Fantasy Steamhaven: Land of the Lost

[ArcticFox]

After throwing a small smile in the direction of the boy, Lianna turned to look at Everett, realising the weight of his words.

"Well, that doesn't sound good." She said, biting her lower lip, "I can't ask him to summon the demon now." She sighed, then glanced briefly at the boy, and then back at Everett, "How long it will take him to recover?"

 

[Cartoonicat]

"I don't know, I've never seen anything like this," Everett said. "Then again, I've never seen any of my clients after they've been arrested."

While Trevor played with Grub, Everett tapped the butt of his pencil against his chin. "If you can find out what they did to him, I'd have an easier time trying to treat him."

"Cooookieeee pleeeaaaase," Trevor tried a third time, peeking out from behind the fluff of Grub's back. The cat meowed.

- Agree
- Refuse
- Other
(Optional): Mention Trevor's nan

 

[ArcticFox]

"I can't keep going in circles and getting myself into more and more trouble and debt." Lianna snapped. She just wished for once that she would be able to bring something to completion and not end up stuck with more obligations.

"I have a demon to find if I want to save my own behind." She admitted, pulling down her collar slightly to show him the mark, "And somehow I ended up in this whole mess when trying to get your damned supernaturals to a safe place. I should just have stuck to what I've done my entire life."

 

[Cartoonicat]

Everett's eyes blew wide at the mark, but it was Trevor who spoke. "Why don't you cast the spell?" He tapped his own neck, a reference to her marks. "You've been touched by a demon, but Ymara will still hear you." He gave Grub a good pat before setting the fat cat down. "I'll show you the ritual."

He seemed completely unphased, a stark contrast to Everett, who looked to have a thousand questions.

- Agree
- Disagree
- Ask a question
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

"You think that is possible?" Lianna asked, turning to Trevor. Then, finally remembering, she unslung her pack and took out the bag of sweets. "I got your cookies for you." She said, handing him the bag, "If you can show me how, I am ready to start."

 

[Cartoonicat]

Trevor snatched a cookie and nodded. "Witches are just humans who made friends with a demon," he said simply. While munching on his treat, Trevor set forth preparing the ritual.

A couple minutes later, with the curtains drawn and doors locked, a small summoning circle with the same symbol as Trevor's mark sat on the ground, made out of various instruments around the clinic.

Everett hadn't said a word the entire time, though he cast a glance Lianna's way quite often.

"Mum and Nan use candles or incense, but this will work... I think." Trevor lit one of the gas lamps in the clinic, casting the dark room in a dim glow. He took a seat on the north side of the circle, motioning for Lianna to sit across from him. "When you're ready, put the offering in the circle."

- Offer sweets
- Offer Grub
- Change your mind
- Ask Everett to do it
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

Listening to the instructions, Lianna handed a truffle to Everett and kept one for herself, while placing the rest in the circle. The cookies she kept aside for Trevor.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Through a mouthful of cookie, Trevor instructed Lianna, bit by bit, the chant to summon Ymara all while motioning for Everett to ding the doorbell as they went. The lantern flickered with each verse. Trevor gestured for Lianna to take a bite of her truffle, then set it in the circle. The moment her half-bitten truffle touched the ground, a sudden wind snuffed out the only source of light in the room. Where medical instruments formed the shape of Ymara's symbol, a light grew brighter in the middle. Soft, warm, flickering like the lantern on the wall.

From the floor, a cowled and round, paper-white face entered the area, not three feet from Lianna. It had only absurdly round, large red eyes and a wide mouth with curling, sharp teeth.

"Are these for me?" It asked, sounding neither male or female and more like a whispering wind carrying the jingle of distant bells.

- Scream
- Flee
- Attack
- Nod
- Greet
- Do nothing
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

Trying her best not to grimace at the appearance of the creature, and very glad that the cat was not offered instead, Lianna nodded, then said in a polite tone, "Of course. We have brought these sweets for you as an offering, Ymara. I have summoned you here to ask you a question, if you would allow me."

