Macman253

Jazeera and Lokii chatted for many hours as they walked together, he kept most of his past a secret but he enjoyed her company. The sun began to peek over the mountains in the distance, bathing the city in warm sunlight. For the first time in millennia he felt the fresh warmth of the sun on his face, Jazeera smiled and began to walk into the forest. "I have to go... if you are still in town can you meet me here tonight?" She asked, Lokii nodded and watched as she walked away. He walked his way back into town, the shops were just opening and the townsfolk were busy with the hustle and bustle of their daily lives. He enjoyed the peace this place represented but, a looming darkness crept up his spine. The Skull Of Secrets possessed power and already, forces were maneuvering to retrieve that power. He felt it in his bones, he opened the door to the tavern to see Rhaine and the Drow, Nawen sitting at the table. He walked over to the half elf bartender and ordered a kettle of tea and breakfast and sat at the table in the shadows under the stairs to the upper floor, he had his back to the wall and his eyes towards the door. Ten Thousand years of being hunted had taught him a few tricks, he unclasped a tome from under his coat and set it on the table and began to read. Not long after he started the serving girl arrived with his tea and food, he slipped her a silver piece and continued to read. He found his eyes drifting to Nawen almost as much as they did to the door, He had not encountered many Drow that weren't prepared to consume his soul for the powers he had. She seemed, calmer and less hostile then her kin. He knew that the drow had almost as bad of a reputation as the Gith. Despite his interest in the drow he remained quiet, his lack of social skills and shy attitude outweighing his curiosity.

Tripp and his team quickly setup the barricade. Kex and Reyes found good positions and Dax had setup high in the catwalks that spiderwebbed the levels. Tripp continued to monitor stations systems, Jeeves scanned the motion sensors and cameras throughout the deck. Tripp was determined to keep this space for as long as possible, if not he had a contingency plan in place. His fingers glided across the holographic keyboard as he entered command after command and fished around in the stations archives. Despite the job he was paid for he had need of some other information, information that would be useful to another employer. Jeeves' hologram appeared next to him, "Sir, I am reading a large force of Eagles headed this direction. The bulkhead was designed to not be opened after its activation but they will use the alternate route." He reported, Tripp nodded. "Activate defense turrets, that should slow them down or keep them occupied." He said as he brought up windows of message data and then collapsed them after reading them. The information he was looking for was not here and he grew more and more frustrated. Dax chimed up over his comm, his voice was soft and near silent. "Sir, spotted the Eagle counter-attack. Ten men and around fifteen drones, they are getting close to the Promenade." He said as he dialed in the drone controller, a short and stocky Volus. Tripp suddenly stopped working as he heard a faint noise coming from behind him, he faked like he didn't see the Mirage Unit that had creeped in through the Catwalks. A Mirage Unit was a Turian Operative that specialized in stealth technology. "Interesting, he had the drop on me but never took the shot. Either he is calling it in or he's not one of The Eagles." He thought as he listened, Jeeves contacted him through a text display. The message read that he found various Chronomatic Radiation Signatures around the station, all of them signs of cloaking technology. "He's not alone, yet there is no reports of infiltrators on the comm net that doesn't correlate to them." He thought as he brought up the information package he was looking for. A series of picture files of a man and a asari woman. The man appeared to be himself and Aria. He opened the command menu and uploaded a decrypt program, the pictures degraded into a series of Dossiers on Cerberus Operatives hidden throughout the Alliance Government and various Corporations. Years of information tucked away for a big payout, the real reason he took this hell-bound job from Aria. He needed access to Omega's systems to recover the files he stashed here five years ago.

Lokii came down to the main tavern, he saw Weyland making a fool of himself and did not really wish to deal with him. He wandered out of the tavern, feeling like he should take in a midnight stroll. The human city wasn't really to his liking but he could use the fresh air, when he exited the tavern he could smell a new scent in the air. Life seemed to have more meaning to him then before. The townsfolk there were out seemed to not notice him, on Athas a gith walking about at night usually brought some bad looks but these people were far more considerate then those on that desolate plane. In his planar travels he had been to many places, even Faerun before but he was only ever here for short periods. Now he had found a home, a place to wander indefinitely. Despite Weyland and Amendale's mistrust he felt he could actually get to know these people and someday call them friends. As he walked his mind drifted from thought to thought and he soon found himself at a bridge over the river. Perched on the edge was another Gith, a beautiful woman nonetheless. She smiled as she looked at him, he gave a surprised smile back. "Hello..." He spoke in their native tongue, she smiled and replied. "Hello... never thought I would see another Gith here." She said, running a hand through her long silvery hair. Lokii chuckled, he laughed honestly for the first time in a thousand years. He took a few steps closer to her. "I am Lokii... what's your name." He asked, she stood up from the edge and walked over to be closer to him. "My name is Jazeera, nice to meet you Lokii." She said with a slight smirk.

