RP: Guard duty of Mar'Tek

Guard duty, there is nothing quiet like guard duty. The long hours, boring patrols, and for some a chance to catch up on some reading. A week has gone buy for those who have been doing rotation without incidents. Mar'Tek turns out to be a good prisoner and keeps quiet and to himself unless talked to. He plays his cards quietly. Some might notice his pet Dire Ram has gone missing a while ago as well. The last group is heading out with yawns as the next group comes in to relieve them.

Fazahd arrives, having retured for the first time in quite a bit - business has kept him elsewhere, being bludgeoned half to death and such in the cause of justice. When he arrives, he goes straight to Mar'Tek's cage.

"Good evening, Mar'Tek," he says, executing a slight gesture of respect (respect?) to the enormous pit devil. "Are you well?"

Terewin is no expert on animals and hardly notices the lack of creature. Instead he is more concerned about keeping his boots properly shiny. A proper guard always looks the part after all. "A demon doing well? Doesn't seem like a good sign if he were."

Ga'Elian smirks, "Such a gentleman, you are, Masterbuilder."

As the party arrives to relieve the previous shift, Ga'Elian walks the perimeter of the large chamber, pausing to look at the archways leading out in each of the four cardinal directions.

Drifting into the prison with the loud, heaving sigh of a put-upon teenager, the Veyshanti witch mutters inaudible imprecations under her breath as she floats into the chamber the demon's cage occupies. "It is a *demon,* fool, cease nattering to it. Guards watch *outward* as well as inward. Tchah..."

The faceless mask turns to one side, then the other, and the witch throws up her hands. "And what a prison this is! Faugh, as well to set up a wetlander tea service, with those nasty little bread-cakes." Her muttering grows louder, including rude and biologically -- and is some cases geometrically -- impossible words in a fair few languages as she rifles through her pouches. "Have none determined what lies beyond the other doors?"

"Mar'Tek is no simple devil," Fazahd says, looking over his shoulder. "As for the rooms, they are each keyed to an element in some way. Their labels are ancient Sildanyari - Mynsandraal, specifically." He looks back to the monstrous being, awaiting response. He isn't known to be rude, after all.

Mar'Tek lets out a roudy laugh, "I could not be better, this is the best week that I have had in centuries. With my freedom so close, I can feel it." Grinning a lot wider, "Did you bring any new games? things are still terribly boring around here. I have left the others be, I figured it would be prudent of me not to torment my tormentors. though the priest have been interesting to talk to. I got one of them to puke with some of the stuff I have done."

Completing his circuit of the chamber, Ga'Elian returns to the others and says, pointing, "Similar to how we arrived in this chamber from the southeast, and the archways lead out to North, East, South, and West, there are three other hidden doors at the Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest, as well.

"Saaaah, so he is an *uncommon* devil," the witch breathes, words dripping with disdain. "And thus *unlike* his scheming, treacherous, mendacious, devious kin. Thus his word, oh, ever to be trusted at all times. So, so, so... *Where is the powder,* slithering facebiter," she snarls, attention snaping away from Fazahd and Mar'Tek to her pouches once again. Ga'Elian's news gives her pause, razored fingers scraping against each other like the song of a murderous cricket. "Yes, well." Fazahd shrugs. "Many priests do that easily. How goes your deliberation upon the discussion we had when first I arrived here?" His black eyes are hard, always hard, more so as they fix upon the great devil.

Mar'Tek offers a smile to Alba, "Though you might be fun to torment, I am a very common devil in that way. I am scheming, planning, conspiring, and all those other fancy words you learned. The one thing I do not do is lie." the devil grinning, "Oh you smell like something new." Sniffing the air, "Arcane, but not what I have smelled before. "Wet lander, interesting term, coming from one who had forgotten the ground." From afar, Fazahd is just really, really interested in determining if he's still hinging on Lawful Neutral, or if he's gone back to bad.

Terewin clasps his hands behind his back as he addresses the devil. "Unfortunately you are now guarded by a Knight of the Blue Rose and we are not so easily put ill at ease." he informs the outsider as he adopts a commanding pose with his hands behind his back.

Ga'Elian says most to Alba, "Yes. Last time I came here, he manifested the ability to perceive Lord Svarshan despite a disguise, and explained that he had been cursed by the other devils that imprisoned him here so that he must always speak truly, but that in so doing his infernal eyes were opened to readily penetrate deceptions." He shrugs. "It may be so. Such things are beyond my knowledge, but matter little to me in any case."

"I have not *forgotten* the ground, stupid devil," Alba snarls, emerging from her search with a large, heavy bag, its seams straning against the weight of its contents. "Hah, here it is. I *shun* the ground, much difference is there. Do not seek to play my own games upon me, torment enough is there to be found within the Dune Seas."

Now the witch floats about the room, pausing to scrape a marking by the indicated hidden doorways. A hideous curse for one who trades in falsehood," she says to Ga'Elian, "but a clever, scheming devil may use the light of truth as a bright light, to dazzle a foolish mortal such that he does not see the betrayal crouched behind him. Thus do I charge you, devil, answer with but a single word: Has one snuck into this room with intent to free you?"

