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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Nonlethal Force" data-source="post: 3668145" data-attributes="member: 35788">The party searched through the tomes of religious history for hours looking for any hint of mention of a succubus.  They had begun looking in the temple’s section of research specifically devoted to Yrraxea, her followers, and the rituals of Yrraxean worship.  However, due to the fact that Yrraxea was nearly the chief unholy antagonist against Reah there was a considerable amount of books that needed to be looked at.  In fact, it was Charis who first stumbled across a useful tome after several hour of serious searching.Charis snapped the tome closed with her finger in the edge to mark the place that she had been researching.  When she looked up from the large volume on Yrraxean history she noticed that she had the attention of Semeion and Ophee.  They had been researching in the same aisle.  She smiled at the pair who was waiting curiously to hear what she had found.  “Ischarus and Rhema, can you hear me?”Rhema and Ischarus had decided to start at the opposite end of books on Yrraxean history and work their way towards Semeion, Ophee, and Rhema.  As a result, they were in the aisle directly to Charis’ right.  Rhema replied to Charis’ inquiry.  “Loud and clear, Charis.  What have you found?”Charis knew that they were the only people in the temple’s library by this late in the night, so there wasn’t much need to worry about keeping the peace of the library.  “I’ve found a book entitled Darron’s Illustrated Guide to the Yrraxean Underlings.  The date inside the front cover shows that the information compiled in the tome is centuries old, but it still seems feasibly true.  The author describes how he had been sent by what he calls the Dominant in Barghost.  He describes the Dominant as the head of the organized followers of Reah’s justice.  By Darron’s descriptions, that would make the Dominant the head administrator in the church.  I guess it would be parallel to some kind of high ranking bishop or something.”Semeion nodded in agreement.  “That would make sense.  A religion founded upon the principles of justice that Reah commands would likely have some kind of organized hierarchy.  And from what I have learned from Ausaphaborishan and Llywessair, Barghost would be the likely place for such a person to reside.  As dark and in touch with the aspects of evil as Quehalost is, Barghost is equally in touch with the aspects of good and the deities that promote virtue in life.”Ischarus spoke from the next aisle.  “That makes sense with my understanding of the situation as well.  From what I can gather, Tongra and Fenneress are often caught between Barghost and Quehalost.  The powers of good have sworn to influence the world only so much as to keep the balance against the powers of evil.  In other words, if good is ultimately going to triumph over evil, it will be at the hands of the people in the world, not the direct intervention of the divine powers.”Charis listened carefully and continued speaking.  “And I think that really is the way it should be.  If any deity is attractive enough to follow, then the followers of that deity should be excited enough to promote the directed lifestyle and the tenets of the faith.  But, we digress.  The author of the book, who I am assuming is this follower of Reah named Darron, claims to have been asked by the Dominant to venture into Quehalost on some sort of fact finding mission.  He was sent to find the secret lairs where Yrraxea is strong in Quehalost and observe what he saw.  Apparently, he didn’t see any actual demonic summons, but he did manage to infiltrate and document several Yrraxean worship sites.  Given Yrraxea’s teachings towards avarice, the temples were not that difficult to find.  People who worship a deity that focuses on greed and materialism typically are more about flaunting what they have than hiding away in some secret hole.”Charis paused for a breath and was glad that nobody took advantage of the silence in order to interrupt the recounting of her findings.  “Anyway, this Darron was able to covertly study the art and symbols that the Yrraxeans used in their worship and holy spaces.  He documented many of their images, especially those that he believed to be demonic and thus a rival to Reah and her court.  What is interesting is that Darron mentions depictions of a succubus on several accounts.  Apparently, this succubus is quite an interesting character.”Ophee shuddered at the memory of what the succubus had done to her.  “Interesting is not the word I’d use.  