Tripp ducked as a round fired blindly at his head, The Eagle counter attack was here. He tapped his HUD and it switched to night vision. "Reyes cover the door. Kex get your big Krogan ass in here we need to turtle up!" He ordered as bullets began to rake the room. A turian wearing an Eagles badge popped out from behind the bulkhead, Tripp sidestepped his biotic strike and leveled Bianca at him, "f*** you...." He said as he fired, the bullet impacted with the Turian's chest and blew his heart clean through his back. He tapped his comms, "Dax, move to our twenty. We need to hold this substation until Aria's forces board the station!" He yelled as Kex knocked an Eagle Soldier over, he finished the human off with a quick boot to the head that caved his skull in. He pumped his shotgun and gave both barrels to a pair of soldiers as they came around a corner. Reyes continued to lay down covering fire down the Promenade, covering Dax as he relocated. Her gun's heating vent opened and ejected the glowing orange heat sink. "Cap! I need a sink!" She yelled, Tripp fished out one of his spares and tossed it to her. She caught it and slid it back into the housing and took aim. Dax stowed his long-rifle and drew his pistol. He flipped off the catwalk and landed on the floor of the Promenade and took off running for the substation. Bullets hit the ground next to him or the walls beside him as The Eagles fired at him. Reyes and The Captain fired back to give him cover. He could feel his heart pumping hard, filling his veins with adrenaline as he ran. "Jeeves, lock down the bulkhead doors facing the Promenade." He spoke into his Omni-Tool as he walked towards the Terminal, the door next to the terminal opened up and a Turian with a Avenger class rifle entered. He went to strike at Tripp with the stock but Tripp drew Bianca faster and was able to put a round into the rifle rendering it useless as a ranged weapon, the stock connected with his temple and sent him staggering. He retaliated with a sharp kick to the Turians knee and threw a right jab, the turian caught it and used his elbow to lock in his arm. Tripp roared in pain but the screams were drowned out by the gunfire, "Activate Omni-Blade!" He commanded, the Turians eyes widened in shock as a long switch-blade appeared from his Omni-Tool that severed his head clean off at the neck. Tripp freed himself pushed the slumped over turian flat onto the ground. Jeeves' hologram appeared next to the Terminal. "Sir the door's require manual locking. White Rabbit was too effective and its shut the whole station down and locked me out of the main system." He explained in his artificial british accent. Tripp rolled his eyes and pushed the large red button on the Terminal, the doors began to close and as they moved Dax dove into the room. When the doors sealed shut they were protected from The Promenade but the maintenance hallway was still exposed. "Reyes, Kex get on the other hallway. Dax help me move these crates to make a barrier." He said as they started to fortify against future attacks that were already on their way.

Lokii sat in the chair in his room, his long fingers wrapped around the hilt of his sword and the skull glaring at him. He smiled as he silently dubbed it The Skull Of Secrets. Barabas appeared in front of Lokii, he silently clapped his hands and bowed to Lokii for his masterful overthrow of power. "So you are now the master... I am unable to escape from The Skull and you have free access to my powers... what remains of them anyway. I do have one question though..." Asked Barabas, Lokii ran a hand through his dark hair. "Ask it." He replied, his grip on his blades hilt tightening. Barabas smiled, his fangs coming to bare. "Because of our pact you are Immortal yet your family is freed, why do you continue to live?" He asked, genuinely curious as to Lokii's reasons. Despite the crippling overthrow and imprisonment by a Gith Lokii intrigued him. He walked the line of good and evil yet he still somehow maintained his composure. Lokii thought long and hard on Barabas' words. "Because I need to redeem my soul... I will never see my family if my soul is black as night." He admitted as he stood. He slid The Sword Of Souls into its scabbard on his back and stepped for the door. Suddenly desiring a cup of ale and some food.

I am not trying to argue, just simply explain my point that he is actually underpowered. And for the record, Mythic and Auriana are great RPers, some of the best I have ever seen and very creative. When I realized that Mythics character was a Ularithid I was surpised at her race choice. But the restraint she had... I always enjoy mythic in any roleplay and look forward to her posts because they are full of such detail and story that is truly great to read. She is very very talented and the nicest and most un-biased person I have ever had the fortune of chatting with.

I figured as much but I don't want to sound as if I am talking bad of Mythic or Auriana. Rhaine was very powerful, you brought her powers down quite abit but she is a unique character. The Chosen of a frigging deity. Not a small title in honest opinion. The Ularithid are very very very powerful Mind-Flayers... A single Mind-Flayer is more then enough of a challenge for a party of adventurers... Ularithid's are strong enough for Ten normal Mind-Flayers, both of these two are knock around drag out high level shot callers. Lokii in reality, despite his flair is a Warlock/Hexblade. His powers are potent for sure but he isn't a heavy hitter like a Ularithid or Rhaine. He pays respects to Rhaine because he trusts her and he knows of her power... He would not challenge that power on his best days, like I said before. The bit with the skull and stuff is all for flair and character development. It gives no actual power... as a matter of fact it adds a penalty. He must now protect the skull for eternity until he dies, and the Cursed Blood prevents him from accessing his deep reserves of Eldricht Energy that would give him far greater power. Since The Cursed Blood was apart of the Pact he cannot remove it without killing Lucifer... So hes stuck with it. During extended battles he will begin to loose power and eventually have to stop because the Cursed Blood is taking its toll, rendering him helpless. His powers come by unnatural means and have no focus... think like a magnifying glass and the sun. A suns Ray does little damage on its own right but if you use a magnifying glass it can burn quite a lot of things... the same thing here. The sun is his pool of Eldricht Essence, substantial but when he uses it he puts it through a magnifying glass to focus it into a beam. it compresses it into a fine point to direct it but after that point it goes where it chooses and he can make some changes to it by expanding it into a cone shape to hit many enemies or Chain it so it arcs to a second target. He can turn it into a radius blast that comes from him and add various elements too it like Cold damage or Fire Damage, he can also use it to curse his foes with sickness or blindness. Despite these changes, the damage stays the same its just the focus of the energy that changes. He can even direct the energy to arc out through his sword as he strikes with it... That is his true power... its the Versatility he possesses. When used correctly he comes Potent, otherwise he is just wild and uncontrolled.