Mar'Tek leans back against the bars as he glances to Terewin, "Blue what? Silly mortals and thier orders, I wonder what this milenia's set are. Blue rose, eh never heard of it.' Then he glances to Alba, "Oh you noticed those doors did you? I wonder if you will notice the more important one in the room." Grinning a bit and then shrugging his shoulders, "Disdain for the earth, my my. Perhaps the ground is better off without somebody like you, who runs from something such as that."

"Mar'Tek," Fazahd says, his voice dark, "Something evil is in the cage with you. I can sense that your aura remains clear, but there is something else...something likely unseen...in the cage with you." He looks about. "Can someone pierce a veil of invisibility?"

Mar'Tek smiles a bit more, "I see some of the wards are already failing. Oh I know I am not alone, invisibility means nothing to me. I have another guest, that is all."

"And who is this guest?" Fazahd's hand rests on Mourner's pommel, the black sash wears now hanging the long sword easily.

Ga'Elian perks up. To Fazahd, "I might. There's this spell that I've never used yet, but I heard about. Hunter's Eye, it's called.

A figure shimmers into the air and becomes visible. A imp appears before the group and sticks out its tongue at Fazahd, "Master annoyed, you saw me, master not happy at me now." There appears to be nothing else invisible around the devil.

"I can," Alba snarls, setting the bag onto the floor. "And see, how he lies by his silence." A razored finger stabs out to point at the imp. "*What business have you here.*"

Terewin waves off Mar'Tek's words with a wave of the hand "All lies and fabrications I am sure. Perhaps a plot to get us to open the cage. Ignore him and we will all be better for it. Vigilance is of utmost importance."

"Interesting." Fazahd cants his head faintly, his expression unreadable. Got a mask of lead, this one. "No, his aura is befreft of wickedness - it is the creature that is evil. Perhaps you do not know, but Mar'Tek is special; he is, to my knowledge, the only recorded example of a lord of the Pit who has begun to ponder relinquishing evil for an exsitence of pure order." He eyes Martek faintly. "Which reminds me. I -did- bring a game for you."

Ga'Elian points out the things he sees with his enhanced vision. (The details have already been provided on the room channel.)

Mar'Tek scowls, "Getting ready to get my affairs in order, I have a pit to reclaim. I am a pit fiend, with out a pit. calling on some old minions to make sure things are in order." Though Mar'Teks attention is quickly shifted over to Fazahd, "Oh?" He grabs the imp and crushes it in his hand, at which the imp disappears, "Do not need him talking about my business now." Mar'Tek then glances to Fazahd, "What did you bring for a old evil creature like me?" A glance to Ga'Elian, "oh good call out."

Alba's head snaps toward Ga'Elian for a moment, then with a muttered incantation she passes her unarmed hand over her eyes. Beneath the sly eyeslits of the mask comes a bright silvery glow, and once more she does a circuit of the room, muttering to herself.

"Brain puzzles." Fazahd takes a seat on the floor, clanking faintly as he does so. "For example. You are a healer at a medicinary temple. You have six patients, five of whom will die for want of small doses of a rare medicine. The sixth, however, will die without the last dose of said medicine - but as they have been saturated with the stuff, you would be able to decant enough from their blood postmortem to save the lives of the other five. Therefore: do you save the sixth patient, dooming the other five to die, or do you

Fazahd says, "....or do you allow the sixth to die, thus saving the remaining five patients?""

Mar'Tek shrugs his shoulders, "Bad question to ask me. My answer is let them die, take their souls and shape them into devils. Though I suppose the better answer is to sacrifice the one to save teh five. That is what you good people do isn't it? Unless that one's life is more important then the five, which is what you neutral people do. I know these games, they bore me more then the cards do."

"What kind of devil do you shape them into?" Fazahd, apparently, remains unflappable. "Which do you find to be the most useful, and for what reason?"

Terewin cracks his knuckles "Its not worth your time. If he wishes to become a creature of law and order it is on him to prove it beyond the shadow of a doubt. I am charged with the protection of the innocent and as long as this creature stays in its cage I am doing just that."

"God-botherer," Alba singsongs, "perhaps to turn your eyes to the dying wards that keep the prisoner within its cage? It is fed by an energy I know not, and I would have another set of eyes upon what is *important.*"

A series of loud crashes come from the west room.

"Hrrrr..... CLEAR THE ROOMS BEYOND THIS CHAMBER," Alba roars, "ITS MINIONS SEEK TO BREAK THE CAGE."

Terewin nods to Alba "Consider it covered, keep an eye on him." he says pulling his gloves tight as he makes for the next room where the noise came from. Sword still in its sheath.

"I'm not a god-botherer," Fazahd says with a sigh. He gets to his feet, and unlimbers from within his coat a musket with a muzzle the size of a man's thigh shaped into an angry xorn. "I'm a slayer." This said, he heads into the next room, prepared to kill everything in it.

