Shadow rondo

[Anastasia]

"It gets better," Jessica's smile is a little grim now, "In Acheron, I heard of a man named Colke. A wizard who has just taken a cube for his own. In Hades a tormented unique daemon whispered of Colke, the female warlock who bound him into service. All within the most recent times."

[Ebiris]

"So what ties them together, other than being said in your hearing in the recent past?" Alicia asks.

[Anastasia]

"Absolutely nothing," Jessica says, "Besides that each of them is new. Otherwise they're different in almost every way I can imagine from what I know. Each seems to have a different purpose and meaning, and yet powerful entities, each one bearing the same name, have all arisen at once?"

[Ebiris]

"Perhaps split apart into many? Well, if one's close to home we can at least investigate the one on Ysgard," Alicia says, thinking it best to take Antenora along on that for her power of truth. "We'll take Antenora and go pursue this gorgon later."

[Anastasia]

"Now what's interesting," Jessica says after that, "Is that I got an unofficial tour of Baator this time as well as military intelligence."  After a moment for that, "Aesmadeva awaited me when I snuck in and gave me a run down on the situation in Hell. Utterly unreliable, but probably fundamentally truthful considering our shared enemy as well as misleading away from anything helpful after all of this. Intimidating if anything, Asmodeus ordered him to do this, to give such information to a known enemy of Hell, and he did so without any hesitation."

A long breath before, "I don't think it matters, in the same way we know things on Mount Celestia are as well taken care of as can be.

[Ebiris]

"Better than running afoul of Lixer," Alicia says warily. "Any particular highlights from the tour?"

[Anastasia]

"He took me to see Lixer's forces. It's what you'd expect, if I'm to be truthful," Jessica says, "Strong, numerous and even if Lixer wasn't aware of us, presented to make them look invincible." With a rather sour smile, "The devils get it that honestly from Asmodeus."

[Ebiris]

"Still mostly undead?" she asks curiously.

[Anastasia]

"Mostly," Jessica confirms. "As I said, what you'd expect."

[Ebiris]

Alicia nods, nothing else to press on there. "Any other noteworthy events past Hell then?"

[Anastasia]

"A few," Jessica says, "There's stirrings in Auril's realm, not sure over what. I didn't have time to go nosing there, and she's proven perceptive to sneaks before. It's hard to sneak in a blizzard when everyone can see through it. There's also trouble in the Abyss, but there's always trouble in the Abyss."

[Ebiris]

Speaking of Auril, how's Ox doing on Lifasa?

"Anything interesting about Pale Night or Zquujaj?" she asks on the subject of the Abyss.

[Anastasia]

Peeking, you see he's doing well, preparing and just about ready.

"I hear some mortal heroes looked in and lost," Jessica says, "And that Pale Night has been seen on other layers, but reports don't agree on which layer."

[Ebiris]

"Nothing we can really work on then, but they're not the most obvious of fiends... well, one isn't. Zquujaj usually is," Alicia muses.

[Anastasia]

"Usually," Jessica says, "But I brought in what I could for us to work on. Do you have any leads from this, sister?"