Lucina fluttered over to where the others were talking to Grilsha, but just watched quietly from the nearby tree. Noticing the weight on the woman's shoulder, Lucina let out a sigh. Ever since the masquerade ball, she had felt something in Grilsha that seemed familiar. As a result, she found it a struggle not to feel bad for her.
"However, you do have a point - even though a small Palisade is still a fierce-some foe." She concentrated for a moment and dissected the magic to release Palisade from its effect. "Happy?""This one's happiness is not relevant, but it thanks you of its return to normal combat status," Palisade said, inspecting its body to satisfy itself no lingering effects of Lady d'Deneith's enchantment remained.
Bronwyn looked up at Palisade, suddenly missing her little 'forged that she had towered over. "You may think your happiness is irrelevant but that doesn't mean you don't feel it. Does it make you happy to be big again? Is it more gratifying to be large again?"
Bronwyn looked up at Palisade, suddenly missing her little 'forged that she had towered over. "You may think your happiness is irrelevant but that doesn't mean you don't feel it. Does it make you happy to be big again? Is it more gratifying to be large again?"
Palisade cocked its head to one side as it considered the question. "Hesitant. Please define what it is like to feel something," the 'forged asked in its toneless voice. "This one recognizes the resored combat potential and the incresed efficiency in protecting your life that comes with it. Not to be able to defend you would be inexcusable. Query. Does being able to do what one exists to do mean this one is happy?"
Squeak stepped forward - but not too forward. "Really? You display a lot of loyalty to your brother. I think you are surprised he abandoned you to the Emerald Claw and Us. I think that if you think hard you will remember other times recently where he has behaved strangely. Am I right?"
Squeak stepped forward - but not too forward. "Really? You display a lot of loyalty to your brother. I think you are surprised he abandoned you to the Emerald Claw and Us. I think that if you think hard you will remember other times recently where he has behaved strangely. Am I right?"
She shook her head, "You think he abandoned me on purpose? Is that really what you think?'
She sobbed, "He's trying to do he right thing but he's not himself. Just leave him alone."
She sobbed, "He's trying to do he right thing but he's not himself. Just leave him alone."
"Query. Please define this 'right thing' you mentioned. Assurance. We are not here to kill the subject, merely to detain him and recover an artifact he has stolen from the Brelish crown. We seem the only faction to be on his trail, however, and the other involved parties seem less reluctant to spill blood to get what they want. Your cooperation would be appreciated, to facilitate a bloodless end to this incident," Palisade declared, staring down at the redhead emerging from under the guise of the old woman.
Lucina just listened quietly to both sides. Seems like she might just be in denial...or at least doesn't realize that the sword is affecting his personality. Still, hopefully she talks more. I wouldn't be surprised if our employers withheld information from us..
Action 1:
Bronwyn continued to try and extract information, although it was becoming more and more evident that they had squeezed as much as they could from this particular captive. "And did your Captain and his men survive? Did they get away or were they the ones who flew their airship into Cloud's Destiny?"
Action 2:
Query. Does being able to do what one exists to do mean this one is happy?”
Bronwyn contemplated how to explain feelings to the 'forged. She had been trying to do so for years but was fairly confident that she was making some headway. At least this time Palisade had asked a follow-up question rather than just dismissing her. She smiled, "Kind of. Doing one's purpose in life is often a source of feeling satisfied and happy. And on the other side, when you were smaller and couldn't fulfill your purpose then you were feeling upset. Otherwise you wouldn't have asked me to reverse the magic. You would have just let it wear off on its own."
Action 3:
Bronwyn gave the Captain a sympathetic smile. "Don't feel too bad about that. Vampires are able to manipulate the minds of others which is what he must have done to you. He didn't want his presence to be known so he made sure you couldn't remember. Although it is curious that he didn't do the same to your crew." She turned to the sailor who had spoken, "Or didn't he notice that you saw him?"
She clapped her hands together, "Well that's one mystery solved. Although knowing the answer isn't really helpful in figuring out where Lucan may be going next."
Action 4:
Bronwyn tried to determine if Grilsha honestly didn't recognize them or if Lucan had also manipulated part of his sister's memory as well.
She shook her head, "You think he abandoned me on purpose? Is that really what you think?'
She sobbed, "He's trying to do he right thing but he's not himself. Just leave him alone."
The wizard's mind was quickly trying to make connections based on what Grilsha was saying and what she had witnessed up on the airship before the collision. Grilsha's first comment explained her tears, Lucan must have left her.
Bronwyn motioned at Grilsha to come and sit beside her in the skiff. "We truly do not wish to harm your brother. Come, we have much to talk about. Firstly, I'm sorry that Lucan left but I doubt he did so to abandon you but most likely to protect you. He probably realized the danger he was putting you in when the airships collided."