On the general terms, Rhaine and Ularthid's are far more powerful and Lucifer has little to no power... thousands of years of imprisonment and lack of a physical form has drained much of his powers. Warlocks have many skills, but never focused power... it is wild and uncontrolled. Therefore most of it gets burned off. They can do many cool things like explode in a cloud of shadow bats and use Dark Speech but that is where their power lies. Their only real combat abilities comes from Eldricht Blast and its various Essence Enhancements. if you break it down, If Weyland and Lokii did battle it out they would be matched. Despite his displays he does not have a lot of power just a large pool of skills which he can draw from. Gives him flexibility, seriously look up the Warlock class in Complete Arcane. While potent they are not uber-powerful. I understand that in this setting the levels of power are changed that is why I created The Cursed Blood, it keeps a cap on his powers regardless of what they are. Barabas gives him "Pseudo" power... its more or less for flare then real power... See the only thing he actually got from his Pact was Immortality, Lucifer put a cap on him with The Cursed Blood to prevent him from using his powers to possibly defeat him when he went to consume his soul. But The Cursed Blood is still present and will never go away. That is the secret... despite his displays of power he is still limited, that and he can't use spells like Fireball or Cure Light Wounds and such.... his powers again are limited to various Spell-Like abilities that not only come with benefits but also flaws. For example, one of his powers is the ability to Polymorph into any creature. With a relatively high chance of it becoming permanent. While cool its flaws counterbalance its abilities. They become a gamble rather then a relied on ability.

Lokii regained his thoughts, he nodded to Rhaine. "When he took over my spirit was ejected from my body. I realized that his possession faded in an out... he wasn't at full power but only a spirit and he was inhabiting the skull. The skull is his prison, his anchor in existence. If I took it and used it to imprison him again he would be locked away forever... Unable to return to power. As a spirit he could be summoned back to existence but trapped in the skull he could not be summoned." He explained, he drew the blade and looked at the skull. His mind filled with images of what would happen if Lucifer was ever freed, he knew someone had to watch over the skull but who could be trusted with its guardianship. "Our pact is still valid, Until I am struck down by a blade I will never join my family... But. I will use that immortality to guard and protect the Skull from would-be power seekers, and seek redemption for my crimes by hunting down wicked people and vanquishing them. With your permissions Chosen." He said, gently dropping to a knee. An act of true trust for a Githyanki, to lower their eyes and expose their neck was a sign of complete trust.

Ok, Lucifer was nearly destroyed when he was deposed. He was sealed away in a skull, his powers are minute compared to what they once were. He does not have unlimited powers and in reality why does he have to be afraid of Ravenna, The Chosen Of Kelemvor was strong. Why can't Loki have some power... I mean there is an Illithid and very powerful one yet you don't get on them for having too much power yet those are both well known for being powerful opponents. His powers are limited despite the massive pool he now has, he can't go around one-shotting devils but he can stand a decent chance. He does not have absolute power, he has to tap into it when his own reserves drain. That takes time and concentration. As for why Lucifer stayed with Lokii for so long was because he didn't have the power to create another Pact. That and Lokii could house him for a long time and give him the power he needed to retrieve the artifacts that bound him. After that he would need a truly Black Soul to feed off of, he was grooming Lokii to be that soul. That way he could return to a physical form once again and have the sustenance to regenerate his powers and lay waste to The Nine Hells. Luckily, Lokii found his weakness and exploited it. Frankly, this notion he was OP is kinda wrong. When you are in the company of a Champion of a deity and a very powerful Mind-Flayer I think this kinda levels the playing field. Besides I should not have to fear Ravenna in RL, in IC he would be wary but he couldn't take on Ravenna in single combat and he would know that despite his newfound abilities. Its only OP if you use your powers incorrectly, Know Your Limits and Set Limits Upon The Power That You Already Possess.

