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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Knightfall" data-source="post: 9171623" data-attributes="member: 2012">OOC: We can do it that way, if you want. I'm not sure about the cost. Maybe twice as much. What was the cost I gave you for the earring again? [HR][/HR]The Palace:Mortician Felbrigg sees Vitus' surprise and she smiles. "I wasn't expecting you," she says again. "But, I should have said that I wasn't expecting you so soon. Lord Commander Oakfirst did mention that you might come to see these dead souls, but he told me last night you wouldn't arrive until later. And he gave me a accounting of who was coming." She steps up to Vitus. "You are one of Tyche's faithful, are you not?"Cutstodio stands next to Vincenzo. He gives his own thoughts on Vitus' question. "That might be a good idea. I doubt any of us know it."Tuck nods. He stands near Sir Tymbeck and orders Mutt to 'sit' and stay quiet so that Vitus can work undisturbed.Rockhorn notices that there are strange carvings on some of the Palace's interior walls. Nothing he recognizes at first glance but he does note that there is a wondrously painted mural of a natural landscape on one of the interior's ceiling domes. It reminds him of the high hills and low mounts of the Athwood.Akos remembers that during the battle The Butcher mentioned the Sanctuary of Souls and bragged that he was one of the Endless. At the time, the Loremaster didn't know what that meant. But, his time in the Teacher's Library was quite informative, even though much of the planar information had been destroyed by Phelix, or someone he hired to go in and destroy anything about the Ancients and the two demiplanes that seem to be directly tied to Bluffside.The Sanctuary of Souls is a dark temple dedicated to numerous deities in the planar city known as Spireguard. (That planar city is famous, or infamous. It depends on who you ask. †) The temple is very well protected and is considered a sacred place to many archdevils and evil gods of the Dark Hellions. (It also allows the worship of LN and NE deities.) Very few people are aware of the Sanctuary's true purpose, however. It is a refuge for the souls of evil outsiders, mainly devils and half-blooded creatures with devilblood.Akos read about the Sanctuary in one of the Teacher's Library's few planar books that partially survived Phelix's purge of planar books. There are, supposedly, dark vats that hold the disembodied souls of many powerful devils and devil-kin. These souls are tied to an keyed object that is given over to the creature. While the object doesn't have to be kept on the creature's person, it has to be on the same plane as the creature for the magic to work. The object can take many forms.If the creature is killed, the keyed object is automatically consumed. The object's power is transferred from any plane of existence to the Sanctuary in Spireguard's Lower City. The power enters the creature's dedicated Soul Vat and clones the outsider, although what emerges from the vat won't be an exact copy of the devil/devil-kin that was killed. The vats often warp the creature into a new form that can be more deadly, or even twisted into an alien-like creature. The creature doesn't remember how its 'sire' died but it does have all it memories up to the point the creature last visited the Sanctuary.Akos has heard of an old legend that refers to the beings that call themselves the Endless. In ancient times, before the beginning of Ragnarök, planar wars between the demons of Abyssal Depths and devils of the Dark Hellions were a constant threat to the stability of the outer planes. There were many names from these constant wars that often spilled over into the other Lower Planes (especially Krivax, The Endless Barrows [‡]). One of these names was the Endless War. Many of the devils and devil-kin that fought in this ancient war had their souls protected in various Soul Vats that were spread around the outer planes.As Ragnarök erupted, the planes of existence were thrown into chaos and the demons of the Abyssal Depths gained an advantage over their devil foes. All of the Sanctuaries outside of Spireguard were destroyed. The demons were beaten back by the powerful Armies of Agony, as well as forces of the upper planes that feared that in Spireguard fell, all of creation would be destroyed.The devil/devil-kin's truename is etched on the devil/devil-kin's Soul Vat. Akos knows that the powerful beings known as Truenamers have the power to speak a creature's truename out loud.The legend of the Endless War spoke of a powerful group of devil-kin know as The Butcher's Legion. Who or what the original Butcher was during the ancient times is unknown. But, it was likely a Pit Fiend of extraordinary power. That creature was destroyed and so was its Soul Vat. The legend talks of a series of devil-kin Butcher's that have arose over the millennias. The last one of note was believed to be called [ISPOILER]Umma[/ISPOILER]. Akos dare not speak it out loud, as long as the creature lives in some form. This Butcher's Soul Vat is in the Sanctuary of Souls. What will crawl from its vat will likely be even more dark and twisted.[OOC]† Spireguard is my new homebrewed replacement for Sigil. It does not have a Lady of Pain. It has a Lord of Agony, although I'm going to come up with a different title for the ruler of Spireguard. The Lord of Spireguard is a tangible being that is extremely powerful but not undefeatable.‡ Krivax is my replacement plane for the Gray Waste. It will be very different but still strongly NE.[/OOC]The Butcher's eyes open slowly. There is no sudden jerk of movement. No false gasp for air. The creature just lays still on the slab and stares up at the domed ceiling above it."The Loyalists are stationed in every district of the city, but their hearts are built into the master's Brelish Guild located under Candle Street. It is a place of thieves and soldiers," the dead man chuckles. "And deadly traps." Its eyes turn towards Vitus. "Death awaits you there.""Ask your second question," it says passively.</blockquote>

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