"Sometimes, I think Finn just stretched out his hand, and treasure filled it," Judoc had observed, grumbling, after their search proved futile. "No such luck here." There must be at least five thousand human bones in this bit, and searching through them would take longer than either of them had, especially with their current audience.

After helping the younger Judoc extricate himself from the pile of bones, the two mages took to the air, aiming for the pit. Now, Judoc considers the demonling mocking them two yards away. There is a chance the thing is not immediately hostile, but if Judoc knows demons, the thing is probably trying to figure out how to eat the two mages and their familiar.

We aren't your lunch, fucker, Judoc thinks. "Seems to be some kind of bioluminescence," he murmurs as he glances above at the glowing stalactites. He knows if they are to move into the larger cave to get a better sense of where they are, they will need to deal with this shard of the Hungry One.

"Let's see if ugly here is hostile," he says, and stretches out his staff toward the demon.

OOC: Cast Sense Foes on the demonling. If he does prove hostile, cast Flame Jet.

Backpack on back, staff in right hand, Light stone in left hand.

Judoc reaches forward with his staff, looking to keep himself out of range of the demon's claws while still close enough to cast a spell to determine the thing's intent.  At the other edge of the pit, flying at the same level, younger Judoc too is casting a spell.  Putting his mind back on his own magic, Judoc murmurs the word of power and holds his staff aloft.  In the next moment he feels the magic flow from him to the demon like fast-growing tendrils.

As suspected, the thing is quite hostile, and likely wants them both dead.

If the thing suspects Judoc's spell, it does not seem to pay it any mind.  Instead, it continues to circle, switching off between the two Judocs and leaning its face down towards the edge of the pit as it grips the sides with its fingers.

Judoc waits for just a moment, waiting for it to get close enough...  And with another word, he blasts out a jet of fire from the end of his staff!

The thing shrieks in rage, but jerks his body out of the way, lashing back down with its claws towards Judoc!  While the mage is still too far for the thing to hit, Judoc is not quick enough moving his staff out of the way, and the thing's meaty paw connects with the edge of the wood, torquing the weapon rapidly in Judocs hand.  Surprised by the hit, Judoc cannot maintain his grip, and he watches as his staff drops back down to the bottom of the pit, splashing onto the bones with a high-pitched clunk!

There is no time to register the act however, for even as he is reworking his plan in his mind, younger Judoc takes advantage of the distraction to hurl another fireball from the Blur wand, which grazes the thing's arm, making the beast cry out in surprise.

OOC:  Your Flame jet spell was successful but dodged.  The thing retaliated by attacking back, and the only thing close enough for him to hit was your staff, which he knocked completely from your grip (your dodge failed).  It is now laying atop the pile of bones (some 25 feet below you).  Younger Judoc successfully cast a fireball which seems to have done minor damage to the demon.

Oh, yes. This demon spawn wants them dead. Judoc is happy to disoblige the creature and immediately channels out a jet of flame. He wonders why the demon is here in this place, and exactly where here is. Had it been expecting them? Was this a place where victims normally popped out, or had the demon been passing by on an evening stroll?

But the next moment, he gasps as the creature knocks Judoc's staff out of his hands! "Son of a bitch!" he snarls, and immediately starts casting a more powerful spout of fire.

OOC: Concentrate. Flame Jet again.

His staff sent tumbling down to the bottom of the pit, Judoc curses the beast and breathes another spell, shooting forth another jet of flame, this time from his hand.

Though Judoc's aim is good, the beast steps slightly to the side, foiling Judoc's attack as his conjured weapon smashes against the edge of the pit three feet above.  The beast slashes his claws down wildly again in response, though Judoc remains too low to attack, dancing in the air just inches out of reach.

Younger Judoc takes the moment of distraction to shoot upwards in the air, past the level of the pit and up towards the ceiling, his wand still readied and pointed down towards the muscular demon.  The thing growls in response, its eyes tracking upwards as it struggles to keep both Judocs in its field of view.

OOC:  You have 50 seconds of your flight spell remaining.

Note that while having the range benefits of your flame jet (being able to attack and not really having to defend) is helping, being so low below your target incurs quite a few penalties on your part per B402.

Let's do 2 rounds of combat this time.  Younger Judoc has rocketed up 20 feet in this round and seems to be about at ceiling level.  The demon can still keep his eyes on both of you at the moment.

Hitting the demon is proving more challenging than Judoc had anticipated. He notes that his other self has maneuvered to a superior position for firepower, and Judoc decides to emulate the younger mage by rising as well.

With an eye on the demonling and its rather impressive musculature, Judoc attempts to stay out of range as best as he can while gaining some height on his opponent.

OOC: All-out Defense (Dodge). Use half move each round. Try to stay out of range of the demon.

Judoc gathers himself, then rushes upwards, concentrating on lifting his body quickly, though with an eye towards the demon as he passes.

Indeed the thing seems ready and lunges to the edge of the pit, slashing his claws at Judoc as he passes.  Using the very utmost of his spell, Judoc twirls and retreats as he rises, avoiding the claws by a comfortable margin before floating upwards towards the ceiling of the cave and the daggers of stone that thrust downward into the empty space.

