18.01.2025 - Scribe-5 - Deals with Devils

• Master Sabazios dismisses Coty, and tells us to let him know when we're done
• Bucket asks what will happen if we fail, but the headmaster deflects the question
• Scribes helps Void look for Erin's graduation piece
• We find a painting, that seems like another version of what Void saw in the stariway of he last room
• It has been updated to include meaningful flowers, and other natural symbolism, without any characters involved
• It tells the story of how she and Void met
• Behind the display case, we hear happy gnawing sounds from an animal
• Void tries to slide the display case open, but is reprimanded by the headmaster
• After people graduate, they get invited to showcase their works at the grandest gallery of the nine hells
• The headmaster's work is not shown there yet, and he's angry about it
• Bucket picks a canvas next to Coty
• He paints a scene of a great forest, himself standing in front of the world tree with a golden sword, and the followers (from the Arnini incident) wearing their pins and heading into the forest
• He uses a leaf of the great tree as the gold in the painting
• As he prays to Rillifain on this hallowed ground. Everything shakes slightly, then the headmaster smacks the painting against the wall. "Disgusting. Try again." He will make an exception for Bucket, as long as he stops shaking the cabinets.
• The painting is stuck on the wall now, but unharmed. The edges of the canvas is singed where they touch the wall
• The headmaster reluctantly says that Bucket might pass. Calling him a great artist. He wants to commision Bucket, or storing the painting
• The art that gets shown in the great art gallery is usually not the same as the graduation pieces
• Sylword is concerned about the symbolism that the world tree might burn (cause of the singed edges)
• THe headmaster is offended, and takes the painting to display it with the other graduation pieces
• His fingers are smoking while touching it.
• Bucket pass, he gets a signed parchment as proof. He has to sign it himself
• He is now allowed to look at the other graduation pieces up close
• Sylword tries to stop Bucket from signing
• With the display case now open, Bucket takes the opportunity to ask about the contract. To try to distract the headmaster while Void looks at Erin's painting
• He does badly, so Scribes starts asking about tecnicalities of the contract, to keep the distraction going
• The contract says that Master Sabazios gets the creative essence of Bucket's soul
• While this is going on, Void takes Erin's painting from the display case
• Void fumbles, scuffing the canvas a bit
• The headmaster notices, and demands half of the creative essence of Void's soul (after Sylword bargained)
• Technically, Coty's soul is forfeit because she failed the exam
• He eventually clarifies that Coty signed a very long, detailed contract while she was separated from us. She still has her soul, but she can't leave unless she graduates, and she won't get any more chances
• Sylword tries to read the contract, but gives up after three meetings
• Scribes takes over looking for a loophole
• If the academy doesn't exists, then Coty can't be stuck in it
• Including it shutting down, burning down, etc.
• If the headmaster doesn't exist anymore
• If he's not present for a certain amount of time
• A day or so
• Scribes notifies Sylword of the latter
• Sylword tries to talk to the headmaster, but he doesn't listen to him because he hasn't graduated
• As the headmaster walks away (forgetting about Erin's painting), Sylword tries to get his attention again
• He says this academy is in the shadow of Connla's Well's art studio
• He crit fails
• Void feels Erin's painting emminating goodness
• We discuss how to best prapare for a potential banishment through the Message spell
• The headmaster is working on multiple paintings of E, their titles all mentioning Empusia
• All of them also has a "Rejected" on them
• Bucket notices that the paintings have conjuration magic on them
• Master Sabazios walks towards Coty to kick her out of the room
• Scribes intercepts him
• Sylword Commands him to "Relinquish", but he saves
• Scribes casts Plane Shift, critting her spell attack, but he saves
• He responds with a harsh critique of her spellcasting, giving her -5 to her AC
• From failing such a powerful spell, Scribes mind is hazy and her circuitry is sparking with blue arcane energy
• Bucket Blesses Sylword, Void and Scribes
• Coty Ray of Frosts him, then hides behind the desk
• Void Hexblade curses him, and casts Eldritch Blast
• The headmaster says that be will show us proper art, and summons a wall of easels
• He then walks back to his painting, telling the doggo to deal with us
• A howl frightens Void, as he hears something rushing from behind the showcases
• The dog looks different from when we fought it before, it is now covered in red + orange + yellow paint
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• The dwarf we saved shouts out, as the paint on him lights up. He starts attacking Bucket
• He rages, steps up to Scribes, attacks her, and hamstrings her. Pushing her to the floor. (Disadvantage on next save, -15 ft movement)
• Scribes grabs Sylword's ankle, Dimension Dooring them across the wall of easels, then standing up
• Sylword immediately releases the Command he's been preparing. "RELINQUISH"
• It is Sylword's turn to get harshly critiqued. He now has -5 to all atks and ability checks
• He steps through one of his paintings
• Coty turns into a seagull, and flies over the wall of easels to Scribes and Sylword
• Sylword jumps into the same painting, but comes out of a different one
• He can't get close enough for Banishment, so he animates his knives and orders them to destroy the teleportation paintings
• One painting gets destroyed. Master Sabazios seems to burn as a reaction
• Void Eldritch Blast's him, but only one of them hits
• However, that one is enough to break his concentration on the easels
• Sabazios spends his turn relinquishing his contract with Coty
• Scribes uses prestidigitation to clean the paint off of the dwarf. He regains his senses
• Bucket knocks out the doggo, non-lethaly
• Coty casts Heal on Scribes
• Sylword slashes up another painting
• Causing ice to partially cover Sabazios' body
• He then rushes up to Sabazios
• The headmaster tries to cast magic on Sylword, but he saves
• Void Eldritch Blast's him again. He's looking rough now
• Sabazios flees into the painting again, before lobbing paint at Bucket and Sylword (Void saves)
• Sylword loses his concentration on the knives
• The headmaster sighs in relief "Oh thank god. That was close"
• Flying paint brushes paint on Thorin and Scribes.
• Everyone covered in paint has to save against mind control. Bucket and Thorin fails
• Thorin attacks Scribes, pushing her to the ground
• Bucket attacks Void, but his Armor of Hexes, causes the attack to miss
• Spectral tendrils wrap around Bucket's arms, stopping his momentum mid swing
• Scribes takes another two hits, while prone. And is hamstrung again
• She gets up and casts fireball (Lightning, 6th lvl) at Sebazios (and the painting next to him)
• It looks exactly like the sparks flying out of her circuitry
• Master Sabazios evaporates into nothing from the explosion of lightning
• As he disappears, the door to the headmaster's office opens up
• A butler is standing with food and drinks inside
• He is dressed in completely black and white
• "The mistress bids you welcome into her gallery"
• He suggest we eat and rest, to ready ourselves to be baffled
• Sylword runs over to Scribes

Plan

Wash the paint off of Thorin and the doggo (New animal companion??!?!?!)

Look for clues about Void's sister, and a way to stop his tattoo from taking over

Enter the room with the butler -> Direct access to Hell

Save the last dwarf that we accidentially sent to Hell (Bucket's honor depends on it)  

(Was the invisible cat scrather for Mamon ????)

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Sylword can cast Locate Object on the knife that was left on the other side of the Lorladon portal.  

Scribes needs to read up on what pranks are, and think of one to prank Sylword and Bucket back. Since they told her to.  

Learn the new spells: Aquired but unlearned spells  

Scribes needs to talk to Coty about what happened with Lorladon (Coty wants to assemble her voodoo dolls first)

We should turn Custodian Auren over to the Path of Hill, claiming that we held him while we investigated his crime of impersonating the Emperor