The Devil is in the Details

Summary: Verna meets with Cesran to update him on The Plan(tm) against Eclavdran, her research into some concerns of the same, and how they might best assist and cooperate to achieve victory.

-=--=--=--=--=--=--<* A14: Quill's Repose, City Library *>=--=--=--=--=--=--=-

Today's secret location was one of the conference rooms underneath the library. Cesran had set it up under the protection of Mage's Private Sanctum, so that business can be discussed without prying eyes or ears. He let Verna, Seldan and Serene know the location each day so they could meet up to formulate plans to deal with Eclavdran. He's sitting at one of the tables with a book open and a scroll out in front of him as he appears to be copy the scroll into his spellbook. His staff stands off to the send watching over his shoulder.

The library; a place that Verna has spent a great portion of her life in Alexandria. Too great, perhaps, she has recently come to wonder. She enters the conference room at a comparatively brisk pace. Cesran and his staff are noted promptly and without surprise given this is the prescribed location.

"I have further information of import to be discussed," she advises without details as she nears.

Cesran sets down his writing implement and looks up from his book, "Please have a seat and let's discuss. If you have time I'd also like to go over the plan for this trap we are setting up." He motions to one of the seats and he carefully sets his spellbook aside along with the scroll. Ral'sara nods politely to Verna, "We are all ears."

Verna nods, accepting his acceptance as confirmation that proper protections are emplaced. She doffs her hood before taking a seat at the table opposite. "My information is in regards to this plan, specifically Mei's involvement. I believe that we all had various concerns on that point."

Cesran nods, "Yes this whole eating his own father's soul, I had similar worries that we are either making a bigger problem or at the very least a similar problem, trading one infernal duke for another or making a stronger infernal duke. Mei hasn't always been on the level with us. He's central to our plans of getting rid of Eclavdran, but if there is another way I'm all ears."

"Indeed," Verna concurs. "Seldan brought his concerns to me of what might happen should he fail, or even succeed, at consuming such a concetration of vile power. While, as you might imagine, there are few or no direct records of such acts, much less in this precise context, I was able to make some solid correlations."

A pause and breath before she continues. "If the son's will is strong enough, he will succeed, but the other would be subsumed and/or incorporated into his own. This would affect him to varying degree. He could be strong enough to succeed, yet not strong enough to avoid becoming twisted into a version of what he seeks to remove."

"Alternatively, if this is an expert ruse on his part, that would be all but guaranteed... yet I do not disbelieve his sincerity."

Cesran listens to Verna as it's all laid out, "Yes while religion has never been my primary focus of research I have gleaned some understand. So it's all going to come down to Mei and if Mei's will is strong enough he can overcome his father, but if not he'll either become his father or become worse then him. Is there any way that we can help this? If we weaken or even destroy Eclavdran's form and then have Mei consume him before he can reform in hell would it increase the odds of Mei succeeding?"

"There is means for us to aid," Verna promptly notes. "Some of this is highly hypothetical, but based on reasonable evidence. Once Mei imbibes his father's soul, a battle will wage within him, between them. I believe that we can join that battle, by simple contact and intent. The Demon Duke will stand alone, but Mei need not. Together, we would bolster him; several souls instead of one."

"Of course, the risk would then likewise be joined amongst all. Still, the risk would be lessened, and spread. Whatever ... corruption he might inflict would likely be distributed and diluted."

Cesran hmms, "Well if we are to join in that would be interesting. I'm not stranger to combining forces, we did something similar in the Sea of Mana when we joined together to send the Void Creature back to the Void." He unconsciously traces his thumb along his cheek where one of the larger lines is. "But I don't know if you know this or not, but Serene is in possession of a corrupt intelligent sword, while I personally have no doubt in Serene's ability to control it and aid in this battle, I worry that the blade might choose that exact time to strike at her, possibly thwarting our efforts."

Verna nods initially. "Ineed, it is not so different from committing to any other dire engagement... save that I expect there will be only victory or defeat, and no means to voluntarily withdraw. Not that we should wish to."

The latter statement causes a frown. "I was not aware that she carried such a thing. If that is a concern, perhaps it best that she not have it in her possession. It seems risk enough even at any other time."

"Well I wouldn't want to speak out of place, Serene knows what she can and can't handle. I would suggest we talk about it, but I don't believe it's a matter of not having it. If she feels that it won't be a problem then it won't be. My concerns as of late have been of how we plan to execute this plan we have to trap Eclavdran in my mansion so we can confront him." Cesran says.

"Would barring any ability for him to translocate, spatially and dimensionally, not preclude him from departing?" Verna inquires. The spell is a pocket dimension, correct?"

Cesran says, "I have that covered, I will be casting the spell Dimensional Lock, but I need to do it once he's inside. Also I can't just shut the door and lock it. Mage's Magnificent Mansion can keep others out, but it's not designed to be a prison. He could just walk back through the door. Also he'll no doubt scry on the location before he comes in, so he can't see us all there setting up trap. My plan is to cast False Vision on the Prestigious Moon so that within 20 hours of his appointment if he should scry on the location he'll see just a normal average run of the mill day at the shop. From there I cast Mage's Magnificent Mansion with the door open so that the door way of the store leads right into mansion. I'll have cast resist energy fire on all of us as well as mass invisibility. Pit Fiends don't have truesight, but we probably still should hide incase he has put see invisibility on himself. Once he's in, I'm going to cast Time Stop to close the trap. A Wall of Force will block his retreat as well as casting Dimensional Lock so he can't just teleport away. From there it will depend on how much time I have in the Time Stop. If I have the minimum I'm going to cast Stoneskin on myself and ready a greater dispel magic, if I have some more time I'll try to summon an Astral Deva to aid us as well as some other buff spells, but after that I'm going to try to be on counterspell duty using greater dispel magic. My worry is that some Infernal Dukes have the ability to breath out a cone of fire that also deals unholy damage. I don't have any spells to limit the damage from unholy, but Serene and Seldan will, if we can get them scrolls to cast on us before hand it will help limit that.""

