Planning Against SulTek

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The path from the village eventually narrows somewhat, with the trees on either side becoming more populous. Moss hangs from large stones that sit surrounded by beds of leaves that has accumulated over the years.

A few trails wander in varied directions though eventually even these woods will thicken. One particular trail carries with it the scent of natural brimstone...this trail wanders north and westward, where the trees grow thick once more. To the east, it's rumored that the druids have built a sacred site.

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Astaren A tall man wearing dark blue robes. 1m 28m

Durrankar Silver Sith-makar with blue eyes 1s 2m

Svarshan Demons: Another name for spicy BBQ 0s 8h

Un'eth An ebon-scaled female Sith-makar 18m 5h

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North to Mictlan <NM> East <E> South

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On the way towards the small, wilderness town to the south, the sith-makar had gotten to talking. So much so in fact, that they'd stopped by the side of one of the goat paths. Svarshan crouches down in the dirt, a stick in hand. "I had heard we were to. Ssee the cult ssoon but. I am not ssure," he says. "There sseem sso many unansswered quesstions. I thought we might begin by. Going over what we know, for thiss Hunt."

Garrin is there, also. He'd heard of the cult, and had offered himself as an expert on 'those twisty, odd sorts of symbols and things.'

Durrankar is sitting on a log nearby....listening quietly....

Durrankar says, "So.....we encountered the devil.....and apparently A few want to turn him into something good. I don't trust the devil at all....""

Garrin is totally here and listening. Honest.

"Mar'Tek, ssa." Svarshan says, and taps the earth with the stick. He sketches the name, and then draws a line. "That iss our pit fiend, like you ssaid. None of uss trusst him," he says slowly. "He hass said, if he esscapes, he will raze all he can. He possesses alsso, abilitiess beyond normal for hiss kind. For essample, he can ssee through. Disguisses. He iss father of an infernal ssorcerer, Su'Tek."

"Current. Mar'Tek iss encaged beneath the earth. In a room with four doors. The doorss are marked with the four directionss." Svarshan pauses. Then, draws another line. "Mar'Tek may eescape ssoon. We do not know how. I do not know what iss beyond thosse doorss, or how he iss kept captive. We sshould perhapss sstrengthen whatever wardss are in place, becausse he tellss us: when he escapess, he will return to hiss old ways, with vengeansse. He hass offered to work with a priesst for reform, but that reform needss time."

Another pause: "Sso, we musst determine two thingss: One, how he iss held captive. And two, how to enssure he sstayss captive. ...third, if the priesst tellss us, we can work with the templess to desstroy him permanently."

Durrankar tilts his head to Svarshan. "no chance for reform him, huh?" Then his staff begins to speak. "When yer a bad apple, you're rotten to the core. Bad Seed. fall off the stem. You suck."

"There iss a ssmall chansse, but." The brightscale tips his head to the side. Finding words. "Ssmaall. It iss up to the priessts and to him, and would take. Time. If he esscapess too ssoon, the priessts will not have had. Time to work. Letting him return to world early iss like...giving drug to recovering addict? Sso, ssome of uss sshould invesstigate, and disscover how to sstrengthen hiss cage. I ssuspect Garrin," he says, thumping his tail that direction, "can help uss piece that puzzle together. Then, with all of our magicss, and whatever alliess we may draw in. We can do what needss to be done."

"Thiss bringss to ssecond problem. Hiss sson. ...what do we know of him?"

Ga'Elian has arrived.

Durrankar says, "He is a sorcerer....and he has a way to get out of entanglements without effort. I've tried....."

Svarshan looks over to the ancestral shaman. Then, he sketches marks beneath Su'Tek's name. Symbols used in war, in planning. They suggest: easily escapes entanglements.

Ga'Elian, hearing a group of familiar voices, walks out of the woods, carrying a brace of hares. He waves to all and says, "Discussing our ambitious friend, Yes?" Then, nodding towards Svarshan, Un'eth, & Durrankar, adds, "And peace on your nests."

Durrankar says, "So far, he hasn't attacked us yet, and has only used minions against us. he also has the ability to corrupt the inherently good. The Guardian Naga we encountered tried to help us....""

