Istvan looked concerned as his friend closed the door. "She isn't evil after all, is she?" He was almost afraid to know.
"No, no," Albus said with a gentle smile and a dismissive gesture. "The results of my scry, however, were more than I was expecting. Of course, I could not in good conscience limit my efforts to the Three. I am scrying everyone; I trust this does not offend you..." Albus paused long enough to take in Istvan's reply.
Istvan smiled and sat at one of the seats. "Of course not. I believe it will go a long way toward building trust once you share your results," he added.
"That, perhaps, is not wise for the moment," Albus cautioned. The old man let out a tired sigh as he sat opposite Istvan. "The paladin, Tracy, is what I feared," he revealed. "On my world, the Cuthbertians made it a crime to cast arcanely. They imprisoned or killed any mage who was unwilling to collar themselves."
"Wait, what?" Istvan returned, suddenly finding himself very confused. "On your world? Collar? I fear you are speaking too quickly for me, Dellebian," he answered, adding what he assumed would be a compliment on the end.
It worked and Albus smiled more patiently. "The largest result of my scry is that we are all from different worlds. It would explain the differences, the unfamiliarities in deities, the like. I suppose a discerning mind would arrive at this without the use of magic, but we do not have such a luxury here. Lady Tracy and I are from the same world. It... it is similar to many of the others, but the Cuthbertians have an iron rule on many of the lands there. They despise Arcane magic because they cannot control it. A Collar was crafted which nullifies magical fields, preventing the wearer from channeling mana. Only a wizard of the first order could have removed the collar," he added with a glimmer in his eyes. Apparently the collar had posed little challenge to the old man
"It would be dangerous for me to reveal my particular set of skills, my friend, and you as well. With Simon as her aid, those two will seek to establish their strict laws here, fueled by their fear of chaos. We will be more aid in resisting that if we are not immediate targets," he added.
Istvan was still reeling about the different worlds. It made sense, but he had only ever heard of spell jamming in passing; never did he think to experience it. "Did... then we
did
die?" He inquired, unsure of himself.
Albus nodded. "It would appear we all passed. From what I have uncovered, the demons conducted an orchestrated attack on as many worlds as possible. We all fought in the same war on many different worlds, and in some cases, planes. I did not scry long enough to gather details on these worlds themselves; only that they exist. My focus was more on those who are here now and who they were on their own worlds so that we can put this business of evil to rest once and for all."
"Well?" Istvan inquired, now intrigued, "Who were we?"
Albus leaned back in his chair. "Everyone was someone who was important. Many here have managed to kill a demon. Thorn, for example, strangled one to death." Istvan was just as impressed as Albus. This was not a trivial feat and only a great warrior could kill a demon alone. "There were only three here who managed to kill more than one of the demons and two of them are among the Three," he revealed, causing a chill to run down Istvan's spine. Killing one Demon unassisted was the stuff of epic legends. Killing more than one? That wasn't possible for a human.
"The priest of the Three, Antonio, was a leader in their religion. He was apparently well known and offered himself as a sacrifice to the demons hoping to spare lives. It was.... inspirationally selfless. The man is a pacifist and as a follower of Rao, I believe you will appreciate his love of community," Albus stopped to take a drink of his mug. It smelled like a cider of some sort.
"The young man, John, was some sort of criminal before the war. This is where I become confused, I am afraid. They are from the Mechanus plane. The machines they have, Istvan... it is simply daunting. John used a machine to create an explosion which killed 15 demons at once. I will attempt to draw what I have seen. As an Artificer, perhaps you will have more insight into its function..."
Istvan's eyes went wide and he lost all awareness for anything except Albus. "Did... did I hear you correctly? That hot headed fey man killed fifteen demons?" Istvan was at a loss for words.
Albus nodded solemnly. "He was easier to scry than the others because Doctor Parker called him the Irish Bomber. I am afraid I cannot tell you how many she killed, but it was more than John. The same is true for the cleric of Erathus, Timius. He and Madeline killed the most of any here, but I do not know how they accomplished this."
Istvan leaned back in his chair, words simply not coming to him. "And we accused her of being evil.... we are such fools..."
Albus nodded in agreement. "John was nothing more than a common thug, but Madeline was apparently their world leader," he revealed. "Doctor is her title. Given the nature of her accomplishments with the demons, I suggest we use it." The statement had dual meaning, but Istvan didn't have to reflect to understand that Albus was on the fence about whether or not they should respect titles. "At this stage, I have determined everyone's name, their homeworld, and a simple fact about them. I will learn more in time."
Albus took a piece of parchment from the desk where apparently he had spelled a quill to write for him while he dealt with other issues. On it were a list of names, as Albus had promised:
Madeline Ann Parker, Yawey, Earth, Balanced Goodness
John Simon Reece, Yawey, Earth, Chaotic Goodness
