Episode 28

Episode 28: Diplomacy Of Gods.

With little time to waste, the Shepherd crew gets their plan to free Onyx together: one half of the group will approach the Venom Wraiths without any violence, just trying to figure things out diplomatically, and if their efforts are worthless, the second half would plan an ambush and face the problem head on with violence. Gemevieve, Toraleth, Callisto, Xavier, Praxis and Scrungus (begrudgingly) decide to approach The Venom Wraiths peacefully, while Baird, Wood, Taylansta, Cici, and Dae decide on a more forceful confrontation.

The peaceful group goes straight into the Venom Wraith’s mansion base and confronts the top ranking Etheral leaders: Belladonna, the head leader, and her righthands, Pallas and Atlas. Callisto tries to reason with them, offering barters and deals in order to get Onyx back. Belladonna is relentless, very set in her ways and ideologies. Belladonna has made it so that magic is completely outlawed in Zada using brute force, and refuses to let up on this. Belladonna offers a million gold bail for Onyx’s freedom, obviously an amount that the party cannot pay up. Every deal that Belladonna strikes is out of the question and impossible, so the party finds themselves at a loss. The party is able to at least talk to Onyx before they give up on diplomacy, who is locked away in an antimagic circle. Callisto accidentally steps inside of it as well, unable to get out, which further ruins their plans. Toraleth and Gemevieve try to create a distraction for Belladonna while Praxis and Xavier try to get the two captives out. Things take turns for the worse as a fight breaks out, Atlas going after Xavier and Praxis as they try to free Callisto and Onyx. Everyone ends up imprisoned, just annoying Belladonna further. Scrungus, who has been waiting outside during this, even turns himself in, not even bothering for a fight. Belladonna gets a lot of enjoyment out of imprisoning everyone, and even offers Callisto a position in the Venom Wraiths, or else he will be sentenced to die with his friends. While he doesn’t answer, Belladonna’s getting a kick out of this, reveling in the idea of so many criminals hanging on that day. But perhaps her second hands, Pallas and Atlas, don’t feel the same way.

Atlas sneakily leaves and finds the second party with Baird, Wood, Taylansta and Cici and tells them what has happened. He admits that he and other Venom Wraiths, including his partner Pallas, aren’t agreeing with the route that Belladonna has taken with the group. He promises them he will help take her down if he listens to them, and together, they devise a plan to stop the hanging of their friends.