"Ssa." Svarshan gestures with the stick, and the dirt diagrams. "We had jusst begun, hunter. Peasse to you. Our sshaman iss sharing what he knowss of our infernal ssorcerer. Please share your wordss after, that we may all hear."

He then turns his attention back to Durrankar, and records the shaman's words in the earth. He adds: Persuasive, and Guardian Naga. The last possesses a 'Loyalty?' with a question mark beside it.

Durrankar says, "the Guardian naga is dead. It's loyalty, sadly, isn't a question anymore."

Svarshan's tail falls. After a moment, he crosses out the name.

Durrankar says, "It killed itself....." he says handing a note to Svarshan. If the sith-makar can read celestial, he can read that the naga gave most of the information it knew, like why the son wanted to kill the father, and that it had to kill itself before the son's control restored itself again...."

'Friend,

It has been many many years since I last had a moment of clarity. Yet, my mind is already falling back to the corruption. Know this, the man you seek must be stopped. He corrupts those he touches and bends them to his will. He seeks the bones of his father to bring back an ancient evil. A greater demon whose bones have been hidden under the city of Alexandria a long time ago. More I do not know, but thank you. I can make one last choice for myself.'

Un'eth has disconnected.

Svarshan looks over the note. After some reflection, he hands it back to the ancestral shaman. "...I will offer assh in their memory, tonight. I am ssorry they needed to make ssuch a. Choisse."

Durrankar says, "as am I, Svarshan. I shall join you. After we copy the note, it shall be offered to the ritual." he then breathes out smoke. "That sorcerer hassssss a lot to answer for.""

Ga'Elian nods to the Brightscales's request, then listens attentively to Durrankar's account. He says, "This Su'Tek seems to have some significant resources, but his information about the supposed bones was obviously a little off...

The brightscale thumps his tail, and falls silent for a time. Then, gravely, he adds: "Powers of geas, mind control?" beneath the sorcerer's name as he listens to the hunter, as well.

Ga'Elian continues, "I am not personally familiar with his spellcraft, but he had a pair of barbarian ogres, a variety of nagas, including a female that seemed to be leading the others. She was above 20 feet long. Su'Tek also had obtained the services of a band of gobber miscreants, although by domination or enticement, I don't know. He had this underground hideout in the woods, too. As for his miscalculations, however it sounded to me as if he believed that the bones of Mar'Tek had been buried in tunnels or sewers under Alexandria. Of course he was partly right, but those bones were still very much part of the pit fiend's living body.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- At a glance around W02: The Light Woods -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Astaren 22m 6'1" 179 Lb Human Male

A tall man wearing dark blue robes.

Durrankar 14m 7'0" 398 Lb Sith-Makar Male

Silver Sith-makar with blue eyes

Ga'Elian 60s 5'4" 120 Lb Sylvanori Male

a tallish Sylvanori male with a griffon

Garrin 3m 5'10" 145 Lb Human Male

A young, human fellow in well-crafted leathers.

Svarshan 0s 6'4" 307 Lb Sith'makar Male

Demons: Another name for spicy BBQ

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Durrankar says, "A Naga Queen....which we killed. During that time, the Guardian Naga used it's blood to write the note and kill itself.""

"Then thiss is what we know sso far." Svarshan says, with a look towards Ga'Elian, then Durrankar and Un'eth: "The sson, Su'Tek Sarka'mon, is an infernal ssorcerer. He can esscape entanglementss, and hass abilities of perssuasion and enchantment. He workss with a cult of nagan and ssome ogress and gobberss. He had forssed or coerced the aid of a guardian naga, who iss now dead. Hunter-Ga'Elian, when we sspoke earlier, you told me that he hass powerss to ssummon walls of forsse, teleport, and iss not eassily captured. He sseeks to desstroy hiss father for hiss power. About thiss cult and itss purpose, we know it iss to bring back an even more anssient demon," he says, and leans forward to sketch in the earth. "Iss there more we sshould sshare with one. Another? Or more that we can..." words. "Guess-with-reasson? What quesstions doess this give uss we musst ansswer?"

