Start of #Odal buffer: Mon Nov 09 22:10:52 2009 [17:16:55] * When last we left our heroes, they were given a grudging admittance into the Necropolis after Eve decided to talk to them rather than slaughtering their guard dogs. Having found out that the necropolis is in the midst of a rash of strange disappearances and attacks by unknown assailants who seem to appear and disappear as if from thin air inside their very homes, we rejoin them [17:21:00] * Eve_Kasnora walks down the mock-streets of the mock-town, the buildings designed to look like a city, but really just masoleums. [17:21:16] * Eilenia steps along, trying to take in the sights. [17:21:20] * Eve_Kasnora peers at them eerily. "This is rather disturbing." [17:22:54] * Eve_Kasnora looks to Tabitha. "You have not ever been being here, yes?" [17:24:01] * Tabita shakes her head. "Never. I only left the Shadowfell rarely, and even then, only after the world broke." [17:29:50] You must see the Feywild. [17:30:53] Everyone else has. They feel it's much more exciting. [17:30:58] * "If it's brighter than this, I'd rather not." [17:32:15] "Maybe you eyes will be adjusting. You have lived in darkness for most of it." [17:33:17] * She nods, uncertainly. As she's about to speak again, you hear a scream from inside one of the mausoleums. [17:33:33] Oh dear. Is it that time again? [17:34:19] * Eilenia follows Eve to go investigate. [17:34:56] * The door to the mausoleum, when tested, is locked [17:35:47] * Eve_Kasnora looks around. [17:35:56] * Eve_Kasnora kicks the door down. [17:38:20] * The door rocks forward on its hinges and slams against the inside wall as it's kicked in. In the front room of the house, there appears to be something not unlike an audience hall, with a perfectly still male human form, dressed in noble finery, sitting on a high chair at the top of a small dais. A trio of pale, sickly humanoids in robes are pulling trinkets from the form, and a mausoleum caretaker is cringing in the corner [17:38:46] * Paera sighs. "Well, that didn't take long." [17:38:51] Oh does, it IS that time again. [17:38:58] * Eilenia draws her orb and longsword. [17:39:02] ( dear, even ) [17:40:45] You over there. [17:41:21] * Xan (rustangel@ip-118-219.atvci.net) has joined #Odal [17:41:26] Stop it, something about justice, Bahamut wants to eat your face. [17:41:29] * Eilenia looks to Eve [17:41:32] That's how it usually goes, right? [17:41:33] * Eve_Kasnora raises her sunblade and makes it glow with it's highest level of brightness. [17:41:54] * Eve_Kasnora opens her mouth, about to speak and then chokes and looks at Elena. [17:42:11] Uh. [17:42:15] "Uh.." [17:42:18] * One of the robed men, noticing the presence of a heavily-armed squad of adventurers, drops the ring he was pulling off the form's finger and breaks for it, going through a rear door. Tabita groans and buries her face in the crook of her elbow as Eve lights her sword up. [17:42:29] Right? [17:42:33] * Eve_Kasnora shakes her head and then goes back to the occupants of the room. [17:43:07] "STOP!" [17:43:12] * The other two robed men, realizing that their cohort has left, quickly follow after him [17:43:26] * Eve_Kasnora surmises that the noble man was just murdered and the others are robbing their victim. [17:43:32] * Eve_Kasnora chases. [17:43:39] I suppose it was close enough, then. Paera, can you check him real quick and get back to us? [17:43:42] * Eilenia runs after Eve [17:46:03] * Paera nods to Eilenia and goes to check on the body. [17:47:16] * The man seems gravely injured, but not dead. That is, if you're checking the mausoleum keeper. The man on the dais is most assuredly dead. [17:48:24] Halt criminals! Justice, dragons, grandfather's sword will drink the blood from your hearts... ? [17:49:46] Eve and Eilenia chase the criminals to what appears to be a large indoor courtyard with a recessed, tiled bath. Both of them seem alarmed, though admittedly, that's not out of keeping with their situation [17:50:38] "Elena, please stop talking." [17:50:41] * Paera moves to the caretaker once she confirms the victim is dead, beginning first aid (assuming he's not in mortal need of magical healing). "Are you able to talk? What happened here?" [17:50:53] "My grandfather's sword does not drink blood." [17:51:13] "It GLOWS WITH RIGHTEOUS FURY AT THE WICKED!" *points it at the fleeing thieves.