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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Sagiro" data-source="post: 2263660" data-attributes="member: 726">A short update, before bed.Sagiro’s Story Hour, Part 232QueylicAravis regains clarity of mind soon after the end of the battle.  He leaps to his feet and looks around.“What happened?”Dranko looks down at the soaked ground.“We drowned them in my blood,” he says ruefully.“I didn’t think you had that much blood,” says Aravis.“We kept topping him off,” says Ernie.“We should heal up and get the hell out of here,” suggests Grey Wolf.“No objection here,” says Ernie.  He glances up nervously at a black speck high above – probably a bird. The clerics start healing everyone up, but before they finish a voice sounds telepathically in all of their heads (though no actual demon is in sight).  It’s a female voice – silky, a bit sultry, and obviously demonic.“You live!” says the voice.  “Thank the pits!  I’m about to teleport to you, but don’t be alarmed.  I’m an envoy and an escort.  I have no wish to harm you.” “Uh huh,” thinks Dranko skeptically. “If there’s more than one of you,” answers Morningstar, “we’ll open fire.”“Oh, I won’t be alone,” says the voice.  “But I strongly suggest you take no hostile action.   Like I said, I have no wish to harm you, and I won’t attack you unprovoked, but I don’t travel without my entourage.”“Entourage?” says Grey Wolf softly to the others.  “We don’t have enough firepower left to take on an entourage.”“Let me guess,” grumbles Ernie.  “She wants Kibi.”“Who are you?” thinks Dranko.“My name is Queylic,” says the voice in their heads. “What are you?” prods Dranko.“What do you think?” asks Queylic. “A fluffy bunny?” guesses Dranko.“She’s a demon, for crying out loud,” interjects Aravis.  “You should listen to your intelligent friend,” says Queylic.“You know, I’m liking you less and less,” says Dranko.   “’Cause, the implication is that I’m not.  Intelligent, I mean.”“Did I imply that?” says Queylic, voice dripping with mock sincerity.  “I’m so sorry.”“So, do we let ourselves be taken captive?” asks Morningstar.  “That’s obviously what we’re talking about here.”“Well, we should hear what she has to say,” says Ernie.“But then they’ll have Kibi,” says Morningstar.“What choice do we have?” asks Dranko.“Run away?” suggests Ernie.“I think we should let ourselves be escorted, as long as they don’t’ take our stuff,” says Dranko.  “They might know something."“Each group we talk to adds something new to our stock of information,” agrees Ernie.“I’ll wait until you’re comfortable,” says Queylic.One Certain Step makes a strange noise and becomes visibly tense.  Everyone turns to stare.“I’m sorry.  She’s taunting me,” says Step grimly.  “She’s reading my mind and taunting me.”“What did she say?” asks Dranko.“I don’t wish to discuss it,” says Step curtly.  “Leave our friend alone!” say Dranko, Ernie and Morningstar practically in chorus.“You’re not helping your case,” adds Morningstar. Queylic laughs in their heads.“Any chance I had of liking her, it just ended,” says Ernie angrily.“Are you going to tell us what you want with us?” asks Morningstar wearily.“I want to escort you, to see my master,” says Queylic.  “Lord Tapheon is his name.  He wishes to speak with you.”“He can come to us then,” grumbles Dranko.“No, I’m afraid not,” says Queylic.  “And this would be much more pleasant in person.”“Why does this Lord Tapheon want us?” asks Ernie.“That’s his business,” answers Queylic. “Does he have a cute little sculpture he wants to show us?” asks Ernie“I don’t know, Ernest.  What do you think?”Ernie doesn’t answer.  Everyone looks at one another nervously.  “If we flee, she could follow us,” says Grey Wolf.  “And we’re hardly in a state to fight.”They huddle and debate, wondering if Queylic has the means to listen in on their private conversation.  In the end they decide that while they’re willing to visit Lord Tapheon, they’ll do it at least partially on their own terms... by which they mean “have their spells back.”“We’re somewhat... drained from our previous encounter,” thinks Morningstar to the female demon.“Yes, I know.”“Is that why you’re approaching us now?” asks Dranko.“My reasons are more complicated,” says Queylic.“Are you willing to allow us a day to rest, before we accompany you?” asks Morningstar.“Ah, so you can regain your firepower?” asks Queylic rhetorically.   “It won’t do you any good, and it may tempt you into taking... unwise action.”“Oh, we have enough firepower for that right now,” says Aravis.“We don’t need any firepower for that, really,” adds Morningstar.“I’ll bet you’re hot,” thinks Dranko, out of the blue.  The others turn to stare at him.  Morningstar rolls her eyes.“You’ll find out,” says the voice.“Were you sent specifically to look for us?” asks Morningstar.“Yes.  Yes I was,” answers Queylic.  Impatience is starting to creep into her voice.“Stop that!” blurts Step, unaware that his hand has strayed to his sword.  He takes a deep breath.“If you don’t want any ‘unwise’ actions,’ says Morningstar, putting a hand on Step’s shoulder, “you’re going about it the wrong way.  We told you to leave him alone.”“I just wanted to see what he would do,” says Queylic innocently.  “He has remarkable self control.  But now that I’ve had a chance to reflect, I think I’d rather you come with me now.  If I give you a chance to rest, you might try working out some silly escape plan, and I’d have to hunt you down, and what a bother that would be.  As I said: Lord Tapheon assures me he means you no harm.”Aravis guffaws.  “What part of ‘demons’ and ‘lying’ do you think we don’t understand?“Let me try a simple cliché,” says Queylic.  “If we wished you harm, we would not be having this conversation.  But how about this.  If One Certain Step will promise, on his good soul, that you will not attempt to flee, and will come with us peacefully after a day, I’ll let you rest.”“Don’t do it, Step,” warns Ernie.  “Don’t promise your soul anywhere near these creatures... for anything.”“I will promise nothing,” says Step between clenched teeth.  Aravis feels something probing his mind more deeply, a slithering foul mental presence trying to worm into his thoughts.  He concentrates and repels the attack.“I’ve had it,” he says out loud.  With no warning to anyone, he jumps back through the Way into the frozen Slice.   The others watch him for a moment and immediately start to follow.“Oh, bother,” says Queylic.  What she says afterward, no one hears.As soon as Aravis sees a second person arrive, he jumps into the Way to the Black Circle storeroom and casts two rope tricks.  When the rest of the party arrives, he casts a Leomund’s Secure Shelter so that the rope trick spaces are inside it.  “That’s to buy us some time, if it comes to it,” says Aravis.  “Grey Wolf, you can cast Mordenkainen’s Magnificent Mansion with the Cube, right?”The party hastily stacks up some iron trunks, to block a detect magic cast from the center of the room.  Behind them Grey Wolf creates the door to the Mansion, and they all jump in.The central room is a large library, with a fireplace and many comfortable chairs and couches.  The Company sits and eats a magnificent meal around the fire, while unseen servants bring the food in from the adjacent dining hall.  “It is nice for someone else to do the cooking, every once in a while” says Ernie, his feet up on an ottoman.   Their enjoyment of the meal is marred only by the constant expectation that at any moment the whole extradimensional space will be dispelled from the outside.   But even if that happens, they won’t really be any worse off than if they had just acceded to Queylic’s wishes.  At least, that’s what they tell themselves, as they fall into uneasy sleep....to be continued...</blockquote>

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