Bleeding in the Eye of a Brainstorm

Posts : 900 Join date : 2008-08-22

Mallus wrote:: "How would you like to be angels?" asks Yatagan suddenly. "We could use muses, spirits of the divine that inspire our worshipers to dance and raise a joyful noise." The paladin's voice begins to acquire that unmistakable convincing tone.

"You see we represent the Port's newest faith. We are it's Elders, evangelists, knights both clerical and militant, it's proprietors, if you will. Which means we having a willing flock, who would gratefully welcome the temporary indwelling of a few tuneful spirits who represent the god's grace. Music is the voice of god, is it not? But of course it is!"

Which means we should be able to come to a mutually beneficial agreement" Yatagan smiles at the musicians. "Providing we can extricate ourselves from this soon-to-crumble Memory Palace".

OOC: Diplomacy: 27

"Angelic possession," says Odanais, cigar clenched in the side of his mouth. "It would indeed be marvelous to see some lost soul, throw himself down before the Miracle Pig, open his soul, and rise to find himself suddenly a skilled musician. Of course, it could be fun for you lot too."

To aid Yatagan--Diplomacy: 28

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The member ''gridley'' has done the following action : Dice Roller

''d20'' : 14

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shilsen wrote:: Making sure to stay some distance from the huge beast, he says thoughtfully, "I'm not sure whether your music is keeping Hidimba alive or not, so I recommend you keep going. We should explore a bit further and ascertain the situation here," making sure to speak mostly the truth. "Do you by any chance know where any other dangerous creatures, for example the troublesome neighbours you mentioned, can be found? We should do a little cleaning up here, since I believe they might be the reason this place is falling apart, and I certainly don't want it to do so while we're here."

"There's the 'nansi men outside, who live under the bridge...but I suppose you've already met them, eh?" Tiddy Mun ticks off one finger. "And judging by the fellow who came running by like a bat outta hell a while back, I'm guessing that you've made the aquaintance of those vandals who've been ripping up the tower? They made some threats, and we," he grins a very wide grin, "Convinced 'em that was a bad idea." He ticks off another finger.

"Most of the people who come through, and there's been more then a few, they go either right or left. We don't see them again...I don't think. Sometimes we see some kinda bat thing flying in from thataway," he gestures to the West, "But none of us have ever seen it close up.

"The fellow in the temple," he hooks a tumbe to the North, "Is a little odd, but seems reasonable enough. Likes to hear the sound of his own voice, though. And whatever's down in the cellars, it likes things wet. Everything below ground is flooded, so far as I could tell.

"Wish I could tell you more, but that's all I know."

Posts : 799 Join date : 2008-08-21

Mallus wrote:: "How would you like to be angels?" asks Yatagan suddenly. "We could use muses, spirits of the divine that inspire our worshipers to dance and raise a joyful noise." The paladin's voice begins to acquire that unmistakable convincing tone.

"Never been an angel before," Tiddy Mun muses.

"I have," interrupted the singer. "The avengin' sort. There's worse ways to live, but the hours suck."

"Does have an appeal," Tiddy agrees, "But it don't solve the central problem, of where we'll be when we ain't visitating the masses. And hell, we've still gotta get out of HERE first, right?"

Posts : 1428 Join date : 2008-08-22

"We have raw materials, genius, verve, and charm" says Yatagan, listing the first four things that come to mind. "We can fashion the solution to any problem! Besides, we have Mr. Hidimba's ritual. If need be you can hitch a ride in my psyche. I am vast. I contain multitudes."

"What's a few more?"

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Mallus wrote:: "We have raw materials, genius, verve, and charm" says Yatagan, listing the first four things that come to mind. "We can fashion the solution to any problem! Besides, we have Mr. Hidimba's ritual. If need be you can hitch a ride in my psyche. I am vast. I contain multitudes."

"What's a few more?"

