Sonliin entered the room, finding it well lit with a military cot, a comfortable chair and stacked with books from floor to ceiling on many subjects and languages. Off in the corner was a hot bath waiting for him as he took off his armor. After the bath, he took out a book and settled down into the chair.

Darratheir had been away from nature for too long and this place wasn't helping him feel better. When he entered in his private room, he found himself in the middle of a forest. A forest that was recovering after what seemed a violent fire.

In the middle of the place was a dead trunk lying on the ground and next to it, a fire was lit. Sitting on the trunk, the Dragonborn appreciated the heat and, looking to his right as if there was someone, he said "I wish you were here, my friend."

Martha’s quarters in the opulent crystal chambers of golden platinum pillars shift and become something more recognisable to her: the marble floor becomes sand and backed clay; the elaborate bed becomes her small hut; and the diamond chandeliers become the sun in a huge blue sky.

‘Home at last – sort of’ she says, smiling, as she pats her donkey. She allows herself liberties too: she’s laid out on a sun-lounger sipping a fruity cocktail with cherries and umbrellas through a pink straw. ‘This is the life Smell-Bell’, she slurs. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll be home soon.’

Gromley's quarters becoming a plush room, perfumed and with floating trays of food and drink. He gets off his floating disk and gets on a floating cushion. Testing it and moving about until he finds the perfect way to sit in a meditative position. The glowing orb-Baldrick-which follows him everywhere keeps floating about, and telekentically gathers up food and drink at his master's telepathic request.

"No pleasant female company...ah, guess its not really perfect then." He said chuckling.

After a pleasant time--you have a hard time determining how long, but Agon or Gromley could tell you that this is normal for the Astral Plane. It does not seem a long time, though, when Bahamut has you come back to his chamber, where his exarchs sit with him.

“The war has turned under the pressure of a tide that the Dragon Queen could never have predicted, but it is not won. The forces of good and law hold their own, but Tiamat’s power is carved out by treachery. With each failure, the Dragon Queen need simply seek the next betrayal that will fuel her ambition.

“The word of my return shattered the resolve of Tiamat’s forces and gave our own armies a much-needed chance to regroup. In the weeks since my return, we have taken the fight to them, and we are near the endgame now.”

“The Dragon Queen has sent nearly half her remaining force to her last redoubt in the planes—the City of Brass in the Elemental Chaos. Already, our forces lay siege against her blue exarch who stands in command there, but his power is formidable. He is an ancient wyrm named Namissi whose thirst for blood is unequalled. We must break his defense, and time is short.

"The Dragon Queen has entered into dark agreements with the Lord of the Efreets, the powerful and power- hungry Bashumgarda. He believes that this alliance will grant him control of the Elemental Chaos, but Tiamat’s treachery runs deep. Her ritualists have used the great knowledge of the efreets to channel the raw energy of the elements. She intends to claim the efreets’ power as her own and to infuse her armies with elemental might that could tip the tide of battle.

“We might break the magical wards that protect the city and Tiamat’s army within a week ... if we had that much time. We do not. Just as the arcane wards of efreet and dragon hold us at bay, our ritualists have sealed the basalt plain of the city and the Sea of Fire against Tiamat’s remaining armies which are amassing to break our siege. Using the power of the Well of Worlds, dragon ritualists have effectively blocked the Elemental Chaos to planar travel by Tiamat’s forces, but we cannot maintain those wards for long. Within a day, Tiamat’s forces will batter through our barrier and we will be caught between two armies. We must take the city, and quickly.

“The City of Brass is sealed against physical incursion, the power of teleportation, and all forms of planar travel. Bashumgarda holds the city in an iron grip, and his allegiance to Tiamat will not waver. Our spies have determined, however, that there are cracks in both of these defenses.

"Although Bashumgarda promised his people power, Tiamat’s forces have taken over in all but name. Many of the efreet nobles now chafe under Bashumgarda’s reign. One of those, the lord Estumishu, has sway over the nobility and a claim to the throne of the Charcoal Palace as strong as Bashumgarda’s. By magical communication, we have treated with him, but he will not commit to joining us. A direct appeal—a meeting within the city itself—must change his mind.

“One of Estumishu’s followers has aided us there, with rumors of an ancient portal set within a shrine inside the city. Its power is primordial in origin, so it is not hindered by Tiamat’s magic. This Portal of Forgotten Fire connects to another primordial shrine lost in the legendary Keening Delve. That warren of timeless tunnels and cursed ruins sits not far from the City of Brass, but its narrow passages cannot be trod by dragons. A group of mortals must  nd their way through the delve and enter the city.

