[Benevolance]

Small stress fractures vein the walls but nothing significant enough to give Behror concern. The unhinged door itself looks easy enough to remove. Behror spots the remains of a small crystalline object half-submerged in the elevator shaft. Bending to examine the object closely, it is reminiscent of the lift controls back home. The device is damaged beyond repair.

[Fugu]

"No turning back, eh?" Exseo trudges into the flooded chamber.

[OverdrivePrime]

Tucking his beard into his baldric to try to keep it from getting wet, Behror bends to grab the broken lift control and stash it in his pack for safekeeping.
"Any o' you lads remember how long Pandessa's been around? Tha feelin' keeps flutterin' around me tha we're rummaging through hist'ry tha some would prefer fergotten."

Muscles flexing, Behror carefully moves the damaged door out of way so that he and the others can go through more easily. Brassweaver adjusts his gaze to darkvision and then follows Exseo with his axe and shield at the ready.

[Benevolance]

The room is huge and rectangular. The doorway is on the long side of the rectangle near one corner. The ceiling is supported by thick, stone pillars spaced twenty feet apart. The columns stretch thirty feet to the ceiling. The illusion is rather like standing in a stone forest.

Glowglobes spark as Exseo enters, but only a few of the luminescent bulbs come to life. The globes bath the area around the elf in eldritch green light. The entire room is submerged beneath the knee deep waters.

[Fugu]

Exseo slowly draws his new longsword, letting the hiss of the metal reverberate through the chamber. Confidently, he glides through the water, hugging the walls, looking for decorations or other exits.

[Benevolance]

Additional glow globes spring to life as Exseo stalks the silent waters. The far end of the hall is decidely more cave-like, a natural roof spilling over darker waters. Pinpricks of light like the reflection of starlight on a liquid surface are discernable in the shadows. Exseo heads further in that direction.

"Graaaaaaa," moans an emormous stone block as the elf passes. It stands, shaking off the detritus of ages. Bits of flesh flake from the torso and large eyes spring to life with a malevolent red light. "Graaaaaah," proclaims the zombified grey render once more. For emphasis.

This post has been edited by Benevolance: 05 April 2007 - 04:53 PM

[Benevolance]

[Round 1]

"Now look what ye did!" Behror shouts to Exseo, moving to present an alternative target to the zombified render. The dwarf's stocky legs churn through the water, splashing in the darkness like a frenzied dragon. A streak of flame shoots over Behror's shoulder as he trundles forward, splashing like fireworks across the upper torso of the undead monstrosity.

Blinking to clear his eyes from the brilliant burst of flame, Exseo briefly looks the monster over and plunges his sword into one of its eyes, following up with a thrust into the rearing beast's throat. His new sword feels light and nimble as it cuts the dead flesh away.

Shaking away the last flickers of the orb of fire, the zombie spots Exseo in front of him and brings both fists downward in an overhand strike. The elf scampers sideways, narrowly avoiding the worst of the crushing blow.

[Benevolance]

[Round 2]

"Exseo!" Behror shouts in worry as the elf disappears below the water. Behror drops his shield into the murk and surges forward to flank the monster. He rears back and swings in a vicious two-handed arc hoping to bring a fast finish to the furious fight. The zombie's arm catches the dwarf unaware, hammering him with colossal strength. The dwarf is sent reeling into the pillar, coughing blood into his beard as he staggers back to his feet. His left eye begins to swell shut almost immediately.

Siscero blasts the monster with his punishing black rays, but the necromantic magics has no effect against the undead creature. Talon's ray makes a more lasting impression as the fiery beam leaves a dark streak of burnt flesh in its wake. Exseo uses the distraction to circle the zombie. His sword draws another rent in the side of the ambular corpse.

[Benevolance]

[Round 3]

"'Ats tha way, lad..." Behror wheezes, spitting out one of his favorite molars, "yer's tearin' 'em up just prime."

The dwarf steps back into the fray, swinging at the zombie with strength born of desperation. With two solid whacks, the dwarf lops off the thick arm at the shoulder. The render wiggles the meaty stump ineffectually, obviously confused as to how the dwarf is not being crushed.

Siscero blinks in confusion for a moment, "oh right, Zombie..." incanting a prayer he summons forth a warhammer made of pure force. The glowing spiritual hammer buries itself into the belly of the abomination, spinning upwards through the torso to emerge from the back of the brainpan. Fetid lumps of flesh and spectacled grey-matter are strewn across Behror and Exseo. The creature, its unlife spent, crumples to the cavernous floor with a terrific splash.

Exseo, sword poised to execute the kllling blow himself, pokes his sword into the fallen beast for good measure.

[OverdrivePrime]

"Great Baaldrin's boots, what was that thing? It hits like a flailin' avalance!" Behror exclaims, then chugs down a potion of cure light wounds.

As his wounds begin to scab up a bit, Behror stoops down to pull his shield out from under the remains of the freakish creature and then eyes the rest of the area suspiciously, worried that any more of the powerful creatures will lumber into view.

[Fugu]

Exseo collects his own shield. While using its reflection to make sure he's plucked all the zombie guts out of his hair, he reflects, "What idiot wizard saw that thing and thought, 'If only it were uglier, smellier, and could live forever'?"

[Valrus]

"The opposition in this place seems to be getting dumber and messier, Yeach."

Siscero holds his nose and dismisses his spiritual weapon. "How much longer are we going to be down here, I'm running out of spells quickly."

Siscero brings out his wand and procedes to mend Behror's wounds.

