Pathfinder: The Vampires Revenge

A Warning

Rattle

"True enough." I said, commenting on Jamadas last comment. "But it cannot be worse than the time you angered that Ancient Red Dragon Hephaestus."

"First off that was the dwarfs fault." Jamada said. "I told him not to try to get his gold but the greedy fool wouldn't listen...and he got scorched for that so that's his fault."

"Second." He continued. "He was already mad when he confronted us, thinking that we were there to steal his treasure, but I, with my quick thinking managed to convince him we were there to stop the dwarf who was there to take the gold, and serve him in exchange for protection."

"Thank the gods he was dumb." Venom said. "Well, dumb by dragon standards."

"We would have gotten out of their just fine, but someone had to take his time getting the staff and, for some reason, loot the dwarfs body." Jamadas said, looking at me.

"He had good stuff." I said. "The dragon had gold, and the dwarf had a gem with a weak resistance to cold. But may I remind YOU, that I wasn't the one who dropped a stalagmite on a 1000 year old gargantuan dragon."

"That was an accident." He said as he got another swig of his homemade beer. I chuckled as I thought back to the incident. He was distracting the dragon as I got the staff, and looted the body, so he thought it would be a good idea to juggle his bombs..... unfortunately for us, he accidentally threw one of his too hard and it blew up on the wall, forming a crack that went up the wall, to one of the stalagmites......well, let's just say we had a very angry red dragon chase us out of his cave.

After that story we continued on to another, then another, letting the time fly by. We have been traveling across the swamp nation, the Sodden Land, for about two days, for short breaks to eat, sleep, and give the Pterosaurs some rest.

The Sodden lands once had a pair of two kingdoms, Lirgen and Yamasap, but were destroyed by a powerful storm, the Eye of Abendeogo, which still rages to this day, left only a small amount of structures scattered around the now swamp nation. Some of which are inhabited by boggards, lizardfolk, or other monsters.

All the more reason to get through the Sodden Lands.

"I'm going bed." I eventually said, then said goodnight to them and walked inside the unfolded black box device.

I walked over a string inside the door to not trigger the trap Jamada set up. We leave the doors open when in the black box so we came rush outside, should the Pterosaurs escape from their bounds around their necks and fly away, or so nothing kills them. At the same time, Jamada installed a nasty trap that would dump a bucket of acid on intruders should they walk in.

I crawled in bed and I let the fire crackle ease me into a deep sleep. I soon feel into a deep sleep, with the crackling fire in my mind.......but soon was replaced with the sound of a certain devil, whisper "Sankhamukha." in my mind.

Uh. Great. I thought.

I opened my eyes and saw I was standing on a large column made of fire. I looked around and saw that I was in a massive cavern, with the smell of brimstone in my noise.

A tornado of fire appeared in front of me, and then it exploded, revealing the Pit fiend who summoned me here.

"I see you are still no novice to grand entrances." I said. "So what are you here to tell me today? Not get enough blood spilt on your cl-"

"Shut up!" Gazera said. "I called you here to give you a warning."

I was taken aback, not because he yelled, but because he was warning me.....about what?

"And what may that me exactly?" I asked, now curious.

"Someone wants you three dead." He said.

I snorted. "He wouldn't be the first." I said.

"But none this powerful." He said in a serious tone.

"And how would you know this?" I asked.

"When you summoned me." He said. "I felt a strong sense of magic and felt someone watching, though I wasn't able to point out where, somewhere in the forest. While I fought the trolls, I managed to read his mind for but a moment, before he kicked me out of his mind, and disappeared, to where I could not sense him....."

"And?" I ask.

"Apparently, you have faced him before, and has a strong thirst for revenge against you three, particularly your little brass friend." He said.

"Jamada?" I said.

He nodded. "And do not think him just a simple enemy, for I also saw in his mind he has strong magical items, particularly this." He extended his hand and an misty image appeared of a wooden staff, of yellow wood, arcane writing in metal all around the sides.

"This is the Staff of the Magi, an ancient artifact, and a very powerful weapon he now wields." He waved his hand away and the image disappeared. "And I believe he is now in the Sodden Lands with you."

"Waiting for a time to strike no doubt." I said, and I began to grow a great concern for Jamada. If the Staff is as powerful as Gazera says it is, how strong is its wielder? And who is this guy? I searched through my memories, of anyone we faced off against and who had a particular hatred for the kobold, but everyone I came up with were either dead or........no their dead.

"I cannot think of anyone who is alive that had a great hatred for Jamada that is alive. Well, anyone that I know of at least." I said.

"All the more reason to keep your eyes and ears open." The pit fiend said.

I nodded, as a thank you to the devil.

"One question, why tell us and not let us find out for ourselves?" I asked.

"You and your brother are the only contacts I have to the Material plane." He said. "No one has dared summon a pit fiend for years, and if they have I haven't heard about it. If you two would have perished....."

"I'm sure you would have found someone else to make a deal with." I said.

"True, but I have started to grow rather fond of you two." He said smirking.

"You mean fond of annoying us." I said.

"Perhaps." He said.

I rolled my eyes, and the devil laughed.

"Begone!" He said as he waved his hand and my vision started to go dark. "And see that you send his soul to Hell, so that I may see it wither in pain and agony."

Even as I woke up, I could still hear the devil laughing in my mind.