Dark Conspiracies

[*LiquidDreamer]

The lighting in the room is dark and a single large candle sits on the table. Two individuals await the arrival of a third and occupy their time by catching up with each other. Thirty minutes pass before the third arrives, a middle aged blue skinned elf. Without a word to the other two he sits down, finally filling the third seat

"Hakima Prudar's head has been sent. He will have a few lifetimes to think about defying us. We want the head of this.. Maharaja. Not negotiations."

"What of his court?" one asks

"Taken into mine. Anyone that resists will follow their master into oblivion."

The two look at each other, both wondering if this is the wisest course of action. But none dare to question the leader of this cabal

"Any objections? Good, now onto other things. Assassins will not work, I suggest we handle this matter of our own accord." he looks around the table to the other two

"We should at least try an outside approach first. Perhaps should we try to hire more seasoned individuals, those that are of the city, yes? If they fail, there is nothing linking them to us, if we handle it the correct way" One of the robed person says, laying his thoughts out to both

The blue skinned elf looks to both of the robed ones, who nod in agreement. Seeing that he will have to debate handling this matter themselves, he lets them have this small victory

"Then do so. I eagerly await the results." The blue skinned elf then stands and leaves the two robed inside the dimly lite room.



//this is for those that are participating in the maharaja story arc. if your involved, please post! if your interested, shoot me a PM

[*Cibernadie]

For the past week, the scheming Rakshasa that made a home of the Civic Festhall since her fateful exile has started to wander the Cage again. Her movements are always in the company of a shadowy horned figure that acts as bodyguard, half the time invisible to the naked eye of the casual observer.

The escapades are all the same: a walk through the crowded avenues of the Cage, towards any of the numerous portals within the city. Never the same one, upon arriving she vanishes for a few hours, and when she steps back, the walk back to the Civic Festhall is just as uneventful and silent. Some who may find themselves frequenting the same portal the old Rakshasa has entered through, would find her just besides the entrance, sitting in deep contemplation. Nobody would know, but she has been magically reaching to her sympathizers and favorites on her court, one at a time and by name, over long periods of magical communication. The message to her minions and no doubt traitors would be something akin to this.

Courter of Ak'Chazzar, by birthright or might as it may be, heed my words. I am your ruler in exile, Maharaja Apharada, hunted by the lazy hands that would see the divine duty of our kind stagnate. My Supreme Work, the spread of the Goshta into the multiverse, will bring about our promised age and the everlasting return of the God King, but the other Hakimas and the priests who command the church have seen fit to perpetuate our wayward existence where they rule over our faith and our customs, and exiled me for outsmarting them and bending their dogmatic laws. Even now they conspire to strike me down, plunder our court and decimate those who oppose them. Hakima Prudar already paid the price, and i dread the day when Rakshasa strikes Rakshasa no for greed, but for ignorance and blind manipulation.

I have reached you, and only you, to ensure my words are kept a whisper, a secret. I will take my vengeance upon the murderers of Prudar, and the dogmatic zealots that deny me of my rightful place as your ruler. Vacate the courts and hide among the worlds of mortals, take your hoard and your servants with you. And scheme, my sweet. Scheme and conspire alongside me to destroy the dying hand that seeks to silence the new ways that will bring about the new age for our family.
So speaketh Maharaja Apharada.

At the same time as this happen, a Tiefling with the marks and bruises of the Hives would visit the bars and joints frequented by Planeswalkers and adventurers in between their many travels, talking of a job to empty a treasure vault hidden somewhere in the astral plane. To those interested, she'd introduce herself as "Map" and suggest gathering a likely crew before spilling more details. Whoever express an interest to participate, are invited to the slumbering Benemoth Tavern, where Map promises to disclose the full details of the run.

[*Gazoo]

When Cora ( the halfling Cora Gladenstone) heard the vault story, her gut feeling was that it was as good as walking into a trap. It was just too predicatable. She was out.

Cora's problem was her curiosity. Watching the crew form...the secrets...the possible stories to tell. And maybe useful knowledge might come of this -something that might provide leverage in future.

And that simple-minded Ogre...maybe he needed a chaperone. Or maybe the big fella would make a good shield. She couldn't decide. Either way, that was enough to change her mind; in the case of emergency, he might be practical.

The others, well, they looked like they would likely run off in a pinch...

Let's see if I'm right, she thought.