[Nyoibo]

"Good question, given I'm running low too, how many more of these bracing expeditionary shennanigans are we going to be experiencing before we get some rest?

[Fugu]

"That," Exseo wrinkles his aristocratic nose at the corpse, "is not here because Mommy and Daddy zombie got frisky in the cave one night. Let's at least explore what it was guarding a bit." He chugs a healing potion and tosses the empty bottle back into his pack.

This post has been edited by Fugu: 01 May 2007 - 02:44 AM

[OverdrivePrime]

Behror shudders slightly as Siscero heals him, "Ah, thanks boyo. You're one'a tha' good ones."

The dwarf gives a quizzical look Exseo as he wipes some gore out of his beard, "Ya think that droolin' lummox was guardin' something? Can't hurt ta check, I sp'ose."


Brassweaver trolls through the water of the GRZ's room, searching for anything of interest.

Search +3

[Fugu]

Exseo has a gander at the cave-like end of the chamber in particular.

Spot +9

[Benevolance]

The vast room appears that it was once a storage room of sorts. Whatever cargo may once have been kept here, the remnants are long since gone beyond rot. The water is thick with plants and algal blooms; none of which make any attempt to devour the party.

An unusual scroll case bobs up and down in a corner of the room, trapped by a garden of freshwater kelp. Behror fishes the case out of the weeds with his weapon, and tosses the small case to Talon.

An oddly stylized script proclaims this to be "Property of Bolin Stargazer". The case is obviously magically sealed and preserved.

At the far end of the cave Exseo discovers a natural cove, opening out onto a dark lake. Starlight flickers off the water. Judging by the partially submerged statues and sunken docks, the water level was once much lower than it is in the present day.

This post has been edited by Benevolance: 10 May 2007 - 04:09 PM

[Fugu]

Oooo...

Exseo calls back to his pals, "So, who else doesn't want to climb all the way back up 80 gazillion ladders only to get ambushed by more of the Reaver's clowns? Looks like there's another way out." After sloshing back to the group, he pokes Siscero in the ribs. "Don't you want to see some real old statues and crap? Statues..." he croons. "Old ones..."

This post has been edited by Fugu: 10 May 2007 - 04:30 PM

[OverdrivePrime]

Behror excitedly follows Exseo, "Well dye me beard blue... who'd ha'e that we'd find the way out down 'ere?" He steps out under the night sky and scans around the lake with his keen dwarven vision.

"So... ye feel like campin' on the slope 'ere?"

Behror checks the immediate security of the area and begins setting up a safe spot for the group to hide out and get some shuteye.

[Benevolance]

Behror establishes a small camp on the hillside overlooking the lake, far enough up to avoid any nasty aquatic denizens. The slope is a mixture of loose boulders and patchworks of a springy, grasslike moss.

A small clutch of boulders provides enough shelter that Behror decides the party can risk a small fire. The night is cool

As Behror digs the small pit for the cookfire, he holds out his hand for the small shovel that the hovering Torin always provided. There is a momentary pang of loss as he realizes that Torin is no longer there. Siscero notices and hurries over with the shovel. Behror bids gruff thanks and finishes making the fire.

The party shares a warm dinner, the first night together since they buried their squad leader. Exseo and Behror set up a new watch rotation between the two of them, realizing that the magic users require more rest to replenish their energies.

Near morning the moon is retreating and the stars fading. It is not yet dawn. Exseo is hunkered down by a rock keeping watch, doing his best impression of inconspicuous, when the clash of metal on metal drifts to his ears. The elf perks up, peering around.

At first he sees nothing, hears nothing. Then a muffled cry and more sounds of violence. The sounds are coming from somewhere beyond the crest of the hill.

[Fugu]

Wasting no time, Exseo grabs his shiny new sword, kicks Behror lightly in the shoulder, and climbs over the hill to get a peek at the ruckus.

[OverdrivePrime]

"Eh?" Behror grunts, then wakes quickly and snaps up axe and shield. As an afterthought he belts on his light crossbow and quarrels. Quietly the dwarf creeps off after Exseo, curiosity piqued by the sounds over the rise.



Hide +4, Move Silently +4, Listen +6, Spot +7, AC 16 (unarmored)

[Benevolance]

Two sets of eyes look scan for signs of conflict. Six hundred feet down the hill, the gentle slope gives grudgingly to sparse woodland. The light wood creates remarkable obscurity despite the moonlight. Both Behror and Exseo determine the fight is happening out of their sight and within the woods.

A sudden burst of flame, the tell-tale signature of a fireball, illuminates an area of the woods eight hundred feet down the slope and two hundred feet to Exseo's left. The sound of trees crashing into trees follows. The upper branches of several nearby trees ignite, becoming beacons.

[OverdrivePrime]

"This looks ta be nothing to waltz inta unprepared for," mutters Behror to Exseo, "Let's wake the others and armor up - then we can check to see who the survivors are."

[Fugu]

Exseo looks down at his already equipped breastplate. As Behror heads back for the others, Exseo shifts on his feet, obviously really wanting to go check it out now.

"Look, just come as quick as you can!" he calls, and goes galumphing down the hillside. "Someone might need our help!"

When he reaches the treeline, Exseo slows to a creep and peers through the foliage, hoping to observe the conflict before becoming embroiled in it.

(Spot +9, Hide +3, Move Silently +3)

[OverdrivePrime]

"Ah, ye wine-drinkin' hot-head! Suit yerself... just don' get yerself kill't!"

