The party trudged out of the hair forest and into the clearing. Before them, in it's magnificence, was Ossiea, the skull fortress of Glasya, Lord of the sixth. They could hear a hauntingly sweet, and melancholy melody originating from inside the fort. This was occasionally punctuated by the tortured screams from individuals in iron cages that dangled from platforms all around the compound.
Taking in their new surroundings, the group spied a pair of Nupperibos guarding the entrance, their bloated forms taking up much of the threshold. They were flanked on either side by winged humanoids in gleaming plate armor. These individuals were lithe in form, each carrying a pike as they stood at attention. Leading back from the entrance was a line of devils containing every shape and variety one could imagine. The line snaked it's way back to the far side of the clearing where more devils were phasing into reality and joining the end of the queue.
Ossiea itself was a large building, clearly the skull of an immensely sized creature that had been vanquished. Where the eye sockets were, each was covered in red stained glass windows. From the foramen magnum jutted a balcony. The mouth was the main entrance. Dotted around the compound were various miniature forms of the hoodoos, each a boney crest curve with an iron cage dangling from a mount near the top.
Taking a short reprieve from their journey, the party took a moment to catch their breath and collect themselves, while taking in the sight before them. Flewid and Rachel moved to sit on the ground as they proceeded to thumb through Hupperdink's journal for any more insights. Dido, Caravaggio, and Tidal surveyed the compound from their vantage point at the edge of the forest. They identified more of the lithe guards, and noted their strategical placement. Dido brought their attention to the pair of Nupperibos noting that they seemed to be taking soul coin payments in order for the devils to enter. Then the guests were being sorted out into two groups, one which went straight into the fort, the other being lead off to a side path.
Tidal pulled out the smooth stone that he had pocketed earlier from the satchel and began to mindlessly turn it over in his meaty hand. As he was doing this, Rachel looked up from her examination of the journal and noticed it for the first time. It seemed familiar to her.
"Hey Tidal," Rachel started, "what's that in your hand?"
Tidal looked down at the stone then over to Rachel.
"Just a pretty stone that I found." Tidal responded in his gravelly voice.
"Can I take a look at it for a moment?" inquired Rachel.
Tidal shrugged his shoulders dismissively and placed it in Rachel's offered hand. Rachel looked it over. It's surface was a smooth glossy black, like obsidian. Etched into it's one side was a dark blue rune in the shape of a spiral.
"Do you only have the one?" Rachel asked Tidal.
"Yea." replied Tidal nonchalantly. "I found it in the satchel I retrieved when we first entered this layer."
Rachel's brow furrowed in frustration that Tidal would do such a thing as keep something like this to himself. The moment quickly passed though and she returned her focused to the task at hand.
"This is part of a set of sending stones." Rachel stated with a hint of annoyance in her voice, holding up the stone for everyone to see. "The other half is likely with the Deeproot agent working with Jahrl."
"So let's use it to contact whoever is inside." Tidal offered.
"We need to be cautious." Caravaggio interjected, skulking back into the tree line. "We don't know for sure if the person on the other side will be an ally, or an enemy."
Dido nodded in agreement locking eyes with Rachel.
"It is a calculated risk." Dido added in a stern voice. "However, we are in need of some intelligence about this lair and contacting the other stone holder is likely our best option."
"Worst case, the other side belongs to an enemy and they're alerted to our presence, we can retreat back into the woods." offered Flewid.
"Ok, so we contact whoever, try to get some intel, maybe make an ally, and go from there." Tidal summarized. "Seems simple enough."
Dido nodded to Rachel to start using the stone. Rachel gripped the stone in her hand and began to recite a spell. She began to speak in druidic which the rest of the group, save for Flewid, couldn't understand. Rachel was familiar with sending stones, having used them back when she was alive. As she concluded her incantation, the familiar and deafeningly quiet mentalscape began to take form in her mind. A solid indication that the stone was now active.
Rachel's companions could see the dark blue rune begin to glow a bright azure as she continued to clutch it in her hand.
Hello? Rachel spoke in her mind keeping to druidic hoping the other end was still in possession of a member of Deeproot. There was a pause for a moment before there was a response. The other voice was gravelly like Tidal's, but more feminine and more stern.
