Where hope dies (Afina, Surarruthru, Calleigh)

[Ebiris]

[00:03] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+34 Surraruthru planes
[00:03] <Rei-chan> Ebiris rolled : 1d20+34 Surraruthru planes --> [ 1d20=19 ]{53}
[00:03] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+37 Afina may as well roll nature if everyone's rolling
[00:03] <Rei-chan> Ebiris rolled : 1d20+37 Afina may as well roll nature if everyone's rolling --> [ 1d20=14 ]{51}

[Anastasia]

Tryll knows from lore that this creature's mask is hiding a terrible face. A story of faceless creatures that serve the yugoloths, horrible to the core. Surraruthru knows that as well as what it is: a gloom. Humanoids that sacrifice their souls to become inhuman monsters, they follow the blackest evil. They consume humanoids to live forever and are sponsored by the dread ultroloths. The mere sight of their face infects others with a disease that destroys the mind and morality.

Afina likewise knows it is a gloom. They are humanoid-killers of the highest caliber, monsters somewhat similar to vampires. They consume bodies to live forever and can inspire unreasoning fear, especially in humanoids. There is nothing natural about them, they are a fiendish horror that perverts the natural order of the world. You cannot divine why it wears part of an Inevitable or similar creature, beyond to hide its face, which spreads a powerful but distinctive disease.

[Yuthirin]

Ever perky, Calleigh chirps, "So what's a gloom like you doing working against yugoloths?"

[Anastasia]

"I serve my own master - myself. No one more and no one less." The creature replies, "That is all."

[Yuthirin]

"Ohhh, an independent!" Calleigh nods, giving the creature a thumbs-up. "Good call!"

[Anastasia]

"Free agent, are you?" Tannin asks, walking along. "Now if you ask me, I'd be worried about you flipping on us the moment it suits you, word or no word. Can't trust a 'loth or someone who's just about one."

"Still, I'd like your word. Will you betray us?" Sylvie asks, turning to watch him.

[Ebiris]

So not much worse than Annalise then... Afina holds her peace for now and watches Sylvie to see how she reacts to its answer.

[Anastasia]

"If I am compensated sufficiently, I will not," The creature's metallic, distorted voice reverberates and distorts, gaining a high pitched whine underneath it.

Sylvie doesn't look away from him and then asks, "What is sufficient compensation, creature?"

"Secrets. A meaningful secret from each of you," The gloom rasps, the distortion and whine ceasing. "A secret that means something to you if told to another."

[Ebiris]

While the memory that she surrendered to a yugoloth to obtain the waters of youth was (probably) unimportant, Afina's secrets are few but deeply guarded, and she expects the others to feel the same about theirs.

"You had no call to insert yourself into our business here, creature," she responds. Really, aren't people in this particular plane supposed to be governed by self-obsession? "But now that you have you must be dealth with. The price you ask for silence is unreasonable, so allow me a counter-offer. Go, and forget you saw us, and we will extend the same courtesy. Otherwise we'll make you our business here instead of Lixer."

[Anastasia]

Are you trying to intimidate or just saying how it is?

[Ebiris]

Well I'm saying how it is, but that's threatening enough to call for an intimidate check usually? Of course Afina is tiny and blessed with a voice that makes people want to huggle her to their bosoms so there may not be much point rolling unless our rep is sufficiently scary to make him back down.

[Anastasia]

Go ahead and try anyway.

[Ebiris]

[17:55] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+13-4 the little pixie thinks it's scary, aww so cute!
[17:55] <Kobot> Ebiris rolled 1d20+13-4 the little pixie thinks it's scary, aww so cute! --> [ 1d20=5 ]{14}

[Anastasia]

> roll 1d20+47 Sylvie Intimidate
<Kobot> Kotono rolled 1d20+47 Sylvie Intimidate --> [ 1d20=11 ]{58}

"Friend, depart as a friend and not as a memory," Sylvie says evenly, then smiles. It's not a nice smile. It shows perfect white teeth and virtually no gumline at all. "Wouldn't it be a shame for your story to end here, all because you got stupid?"

> roll 1d20+43
<Kobot> Kotono rolled 1d20+43 --> [ 1d20=12 ]{55}

Afina's words don't get much of a reaction, but something about Sylvie's presence draws the gloom's attention. The creature breathes heavily, a raspy and choking sound. It then laughs, a wet gargle. "So be it." It finally says, and you have a momentary sensation of falling. You're in another dark, silent alley. It still looks like Hopelorn, though you aren't immediately sure where.

[Ebiris]

Nodding in approval towards Sylvie, Afina gestures for everyone to hold a moment while she turns invisible and flies above the rooftops to get their bearings before they proceed on to Finality.