Judoc has barely a moment to take everything in.  The cave is large, fifty or sixty yards in diameter and at least fifty feet high to the base of the ceiling.  And as Judoc suspected, there is indeed some soft-glowing lichen that has latched to the walls all around the cave.  As Judoc climbs upwards he sees the rectangular pit fall away, a pit on a small, but steep-sloped island which is surrounded by what appears to be a lake of blood.  Several paths of stone shoot through the lake, leading towards an edge of the cave which appears to have a wide tunnel leading onward.

Younger Judoc flashes the blur wand towards himself, and the mage quickly obscures, the edges of his robes sublimating into an opaque smoke, the sharp contours of his body fading into a mix of color and air.

Judoc slows himself as he approaches the roof and one last gaze shows him the top of the island.  There are a set of stairs which lead to a large stone altar decorating the top.  Younger Judoc now points the Blur wand at Judoc himself, and though Judoc does not feel the effects of the spell, he knows that his body must now too have transformed into the semi-solid shape which made him harder to see...  harder to hit.

But Judoc finds himself distracted as he turns, a floating ball of flame hovers several yards away, and is moving towards them...  Not in a straight line as if it were thrown, but with a purpose...

"[Language unknown:  Fi eeas any manprorom!  Ul ri K is alres lllin anvir allndeati et olrat rom?  Maughuxin eehi eau li!  At esev paberi to lhamskarr omthtr!  Hi ca!]"  Below them the demon caws.

OOC:  You've successfully flown upwards without injury.  You did however have to move 2 turns (at half move) in order to completely escape the range of the demon, so you do not have your exploding fireball cast.  You are now out of the demon's range, though he is still looking up at you and cawing in his harsh language.  Below is a snapshot of what you see, both of the area of the cavern and of the floating fireball.  Note that the picture of the room is what you would see if you entered the room from the tunnel rather than levitating out of the pit.

Please roll 3d6 labelled ???


View of the Cavern

Floating Fireball

OOC:  Flight 48/60.  Blur 58/60.

"Thanks," Judoc says to his younger self with a nod before turning to take in the large cavern they find themselves in. Bizarre. Is that lake made of actual blood? What fresh hell is this? He keenly feels the temporary loss of his staff and knows he needs to retrieve it as soon as he can, but a number of things simultaneously vie for his attention.

The first is the demonling, still chattering away below them. God, if only I could understand what that thing is saying, he thinks. "I think I caught Lumscar in all of that," he says to his younger self. Likely it's threating to boil the two Judocs alive or maybe bake them into quiches. It will likely summon others of its kind, and already Judoc is mentally preparing to cast another fire spell.

The second object of note here is the large stone altar at the top of the rising island that dominates the cave's interior. Where altars exist, so do worshippers and sacrifices. Judoc wonders what the denizens of this place may be, though the chittering Shard is probably an indication. Maybe instead of becoming a battle mage or a Templar inquisitor, Judoc should consider taking up the vocation of a demon slayer.

The third feature he notes is the exit to this place, a tunnel at the far end of the lake.

But most pressing now is the ball of flame headed his and the other Judoc's way. A fireball spell that a wizard can guide manually? Something created and manipulated by Shape Fire? Or perhaps a fire elemental? "Lord, save us from these invisible wizards," he mutters.

OOC: Concentrate. Cast Resist Fire.

"Lumscar?"  Younger Judoc asks as his face contorts in concentration.  "You think he's talking about himself or trying to summon more of the bastards?"

Judoc has little time for thought on the matter however, the approaching ball of flame is quite large for a fireball, perhaps the size of his own head, though it doesn't really exhibit the behavior he would expect of an uncontrolled object.  In fact, the thing is slowing down as it approaches the two wizards and now the thing is barely twenty feet away.

It's concerning enough for Judoc to protect himself, after all, if there is one fireball now, there are certain to be others later...  Judoc concentrates himself, sealing about himself a protection from fire that will make the flame quite pointless.

Beside him, younger Judoc sprouts another fireball of his own from the tip of his wand and looks down at the green bestial thing below, readying himself to take aim and throw.

OOC:  Flight 47/60.  Blur 57/60.  Resist Fire 59/60.

Combat map below, squares are 5 feet, so a little larger than a hex.  Note that you now have 2 spells active which reduces your effective skill but not casting cost (if your base skill is above 15, you still reduce FP to cast by 1).  Just one turn of action that last post, mostly my fault for not asking for more.  Let's try and do 3 seconds this time, or more if you are feeling up to it.

In your post, please note which thing you are keeping your eye on, the fireball or the demon, as well as any movement and action.  It's very difficult to try and keep an eye on both, as the fireball is floating at your level and the demon is 30 feet or so below you, though it would be easier if you moved elsewhere in the room. 

Trouble ahead, trouble below, Judoc thinks to himself, thinking of a tune he had heard in a tavern in Azer. The fireball should pose little danger to him, but it could still injure his other self or Aiah. For now, he concentrates on taking out the demon below and retrieving his staff.

