World Tree MUSH

    Last time, the intrepid heroes of Westview finally managed to defeat the demon lord Azmodan, and imprison his soul within a shard of the Worldstone. However, a new conflict has now arisen: Imperius, the Archangel of Valor and current guardian of the powerful artifact, is refusing to allow them another shard with which to save Jeff Lecky's soul while at the same time warning them of the dangers of attempting to use a single shard to imprison multiple demons. While some of the group, including Lian and possibly Morrigan, seem to have accepted Imperius' terms, the rest of the group is not as willing. 

    As Misaki stands in direct defiance of the archangel, even daring to call him an honorless coward, he steps toward her, leveling Solarion at her but not yet attacking. "Foolish child! You -dare- insult the Archangel of Valor with such ignorant words! I have been battling these creatures long before -your- petty existence even began!"
    Li-Ming's levelheadedness appears to calm him down a bit, though, and he withdraws the spear. "Hmph, very well then. If you are so confident in your own experiments, then whatever chaos is unleashed upon the realm where you would make such a foolhardy attempt will not be upon my head. This shard was rightly earned through fair combat, and I have witnessed the evidence of your cause against the Burning Hells myself. Therefore, I will allow you the right to your own justly earned reward, and whatever consequences may occur within that realm as a result of your actions will be your responsibility and yours alone." he tells her. "Now -go-." Stretching out a hand, he does something similar to what Lian did earlier, and the part of the floor where the group is standing shakes before breaking away and beginning to move toward the front doors of the fortress.

    Dante is about to square up as Misaki uses the dreaded h-word against Imperius. At least until suddenly things cool off just a bit. He'd be annoyed over this, but they literally just got done fighting Azmodan. "Aite then. Guess we're good to go?" He says, shrugging a shoulder as he stows Rebellion. "We should probably go pick up Tyrael while we're at it."

"I don't hold much stock in your self-proclaimed titles, you're no more valorous than Tyrael is just. He's just a petty tyrant willing to sacrifice justice for expedience and you may talk a big game about valor but we're the ones who just did your job and protected the world stone while you were sleeping on the job." Misaki aims both her guns at the world stone, "I'm going to take my rightly earned shard and we'll see if you manage to find your courage."

    Emily rises off the ground. "Hold up a second," she says. Her legs dematerialize into nanomachines, which reform as a giant robotic hand, with which she tries to stop the platform's movements.

    Her mind is racing. The problem is, she isn't too bright. "I don't think shooting the Worldstone is gonna work as intended, Misaki," she says. "We need, like, precision tools." She raises her hand, and in a swirl of nanomachines, a set of jewel-cutting tools materialize, hovering around her arm, before dematerializing again.

    ... Yeah, at this point, she's just going along with Misaki.

    More than one of their group steps forward to level weapons against Imperius. One in particular hurls insult and demand, and attempts to stand her ground under threat. And for a brief moment, Lian Kamoya closes her eyes. There is a slow, deep intake of breath.

    Then, she takes a step forward, turns, and plants herself between the senshi and the World Stone.

    "Misaki Sakai, you go too far."

    The Jedi Battlemaster's voice is level, but there's an element of sternness she hasn't shown yet. "All of you who lift your weapons go too far. Here stands a man wounded in battle, wounded in the discharge of his duty. A man willing to compromise in that duty in recognition of our aid, in order to give us that which we came seeking. And he has done so. We came seeking a shard that we can use to save a young man's life - and we have that shard now."

    She sweeps a hand at Li-Ming, indicative. "Right there. We have it in our hands, and we're free to go. And yet you not only refuse to compromise in return, you hurl accusations of cowardice against a man wounded in battle, you threaten violence against a wounded man to have your way, like a common thug. To have your way over an utterly inconsequential point. Tell me, what is the difference whether we have one shard or two? Whether Azmodan and the boy's demon are stored together or apart? In either case, they will need to be hidden and guarded. The only difference is whether we are hiding one or two dangerous items."

    Lian shakes her head faintly. "Misaki, I am willing to treat you as the adult you wish to be - but you will need to act it. An adult does not stomp her feet and needlessly insist on a meaningless concession. An adult seeks compromise - to understand the position of the other side, to meet them halfway. We are being given exactly that which we need to reach our goal, and you respond with threats and insults."

