The cage opened with a loud clink, Annah jumped up to meet her keeper. The Drow's silvery white hair glistened in the lamp light, her dark skin matching the darkness of the dungeon. "Come here, demon blooded." She held out her hand to collect Annah's chain. Slowly, painfully she followed.
The halls of the mansion were dark and cold, the stone floor was painful against her bare feet. Miz'ri led her into a now all too familiar chamber, a testing laboratory. Various sounds of machines buzzed around the oval shaped room, echoing back and forth. Annah tried not to shake in fear when she was chained into the center of the room, previous tests cut burns so deep in the stone it had melted in the shape of a circle. The Drow woman smiled with sadistic glee as she climbed up a set of stairs leading to her device.
The journey to Baatsu was easy enough and all too familiar, we went to the citadel and bought passage into hell from the Demon Lord Paracs. After gaining entry we fought several waves of lower fiends, nothing hard, just annoying. Finally we came to the archway leading to the Pillar of Skulls. Morte was already visibly shaking, his teeth chattering.
"You don't have to come with me. I'd rather you all wait for me here."
"Are you sure?" Grace asked first, the others displaying their concern.
Morte headed behind a pile of rocks, "No complaints from me…I'll be over here."
"Yes, this should be quick." Dak'kon nodded in response; Nodrom made a whirling noise and settled down. I turned and walked through the arches.
The deafening chatter amongst the skulls was heard long before I made it to the pillar. "Pharod!" I shouted when I reached it. I was answered by many heads bobbing to the surface, pleading, crying, ranting. I called again, "Pharod! King of the collectors, I need you."
After waiting patiently for a few moments I saw his face formed amongst those on the surface, fighting to rise. "Pharod be strong, come out. Your daughter needs you."
"Annah?" The face cried weekly as it rose, "Where is my darling Annah?"
"Taken, Pharod. She is taken by a Fiend. I need your help to free her." His eyes bore into me with such fury it caught me off guard.
"You! I trusted you with her! How could you let that happen?"
"I was away, our quest done." I took a breath, "Our other companions contacted me to help find her."
"I will accept that. How am I supposed to help her?"
"They say Tiamat guards the portal that leads to where she is being held as a slave. If you are willing, I propose we give you to Tiamat as a boon for safe passage."
"I'll be free of this cursed existence?"
"From the pillar yes." I watched his face. He paused with thought. Then looked up at me sincere, "Very well. Remove me from this place. I will become prisoner to one so she might be free from another."
I reached in and pulled with all my might until with a scream he was freed. I tucked him away into my sack and rejoined the others. We prepared to enter the next portal which will takes to the other side of the mountains. "Alright," Morte began, "Be very careful this whole plane is a Baatezu training ground for their army."
We all acknowledged his warning and walked into the glowing blood red hell.
We watched thousands of fiends practice battle maneuvers; they were well organized into different battalions. He moved as quickly as we could and kept to the mountain ridge to avoid being seen. We eventually made our way to the maggot pit. We approached the guards there. "Hail." I spoke in Abyssal.
"Hail traveler. Come to join the ranks of the Baatezu?"
"No, we've come for passage into Dis."
"Ahh…yes. The market there is might fine. Passage toll is 200 copper." I paid him the coin.
Dak'kon cast a flight spell on on the two of us, between us we carried Nodrom. Morte and Grace flew on their own across the massive squirming pit. We cautiously entered Tiamat's den. Walking with enough speed to not be intrusive but at the same time prepared.
"Who dares enter my lair?" I heard a thunderous hiss from a dark corner.
"Forgive us, Lady Tiamat. We are humble travelers, who seek passage to the lower plane."
"I see you human. I see your companions. A Succubus, Githzerai...and a clock work thing." I saw a glowing eye peer out of the darkness, "And a skull."
"Do you like him, beautiful Tiamat?"
"Indeed, it is lovely."