"I'm guessing this guy is no demon lord," Judoc says. "Agares had some pretty dangerous magic. This guy probably isn't Lumscar himself." Concentrating, Judoc begins pulling the mana around him to fuel more fireballs. "More importantly, though - where the hell did all this blood come from?"

OOC: Concentrate. Cast Explosive Runes Fireball.

Though Judoc knows the hovering fireball is of some significance, it seems clear to him that with his spell-driven immunity to fire, the largest threat by far is still the demon below, despite the fact that Judoc is still hovering some fifteen feet above his reach.

Hoping to take out at least one of the threats, Judoc summons a ball of flame with a wordless spell, succeeding so well in fact, that he had barely to have the thought before the crackling ball of flame appears in his hand, larger and more devastating than Judoc had intended.

Behind him, a momentary flash of light and crackle of energy briefly illuminate the room to the brightness of midday.  The red of the pool below reflects upwards, bathing the whole room in a momentary crimson glow.  "Shit!"  Younger Judoc shouts as the light resumes to its dim gloom, though there is little time for Judoc to divert his attention.

Without even taking the moment to aim, Judoc hurls the ball downward, which misses the demon, though catches on a corner of the pit and exploding in a blast of energy and fire which encompasses the demon for a moment before it stumbles backwards out of the blaze.

Again, Judoc goes to his spellwork, summoning another ball of crackling flame to his hand and hurling it downward, this one hitting the demon in the chest with a crackling pop and leaving a small disc of char in the thing's flesh, though the demon seems mostly unperturbed.

"It's another one!"  Younger Judoc shouts as he throws a fireball of his own at the demon below, scoring a hit on the beast's shoulder.  Judoc briefly scours the room with his eyes, and picks up on what his doppelgänger must be talking about, a humanoid mass of red fluid which is taking form above the blood pool, just over Judoc's right shoulder.

OOC:  Flight 43/60.  Blur 53/60.  Resist Fire 55/60.

That was four rounds.  Just for clarity - in your first round you cast explosive fireball and critically succeeded, which automatically gave you a 2d explosive fireball (the largest you could make in one round) without expending energy.  Round two you threw the fireball, round three you cast another 1d (1FP) explosive fireball, and then threw again on round 4.

No map this time.  Despite the fact that it is short, there was quite a lot of dice rolls and decision making going into this post, and after a couple hours, I don't have it in me to edit a map.
 If you look at the previous map, the blood thing is essentially three grid squares south of you, and about 20 feet below, standing on the surface of the pool.

Roll vs. Demon lore.

The fireball explodes beneath the demon, and Judoc smirks in self-satisfaction. He almost pities the thing - almost, for the creature is still physically imposing. Though the demonling is clearly outclassed by the two mages, Judoc respects the creature's muscles and claws enough to stay well out of range.

However, at his younger self's alarm, Judoc scans the room for further threats. What he sees gives him pause. Judoc knows the two of them can handle the Shard, and he fears no being of fire. However, with this new demon's appearance on the battlefield, Judoc feels his confidence slip. Is this Lumscar, somehow summoned out of the lake of blood? Had the demonling been calling it? Or is this another demon entirely? He concentrates for a moment, trying to recall if he had seen this fresh foe before.

~Aiah, keep an eye on the fire creature and the blood creature, he sends to their familiar. Funny. He almost feels jealous of his other self. Summoning mana, he prepares to rain down more fire.

OOC: Continue to cast 1-point Fireballs to throw down at the first creature.

Catching only a glance at the thing rising from the blood pool, and sending a mental thought to Aiah to keep an eye on the thing for him, Judoc refocuses his attention on the first demon, the one that had stalked them around the edge of the pit.  The thing continues to pace, working its eyes between the two Judocs, staring greedily at them as it preens its claws to strike, though it appears it has no means to get close enough to do so.

With a pair of gestures, another small ball of flame appears in each of the Judocs' hands, near simultaneously.  The elder throws his immediately, watching as the small spit of fire crashes into the thing's chest and snuffs out in a moment, causing the beast to flinch but little else.

Meanwhile, younger Judoc whirls around in the air, moving to the far side of the beast to attempt to strike it from two sides.

Judoc flinches a moment in reaction as the floating flame hurls a fireball of his own at him, though Judoc's spell of resistance makes the fireball burst into smoke harmlessly against his shoulder.

Judoc casts summons another ball of flame to his hand as he watches his younger self hurl his own missile down, though this time the burly demon twists his body out of the way as it turns to face his other foe.

~Watch out!  Aiah cries out inside Judoc's mind.

Judoc whirs his view downward, searching out the bloody fiend, though first he sees a ball of force flying toward him at close range!  Judoc reflexively casts a spell of protection, slinging the ball past him as it flies into the roof of the cave.

The ball crashes into a deafening blast of sound, crashing over Judoc's face and ringing in his ears!  It takes all his effort to hold himself together and up in the air... A few yards away, he sees younger Judoc slack-jawed and slowly slipping downwards towards the ground...

OOC:  OOC:  Flight 40/60.  Blur 50/60.  Resist Fire 52/60.

