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Encounterlogs

Fayads Odd Encounter Sr Illyana 241013

In a twist of fate, Fayad, an experienced mancer once associated with the darker forces and supervillain agendas, finds himself at a crossroad that could alter the very fabric of his reality. He is unexpectedly thrust into the role of a potential savior when a defector from The Destined Host, an organization plotting to summon a powerful archdemon, reaches out to him for help. The defector, previously committed to a cause that would ultimately lead to wide-scale destruction and chaos, experiences a crisis of conscience. He realizes the depth of the error in their ways, specifically in orchestrating a ritual that would not only sacrifice his life but also unleash unfathomable devastation upon the city. Fearful for his life and disillusioned by his group's intent, the defector seeks Fayad's protection, offering crucial information on the ritual and the necessary sacrifices in a desperate bid for amnesty.

Fayad, grappling with the weight of this newfound responsibility and the opportunity to derail a catastrophic plan, decides to intervene. Despite the personal risks involved, including making an enemy of the entire Destined Host and potentially attracting the ire of even more powerful entities, Fayad acknowledges the gravity of the situation. The information provided reveals a sinister collaboration intended to eradicate him and his allies, dubbed the Disruptors, by exploiting a demonic ritual. Fayad's decision to shelter the defector and incorporate him as a ritualist within his ranks underlines a significant transformation in his journey. From orchestrating mayhem for personal gains to standing as the last line of defense against a worldwide threat, Fayad's actions disrupt the immediate threat, save countless lives, and assert his role as an unintended hero. The story concludes with Fayad securing the safety of the defector, ensuring the ritual never comes to fruition, and significantly, taking possession of the only known copy of the archdemon summoning ritual, preventing an apocalypse foretold.
(Fayad's odd encounter(SRIllyana):SRIllyana)

[Sat Oct 12 2024]

In the newly painted Living Room of Apartment 104
The small, unassuming living room now feels refreshingly inviting after a
thorough clean-up. The aged furniture has been carefully arranged, giving the
room a sense of balance. Any fixable blemishes have been meticulously
addressed, with scratches in the paneling smoothed out and surfaces polished to
a subtle shine. Though the ceiling still bears some blotchy discoloration from water stains , a few strategically placed houseplants draw the eye away and
bring in a touch of nature.
A crisp, fresh coat of white paint covers the walls, illuminating the space
with a newfound brightness. The once-dated decor has been carefully integrated
into the rooms aesthetic: the green-glass table lamp now adds a quirky vintage
charm, while the overly floral watercolor painting is offset by modern,
minimalist touches a soft gray throw on the couch and a sleek wooden coffee
table. The overall result is a charming blend of old and new, with the
apartment feeling lived-in but lovingly cared for.

It is morning, about 53F(11C) degrees, and the sky is covered by dark grey stormclouds.

(Your target receives a cryptic message from a member of The Destined Host asking for help. This individual has been chosen as the next sacrifice in a ritual to summon a powerful demon. Realizing the error of their ways and terrified for their life, they've decided to betray their brothers and sisters in The Destined Host, and seek protection from your target. The target must decide whether to help this traitor, potentially making an enemy of the entire Destined Host, or turn them away and let the ritual proceed.)
Fayad is sitting on the couch in Emmanuel's apartment, having just made a deal that involves someone being murdered. He's staring up at the watercolor with a mixed set of emotions on his face, hands folded demurely on his lap - as demurely as they can be considering one's encased in a giant golden claw, anyway.

It's a saturday morning in Haven township, and in apartment 104, all is (relitively) calm. The universe outside creeps inevitably onward into its nadir, the impending doom of the world snaking closer second by second- tick by tick with the nearly thirteen years that it has left; Its death throws creating a haunting tapestry of hellish contradictions that allows for the natural and supernatural to grow closer to one another. Once, this place belonged to Fayad. Back in the days where he awoke to this life- The times where he established the Scions of the Inferno in service to the eidolon dragon Gonthorian, the chimeric abomination that wished to reduce all before it to ash. Now however, Fayad is serving another cause. One that is perhapse equally anarchistic, though with a better direction- Better focus and with a motley crew of allies who are better suited towards the aims of the Disruptors. It hasn't been easy, of course. Fayad crossed many of the supernaturals in the city. He crossed the werewolf pack, getting on the wrong side of Dean and Freya. He enraged the draconic extraplanar invader Selina- An elf from another world who serves Shemra, Gonthorian's arch enemy, the silver dragon that continues, to this day to cross Fayad and his noble cause and then there is the Hand, who seem to take every opportunity they can to disrupt the Disruptors. Quite naturally, these various sources have caused Fayad many troubles. It has left him questioning morality, reason and the very fundament of sanity. So when betrayed by friends, beaten and distorted from the innocent he once was, he may find it suspect when at this early hour, a letter is pushed under the door- One that bares Fayad's name upon it. Not Emmanuel's but yes, Fayad's. And this so soon after arranging an off-handed murder. But this is Haven. And such curious things are common place.

