Cromlich: Reclaiming The Lost

*Hydra
Posts: 554
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 12:00 am

Posted by *Hydra »


If Itzalia simply looked at the Factol throwing her tantrum, she had a brief grin showing her pair of tiny pointed teeth. She then looked at Valenthia as she expected to hear something from her, then back at Pentar before she spoke with the same dispassionate tone.

- What about we simply try to negotiate with them? I know the Doomlord Ashtoret wished to talk with the Mercykiller before his departure and they've tried to approach me as of late as it seems they actually want something from us.

A rush of blood then came to her cheeks as her tone seemed to retake a bit of the passion of her lost life.

My plan Factol, is to talk with them. Let's see what they have to offer, maybe we can alienate them from their allies in the process and spare our ressources... and if they prove inflexible or treacherous, then Pentar I swear...

She slamed the table with her punch oblivious of the pain.

- I swear to embrace your plan in all its violence if this means we can have our men back.
*edmaster44
Posts: 797
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 12:00 am

Posted by *edmaster44 »


The Vampiress Looked back at her grinning as well "We will follow thee my childe, and follow what ever plans works the best, these men must be return to continue howling the dark ebbs of Entropy and decay. May our foot steps crack the spire with every step.." She listened to the Demon's plan nodding slowly, and then some more. "Humiliation, this plan we find most agreeable..
*Tomekk
Posts: 855
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 12:00 am

Posted by *Tomekk »


The drow smacks his two palms together, a thundering sound echoing through the room, as a sign of his agreement with Itzalia.

"So be it! They will parley or face our wrath in its fullest!"
*Trigonometry
Posts: 28
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 12:00 am

Posted by *Trigonometry »


The Cambion had watched silently the entire exchange, satisfied to rot in his corner as the more physical distractions of his condition forced him to claw at a bloated, sore-coated throat. From his corner, besides the occasional groan, hoarse breathing and the scraping of metal anytime he moved, nothing of particular value was heard. He had pledged his sword to the cause the moment he broke it, no, perhaps even sooner than that. But the discussions for the most part kept him entirely unengaged and uninterested. The Cambion was not like the more savvy Incubus. It detested any pretence that kept it from spreading its sickness. It was when these ideas of negotiation became more prevalent that the gash in its throat began to grow as its rusted metal claws began to dig ever deeper into its bloated pus-filled neck, and that ire seethed behind the mask it wore to hide its leperous face.

However, Barbatos was no mere spawn of Death's Belly. In him ran Orcus' hatred for the rest of the multiverse, and that lens clearly affected his judgement as much as it did any other of his maggotborn peers. However, Barbatos was a calculating fiend, and even he could understand the benefits of negotiation. Everything that exists has a weapon against which it has no defence, and it had been rightfully identified that for the Triad, the very cause of order that they served was their weakness. The Cambion knew this, but it was a pill that was very bitter to swallow, moreso than the cause of Entropy that he willingly, and happily, served. For one as prone to destruction, of both the self and otherwise, the idea of restraint might be rationally sound, but that reason had to be wholeheartedly beaten into Barbatos' self for it to be accepted. Even as it aknowledged this to be the best course of action, the fiend seethed.

From its corner, it spoke a hoarse voice as it struggled to even regurgitate words amidst the liquids that drowned it from the inside. "We cannot negotiate with the Red Death, but we can force them to do what we want by using the Law they are forced to serve before their own. Find the weakest link in the chains of Order and break it. Force the Guvnors to judge his case once more, if he is found innocent the Red Death can no longer carry its sentence." The Decay Knight struggled to speak, but still, managed to articulate his plan even from within the boundries of its own rage. It managed one final sentence before the weight of speech, thought and ire on its consciousness forced it to revert to its previous state. "We should forge the evidence that will prove Cromlich's innocence"
*Serena
Posts: 399
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 12:00 am

Posted by *Serena »


The more the discussion went on, the less fun the entire idea of "rescue mission" seemed to sound at the ears of the blue-skinned Alufiend. She had spent most of the time wandering around the room in the background, like a kid who wasn't able to stay still in one place, single exception being when the Factol spoke, the only brief moments she seemed to manage to be quiet, although with some efforts.

She had brightened up at the mention of "cracking up" something, but her excitement soon died as it turned out to be just some sort of infiltration stuff... she wasn't good at that, she was a bit too loud for that kind of stuff...
Then they spoke about "talking with them" "force them" "guvners"... She kept following the discussion as it unfolded before her, finally taking place next to the rotting Cambion, whose labored, heavy breath and liquid sounds of speech seemed somehow to soothe her restless behavior.

She clearly had nothing to say on the matter, unless her obvious and almost childish disappointment for what seemed to be the general consensus on what should be done could be considered an opinion.
Only after Barbatos had spoken her warm and slightly hoarse voice filled briefly the silence


"Well... call me up if there's a fight to be had, all right?" She offered with honest simplicity, "I'm not good at being a rat, and I can't do the talking either, but I'll gladly help cracking things up when you'll feel like doing it."
*Mabus
Posts: 312
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 12:00 am

Posted by *Mabus »


Orion had taken his seat remaining stone-faced as the discussion played itself out across the table from one side to the other, and back...and forth...and back... He would lunge into the place sword first if it meant doing so. When the Alu-fiend spoke it seemed to strike more of a chord he could relate to. He was a warrior through and through, and he usually spoke with his sheer strength behind his great blades.