Tripp stuck a cigarette to his lips and sparked up his zippo. He drew back on the nano-smoke and peeked around the corner. Three humans sat at the doorway to the power substation for this deck. The blonde haired one stood leaning against the bulkhead, the one wearing dark armor sat on the metal grating as he and the others chatted, the one wearing the Eagles uniform and the ranking officer stood next to them, many Alliance Marines went AWOL when the Reapers became known to the wider galaxy. Reyes racked in a fresh heat sink for her rifle, the long dark haired latina woman smiled. Like Tripp she was a former Alliance Marine, she maneuvered over to the corner and sighted in on the standing human, she signaled she was ready. Kex smirked as he pumped the slide on his double-barrel pump action Reaver shotgun, his biotics flared to signal his readiness. Kex was large even by krogan standards, his armor was potmarked from years of battle, he wore the scarred armor with pride. "Ready Captain..." Spoke the burly Krogan in a gravelly voice. His shotgun made to his custom standards, the favored weapon of most krogans. With his size he easily one handed the gun and flung Biotic powers with his free-hand. Tripp smiled, Dax radioed in over the comms. "In place Captain, I have got Blondie in my sights. Waiting for the greenlight sir." Spoke Dax as kneeled down on the catwalk a hundred yards down the promenade. He wore a set of Crusader armor, designed to be light and easy to move in and painted black. His Opti-Camo unit active, giving him the appearance of being invisible. Tripp smiled and flicked his cigarette bud, everyone was in place. Tripp was a shorter man but he had a muscular build. His crew of mercenaries operated across the galaxy as professional spies and operatives. They maintained the cover of being a crew of smugglers, recently he had been hired by Aria T'Loak to help her steal back her station. They had infiltrated days before and started planning a series of assassinations and sabotage during the battle to create confusion Station-Side. Tripp thumbed his Omni-Tool on and spoke into it, Jeeves the AI that resided inside the The Lucky Lady also had a direct link to his Omni-Tool. He monitored enemy communications and bio-monitored their movements. A holographic projection of the hallway showed their position, Dax's sniping position on the catwalk and the three targets. He counted to three and gave the command to execute. A loud bang filled the empty promenade as the Blonde haired soldier had his head explode from the high caliber sniper round that tore through it, Reyes dropped the leader with three short bursts from her rifle to his back. Kex stepped around the corner and lifted the dark haired man in the air with his Lift power and then gave him both barrels of his shotgun. Tripp smiled and lit another cigarette as he stepped out from his hiding place. He tapped his comms as he exhaled a cloud of smoke. "Dax, setup overwatch on the Promenade, take down any Eagles that will respond to the gunshots." He said as him and Reyes walked into the Power Substation, Kex stood by the door and covered the hallway they had come down. The substation had an access terminal that was twenty years since it was out of date but it worked enough, much of Omega was stuck in the last two decades. Reyes activated the locked terminal and began to tap into it. Tripp drew his custom Predator pistol, the weapon had etchings of ivy and shamrocks and pearled grips, not the weapon a professional mercenary would often possess but he grew attached to the weapon and kept it, he thumbed the safety off and spun the pistol on his finger as he waited for Reyes to complete her objective. --------------------- Down The Promenade -------------------- Lucas and Vex, the human merc and his partner Vex. A turian that spoke bad English due to having a large scar that took off half of one of his mandibles peeped around the corner. He saw the substation at the end of the hall and the dead guards. Standing out front was a tall and burly Krogan. Lucas popped back around the corner and drew his submachine gun. "Ok Vex, take a look your eyes are better then mine..." He said, Vex nodded and looked around the corner. "What you see?" He said, the loud bang of a high caliber rifle filled the air as a bullet tore through Vex's head and covered the wall in the turians blood and bits of skull. Lucas jumped in fright and slipped on a fragment of skull. He fell back to the ground and as he did so dropped his weapon, the gun his the grating and discharged. The spray tore into Lucas' chest and killed him. Dax smiled as he saw the event, he tapped his comm unit and chuckled. "Hey boss, one shot... two kills." He said as he started checking his firing trajectories. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Tripp laughed at Dax's remark and idly puffed on his cigarette as he flipped and spun Bianca around his finger, Reyes smiled as she finally cracked the code on the ancient terminal and it booted to life. Jeeves' hologram appeared on Tripp's Omni-tool, he took the form of a English butler. Noone in the crew knew why and most didn't ask. "Integrating with the systems sir... one moment." Spoke the hologram and it vanished. The terminal fired up as its programs began to run as fast as the aged terminal could handle. Jeeves reappeared on the holo-projector next to the terminal. "I am in the stations systems... I am uploading White Rabbit now sir." He said, the stations lights began to flicker and soon shut down. Sending the entire station into utter darkness.

The pact is still intact, he just took control. Still using the immortality gained by the possession. The constant pain wasn't a side effect of the possession it was the constant doing of Barabas, he did that to help subjugate him. Now that he has in a sense banished him to the skull he can feed off the power of the oldest devil and use it. Giving him great power and complete control over it but it is still limited by The Cursed Blood. THe more he uses it the more side effects it has and it will kill him. SO he has to use it sparingly. Technically he is still 'possessed' that will never go away because their connection has been rooted in him for millennia. Thousands of years before Lokii was born his ancestors pacted with Barabas when he was The Archdevil, Arch-Devil was not just a title for a powerful devil, it was the title for THE powerful devil and at that time Lucifer reigned. It was after he signed the pact with the human ancestors of Lokiis that he was deposed and imprisoned. Thousands of years later, he discovered he still had a connection with Lokii because the pact with his ancestors never was fulfilled so he used that connection to influence him into making a new pact that freed him from his prison. Now he is again trapped in the skull and this time he can't trick his way out, for fear of his own destruction.

Lucifer smiled and clapped his hands slowly as he paced back and forth, "Yes, very good... I was removed of my Arch-Devil status, I am surprised you even knew my name.... Asmodeus had my name stricken from all records and anyone that supported me was obliterated. He was very dedicated to that cause... What he didn't know was the side effect of the way he deposed me. I wasn't banished like he had planned, my spirit remained in Limbo... I watched his every move, learned all his techniques and secrets... eons of information all stored to memory." He said with a sly smile, reveling in his own words and his power. He had forgotten what it was like to have a body. Lokii saw his opportunity to claim his redemption, He dove towards his own body and slid into it. He gained some control over his body and began to reach for his sword, the blade sat against the wall as the skull stared at him. The eyes began to glow as he reached for it, he wasn't going for the hilt but the skull itself. He stopped just shy of a full grip on it and began to slowly pull back. Barabas spoke through him to Lokii. "No! You will not have the skull!" He shouted, Lokii continued to maintain control but Barabas put him a fierce resistance. He could feel his fingers gently touching the skull. "You are not my master!" He yelled as he broke free of the mire that stopped him and removed the skull from the hilt of the blade. He held it in his hand as the skull wreathed itself in eldricht fire. He felt him mind cloud with pure rage, fueled by all the taunting and abuse he withstood from Lucifer over the eons he was possessed. He growled, his body became wreathed in eldricht fire, his usual energy was a deep purple but this energy was a red, a blood red. Barabas was ejected from Lokii's body and fell to the floor, his body was covered in glowing runes and his skin was as red as blood. Long bent black horns and slick black hair covered his head. He began to charge at Lokii but Lokii gripped the skull and Lucifer clasped his heart and began to writhe on the floor. "I am no longer your slave!" He yelled as he clinched tighter. The devil hissed at him as he felt as if his black heart was being torn from his chest. Lokii smiled evilly, he felt alive for the first time in ten thousand years. He had control over himself again, no longer afraid of the beast. "How does it feel to have all that power taken from you? How does it feel Lucifer, The Prince Of Darkness?" He taunted as he clinched the skull tighter, cracks began to spiderweb along the skull. Lucifer struggled to breath, he reached in vain towards Lokii. "I will not be apart of your evil anymore... but I will spare you on one condition..." He said as he composed himself, his rage subsiding. The devil looked up at him, willing to give into anything. "Free my family, free their souls and I will not destroy you..." He said, Barabas stood. He nodded and closed his eyes, soon the spirits of a tall a lithe Gith woman and a small boy appeared. The woman was beautiful, her skin a alabaster white and long silver hair, the boy looked like a smaller version of Lokii. He reached out and gently touched her cheek as she vanished into Aetherius, the realm in which the Gith go to when they pass on. Lokii looked back to the demon as he panted heavily on the floor, his power draining into the skull. "You devil, will do as I command... When I command... you will give me the power you promised... and in return. I will not destroy your soul... You are now MY slave." He said coldly to the devil as he turned the skulls eyes at him. The skull's flames became a bright red, Barabas screamed in terror as he disintegrated into a gout of red flames and was absorbed into the skull through its eyes. Lokii was wreathed in eldricht energy as he fed off the power... He took his blade and slid the skull into the hilt. The blades runes changed from a deep purple to a glowing red, the runes along his armor and on his gauntlet also changed. He was truly free of the demons influence. He smiled, drawing in the feeling of freedom for once in Ten thousand years... He felt all the rage leave him behind, his mind no longer clouded with darkness, his vigor renewed and his spirit restored. "I am free..." He said as he slid the blade into its scabbard on his back. Barabas remained silent, he could sense his displeasure at his entrapment. It only made Lokii smile wider.

