Soulriders 5.0: Legend of the Unending Games

It's dark.

It's most assuredly not the sky above Elons Rapids.

Darkness as far as the eye can see.

The last thing that happened was a strange tug on your magic, an intervention. You now stand here...and far away, just at the edge of your darkvision, you can see figures. Hulking figures surrounding you. Not that there's time for that. Approaching is another figure altogether. It is a classical devil, fire red skin and standing around 10 feet tall. He's broad and lean, a smirk firmly planted on his face. He wears rich finery of green and gold, elegant and immaculate. A length of heavy chain serves as a bracelet on his right wrist. He carries no visible weapon.

"I have waited a long time to meet you, Afina," The figure says, clapping slowly. "Finally the fated hour has arrived for your Crusade to end. Only Hell awaits you now."

Can I tell if I'm in Hell? Taking 10 on planes for 45

You don't think so. Your spell simply couldn't do that and you know how it feels to travel dimensions by now. Where ever you are, it's probably still on Benfal.

'Jaela if you can hear me I've found Taelfagn, teleport redirect, don't know where I am,' she sends via telepathy. She's in utterly no shape for this sort of fight so the only thing she can do is run.

Gonna timestop and do stuff, init?

Go for it. Roll init.

[22:48] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+32 init
[22:48] <Serith> Ebiris roll for Serith < 36 > [d20=4]

> roll 1d20+20 Duke of Destiny
<Serith> Space_Cat roll for Serith < 27 > [d20=7]
> roll 1d20+9 minions around him
<Serith> Space_Cat roll for Serith < 16 > [d20=7]

Init is Afina (36) > Taelfagn (27) > Minions (16)

Go Afina.

She's not going to waste time bantering. Lief and Muirfinn were in this situation and it did not go well for him. No, her only priority is to escape. So she starts moving very fast to make that happen.

7th level slot for 2 rounds time stop
round 1: move 120 feet to my left or until I reach a wall. Cast spell empowered disjunction centred on myself (disjunction doesn't affect your own spells). How many rolls? Can't affect creatures but can affect spells in the area such as dimensional wards and such.
round 2: use plane shift SLA to plane shift randomly to Water. If fails will do other things while still time stopped with remaining move action..

You reach a wall at 90ft.

Make 9 dispel checks.

[22:55] <@Ebiris> roll 9#1d20+27
[22:55] <Serith> Ebiris roll for Serith < 44, 32, 44, 36, 28, 47, 40, 36, 34 >

Magic collapses around you - or begins to, anyway. Not all of it or even most of it, but some. Perhaps Queen Titania is watching you or perhaps you've been around goldenfire enough, but it's enough. Your plane shift works and in an instant you're in the soothing, wet embrace of Water. Fish swim around you as the waves soothes your fear and tension away.

You just got lucky as all hell. That was about the only winning move and you needed to shatter a CL 30 spell on your first dispel check. You hit CL 33, and did it fast enough to avoid other defenses there. Congratulations.

Unfortunately that's her done, no more contribution can be made in the fight for Benfal, at least for today. At least not directly. Everything looks peaceful here so she uses a limited wish to emulate Sending.

'Tepen, Afina. In Water. Sewer Fortress is bomb, power fed from city directly above. Dispatch troops to stop. No teleporting. Interdicted to Taelfagn. Fled. Safe.'

Water flows around you, gentle, cool and soothing.

What are you doing now?

No reply from Tepen?

Just in case they have anyone that can track plane shifts, Afina starts swimming 'up' relatively at least anyway, intending to make some distance before she rests her weary self.

'Understood. We'll look into retrieval as soon as possible. Are you capable of reaching a landmark in Water, something our gate will be able to reach?'

She can't reply reasonably for another hour, but maybe she'll find a landmark in that time? She just sticks with her direction and swims.

You swim for a little bit. It's not far until you see someone ahead - a bit below you, but swimming your way. A fetching, blue skinned marid. A female with long hair and wearing tight-fitting cloth pants and shirt. She swims smoothly and carries a backpack on her back.

Excellent, a source of directions! "Hello!" Afina calls out in aquan, reorienting to swim towards the marid.

The marid gasps as you approach, "Is that...is that..."

> roll 1d20+12 K:N
<Serith> Kotono roll for Serith < 26 > [d20=14]

"It's a pixie!" she gasps in Aquan, "A suspiciously half breed pixie of many colors. Are you a rainbow pixie, ma'am? I once heard that there's pixies who are born from the rainbow and protect it from elves, who hunt the rainbow."

