Nights of Steel and Fire (D&D)

[Cynical Cat]

Candirus and four other men and elves were standing around the body of the slain creature, watching as its substance dissipated as smoke and collecting a few samples. There were for the moment engaged in discussing how it breached the wards and the composition of its flesh.

[Comrade Tortoise]

Not wanting to interrupt, Astinius watched and listened until they had finished. Perhaps he could passively gain a bit of information while he was at it.

[Cynical Cat]

"Let me wish you good hunting," said Dhelt. "May the gods of light walk with you."

[Rogue 9]

"And with you, my Lord," Gaheris responded, bowing deeply. "And may Helm's own vigilance stand watch over your city." With that, he stepped back towards Malkamar. "Candlekeep first, I think," he said in a lower voice before turning to take his leave.

[LadyTevar]

Torma did not move. They wanted her to stand still and keep quiet? Ok, fine. They had held her mouth shut and humilated her, and now they wanted to just walk out?

Sorry. The only parts of her moving at the moment were her half-slitted eyes and the tip of her tail, waving in that slow dangerous way of a stalking cat.

[SirNitram]

"Get it off your chest, Torma. Preferrably not from your lungs and through my torso, but get it off your chest." Malkamar knew the look, and stopped trying to control the situation. At least he had contained it for a while.

[Rogue 9]

"Torma, not here, not now," Gaheris hissed, trying to maintain decorum as best he could, but knowing it was all about to spectacularly fail if the dragon decided to have a tantrum right there in the audience chamber.

[LadyTevar]

Malkamar's hand removed itself from her muzzle, and Gaheris' warning hissed loudly to her senestive ears.

But that wasn't why she bowed her head formally to Sir Dhelt, nor effortlessly reversed her direction and started out of his chamber. Oh no. No tantrums now. No tricks now. This ... was going to take PLANNING.

[Cynical Cat]

"Clearly from the Plane of Shadow," one of wizards was saying.

"Then why is it bubbling like a tar pit in Avernus?" said another.

The first wizard shrugged. A third spoke, a pale elf with midnight black hair. "It was made, that is why." His tones were clipped, his common slightly accented. "Chaos flesh from Limbo was injected into a matrix of Shadowflesh in order to mold a minion of the desired properties. I could be wrong, of course." His smile was wintery. "Lab work will confirm or refute my hypothesis."

[Rogue 9]

Gaheris walked out of the audience chamber and turned towards Malkamar and Torma without slowing his pace. [I'm making a wild leap of assumption here and presuming you also leave.] "All right, next to Candlekeep. Hopefully we'll find what we seek without too much effort; I grow uneasy about this. We're playing catch-up against a conspiracy that could possibly have had years to plan already."

[LadyTevar]

Torma did not answer, merely kept moving out of the keep. Ths prank will have to be big. Something they wouldn't take as anything other than their just desserts for the way they mistreated her. It had to be perfectly tailored to fit the two of them, humilate them as much as they had humilated her....

[Comrade Tortoise]

"Clearly from the Plane of Shadow," one of wizards was saying.

"Then why is it bubbling like a tar pit in Avernus?" said another.

The first wizard shrugged. A third spoke, a pale elf with midnight black hair. "It was made, that is why." His tones were clipped, his common slightly accented. "Chaos flesh from Limbo was injected into a matrix of Shadowflesh in order to mold a minion of the desired properties. I could be wrong, of course." His smile was wintery. "Lab work will confirm or refute my hypothesis."

'interesting' Astinius thought to himself. How he knew this, he would need to discover.

Knowledge Arcana and knowledge Planes check, as well as spellcraft, in that order, to know how skilled someone would need to be in order to do that



He approached "Any information?" he asked, neither showing, nor hiding that he had been eavesdropping.

[Cynical Cat]

The theory sounded relatively plausible to Astinius. It wasn't his area of expertise but it was consistent with the known properties of the matter under discussion. How one would go about successfully combining them was another matter.

[Comrade Tortoise]

Astinius wondered how to approach the men about that briefing. And figured he would just be blunt with it.

