Wizard rythym

[Iron Dragoon]

K:P/Bibliotheca/Cunning Knowledge:

[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+105 : 20 + 105, total 125[/blockquote]

[Anastasia]

Mephistopheles is the Lord of the 8th Hell. One of the most powerful Lords of the Nine barring Asmodeus, he's also one of the oldest. A being who embodies the cold of Cania and the cold of self interesting intellectualism, he is a wizard with few peers. His command over the cold is said to be one of the strongest in Creation, and all of this makes him one of the graver threats Creation faces.

[Iron Dragoon]

"How... interesting. Would he happen to be in? Is this a... vacation home of sorts for him?"

[Anastasia]

"You speak in his presence," The golem, voice cold, declares.

[Iron Dragoon]

"I'm quite impressed to make your acquaintance then. I've never seen this structure style before. You're quite the intellect yourself, no? Surely a small lesson to sate my curiosity is understandable?"

[Anastasia]

Diplomacy again.

[Iron Dragoon]

Diplo/Cunning Knowledge:

[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+101 : 2 + 101, total 103[/blockquote]

[Anastasia]

Emily steps to your side, silently at the ready.

The golem's gaze sweeps over you and yours. Of them all he lingers on Emily a few moments before, "Certainly."

[Iron Dragoon]

Alyssa nods excitedly, "Thank you!"

[Anastasia]

"It is Baatorian Classical," Is the lecture, simple and to the point. "High, powerful arches, shadows and the domination of material over the person." The golem's hands go behind its back, "As the buildings serve as symbols of the state, and it the fate of lesser beings to serve under the state, the buildings must dominate over them."

Emily's face twists but it's Jarem who responds, "I've heard of that. Teach them a lesson without a word being spoken, forge them into better servants through manipulation."

Alyssa, he's a devil! A fiend! One of the greatest enemies of morality in wizards and the intelligent in Creation! Just be polite so we can escape if we truly must, or we can fight and oppose the tyranny he represents!

[Iron Dragoon]

Emily, calm for a moment and think. We found a hidden bastion of the Lord of the Eighth. Unknown for so long that I have never come across anything similar to it. He's currently speaking to us directly, and is non-hostile at the moment. Fighting him something that I can... mostly... agree with, but he's existed longer than we have, has more knowledge than we do, has more power than we do, and is on his own home territory, whose defenses on the front door I couldn't even detect, much less counter. Our chances of wining are questionable at best. And we haven't even crossed the threshold of the front door.

No matter what else they are, devils are Lawful. A moment of politeness and a pretense of conversation to justify our discovery will likely be enough to stabilize this, for the moment. In the mean time, while I keep him busy with our scholarly exchange, you and Jarem can mobilize whatever Celestial contacts you have here and we can get reinforcements. I'm sure you can think of many people who would want a chance to strike at the Devil's second in command at one of his hidden bases, no? And if no one is able to, we can trade off the location of this place quickly enough.

Alyssa nods in Jarem's direction, "Yes, I've seen some human kings do the same. Large imposing gates and arches to further emphasize lesser societal position and power to demoralize those who pass through them before they ever meet the ruler. Similar in theory as to why thrones are elevated and castles have gates, even though architecturally, they introduce weak points for defense.

I've never seen an entire architectural sense based solely on it, though. How interesting. Does it extend to the floor plan in addition to the design? Would one be forced to pass near guard stations and armories to further emphasize that they're alone and surrounded by power?"

[Anastasia]

Fine, I'll do that.

"Fascinating," The golem agrees, as a book from nowhere appears in his hand. It floats to you, "A study of Baatorian styles. It will answer all of your questions."

[Iron Dragoon]

Alyssa takes and immediately opens it to skim through it.

Quickly.

While skimming, "For a place as magnificent and imposing as this, it seems wasted to be hidden like it was. If the purpose of the architecture is to be intimidate the visitors, shouldn't there be visitors? I can't recall any lore or mention of a structure anywhere near here, so why keep it hidden and wasted? If it were lab or the like, there's much more efficient design theories and materials that could be used."

[Anastasia]

"I'm sure you're smart enough to answer that," The golem agrees, as it steps back. "Now, if that will be all?"

"Wait!" Jarem steps forward. "We're looking for something here. Not this, this was an accident, but you clearly have a way to get this down here. Do you have a way to move through the ice here?"

A moment's lingering at that, "Yes," Is the answer back, cooler now. "You desire that?"

"Of course we do," Jarem says right away.

[Iron Dragoon]

Alyssa raises an eyebrow, "Well, we do... depending on the price. There's always a price, no?"