Still disguised as an abnormally large quasit, Loki approaches the Yearning House. Essentially a converted fortress, the brothel is surrounded by a ten-foot-high stone curtain wall. Two twenty-foot-high watchtowers stand to the south, while a soot-caked stone building with a central dome sits to the north. The massive entryway is guarded by two ash giant thugs. Loki saunters up, only to be challenged by one of the guards: "WHO ARE YOU, LITTLE ONE? WHERE IS YOUR INVITATION?" The halfling bluffs: "You mean you don't recognize me? I am Quetzalcoatl the Quasit. I'm a regular here!" The thugs are skeptical at first, but after some skillful negotiation from Loki, they escort him onto the grounds. The dry courtyard contains dust, chunks of jagged rubble, a few lonely brambles, and two long reflecting pools filled with brackish water. One of the guards shows Loki across the grounds to a lushly appointed foyer, where he is received by a coloxus demon. The coloxus is harder to bluff than the dimwitted guards, particularly on the matter of payment. The only currency accepted is souls, either in the form of living sacrifices or as soul gems. Loki manages to convince the demon that the gems on his unicorn horn are in fact soul gems; the demon accepts it in payment, and allows the "quasit" access. Loki enters the main room of the brothel, known as the Debauchery. The ceiling rises to a dome some 50 feet above a central pool filled with unnaturally blue, smoking water. Murals on the walls and ceiling above provide an orgy of garish color, depicting all manner of obscene acts depicted in frightful realism in oils by a master artist. A wide balcony rings the room at a height of twenty feet above the floor, which is strewn with blankets, bottles of fluid, cushions, furs, hookahs, smoking braziers, and other devices. The air is thick and hazy and warm, reeking of sweat, incense, and tangy exotic drugs. There are already several demonic patrons in the Debauchery, being waited upon by several succubi. Loki takes a seat in a corner of the room, his head spinning from the toxic fumes. As he is being attended to by his own personal succubus, he glances up. Hanging from the balcony above are a tangle of spiky iron cages. The cages lean outward, suspended at an angle by chains. Two of the cages contain hound archons; the third contains a naked Arthas! The prisoners fade in and out of consciousness, their bodies pierced and impaled by jagged iron spikes. The magic of the cages prevents them from escaping or healing, and keeps them conscious for brief spans of time, such that they are forced to witness the depravities below. Feigning exhaustion, Loki manages to disentangle himself from his succubus. Slipping away, he climbs up to the cages and stealthily releases the prisoners, laying them out on the balcony. Arthas is unconscious, so Loki rouses him the only way the halfling knows: he lights a pipe full of demodand kief, inhales, and blows the vapors down Arthas's throat. The paladin awakens, sputtering and disoriented. Suddenly, one of the doors that ring the balcony level opens, and a strange, demonic woman pokes her head out. She puts a finger to her lips, winks, and then motions for the heroes to enter. Loki immediately complies. Arthas, still hallucinating from the effects of the kief, follows. Beyond the doors, the companions discover an obscene boudoir. The chamber is decorated with furniture crafted from death-- piles of cushions covered with wan skin, a chandelier made of sinew and bone, and objects made of body parts. A massive bed on a frame of bones sits to the southwest. The walls are painted with horrific scenes of suicide, carnal excess, and all manner of shocking deviance. The soft sounds of moaning-- both from pleasure and pain-- whisper through the room. The sole occupant of the boudoir is Sister Perversion, a powerful seraptis demon and the madam of the Yearning House. Once she begins to speak, however, the voice that issues forth is that of Nocticula! The Mistress of Shadows, having possessed the seraptis, speaks: And so here are my heroes again, once more vexing and testing the patience of a Lord of Chaos. How utterly charming! You’re here seeking that bauble, the Nahydrian chisel, but you won’t find it here. The mistress of Deskari’s cult keeps it for herself in her own lair deep in the Rasping Rifts, but I know how you can get there. Indeed, I know more than you might wish to know about what is on your failing horizon... Loki climbs into bed with the sepraptis madam, explaining that he is more interested in a good time than in gathering intel. The demon embraces the halfling, then whispers in his ear: For a really good time, drown yourself in the pool downstairs . Before Loki can respond, a change comes over the seraptis, as Nocticula releases her hold. Finally in control of her own body, the demon madame attacks! Disabling Loki momentarily with mythic confusion , the demon wraps her four arms round Arthas. Dozens of mouths sprout along the arms, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth. These peel the flesh from the paladin, greedily slurping at his blood. Arthas struggles, but he is unarmored and still reeling from hallucinations. Eventually, however, Loki comes to his rescue, assassinating the seraptis from behind. Arthas and Loki search the boudoir, and discover Arthas's belongings in a large chest near the bed. Arthas dons his equipment and heals his wounds, as the last of the hallucinogenic effects finally wears off. As he dresses, Loki brings him up to speed. The heroes decide that the best course of action is to follow Nocticula's cryptic advice. Loki casts invisibility on both of them, then they slip past the brothel's patrons to the large, smoking pool. Entering the pool, they both inhale deeply of the waters. As they begin to drown, they are transported to a dark cave. Coughing and sputtering, they look around. The walls of the twenty-foot-high cavern are covered in spots by thick, shaggy spider webs. A distant howling, as if of a violent windstorm, shrieks beyond a web-clogged tunnel. Loki burns away most of the webs, and the companions proceed towards the howling noise. Soon they encounter a massive rift, guarded by a huge drider. This is Mistress Anemora, and though the heroes are still invisible, she immediately detects them and attacks. It is quickly apparent that the two adventurers are outmatched. Mistress Anemora attacks with a fearsome volley of mythic and quickened spells. Arthas responds with a volley of arrows, but most bounce harmlessly from the drider's hide. Deciding that discretion is the better part of valor, Loki uses dimension door to get close to the priestess, grabs her necklace, and then springs away. Arthas catches the halfling in his arms, then plane shifts both of them back to the Prime Material Plane. Mistress Anemora has not been defeated, but the heroes have what they came for: the Nahyndrian chisel! Everyone who played gains 150,000 XP. Loki gains a bonus 50,000 XP for his great work at infiltrating the Yearning House.
