Session0062

Episode 0062 - Into a Viper's Nest
Previous | Next

**Setting:**

Sigil - June 17th-18th, 211 AW
**Synopsis:**

* After turning Graz'zt over to the Lady of Pain's authorities for judgment, the party visits Logic and retrieves their rewards, including the Conjuration Anchor.
* The following morning, the party is summoned to be questioned by the Lady of Pain regarding the events of the Banquet.
* At the Iron Palace, Graz'zt is also questioned by the Lady of Pain, and is sentenced to imprisonment in Sigil, though he receives a reduced sentence in exchange for informing on the Mercury Company and Ravaasta.
* After forging an invitation to the Mercury Company auction, the party goes to the auction hall, where they confront Ravaasta about the location of Natalie Shaw.

## June 17th

At the Outer Gate of Plaguemort, shortly after the party incapacitates and apprehends Graz'zt, a pair of dabus arrive, and asks the party what has happened. The party briefly recounts the events that took place at the Quorum Banquet, though they leave out the details of their own interests in the situation, their deal with Logic, etc. After investigating the scene and identifying Graz'zt's magic items, the dabus take him into custody, telling the party he will be brought to the Iron Palace to face the Lady of Pain's justice. They summon the party to also appear at the Iron Palace in the morning to be be questioned by the Lady of Pain. Afterwards, they take Graz'zt and disappear through a door that they create nearby.

The party heads to Logic's workshop, where they report what's happened. In return for their completion of their bargain with him, Logic gives them their promised rewards, including the arcanofabrication devices, and the Conjuration Anchor. The party briefly studies the items, attuning to the arcanofabrication devices and storing the Conjuration Anchor within a *portable hole* that Logic provides them.

The party parts ways for the night to rest and recover from the days ordeals.

Louche asks Frog to speak privately, and tells him that he intends to go to Elysium in the hopes of convincing Pelor to empower a magic item that Louche has crafted to channel divine magic as a weapon. He asks Frog to cover for him while he's gone by impersonating him using his changeling abilities. The two devise a ruse involving a handful of magic items, and Louche sets off toward the Outer Gate to Elysium, while Frog begins masquerading around Sigil as Louche. Buttonsworth agrees to cover for the now-missing Frog by saying that he is under the weather and wishes to be left alone in his chambers.

Odell and XVIII discuss XVIII's recent experimentation with rune magic.

Gregarian Advantis checks in with Loot back at Every Ware, who reports that there has still been no news regarding the devils or any unusual movements around the Outer Gate to the Hells. Loot shares that there have been an increasing number of visits between Vassia and Titivilus, but nothing particularly unusual.

Meanwhile, Louche arrives at Ecstasy, the Outer Gate to Elysium, where he is stopped by a pair of angelic guards. He tells them that he wants an audience with Pelor, identifying himself as by name, which they recognize. He says that he has information about the Hells that he wants to trade, and that he wishes to help Israphel. The angels state that even stepping foot in Elysium for long would destroy Louche as a fiend, let alone to be in the presence of Pelor himself. However, they offer to allow Louche to meet with one of Pelor's archangels instead. At Louche's request, they allow him to pass through the Outer Gate to Elysium to meet with the archangel rather than her coming to Sigil, though they again warn him that his presence in Elysium will harm him.

Inside the threshold of the Outer Gate in Elysium, Louche meets with one of Pelor's archangels, who introduces herself as Mydaiel. Louche explains to her that Asmodeus is attempting to fulfill a prophecy and re-enter the Material Plane, and that he needs Louche in order to do so, but Louche does not wish to fulfill the prophecy. He explains that he wants to rescue a friend from the Hells, and to help Israphel. In order to do so, he wants to charge his magic weapon with Pelor's magic in order to battle the Hells.

Mydaiel asks Louche why she shouldn't simply destroy him where he stands, if doing so would prevent Asmodeus' plot, expressing some animosity toward Louche for causing Israphel to fall. He convinces her not to do so by explaining that he is a valkyrie and truly wishes to help Israphel, given that she can sense his honesty as a celestial. As requested, Mydaiel distills some of the divine magic of Elysium and uses it to charge Louche's magic weapon.

Back in Sigil, Louche rejoins with Frog, who he finds putting on a benefit concert for Gregarian Advantis's political campaign using Louche's persona. Falgron, who sussed out the two's ruse while looking for Frog, is also with Frog acting as his bodyguard.

## June 18th

The party convenes in the morning, and Louche plays the *psalm of mastery*. At their morning meeting, Lane Coronato, who has been keeping watch over Natalie Shaw's home, reports that no one has seemingly come or gone there.

Gregarian Advantis leaves Loot in charge of meeting with Math as scheduled to sell the githyanki silver sword that he acquired the previous day.