* [17:51:27] * Xan silently watches over the scene, trying to identify the figures. [17:54:45] * Xan does, in fact, identify the figures, as a set of men who had also been in Coldheart's employ. Oddly, they seem to be wearing Orcusine vestments now, while they hadn't particularly been faithful men when he knew them in passing [17:55:46] There's no reason why it cna't do both. [17:55:52] * Eve_Kasnora shouts at the cornered thieves. "LAY DOWN YOUR ARMS AND SURRENDER!" [17:56:02] "You may as well find your grounding." [17:56:18] "There are two ways out of here. In peace, or in pieces." [17:56:29] * Xan begins to look for an advantageous position: in his case, a perch. [17:57:38] Is this one of those sacred places where blood shouldn't be spilled? [17:57:54] * The thieves lay down what arms they had, which in this case, seems to consist entirely of a bloodied dagger carried by the one who ran first. Xan sees that the bath is surrounded by statues of the gods, which could all be climbed for an advantageous, if sacreligious, perch [17:58:53] Oh, it looks like they're giving up. Can we hold a trial? [17:59:02] I'd be a great judge. [17:59:56] "No you wouldn't." [18:00:22] * Eve_Kasnora looks back to them and lowers the tip of her weapon, her off-hand blade out and held defensively. [18:00:48] "Who's blood is that on the dagger?" [18:01:54] * One of the cultists, with a twitch and a crazed look in his eye, burbles "My blood. Your blood. Blood's blood." [18:03:09] * Xan attempts to make that ascent. [18:03:11] * Eve_Kasnora looks to Elena. "Translate?" [18:03:14] * Meanwhile, in the audience chamber, the caretaker seems to be coming to. [18:04:00] * "Wh- what happened?" He looks around, and noticed the body on the dais stripped of some of its regailia. "What happened to the lord? Where did it go?" [18:05:10] I think he's saying he killed himself, then you, then killed death itself. [18:05:51] * Eve_Kasnora points her weapon more threateningly at one of the less crazed looking cultists. "You! Toss over the items you took." [18:06:42] I don't know. I was hoping you did. My friends are chasing the people that looked like they did it, but... [18:06:54] * It's really hard to choose which is the least-crazed cultist, but finally one, fumblingly, pulls the loot away from his compatriots and throws it towards Eve, the bundle of jewelry boucning across the ground. [18:07:29] * "All I remember was I was setting up to serve dinner, and then... Three men came through the wall and stabbed me..." [18:08:20] "All of it!" [18:09:13] I suppose we tie them up now? [18:09:38] * In a panic, the man pulls off several more pieces of jewelry, which seem to be his own, judging by the shoddy quality, and tosses them at Eve [18:10:00] "Now, kneel and keep your hands on your heads." [18:10:24] * Eve_Kasnora motions for some rope from Elena. [18:10:56] * Paera examines the man's wound for any evidence of poison. [18:13:00] "They're Coldheart's men." [18:13:21] * The blade doesn't seem like it was clean when it went in, but it wasn't poisoned, either [18:13:39] * Eilenia tosses some to Eve. [18:14:10] * Two of the men kneel, and one of them pulls the third down, who seems over his head and not fully able to act [18:14:16] "We were not able to question Coldheart himself." [18:15:20] "Elena. At the first sign of defiance, I want you to summon a dagger swarm inside their bowels." [18:15:41] * Eve_Kasnora sheaths her swords and steps forward with the rope cautiously. [18:16:39] * Paera patches the man up. "You should be fine. And my friends WILL catch the killers. Just try to stay calm." [18:23:01] * Eve manages to tie the cultists with no more struggle than you would expect to