Visions of Hell
GAME: Ravenstongue used a Scroll of Vision. GAME: Ravenstongue rolls Heal: (13)+2: 15 GAME: Ravenstongue rolls Fortitude: (7)+8: 15 GAME: Ravenstongue rolls Fortitude: (15)+8: 23 GAME: Ravenstongue rolls 1d20+13: (4)+13: 17 GAME: Ravenstongue rolls 1d20+13: (15)+13: 28
It takes far more time than anyone would like to gather the necessary resources and make a second attempt to find out more information on where Daechir is. This time everyone is far more prepared for a trip; to wherever it is that they are required to go. In fact, Cor'lana has even recruited Dolan to this end. They might, and hope, to have use for his sword in this instance.
The vision leaves Cor'lana drained, this is not unexpected really, but it's hard to know in advance how rough a spell will be on the caster before its done and thusly she looks considerably more fatigued than expected. Unlike with the scrying she is unable to share what she sees with everyone as it happens, so an explanation is necessary in the aftermath.
Daechir is in Hell. His specific location is etched into her mind. Getting there will be easy, but her vision warns her that he is not doing well in the care of those that he is held by. She doesn't know much about healing, so by the images given to her by the magical vision she can only give a rough estimate. Physically he seems fine, but... Her intuition suggests to her that he is not.
It only adds to the urgency of their rescue.
Cor'lana sighs deeply as she finishes the explanation. A sword adorns her belt this day, a thing that Dolan has certainly never seen her wear, her hand on its hilt. "We need to act quickly," she says in summation. "We need to go. Now." Despite the exhaustion that the spell has left her with, it's clear that she's not intending on keeping this from going on another moment longer.
It doesn't surprise Telamon that Daechir is in a bad way. He's trapped in Hell; Tel doubts he'd be doing just fine. So now the issue is getting there. At one time this would've been a daunting task, impossible. Now... it's merely difficult. "Agreed. No more delays. If we catch the demon unawares, we'll take his head -- but we're there to save Daechir, not to settle a score." He's dressed for adventure -- or battle -- his garments now the sturdy canvas-reinforced tunic and trousers in dull gray, with his comfortable boots and his over-tunic. He smiles at Lana reassuringly. "Well done."
If there is anything that Dolan clearly understands, it is a rescue from the hands of hell. For no lesser purpose would he have dared leave Andelena without his company and escort, but for this? There is no question. He stands now, fully geared for battle save only the greatsword to which Tel and Lana will be accustomed, waiting for the others and regarding Aya with an intent stare, and no hint of his usual humor. "No. He's not okay." The words are simple, and stark, the words of someone who knows for a fact what he is stating.
Aya was, for all intents and purpose, forged into a weapon. One unreliant upon other weapons nor even upon raw might. Precision and patience were lessons honed into that weapon with a grindstone of repetition to exhaustion, beatings, and worse. Lessons ingrained upon her very being.
None of which appear present in more than the most wispy manner. She attempts not to pace, but then must refrain from hovering near Cor'lana and potentially disrupting her. This leaves her to force herself into place against every urge to do otherwise, until she is all but vibrating.
Violet eyes snap to the half-sil when she speaks, now approaching as now is the time to move. "Then we leave. Now." Her jaw is set and her words firm. Enough so that both hold through as she adds, "No, he is not well, but he will be." If only her eyes we as immutable. "I will take us there, to whichever of the Hells it is, but the trip is not instant. There are scrolls for a hasty return, should you need them or we are separated." She looks to Telamon and Cor'lana first with that, then to Dolan so that he is aware of alternatives if he lacks his own.
GAME: Telamon casts Mage Armor. Caster Level: 14 DC: 18 GAME: Ravenstongue casts Mage Armor. Caster Level: 13 DC: 18 GAME: Telamon casts Overland Flight. Caster Level: 14 DC: 22 GAME: Ravenstongue casts Overland Flight. Caster Level: 13 DC: 22 GAME: Ravenstongue casts Shield. Caster Level: 13 DC: 18 GAME: Dolan casts Shield of Faith. Caster Level: 8 DC: 14 GAME: Telamon casts Resist Energy. Caster Level: 14 DC: 19 GAME: Dolan casts Align Weapon. Caster Level: 8 DC: 15 GAME: Ravenstongue casts Magic Circle Against Evil. Caster Level: 13 DC: 20
The trip is done in silence, and through the realm of shadows, a place that is in of itself unnerving. It's hard to tell how long it takes to reach your destination, as time and distance seem to have no meaning here. All you know with certainty is that you pass between one place and another; finding yourselves in a long gray-stone hallway. It stretches endlessly behind and before you. No sign of any fiends, no sign of Daechir; though you know he must be near.
