Chapter 3-21 - The Council Meeting
After everyone had reconvened at the safe house, the main room was a babble of overlapping chatter as excited resistance members quizzed the recon teams for details,
“Enough” Etgar’s voice rang out over the hubbub, “Quiet down and let the teams report in”
The room settled down, and the two teams reported in. A hush fell over the table as everyone digested the information,
“Ok. Juliana, you say the council meeting will take place in a sealed room at the top of the tower. No access point other than direct teleportation? What do you and Ramas recommend?”
“If I bring Alper with me, we could act in gestalt and hide the explosives inside the main dias - that way it’ll be directly beneath their feet. There’s no way we can miss.” Juliana responded
“We can use the skylight to watch and make sure they’re all in place before we detonate” Ramas added.
“Is there a vantage point from one of the surrounding towers?” Morth asked
“No, nothing looks up high enough. I could get a clean shot from the building I was on, but I couldn’t see in” Miaug responded
“What about a birds eye view” Ryoko suggested with a smile, then quickly slipped into her sparrow form. The rest of the team laughed and gave her a round of applause,
“Perfect. We’ve got our eyes” Etgar nodded approvingly, “So how do we get our team in with the explosives? You said we were questioned a few times on the way up. If they’re hosting the meeting, there’s no way you’ll get away without scrutiny, and the explosives aren’t exactly subtle”
“If you can describe a room to me, I can teleport us inside” Clootie offered
“Excellent” Etgar offered a rare smile, “We might actually manage this. Ok - three teams. Miaug, Tanika, Ryoko you set up on your rooftop. You’re in charge of observation and the detonator. Once Ryoko confirms the target, you take the shot. Then Ryoko can do another flyby and check there are no survivors.
Juliana, Morth, Ramas, you sneak in and up to a meeting point in the building. Clootie, Alper, you teleport in with the bombs. Get in the Council Chamber and set the bombs, and then get clear and wait. Aetilius, do you think you can fly with Arina and Letho? You’ll be the cleanup crew if any of the Grandmasters survive. The rest of you, I need you to start by clearing out the square of civilians. We don’t want anyone getting hurt. And ensure we have escape routes in place for the teams. At least three different routes. Do we have a plan?”
A murmur of assent rumbled around the table. “Good. Now everyone get some rest. Tomorrow might be the biggest day of our lives”
Before they went to bed, Aurora grabbed Miaug by the shoulder,
"Miaug, can I speak to you outside for a moment?"
“Sure. What’s wrong?”
“Just follow me”
Aurora led Miaug outside, and at her request the two Tabaxi sat down in the long scrub grass on the side of the hill. Eleach shone brightly overhead, decorated the still landscape with a delicate silvery sheen. Aurora looked over at Miaug, her eyes serious and strangely sad,
"You and your friends have been fine allies to us. There's a good chance we may all die tonight, and I don't want to pass beyond the Veil without telling you the truth about your parents. I owe you, and them, as much."
“You knew my parents?” Miaug was stunned. Aurora nodded solemnly,
"What do you know about your parents after they left Verani?"
“Not much. I know they were attacked by Quaggoths, and that the escaped to the Andidean”
"After they escaped the Quaggoth, I was sent to apprehend them. I tracked them to Leilon, where they and a mysterious third Tabaxi had chartered a ship across to Southmarch. I followed their trail to Duhn Turais. I managed to barter for information and was pointed towards the Keltish Woods. Before I got there, your parents ambushed me. They didn't hurt me, but they took me captive and they explained their situation to me. They explained that Storm had become pregnant. If the Verani had found out, they would have killed you. They explained everything they had learned about the Verani Council, and the peoples about the Empire. I gradually came to understand their perspective. They gave me the chance to think for myself. They told me of their intention to return home to Verani and to destroy the Council. I agreed to join them. On the journey back we became fast friends - my first true friends actually. When we arrived home, we found the People’s Resistance and joined them.
But Storm and Stream were both wanted fugitives, they were unable to enter the city and couldn't risk being seen. Meanwhile, I was still an official agent of the Council, but I couldn't return empty handed. They decided that having a mole inside the government would be invaluable, so they persuaded me that I had to turn them in, to cement my cover and ensure I could properly aid the Resistance.
So I did it. I turned my best friends, your parents, over to the Council. They were executed. It's my fault - I'm responsible for your parent's death. I understand if you cannot forgive me - but the people here are not at fault. They stand for the cause your parents died for, and they need your help. I'm begging you - don't desert them"
Miaug sat quietly for a moment, as she struggled to parse this new information. After a long moment of silence, she put her hand on Aurora’s shoulder,
“I don’t blame you. I blame them” she nodded her head in the direction of the towering spire in the centre of the city,
“Let’s kill them”
Just before they settled down to bed, the party sat down around the table to share Ramas’s brandy. A final moment of camaraderie before tomorrow arrived. Ryoko downed her drink and raised an eyebrow at Ramas,
“So are you gonna tell us what happened to your arm?”
“My arm?” Ramas feigned ignorance, “What about it?”
“Why’s it all black and veiny” Ryoko was not amused
“Oh, that! I guess I should introduce you.”