    Finally, the Jedi reaches up and brushes her robe to the side - uncovering her lightsaber where she's clipped it to her belt. She doesn't reach for it, but the point is clear. "Now please. Lower your weapons. I cannot condone this behavior any further," she declares, looking between Misaki and Emily.

>> SUMMARY[Lian Kamoya] >> >:|

Misaki stares at Lian, "So you would make a liar out of me, too. You would have me betray my promise and accept this treason just because you are too blinded by your own self-righteousness to see the truth? I thought I could trust you. I thought you were a good person."

    Lian cants her head slightly and asks, simply, "In what way am I making a liar of you?"

    Oh dear. Oh dear oh dear. This did not exactly go to plan did it? So it turns out that Li-Ming used the shard to imprison the Lord of Sin and all. But now there's Imperius to deal with.
    And Misaki isn't making it easy.
    "... You know." Morrigan says at length keeping her hands at her sides in a pointed display of non-agression. When it comes to spell casters, hands can be very deadly things after all.
    "We've just done you a great boon, Imperius." She points out. "One of your greatest enemies lays now imprisoned in a shard of that stone." She says.
    "Now perhaps you could do us a favor in return, as apparently you want us to deal with hiding this demon lord away, we're walking out of here not with what we came for but with something that immensely benefits you. We are literally doing you the grandest of favors. The least you could do would be to let us have a shard for our original, intended, purpose."
    "Considering using the same shard to imprison both the lord of sin and the demon within the boy would not be wise after all."
    This is where the warlock pauses, lips pursing.
    "Misaki." She says with a level of gentleness to her voice that just normally does not exist. "We're already asking for a lot. Hell, I agree we should have another shard for what we need it for. But if you ask me 'was the greater good accomplished here?', between sealing away an immense evil or saving the boy... I'm going to have to go with sealing away Asmodan, in the event we can't get what we want."

    Testament to her icy demeanor, Li-Ming stands in a rather relaxed way that suggests she's not really /really/ worried about their blustery opposition. The spear pointing should be making her tense up but she keeps it cool for now.

    Of course, anyone sensitive to it might feel her mounting outrage practically screaming for an outlet. She says nothing for the moment, keeping her attention on Imperius and Misaki, her intent to intervene already fully established. If necessary, at least.

    "The difference is, Jedi, yes? The difference is that we are assured failure. That this... creature, no man I assure you, holds no care or regard for the likes of mortals. Why not tell them of your ambitions, Imperius? Tell of how in your honor and valorous wisdom, you laid judgement against the people of my world. Swore to destroy humanity simply to ensure they could not be corrupted. His kind care little of our struggles."

    She takes a step, her free hand going to Misaki's shoulder. "A moment, I beg. Tyrael himself, in disgust at this outrage against justice, tore his own wings from his body and plunged to the mortal realm as a falling star. The falling star that awoke me to my destiny. Yet more of your kind stand at brink of destroying mortal life in my world. Malthael will embrace corruption; the path to my truth is open, should you wish to see." She takes a breath.

    "Stay your hand and we will be away from this place in short order, your fabulous Worldstone left intact until one of your kin sees fit to shatter it."

    Dante stares at Li-Ming. "Did you seriously just drop spoilers? You realize he's just gonna stomp you, Cassandra." He says sarcastically, before he begins to clear his throat.

    "Look, Impy boy, I know we're asking a LOT outta you and we just locked away a force of Evil, but the Needs of the Many don't really matter much when there ain't that many people left to begin with. Sometimes, ya gotta just settle for small victories." He begins to say.

    "It's helpin' folks that really make saving the world worth it. Why the hell bother when people left and right are being consigned to some horrific hellish fate every damn day? What's it matter when we treat people like acceptable losses?"

>> SUMMARY[Dante] >> You can take your "needs of the many" shtick and cram it up your ass, Wings.

    The floor beneath them, now a moving platform, pushes hard against Emily's resistance, but it seems the two of them are at an impasse, the piece of floor trembling violently and threatening to break apart. As Misaki raises her weapons, Imperius also steps between her and the Worldstone, standing behind Lian. He does not dignify them with any further arguments, since Lian seems to have covered it quite well. That is, other than to remind Morrigan of something. "As I have already said, the Council is willing to consider taking custody of the soulstone, should you deem it appropriate. However, the decision lies with you."
    He remains fairly calm...that is, until Li-Ming mentions Malthael. "What!" he shouts, outrage clear in his voice. And thanks to this, he completely ignores Dante. (Well, at least Dante was right about what he said to Li-Ming.) "Malthael embrace corruption? Impossible! You have what you came for, and this is how you repay us? To -implicate- such sacrilege against my brother?!" Suddenly, the platform pushes against Emily with renewed strength and sends it flying out the door. If anyone wants to avoid getting kicked out, they'll have to move quickly.

