Getting Close to a Demon
'Where the devil were we?' turns out to be a pertinent question, as we are in the realm of Orcus, trying to make a deal with demons to prevent an army's attack. To get the key to a fortress we need the co-operation of three lieutenants. We decide to get Baldran on our side first, the reason being that if we die trying at least we won't have wasted our time with the other two. And we are definitely going to get in to a fight. As Lughar notes, 'I don't know why I'm saying a glib limerick [to help his diplomacy skill] when going to meet Baldran, as we're only going to have to get in to a brawl to prove ourselves'.
I wonder aloud if he's been reading the adventure, but Adoni points out that 'No, he's been playing 4th Edition'. We may be speaking in tongues, but it helps resign us to the fate of rolling initiative before we can even say hello. This doesn't stop us from coming up with a plan, though.
Lughar is going to impress Baldran by dropping prone as a free action then standing up as a minor action, which may work if the demon is a fan of Harold Lloyd. And deva Adoni is 'wearing the impenetrable disguise you got me of a robe'. This goes part of the way to explain why our plans fail.
Moments before we get to approach Baldran, a ghoul from the crowd haplessly wanders in to the demon leader's clearing. 'How dare you come in to my square uninvited', the demon growls.
'He just means his five-foot square', Lughar says, explaining that Baldran likes to maintain some personal space. I'm not convinced, as the demon looks large to me. Before we can digress further, Baldran lashes out with a massive whip and cuts the ghoul in to two halves. 'Oh, that was just a minion, he's only proven he can do one point of damage.'