As they watched, the onyx flesh of Ramas’s arm seemed to slough off like a thick greasy sludge; forming into a thick vine-like tendril. The tendril twisted up sinuously above the edge of the table, forming a large bulb-like appendage at the end of its length. The bulb opened, revealing a bright green eye with a single vertical slit which scanned the group. Clootie could feel malevolence in that cold green gaze. A sibilant female voice emanated from the tendril,
“Good evening mortals. I am Volux. I was once the Consort of Stygia; Queen of Shadows; Lady of Torment. For aeons I danced to a symphony of agony, performed by my vast choir of the hopeless. Then I was betrayed and chained here in this putrid realm. I have been without music for so long, I can feel my soul petrifying. Then your friend Ramas here was kind enough to release me from my chains. In exchange, I have agreed to allow him to continue to host me, for the moment, until he fulfills his side of our bargain and furnishes me with a new body. At which point, I will return home and exact my vengeance on those who failed me. So until then, we are allies.”
Clootie looked skeptical, but a thought crossed Ramas’s mind as he thought back to the Tower of the Pen,
“Volux, if you’re an ancient master Devil, how come you speak Common?”
“Your mortal languages are incredibly simplistic. I can understand and communicate in all your petty mortal tongues” her tone dripped with condescension,
“So does that mean you could act as a translator for me, if we were to run into anyone in the tower tomorrow”
“I am not some sort of puerile performing monkey” Volux snapped back angrily,
“Ok, ok. I’m sorry” Ramas apologised. Volux settled back, seemingly placated,
“With that as a baseline understanding… Yes, I could easily translate for you, if I deem it necessary.”
The wind whistled across the exposed roof of the Order of the Pen tower and Miaug, Ryoko and Tanika scrambled about on the narrow ledge outside the Council Chamber skylight. They had positioned two explosives on opposite sides of the skylight support structure. When detonated, the entire skylight should fall in on the top of the Council Table.
Tanika ran a hand through her shock of untidy brown hear, pushing wayward strands from her face as she completed a final check of the explosives. Satisfied, she stood up and nodded an affirmative to Ryoko and Miaug. The Tabaxi lifted her Stormbow and pulled her Blink Arrow out of her quiver. A perfect shot, the arrow sliced through the howling winds and struck the roof of one of the nearby buildings. In a burst of blue energy, Miaug appeared at the point of impact and waved back to her companions. Ryoko shifted into her Urkhan Vhar form, and coiled around the slender Verani. With a rush of air, they teleported over beside the Taxabi. The outer explosives were set. Satisfied, Ryoko bounded towards the low wall surrounding the roof, and leapt over it into the void. She seemed to hang motionless for a moment. Just before gravity could reassert its hold and drag her to the ground, her form once again became fluid and the huge black tiger was replaced with a delicate swallow. She fluttered off until she found a thermal, which she rode to a high enough altitude that she could circle around the top of the tower and keep an eye on the Council Chamber.
Clootie’s Dimension Door opened into the chamber on the 15th floor that Ramas and Juliana had previously scouted. She breathed a sigh of relief. The room was still empty, except for Ramas, Alper and Juliana, all sitting nonchalantly lounging around the room, decked out in Order of the Pen finery. She waved; then Morth and her both leapt through the crackling portal, each loaded with two explosive packages. Juliana, Alper and Morth linked hands, combining their stoneshaping magic to open a hole through the ceiling into the Council Chamber. Ramas hoisted Clootie and her payload up into the Council Chamber, then assisted the rest.
The combined magic of the three Verani quickly tunneled into the platform beneath the Council Table. Clootie stashed the explosives inside and Ramas tossed in one of Karo Gems; then they sealed the tunnel back up. The group slipped silently back down into the chamber below, and closed the ceiling up. The whole operation took less than a minute,
“Bombs set” Ramas whispered into his dagger,
“Roger. All set on the roof. Get clear” Miaug responded.
With a rush of air, Aetilius cleared the edge of the roof next to Miaug’s observation position, Letho and Arina tucked under each arm. Letho looked comfortable, but the little dwarf had her eyes squeezed firmly shut, and her knuckles were white where they gripped tightly to the big Tiefling’s upper arm. Quickly finding his balance with natural elven grace, Letho hopped up beside Miaug,
“The rest of the Resistance are in position around the square. They should be able to clear out most of the civilians when we need them to. We just need to give them a signal.”
Ramas leaned over with a twinkle in his eye,
“The signal is Teabag”
Hours passed. Ryoko continued to circle above the Tower of the Pen, her keen eyes straining to pick out any hint of movement beneath the vast crystal skylight. She was beginning to feel the strain of maintaining her wildshape. Like a dull but insistent tension, almost like restless legs, deep within muscles that longed to return to their own shape. She was starting to worry that they had been discovered, and at any moment a handful of those many armed, faceless monsters that had destroyed the Resistance’s villa would appear on the horizon. Then she saw it. A brief flash of silvery light in the council chamber. Immediately she dived closer to get a better view. A crackling wound opened in the air above one of the arcane symbols inside the meeting room. Argent lightning arced out between the amorphous void and the pattern, anchoring it in place while reality itself strained to expel it. Through the void stepped a tall thin man with flowing white hair, dressed in a lustrous violet robe. He was flanked on either side by four men, their features identical, all bald and dressed in similar robes, black with deep purple streaks. The first man gestured to the corners of the room, and the others took up positions beside each of the teleportation sigils. The first figure then strode up the stairs to the raised dias, and took his place on the amethyst chair.
Ryoko dove down and spiralled twice around Miaug’s position. The Tabaxi nodded her understanding, and the signal was quickly circulated among the Resistance member to clear the square.
Gradually, other portals opened over the sigils, and through each of them came more figures. The first to arrive, a short man dressed in a robe so black it almost seemed to absorb the light, was accompanied by a tall, emaciated looking companion in a simple brown robe. The lead figure noded at the man in violet, who took a seat on the onyx chair while his companion took up a position standing behind the chair.
