The Creepy And Now Holiday-Appropriate Mansion, Thursday Evening

[deathsmajesty]

Once again, the gate that blocked off the bottom end of Phoenix Way was opened, inviting everyone to the creepy (though much less abandoned) mansion. This time, however, instead of being guided around to the gardens, the lit path led them to the front door, where the a tall figure in a tattered robe and deep cowl gestured for them to step inside the door and get onto a...boat? Once people had climbed in settled themselves, the ferryman began to guide the ship down the River Styx. Or, okay, their long entrance hallway, with blue lights to either side of their boat to mimic water and bathing everyone in an eerie blue glow. (Yes, okay, the boat perhaps wheeled down the hallway rather than floated, but they had not refinished this house just to flood the hallway for verisimilitude. Even if Liliana had considered it for a few minutes.)

The double doors leading to the ballroom were opened, with thick fog rolling out of the doorway. And through that doorway, people could descend the stairs into the Underworld proper. Black and gold were the prevailing color, with deep red nods to a pomegranate motif. Gold coins and loose gemstones added to the decor, a nod to Hades' wealth - but even amidst all the dark opulence, touches of other colors could be seen: tucked away in various corners and small niches were flowering plants, a surprise kiss of springtime to be found in the least likely places. Rather than one large chandelier, they had several, creating areas of both light and shadow around the ballroom.

Welcome to the Underworld, dear friends.

Comments

Re: Arrive and Mingle

[my_own_advocate]

"I'm Lucifer Morningstar," Lucifer said pointedly. "And I'm the bloody king of the underworld, thank you very much."

Hell, technically speaking, but in his universe there wasn't much of a difference.

Re: Arrive and Mingle

[deathsmajesty]

He could say things as pointedly as he wanted, Liliana still had no idea what he was talking about. "I thought you were the King of Hell," she said, eyebrow going nowhere. "And none of the myths I read mentioned a Lucifer anywhere."

Re: Arrive and Mingle

[my_own_advocate]

"It's the same thing," Lucifer said irritably. "The Greeks just happened to get bloody fanciful about it. Never should have let them get away with making anything up."

Re: Arrive and Mingle

[deathsmajesty]

"Ah," Liliana said as realization dawned. "I see what happened. You got Serra'd."

Re: Arrive and Mingle

[my_own_advocate]

"Gesundheit?" Lucifer offered.

Re: Arrive and Mingle

[deathsmajesty]

"All of Benalia belonged to the Church of Serra, a goddess so purely divine, who created angels for our protection," Liliana said. Well. Sneered. "And then once my spark ignited, I ended up learning that Serra was no more divine than I was. We were both simply Planeswalkers. The woman I'd grown up worshipping was just a woman who'd ended up dying almost seven thousand years ago because 'her will to live had been shattered and she wasted away.'"

That's where angels got their 'I'm too SAD to do my job!' from. That weakness of character in Serra.

"And now here you are. Not a god, people mythologized you anyway."

Re: Arrive and Mingle

[my_own_advocate]

"Well, I am a God now, technically speaking," Lucifer said absently (and rather casually for such a statement). "But at the time I was an angel, ruling over Hell, and loads of people got all kinds of terrible ideas into their heads about me."

Re: Arrive and Mingle

[deathsmajesty]

Liliana didn't see anything wrong with how he said it. She talked about being a goddess the same way. Though in the past tense. "Ugh," she said, shuddering. "An angel? Truly? But you've since gotten over the affliction somehow?"

Re: Arrive and Mingle

[my_own_advocate]

"Still an angel on a technicality, unfortunately," Lucifer said. "Just won my father's powers fair and square when he decided to retire."

And then promptly did nothing with it whatsoever because he'd rather play house on an island, yes.

Re: Arrive and Mingle

[deathsmajesty]

Liliana's nose wrinkled. And then she gave a moment of thought. "Wait, how did you end up ruling in Hell as an angel?"

Re: Arrive and Mingle

[my_own_advocate]

"My Father cast me down after I led a well-deserved rebellion against his rule," Lucifer muttered.

Re: Arrive and Mingle

[deathsmajesty]

"Well-deserved rebellion in what way?" she asked.

Sue her, she was curious.

Re: Arrive and Mingle

[my_own_advocate]

"Dear old dad was an overbearing yet distant Father full of speeches about the importance of free will that He didn't genuinely honour," Lucifer said.