Who is this? came the reply.
I am Rachel Fenway, cleric of Selune and agent of The Choir. I am sorry to have to notify you that Jahrl has died. We witnessed him being tossed from a cliff as we entered the realm of Malbolge.
The was a pause as the other voice digested the new information. Then it replied.
That is unfortunate. I knew Jahrl quite well. He will be missed. Why do you contact me?
Rachel paused before replying.
My companions and I have been tasked by The Choir to stop Fraz-Urb'luu, the Gargoyle Prince, and restore the celestial order. Our quest has brought us to Ossiea in the search of allies to further accomplish this. We humbly seek an audience with you as a member of Deeproot to discuss a possible alliance.
There was another pause before Rachel heard the reply in her mind.
Aye. You may have your audience. Find me on the fourth floor in the butler's pantry. Figure it out and come to see me.
As soon as the last word was said in her mind, her mentalscape returned to normal indicating that the sending stone was now off. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she looked up at the rest of the group.
"We might have an ally in there. They want to talk." Rachel said, a little excitement in her tone.
"What did they say?" inquired Dido.
"We need to meet them on the fourth floor in the butler's pantry. The voice said to figure it out and come see them."
At that moment, Car reemerged from the tree line.
"I went for a closer look at the entrance." Car reported. "It seems the guests who've arrived in costumes are being let straight in, while the others are being lead somewhere else."
"Makes sense if they're coming for a masquerade." replied Flewid.
"Then I guess we will need some costumes of our own." said Rachel as she stood up from the ground.
Rachel walked over to the closest tree stalk and placed an open palm on it's surface. Speaking a quick incantation, the palm of her hand glowed an emerald green. A moment later, green vines began to emerge from the light and snake along the stalk. As the expanded and quested further away, multiple flowers bloomed on the vines. There were a multitude of colors, with whites, yellows, reds, violets, and blue pedals.
Once the spell was complete, Rachel grabbed several of the flowers and held them in her hand, reciting another incantation. The flowers would then weave themselves into masks. She made a mask for each member of the group. With the remaining vines, Rachel had them transformed into cloaks that each party member could drape over their shoulders.
Their costumes adorned, the party made their way to the queue. The line of waiting guests moved quicker than the party expected. As they drew closer to the entrance of Ossiea, the group could better make out what was in the cages dangling from the mini hoodoos. Each cage held a prisoner, mainly of typical races from the living world. There were elves, gnomes, humans, tabaxi and some lizard folk. Each of them was being pecked, ripped at, and shredded by a wake of vultures which were perched on each of the cages. When a prisoner was on the threshold of death, their wounds would begin to magically heal and the torture would continue anew.
As the party stepped up to the pair of Nupperibos guarding the entrance, they each paid a soul coin and were permitted entry. The brief hall from the entrance to the first room was exquisitely lavish. The walls were adorned with an ivory lattice with intricate patterns that rested on the wall's surface. The walls themselves were a blend of scarlet hues with violet veins stitched into them. Glowing red crystals lined the upper parts of the walls to illuminate the path. The end of the hall opened up into an enormous ballroom.
The party set foot into the ballroom and were immediately thrust into the hustle and bustle of the masquerade. The ballroom was packed with guests leaving very little space to navigate through it. Opposite their entrance, the group could see a grand ivory stair case, with golden spheres periodically placed along it's rails. A small doorway to their right saw small lizard folk, kobolds, hustling in and out with trays of bizarre hors d'oeuvres. A glimpse into the kitchen area, one could see all manner of tortured creatures awaiting to be harvested of their body parts to make the food. On the opposite side from the kitchen was an opening to a courtyard. From where the group stood, they could make out topiaries in lewd and erotic positions.
A band was setup on a stage on the far side of the room and was the source of the music they could hear from outside. Above them, a large uvula-like appendage glistened in the light and reflected it down upon the guests. In the air, a dozen winged Erinyes, each with a partner drawn from the group of guests below, were twirling and dancing to the rhythm of the music. The party was entranced as they watched the ballet in the air. Soon the music hit a crescendo and the Erinyes tossed their dance partners into the air above them. In a fluid motion, each drew their swords and caught their partners on the tips, plunging their blades deep into the other's chest. Then the Erinyes would descend to the ballroom floor and lower their blades, allowing the dance partner to slide off and land on the floor.