The party heads to the Iron Palace, where they find many other Quorum members from the banquet assembled, presumably also to be questioned by the Lady of Pain regarding last night's events. Notably, Gregarian Advantis takes note that Ravaasta is not present, and neither are Spiros Chronelis, Melius, or a few other quorum members, including the demons that supported Graz'zt. He speculates that they have not appeared because they could not testify before the Lady of Pain without incriminating themselves in some way.

Inside, after watching the end of Preston Reeve's testimony before the Lady of Pain, the party gives their testimony, as the Lady of Pain asks them to describe what happened the previous night. The party describes what happened, still leaving out their own personal interests and their arrangement with Logic, and downplaying their connection to Gregarian Advantis and his role in what happened.

The Lady of Pain asks the party what they know about the Mercury Company and how Graz'zt came into possession of soul slaves. The party explains that they believe Ravaasta to be an integral member of the Mercury Company, responsible for branding its soul slaves, based on intel they received from Zolgun. They withhold some specifics regarding their knowledge of how to access the Mercury Company, as Louche is concerned that if the Lady of Pain apprehends Ravaasta herself, the party won't be able to fulfill their deal with Zolgun.

Gregarian Advantis mentions that it seems suspicious that Ravaasta has not showed up to be questioned, and asks the Lady of Pain for a private audience to speak. She declines this request, but does connect with Gregarian telepathically so that he can speak privately to her. Telepathically, he suggests that the party aids in bringing Ravaasta to justice, but the Lady of Pain says that their assistance will not be necessary. Nonetheless, she agrees to keep the telepathic connection with Gregarian open for the day in order to stay in contact.

The party is released from questioning, but remains at the Palace briefly to listen to some other people's testimonies.

Next, the Lady of Pain brings out Graz'zt to be questioned. Graz'zt begins by trying to play it all off as a misunderstanding and the fault of Suda, but the Lady of Pain immediately recognizes his lies, and demands that he speak the truth. Graz'zt admits to having acquired the slaves from the Mercury Company himself, based on a deal that he made with a political ally. He offers to give more information about what he knows in exchange for leniency and a reduction in his sentence. The Lady of Pain tentatively agrees to this arrangement. Graz'zt then explains that he had made a deal with Ravaasta, as the leader of the Mercury Company, wherein she would provide him with slaves, in addition to her political support, all while allowing Preston Reeve to believe that he had her support, which would virtually guarantee him to win the election. In exchange, he had agreed that when he was Governor, he would not pursue any legal action or investigations against the Mercury Company. The Lady of Pain asks him if he knows how to physically access the Mercury Company's base of operations, but Graz'zt says that he does not, having been given as little information as possible for the sake of plausible deniability.

Over the next hours, as expected, Ravaasta, Spiros Chronelis, Melius, and a number of other prominent Quorum members fail to appear for questioning. Gregarian Advantis explains that this will be essentially the end of their careers in Sigil.

Outside the Iron Palace, the party discusses their next steps. Gregarian Advantis speculates that Ravaasta will be moving quickly to shut down the Mercury Company's operations and lay low, and that if the party wishes to find her, they will need to act quickly. The party decides to try to go to the Mercury Company's auction hall, but they are still in need of an invitation in order to get in. Odell uses divination magic to learn that Aunt Glenda, a nearby member of the Quorum who was present at the banquet last night, has one such invitation. Louche approaches Aunt Glenda and keeps her distracted, as XVIII pickpockets the invitation from her. Patches then creates a forged copy of the invitation, and XVIII returns the original invitation to Aunt Glenda's pocket.

The party heads to the Grey Halo in the Hive Ward, where they know the entrance to the Mercury Company auction hall to be located. Gregarian Advantis wears a disguise for this endeavor to conceal his identity. Inside the tavern, the party uses their passcode learned the previous night to gain access to a portal door that leads to the auction hall. Inside, a yugoloth bouncer allows them entrance to the auction hall after looking at their invitation. On the way in, the bouncer informs them that this will be the last auction for the foreseeable future.

Inside, the party finds Ravaasta showing off her slaves to a small crowd of buyers, including Spiros Chronelis and a few other Quorum members. Ravaasta immediately recognizes the party from last night's events, except for Gregarian Advantis, who remains disguised. Malkoth demands to know where Natalie Shaw, and Ravaasta says that she is downstairs, assuring the party there is no need for violence, and a peaceful arrangement can be reached. As the situation grows tense, some of the crowd of buyers teleport away. Spiros attempts to physically leave, but XVIII grabs him and prevents him from leaving.

After a brief tense standoff, wherein Gregarian Advantis pretends to be an interested buyer, the party attacks. During the fray, a number of Ravaasta's yugoloth allies come to her aid, while some others begin to turn on each other or flee. The party knocks Ravaasta unconscious and takes her spellbook and spellcasting focus, as combat with the other yugoloths continues.