gideonpepys
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.
Session 223, Part Three - Racing Angels
Racing Angels
The critic angels led the way, fluttering through the vault in one huge swarm that split apart so scores could scout each of the vault chambers. Like locusts, they stripped and destroyed smaller items, and carried off those beyond their power to destroy so that Hezophiel could shatter them with his spells. The trumpeters were the second rank, advancing in a methodical march. Every round they blared their horns, which shattered the bones that lined the hallways and stripped away traps and wards. Then movanic celestials shattered anything more sturdy, while Hezophiel watched to ensure nothing escaped. First to go was the long-dead titan Maur Granatha, reduced to motes in a split second. The legion celestial seemed to merely stand guard, but Gupta sensed that they were performing critical efforts perceptible only in the metaphysical realm, as they guided the evil essences trapped here away from this world and on to a proper plane in the multiverse.
The angels moved through the chambers in methodical, numerical order. From the Vault of Heretical Texts, they veered right, towards Unholy Arms and Armour and Blasphemous Artworks. Leon, Quratulain and Gupta went right, hoping to somehow free Linia before the angels headed their way. As they went, covering huge distances with one dimension door after another, Quratulain found that the name of the person who had taken the biography of Triegenes from the Vault of Heretical texts was on the tip of her tongue…
Uru and Uriel, meanwhile, were just a few minutes ahead of the heavenly host. Arriving in the Vault of Heretical Texts, Uriel realised he would not have time to pause and cast location loresight here without the angels catching up. Now he was back in the vault, though, he had a hunch, and he and Uru headed straight for Blasphemous Artworks. Here, as expected, they were challenged by Grunhilde, Giovanni’s gatekeeper. Uriel explained that they had earned the right to pass through here, having rescued the lillend Somnia from Belcamp the Bearded Devil. Grunhilde let them pass. It would be her final act; her demise would buy them more time.
When they arrived in the vault of Blasphemous Artworks, Uriel made a beeline for the depictions of the Seven Deadly Sins. When he was last here, in his embryonic, naïf-like form – still wearing the frayed robes of the Congregation of Adaljour and operating by instinct alone – he had been unaccountably drawn to the painting of Envy. Then, it had blasted him across the room as he tried to reach inside it, motivated by a curiosity he now understood to be prescience. Before the painting he paused. Within, he could see a lockbox, with a key already inside it. Something told him he need no longer worry about the magical defences here, and sure enough, when he reached for it this time, he was able to lean into the painting and take the lock box out. Inside was a small foolscap with a weathered vellum cover, locked with a leather band ending in a crude fishhook, noteworthy only for the intense smell of sea and salt.
The buzz of critic swarms could be heard approaching. Uriel placed the biography in his robes, where the extra-dimensional space would obfuscate the angels’ divinations, then took out a copy he had made (from memory) of Roland Stanfield’s Book of Transcendence: a guide to deva reincarnation. He handed it to Uru who destroyed both the book and the lockbox. As he watched the Book of Transcendence go up in flames, as the angel swarm buzzed into the Vault of Blasphemous Artwork and began gnawing at the fixtures and fittings, Uriel experienced a strange pang of loss. That book would never be needed again, as deva could no longer reincarnate. He endeavoured to settle his mind with the thought that they might put the world back the way it was, but could not shake the feeling that it would never be the same.
They did not have time to waste – they still felt the pull of Ashima-Shimtu’s compulsion. The greater angels had arrived too, and there was chaos and conflict all around, as the inhabitants of this chamber sought to defend themselves. Somnia the lillend came forward, arms raised and tried to explain that many here, such as herself, had been falsely imprisoned, and were good beings at heart. The angels set upon her without mercy. Uru was already heading out on Little Jack. Uriel turned his back on Somnia, though her defensive song still haunted him, until it was cut off moments later. “Should’ve picked a winning world philosophy,” said Uru.