come from tying up a set of crazies [18:23:09] "Let's move." [18:25:06] * Eve_Kasnora drags the killers up to Paera and the man. [18:25:16] "Caught them." [18:25:23] * Eilenia follows Eve along [18:25:46] * Less killers than thieves, as shown by the mausoleum caretaker being on the mend, if not yet fine [18:25:46] It was easy. [18:26:14] * Eve_Kasnora has them all tied up, with the rope forming a leash wrapped around Eve's waist. [18:30:28] * The prisoners stumble behind Eve, dragged along by her [18:31:14] * Paera frowns. "Wow, that didn't take long. Did they just surrender?" [18:31:18] * Xan stands behind them quietly, orb hovering silently in front of him. [18:31:42] "Yes." [18:35:24] And without protest. [18:37:00] * Paera frowns. She turns to the caretaker. "You don't recognize them by any chance, do you?" [18:41:22] I hope we find a clue to the stone around here [18:41:47] ... say, maybe these fellows might know something. [18:42:13] * The caretaker shakes his head. "Haven't seen them before." [18:47:04] * Eilenia looks to the Orcusy fellows. "Know anything about an Ioun Stone? Stone of Ioun?" [18:47:18] It's a rock or pebble, kind of Ioun-ish. [18:48:58] * One of them nods. "Pebbles, yes, many. Stone stone stone in the archmagister's collection and he is ever so pleased but new men like us can't see, oh no, haven't proved our devotion yet. Perhaps we'll have to stop doing the work of other masters before that, yes." [18:49:47] * Paera groans. "Great, they're nuts. Wait, other masters?" [18:52:44] "Hmm... [18:53:08] * Eve_Kasnora points to the particularly crazy one. "You! Where are you going?" [18:53:59] * He screams and begins trying to use his chin to scoop up the neck-hole of his robe so as to duck his head inside [18:54:45] These people are crazy. [18:55:27] Were they like this before entering the service of Orcus or after? [18:57:01] * Xan Fires a shot into the leg of the screaming prisoner. [18:57:42] * Eve_Kasnora throws her hands up in the air. "XAN!" [18:57:48] * Eilenia frowns. "What was that for?" [18:57:55] "That is a wound." [18:57:56] "I.. I can think of so many things wrong with what you just did!" [18:58:02] You're using up your valuable life force, for one. [18:58:08] "That's one! Yes!" [18:58:12] * Shooting a prisoner full of mercury doesn't make him any less crazy. In thousands of years, chemists will discover why. [18:58:46] * Paera stares at Xan. "There's other ways to do that! Not that I want you shooting prisoners in the legs in the first place!" [18:59:07] "If your quarry does not understand that you are serious, it will attempt to evade you. Now, please attend to it." [18:59:36] "Xan, you do not injure prisoners. Especially MY prisoners. Are we clear?" [19:00:00] "Eve, do not show dissention among the ranks." [19:00:11] * Eve_Kasnora moves to the injured, crazy person and burns a use of her Lay on Hands on him. "Now we've wasted even more resources. Are you happy?" [19:00:50] He just got shot in the leg. [19:00:57] But you're near him. [19:01:04] "Xan, I not tolerate torture of any being I have under my care." [19:01:05] * Xan sighs, moving from perch to perch. [19:01:07] Tough guess. [19:01:16] "It wasn't torture." [19:01:28] "It was needless pain. It was torture." [19:01:30] "Torture is done for the extraction of information." [19:01:50] "And what were you trying to do, then?" [19:01:57] "This is a survival tactic, Eve." [19:02:05] "These people are dangerous." [19:02:19] "They are bound and docile, you *moron*!" [19:02:22] * Paera glares at Xan. "Besides, there's something wrong with these guys! They need help, not holes in them!" [19:02:31] "We don't want them getting away, attempting to, or arming themselves." [19:02:31] "Until you start showing deadly force!" [19:02:54] * Eve_Kasnora gestures vehemently to their bound hands. "THEY ARE TAKEN CARE OF" [19:02:59] "That was a wound." [19:03:44] "A pulled punch, a non-lethal shot." [19:03:59] "DO NOT DO IT AGAIN ARE WE GODS DAMNED CLEAR YOU PSYCHOPATH?!" [19:04:19] * Eilenia