"Gabriel is right, we can all vouche for ourselves, so we are safe, but everybody else is a suspect. I could see the Shadow Claw deciding to destroy or out right dominate all of his other servitors to ensure another breach does not happen again. Not only are their unlives at risk, but so is their free will."
Vesta, with a bored expression, checks her nails as the others discuss. She then turns to the assembled group and asks,
"Now what?"
"You get to scare all of the Shadow Claw's minions into revealing who the traitor is"
Gabriel uses his leverage as one of the Shadow Claw's older servants to get those undead that retain free will within his service to assemble in the chamber that the daemons entered through the portal. Looking through the twenty-ish greater undead there you see that they are predominately spectral beings, though there are a couple of liches and a handful of field generals of skeletal form.
For the most part they accept the need for some degree of introspection after the assault, but these are beings used to a measure of respect and all have been in the service of the dracolich longer than you have. Offense may be taken if words are not carefully framed...
Gabriel looks over the assembled group and cannot see that any are missing. The only ones that are not present are known to be acting on the master's interests in wider Geb.
Vesta does her best to look frightening, though given the crowd she merely blends in.
Telepathically through Gabriel, Gathroc says to his companions ::"One of us needs to take the lead here. Should be Ignac, Gabriel or I. Gabriel is a trusted servant of the Shadow Claw while Ignac and I are generals and thus know how best to talk to our subordinates properly. It matters not which of us does so, just so long as he is confidant he can pull this off without enraging those gathered here."::
::Not too confident I can pull it off without doing that, I was never known for being endearing to my subordinates. I commanded them through fear rather than adoration, and I doubt I could make those assembled afraid of my presence.::
"While you guys are doing this I will go with whoever is not needed to look for more of these stones."
I will activate detect magic and then leave with whom ever wants to come.
"While you guys are doing this I will go with whoever is not needed to look for more of these stones."
I will activate detect magic and then leave with whom ever wants to come.
::I'll go with daemon. It's possible youre about to get yourself killed and I'd rather not be caught in the crossfire.:: vesta says telepathically
Grigore hasn't been a direct servant of the Shadow Claw for long, and as such, he will simply wait to the side of Gathroc or Ignac, impatiently waiting for the solution to this intrusion.
Conducting a sweep of the ziggurat, Daemon and Vesta are initially frustrated by a lack of success... though their persistence is rewarded when they find a similar looking stone within the higher levels of the ziggurat - the same chamber that the scrying table was situated.
Gabriel adopts a centre-stage position.
Thank-you all for coming. I know that you have important tasks in this time of trial, and all of our contributions are crucial to the plans of our Master. However, there has been a serious security breach: No doubt you heard about the Daemons that managed to breach the perimeter. They were able to do so, because someone had left a teleportation focus in the room where the incursion occurred. It has been verified that the unintelligent undead had not been interferred with, which leaves us with the only reasonable conclusion being that one of us has either been coerced, controlled, or has defected to one of the other sides...
...However, such a serious breach is something that our Master will be unable to ignore, especially at this time. I fear that, unless we uncover whom is responsible, he will be forced to destroy or mindwipe us all. Please, if anyone saw anything, or suspects anything, they should step forward now...
A small hubbub and murmuring begins among the assembled powerful undead servitors as a mixture of outrage, concern and suspicion begin to well up. Some begin to turn their gaze upon those beside them, others regard Gabriel with unchanged countenance. Your dead eyes scan the assembled, looking for any sign of deceit or deception...
Gathroc watches those assembled intently, looking for any signs that might give away the one responsible for the betrayal.
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After finding the stone, I speak to Vesta. "Perhaps we should not be so hasty to destroy this one? We could set a trap, place the stone inside a trap that will allow enemies to teleport to the stone but not out? A planer binding and a circle of protection perhaps?"
As your regard the audience, there is a single figure that sticks out to Gathroc and Grigore. You notice that one of the minor liches in the Shadow Claw's service seems unsure and appears deep in retrospective thought.