After a moment, Behror reaches to his belt pouch and tosses a vial with gray-purple liquid to the elf, "Ye're not the sneakiest around, but this'll quiet ya down some so ye don' get sniped afore ye can see what's up."

Behror dashes back to camp, snatching up his breastplate and struggling to pull it on. "Wake up, boys! There's trouble afoot and that fool elf up and charged off on his lonesome ta check it out. C'mon Talon, up and gimme a hand w' these buckles."



(Behror tosses an elixir of sneaking to Exseo. Back at camp he is hurriedly bucking on his breastplate while nudging his friends with a boot.)

[Nyoibo]

"I was sleeping you realise?" Talon complains as Behror wakes him "If I don't sleep I don't have enough energy for my naps damn it" After putting on his chain shirt Talon helps Behror with his armour.

[Fugu]

Exseo chugs the potion.

[Move silently is now +13]

This post has been edited by Fugu: 24 May 2007 - 12:15 PM

[Benevolance]

[Exseo is 5 rounds ahead of the rest of the party]

It takes Exseo two minutes to travel down the slope, the rest of the party hastening to catch up. The sounds of conflict continue. The elf is forty feet from the nearest copse of trees when a Pandessan soldier bursts from the brush, followed moments later by another.

The men are elven, the uniforms tattered and bloody. They brandish weapons in momentary panic at the sight of Exseo, relax briefly at the realization he is not a foe, then start at the sound of wings behind them.

"Run!" exhorts one, and both resume sprinting from the woods.

From the tree tops emerge two angelic figures, charcoal-skinned elves with beatific wings of shimmering white feathers. A spear is hurled at a fleeing soldier, pinning the Pandessan to the ground. The elf cries out as he falls, causing his companion to slow up as he near Exseo, exclaiming, "Mahtan!"

They duo circle once and descend.

The taller of the two is female, clad in delicately worked chainmail that ripples like silk. She brandishes an impressively decorated tower shield in one hand and a broad-tipped shortspear in the other.

Her male companion is slightly shorter and broad by comparison in his ornate golden breastplate. His twin swords are stained with blood. He regards the newcomers with a dispassionate glare from beneath his hawkish golden helm.

"Halt, intruders. By decree of the Oligarchs, under the authority of the Weaver, I hereby declare you in trespass of these lands. The penalty for your violent intrusions is death. Your end shall be swift. Repent now and your death will be mostly painless."

[Fugu]

Damn. She's hot.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold it. Let me guess--the Reaver has threatened your homeland or something, and you're actually quite honorable, but if you don't go around killing people he'll slay your family. I can accept that. But flying around throwing fireballs at ground infantry? If you're gonna do the Beaver's dirty work, at least keep the dignity of facing his foes on the ground, one-on-one. Sure, you can gang up on me and shoot spells from a safe distance--I'm sure that's what a good little minion would do. But if one of you fights me blade-to-blade, you'll still win, and you'll prove that despite everything that's been taken from you, you still have your honor."

[Diplomacy +8]

[Benevolance]

[Diplomacy 16 + 8 = 24]

The man glances at the woman. The seconds tick by. Exseo misses whatever signal she gives, but the man apparently takes it as assent.

"You misapprehend the situation, cousin. You and your companions have come as conquerors and challenged the will of the Oligarchs. Your presence here fosters chaos. This is about upholding law."

Even saying, the man takes no further action.

This post has been edited by Benevolance: 25 May 2007 - 03:15 PM

[Fugu]

"Please. I've seen how it works down here. Somebody doesn't buy into the Oligarchs' plans for conquest, they get exterminated. Anger and misery fester beneath the surface, and stability crumbles under the weight of the Weaver's greed. It is the rule of might that he serves, not the rule of law. To be in his service is to spread madness wherever you go."

While speaking, and without looking around, Exseo tries to recall a nearby hiding place or bit of cover.

[OverdrivePrime]

"Get ready to burn tha wings them birdies, boys," Behror hisses to to Siscero and Talon as he quickens his pace toward Exseo and the wounded Pandessan team.

(Behror is running down the hill toward the encounter at a full sprint)

[Nyoibo]

"The first wrong move they make, they're dead" Says Talon as Behror takes off, following at a jog Talon tries to stay unnoticed.

[Valrus]

Siscero nearly trips over his own feet while he runs after the rest of the party clutching his scroll case in one hand and a pair of wands in the other. "What's going on? Where's Exseo?"

[Benevolance]

[Diplomacy 13+8 = 21]

The male speaks again, saying, "What you say is not entirely untrue. Those who oppose Order are destroyed without remorse. It is an act of cleansing - we excise a cancer so that the whole remains hale. Ah, look. Your companion hastens to meet his demise."

Exseo casts his mind back, but can think of no cover except for the forest. A forest that is, most unfortunately, on the other side of the winged assassins.

[Fugu]

"Listen to yourself! You hunt and kill whole villages in order to make the land healthy? Have you always felt the need for such a cleansing?"

[Readied action: total defense, 27 AC]

[Benevolance]

[Diplomacy 6 + 8 = 14]

"Your righteousness is commendable; your hypocracy is not. We do nothing that your own soldiers have not done. We will defend our lands from your unwanted intrusion; we will drive your people from our mountains; and we will scatter your armies like dust. But your part in this will end now."

He readies his swords, and the woman speaks, "Wait. Let me kiss your blade."

The golden man nods, holding the sword at shoulder's height. His eyes never waver from the two Pandessans. The woman caresses the blade with her kiss, leaving her lips stained vibrant red with the blood of Pandessans. The woman smiles, and inclines her head slightly toward Exseo. The Pandessan beside Exseo begins to back away cautiously.

