Chapter 18: A Gate to Hell and an Ancient Black Dragon

From the Chronicles of Brother Jacques.

6/6 on Black Water Rock. I took a large dose of Guarana and prepared Black Lotus (in it's purest form).
We assessed the terrain, which appearted distorted (I guess, by the Demons, particularly the Demon of Subtlety.
The Knights could not see an advantage to taking their horses, so they abandoned that idea and did not land them.

Some of the Imps went South, to escort our 6 targets inland.
We had to compromise between walking around the island (longer route but generally less broken terrain) and up the volcano (more direct, steep and unstable terrain, and the possibility to look down at the other group). We walked a way uphill towards the centre of the island, but when the cinders started slowing us, we deviated to the Eastern / forest side of Black Water Rock.

4 Imps came out of the forest, heading uphill towards us.
We decided that they might be able to sense a group, so Baroness Keruna, Sir J-M / E and Soro went downhill / East / towards the forest, whilst Sir Zacharias, Digoral and myself headed uphill.
I cannot work a STEALTHED WARDING, alas.

About then, Soro realised that the GATE was in the forest, not in the volcano.

Imps approached my group, and it became painfully obvious that they had seen us.
I BLESSED Sir Z, and he heroically and very successfully destroyed them.

Our sneaking about had served its purpose, and we rapidly moved towards the GATE.
Unfortunately I thought that it lay within the volcano, and started running in the wrong direction. I blame the drugs. Oh yes, I took the Black Lotus. Nice.

It looked like the Demons had double crossed the 6 targets, killed 1-2 of them, taken the rest to Hell with them, and closed the GATE.
The Gate Demon (Open Sesame) was the GATE. It could teach physical beings in Hell how to open a GATE / itself to another physical location, and the cycle would continue.

I obtained samples, recognised the Demon (and learned its name), and SUMMONED it (with the condition that it bring those captives that it could, at once, and nothing else, and that it appear within my prepared WARDING / CIRCLE).
It returned with 2 captives, one injured and one inverted with a lot of blood and guts everywhere. I should have constrained it not to have harmed the captives, but it could have allowed another Demon to have killed them. This Black Lotus really makes me think faster than I can think.
Apparently 4 captives had been taken to Hell, 2 returned, 1 was killed in Hell, and the last; Kassael had been taken by a more powerful / higher status Demon. Kassael, being part Demon and mostly Elf, could possibly survive for a while in Hell, and likely he could establish a GATE from that side as well. He had to be eliminated as well.
I lowered the WARDING (because it might interfere with Keruna's attack, as her Angel of Death might not be fully compatible with GOD), and Keruna's Patron crushed it utterly.

As Kassael is 1/8 Demon, it might be possible to SUMMON him.
He might cooperate. I know his use-name and lineage. I could gather samples (well Keruna could GATHER them).
This worked, and we interrogated him and learned where his father; Kiellevain had another base (Soro sent this information to ESP, and they took care of it immediately).
Kassael wanted to deal. He said that he only wanted to be with his family (probably true), however Demons had part of him, and part of him was Demon, so he would always be dangerous.
I offered him the opportunity to convert, but he could not find enough purity within himself.
As I lay unconscious (I had drawn too much upon my spiritual strength under the influence of drugs), Sir Z killed him with his re-BLESSED blade (which killed his Demonic part as well).
We agreed not to hunt down his child, as he would be innocent, though at risk.

The more avaricious members of our merry group comandeered the fishing boat and took possession of 50 kg of Silver (around 10 000 SP).
We departed for Black Dragon Rock to destroy the Dagger.

Sir Zacharias landed alone, unarmoured, and resembling a musician. He praised the Dragon, and it felt for his mind (this Dragon is reputedly ancient, male and flightless, due to an old injury; but enough Silver could potentially allow him to heal himself).
The Dragon arrived, and Sir Z entertained it with his lyre (it enhanced his abilities somehow).
It accepted 50 kg of silver.
It breathed fire (FIRE?) upon the Dagger and destroyed both it and the Demon.
It allowed Sir Z to depart, but expected further tribute in a year (Sir Z said that he might not come in person).

We returned to Reshall. Baroness Keruna and her people went their own way.
Kiellevain's plot was smashed, with ESP picking up the best intelligence.
Some Undead might have gained slightly, if Kiellevain was a rival.
Keruna eliminated a rival, and gained quite a lot from the whole enterprise. We never learned her motives.