Roll vs. HT-3 to avoid a stun.  If you fail the roll, feel free to use a hero point, or else roll vs. HT-3 again until you succeed.  Please note in your post if you fail how many rolls (seconds) it takes you to recover.

You don't recall anything of note about the bloody demon, nor of the flaming one, though it is now clear that you are up against three minor demons simultaneously.  That was 3 seconds worth of action. You have a 1d fireball ready (though with no aim) in your right hand and can throw it next turn if you wish (with a succeeded HT-3 roll).

Let's try and do another 3 seconds, or more if you are up to it.  I'm super distracted at present, so if there is anything that is unclear, please feel free to PM prior to posting.

Sweat trickles down Judoc's face. The exertion is starting to make him breathe harder. For all of his and his doppelgänger's casting, they have not made much of a dent in their opposition.

Three demons. The fire demon's attacks offer little to fear. The Lumscar shard seems to possess no ranged attacks. Likely the two mages could take on both of them simultaneously.  However, Judoc is starting to get worried, especially with the emergence of the third.

And then the blood demon hurls a magical ball is thrown at Judoc! The Templar student easily deflects the energy, but the subsequent sonic attack leaves his ears ringing. Once the effects of the Sound attack wear off, Judoc looks in horror to see his younger self drifting toward the ground.

Judoc hurls his fireball down at the green demon, and then he dives for his other self. Judoc the Dead has a terrible ring to it. Judoc the Coward is little better. It strikes him that he has spent an awful lot of time running from his enemies, perceived or otherwise. The bishop. Agares. And now Cūlī Tertiī.

~Let's flee! he thinks to Aiah.

OOC: When Judoc shakes his stun, he'll throw the fireball at the ground beneath the demon and then fly toward his other self.

There was no doubt that Judoc was no longer the brash, weak student who had entered the Templar College a mere two years ago.  However, pitting himself, or even two of himself against three full fledged demons was a test he was not willing to negotiate, especially when death was on the line if either of his forms should suffer that fate.

So instead, Judoc decides to flee, and perhaps not a moment too soon.  Younger Judoc, clearly affected by the sonic blast slips precariously low.  Not exactly falling, for his flight spell is still active, though his lack of concentration appears to result in his body sagging from its height in a slow decent towards the claws and bloody mass that wait on the cavern floor below.

Judoc hurls his ball of flame towards the muscular demon, scoring a grazing hit that barely registers on the demon as it swipes its claws upward, missing younger Judoc by a hair's breadth.  Judoc swings downward, grabbing his other self, even as the demon swings again, this time slashing younger Judoc in the lower leg and bringing for a spurt of bright crimson as his younger self shouts in surprise!

~I thought you'd never ask!  Aiah thinks back, arcing around the edges of the room to carefully avoid the flaming ball which is still spitting fire at both wizards, though each hit is nullified by their flame resisting spell.

Judoc takes a moment to ensure his younger self is alive and coherent, it takes a moment to shake the wizard back into his normal state.

"I'm fine!"  Younger Judoc grits his teeth as he pulls himself back up into flight.  "Right, let's get out of here then, I'll cover you!"

Judoc prepares himself, then dives down towards the pit!  The clawed demon strikes out, though Judoc twists wildly to avoid the blow and rushes down to the bottom of the pit where his staff lays atop the pile of bones.  Judoc takes only a moment to kneel down, grip the weapon and adjust himself before shooting back upwards towards the top of the pit.

"Damnit!"  Younger Judoc shrieks from above, and Judoc can hear some sort of explosion, perhaps another of the sonic attacks, though he has no time to dwell on the matter, for he is rushing again by the clawed demon who slashes out again!  Judoc twists midair, though this time the monster scores a hit, slashing a thin gouge through Judoc's leathers that stings as he hurries past towards the stone ceiling.

"Come on!"  Younger Judoc's face is contorted in anger, though he looks no worse for wear apart from his leg, which is leaking thin rivulets of blood down his leathers all the way to his boot.

The two speed on, crashing through the floating fireball, who spits flame again at the pair.  However, the fire monster is completely ignored, the flames simply snuffing into smoke without effect against the wizards' armor as they aim towards the exit of at the far end of the cave.

And they are through!  Aiah streaming in just behind, clutching on to younger Judoc's shoulder as the pair land, turning themselves back to see what has become of the three demons.

The flaming ball is closest, hovering some ten yards away above the lake of blood and the zigzagging paths...  The other two, Lumscar and the Blood demon have barely made their way off the island, though they have paused in their pursuit, staring at the twin wizards ahead.

"They won't chase you here."

The voice sounds from behind the wizards, a high-pitched cackle in Latin that sounds too piercing to be human.  The wizards turn on their feet and take in the room ahead.

It is not large, just fifty feet or so square.  The walls appear to be worked stone and the floor smoothed out by tools and use.  There are few features in the room, the ones most dominating are the four stone busts which hang near the ceiling on the side walls.  Each of them is a demon, their maws cast open in ferocious expressions, their black eyes glittering with malice.  The other feature in the room is a square opening in the center, some twelve feet or so in each dimension, with flames rising up to six or seven feet high.  Through the flames, you can barely see another tunnel opening and steps which continue upwards into the earth.