One thing you can not ignore however is the feeling of this place. The oppressive weight that bears down upon your shoulders. The feeling of evil that skitters along your skin. You know instantly and without question that you were never meant to be here. The air smells of smoke and sulfur, the stench of fear.
GAME: Ravenstongue rolls Will: (20)+14: 34 (CRITICAL SUCCESS) GAME: Dolan rolls will: (7)+11: 18 GAME: Ravenstongue rolls Perception: (2)+17: 19 GAME: Dolan rolls perception+3: (3)+16+3: 22 GAME: Telamon rolls Will: (11)+13: 24 GAME: Telamon rolls perception: (16)+23: 39 GAME: Ravenstongue rolls Perception: (14)+17: 31 GAME: Aya rolls will: (5)+17: 22 GAME: Dolan rolls will: (18)+11: 29 GAME: Aya rolls perception: (11)+30: 41 GAME: Aya rolls will: (18)+17: 35
The Shadow Realm was not unnerving to Aya, and her travel was brisk for obvious reasons. Now, however, it is different. Eyes dart about as she searches: it would be to familiarize herself with their location, instinctively seeking out any apparent threat.. but now they are, foremost, seeking out Daechir. To find not so much as a door. Not a visible typical one, that is. "Where is he?" she asks aside, towards Cor'lana, in a whisper.
When the transfer is done, and they arrive, Dolan is for a moment almost struck dumb, mentally crushed by the sheer _weight_, the feel of fear, a feel he knows all too well. It staggers him for a moment, a sensation that almost drives him to his knees. _Why did I ever try to come here without Andelena?_ The thought flits through his mind even as the strength briefly seems sapped from his bones.
Mentally, he shakes himself. _Imagine being imprisoned here. You've got a job to do. Come on, Bry._ He looks around at the others around him, and straightens himself, looking towards the others. He doesn't speak, not just yet.
Wandering the realm of shadows is strange, but not terribly disturbing. There's that timeless quality to it, but ultimately, it's a realm not really that intimidating. On the other hand, this... this feels bad. Telamon gulps, and then regrets it. He reflexively reaches for Cor'lana, manages to stop himself, and then places his fingers on the curuchuil on the back of his hand. Focusing on that instead. He mumbles, as quietly as he can, "It's like being trapped in the worst day of your life." Seeing Dolan's unease, he opts to help where he can. "Stay with us, Dolan," he breathes. "We're all in this together, and we're coming -out- of it together."
Cor'lana shudders from the sensation of oppression that _being_ here gives, but she, too, recovers. "He's here," Cor'lana says. "Nearby. I'm not sure where he is exactly, but he's here."
She peers around for a moment. "I think we're just going to have to pick a direction," she says. "The red lines are curious, though--do you see how they stop and then start again?"
There's a sound. Just a quiet thing. Like... scuffing. A scraping perhaps of something along stone, but nothing is visible in the hall with you.
Aya is slow to note Dolan's reaction to the oppression of the place, focused as she is. Unfortunately, Cor'lana's answer is both helpful and yet not as exact as she would have preferred. Not expected, but preferred. "Are you well?" she asks Dolan with split interest as she now looks to the lines on the floor at intervals. "He is a prisoner. If he is near, this would be a prison." She mentally paces out the red marks and the space between. "Those could be the cells. Or their entrances?"
Aya points to one of the nearer red lines.
"I'm here, Tel." Dolan straightens his shoulders, and lets out a breath, turning towards Telamon. "It's a prison, yeah? Must be cells of some kind around -" He looks around him. "Wait," he tells the others suddenly. "The red lines-" He looks around, studying the lines that Cor'lana points out. "I've -" He swallows. "Seen this kind of shit before. Bet me the cells are on the other side of the stone. Probably marked by the red lines. No doors. No windows. They'd open I guess with some kind of - magic?" Here, he sounds uncertain.
Telamon grunts at Aya and Lana. "Yeah. Yeah, that could be it... Or we could split the difference." He tilts his head, eyes starting to pulse with starlight. "Dolan, do you remember when we had to rescue those workers from the mine collapse? Think that trick would work here?" He looks around. "Though I hope I don't have to carve through -all- the doors..."
GAME: Ravenstongue casts Detect Magic. Caster Level: 13 DC: 17 GAME: Ravenstongue rolls Fortitude: (11)+8: 19 GAME: Aya rolls perception: (16)+30: 46
Cor'lana murmurs something and her eyes flare with magic. A moment later, she blinks her eyes and shakes her head. "If it requires magic to open, it's not letting me know," she says. "Every inch of this place is magical. It's so thick with magic I can't make out what place is magic and what place _isn't_ magic."