 

[Cartoonicat]

Ymara's mouth curled into a smile that looked more menacing than kind. Then again, the demon seemed limited in regards to facial expressions. "I do love sweets," Ymara floated fully out of the floor but remained to hover within the circle. A wisp returned Lianna's half-bitten truffle to her before collecting the rest. "What is your question?" As Ymara consumed a truffle in one bite, the wisps swayed in a rhythmic pattern. "Chocolate? Very nice."

Trevor scooted around to sit beside Lianna, another cookie in hand. He said nothing but waved shyly at Ymara, who returned the gesture with spiny, albeit not as pale as the demon's face, human-looking hands.

- Ask about Kelaelin
- Ask about the artifact
- Ask something else
- Other
(Optional): Finish the truffle

 

[ArcticFox]

Lianna took a bite of the truffle and swallowed, watching the demon enjoy the sweets. Thankfully, it seemed to like them. Perhaps it would be a in a good mood.

"I need to locate one of your kind, Kelaelin." She said after swallowing, "I was told that you still have an artefact that would allow one to be transported into your home plane?"

 

[Cartoonicat]

Munching happily, Ymara paused only when Lianna mentioned Kelaelin. The demon lowered a truffle and tilted its head. "Kelaelin? He will kill you," Ymara said. The large red eyes looked Lianna up and down, settling on her neck. Tutting, the demon shook its head. "Mistress Gul should fight her own battles."

Grub chose that moment to meow in fright from below the lobby chair, causing the demon's gaze to lock immediately onto the small creature. Ymara gasped, wisps whipping about almost excitedly. "Did you bring me a cat?"

- Give Ymara the cat
- Refuse Ymara the cat
- Ask about Kelaelin
- Ask about Mistress Gul
- Ask again for help
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

"I am going to die either way." Lianna persisted. "My options are to either kill Kelaelin or Mistress Ghul and I don't like my odds with either. Either way I need to meet with Kelaelin as soon as possible."

When the demon noticed the cat, Lianna scooped Grub it before it got too close.

"It depends. Do you want to eat it?"

 

[Cartoonicat]

"Mm," Ymara sounded disapproving. "I do have an artifact that can help, yes, but I would just be sending you to slaughter..." The demon's eyes remained on the cat, fingers twitching like a child with grabby hands. "And, no. Too much fur, but it is very nice for petting."

Ymara glanced at Lianna, round eyes ever wide. "I will bring you to my plane in exchange for the cat. Or time with it, at least, in this world." As much as Ymara wanted Grub, the demon stayed within the circle.

- Hand over Grub
- Refuse
- Suggest something else
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

Thinking for a moment, Lianna finally nodded and offered the cat.

"You can pet it. But if you harm it, I will harm you."

 

[Cartoonicat]

Ymara took Grub, who mewled pathetically in protest and scrambled to get away, and set him on the ground inside the circle. Floating above him, the demon released its candle and bell, which stayed suspended in air as if by magic.

"Such a soft one," the demon murmured, running fingers through the cat's fur. Gentle claws scratched behind his ear and under his chin.

The poor cat looked so confused, as if unsure whether to run or purr.

"I told you Ymara likes cats," Trevor said off-handedly, munching on his final cookie.

Walking over from the door, Everett crouched low beside the pair. "Is that normal for demons?"

"We all have our preferences," Ymara dangled a wisp above Grub, prompting him to play.

- Ask for the artifact
- Ask about the other demons
- Simply watch
- Something else
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

"What does Kelaelin like?" Lianna asked, keeping a watchful eye on the demon.

 

[Cartoonicat]

"Kelaelin likes artwork," the demon said, Grub finally warming up. It reached down to pat him on the head. "The more abstract, the more he seems to like it." When Grub jumped in the air to catch a wisp that vanished upon contact, Ymara giggled, the sound like literal bells. "Artwork, women, and a few other things that I've forgotten... it's been so long since I've seen Kelaelin. Or any of my peers, really."

Trevor flopped on his back, tummy full and round until he shot right back to a sitting position as if having forgotten he was in the presence of a higher power. Ymara simply looked at him with that ever-present smile before focusing on Grub again.