Tiddy Mun's eyes go wide. He steps forward, grabs Yatigans hand, and pumps it enthusiastically. "Sir, you're a gentleman and a...well, something I can't quite identify, but I'm sure that it's fine indeed!"

Posts : 900 Join date : 2008-08-22

Mallus wrote:: "We have raw materials, genius, verve, and charm" says Yatagan, listing the first four things that come to mind. "We can fashion the solution to any problem! Besides, we have Mr. Hidimba's ritual. If need be you can hitch a ride in my psyche. I am vast. I contain multitudes."

"What's a few more?"

OOC: Oh, excellent! Does this mean we're going to have to enter Yatagan's scary mind in some subsequent adventure?

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gridley wrote:: OOC: Oh, excellent! Does this mean we're going to have to enter Yatagan's scary mind in some subsequent adventure?

OOC: I would not dare run such a thing. That'd be all Scott's baby.

Posts : 242 Join date : 2009-02-04

Rolzup wrote:

gridley wrote:: OOC: Oh, excellent! Does this mean we're going to have to enter Yatagan's scary mind in some subsequent adventure?

OOC: I would not dare run such a thing. That'd be all Scott's baby.

OOC: Oh great, now I can't get the image of Scott's baby out of my head. Thanks a lot.

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Rolzup wrote:: Tiddy Mun's eyes go wide. He steps forward, grabs Yatigans hand, and pumps it enthusiastically. "Sir, you're a gentleman and a...well, something I can't quite identify, but I'm sure that it's fine indeed!"

Something ... is right. "Now that's been decided," says Artichoke, "We should be on our way. We'll make sure to stop by and pick you up on the way out." Looking specifically at the people in his group, he points north. "Let's visit the chapel first."

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shilsen wrote:: "Let's visit the chapel first."

"Lead on, Captain" says Yatagan. "And isn't it refreshing to use reason instead of violence from time to time?"

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Mallus wrote:

shilsen wrote:: "Let's visit the chapel first."

"Lead on, Captain" says Yatagan. "And isn't it refreshing to use reason instead of violence from time to time?"

"Let's not make a habit of it."

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Odanais collects his mandolin and weasel and follows the good Captain.

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Mallus wrote:: "Lead on, Captain" says Yatagan. "And isn't it refreshing to use reason instead of violence from time to time?"

"Yes, it is," says Artichoke, "Though I wonder how long that will last."

Once the group has moved on a bit towards the chapel and is out of earshot (and sight) of the musicians, he muses aloud, "I'm wondering whether there might be any problems to taking them out of here. I seriously doubt that their music is what's keeping Hidimba alive, and if it is, he's still not doing that well, but on the off-chance that it is - taking them out will kill him. We might need to investigate further before you, er, let them into your head, Yatagan." Artichoke shrugs. "But first, we might as well do what we were hired for."

He proceeds north, heading for the chapel with the others.

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Lizzy sings an old tune he remembers from childhood, "Goooing to the chapel and we're gonnnnna get marrrrieeed..."

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The trail continues to meander through the trees, but following it takes you to a rather ornate set of stone doors, carved in an standard Infernal motif -- flames, demons, the Damned writhing about in eternal agony.

They swing open easily at the first touch, revealing a very large room with a vaulted ceiling, splashed with color from stained glass windows high overhead. Several rows of pews, many of them occupied, face a stone altar, atop which is sprawled a rather odd figure.

He stands about twice the height of a man, and has three faces -- the central one appears to be weeping, the one on the left is chuckling about something, and the one on the right is addressing the room in an unfamiliar language. Additionally, it has four arm, the upper pair of which are tossing what looks like a human head back and forth.

The thing is dressed in a black robe covered with embroidered symbols; it makes the head hurt to conider them for long.

To either side of the alter stands a robed and hooded figure, standing with its head bowed and hands clasped before it.

The face that's speaking breaks off, and calls out a welcome. "Come forth, pilgrims! Join the congregation, and give Praise to me, and I shall...oh, hell, I don't know. Something wonderful and miraculous, no doubt."

