rush99999

Adventure (A D&D 5E Game)

"It would indeed be possible for me to do such a thing." Nanna May readily admitted with a nod as she idly watched the Steel Defender pass by and head into the basement, an amused expression on her face as the construct descended the stairs to begin its investigation. "But it wasn't the case this time. Make no mistake, poppet, the sway I held over them was entirely mundane and the evil they committed was entirely their own. When the hunter came to ask their business, I merely instructed them to deal with the man as they saw fit... which they did."

"Don't listen to that bitch!" The one-armed cultist exclaimed angrily. "She's lying! She had us all under her spell!"

"It's... true..." The severely beaten cultist chimed in with pained desperation. "Never... would've... done those things... willingly... The hag... The hag made us do it..."

However, Arkisz's insight would inform him that Nanna May spoke the truth and the cultists were lying to live.

Before anymore could be said, several loud clangs could be heard from the basement. Nanna May then let out a wicked cackle, her face now adorned with an expression of sublime schadenfreude. "Oh yes, send your big clumsy contraption that clearly isn't built for investigation to go investigate something. What could possibly go wrong?" Nanna May jeered before letting loose another mocking cackle as more clangs echoed up from the basement. "I suggest you call off that bumbling brute of yours before it breaks something. Some of the more valuable goodies are also quite fragile."

Adventure (A D&D 5E Game)

"What makes you think I'm trying to dissuade you, sweetie?" Nanna May asked Aura with a curious arch of her eyebrow. "You were sent here to see us off, yes? Well with our work here done, the time has come for us to leave. The goodies I'm leaving behind are merely a token of my appreciation for making things easier on little old me. As for what made these souls evil enough to be worthy of death, did you see what they did to that hunter? All he did was come asking who they were and what they were doing here. By the time the poor man made it back to his horse, they'd carved him up so much that it astounded me to hear that he survived. And that hunter was just the latest in their long line of victims. Most folk weren't fortunate enough to survive their encounters. And believe me when I say they've done much worse than kill the innocent."

As Nanna may spoke, Plasm pushed deeper into Emmyth's mind. As the elf's eyes widened with the realization that an intruder was still present in their head, Plasm began plundering insights. Her first discovery was that Emmyth's reasoning was guided by selfishness, hedonism, and paranoia. Next, Plasm learned that Emmyth's current emotional state was a mix of anger towards whoever was probing into their mind and fear that the intruder might discover the secrets that Nanna May had entrusted to them. And finally, Plasm learned that a constant and all consuming dread of outliving their usefulness to Nanna May and ending up like the cultists loomed large in Emmyth's mind. This was all Plasm had time to learn before Emmyth spoke up.

"Nanna May, one of the adventurers is snooping." Emmyth said.

"Oh they are, are they?" Nanna May said as she fished a small cylindrical vial out of a satchel that hung off the opposite side of her belt from the wood carving and ice sculpture. "Well we can't have that now, can we?" With that said, Nanna May unscrewed the vial's lid, revealing a small wand with a looped head attached to the underside of the lid. Nanna May then blew into the wand's head, causing a large bubble to emerge from the wand, float over to Emmyth, and envelope their head, cutting off all mental connections between Plasm and Emmyth and preventing any contact from being re-established. Once that was done, Nanna May slipped the vial back into her satchel and looked back at Aura. "As for what I trade these souls for, I don't really trade them for anything in particular." Nanna May finished. "I just pick out whatever they have on offer that catches my eye, and then I trade for that."

Adventure (A D&D 5E Game)

Once they had opened the trap door, Emmyth moved to rejoin Elnaril. However, the sudden interjection of a second voice in their mind that was most certainly not their own caused the androgynous elf to pause. Their surface thoughts shifted from attempting to remember a song to surprise and confusion regarding the sudden appearance of the new voice. After a moment annoyance seeped into both their surface thoughts and their facial expression as Emmyth realized that this was the doing of someone in the party.

Emmyth proceeded to flood their surface thoughts with nightmarish visions of eldritch abominations in an effort to clear their mind. But since Plasm already had her fair share of experience with eldritch abominations, she was undeterred. After a moment, Emmyth stopped thinking about otherworldly horrors and eyed the party warily as they searched for any trace of an unwelcome visitor in their mind. When they could detect nothing else out of place, Emmyth started moving again. 'Bothersome pests.' Emmyth thought to themself as they rejoined Elnaril. 'What Nanna May sees in them I cannot fathom. I could think of far better uses for the treasures down below than as gifts to win the affections of these fools.'

