AvatarVecna
 And so, I leave to you my lair, and my fortune. What remains of them, at least. I have endeavored to gather together items that may prove useful for you, but my limited time and resources stretched only so far. To you, I leave but one task: where alone you were defeated, together you might rise to unprecedented heights. Pursue your potential, challenge the world! Take over, or force them to rise enough to stop you once more. I care not for who emerges victorious, only that the resulting conflict drives everyone involved to improve.

Yours truly,

 :.|:;  

As the message fades, you take stock of your surroundings. You're in what looks like a square courtyard 50 ft to a side. The stone beneath you is sturdy, but clearly worn for age. In several places, you can see deep gouges in the floor, as if pounced on by some massive clawed beast. The moon hangs full and bright in the night sky above, with Selune's Tears glistening as brightly as the surrounding stars. A light dusting of snow flitters through the air, although the ground doesn't seem to want to take it. Little mystery why: despite the snow, it feels too warm for winter weather...maybe even too warm for fall.

You look closer and the claw marks appear to be patterned - not just random attacks, but rather careful runic circles. One of which contains you. The runes are glowing, but even as you watch they begin to dim to nothing. Elsewhere in the courtyard are several other figures in a similar situation. The lot of you are arrayed in a circle around the final figure: the steaming corpse of a dark-scaled dragon the size of an elephant. These figures, if the message is to be understood, are you new colleagues. Pillars of evil in a weight class similar to your own. A team brought together to succeed where each had failed individually.

We'll see how long that lasts.
Aegis013
Kazzaron stretches his bulging muscles for the first time in what feels like decades, or perhaps centuries, stretching his arms high to the sky as his wings unfurl showing his imposing figure. He runs his claws over his chest where the holy spear had sat impaled through him for an unknown amount of time, the wound completely healed as though it had never happened at all, despite the weapon having prevented his regenerative powers from functioning. The sting of defeat was still fresh in his mind, he is surprised to find himself not stripped bare, but rather still well equipped.

Satisfied that his body is in working order, his crimson eyes begin to take the measure of the other beings in the courtyard. Deciding that they aren't to be trifled with and are indeed his peers, Kaz performs a shallow bow in way of introduction before introducing himself, broadcasting his words Telepathically directly to the others.

   "I am Kazzaron. You may call me Kaz."    Kaz looks towards the recently deceased dragon, and lets his thoughts flow out    "It seems our benefactor is no longer alive, calling us at the cost of its life seems contrary to self-interest unless there was an immediate and dire threat."   

The Devil draws his weapon and creates a Magic Circle Against Good around himself scanning for any potential threats that didn't appear in the same fashion as himself.

 
 Spoiler: Perception 
 (1d20+23)[ 38 ] 
 
namo
      
      Karakol, the Weaponmaster     
  AC  XX / Touch XX / Ff XX  |   HP  324/324  |   Saves  Fort +X / Ref +X / Will +X
 Senses  Arcane Sight 120ft, Scent, True Seeing 120ft; Perception +33  
 
  
To feel the wind on his skin again... Karakol awakens to confused memories of gigantic pincers holding him as he is battered by blade and spell, and he almost cries out. But this is life, not death; sweet, sweet life, to be enjoyed again through feasting and fighting.

The words of the message echo in his mind and, through them and the remains in front of him, he sees in his mind's eye the majestic shadow dragon soaring on nightly winds.   Thank you for this gift. I am well-deserving, but I shall be mindful not to waste it.  

As he takes in the other circles and the creatures inside, he also reaches out with his hand to poke at the faded mystical circle, even as his enchanted eyes reassure him it's not a magical barrier. Then at last he throws his head back and lets out an exultant, wordless cry. " Well met, Kaz! " he calls out in a booming voice. " I am Karakol of the Taraka Rakshasa, mighty among the mighty. " Though less muscle-bound than Kaz, he cuts an imposing figure nonetheless; the blue-skinned rakshasa is positively bristling with various kinds of weapons: a boomerang at his belt, blades in scabbards, whips looped around his biceps, a polearm on his back.

He strides out of his circle confidently, each step taking him higher: he is walking on air rather than flying like so many mystical creatures do. He beholds the scene from a higher vantage point, keeping a safe distance from the others for now.
NineOfSpades
   Queen Morrigan Ravencrest    

There was a sharp  ke-KLACK  as Morrigan's stiletto heels landed upon the stone hewn courtyard. The taste of air, real air, in her chest was like fire. She stood there, bathed in moonlight. Through some trick of light the moon itself cast her features in stark silhouette, the stars gleaming around her like a crown as her raven black hair danced in the wind. She was beautiful. She was beyond beautiful. To look on her was  painful , making the heart screaming in the chest, but wanting to gaze all the same. But it was a cold and distant beauty, like the stars themselves, unobtainable and unmoving. She was clad in fine silks, jewels. Her apparel alone likely cost more than a medium sized community could afford in a year, and she wore it well.