She looks at the lines again. "Someone give a spot a touch and see if that does it," she suggests. "As reluctant as I am to even mention that."
As you discuss things, and try to determine where Daechir is, the sound of scratching, scuffing grows ever-closer.
"Something approaches, and quickly," Aya hisses softly. "We must hurry." She looks up and down. The barren narrow hall does not offer anything to hide one's self, much less all of them. Looking to the nearest space between two lines, she steps to the wall to put both palms upon it. She presumes the markings are for some sort of entrance, but it is the assumed cell that has her interest and she focuses on the spot between her hands intently. Does she expect to find the one cell in a prison? No, but she may be able to at least confirm that is what it is.
"Yeah." Dolan whirls around, quite quickly, the hissed response to Aya a short one. "Maybe, Tel, but whatever we do, we'd better do it fast, before we're caught." The words are again hissed, and he now faces the direction of the noise, hand on the longsword at his hip. His pulse pounds in his chest as he waits, scanning with ears as much as eyes.
GAME: Telamon casts Minor Image. Caster Level: 14 DC: 20
"Maybe I can buy us time," Telamon says, and turns toward where the sound is coming from. "Emegar gete!" he hisses, gesturing, and a flicker of light crackles between his hands before expanding outward. From the party's side, it looks like an oddly distorted pane of glass -- but from the other side, it appears that the corridor is empty. "Lana, see what you can do to help Aya."
GAME: Ravenstongue casts True Seeing. Caster Level: 13 DC: 22
Cor'lana murmurs a word, and she gains the ability to See, the violet eyes turning a soft blue glow with the spell. She gives an inspection of the place and her eyes go very, _very_ wide as she beholds the hallway that the sound is coming from
"We're getting _away_ from that thing, and everyone's coming with me, because I do not like the look of its teeth," Cor'lana hisses, turning and picking the direction that isn't the collective of teeth coming their way.
GAME: Dolan rolls will: (9)+11: 20
To Cor'lana's special eyes the mouth moves forward in a sudden lurch, and swallows up Dolan whole. To everyone else, it seems as though the man simply... disappears.
GAME: Aya rolls perception: (19)+30: 49 GAME: Dolan rolls will: (16)+11: 27 GAME: Telamon casts Glitterdust. Caster Level: 14 DC: 19
Telamon looks at Lana in confusion, then tilts his head as she telepathically relays to him. He turns, just in time to see Dolan disappear. "Oh shit," he mumbles. He stops focusing on the illusion, and flings out his hand in a pattern. "Mulan ukum!" he snaps, and a rain of silver and blue sparkles spray out... covering the now-highly-visible creature, which appears to be a mouth. "Shit! Lana, back up, back up!"
Aya's hands may be upon stone, but she is very much grasping at straws as gloves shift her perception through the stone as if it were an open window only for herself. She is wholly unprepared for what she sees. No. WHO she sees. A blinking gasp of "Daed!" Some part of her mind is screaming at her that she cannot be so fortunate. No one could, but CERTAINLY not her. The rest of it ignores that part for now. "He is here. Right here. We need to get in there. Now! We-"
She startles and blinks again, forcing her eyes away from the view to look to Cor'lana, and Telamon, and ... Well, that is "Dolan is now in the cell with him, chained!" She has no idea how... until the giant, glittery bythegodswhatintheHellsisthat?! is now seen where Dolan was.
Technically, she still has no idea how, but she now has some idea of what. If it is magic-stuffing people into chains, there's no guarantee it would all be the same room. And there could be dozens of cells in just this hall. An unknown number of halls. "Go! I will go in with them!" She is reasonably confident she can get inside. She has no confidence at all in taking the same way back out... but at least she could free the others.
Cor'lana grimaces at the information Aya's given her regarding where Dolan's gone. "We're not leaving without both of them," she declares, and she casts a quickening spell onto her allies, moving further down the hall away from the teeth.
GAME: Ravenstongue casts Haste. Caster Level: 13 DC: 20
And - without warning - suddenly an all-too-familiar sensation, for Dolan. Cold, iron chains, against a stone wall. "Fuck!" he shouts suddenly, a prickle of terror coursing through him at the inexorable feel that he's already experienced far too many times.
Fortunately for him, the inner inquisitor speaks first, lashing through animal fear like a hot knife through stone. _Easy. Let's learn something,_ it whispers. _They'll come for you._ His eyes, instead, turn in the dimness towards the figure on the other side. "Can you hear me?"