"As far as I know I'm the only rainbow pixie," Afina answers, coming to a stop. "My name is Afina Devilsbane. I had to plane shift here randomly after getting into some trouble, I don't suppose you know where the nearest settlement or landmark might be?"

> roll 1d20+12 K:P
<Serith> Kotono roll for Serith < 24 > [d20=12]

"The only one?! A rare pixie?!" The marid gasps, "Forget about that! I'd like to buy your services," she nods, "How about for 2,000 gold a year? No no, you're rarer than that. How about 5,000 gold a year? Too little? 10,000 a year? I just have to have you! Imagine, someone from the Aurora in my house."

She cocks her head to the side. "If you know I'm from Aurora you have to know that ten thousand gold is an insultingly poor offer for a year's service," she observes.

It's more money than she has now, sure, but a lot of her wealth is tied up in magical equity!

"Oh, oh you have a point. Mmm, I'll have to have my father approve this, but how does 100,000 a year sound?" The marid asks.

"That's actually more reasonable, but my calendar's booked for the next few decades," Afina says, her tone a mix of apology and amusement. "Anyway, can you tell me where the nearest settlement or landmark is? I need to orient myself so I can rejoin my army."

The marid slumps, "But the family's soirees are so boring. You'd liven them up." She sighs, "No, not really. I'm wandering here to stay away from my father, since we're supposed to be having another stupid wine tasting today." A flush comes to her cheeks, "But I could take you somewhere with magic."

"Then I propose a bargain," Afina says, seeing the opportunity. "If you can take me to the city of Elons Rapid on the prime material of Benfal, or even just a noteworthy city here in Water, I'll free up time to attend one of your family's soirees at the conclusion of our current campaign?"

"Ooooh. Plane shifting? I can do that too," The marid says, "Say, would you like to make a contract with me? A wish contract? As I know you noticed, I'm a noble marid and I can grant wishes."

"Thank you but just the plane shift will suffice for my needs," she answers. "I know a wizard who usually grants wishes for me."

The marid slumps, "Fine, but it's a deal," she says, "I'm Guluba of House Springa."

"Of course, as a fey noble my word is my bond," Afina promises with all due seriousness. "I'll contact you at the conclusion of our current campaign to arrange things, or if it suits you I can offer the hospitality of Aurora for the duration."

"I can't really stay long," Guluba says, "If father finds out I'm not on Water, I'll get locked in my room for a century."

"He sounds very overbearing," Afina says sympathetically. "I think you'd get on well with a friend of mine, she's a runaway princess."

"Oh, father's a total pebble in the water," Guluba says, offering you her hand. "You may want to close your eyes."

"I have plane-shifted before," she says, taking Guluba's hand without closing her eyes.

In the sense of healthy paranoia, I will be spellcrafting what she's doing. Taking 10 for 57. If it's something other than a plane shift or greater plane shift I'll resist.

It's plane shift. You blink and...

> roll 5d100
<Serith> Kotono roll for Serith < 161 > [d100=35,15,43,2,66]

You're in hills. It's bright, Benfal glorious all around. Guluba grimaces and shields her eyes, "So bright!"

"That's deliberate, to counter diabolic sorcery," Afina says. "You might want to get back to Water now, this whole world is a war zone. I'll be in touch via Sending magic after wrapping things up here."

It takes nothing else to get her to flee, leaving you alone.

Go ahead.

'Tepen, I'm back on Benfal now, though in the middle of nowhere,' she sends as telepathy becomes available once more. 'I can probably teleport back to Elons Rapid but I'm obviously leery after what just happened. What's the situation?'

'We're beginning operations in Liber,' Tepen sends, 'Do you need retrieval?'

'I'll see if I can find a settlement or landmark nearby, someone can teleport over to pick me up once I do?' she suggests, starting to fly high into the air so she can look around. She might kill some third line devils in whatever place she spots, but she's not really good for much more than that right now.

> roll 1d100
<Serith> Kotono roll for Serith < 19 > [d100=19]

There's a village nearby - quiet and rather ruined, though. Half of it looks burned and the other half is abandoned.

'I see a village, I'm going to fly down and I can give you a better description of where I am from there,' she sends to Tepen, arrowing down towards the village in question.

Spot.

[18:41] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+45 spot
[18:41] <Serith> Ebiris roll for Serith < 65 > [d20=20]

As you fly down and look, you can spot a young child peeking out from behind some rubble.