"Secondly, I'm assuming you're meaning he's not himself apart from now being a vampire. He carries a sword in that glove he wears, doesn't he? That sword is one of great evil that is capable of possessing the bearer and making them act in ways they never would otherwise. I know because it did the same thing to my uncle. Grilsha, I saw your brother trying to fight against a compulsion when we were on the airship and it caused him pain. There's something controlling him. Maybe with your help, we can save him from the same fate as my uncle. Where was he headed?"
Action 1:
Bronwyn tried to look encouraging. "We know of the sword but I'm not sure how he can get rid of it. It was physically taken from my uncle when he was arrested. Then he was executed before anyone cared to figure out it was the sword, not him, who had caused him to behave the way he had."
"I was hoping that removing the sword from your brother would remove its influence but him being a vampire is making that process very difficult. How did your brother become a vampire and why did he steal the sword to begin with? That may help us figure out who set him on this path to begin with."
Action 2:
Bronwyn's stomach twisted with dread. "That doesn't sound good. I would hate to think of what an entity could do with the sword's power. Wait, where did we crash land?" The wizard visibly blanched when she realized what area they were in. "I've heard that tombs of some of the greatest heroes of the Dhakkani Empire exist in this area. If Lucan is going to give that sword to some powerful undead, I shudder to think what may happen. No wonder the Emerald Claw is involved."
"When you say 'we'" Squeak interjected "Did he say you and he, or might the sword have been talking through him? Either way I've little doubt that your brother is not coming back to you if he delivers that sword."
Jorlyn listened to Grilsha from behind the distraught woman, ready to stab her should things turn out not to be as they seemed. Could she really be as deluded as she seemed to be about her brother and his intentions?
Dhakkani ruins? Lucina thought to herself. I don't remember reading about this area...but it is certainly plausible...And if she is right, there could certainly be ancient evils in those tombs. Ancient things that certainly don't need to get their grip on a cursed sword...
Action 1:
"I was hoping that removing the sword from your brother would remove its influence but him being a vampire is making that process very difficult. How did your brother become a vampire and why did he steal the sword to begin with? That may help us figure out who set him on this path to begin with."
Grilsha shook her head, "I do not know but I do know that it happened very recently. I knew he worked for the King but he never said what he did but I always suspected that it was something dangerous."
She continued, "A few days ago, he to tell me he was leaving and he looked really sad. I begged him to come along and he grudgingly accepted. We set out of Sharn on a carriage and I think you know the rest..."
-------------
OOC: I still need to know some sort of direction of what to do. Options include: a) stay here and head out in the morning (?), b) head out now (Lucan has an approximate 15-20 minute head start), or c) other?
Jorlyn couldn't believe his ears. Sheating Ice for the moment, he stepped forward and said, "Look, I'm sorry that you lost your brother, but I'm pretty sure that thing out there isn't Lucan. Not anymore. Vampires aren't people any more. What they are is very good at manipulation. And also evil, let's not forget that. So I think we need to wipe our eyes and get out there after him! Whatever creature he's handing it to, it ain't gonna be friendly. Lucina - can you pick up his trail from the air? Come on, folks, let's hop to it!"
Bronwyn fixed Jorlyn with an intense stare. "Jorlyn, I thought you'd know better than to be so closed-minded about who are or who aren't considered people. There are lots of people who believe 'forged shouldn't be given a place in humanity and many also believe they're evil because they were made for war. And that is absolutely not true. We can't be so quick to write-off Grilsha's brother. I saw Lucan fighting against the draw of the sword. It's not as black and white as you seem to think." The wizard held up her hand as Jorlyn opened his mouth to argue further. "However...however, I do agree that we need to track Lucan sooner than later. We can't allow him to turn that sword over to whatever entity he's planning on giving it to. That would definitely be bad."
Lucina listened quietly to both Bronwyn and Jorlyn. She was not sure who was right. Lucan had certainly shown flickers of humanity, but she also was well read on the corrupting power of both cursed items and the process of transforming to undead. She was not confident that any promise of redemption for Lucan would amount to more than just false hope. However, she they were both right on one account. Lucan getting that sword to wherever he was planning would not end well for anyone. So, she took to the skies and flew out and around the surrounding area. She had failed to see tracks from the ground, but perhaps from the air she would see something she had missed...
Jorlyn opened his mouth to rebut Bronwyn's arguement, then shut it again. Damn, I'm getting my Faces all muddled again. Jorlyn would agree with Bronwyn. Come on, Vi, get it together!
Jorlyn swept down into a humble bow. "Of course, you are correct, sweet Maiden of Flame. Forgive me, battle makes my blood run hot, and my temper hotter. Perhaps Lucan can be saved. But we must save that debate for when we have the bloodsucker in hand. For now, we must depart, with haste." Still, his hand kept returning to Ice's hilt, as if eager to draw it, and to draw blood.
Turning to the captain, he said, "We must be off, evil to fight, worlds to save, that sort of thing. Best of luck to you." Grabbing his ioun stone, he threw it into a wobbly orbit around his head, and started out into the wilds, hoping to find a clue as to where the vampire had gone.
