"I agree, Hatch. I confess that spiders creep me out, even regular spiders. I found that very wearying. I could use a drink too."  

"A nice long rest would give me sorcery points and spell slots back. So yes!" 

"I believe someone is walking towards us down the stairs."

"Honestly, a rest sounds excellent right now," Lia says, letting out a soft sigh.

"Someone coming?" Lia asks, before turning to the stairs where they came from.

A raven lands on Quin's shoulder and whispers something in her ear.

"Oh, It's another customer stuck in this hotel. He seems to have his own familiar and is on his way down here but he's safe enough." Quin says this loud enough for Lia in front of her and Hatch, Lok, and everyeone else behind her.

Halfway up the stairs, Quin sees the newcomer. He's not exactly what she expected though what would one expect in such a place? She hasn't been here long either but she's sure the Warlock recognized her familiar.  

Quin relays this to Lia who is in front of her before they meet on the steps. From behind Lia, Quin says to Onyx, "Hello. we could have used your help here but I take it you've just arrived at this fun house hotel? My name is Quin."

"Right...a rest." 

Lok does his best to clean the blood off of his dagger. 

The barbarian pushes past his companions with a frown, ignoring the newcomer

Lok will make his way towards the bar, sitting down. getting the attention of Willagee or anyone else working the bar

"I dont care how, find me the strongest drink in this place." he stated, absentmindedly fiddling with his dagger. 

Onyx couldn't help but spare a few seconds watching the barbarian who passed by him without a word. Remembering himself, he turned back to the elf (half-elf?) who had spoken to him.

"Hi!" he began with a polite smile, doing his best to not immediately start inquiring about her raven familiar and derailing things--he had so many questions! "Nice to meet you, Quin. Yes, I just arrived to find myself stuck here. My name is Onyx."

He nodded at Lia in front of him, before trying to peek around them both to get a glimpse further down. "So... I heard you were all trying to solve this hotel's riddle. I guess things didn't pan out downstairs? Well, I'm not skilled in riddles per se, but I've no desire to be held against my will--I'm ready to do what I can to help."

Suddenly realizing that he was likely blocking the stairs, he quickly continued, "Oh! Where are my manners? Let me get out of everyone's way..." With that, he went back up, allowing anyone who wished to pass, and giving himself plenty of space to get a good look at his fellow case-crackers.

Quin was exhausted. She had only run from one bad situation and found this inn in the middle of nowhere, smack into a bizarre situation. Seeking safety, it had never crossed her mind she might end up in another terrible situation. She wondered briefly if it was her lot in life to face bizarre things. 
At least here she wasn’t being pressured to become a fiend, a freaking succubus of all things.  
She had only come in a day or two or three ago and had immediately been faced with the strange spider problem. And that problem wasn’t really resolved. 
But she had had no sleep, nothing to eat, and had barely met her comrades. 
“To be frank, I am terrible at riddles. But let me tell you what I’ve learned. Let’s have a drink at the bar.” She indicated where Lok and several other folk made up a rather sad looking line of customers. 
Indicating the raven on her shoulder, she said, “This is Buck. He hates the name I gave him and he has the smartest mouth in Faerun. I’m not at all sure where we are however. His normal form is an imp but some folk don’t care too much for imps.” 
Briefly Buck appeared as himself and performed a ridiculously high mannered bow. Saying, “Whatever your majesty wishes.” And rolled his eyes derisively at Quin before turning back into a raven. 
Quin, blushed brightly red and ordered a dark stout ale, pretending not to be embarrassed. 

Hatch went up to Willagee. "The spider problem is taken care of, but you may want to seal some rather large holes so no more get in. Do you know if the Troglodytes have cleaned up the mess of the pool area as they agreed to?" He asked, hoping things were going somewhat on track.

Lia smiles at Onyx, following him and Quin upstairs. She grins at the two familiars, before looking to Onyx. "Lia Dewtail. You'll have to pardon us, we have been through quite the adventure so far. In fact, we were just discussing a rest!" She chuckles a little, before taking a glance at Lok. "I'm not sure what they've told you when you came in, but yes, there is a riddle. I'm the only one of us few working who saw the witch lay the curse, but we've certainly all done our fair share to help. I believe it's 'One dies, two cries, three lies, four buys and five flies.' With each criteria passed, the hotel gains a new floor with a new occupant who must meet the next criteria." She looks at the stairs with a sigh. "We're working on number four at the moment."