Ga'Elian says, "That's right, milord. Beyond this, I am uncertain of anything more, but I am both extremely skeptical of the likelihood of redeeming the fiend. I mean, I have always been taught that most evil creatures simply choose to behave in evil ways, but a devil or any other demon is composed of evil, the way that a salamander is composed of elemental fire. Also, I am really interested in learning how far this Su'Tek's connections and affiliations reach, and how they network with each other.

Svarshan remains quiet a time, then thumps his tail. "I ssuspect you are. Right," he says, and lets go a breath. "Ssa. Yet, I gave my word that I would wait on the priesst. If the priesst ssuggessts thiss is not possible. ...is thiss ssomething we can work with, and in the mean time. We invesstigate how to sstrengthen the prisson?"

Durrankar says, "I do not have anything else. I know he's pretty quick on his feet because he eludes my flame strikes and lightning bolts easily....""

Ga'Elian says, "Beyond what I've seen, I offer my talents as a tracker, and an archer. I have studied fiend-kind and have found the Navosian priest Jacob to be helpful in fiend-lore. I speak the tongues of devils and demons (albeit, ironically, not that of angels), and am outfitted with silver, cold iron, holy magic, and holy water."

The brightscale is quiet for a while, listening. Absorbing. After that time, he begins to write once again, on the earth. "As an infernal, he would know the dangerss of bringing forward an ancient demon. Bassed on hiss behavior, we can ssuggesst that he intendss to bind it." Svarshan pauses. "It may be a reassonable assumption. That he would want itss power in ssome. Way. Iss this agreeable, or iss there a reasson to dissbelieve it?" He thumps his tail towards Ga'Elian.

Ga'Elian tilts his head. "Didn't the pit fiend tell us that Su'Tek would attempt to consume his father's power and take Mar'Tek's place as a pit fiend himself? Perhaps it was not in so many words, but that was the sense I gathered. Now, just because a devil said so, doesn't make it so, but he did also say that his ability to see through disguises was tied to a restriction that compelled him to speak the truth only."

Durrankar says, "I shall help if I am able. We must be able to grab a hold of him, lock him in the area he's in, and then destroy him..........""

"Then that makess thiss simpler," Svarshan says slowly. He thumps his tail and begins to write.

Svarshan reflects on the words that they have all shared so far, remaining quiet for some time. "Pleasse sshare wordss if insspiration sstrikes, or if thiss plan sseems foolish," he says. He falls quiet a second time, before continuing, voice pitched low.

"The ssorcerer sseeks greater power in ssome way. We know he needss his father to accomplissh thiss. Sso, firsst. We sstrengthen the father'ss prison and work with the priesst. If the priesst cannot convert, then to be truly desstroyed, there are ritualss that musst be followed. The Temple would know. Ssecond. ...we musst find a way to counter hiss sson's ability to teleport and move. Freely, but alsso remember that he iss quick, as sshaman Durrankar ssays."

"Third...I would assk. Can sshaman Un'eth and sshaman Durrankar watch thiss cult? Lissten, and uncover where the sson travelss? Passwords they usse? What threatss or bribess they usse to keep their followerss in line? If any are unwilling? We could usse thiss to both locate him, and unravel the cult. Sshaman Un'eth did thiss ssort of thing in the Dessolation. I can provide access to non-detection protectionss, but it would be. Dangerouss."

Durrankar says, "For hisssss.....ability to teleport, I have an.....idea." Durrankar says quietly. "Alba isssss able to cause many many thingssssss to debilitate, essspecially when it comes to fear. I could asssssk her if she's able to cause someone to not be able to teleport out or....even better...not be able to cast spells at all....""

GAME: Svarshan rolls spellcraft: (17)+15: 32

Ga'Elian listens and rubs his chin. "All of that seems fine to me. I could also watch the underground lair in the woods and report on the comings and goings... who, when, etc."

Svarshan looks over, and thumps his tail. "Then let uss conssult her. ...and that iss good," he says to Ga'Elian. Pauses. "Tricksster Garrin and I sshould travel with you, ssome of thosse times. Thiss way, we may learn of the prisson, while you sstand guard."