Mar'Tek stops and considers for a moment, "Now that is a difficult question. They are new, not sure of their sins. Lemurs are the normal go to. Though if any of them had done something of great value, maybe even a imp. Though it would be.' He pauses a moment, "Though could let them go to the heavens to. Good souls make bad minions, and maybe it isn't worth tormenting." Reaching up to tap his chin with a claw. he does not seem to hear or care about the sounds.

Ga'Elian's pupils practically form themselves into question marks as he stares at Fazahd. "What the heck are you on about, Fazahd?" Then at the voices--and Alba's voice, he takes his bow out of his quiver.

Svarshan looks up from his study of the now-appearing runes. His jaw drops open, and he draws breath across the tongue. "Ssaa. ...witch, your eyess are ssharp ass mind. Here--" he says, and tosses her and then after a moment, a few of the others a golden torc.

The room to the west is the room of wind. The room itself is ten feet down the hallway from the door. The room spreads 80 feet and is perfectly sphereical. Metalic pipes criss cross across the room to the center. Arcane runes float in the air everywhere. The center of the room has a dormant portal in it. Yellow energy can be seen glowing in the pipes, but it is almost completely faded out now. The noise it appears was made by some of the pipes falling to the ground.

Ga'Elian gratefully accepts one of the medallions and pins it to his cloak.

Alba snags the ring out of the air, slipping it on one-handed with a deft twist of her fingers. As the rest of the party pounds toward the western hallway, she drifts behind, turning in the air to face the devil. "Not so dire a curse for a *clever* devil, is it?" With that, she flicks after the party like a startled fish.

Fazahd dons the medallion, frowning as he looks around the room. "Someone should go back," he says. "This may be just a distraction."

Terewin gladly takes a ring, suppressing the urge to comment on the fact that it does not match his other ring. The things he suffers through for heroics... The reptile gives them out without much comment. Protections, but not much need to advertise. No details, towards the oncoming horde. He looks towards the hall, the entries. And then back towards the scheming devil. Unsqinging his blade from its sheath, he settles in to wait.

A dire ram comes running into the room from the primary entrance and heads towards the devils cage, the creature seems scared and running for its life!

"And back we shall stay," Alba seethes, "but if you are mage and builder, *go and fix this.*" Turning back, she nods once to Svarshan... and then a megaloruminant tears into the chamber. "...What," is all she has time to get out, before her hair flexes, then shoots outwars, seeking to wrap around the ram's horns and force it to turn.

The hair hits into the ram and it melts into goody melted candy corn, and getting all over Alba's hair.

"...yes," says Fazahd, squinting at the whole mess as it occurs. "...I will." Yes. Go fix the thing. Don't look at the crazy lady with hair full of goop.

Svarshan tilts his head to the side as the devils outside make themselves known. Or devil. There sure is a lot of SOUND going on out there. Demon's Sorrow, he lays against his shoulder. Then, locks the gauntlet into place. "Where did the ssheep go?" he asks the pit fiend, a totally uninronic question now. "Ssa. It had your markss, didn't. It?" His other hand draws wards, on the rounds he turns away--blocking the demon's view of them. He missed the entire thing. He also does not grow a hipster's moustache.

Terewin turns to see Alba and grimaces "Oh my, I will be by in just a moment to help with that. Your poor hair... someone will pay for this! It is an afront!" he calls out heroicly as he dashes into the next room. "In the name of great hair, surrender yourselves!"

For those who are new to the room. The way into the prison is a 100 foot long passage of black rock that does not reflect light. The passage slightly disrupts magic for those passing through. The chamber itself is 200 feet across and circular. In the center of the room is a 30 foot cicurlar cage, with a pit fiend inside of it. The cage is made of the same black stone as the walls of the prison. Each cardinal direction has a door with a plaque written in ancient elven. For those who can see invisible they will ntice arcane patterns and flows of mystical energy. There was yellow energy, but that recently stopped. The other colors are red, blue, and green. The entrance is a door in the southeast wall. Three secret doors have been marked at the south west, north west, and north east directions.

The party recently went to investigate some noise to the room to the west, the one marked Wind. They found a perfectly spherical room with glowing and floating arcane symboles, and metalic pipes channeling energy through the room. The energy is fading and has run out, but looks like it might of once been fed from a now dorment portal floating in the center of the room. Svarshan has been at the center by the cage, not moving away from the devil. Alba is nearby having smacked a candy corn dire ram which melted and made a mess of the womans hair. The others are coming out of the doorway from the west.

"FOUL DEVIL!" Comes a cry as the south west doorway is shattered open. Entering into the room are three winged beings. "We heard there was a devil in this fair city! We have come to destroy you in the name of all that is good!"

"....Already I regret everything that followed waking from my sleep this day," Alba mutters, passing a hand over her masked and glowing-eyeslitted face. Turning, she drifts toward the winged ones. ".....Why have you chosen now to do this." It's not really a question, more of a weary I-have-to-ask-but-I-don't-want-the-answer sigh in verbal form.

POOF.

Sandy just...appears. Rather suddenly, actually. "SVARSHAN," she yells, "WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?" She is UPSET aboiut something.

