Game Thread, Chapter 2: Down the Rabbit Hole

[Kuroimaken]

"Apparently none of them provides you with a defense against sarcasm... not that you'll need it." Raoul rolls his eyes.

"Do we have any garantees that your master won't use the artifact further down the line to unmake all of creation at his whim? For all we know, the only reason he stays in his place at all times is to secure a defensive position. With the artifact in hand, he won't have to."

[VennDygrem]

"Hold on, Raoul. Devil, of which Master do you speak? Your immediate master, or the one whom He serves?" Cade seems unaffected by the chill, whether he is simply attempting to ignore it by force of will, or whether the magical trinket which protects him from the elements is simply doing its job.

[PhaedrusXY]

"My immediate Master, Merorem. And what he intends to do with the item is none of my business, but I'm sure his plan isn't to unmake creation. That would be more like something a demon would do, not a devil.

Now subjugating it to his will is a whole other thing..."

[VennDygrem]

"You'll have to give us a moment. It won't take long, as time is literally of the essence of this matter." Cade pauses a moment, then turns to his companions, forcing his thoughts through to the group.

<<So, the artifact won't be going directly to Dispater, but to a lesser Devil. Perhaps he has his sights set on using it to take over Dis, or whatever. All I know is, the artifact is supposed to be kind of chaotic, right? Well, even if we hand it over, there's no guarantee that it will choose to remain in Merorem's possession. And furthermore, there's no guarantee we'll have control over what happens to it once we use it. For all we know, once we use it to confront our lizard problem, it could choose to vanish again, or whatever it is wont to do.

What think you?>>

Figured I'd try to sense motive to see if maybe he's holding any information back, though I rolled low. 

1d20(5)+8=13

[PhaedrusXY]

You don't think he's holding anything back.

[Kuroimaken]

<< You've got a point. Honestly, I'm not worried if it ends up in the hands of a lesser Devil - but if it ends up in the hands of one of the bigwigs, we might have an even bigger problem in our hands. I'm not comfortable with it, but I'm not sure we have any other choice. Push comes to shove, we can probably run away with the artifact and drop it in a volcano, or something.>>

[VennDygrem]

<<Yes, he is lesser compared to Dispater, but don't underestimate this one either. He's powerful enough to grant the power of wishes to his minions, so take that as you will. Lesser does not mean Least, and certain does not mean he is to be trifled with. Going back on a deal with a Devil is a Very Bad Idea. However, if we can find some way to work in a loophole to our favor, much as I suspect those Devils to do to us, perhaps we can come out on top, here.>>

[Kuroimaken]

<<I trust they expect this. We should consider finding ourselves an expert on Infernal Law while we're at it.>>

[Bozwevial]

Though I suspect I'm being needlessly paranoid, even the paranoiacs are right sometimes. Sense Motive (1d20+24=43)

<<Sammael's master already has considerable temporal prowess. While handing him the artifact will almost certainly augment his own powers, it's unlikely to make things worse than they already are, as I'm sure he could easily destroy our ancestors without the artifact's power. Furthermore, short of finding a loophole to negate the contractual obligation, there's likely nothing we can do to keep the artifact out of his possession. Any betrayal will be cut short by a swift, untimely death, perhaps even in the middle of planning it. While I highly doubt the Mother of Mysteries will approve of the artifact's ultimate destination, I would much rather have her present to chastise me than simply imagine her displeasure. Besides, the Devil's ultimate master, the Lord of the Second, is evidently highly paranoid. There's a good chance he simply wants the artifact to deny its use to his enemies.>>

[PhaedrusXY]

The imp is as transparent as a clear, still pool to Marlowe's keen instincts. He's quite sure the imp actually has no idea what his master plans to do with the artifact. The imp seems quite puny, despite his obvious magical gifts. You surmise that he is only a very small pawn on a very large chessboard. His impatience is just a cover for his fear. He desperately wants to be away from you, as he fears that at any second your group is likely to be killed horribly somehow, taking him with you if he's around.

