visually arresting and easy to parse," she says. "When things delve into numerological significance I have to stop and take time to puzzle it out, but a colour is immediate and clear. In this case we all grasped that Io was talking of Shar, yes?" she asks just to make sure that wasn't missed. "So will this purple dragon be tainted in some manner by association, powerful yet fundamentally not Io's? It will be interesting to see - though also potentially deadly of course."

[Anastasia]

"Deadly," Antenora agrees.

"Are we all ready?" Jetina asks in the meantime.

Two minutes for durations, note if anything ran out or needs to be refreshed.

[Corwin]

Everything still okay! Let's do this.

[Ebiris]

Recitation and greater visage of the deity recast on Alicia, also another use of spellfire healing to top her off.

"Ready," Alicia confirms, opening the door and advancing.

Spoiler: ShowHide

Alicia: 696/696
Active spells: Extended nondetection (CL 33, 65hrs), many moments of prescience (CL 32, 31 hrs), extended repelling shield (CL 33, 54m), keen edge (CL 32, 308m), sensual blessing (CL 32, 20m), vision of the omniscient eye (CL 32, 20m), greater heroism (CL 32, 20m), death ward (CL 32, 20m), extended ray deflection (CL 33, 54m), divine insight (CL 32, 32hrs), foresight (CL 32, 317m), dance of the unicorn (CL 32, 29m), recitation (CL 32, 3m), greater visage of the deity (CL 32, 3m), ghost touch weapon (CL 32, 29m)
Defences: AC 91 (touch 52), CMD 133, spell resistance 47, status immunity (dazzled, blinding, polymorph, petrification, disease, poison, stunning, sleep, paralysis, death effects, disintegration, energy drain, ability damage, ability drain, mind-affecting, and fear), energy immunity (fire, cold, negative energy), energy resist 10 (acid), nondetection (DC 48), ray deflection
Stat buffs/penalties: +9 shield AC, 17-20 crit range, +25 competence perception, +10 insight perception, +4 morale skills, +18 morale attack, +8 competence attack, +4 untyped attack, +18 morale damage, +4 untyped damage, +12 dodge AC, +12 morale saves, +15 crit confirmations, +2 insight AC/reflex, +3 luck attack/saves, +1 natural armour, +4 str, +2 dex, +4 con, +2 int, +4 wis, +4 cha
Perceptions: Darkvision 2 miles, scent, low-light vision, tremorsense/blindsight 2 miles, arcane sight, perception +88
Sorcerer spell slots: 6/16/16/13/6/9/14/7/6/7/8/4/6/3
Duskblade spell slots: 6/22/21/20/7/7

[Anastasia]

Ahead is a deep, craggy and dark place. For a moment darkness eternal reigns, then slowly you all can see. Ahead it sits on piles of black stone and gems, a great wyrm of deep, dark, rich purple. Eyes the color of amethysts sparkle, the wyrm large and looming ahead.

It is hard to hear, faraway - but you can hear voices singing, a praise to emptiness and lost, alluring.

"Can you hear it?" The dragon asks, voice no more than a whisper. "Can you hear her siren song?"

[Ebiris]

"Poor thing, condemned to hear that wretched singing all your life?" Alicia commiserates as she steps into the room, making space for others to follow. "All for the sake of your scales' hue."

It's rather fetching colour too, more's the pity.

[Corwin]

"I refuse!" Seira declares. "And so should you!"

[Anastasia]

"It is an abomination against you," Antenora agrees, "No one deserves this fate."

The dragon watches you as you step in, "Do not pity me. I am what could have been, and I am content. Her song lets me slumber, lets me rest until I am needed. You? You strive and fight, suffer all to change what cannot be changed. In the end, I would rather rest in peace than fight in pain, when all your pain is meaningless." It has a soft voice, sonorous, no deepness at all. "Hope, redemption, mercy, joy, love, duty, salvation. All are meaningless before that song."

"Sylica cannot strive and fight beyond the chosen end."

"The Cauldron cannot hope past what cannot change."

"Hope's Landing cannot withstand the end of everything."

"Balmuria cannot endure beyond her touch."