Then she stops dead. And slowly, she turns a cicle. "...oh hell. What did I just walk into?"

Terewin takes a deep breath and walks closer to the angels "I am Terewin, Knight of the Blue Rose and this prisoner is my charge. My honor will not allow you harm him, surely there some evil on the loose that will be a better use of your time?" he says trying to be reasonable.

Svarshan scents the air from time to time, though keeps watch on the creature in the cell. Or the creature in the weakened cell. And then...and then...

HELL appears. Well, a version of it. He stands there for a while, staring at the suddenly-appearing sildanyari. ...and his muzzle opens. And, you know. Just nothing comes out of it at the moment. (Demon-cell room) You paged Sandy with 'You noticed as you teleport in, there is no teleporting out. The area is dimensional locked'

The three angelic Deva's glance to Terewin, and nod their heads politely. "You have done your charge well, but we are here to destroy this foul devil. Step aside mortal, we would have to have to punish you for defending a creature of pure evil." They then glance towards the cage and glare at the devil, "Devil of the pit, we have come here to bring justice to you, and make you pay for your crimes against all that is good. Are you ready to face your punishment?" Mar'Tek crosses his arms as he considers, "Depends, will there be cookies?"

"...hey..."

Sandy is pausing for a moment, "This whole area is shackled and OH MY GODS THOSE ARE DEVAS."

Sandy is horrified. She is, after all, a rather abyssal creature herself. At least a little bit. She backs /awaaaay/ from them.

Ga'Elian looks dumbfounded at the creatures facing them.

Alba is neither abyssal nor demonic.... But she does float in front of the group, spreading her arms wide to bar their path. "...I know not by what means you were impelled to come here," she says slowly... and with something approaching respect. After all, it's *Celestial* critters she occasionaly hurls into the mortal plane with her hair, it pays to keep from drying up the well. "But I ask you, consider. Caged, he fears not your ire. Caged, he *welcomes* your blades. Caged, *he is not free to do mischief.*"

Svarshan unfurls his tail as the...angels come into the room. And then he gets this LOOK on his face.

It's hero worship.

He looks so happy. "He thought to convert. ...but the guardss are weakening. There wass a creature with hiss marks in there." He tilts his head to the side. "Now there are. Not."

Terewin holds up a hand "Unfortunately my duties have not ended. I would surely crusade through the very planes at your side if I could but I have given my word. I implore you, this devil is not dangerous in his cage. Perhaps you would join us in guard duty?" he offers as a compromise.

The Deva's stop, "Cookies?" Clearly confused by the devils reaction. One Deva looks to Sandy, eyes narrowing on her and not letting her out of her sight. "Sisters..." She says quietly. Another looks to Terewin, "you must let us pass, you are protecting evil." The third speaks up, "but it may be his duty, he is doing his job, it woudl be wrong of us to make him break his duty?" The two devas glance between each other, "Well..." Clearly not liking the conflict of interest. One of them glances to Alba, "Your charge as well witch?"

Svarshan looks over towards the devil, and remains there. Watching him. "He hass made every effort to. Esscape. Perhapss not the law of the agreement, but itss spirit. Guard, hiss blood givess him the ability to forsse another's form into a devil'ss, and control itss mind. With it, he removess your free will."

He goes quiet, making a thoughtful noise in the back of his throat. "He cannot exisst in thiss form, with ssuch powerss intact. Devass, can we make thiss transsformation occur NOW?" he gestures with his jaw, towards the Devas. "So and just so," Alba replies. "He is imprisoned, here, and what holds this prison together has begun to break and crumble. His human brood, it is believed, may seek him out and free him in order to gain access to such terrible power. Here, he is prisoner and bait, and should his brood come to free him.... sah. Would this not be a proper evil to slay?"

Terewin nods "Then I think your direction is clear, stand guard here amongst us. You can both make sure he does not escape, deliver punishment when he does and intercept any of his people who come to free him. Surely this is the righteous way?" he looks to Svarshan for confirmation, he may be a knight but he is no paladin.

"psst. Svar. Is this the demon you told me about? The one that wants to be less evil out of boredom?" she asks, quietly, under her breath to Svarshan.

The deva's pause as two of them listen to Terewin, "His words speak well for a mortal. Wisdom is there." The two glance at each other, "We would only end up banishing him back to his home realm anyways sisters. This feels wrong though to be trying to protect evil." The other speaks up, "If evil seeks him to grow stronger, then it is good." They both look to Alba at that last part, "What proof can you provide that such is the truth?" The third Deva lets out a cry, "Her! She is tainted, but she also speaks nonsense. A devil to be less evil because it is bored? Foolish, no devil tells the truth. Clearly you are under his spell, step forward so we can punish you properly for your evil ways." one of them glances to Svarshan, "His blood does what? Explain!"

"..." the paladin lowers his muzzle. Svarshan then looks towards Terewin. Rather, leans towards him without taking his eyes off the devil and says, low-voiced. "Guard, there wass an agreement, that he would remain here, and attempt converssion. The devil broke itss spirit by trying to esscape. It becomess complicated. He hass abilities that will return him quickly. To hiss old ways if he esscapes and doess not transsform. ...when one of hiss kind reformss, it iss only through Heaven'ss grasse, and a new. Body. You ssee."

