Episode 206 - My Mistake!

## Synopsis

The group sat in the chest of the large construct as it carried them towards Duplicity. All around them, they could see the red earth making up the Plane of Lem cut up by deep canyons, dust and ash fell from the sky around them, and the smell of cigarettes filled the cabin. The imp, Diplin, asked who they intended to do business with, though they refused to say. Diplin kept pressing them until the group until they made him guess who they were seeing. After he guessed they wanted to see the fiend of Whimsy, they said he was correct and asked for information in return. Mira asked if mortals often came to Lem, which Diplin said they did as they could get away with things they never could on the material plane. She asked if they were treated well and he said that of course they were, only souls and spirits were tortured in the canyons that covered Lem. This did not ease the groups' tensions. Bou asked what would happen if someone was kidnapped instead of dying, and Diplin said they would be tortured with special care.

Mira kept asking for information about the canyons. Diplin told her that they contained the River of the Damned, were all souls that came to the Plane were tortured for eternity. He said that they used to be the main mode of transportation before Lem took over, and the golem shuttles became commonplace. Mira asked what he meant by Lem taking over, to which Diplin explained that the Plane used to be the domain of a different god, before Lem won it in a game at Duplicity, when Lem was still a human. Integrity asked the name of the god who owned the Plane before Lem, though Diplin refused, saying that you were not allowed to say the names of other gods in another's Plane. They drew close to the Betting House and Diplin gave them one last piece of advice, to not look the fiends in the eyes.

Out of the front windows, the group could see a massive building made of black and white stone, with stained glass windows throughout. Braziers burning with blue fire surrounded the Betting House, as countless other shuttles were arriving and leaving. Towering statues of gargoyles were lined along the entranceway. The shuttle arrived at its destination, dropped of its chain, and opened its doors. Diplin jumped down, welcomed them to Duplicity, and asked for the shuttle fee of nineteen gold pieces each. Integrity asked if she could pay with her sock, the rest of the group quickly joined in with saying how valuable it is, but Diplin refused and again asked for the money. Bou haggled him down to thirty pieces of gold total and the group handed over the money.

Above the entrance to the casino was a large and gaudy sign that read *"Duplicity".* All around them were patrons wearing clothes made of the finest silks, wearing exquisite jewellery, while the group still looked like students and criminals. Bou snapped their fingers, twirled, and their outfit changed to a silver tuxedo. There were attendants all around the port area to greet the guests, and they all wore a chain necklace that seemed to trail off and vanish behind them. One of the attendants questioned what such a young group was doing at the Betting House, so Bou claimed they were his attendants to which Integrity, Mira, and Serinepth quickly started shining his shoes, doing his makeup, and dusting off his clothes. The attendant apologised and welcomed them into Duplicity.

As they walked through the entrance to the Betting House, they noticed a fox headed humanoid begging for money in the middle of the hallway. They walked past, trying to ignore his pleas for help in saving his son's soul. They joined the line at the front desk behind two finely dressed elves. Blocking the actual entrance to the Betting House was a line of giant fiends. When they reached the front of the queue, they were greeted once again and the desk clerk, with another chain around her neck, asked if they wanted to book rooms for the night. Bou said they would take one, and the clerk slid over a contract. After double checking that it didn't contain any terms they weren't expecting, Serinepth pulled out the fifty gold fee for two nights. Bou took the quill, hesitated, then signed the paper as Rustin. The clerk snatched the paper back, told them that the room was on the eighty fifth floor, and that there was a ten gold fee to enter the casino floor. Serinepth paid the entry fee, while Integrity passed over thirty gold pieces to exchange for chips. The clerk paled, and told them that the minimum amount she could exchange was one hundred gold pieces, the chain around her grew tighter. Mira passed over one hundred gold asked for the one hundred and thirty chips. The chain around the clerk's neck tightened again as she apologised for the misunderstanding, the minimum denomination she could take was one hundred gold. At this point, she was clearly struggling to breath. Serinepth leaned over to the clerk and thanked her for the information in an attempt to loosen the chain. From behind them, someone cleared their throat. The group turned to see a pale humanoid with a single black horn growing from her forehead, who also apologised for the misunderstanding, and said they needed to talk to the clerk alone. The group quickly walked away and past the fiend sentries.

Before them stretched the immense main floor of the casino, imps running machines to keep them working, a large restaurant in the centre where people were eating, drinking, and smoking. To the left, a sign pointed to the lifts and rooms. Mira suggested they actually try and win more money while there, in case they needed to make any more deals. Bou suggested that, despite the contract, they could try to cheat, but was quickly overruled. However, Mira did say that counting cards might not be considered cheating. Before they started gambling though, the group headed to their room, in order to recuperate and plan what to do next. They entered a lift, where another imp started to take them up to their floor. Mira asked them what the chains around the attendants' necks were for, and the imp suddenly stopped the lift, telling her never to mention them, especially not in front of the pit fiends as they would be killed. As a tip, the group regaled the imp with tales of the snow and cold of the Material Plane, very unlike the unbearable heat of Lem.

The group found their room, overlooking the line of gargoyles outside the main entrance. the room was spacious and luxurious, with four beds and an en suite bathroom. Serinepth went into the bathroom to clean up after a long day, Bou lounged on the beds, while Mira and Integrity stared out the window and discussed why Winsler would be in this Plane. Integrity suggested that he might be one of the persons of interest that worked in the casino, so it could be worth looking around the casino before searching the canyons. Bou mentioned that Quent, who was the reason he came with them, was also likely to be in the casino. After some time to relax, they heard a knock on the door and a voice called out that it was room service. Integrity peeked through the door, seeing a well-dressed gnome with dark skin, a bald head, glasses, and a chain around his neck. In front of him was a cart covered in various dishes. He explained that the attendant with the black horn they had seen briefly at the front desk had sent it as an apology for the terrible service they had received. The group thanked him and welcomed him inside. The gnome brought the cart inside and began setting up tables and covering them in exquisite dishes. Integrity gave him a gold coin as a tip. Bou asked if he could help them find someone in particular, giving him Quent's name. The gnome's smile dropped and they stared at the ground, the chain tightening. He apologised, saying that he thought they wanted to find another guest, before quickly leaving the room. Mira suggested that they should go to the main floor and try to magically locate their friends. Integrity held out their single chip, which Bou promptly snatched up, and the group set out for the casino.