"There doesn't seem to be anything associated with the curse down there, apart from another exit, similarly blocked. We were just talking care of a..." she pauses, wiping the black ooze from her sword with a cloth in her pocket, and sliding it back into its scabbard. "... little spider problem." 

Heading toward the bar, Onyx addressed the familiar directly. "Hello, Buck! This is Lannel!" He pointed to his own familiar still perched on his shoulder. Knowing that imps were fairly intelligent, he didn't actually expect Buck to get to know Lannel; but he still felt the need to be courteous to him as well, as another sentient being.

He then listened to Lia's introduction. He raised an eyebrow at her mention of the spider problem--said while cleaning her sword--but let it drop. Clearly the hotel had a variety of issues to deal with, all probably related to that curse. "Hello, Lia. So, you've all solved the first three of five elements? That's good to hear... hopefully we can sail through the last two by tomorrow morning!" He chuckled as he tried to be optimistic, but it was a bit forced.

Sitting down, he ordered a glass of their finest wine. If everyone was taking a rest, might as well enjoy the moment, he figured. Whispering to Lannel again, he once more sent his familiar up to the rafters to keep a lookout. He smiled and nodded to Lok seated nearby, but still said nothing, giving him his space.

Quote from Vakanai >>

"The spider problem is taken care of, but you may want to seal some rather large holes so no more get in. Do you know if the Troglodytes have cleaned up the mess of the pool area as they agreed to?"

Troglodytes? Pool area? It all sounded so very fascinating! Onyx decided to nurse his wine a bit and just absorb what was going on around him for a while--let the others rest--before jumping back into question-a-minute mode.

Onyx heads into the lobby where a cheerful halfling (surprisingly cheerful compared to the clientele) greets him. Oh, I was just in the bathroom, I must have missed you arriving. Welcome to the Hotel Corona. I'm called Bentley. Can I help you with anything? When Onyx inquires about the stairs to the cellar, Bentley shows him to the kitchen where he descends and meets the others, and then gathers with them back in the bar.

As Lok broods over his drink, as Quin and Lia become acquainted with Onyx, Hatch discusses progress with Willagee.

Ah, many thanks sir for your help with the spiders. I'll have Bentley shore up the hole in there so nothing else comes through, to ensure your good work is not for naught, sir. As for the troglodytes, well progress is slow, I'm afraid sir. I fear they struggle to accomplish much without proper leadership. They told me of your offer for them to work for food, but I fear they just don't have the motivation to work enough to justify the expense of ....

Willagee cuts off suddenly as a wave of dread washes over everyone present. Heavy footfalls are heard from the main stairway, followed by the smell of brimstone and the clanking of metal. A fiery glow wreathes the doorway moments before a massive fearful figure looms in the doorway. Covered in red scales, sporting two huge horns on the side of its fiendish head, and with two enormous wings sprouting from its back, the diabolical creature stoops slightly to enter the room. In one hand it carries a flaming sword, while the other drags several thick chains, which are attached to a number of large metal chests.

Tossing the chains down at its feet, the devil leers around the room at the quivering faces, some hidden behind hands or cowering behind chairs and tables. Its red eyes glow briefly as it grins a toothy grin, the ridges on its forehead and cheekbones wrinkling in a way that makes the smile seem anything but friendly. The voice that is heard next is like an echo from the deepest crypt, almost like a legion of voices blended into one.

ER... HELLO! GOOD EVENING! UM... I WAS WONDERING IF ANYONE WOULD LIKE TO - ER - SELL ME THEIR SOUL - PERHAPS? ANYONE? I'LL PAY YOU HANDSOMELY.

He gestures hopefully to the chests at his feet, pauses for a few moments, then sighs and slumps into a nearby chair.

Quin's eyes open wide in fear and dread. She looks at Lok and Lia to see their reactions. This can't be normal here. It just can't be. 

Running from a fiend only to find herself confronting a devil? What the 9 Hells was going on?