The next two arrived almost simultaneously: a beautiful dark haired woman in a shimmering verdant gown, and a short fat man in a gaudy suit of gold. Each was accompanied by two other figures, dressed in black robes rimmed with either green or yellow respectively. The lead figure took their seats at the emerald and gold chairs respectively, their companions falling in behind.
Over the next few minutes, other parties arrive through the sigils. A well built, bearded man in sapphire armour; a blonde woman in a low cut crimson dress; and a figure in a bright orange robe with a voluminous hood which fully obscured their face. Each wizard was accompanied by two other figures. After each wizard took their seat at the table, their companions took their place behind their leader.
Only the pearl chair remained empty. After a few minutes of hesitation, the amethyst robed figure signalled to his entourage, who left their positions next to the sigils and came up the dias to join him. Unable to hear any of what happened inside the chamber, Ryoko could only guess as to what was transpiring. It was clear the amethyst figure was speaking now. Others nodded, while others of the group seemed to respond. It looked to Ryoko as though they had started bickering and talking over one another. She guessed that meant the Council Meeting had started. She flew back over to Miaug’s position to report.
From their hidden position on the eleventh floor; in the same room Ramas had first encountered Volux; Clootie and her team waited anxiously on the signal from Miaug’s team. Ramas hovered by the door, clutching his dagger in case any unsuspecting Verani Adepts were to accidentally stumble on their position. He jumped as a voice rang out from the blade,
“The Council is there. Detonate in thirty seconds” Miaug whispered crisply
Morth immediately began to count down out loud, holding the detonator firmly. Clootie raised her arms and a small dome of golden energy sprang into existence over them.
A sudden thunderous roar shattered the quiet afternoon. The top two floors of the tower erupted in a terrifying blossom of flame. A shockwave exploded from the tower, scattering shards of crystal across the square. Clouds of thick black smoke curled up from the jagged, ruined hole in the top of the tower, and flames danced around the edges like an open wound.
Ryoko spiralled lower. Inside, the meeting chamber was carnage. Twisted chunks of scorched crystal jutted upwards from the floor where the dais had exploded. Charred and twisted bodies had been scattered throughout the chamber, and lay slumped against the walls where they were thrown by the force of the blast. Through the heat haze and the smoke Ryoko spotted movement. Survivors. She wheeled back across to Miaug to inform the rest of the group. Miaug grabbed the ruby,
“There are survivors. Cleanup crew - you’re up”
Clootie dispelled her protective dome, and the group raced back upstairs to the 15th floor. Juliana and Morth didn’t need to use their magic, the explosion had torn a huge ragged hole between the 15th floor and the Council Chamber. They scrambled up through the rubble and took in the devastation. They pressed through the smoke, picking their way across the debris that littered the floor. Ramas spotted two figures slumped and barely mobile, coughing in the smoke. The man in sapphire crystal armour was unable to fully slump, as an uneven shard of amethyst crystal protruded from the middle of his chest, pinning him to the wall. To his left, one of his companions, a young looking man with soot stained red hair, rested with his back against the wall. Both of his legs were twisted backwards on themselves.
The impaled figure looked at the figures emerging from the smoke, his bright blue eyes shining. He coughed up a thick sludge of dark blood, which dripped slowly down his chin, and he locked eyes with Ramas,
"None of the previous revolutions were so… messy" he gasped, choking slightly on thick clots,
"And bringing in outsiders? That’s bad form. Not that it matters. This is all still part of the plan"
The man started to chuckle quietly. His companion, visibly confused by his mentor’s words, but buoyed by his apparent lack of fear, bared blood-stained teeth in a fierce defiant grin.
Suddenly the sapphire armoured man's eyes bulged and his laughter stopped abruptly. The middle of his face seemed to strain forward, visibly protruding from his skull. With a grotesque tearing sound, the middle of his face split open, curling outward like the petals of some horrifying, gore-soaked flower. The flesh of his skull peeled backwards, revealing a pulsating mass of deep crimson tissue. Two twisted reptilian claws curled around the tattered remains of the man's skull, pulling the creature out of the blood soaked cavity. The creature was around the size of a small dog, and looked for all the world like a dull crimson brain, with four reptile-like claws and a thin segmented tail that whipped back and forth sinuously, topped with a barbed stinger.
The man's companion's grin quickly turned into a grimace of horror, and he let out a breathless shriek. A creature’s tail whipped out, striking the terrified man through his right eye and silenced his screams. The creature then leapt off the corpse and skittered along the ruined wall like a spider, disappearing into the smoke. Ramas held up his dagger to his face,
“Erm… I think we might need some help here.”
Aetilius grabbed Letho and Arina again. Arina squeezed her eyes shut and dug her fingernails into Aetilius’ bicep as they launched back into the air. Ryoko dropped from the sky like a thunderbolt, and landed on Tanika’s shoulder. Then with a rush of air they teleported over to the jagged edge of the destroyed skylight. Ryoko’s tiny sparrow form shifted until a large shadow tiger curled around Tanika on the edge of the skylight. Miaug fired her Blink Arrow in a perfect parabolic arc. The Tabaxi materialised in a swirl of blue energy on skylight directly beside Ryoko and Tanika.