None of the figures sitting in the pews move, or acknowledge the party's entrance in any way.

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Gods! Not more faces! thinks Artichoke, recalling what happened with the cultists and the bag of faces. He raises his voice, since he has no intention of getting closer yet, and calls to the large creature "Greetings! May I know whom I am speaking to?"

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"Great, just what this world needs, more religion."

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Rolzup wrote:: "Come forth, pilgrims! Join the congregation, and give Praise to me, and I shall...oh, hell, I don't know. Something wonderful and miraculous, no doubt."

"I believe you've got that backwards" says the paladin with the god in his trousers.

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"Marchosias," he says grandly. "You've heard of Me, no doubt."

And in fact, both Yatigan and Odanais have. Marchosias was a duke of Hell, a patron to several important Tiefling families, and hasn't been heard from in a very long time indeed.

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"Duke Marchosias, commander of the thirty legions," says Odanais, bowing submissively. "We bid you greetings from the outside world. It is is a great honor--and no small surprise--to make your acquaintance in such an odd venue as... well... Mister Hidimba's head."

Standing upright (assuming that is appropriate in the presence of Goetic aristocracy), he adds, "I do hope we're not interrupting anything."

Diplomacy: 33

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The member ''gridley'' has done the following action : Dice Roller

''d20'' : 19

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OOC: John, do we have any way of determining if this is a memory of Hidimba's, or an external entity? We've now had several encounters with interlopers, as well as the stuff of his memories.

"Your Malevolence" says Yatagan respectfully, while bowing not quite deeply enough.

Posts : 799 Join date : 2008-08-21

Mallus wrote:: OOC: John, do we have any way of determining if this is a memory of Hidimba's, or an external entity? We've now had several encounters with interlopers, as well as the stuff of his memories.

None of Hidimba's memories have had any appearance of intelligence; 'pure' memories would be limited to a very rote set of responses, if indeed they could respond at all. Or so someone smarter than Yatigan might theorize.

Gridley wrote:: "Duke Marchosias, commander of the thirty legions," says Odanais, bowing submissively. "We bid you greetings from the outside world. It is is a great honor--and no small surprise--to make your acquaintance in such an odd venue as... well... Mister Hidimba's head."

A faint grimace of distaste ripples across his faces, moving from left to right, where it becomes a smile. "Any port in a storm," he says airily, now walking the head across his bottom two sets of knuckles. "And Strictly temporary, I assure you. He'll die soon enough, and I can ride his soul back to Hell." He sighs, in triplicate. "I miss Hell," he says wistfully.

Gridley wrote:: Standing upright (assuming that is appropriate in the presence of Goetic aristocracy), he adds, "I do hope we're not interrupting anything."

Marchosias shrugs -- it's an interesting thing to watch, with all those arms -- "Nothing of importance," he admits. "We were working our way towards the rituals of praise and obesience, but really, their hearts aren't in it. Or in anything. They're so dull, these shades."

His leftmost head has begun sniffing the air, and a sudden look of surprise briefly manifests through the tears of the center face. "You're alive, aren't you? How remarkable! And fortuitous! You look like you could do some proper grovelling!"

He tosses the head that he's been playing with high, catches it in his top left hand, and takes a big bite from it, as though it were a fresh apple, with the mouth on his left.

"I could put in a good word for you when I reclaim my throne," he adds. "I've a feeling that you people could use friends in Low places, am I right?"

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gridley wrote:: "Duke Marchosias, commander of the thirty legions"

Oh. Crap.

Quote :: "I could put in a good word for you when I reclaim my throne," he adds. "I've a feeling that you people could use friends in Low places, am I right?"

OOC: Groan!

IC: "Very likely, my lord," Artichoke says cautiously. "If I may ask, how did you end up here and what are you doing? Are you trapped until the 'owner' of this place dies?"