She tried to speak. Her mouth formed the word, "NO." But no sound came out.

Onyx couldn't help but stare wide-eyed at the enormous devil. He'd never encountered one so intimidating. And so... interesting! Just offering payment for souls right out the gate?! He couldn't help but interact.

"Excuse me? Mr. Devil, sir? Um, just to be clear, I'm NOT offering my soul. But... I do have several questions about your arrangement?"

He took a deep breath as he whipped out a grimoire, placed a piece of parchment on top, and produced a quill.

"What exactly are you offering in trade, and how much? And is this trade open to just anyone, or do you have stipulations or requirements? And for how long will you making this offer available?" He glanced at the metal chests, and something clicked. He continued, "You seem to be confident you'll get to make a purchase here; how many souls have you acquired so far? Is there a certain number you're looking to still acquire? Maybe... four?"

He looked at the fiend a bit askance, seemingly oblivious to the apparent danger of the situation.

Lok raises an eyebrow at the fiend but stays seated.

"Thats one hell of a sales pitch." the barbarian mutters into his drink.

Lia just stares blankly at the creature for a moment, her brain struggling to process. She looks to Onyx and picks up on his trail. "And what do you mean by selling their soul? Metaphorically? Eternal servitude? Or literally? And what exactly would that entail?" She pauses, looking at the chests. "What use is all that without a soul anyway?"

Willagee overhears Lok's muttering and nods his head in agreement. Its the same every evening, sir, he whispers, although he used to be a little more subtle about it. Now he just comes out and says it straight. I'd have to say I think he's losing hope. He pours another drink nearby and then returns and adds: All that gold and he won't even pay for his room, though I've not the heart to confront him, I'm ashamed to say.

The devil looks peers down at Onyx, a look crossing his face that seems a mix of surprise and hope. Quickly composing himself, the devil begins a well-rehearsed dialog in a business-like tone: OH HELLO - ER - WELL, IT'S A SIMPLE ARRANGEMENT. ALL THE GOLD YOU CAN POSSIBLY SPEND FOR THE REST OF YOUR MORTAL DAYS, IN EXCHANGE FOR YOUR SOUL UPON YOUR DEMISE. THE CHESTS REFILL AUTOMATICALLY, AND THE GOLD IS ONE-HUNDRED-PERCENT AUTHENTIC, WITH A SOUL-BACK GUARANTEE. ALSO AN ASSURANCE THAT NEITHER I NOR ANY OTHER DENIZEN OF BAATOR WILL ATTEMPT TO TERMINATE YOUR MORTALITY EARLY IN ORDER TO COLLECT ON THE TERMS.

Having delivered his spiel, he looks hopefully at Onyx, but then relaxes and speaks more casually, with a hint of exasperation in his sepulchural voice. AND I THOUGHT ALL YOU MORTALS CARED ABOUT WAS WEALTH. AT LEAST IT SEEMS TO WORK FOR MAMMON. FOR YEARS I'VE BEEN STUCK HERE AND I'VE NOT YET HAD A SINGLE CUSTOMER! EVER SINCE ZARIEL SUPPLANTED ME MY CREDIBILITY IS SHOT! JUST ONE SOUL IS ALL I NEED AND I CAN RECLAIM SOME OF MY MOJO. I'M NOT PICKY, ANYONE WILL DO, ALTHOUGH I CONFESS SOME SOULS ARE BETTER THAN OTHERS.

Hearing Lia's questions he continues, returning more to his business manner: NATURALLY, ETERNAL SERVITUDE IS IMPLIED, BUT ONLY AFTER YOUR DEATH, AND IN EXCHANGE FOR THE BENEFITS OF UNLIMITED WEALTH FOR THE DURATION OF YOUR MORTALITY. SURELY YOU COULD FIND SOME USE FOR UNLIMITED WEALTH! I CERTAINLY HAVE NO USE FOR IT MYSELF. THERE'D BE A LINE TEN MILES LONG IF ONLY I COULD GET TO WATERDEEP OR CORMYR, BUT INSTEAD I'M STUCK HERE, LIVING UPSTAIRS FROM THAT DAMNED SCREAMING BANSHEE! OH HOW I HATE THAT NOISE!

