Invasion of Mori - IC [3.5][CE/NE][planar]

[moritheil]

Kelteror gazes at the diplomat with undisguised anger in his face, then masters himself with an effort. "My effort in killing such a paltry being would be wasted. You will live, and serve us for now."

"I serve only my liege," returns the emissary. "But I am happy to assist you for now."

The babau grunts, turning to take his place alongside Rose. "Whatever you call it."


The air below is cool and dank, a change from the smoky battleground above. The coppery scent of blood, faint to all but Snargle, lingers in the air. The steps down are sizable and broad, shaped not for a kobold but for something far larger. Kelteror can walk down them easily, and Snargle could return to his true form without being cramped. Overhead, the arch of the tunnel is smooth and unmarred, hinting at excellent craftsmanship.

That strange humming vibration grows louder as the party descends.

[sblock=Isida]We can assume Gabriel is uninjured. Rather than wand charges we'll assume some abyssal priest patched him up.[/sblock]

[sblock=voidrazor]Gabriel's argument is oddly compelling. It is true that there seems to be no reason to fight - just yet. But you sense that he will not cede control of the group without a struggle of some kind.[/sblock]

 

[moritheil]

The party reaches the end of the stairs without incident, continuing into pitch-black darkness with no need for a light. As you near a bend in the tunnel, the diplomat murmurs, and an apparition dressed exactly like her appears.

"Shall we send this to scout, or have you other plans?" she whispers to Gabriel.


OOC: I was going to wait for clarification of the party order, but that honestly isn't that important. Kelteror and Rose are first; the rest of you are in whatever order you like. The path is wide enough to accomodate it. Let me reiterate that Snargle can revert to normal if you want.

 

[Bloodweaver1]

He stands in the rear of the group with his great sword in one hand and his shield in the other. He takes confort that at moments notice he can activate his shield and change his sword in its altenate bow form if the need arises.

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

Gabriel waves his hand. "Please do darling. Let us see what there is to be seen through the meat puppet's eyes," he says.

 

[moritheil]

No sooner does the illusion step into the bend than a bolt of yellow-green liquid flies through it, splattering on the rock behind it with a hissing sound.

"One kobold with a wand," reports the diplomat in Abyssal. "There are quite a few statues and some kind of altar. Are we keeping him alive? Now would be an excellent time to make it clear if so."

 

[Pyrex]

Aldred shakes his head. "If necessary, we can interrogate his corpse almost as easily as he were alive."

 

[Voidrazor]

Kaelvorr had been stewing. It was clear that arguement wouldn't win the others over. And in terms of other means, timing was everything. But as contact with the enemy is confirmed, the fiend breaks its silence. "If this is a trap, which does not seem unlikely, I would like to assume that simply stumbling into it is not the preferred option. If you will indulge me for a few moments, I shall slip into this ostensible guard. You there ..." Kaelvorr turns to the gargoyle, "I would be ... grateful if you would grab ahold of my current vessel, particularly the snout. And make sure that it doesn't get any foolish ideas once I vacate."

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

"If you are all willing to listen to my words in battle, many will find yourselves enhanced. Or I can turn my tongue against my enemies, and drive their spellcasters to distraction. It will depend on the exactl situation, which our fair fiend Kaelvorr," here Gabriel gives him a small bow,"has volunteered to find out for us. Your dedication to the cause is admirable, and will find great rewards someday."

[sblock=OOC]Gabriel is quite happy to have someone else do the scouting in the line of fire. In game terms, Gabriel's bardic music and virtuoso abilities generally work within 30 ft. of him, so if you want some courage inspired or him to disrupt the spellcasters, he's going to have to be relatively close, just for everyone's information![/sblock]

 

[moritheil]

The diplomat expands on her description of the cave. Though she describes the symbol over the altar, none of you recognize it.

OOC: Please excuse the crude diagram this time. The darkened Os are statues; the x is where the diplomat thinks she saw the kobold fire from, and the chamber opens up on the right into an underground river.

EDIT: Wow, I hadn't realized how few ranks are going into Know (religion) in this group. I was really surprised when I checked sheets. The highest modifier belongs to Aldred at +7.

 

[Voadam]

Snargle takes off the amulet, expanding into his normal hulking mass of overly long clawed limbs. "Times coming for serious ripping." He says with glee. The amulet gets tucked into a pouch.