The man strides forward, twin swords drawn. Exseo braces himself to weather the onslaught. He can hear Behror's surefooted staccato hammering the ground as the dwarf hurtles down the slope. Just have to hold out for a few seconds...

Exseo is flabbergasted when the angelic warrior strides right past, knocks aside the other Pandessan elf's sword, and crushes his skull with a deft strike. He strides past the body as it falls, waiting for the dwarf to arrive.

The woman sees his confusion, and explains, "I will kill you, by the method you requested."

This post has been edited by Benevolance: 27 June 2007 - 12:58 PM

[Benevolance]

[Round 1]

The valkerie engages Exseo with her shield raised. She feints with the spear, testing. Exseo dodges and feints back, cautiously testing. An arrow glances off her shield into the rocky soil. She glares at the spent missile, then at Exseo.

"Deceiver! You planned this ambush all along. I shall split your skull and leave you to rot for the harpies. No songs will be sung of your demise."

The sound of crashing feet and metal on metal heralds the arrival of Behror. The dwarf grunts as the male warrior sidesteps his charge, deflecting the axe with his shorter blade and scoring a strike with the heavier sword.

A fiery ray leaps from Talon at the man engaged with Behror. As the spell reaches the man it begins to unravel and lose focus. With a force of mental will, Talon refocuses the scorching ray and blasts through the arcane defence. The man appears very displeased.

"Spell weavers!" he proclaims, imbuing the term with vitrolic loathing.

[Benevolance]

[Round 2]

Serenes raises her spear to the heavens and a soft, white light gathers in the tip. She grounds the spear with a decisive motion, proclaiming in a haughty voice "Death to our enemies!" Divine energy bursts outward, settling like luminescent downy feathers upon Serenes and Valor. Jon curses the luck of the elf. He quickly glances across the battle, bringing another arrow to hand. Keeping aim on the same elf, he skirts around the edge of the fight, taking another shot which the heavily armoured Valkyrie easily absorbs upon her tower shield. Exseo keeps his guard up and concentrates on his footwork. He makes no attack, but keeps firm control of the battle. "Don't be that way, honey! I don't know these guys, I swear! Well, I don't know that one!" The valkyrie snarls in response, enraged.

Behind Exseo, Valor redirects Behror's attacks with a subtle turn and, taking a mighty step, propels himself into the air over and past the dwarf at the waiting spellcasters. Behror quickly delivers a desperate backhand that catches his foe unaware. The angel cries out and redirects his flight upwards, momentarily away from the battle, and But buying Talon and Siscero a moment of respite from the winged avenger. Valor sings a sonorous song of healing and the deep cut all but disappears. He looks angrily between the dwarf at the casters, as if uncertain which presents the more potent threat.

Talon seizes the hesitation and hurls a bolt of lightning at Valor. The sudden powerful burst of potent electricity causes the hair on all those nearby to stand on end; the ray swerves from its target at the last moment, bent by the unseen force that Talon around his adversary earlier. Siscero quickly casts a potent fear around Valor before his defences can reform; his eyes widen as the magical terror attempts to cloud his mind. With a bellow, he shakes free of the weave and fixes his malevolent gaze upon the two wizards.

This post has been edited by Benevolance: 01 August 2007 - 12:17 PM

[Benevolance]

[Round 3]

"Ye cowardly, cheatin' rat with wings! C'mon down and fight!" Behror shouts furiously as he runs towards Talon and Siscero and fumbles a potion from his belt pouch. He downs the contents of the bottle.

"Sure thing, guys," mutters Exseo, with a cautious jab at Serene. "You three take that one over there, and I'll just take care of this one myself." He gulps and swings. "No sweat."

Serenes looks disdainfully at the elf. "Is this the best you can muster? Fool. I will deal with you later." She makes an arcane gesture and Exseo finds himself suddenly unable to move his body. With a leap, she throws herself into the air and flies to her companion's side.

Jon matches her pace across the field of battle, loosing an arrow at Valor. The arrow shatters on his armour. "Why you insufferable little..." he begins.

"Try flying in this!" interrupts Talon, windmilling his arms furiously. A sudden gust of wind whips up a line of dust straight at the flying elf, knocking him away from the party. Valor covers his eyes against the stinging wind and beats his wings harder to keep from being blown away entirely.

[Benevolance]

[Round 4]

"Ha! Good one, Talon!" Behror shouts with mad glee. The brawny dwarf pumps his legs in a furious rush and leaps skyward toward Valor, flung forward like a cannonball. Behror manages just enough lift to snag the leg of the winged elf; the unexpected volley of dwarf catches Valor before he can react. The sudden weight begins to drag the pair earthward. Valor kicks at Behror to dislodge the dwarf. Behror holds firm, dangling by an arm.

"Valor!" cries Serenes, sighting her warrior borne to the earth by the dwarf. Jon snaps her attention back to the fight with a superbly placed arrow. Moments later, the air is rent with electricty as Talon disgorges magical lightning at the woman.

Siscero spots the rigid Exseo and recognizes the effects of a potent compulsion. He hastens to his comrade's side, pulling a scroll from his belt pouch as he does.

This post has been edited by Benevolance: 10 September 2007 - 01:05 PM

[Benevolance]

[Round 5]

Siscero hastily unfurls the scroll, glancing over his shoulder at the sudden commotion as Behror and Valor crash to the earth. He winces as Serenes intones another paralyzing invocation, silently thankful he has additional scrolls to counter her ...Right! Exseo!

