Chapter 1: By the Pricking of my thumb....

[Michael]

Five harsh cracking noises echo around the natural cavern for a moment, followed by the wet squelching of evil things struggling free of membrane and shell.

Five fiendish forms are vomited forth from the smashed remains of the sickly yellow green and grey eggs. They have appeared in a haphazard circle around some oddly coloured stones set into the earth, in what appears to be a natural cavern set into a cliff side. There is a faint odour of fire and brimstone which is coming from somewhere outside, and not the newly arrived. Surrounding them is the detritus of the unsuccessful, scraps of cloth, metal and wood that once made up weapons and armor of incredible infernal and diabolic power, but are now just so much junkYou can scrounge and simple or martial melee weapon of inferior quality, and enough scraps to make hide armor like armor

Beggars can't be choosers though, and it maybe that some of the rubbish may still function as weapon or armor, which would be one step up the ladder from the fiend's current naked state...assuming any survive their first encounter with each other.

Oh yes, and one otherThis is Creed, who did not arrive via egg, blackened and singed, lying in a foetal position off to one side, clearly fiendish but also of other origins, his limp wings probably no more useful that those you have

A quick look suggests there's no further ingress into the cliff, the mouth of the cave showing sky and tree tops from some kind of forest below.
 

[coreal]

Julien sits upright suddenly, "My hair!" and then cuts his eyes to either side as he gives his silver hair a toss over both shoulders to smooth it out.

Stretching... groaning... yawning... and then pushing to his feet and looking around at the ruin. Then down at his hands, memories of the powerful rings that adorned his fingers before, now bare, even the highly enchanted metal scoured away in the horrific aftermath.

Julien starts to piece together just a pair of pants, armor not his first thought as that was never of much use to him. He shivers for a moment, trying to recall all the varied forms he'd taken over the eons, but they're gone. Just the one he so often used, a fall back for when he had too many other tasks to bother with making a choice. He flickers for a moment into that elven form, then shifts back out... judging by his company as he looks around his wings are more appropriate now.

"That, was a truly unmitigated disaster. I hope someone gets flayed for this blunder."

His eyes spend a few moments lingering over the other occupants of the cavern, then take a moment to take in his own stripped down form. "I'd greet you all as survivors of this mess, but without the armaments and panoply of power, I'm afraid I don't recognize a one of you. Barely recognize myself."

[W0LF]

Pain..

Creed lays on the earth, his fingertips digging into the earth beneath him as his body aches. It was bad pain but he'd felt worse. Not one groan passed his lips as he stayed curled in a ball as his body slowly mended itself, too slowly, but his slightly longer than normal ears twitched as though catching minute sounds inside the cavern.

As he felt better he rose to crouch, then slowly stand. Old, blackened and burned skin sloughed off him, revealing his tattooed and muscled physique. As he looked down he noticed the tattoos no longer swirled with a life of their own.

Hmm..

He looked up toward the others, his eyes taking in their forms. Didn't are any better than he despite their numerous protections. A rather pretty little fiend was up and rummaging around. Creed instead observed their surroundingsSpot/Listen listen check 1d20+4, looking for any threats while keeping the threats he did know in the corner of his eye. As his eyes track the cavern he replies casually.

"Creed. Asmodeous' lap......-beast. And you?"

 

 

[coreal]

A wave of fingers and a muttered wordUsing the prestidigitation cantrip for a little cleaning up starts off the process of making the makeshift pants he's thrown together look a little more presentable before Julien directs his gaze over towards Creed, "Julien, of the Third Waterfall... whatever that means. That's a little disturbing actually."

He stops with the active cleaning and taps a fingertip to his upper lip, "Any idea how long we've been in this cavern? Everything is still a little fuzzy from the gate not operating quite as expected."

[Polyphemus]

 

Kerapsis|Female, Medium Outsider (Tanar'ri, Extraplanar, Evil, Chaotic), Vrock, Cleric 1

HP: 11/11 | AC/Touch/FF: 14/12/12 | Str/Dex/Con/Int/Wis/Cha: +4/+2/+3/+0/+3/+0 | F/R/W: +5/+4/+5 | Speed: 30ft | Spells Active: 

---

A sharp beak breaks through the egg's shell, followed by a pair of black feathery wings break through the membrane as they unfurl. A sharp talon plants on the cavern floor, helping to push Kerapsis to her feet.

So small, so weak... Kerapsis took state of her current form. Aside from being a shadow of her former self, there were small changes that were harder to identify. And then there was... hmm, interesting. The mark of Orcus on her forearm no longer had the constant ache she was used to; she no longer felt his presence with her at all. Probably for the best, she thought, there's no guarantee he wouldn't just scrap my soul for parts if he knew of me in this useless state.

