The Crucible (F)

**Evil_Cake** · 10-18-2011, 02:05 AM

"What do you think is in these pipes? Should we check?" Rosaline tapped one of the tubes with her morningstar.

**Delphinus** · 10-19-2011, 01:09 PM

Ramirez listened carefully to see if he could discern anything new about the sound.

SPOILER! :

Then he looked at the group, especially Orien, who his gaze rested on for longest. Since the insane witch hunter had vanished, he turned to Rosaline.
"The pipes probably lead to something interesting and unholy. Maybe heretics, maybe something else. Either way, we should make sure that anything impure is destroyed. As we all know, anything that offends the Saint needs to be annihilated, no matter how innocent a facade it projects."
He addressed this last clause to Vivien.

**Kodos** · 10-23-2011, 03:18 AM

"Heretics? By the Saint I hope so," Theresa sighed. "I am eager to dispense His judgment, for it is in His service that I am made whole." She handed the map to Oreil. "This is where we are," she pointed. "You remember how to read, right? You didn't get hit in that head too many times? Good. I want you to mark where we've been - I don't recognize these tunnels at all, and I want you to keep track. Think you can handle that? If you're lucky maybe you'll get a papercut or two."

"Let's go."

***

As the group made their way along the strange tunnels, there were numerous branching paths. Sometimes Theresa would choose one on her own, probably at random, while other times she'd defer to the group at large.

The heartbeat seemed to be getting louder.

***

And then the group came upon it.
An enormous pair of doors, wrought in adamantine.
On the doors, encrusted in rubies, was a symbol Ramirez and the group recognized immediately. The symbol of Baator, and of the Ninth, and of the Enemy.

"Well, shit." Theresa seemed to recognize it too.

**Evil_Cake** · 10-24-2011, 01:05 AM

Well this didn't look good at all. Rosaline looked at each of her comrades one by one while saying, "Umm.. Should we go find the others? This looks pretty... not good... at all..."

**Superdooperphailmachine** · 10-24-2011, 04:58 AM

"Nah, we can deal with it. He sent us down this path for a reason." Olivia sounded confident but she wasn't exactly rushing to open the door.

**Kodos** · 10-24-2011, 05:00 AM

Theresa nodded. "Olivia is right. We'd just be wasting more time. If there are vile heathens behind this door then it is our duty and my pleasure to dispense His judgment. 'Course, the door may be trapped. Probably is, in fact."

She turned to Oreil. "Oreil, open the doors."

**Regantor** · 10-24-2011, 09:22 AM

Oriel handed her map back to Theresa, looking rather miserable but not questioning the orders.

Taking a deep breath and holding her face in the oppisate direction, she then attempted to shunt the door open with her shoulder, oversized cleaver ready in her hands...

**Kodos** · 10-24-2011, 10:18 AM

Theresa readied her fists, assuming her fighting stance. Ramirez couldn't help but notice she seemed *very* excited about the prospects of smashing in some skulls for the Saint.

To Oriel's relief the doors opened without incident. Then the lights came on - reacting to Oriel's presence, evidently, and emanating from some sort of large, enchanted, ruby-like gemstone on the ceiling - bathing the long hallway, which was about 50 feet wide, before the group in reddish light.

The ceiling was completely lined with the pipes, which diverted about the light fixture but otherwise covered every inch of it. The floor was clear of them, though, as were the walls.
The walls were something else entirely.
The walls were completely lined from top to bottom with alcoves each no larger than foot. These all held, for as far as the eye could see, large flasks which were connected to adamantine pipes which came out of the walls directly above the flask. The pipes were, save for their smaller size, identical to the pipes the group had seen earlier and presumably connected to them.
Inside the flask were creatures, floating serenely amidst a blood-like red liquid that seemed to have a faint glow to it. They were small, about 8-10 inches on average, and resembled some sort of grotesque amalgamation of fetus, infant, child, and full-grown adult - although all were completely hairless.
The things were alive - clearly - for immediately they all shifted in their flasks and turned their gazes towards Oriel, silently watching her and the rest of the group.

Knowledge (Arcana) if you want to try and identify the creatures.

**Delphinus** · 10-24-2011, 10:33 AM

He failed his Knowledge (Arcana) check.

Ramirez's eyes widened with genuine shock. It wasn't as though he wasn't used to seeing horrifying monstrosities dragging themselves, drenched in blood and slime, out of one Horned Society ritual or another, but he had no idea what these were. All he knew was that he didn't need to - and, to be honest (for once), didn't want to know.

"By the Saint..."