Is it really a child or is it an imp in disguise? Or an evil child!

Luckily pixies are equipped to deal with such dilemmas. "Hello, are you alright?" she calls to the child, flying down that way while using her seldom used by Elysium-boosted power to detect evil!

She can't detect good anymore as a tradeoff, which just seems odd to her.

Detect evil SLA is a thing.

You detect no evil.

Make a Diplo check here, impressions matter.

[18:58] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+22 I've been training for this!
[18:58] <Serith> Ebiris roll for Serith < 26 > [d20=4]

The child peeks out and whimpers audibly. It's a boy and he starts to run, "No!"

Clearly my training for how to handle the intricacies of sylvan politics was insufficient for not terrifying human infants.

"I won't hurt you!" she calls but doesn't pursue the child as she lands and looks around before describing her surroundings to Tepen via telepathy so that someone can hopefully teleport here to take her back to Aurora.

You're a scaaaaaary pixie. Adorable but scary.

As you wait around, Sage Vul'lath appears. He looks around and sneers, waving hand in front of his face. "Ah, ruin and country villages. A feast for the nose to reject. Afina?"

"Good to see you, Vul'lath," Afina flutters over and reaches out to take his hand.

If that human infant runs over and hugs Vul'lath after being terrified away by her she doesn't know what she'll do. But she's not sticking around, there's no devils nearby so that boy's prognosis is better than can be said for a lot of people in the cities they're fighting over. "Now, take me back to Aurora if you please."

> roll 1d20+4 rolling a Charisma check after that, I feel obligated
<Serith> Kotono roll for Serith < 21 > [d20=17]

No such mind blowing thing happens and you stand in front of Aurora, "Coming in," Sage Vul'lath asks.

"Yes, better for me to get re-acquainted with our strategic situation," she agrees. "I'm not at peak effectiveness for combat right now anyway." She has a look out over the city below, not Elons Rapid she notes. Probably Liber, based on the expansive harbour. She'll learn more inside, so she enters Aurora and makes for the command centre.

Here you find Tepen and Elena, along with a few pitchers of cold water and some snacks laid out. Simple food to grab and eat quickly. "Good to see you back, Afina," Tepen greets you. "Can you tell me with happened in more detail?"

"Yes, apologies for the abruptness but Sendings require conciseness," Afina says, helping herself to a snack. "The centre of the fortress held a magical apparatus that was catalyst for a transmutation bomb of some sorts. It was bleeding magic into the rock beneath the city which I believe would detonate after a critical point was reached. There was also a very tricky trap that would have it react to a powerful dispel by opening an enormous portal to Nessus instead. The entire thing was being fed power from something above the cavern, and we could only slow its progress. After failing to contact you to request our forces purge the area, I tried dimension dooring to the surface to deal with it personally," she explains, taking a bite out of her apple and swallowing before going on. "Instead I found myself in a large chamber with various devils lurking on the edge of my darkvision. Taelfagn was there as well, and I clapped and said he'd waited a long time to meet me. That the fated hour had arrived for my crusade to end and that only hell awaited me."

She shakes her head, "I didn't trade barbs or fight, I just went very fast and dispelled the dimensional wardings around me then plane shifted to the plane of Water."

"That was wise. In your state..." Tepen lets it go. "Elons Rapids is secure and Liber is falling fast. We've had less resistance than in Elons Rapids, no sign of Dougalf, either."

"A futile act of defiance there would have gone unremarked and forgotten," she agrees with Tepen. "I did the best I could, and I hope it left him feeling frustrated." She has another bite of her apple. "Any word from our allies on the state of things elsewhere across Benfal?"

"Yes. I've just gotten word that the battle against Semyaza may be soon." Tepen says, "We'll know when it happens since it may well be apocalyptic. By all reports, things are going as well as could be hoped."

"Since my magic will be unreliable for the next while I'll assist here and defend Aurora if any attacks come our way. That's me caught up anyway," she says, finishing her apple and tossing the core into a wastebin before she studies the battlemap of Liber as it's updated via constant scrying on their forces.

It's going well on a glance. Forces are fanning out and engaging in generally victorious battles. You feel a ripple of fatigue go through you as you do, having to mentally suppress a yawn.

"Ah, some fortune. Surraruthru's group has captured a weapon and supply cache in the sewers." Tepen remarks.

