Having concluded their business with Duke Zapar, the party began to make their way back to the carnival's entrance. They had all certainly had their fill at the Carnival Eternal and the only thing left to do on their way out was to exchange their tickets. They had been rather successful at the games, racking up a large bundle of tickets. Now it was time to cash in.
After exchanging their remaining tickets, the group made their way out the front gate of the carnival and Caravaggio summoned the path once again. A now familiar scene greeted them. The bricks breaching the ground like sharks cresting the waves, drawing closer together to form a straight brick path that lead off into the distance. Once the path was formed, the party began to walk along it, returning to the banks of the Styx and Syllucraff, who awaited their return.
***
After the usual hour of travel, which always felt like a blur of time, the group came to the end of the path as it stopped a few feet away from a familiar sight. The wide expanse of the river Styx lay before them, it's waters dark and foreboding. Spectral forms crested its surface like drowning swimmers, only without the vigor of the living. Despite the ghostly activity, the surface remained calm and unbroken.
Along the shore in front of them, the long sleek gondola of Syllucraff rested. It's dark surface covered in different bones, form all manner of creatures. Standing near the rear, was the slender robed figure of Syllucraff. His glowing eyes already tracking the approaching group as the neared the vessel. Unlike previous visits, Syllucraff was holding his forcola with it's tip submerged beneath the Styx. The forcola looked like one long spine, though was likely made up of several to create the proper length. The bleached color of the bones made it contrast against Syllucraff's dark robes.
"Well Blimey! Back already!" chuckled Syllucraff as the group staggered towards his boat. "You lot look a bit knackered, especially that one." he continued, nodding towards Tidal.
Tidal came to a stop by a large protruding stone near the shore. He leaned against it to rest as the rest of the group similarly took up positions around the bank of the Styx to rest.
"It's those accursed soul coins!" Tidal grumped as he tossed the sac holding the coins to the ground. It landed with a muted thud on the dark red dirt of the shore. "We can't keep carrying these!" Tidal continued, pointing at the sac.
Rachel nodded back from where she was slumped to the ground a few paces away.
"They sap the energy right out of you." Rachel added, brushing some stray strands of her auburn hair out of her face.
"How do you propose we remedy the situation?" inquired Dido, who was not as exhausted as the rest of the group.
Dido walked over to another stone that was resting on the ground. This one was more oval in shape, and made an excellent bench. Unstrapping her cloak, Dido laid it over the stones surface and began to take off parts of her equipment, preparing to clean and polish them.
"I've got a right proper good idea! Yea?" interjected Syllucraff with a cheerful tone. "You lot could leave your quid on me boat here." he gestured with open arms at his gondola. "I'm immune to the coins drainin' effects."
Despite the lack of a visible face, Syllucraff's beaming eyes gave off the impression of having a large grin. The party looked at each other for a moment, nodding in turn as they silently agreed with the logic in their steersman's suggestion.
"I guess the next thing we need to discuss is where to next?" Rachel asked.
Everyone pondered the question. This had been the first moment in their journey where they hadn't been left with a clue or a trail to follow. The path before them was bountiful with options.
After a moment, Caravaggio offered an option to the group.
"We have that wish Rachel won at the Carnival. Why not wish Fraz to be destroyed?" he offered.
Everyone's eyes fell to Rachel, who looked back at them in turn.
"Well..." Rachel started, not sure how to phrase what she wanted to say next. She looked down at her feet and stared at them for a moment. Then she looked back at Caravaggio. "I had hoped to use the wish for a different purpose." she started, speaking softly. Everyone listened a little more closely. "I was going to use the wish to restore the pantheon. Or at least my mistress of the moon, Selune."
Dido was sitting on the stone that she was using as a makeshift workbench as she clean her armor. Her blonde hair tied up in a loose bun behind her to keep it out of her way while she worked. Her pointed elf ears stuck out to the sides a little without her helm to keep them pressed against her head. Maintaining her focus on her task, she addressed the group.