Kerapsis examines those around her. It seems that all manners of fiends were affected by whatever went wrong with the gate. Perhaps it was just a blunder, as the incubus seems to believe, and not some planned sabotage. It doesn't matter, whoever was behind it will pay. Julien strikes Kerapsis as an odd, vain creature, but being the only other demon around, she gives him her attention as she introduces herself, "I am Kerapsis, Carrion Fury of Blood Lord Orcus. I have no memories after entering the portal."

She stands in a hunched position, not liking her chances in her current state, but ready for conflict should it erupt.

OOC & Actions

 

Edited June 2, 2023 by Polyphemus
formatting edit (see edit history)

[Ryfte]

DESCRIPTION Kaida was once a powerful and beautiful creature. She had sweeping wings, full and strong, and glorious horns! Her body was a powerful killing machine through which poisonous toxins flowed to strike down her enemies with. Her body had been strong and hardy, capable of going toe to toe with devils of much higher ranks than she.

Now she is but a pale echo of what she once was.

She was never a hulking creature and that is still true. Not even reaching two feet in height she is as tiny as ever. Her wings are small, much less muscle supporting their frame, and her tail, as long and sinuous as ever, was tipped by a stinger that was coated in what should have been a vibrantly colored sap-like toxin. Instead it was dull, and watery, quite weak indeed.

Her choice of color is always black and gray when given the option. Sometimes she'll stray from the more "bland" colors to exceedingly dark blues and purples but she does so very rarely. Clothing with folds and hidden pouches or pockets for concealed weapons are always of interest to her and she is rarely without a hooded vest.| APPLICATION | SHEETKaida Reombath Attor
Female, Tiny Outsider (Baatezu, Extraplanar, Evil, Lawful), Imp, Swordsage 1

---

AC/TAC/FFAC: 16/15/12 HP: 10/10 S/D/C/I/W/C: 0/+4/+3/+1/+3/+0 | F/R/W: +5/+6/+5 | Move: 30'
See in Darkness (Su)Kaida, like other devils, can see perfectly in any form of darkness as if it were full daylight.; Tail StingMelee Attack, 10' Reach, 1d4+StrMod, 20/x2

Poison
Fort save DC 16
Dexterity 1 (primary) / Dexterity 1 (secondary) MA +3, 1d4 (20/x2)
Balance +8, Escape Artist +10, Hide +16, Listen +7, Move Silently +8, Search +5, Spot +7, Survival +7, Tumble +8
Maneuvers: Burning Blade (DW), Counter Charge (SS), Mighty Throw (SS), Shadow Blade Tech. (SH), Child of Shadow (SH, Stance)

---

She stabbed at the barrier repeatedly with her tail, as always somehow. It was a strange feeling, suspended in the viscous liquid, unable to move freely through the air as she was so accustomed to. Again her tail struck against the inside of the shell, slowly though, lacking the blinding speed she somehow felt it should have. Still, after a few moments of continuous jabbing the shell gave way, a small hole that widened into a handful of radial cracks until the entire egg broke apart and spilled her tiny form half out of the shell.

Kaida peeked out from the mass of broken shell, half submerged in the sticky goop that but moments before had held her suspended in the small egg. She hunched down as far as she could as her eyes scanned the cavern, those in it, and her mind raced to catch up to the here and now. * I would not do anything without a plan... would I? And how would a plan, of any value at least, include such a place as this? Right? The armies... the gateway... we were supposed to... * Her mind was a jumble of images, scattered thoughts, and seemingly broken memories that even now felt as if they were slipping away from her. The tiny devil shook her head, small clawed hands rubbing at her temples just beneath her horns, trying to assuage the lancing pain that filled her head.

"What in the name of the great scaled one has happened?" The infernal words tumbled out unintentionally as she studied her new surroundings. There were others here, much larger than she of course. Despite her missing and broken memories that somehow seemed like something that had always been; others being larger than she. Still, somehow she knew her power, of the many that had been, had been great for she yet survived.

By the confusion the others revealed with their words they knew no more than she. She stretched her wings, or meant to at least, and felt the weakness there. The muscle and bone simply didn't exist yet and she couldn't fully spread them. Anger filled her in that moment, a brief flash of intense, burning hate that had no one to be directed at, or towards. She wanted to kill something, anything really, but all that was here were others, like her, nothing more than shadows of what they had been. Her tail struck at the debris around her scattering it as she started to move about, looking for anything of use. A weapon of some sort or anything else that remained of her possessions. Somehow a tail band kept nagging at her memory, along with a sense of loss, as she rummaged through the area.