But please, continue on with what you were saying.”Charis tried to smile in a manner that comforted Ophee, but there was little that could be done to comfort the way that the succubus had taken advantage of Ophee.  “Apparently the succubus is noted for her ability to change appearances based upon the physical preferences of her next victim.  So, the art on this succubus is quite diverse.  But what is interesting is that this particular succubus is the only one mentioned in Darron’s writing.  This succubus is always given the same name: Ankh-Bahl.”Semeion could’ve sworn that at the mention of her name a cold chill shot through the room.  “What makes you think that this is the right servant of Yrraxea?  I mean, just because the author only mentions one succubus doesn’t mean that we have the right one.  Who knows how many of them serve the Queen of Avarice.”Charis understood Semeion’s skepticism.  “True, but listen to a few of the details.  Once you hear some of the stories about Ankh-Bahl, I think your tone might just change.  For example, the teachings of Yrraxea indicate that Ankh-Bahl was entrusted into Yrraxea’s service solely for the purpose of finding a way for Yrraxea to come into this world.  The preferred method that Yrraxea desires to use, and thus Ankh-Bahl is searching for, is to find a willing host and become channeled into the host.  In other words, the soul of the person within the body would be displaced; or at the very least put in a sort of spiritual coma while Yrraxea assumes control over the body and possesses it as her own.  That certainly sounds familiar, although we can be quite sure that the wizard was not possessed by Yrraxea herself.”Semeion nodded, but it was Ischarus who took advantage of Charis’ pause.  “That does sound eerily familiar.  What else did you find out about this succubus that makes you think that we have the right one?”Charis replied with confidence in her voice.  “It seems as though Ankh-Bahl is also some kind of demonic assassin.  Apparently her job was to find a way for this possession to initiate outside of Quehalost.  Yrraxea wanted her servant to find a way to make the possession outside of the dangers of the evil land.  Although a demon – or even a goddess – cannot be killed away from the celestial or damnable home, Yrraxea has a desire to take the world by surprise and storm.  She wants the world for her own domination, hence why she is called the Queen of Avarice.  But when she comes into this world she wants to do it right the first time so as to give nobody any warning.”The rest of the party was busy assimilating the information that Charis was giving them.  When nobody took advantage of Charis’ pause, she continued her explanation of what she had learned from Darron’s writings.  “The fact that this Ankh-Bahl is some sort of demonic assassin implies ruthless behavior.  Darron was convinced that should Ankh-Bahl ever find a way into this world that she would be willing to use and then dispose of any forces of evil that she could find, especially those of other gods and goddesses.  Her goal was to use any means necessary while weakening any who oppose Yrraxea in the process.”Ischarus called out as he rounded the corner and entered the row of bookshelves that held Ophee, Semeion, and Charis.  “Well, it certainly sounds feasible, that’s for sure.  The devil we banished was ruthless.”Ophee agreed readily.  “And willing to resort to any means necessary I might add.”Ischarus continued in his thought.  “If the succubus was indeed Ankh-Bahl, it would make sense that she should be found here in Tongra.  Or, I suppose Fenneress for that matter.  But if Darron’s history is any authority, it would appear that Yrraxea is actively trying to increase the range of her influence dramatically.  It doesn’t sound like Yrraxea is interested in the slow and steady growth through the spread of ideals.  It sounds to me that Yrraxea is the type of goddess to wait for a moment and then lash out in a strike in order to gain as much ground as possible in a quick amount of time.  To me, that sounds like what the succubus described to you all.”Rhema had followed Ischarus around the corner to speak with her friends.  “Again, that would certainly make sense.  From what I have learned from my time around the dragons and around the temple, Quehalost is held by the powers of evil.  if Yrraxea were to begin in Quehalost, she’d have to begin her fight in Quehalost itself.  But if she could instead take Tongra or Fenneress by surprise, she could move quickly and amass resources and go back against Quehalost if she so desired.”Charis smiled as she interrupted Rhema’s thought.  “And remember, most creation myths talk about how the Tongra-Quehalost and Fenneress-Quehalost Mountains were brought forth to contain the evil.  