After those words the wyrm declares, "Her power forever waxes. No matter how far you rise, she will always be the strong, invincible destroyer that shall end everything."

[Corwin]

"And yet!" Seira shakes her head. "Really? Just because you got dealt a color you decided to stick with it, through thick and thin? I'm a red dragon but you don't see me propagating the stereotype. Besides, your very creator has us here because he disagrees with this nihilist bullshit and wants to help us take Shar down. You think you know better than him?"

[Ebiris]

"I take issue with the very first precept you give," Alicia shakes her head. "Shar does not give rest or peace. The gentle melody of her song is a thin facade over an ugly truth, where lives are spent in brutish pain and pointless misery for nothing more than her sadistic amusement, and then dragged further into the violation of undeath to suit her mockery. The promised End is mere potential that has yet to be realised, and one I'd disbelieve on its face based on her behaviour and actions."

[Anastasia]

"We've proven every one else who has said that before wrong," Amaryl calls, at Seira's side, "We aren't going to fail at that now."

Antenora steps forward, "I left Creation and came back with power. Power that will see Shar driven before us, broken and Creation saved." Her spear is out, pointing at the dragon, "There's still hope as long we don't surrender to Shar."

Jetina stays at Moore's side, but adds in, "And I'll bring rest to those souls trapped in undeath - and you, too."

The purple wyrm chuckles, a sound light and free of menace and pain. "Disagree as you like. You won't change the inevitable. Had Io created more of us, we would not be here, for there would already be oblivion for all."

A resonation - a flare of divine power, a flare of a quasi power. Deep within the purple worm, as it smiles, a look of all sharp teeth. "You are not the only ones who can ascend. Shar's power rises beyond all limits, even the limits of Io. Even if you somehow broke through one barrier."  The dragon's purple gaze is on Antenora now, "You are not divine when you are fated to embrace oblivion."

[Ebiris]

"Tch, this goes beyond a mere test of Io's," Alicia frowns, raising her blade. "No more pity, we'll end you and your misbegotten potential right now!"

Those are fighting words, supreme init.

Spoiler: ShowHide

Alicia: 696/696
Active spells: Extended nondetection (CL 33, 65hrs), many moments of prescience (CL 32, 31 hrs), extended repelling shield (CL 33, 54m), keen edge (CL 32, 308m), sensual blessing (CL 32, 20m), vision of the omniscient eye (CL 32, 20m), greater heroism (CL 32, 20m), death ward (CL 32, 20m), extended ray deflection (CL 33, 54m), divine insight (CL 32, 32hrs), foresight (CL 32, 317m), dance of the unicorn (CL 32, 29m), recitation (CL 32, 3m), greater visage of the deity (CL 32, 3m), ghost touch weapon (CL 32, 29m)
Defences: AC 91 (touch 52), CMD 133, spell resistance 47, status immunity (dazzled, blinding, polymorph, petrification, disease, poison, stunning, sleep, paralysis, death effects, disintegration, energy drain, ability damage, ability drain, mind-affecting, and fear), energy immunity (fire, cold, negative energy), energy resist 10 (acid), nondetection (DC 48), ray deflection
Stat buffs/penalties: +9 shield AC, 17-20 crit range, +25 competence perception, +10 insight perception, +4 morale skills, +18 morale attack, +8 competence attack, +4 untyped attack, +18 morale damage, +4 untyped damage, +12 dodge AC, +12 morale saves, +15 crit confirmations, +2 insight AC/reflex, +3 luck attack/saves, +1 natural armour, +4 str, +2 dex, +4 con, +2 int, +4 wis, +4 cha
Perceptions: Darkvision 2 miles, scent, low-light vision, tremorsense/blindsight 2 miles, arcane sight, perception +88
Sorcerer spell slots: 6/16/16/13/6/9/14/7/6/7/8/4/6/3
Duskblade spell slots: 6/22/21/20/7/7

[Corwin]

"But we're just the right sort to help you descend," Seira tells the dragon pleasantly.

[Corwin]

20:15 <CC> roll 1d20+18+15
20:15 <Penuche> CC invokes Penuche's magic: < 47 > [d20=14]