"I promised these people I'd find a way to save their child. This craven has made it pretty clear that the shard he's willing to give us would lead disaster if used for that purpose. Have you not been listening? The deal we made was not for any random shard of the world stone. It was for a tool. This shard is by his admission not the tool we were promised, a used up shard that he's more than eager to get rid of.

Taking a cue from Li-Ming, she adds, "He never had any intention to honor the deal. Are you really so eager to fight for the sake of a genocidal maniac too cowardly to fight his real enemies but eager to condemn an entire species to death just in case of any of them might gain the strength to challenge him?"

Misaki glares at the Jedi and points her weapons towards the woman, "I don't need your support. If you disagree with me, that is fine, but if you try to stop me I will treat you like the villain you are choosing to be."

As Imperius takes action, Misaki leaps upwards, using her speed to stay inside the room despite Imperius' attempts, "If you wish to deny us that which we have rightfully earned, then fight us you craven."

    There is a glance at Li-Ming, then at Imperius, then back again. "If what you speak is true, then the moment that he lifts the executioner's blade to carry out such a ridiculous sentence, he will find my lightsaber there to stop it. I won't condone that sort of madness either. But do you know what I see now? Brushing aside all his bluster, looking past the words to measure his deeds, I see a man whose solemn charge is to guard this stone from all harm. By all rights, from your own description, he should prize it over one human life by far. He should be telling us our goal is not worth even a tiny sliver of it. And yet he's allowing us to take a piece of it. Does that speak to you of a man beyond redemption?"

    She looks then to Dante and adds a dry, "While I personally agree with you, I don't think an appeal to saving lives would work here. We've already established how much he values them."

    But Misaki gets the bulk of her attention. "We have found a way to save their child. It is in our hand. I think that you and I heard the same words and understood different things - I haven't heard anything about certain failure." She looks to Li-Ming. "Was I misunderstanding? Did you say that if you tried to put both of them in one stone, it would shatter without a doubt? My understanding was that it would only be a problem if the empowered entity was freed, by outside forces. And that's still a problem that exists even if you keep them separate. We will still need to hide them, and keep them from harm."

    She looks back to Misaki again as the platform lurches; as the senshi jumps, so does the Jedi, aiming for a foothold near the Worldstone. Somewhere she'll be able to move to its defense if those guns are fired. "You condemn a man for a crime he has not yet committed, and might yet be averted from. You threaten violence and hurl insult when you don't get your way - despite that the way you seek and the means to fulfill your promise are already in your hand. From my perspective, I'm not the one acting the villain, nor the one blinded by self-righteousness. I am not pointing weapons at an object of importance to an entire reality, threatening to recklessly damage it to assuage my own insistence that things go perfectly my way or not at all. Stand down, Misaki Sakai. Picking fights when you have already won is the height of foolishness."

    She still has yet to draw her lightsaber.

>> SUMMARY[Dante] >> Dante plays Less than Good but still Okay Cop to Lian's Good Cop.

    "Oh. I'm bein' ignored. Nice." Dante growls at Imperius.

    He doesn't need to chime in, as Lian's already made her feelings clear and he agrees hard with the Jedi Master on this one. The moment Imperius decides to go all apocalypse over humanity, he'll have a greatsword stuck up his ass. BUT.

    But.

    Misaki's bein' a lil' shit right now.

    He rushes towards Misaki and steps between her and Lian. "I'm not the one playing good cop here. 'cause if you won't listen to Lian, then you damn well better start listenin' to -me.-"

    "We literally just got done kickin' a demon's ass up and down the street, we're all tired and beaten down getting here and kickin' Azmodan into that little gem. I wouldn't mind a tussle with Imperius myself, but I know that if Tyrael comes through that door to find us beating on Imperius, we're gonna end up fighting TWO self-righteous angels with big fuckin' swords. We can't afford to drag this out. For all we know that kid you wanna save is already doin' the spider walk up and down the stairs and twisting into a pretzel right now. We don't have time for this, so let's -go.-"

