Hellgate Hotel: A Quest of Friendship and Demons

After a moment's thought, you decide to keep quiet and let the other heroes answer the question of who is going into the rift. You have some ideas -- Pilpyas might be a great person to send, since controlling the mind of the demon on the other end might help solve the problem of the ley energy outflow faster, and you kind of want to go yourself, both out of sheer curiosity and a feeling that your studies of geomancy might be useful. But, ultimately, you think you don't know enough about what the others are capable of to speak authoritatively, and you don't want to speak foolishly; moreover, you don't know enough about the social landscape, and who your words might either irritate or charm. You can watch and listen as those with more experience make this decision, and learn thereby.

Kiliona Saluni speaks first. "Well, given that you're talking about sending people through a demon portal into who-knows-what, we should send the best fighters, right? I mean, speaking for myself, I've fought plenty but I have no illusions about being the strongest here. Some of you have been fighting wars and monsters for decades." He nods at Lady Durand, but you can feel gazes shifting towards not just her, but the Grand Duke and Fleshwarper as well. She steps forward and nods back, apparently content to leave it at that, but Pilpyas shakes his head.

"I will be most useful on a small team if I am with people who trust me. I think that perhaps, for that reason, either I or the General should go, but not both of us." Before you can work up the courage to ask what he means, or anyone else does for that matter, he turns to the necromancer. "And you? Will your legions be able to enter the rift, limited as it is?"

That's a good point you hadn't considered. Chavash stands there in the field, the massive ox-corpse eerily still behind him, his hands resting on his cane in a manner that somehow belies the notion that he is feeble and using it for support, despite the white hair fluttering in the breeze. He speaks in a measured pace. "I do not know, but I expect so. Grier once told me that my constructs seemed to his power to be extensions of me, and cost him significantly less effort to move than another person would. The only reason I did not bring any to Vindar was because I did not have time to physically gather them. If this rift works by similar principles, then I should still be useful even though demons leave no corpses." He shakes his head. "However, it is too soon. All I have that is combat-effective is this one beast. I have not yet had time to outfit my humaniform constructs with weaponry, let alone reassemble them into stronger amalgamations."

It takes a second, but the meaning behind the terms sinks in, and you can feel yourself blanch. In contrast, Lady Durand's face darkens. "Humaniform constructs... what have you done, necromancer?"

He meets her gaze. "If you had been summoned without your armor or sword, you would have prioritized remedying that, surely? I have done likewise."

"You did not ask about doing this, or even mention it." Her voice is dangerous.

"I do not answer to you, General," he replies, his own calm despite the way his words seem to keep getting more provocative. "I am a sovereign." Unlike you is left unsaid, but you can hear it, and if you can then probably everyone can, and you tense, your power close to hand. This is the sort of thing you heard on the street before a fight broke out.

Professor Kalgrave clears his throat and steps forward, but Lady Durand's hand snaps up in a gesture to stop, and it gives him pause. She takes a slow, deliberate breath. "Outfit them with weaponry as you see fit. But if you desecrate the dead further for the sake of 'amalgamations', I will act to stop you."

"Then what was the purpose of Grier summoning me at all?" he snaps back at her, his previous mien of self-control fading as his grip tightens on his cane. "There is not sufficient raw material available to have an army, and so monsters are the most efficient choice for combat."

"Then you shall have monsters," she says, and his face shows his surprise. "We shall post requests in the town, for reports of monsters and beasts sighted close to town. You shall have aid in dispatching them; I will help you myself, if need be. And then you can wield those against the demons, and when all of this is over return the dead of Vindar to their rest. Is that acceptable?"

He gives her a steady look. "It is," he says, and no more.

There is an awkward silence for a moment before Black Orchid breaks it, the petite Nivvean striding forward. "Well, that still leaves only General Durand going in for now. I would be proud to fight by her side."

"And I," says Stone Lion, hovering in the air near her. "The Knights of the Dream and the Cloud Spear Sect will not refuse the call to arms." You had just been starting to relax but tense again; were they deliberately goading the two who had declined? You look back at them, but they do not seem especially provoked, and it's Professor Kalgrave who jumps in next, without Lady Durand stopping him this time.

"With all due respect to the proud martial tradition of the Empire," he says, sounding only moderately respectful, "I mislike the look of it for Nivveas to field a full two-thirds of the team. Many countries are represented here. With the loss of Anathon, I am his successor at the Academy of High Magic, and so it is my duty to fulfill his wishes and ensure that this phenomenon is properly studied."

