At the western cistern steps, Elaris and the senior rider begin their report as a red shooting star tears across the distant northern sky.
The Devil senses the streak is no star but a demon, the red falling demon, descending beyond the riders’ territory toward frozen mountains where only the nord, trolls, and ice giants travel.
The Devil
Elaris, senior rider, finish your report without me. I sense a demon in that falling star, and I must investigate.
Before either can answer, the Devil turns from the cistern and departs abruptly, his vast red-robed form driving north through the freezing air.
Far beyond the fortress, the red object strikes the frozen mountains with a buried thunder. The Devil feels the red falling demon survive the impact and begin burrowing underground.
Elaris
Then go. We will finish the account and tell the riders where you went.
Elaris and the senior rider remain at the cistern steps as the Devil crosses the northern sky alone. Beneath the mountains, the demon’s hidden path continues deeper.
✓ Quest Accepted
Locate the buried red demon and bring it under lawful scrutiny
“I levitate far at a light pace to the source of impact”
SUCCESS (Mediocre Levitate, rolled -1)
The Devil levitates north at a light pace, carried over frozen ridges and wind-scoured valleys. The effort drains a sharp measure of arcane reserve, dimming the orange glow beneath his robes.
He reaches the impact source: a raw hollow split through the ice, where red light pulses from a descending tunnel and snow drifts inward around its edges.
The Devil
The impact opened a passage, but the demon survived and continued below.
A red-skinned adult demon climbs briefly into view, broad-backed and ash-streaked, with black horns and a torn dark mantle. It looks up from the tunnel without retreating.
The Red Falling Demon
You followed the fall. Then you have found me before I reach the deep places.
The Devil hovers directly above the opened passage, having reached the source. Beneath him, the red falling demon remains visible at the tunnel mouth, framed by frozen stone and fading impact-light.
“"An evil celestial sent you, i can sense. You will not bother this planet"”
SUCCESS (Superb Willpower, rolled +0)
The Devil
An evil celestial sent you. I can sense it. You will not bother this planet.
The warning settles over the frozen hollow with the weight of law. Red light withdraws from the demon’s horns, and the burrowing path beneath him seals into dark ice.
The Red Falling Demon
You sense truly. An evil celestial cast me here, but I will not serve its design against this planet.
The demon lowers his head and places both hands against the frozen ground. The red pulse beneath the mountain fades as he withdraws his influence from the surrounding land.
The Red Falling Demon
My name is Kharoz. I will leave these mountains and seek a place where my presence harms no one.
A narrow red seam opens in the air behind Kharoz, quiet and controlled. He steps toward it, leaving the impact hollow and the frozen mountain undisturbed.
Quest Complete
Locate the buried red demon and bring it under lawful scrutiny
Skill Upgrade: Levitate Mediocre→Fair