Siscero returns his attention to the scroll, ready to unleash the latent curative magics. And, abruptly, Exseo is off and running. "Eat steel, cousin!" cries the elf.

"Wait!" exclaims Siscero, "I didn't even read the scroll yet!"

Heedless of the cleric's words, Exseo charges across the battle field. Valor struggles to escape from Behror's punishing choke hold but the dwarf is as unyielding as stone. Exseo plunges his sword into helpless opponent, much to the vociferous encouragement of Behror.

Siscero turns to unfreeze the latest victim of Serenes spell and is startled to see Jon still skirmishing with the armoured lady. His eyes narrow at the newcomer in Pandessan uniform, the unnatural elongation of his stride, an eerie parody to his movements. That's no man...

Siscero summons force to his fingertips, to incinerate the imposter. At the last moment, he checks himself and hurls the force at Serenes. The magical globes rip through her natural magical barrier and pummel her with arcane force, knocking her lifeless from her feet.

I can deal with him later.

This post has been edited by Benevolance: 15 September 2007 - 12:37 PM

[Benevolance]

[Round 6]

Jon's smile takes a harder edge as Serenes falls to the ground. He shifts his bow to his off-hand and rushes towards the other elf.

"Knock 'em out, Exseo!" grunts Behror as he struggles to keep his hold on the winged elf, squeezing hard on Valor's neck as he does so. Jon hesitates a step at the dwarf's call. Begrudgingly, he sees some logic to it, and goes to disable his enemy, rather than kill.

"You got it," replies Exseo, turning his sword to club Valor with the flat of the blade. Valor suddenly flexes his wings hard, breaking the stranglehold. "Serenes? Serenes? Flee!" Exseo curses as his strike is deflected by a magical aura and fails to knock the winged elf unconscious.

"Serenes? SERENES?! ANSWER ME!" Valor's voice takes on an edge of urgency. His struggles intensify. Jon finishes his charge, but fails to subdue the warrior.

[Benevolance]

"Blast it all, ye son of a pigeon! Bring 'em down tha' hard way, lads."

Valor buffets Behror with his wing, knocking the dwarf from his feet. Behror scoops up his axe as the birdman launches himself airborne. The nearby assailants strike at the fleeing avian: Jon and Behror miss; Exseo does not. With devestating precision he catches Valor in the gap between his wing and armour. Blood gouts from the rent and Valor stumbles. A warhammer, glowing with a faint nimbus of silvery light, appears over Valor and strikes with deadly force; the Outsider crumples to the ground.

[Fugu]

"Bloody drow." Exseo kicks Valor over onto his stomach and looks away. He wipes his sword on the grass and looks sourly at the newcomer.

[Nyoibo]

"Drow don't have wings" Says Talon "tough sons of bitches though"

[Fugu]

"These ones do," replies Exseo vacantly.

[Kishi]

Looking down on the corpse in front of him, Jon holds back the urge to further mutilate the corpse, at least for the moment.

"These bastards have been stalking Pandessan patrols for at least the last..." He trails off as he realizes he's not exactly sure. I couldn't have been unconscious for more than a few hours... Right? Jon shakes it off and continues. "At least the last week or so. Killed off my five squadmates in just a handful of breaths, took down another patrol of seven without any apparent trouble."

Jon looks over the assembled soldiers, trying to identify who's in command. He pulls his badge off his belt, and holds it up. "Pandessa Scouts. Any of you boys able to tell me where I am?"

[Siscero v2.0]

Siscero hastens over to join the crowd surrounding the fallen creature -- (Drow? This is no Drow.) -- carefully maintaining his concentration on his mystical hammer as he does so. He circles around, ensuring that he is facing the last remaining unknown, and cautiously kneels next to the winged male. Is he still alive? Mayhap I can ensure he lives - at least until we can question him.

[OOC: Siscero will check to see if Valor lives, and if so he will stabilize him by spontaneously casting cure minor wounds, losing a Light spell.]

This post has been edited by Siscero v2.0: 08 October 2007 - 11:32 PM

[OverdrivePrime]

Behror extends his forearm to the newcomer, "Good ta meet another soldier of the City. We're wha's left of Torin Ironmaster's squad - as good a dwarf as ye e'er met. He's buried in a small cairn back in the mountains, brought low by a minotaur."

"We were sent out to find the head of the opposition here in the mountains, and we headed for this region - the Three Hags," Behror looks up at the peaks above, "Somewhere up there is the sub-leader of this region. A powerful thrall of the goblins, called the Weaver, to hear the minotaur."

The dwarf twists his beard in embarrassment, "Ah, my mother'd clout me for an overgrown son of a gnome - the fight seems ta ha' knocked the manners right outta me. I'm Behror Brassweaver. The rest of the boys here are Exseo Silverleaf, Siscero Merados-Valikilin, an' Talon." Behror points out each as he speaks their names.

"We hav'na settled on a leader since Torin fell, but the rest o' the boys hav' been followin' my lead seein' as I'm tha handsomest one o' the bunch." A recently broken nose, an angry red puncture scar, and a chip-toothed grin show that the dwarf is a no stranger to ironic humor.

[Fugu]

Behror's joke provokes an involuntary chortle from Exseo, but it dies away immediately. He tries furtively to catch a glimpse of his own reflection in Valor's breastplate, hoping that weeks of sojourn and battle have treated his face more kindly than Behror's.

[Siscero v2.0]

Siscero blinks... and continues his examination of the crumpled form before him, already knowing that there is nothing he can do. I feel strange. The thought is fleeting, yet even so Siscero chides himself for the momentary lack of concentration.