"I would like to explain what is going on you and your superiors. I am afraid that what is going on extends beyond this city, and far beyond the attack on me... And there is not much time to spare"

[Cynical Cat]

"Please do so," said Candirus.

[Comrade Tortoise]

"I hail from the city of Westgate and normally travel with a paladin called Gaheris Trollbane, a man named Malkamar, and a Copper Dragon we call Torma. Geheris founded an organization called the Vara'Dome which works covertly to thwart the plans of the Night Masks, and we operate out of the Abbey Of Blinding Truth. Yesterday, we were being tailed by an unknown individual, one of our operatives was nearly killed trying to reach a concealed safe house. We suspected this a trap... Later, we were attacked by men wielding poisoned daggers. I have one of their daggers with me now. We were unable to capture any for questioning, however we later learned from a Speak With Dead spell that they attacked at the bidding of Mak Thuum Ngatha, the 'Way Made Flesh'. If this is a man or deity who works within the realms, he is new. I came here for more information... But that is not all. This morning, when we were breaking our fast, the abbey was attacked by two pitfiends. They slaughtered the guards, and I barely managed to take one down with a disintegrate before the second overpowered all of us and kidnapped Abbot Grigor Khazar, using a Wish to escape. WHich brings me here... The connection between this Mak Thuum Ngatha, and those pit fiends is obvious. And I suspect that their knife wielding assassins were not there to kill us, but to capture us... and that their taking of the Abbot is some sort of trap, but I cannot be certain of that last point. I cam here to try to gain information, and was attacked by that... upon leaving the Vault of Sages"

[Cynical Cat]

"You seem to have powerful enemies," said Candirus. "The breach left . . . unusual residue. I suspect your enemies learned magic someplace with little contact with our world. The pieces of magical practice from Sigil and a two dozen planes as well as local variations are documented in our libraries and I have seen nothing quite like it."

[Comrade Tortoise]

"Indeed we do, moreso than we thought it seems. That would be consistent, this being that commanded the earlier attack is not known to anyone in the vault... Is there anyone you know of that may know something? Perhaps I could find something in Candlekeep... but that is a long shot. Perhaps a bit of extra-planar travel is in the future"

[Cynical Cat]

"You want resources that deal with other planes," said Candirus. "Silverymoon is the home of many scholars, but her concerns are local. The lore of the civilizations of the north is our strength. Far travelers from other realms is not our forte. I suggest you not waste your time with half measures."

[Comrade Tortoise]

"Very well. I will be on my way then. Thank you for your assistance. If you are ever in need of help, I would be happy to assist. And now to find a scroll of teleport. I need to get home, and I am sure my friends have not been idle and are... elsewhere"

Knowledge local: Where would I need to go for such resources, other than Candlekeep if such another source of such lore exists

[Rogue 9]

Once the three companions were clear of the audience chamber, Gaheris turned to Malkamar and Torma. "We'll need to get some good agents on this one. I'm thinking I should send Erek here from Baldur's Gate; he's about the best we've got at ferreting out secrets, and he can take care of himself. It pains me to pull him from the Shadow Thieves, but we don't have time." He spoke in a low voice, so that his words would not carry.

[LadyTevar]

"Whatever you think best, Sir Gaheris," Torma answered quietly, and far too meekly. Her tail gave away how miffed she still was.

A plan, a plan... need to make it something they'd remember for a long time, so the trick can't be too dangerous.... Her tail flicked back and forth as she racked her brain for the absolute perfect revenge.

[SirNitram]

"Are we to Candlekeep then? I still hold that to be the best place, if these are not gods we know, nor potent fiends. There's alot of, I beleive the common phrase is, critters." Malkamar glanced to Torma. "Get it over with, please."

[Rogue 9]

"Candlekeep. Information is what we need, and there's no better place." His hand subconsciously strayed to the pouch that held the copy of The Journey of Tyr, hoping that it would be suitable for the price of admission. Candlekeep's scribes rarely accepted a copy of a work they already had, or so he'd heard...

[LadyTevar]

Malkamar glanced to Torma. "Get it over with, please."

A draconic snort was his only answer.