GAME: Aya rolls will: (15)+17: 32 GAME: Aftershock rolls 4d8+12: (15)+12: 27
As most of you retreat further down the hallway to avoid the rows of teeth, the maw lurches forward again. This time snagging Aya up. She does not vanish however, but instead gets stuck between the teeth as they cut and chew...
The man on the floor in the room with Dolan does not respond in any way to his new cellmate. Though Dolan might well notice that his red eyes are in fact open and staring blankly at the far wall.
With Aya's confirmation, Tel's fear vanishes, replaced by crystalline clarity. "Lana, one eye on that spot," he says crisply, pointing to where Aya is standing -- and then Aya gets bit at by the bizarre, sparkle-outlined creature. "You are -seriously- inconveniencing us," he muses, as he touches his vestment, then his haversack, and then makes a deft series of gestures -- mimicking another sorcerer he saw once. There's a flash of light, and an expanding hexagonal pattern snaps into existence between Aya and the creature, filling the hallway before fading. "Gods, Sir Seldan, I hope this thing keeps it out..."
GAME: Telamon casts Cone of Cold. Caster Level: 14 DC: 22
Telamon's bought time. Cor'lana finds herself darting down to be next to Aya and--
"_Disintegrate_," Cor'lana commands as she weaves magic in an attempt to unmake the walls that separate them from Aya's beloved and from Cor'lana's cherished friend. It's practically an order.
GAME: Ravenstongue casts Disintegrate. Caster Level: 13 DC: 23 GAME: Ravenstongue rolls 5d6: (11): 11
Aya is not leaving him. -Them- a part of her head not ignored corrects. When her own attempt to enter the rooms fails, there might be the unavoidable alternative. If she must be in chains to be in there with him, so be it. Just not somewhere else, please. Yet, instead, she gets gnashing of sharp teeth, instead.
She growls and is raising a foot to kick the thing, so as not to lose her window through the wall... and then a wall appears between them. Then there is the blast of magic against the wall near her... and yet no delightfully helpful hole in it afterwards. "Fuck!" She might have gestured it, but hands busy.
Only for a moment longer, though, as she gives the men inside a last pained look before removing her hands from the wall and ending her viewing. One hand wipes at her wounded side to put a bloodsmear on the wall to mark it. "We need to get inside!" She then moves to the redlined portion of the same wall, towards Cor'lana and tries to put a hand on it. Does she have any idea how to get it open? No, but she can try as many somethings as possible.
GAME: Telamon rolls spellcraft: (12)+16: 28
The sense of helplessness, hopelessness, is closing in on Dolan fast, the chill of the chains sinking into his soul as much as his flesh. _Too many times._ Stubbornly, he pushes it aside, focusing instead on the other person present. Someone who's been here far longer than he, and probably could use the help.
_He's awake, at least,_ Dolan decides, keeping his gaze on the other man. Slowly, he tests the limits of the chains, pulling himself as far from the wall as he is able, and trying to reach, to touch the manacle on one wrist with the manacle on the other. _Maybe you can still help him,_ the inner inquisitor whispers. _Try to get some light, first._
Some experimentation eventually forces the inquisitor back against the wall to accomplish his goal, but as he does so, he focuses solely and only on the spell he is attempting to cast - and indeed, the left manacle begins to glow with a gentle, sunny light in the dimness. His eyes go wide, in confusion, and he looks up at quickly at the red eyes across from him.
The creature - whatever it is - gnaws away at Telamon's shield rather mindlessly. After a moment it seems to realize that the gnawing is not effective. Or maybe something else prompts a worrying reaction in the mouth. It's throat begins to glow.
GAME: Telamon rolls use magic device: (7)+15: 22 GAME: Telamon rolls use magic device: (17)+15: 32 GAME: Telamon rolls talky: aliased to diplomacy+8: (16)+24+8: 48
Telamon looks frustrated, studying the walls. "Dammit... can't cut through -here- but maybe..." He flies back towards the next set of red lines, and eyes them, before shrugging and running his fingertips along them. A door suddenly appears in the formerly solid stone wall, and Telamon laughs. "Well, that was unexpected..." He takes one step in, and stops, seeing the inhabitant -- a huge, rather grouchy looking dog. "Ahh... alright. I am pretty sure you are -not- just a dog. So... I'm here for a friend of mine, but I'm willing to cut a deal with you -- if you want off the chain, I can oblige you. I'm just here for my pals."
The dog's flattened ears slowly rise up again, and the curled-lip snarl recedes. Evidently Tel is charming enough to keep from getting his face eaten.
As Telamon steps through the doorway a polite feminine voice calls out down the hall. "Authorized entry, cell 1046A."
