Deals of a Different Nature

**Deals of a Different Nature** is the sixty second episode of *Another Bad Side Quest*. The party work to complete the task given to them by their new friend Pancake in hopes of getting in the good graces of her proprietor.

## Deals of a Different Nature

### **Summary**

As the party finished their short rest RX finished reading most of the paperwork detailing his requisition Twynn had given him, learned that Arcus Malasana was the one who requested his construction to be a defence bodyguard, immune to be dying and could always be fixed, for the Holy Collective and for her. Quincy noted RX seemed odd, but RX countered that he was simply exhausted. Quincy then suggested to plan for the Harbor they should get a better idea of what it looked like and Sterling offered that he could cast *Arcane Eye,* but admitted it was a significant drain on his abilities. Kaz offered that Boris could take a look around the city underground, but Yashani noted they could also just ask what the best way was. RX asked Sterling what else he knew about the Djinn and Sterling said they were powerful elementals like him and might be interested to meet an Elder Tempest as they were similar. Quincy worried the Djinn might want to open RX up to see the Elder Tempest part, but Sterling assured them that Djinn were not unintelligent and would know how destructive that would be. Yashani countered that they had been told that Djinn and Efreeti didn't like each other much and might not be opposed to causing major destruction in the city, but RX and Sterling noted the blame would be still directed to them and would try to avoid that.

The party continued to discuss ways to distract the Djinn, with Sterling explaining lightning, thunder and forceful energy wouldn't affect them, but Kaz noted her magical nature allowed her to curse creatures and remove any natural resistances they had. Sterling said he wasn't looking forward to combat with them and would love if he could just shove whatever they needed into the *Bag of Holding* and cast *Dimension Door* to get out, but doubted it would be that simple and asked what else they wanted to do to prepare. The party eventually decided discreet travel would be best and Alaerith noted the *Staff of the Courts* given by Seren, which had changed to a giant stalk of a blue flower, could maybe help them do that, though he didn't know how specifically.

The party headed down from their room to the bartender and RX requested directions to the harbor without entering *The Rookery*. The bartender directed the path they needed to take, which RX was able to perfectly parrot back. Sterling activated *Ob's Charm* to ask whether they should pay him for silence and RX immediately thanked the man for not telling anyone about it, offered one copper piece, which promptly melted on the countertop, and quickly offered a second copper piece which he took from RX’s palm. When the party realized there might be an issue Sterling asked what he wanted for his silence and the man just said he would think about it. Sterling quickly asked him to keep secret as he cast *Suggestion* on him and as the man fell to the magic agreed to his words. The party left the inn, decided to check their directions with another shopkeep to make sure they weren't being tricked and, after finding they were the same, headed out.

RX repeated the directions and Yashani led the party through the streets confidently. As they passed through the more suburban areas Sterling pointed out the minerals natural to the *Plane of Fire* to Quincy, suggested they could make a decent firing chamber as they would never overheat and Quincy excitedly agreed and started to take notes in her notebook. They continued deeper into the city and found a massive market full of various people and felt more at home as they recognized many races from the *Material Plane.* They also noted several arcane gateways that appeared to be permanent points of travel to other realms. The party pushed on, noticing that the crowds were thinning and the buildings were of different makes and, after quickly checking to make sure they weren’t pickpocketed, agreed this looked like it might be the harbor. Alaerith quickly confirmed they wanted to be more silent before he activated the *Staff of the Courts* to cast *Pass Without Trace* to help them travel a bit quietly.

The party conversed quietly how they might approach the Djinn, with RX still interested in meeting his “people” as fellow air elementals, but some questioned whether they even needed to talk to these Djinn. The party moved on and eventually heard something odd in the distance, like the thud of heavy footsteps while something heavy and metallic was drug across the ground. As the party hid themselves as best they could Quincy, Kaz and Yashani saw an individual in black armor dragging something through the alleyway. Alaerith cast *Invisibility* on Sterling at his behest and Sterling immediately peeked around the corner, cast *Moment to Think* to slow everything for a proper look and got a better look at the figure, noting they were tall and dragging a large metal cylinder behind him around the corner. As *Invisibility* dropped off from Sterling he offered the information to the group, noting they were likely one of the Djinn, asked what they should do and quickly cast *Detect Magic*, but found nothing other then what the group possessed. As Kaz sent Boris to follow the man in armor Sterling cast *Message* to RX to suggest if he wished to talk to him now was the time and cast *Enhance Ability : Eagle's Splendor* on him. Boris telepathically told Kaz that he felt a feeling similar of dread to the *Cold Room* in the *Dusterburyan Lighthouse* and, after Quincy cast *Minor Illusion* to replicate the armor and the being, realized it was Ilvwinter's. Boris also informed Kaz, with his ability to detect vibrations around him that whatever was being carried was as heavy as Ilvwinter. Quincy worried it might be Bolton and activated *Ob's Charm* to contact him, but recieved no word back. Sterling, at Quincy's behest, cast *Sending* to Bolton, but found he was still hanging over the city.