Many of the myths speak about how the evil could not be quenched from the land, so it was contained and set apart.  Granted they are only myths, but if there is any hint of truth to the myths, Yrraxea would gain substantial power should her influence extend beyond the mountains.  If she herself could be summoned into the land of Tongra, I don’t know what would happen.”Rhema finished her thought once Charis had concluded.  “Granted, there have got to be small pockets of worshippers of evil throughout the land.  It’d even imagine there are miniscule pockets of Yrraxean worship in Barghost.  But there is no record of anything capable of accomplishing something to the magnitude that we are talking about here.  The gods and goddesses haven’t walked the ground with mortals in longer than even the dragons can remember.”Semeion nodded in complete agreement.  “And that is a considerable amount of time.  The stories of the gods and their servants walking freely among the lands with mortals are so old that many of them are simply considered myths and nothing more.  I doubt anyone would even consider the possibility that Yrraxea still looks to be summoned and brought into a legitimate possession of a mortal here in Tongra.  That’s just not the way that we think anymore.”Charis continued where Semeion left off.  “Needless to say, stopping this threat was no idle matter.  Most people won’t ever know what happened in the Wizard’s College today.  We all know that the Wizard’s College isn’t going to be upfront and honest about it, and they’ll deny anything that may be told.”Rhema looked at the shelves around her.  “Well, we’ve got several more shelves of books to search for, although I’ll admit that the solution that Charis just stumbled on seems to really fit the possibility here.  The scary part is that if what Charis found is actually the correct reason, then we don’t know how the succubus managed to escape Quehalost.  Either there is a significant sect of Yrraxeans worshipping in Tongra that the wizard might have been connected to and thus was summoned directly, or Ankh-Bahl managed to work her way out of Quehalost and through the underground passages and into Tongra.  I don’t mind saying that neither possibility will make it any easier to sleep at night.”Semeion looked back to the shelves.  “Well, let’s keep on looking.  We’ve got the rest of the night, and tomorrow we’re planning on heading out to finish our work by finding Allyssa.  Maybe we can find something else tonight.”[Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section]The party searched through the tomes of religious history for hours looking for any hint of mention of a succubus. They had begun looking in the temple’s section of research specifically devoted to Yrraxea, her followers, and the rituals of Yrraxean worship. However, due to the fact that Yrraxea was nearly the chief unholy antagonist against Reah there was a considerable amount of books that needed to be looked at. In fact, it was Charis who first stumbled across a useful tome after several hour of serious searching.Charis snapped the tome closed with her finger in the edge to mark the place that she had been researching. When she looked up from the large volume on Yrraxean history she noticed that she had the attention of Semeion and Ophee. They had been researching in the same aisle. She smiled at the pair who was waiting curiously to hear what she had found. “Ischarus and Rhema, can you hear me?”Rhema and Ischarus had decided to start at the opposite end of books on Yrraxean history and work their way towards Semeion, Ophee, and Rhema. As a result, they were in the aisle directly to Charis’ right. Rhema replied to Charis’ inquiry. “Loud and clear, Charis. What have you found?”Charis knew that they were the only people in the temple’s library by this late in the night, so there wasn’t much need to worry about keeping the peace of the library. “I’ve found a book entitled Darron’s Illustrated Guide to the Yrraxean Underlings. The date inside the front cover shows that the information compiled in the tome is centuries old, but it still seems feasibly true. The author describes how he had been sent by what he calls the Dominant in Barghost. He describes the Dominant as the head of the organized followers of Reah’s justice. By Darron’s descriptions, that would make the Dominant the head administrator in the church. I guess it would be parallel to some kind of high ranking bishop or something.”Semeion nodded in agreement. “That would make sense. A religion founded upon the principles of justice that Reah commands would likely have some kind of organized hierarchy. And from what I have learned from Ausaphaborishan and Llywessair, Barghost would be the likely place for such a person to reside. As dark and in touch with