Verna considers all of that. "The mansion's door acts as a gateway. Casting a spell such as Dimenional Lock over the interior would effectively remove that gateway, as would using similar magic to deny the fiend dimensional travel individually."

"As for your preparations, I support them, though do not expect that we shall ever be prepared for any nor all possibilities. So far as I understand, we are to detain, then occupy him while ensuring that Mei can initiate. If all goes resonably well, there will be little time for the duke to do anything at all."

Cesran nods, "Now that I think about it would we rather use seeming instead to make us look like customers and/or new staff or old staff rather then just being invisible. He might suspect invisible creatures, but seeming would just be disguising ourselves rather than hiding. I intent to use crushing hand to keep him in place, but that will be a challenge. So much so it might not be worth it."

Verna's lips purse. "If he is intent to visit the shop, and does not expect anything unusual, he may have little reason to examine matters in excessive detail with effort. He need only enter, and then we act. He believes that he is unstoppable or shall win. His hubris works to our advantage."

Cesran nods, "Yes let's hope so, perhaps we should do a mix of magical and mundane disguises or else I could construct a basement under the floor of the shop that we can see through that will let us pop out at the right moment. Or perhaps we'll talk with Seldan and Serene and see what they have planned, they might just want to straight up confront him in the store."

"So far as I am aware, the plan remains to use the mansion to more safely contain the conflict," Verna offers. "One he is barred from teleportation and dimensional travel, there is no means for him to leave."

"Yes and we'll have to see what Seldan and Serene have planned after that. I can bar him from getting out and stop him from dispelling it, hopefully we'll be able to get done what needs to get done before I run out of spells." Cesran comments. "What are your plans or are you going to just improvise and play it by ear?"

Verna's lips purse. "I am prepared to prevent him from escape, as I expected you would. It may not require us both, but it is best to double our efforts. Once he is trapped, I intend to impair and impede him however I may. My particular focus includes a number of means to do so. Whether or how successful they may be shall remain to be seen; he is, as I presume you are also aware, rather resilient against magic."

"Once he is ... esnared, as it were, by Mei, I shall join the internal battle. At that point, I do not believe that our magic in the room proper will be possible, nor relevant. The battlefield will have shifted to that of wills and souls."

Cesran gives a wry smile, "Aye, I don't think you'll be turning him to stone, but it would be interesting to see if you did. That he is. I've long studied how to get past magical defenses like that. I do have a rod that will give me another small advantage, but still it will be gamble casting any spell against him."

That provokes a relaxation of the pursing, nearly to a smile. "Ah, no. I intend more to sap and hinder at his soul, as it is, even before it is sought directly. Such may weaken him on both fronts. Failing those, physical binding would not be amiss."

Cesran sighs, "I hope and pray that our planning will be enough. So what did you make of Tanith? I've never seen a being like that before. I mean I've heard stories and seen many strange and wonderful things, but well I've never had a visitation like that."

"I had heard stories of her appearances, though only encountered her once prior to that," Verna admits. "She is quite a powerful being, seemingly fickle and wayward yet benign at worst. I know nothing of her true origins nor goals, though she appears to have a vested interest in thwarting the Demon Duke."

Cesran nods, "I'm a little hesitant to bring it up with Seldan and Serene because well to some her existence can be seen as heretical. Although she seems to really like Seldan." He chuckles a bit. "Well that's good to know at least we have the attention of a powerful being. Perhaps it's my own doubts speaking, but I had hoped for a little more direct intervention against a demon of this caliber, but perhaps having you and Serene and Seldan is just the right amount of divineness that's needed."

Verna nods. "Understood. I believe she is, and has proven to be, a valuable asset. As for the divine, it is my belief that there is far more direct intervention ongoing that most are not aware. A fiend that appears to terrorize a city is most conspicuous. Solars and the like sent to the Hells or other planes to thwart fiendish efforts there are not so. Fiends often require spreading terror to empower themselves, or simply do so for their own amusement, while the celestials do not require praise or adoration."

Cesran says, "I will have faith that is the case that they are working unseen by mortal eyes in ways that I probably would never imagine. So we must do our part in doing all we can to stop the fiends when they appear. Hopefully with the defeat of Eclavdran those he has hurt will go back to how they once were." Cesran says as he starts to move his book and scroll back. "Thank you for the information Verna you are free to stay if you like and wait to see if Serene and/or Seldan show up so we can talk together, but I need to get these scrolls into my book so we can use them in the battle ahead.""

"Thank you for the offer," Verna dips her head, "though I have my own preparations to attend to. Seldan is aware of what I informed you. I presume he has made Serene aware, and he also spoke of bringing Malik, if he so desired. I will leave you to your work, as we shall see one another soon enough."

Thus excused, she turns to exit the room for the library proper.