Gripping a small, jagged piece of metal that could serve as a small knife she continued her "salvage" efforts. She mulled over the recent events, or tried to at least, things had slipped away from her that she knew should be child's play, things she should know yet were now gone. "Clearly something did not go as intended. There are so few of us here and my memories are not what they should be. I am Kaida though, I do remember that much. Perhaps we were separated from the others somehow. Still, at the same time despite my weakness, I feel, almost free, strangely isolated..." She sat and threaded a leather thong through a bit of what could have been another of her kind's skin not so long ago. It was rough, crude, and definitely without style as well as a very rough fit, but it would serve as a small bit of protection from danger here. A few small scraps of cloth, stained with blood and other fluids, charred and blackened if they had not already been, served as ragged clothing as well. It was one of the advantages of being tiny, scavenging from larger creatures and being able to make do with bits and pieces, leftovers so to speak.

---

OoC

 

Edited June 2, 2023 by Ryfte (see edit history)

[TheFred]

 

From nearby, another groan sounds, plaintive and pitiful. Something from beneath a pile of rotten detritus shifts, shedding bits of broken egg and green goo, to reveal a scrawny, furry figure with a thin, lupine face. It peers around blearily, taking in the ruin around it, before attempting to focus on the other fiends.

"Uuurgh..." it groans, the sound reedy and thin. "What... happened? Where am I?"

Edited June 2, 2023 by TheFred (see edit history)

[Michael]

The party massage bruised heads and egos as they blearily try to take stock of their situation, some still so struck they have not moved from the puddle of goo they arrived in. A few perhaps glance outside. The cave is about 50 yards up a cliff face composed of jagged rock and some loose scree. It looks eastward out over a forest, though said forest is not large and beyond is clearly farmland, roads, and similar signs of civilisation. To the south east the tip of what is probably a great chasm can be seen, a deep wound in the earth quite possibly the source of the brimstone and sulphur. Almost due east 2-3 miles away there are clear signs of a smallish settlement, though the forest hides most of the detail.

[TheFred]

 

"The gate..." the furry figure muses, his memories returning to him as if through a fog. He clambers to his feet, unsteadily, and tries to brush some of the dirt and slime from himself. "Ohhhh..."

He lets out a long, distraught groan, looking around at the others.

"Well, it's obvious what has happened," he says. His voice is still thin and, frankly, quite annoying to listen to, but his tone matter-of-fact and almost seems to carry a hint of smugness, as if he knows a secret that nobody else has been let in on yet.

[coreal]

Julien Male, Medium Outsider (Tanar'ri, Extraplanar, Evil, Chaotic), Incubus, Sorcerer 1

HP: 9/9 | AC/Touch/FF: 14/13/11 | Str/Dex/Con/Int/Wis/Cha: +2/+3/+1/+1/+0/+6 | F/R/W: +3/+5/+2 | Speed: 30ft

---

"Kerapsis, I believe I saw you before the gate... sadly we have all been... reduced. And Kaida, I don't believe I saw you before the gate. You seem to have suffered reduction more than most it seems."

Julien keeps up his cleaning operation, removing dirt and debris from around his feet and working his way out.

"Well in general terms, of course it's obvious... more specifically and what has happened to us individually, I'd be interested in hearing your theories." He directs this towards the lupine faced figure that's suffered more than most from the slime and grime of their rebirth. "Would you like... a little grime removal?"

[Ryfte]

DESCRIPTION Kaida was once a powerful and beautiful creature. She had sweeping wings, full and strong, and glorious horns! Her body was a powerful killing machine through which poisonous toxins flowed to strike down her enemies with. Her body had been strong and hardy, capable of going toe to toe with devils of much higher ranks than she.

Now she is but a pale echo of what she once was.

She was never a hulking creature and that is still true. Not even reaching two feet in height she is as tiny as ever. Her wings are small, much less muscle supporting their frame, and her tail, as long and sinuous as ever, was tipped by a stinger that was coated in what should have been a vibrantly colored sap-like toxin. Instead it was dull, and watery, quite weak indeed.

Her choice of color is always black and gray when given the option. Sometimes she'll stray from the more "bland" colors to exceedingly dark blues and purples but she does so very rarely. Clothing with folds and hidden pouches or pockets for concealed weapons are always of interest to her and she is rarely without a hooded vest.| APPLICATION | SHEETKaida Reombath Attor
Female, Tiny Outsider (Baatezu, Extraplanar, Evil, Lawful), Imp, Swordsage 1

---

AC/TAC/FFAC: 16/15/12 HP: 10/10 S/D/C/I/W/C: 0/+4/+3/+1/+3/+0 | F/R/W: +5/+6/+5 | Move: 30'
See in Darkness (Su)Kaida, like other devils, can see perfectly in any form of darkness as if it were full daylight.; Tail StingMelee Attack, 10' Reach, 1d4+StrMod, 20/x2