[Bozwevial]

<<Do bear in mind, however, that the imp is like most of its kind: Cowardly, arrogant, and a mere pawn. For all of its power, Sammael is completely in the dark about what his masters are planning. I suspect questioning it will prove useless...nothing but bluster. Oh, and he's...worried. He probably thinks that any second we'll explode into a bloody mist, and he doesn't want to be there in case he becomes collateral damage. I suspect he'll grow more flustered the longer we take...possibly something we could use to our advantage.>> Marlowe gives a small, almost predatory smile.

[VennDygrem]

<<Hmm, what did you have in mind? Shall I attempt to call his bluff, perhaps? You've seen that I can be fairly persuasive...>>

[HeadofVecna]

<< What bluff? The fucker's right. We could could all become a thin paste at any moment, just for we're talking to the agent of a major player. I like this deal if the particulars don't screw us. Think about it. We get unlimited wishes, before lifting a finger, just for doing something we're already highly fucking motivated to do. I don't know what the fucke else we could ask for. And the only catch, at least on the face of this shit, is that we gotta hand the object over. Thing is, somebody would probably step on us, real hard, if we tried to hang onto the damn thing. That's whether or not we make a deal with anybody. Its like a farmer running around with RJ's little pig sticker. A bigger fish would just come along and kill him for it. And handing it over infernal nobility ...>> Xuuvosic shrugs mentally, << It would be some funny shit to help the other side win the Blood War. That would piss off our mom... >> X stops suddenly mid-sentence, going into a clear tourette's fit, << Fuckshit motherfucker cum gargling shit lubing baby raper! Fuck did I send that? Damn it Shlushech! You fucking well know ... oh.>>

Not waiting for the fallout from his own psychic seizure, or for Cade's more polished oratory, Xuuvosic addresses the imp. "You're cold? Shit! this is fucking tropical compared to my old crib in Tarterus. Tell you what, the deal you're talking about ain't half bad. But I could throw you a damn site farther than I trust you. If you need signatures on some fucking contract, that's a fucking dealbreaker. But if you wanna shake hands on this shit right now, you've got a deal."

[Agita]

Hold on, Ris-Janna sends, deliberately ignoring the pig-sticker comment, Devils are big on keeping their word, right? What if we just agree to hand it over under the condition it's not used to screw us over, directly or indirectly? There's a pause in the transmission, then she continues, And maybe that I get sent back to whenever I came from. She's been mostly keeping quiet through the entire Deal With The Devil thing, but no matter how little she wants to do with devils and how tempting it is to screw over the Abyss, she wants even less to do with fallout from an improperly worded deal.

[PhaedrusXY]

The imp puts up a facade of looking displeased, but Marlowe is sure that it is quite happy that you seem ready to agree to the bargain, even without a proper document signed on it.

"No signatures, hmm...? Well... with matters of this magnitude, I doubt there are any bindings strong enough to hold either side to the agreements, stronger than fear and enlightened self-interest would, anyway...

Very well, let's shake on it."

The imp stretches his hand towards Xuuvosic.

[VennDygrem]

<<Hold on. Without a document, they might screw us over, as you might say, even more... under the provision that we never agreed not to do something, or what have you. There could be invisible strings attached that they would say were implied, and since they are not laid out properly, we wouldn't ever know. Don't be so quick to simply seal our fates.>>

[HeadofVecna]

<< Trust me, you're better off taking your chances with the kobold, than putting your name on a contract with one of these guys. Unless you're hot to slave away in that city on the Second for motherfucking eternity.  Cade, if you wanna ask our friend Sam to play nice, as part of the damn deal, be my guest. >>

[Kuroimaken]

<<Besides, what doesn't bind them doesn't bind us either. If it turns out they ARE out to screw with us once they have the artifact, we can always claim that their ability to do that wasn't implied in the contract - and request the artifact back. Devils are big on following the letter of the law rather than the spirit, though.>>

[VennDygrem]

<<Very well. Let us proceed, then.>>

[HeadofVecna]

Xuuvosic replies to Cade, but lets the words go out to the rest of the party as well, << No pretty words trying to convince him to be a good little devil? Fine by me. >>

With a slow dramatic gesture, X. wheels an unnaturally long arm around, ready to grasp the imp's little hand.