Aetilius and his two passengers landed next to Clootie and Ramas’s team as the smoke began to thin slightly. The blast had been brutally effective, bodies were scattered amongst chunks of stone rubble. Arina’s trained eyes swept around the scene. At least six more of the bodies, the ones in the ornate robes, all appeared to be in the same condition as the one in the sapphire armour; skull torn open to reveal an empty cavity. She tensed at a sudden skittering sound behind her. Alper let out a startled cry as something leapt out of the smoke onto his back. He started to convulse, his eyes rolling up into his head as he fell to the floor. Clootie caught a glimpse of another of the creatures pulling its tail stinger out of Alper’s neck and disappearing back into the smoke. The rest of the group formed a circle, back to back; and Aetilius beat his wings to try and disperse the last of the smoke. Arina caught a glimpse of movement behind a pile of rubble and instantly reacted. Her eyes flashed with golden light, echoed by a similar flash of light from her amulet. A large hammer appeared in the air above the rubble, a manifestation of pure golden light. The hammer swung downwards, smashing into the rock and sending chunks of debris in all directions.
Clootie scanned the scene, looking for any signs of movement. Lightning crackled along Kulog’s surface as she spun it around her wrist. Ryoko spotted movement crawling along the wall towards Alper’s slumped form. He raised his arm, about to cast a Fire Bolt; but Volux reacted to his intention. The flesh of his arm split along the centre, and a pulse of vibrant green energy raced along the split like a crackling neon comet. It struck the creature, knocking it off the wall and tearing a chunk out of the stonework. He grinned and looked down at his arm appreciatively.
From her vantage point on top of the ruined skylight, Ryoko saw another creature sneaking up on Ramas. She pressed against Tanika and leapt forwards, using her Blink totem to teleport down beside the half-elf, dropping Tanika on the ground. She spun around and sprang off the wall directly at Ramas. She dissipated into a cloud of dark mist, passing directly through the shocked half-elf, then coalesced back into her Urkan Vhar form just behind him, in time to snap her jaws around the creature as it leapt through the air at her friend. She clamped down, feeling flesh begin yield beneath her teeth, then abruptly the resistance was gone as the creature instinctively teleported to safety.
Another creature leapt from the top of the shattered wall, landing on top of Morth. He flailed wildly, trying to throw the creature off. It’s scythe-like reptilian foreclaws raked across the flesh of his back, leaving deep wounds welling with blood. It’s tail whipped out, the stinger seeking the back of his neck, but he managed to flick it aside with an arm just before it struck flesh.
Another creature scrambled across the rubble beside Letho, landing on the side of his ribcage. It’s stinger flashed out, seeking a gap in his armour. Frustrated it swiped at him with it’s claws, but Letho threw himself into a roll, knocking the creature loose. It disappeared in a cloud of silvery light. Aetilius summoned his mythal axe, then hurled it towards Morth. The argent blade spun through the air like a discus, neatly bisecting the creature clinging to Morth.
Miaug slipped an arrow out of her quiver and drew it on her Stormbow. She felt the release of energy, like a sigh, as power drained from the gauntlet into the arrow’s shaft. Arina unsheathed her shortsword and with the tip of the blade she began to scribe a circle on the ground. Tanika and Morth, recognising the magic, both fell back to protect her. Arina channeled divine energy into the circle she had etched, and a glowing cylindrical barrier sprung into existence. At Arina’s urging, the party regrouped inside the circle. They took a brief moment to catch their breath, then everyone readied their weapons awaiting the next assault.
It didn’t take long. One of the creatures appeared atop the rubble next to Morth, and whipped its tail towards him. The stinger struck the surface of the barrier with a faint sizzling sound. Ryoko reacted immediately, Shadow Leaping forwards and tearing the creature in half with her steel-like jaws. Another creature appeared behind her, ready to take advantage of her momentary distraction, but Miaug loosed her arrow from her position atop the skylight. It struck the creature like a bolt of lightning, filling the air with the scent of ozone and burned flesh. Ramas spotted a third creature crawling up the underside of the roof towards Miaug’s vantage point. He loosed another blast of green energy from Volux, striking the creature and incinerating it. Unperturbed, Miaug loosed another charged arrow, it struck it’s target and discharged with another sharp crack.
Aetilius looked around, scanning the scene. As he turned, he noticed Tanika staring straight ahead blankly. Looking down, he realised that she had stepped outside the protection of the circle. He scrambled along the rubble to get behind her. Sure enough, one of the creatures clung firmly to her back. He noticed a thick fleshy tendril emerged from its frontal lobe and pressed into the nape of her neck. He channelled the mythal along his blade and teleported across the gap. His axe dug into the creature’s flesh, then a final pulse of energy from the blade split the creature in half. Both halves fell to the ground with a wet thud.
Arina examined Tanika, trying to snap her out of her trance, but the Verani was completely unresponsive. Miaug did a quick tally in her head. That was all seven creatures accounted for, assuming each Grandmaster had contained one. None of their apprentices had seemed to be host to the creatures. Satisfied, she climbed down from the skylight and rejoined the rest of the party. Just then, sirens began to howl. Juliana looked afraid,
“That’s the alarm. The Exalted will be here soon. We need to run”
The party was able to escape the tower largely unnoticed in the chaos of the evacuation. Arina and Morth both supported Tanika, who remained catatonic. Outside the tower, Colton and Jenet quickly grabbed them and guided them away from the mass of people. They shepherded them into an open sewer hatch hidden in some bushes at the side of the square, one of the escape routes Etgar and his people had prepared. Once the party were safely in the sewers, Colton and Jenet slammed the hatch closed and began to rearrange the bushes to hide any hint of disturbance.