“Estumishu negotiates from a position of both power and pride. Those who treat with him must be able to do so as his equals and to speak with Bahamut’s voice. This mission cannot fail, my friends. I trust it to no one but you.”

Martha is still quite drunk from her cocktails earlier. 'Yushhh. Fashhhinating' she drawls, waking herself up with a blurry shake.

'Lishten Bashasmut' she rises unsteadily and points a waggeldy finger at the reborn god. 'I admidtsh I'm not your worldsh biggesht fan, nor have I been particularly on your side up to now.' She looks guiltily at Zog. 'And Zhoggsh and me nearly fell out over it.'

'But anyway! I'm all in now. You've been a really generous hosht and the cocktails were really really lovely. We're going after the Glistening Uber-Bitch! Who's with me! To the City of Brasssh! Kill the angels and screw up the devils. I mean dragons and Efreeti! Sack the Tapestries! Let's do this team!' She tries to hug everyone, even Bahamut.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:12, Tue 28 Feb 2017.

Harald drew back from Martha's hug and stared up at her.

"Hm!  Jist as well Ah stuck tae beer and didnae bother wi' they fancy whatdaeyeca'thems."

He smiled at the others.  "That said.  Ah think oor Martha has the right o' it.  An' Ah'm ready tae go as an' when the rest o' ye are ready."


I assume we are back to full health, full surges and recovered powers?

In reply to Martha (msg # 17):

"My my!" Gromley says after he gets his hug, grinning widely. "Affectionate beautiful ladies who enjoy drinking? This IS heaven..." He chuckled.

The glowing orb, Baldrick, floats by Gromley's head and lets off a audible sigh. "Quiet, Baldrick!" Gromley snaps at the creature.

He does move his floating disk nearby in case Martha falls over and needs a soft landing space-due to the cushions all over the disk.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:45, Tue 28 Feb 2017.

Zog takes all this in solemnly until Martha hugs him. He winces a bit but lets her hug him, patting her on the back.



Zog waves his hand. "All behind us now. We seek the same ends for our own reasons."

He bows to Bahamut. "I would be honored to be your emissary. For my part, with my friends here, I will see it done."

Agon had spent the intervening non-time meditating on the nature on good, evil, and power. Here at the astral, it was easy to sense the plan that had created the universe, and all the flaws that had crept into it.

For an external observer, it seemed that the archmage slept in a deep overstuffed chair, but his mind was deep at work.  His eyes now glowed with violet energy.

"We will see this mission through to completion, and return Tiamat's betrayals."

Darrathier quietly listened to Bahamut's plan and explenations and he nodded the head from time to time. Not used to signs of affection, he still awkwardly accepted Martha's hug before turning to the Platinum Dragon. "The Arrow of Fate and I will help you as well."

Several of the exarchs look a bit nervous at the mention of the Arrow. Several of you sense that they are unnerved by its presence.

Bahamut recommends that you take a few hours to prepare. The party’s goals as set out by Bahamut are:

• Enter the Keening Delve and locate the shrine containing the Portal of Forgotten Fire.
• Gate across to the City of Brass and meet with EstumF ishu’s contact.
• Attend a summit with the efreet noble and convince him and his followers to aid Bahamut’s cause.

Bahamut does not know the specifics of what the heroes will face in the Keening Delve, but he can tell you this: The vast basalt plate on which the City of Brass stands is threaded by an ageless and endless series of tunnels cut through a great mass of blood-red rock, as intro- duced in Manual of the Planes. The Keening Delve is a labyrinthine warren of ruined tunnels and caverns threaded by an endless shrieking wind—according to legend, the echoing scream of a primordial slain in the Dawn War. In the heart of the Elemental Chaos, Haemnathuun fought against Bahamut, Bane, and Ioun, and was slain. Countless centuries later, the wind that is his dying breath has scoured his former citadel into ruin. The Keening Delve is a place of madness and mystery now inhabited by slaads, demons, elemen- tals, and other foul creatures. Great treasures are said to be lost there, including artifacts and magic from the Dawn War. Some say that Haemnathuun’s living heart still beats at the center of this labyrinth, patiently awaiting the chance to be reborn.

“Estumishu’s agent is an efreet named Selerin. It is she who has been our go-between and who will take you to a secret council where you will speak. We know little of Estumishu except his hatred for Bashumgarda. He is a noteworthy noble of the efreets, but wickedness runs deep in even the best of their kind. It is said that his followers call him ‘The Smiling King,’ but I fear your reception may not be a friendly one.”