    Whoah whoah whoah hold on now.
    Jade eyes focus squarely on Li-Ming as she reveals the supposed future of the angels and their ilk.
    Morrigan's eyes narrow.
    "Is that so...?" Murmured as her gaze slides back to Imperius.
    Briefly, a flickering crackle of eldritch energy dances on her fingertips.
    But for now she stays her hand.
    "That day comes, call me. I'll be right there." Is all she says on the matter of Imperius deeming humanity's 'necessary' destruction.
    Back onto the matter at hand though, the Warlock heaves a dramatic sigh and sets her hands on her hips. "I'm just about done here. If anyone needs a ride back, I'll be in my car." She says before finger-gunning at Dante.
    "I saw that movie when it came out in theaters. It was pretty great."

    Emily listens to Lian, completely thrown off. Morrigan, too, has something useful to say. She struggles against the moving platform, frowning; for once, she looks completely uncertain about what to do. "Uhhhh ..."

    She furrows her brow at Li-Ming. "Y'know, if -- oof! -- if this is the kind of world you're from," she remarks, "I -- ack -- I can at least see why you're 'like that' ..."

    But it's Dante whose words finally get through to her. "Yeah okay," she says. "Everyone get off and settle the hell down! Reapplying Capactor ... fuck it, reapplying all Capacitor Seals!"

    And with that, she lets go of the platform, her legs reforming as the gold, silver, and pearlescent auras rebuild themselves, before fading away.

    She lands on her feet and turns to Imperius. "I am now incapable of performing much in the way of any violent actions," she says, adopting her 'Helpful Servile Eudaemon' voice. "Now, I have a question, Imperius ..." And then she pauses. "... Wait, no, I had an idea but I don't think it would actually work," she says. "Uh, the idea was, 'take second shard, put second demon into it, take second demon out of it somewhere we can safely kick its ass, and return second shard'. That's, like ... still existentially a problem, isn't it."

Lian's words are starting to get through to Misaki, and she's already lowering her guns again when Dante steps in. She glares at them both, but reluctantly dismisses her weapons and drops her transformation. "Miss Kamoya, if this goes wrong I'm blaming you." She turns around. "Let's go."

    Snorting, Li-Ming sweeps the shard to one side, casting its baleful light. "I made a compromise with this stone. I attempted to apply why I know of the Horadrim's works alongside the work of Zoltun Kulle. The names are irrelevant for now. Just understand, the Horadrim had a very cautious and reserved approach to these devices. Kulle was willing to literally sacrifice souls to fuel his construct. I simply tapped the power of the Worldstone in lieu of such a horrific act. That said, I am confident this stone will hold as many creatures as we can place within. It's nevertheless a risk. My method is technically unproven."

    She wobbles as the platform is made to lurch and she simply steps up and off of it, though she drifts a little from some imparted momentum.

    "As I said before, the Worldstone will not be here forever. It will be stolen and subsequently destroyed as the battle for it spills into Sanctuary. Indeed, Dante. Spoilers and heresy, it seems."

    Making no move to intervene on the maneuvering of Dante, Lian and Misaki, she just grits her teeth and glances at Emily and then Morrigan.

    She pushes aside the dark thought of just impaling the infuriatingly obstinate angel with the newly minted soulstone, looking at Emily squarely. "Yes." Her gaze roves back to the Worldstone though and if anyone pays any real attention, there's also just a hint of something behind her eyes. She's thinking real hard about something, only to realize the situation has petered down to a simmer. "Are we going, then?" 

     It's gone just as quick, though as she turns away toward the exit, another presence may be sensed near her. Perhaps it's just the raging within the 'prize' bobbing mere inches above her upraised left hand.

    "I will not raise my weapons against a child unless she forces my hand." Imperius replies to Misaki's taunting, not making any hostile moves, but standing his ground by Lian.
    Regarding the shard shattering or not: "Yes, there is a distinct possibility that it will shatter when you attempt to imprison a second essence, or that the lesser demon will be absorbed to give rise to an even more powerful creature. But, this mage appears to be quite confident in her work, and even if it should come to such--you destroyed Azmodan once. I am certain you will find a way to do it again, if necessary."
    When it seems the rest of the group has convinced Misaki to stand down, he also appears to calm down again, relaxing a bit as they finally turn to go. "Hmph. The battle will not enter Sanctuary." he says to Li-Ming as she turns to leave. "Our laws strictly forbid it."