the aspects of evil as Quehalost is, Barghost is equally in touch with the aspects of good and the deities that promote virtue in life.”Ischarus spoke from the next aisle. “That makes sense with my understanding of the situation as well. From what I can gather, Tongra and Fenneress are often caught between Barghost and Quehalost. The powers of good have sworn to influence the world only so much as to keep the balance against the powers of evil. In other words, if good is ultimately going to triumph over evil, it will be at the hands of the people in the world, not the direct intervention of the divine powers.”Charis listened carefully and continued speaking. “And I think that really is the way it should be. If any deity is attractive enough to follow, then the followers of that deity should be excited enough to promote the directed lifestyle and the tenets of the faith. But, we digress. The author of the book, who I am assuming is this follower of Reah named Darron, claims to have been asked by the Dominant to venture into Quehalost on some sort of fact finding mission. He was sent to find the secret lairs where Yrraxea is strong in Quehalost and observe what he saw. Apparently, he didn’t see any actual demonic summons, but he did manage to infiltrate and document several Yrraxean worship sites. Given Yrraxea’s teachings towards avarice, the temples were not that difficult to find. People who worship a deity that focuses on greed and materialism typically are more about flaunting what they have than hiding away in some secret hole.”Charis paused for a breath and was glad that nobody took advantage of the silence in order to interrupt the recounting of her findings. “Anyway, this Darron was able to covertly study the art and symbols that the Yrraxeans used in their worship and holy spaces. He documented many of their images, especially those that he believed to be demonic and thus a rival to Reah and her court. What is interesting is that Darron mentions depictions of a succubus on several accounts. Apparently, this succubus is quite an interesting character.”Ophee shuddered at the memory of what the succubus had done to her. “Interesting is not the word I’d use. But please, continue on with what you were saying.”Charis tried to smile in a manner that comforted Ophee, but there was little that could be done to comfort the way that the succubus had taken advantage of Ophee. “Apparently the succubus is noted for her ability to change appearances based upon the physical preferences of her next victim. So, the art on this succubus is quite diverse. But what is interesting is that this particular succubus is the only one mentioned in Darron’s writing. This succubus is always given the same name: Ankh-Bahl.”Semeion could’ve sworn that at the mention of her name a cold chill shot through the room. “What makes you think that this is the right servant of Yrraxea? I mean, just because the author only mentions one succubus doesn’t mean that we have the right one. Who knows how many of them serve the Queen of Avarice.”Charis understood Semeion’s skepticism. “True, but listen to a few of the details. Once you hear some of the stories about Ankh-Bahl, I think your tone might just change. For example, the teachings of Yrraxea indicate that Ankh-Bahl was entrusted into Yrraxea’s service solely for the purpose of finding a way for Yrraxea to come into this world. The preferred method that Yrraxea desires to use, and thus Ankh-Bahl is searching for, is to find a willing host and become channeled into the host. In other words, the soul of the person within the body would be displaced; or at the very least put in a sort of spiritual coma while Yrraxea assumes control over the body and possesses it as her own. That certainly sounds familiar, although we can be quite sure that the wizard was not possessed by Yrraxea herself.”Semeion nodded, but it was Ischarus who took advantage of Charis’ pause. “That does sound eerily familiar. What else did you find out about this succubus that makes you think that we have the right one?”Charis replied with confidence in her voice. “It seems as though Ankh-Bahl is also some kind of demonic assassin. Apparently her job was to find a way for this possession to initiate outside of Quehalost. Yrraxea wanted her servant to find a way to make the possession outside of the dangers of the evil land. Although a demon – or even a goddess – cannot be killed away from the celestial or damnable home, Yrraxea has a desire to take the world by surprise and storm. She wants the world for her own domination, hence why she is called the Queen of Avarice. But when she comes into this world she wants to do it right the first time so as to give nobody any warning.”The rest of the party was