Pause, pause. Gather the words, gather the thoughts. He is trying. He is trying so hard to work, to phrase. And now another question. "The cage iss weakening. If the devass can transsform him now, it...could stop the cascade of events that may very soon take place." To Sandy, "Yes," but it takes him time. Words. Gods, words.

A THIRD question. His mind goes blank. The devas ask, but... Shit. SHIT!

"Enough of this!" Fazahd emerges from the other question, and he comes wielding a gleaming black sword and a shield of red-enameled metal. "Look at him, ye holies. You can see clearly that his aura of wickedness is gone for the moment. What justice is this, slaying a being when they are on the precipice of change?"

Terewin holds up his hand to Fazahd "Please, put the sword away. We are coming to an understanding. Words can do more than any blade. Can you three really convert his form?" he asks the angels after Svar whispers to him.

"Demons can't change. It's in their nature. But that doesn't mean they can't be transformed," says Sandy, quietly. She rubs her eyes, then says, "I'm not sure what you're asking is within the power of even a mighty Deva," she adds to Svarshan, "but if we c an end a demon's tyranny, rather than simply send him back whence he came or, worse, put him in a position to be restored by his minions..." Shelooks towards the others.

"I am hopeful they...Or that they, being of Heaven. Would know the path," the sith-makar says, low-voiced. He closes his eyes for a moment. His brain is going mad, trying to find the... "Witch, could you pleasse. Sshare the words. About the blood." In a rare gesture, he drops a hand on Sandy's shoulder. Removes it.

Words from one side, words from another, and another, and another.... and now the Paladin has frozen and the godly tinker is challenging angels. Oh, good. "His *blood,*" she says, putting enough volume on the word to carry over all the talking, "should it make its way within another, will change them. Make of them another demon, in thrall to him. And, sooner or later, will come his son to free him, and make *use* of this power. Holy ones, *put your blades away,* for to use them would likely only make of him your *master.*"

Fazahd does so, but with unflinching deliberation. Having faced demons in combat, the appearance of the divine appears to faze him not. "I am quite schooled in the ways of the Fallen, thank you very much, Alba," he says, not turning his eyes away from the trio of daevas. "But there is nothing in my teachings which limits me from doing what I must to protect the justice of salvation, even if some heavenly quarters consider it merely a mortal drive to save souls." Oooh. Someone doesn't like daevas. Or is suspicious, at least.

Mar'Tek decides to speak up, "You know, I never agreed to trying to not escape. I think I made it clear that there was a time table, and that my escape is inevitable." The devil offers. he gets glares from the Deva's. Mar'Tek continues on and smiles a bit more, "They are partially correct. My son may of mastered the blood part, but that is a lesser version. Mine is of the blood and spirit, I would not recommend coming into contact with either." the devil's voice is rather confident. The Deva's glare at thd Devil, "We would never assist such a creature with a thing, no devil deserves salvation." They seem rather firmly set on this. Mar'Tek lets out a laugh, "Nor would I want to become good. The only thing that has caught my attention is this judge thing." Pointing to Fazahd, "I like his proposal best, the path of Neutrality, keeping balance. Means i can enjoy some aspects of it." The deva's though are listening to everybody and all turn their attention, "Power of the blood, lies no such thing is possible. The devil clearly is trying to be wily, but badly. His son though clearly must be stopped. We will help guard this prison for the remainder of our time in the realm." One of the Deva's glances to Svarshan, "have you been touched? It seems you are slow." Another glances to Sandy, still clearly weary of the woman, "

"Hrrrr..." Now a teeth-grinding noise accompanies Alba's face-palming, for she does it with her *armed* hand. Gonna have to buff those divots out of her mask, later. "Then *take your positions,* holy ones, and may this room cease to *reek* of pride and foolishness!" Throwing up her hands, she makes her way to the now-destroyed hidden entrance, as her goopy hair twists upon itself to form the crude approximation of a hand... one that turns an even *more* crude gesture toward the demon. "...What lies beyond this tunnel?"

The new entrance is another 100 foot exist out into the tunnels below the city.

"Okay. Okay. Hold on," says Sandy.

Her hands go up.

"CAN WE ALL PLEASE PUT OUR DICKS AWAY?" She says this loudly, giving Fazahd a LOOK as she does. "This does not need to devolve any further o for there to be any more thoughts of or for destructuon. THAT GOES FOR YOU TOO, MR DEMON. I DON'T GIVE A SHIT." A finger is pointed at Mar'tek.

"IF I die in some kind of divine slap fight because you all can't get along, MYRANA WILL BE VERY MAD AT ALL OF US." She is firm on this count. "SO! Let's /not/ grump at each other. IF this demon can be redeemed, somehow, that ought to be our priority and YOU OUGHT TO AGREE WITH US because your job isn't just slaying evil but allowing for mortals to try, and to fail, to do the impossible because FREE WILL. Right? RIGHT. SO! These idiots have decided that he's worth saving. I may not agee, but whatever." She sniffs.