Had anyone known to look, they might have noticed the barest of moments where is seemed as though Siscero... stopped... and then started again. Not as if he held himself still, but rather as if he became inanimate for just a fraction of a fraction of time.

No one knew to look.

Rising, Siscero shrugs and looks around at his companions. "There's nothing to be done; we'll not be questioning this one, I'm afraid. Anything else you require... sir? Healing, perhaps?" But while his conscious mind is waiting for Behror's reply, his subconscious is yelling at him, Something's different -- new. What happened?

"Sorry, sir, I missed that. My mind wandered for a moment." As he speaks the words, Siscero's mind searches for the cause of his unease. For a moment there, I felt like something... what? I felt refreshed, almost like a new person, but... Like a dream of a dream, the warnings -- if that's what they were -- of his subconscious fade, before he can even hope to grasp them. With a final shake of the head, the last vestige of his mind's presage flees, not even leaving Siscero with the realization that he thought something may have happened.

Siscero's full attention returns to the tasks at hand...

[OverdrivePrime]

Behror turns to look at his comrade with his right eye narrowed ever-so-slightly, "Siscero, you call me "Sir" one more time and I'll make it so's your mouth tastes like a sack o' copper pieces. It's always been Behror or Brassweaver or Hey Arseface, stop chargin' headlong into blades! No need to start with this Sir bollocks jus' 'cause we lost Torin."

The brawny dwarf smiles then and says, "And yeah, I'm still me. I could use a charge o' that healin' wand o' yers. And it looks like our new friend here could use onner two also."

[Siscero v2.0]

"Whoa!" Siscero takes a couple of steps back, his hands held before as if to fend off the dwarf. "No offence meant, s-... Uh, Arseweaver!" His face breaks into a wide grin.

"Ok, some healing coming up." He puts his pack down and kneels beside it. Muttering under his breath he rummages through the pack, removing an assortment of items: a piece of leather, some copper wire, a dart. The silvery hammer floating above Valor winks out of existence.

Pausing, Siscero looks around, absently points to Talon and Exseo, then continues his search, mumbling all-the-while. "A-ha!" he exclaims, shortly. "Damned thing slipped to the bottom of my pack." He arises holding a familiar wand in his hand, and walks over to Behror, stepping between him and the new-met scout. A flow of healing energy passes into his dwarven comrade as Siscero taps him lightly on the shoulder. "Better?"

With a deep intake of breath, Siscero again begins to mumble, his fingers quickly and deftly tracing arcane symbols before him. He spins on the spot to face the so-called scout, and a brilliant ray of light leaps from his fingertips, striking towards the imposter. Siscero backs up rapidly, shouting, "Exseo, Talon! Beware the imposter! The scout's an Outsider! Take him alive!"

This post has been edited by Siscero v2.0: 09 October 2007 - 03:43 PM

[Fugu]

Exseo brings his sword back to hand immediately and faces the 'scout' with menace, but hesitates in expectation of Torin's unforthcoming orders.

[Nyoibo]

"One false move and you're dead" Says Talon his hands beginning to weave a spell.

[OverdrivePrime]

Behror takes a step to put him self on the opposite side of the scout from Exseo and bellows, " Freeze, Alla Yas! Still yer spells and drop yer weapons or I'll drop 'em for ye!" Behror's Waraxe snaps up and hovers menacingly between Siscero and the Scout accused of outsiderness.

To the scout, he growls, "Explain. Fast."

This post has been edited by OverdrivePrime: 10 October 2007 - 11:09 AM

[Benevolance]

Jon's blood turns to ice. He takes a step back, hands empty. "What the hell? I'm no imposter, I'm Pandessa born and bred." He looks at the two corpses on the ground. "Why the hell would I help off those damn bastards if I was just trying to kill you?"

[Kishi]

Jon grimaces as the magic drains him, but keeps his position. He ignores Siscero for the moment, and looks at Behror. "I'm an orphan. Parents both died while in the service, and their families gave me to the city." He shrugs. "City'll take care of a kid, but not for free. Some argue, but I was glad to. So, there was training. Experiments. Had to drink a half dozen different alchemical solutions every day for a year and a half. Turned my skin grey, but it also made me faster. Quieter. Could see in dead dark as well as any dwarf. Not everything they were giving me took, but enough did that they were pleased with it."

He can't help but feel tense, wishing that he'd been sent out with some more convincing proof of his Pandessan blood. Possibly said a bit more than I should have, but if it's the only thing that'll keep me from dying...

[OverdrivePrime]

"I've heard weirder," grunts Behror, "What's yer name, an' who's yer commanding officer?"

This post has been edited by OverdrivePrime: 10 October 2007 - 03:11 PM

[Kishi]

"Jon Storm. My squad was led by a half-elf named Taggard, until about a week ago."

[Siscero v2.0]

"He's weakened, pin him!" shouts Siscero over top of the imposter's protestations. No one moves. Then Jon's full explanation sinks in. "Experimentation? Surely you've got a better story than that? What proof do you have?"

Behror's comments echo his own, except... He's heard weirder?! Have I heard anything similar? He casts his thoughts back, trying to recall any stories or rumours of such experimentation. Surely I would have heard of this.

[OOC: Lance, have I heard anything?]

This post has been edited by Siscero v2.0: 10 October 2007 - 04:27 PM

[Siscero v2.0]

"Jon, I suggest you disarm - now - while we figure this out."