Looking about the scene, Morrigan drew herself up, straightening her posture, gazing down her nose at the scene before her. She wasn't especially tall, indeed she was fairly petite, but her shadow in the moonlight stretched long.

 " Right then, It's been ages since I had a proper meal and a bath. "  she said, not really speaking to anyone in particular, casually speaking as if she expected the very earth to jump up and obey her. The voice itself was much like she was. Gorgeous, song like, heartbreaking, and unfeeling. It draped itself around the listener and then tightened into a velvet soft leash.  " And someone get this dead... thing ...out of here. It's disgusting " . She made a small motion to clap her hands, confused why no one was moving yet  " Come on, Chop Chop "  Annoyance and impatience.
LairdMaon
 "Oh, this  is  interesting, now isn't it?" , the armored figure rising to it's feet says,  "I am whole. Not a scratch at all." 
The helmeted head turns to regard each of the individuals arranged within the carved circle.  "And what a cohort we are, no? Perhaps this dragon had insight I do not, as I can't imaging pulling together a rogues gallery as this."  The vaguely masculine voice adds, with a small bow from the waist  "You may know me as Vicar Locke. If our goal is common, I offer my blade." 
Aegis013
There seeming to be no immediate or dire threat, Kaz listens carefully to the others, eventually nodding toward Morrigan and considering Vicar Locke's thoughts. He moves with an uncomfortable rapid flapping of his wings towards the fresh corpse of the dragon and experimentally tugs on it, testing its weight.

   "Karakol, do you see somewhere we can toss this body from up there?"    he inquires    "Once this is cleaned up, let us determine if our goals are indeed aligned, Vicar Locke."   

Kaz puts away his fauchard and works his claws under the scales of the fresh dragon corpse, slowly lifting it into the air to remove it from the courtyard, as requested. He does his best to ascend until directed by Karakol with the full intent of removing the corpse of the presumed benefactor from the group's presence. Once the dragon's corpse has been unceremoniously tossed onto the side of the mountain outside of the stronghold and away from the immedate sight of the others, Kaz attempts to Greater Teleports himself back into the courtyard. If that fails, he simply flies back.

   "I simply wish flood Hell with such a multitude of souls that my past may be washed away. Though as long as we spill mortal blood, I will be satisfied."   
namo
      
      Karakol, the Weaponmaster     
  AC  XX / Touch XX / Ff XX  |   HP  324/324  |   Saves  Fort +X / Ref +X / Will +X
 Senses  Arcane Sight 120ft, Scent, True Seeing 120ft; Perception +33  
 
  
Karakol wonders if he should ignore the antics of the woman, like the others are doing, but in his experience setting expectations at once is of utmost importance. " Do not 'Chop chop' me, woman, for I am not yours to command. It would however be courteous to share your name, as we have done. "

" Belay that, Kaz, if you will. Dragon scales are a precious material, and I would be wroth to waste it. I am not the best at harvesting the material, but I would manage, and I would fashion it into armour for my retinue... once I assemble a new one. " He wondered how much time had passed, in the dizzy realization that it could be one day or a millennium, and so his associates could be long dead or hale and alive. Even if they were, they could have moved on to new masters.

" I... I wanted to carve a kingdom for myself, as is the custom of my kind. And now I have to exact revenge against a certain organization in Waterdeep, if it still exists. But there is no hurry in that. First, I will put on the mantle of general, and assess the situation before formulating a strategy.
But are you not curious to see what items the dragon gathered for us? Apart from my weapons, I am missing much of the gear I possessed. Shall we go find out about this inheritance? "
NineOfSpades
   Queen Morrigan Ravencrest   
 " Has the common language changed so drastically? I said 'Chop Chop'. It means 'go faster'. You would do well to learn it "  Came her response, unclear if she'd even heard what the tiger-man had said. However a few moments later, she spoke again  " I will permit you to address me as Your Majesty, or Your Royal Highness. Anything less would be an insult. "  she paused a moment, her gaze narrowing in thought, before making a lazy gesture with her hand. From the darkness, a raven fluttered out and alighted on her wrist.   Barbas, if you would " giving a deferential bow, before hopping over to look at the others.  "Right then, you miserable lot. Should it be necessiary, you may be called upon to announce the arrival of our Queen. Best listen up so you remember, I ain't going to repeat myself" 

