<div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Status</div><div class="spoiler_body">AC 18   HP 94<br/>Spells remaining: 7 of 7 1st, 5 of 5 2nd, 1 of 1 from bonded object<br/>Ammunition remaining: 16 common arrows, 15 silvered, 19 cold iron, 3 Tangleshot, 5 adamantine arrows, 2 greater hushing arrows<br/>     (pack: 30 common, 5 adamantine arrows)<br/></div></div><br/>Rayne beamed, amazed but pleased at the transformation of Ishtar from foe to friend.  "Thank you, Ishtar.  I'm sure we will put it to good use, and move to rescue those poor women as soon as is practicable."<br/><br/>She tucked her portion away, and nodded at Zombs' instruction.  "I'm sure you're right; hopefully we'll have something more encouraging to tell them, at some point."  It still grated a little, to hide the truth, but there was nothing anyone could do about it, and why steal their hope?  Though did that mean she had no hope?  She gazed inward a moment, then decided it was the contrary.  Rae-lynne had new hope, a new sense of purpose; if they had to save themselves, she could try to do so.  But the DM had been right, too... in the short term, they had to look at simple survival.  "It'll make it harder to explain Ishtar, though.  I think we'll have to let Grogza in on the story, since she was involved in Ishtar's capture."  But she would defer to their leader - it was a small enough group of PCs without causing dissent or argument... at least, over something she wasn't sure about herself.<br/><br/><hr/><br/>Over the next while, Rayne spent a little time reading one of Starstrike's books on the planes of EHO, and trying out her new spells.<br/><br/><hr/><br/>"Sabrith, Grogza!  Welcome back."  Rayne hurried to assist with one of the smaller, lighter bags.  "Good riddance to that bunch, then.  But no players - I was really hoping Lizzy's brother might still be in there.  I suppose he must have made it out of the market at some point.  But good job... we're well-set now, thanks to you.  There's been... some interesting developments here, too."  She filled the two in on the change of heart of the demoness, and directed them to Zombs for the questions that naturally arose.<br/><br/><hr/><br/>She had a little time to talk to some of the others holding out in the castle, including their two newest rescues.  They didn't have news on Lizzy's brother either, though there had been an elven ranger... was she one of the ones taken and sent on by the succubus?  It was a terrible thought, but it seemed likely.  For a moment Rayne started to imagine how it must have been... what Lizzy and Grogza had gone through too, but they had been released before the thing had time to completely ... convert them.  Fortunately.<br/><br/>"That must have been ... difficult, but I'm glad we have you here now.  We've got quite a job ahead of us, if we're going to free the city."  Suddenly she had another thought, and looked more closely at the two, checking for collars.  "After I... killed you, you didn't happen to meet a devil, did you?  Offering you power, in exchange for a collar?"  Just in case they had been captured too soon to know, Rayne explained what she knew about the collars.<br/><br/><hr/><br/>"Hey, Lizzy, thanks for all that.  How's it going, you have everything you need?"<br/><br/>The half-elf was surprised that the little bit of Dixon's hair was enough, but of course... they were still working with game logic.  "That's pretty cool, actually, but I was thinking about it some more, and maybe there's not much point.  I've never had a flying mount before, but I think using it depends on the Ride skill, doesn't it?  The Fly skill is if we're flying ourselves, and I can't do that.  I just fall slowly."  She grinned.  "But keep the hair, maybe somebody else will have use for it.  Dixon can always make more."<br/><br/>Rayne gave an experimental twirl... her newly-repaired skirt didn't fly up quite so far, and she at least had some modesty again.  Then she slipped the medallion over her neck, and settled it into place.  "I got this because of Ishtar, actually.  And now I don't need it, I suppose, but who knows.  There could be others."<br/><br/>"I have one more question, Lizzy.  I can't afford it now - not even if we can still pay the crafting cost.  But what I'm really saving up for is something spectacular... a starbow.  Is that something you'd have the skill to craft?"<br/><br/><hr/><br/>In the map and strategy room, Rayne looked around at her powerful friends, and at their demonic new ally.  It was quite a group, though very few for clearing a city.  Would it be enough to deal with the threat of the self-styled general that opposed them?  That would depend on what Ishtar said, perhaps.  The problem was made terribly, depressingly clear with one look at the red overrunning almost the entire city.  She clucked her tongue, then quieted down to listen to what Ishtar could reveal.<br/><br/>But the revelation was that their situation was more grim than she had guessed.  A dragon!  And Telathrax was determined to destroy the city... in a way, Rae-lynne was inclined to sympathize with the beast's goal... but now they relied on the city, so she could not support his intentions, and most certainly not his methods.<br/><br/>Sixteen breeders... women, Rayne corrected herself.  But what they were doing, what they were being put through... her mind reeled.  Around the clock, to be used, to be... bred, to produce more monsters, to know those would be used to bring in even more women... she shook her head and closed her eyes, but it was too much.  She remembered her own experience at the tentacles of the creature that had taken Sabrith... almost at the hands of Sabrith, for that matter.  It had been... in fact, it had been extremely arousing, and she felt an echo of that now, but ... no, it was terrible.<br/><br/>"These ... women, Ishtar.  Are they all... of dual nature, like me?  Or can Telathrax use N... use women from this plane?"  Although the danger would be greater if the dragon could expand its army using relatively abundant NPCs, Rayne's mind was having trouble absorbing the possibility that 16 or more PCs were in such a state, and some would have been since the city was first attacked.  It was fiendish, but brilliant.  How could the DM tolerate it, permit it?  He must know... now she worried more than ever of what their captors had in mind for them.<br/><br/>"Thank heaven for small mercies." Rayne murmured, as Ishtar responded to Zombs' pertinent question.<br/><br/>"We have to cut off the supply, obviously.  And, ideally, kill Telathrax himself, though that's easier said than done.  I wonder... we could fight our way down, which might give us a chance to gain some experience, but I fear new monsters would be coming faster than we could handle.  Might we be able to use the gate from the bazaar?  Ishtar, where does that go... it wouldn't put us straight in a cage or something of that nature, would it?"<br/><br/>She paced back and forth a couple of times.  "There's also another matter... Starstrike, you said that there were PCs - that's dual-nature people, Ishtar - helping attack the city.  Perhaps they were under Telathrax' influence, or maybe part of that attack was a coincidence, with another threat from outside the walls?  I think any collared by Telathrax would be freed if we kill him.  I don't know what would happen if we meet someone, and defeat them while they're still under his control."  She shrugged.  "Maybe it won't come to anything.  Presumably any women are now...."  she didn't finish the sentence.<br/><br/>"Basically, it's best if we can eliminate Telathrax.  Perhaps we can pool what we know about black dragons?  I don't know much, I'm afraid."<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">OOC &amp; Knowledge Check</div><div class="spoiler_body">I've taken the new level (in arcane archer).  I wasn't 100% sure that bloodline spells are gained when the prestige class level is gained - I've seen one person claim they are, as part of "spells known", but they're not precisely like the usual "spells known".  For now I've added it (invisibility, quite a useful one).<br/>I took max HP, it seems that's what we've been doing.<br/><br/>Trying to remember things about black dragons:<br/>At 2015-01-25 02:34:49, victoria4 (uid: 37138) rolls: 1d20a9 Result: <strong>13</strong> (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=70934)<br/></div></div>