Lokii nodded, "I know very little, Barabas has kept his secrets well..." He said, his eyes went blank and then a dark smile formed across his face. His voice spoke in a dark voice. Barabas had taken control. The ancient devil wished to speak directly to The Chosen Of Kelemvor. Lokii's physical form now under control by Barabas. The demon smirked, "Know this Chosen, I only wish to speak... I mean no harm to you or anyone else. I wanted to congratulate you on discovering my ruse... I have been occupying Lokii for near ten thousand years and he has still not discovered my true nature. But I can say his knowledge of The Blood War and my kind is limited so in his defense he didn't have much to go with. I am indeed a Baatezu... My name is Lucifer, some call me The Desolate One, or The Prince Of Darkness... My personal favorite is The Despoiler..." He said calmly, with a sick sense of humor at his various titles. Barabas' power was limited but he could control Lokii for a short period, enough to converse with Lokii's party. "Before you ask the question you are dying to know the answer to I will tell you this... You will not know my goals until I wish it" He stated, he rubbed his chin as he bared his pointed teeth in a sly and evil grin. "Call me devoutee of theatrics all you like but I so do love a good twisted web of deceit and mystery. But allow me to stroke my own ego for a moment... What do you know of Lucifer?" He asked, Lokii growled his disgust at the devil as he watched himself move at the whims of the devil. It was an odd experience, he saw it as if he was another person witnessing himself. Lokii looked about the room to see that no others regarded his existence there, "I must be locked in a state of limbo..." He thought as he realized he no longer felt the presence of Barabas inside of him, the familiar contort of the devil in his stomach. A thought came across his mind as if it hit him in the head. "Of course, he isn't possessing me all the time, only when he needs to... that is why I feel him come and go at periods... That is why my powers wane when he is not present. That means there is a period in which he is vulnerable." He deduced, he began to wonder where he travelled too. "He is in spirit form when our connection breaks, but as a spirit he needs and anchor... someplace his soul his bonded too... He thought as he looked around the room, his eyes stopped on his blade and the skull imbedded into the hilt. "Of course! The Sword Of Souls has his skull inside of it, that is where he is retreating too..." He thought as he watched Barabas converse with his party members.

lol she was supposed to be a one off bit and maybe a returning character everytime hes in Loudwater but things kinda blew up I had to include her. Shes gone now but not permanently

Katerina turned to Lokii, Lokii nodded and she slipped out of the room. She felt awful leaving him in that room with all of those men but if he was willing to let them she was aswell. She left the tavern and returned home. Lokii looked to Weyland, "If you only knew the truth of it... You would realize that I am not the monster you make me out to be..." He said, his hands raised slightly to show that he is not going for his weapon. "The Lich Queen, the leader of my people is a powerful sorceress. She is very paranoid of anyone that has the power the threaten her... and often kidnaps them and drains their souls to keep her powers. I fought for her during the Great Rebellion from the Illithid Masters that enslaved us all. When we began to fight amongst ourselves I left, along with a number of like minded people, we sought only peace... On the edges of the Astral Plane we built a small fortification. A small community but we prospered despite the threats we faced." He began to explain to them all, hoping his story would alleviate some of their suspicion. "A seer told us that an Illithid force was heading for our stronghold, I knew that we could not face them alone so I sought a power greater then myself... My soul for the power to defend my hold against our former masters. Barabas was the demon that my ancestors contracted for the powers I had inherited. I contracted him my soul... but he took my soul and my body." He continued, his arms still raised. "He then... forced me to butcher my wife and son... I watched as I strangled my wife.. and took a knife to my son. My face was the face of betrayal for them... they died wondering what they did...I can still see their faces..." He said, his mind drifting away and his eyes growing cold. He shook his head and forced back his emotions as he continued his story. "Afterwards he momentarily gave me back my body just to prove a point that he was the master of me... then, he forced me to leave the five hundred Gith that only sought peace to be enslaved and devoured by the foul Illithids...The alliance I had with the Githzerai deteriorated when he used me to assassinate one of their leaders. The Gith Civil War broke out entirely and over half the Gith were killed in that war...All because I made a desperate decision to save my family and my people..." He said, he felt a great weight come off his shoulders as he finally admitted it to someone. He hung his head and tried all he could to force back his emotions to hide them. All the years in exile in Athas had made him suspicious of everyone... He instinctively kept his secrets but he knew these people needed to know his history if they were to trust him enough for him to complete his goals and save the souls of his family. Barabas stirred inside of him, the devil was surprised that he would reveal his tale to them. "Yes, make me out to be the beast here... admit it you enjoyed the death and destruction you caused...I was just the tool that did it." Spoke Barabas, his voice ringing in Lokii's ears as if he was speaking directly into them. Lokii shook off the demons words, knowing they were meant to taunt him. He focused his attention back to them all, "There... that is my secret. I made a horrible decision that lead to the deaths of thousands... But I made it to save my family..." He added, he awaited his judgement. Half expecting them to slay him where he stood.