Sandy marches up to the deva.

She kicks it right in the shin.

"ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION?" Words. The paladin's own mind turns against him for moments, that part of him that translates mouth-sounds to meaning. He turns away from them, focusing more intently on the demon nearby. He maintains Sorrow in his fist. The blade is locked in its gauntlet, to his fist. Around it, an aura that forbids a demon's dimensional travel.

Slower breath. His eyes close for a moment. "Angelss, ssalvation iss in Althea'ss realm, and Daeuss is wedded to Althea. Iss He not? If you do not offer him transsformation to a different form, either good or. Of neutral. He will be left with the Tyrant'ss powerss. Thosse powers will always. Corrupt, desspite intents declared. Today."

"I haven't decided anything," Fazahd snaps Sandy's way. "It is -self evident-." He looks to the angels and nods. "Sandiel is correct. Our priority must be the matter at hand. He is already on the path. You are beings of cosmic balance. He may be a horror, and will remain a horror to those who deserve it, but he shows complete willingness to release those souls who deserve it to their reward. That is the very nature of balance. He will always be a punisher, but now, after all this time, he now has become a judge." Fazahd looks at Mar'Tek. "But he has to want to be different. You -will- be different. Your days of devilry are over. This you know."

Terewin furrows his brow but then nods to Sandy "Ah yes. What she means to say is we all are here on a righteous cause and we need to.. /will/ work together. Perhaps for different reasons but all with righteous cause. WITHOUT ANY UNDO VIOLENCE!" he says staring daggers at Sandy. "We are all people of peace here."

The deva's are completely stuned by the sudden outburst by Sandy. The one that is kicked in the shin hops back still stunned. The deva's glance at each other, "Have mortals always been this..." not putting the concept into words easily. The deva rubs its shin and frowns at Sandy. "Of course you have free will, but you know what that thing is. It is a creation of pure evil, formed of evil by evil, from evil souls. There is no redemption for such a evil creature. If you wish to make it your task to help this devil... reform. Then we will put you under a geas to see such done." The devas look to the group, but their eyes land on Fazahd, "You seem most intent on seeing this through, will you champion this cause? See if this is even possible." One of the Deva's scoff, "As if." She offers under her breath. Mar'tek crosses his arms and leans back up against the bars of his cage, "Are they now? What you are asking of me will take effort, and the good graces of some god. I believe I will be free soon. It is only because I am still here I am considering this at all. Cruelity has been my way, but that is also what has gotten me here for so long. The path before you, you must pick it carefully now. You say all this is on me, but the truth is, it is on you to convince and help me, and I will resist you the whole way. The oppertunity is there, maybe, maybe not. Corrupting an angel takes work, I would know. Made a few fall in my time. They do not make the choice on their own, you twist them, corrupt them, and eventually they wall. You will have to show me the way." A grin crossing the devils face, "As for dick measuing, I can assure you I have the biggest one here. I can pull it out and show you if you wish?"

"The Phurai Dae have a ssaying," Svarshan says wryly. "It iss called, 'ssteps-on-dick.' It iss when the male'ss dick getss so long from waving it around that. The male tripss and falls over it." Then, can a reptile do expressionless? Yes, yes they can.

"Self-evident my ass! If it was that obvious we wouldn't be having to face off with three bloody Devas because it was so self-evident, you self-righteous...," She cuts herself off, trying to end her fit of pique before it really gets rolling even further. She's already kicked a powerful celestial being in the shin once today. "What's evident to you and to me are two different things anyway, as you've noted. AND I MEAN IT. I AM NOT DYING. That would upset Myrana a lot and you know what she'd do to all of us if I did. There'd be lightning and yelling and probably some crying and we'd all feel guilty. And possibly wind up scorched to cinders. WEll, you woud. Not me. I'd be /dead/. Again." She eyes the Daevas. "You're not friends with any Maruts, are you? PLease say 'no'." And then to Mar'tek. "And YOU. NOT HELPING." She point a finger at him. "You're a creature of pure evil who wants out because he's /BORED/. Bored! And now you act like 'oh, well, I don't wanna be good. I wanna act like I can be above he fray and maintain 'balance'. That's bullshit and a coward's choice. You know that, deep down, because actually having a choice probably /terrifies/ you because you've never had free will. Not truly. Like the Devas said, you were born evil, from evil souls, made from evil. You've never had the ability to be anything other than what you are. And here we are, giving you a CHOICE, because that's what we have and you've /never/ had. Admit it, oh craven demon, you're /terrified/ and picking the option that unbores you, preserves your life, and means you don't catually have to *do* anything except whatever it is is the easiest to preserve /balance/." She sneers at the demon. Then Svarshan speaks and she just makes a choked sound. "GOD DAMN IT SVARSHAN." She pauses, then lowers her voice. "I ahve an idea," she offers towards Svar, then towards Fazahd, glancing back and forth between the two of them.