Next: Chapter 3-22 - Verani Sewers
Previous: Chapter 3-20 - The Order of the Pen
“Enough” Etgar’s voice rang out over the hubbub, “Quiet down and let the teams report in”
The room settled down, and the two teams reported in. A hush fell over the table as everyone digested the information,
“Ok. Juliana, you say the council meeting will take place in a sealed room at the top of the tower. No access point other than direct teleportation? What do you and Ramas recommend?”
“If I bring Alper with me, we could act in gestalt and hide the explosives inside the main dias - that way it’ll be directly beneath their feet. There’s no way we can miss.” Juliana responded
“We can use the skylight to watch and make sure they’re all in place before we detonate” Ramas added.
“Is there a vantage point from one of the surrounding towers?” Morth asked
“No, nothing looks up high enough. I could get a clean shot from the building I was on, but I couldn’t see in” Miaug responded
“What about a birds eye view” Ryoko suggested with a smile, then quickly slipped into her sparrow form. The rest of the team laughed and gave her a round of applause,
“Perfect. We’ve got our eyes” Etgar nodded approvingly, “So how do we get our team in with the explosives? You said we were questioned a few times on the way up. If they’re hosting the meeting, there’s no way you’ll get away without scrutiny, and the explosives aren’t exactly subtle”
“If you can describe a room to me, I can teleport us inside” Clootie offered
“Excellent” Etgar offered a rare smile, “We might actually manage this. Ok - three teams. Miaug, Tanika, Ryoko you set up on your rooftop. You’re in charge of observation and the detonator. Once Ryoko confirms the target, you take the shot. Then Ryoko can do another flyby and check there are no survivors.
Juliana, Morth, Ramas, you sneak in and up to a meeting point in the building. Clootie, Alper, you teleport in with the bombs. Get in the Council Chamber and set the bombs, and then get clear and wait. Aetilius, do you think you can fly with Arina and Letho? You’ll be the cleanup crew if any of the Grandmasters survive. The rest of you, I need you to start by clearing out the square of civilians. We don’t want anyone getting hurt. And ensure we have escape routes in place for the teams. At least three different routes. Do we have a plan?”
A murmur of assent rumbled around the table. “Good. Now everyone get some rest. Tomorrow might be the biggest day of our lives”
Before they went to bed, Aurora grabbed Miaug by the shoulder,
"Miaug, can I speak to you outside for a moment?"
“Sure. What’s wrong?”
“Just follow me”
Aurora led Miaug outside, and at her request the two Tabaxi sat down in the long scrub grass on the side of the hill. Eleach shone brightly overhead, decorated the still landscape with a delicate silvery sheen. Aurora looked over at Miaug, her eyes serious and strangely sad,
"You and your friends have been fine allies to us. There's a good chance we may all die tonight, and I don't want to pass beyond the Veil without telling you the truth about your parents. I owe you, and them, as much."
“You knew my parents?” Miaug was stunned. Aurora nodded solemnly,
"What do you know about your parents after they left Verani?"
“Not much. I know they were attacked by Quaggoths, and that the escaped to the Andidean”
"After they escaped the Quaggoth, I was sent to apprehend them. I tracked them to Leilon, where they and a mysterious third Tabaxi had chartered a ship across to Southmarch. I followed their trail to Duhn Turais. I managed to barter for information and was pointed towards the Keltish Woods. Before I got there, your parents ambushed me. They didn't hurt me, but they took me captive and they explained their situation to me. They explained that Storm had become pregnant. If the Verani had found out, they would have killed you. They explained everything they had learned about the Verani Council, and the peoples about the Empire. I gradually came to understand their perspective. They gave me the chance to think for myself. They told me of their intention to return home to Verani and to destroy the Council. I agreed to join them. On the journey back we became fast friends - my first true friends actually. When we arrived home, we found the People’s Resistance and joined them.
But Storm and Stream were both wanted fugitives, they were unable to enter the city and couldn't risk being seen. Meanwhile, I was still an official agent of the Council, but I couldn't return empty handed. They decided that having a mole inside the government would be invaluable, so they persuaded me that I had to turn them in, to cement my cover and ensure I could properly aid the Resistance.
So I did it. I turned my best friends, your parents, over to the Council. They were executed. It's my fault - I'm responsible for your parent's death. I understand if you cannot forgive me - but the people here are not at fault. They stand for the cause your parents died for, and they need your help. I'm begging you - don't desert them"
Miaug sat quietly for a moment, as she struggled to parse this new information. After a long moment of silence, she put her hand on Aurora’s shoulder,
“I don’t blame you. I blame them” she nodded her head in the direction of the towering spire in the centre of the city,
“Let’s kill them”
Just before they settled down to bed, the party sat down around the table to share Ramas’s brandy. A final moment of camaraderie before tomorrow arrived. Ryoko downed her drink and raised an eyebrow at Ramas,
“So are you gonna tell us what happened to your arm?”
“My arm?” Ramas feigned ignorance, “What about it?”
“Why’s it all black and veiny” Ryoko was not amused
“Oh, that! I guess I should introduce you.”