RX had the party follow him to track Ilvwinter, with Sterling peeking around the corner to see where Ilvwinter was headed. Quincy noted it was likely not their problem if it wasn’t Bolton, but RX countered it could be someone else they knew and Sterling added it was also still Ilvwinter. Yashani asked if they were really in a position to face a member of the Order of Ruin and they went back and forth a bit before noting Ilvwinter did appear to be alone and their main objective was to stop the Order of Ruin. Some still worried they would not likely to survive an encounter and Sterling suggested they knew Ilvwinter was the most reasonable of the group so far and might not need to. When the party agreed Sterling cast *Arcane Eye,* directed Alaerith and Quincy to keep them hidden while he focused on what *Arcane* *Eye* could see and, assuming that Ilvwinter would be able to see the magic eye, kept it as hidden as he could as well, ducking behind things and keeping back as it followed him through the streets of the harbor.

The party followed Ilwvinter silently and Sterling found he stopped at a particular warehouse, knocked twice before he was let inside. Sterling saw through *Arcane* *Eye* that he entered a mostly empty warehouse, saw him drop the cylinder, asked if she knew what it took to get him and what it cost and as Arcus Malasana appeared just said she didn't care what it cost, that they needed him and wanted what he could do. Sterling informed the group who Ilvwinter met and that he feared Twynn was taken, but when Ilvwinter opened the cylinder to reveal a purple figure, missing one of their ears, relayed the description to the group with Alaerith, Quincy, Yashani and RX identifying them as Masq. RX quickly activated *Ob's Charm* to tell the group that the Arcus was the one who ordered his creation to the group's surprise. Malasana told Ilvwinter she would tell *“them”* he had done well and to leave him with her and Ilvwinter said as long as she agreed before he shut the cylinder, handed over the key and left the warehouse. The party worried what to do and agreed to wait until Ilvwinter, but as Ilvwinter stepped out of the warehouse Arcaus Malasana pulled out some components and vanished with the cylinder, which Sterling recognized as her casting *Plane Shift*.

The party, unable to help Masq, the party turned their attention back to Ilvwinter with Sterling having *Arcane Eye* continue to follow after him at the same discreet pace. The party briefly discussed again if they should confront Ilvwinter, even just to talk, but after conferring amongst themselves and Sterling executively deciding to get Tollanessa's opinion, agreed it was too risky right now. Sterling watched as Ilvwinter walked through the streets of the *City of Brass*, returned to the market they themselves visited not long ago and headed through one of the permanent portals, which Sterling deduced was a portal to the *Nine Hells*.

Sterling recalled the *Arcane Eye* back, used it to look through the warehouses around them in the harbor, and quickly located a warehouse, with a large chest with a golden R engraved into it, guarded by two Djinn. Sterling proposed an idea how to retrieve the chest, while putting the least number of people in danger, by suggesting the chest could get itself out of the warehouse and explained he had a new spell that could give the chest limited sentience if they could open a way out. The party examined the warehouse the chest was in and saw it had two exits, a man sized door and a large roll up door, presumably for deliveries. Some of the party were hesitant as that meant some would need to make a decent distraction to give the chest an opening to move. As *Arcane Eye* dropped the party continued to move quietly to the warehouse, while discussing their options and focusing on a decent plan, but quickly felt a shift in the air as two invisible Djinn appeared on either side of the group, with one striking Yashani three times from behind with a scimitar.

Sterling failed to twin cast *Hold Person* on both of the Djinn. Yashani struck the Djinn that attacked her with *Umbra*, then activated *Rage*. Quincy noticed a sort of green mist coming out the doorway of the warehouse and alerted the party before firing on the Djinn in front of them with *Panache* and *Puncture*. RX pulled out his shield, readied to dodge as he called out to one of the Djinn that he should hit RX because he hates him, but the Djinn says they didn't even know each other and, despite RX’s claims, liked RX. In spite of this claim the Djinn slashed RX three times with RX dodging most with his shield. The Djinn that Quincy shot activated *Create Whirlwind* which surrounded them with slashing wind that cut them up, but avoided being restrained by the wind.

Kaz looked to the Djinn closest to her, transformed into sand to summon her glaive, activated *Hex : Knowing* to learn the Djinn’s lowest ability score was Intelligence and told the others before she sent out Boris to make an attack. Alaerith looked between the two Djinn, approaches the one that just *Whirlwinded* Quincy, activated the *Staff of the Courts* to cast *Inflict Wounds* causing his own lightning to blacken with necrotic magic as it sparked across the djinn, but failed to cast *Dragon Roar* on it. Sterling groaned that he missed his library before he approached the Djinn closest to the door to the warehouse, cast *Suggestion* to tell him to open the door, using his reaction to cast *Silvery Barbs* to do so, then walked away as the Djinn used his reaction to slash him.