Quin sat at the bar slowly sipping an ale and thinking.  She had learned much of the riddle from Throm first, more from Loc, Lia, and Hatch later. 

She tried to put the order of the mysterious riddle in her mind in a way that made sense. She started writing notes in her journal to try to get a handle on the time line. Quin knew she was terrible with riddles but sometimes she was good at solving mysteries so she continued jotting down notes.

The curse began when Bentley accidentally knocked over 'Mad Maggie's' drink. She then cursed him and the entire inhabitants of the tavern. It was just a one floor establishment then.

The riddle went, "Curse you! And curse all of you! May you never leave this place! Not until One dies, Two cries, Three lies, Four buys and Five flies.

• First there was Mr. Dory who threw himself into the fireplace. He said he had worked for Mad Maggie as a sorcerer but haggled over the price of an item and she cursed him to live forever. He threw himself into the fireplace. (One dies)
• The tavern expanded. 
• Willagee, the bartender, and Kardinyia, the barmaid with magic didn't seem to remember the tavern as it was before and forgot about Mr. Dory.
• But they exclaimed they had an important guest staying. He was a Count from some place called Barovia.
• The Count presented himself, coming down from his second floor room. Eventually he drank most of Hatch's blood and disappeared but not before crying tears of blood (Two cries)
• The tavern expanded once again. 
• Now there were 3 floors (Iirc). Suddenly new folk appeared, gnolls, goblins, Troglydytes and an elderly Dwarf who called himself Bardoc Clanghammer. 
• Someone named Applecross, claiming to work for Mad Maggie or Bethesheba, the goddess of misfortune, pretty much gave it away to Lia that Clanghammer was a dragon named Aurinax.
• Now the tavern became more like a luxury hotel as Aurinax revealed himself. (Three lies)
• Suddenly Bentley is a concierge greeting them as if he hasn't met them before.
• Lia asks Bentley who is staying on the fourth floor.
• Bentley stammers out that it's the devil. Bel, the Warlord of Avernus. Lord of the First Layer of Baator. Been here for years and won't leave until someone sells him their soul.
• At first Throm states he will sacrifice his soul but Hatch quickly talks Throm out of it. 
• Then they met Kardinyia on the steps carrying water for a Marid staying on the third floor. She explains the trouble the Marid has been. She also mentions the spiders in the basement again (a recurring theme), as well as a banshee and troglydytes dirtying up the swimming pool.
• The group find the Marid and she tells them about Lord Baragoon (sp?), a sultan.
• They get sidetracked by Kurawa, ostensibly a banshee but perhaps not.
• Then they run into the troglydytes in the pool. Hatch hatches a rather clever circular plan to make everything work out but it doesn't. 
• The group seems at a bit of a loss with various gambling side quests and so on.
• This is when Quin entered and learned from Lok and Throm about the spider problem. Being new and not overwhelmed by all the side issues, she suggested they take care of the spiders. The group took care of the spiders, dryders, ettercaps and discovered a rather large hole in the corner of the basement with smaller ones as well. During the fight, a new stowaway of Hotel Corona appeared named Onyx. 
• When the spider fighting group came back into the tap room or the main room of the inn to rest, eat, etc., Hatch let Willagee know that the spider problem was taken care of.
• Onyx introduced himself to the group.
• Then the Devil, so it seems, footfalls heavily descending the stairs, walks into the main room and utters loudly (like a legion of voices): 

  ER... HELLO! GOOD EVENING! UM... I WAS WONDERING IF ANYONE WOULD LIKE TO - ER - SELL ME THEIR SOUL - PERHAPS? ANYONE? I'LL PAY YOU HANDSOMELY.

  He gestures hopefully to the chests at his feet, pauses for a few moments, then sighs and slumps into a nearby chair.

   

  Quin was shocked and frightened by his appearance as were most of the other guests. Onyx seemed to suggest that the devil and his words were part of the original riddle. If true, it would follow that "FOUR BUYS"

Onyx picked up on the 'four buys', and so did Lia. Here then, must be the fourth part of the riddle. Quin was struck by the way in which this so called Devil of devils, Bel, a warlord of Avernus made his request. Er, Um, 'I was wondering....' er,' 'perhaps' didn't seem like the sort of language a great warlord would use but did it mean anything? 

