THE OFFER INFERNAL
ANABSTERCORIAN, PLEASE READ THIS.
Anabstercorian is interrupted out of his reverie by a Red Robed figure.
It is tall, human in shape (or, perhaps, illithid), shapeless under it's red robes, and it speaks in a soft mild voice.
Attacks do not affect it.
Psionics do not affect it, nor does magic.
It is not possible to determine what lies under the Red Robes.
If an attempt is made to touch it or tear the Red Robes away by force, the effort fails and the person trying dies ... or the system or magic attempting this is destroyed and/or fails.
The figure speaks:
Anabstercorian, we meet at last.
Anabstercorian, murderer extraordinare.
The Torilians seek you out. The Eternal Order, seeks you out. The Red Army of Luna, seeks you out.
The figure gestures in dismissal.
That is not important.
What is important is who you seek.
You seek Lord Melkor, Melkor Lord of All, Melkor the Supreme Lord of the Shade.
Melkor, who massacred your people.
Yet he has gone beyond your reach, Anabstercorian.
Now, he gloats in glory over his own domain, untouchable by those outside Ravenloft, having absolute power within his domain.
He has passed beyond your reach.
Even if you come to Ravenloft to fight him, you would be fighting him on his own land, by his rules, Anabstercorian.
You would be crushed.
The figure shifts, then speaks:
You know, as they all know, that this Crystal Sphere is being pulled down, inevitably, into Ravenloft.
You know, as they all know, that when this happens, you will be a subject to Lord Melkor, completely in thrall to him.
What do you think will happen to you then, Anabstercorian, Supreme among the Illithid?
What do you think will happen to your Penumbral Hub, and to your people?
The figure looks at Anabstercorian, the blackness where it's face should have been intense and utterly dark, as it speaks intently:
We offer you your own Domain, Anabstercorian.
Your hatred gives us the power to grant this to you.
In your own Domain, you would be the supreme power.
In your own Domain, you would determine what magic worked and what did not.
In your own Domain, you would determine how psionics worked.
In your own Domain, you would determine how technology works.
We would set your Domain directly next to Melkor's Domain.
Then, you could gather your Army of Darkness, and invade his Domain, and CRUSH him, Anabstercorian.
Crush him, and make ALL of his Domain, YOUR Domain.
(This would require that you Duel Melkor by the standard 11th Level Dueling Rules. If you won, you could then pull a Coup de Grace against him and his Shade. Of course, the opposite does hold as well.)
You would rule, Anabstercorian, instead of being crushed under the bootheel of Melkor, Melkor who murdered your people.
You could make him pay for all eternity for his crime.
There is no escape from Ravenloft except by natural death, and we ... (the figure chuckles) ... do not believe you would permit Melkor that generosity.
Our offer stands.
We will not lie to you ... once you come to Ravenloft, you do not leave again.
That is the price of our offer, and we say it openly, so that you will understand what you give up by taking this chance.
Then, the figure smiles, and Anabstercorian senses it.
There is ANOTHER Power in Ravenloft that just might help you overthrow Melkor, Anabstercorian.
That Power is run by one called Zouron, former leader of the Magocracy of Toril.
We believe he would side with you, against Melkor.
Thus, it would be the two of you against the one of Melkor.
You know those odds very well, and it is not hard to guess who would win in such a battle.
The figure gestures:
We make this offer, Anabstercorian.
Half of your people are still alive.
They will not be alive for very long - your impending coup de grace against the Shade has brought down on you the wrath of the allies of the Shade, and they intend a coup de grace against your people.
You have seen half of your people slaughtered.
Would you see the OTHER half of them slaughtered also?
We do not promise a paradise for your people, for Ravenloft is not a paradise.
Yet your people would live, and even thrive.
Death by natural causes allows one to escape from Ravenloft, so our imprisonment is not as complete as it is made out to be ... for after all, life is brief, and the Afterlife is forever.
If you accept our offer, you will be a Domain Lord, your people will survive, and you will have your opportunity to crush Melkor, like you wanted.
If you refuse, you will rage at Melkor in vain, for he has escaped you.
You will watch as your people are slaughtered, and the rest of your Penumbral Hub is destroyed.
Join us, embrace the Darkness, and we will rescue you, and grant you your chance at revenge.
The choice, is yours, Anabstercorian.
The figure awaits a reply.
- - -
TO MELKOR
The Dark Powers promised you that you would have total rule over all in the IR, did they not?
That would include Anabstercorian, obviously.
They lied.