Yashani tried to determine if the Djinn were wearing anything to protect them from the effects of the *Fire Plane* and found nothing before she continued to bludgeon the creature with her staff, then activated *Flurry of Blows* to punch it. Quincy noticed the green mist (Runeswarm) was gathering in thick tendrils, forming a sort of cloud over the party and the Djinn, laced with golden runes before it activated *Runecast* to flash a light, leaving all but RX temporarily *Blinded,* then attacked the party at random as the cutting runes slashed Yashani and Kaz. Quincy, still *Blinded*, turned on their heel, managed to fire on the the Djinn still attacking Yashani twice, while activating *Deed : Limb Shot* causing it to drop its scimitar, then headed back where she remembered Sterling was, reached out for him and told him they would help if he tried to head to the warehouse. RX, still engaged with the Djinn who claimed to like him, asks him to continue to hit him while asking for it's name and learned it was Raul. Raul turned to RX, insisted he should know how it feels to fly before it activated *Whirlwind* leaving RX *Restrained* in the air, despite his insistence that was not what he meant. The other Djinn, following Sterling’s *Suggestion*, opened the warehouse door and flew away. Kaz failed to cast *Evard's Black Tentacles* on Raul, through Boris, who avoided them before avoiding Boris who failed to bite him.

Alaerith, still Blinded, and starting to panic activated *Metamagic : Quickened Spell* to cast *Mirror Image* on himself, then swung out with the *Staff of the Courts,* unaware the Djinn near him had already flown away. Sterling grabbed Quincy, noted that Quincy was professionally trained to ride a horse before asking if they know how to mount a horse in motion and when Quincy confusedly said yes activated *Manifest Mind* to summon Tollanessa, sent her into the warehouse, then cast *Animate Objects* on the chest causing it to rattle and shake and sprout horse-like legs, in a very disconcerting manner, as well as six of his books, and prepared it to follow Sterling’s command. Yashani activated *Physician’s Touch* to heal herself and remove her blindness, attacked Raul with *Umbra* while activating *Bloody Smite* to damage him more and, unsure how to take on the Runeswarm, attempted to leave its range, as it used it's reaction to slash her, but found she couldn't see through the mist more than 10 feet in front of her.

The Rune Swarm moved to re-encompass everyone, activated Runecast to give the effect of *Expeditous Retreat* and *Freedom of Movement* on Raul, then slashed Quincy twice, leaving them very bloody as they Quincy and everyone else still Blinded had their sight restored. Quincy activated *Deed :* *Bite the Bullet* as they ran to the warehouse, mounted the animated chest like a horse and, unsure what else to do, reached into the air, cast *Witch Bolt* letting loose red lightning on the Rune Swarm, though was unsure if it did much of anything. RX, still *Restrained* in the air, called out to Raul, asking him to come back so they can fly together and when Raul agreed, noting he did not want to die today, took this as willingness, activated *Telekinetic Movement* to bring himself and Raul together in the air and readied himself to dodge. Raul immediately flew away and dashed even further, leaving RX slightly disappointed that he couldn't fly together off with him.

Kaz, seeing Quincy mounted on the chest and assuming they had some sort of plan, dashed out of the center of the storm to get the Runeswarm to hopefully get it to move from the warehouse to follow her. Alaerith, now able to see and that he was swinging the staff at nothing, moved to the warehouse, in the Runeswarm's centre, to open the door at Sterling's request, then activated *Metamagic : Quickened Spell* to cast *Lightning Bolt* into the Runeswarm above. Sterling opened his coat, let loose the six animated books from his coat, had them attack the Runeswarm with some degree of success, ran towards the Quincy, mounted the chest behind them, had the chest start running, then pointed back and cast *Fireball* at the Runeswarm, attempting to keep it away from the rest of the party.

The *Fireball*, unfortunately, caused the Runeswarm to detonate, blasting the party in different directions, with Alaerith, Kaz and Sterling left *Unconscious*, while RX used his reaction to cast Absorb Elements but was sent further upwards before he eventually crashed on the ground, barely moving, but conscious. Quincy activated *Life Drain* using her Ruined Moon mark to help heal Sterling to consciousness, while Yashani activated *Hands of Mercy* to heal and revive Alaerith and Kaz. Meanwhile, RX saw Roul who said he would save him, poured a healing potion into him and said he had to go. RX told him one day the two of them, "book master" and Jelly Bean would go on their own adventures and Raul agreed, said he would come and find him before he flew off.

1. ↑ Boris as a sandworm has *Tremorsense*