Shake the dust off your feet

[Anastasia]

The vrock screeches but passes, no challenge to you.

Super strong. Incredibly strong. Unearthly strong. That's about as far as this dretch knows.

[Ebiris]

Nothing she can really pin on divinity then. She'll probably get more from that succubus.

Where is Scarlain Keep?

[Anastasia]

Scarlain Keep is deeper within, down Ardent Street. It's a little keep pitted by battle damage on the outside.

[Ebiris]

I've got a lead now. Some succubus in Scarlain Keep works for Yarus.

Striding off now, the big diseased looking balor continues working through the city in a circuitous route towards that keep. Of course keeping an eye out for anyone else connected to Yarus or Shar or Plag that Duelist's Friend points out.

[Anastasia]

Give me a d100 to set up next time's approach.

[Ebiris]

[20:09] <@Ebiris> roll 1d100
[20:09] <Kobot> Ebiris rolled 1d100 --> [ 1d100=6 ]{6}

[Anastasia]

It's not far. It's hardly hidden. In an alley but not hiding. A shadow, a greater shadow. A twisted thing with a face that blurs between shapes and images. You know this creature. One of Shar's Faces of Loss, a powerful, enhanced shadow.

It stands alone in the alley, as if waiting for something. Before it, hidden but visible to Marie's eyes, is a pitch black chest.

[Ebiris]

Is it paying any attention to the diseased balor and nalfeshnee?

[13:23] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+57 sense motive
[13:23] <Kobot> Ebiris rolled 1d20+57 sense motive --> [ 1d20=15 ]{72}

And what's its name? And what does she know about it?

I'll use Marie's own knowledge (religion) roll rather than the check granted by duelist's friend since it's higher and this is relevant to her interests.

[13:24] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+57 knowledge religion
[13:24] <Kobot> Ebiris rolled 1d20+57 knowledge religion --> [ 1d20=19 ]{76}

[Anastasia]

It is not.

It is named Valiss. One of many such horrors, it follows Shar's will completely. It is known for a simple but cruel mind, one that exults in every action that spreads loss. It never acts without a purpose and is vastly patient, so long as what it waits for serves its purposes. It is suspected to have killed thousands of mortals, ones that rose as shadows to suffer and choke the life out of the living.

It's a relatively skilled combatant as well as an evolved undead. It strikes the enemy's most vulnerable places to deal harm as well as sap their strength.

[Ebiris]

What about the chest? Anything noteworthy about it? Symbols? Magic?

[Anastasia]

Nothing. The chest is an absolute void to your senses. It's like nothing is there at all.

[Ebiris]

Marie passes by the alley with just a single baleful glance, continuing down a couple of streets. Then she stops with Jessica under an awning, creates an illusory copy overlaying herself with persistent image, turns herself invisible with greater invisibility and doubles back over the buildings so she can look down into the alley that shadow was in.

Rank check or sense motive vs DC of...

[17:35] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+100 bluff
[17:35] <Kobot> Ebiris rolled 1d20+100 bluff --> [ 1d20=17 ]{117}

117, to tell the illusion is an illusion.

[17:36] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+91+20 stealth with invis bonus
[17:36] <Kobot> Ebiris rolled 1d20+91+20 stealth with invis bonus --> [ 1d20=7 ]{118}

[Anastasia]

To be clear, what's your exact plan here with the illusory copy?

[Ebiris]

It just mills around with Jessica looking scary and demonic. Maybe we're having an intense telepathic conversation, maybe we're waiting for someone, but the only thing clear is that we're loitering.

[Anastasia]

You return to the alley. Nothing's changed there that you can see.