frowns. [19:04:25] Let's talk about this later. [19:04:51] * Xan sighs, and shoots himself in the forehead, getting up a moment later, a bit dizzied, just to prove a point. [19:05:05] "You shot him for no discernable reason!" [19:05:37] "Oh wow. Yes. Shooting yourself in the face. Way to show how not psychopathic you are." [19:05:45] "Eve." [19:05:57] * Eve_Kasnora pinches the bridge of her nose and squeezes her eyes shut. [19:06:12] "Do not inflict needless pain on those under my care. That is all you need to know." [19:06:21] "Are we *CLEAR*?!" [19:06:35] "Would you please understand that I'm no longer your demon-posessessed quarry, but your dying ally, and I'm really getting too old for your shit?" [19:06:45] "Now, quit with all the yelling." [19:06:51] * Xan walks on. [19:07:05] "NO. I will stop yelling at your insane actions when you stop acting INSANE." [19:07:19] * Eilenia looks to the bystanding caretakers. [19:07:20] * Tabita looks on in barely-concealed confusion and terror as the captive situation suddenly spirals into madness [19:07:43] Let's talk about this later. Time grows short. [19:07:44] "You don't need to be demon possessed to do things I consider reprehensible like wounding a bound and helpless prisoner, you cold-blooded psycho." [19:08:05] * Paera smiles weakly at Tabita. "You get used to it after a while. To a certain extent." [19:08:13] * Eve_Kasnora shakes her head. [19:08:33] * Xan reaches into his pack, pulling out the wax stopper from some ethereal balm. He empties out the balm into the ground, shrugging, then breaks the seal in two, molding and shaping it with his hands. [19:08:53] * Paera gets to her feet and turns to glare at Eve and Xan. "OKAY. BOTH OF YOU. STOP IT." [19:08:55] (his what?) [19:08:56] "You're going to brand me as one no matter what I do to redeem myself, aren't you?" [19:09:12] ((GAH, damn, I can't do that.)) [19:09:29] ((nevermind that whole action then. I don't have hands.)) [19:09:35] "As long as you continue defending vehemently the odd throw-backs to your old self, yes." [19:09:57] "Injuring bound prisoners is a reprehensible, dishonorable act. It is not pragmatic." [19:10:03] "It was a harmless splatter of goo, Eve." [19:10:08] "The man is obviously insane, you inflicted pain on him for no reason." [19:10:49] "Delivers a jolt upon impact, can even knock a man unconscious, but can't kill." [19:11:07] Is that what that was? [19:11:08] I'm the one who's supposed to be tending to your injuries, and everyone else's, and yet you KEEP ON WASTING YOUR LIFE, the one that I'm trying to PRESERVE. And for what? You're hurting someone who doesn't need hurting! [19:11:22] * Paera turns to Eve. [19:11:33] "Yes." [19:11:49] AND YOU! You just CALM DOWN, if you keep fighting, you'll just make this worse than it already is! [19:12:25] * Eve_Kasnora crosses her arms over her chest and looks defiant, but does remain silent. [19:12:29] * Paera takes a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. [19:13:28] "I wish the Krell would have left me with the mercy of beeswax in my damned ears." [19:15:00] I'm hungry. [19:15:03] Who else is hungry? [19:15:48] "I can go for some rabbit stew." [19:16:15] * Paera turns away from Eve and Xan, blushing furiously. "Sorry, I, I just...sometimes..." [19:16:29] * Eve_Kasnora begins walking back toward the entrance, where she met the necroplosis's spokesperson, dragging the prisoners behind her. [19:16:48] * Xan silently trudges along. [19:16:55] * Eilenia steps along [19:18:56] * Eve drags the prisoners along behind her, and finally finds the spokesperson [19:20:18] * Paera follows after the group in embarassed silence. [19:21:47] * The elder raises his eyebrow questioningly upon seeing the trio of cultists, one with a leg encased in quicksilver, leashed to Eve [19:22:20] "We found these men attempting to rob a tomb. Do you recognize any of them?" [19:23:47] * He pauses, inspecting them. "They do seem to match the description of the thieves and kidnappers plagueing the necropolis, recently." [19:24:41] They