When I started my travels, I needed to get away from the Empire. Once I had a taste of the outside world, I wanted to experience it all. Little did I know what that meant at the time. Since then, I’ve visited most of the known world, as well as the hidden lands beneath it. I’ve traveled deep into the Wilds and entered the Tower of Sigil. I’ve been beyond the boundaries of this world and have seen what hell looks like. I have not, until today, felt lost.
There are many powers with many perspectives and many goals. I would like to count myself amongst them. My job has been to convince others to join my cause, to share my goals. I’ve learned much on my travels, and while my perspective has changed a great deal, my goal has not. My path had been clear. But after today, I’m not sure if I’m still on that path.
My goal is still to restore nexuses to prominence, and to remove the outside influences that have causes so much trouble, so much mistrust, and so much misdirection. This means exiling the demons, the devils, the lords of hell, and the so called gods. If things were even that simple, then today would be a success. We gained a valuable ally for both taking and holding Oraculum, and for diminishing Asmodeus’s sway in the underdark.
But we also slighted this ally. Baalzebul understands that this cause is larger than us, and isn’t looking to make us jump to secure their aid. They are, however, behind Beardthicket and his attempts to destroy the inverted nexues. The inverted nexuses are a source of power for Asmodeus. By eliminating them, they greatly diminish Asmodeus’s power on this world.
As I travel more and more, Asmodeus seems to be the primary opponent. He seems to be the one pulling the strings to cause nexuses to be inverted. But after visiting the hells, I believe his ultimate goal is to destroy them all. I’d write more about the reasons the nexuses exist in the first place, but I don’t want to get off track. Anyways, I can’t just let Beardthicket destroy nexuses. It seems to be a permanent solution to a temporary problem, as I am unaware of any way to recreate the nexuses once destroyed. Also, each nexus destroyed brings the world one step close to Asmodeus’s ultimate design.
But maybe destroying a few nexus is worth it. Maybe there is a way to get them back? They were created once (at least), maybe they can be recreated. I will have to look into this. But it will also severely hurt the denizens of the underdark. But again, this is more of a grey area than I may like. They do have their curse, their contract, and their loyalties. I know some genuinely want a way out of that life, and others revel in it. Baalzebul is offering a way out for the former, but what about the latter? I don’t have a good answer for that. I would like to remove Asmodeus and see what happens.
Anyways, as I said before, we slighted our new ally. While we were talking to them, Beardthicket mounted an attack on one of the two nexuses near Bael’turath. There was an actual earthquake, and most of the warlocks guarding Baalzebul’s stronghold left. We left as well. I scried each nexus to locate where the attack was taking place, and saw that Beardthicket had caused a cave in around the nexus so that he could work uninterrupted.
I enhanced everyone’s movement speed, and we rushed there as fast as we could. To avoid the battle, and to actually get to the nexus, we all hid in Ed’s portable hole and Dariel became and earth elemental and carried us through the rock. I tried to talk to Beardthicket, but Kith was trying to sneak around to him and was spotted and he teleported out. But the nexus was still deteriorating. Thankfully we were at a nexus and I could use geomancy to aid my sight, I found an invisible geomancer off to one side. I placed an illusion of her over her. Others tried to subdue her but she also teleported away.
I could tell Beardthicket went to the other nexus, so I gathered everyone and teleported there. Since talking didn’t work last time, they attempted to subdue him physically, but weren’t able to do enough to stop him before he teleported out again. This time they went to Eloyes. I scried Beardthicket again, and saw that he had changed his appearance. He looked like a much more presentable, typical, and forgettable dwarf. I followed him around for a few minutes until he met up with someone who I can only assume was his assistant. She spotted my scry and destroyed it.
At least we know how he’s been hiding, though he will undoubtably change his appearance again. Not that he doesn’t have most of the Empire and Underdark looking for him, he also knows I wish to stop him. Even if he doesn’t know who I am, he knows I am a reasonably powerful geomancer. I’m not sure what he can do with this knowledge, but I need to keep that in mind. I don’t think he will do anything to go after me. He can’t afford to expose himself. And if he is truly working with Baalzebul, and they truely want to protect the balanced nexus, Beardthicket won’t meddle with it, and that’s what I care about most.
After all this was said and done, we returned to Baalzebul to appologize. I’m sorry we can’t see eye to eye on Beardthicket, but he recognizes the importance of the balanced nexus, and will still aid us. We stayed to rest up for the night. They day was very exausting, and I needed the rest. I will miss the accommodations once we leave though. I’ll have to return here again some day.
My priority is to the health and wellbeing of this world. His is to stopping Asmodeus. I think that is where we differ. I can live with that.