Katerina did not move, despite the fact that Rhaine could effortlessly kill her. Lokii was not safe with these people and until she trusted them she planned on staying with him. "He saved my life, if you take mine then you are just as much a monster as he was." Lokii stood in shock at this young woman, no more then a hundred pounds stood before Kelemvor's Chosen. He could smell fear in her but a strong determination. He finally regained his senses and then stepped up. "If you want my secrets ask them now... This is the only time I will reveal all to prove that I am not a threat to you... If you still think me a threat I will leave afterwards..." He stated as he gently moved her behind him to shield the girl from Rhaine, the tip of her blade now at his chest. "So Chosen, ask your questions... I will answer them truthfully. On the souls of my wife and son." He said, waiting for her to understand that he was not a threat to them and he only sought to be allies. Katerina slapped Weyland, "You are a base coward! Willing to take a blade to a man that has done you no harm, willing to kill him for being what he is and what he has done.!" She shouted, she utterly hated him. She was a strong woman and despite her desire to huddle into a corner and cry her savior faced more danger from his allies then his enemies and until she knew he would be safe to sleep she stood by him. Her eyes locked with Weylands. "Why don't you try to understand him rather then hate him for no reason, He is willing to tell you whatever you need yet you still mistrust him and plan his murder... I can see it in your eyes." She added as she stood next to Lokii.

Katerina grew impatient with them, He had done her no harm and they all seemed very ready to kill him for talk of him being apart of them. Lokii approached, not threateningly but he rapidly grew impatient with them all. "Warlocks gain their powers from fell pacts that is true but I was already a Warlock... In ages past to stave off the Illithids my ancestors pacted with a demon. That demon gave them and their descendants the power I possess now... I did not seek this power for my own reasons I sought it to save my people from a greater threat. A threat that still looms over us..." He said to them all, tired of their suspicion. "Barabas has ahold of me but he does not have my spirit... only when he is strong can he take me over... the more souls he consumes the stronger he gets, I have lived with him for over ten thousand years I know some of the ins and outs of this demon. Not a moment goes by that I do not regret the deal I made and I am seeking to right the wrongs I made..." He said to them all, not just Weyland. If they killed him then his purpose is undone. He cannot die right now but when he knew the spirits of his family were safe that might change. Katerina stood up and walked over to them standing in front of Lokii. "He saved me from a cult of devil worshippers here in the city, they were going to sacrifice me. He got me out and was stabbed in the process... Now since you do not consider him one of your people... Get out!" She shouted, and pointed to the door. He had done nothing to deserve this suspicion in her eyes and she was fed up with it, almost as much as Lokii. "Either kill him for being what he is or accept him... those are your only choices Chosen..." She said, knowing who Rhaine was, she had heard the Chosen was in the city on their last venture here.

Lokii growled in rage, he had had enough of Weyland's animosity. He turned, his eyes were flaring eldricht energy. "You have no idea of what is to be like me! Hunted for being what you are! Cursed with a power you cannot control and hated because of it!." He roared, his body beginning to give off dark energy. His hands were gripped tight and the room began to shake. "You will never know what is it like to be forced to slaughter your own family, to have to watch yourself rend your wife and son with your own blade and helpless to stop yourself!" The energy burst into dark flame around him, his rage grew larger. He began to lift from the ground and the room shook harder as his mind raced with images of the night his family died. Barabas laughed inside of him, "Good, let that darkness consume you..." He spoke, Lokii closed his eyes and began to lower to the ground. His feet gently touching and his dark power beginning to fade away as he calmed himself. "You do not know what it is like to have to serve the creature that forced you to become a monster... to be unable to take your own life... To have to do an monsters bidding so your family doesn't spend eternity in torment in pain at the hands of the very creature that slaughtered them..." He confessed his darkness to them, finally sick of having to deal with unreasonable animosity. "You wanna kill me? Get in line... Cause everyone else has a reason to kill me just as foolish as yours. I seek not pain or agony for innocents... I seek to turn my dark powers against those that commit evil deeds, harm innocents and seek to murder and kill to further their own ends. I promise this Weyland, I will find these people... and show them what true darkness is..." He vowed. _____________ Katerina watched the display in shock, seeing the truly tormented soul that he was. When she heard the man speak his name, "Lokii, his name is Lokii." She thought. When he was on his knees she sat down next to him, her eyes turning to Weyland. "Leave! He means me no harm and he saved my life. That is all you need to know.." She said sternly, upset with this mans anger towards Lokii. As far as she knew, he did nothing to the man besides have a dark past and the bad luck of being born of what he was. She began to grow angry with all the people in his room. She turned to Amendale and the woman with wings. "I thank you for your aid but he must leave..." She said to them and then pointed at Weyland.