At the heart of this room rested a massive statue. It was grand in stature, standing around 9ft tall. It was made of a deep blue ice and portrayed a humanoid male individual. The individual had roguish good looks and was adorned with plated armor. As the party looked closer at the sculpture, they could see that it was melting. Drops of water ran down along it's surface and a small pool was beginning to form at the statue's base.
The group was about to discuss their next steps when the music suddenly came to a halt as a loud commanding voice echoed from everywhere.
"Esteemed guests! Welcome to my home, Ossiea!"
Appearing on every reflective surface was the enchanting face of Glasya. From every glass, to the spheres on the stair case. The main draw from the guests however, was to the ice sculpture in the middle of the grand hall and their host's face superimposed over the statue's icy face. Glasya herself though was no where to be found. She continued with her warm greeting.
"Let me take this opportunity to thank you all for attending my Meltdown Masquerade!"
A roar of cheers and applause filled the hall.
"Tonight we celebrate the last night of Levistus' wretched existence! Once this traitor's statue has completely melted, all of his foul deeds will be exposed and he will be destroyed!" sneered Glasya with a malicious tone.
The crowd cheered once again, lifting their glasses in the air. Returning to a more pleasing voice, Glasya concluded.
"Please enjoy yourselves and take advantage of the comforts of Ossiea."
As quickly as her reflections had appeared, they were gone once again. The music started up once more and the guest returned to their idle chatter.
The group looked at each other absorbing this new information.
"We need to make it up to the forth floor." Dido said.
Rachel started looking around again to get her bearings. As her attention drifted to the side door where the lizard folk were coming and going with their trays of grotesque foods, she noticed on of them standing near the door, seeming directing the others as they came out.
"Give me a moment" Rachel said to the group as she started to make her way over to the individual.
Snaking her way through the guests, Rachel arrived at the door where the head waiter of sorts was standing.
"Excuse me." Rachel politely started. " My name is Rachel Fenway and I have some questions."
"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Rachel Fenway. You may call me Gordok. How may I be of assistance?" Replied the lizard folk.
Gordok was a little taller than Rachel with vibrant orange and black scales that were visible outside of his cloth suit that her was wearing. He had a towel draped over one arm and seemed eager to please. While they were conversing, Gordok was still silently directing his staff as the exited from the kitchen area.
"Thank you Gordok. This is my first event and I would hate to make any faux-pas." Rachel began. "Would you mind telling me the rules for this event?"
"There are few rules to observe." Gordok stated. "You may freely explore Ossiea, however you may not enter any roped off areas. Be sure to enjoy yourself and do not start any fights with any of the other guests, guards, or staff."
Rachel nodded in understanding.
"Thank you Gordok, you have been most helpful." Rachel replied with a smile.
"You are most welcome." Gordok said as he then directed his most recently arrived waiter to offer some hors d'oeuvres to Rachel. The waiter offered the tray towards her and Rachel had to hold back a gag. On the tray were squirming eye balls, each looking up at her. They rested on top of a little pâté spread over a wheat looking wafer. Not wishing to be impolite, Rachel took one of the crackers and smiled back. Both the waiter and Gordok waited with anticipation for her to try the delicacy.
Rachel took a breath and steeled herself as she popped the whole thing in her mouth and started to chew. The eye burst in her mouth like a little cherry tomato. She considered herself lucky that her vassal form in Baator only let her taste ash as she consumed food. After a moment, Rachel swallowed and smiled as she nodded to Gordok.
"They are delicious aren't they! Only the best ingredients are used!" Gordok beamed with pride. "Why, it takes a lot of work to keep the elven eyes fresh! They are only good for about ten minuets once you remove them from the body."
"They are fresh indeed!" Rachel said as she feigned contentment, while inside she was nauseated. "If you will excuse me, I must return to my companions."
With that, Rachel gave a quick curtsy, turned on her heel, then made her way back to the others. It was time to make their way to their contact.
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