"Good, good," Afina says, smothering that yawn. "Since things are mostly under control for the moment I'm going to attend the infirmary. That dogai managed to clip me with its disintegration blast and I haven't had a chance for healing since," she says, getting up. "Call me if anything comes up, I shouldn't be long," she says, fluttering off to get seen to. Hopefully it'll fix her fatigue as well, even if she's been fighting at an intensity far above most it doesn't look good for her to be worn out so early in the day.

Priest and the Jarl are here, tending to the few wounded at the moment. Right now there's not many, Priest coming over. "Afina," he greets you, "Do you need our services?"

"Yes, I got singed by a disintegrate spell while fighting that dogai earlier and I'm feeling quite fatigued," she answers, flying over to hover in front of Priest. "It's nothing life-threatening but if there's spare capacity I could use a few healing spells."

"I can manage it," Priest says, "Sit down here," he pats a bed, "Rest a moment and close your eyes."

Afina flies over to sit on the bed with her legs dangling over the side, obediently closing her eyes.

It's nice. You breath slowly as healing passes through you, wounds knitting themselves whole. Your fatigue vanishes, leaving you feeling much better. Mmm, all that spellcasting must have taken out of you, because you feel markedly improved.

"Much better, thank you," she says gratefully, opening her eyes afterwards. "It's not often I have to call on your services, but no complaints with that," she says, taking to the air once more. "I'm returning to the command centre now if anyone's looking for me."

[spoiler]
Afina: 303/303, glaciante's spiteful ward (CL 27 attached to epic mage armour), heroes feast (CL 20), mind blank (CL 17), fortunate fate (CL 15), planar tolerance (CL 7), epic mage armour (CL 25), see invisibility (CL 25), interplanar telepathic bond (CL 24), magic tattoo (CL 26), magic tattoo (CL 26), energy absorption (CL 26), stupendous dragonskin (CL 26), seira's agility (CL 26), seira's strength (CL 26), seira's mind (CL 26), mind blank (CL 27), stoneskin (CL 26), control weather (CL 27), scalding touch (CL 27, SR 45), moment of prescience (CL 25), spell turning (CL 26)
AC 89, spell resistance 40, blindsense 30, immunity to fire, water, earth, cold, disease
Spell charges: 5/0/7/3/0/8/4/2/0/0/0/0
20 uses left on blistering/searing scalding touch

Fenrir: 322/370, heroes feast (CL 20), greater mage armour (CL 7), mind blank (CL 17), fortunate fate (CL 15), planar tolerance (CL 7), haste (CL 25)
AC 43, spell resistance 25, freedom of movement, immunity to electricity, exhaustion, mind affecting, fatigue, fear, poison
Garm: 92/370, heroes feast (CL 20), greater mage armour (CL 7), mind blank (CL 17), fortunate fate (CL 15), planar tolerance (CL 7), haste (CL 25)
AC 43, spell resistance 25, freedom of movement, immunity to electricity, exhaustion, mind affecting, fatigue, fear, poison
Attack: +39 (2d6+25) +10d6 skirmish, dimensional anchor

The trip back is unremarkable. Tepen's still there, "All is still well," he says, a pixie-sized seat in place for you. "There is resistance in the northern quadrant of Liber, the Rapid Response is about to be mobilized."

"What's the quality of the resistance?" Afina asks as she claims her seat and peers over. "Anything above pit fiend level?"

"Multiple fallen celestials have been spotted, including a fallen hound archon, fallen astral deva and fallen planetar," Tepen replies, "The planetar is a skilled leader and has rallied his forces well."

"It's not that minister is it? Dougalf?" Afina asks.

"He doesn't match the description. We're thinking it's a trusted lieutenant or protege," Tepen says, "Unless our intelligence is wrong or he's shapechanged."

"If he was going to shapechange he'd pick something inconspicuous, not a slightly different version of the same creature," Afina reasons. "Planetars can be dangerous but our forces should have it in hand."

"That's our thinking as well," Tepen says, pausing for a sip of water. "How taxed is your magic?"

"Extremely," she admits. "I had to use a limited wish for that sending so it won't be reliable for another half hour, and what I have is limited to the seventh circle. I'm still more than capable against most foes but against the likes of that dogai or Taelfagn I'm not the decisive force I'd like to be."

"Unavoidable. The spellcaster's curse. There are times I envy someone like Jaela or Adrian, who can fight on for hours at full or nearly full ability," Tepen admits, as he holds a hand up. "A moment, I'm getting reports from the sewers of a problem."