Katerina nodded, She checked his veins to feel his pulse rising. "His heart is fine, the venom hasn't reached it yet but he needs the anti-toxin. The blades were covered in a spider venom. Causes the victim to bleed out then begins to rot them from the inside out." She explained, Lokii grumbled and sat up. His hand gripping his head, he could feel the constant pounding in his skull. He felt like he had a few too many drinks. The woman clutched his chest to keep him from rising up too fast. "Calm yourself, you have been poisoned but it will take a few hours. These men stopped the bleeding..." She added. Lokii looked up to see his rescuers, Amendale and Weyland. "Great, my own personal hate club..." He thought, his mood going sour in a hearts beat. He grabbed his blade from next to his chair and used it to stand himself up. He could feel his breath getting slow and heavy, He looked to the pair and growled. "Why did you save me? Would have thought you would have just let me die? Me being such a monster... isn't that what you humans do?" He spoke foully, his mood was black and uncaring to them but the woman he oddly felt a closeness too. She saved his life, he owed her much. Barabas appeared next to Amendale and Weyland, his spectral form invisible to them. Only Lokii could see him. He chuckled evilly as he inspected them, "Wow, the great Lokii The Fellheart being saved by a pair of zealots like these two... You've lost your touch." He said as a black piece of fruit spawned in his hand and he took a large bite out of it. The fruits juices were blood, that ran down his arm and chin as he chewed. Lokii realized it was a soul in the form of a heart, he ignored the demon as he stood at full height.

Lokii awoke to the girl crying, she had gotten into his pack and was wearing his spare tunic. He looked down to see his arm bandaged with a scrap of cloth from a spare tunic he had and his arm was coated in drying black blood. His head swam with blood loss, he slowly but steadily stood up. The girl reached up and clutched his hand, she looked into his eyes and all he could see was fear. He knelt down next to her and spoke softly, hoping his voice would calm her. "Do not worry, just tell them the truth and you will be fine." He said, when he stood she stood. He glanced over his shoulder and when he took a step forward she followed. He sighed and realized she wasn't going to leave his shadow. He walked towards the door. His steps were heavy slow. He felt as if the room was spinning. His shoulder and arm began to hurt three times worse then it did before. He looked over to see that blood had begun to pour once more. The flow was heavy and the tourniquet was soaked wet with his blood. His eyesight became fuzzy as he reached out for the door, he felt himself begun to rock back and forth and soon he fell to the floor with a loud thud. ______________ Katerina screamed in shock as her savior fell to the floor, woozy from the blood loss she instinctively ran over to him. She patted him on the cheek but he would not rouse. He tried to speak but could not, he looked her in the eyes and smiled. Gently touching her face, it was as if he was peering at someone else. She had been an apothecaries assistant and she had seen many wounds but when she inspected it she smelled the poison. "Spider Venom..." She said to herself. She stood up quickly and yanked open the door, not knowing if the men on the other side were friends or enemies but either way it could be life or death so she had to act. She was relieved to see it was a pair of men, despite being armed she still found her words. "Get help he's wounded and bleeding!" She yelled to them, normally she would never open a door without being decent but in this case she made and exception. Time was of the essence and her bandaging did not stem the flow of blood. Her fear all but washed away entirely she barked orders at both the men. Katerina tied her long brown hair back with a strap of leather and returned to the Gith's side. She clinched the wound tight in her hands and waited for the other two to return with help.

I am pretty good at that kind of writing. Social writing I am working on but I sorta need to get this story parts out so he can be free for sometime. That's why the posts are long lol Barabas is supposed to be evil... hes a devil. There is no way he will ever reform but he is a unique devil.

Sorry for the long and rough post, just had to get it done. But I hope you like the story lol. I didn't want to make him Op but strong enough to survive. Oh the two Invocations he used are Baleful Utterance- a word of dark speech that can shatter most items. Treated as the Shatter spell. Walk Unseen- A word of dark speech that allows the speaker to become invisible. Treated as the Invisibility spell.

