(( I will do that sometime soon then 😬 ))

Brenvull is a bit taken aback the fiendish creature doesn't attack immediately. "State your business in our home!" he screams out "And please be quick about it!".

(( Does Brenvull know what this creature is? (Religion?: 14) ))

The fiend speaks directly into your minds, its jaws gaping to reveal sharp fangs and a long blood red tongue. 

"Trapped... yes. You free me little dragons and I help you."

In response to your demands Brenvull the fiend snarls and throws back its massive horned head in fury; but it quickly calms itself and you hear its voice once more in the back of your minds. Almost as if we breathing down your necks.

"I was summoned here by the elf mage... she attempts to resurrect the master of this tower and make him a slave to her will. Through him she will unlock the secrets of this place... free me and I will give you what is needed to stop her."

Brenvull you know this to be a Glabrezu demon and a fiend beyond anything you have fought thus far. You know that any deal made with this fiend must be carefully worded and you absolutely do not want to get into a fight with it unless you have to. 

"Elf mage?  What elf mage?  I didn't see any elf mage down here," Lostur says, growing even more irritable at the confusing mix of information.  "The master of this tower is Lord Balorian!  He don't need to be resurrected, he was just here like... 30 seconds ago!  Is she stupid or somethin'?"

Something percolates thorough Lostur's dimwitted mind, and his tail begins to lash back and forth angrily. "Wait wait waitaminute! She wants to make Lord Balorian a slave?  She dares?"

He opens his mouth and lets out a blood-curdling roar.  "OH HELL NO!"  Huffing, he eyes the demon.  "Tell me where the hell this lady is so I can make her pay for that!"

Intimidation: 21

The fiend looks taken aback by your sudden display of anger Lostur. It gives a low growl, its sharp pincers snapping angrily on its first pair of arms and the hands on the second pair curling into red knuckled fists.

"She does not attempt to raise the dragon fool, she attempts to raise the high priest. The master of this tower... she raised me to gain power and knowledge for the summoning and then she trapped me here. You do not see her here because she has travelled above to enact her ritual."

The fiend snarls in frustration.

"Free me and I will help you thwart her plans."

Gritting her teeth feeling the very voice of the fiend in her mind Kray understands the reasons that guide the others words.

”Tell us how to free you demon. And we will once you tell us how to stop her. But only if you swear to return to your plane as soon as we free you.”

Lostur scratches his head, deflating a little.  "Wait... so someone other than Lord Balorian claimed to be the Master of this Tower?"

He seems to let this idea sink in for a while, before suddenly getting angry again.

"Oh HELL NO!  Now I kinda want her to bring back this high priest so I can kill THEM, TOO!"  He stares at Kray.  "Are we really gonna work with this guy?  What if he, like, I dunno... decides to take this elf mage with him when he goes back so he can torture her himself?  I want her head on a platter!  Me!  Not him!  And, uh... who's the high priest anyway?  How can you double-kill somebody who's already dead?"

Brenvull you would know exactly what is going on here. The High Priest Maziff was the master of this tower as the leader of the Temple of Bahamut in the citadel. He was also a trusted advisor to Balorian and knew most of the secrets of this ancient citadel. Trying to raise and master Balorian himself would be madness but if this elf, whoever she is could summon the shade of Maziff and somehow dominate his will then the citadel would be wide open.

The fiend listens to you Kray an nods, "I gave the elf witch and fragment of infernal power to enable her to open a gate between the realms and draw forth her victim. When you free me I will perform the same favour for you. The price of a fragment is one soul and your angry friend there carries the currency I require."

Lostur you feel a burning in you pocket as the soul coin seems to respond to the fiends words. The demon chuckles and it is a low terrible sound. Not in your minds now but out loud in the room. It licks the drool from its open jaws as it looks at you Lostur.

Then, again in your minds, "I will leave the flesh of the elf to your amusement, her death will bring her to my tender care sure enough... you have my word little dragons once I am free and you have what you need I will depart and trouble you no further."

"Oh hell no! We will not let that happen! We could not! We should let the High Priest rest." Brenvull says when the fiend reveals that plan. 

When dealing with the fiend he will say: "Though I think dealing with this kind of evil is not what Bahamut would love, I do believe that when we make a deal with them, they will honor it. ..To the word.... So we should be really careful with the wording. Unfortunately I do think we should make a deal, we need every advantage we can get in this. We CANNOT give this citadel away to that filthy elf with her filthy plans!"

Brenvull will be extra alert on strange wordings in whatever deal they make with the Glabrezu. He will hold back in the negotiations, not wanting to deal with this fiend directly. (Insight: 25)

Brenvull you stand ready to correct any loop holes in the deal. Who is going to word the deal to the demon? Whoever it is state your wording and roll for persuasion with advantage.

“Either Lord Balorian or High Priest Mazzif we cannot allow the plans of this elf to succeed. And if we return this fiend to its own plane… it seems too good to be true… but I am willing to take the risk. Quickly now, we cannot linger for the elf could be in the middle of her dark ritual already.” 

Lostur pulls out his soul coin.  "I really like this thing," he says sulkily.  "But I like justice even more."  He looks at the fiend, then the others, holding up the coin.   "... I mean, I can cut a deal with this guy if you want."  His wide grin and blank stare make you think that maybe Lostur isn't the brightest bulb in the toolshed to take on the careful wording of a contract with a powerful fiend, though.  Also, the source of his power seems to clue you in to the fact that he has experience with being on the losing end of these sorts of things...