"It would also do us well to keep that wish for now." She looked up at the group, but rested her gaze on Car. "I am confident we can handle Fraz by our own means." Dido's tone was as firm as the armored plate she was polishing.
"Plus, I don't like taking the easy path." Tidal spat. "I want to kill Fraz myself."
The group chuckled and scoffed at Tidal for the last remark.
"Fine. We will hold onto the wish for now." Caravaggio said in a quiet but firm tone. "Then maybe we could learn more about these soul coins?" he continued. "How are they made? How do we get more?"
"Do we even want to get more?" Tidal added. "I'm not really a fan of the toll they take."
"Well chaps," Syllucraff started, rubbing his hands together. "Those coins are made from an infernal device. Back when I was a butter boy, I used to do a few roaders out to Minauros to move them about."
"A butter boy?" Tidal asked in his gruff tone as he raised an eye brow.
"Yea, back when I was fresh faced in this gig. I had just passed the Knowledge and had to do some odd jobs to start." Syllucraff turned his hooded head to focus on Tidal. "You don't just start with an innate knowledge of Baator when you arrive here."
"So can we get one of these machines?" Asked Car.
"Not the regular kind, no." Syllucraff shook his head. "They're ten times the size of my sherbet here." He gently patted the side of his craft. "You might be able to nick one of the travel sized ones." he offered.
"And where's Minauros?" asked Caravaggio.
"That's the third layer of Baator. It would be a fairly long trek from here." replied Syllucraff as he gestured off into the distance.
"We should also be thinking about raising an army." Dido added from her makeshift workbench. "It is very likely someone like Fraz would have an army of his own followers to enact his will."
Tidal snorted in agreement.
"Allies would be useful if we want to take down Fraz." Rachel added as she leaned back to lie on the ground.
"Well, I vote we sleep on it." Tidal offered, having now slumped down the stone he was perched against. "I think it might be time to try out this 'gift's of the choir' mumbo jumbo and see if it can restore our strength like they said."
Rachel nodded in agreement and waved at the others to gather round. She then began to enact her ritual to create the protective dome that would serve as their shelter for a rest. After several minuets had passed, the energy of the dome sprang up from the ground and shielded the party.
Syllucraff was left standing in his boat as he watched the barrier raise from the ground. It's opaque nature hid the party from his view. A moment after it had coalesced into a dark reddish dome, he could hear Dido call out from inside.
"We will discuss our party's course of action after we have rested." Dido said, just before she appeared from within the dome. Her body passed through it's wall as if she was a ghost. Dido was carrying the sac of soul coins. She strode over to his boat and placed them inside of it.
"And then we will also discuss with you about some acquisitions." Dido said with a glint in her eye and a hint of a smile tugging at the side of her lips.
Dido then turned on her heel and marched back into the wall of the hut. Syllucraff remained motionless as he looked towards the shelter's wall.
Once back inside, Dido took a spot on the ground near the rest of the group. From inside the hut, they could all see outside with no hinderance. Only the vague hue of dark red gave a hint as to the hut's perimeter. The atmosphere inside was also refreshing. Gone was the oppressive heat of Maladomini, replaced with the more temperate air of the hut.
The party sat in a loose circle, each member facing towards it's center. In front of each of them was a soul coin. The iron casing looked like it was made from the links of a chain, bound around a metal disk. The coin itself was about an inch or two thick, and around half a foot in diameter. At the center of each one, was a small red glow emanating from a tiny gem.
Each party member kept a healthy distance from touching the coin in front of them. They had each experienced the final moments of the coin's occupant as they had placed them on the ground. Those memories still lingered in their minds as they waited for Dido to get settled.
"So how do we do this?" asked Tidal.
"I will show you what I saw Duke Zapar do when he removed my ailment." replied Dido.
Dido produced a dark leather holder from amongst her gear. Flipping the top open, she slid out a dagger. The hilt was black and glossy, like polished obsidian. The blade was tucked inside a similarly designed scabbard. As Dido grabbed the handle and unsheathed it, a red glow flowed from the blade's surface. What looked like veins of lava crisscrossed along the blade.