"Theirs is to protect the altar and the charnel pit.  They won't come here."  The screeching voice says, seemingly emanating from the pit of fire itself.  "And what is your purpose, humans?"

OOC:  About 40 seconds total there.  Younger Judoc had the misfortune of rolling two crit failures through that last post.  It's a miracle that he (you) had thought to cast resist fire, or he likely would have badly injured himself and possibly been killed.  Instead, his fireball just exploded harmlessly in his face, causing damage only to his pride.

You successfully retrieved your staff.

Please let me know which spells you want to keep active.  Upkeeping flight will cause additional fatigue, fire resistance will not.  Younger Judoc will need to recast blur with the wand in order to upkeep that one.

Also, please make a reaction roll for me, or a roll vs. an appropriate social skill.

Though the decision to flee stings, Judoc is sure that he has made the right decision. His younger self has fared worse than the older Judoc. The Templar student is not willing to tempt fate longer, especially when the death of either may mean the death of both.

As he zooms down for his dropped staff, Judoc briefly considers whether the retrieval is worth the effort. He can always obtain  another staff and perhaps add further enchantments. Still, trapped in this hellish place, surrounded by demons and a literal lake of blood, he needs every weapon he can get if he is to escape.

The demon is tenacious and rips through his younger self's skin. Judoc realizes that the demon does pose a threat. However, as long as the Judocs and Aiah are airborne, the Shard of Lumscar cannot reach them. At least Judoc's staff is not difficult to find. The demon grazes Judoc as the wizard exits the pit, but the wound seems mostly superficial.

Running away. Judoc has done quit a lot of this. He makes a mental note to ask someone who has an eye toward military tactics how often retreating is done. Given a second chance, he would not have fled the bishop, but Judoc wrongly assumed the cleric has been under the influence of a demon. Agares, on the other hand - had Judoc ever even known the true Loke? But to replace the Templar with his diamonds, Agares would need to be at least more cunning, if not more powerful, too. As capable as Judoc has become, he knows that Loke or Graves would prove a formidable test. Judoc could stand up to them, certainly. But to prevail? Judoc is not a betting man, but he would not fancy a wager on it, not unless he was able to shift the odds in his favor.

The trio streak through the air, leaving the demons on the ground behind. Judoc does not fear the flame demon, though he wonders for a brief moment if the being could be persuaded to join their side. Is it even sentient? It has not spoken yet, but perhaps it could be communicated with.

Now, the wizards and their familiar find themselves in another chamber, this one smaller and made of stone. Demons are represented here with sculptures. He looks at them curiously, wondering who they might represent. More flames, and a voice seeming to speak from within.

"Our purpose?" Judoc asks. He is wary of this place, the speaker, and the speaker's intentions. But at least the voice speaks a language Judoc knows. "To be free of this place, wherever we are. What is this? Where is this? We were traveling via a Gate spell to the city of Azer. The spell must have gone wrong somehow." Or they were purposefully diverted here. But why? To what end? As a sacrifice? Or to replace even more Templars with demons?

Judoc glances at his younger self, curious to see how hurt his double might be.

OOC: Roll vs. Demon Lore to see if Judoc recognizes the demons. Judoc will keep his Resist Fire spell active but allow Flight to expire.

No rest for the weary.

Though Judoc would like to take some time to rest, he found himself thrust into a new room, a new situation, encountering all new information, and squaring off with an entirely new being.  To make matters worse, it was one that he couldn't even yet see and he wasn't sure if he trusted it entirely that the other demons would leave them alone here.  However, a quick look back reinforced the information, for the flaming ball seemed to be retreating back towards the island and the altar.

Trying to multitask, Judoc speaks out a quick few words to the being as he glances down at his alter ego's leg, attempting to take in the scope of the damage.  The wound seems significant, though it's hard to taken in the entire scope of the damage through the rent armor.  However, younger Judoc does seem to still be standing on it, which in itself is a good sign.

As if noting his older counterpart's intentions, younger Judoc shoves the Blur wand in his pocket and places his own hand on his leg, whispering a word of minor healing.  Though the trails of blood still trickle down younger Judoc's leg, it seems the fresh flow has been staunched... though Judoc cannot help but notice his counterpart sagging slightly into his staff with the weight of the spell.  Younger Judoc grips the weapon with both hands and forces himself up, returning Judoc's look with one of defiance.

"I'm fine"  Judoc whispers between gritted teeth.

"Gone wrong..?"  The piercing voice answers back, and Judoc returns his gaze to the climbing flames in the center of the room.  From its base, a tiny winged imp clamors from the depths, a pair of three pronged hands grasping on the edge of the pool as a peers from inside the flames.

Judoc breathes a slight sigh of relief.  He knows this monster too.  A mephit.  A winged demon of no insignificant powers, though neither was it one to flee from on sight.  Instead, the things were vain and relished in acting much more powerful than they really were.  That the monster was basking in a pool of flames was an additional mixed blessing.  For while Judoc's still going spell of fire protection would certainly protect him, the vast majority of his own attacks would likely have no effect.

