Game Thread, Chapter 2: Down the Rabbit Hole

[PhaedrusXY]

The imp eagerly grabs Xuuvosic's hand, and while bobbing up and down from shaking it vigorously, says "Great! I'm glad we could reach an accord quickly! I'm used to dealing with creatures that are a bit more... circumspect... in their bargaining...

Now we can move on to the next phase, which is you telling me what you want!"

So at this point, you guys can pad your stats with +5 inherent bonuses, and equip yourselves with items worth up to 15k. Welcome to the Wish economy! We'll see how this goes, now. I've always been interested in trying it out.

As the demon and devil shake hands, you all can see an enormous arc of dazzling energy jab upwards from what you presume must be the ruins of Myth Drannor. The greenish color gives away the fact that it isn't typical lightning, and reminds you of the chaos and magical instability of the place you must visit next, not to mention what kinds of creatures might be lurking there.

[PhaedrusXY]

As you finish equipping yourselves with your new schwag, the imp says "And another thing: Don't summon me if you're in the middle of a fight, or even about to be in one! I won't come! I'm an arms dealer, not a warrior, nor am I tactical support! Got it? And don't think I won't know, either. I will know!"

Now, is there anything else I can do for you folks? Or can I finally go thaw my wingtips?

[Kuroimaken]

"Make us some cocoa." Raoul suggests. His tone sounds dead serious, and so does his face.

[PhaedrusXY]

The imp shakes his head, and says "Very well." And a table with several steaming mugs appears on it. The aroma of chocolate fills the air.

[VennDygrem]

"I'll trust the gear well enough, though I'm not sure I yet trust any food produced by this devil. Raoul never specified that the cocoa not have poison mixed in, for instance." The monk looks upon the beverages, suspicious despite the inviting aroma.

[PhaedrusXY]

The imp remains curiously silent.

[Kuroimaken]

"That's what poison immunity is for." Raoul shrugs. "Cade, would you mind?" he teased back.

[HeadofVecna]

Xuuvosic grabs a mug in one of his over-sized tentacle hands and sips, "I think we're already in for more than a fucking pound. Sammy, you've already set it up so that you'll remember the deal in the past, right? If that's taken care of, does anybody have shit to do before last minute buffs?"

[Kuroimaken]

"Don't think so. I suppose I could organize my new toys so they're easily accessible, but that doesn't take much time."

[PhaedrusXY]

"Ooooh, thanks for reminding me about that. No, I haven't, but I have this note that you can show me then." He holds out a rolled parchment. It looks like its scribed on human skin, which doesn't exactly surprise any of you.

It is an order from his master in infernal to provide you with whatever aid you need that is within his power.

I knew I was forgetting something.

[Agita]

"You can make people more powerful and create magic items and alter reality and whatnot, but you can't make yourself remember basic stuff like that?" Picking up a cup of cocoa, Ris-Janna suspiciously sniffs at the steam. "Is this some kind of stuff from the future? Or present, or whatever." Taking a sip, she of course doesn't mention that it's delicious. "Anyway, nothing to do for me. Let's murder some relatives."

Fro the record, she means 'relatives' in the sense that they're all demons, even knowing that two demons with no familial ties have less in common that two humans with no familial ties. She's not metagaming X's secret.
Of course, he might well think that.

[Bozwevial]

"And how will we be approaching Myth Drannor? By foot, or will we be further prolonging our friend's stay on the Prime?" An uncharacteristic, almost predatory smile appears on Marlowe's face.

Do we still have the carpet? Or whatever it was?

[PhaedrusXY]

Do we still have the carpet? Or whatever it was?

You traded the carpet for a stagecoach. And yes, you do. I should (re)post the stats of that in the house rules thread, or something, unless one of you has a link in your equipment or something...

The imp says dismissively "How could I remember something that I'd never known? You're going into the past. You'll not have met me yet there. That letter though... that's timeless... just like my Master."

[HeadofVecna]

Xuuvosic gives Marlowe a look like the man had just set his own head on fire, "By foot? Bitch please! I don't go anywhere on foot. The coach is OK, if you think that this side of the gate will be too fucking dangerous to approach by the normal 'pit and port' method. But we need to talk strategy before we even get close to the damn thing. Might as well eat while we figure this shit out."

The choker pulls a large horn out of storage, and, after fiddling with it for several minutes, blows on it. A large table bedecked with a sumptuous meal appears. "Dig in. Its good for you and shit. So stealth in and port away as soon as we get to the other side? Go in all balls to the fucking wall? What do you motherfuckers think? Oh, and bitches ..." He says the last turning to his minions, "Looks like those workers ain't so useful anymore, they're on the menu. Sammy, you can have some human too, but I need your ass to stick around a bit longer, sorry." Xuuvosic doesn't look very sorry, as he tears off the leg of a suckling pig and starts devouring.

The meal is a Heroes' Feast from a Horn of Plenty, part of the new morning routine. 

[Bozwevial]

"Call me prejudiced, but I believe stealth is the best option. The fewer things we have to fight, the fewer resources we have to expend. I'm sure Ris-Janna will agree." Marlowe inspects the pig dubiously, eyeing the apple in its mouth before taking a small portion. "Though it is nice to vary our approach from time to time."

[Kuroimaken]

"It all depends on where the portal will drop us, for starters. We also need to account for each of our whereabouts at the time, for those of us who did get involved." Raoul comments first. And then reaches for the apple.

[PhaedrusXY]

Sammy shrugs, and flies into the pit with Xuuvosic's minions. The sounds coming from it would be truly horrifying for most mortals.

[VennDygrem]

Cade ignores the sounds, though they are still disturbing. He sits down and partakes of the feast, despite the fact that he doesn't require the sustenance.

"So, speaking of plans, perhaps it would be best for us to go over what little we've got so far. Then we can build upon it from there."

Cade sticks mainly to 'clean' foods, attempting not to create a mess. The ways he and Xuuvosic eat could hardly be more different.

THP Cade gains from heroes' feast: 1d8(5)+6=11

[HeadofVecna]

"We've got shit so far. Xuuvosic grins in his customary unsettling fashion. "The Gate's gonna lead to a big fucking battle that happened just before the ... package disappeared. Here's the rub, there's a good chance that the package will be at the battle. So we could go back and sneak away, then try to find the damn thing elsewhere. But if it is/was at the battle we'd have to go back through the fucking gate a second time to get it. Or we can try to wade, from the get go, through one of the biggest fights in the history of the multiverse to grab the thing that everyone is fighting over. Either way is pretty fucked."

[Kuroimaken]

"There's a good chance the package is lost either in the battle itself or shortly thereafter. And we cannot afford to go through the gate twice, lest we risk temporal fallout. There's a good chance it may be with my former commander or his superior officer, but then it becomes a matter of convincing whoever holds it to hand it to us in the midst of one of the fiercest battles in multiverse history. Trying to make our way through directly is out of the question, but not all of us are capable of stealth. And as I said before... we cannot come close to ourselves within the same temporal span. We need to first ascertain that won't happen, so it comes to us sending an advance party."