Wild:37 A Story Ends

Starring: Nathaniel, Bo, Fuelwen, Brilla
Guest Starring: Churgin, Charles (Cornugon), Dalafour & Shalafour (Euphoric Imps), Dinastides & Aluniel (Legion Devil)
Challenge: Theddy, Demons (Bebilith, Hezrou), Negotiations
Location: Barradin
Date Played: 3 June 2010

Let's Make a Deal

Brilla: We eventually breached the keep after discovering that a trained attack shark was in-fact an illusion. The keep looked like it was abandoned in a hurry. Finding little in the keep on where Theddy may have gone, Nathaniel eventually went to the roof to check for evidence.

It appears that we were a bit too late to catch Theddy as he took his Griffarrot somewhere beyond sight. Bo had a scrying spell handy, and he was able to see that Theddy was headed toward to bowl that Fuelwen initially found. Lacking proper transportation, we decided to head to the nearest village to get horses.

This is when Charles decided to speak up with a few offers to the group. He presented some coins to the others at various cost. Most interestingly, Charles said that Nathaniel's was already paid for. It makes me wonder if he refers to his misdeeds or if there is something I am not aware of in his past. When it came to me, I agreed to extend the time on Lord Venta's contract as given by the power of being his next of (living) kin. The deal was a misdirection, binding me to Lord Venta. Upon feeling his power coming upon me, I immediately expelled it from my body.

From here, I refused to work with Charles and made it to the next village.

Fuelwen: The Devil seemed perfectly reasonable. The sort of individual one can trust, insofar as one knows that he cannot be trusted at all. But his word is his bond- to the letter. I accepted his coin, but Brilla had a fit when the Charles attempted to grant her extra power- specifically, granting her Lord Venta's powers. Based on what I've heard about Lord Venta, it would be quite the useful gift, but Brilla wanted nothing to do with him. I'm sure it was some moral objection, which is foolish considering what happened in the end…

Nathaniel: Watching the devil make a deal with our group was fascinating, something that I had read about but never seen before. Sadly, when it was turn it appears as though the bargain had already been struck, robbing me of the experience of negotiating with "Charles".

Brilla was hesitant to strike a deal and attempted to dodge any kind of trickery, and she was not successful. As her hair began to lengthen, a physical manifestation of being bound to Lord Wenta, she reflexively expelled him. She was visibly upset and refused to negotiate further.

My Kingdom for a Horse

Brilla: Charles pulled a real back-breaker on us here. Seems he sent some wolf-like beings ahead of us to kill all the horses in the stable. Really? He was standing off to the side, waiting for us to make an offer with him.

I brushed him off and continued on to where the Hall of Founders once stood. We were able to find some horses here and it looked like the situation here calmed down. After gaining horses we rode off to the bowl.

Charles flew in and offered to fly us out. I would not take a word he said, though Nathaniel struck a deal with him for faster transport to the site. We were airlifted there by a bunch of imps. It wasn't a fantastic experience, but it was efficient.

Upon landing, I was presented with a coin that could summon Uriah. I was initially against taking it, but I felt it may be good to hang onto in case we encounter Uriah again and need to make a more peaceful conclusion that we usually have.

Fuelwen: It's not surprising that Charles salted the Earth before us. He wanted Brilla to take his deal, and it was a reasonable deal. Instead, we expended valuable time and energy getting to the Hall of Founders. In retrospect, I should have expanded my deal with Charles, but Nathaniel stepped up, and offered future service in exchange for faster transport now.

Nathaniel: Our situation grew dire. We had three enemies, the demons, the devil, and Brilla's pride. Still stinging from having been robbed my opportunity to "deal with the devil", I stepped up. "If Brilla will not strike a deal, I will." A powerful first step for me, taking part directly in the story.

Promises are Meant to be Broken

Brilla: Learning from Charles, I decided to best way to deal with the demons is to make a deal, except this time with the demons. I decided to trade them the key that leads to the Nine Hells in exchange for all of their current forces leaving and never coming back again.

Forgetting my place with the demons and being too optimistic to ignore their nature, I disregarded the chaos that their race often holds close.

A fight ensued after the exchange. The Hezrou was bed enough on its own, but the Bebilith with it made this fight overpowering. I spent most of it sickened or effected by paralysis.

There was little I could do as I could only watch as Nathaniel and Bo fought off the demons. Fuelwen appeared to have had my luck with this fight as he was as disabled as I was. Nathaniel and Bo were doing well and took the Bebilith down, but the Hezrou began to gain a tactical hold against us and used chaos hammer to great effect. Though the Hezrou eventually fell, Nathaniel fell first.

Fuelwen: I'm not sure why we went through the charade of making a deal with demons. It bought us time, I suppose.

More than ever, I'm frustrated by my luck in combat. I spent most of the battle fighting my own innards- overcome either by sickness or paralysis. The last moments are gone to me, as I lost consciousness when the Hezrou laid his "chaos hammer" on me. Before blackness overtook me, I saw Nathaniel fall inanimate. It's difficult to say that I liked him, but we had developed a rapport. He was a member of our school, and he hunts with us no more.

Nathaniel: Almost a dozen lifetimes I spent observing the story, recording the story, so that the story may live on. I am glad to have had my recent trip to Storybook island, so those stories won't be lost forever.

He has Fallen... Again... for Good... Probably

Brilla: Nathaniel fought well, but there was little I could do to save him. I feel guilty, like this is somehow my fault. I really don't want to put anyone else at risk. Bo is highly depleted of resources and Fuelwen can do little against these demons. I'm thinking I may have to do the rest of this myself.

I can only assume that the demons took care of Theddy. If they haven't, I'm sure he is of little consequence. I will get him to close the portal. I can't let the rest of my family suffer as my ancestors did. I would like to give Nathaniel is proper burial rights, but there are more pressing matters. I will deal with them after this crisis, assuming I survive it.

Fuelwen: Hypotheticals are toothless, but one can't help but wonder- had Brilla brought Venta's power into battle, would Nathaniel still swim with us? She refused to take a valuable weapon, and one of our members fell in the ensuing battle. It was foolishness, born out of some sense of moral outrage. It only serves to demonstrate how useless distinguishing between "good" and "evil" really is.

After the Battle

Brilla: Seeing as how there are two evil forces at work, perhaps I can intervene to a higher power for guidance. I will not make the folly my father did in relying on the forces of evil. Brilla will petition to the celestial bodies for guidance and any help they may provide so that she can defend what few remain of her race.

Rewards

Wiki Update:

• Brilla, Fuelwen: Bravery: 1 time use of False Life, CL 12. (1d10+10 temporary HP for 12 hours). Free action, taken on your turn only. Counts as an (Ex).
• TskTsk: Draconic Defiance: +4 to one saving throw against any ability used by a type Dragon creature. Usable once as a free action. Declare before the roll.