Macman253 Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 (edited) 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. Edited January 25, 2013 by Macman253 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flipout6 Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 (edited) Weyland took the slap with barely a flinch. "Look, you're in my line of fire right now. I'm not going to kill him unless he attacks me or one of my friends, or you. But if he does I need to have a clear path to him. Watch out." He gently pushed her out of the way. "We'll strip away Barbaras and then see who he is. That's the time I'll make any final decisions. Even then, he'll still have been foolish enough to make the pact with Barbaras in the first place, which resulted in the calamity he's caused. And the results are clear, Lokii has made sure of that." Weyland explained. Amendale reinforced Weyland's previous point. "You're in danger here, I'd recommend leaving. For your own sake." Edited January 25, 2013 by Flipout6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macman253 Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 (edited) 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. Edited January 25, 2013 by Macman253 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josh900 Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 With the room shaking above him and the familiar pricking feeling on his back it didn't take Tannin three guesses to figure out what was going on upstairs. "Well this could be unpleasant." He said obviously irritated. "Gentlemen. If you'll excuse me." He said standing up. "I do believe that the children are acting up." He stood by the door until Lokii told his tale. "Well that's... not even remotely reassuring. But! Lets all do something that we obviously haven't been doing shall we? Lets all take a deep breath, calm down, and stop waving our weapons around before someone innocent gets hurt." He said through his teeth. "Now I believe we can all come to a sensible agreement here. Master Lokii, if you agree not to go skulking off on your own again or at least tell us where you're going I think the distrust would lesson considerably." He said trying his best to keep things from breaking out into a fight. "And on our side of the deal we'll start trusting you a little more, so you can start trusting us a little more. So if this little situation or something similar happens again our first instinct won't be to run you through. Okay? Can we all agree to that or are we just going to stay at each others throats and I shouldn't bother wasting my time trying to be diplomatic?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AurianaValoria1 Posted January 25, 2013 Author Share Posted January 25, 2013 "Tannin has the right of it," Rhaine said, sheathing her weapon once the silly girl left, "it is dangerous for any one of our number to stray too far...and being unwilling to reveal the why of it only makes us all more wary. "But," she continued, squinting at Lokii, "something hasn't rung true about your situation for a while, now. Contracts are made with devils, not demons. If you and or your ancestors made an official contract concerning souls, it would be with a Baatezu, not a Tanar'ri. Do you know something of this, Lokii?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macman253 Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AurianaValoria1 Posted January 25, 2013 Author Share Posted January 25, 2013 "Lucifer..." Rhaine whispered, her eyes widening. Most though he was only a legend - a mysterious figure upon which scholars could only speculate. "So that's why I felt odd about you," she added, "You are not a demon at all...and much older than rest of the Baatezu. Asmodeus is said to have deposed you. Let me guess: you want that power back, and you are using Lokii to get it." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macman253 Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 (edited) 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. Edited January 25, 2013 by Macman253 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AurianaValoria1 Posted January 25, 2013 Author Share Posted January 25, 2013 After a few moments, Rhaine spoke, "So...that was what you needed. You needed to know what Barabas...er, Lucifer...was anchored to. But how did you figure out it was the skull on your blade? And what happens now?" She glanced to Weyland and back to Lokii,"You had the opportunity to destroy the first devil. Why didn't you?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macman253 Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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