Now what? Hook up with the others somehow? Uriel said that they should head for the demoness. Compulsion or no, he wanted to talk with her, as he had promised last time they were here. Uru didn’t like the sound of that. He hated Ashima-Shimtu and got a strange inkling from Uriel’s tone that he was thinking the unthinkable. At first he refused to follow, said he was going to find Leon, but then thought better of splitting the party even further, and followed Uriel on Little Jack, bitching and moaning all the way.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Crypta…
“Now I remember!” said Quratulain, recalling rumours that had come her way during her long internment. “A priest named Orhalder Skarathi sold his soul in order to become a hierarch, but ended up imprisoned here, and he stole the biography of Triegenes because he felt himself better than the founder of his faith. Maybe we could find him?” Unbeknownst to Quratulain (for the time being), the biography had already been secured and Orhalder Skarathi would be executed by the heavenly host in just a few moments.
Through the chamber of Cursed Items, they went. A few wights stood in their way, but they disposed of them with ease. Down through the trapped corridors to the vault of Afflicted Innocents, where they came upon both the poor, imprisoned architect and Linia.
They had no time to spare for poor Ennio Adolini – the angels would release him from his torments soon enough. Remembering how powerful the wards protecting Linia were – try as he might, Korrigan had been unable to free her – Leon used the oil of Colossus in the Wayfarer’s Lantern. He had only two vials of this precious, powerful oil and moments after he had used it, he regretted it: the wards imprisoning Linia had diminished, and freeing her was easy. Still, she was larger than an ordinary mortal female, and her wings alone were pretty heavy, so the increased carrying capacity bestowed by the lantern light, meant that lowering her to the ground was a more dignified affair than it might ordinarily have been. Not so the follow-up manoeuvre of shoving her into the absurdist web…
Leon consoled himself with the thought that the boost from the aura of the lamp would stand them in good stead if they had to fight their way out of the vault, or came into conflict with the angels. And they enjoyed another boon, too: Quratulain claimed dominion of the vault – quite a cathartic moment after her long imprisonment here – and was immediately aware of everything that was going on within its environs (including the fate of Orhalder Skarathi). She was then able to teleport to Uru and Uriel, bringing a message from Leon that they would meet at the chamber of Ashima-Shimtu.
Uru hoped to find an ally here – surely Quratulain, who had been trapped in sea ice by the demoness, would not countenance parleying with her? Quratulain replied that she was learning to trust Leon in the same way she did Korrigan, and then returned to him and Gupta.
Racing Angels
The critic angels led the way, fluttering through the vault in one huge swarm that split apart so scores could scout each of the vault chambers. Like locusts, they stripped and destroyed smaller items, and carried off those beyond their power to destroy so that Hezophiel could shatter them with his spells. The trumpeters were the second rank, advancing in a methodical march. Every round they blared their horns, which shattered the bones that lined the hallways and stripped away traps and wards. Then movanic celestials shattered anything more sturdy, while Hezophiel watched to ensure nothing escaped. First to go was the long-dead titan Maur Granatha, reduced to motes in a split second. The legion celestial seemed to merely stand guard, but Gupta sensed that they were performing critical efforts perceptible only in the metaphysical realm, as they guided the evil essences trapped here away from this world and on to a proper plane in the multiverse.
The angels moved through the chambers in methodical, numerical order. From the Vault of Heretical Texts, they veered right, towards Unholy Arms and Armour and Blasphemous Artworks. Leon, Quratulain and Gupta went right, hoping to somehow free Linia before the angels headed their way. As they went, covering huge distances with one dimension door after another, Quratulain found that the name of the person who had taken the biography of Triegenes from the Vault of Heretical texts was on the tip of her tongue…
Uru and Uriel, meanwhile, were just a few minutes ahead of the heavenly host. Arriving in the Vault of Heretical Texts, Uriel realised he would not have time to pause and cast location loresight here without the angels catching up. Now he was back in the vault, though, he had a hunch, and he and Uru headed straight for Blasphemous Artworks. Here, as expected, they were challenged by Grunhilde, Giovanni’s gatekeeper. Uriel explained that they had earned the right to pass through here, having rescued the lillend Somnia from Belcamp the Bearded Devil. Grunhilde let them pass. It would be her final act; her demise would buy them more time.