As the thing pauses in its speech, its queer expression of curiosity flitting between the two twin wizards, Judoc takes the moment to search the four busts adorning the walls.  He recognizes one instantly.  Lumscar.  And the visual reference brings back to mind some of the text that he had seen along with a much similar picture.

Tormented by his endless hunger, Lumscar’s atavistic desire for the fears of those falling into his clutches was insatiable.

The Many Planes of Hell did not have a long description of Lumscar, though he was grouped together with the myths and deities of the orcs, a race that had all but been eradicated from the East.  The other idols too were of the same theme.  Felclough, The Bloody One and Mauxukin Keeper of the Fire stood on opposing sides.  The last one Judoc couldn't place, though that one too he couldn't help but think was distinctly orcish.

"Gone wrong indeed..."  The mephin narrows his eyes for a moment, taking in the two and the bird, but after a moment he continues on.  "Questions you have?"  The thing's face contorts with a crackling bubble into a nasty grin.  "Answers have I!  And flaming death!  Which do you choose human?  What do you give to Icksjavis?"

OOC:  Nice roll on Demon lore.  I went ahead and rolled for you for the mephit in addition to your roll on the idols, obviously that one went quite well too.

Younger Judoc has healed his own leg.  He is now standing beside you, though obviously exhausted from casting.  He has his staff ready in a two-handed grip.

The Mephit is peering over an edge of the floor - it appears as if the flame ahead is climbing out of a pool of some sort, and the mephit is partially submerged in whatever liquid is below the flames.  He is 6 yards away and quite small, possibly only a foot or two in height, though it is difficult to tell exactly with only seeing part of his upper body and wings.  Keep posting normally, I'll cut you off if combat starts.

Flight has expired.  Fire resistance is still active.


This message was last edited by the GM at 16:16, Thu 16 Dec 2021.

Perhaps Judoc's greatest weakness is his temper. The young Templar student is usually in control of himself, but it doesn't take much to make his anger flare. At the moment, his younger self seems balanced on the edge. Not much more will be enough to set off the younger Judoc.

The mages' reliance on being well-rested is another limitation of their abilities. Someone like the minotaur Magnus can swing his mace over and over, though of course not forever. However, if Judoc casts anything more than his weakest spells, he will eventually tire, and heavy casting will drain him even faster. Judoc's weariness is near the point that it will start to affect him, and it looks like his other self has passed that point.

They just need to find a place to hole up for a while and rest. However, it looks like that won't happen anytime soon. "Let me know if you'd like me to share some energy with you," he says quietly to his other self. He briefly considers tapping his powerstone to take away some of the younger Judoc's fatigue. Should another fight break out, he may need to.

A mephit. One with fire attacks by the sound of it, which Judoc doesn't fear, though Aiah could be harmed by it. Behind him, busts of four demons, or perhaps more accurately, orcish deities. Or maybe orcish deities are all demons by nature. Had the two mages just battled Lumscar, Mauxukin, and Felclough? It seemed unlikely. The creatures back in the lake of blood seemed to be more servants than actual major demons. Likely each demon would be a match for a whole team of adventurers.

So where are they? This place seems to be some kind of place of worship, though a temple dedicated to four gods rather than one seems a little strange to Judoc.

"Answers, you say?" Judoc says, considering. "And just what currency do you accept? To start with, where are we? Are we still on Ytarria, or have we somehow traveled to another world? And what is this place? A temple to worship gods? A place of sacrifice? The citadels of the gods behind you?"

The mephit crawls forward on all fours from the pool of flame, exposing its head and wings and a vicious grin as it eyes the two Judocs.

"Wheresy, whatsy, whosy, why?"  The imp asks, its piercing soprano rising up and down in a singsong manner.  "Questions indeed!  I have answers I do!  Magics I like.  Magic for answers you pay.  Otherwise, you no use to Icksjavis.  No use like the pretender!  Burn you up for wasting my time!"

"I'm fine."  Younger Judoc shakes off the offer of help in Anglish as pushes himself up on his staff and focuses his attention on the mephit.  "Bit of an arrogant prick isn't he?  Think he's bluffing?  My flame resistance spell is still active, but I worry about Aiah."

The mephit glances back and forth between the two, grinning mischievously though saying nothing else for the moment.

”Perhaps,” Judoc replies to his double. The two of them should be able to deal with this mephit, though the younger mage is correct about Aiah’s vulnerability. ”I agree with your assessment. But I would rather pursue a diplomatic solution.”

Judoc wonders how much they will have to offer the creature. He still has a number of items from their excursions to Haj Umr’s tower and the prison Solitude. He is loath to part with the mask or amulet, but he does have scrolls and potions. However, these belong to his younger self just as much as they do to the older
Judoc.

”We do possess magic, Icksjavis” Judoc says, turning to the Mephit and flashing a grin. He wonders who this pretender might be. Another adventurer? Or yet another demon?