busy assimilating the information that Charis was giving them. When nobody took advantage of Charis’ pause, she continued her explanation of what she had learned from Darron’s writings. “The fact that this Ankh-Bahl is some sort of demonic assassin implies ruthless behavior. Darron was convinced that should Ankh-Bahl ever find a way into this world that she would be willing to use and then dispose of any forces of evil that she could find, especially those of other gods and goddesses. Her goal was to use any means necessary while weakening any who oppose Yrraxea in the process.”Ischarus called out as he rounded the corner and entered the row of bookshelves that held Ophee, Semeion, and Charis. “Well, it certainly sounds feasible, that’s for sure. The devil we banished was ruthless.”Ophee agreed readily. “And willing to resort to any means necessary I might add.”Ischarus continued in his thought. “If the succubus was indeed Ankh-Bahl, it would make sense that she should be found here in Tongra. Or, I suppose Fenneress for that matter. But if Darron’s history is any authority, it would appear that Yrraxea is actively trying to increase the range of her influence dramatically. It doesn’t sound like Yrraxea is interested in the slow and steady growth through the spread of ideals. It sounds to me that Yrraxea is the type of goddess to wait for a moment and then lash out in a strike in order to gain as much ground as possible in a quick amount of time. To me, that sounds like what the succubus described to you all.”Rhema had followed Ischarus around the corner to speak with her friends. “Again, that would certainly make sense. From what I have learned from my time around the dragons and around the temple, Quehalost is held by the powers of evil. if Yrraxea were to begin in Quehalost, she’d have to begin her fight in Quehalost itself. But if she could instead take Tongra or Fenneress by surprise, she could move quickly and amass resources and go back against Quehalost if she so desired.”Charis smiled as she interrupted Rhema’s thought. “And remember, most creation myths talk about how the Tongra-Quehalost and Fenneress-Quehalost Mountains were brought forth to contain the evil. Many of the myths speak about how the evil could not be quenched from the land, so it was contained and set apart. Granted they are only myths, but if there is any hint of truth to the myths, Yrraxea would gain substantial power should her influence extend beyond the mountains. If she herself could be summoned into the land of Tongra, I don’t know what would happen.”Rhema finished her thought once Charis had concluded. “Granted, there have got to be small pockets of worshippers of evil throughout the land. It’d even imagine there are miniscule pockets of Yrraxean worship in Barghost. But there is no record of anything capable of accomplishing something to the magnitude that we are talking about here. The gods and goddesses haven’t walked the ground with mortals in longer than even the dragons can remember.”Semeion nodded in complete agreement. “And that is a considerable amount of time. The stories of the gods and their servants walking freely among the lands with mortals are so old that many of them are simply considered myths and nothing more. I doubt anyone would even consider the possibility that Yrraxea still looks to be summoned and brought into a legitimate possession of a mortal here in Tongra. That’s just not the way that we think anymore.”Charis continued where Semeion left off. “Needless to say, stopping this threat was no idle matter. Most people won’t ever know what happened in the Wizard’s College today. We all know that the Wizard’s College isn’t going to be upfront and honest about it, and they’ll deny anything that may be told.”Rhema looked at the shelves around her. “Well, we’ve got several more shelves of books to search for, although I’ll admit that the solution that Charis just stumbled on seems to really fit the possibility here. The scary part is that if what Charis found is actually the correct reason, then we don’t know how the succubus managed to escape Quehalost. Either there is a significant sect of Yrraxeans worshipping in Tongra that the wizard might have been connected to and thus was summoned directly, or Ankh-Bahl managed to work her way out of Quehalost and through the underground passages and into Tongra. I don’t mind saying that neither possibility will make it any easier to sleep at night.”Semeion looked back to the shelves. “Well, let’s keep on looking. We’ve got the rest of the night, and tomorrow we’re planning on heading out to finish our work by finding Allyssa. Maybe we can find something else tonight.”[/Sblock]</blockquote>

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