As they watched, the onyx flesh of Ramas’s arm seemed to slough off like a thick greasy sludge; forming into a thick vine-like tendril. The tendril twisted up sinuously above the edge of the table, forming a large bulb-like appendage at the end of its length. The bulb opened, revealing a bright green eye with a single vertical slit which scanned the group. Clootie could feel malevolence in that cold green gaze. A sibilant female voice emanated from the tendril,
“Good evening mortals. I am Volux. I was once the Consort of Stygia; Queen of Shadows; Lady of Torment. For aeons I danced to a symphony of agony, performed by my vast choir of the hopeless. Then I was betrayed and chained here in this putrid realm. I have been without music for so long, I can feel my soul petrifying. Then your friend Ramas here was kind enough to release me from my chains. In exchange, I have agreed to allow him to continue to host me, for the moment, until he fulfills his side of our bargain and furnishes me with a new body. At which point, I will return home and exact my vengeance on those who failed me. So until then, we are allies.”
Clootie looked skeptical, but a thought crossed Ramas’s mind as he thought back to the Tower of the Pen,
“Volux, if you’re an ancient master Devil, how come you speak Common?”
“Your mortal languages are incredibly simplistic. I can understand and communicate in all your petty mortal tongues” her tone dripped with condescension,
“So does that mean you could act as a translator for me, if we were to run into anyone in the tower tomorrow”
“I am not some sort of puerile performing monkey” Volux snapped back angrily,
“Ok, ok. I’m sorry” Ramas apologised. Volux settled back, seemingly placated,
“With that as a baseline understanding… Yes, I could easily translate for you, if I deem it necessary.”
The wind whistled across the exposed roof of the Order of the Pen tower and Miaug, Ryoko and Tanika scrambled about on the narrow ledge outside the Council Chamber skylight. They had positioned two explosives on opposite sides of the skylight support structure. When detonated, the entire skylight should fall in on the top of the Council Table.
Tanika ran a hand through her shock of untidy brown hear, pushing wayward strands from her face as she completed a final check of the explosives. Satisfied, she stood up and nodded an affirmative to Ryoko and Miaug. The Tabaxi lifted her Stormbow and pulled her Blink Arrow out of her quiver. A perfect shot, the arrow sliced through the howling winds and struck the roof of one of the nearby buildings. In a burst of blue energy, Miaug appeared at the point of impact and waved back to her companions. Ryoko shifted into her Urkhan Vhar form, and coiled around the slender Verani. With a rush of air, they teleported over beside the Taxabi. The outer explosives were set. Satisfied, Ryoko bounded towards the low wall surrounding the roof, and leapt over it into the void. She seemed to hang motionless for a moment. Just before gravity could reassert its hold and drag her to the ground, her form once again became fluid and the huge black tiger was replaced with a delicate swallow. She fluttered off until she found a thermal, which she rode to a high enough altitude that she could circle around the top of the tower and keep an eye on the Council Chamber.
Clootie’s Dimension Door opened into the chamber on the 15th floor that Ramas and Juliana had previously scouted. She breathed a sigh of relief. The room was still empty, except for Ramas, Alper and Juliana, all sitting nonchalantly lounging around the room, decked out in Order of the Pen finery. She waved; then Morth and her both leapt through the crackling portal, each loaded with two explosive packages. Juliana, Alper and Morth linked hands, combining their stoneshaping magic to open a hole through the ceiling into the Council Chamber. Ramas hoisted Clootie and her payload up into the Council Chamber, then assisted the rest.
The combined magic of the three Verani quickly tunneled into the platform beneath the Council Table. Clootie stashed the explosives inside and Ramas tossed in one of Karo Gems; then they sealed the tunnel back up. The group slipped silently back down into the chamber below, and closed the ceiling up. The whole operation took less than a minute,
“Bombs set” Ramas whispered into his dagger,
“Roger. All set on the roof. Get clear” Miaug responded.
With a rush of air, Aetilius cleared the edge of the roof next to Miaug’s observation position, Letho and Arina tucked under each arm. Letho looked comfortable, but the little dwarf had her eyes squeezed firmly shut, and her knuckles were white where they gripped tightly to the big Tiefling’s upper arm. Quickly finding his balance with natural elven grace, Letho hopped up beside Miaug,
“The rest of the Resistance are in position around the square. They should be able to clear out most of the civilians when we need them to. We just need to give them a signal.”
Ramas leaned over with a twinkle in his eye,
“The signal is Teabag”
Hours passed. Ryoko continued to circle above the Tower of the Pen, her keen eyes straining to pick out any hint of movement beneath the vast crystal skylight. She was beginning to feel the strain of maintaining her wildshape. Like a dull but insistent tension, almost like restless legs, deep within muscles that longed to return to their own shape. She was starting to worry that they had been discovered, and at any moment a handful of those many armed, faceless monsters that had destroyed the Resistance’s villa would appear on the horizon. Then she saw it. A brief flash of silvery light in the council chamber. Immediately she dived closer to get a better view. A crackling wound opened in the air above one of the arcane symbols inside the meeting room. Argent lightning arced out between the amorphous void and the pattern, anchoring it in place while reality itself strained to expel it. Through the void stepped a tall thin man with flowing white hair, dressed in a lustrous violet robe. He was flanked on either side by four men, their features identical, all bald and dressed in similar robes, black with deep purple streaks. The first man gestured to the corners of the room, and the others took up positions beside each of the teleportation sigils. The first figure then strode up the stairs to the raised dias, and took his place on the amethyst chair.
Ryoko dove down and spiralled twice around Miaug’s position. The Tabaxi nodded her understanding, and the signal was quickly circulated among the Resistance member to clear the square.
Gradually, other portals opened over the sigils, and through each of them came more figures. The first to arrive, a short man dressed in a robe so black it almost seemed to absorb the light, was accompanied by a tall, emaciated looking companion in a simple brown robe. The lead figure noded at the man in violet, who took a seat on the onyx chair while his companion took up a position standing behind the chair.