Adventure (A D&D 5E Game)

As far as I've understood, he/she would know regardless unless I've read it wrong.

@Cao the Exiled

Surface thoughts can be read undetected. Pushing deeper will get the target's attention though.

Adventure (A D&D 5E Game)

@Cao the Exiled

I'll allow it. But don't forget that if Plasm does push deeper, Emmyth will know about it and possibly have objections.

Adventure (A D&D 5E Game)

@Bartimaeus

Don't actually die though.

Adventure (A D&D 5E Game)

@Cao the Exiled
Emmyth's surface thoughts are currently occupied with trying to recall the lyrics to a song from their childhood. If she wants to learn something useful, Plasm will need to either push deeper or say something that would get Emmyth thinking in the right direction.

@LostDestiny
With a 17, Aura would realize that the basement offer is no trick. There is indeed 'all sorts of lovely goodies down there'. Aura also realizes that gratitude isn't the true reason behind the offer. Judging by the eagerness with which she eyes the surviving cultists and the speculation with which she eyes the party, there's a short term reason and a long term reason. The short term reason is that Nanna May wants to distract the party with loot so she can snag the souls of the two remaining cultists on her way out. As for the long term, it seems like Nanna May wants to get on the party's good side.

Adventure (A D&D 5E Game)

@Cao the Exiled

Emmyth is opening the trap door. Elnaril is still eating their rations as they watch the proceedings from the back of the room.

Adventure (A D&D 5E Game)

Nanna May didn't answer Flicker's question straight away. Instead, she took a second bite out of the heart and began slowly making her way across the room towards the fire genasi as she savored the blood soaked flesh she was chewing on, utterly unconcerned by the flame in Flicker's hand. As she walked, each member of the party would notice two strange adornments hanging from Nanna May's belt. The larger of the two was a wood carving of a broad shouldered and exceptionally ugly hunchbacked old woman with arms like tree trunks and claws like scimitars. The smaller of the two was an ice sculpture - in perfect condition despite the warm weather - which looked like an emaciated, spindly limbed old woman holding a strange staff in one hand.

"The Hells you say?" Nanna May said after swallowing the heart flesh in her mouth and licking her lips clean as she stopped about ten feet away from Flicker. "It's funny you should mention them, my little firecracker. You see, the Nine Hells have a lot to do with what's going on in this tower... So does Gehenna... And the Abyss too... Perhaps showing you would be easier." With that said, Nanna May brought two fingers to her lips and whistled. In response, the sounds of frantic footfalls could be heard from the floor above. A moment later, the ten black leather bags that had been sitting on the table on the tower's upper level came sprinting down the stairs, each carried on a pair of stubby legs as they rushed to form a circle around Nanna May. Eight of the bags were shut tight, something thrashing and struggling violently within their confines. The other two were still open and empty.

"I'm something of a merchant." Nanna May continued. "My two eladrin servants, Emmyth and Elnaril bring together ten evil souls. Then I gather up those evil souls and I bring them down to the Lower Planes. Three go to Baator, three go to the Bleak Eternity, three go to the Infinite Layers, and I keep the last soul for my own works in the Grey Wastes of Hades."

"Wait... What?" The cultist that Flicker had beaten within an inch of his life rasped upon realizing what Nanna May had just said.

"You...! Gah...! You BITCH!" The cultist who had lost an arm to Arkisz's Steel Defender growled, furious at this revelation.

"Of course at my age, roughhousing just doesn't come to me as easily as it once did. So when the evil souls predictably put up a fight as I try to collect them, I tend to find the struggle a tad tiring." Nanna May went on, paying no mind to the words of her cultists. "So imagine my surprise when my familiar spotted six strong adventurers departing from Ennton to do the job for me. Oh you darlings have really done me a service today. And for that I believe you deserve a reward!" Nanna May snapped her fingers, causing Emmyth to walk over to the far right corner of the first floor and open a trap door that was blending in most effectively with the floorboards. "That door leads down to the tower's basement. I know how much you adventurous types enjoy taking everything that isn't nailed down, so what better way to reward your kindness than by showing you where the best loot is, eh? You'll find all sorts of lovely goodies down there. And don't worry about offending me by taking the wrong thing. I have no further use for this tower, nor for anything I do not intend to take with me. Feel free to take whatever you want. Nanna's treat!"

Adventure (A D&D 5E Game)

So are we allowed to talk battle strategy here? In case a fight with Nanny May Midnight should happen?

@Birdboy

Go right ahead.