Barbas the raven drew himself up, drawing in breath and then spoke in the squaking and somewhat strained tone, afflecting a more polished but forced dialect  "Presenting, Her Royal Highness, Her Radiance, Queen Morrigan of House Ravencrest, The Star-born, The Fairest Of All, The Magnificant, The Beloved, The Destined, The Supreme, The Elegant"  He paused to take another breath as quick as he could. Morrigan shot a steely glance of disapproval for the delay. You could see from the way she bobbed her head along, that she clearly had this list memorized and was enjoying hearing each word said aloud. Even in the dim light, a keen eye could even spot her mouth quietly following along with the words.  "The great flood who none can challenge, breaker of the armies of Cormyr, of the armies of Chondath. Who bares the stars upon her brow. Whose gaze sets the world ablaze in her glory. Whose divine right shall forever more be unquestioned. Shaker of heaven and Earth. Just beyond measure. Long may she reign" 

As the bird finished, Morrigan made a small gesture and conjured an eruption of multicolored sparks and fireworks to punctuate the announcement of her names and titles, even if it was the abridged listing suitable for informal occasions.  "Now then, if you rat bastard scum-sucking thrice cursed arse-   " Enough "  Barbas went silent immediately, bowing but not speaking.

 " I don't want much, not really "  Morrigan said, eyes closed as she contemplated for a moment  " Just my birthright; a palace and empire worthy of serving me, adoring subjects that outnumber the stars, a temple in my honor, true magic beyond questioning, immortality, the greatest secrets of these realms... "  The hunger in her voice was barely concealed as she spoke, listing off more and more demands, seeming like she would go on forever, and with each thing she admitted she did not currently have, the anger in her chest rose to the forefront, stoking into a blaze of cold but unshackled fury.    I want everything . er...That is to say...I want to take back what is mine by right from the cowards and thieves who stole it from me. And I suppose I want their heads. Or the heads of their children, as the case may be "  clearing her thought and regaining a modicum of composure, she concluded with "  But first, I want a bath and a proper meal, and this rotting carcass off of my castle. And I want them quickly, and without backtalk " 
Aegis013
The Devil's lips curl showing rows of nothing but fangs throughout his mouth, an unsettling toothy smirk.   It seems my strength must best Karakol's if he is concerned that he can not reclaim the corpse.  

As Karakol tries to belay Kaz's tossing out of the dragon's corpse, the Devil Telepathically replies only to Karakol.

   "I just moved it out of sight. Not like it's going to get up and walk away given its condition."   

After a moment the Kaz makes Karakol an offer:    "Once you've gathered your retinue or are ready to harvest its parts, I will haul it wherever you want it to go.  If you're not up to the task youself ."    the last of the telepathic message carrying the intonation of a challenge.


  Let's see if the self-proclaimed queen truly believes herself at the top of the hierarchy amongst us.  

Then turning to Morrigan, Kaz gives a bow and responds with in a guttural voice and sarcastic tone.   "The carcass has been removed from your sight, your royal majesty. If you wish a meal, I could fetch you the entrails from the dragon's backside. If you wish a bath, I could fill a heated tub with what comes out of the dragon's backside when your meal is harvested."   Kaz says aloud, testing how this self-announced queen handles some ribbing. He straightens up to see how she responds.   "I simply don't know what else might be considered proper for one so esteemed."  
  "If such isn't to your taste, perhaps we can find worthy servants outside of current company."  
NineOfSpades
   Queen Morrigan Ravencrest   
  Great, now the thing is talking   Morrigan thought, groaning internally   Its always talking with devils   she considered, fairly confident the brutish creature was some manner of devil, not really having the indulgence to think further on the topic at the moment.   Call one up, and they will prattle on and on and on. Contracts, clauses. Its amazing they ever manage to get anything done   She was dimly aware she was being insulted, or at the very least there were barbs being leveled. Something about eating offal, but dressed up in faux words of deference   Whats the point of even dragging something here from the lower realms if they are just going to turn every command into a negotiation. It drags everything out to tedium   she sighed a little, boredom creeping in.   Demons never talk this much. You bind them, make a few threats to establish a pecking order, and then turn them lose. Its so much more efficient.  . Morrigan wished she had a few demons on hand. Seeing this rude and foul wretch torn limb from limb would be nice. For a moment, she debated whether she should kill the devil herself here and now on the rooftop. Insults weren't to be tolerated, that was a given. The magic at her fingertips danced just under the skin as she considered what to use.   Oh but I am rather short on servants   the thought crossed her mind, interrupting the first motions of an incantation. That brought a rather childish pout to her lips. Annoyance, again. Being insulted was unacceptable, obviously. Being in a position where she might have to do manual labor was unthinkable. The loose sparks of magic subsided back to a resting state as she changed her mind, for the moment.