The next two arrived almost simultaneously: a beautiful dark haired woman in a shimmering verdant gown, and a short fat man in a gaudy suit of gold. Each was accompanied by two other figures, dressed in black robes rimmed with either green or yellow respectively. The lead figure took their seats at the emerald and gold chairs respectively, their companions falling in behind.
Over the next few minutes, other parties arrive through the sigils. A well built, bearded man in sapphire armour; a blonde woman in a low cut crimson dress; and a figure in a bright orange robe with a voluminous hood which fully obscured their face. Each wizard was accompanied by two other figures. After each wizard took their seat at the table, their companions took their place behind their leader.
Only the pearl chair remained empty. After a few minutes of hesitation, the amethyst robed figure signalled to his entourage, who left their positions next to the sigils and came up the dias to join him. Unable to hear any of what happened inside the chamber, Ryoko could only guess as to what was transpiring. It was clear the amethyst figure was speaking now. Others nodded, while others of the group seemed to respond. It looked to Ryoko as though they had started bickering and talking over one another. She guessed that meant the Council Meeting had started. She flew back over to Miaug’s position to report.
From their hidden position on the eleventh floor; in the same room Ramas had first encountered Volux; Clootie and her team waited anxiously on the signal from Miaug’s team. Ramas hovered by the door, clutching his dagger in case any unsuspecting Verani Adepts were to accidentally stumble on their position. He jumped as a voice rang out from the blade,
“The Council is there. Detonate in thirty seconds” Miaug whispered crisply
Morth immediately began to count down out loud, holding the detonator firmly. Clootie raised her arms and a small dome of golden energy sprang into existence over them.
A sudden thunderous roar shattered the quiet afternoon. The top two floors of the tower erupted in a terrifying blossom of flame. A shockwave exploded from the tower, scattering shards of crystal across the square. Clouds of thick black smoke curled up from the jagged, ruined hole in the top of the tower, and flames danced around the edges like an open wound.
Ryoko spiralled lower. Inside, the meeting chamber was carnage. Twisted chunks of scorched crystal jutted upwards from the floor where the dais had exploded. Charred and twisted bodies had been scattered throughout the chamber, and lay slumped against the walls where they were thrown by the force of the blast. Through the heat haze and the smoke Ryoko spotted movement. Survivors. She wheeled back across to Miaug to inform the rest of the group. Miaug grabbed the ruby,
“There are survivors. Cleanup crew - you’re up”
Clootie dispelled her protective dome, and the group raced back upstairs to the 15th floor. Juliana and Morth didn’t need to use their magic, the explosion had torn a huge ragged hole between the 15th floor and the Council Chamber. They scrambled up through the rubble and took in the devastation. They pressed through the smoke, picking their way across the debris that littered the floor. Ramas spotted two figures slumped and barely mobile, coughing in the smoke. The man in sapphire crystal armour was unable to fully slump, as an uneven shard of amethyst crystal protruded from the middle of his chest, pinning him to the wall. To his left, one of his companions, a young looking man with soot stained red hair, rested with his back against the wall. Both of his legs were twisted backwards on themselves.
The impaled figure looked at the figures emerging from the smoke, his bright blue eyes shining. He coughed up a thick sludge of dark blood, which dripped slowly down his chin, and he locked eyes with Ramas,
"None of the previous revolutions were so… messy" he gasped, choking slightly on thick clots,
"And bringing in outsiders? That’s bad form. Not that it matters. This is all still part of the plan"
The man started to chuckle quietly. His companion, visibly confused by his mentor’s words, but buoyed by his apparent lack of fear, bared blood-stained teeth in a fierce defiant grin.
Suddenly the sapphire armoured man's eyes bulged and his laughter stopped abruptly. The middle of his face seemed to strain forward, visibly protruding from his skull. With a grotesque tearing sound, the middle of his face split open, curling outward like the petals of some horrifying, gore-soaked flower. The flesh of his skull peeled backwards, revealing a pulsating mass of deep crimson tissue. Two twisted reptilian claws curled around the tattered remains of the man's skull, pulling the creature out of the blood soaked cavity. The creature was around the size of a small dog, and looked for all the world like a dull crimson brain, with four reptile-like claws and a thin segmented tail that whipped back and forth sinuously, topped with a barbed stinger.
The man's companion's grin quickly turned into a grimace of horror, and he let out a breathless shriek. A creature’s tail whipped out, striking the terrified man through his right eye and silenced his screams. The creature then leapt off the corpse and skittered along the ruined wall like a spider, disappearing into the smoke. Ramas held up his dagger to his face,
“Erm… I think we might need some help here.”
Aetilius grabbed Letho and Arina again. Arina squeezed her eyes shut and dug her fingernails into Aetilius’ bicep as they launched back into the air. Ryoko dropped from the sky like a thunderbolt, and landed on Tanika’s shoulder. Then with a rush of air they teleported over to the jagged edge of the destroyed skylight. Ryoko’s tiny sparrow form shifted until a large shadow tiger curled around Tanika on the edge of the skylight. Miaug fired her Blink Arrow in a perfect parabolic arc. The Tabaxi materialised in a swirl of blue energy on skylight directly beside Ryoko and Tanika.