Fayad lunges downwards towards the letter, picking it up in his good hand and retreating towards the loveseat, tearing it open. "Already?", he mutters, wondering if it was proof of the hit he'd ordered. "No, he would have just busted down the door to show me - what's this..?"

Unfortunately, this is not confirmation of the hit that Fayad had placed. To the contrary; This is something very different. written on basic bitch printer paper in what looks to be an inexperienced pen hand, there is little more than a note. It is curiously innocuous. Non-threatening, even, and it requests Fayad to meet the un-named writer outside the apartment complex in half hour's time. The north exit, on the road beside the forest by the fire escape. There is a potential for danger, but Fayad is an experienced mancer and he is a power in his own right. The request is that Fayad comes alone- But arn't all of these things the same? Mysterious notes in the early hours of the morning? Something does catch Fayad's attention though. For there is the slight hint of the scent of brimstone. -- Hellfire then, or at least, some demonic activity. Enough for the scent to linger. And the ink.... Fayad can note this to be one used for scribing for experienced mancers. What then must this mean? Will Fayad elect to look into this, or will he ignore it?

Fayad is nothing if not suicidally curious. He'll take the necessary precautions, casting a brief spell of warding upon himself - after all its agonies, the claw at least empowers him to be one of the best ritualists in the entire world. Heading outside, with his figurine of Klauth - having been lovingly repaired in the kintsugi style by Euphemia - at the ready to summon, in case this happened to be some sort of ambush. He'd rest on the fire escape, legs swinging idly beneath like a child on a swing.

Fayad waits a little time. A number of cars drive past, their headlights briefly blinding the man and shining off of his gauntlet- Perhapse the most curious and outstanding thing about the mancer. The weather isn't good in all honesty. It's autumnal. It's cold. The rain above pours, leaving the early saturday morning speckled in pools of reflective light and the miasmatic penumbra of shifting shadows that herald Haven so completely as a reflection of its curious reality in mysteriously accurate metaphor. The fire escape is likewise cold, though it is in good condition, this too emulating the world of haven- Cold, imovable, rickety ballestrade and easy to dismantle methods of descent into darkness, or ascent into virtue. The forest yet more of a synanim for Haven. The trees, dark and haunting sway in the breeze, the earth around them drinking the water from the air like the city absorbes hope- The blood of its victims. And the road... Straight, firm, stalward splits the wild violence of the hidden and the established security and industrious productivity of societal normality. So Fayad waits, and in time, a figure begins to near Fayad. It steps from the trees; A shadow bycected. It's a man if the build is anything to go bye. He's in a coat with a deep hood, and he has something under his arm. He notes Fayad but doesn't near too closely. He ambles stiffly, eyes sweeping his surroundings until he's standing some distence away, waiting for Fayad to make the first move. It is very clear though that this is the person who sent the letter, as he is exceptionally unsurprised to find Fayad.

Fayad raises his weaker hand towards the man, turning his dark, beady eyes to appraise him. "What?", he quietly says from across the way. "You wanted to talk to me. I'm here. Don't waste my time," he says, putting on a brave, bold front.