Digging around in his pack, Judoc fishes out the potion of Diminution and offers it to the Mephit. ”In exchange for answers, I offer this potion. What is this place? And how do we get to the entrance?”

The imp narrows its eyes at the proffered potion, though it pulls itself forward on all fours, holding its body low as it scuttles like a beetle, its eyes all the while switching between the two wizards in distrust.  It closes the last of the gap slowly, but then snatches the potion from Judoc's hand before fleeing back with all haste to the sanctuary of the flaming pool.

When it has reached the flames, the imp turns back toward the Judocs before staring at the liquid and unstoppering the vial to hold it at his nose.  "Tricksy potion..."  The imp says slowly, grinning with pleasure as it pulls the vial down within the flames.  "Useful this is!"  The imp stares back at Judoc, his eyes alight with malice.

"Live you may!  And one answer you get for one-magics!"

"That's preposter..."  Younger Judoc begins, his anger already beginning to rise, though the mephit cuts him off...  clearly the imp expects there is no room for negotiation.

"Where are we?"  The imp asks of no one at all, sweeping it's tiny hand in a grandiose arc which gestures toward the room around them.  "This is the Path of the Ancestors!“

He grins.  It is a toothy, vicious smile.  And for a moment, Judoc thinks that is all of the answer he is getting.  Indeed, he can feel the anger of his younger self boiling only a foot or so away, though before the other can take any action, the mephit continues.

"Long ago, before men or goblins had set foot on this land, three tribes warred with each other for land.  Dwarvsies found they thrived best of all underground.  Orcs would attack near the surface, but knew well enough to steer clear of the Underdark.  On the surface, war raged between elf and orc.  Elves ruled the forests and orcs the plain, but orcs were not shy of burning down the trees to make more room for themselves."

"The Path of Ancestors, long ago, was the home of elves at the edge of their realm.  But orcs burned the wood, sacked their village, and sunk their altars into the earth with the help of their gods, subverting the elvish shrine with a tide of blood and fire.  They set their gods to protect their spoils, gods whose minions have stayed, even long after the orcs had been all but driven from this land by men."

"That is where we are!"  The mephit grins again as he sinks himself down to the shoulders in the pool of flames.  "The site of the orc's greatest victory!  and their worst defeat.  A place lost in time and meaning."

OOC:  Potion of Diminution has been removed from your character sheet.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:39, Sun 19 Dec 2021.

The mephit distrusts the two wizards, and for Judoc, the feeling is mutual. Given half the chance, the creature would likely betray them, but Judoc is willing to accept the imp's offer to trade for information. Judoc can sense his twin's growing anger, but the elder had suspected he would only get one answer for each question. If the mephit had only given them the name of this place and nothing else, Judoc would be as angry as his twin.

"This gear is just as much yours as it is mine," Judoc says quietly. "But if this mephit can tell us something useful, we can be prepared for what might be ahead." As a bonus, by accepting the mephit's answer, they have avoided a fight with the imp, at least for the moment. Judoc glances at his younger version for a brief second. They need to rest if they are to survive this place, but who knows where this might be? They could ask the mephit, but Judoc is not sure he trusts the imp enough.

Too, the creature's answer is not very helpful. Elves, orcs, and dwarves. The mephit is speaking of Yrth's past, before the Banestorm. So, this place was at one time the home of elves before it was desecrated by orcs. The border of the elves' realm - Judoc frowns, concentrating, but he is not precisely sure where that might lie. He knows the great forest had been scorched by the Banestorm - perhaps somewhere at the periphery of the Great Desert? Had the gate taken them west rather than east?

The demons that the orcs call gods set minions here to guard this area. Judoc wonders who the fourth demon is. If the mephit's words are true, they can expect more of these beings in these halls.

"I'd like to ask it how to get out of here," he says quietly to his twin. "But what do you prefer? Would you rather leave him and continue on? Or is there a question you would rather ask?"

OOC: If the other Judoc is amenable, offer the mephit the unidentified potion for the answer to the question: "How do we get out of this Path of Ancestors?"

It seems for a moment that the mephit is going to submerge itself back into the pool of flame but when it sees the two Judocs talking in whispers, it narrows its eyes and slows its decent, peering over the rim of the pool through twin slits.

A step away, younger Judoc thinks on the comment before nodding sharply to his counterpart.  "It'd be nice to know how to get out of here.  And he seemed honest enough apart from telling us after he took it that we'd only get one question.  At least we know now that we're still on Yrth."  He exhales a single, sharp laugh.  "Somewhere between the Orclands and the Megalan Ocean."

Getting the consent, Judoc removes the other potion from his pack gesturing it forward to the mephit, who again stares at the two with untrusting eyes.  But again, the thing rises from the pool, creeping forward on all fours before snatching the potion and fleeing back to his pool.

This time, however, when the imp looks at the potion, his eyes narrow even further, his toothy grin slowly slipping into a thin, narrow line.  He uncorks the bottle, but it barely moves a fraction of an inch to his nose before the imp hurls the vial to the side, spilling its contents all about the floor of the cavern.