Bahamut will send the adventurers to within striking distance of their destination—a particular warren of the Keening Delve where the shrine concealing the Gate of Forgotten Fire is said to be found. Bahamut does not yet know, however, that persuading Estumishu and his followers to rise up against Tiamat will require that the heroes kill Bashumgarda. The party will discover this only in the course of their negotiations.

Further questions? If not, what do you do?

Zog shakes his head. "I am satisfied. We will learn more as we go. I am confident Agon can fill in gaps about the City of Brass that we lack, anyway. He knows much." He smiles at this last statement, which is a remarkable understatement.

Darratheir looked at all the exarchs as they seemed to tremble before the Arrow and he had a little smile. It was clear him and the party had the power to make even the strongest of all to stagger. Tiamat and her agent should really be wary.

"Great Bahamut." started to say the Dragonborn. "If you have spies in the Brass City, what makes you so confident that Tiamat doesn't also have spies somewhere that are aware of your plan ? She might already know about the existence of this portal now so we shouldn't wait too long to move."

Bahamut nods his head. "It is certainly a danger that she does, so I agree that you should move quickly now that you have been able to rest."

"Well, as a known diplomat of a powerful noble house known throughout the planes, I may be able to sneak by with you all as part of my staff..." Gromley points out.

Martha sobers up as she reflects on the tests that lie ahead. 'I'm ready', she says. 'We must do what needs to be done'.

"Aye!" agreed Harald, grim-faced.  "This needs tae get done as soon as we can.  Ah'm ready."

He checked the grip on his shield and swung his axe in a wide circle.

Sonliin jotted down what the plan of action was in his mind. "Let me make sure that I have it down right. One, head to the Keening Delve, a labyrinthine warren of ruined tunnels and cavern, toss in a wind that is believed to be the last breath of someone that went toe to toe against Bahamut, Bane, and Ioun in order to get to the shrine containing the Portal of Forgotten Fire." he said. "So other than maybe finding artifacts and magic from the Dawn War, is there any reason that we just don't Planar Portal over to the City of Brass directly?" he asked.

"Two, once we get to the City of Brass, meet an efreet named Selerin in order to go to a secret meeting. Any sign/countersign given so we know we have the right efreet?" he said, holding up two fingers,

"And three, attend a summit with Estumishu in order to convince him and his followers to aid the cause. Most likely he is going to ask that Bashumgarda be dealt with, but is there anything we need to know that might be deal killers when we try to talk them into it?"  he said, ticking off his third finger.

Zog's eyebrow shoots up. "You're not sneaking anywhere. We are going to need you to help talk with them. Every golden tongue on hand, as they say." He flashes a winning grin.



Zog cleared his throat. "I can answer that. We are supposed to meet this fellow in secret. Transporting to this location and meeting him there is likely nowhere near on Tiamat's mind or the mind of this pasha whom we will probably have to deal with. Discretion is the better part of valor."

Bahamut nods. "That is correct. This is the most discreet way to begin negotiations. Your appearance in the city would create embarrassment, hurting Estumishu’s standing in the efreeti court in a time when he needs it very strong.

"As for whether it is the correct efreet, use whatever magic you have available to you to see through illusions. A number of you have keen ability to see through lies and illusions; I would use them.

"As for 'deal-killers,' I can think of nothing that would not occur to you naturally. Trust your judgements, particularly those that lead you to compromises that will save life or lead to Tiamat's undoing."

"And because the besieged City of Brass will have defenses against anything so simple as a portal. No, to penetrate the best defenses in the cosmos, it will take the impossible!" Agon stroked his beard, considering what ancient secrets they might uncover on their journey.

"Is there anything that we should know about this Estumishu? What might make an Efreeti Lord switch sides so suddenly?"

OOC: Agon has EPIC skills in History, Arcana, and Religion, so if there is anything known, he should know it."

Bahamut nods. "Estumishu is not switching sides quickly. He has been harboring resentment toward his lord for mortal millennia. This is an opportunity for him, thus his willingness to even speak with agents representing me. He bears me no great love, be assured."

Let's get the knowledge skills of the way, then--Agon, roll Arcana and History. Anyone else who wants to assist him may roll either skill if you are trained.

I doubt any of Harald's trained skills would be of use here

"Very well. I understand the reasoning to doing it this way." Sonliin said as he pulled out a guide to the City of Brass that he picked up in his travels. Notes were attached to a small journal from his last visit.

22:45, Today: Sonliin rolled 33 using 1d20+27 with rolls of 6.  Aid City of of Brass history.