Simone's Journal
When I started my travels, I needed to get away from the Empire. Once I had a taste of the outside world, I wanted to experience it all. Little did I know what that meant at the time. Since then, I’ve visited most of the known world, as well as the hidden lands beneath it. I’ve traveled deep into the Wilds and entered the Tower of Sigil. I’ve been beyond the boundaries of this world and have seen what hell looks like. I have not, until today, felt lost.
There are many powers with many perspectives and many goals. I would like to count myself amongst them. My job has been to convince others to join my cause, to share my goals. I’ve learned much on my travels, and while my perspective has changed a great deal, my goal has not. My path had been clear. But after today, I’m not sure if I’m still on that path.
My goal is still to restore nexuses to prominence, and to remove the outside influences that have causes so much trouble, so much mistrust, and so much misdirection. This means exiling the demons, the devils, the lords of hell, and the so called gods. If things were even that simple, then today would be a success. We gained a valuable ally for both taking and holding Oraculum, and for diminishing Asmodeus’s sway in the underdark.
But we also slighted this ally. Baalzebul understands that this cause is larger than us, and isn’t looking to make us jump to secure their aid. They are, however, behind Beardthicket and his attempts to destroy the inverted nexues. The inverted nexuses are a source of power for Asmodeus. By eliminating them, they greatly diminish Asmodeus’s power on this world.
As I travel more and more, Asmodeus seems to be the primary opponent. He seems to be the one pulling the strings to cause nexuses to be inverted. But after visiting the hells, I believe his ultimate goal is to destroy them all. I’d write more about the reasons the nexuses exist in the first place, but I don’t want to get off track. Anyways, I can’t just let Beardthicket destroy nexuses. It seems to be a permanent solution to a temporary problem, as I am unaware of any way to recreate the nexuses once destroyed. Also, each nexus destroyed brings the world one step close to Asmodeus’s ultimate design.
But maybe destroying a few nexus is worth it. Maybe there is a way to get them back? They were created once (at least), maybe they can be recreated. I will have to look into this. But it will also severely hurt the denizens of the underdark. But again, this is more of a grey area than I may like. They do have their curse, their contract, and their loyalties. I know some genuinely want a way out of that life, and others revel in it. Baalzebul is offering a way out for the former, but what about the latter? I don’t have a good answer for that. I would like to remove Asmodeus and see what happens.
Anyways, as I said before, we slighted our new ally. While we were talking to them, Beardthicket mounted an attack on one of the two nexuses near Bael’turath. There was an actual earthquake, and most of the warlocks guarding Baalzebul’s stronghold left. We left as well. I scried each nexus to locate where the attack was taking place, and saw that Beardthicket had caused a cave in around the nexus so that he could work uninterrupted.
I enhanced everyone’s movement speed, and we rushed there as fast as we could. To avoid the battle, and to actually get to the nexus, we all hid in Ed’s portable hole and Dariel became and earth elemental and carried us through the rock. I tried to talk to Beardthicket, but Kith was trying to sneak around to him and was spotted and he teleported out. But the nexus was still deteriorating. Thankfully we were at a nexus and I could use geomancy to aid my sight, I found an invisible geomancer off to one side. I placed an illusion of her over her. Others tried to subdue her but she also teleported away.
I could tell Beardthicket went to the other nexus, so I gathered everyone and teleported there. Since talking didn’t work last time, they attempted to subdue him physically, but weren’t able to do enough to stop him before he teleported out again. This time they went to Eloyes. I scried Beardthicket again, and saw that he had changed his appearance. He looked like a much more presentable, typical, and forgettable dwarf. I followed him around for a few minutes until he met up with someone who I can only assume was his assistant. She spotted my scry and destroyed it.
At least we know how he’s been hiding, though he will undoubtably change his appearance again. Not that he doesn’t have most of the Empire and Underdark looking for him, he also knows I wish to stop him. Even if he doesn’t know who I am, he knows I am a reasonably powerful geomancer. I’m not sure what he can do with this knowledge, but I need to keep that in mind. I don’t think he will do anything to go after me. He can’t afford to expose himself. And if he is truly working with Baalzebul, and they truely want to protect the balanced nexus, Beardthicket won’t meddle with it, and that’s what I care about most.
After all this was said and done, we returned to Baalzebul to appologize. I’m sorry we can’t see eye to eye on Beardthicket, but he recognizes the importance of the balanced nexus, and will still aid us. We stayed to rest up for the night. They day was very exausting, and I needed the rest. I will miss the accommodations once we leave though. I’ll have to return here again some day.
My priority is to the health and wellbeing of this world. His is to stopping Asmodeus. I think that is where we differ. I can live with that.
Maybe I’m not so lost after all.