[*edmaster44]

"Hm..what lies in these vaults can add to my Inventory, More Diversity is a good thing, Naturally i wouldn't do these sort of things, raiding a vault? come on now...., but the Vault guards do have me curious, what could they be guarding that they just stay there and never stray?" She inhaled On her Cigar and drank her Whiskey as she pondered these questions, nevertheless she was in.

[*Lucifer]

Nadrulien decided he would join the venture, he would be wary and trusted none of those being made the same offer but would go after all power is power.

[*orcy11]

Rexxer Killgore wondered what mysterys lay inside the vault and the payout so he signed on!

[*Fen]

This is probably a bad idea, Saiph thought as she sipped some wine, watching the bustle of the Bazaar carry on. There was a lot that could happen in that vault, and getting injured or penned might have been a 'good' outcome when it came to devils.

That said, the situation seemed too interesting to pass up. The promise of riches was of some interest, but she was more curious what was in the vault than what she might get out of it. It wasn't every day these chances came up.

Signed on, she waited for the moment of truth. She's dealt with worse situations before - maybe.

[*Cibernadie]

The appointed date comes. The people who had met with the Tiefling each received a letter or a visit from some courier, citing them to the Slumbering Behemoth's Tavern. A makeshift building leaning on the large creature's hide, the Slumbering Behemoth is otherwise a tourist trap devoid of any real interest or specialty, and the clientele are the same bashers and hivers that live on the run down tenements that surround the creature.
Everyone important knows nothing important is ever discussed here, which makes it the perfect place to do just that.

A large table is reserved, and the watered drinks purchased by the horned host as more of a gesture for the owner of the establishment than a real desire to sample the local bub. The Tiefling sits at the head of the table. drawing the attention of those who got the summons. From her pockets she draws out a small wooden toy, shaped as a boat, and a bent tin can, which she places on the table. This probably draws strange looks, but she doesn't seem to mind, or is counting with it.

"First things first. Thanks for coming. I know this all sounds like a colossal wheelbarrow full of it, but you came all the same, that shows commitment." She grins. "We're gonna need a lot of that to get this done. Time for details."

"The vault is pretty old, at least a thousand years old. What we're going to see in the astral is only the entrance, because it's a small pocket plane, and the devils usually move and hide the entrance all over the multiverse to keep away from prying eyes, but they're not doing it anymore, so we'll know exactly where to go." She looks around the people gathered for a moment. "The devils inside. They're wayward devils, not the kind that lives in the lower planes. Some people call them Rakshasas, i go for 'Paranoid narcissist cats with delirious of grandeur'. Now, you might've heard these things are dangerous and problematic, but that's only when they know you're coming, and have time to prepare themselves. These don't suspect a thing, because they're too busy fighting each other over inane things. And they'll never guess our way of breaking in."

The Tiefling grabs the bent tin can and the toy with her hands, and places them a distance from one another. "The gateway is a physical arch of stone with a door at the middle. When this central door is pushed open, the gateway does too, and stays open as long as there's something blocking it. So!" She motions the wooden boat. "We get ourselves a vessel, sail it directly at the gateway" She slowly moves the boat towards the tin can, making a 'woosh' sound with her mouth, until she jams the toy halfway into the tin can, leaving it stuck there. "The door is pushed open, and stays like that until the ship's dislodged. While that happens, we climb off the boat into the vault, fill it with everything we can carry, we blast every cat that feels like defending their stash, and then we just climb back and hit reverse. Perhaps destroy the gateway on the way out if we can, to seal them in."

Map looks around the table, with the same expression one would make after telling a funny story and expecting people to laugh along. "Eh? Eh? How's that? If that's not shock and awe, i don't know what is." Her expression returns to a neutral curiosity, and asks the people present at the gathering for their concerns or questions regarding what she just said.

[*Tsidkenu]

Cherry Sapphire, who had been at the initial meeting in the Bazaar, curiously did not turn up to the meeting at the Slumbering Behemoth, the chant being that she became occupied with helping a lady in red pick a few new dress designs in the Civic Festhall, a matter which often occupies the woman for hours on end. She's probably not the kind of basher, if she can even be classed in that category of Cagers, that Map is really looking for.

[*Gazoo]

Cora mulls this over for a bit.


"I know a cat like that. Soft and cuddly when in the mood, but dangerous when not indulging himself. He more-than-dabbles in the arcane arts."

She looks concerned at Map. "What exactly do you know about these devils - strengths and weaknesses?"

"Once the initial shock is over, things might get ugly quickly. Why do we need to jam the door open, again?"

"And...who stays on the boat?"