"No answer?" Alba says, from the ruins of the hidden passageway. "None? Are we more concerned with what may be, that we ignore what is? Philosophical maundering has overtaken the *fact* that a prison falls to ruin, and none but we stand able to repair it? Or even to fortify this prison against the evil that comes?"

Drawing in a long, slow breath, Alba pushes up her mask, turning the silvery arcane light shining from her eyes, down the hidden passage. "Very well then. Who is interested shall see what repairs may be made."

"I will." Fazahd's jaw sets as he sets his gaze on the trio daevas. "I am Fazahd Masterbuilder, Enginebreaker of Reos, Son of Ironhold. You know my essence, you know that it is justice that I require done. If Mar'Tek retained his aura of wickedness, and was infernal as he was, I would be the first to raise my hand against him - as will I do so if he falls back to evil again, however small my chance of victory may be. Nonetheless, this is an unprecedented event, and it deserves to be seen through. Slaying him now, as he is, would be an injustice of cosmic proportions." The young man knows very well that he is causing a world of trouble for himself - one can just see if in his face - but he was rebuilt by his god just for these very things. He cannot flinch because his duty has suddenly become a monstrous trial."

Terewin pinches the bridge of his nose "Can we please... can we please refrain from using coarse language. We are individuals of honor and righteous thought, this is not a dirty sailor bar. Lets do what we need to reinforce the cage and begin this process." he offers as a next step, even though he doesn't know what any of that means.

The devas and devil are once again stunned by the whole out burst and strong willed woman. Mar'Tek is the first to speak, "I am not... I am not... im scared." Growling, "Stupid curse of truth. Damn it all she is right, I have never had a choice, not even sure if I do now, and it scares the hell out of my. My bravito and snarkyness is me masking my fear. Good scares me, I do not believe I could truly turn myself over. While neutral I think.. maybe... I don't know." The devil is clearly not happy with himself and his own adminissions as he starts to curse under his breath about the curse. He stops and looks to Sandy, "Not because I am bored, I want out because I hate being trapped. I want revenge and to feed on the corpses of my enemies while their minions defile their corpses." The Deva's are regaining some of their composure and looking between each other, "Self-rightnous?" Clearly not happy about being called out on their own behavior. The Deva's though are clearly confused by the devils words and shake their head slowly. "Let us calm down and take a moment to think." The three Deva's step back to start whispering among themselves. Fazahd steps forward to stand near Mar'Tek's cage. He is, for the moment, silent. But his arms are crossed, and his eyes steely. This is what happens when you're raised by dwarves. You get stubborn.

Svarshan tilts his head to the side. Another look goes down the way, where Alba had vanished. He concentrates for a moment.

"Hey, where'd the hot lady with the creepy hair wander off to?" Wait, did Sandy just call Alba HOT? SHE SO DID. SHe's looking around. She has an idea, but got distracted.

Terewin grins broadly "Yes! Yes, embrace the fear! Rise above it! This is something no other devil has done I am sure and you will be better for it! Not just another devil in your pit, controlled by your baser nature... become... your own unique self." he says trying to encourage things forward.

"....What," is the first word out of Alba's mouth, accompanied by a long, heaving sigh. "Saaaah... Superb. The prison is breaking because it is in the *wrong plane.* Whose idea was this."

(Also, because seeing Sandy make moon-eyes at Alba is just something not even a paladin can save against. You just fail. The end.)

"Demons and angels," Fazahd says. He keeps his eyes set on the devas.

Mar'Tek lets out a snarl towards Terewin and glares at the man. He shfits his position and stands up to his full height, which is extra large for a pit fiend. His figure is an imposing 30 feet tall and his tail lashing out shaking the room. He lunghes forward crashing into the cage Terewin is at, eyes watching the man never leaving him, "I am no coward!" He screams at first, and continues to glare, "This angers me because of how true your words are!" Pulling back and sitting back down, "Something to... think on."

"Now," says Fazahd, standing by the cage, looming himself - is it possible for a mortal to loom by a pit fiend? - as he stares at the devas. "See this, and judge if it is possible for a devil to be saved." Terewin grins "Of course not, you had the courage to take this course, which is much more than can be said for any of your kin. You cannot be brave without fear. I salute your bravery and will forever remember it." he says with a deep bow and flourish.

The Deva's had looked up when the devil shook the prison. They frowns between each other and walk back over to the group, "To judge is not our place, to punish that which is evil is. This creature has done evil, and is evil regardless of what his aura says. If you mortals have taken it upon yourselves to see that this devil has a chance, then it will be your responsibility to ensure that he is shown the way. As he said." They say this with clearly disdain, "and correctly so, that to fall an angel takes work to make them corrupt and fall. The same would possibly be true of a being of pure evil as this. While this Quest is active upon at least one person, we will stay our hand and ward the devil from those who would seek its destruction or freedom. Who here will take upon this quest? If there are others who would take on this quest we are here so send them this way. That is our deal, if none take the quest, then it would be wise to not get in our way while we banish him back to hell."

"I will take it." Fazahd's words are lead.

