A new hill

[Anastasia]

On and on and on. There! You reach your destination - and there is no trouble until you reach a black portal. This is your destination as the walls weep, sizzling on the blackened stone. Here a spindly, too thin humanoid sits. Unclad and with arms long enough to reach the ground standing it watches you, bald and hunched over. He constantly licks his lips and shuffles to and forth, "At last, at last, a comer comes to come before me. Yet this is not the first or the second in these dying days that die and stay dead. The other spoke of you, he said your name and has spoken of you and yours."

Queen brandishes her blade while Empress Sulia gently lowers her arm with her hand. Instead Sulia comes forward, "Who are these two others who came before you?"

"They burn and will be burned and have always burned," The creature replies in an almost light, sing-song voice. "Lady of Sacrifice, you are too late. Lady of Portals, you are too late. Lady of War, you are too late. I fear that you will not find what you seek, for I have feared it and you will fear once you go inside. The Devil of War and Devil of Storms precede you. The Guardian has surely met them by now."

[Ebiris]

"And yet meeting a guardian and satisfying one are two very different things," Alicia says, admittedly dispirited by this by now expected news. "What do you know of the guardian anyway?"

[Anastasia]

"It is and will always be," The creature says, "Tomorrow never comes for it because today and yesterday are the same." It meets your gaze, one tired eye too large, the other far too small. "I am made in the image to serve it, and have served it and will always serve it here."

[Ebiris]

Any magic on this thing?

"And how do you serve?" she asks. None of the other guardians have needed door guards.

[Anastasia]

It has permanent spells of see invisibility and detect magic.

"I keep out the vermin, so no vermin will enter and they are kept out," It says. "Are you vermin?"

[Ebiris]

[17:53] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+57 sense motive
[17:53] <Penuche> Ebiris invokes Penuche's magic: < 72 > [d20=15]

To see how legit he is about being made by the Guardian.

"No. Did you try to keep out the devils?" Alicia asks right back.

[Anastasia]

He seems on the level.

"I did not, for they were not vermin." Is the answer.

Queen's glare is like fire, "They are vermin!"

[Ebiris]

"Then you won't try to keep us out," Alicia replies more calmly. "What will you do if the Guardian is gone outside of Creation?"

[Anastasia]

"I will stay. He never said to leave, or to leave in the future," Is the simple answer as it stands aside, no further block to your path.

[Ebiris]

"Suit yourself," Alicia says. "Can you tell us what to expect from the Guardian?"

[Anastasia]

"That he awaits if he's still there," Is the answer, "And that you had best not fail to succeed. He has no patience for failures."

[Ebiris]

Does that mean Bel and Gathgorian are done for? She can only hope for reality to be so kind.

"Then we'll see, shan't we? Come along Sulia, Queen," she advances ahead, either to a Guardian's challenge, or nothing at all.

[Anastasia]

Thus you enter and ahead is - ruin. Blackened, charred ruin. Nothing is left but destruction and the afterbirth of an inferno, save for one thing.

From the ruin is a flagpole which stands strong and untouched, made of green metal. Baatorian greensteel if you don't miss your informed guess. From it flies a banner of hellfire red, with the image of a greatsword engulfed in green flames on it.

[Ebiris]

"Damnation," Alicia pronounces. "We're too late, Hell has beaten us here and absconded with the prize."

She supposes if the test were as violent as most she's faced then the devils would be capable, but she'd hoped they'd be thwarted by something more meaningful.

[Anastasia]

Sulia walks to the banner and with a tap of her staff, disintegrates it. "Bel left a calling card for us," he says, "That was his sigil."

"All this was for nought?" Queen looks on with frustration, lips tightly pressed together. "Damn it!"