- Ask about the other demons
- Ask about demon history
- Get to know Ymara
- Request the artifact
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

Well, she had at leat one thing covered with Kelaelin, all she had to do now is paint him a pretty picture.

"How and when will you transport me to your plane?" She asked.

 

[Cartoonicat]

"You know how to summon me now, so whenever you are ready," Ymara said, floating upside down now, wisps resembling sprouting, living branches. Grabbing the suspended bell, Ymara gave it a ding. To normal ears, nothing happened. "You'll ring this thrice and be sent to my domain. I cannot send you directly to Kelaelin, however, so you will need to prepare for a journey."

Beside Lianna, the doctor stiffened. "What do you mean, a journey?"

Ymara turned right side up, head tilting curiously at the inquiry. "In our realm, Kelaelin's domain is furthest from mine, with several demon domains between us. Lianna will have to cross them."

- Ask about the domains
- Ask about allies
- Ask something else
- End the conversation
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

Of course that nothing could be simple. Lianna was already tired and her day had just started.

"I will be ready tomorrow." She said, not wanting to delay it any further. "Can you tell be about the realms I have to cross?"

 

[Cartoonicat]

"Mm," Ymara scooped up Grub, who mewled in surprise, and continued petting him. "You'll cross Mox's domain first—he is the patron of the Lunar Witches, and the domain itself is more dangerous than he is. Things are not what they seem there... but Mox himself is quite straightforward. Of my peers, I miss him the most, I think." The demon tapped its chin thoughtfully. "I remember he likes books, but not the fun ones, and what humans call science."

"You'll cross Tulie's domain second—she is the patron of the Willow Circle, and takes the form of a child. But be warned," the demon dared nuzzle Grub's fur, "she is far from innocent and uses that form to lure people into bloodbaths she calls games. Killing is her favorite past time and she hates to lose. I don't recall her having any positive attributes, but then again, we were never that close."

"Next is Gul's territory," Ymara said, "but you have already met."

"Once you leave Gul, you'll enter Kelaelin's domain." With a final pat, Ymara set Grub on the edge of the circle and nudged for him to begone, though the demon did watch him cross the threshold longingly. "If you make it that far, you'll find it a typical 'hellscape'. I believe that's the human term? Fire and brimstone and misery; his witches trade their souls for power while alive, but they pay the price and become his objects when they die." The demon hummed. "It's quite depressing there."

After introducing the four out of five domains, Ymara looked to Lianna. "Do you have more questions?"

- Ask about Mox
- Ask about Tulie
- Ask about Gul
- Ask about Kelaelin
- Get to know Ymara
- Ask something else
- End the summoning
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

"Thank you." Lianna nodded. None of the things she learned sounded pleasant. It seemed like this particular quest will be a lot of trouble.

"I have one more question." She said, pulling down her collar, "Is there a way to get rid of this besides fulfilling the contract or killing Ghul?"

 

[Cartoonicat]

"Mm," Ymara looked at the markings. "Gul has discretion over whether her contracts are void or not, unless she breaks her side of the deal," the demon said, slipping into the floor like a ghost. "If Gul likes you, she might not want to risk you."

And then Ymara was gone, choosing to end the ritual before Lianna could. The lantern light flickered back on and Taylor sat beside her chewing on a truffle the demon left behind.

"...So, what exactly happened with 'Gul?'" Everett asked.

- Tell him the conditions
- Don't tell him
- Change the subject
- Leave
- Other

 

[ArcticFox]

Well, tough luck there. She would rather die by the contract than be liked by a demon. She wasn't that far gone.

Everett's question made her sigh. It was difficult to know how to begin explaining.

"There was a supernatural summit in the woods yesterday." She started. "The Hunters were obviously interested. Stuff happened and, long story short, it did not end well. The vampire coven turned on humans and supernaturals alike. We took who we could and escaped. Hunters and supernaturals together, can you imagine?" She shrugged, hardly believing her own words. "We took refuge with Gul's coven and I made a deal with her - shelter for the night and peace for the death of a demon."