"I have brought one for you, as a gift for our passage." I pulled Pharod from the sack, he coughed slightly. "He was once a noble…a king of high birth." Tiamat came forward to eye the head. She was larger than my worst nightmares could have ever reveled; five heads each representing the evil of the chromatic dragons. I shuttered inside, by heaven and hell I hope this works. Pharod slowly drifted from my hands to meet her.
"Greetings, uh…my Queen." He addressed her directly. The Black head snickered with pleasure, and then all five conversed amongst themselves in a language I didn't understand. My heart raced.
"Agreed!" She said at last. "This skull is mine for your passage. The portal is down at the end of that corridor." She pointed in the direction we were to go.
Pharod turned to me, his eyes pleading. "Promise me you'll find her. Promise you'll protect her."
"I will. Thank you." We quickly walked though the portal, before she changed her mind.
Dis was nothing like what I could have expected. It was a thriving city full of all types of beings, not just Fiends. The heat was just as oppressive though. We were so close and yet exhausted, our first priority was to find rest, then the whereabouts of these Drow that had Annah. The rooms at the inn we found were cleverly designed using forever ice in a cooling system to make the rooms comfortable. I tried to sleep but worry consumed me. So close. So very close. I had been trying not to think about Annah, at least for now; it would only cloud my judgment. I'll hold you soon enough my fiery girl, just hold on a little longer.
The following day we reconvened over breakfast. "I should stay in the room while, you gather information."Grace prompted quietly.
"Why?" I didn't want to leave her there alone.
"My people are the blood enemies of most everyone here, its best I not go parading around town."
I sighed, "I suppose you are right. We'll come and get you before we do anything stupid." She smiled, comforted.
Getting to Dis wasn't nearly as much of a challenge as getting around the city itself. We spend hours scouring the markets and venders looking for anyone with information on the house of Naerth, it wasn't until shops began to close that we stopped for the day. Nodrom had given me a calculation on the statistics that we will find her within 72 hours, I didn't like the odds. I took comfort in that we found the bar that would be the drop off point. After the second day of searching, sore and tired I flopped on my bed. There was a knock at the door, I groaned. "Yes." Upon the sight of who was entering my chamber I jumped up. A tall male with the look of a devil about him.
"I hear you are looking for the siblings of Naerth." His voice was more a hiss than anything else. His skin was black as ink, only the metal of his breastplate gave off any warmth. I recognized him as a Tiefling.
"Yes." I said directly and simply. This man made me uncomfortable; I didn't want him in my room any longer than needed. "Do you know where I can find them?"
"What is it they have done?" he smiled relishing the thought of a fight I suppose.
"Nothing that I know of." I rose as tall as I could, he still towered over me. "They have some…property I am interested in."
He seemed satisfied with the answer, "Then I might know where they are…for a price." He looked at me slyly.
"Name it."
"My, how interesting." He gloated now, "This must be something very important."
"It is and I have no patience for games. How much for your information?"
"500 copper." I handed it him, He counted it and grinned proudly. "The children of Naeth, Miz'ri and Guldor live in a stone mansion near the edge of the western gate. Miz'ri is a bit of an eccentric using alchemy and devices selling, the weapons to Baatezu. They frequently use slaves to test her devices."
"Do you know of any Tiefling slaves they may have acquired recently?"
"Not specifically. They get new ones frequently, but they do prefer Tieflings... more sturdy than humans and easy to get." He left the room before I could ask any other questions. I didn't get much sleep that night. The next day we all gathered in my quarters, I relayed to them the information I had gotten.
"It sounds unlikely then that they would sell her to us." Grace said sadly, folding her hands in thought.
"I say we sneak in a break her out." Morte blurted out his thoughts as he always did.
I sighed, "That would cause trouble Morte. I appreciate your enthusiasm but I'd rather give them the chance to give her to us peaceably." I looked up at Dak'kon, "What do you say friend?"
"I agree to speak with them before acting harshly."