Directing his next comments to Behror, Siscero adds, "I may be able to prove or disprove its -- his -- claims, but I need to confer with Talon. If you could keep an eye on him? But remember! He's definitely not a normal Man. He'll have some tricks, even if disarmed."

With that warning, Siscero walks over to Talon and whispers, "Ever hear of ITS?" He grins. "Thought you might have. But I've heard they might have been doing this kind of thing -- a 'make the perfect soldier', kind of project. Quite interesting really..." His eyes start to become unfocussed. "But I digress. Let's compare notes, then tomorrow I can question him -- once I've prepared a few things."

This post has been edited by Siscero v2.0: 10 October 2007 - 07:06 PM

[Fugu]

Exseo holds his sword up, stance tense, still facing Jon.

"Alright. I don't believe a word you've said, and I'm about a twitch away from thwacking you into unconsciousness, and we both know I could. I didn't take a scratch in that battle, and you look like you're barely strong enough to hold up your own britches. If you really are Pandessan, you can save us both the awkwardness of a ripening welt on your forehead by lying face down on the ground, hands spread out, as long as it takes for my pals to decide you're trustworthy. If you are, I'll buy you all the mead you can drink first chance we get."

[Nyoibo]

"I've heard of experiments going on, they usually get passed off as urban legends, but I could see it happening, apparently it has." Says Talon looking over a Jon.

[Kishi]

Jon lowers down to his knees, hands still spread apart. He looks to Exseo. "You want my weapons? I've got the sword, and everything else is in the quiver." As he stretches out on the ground, he mutters to the elf, "Best start saving your pay, trooper. I'm going to be real thirsty by the next time I hit leave."

[OverdrivePrime]

Behror thinks for a minute, "I'm sorry, Storm. I hav' na' heard of this Taggart. It seems like tha spell slingers can't figger out who 'er wha the drek ye are, so we'll hav' ta do this mundie style. How's about you tell us where yer from, where ye lived, what streets yer barracks was on, and any o' yer history that we could verify by bein' soldier's o' Pandessa."

[Siscero v2.0]

Siscero's ears perk up at Behror's comments, "Actually there is something I can do, but I'll need to prepare. I'll be ready in the morning. Feel free to question him all you like in the meantime, though."

Looking directly at Jon, his suspicions still plain to hear, he adds, "We'll have to make sure he's properly restrained until then - just in case." His eyes shift back to the dwarf, "And do it fast, before his strength returns."

[Fugu]

Exseo hands Jon's weapons to Behror and takes a length of rope from his own pack. He binds Jon's hands, then invites Jon to follow him back to the camp (at sword point), where he binds Jon's feet.

"Again, you'll have my deepest apologies when this is all sorted out, stranger. I'd expect nothing less if your squad were forced to treat me in this way."

(Use rope +3, Diplomacy +8)

[Kishi]

Jon winces when Exseo pulls out the rope. "That's going to chafe like hell. I've got some better rope in my pack."

Heading back to camp, he talks about Pandessa. The orphanage, trying to remember if any of the other kids ended up in the Infantry. The city, talking about one of the merchants who'd sometimes give kids a couple of free grapes. Training, mentioning any of the memorable sergeants. The camp, sharing an anecdote about one of the quartermasters trying to short his squad on equipment, and how they took care of that.

[OverdrivePrime]

"You guys bring 'em back to camp and keep 'em under watch. There's something else we shouldn't be forgetting," says Behror.

The dwarf jogs back and checks both drow for any sign of life or trickery. Finding none, he liberates each of their equipment, checks for false teeth or compartments in boots and other such trickery to be expected from intelligent outsiders. With their equipment gathered in a bundle, he hurls the dead female into some nearby bushes, and slings the male over his shoulder and brings the body back to camp.

To Siscero and Talon he says, "either o' you two got any magics tha' can talk to tha dead? We might be able to learn somethin' interesting from this one. I can go get tha female if ya think she'd have better information fer us."

Then he sets down the bundle of equipment and begins inspecting it for usefulness.

[Siscero v2.0]

"I'm afraid I don't have anyway to help you, Behror," comes the somewhat sheepish reply.

[OOC: newbie spell caster here -- everything I've seen so far (Speak with Dead, etc) is too highlevel for Siscero, correct?]

[Benevolance]

Behror recognizes two magical rods cleverly inlaid in Serenes' spear. He snaps the otherwise mundane spear to expose the rods and tucks them away. Her finely crafted chainmail ripples like silk, a craftmanship so fine that even Behror is impressed. An assortment of small gems rounds out the collection.

[Gems worth 500 gp in miscellaneous small stones]

The party returns to camp, on the more defensible slope atop the ridge facing the lake. About mid-morning, Talon and Behror return to the scene of the battle to bury the Pandessan dead. During the day, Exseo and Behror take turns guarding the newcomer. The following morning, at daybreak, Siscero prepares his spells...

This post has been edited by Benevolance: 18 October 2007 - 10:27 AM

[OverdrivePrime]

As he guards Jon, Behror checks over the gems and the equipment of their foes, "Oy - can any o' ye tell if tha shirt 'ere is whammied up wi' magics? An' d' ye recognize wha' kinda rods these are?"

Later, when it's Exseo's turn at guard duty, Behror is hit with an idea. He works his way out of his uncomfortable, hastily buckled-on armor, and then tries to pull on the dainty chain mail over his thickly-corded arms and barrel-like chest.

This post has been edited by Benevolance: 18 October 2007 - 10:27 AM

[Benevolance]

The chain mail melds to his ample dimensions.