"What doess the quesst involve?" Svarshan asks, speaking up. He keeps his focus on the sacred devas. So bloody. So wonderful. "The devil cannot leave hiss confiness. And divine power iss needed." Is it a failed quest, or one given chance?

"Quest, no quest," Alba calls from the Wind Room, where she floats above a quiescent portal and dead arcane machinery, "it matters little if this remains unfixed, for the moment temptation comes a devil will heed it! Is there *any* among us who know how to make this stupid, broken thing work properly?!"

"A quest to... redeem the devil." The Deva on the left offers, clearly not happy with this. "yes you will need a deities help, that will be on you. You must convince the devil, teach him, and guide him, and then convince a god to accept him into the deities ranks reborn. No easy task is before you. This is the thing legends are made of." The deva on the right snickers, then rubs his shin again. "It would also appear that keeping this prison from failing is also going to be a task on this quest. We have one, are there any others?"

"Eh, they're mortals," says Sandy, "It's what they do. Impossible things. Then they let it go to their heads and be all 'Oh, sure," says Sandy, "we can use the planar disjunction cannon to become gods ourselves! It never works." She is eyeing the machines.

"Wrong realm indeed," she agrees. " UNless we can shift the portal back into the astral or give it a new way to fuel itself, he's going to escape."

Terewin looks at the devil and then back at Faz with a conflicted look. "This is a heavy task..." but then he breaks into a broad smile as he looks back at the Devil. "But I have faith, you can do this and you will. You took the hardest step already." he says trying to encourage the devil towards good. "I know nothing of this prison, I am just a simple swordsman but if I can help direct me." he says to Alba.

"I'll fix the damned thing in a moment," Fazahd snaps Alba's way, then looks back at the devas. "So we have an accord? I will assist him."

"It is a *portal,*" Alba grumps. Why is it unpossible to make it take the power and bring it to where it *is?* Tchah, foolish tinkers..." THere's a brief, unsettling rattle as the tips of Alba's razors tap bloodlessly against her chin, as she thinks. "Have you the knowing of portals, mage? Open one here, for a time, and make of it a bandage upon a weeping sore? Perha--" And Fazahd's snap, it seems, has twanged Alba's last nerve. "GOD-BOTHERER GET IN HERE LEST I PICKLE YOUR EYEBALLS AND REPLACE THEM WITH CENTIPEDES!"

"Well, that's ass," agrees Sandy with Alba's eloquent summation.

"It's not going to be an easy fix."

Svarshan shakes himself off, and goes over to assist Alba. "I've sstudied ssome of demonss, and locks. But you and Ssandy here are. Experts on the arcane."

The Deva's nod to Fazahd, "Seems you are the one willing to accept. Step between us." They draw their blades, but not in a hostile way and circle around Fazahd. They start to chant, anybody who knows spellcraft will easily reconize this as a greater quest spell.

Fazahd does as he is bid. He's willful, strong, but he is young...and for his bravado, he is terrified. Not that it stops him.

A croaking laugh drifts up from Alba's throat, as she pushes down her mask. "More knowing than power, I have. This, well beyond my knowing. Perhaps if there were mages enough to power this with the force of their own spells... Saah, but too much time it would take from summoning unicorns to fetch tea, or whatever it is wizards purport to do their their time."

Svarshan looks back a while, then thumps his tail, once. Time to make sure the demon stays in place long enough for anything to happen. "Fazahd. We will make sure he doess not esscape. ...but make ssure your pride, and how you resspect anyone but yoursself--doessn't deny you help. Like it almosst did, today."

"I'm going to help," says Sandy, "But I'll be honest: I'm not terribly good with oaths and promises." No, really? She eyes FAzahd. Then eyes him some more. "You're insane," she adds, "But I'll try to help make sure you don't get yourself killed. Now," She turns towards Alba, making moon eyes at her, "/Hello/."

For ten minutes they chant and a glow surrounds Fazahd, "Your quest is set before you." Without another word they mover over to the cage and each take a corner leaving only one corner uncovered. They kneel down and turn into stone, guardians for now and ready to act when the time comes. "......What." The mask turns to Sandy, and tilts to one side for a moment's silence. "......*What.*"

Muttering under her breath, she drifts up to the ceiling, unstuffing a handful of rolled-up paper from her pouches, and a stub of charcoal. So armed, she turns to one side, scribbling furiously. "When the people decide they wish to do the *work they have come here to do,* my notes shall be here. Until then, I wish you wetlander fools all joy of your distractions and priorities."

"Yes, yes, fine," barks Fazahd, after he has a moment to swallow and steel himself. "By the mountain, why all the beautiful women in my life have to screech at me on a constant basis I will never understand. Lead on! I will show you what needs to be bloody done!" It's easier to shout yourself when you're scared. Fazahd looks at the demon as he passes the cage, but he says nothing. To be continued, mister man. To be continued.

"Hmmmhm. Yeah. I am ready to help. There are some things. I /do/ have an idea. An expensive one.. I need to study if it's possible." She then eyes Fazahd. "Don't make me yell at you more, sir. Get yourself under control."