"With equal respect," comes the response from Stone Lion, sounding not at all respectful, "my understanding is that you were his second-in-command for the administration of your school, which is not the same as being his heir in every respect, or even in his own field of study. In contrast, I am Lady Red Cloud's second-in-command in all respects, and speak with her voice in Zareas until and unless she countermands me. Besides which: we began by positing that with limited space, we should send, not scholars, but the strongest fighters."

"And so sending me along would be wise," Professor Kalgrave retorts, his face flushed. "I am an Echo Caller, and so the strength of the strong by my side is multiplied."

Stone Lion blinks, apparently not having expected that, but Lady Durand cocks her head. "How would that work with-"

"The Prince and I tested it when I was at the University of Gavis," he interrupts. "I can sustain an apparition. It is not duplicated, but it means more can be active at once."

She frowns, but seems content to let that lie. As other voices rise up -- Remy to volunteer, Steadman to volunteer and also posit that perhaps a representative from each continent would avoid enflaming tensions, Kiliona to say that requiring that would be a bad idea -- you tune the argument out and watch the others. Princess Adelina is listening intently, her face not betraying anything of what she feels or who she favors. Marika has leaned close to Professor Kalgrave and is speaking to him in a low voice, her lips moving quickly. And Leucia Serafin...

The Empress's daughter, like the princess (other princess?) appears to be listening closely, but something seems strange about her appearance. You watch her for a while before you realize what it is: despite the sunny Zarean morning, she isn't casting a shadow. You do your best to look around without being obvious about it, and then you spot it: there's a dark patch moving briskly at the perimeter of the field, like the shadow cast by a cloud except that there is no cloud in the sky and it's moving against the breeze. She appears to be keeping a watch on things outside the field; you can't say you understand why (is she worried about demons that might have gotten away?), but an excess of caution seems unlikely to cause a problem.

[Performance checks - how effective are everyone's arguments?]
[Black Orchid: 2 successes]
[Stone Lion: 4 successes]
[Sebastian Kalgrave: 4 successes]
[Remy Morris: 2 successes]
[Steadman Waite: 2 successes]

Finally, after a lot of impassioned discussion, an agreement is reached, albeit not entirely harmoniously (there is a distinctly mulish set to Black Orchid's jaw). Stone Lion and Professor Kalgrave are to accompany Lady Durand into the rift, and while the three discuss with one another, Kiliona Saluni makes a proposal. "I think it would be a good idea for there to be some of us at the Hellgate or near it at all times," he says. "That way, if another seal breaks and unformed demons attack, the town guard isn't fighting them off by themselves. We were lucky today that there were no casualties before we got here." Remy nods emphatically, and there are general murmurs of agreement from many quarters, with none dissenting. That seems to be the signal for the group to disperse: Kiliona and Marika stay behind, while the others who are not entering the rift head back to the hotel. You walk back, noting as you do that Leucia's shadow is still not back at her feet.

---

When you return to the hotel, you make a beeline for the front desk. One of their regular guests is discussing something with Madame Delfin, and you stand a respectful distance away, too conscious of your appearance. You hope the Dolphin Hotel's customers aren't put off by suddenly sharing their luxury resort with a gaggle of spirit mages from across the globe; you take comfort in the fact that you don't even crack the top three for disreputability.

Finally, it's your turn to talk to her. "Madame Delfin? I'm Maria Francisca Teixeira," you say, trying to keep your Nivvean as dignified as you can without crossing the line into being ridiculous. "I was wondering if I could take advantage of your offer to contact my home. My mother will be wondering where I am," you hope, "and I should arrange for money to be available while I stay here. What banks have branches in Vindar?" Intercontinental banks will be present here, surely? It's a resort town.

The Nivvean woman inclines her head to you, as elegantly as... well, as a scion of one of Nivveas's major corporations, you suppose. "It would be our pleasure to facilitate communications with your home. Do you wish to send a message, or would you prefer realtime? I am afraid that due to the high expense we cannot make available more than ten minutes of realtime intercontinental geocommunication."

"A message will be fine," you hasten to say. Saints, if the hotel could wave off everything they were giving you for free but drew the line there, you didn't want to know how much it cost. Even ten minutes probably represented more money than you'd ever had in your life. "My home isn't set up for realtime anyway, so it's not like I could have a conversation with my mother." True, but incomplete.