    As the group begins to make their way back, the sound of rushing air fills the fortress as Imperius is suddenly surrounded by the Heavily Hosts. As if to make sure they really -do- go. A portal is even opened right outside the doors, leading back to the one they came through in the High Heavens earlier. You know, for your convenience!

    "If this goes wrong," Lian replies, "I will give anything up to and including my life to set it right. On that, you have my word." She carefully pulls her robe back over her lightsaber, and turns to head out, hopping across the platforms until she can reach the portal.

    It's only as they pass out of Imperius' earshot that she adds in a soft voice to the others of her group, "For what it's worth, I find him borderline insufferable."

    Emily nods, turning to leave. "Yeah, we're going," she answers Li-Ming. She also shoots Lian a grin. "Gonna have to add you to the list of People What Is Smarter Than Emily," she says cheerfully. But at Imperius's last comment ...

    Emily can't stop herself, but she's not stupid.

    She projects small a hologram, out of the angel's sight, of what appears to be a series of screenshots from Club Penguin, depicting a penguin sitting at a computer desk next to a phone. Across three panels, the penguin is saying "nine one one what is your emergency" / "what do you mean youre being murdered?" / "thats illegal people cant do that"

    She nods as she reaches the portal. "Oh good," she says, "I was gonna ask him if we're in the same location relative to how we got in. Convenient that we don't need to make the trip ourselves!" Beat. "Where is Tyrael, anyway?"

>> SUMMARY[Emily Nyx] >> https://i.imgur.com/bJGcVRi.jpeg

    "Borderline?" Morrigan asks amid heading to the portal. "I found him completely insufferable." The Warlock says with a shrug.
    Mary Contrary, who has been perched on her shoulder this entire time, mimics the shrug.

    "Ugh. Same. Can't wait to get a chance to kick his ass later." Dante says, sighing. "Now all I wanna do is organize movienight. Who's good for that later?"

    "Oh, please. While I'm flattered you regard us so dangerous, you really should attend to the defense of this place. You're surrounded, afterall."

    She blinks away with a flash and a thump, aiming to cross the portal before she's tempted any further. "Honestly, it's not unlikely. That one will appear again and I'm sure he'll give cause. The version from my world is... Somewhat more humbled, we'll say."

"I'll hold you to that." Misaki tells Lian. A few moments later, she adds, "And sorry. I was being unfair to you. You're just trying to do what's right, even if I think you're wrong. I hope you're right. You've got more experience with this kind of thing." She looks towards Emily, "Who cares where that condescending murderer is? He'll be fine. He's too convinced of his own importance to actually risk his life for our sakes." She looks towards Dante, "What kind of movies?"

    Once the group has passed safely through the portal back to the edges of the High Heavens, they'd find the answer to Emily's question of where Tyrael is, as the Archangel of Justice is waiting for them on the other side. "I trust you met with success in your endeavors?" he questions. He's scanning them, searching for each person with the hope that all are accounted for, and is relieved that it seems they all are. Of course, no one can likely tell except Lian, thanks to his lack of a face.

    "Dunno. 's almost Halloween so I was thinkin' somethin' scary like the Exorcist. Or hell, Event Horizon...Hellraiser...there's plenty of good ones out there." Dante shrugs. "Or just throw a curveball and put on Nightmare Before Christmas, Lady loves that one but she'll _murder_ you if she finds out you know."

    Speaking of Tyrael. "Hey! We met your...brother...workfriend...guy. He's an even bigger dick than you."

    Of course Tyrael will recognize a soulstone when he sees one. Though present, Li-Ming certainly doesn't seem /terribly/ thrilled by the events from before.

    "First, where the hell have you been? Second, meet Azmodan. In the, well, whatever. This is what we're going to have to rely upon to save that young man. I trust you're willing to lend aid? Perhaps some of your compatriots as well. Lest this vessel fail and release one of the Prime Evils upon a fresh crop of souls to feast upon. Of course, it's only a chance this will go horribly awry."

    Emily nods to Dante. "Dante, my bro," she says gravely, "that sounds like an awesome idea."

    And speak of the devil (or angel in this case). "Oh, hey, Tyrael!" she says, putting on her trademark amused and faintly smug smile. "Yeah, I had several bad ideas, but Li-Ming beat all of 'em~"

    "We did, though it was perhaps a bit touch-and-go for a short while," Lian replies to Tyrael. "And I fear I'll need new boots. It is good to see you intact as well," she adds, warmly.