(I will totally do it if you want some dangerous LOLs though.  To be clear, Lostur is offering the coin as payment to the fiend, but if no one takes it, he'll open his mouth and start talking to the fiend again.)

Lorvax stands, dumbfounded, rooted to the spot.  Shaking his head, attempting to clear the thoughts spinning around his mind, he speaks up, "Brothers... and sister - do we honestly mean to take this foul creature -- it's very existence an abomination -- at it's word and furthermore to do a deal with it.  Have you lost your senses?".  As he says the words, the irony of his senses previously being controlled by a demonic creature is lost on him.

Turning to Lostur, he pleads, "Lostur, I thought the only thing you would be offering to cut is this monstrosities head clean from it's body, not make a deal!?  Do we even know who's soul you would damn should you give the fiend that coin?"

Lostur scratches his head.  "I dunno.  I mean, he's not out to get us, and he doesn't even want to stay here.  He also told us who's causin' all the trouble, right?  So I don't see the problem in lettin' him go.  We ain't strong enough to beat down all the evil in this world, so I'm fine with just puttin' the evil back in the box it came from and tryin' to beat down the person who opened the box instead."  He scratches his head.  "'Sides, if we just leave him here, ain't he just gonna be freed and free to stay here when we kill that elf?  Or, uh, maybe you guys wanna go explorin' while I spend a couple of days down here non-stop eldritch blastin' him till he drops?  I guess I could try that."

"We don't have that time. " says Kray smiling to Lostur. She turns to Lorvax. "Listen brother, I don't like making a deal with this fiend. But as Lostur said he just want to be gone to his own plane, wich is were it would end if we clean his head off. And he would torture the soul of the responsible of this for imprision him. We must hurry before our magic is gone for good and moreover for this elf to end her ritual. I would not dare the soul of the High Priest or Lord Balorian. We must stop this ritual now..." 

She turns again towards Lostur.

"His freedom and the soul of the elf offender that is trying to complete this ritual. He would tell us her name and were to locate her and how to stop the ritual, then we free him and be sure to send the soul of this witch to him. And he would return to his plane immediately, without harming anyone in this plane. Is that ok?" she looks to the others.

Lostur looks at his coin, reluctant to part with it, then glances at Kray and Lorvax.  "I mean, I dunno who's in this coin.  But I also don't have an idea about how to get the soul outta there either without destroying the coin, something I already did twice.  I don't think this soul's gonna be having a good time whether I'm holding onto it or that fiend is. But it is probably better for me to lose it, though. Makes a fella think, if a fiend like that wants this coin so badly, right?  That ain't healthy.  And maybe that's selfish.  But I ain't all righteous like you, Kray, or holy like you Brenvull, or even good like you, Lorvax.  When it comes to being low down an' dirty, I know what I'm talkin' about.  Anyway, that deal sounds good, and you can pay with this thing if ya want."

The Glabrezu growls with impatience as it listens to you discuss its fate. "Speak your words and make your deal little dragons, I long to be back amongst my kin."

"Rationalise it how you please brother, you shall receive no judgement from I,"  Lorvax says stoically to Lostur.

He sighs heavily, "I do hope you have an idea as to what you are doing Kray.  I find these things are very easily said, but do not always pan out that way...  Besides, any rules of decency that apply to us have no bearing on this... thing."  Lorvax barks, beckoning towards the demon.

Drawing himself up, Lorvax addresses the Glabrezu, "Patience demon, it looks like my kin are of a mind to take you at your word... I believe it is in everyone's best interest for you to return from whence you came."

The fiend shakes his head and chuckles, "Little dragons you talk a great deal but time is passing and soon my aid will matter not. Speak your bargain and place down the coin."

He points to you then Lostur and gestures to the book on the lectern behind him, "Read the incantation of release shadow kin, the book is open and the page is set."

Lostur looks at the others, shrugs, and then approaches the lecturn.  He points a finger at the fiend.

"You gotta tell us the name of the elf who trapped you in this circle, and where and how we can find her right now. Also, you gotta tell us how to stop her ritual to summon High Priest Maziff and her taking over this tower. Lastly, you gotta return to your home plane immediately after we free you, without harming- or kidnapping!- or otherwise influencing!- anyone here on this plane. And that includes the dead people! For that, we agree to do our best to send her soul straight towards ya when we kill her. And we **are** gonna kill her," he growls. "Dealeo?" 

After, and only after, the fiend's appropriate response, he puts the coin down and begins to read the incantation as instructed.

"Deal." rumbles the fiend. "The elf ***** is named Aseneth and besides her power and treachery that is all I know of her. To find her you must rise to the highest floor of this tower and as to how you stop her, I will give you the means once I am free to move."

Lostur you read the Abyssal words from the book and feel the power of them thrum through the air as you do. The circle binding the demon sparks and flares and then with a blinding flash the eldritch cage is shattered. The fiend roars with sudden wild fury and for a moment it looks as if it will attack; but then with a great heaving sigh it calms itself.

With a sudden movement it snatches up the coin and crushes it in its great fist, gasping as it savours the soul within. "Good." it growls and then opening its palm a small silver ball is revealed. It seems to glow with a pleasant light. It floats in the air toward you Brenvull and stops level with your face. 

"Throw the fragment into the ritual circle and the designs of Aseneth will be thwarted. Now go."

And with that the fiend vanishes and the room is plunged into sudden darkness. You hear its laughter echoing in your minds as it returns to its own realm. 

You all now stand in the summoning chamber. The book still open on the lectern between two large chests and the door back to the hallway open behind you. After a few moments the lights of the chamber reignite and the silver ball drops at your feet Brenvull. 

What do you all do?