The Four Pillars

[*HamsterHyde]

[*MimiFearthegn]

Sasha wrote to Administrator Dorlas (that was his name, right?) the day after their meeting in the Festhall:

Administrator,

As we discussed, I would very much like to meet any experts the Fraternity may have on the plane of Mechanus. In particular, I would like to know where, exactly, the Pillar was originally found. If, as some evidence suggests, the pillar has a mind of its own, its possible that it returned back to its original resting place instead of being stolen.

Thank you,

Factotum Sasha Andor

[*Selebius]

Niflheim

The sorces are many and the important information she is after is well hidden between useless texts- snippets here and there but she suceeds to find the important bits.

There were stories about some beautiful device, a device that does not lose its coours even here on this bleak plane. Made of metal, wood and gemstones, shaped like an rotting angel it attracted many who looked for a last spark of emotion to enjoy- but so far none of them returned.

The lich's research showed that this statue has been hidden in a crypt located in Niflheim's wastelands, an old stronghold of some forgotten cult, now crawling with undead and fiends- and even these creatures seem to do their best to avoid the Pillar.

She now has an idea of the general location, a map showing this crypt or vault to be located in a row of hills about 3 days travel away from town.

********************************************************************************

Sigil, the Festhall


An answer arrives quickly, carried by a human Guvner A8, a tiefling aide waiting by his side:

Factotum Andor,

our specialists will contact you soon-  the carriers of this message, Administrator Gezmar and Aide Husfaran, have been dispatched to assist you.

Originally the item which we assume to be a pillar as been found in the old Arcadian Stronghold of Radiant Vigilance- the fortress survived the transition to Mecxhanus unharmed and was claimed by the Fraternity afterwards.

Dorlas, A4

[*HamsterHyde]

Niflheim

The sorces are many and the important information she is after is well hidden between useless texts- snippets here and there but she suceeds to find the important bits.

There were stories about some beautiful device, a device that does not lose its colours even here on this bleak plane. Made of metal, wood and gemstones, shaped like an rotting angel it attracted many who looked for a last spark of emotion to enjoy- but so far none of them returned.

The lich's research showed that this statue has been hidden in a crypt located in Niflheim's wastelands, an old stronghold of some forgotten cult, now crawling with undead and fiends- and even these creatures seem to do their best to avoid the Pillar.

She now has an idea of the general location, a map showing this crypt or vault to be located in a row of hills about 3 days travel away from town.

She has found what she was looking for and that pleased her but it wasn't yet time to celebrate. Not just the device but also the situation seemed dangerous. Fiends? What may take the attention of such a greedy creature?
She started the three-days trip to the location of the artifact, but she couldn't just break in, and it wasn't also her style. Once she will arrive to the place, she will lurk from the shades, stalk them, observe them. Trying to learn which were their customs, hierarchy and mainly what keeps them there, who were them and which were their motivations. Paying attention to any detail, name and interaction between them. Her weapons weren't just fangs and claws but astuteness and cunning.

[*Selebius]

There are grey hills and dark ruins- walls and pillars, crumbled and worn. Almost faded murals show scenes from some sprime overrun with fiends, depict cruel sacrificial rituals with both fiends and mortals participating.

The engravings still hold power, she feels the evil, the loss that oozes from the ancient stones, attricting swarms of Larvae and prowling Ghouls. Nepheris finds it easy to avoid them the hordes to occupoed with their own squabbles and she makes her way to the centre of the ruins.

It is there that she finds the entrance to the crypt that was mentioned- guarded by two Mezzoloth Mercenaries who keep the rabble away.

Night Hags bring fresh supplies of Lavae and slaves to this place, sometimes intelligent undead are visiting- but none are staying for long.

Entering the complex can be done by stealth- or perhaps she can just seep through some cracks on the walls, using her gaseous form.

[*HamsterHyde]

Stealth is her best card and her favorite one. She doesn't like to abuse of her gaseous form unless it's inevitable. However it won't be enough, things lack interest for her if they are too easy. And perhaps she can take advantage of the situation. She could perceive the evil around, growing stronger. And therefore she could make this power hers by sympathizing with it, sharing it. The shadow will be her mantle and the shades her threads to control this two Mezzoloths, her puppets.

Well hidden, she display a dismal show of shadows. Using the Mezzoloth she think is the weakest one of them. When both of them are alone she cast a hideous and threatening shade allowing the weakest one to spot it only with the corner of his round eyes. The shade vanish once the creature turn his head. The emptiness remain for long minutes until the abyss creature seem to recover his peace. Then the shade shows once more, closer to him, right next to his partner but away from his sight and it disappear when the creature turn his head. This time it looked closer, bigger and more threatening. The calm is shorter and once more the shade shows right next to his partner, hostile and ready to attack the weak one.

From the safety of her dark mantle the pale woman prepare an scenario where fear and betrayal are the main characters, inviting the weakest Mezzoloth to defend himself from the threat by attacking the shade which will vanished allowing the blow to pass through, hitting his companion. Offering this evil machinations to the power present, a sacrifice of evil smiting evil.

[*Selebius]

(( I like this approach. Nice. Please gimme a Bliff role to represent her skills in setting this up as good as possible :) ))

[*HamsterHyde]

[*Selebius]

The setup is perfect, the fiend haunted by the shadow getting more and more nervous. When it then hits its companion a brawl btraks out- two dimwitted creatures made of evil and nourished by betrayal are finding violence to be suited best to solve many problems.

The fight is short, brutal- no spells are used as the fiends are quite immune to everything they can dish out anyway- claws and tridents breaking limbs and craking shells and soon only one is left standing, heavily wounded, busy mutilating its fallen foe.

[*HamsterHyde]

After the skirmish she released the surviving fiend from his pain through a short ritual of blood and entrails. The favor of the present power seemed given and with it, sharping her six senses, she penetrate into that evil's burrow. Studying carefully the murals and moving forward cautious and silently, she keep walking, once more wrapped by blackness.