[OOC - Please note the DM is a dirty liar. It is chainmail, not a chain shirt.]

This post has been edited by Benevolance: 18 October 2007 - 10:28 AM

[OverdrivePrime]

Behror pulls off the stretchy chain shirt with a grin, "Yup! It's whammied up a'right!"

He begins carefully buckling his normal armor back on, "Now... meybe if Jon is who 'e sez 'e is, this'd make a decent apology. Though if Siscero's got tha right o' it... think ya can cast in this shirt? Slag and cinders, this thing is lighter'n me ol' gal's brassiere!"

[Siscero v2.0]

"Hmm... what? Oh!" Siscero pulls his nose from a large tome he's been poring over for the last hour. "Armour? No -- wait, enchanted? I'll definitely want to look at it. It's a fascinating field of study, in its own way. Has its own set of complications. You see, the master armourer must imbue the work with arcane energies during the smithing process..." He cuts himself short, as the dwarf's eyes begin to glaze. "It really is fascinating," he asserts, somewhat defensively.

"I'll look at it tomorrow, but right now I'm trying to determine how to tell if we have a traitor or a guinea pig in our midst." With a haughty sniff, he plants his nose back in his book.

OOC: the next morning, he'll prep and cast Touch of Idiocy, Detect Thoughts, and Zone of Truth. He'll also suggest keeping Jon awake during the night so that he can't rest enough to prep any spells of his own, as a safety precaution. Plus it might make him more pliable during questioning.
Presumably this works and we are convinced he is a loyal Pandessan!

[Nyoibo]

"I can cast in armour, it's what we train for" Says Talon looking over the chain.

[Kishi]

Jon remains largely cooperative, but balks at being kept awake all night. "Oh, come on!" He holds up his bound wrists. "Where the hell do you think I'm going? How is keeping me awake all night going to make any difference?"

This post has been edited by Kishi: 23 October 2007 - 11:33 PM

[Fugu]

Exseo leans into Jon's face. "Hey! You'll stay awake if we say you'll-" Exseo stands up and scratches his neck. "Say, now, isn't that going a bit far after all?"

This post has been edited by Fugu: 23 October 2007 - 10:41 PM

[OverdrivePrime]

"Yeh, best we not become monsters in our pursuit o' them," puts in Behror, "If Jon here starts to cast anything, Exseo an' I'll clunk 'im o'er the head wi'h somethin' heavy an' painful."

[Siscero v2.0]

"If he's a monster, a little lack of sleep will be the least of his worries. And one night's disruption is hardly excessive!" Siscero argues. "And if he's human - and friendly - then Exseo's already promised to drown him in ale.

"Just make sure he isn't well-rested."

Of course, if he is an Outsider, he probably doesn't even need much rest, if any. Ah well, we can only do what we can do. Siscero puts further thoughts of Jon's comfort out of his head, as seeks to find a comfortable bit of ground, and some much needed rest of his own.

OOC: assuming it is night-time by now?

[Kishi]

"At least let me get a couple hours of sleep," Jon asks. "It's not like it'll be comfortable. And once you're done figuring out I am who I say I am, we won't want to have to wait around so I can rest up before we march on."

[Siscero v2.0]

"I've put in my two bits," Siscero grouses. "Do with it as you will. But make sure he shuts up -- I'm tired."

[OverdrivePrime]

Behror takes first watch, and talks with Jon almost incessantly, alternating between asking Jon about the various Outsiders that Jon and his alleged unit encountered prior to their meeting, and the finer points of smelting the various nobler metals as well as theories of alloys.

[Benevolance]

The next morning...

[OverdrivePrime]

Behror, a little groggy on just 5 hours sleep, none-the-less gets breakfast going, and then heads over to talk to Siscero while Exseo watches Jon, "Alright, let's get crackin' on this. I don' wanna waste any more time than we need to figure out if Siscero is who he says he is. We got goblins ta find an' kill. If Jon can help us, I wanna know. If we gotta put 'im ta tha axe, I'd like ta be done wi'h 'at bus'ness quickly."

[Kishi]

Jon, having (hopefully) caught a couple hours of sleep during the night, is awake well before dawn. He starts bugging Siscero as soon as the mage moves from his bedroll. "Come on, let's get this done."

[Nyoibo]

Talon comes over to the questioning and tells Jon "One wrong move and you fry, understand?"

[Fugu]

Exseo looks uncomfortably between Jon and Talon. As ugly as this has gotten, I'm not sure whether I even want him to be Pandessan. Awkward...

He looks thoughtfully at Jon while Siscero casts his spells.

And there's the ale to consider.

[Siscero v2.0]

Giving Jon a dark look, Siscero grabs his pack and walks until he can no longer hear any nagging. An hour passes as the mage prepares himself. Returning to the main part of the camp, he stops just long enough to down a morsel of food.

He sits directly before Jon and looks to his companions, ensuring that they are ready. Incanting softly, he reaches out to touch the captive's forehead, releasing arcane energy as he does so. Taking a breathe, he pulls a talisman from his belt pouch and focuses upon it, once again muttering mystic words under his breathe and gesturing.

Standing and stepping back, he maintains his watch on Jon, judging the effect of his wizardry, "You have three minutes." Replacing the talisman, he extracts another item from his pouch, this time pulling out a copper penny. If anything, his gaze intensifies as, for the third time, he incants. When he finishes, he continues to focus on the prisoner, as his comrades begin the questioning...

OOC: Touch of Idiocy, Zone of Truth, Detect Thoughts