Madame Delfin regards you, and you have the uncomfortable feeling that she hears more than you say. Probably necessary, in her line of work. "Of course. And there is no need to worry about Vindar's banks; the hotel is set up to support leyline transfers, so you need only furnish your bank with this information," she passes you a paper card with neatly printed numbers, "and then withdraw such funds as you need at the concierge desk. If there are any difficulties, please let me know, and we will be honored to cover reasonable expenses."

You don't want to think about what nonsense she considers reasonable on top of everything else she's doing. "I don't think that will be necessary, but thank you very much for your generosity; it's greatly appreciated." You bow as gracefully as you can.

She shows you the way to the geocommunications room, and you politely decline the hovering attendant's offer of assistance with the messaging apparatus. You know how to work one of these; you even mostly know how to build one. Then you sit at the table, tapping your pencil against your teeth while staring at the message form. Finally, you elect for simplicity: explaining to the university where you are, why you're there (though claiming bald-facedly that Anathon Grier summoned you specifically to help fight demons is profoundly surreal), and that you don't know when you will be able to return but that you can be reached here for the foreseeable future. You ask that someone tell your mother that you're safe and to pass on any messages she wishes to send, and whether it would be possible for some of your scholarship monies to be sent here so that you are not wholly reliant on Zarean charity.

You are about to leave it at that, but then have a thought: your geomantic studies are suddenly profoundly important. You don't want to send too much information about what exactly is going on at the Hellgate, but perhaps under the cover of not interrupting your studies...? After a few abortive drafts, you add a mention that there's a lot of downtime between fighting demons, and there's a local guild that surely has texts you can use, so any recommendations on topics to read up on for a better theoretical understanding would be welcome so that you don't waste your time. You even manage to tie it back to your request for the scholarship to be disbursed here, which should hopefully make that go down easier.

After sending the transmission under the watchful eye of the hotel staff, you head up to your room to freshen up. By the time you're done with your decadently long and relaxing shower, an answering message has been slipped under your door. They must have been on the lookout for contact from you; it's not every day one of their students just disappears, after all. They're more than happy to grant all your requests, please stand by for the funds to be transmitted in our next message, and...

Oh. Oh no.

Your advisor, it seems, was delighted to hear about how devoted you were to the pursuit of scholarship even in the face of mortal peril, and has given you a list of multiple texts that he is looking forward to discussing with you upon your return, along with suggested topics that he would be interested in seeing your written thoughts on.

You have homework.

It is Noon. What do you wish to do with your time?

[] Seafoam Lounge
A relaxed place for light conversation, light music, and looking out at the ocean. Near the hotel's indoor pool.
[] Hearthfire Grille
A supremely elegant kind of restaurant, walking the line between trendiness and timeless class.
[] Hotel Gardens
A calm and peaceful outdoor setting, featuring botanical splendor, local wildlife, a selection of Zarean relics, and the famous Dolphin Fountain.
[] Dueling Grounds
A secluded field in the back of the hotel grounds, set aside for the practice of dangerous or destructive magics.
[] Town Square
The most bustling, crowded part of Vindar. Buy exotic wares in the dozens of tiny stores lining the square, or enjoy some delicious greasy street food.
[] Amphisbaena Tavern
Vindar's most famously seedy bar, with a reputation that attracts some very dangerous people... and also a lot of tourists.
[] Hellgate
At the outskirts of town lies an empty field with a pulsing metaphysical anomaly right in the middle of it.
[] Concierge Desk
Xiomara Delfin has taken over the running of the concierge desk herself, the better to see to the needs of her unusual guests.
[] Widow's Walk
Miella Leistes can often be found here, staring out to sea.
[] Forge
Demetrios Harpakrides has taken over one of the Dolphin's outbuildings, transforming it into a workshop and smithy.
[] Heroes' Room: (write in four people you have not yet read up on)
The room set up for news, information-sharing, and learning more about your fellow heroes.
[] Seek Out: (write in people with whom you have a Relationship of +1 or better)
When you really want to talk to someone in particular.

[] Do your homework.
Go rustle up some textbooks from Vindar's geomancers and work on your assignments. For your sins.

---

For those only reading the story posts: the rules about relationship levels and timeslots have been added to the Rules Compendium threadmark for reference. The Dramatis Personae has also been updated with people's current Relationship Levels; a summary of its current state is "1 with the six people you've interacted with significantly, 0 with everyone else."