After finding the stone, I speak to Vesta. "Perhaps we should not be so hasty to destroy this one? We could set a trap, place the stone inside a trap that will allow enemies to teleport to the stone but not out? A planer binding and a circle of protection perhaps?"
"sounds good. I assume you know how to do that. "
"sounds good. I assume you know how to do that. "
I do indeed, It will be quite the challenge though and will require some time to prepare, at least a few days... and funds and supplies... hummm."
Gathroc informs Gabriel of what he's discovered about the suspect lich ::"What shall we do with our possible culprit? I do not want to step on your master's claw, as it were, in this matter"::
I am certain that if we have Sssarvith with us, it will help to legitimate matters. We definitely need to have a 'chat' with that lich.
"sounds good. I assume you know how to do that. "I do indeed, It will be quite the challenge though and will require some time to prepare, at least a few days... and funds and supplies... hummm."
"We could always enlist the aid of the shadow claws minions. This is for his benefit, after all. No need for us to pay out of pocket. " Vesta suggests
Dismissing the rest of the minions of the Shadow Claw, you retain Sssarvith and the lich that drew your suspicion in the chamber. The spellcaster is a lesser being than yourselves, but still has some sway over the dark powers. He is dressed simply in a red and gold ornate robe and his skeletal form has been allowed to have all flesh decay from it. He looks nervously between the party members.
Sssarvith communes telepathically with Gabriel to ken your intent and awaits your move.
Through Gabriel:What's so special about this one?
To Ignac:
He aroused Gathroc's suspicions. He seemed a trifle... too... uncomfortable.
To Sssarvith:
I would rather not accuse him straight-up; it is remotely possible that he is being controlled/manipulated, rather than handing himself over willingly... Let's see what we can work out.
To the Lich:
Right. Is there something that you would like to tell us? You seemed rather... nervous... back there. I would prefer to hear your side of the story, before assumptions are made...
::Very well.::
Vesta returns to the group and encourages Daemon to do the same.
The lich in question shifts on it's feet in confusion "I know not what you ask of me Gabriel... I have been ever faithful to my lord."
:: He seems to speak the truth. At least, as he sees it.::
Then why did you, out of all the others, seem so nervous when we asked for any information? Have you seen something?
The lich regards you each in turn before answering "There is a gap in my memory of this past few days. I believed I walked among the city streets... then blackness and I awoke later at rest here."
That... is troubling. I take it that nothing like this has ever happened before? Are you confident that your phylactery secure?
Is it possible that he could have been possessed?
I'm not too learned of possession, so I can't rightly tell you.
The lich affirms that his phylactery is secure, taking it from within his robes to show you. He also shakes his head to indicate that this is the first occasion in which time has been lost.
"Ive never posessed a lich. I'm not even sure it's possible. Many undead are immune to such things. "
::"Are there not spells that could wipe out or alter a person's memory? They would need to powerful indeed to affect one of us however, or come from a powerful source. Of course, if such occured, could it be that it only *thinks* what it possesses is its phylactery, but in reality its just a fake?"::
To the lich,
"Do you think you may have been posessed or was your body destroyed and regenerated at your Phalacry."
"This is troubling if even lich cannot walk the streets unhindered." I look troubled as he pulls out his phalacry.
Daemon's inspection of his own phylactery shows no sign of tampering that he can ken.
The lich shrugs his bony shoulders in confusion "I do not believe myself to have been ended to renew here... I have no means of explaining how the black spot arose in my memory."
Would you mind if we had a look around your domicile for any clues? If the security breach is associated with your 'black spot', we need to try and sort it out, quickly...
The lich nods his assent to the search, before leading you through the ziggurat towards it. After a couple of minutes he indicates a room at the end of the hallway "My place of solitude is within."
"Any security measures we should know about before we enter?" Gathroc says as he draws forth his blade.