hurt someone too. [19:25:07] "Are you having a place to hold them? I am assuming a society such as yours would have a method for dealing with dangerously subversive elements." [19:26:10] Or dangerously subversive elementals. [19:26:49] "I'm pretty sure it's okay just to destroy those." [19:26:56] "I am thinking?" [19:27:12] * Eve_Kasnora thinks about wether earth elementals have souls. [19:29:09] * "Typically, we would just put wrongdoers in the Shadowfell. I fear that may not be the best option here." [19:29:54] * Eve_Kasnora nods. [19:33:25] No prisons? [19:33:41] Uh, yeah. That, uh...probably would be the last place we want to put them. [19:33:52] "Can you find a mausoleum to lock them up in?" [19:34:08] "One with no other exits, of course." [19:34:44] * Paera adds quietly "Preferably an empty one this time." [19:35:12] * "One has to wonder where we might find a place with no exits these days, especially without exits to other planes. Perhaps there's a storehouse with only one door we can place them in." [19:35:31] * Eve_Kasnora nods. [19:41:39] * Eilenia thinks. "Do you know any "archmagister"? [19:42:25] * The spokesman recoils. "Only the head of the Orcusine cult." [19:43:19] Hm. Getting the stone may be difficult. [19:44:07] "They mentioned the archmagister has the stone we are looking for. Please, if you would?" *gestures for the spokesperson to lead her to a storage room.* [19:44:29] * He does so, readily [19:48:17] * Eve_Kasnora instructs the prisoners to enter, then closes the door behind her, leaving just the four of them in the room. [19:49:14] * The door closes with an ominous click, doing little to allay the worries of the prisoners [19:49:47] * Eve_Kasnora stares them down. [19:50:00] "Are any of you on mind-altering substances?" [19:51:12] * One of the cultists points to the one that was babbling earlier. [19:52:32] * Eve_Kasnora looks at him and nods, then back to the other two. "Where is the cult hiding?" [19:53:56] * "Shadowfell necropolis. There are portals everywhere, if you know where to look." [19:54:51] "And where should I be looking?" [19:56:54] * The cultist shrugs. "All around you. You'll need a cult medallion for the gates, anyway. The archmagister has the portals locked down since a few days ago." [19:57:20] * Eve_Kasnora holds out her hand, expactatly. [19:57:38] (expectantly*) [19:57:48] * If the cultist was inclined to give it to you, his hands being bound would hamper that [19:58:38] "Well? Where is it?" [19:59:19] "My neck! Around my neck! It's a medallion!" [19:59:44] * Eve_Kasnora moves forward and takes it off. [20:00:02] "Will one suffice for my whole party? Or do I have to leave the gith behind?" [20:01:07] * The cultist shrugged. "We were all given one, in case we were seperated. I have no idea." [20:03:52] * Eve_Kasnora moves to the other two cultists and removes theirs as well, taking special care with the drugged one. [20:06:41] "Where in the Shadowfell Necropolis is the archmagi?" [20:07:42] * Xan (rustangel@ip-118-219.atvci.net) Quit (Quit: I am not ignorant, I am intelligent. I'm not an ape, I am the way, I am the truth. I am religion, I am politics, I am a psychoanalyst, I'm an inkblot shaped like Zeus) [20:07:54] * "In the ruins of one of the mausoleums. If you hurry, you might just catch him, before he leaves with his stone." [20:08:15] "Leave? Where would he be leaving to?!" [20:09:57] * The cultist shrugs. "Don't ask me, I'm just a helpful acolyte." [20:11:20] * Eve_Kasnora glares at the cultist. "Good enough." [20:11:39] * Eve_Kasnora leaves the storeroom and closes the door behind her, leaving the prisoners bound. [20:11:50] Hello [20:12:21] * Eve_Kasnora tosses Elena and Paera a medallion. [20:12:32] "These will take us to the necropolis in the Shadowfell. [20:12:37] * Eilenia looks at it. "What is this?" [20:12:41] "It is where the cult is being." [20:12:46] They seem a bit too small to ride. [20:12:51] "Now let us be finding a portal." [20:13:00] [Session end] End of #Odal buffer Mon Nov 09 22:10:52 2009