At least the time she does spend fighting is time she has an out-sized impact on things! But yes, it does chafe a little. She waits to hear what's been found in the sewers. Hopefully not another devil trump card.

"Early reports are a possible dragon," Tepen replies, "It could be magic imitating a dragon's roar, but with the forces the devils have used so far, we have to assume it's a real dragon until proven otherwise."

Were any dragons mentioned in the intelligence package Sylica gave us?

No.

"If so it's not one that our friends in Sylica expected to be in the area," Afina says. "Too much to hope it's a native dragon rising up to throw off the shackles of devil tyranny?"

At least no one cursed by Bahamut is down there if it is!

"I-" Tepen begins with a wry smile, as all of reality flashes white. There is a violent shaking, everything trembling. A howl comes from afar, like a vast creature crying out.

Afina jerks to her feet. "What was that?!" she asks, either Tepen who's in telepathic contact with everyone or Elena who can see out of Aurora.

Is Semyaza dead, maybe? So soon?

'I'm getting dozens of messages, hold on," Tepen manages, holding his head as he grits his teeth.

Restraining herself she nods and sits back down again, holding back her impatience.

Tepen is silent for a period, "I believe things have truly gone better an faster than anticipated. Alicia and Syala confront Semyaza."

"We've done our part as well as we can," Afina reasons, though they've only captured one of their target cities and are only part done with a second, they've decimated some highly valuable devil opponents that would have been serious force multipliers in any theatre. She can only hope Taelfagn got disgusted and went home with all the support he was otherwise offering after she vanished from his trap as well.

"Lets hope they can do theirs."

"Amen," Tepen bows her head, "Lady of Magic, guide Alicia's blade as you have before," he murmurs.

Afina doesn't pray, because it's not her thing. Still, she wishes the two goddesses luck!

'A complication,' Tepen says moments later. 'Surraruthru wishes to pursue that dragon rather than evacuate,' Tepen says, 'Do you wish to order him, General?'

Dragons gotta dragon, huh? "No," Afina says. "So long as he has his supporting troops come back, he should be strong enough to endure these conditions if he wishes."

Tepen nods and says nothing else.

Ready to move along?

yep

Before your gaze and the view of the battlemap, Benfal shudders.

he ground bubbles and boils, becoming a rainbow-colored slurry that shifts into strange geometric patterns. The skies rain fire and blood, cascading down on the broken ground. Gale winds blow that howl with diabolical fury and the ring of battle. Snow and ice erupt from the ground like veins bursting through skin, melting into sizzling purple fire. Earthquakes, semi-constant and varying in intensity. The sound of trumpets blast across the world, answered by roars of infernal wrath.

"There is a problem," Tepen says solemnly, "Sylica has come on an unforseen complication in battling Semyaza. I have been informed that Semyaza's control over Benfal is being broken, but this will release hellish spirits bound to the world by Semyaza. They will form into spirits of pure malice and rampage wildly, drawn to what is right and good to obliterate it. They request that we mobilize  from Aurora and confront any spirits nearby. As Aurora is a great bastion of the righteous, it is likely we will attract them."

"The terrain out there looks exceptionally hostile, I'm not sure our forces would survive long outside even without fighting," Afina says. "If they come to us can we not hold behind our defences to repel them?"

"We could," Tepen agrees, "Yet if they do not kill themselves on them or learn and hold back, we are in square one." He exhales, "I would not advise sending anyone but the elites out into that in any case."

"Alright then. The rapid response force is already prepared, we'll sortie them to do a wide patrol around Aurora to eliminate any they come across or if necessary herd enemies towards Aurora where they can break upon our defences. We'll re-organise the other forces to a defensive posture as they return and recover."

"Go forth and make it so," Tepen says, "General Gisfal, Jaela and Adrian are all in the courtyard."

Basically a chance to sort into this as you see fit and get any second opinions as needed.

Oh, Jaela's back too? That's helpful. "I'll see to it then," she gets up and heads outside to organise their forces to deal with these spirits.

Who all are you going to recruit for this?

Everyone in Tyrll's Rapid Response thread gets the job of going out around Aurora to kill loose spirits or push them towards Aurora.
Everyone in Liber thread gets to hang around in or near Aurora to kill spirits that get past the rapid response or are driven towards Aurora by them.

Cool. Are you participating at all?

You know what I'll join the Liber thread and play base defence as well.

I'll move you on over there then.