But...he also knew when other methods were required...and he considered them.


"The difficult concept here is how you would expect the Fraternity of Order would turn around and judge Cromlich as innocent. Even in most of your eyes he is obviously not. If you cannot convince yourselves that Cromlich is innocent, then I wonder how you'd expect to convince a Guvner to say that he is."

Orion paused a moment in thought, then continued, "If we could convince the Anarchists to infiltrate the Red Death - a skill they have demonstrated to be adept at - we could equip them with magic bags filled with weapons. These weapons would be spread out to the prisoners within where a riot could ensue. Powers know there's most likely an army of prisoners within. Amongst the chaos we take our prize back. Who knows...perhaps we could manage to convince a good number of Chaosmen to join them. I'm sure many would jump at the chance to cause chaos within a stronghold of law."
*Scintilla
Posts: 101
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 12:00 am

Posted by *Scintilla »



Pentar continued to keep her silence as promised, allowing the discussion to wax and wane with all manner of suggestion. By the time Orion came to speak anew, she had reclaimed her spiked and spiraled throne and sat upon it with a mild air of restless boredom; the vial of holy water turning endlessly in idle hands. From one pledged Doomguard to the next, the Factol's gaze lingered for several seconds of scrutiny and mild amusement before moving onward. Slowly, as was the nature of things, the discussion at hand drifted to lull and subsequently died without direction. It was then the woman shifted her weight and leaned forward to table with cat-like grace.

"Time marches onward, Sinkers, and you have yet to make a decision..." Pentar pointed out, the vial in hand tapping gently upon the worn wood of the table like a deadly metronome. Tap, tap, tap. "Forgetting not the adherence to Blood Pact, several options lay before you as dictated by your own lips. The path of subversion would have you scrape the barrel for connections with the Guvner. The path of reason, wherein you lick the boots of the Triad and in return, expect equilibrium." Tap, tap, tap. "Or, perhaps, you intend to place yourself among the clandestine, a covert operation that walks the path of extraction." Tap, tap, tap. "If it is to be none of these, then you are left with path of retribution, correct?"

The vial came to rest still against table's edge, the Factol's voice piercing the deafening silence in the wake of white noise. "Which is it to be?"
*Mabus
Posts: 312
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 12:00 am

Posted by *Mabus »


Orion lets out a long exhale through his nostrils while his right hand drums his fingers in line along the table and his eyes move from one person to the other scrutinizingly.

"Well I refuse to lick the heels of the Triad, for one, and I highly doubt the Guvners can be...fooled...in to believing Cromlich is innocent. And it has been forgotten that the Red Death and the Guvners are allies. It is highly unlikely they would choose any of our word over their's. Particularly in a case where Cromlich was publicly known to be guilty.

I guarantee we will not be successful in any way by peaceful means. Nor by a direct assault. Therefore we must find a more creative, unanticipated means of extraction."

*Huelander
Posts: 54
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 12:00 am

Posted by *Huelander »


"Ah, but my fellow factioneer, you misunderstand. I never suggested fooling even a single Guvner. Allow me to elaborate."

The Incubus rose to his feet. And began to walk a circle around the chairs of the table.

"The fraternity argues that there are rules. Those who know the dark of it, can use those rules, wield power. Their stake in this multiverse does not contain any notions of justice regarding the use of that power. So it doesn't matter if they believe him to be a criminal, what matters is that the law rules in his favor.

"Many of their number can and do exploit the very rules they uphold or find. Amongst the courts, I am sure there lurks at least one vice-ridden soul that owes the Temple a favor. If we were to find such blood in a high enough office, they could stand to make a potent friend in us. A friend in ways which the Triad would not, could not possibly be."

He sat himself back down by his seat after having made the full circle.

"We needn't turn entire factions against oneanother. But rather, find the loophole that'll allow Cromlich to walk out unscathed. And placate the one Guvner that can find it for us. I agree however, that the odds are not in our favor. We shouldn't bank on it that such a ploy can work. So I may suggest doing it additional to another approach. The break-out, I can see working."
*Mabus
Posts: 312
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 12:00 am

Posted by *Mabus »


Orion spoke to the incubus, "Well it seems we can both recognize that my plan would have a higher chance of success. Whereas your idea of loopholes within laws can succeed only when such loopholes are apparent. I don't know if you were aware of what these loopholes are, or whether you were thinking of charging a Guvner to find such loophole themselves. But I still have to admit that the chances of finding a Guvner either willing or able to find these loopholes minute" Orion pauses a moment before continuing, "but if you have resources at your disposal then by all means use them. I'm sure we could use any favoring facet available to us to succeed in reaching our goal."

Orion then turns to Pentar, "I must admit that my access to contacts within the Revolutionary League are lacking. But I would assume that you have some influence. I would suggest that we tap that resource in to finding some radical cells willing to get the job done, who are adept at infiltration. Round them up, have our smiths forge bundles of weapons, pack them within enchanted containers." Orion looks thoughtful for a moment before quickly adding, "It might be best to obtain weapons that are not forged by Doomguard smiths so they cannot be traced back to us directly. The bundles of weapons could be easily smuggled in to their stronghold and handed out transforming the prisoners within to an army in our favor. Acid bombs could also be helpful at breaking down barriers; doors.

I'm sure the Anarchists would favor the chance to wield such tools."
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