Lokii walked calmly, his eyes locked on Valknr. He could feel his heart pound in his chest like an orc war-drum. Loudwater had the scent of a usual human city, it smelled of waste and mud. Its streets made of cobblestone and used as the sewer. Despite these distracting scents he easily kept on Valknr's scent. When he ducked into an alley to avoid a group of paladins Lokii followed him inside, he quickly grabbed the human and pressed him against the wall of the alley as a Paladin started to walk in. He placed a hand over Valknr's mouth and uttered an Invocation. He and Valknr vanished in a shroud of invisibility. He motioned for the man to remain silent, he knew the best way to get into this Cult was to appear as a friend and this was his opportunity. The Paladin drew his blade and walked closer, he passed Lokii and Valknr. His armored shined in the moonlight and his blade had many notches in the hilt. "By the order of Torm reveal yourself..." He spoke to the darkness. Lokii picked up a small rock from the ground and tossed it into the smaller alley at the end. The Paladin took off after the sound, his armor clanking as he ran. When the footsteps were far away he sighed in relief and released Valknr, the invisibility effect wearing off. "You are a Gith? I thank you for saving me... I am a wanted man." He said, lying about his reasons. Lokii nodded, he looked into Valknr's eyes. "I know, I sought you out because I want to join the Cult. I had heard of your involvement and as you can see I am no friend of the Paladins." He spoke quietly so as to not draw attention. Valknr nodded and looked into the Gith's eyes. The Order Of Torm could be deceptive but they would never have a Gith in their order. Confident this mans words were true he waved for him to follow. After an hour of walking through the back alleys and taking long routes they arrived at a rundown section of Loudwater, there an old half ruined church stood. Valknr walked up to the door and knocked on it twice, then once and then twice again. The large wooden door opened slowly and light came from inside. Inside there was perhaps fifty patrons in red robes and the leader stood on an alter with a naked young woman bound to the blood covered black stone altar. A long dagger in his hand, Valknr raised his hands high and bowed to his lord. "My lord I bring you a new and powerful member..." Spoke Valknr as he bowed. The Lord looked at Lokii, his eyes suddenly widened as the demon stirred within him. Barabas appeared next to him in his vision form. "Good work my slave, there are too many for you to handle but maybe we could play a different game..." Spoke Barabas as he stroked his chin. The Lord put his dagger down on the altar and walked over to the Gith. He could smell the ancient devils influence on this new man. "You are possessed by a Devil, a powerful and ancient devil." He said as he approached, he accent foreign. He pulled back his hood to reveal a red-skinned face. His eyes a pure black with little black horns protruding from his skull. "A tiefling... " Spoke Lokii as he recognized his kind, The Tiefling nodded. He was handsome and he noticed that many of the patrons were young women. Most likely enthralled by him. Lokii noted he was a man of influence and charisma. "I see you have many females... I must ask you. How do you know of my Possession?" Barabas growled in anger, since they were in the presence of a cleric he could not harm his slave but he would not wish him to know this. He merely stayed quiet. "I can see the devil inside of you, Lucifer is his name... and I am Torlan." He spoke softly, with a slight hiss. Lokii noticed the woman struggling on the Altar, she had not been influenced. Probably to make the sacrifice more pleasurable. Lokii turned his eyes back to Torlan. "Release the woman..." He commanded. Torlan smiled and shook his head. Lokii drew his blade with lightning speed, the tip of the blade at Torlans throat. "Release the woman..." He repeated, slightly pressing the blades tip into his skin. The tiefling waved his hand and the two attendants released the woman. The naked woman ran into Lokii's arms and cried. "Now leave Lucifer... Before I take your life..." Threatened Torlan. Lokii glanced over his shoulder to see the door clear of enemies. With a quick flick of his wrist the blade cleaved Torlan from waist and neck. The tiefling fell to the floor in a fountain of Arterial spray that coated him and the woman in black blood. "Go! Run for help!" He shouted, the woman nodded and bolted for the door. He blasted Valknr with a bolt of Eldricht energy that caused him to explode in a cloud of dust. Two of the attendants drew their daggers and charged him. Lokii parried the first strike but the second attendant's dagger struck him in the shoulder. He roared in pain and kicked the man in the stomach. The man fell to the floor in a loud clatter and his dagger slid across the floor. He returned his attention to the first attendant, he struck the man in the face with his gauntleted hand and then flipped his sword into an inversed grip and sliced across the mans stomach. He clutched his abdomen as his intestines began to fall out in a bloody mess. The doors quickly shut behind him, Lokii growled at his misfortune. He turned to the door and uttered a phrase in Dark Speech, "Vulrun!" he shouted and the door exploded off its hinges. He slid his blade into the scabbard on his back and ran as fast as he could, the young woman was waiting around a corner outside. He stopped when he saw her and grabbed her arm. "C'mon we have to go!" He yelled, he looked over his shoulder to see that the cultists chose not to follow. He knew they would come searching but they must be attending to their wounded. He scooped the girl into his arms and wrapped her in his cloak and hood. Revealing his face entirely to the elements. It took less then an hour for them to arrive at The Green Tankard, as he strode in his companions were drinking and reveling. He walked up to the upstairs rooms and entered his. He gently set the woman on the bed and went about making a fire to warm the room. She was ice cold and her temperature was dropping. It only took a few minutes and soon the room was bathed in a warm glow. The young girl slept, the adrenaline that fueled her exhausted self long gone, his own body ached from exertion. Black blood ran down his arm, Barabas appeared in front of him in a vision. "Good, you have given me three beautifully black souls from which to feast..." He said tauntingly as he clapped his black nailed hands. The demon stroked her chin and smelled her, he shuttered with ecstasy as he smelled the purity of her flesh and soul. "She is exquisite, her soul is as pure as her body... Virgins are beautiful and delicious souls." He spoke with a sick sense of pleasure, Lokii roared at Barabas, "Do not touch her foul devil! Leave her be!" He yelled, Barabas smiled and bowed, he then faded away. Lokii sat in the chair facing the door and hung his head and soon drifted off to sleep.

Lokii sat at his own table in the dark corner of the tavern, his sigil-covered gauntleted hand wrapped around the iron flagon of tea. He despised alcohol, dulled his senses and made him vulnerable to the demons influence. Barabas seemed to slumber inside of him, gone into some kind of hibernation. His keen ears browsing the various conversations for the source of his mission. Two men huddled in the corner, one fairly old and the other young enough to be his son were discussing something secret. "I know the Family is growing in strength but I think Denethor is pushing too hard, there was this paladin watching the Temple all night. We had to use the tunnel in the mausoleum to enter for nightly offerings." Spoke the older man, the young man nodded. A feral look in his face. "I will speak to him Valknr, but know that Mephistopheles will be sending an emissary soon. He has spoken to Denethor and the master." Replied the younger man as he stood, tossed Valknr a few gold coins. "Go give offerings to the master at the Temple." He added before leaving the Tavern. Valknr downed his drink and left just after him, Lokii dropped a few silvers on the table and followed his heart raced and a fell grin appeared on his face, he was on the hunt.