Dido then quickly spun the handle of the dagger in her palm in one fluid motion so that the blade faced away from her. Wrapping her other hand around it's pommel, she drove the blade downwards into the coin. The blade passed into the coin's casing like a hot knife melting butter. As the cracks grew on the coin's out shell, a loud wail could be heard. The sound pierced the relative silence of the hut. As the howl faded, so to did the red glow of the gem at the coin's center. A faint blue Will-o'-wisp left the coin.
The wisp floated for a moment, seemingly dangling in mid air in front of Dido. It was as if it was studying her. Then, it quickly darted towards her face before entering her body through her nose and mouth. Dido's entire form glowed for a moment, as if bathed in a heavenly light. Then the light faded.
The group watched as she slowly opened her eyes. She released a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. She then turned to her right and offered the dagger's hilt to Caravaggio, who accepted it. He then performed the same actions before passing it along to the next party member and so on. Each member of the group performed the same actions until they had all opened the coins in front of them. After that, they each settled down for a rest.
***
The party awoke to the familiar sounds of the wails and screams of the Styx. Peering out through the walls of their magical hut, they could see Syllucraff still standing in his boat, as if he hadn't moved an inch since they had started their repose.
Rachel dispelled the hut as the group gathered their gear and made for the vessel. As they each took a seat on the gondola, they placed their gear at their feet and began to survey the surface of the Styx. It looked like black water. There was little in the way of waves on it's surface. An ethereal mist floated along the top of the water while the occasional spirit rose and fell, making it's presence known with a shriek or a wail.
Once the group was settled, Syllucraff addressed them in his usual chipper tone.
"All right you lot. A roader to Minauros is it?"
"Yes." replied Dido.
"Bloody Brilliant!" exclaimed Syllucraff as he took his forcola and dipped it in the Styx.
The gondola silently drifted away form the shore. With a very slight twist of his wrist, Syllucraff made his vessel move forwards. It crawled along slowly at first, but soon began to pick up speed.
"So how long until we get to Minauros?" inquired Rachel.
"Well, the amount of time may vary." replied Syllucraff. "It will be quicker though if the Styx doesn't throw a wobbly and send us a stray."
"And what should we do in the meantime?" asked Caravaggio, somewhat unsettled by being on the Styx. He was gripping the side of the craft fairly tightly.
"You could enjoy the onboard luxuries." offered Syllucraff. "Would you lot fancy a cuppa?"
Caravaggio nodded slowly. "Sure." he replied in a steady, but unsure tone.
Syllucraff made a gentle sweeping motion with his hand and the bones along the side of the gondola began to move and rearrange themselves. In front of each passenger, the bones formed little trays which jutted out from the side of the boat. Little skulls, about the size of various woodland creatures such as racoons and foxes rolled onto the trays, coming to a rest upside down, forming a cup of sorts. Then, an artery like cord slithered out to the cup, disgorging a hot milky looking liquid into each upturned skull before retracting back to where it had come from.
There were a lot a grossed out looks from the party, except Tidal. He reached down and clasped the skull in front of him with his gauntleted hand and lifted the drink to his mouth. Downing the contents, he wiped his mouth clean with the backside of his hand and smacked the skull back down on the tray.
After letting out a belch, he looked back at the group, who stared at him in a mix of shock and amazement.
"What?" Tidal growled back to the party. "It's no ale, but it doesn't taste bad either."
Caravaggio quietly studied his cup before venturing a small sip of it's contents. Satisfied that it didn't taste poorly, he began to sip it some more.
Rachel and Dido each took a sip of their respective cups. Rachel had to push past the fact that she was drinking out of a skull, but was able to continue until she had finished it's contents. Placing her cup back down on it's tray gently, she thanked Syllucraff for his hospitality. Syllucraff nodded in return.
As the party finished their drinks, Caravaggio began to ask Syllucraff about what items they could ask him to acquire.