Poison
Fort save DC 16
Dexterity 1 (primary) / Dexterity 1 (secondary) MA +3, 1d4 (20/x2)
Balance +8, Escape Artist +10, Hide +16, Listen +7, Move Silently +8, Search +5, Spot +7, Survival +7, Tumble +8
Maneuvers: Burning Blade (DW), Counter Charge (SS), Mighty Throw (SS), Shadow Blade Tech. (SH), Child of Shadow (SH, Stance)

---

She let the comment on her natural size pass without comment or even consideration. It was so utterly typical, and common really, and simply of no consequence. She'd long ago found that the seeming obsession with becoming larger somehow related to ones power was a crutch that her kind as well as the others seemed to rely upon so frequently. For her part she found being smaller much more advantageous, even if simply to allow others to draw the attention of shared enemies.

* One of the factions, likely the demons of course... they soooo enjoy their mayhem and chaos. Still I'm not one to share that sort of opinion in the mixed company of survivors we have here... and not without knowing more of where we are and if we'll need each others cooperation. * She stood at the edge of the cave opening, surveying the area in more details. As she felt a slight breeze she attempted to flex her wings again only to find them stiff and mostly unresponsive. It wasn't that they were injured at all, simply not developed enough to actually be very functional. * I suppose, even if I cannot fly perhaps I could glide to the ground from here... * She grimaced, * ... like a crippled bird ... * The thought all but leaving a bitter tasted behind.

---

OoC

 

[TheFred]

The furball waves his hand in response to Julien's offer, clearly more focused on the catastrophic gate experience than the mess.

"Well, you see, I was involved with the creation of the Gate," he explains. "Not the design nor the manufacture, of course; don't blame me for all this, ha ha! But you see, I am Molgrug, an auditor from Gehenna; I suspect many of you do not know me, or remember me, for admittedly I am not one of the elite archfiends chosen to lead the invasion, as indeed yourselves."

Molgrug looks around at the "elite archfiends" assembled apologetically, noting that they cut rather an unimpressive figure for the supposed cream of the Lower Planes.

"I am, of course, an arcanaloth, and quite capable, even if I do say so myself, but hardly a legendary warrior such as many of you! Why, I often say to my boss - he is an ultraloth, of course, and quite a legendary figure in his own right, though he deigned not to join us on this enterprising expedition. Why, it is said that he once slew two pit fiends with a single stroke! Anyway, what was I saying? I often say to him "Boss, why was the Blood War called the Blood War? Because it was a bloody mess, that's why!""

He grins, as if expecting everyone to laugh, and nods sagely.

Edited June 4, 2023 by TheFred (see edit history)

[Enkhoffer]

Brandisher's eyes shoot open, as he raises his head out of the mud with a startled snarl.

His mind is blank at the moment, remembering nothing except calamity and defeat. And humiliation and pain and... weakness. His arms feel drained of all their strength.

 

He looks around at the other fiends that are gathered in this blasted place, bent and rusted weapons strewn all around.

"What happened?!", he demands as soon as he is on his feet.

"We were winning!"

Edited June 5, 2023 by Enkhoffer (see edit history)

[W0LF]

Creed looks about, starting to fashion together clothing from the scraps he can find. Enough at least to cover his nudity which is what locals would find confronting. And to cover the scraps of what remained of his wings. He also searched around for something to use as a knife and any other useful items.

 

He snorts at the arcanaloths joke. “And how many children do you have that enjoy that joke?”

 

He always tried to keep his back to a wall and his eyes on the others as much as possible. He was extremely young when compared to demons and fiends so he had an expectation that they may not be aware of things how they sat with non-fiend races. He shook his head slightly.

 

”You lot are going to absolutely freak out the locals… Since we’re not here with an invading force, that’s going to make things difficult and what are we going to do?”

 

 

Edited June 5, 2023 by W0LF (see edit history)

[Polyphemus]

 

Kerapsis|Female, Medium Outsider (Tanar'ri, Extraplanar, Evil, Chaotic), Vrock, Cleric 1

HP: 11/11 | AC/Touch/FF: 14/12/12 | Str/Dex/Con/Int/Wis/Cha: +4/+2/+3/+0/+3/+0 | F/R/W: +5/+4/+5 | Speed: 30ft | Spells Active: 

---

Kerapsis stares unamused at Molgrug, before her attention shifts to the pile of scraps. Aware that her skin is no longer the thick boiled leather hide she once had, she begrudgingly sifts through the broken gear piecing together bits of light material to add some protection.

Keeping her eyes on the others as she scrounges, she looks toward Creed as he comments about the locals. "I suppose we'll have to rely on my incredible charm," She says as she smiles a wide, menacing grin, "or maybe you could use your humanoid nature to help lure some away from their packs for a light lunch?"

OOC & Actions

Forms leather armor from salvaged bits