Aetilius and his two passengers landed next to Clootie and Ramas’s team as the smoke began to thin slightly. The blast had been brutally effective, bodies were scattered amongst chunks of stone rubble. Arina’s trained eyes swept around the scene. At least six more of the bodies, the ones in the ornate robes, all appeared to be in the same condition as the one in the sapphire armour; skull torn open to reveal an empty cavity. She tensed at a sudden skittering sound behind her. Alper let out a startled cry as something leapt out of the smoke onto his back. He started to convulse, his eyes rolling up into his head as he fell to the floor. Clootie caught a glimpse of another of the creatures pulling its tail stinger out of Alper’s neck and disappearing back into the smoke. The rest of the group formed a circle, back to back; and Aetilius beat his wings to try and disperse the last of the smoke. Arina caught a glimpse of movement behind a pile of rubble and instantly reacted. Her eyes flashed with golden light, echoed by a similar flash of light from her amulet. A large hammer appeared in the air above the rubble, a manifestation of pure golden light. The hammer swung downwards, smashing into the rock and sending chunks of debris in all directions.
Clootie scanned the scene, looking for any signs of movement. Lightning crackled along Kulog’s surface as she spun it around her wrist. Ryoko spotted movement crawling along the wall towards Alper’s slumped form. He raised his arm, about to cast a Fire Bolt; but Volux reacted to his intention. The flesh of his arm split along the centre, and a pulse of vibrant green energy raced along the split like a crackling neon comet. It struck the creature, knocking it off the wall and tearing a chunk out of the stonework. He grinned and looked down at his arm appreciatively.
From her vantage point on top of the ruined skylight, Ryoko saw another creature sneaking up on Ramas. She pressed against Tanika and leapt forwards, using her Blink totem to teleport down beside the half-elf, dropping Tanika on the ground. She spun around and sprang off the wall directly at Ramas. She dissipated into a cloud of dark mist, passing directly through the shocked half-elf, then coalesced back into her Urkan Vhar form just behind him, in time to snap her jaws around the creature as it leapt through the air at her friend. She clamped down, feeling flesh begin yield beneath her teeth, then abruptly the resistance was gone as the creature instinctively teleported to safety.
Another creature leapt from the top of the shattered wall, landing on top of Morth. He flailed wildly, trying to throw the creature off. It’s scythe-like reptilian foreclaws raked across the flesh of his back, leaving deep wounds welling with blood. It’s tail whipped out, the stinger seeking the back of his neck, but he managed to flick it aside with an arm just before it struck flesh.
Another creature scrambled across the rubble beside Letho, landing on the side of his ribcage. It’s stinger flashed out, seeking a gap in his armour. Frustrated it swiped at him with it’s claws, but Letho threw himself into a roll, knocking the creature loose. It disappeared in a cloud of silvery light. Aetilius summoned his mythal axe, then hurled it towards Morth. The argent blade spun through the air like a discus, neatly bisecting the creature clinging to Morth.
Miaug slipped an arrow out of her quiver and drew it on her Stormbow. She felt the release of energy, like a sigh, as power drained from the gauntlet into the arrow’s shaft. Arina unsheathed her shortsword and with the tip of the blade she began to scribe a circle on the ground. Tanika and Morth, recognising the magic, both fell back to protect her. Arina channeled divine energy into the circle she had etched, and a glowing cylindrical barrier sprung into existence. At Arina’s urging, the party regrouped inside the circle. They took a brief moment to catch their breath, then everyone readied their weapons awaiting the next assault.
It didn’t take long. One of the creatures appeared atop the rubble next to Morth, and whipped its tail towards him. The stinger struck the surface of the barrier with a faint sizzling sound. Ryoko reacted immediately, Shadow Leaping forwards and tearing the creature in half with her steel-like jaws. Another creature appeared behind her, ready to take advantage of her momentary distraction, but Miaug loosed her arrow from her position atop the skylight. It struck the creature like a bolt of lightning, filling the air with the scent of ozone and burned flesh. Ramas spotted a third creature crawling up the underside of the roof towards Miaug’s vantage point. He loosed another blast of green energy from Volux, striking the creature and incinerating it. Unperturbed, Miaug loosed another charged arrow, it struck it’s target and discharged with another sharp crack.
Aetilius looked around, scanning the scene. As he turned, he noticed Tanika staring straight ahead blankly. Looking down, he realised that she had stepped outside the protection of the circle. He scrambled along the rubble to get behind her. Sure enough, one of the creatures clung firmly to her back. He noticed a thick fleshy tendril emerged from its frontal lobe and pressed into the nape of her neck. He channelled the mythal along his blade and teleported across the gap. His axe dug into the creature’s flesh, then a final pulse of energy from the blade split the creature in half. Both halves fell to the ground with a wet thud.
Arina examined Tanika, trying to snap her out of her trance, but the Verani was completely unresponsive. Miaug did a quick tally in her head. That was all seven creatures accounted for, assuming each Grandmaster had contained one. None of their apprentices had seemed to be host to the creatures. Satisfied, she climbed down from the skylight and rejoined the rest of the party. Just then, sirens began to howl. Juliana looked afraid,
“That’s the alarm. The Exalted will be here soon. We need to run”
The party was able to escape the tower largely unnoticed in the chaos of the evacuation. Arina and Morth both supported Tanika, who remained catatonic. Outside the tower, Colton and Jenet quickly grabbed them and guided them away from the mass of people. They shepherded them into an open sewer hatch hidden in some bushes at the side of the square, one of the escape routes Etgar and his people had prepared. Once the party were safely in the sewers, Colton and Jenet slammed the hatch closed and began to rearrange the bushes to hide any hint of disturbance.
Next: Chapter 3-22 - Verani Sewers
Previous: Chapter 3-20 - The Order of the Pen
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