    There is a glance at Li-Ming, and then she adds, "While her confidence is reassuring, I think that perhaps, just as a precaution, we might enact this whole process somewhere away from town, where there is no 'fresh crop of souls to feast upon' in easy reach."

    Tyrael actually doesn't realize 'dick' is an insult so that goes over his head and he basically ignores it. "I am glad to see you are all well." Relatively speaking.

    "Hmm..." the angel studies the stone in Li-Ming's hand. He hadn't expected they'd use it once before trying to use it on the demon they had originally wanted to imprison. 

    "No one has yet attempted such a feat within the breadth of my knowledge." But then again, that applied to this -entire- ordeal, anyway. The angel nods at Lian. "I agree. We must do all we can to minimize the danger to the locals."

    "Hyperbole, friend. I don't mean to go to the boy's bedside and straightaway unleash this thing. I ask for aid as much for insurance as mush as I do so to snub your bretheren within the heart of the fortress. He was certainly unhappy to see us. Unhappier to see Azmodan I'm sure but all's well for now, I suppose."

    Oh, right. Imperius. Tyrael would be eyerolling if he could, but as it is, he just sighs. "I...apologize if Imperius did not treat you well." He says, shaking his head slightly. "But know that his intentions are noble, even if it may not be immediately apparent."

    "But yes, I will aid you in whatever way I can."

    "It went better than it coulda gone. We got the thing we needed, that's what matters." Dante waves a hand absently. "Also, movie night. I'm gonna need to decide what we're gonna watch."

"You also think your intentions are noble." Misaki glares at Tyrael. That's all she has to say to the angel, and instead turns to Lian. "I admit, I uh. I'm not good at big picture thinking. You think you could help me with that, miss Kamoya?"

    Emily grins. "Man, Double-A is probably pissing off Chief Everett as we speak." She pauses. "Might I recommend the halcyon remnant as a spot to do the deed? Plenty of space that nobody's using. There's this great big field of inert nanomachines that set off the Yellowstone Supervolcano centuries ago."

    "Yes, of course." Li-Ming rolls her shoulders and stands apart from everyone. Just a little. Just letting that baleful thing bob and slowly spin over her open palm.

    Finaly, she looks to Dante. "What's all this about movies? Already thinking ahead to celebration? I appreciate your optimism, at least." Misaki and Lian get a glance, then she tips her head at Emily. "Mere space is hardly obstacle enough to such a being as this. Though I suppose if there's more space..." She has more options to tap if the need for violence arises.

    Lian's eyebrows lift just faintly in surprise at Misaki's request - but then that warm smile returns to her face, and she bows her head. "Gladly. We'll have to set aside some time to sit down and work on it. And aside from that, you can come to me for advice..." She pauses. "Well, I should like to say 'any time', but I can be rather difficult to get ahold of. I follow the whims of the Force. But I'll be there when you truly need my counsel. Jedi have a way of being where we're needed, when we're needed."

    "Hm." Tyrael considers Emily's suggestion, but nods at Li-Ming. "Li-Ming has judged rightly. Whatever realm you choose, know that it will be greatly endangered by the very presence of such evil."

    Misaki's comment is answered with a question. "Could I not say the same of you, Misaki Sakai?" he asks. Not in a condescending manner, but just a simple inquiry. He doesn't expect an answer, but it is more of something for her to ruminate on. Hey, it was better than Imperius' response, right?

    "And, like wizards, they seem to show up exactly when they mean to." Dante says with a big, goofy grin at Lian. "You seriously need a pointy hat and a staff that can shoot magic beams at things, it'll be so cool. You already got the two laser swords so we don't need Glamdring..."

    Emily shrugs. "I meant more, space that doesn't have any civilians running around in the immediate vicinity," she says, "but if just being in an entire world threatens everything there, then you can consider my suggestion withdrawn, the halcyon remnant's had enough crap happen to it." She shrugs. "I'll poke around, see if anyone knows where I can find dead, uninhabited worlds, if nobody has any better suggestions ..."

Li-Ming spreads her hands, "I suppose there'll always be some element of danger. Where the barrier between worlds is weak enough for any of us to slip past and onto another branch, Azmodan would likely find no barrier there. There appears to be no escaping the risk. Also, if you require a wizard then look no further!"