"What you offer to Icksjavis?  Why I need potion for fire?  Useless it is!"  The thing's squeaking voice rises and falls like the violent stab of a knife.  "Already I bathe in fire with no potion to need!  No question!  No answer!"

"Bastard!"  Younger Judoc curses in a harsh whisper.

OOC:  The unknown potion has been removed from your character sheet and is spilled in a thin film all over the ground.

"Why you little -" Judoc's anger rises as the mephit thoughtlessly spills the potion on the ground. It was magic, even if the imp had no need for it. Stay calm, Judoc, he thinks to himself, breathing in and out a few times. Why hadn't he identified the potion himself? A potion of fire resistance would be very useful in a temple dedicated to a pantheon that includes a flame demon. Judoc resolves to be more careful in the future regarding the identification of potions and other magic items.

"Fine," he says between gritted teeth, glaring at the imp. What was done was done. The mephit's information was not terribly useful, but at least they had not wasted time in a senseless battle. "Come on, Judoc, let's go."

Keeping his eye on the flame, Judoc moves to skirt the opening and continue on through the room.

~Be careful, Aiah. It may yet have tricks to play, he sends to their familiar.

OOC: Judoc is not eager to get into another battle, especially since this mephit seems content to let them pass. Go around the pool of flames and continue on. Keep Resist Fire on.

Younger Judoc looks stung as his older counterpart takes the slight in stride, though he shakes off the look after a moment and instead gripping his stave as a walking stick to push past the pool of flame.

"You're right of course."  Younger Judoc concedes, though he can't help but glare at the cat-sized monster glaring at them from the midst of the flames.  "I'm in no shape for another fight just yet, and even if that thing couldn't hurt us, I'm not sure we would have faired much better against it.  All we'd need is to waste more time and energy in a battle that was doomed to stalemate from the beginning."

Aiah responds as well, hopping on younger Judoc's shoulder so that she is facing backwards, looking at the mephit.

~I'm ready to fly!  Besides, he's small enough that I could probably do some serious damage!  If he ever left that column of fire anyway...

As for the imp itself, it seems to interpret the anger of the two wizards and relish it, leaning forward from his pool of flame with a sickening grin to watch them slowly circle their way around the pool and retreat from the imp.  The thing cackles as the two step into the tunnel beyond, and splashes backwards into the flames, retreating entirely from sight.

Judoc turns and takes in the way ahead, a slow climbing stair in a tunnel that is only ten feet across and perhaps only eight feet high.  The way bends immediately to the left, which takes them out of view of the mephit's room behind them.

Immediately upon the turn, the tunnel splits in three.  Each way continues on ahead, though the left and right paths are smaller, and veer away from the main stair.  Each of them still seem to slope gently upwards, though the walls and floor are smooth in contrast to the wide steps that continue on straight ahead.

Younger Judoc groans.

"And here I was about to say 'at least it didn't matter that the damn bug hadn't answered our last question... as there was only one way to go anyway.'

Younger Judoc sighs, stroking Aiah affectionately before placing his back against the wall and slipping down to the floor in a seat.

"I need to rest."  The mage continues.  "I'm not sure what's farther on ahead, but I'd wager we'd be best served by being prepared and rested...  I doubt that this spot is safe or good, but it certainly beats anywhere else we've been so far.

OOC:  Resist fire is still active.  The mephit has stayed true to its word and not attacked you as you passed.

You have only moved about twenty feet or so in the tunnel, during which the stair takes a sharp turn to the left that makes you unable to see back into the mephit's room.  The path branches off three different ways ahead.  The center path continues upward in a slow climbing stair, and is the widest path (and the only one you can walk two abreast).  The two side paths (left and right) are narrower and shorter, though you can still walk through at almost full height.

Younger Judoc is suggesting you stop to rest.  Feel free to counter offer if you'd rather something else.

Judoc does not entirely trust the mephit, and he allows himself to breathe a little easier once they leave its room behind them. "We seem to be moving upward. That should be a good sign, if the exit is up at the surface," he says. A moment later, they turn a corner, and his grown echoes his twin's as they both spot the three paths before them. Each seems to lead upward, though the largest of the three paths suggests some significance. Could it be the main tunnel leading to the surface? Or does it lead instead to some place of worship?

At the other Judoc's expressed desire to rest, Judoc nods. "I do, too," he says. This seems to be as good a time as any to patch himself up. Gathering mana from his surroundings, he places his left hand on himself and murmurs, "Sano."

Next, approaching the three passages, he stops and listens for any sounds. He sniffs the air and checks for the feel of wind on his skin. He concentrates. Which of these three passageways has the most likely chance of leading out of the Path of Ancestors?

His cursory examination complete, he walks back to where his younger self is resting and drops down to a resting position himself. "I need probably an hour," he says. "Then we'll try the likeliest of those three passages." As they rest, Judoc takes out a handful of nuts and munches on them.

OOC: Take 5 minutes to consider each passageway. Use Intuition to consider which of these three passageways has the best chance of leading them out.

Cast Minor Heal on self. Rest for an hour. Eat 1 meal of rations. Continue to maintain Resist Fire.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:51, Tue 21 Dec 2021.