Mystran rest

[Anastasia]

The sky is broken. Great, glass like cracks spread about it. A sky the colored of phlegm from a deeply sick soul, a sour and bright green that is cracked all over. From these cracks they flow forth. Demons of all kinds, from the lowly to the mighty. From babau to balors, from mariliths to manes. Here they plummet and land in the ground, which is one endless morass of red mud. You appear amid this madness, where every demons fights every other.

Great balors carry the banners of other demon lords. You see the twin faces of Demogorgon on one, another with the dread scepter of Orcus. A sigil of an empty eye, a brand of a broken man on a rack. The body of a pit fiend, severed into six pieces, while another shows a gaping maw that will devour all. These balors are far larger than the norm, and each wears a crown of black ice, an aura of utter cold around them that freeze-shatters any demon who dares assail them.

Blood, viscera and mud is everywhere. There is nothing, only a sea of carnage refreshed every moment in the frenzies of the demons all about you. Ahead lies a great, once beautiful fortress in ruin. It is caked in wet, red mud and the demons even battle there.

Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill.

A voice demands within your minds, within all of your minds. A drumbeat, a profane urge that you can feel, if easily put aside. A call to madness, a call to violence without reason, motive or end. A call to embrace this until your own deathblow, and never to feel a moment of regret.

Antenora hovers just over the mud, a long moment where the battles go on despite your appearance. It is then that eyes see you, cries. The least demons simply are no more on laying eyes on you, blasted away. From the others come cries of rage, as harsh and unyielding as the steel that girds your body.

"If it's carnage you want?" Syala offers as Kascha visibly breathes out and steels herself, her greatsword in one hand.

[Ebiris]

"And I thought this might be one of the quieter layers..."

Is this big enough for Alicia to be able to garner much from her portfolio sense over war? Specifically to learn what's being fought over here?

Basically want to know if this is just random carnage or if it's a war over access to 666.

Also we're invisible right now! The gate wasn't but we are, DC 54 to beat on nondetection.

[Anastasia]

Yes, it is big enough to tell. It's to entertain the lord of the layer, nothing more. His personal joy and entertainment.

Another as well. The Queen of Air and Darkness watches this, watches it all. Her favor blesses the demons who carry the banners.

Fair enough then, you have time without being noticed, but the portal will be.

[Ebiris]

"This way," Alicia whispers, flying up and guiding everyone through the battle towards the fortress, and to misdirect things she summons a large fire elemental in front of the gate before it vanishes.

[Anastasia]

The elemental lasts barely four seconds, torn apart by a dozen foes in all directions. Yet for this moment all of you hurry along, weaving amid the chaos.

'Silent,' Antenora sends to you, 'And only hope the lord of this realm doesn't take this as a challenge.'

'Hope? We can slay a demon lord while we're at it. I'd expect you to bite at the bit here,' Syala answers.

'Our greater mission is of priority, this demon lord will be here tomorrow,' Antenora sends right back.

[Ebiris]

'Syala, find us a path to the throne room of the castle?' Alicia asks, letting her take the lead once they're making progress.

As in use the druid spell since it'll be handy for this.

[Anastasia]

d100 real quick.

[Ebiris]

[19:14] <@Ebiris> roll 1d100
[19:14] <Penuche> Ebiris invokes Penuche's magic: < 80 > [d100=80]

[Anastasia]

You fly on amid the chaos - but with your speed and agility are able to do so. You reach the fortress - and you find the inner courtyard is full of battle as well, various doors contested as demons wage war.

[Ebiris]

Syala's the one taking the lead now with her divination, they'll just follow her and avoid the demons where they can.

[Anastasia]

Onward - and Syala points at a wall. It folds open, revealing a passage within. On you go, the war left behind. Silence in these halls, dark and empty. A long stone passage to a single black door, unguarded.

[Ebiris]

If there's any trick to the door, Syala should be able to handle it with her spell so Alicia just follows flying behind her as quietly as she can.

[Anastasia]

This is as far as it goes. Look at it, Alicia.

Syala stands before the door.

[Ebiris]

Alicia looks at it!

Arcane sight as well as lots of other perception modes.

[Anastasia]

This door radiates intense holy power, magic woven around it to keep demons at bay.