When they arrived in the vault of Blasphemous Artworks, Uriel made a beeline for the depictions of the Seven Deadly Sins. When he was last here, in his embryonic, naïf-like form – still wearing the frayed robes of the Congregation of Adaljour and operating by instinct alone – he had been unaccountably drawn to the painting of Envy. Then, it had blasted him across the room as he tried to reach inside it, motivated by a curiosity he now understood to be prescience. Before the painting he paused. Within, he could see a lockbox, with a key already inside it. Something told him he need no longer worry about the magical defences here, and sure enough, when he reached for it this time, he was able to lean into the painting and take the lock box out. Inside was a small foolscap with a weathered vellum cover, locked with a leather band ending in a crude fishhook, noteworthy only for the intense smell of sea and salt.
The buzz of critic swarms could be heard approaching. Uriel placed the biography in his robes, where the extra-dimensional space would obfuscate the angels’ divinations, then took out a copy he had made (from memory) of Roland Stanfield’s Book of Transcendence: a guide to deva reincarnation. He handed it to Uru who destroyed both the book and the lockbox. As he watched the Book of Transcendence go up in flames, as the angel swarm buzzed into the Vault of Blasphemous Artwork and began gnawing at the fixtures and fittings, Uriel experienced a strange pang of loss. That book would never be needed again, as deva could no longer reincarnate. He endeavoured to settle his mind with the thought that they might put the world back the way it was, but could not shake the feeling that it would never be the same.
They did not have time to waste – they still felt the pull of Ashima-Shimtu’s compulsion. The greater angels had arrived too, and there was chaos and conflict all around, as the inhabitants of this chamber sought to defend themselves. Somnia the lillend came forward, arms raised and tried to explain that many here, such as herself, had been falsely imprisoned, and were good beings at heart. The angels set upon her without mercy. Uru was already heading out on Little Jack. Uriel turned his back on Somnia, though her defensive song still haunted him, until it was cut off moments later. “Should’ve picked a winning world philosophy,” said Uru.
Now what? Hook up with the others somehow? Uriel said that they should head for the demoness. Compulsion or no, he wanted to talk with her, as he had promised last time they were here. Uru didn’t like the sound of that. He hated Ashima-Shimtu and got a strange inkling from Uriel’s tone that he was thinking the unthinkable. At first he refused to follow, said he was going to find Leon, but then thought better of splitting the party even further, and followed Uriel on Little Jack, bitching and moaning all the way.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Crypta…
“Now I remember!” said Quratulain, recalling rumours that had come her way during her long internment. “A priest named Orhalder Skarathi sold his soul in order to become a hierarch, but ended up imprisoned here, and he stole the biography of Triegenes because he felt himself better than the founder of his faith. Maybe we could find him?” Unbeknownst to Quratulain (for the time being), the biography had already been secured and Orhalder Skarathi would be executed by the heavenly host in just a few moments.
Through the chamber of Cursed Items, they went. A few wights stood in their way, but they disposed of them with ease. Down through the trapped corridors to the vault of Afflicted Innocents, where they came upon both the poor, imprisoned architect and Linia.
They had no time to spare for poor Ennio Adolini – the angels would release him from his torments soon enough. Remembering how powerful the wards protecting Linia were – try as he might, Korrigan had been unable to free her – Leon used the oil of Colossus in the Wayfarer’s Lantern. He had only two vials of this precious, powerful oil and moments after he had used it, he regretted it: the wards imprisoning Linia had diminished, and freeing her was easy. Still, she was larger than an ordinary mortal female, and her wings alone were pretty heavy, so the increased carrying capacity bestowed by the lantern light, meant that lowering her to the ground was a more dignified affair than it might ordinarily have been. Not so the follow-up manoeuvre of shoving her into the absurdist web…
Leon consoled himself with the thought that the boost from the aura of the lamp would stand them in good stead if they had to fight their way out of the vault, or came into conflict with the angels. And they enjoyed another boon, too: Quratulain claimed dominion of the vault – quite a cathartic moment after her long imprisonment here – and was immediately aware of everything that was going on within its environs (including the fate of Orhalder Skarathi). She was then able to teleport to Uru and Uriel, bringing a message from Leon that they would meet at the chamber of Ashima-Shimtu.
Uru hoped to find an ally here – surely Quratulain, who had been trapped in sea ice by the demoness, would not countenance parleying with her? Quratulain replied that she was learning to trust Leon in the same way she did Korrigan, and then returned to him and Gupta.