 " That won't be necessary, though by all means feel free to enjoy such a feast yourself "  she answered, making a gesture to dismiss the devil whose name she could not be bothered to remember at the moment. Something crossed her mind, a comment at the end of the devil's diatribe " Hmmm...I think I would hesitate to say "  she said, addressing only herself but making exactly no effort to quiet her voice  " That I've found any worthy servants  inside  of current company, all things considered " .
Aegis013
Failing to get a clear rise out of Morrigan but instead such indifference, Kaz changes course.   "Perhaps the dragon had servants attending to it in this place. Thus I must agree with Karakol. Let us inspect our inheritance more closely."   the devil offers, looking around for some passage to lead deeper into the fortress and making his way toward it on rapidly beating wings which are barely able to support his immense weight.
paradox26
A small figure, easily overlooked as simply a random skull that is typically to be found within a dragon's keep, rises into the air from within one of the circles.

It appears to have been listening carefully to the debate, without bothering to weigh in. Now, though, it says,  "This is why the forces of good always end up defeating our kind. We turn against each other at every opportunity. I find this bickering to be tedious, and unfitting for beings of a high enough station to have been gathered here at a dragon's sacrifice. I am Cyron, known to some as Benighted. I know not how I actually came to be here, other than at the dragon's whim. The last thing I knew of, I had been fighting a losing battle against the forces of the Knights of the Silver Pennant." 

He, for that is what you assume him to be, based purely on the timbre of his voice, muses,  "They have grown in power since the days when I used to serve with them. Searching for a prophecied being, only to later discover that it was me. That came as a surprise, I can tell you. One of Lord Bane's little jokes, I presume. Though it could have been a plot of Cyric's, trying to upset  Lord Bane's plans." 

It is unclear to what extent he is speaking to the party, and what extent he is thinking aloud.

Finally, he appears to snap back to the present moment, and adds,  "Not that it matters much right now, anyway. Though if you are as fearsome a group as you appear to be, I could do with your help in fighting the Knights once again. That should really surprise them." 
namo
      
      Karakol, the Weaponmaster     
  AC  XX / Touch XX / Ff XX  |   HP  324/324  |   Saves  Fort +X / Ref +X / Will +X
 Senses  Arcane Sight 120ft, Scent, True Seeing 120ft; Perception +33  
 
  
Karakol feels a violent spike of fury at being ignored by Kaz, but one does not reach his station by getting overwhelmed by one's emotions. He clamps down on it hard.
Sitting down cross-legged in the air, he smiles lazily.
&lt;&lt; Your help in the matter will be appreciated since it will save me a round-trip. You're probably stronger than me, if that pleases you, but strength is not all... I'll take you at arm-wrestling one of these days if you'd like to see why.  &gt;&gt; They're both approximately the same size, so it might seem like a fair offer on the surface, but then Rakshasas never play fair. They have this much in common with Devils.

" Morrigan, finally you are making some sense. Well done on remarking we are not your servants! I have high-, well,  some  hopes for you. " He mirrors some of her patronizing tone, if not her manic self-centeredness.

As the last member introduces himself, Karakol takes the time to weigh each of his companions, his gaze suddenly raptor-like. Then his lazy smile returns, and he gets back up. " I'll go look for that hoard. "

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
He uses Knowledge checks and a special ability to learn (some of) your attacks, weaknesses, ... but since we're not doing PvP I'm not rolling that.
 
paradox26
Cyron notes Karakol's reaction. Then he makes a bobbing gesture, which you all realise after a moment is intended to be either a nod or a slight bow of acquiescence.  "I will remain here with the others, to try to ensure that everyone is still alive when you return,"  he says. He then blinks one of the pinpricks of light in his eye sockets, which disappears for a moment, then reappears. You identify that as a wink.

You come to understand that a demilich, which he clearly appears to be, have certain limitations to their expressions, and that he is attempting to do the best that he is capable of.

He then turns in midair, and studies the rest of his new companions. His once more unblinking gaze rests on each of the group, examining them all without making comment. He is one who retains his own counsel regarding what he thinks of the others, who now comprise his companions, as best he can tell.
Aegis013
  "Do you expect us to go feral at the first breath and tear each other to shreds, Cyron?"   Kaz asks sarcastically.

  "If this place is our shared inheritance, let us all take its measure together so that we can determine how best to strike against the mortal fools who have opposed us."   Kaz invites all present to explore.
paradox26
Cyron bobs in place, in what you can only assume is meant to be a bow.  "Judging by the bickering when I awoke, it is a distinct possibility that this meeting could turn to violence. But I am prepared to explore our new home, should everyone swear to peace, at least for now,"  he says.