"Right." the man says, nodding to Fayad. "I'll not take up too much of your time." Tossing down the item under his arm, a black leather file case, he steps closer; His drawn features coming into stark relief. Dark eyes, five-oclock shadow, pale skin and haunted rings around his eyes, he kicks the file closer to the steps of the fire escape- and Fayad, as he moves under the illumination of a street light. "Some time ago, the Destined Host located a ritual that would let us-- That would let them draw forth an archdemon from Hell." His voice is low, conspiratorial, hesitant in the way that Fayad might recognize. It's fear. "The plan was to sacrifice one of us- Me, in fact, and it would come forth to destroy this city. We wanted to- I think you already know what our plan is. But I couldn't. I realised how wrong that was and realised this was part of Vetr Corp's plan to get rid of you and the Disruptors. I could sacrifice myself, but not every single person in this city. So I left. I saught you out and I'm looking for amnesty." Nodding to the file, he tells Fayad, "That has the information for the ritual itself, and the ideal sacrifices, but it's me they need. Because I work for Voss. I worked for Dominus- Helped raise it. But the innocent men and women who work at Vetr. They don't know who and what they work for. They're innocent. You have to help me..." He stops talking then, looking to Fayad. The plan doesn't seem to be all that clear- Or at least, there are too many moving parts. This man, who worked for Vetr, now for the Destined Host is now coming to Fayad and the Disruptors. The question is then, will Fayad aid him. There's a potential for the Destined Host to elect Fayad as an enemy for this, but is another enemy for Fayad enough reason to reject, or is the information in the file to mean /something/. Or of course, Fayad could just kill him and remove this so called Key.

Fayad sighs, taking the file from the ground, picking it up and opening it, starting to skim the arcane secrets held within. "As if I don't have enough fucking problems without adding ancient bioweapons to the mix," he mutters. "Specifically to fuck me over, huh? Why?," he murmurs, vaguely confused about that one. "Didn't know Vetr Corp was working with demons. That makes this a lot more difficult...We can get you into safety," he sighs. "Do you have any special powers I should know about? Are you simply a practitioner, or something more? Any pacts I need to know about?"

The man looks shifty. He watches Fayad as he takes and reviews the file, but it doesn't take him long to answer. It's inarticulate; There are evident holes in the story, but it's never the less true as far as Fayad can see. "I think you were originally an after thought." he says. "Vetr thought you little more than a buzzing fly. But Voss put out feelers and we found that your cell were working on removing Vetr Mart in Haven. So a deal was made. Your problem was out-sourced, and it was passed to Us- To the Destined Host. Remove you all in one fell swoop. And because Dominus took personal interest in Haven- Likely because of the gate, it worked out that it was us. And one of our members is pacted to one of the archdemons, and I was the key to the ritual, so we began to set things into play. " Swallowing, the man glances around as the skyline begins to lighten. He's suspicious and remains hesitant. "I don't have anything about me than being human. I'm just... Normal, you know? But I have the right blood, the right liniage. I'm just the sacrificial lamb- I was. Until I left. But without me or that ritual, I think Vetr will leave you. If this summoning fails, or doesn't get conducted, the Host will likely just move on and break all ties." -- That story however doesn't seem to reflect everything in the file. Is it possible this defector didn't read it? Because this ritual suggests that the archdemon though would be raised over where Gentec stood-- Where Vetr Mart now resides. It would likely destroy the gate, but more than that. It would likely absorb Gonthorian and bring upon hell on earth far more successfully than Gonthorian had desired. So for once, Fayad holds the safety of the world in his hands. He is the hero. He has what might be the only written record, and if so, this specific archdemon would never rise on earth. Fayad can keep it, destroy it, warp it to his own needs. And he can hide this man.

Fayad grimaces, growing more and more agitated the more into the occult files he reads. "Fuck," he breathes, quietly. "Breaking the seal on Hell is a big deal. You chose a hell of a time to get a conscience," he ironically informs the man. "Fine. The Disruptors will take you on as a vassal and protect you, ensuring you get the Sanctuary spell on you, as all those who dwell in Haven - hence the name of the damn town - and in return I just want one thing from you - I want you to join the Disruptor's ritualists. You get an order to cast a spell, you take the nominal fee, and you help us. No questions. Understood?"

"Yes." The man agrees readily enough. And likely fortunately for him and Fayad both. The ritual is of course prevented, a black-souled man is given an undeserved reprieve, but as it would turn out, this man, in spite of claims of being /normal/ is quite adept with curses, and would fit perfectly into Fayad's machinations. Upon a little investigation, the full plan would come to light; It was indeed an out-source job. Voss didn't want to put any time or effort into the Disruptors, but he did want them dealt with. And so, a deal was struck. For the right price, wich of course the Destined Host payed, the ritual to summon the archdemon would be disclosed- Vetr Global's resources being vast enough that they could gain access to the Vatican, a single copy was extracted. The copy that Fayad now holds. So today, the mancer wins. He has a new ritualist. He has stopped the threat to the world. He has disrupted the Destined Host, and he has bloodied the nose of the Hand, who held the summoning ritual away from the eyes of those who could use it.