Quin stared at the great evil thing with his horns but noticed he seemed tired of carrying the chests around by heavy chains. It almost seemed like he was asking *them* for a favor. She frowned. Not much of anything she had heard made sense. 

It all began with Bentley. Bentley upset Maggie, wait, her real name was Bethesheba or something like that. Bentley. Betsheba, Dory, Barovian Count, Aurinax Bardoc Clanghammer, dragon dwarf. Applecross. Ettercaps. Dryders. What was she missing? Quin was terrible with riddles but it did seem interesting that so many names began with A,B,C, and so on. She couldn't remember if anybody had mentioned another name for Dory. And where did Kardinyia and WillAgee come in? 

Quin's head began to pound and she dismissed her thoughts about the common alphabet. It simply couldn't be that simple. 

Arachnids. Basement. Cellar. 

The rich dark ale she had been drinking on a very empty stomach loosened her inhibitions and said much louder than she intended, "Bel o' Avernus, chain dragging devil, there's a CELLAR downstairs!"

She felt her face flush crimson before she could even look at her new friends. They must think her drunk. Which would be better than thinking she was crazy. Or worse, stupid. Quin tried to shrug it off while Buck whispered in her ear, "You bloody fool!"

Just to clarify...

Karawara is indeed a banshee. She will cease her noise if someone gives her beautiful things.

Booragoon is the sultan / marid (water genie). He has lots of beautiful things, but he wants slaves/servants and better accommodation. Rivervale is his mermaid butler.

The troglodytes, represented by Rossmoyne, occupy the pool and are willing to serve a strong leader. They want good food (and lots of it) but have no means to pay for it.

When Quin learned that Karawara was indeed a banshee and that her noise bothered Bel of Avernus, Quin realized she had misunderstood some things.

Booragoon, the water genie has lots of beautiful things which might attract Karawara but would she want to become a slave?

The Troglodytes, represented by Rossmoyne want a strong leader in exchange for good food and need money to pay for it. 

Quin thought about this for a while.

The troglodytes might be willing so sell a soul in exchange for unending wealth with the promise from Bel. But where would they go? Even if they had unending wealth, the Corona Inn didn't seem to provide unending buffets of food at any cost. But what if Booragoon could be approached with the offer of a pool (though admittedly it needed to be cleaned up), it might offer better accomodation than what could be found on the third floor. If he could convince the troglydytes that he could provide lots of good food in exchange for his leadership (perhaps without mentioning the s word, they might offer him better accomodation. 

Perhaps if Bel could be convinced to approach Kurawara with one of the promised chests of neverending treasure, he would have his soul and she would have her soul's delight, beautiful things.

But Quin knew that she was terrible at riddles. She thought of Hatch. Hatch seemed to be very persuasive and diplomatic. And Lia was very clever. She might think of an even better way to approach the problem. And in case of trouble, Lok would be very helpful to have around. She wondered about Onyx. Throm still seemed to be out of commission. Onyx might, with his infernal ties, be able to help when talking to Bel. Perhaps together they could pull it off and solve several problems in one sweep. Quin went to Hatch with her idea.

Lia made eye contact with Quin, and she could see they were arriving at the same train of thought. She looked to Bel. "Well sir, we'll certainly see what we can do for you. The best payment many of us could ask for is our freedom, and it doesn't seem we can get that until we find you a willing customer..." She changes to Abyssal and adds: "If we can't find anybody, eternal servitude doesn't sound so bad... and I'm sure I could enjoy my days before it with the gold."

She stands, looking to Hatch. "Perhaps it's time we go boost those troglodytes' morale, hm?" She glances back to Quin, and Onyx, to see if they are following, and to the barbarians at the bar. "Or you could take that rest now. I have a feeling you'll need the energy for your magic later on." She says, talking mainly to Hatch, but the offer stands for Lok and Throm too.

Quin is well aware that Lia is thinking along the same lines as she is. Not only that, she’s fairly certain Alia has been here the longest and she seems very smart.
so Quin follows her. Though she used a good bit of magic in their battles with the spiders, it was almost all cantrips,