"It's a pretty expansive list of things I can get for you lot. However," Syllucraff paused. "It takes me a five day to make acquisitions. In that time, you will be with out a chauffer."
Car nodded back in understanding.
"Then I have a few things in mind that I would like to purchase." Caravaggio said.
"Myself as well." added Dido.
The group began to write up a list of the items that they wished to acquire, with Syllucraff denoting how much each item would cost, a mix of soul coins and regular gold. Caravaggio also asked Syllucraff if there was a way of learning infernal, the language of the devils in Baator. Syllucraff nodded and provided him with a dark tomb from within a pocket in his robes. Caravaggio took the offered book and began to study it's pages as they travelled.
As the time passed, the landscape around them was subtly changing. The craggy and broken wasteland of Maladomini began to give way to the basalt cliffs of Malbolge. The cliff facings were still a reddish brown like the dirt in Maladomini, but a paler color, like withered flesh. The party hadn't even noticed the change in scenery until they were interrupted by a new piercing shriek.
As they turned their heads to locate the source of the noise, the party watched as a humanoid form fell from the top of the basalt cliffs. The individual had not slipped by accident to begin their fall. Standing at the top of the cliff was another form. A large bellied and sinister looking individual surrounded by dark smoke. It was very likely that it had thrown the other of the top of the cliff.
They watched silently and helplessly as the falling individual splashed into the Styx. There was a long pause as the party watched, waiting to see if the individual would surface, but he never did. Looking back up at the individual standing at the top of the cliff, it meet their gaze. After a brief pause, the creature stalked away.
Car was the first to spot a satchel hanging from an out stretched branch on the cliff's wall. Pointing it out to the group, Tidal offered to go and get it. Syllucraff nodded at the groups request to retrieve the bag and brought the boat close to the cliff's wall. Activating his slippers of spider climb, Tidal began to walk up the side of the cliff. He was a little disorienting at first, but he soon adjusted to it. The climb began to feel more like a stroll to Tidal. The branch with the bag was a fair ways up the cliff face, but Tidal just casually walked the whole stretch.
Once Tidal reached the satchel, he flipped it open to get a look at what was inside. He quickly rifled through it's contents, noting a smooth dark blue stone, a small stack of papers and some gold coins. Tidal quickly pocketed the stone, sensing there was some value to it. He then folded the bag closed and began to make his trek back down to the party.
Once back on Syllucraff's gondola, Tidal tossed the bag over to Caravaggio.
"Some gold and papers in there." Tidal informed the group.
Caravaggio opened the satchel and took the papers out. Dido and Rachel both moved over to his side to get a look at what was on the papers. the papers contained a note:
Jahrl.
Lost contact with Jabril in Stygia.
Expect likely exchange. Layer unknown.
Timing of masquerade curious.
Infiltrate and report back.
Do not engage.
The note was ended with the symbol of a tree with it's roots showing. Rachel pointed to the tree.
"That's the symbol for Deeproot. They're a druidic group that specialize in information gathering and providing counsel." informed Rachel.
Caravaggio flipped the note over to look at the other documents, but didn't recognize the language.
"I don't recognize this script." Car said.
"That's because it's in druidic." interjected Rachel, reaching a hand out to take the papers. Car let her take the few pages.
With the pages in hand, Rachel quickly flipped through them and noted that they detail a list of places and people, most of which have been crossed off. There are only two names left on the list: Glasya and Ossiea.
"Looks like they were checking out people and places." Rachel started then pointed to the last two entries. "There are only two left on the list: Glasya and Ossiea."
"Well you are in luck!" Syllucraff exclaimed. "Glasya is the lord of this layer of Baator. Ossiea is where her palace is located. It's about a days trek that way." he remarked, pointing in roughly the direction the creature from earlier had stalked off towards.
"Then I guess we have a choice." Caravaggio stated. "Stop here to chase this lead, or continue on to Minauros."
The group began to weight the options.
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