GAME: Ravenstongue rolls Knowledge/Arcana: (5)+23: 28 GAME: Ravenstongue rolls Knowledge/Arcana: (5)+23: 28 GAME: Ravenstongue casts Dispel Magic. Caster Level: 13 DC: 20 GAME: Ravenstongue rolls 1d20+13: (12)+13: 25
Cor'lana looks at the teeth gnashing and growling. A look of realization comes to mind. "That... might be a magical effect. Meaning I _can unwind it_."
And she wastes no time doing just that, trying to undo the entity with a murmured incantation, gestures, and her own magic. And it vanishes!
"It's not gone, it's at the end of the hall back there--but we got it away for now," Cor'lana says. "Aya, Tel! Quickly!"
GAME: Dolan rolls heal: (14)+8: 22
From what Telamon does, Aya learns a few very import things. First, where the doors are. More importantly, that he can open them! Lastly, that the spot they need is in the other direction from her, which means it is on the other side of the wall, with the... thing. She is ready to bypass the wall entirely and kick its teeth in, though isn't sure what else there is to kick in... and then it is gone!
Without a second thought, she vanishes with a puff of shadow to reappear at the red lines on the other side of the force wall. The wall and lines are eyed, they are tempting... and yet, it is magic. Telamon knowing how to open it is not her knowing how to open it. "Hurry! Please!" She can't see the thing, but she can take up position closer to it than the doorway to run interference. Aya also takes a moment to focus her emotions: ire, fear, love, and more, to steel herself.
Inside the cell, Dolan knows the look in those eyes, all too well, when the red eyes meet his. "Hey." He starts, as gently as he can. "I've got friends. They should be here in a minute. Your girl's here." He's just talking, now. The first thing is to get a reaction of some kind. Anger is better than that blankness. "You about ready to go home?" Again, that prickle of terror. Words he doesn't completely feel, the inner inquisitor reminding him again to trust in his friends.
GAME: Dolan rolls diplomacy: (13)+15: 28
Telamon sees that, once again, Lana is proving to be his equal when it comes to pulling rabbits out of hats (figuratively). "Excellent!" He snaps his fingers, and there's a 'pfft' sound as the wall of force vanishes... and then Telamon is zipping back to his wife and to Aya. "You just have to..." Then he pauses, realizing his explanation might as well be in some dead language to Aya. "... I'll get it," he ends, a bit abashed.
GAME: Ravenstongue rolls Use Magic Device: (3)+17: 20 GAME: Ravenstongue rolls Use Magic Device: (14)+17: 31
"No, I've got it," Cor'lana says, quicker than her beloved husband--opening up the door with a careful manipulation to match what Telamon managed before with the other 'door'. Dolan's in there, as is Daechir--and she's not wasting any time getting them both out.
Aya is standing watch, even if she can't actually WATCH the thing that she knows is down the hall. So she is standing... listen? Until she hears the sound of the door opening, or the voice chiming after it. That she can verify by sight, and the moment that is done, she is a blur. To Cor'lana. To the doorway. Past Cor'lana (no offense). Beyond the doorway. Straight to Daechir.
Her words are nearly at pace with her feet as she spews, "I'm here. We're here. We're all getting out of here." She hasn't forgotten Dolan, even calling, completely unnecessarily, to Cor'lana and Telamon to get him, even as she starts working on getting Daed's manacles. "As soon as we're out of this damned room, we are leaving!" It could be as much an order to everyone as it is an assurance.
"Lana!" When the door opens, Dolan's head snaps up, and looks immediately at her. "He's not responding to me," he says immediately, talking very, very fast. "Get me out of this fucking thing!" As Aya cuts off his view of Daechir, though, his voice rises. "What in all the green garden hells happened? I fucking found him, all right." He starts to struggle against the chains, where he'd been in control and thoughtful just a second ago.
Daechir doesn't respond to Dolan's words, but he stares at the light. Not with awe, not with really any sort of recognition, he turns to the light like a flower does. Because it _is_ the light. Because somewhere in the back of the mortal mind, people hunger for the light as much as any plant does. He doesn't respond to Aya's sudden entrance to the room.
Aya's examination of the chain reveals an important factor about them. They are marked with some kind of magical runes. They do not open to gentle, or even ungentle tugging. They remain quite firmly and determinedly in place. Dolan's struggling does nothing to release him from his bondage.
GAME: Ravenstongue casts Dispel Magic. Caster Level: 13 DC: 20 GAME: Ravenstongue rolls 1d20+13: (3)+13: 16 GAME: Ravenstongue rolls 1d20+13: (4)+13: 17
-TBC