She smiled, "Kind of. Doing one's purpose in life is often a source of feeling satisfied and happy. And on the other side, when you were smaller and couldn't fulfill your purpose then you were feeling upset. Otherwise you wouldn't have asked me to reverse the magic. You would have just let it wear off on its own."
Palisade gave the reply due thought. "Hesitant agreement. Perhaps there is something in what you said, Lady d'Deneith. Feeling upset when not able to function at full efficiency... Observation. Feelings act as mental warning system, like pain response in humans, warning to desist activities likely to cause one harm. Yes, this one believes it can see the connection. Thus, if being upset equals pain on the physical scale, what would feeling of satisfaction equal? Prompt answer. Pleasure would be the opposite physical symptom. Lady d'Deneith. Thank you for your insight. This one will have to give this concept some thought. Addendum. And prepare a conversion chart for ease of interpretation."
"If we follow now, perhaps we can find him when he sleeps for the day." Squeak turned to Grilsha "He does sleep for the day, doesn't he? That's been one of our suppositions."
"Grilsha. You should come with us. Perhaps you can help persuade your brother to give up the sword. While we will use lethal force on your brother, it is my understanding that vampires can return from that state if not disposed of correctly. If you come with us you can help to ensure that does not happen." Squeak looked pointedly at the captain "The other option would be to stay here, among the people whose vessel your lies helped destroy, with no witnesses."
"Tactics." the warforged declared. "Do we need to rush in before we resupply?"
"Tactics." the warforged declared. "Do we need to rush in before we resupply?"
"The subject already has a major head start," Palisade said, watching the ziggurat and its immediate surroundings with professional interest. "However, we do not know how much time he requires for possible preparations for relinguihsing the blade to its new wielder. Perhaps a ritual of some sort is required, assuming the subject isn't meeting a living Dhakaani descendant. The word ‘entity’ used does not indicate this would be the case. Thus, knowing time is possibly of the essence, this one suggests only taking time for critical precautions.”
”The location is highly advantageous for the defender, with no cover on the approach and only one obvious entrance to defend. Likelihood of covert entry seems very low,” the ‘forged went on, surveying the scene with its single eye. ”The water surrounding the target might prove hazardous, depending on its depth. Even an ankle-deep moat could hide natural predators who would contest anyone’s approach to their territory.”
Lucina flew back to the other once she had spotted the tracks and squawked a few times to let them know. However, a quick look at Bronwyn made her hesitate from immediately leading them away. You know, for how annoyingly overprotective those warforged are, you think they would be more concerned about that arrow wound. She can't fight Lucan like that... Flying up to Bronwyn, she landed on her roughly then let out a burst of positive energy through her claws.
Launching off of Bronwyn in an equally ungraceful manner, she took to the skies and squawked once more, as if to say, if you are coming, you better follow.
---
At sight of the ruins, Lucina landed somewhat wearily. It was rare for her to stay in an animal form for an extended period of time. Still, she could not be sure what would lie ahead. The ruins themselves were an interesting, but unfamiliar sight. So she was right...They do look like they could be Dhakaani...But I wonder why it was built...and what darkness might dwell inside that lures the sword towards it. I really need to study up on the Dhakaani Empire again....
Nope
Jorlyn let out a soft whistle. "Right. Nothing at all creepy or ominous about that place. Hmm. Shall I go ahead? See if I can sneak up a bit, scout it out?"
Pulling the black hood of his cloak up, Jorlyn tried to blend with the shadows as he approached the entrance.
Action 1:
"Ow, no, wait, Lucina, ow! Bad bird!" Bronwyn expressed her discomfort as Lucina landed on her causing her greater pain to her existing wounds. But seconds later, healing energy flowed into the wizard and she sighed in relief, "Thanks Lucina!" But her rough launch in the air garnered another, "Hey, Ow! You're not supposed to cause more damage than you heal, you know."
Action 2:
Bronwyn was not happy about traipsing through the woods again. Her dress kept getting snagged on shrubbery and her feet were damp. She was uncertain why her feet were getting wet until she saw the shallow moat around the pyramid. "I do not want to get wet. I'm already cold."
When she finally stopped to take a good look at the structure she went very still and quiet before uttering, "Not good, very not good."
She pointed at the temple, "That ziggurat was dedicated to Ker'lash, a fiend that would make what my uncle did on par with a puppy licking your face. If Lucan gives him the sword then we're all doomed. Oh, and not surprisingly, the place is also rumored to be haunted. So, fun times ahead."
[dice=knowledge that thing]1d20+1
Jorlyn let out a soft whistle. “Right. Nothing at all creepy or ominous about that place. Hmm. Shall I go ahead? See if I can sneak up a bit, scout it out?”
"Scouting is a sensible tactic," Palisade agreed, nodding its head. "Please ensure you do not progress far enough to lose sight of us, or you risk of walking into an ambush and being killed before you can return to warn us about the threat. Prferrably, do not break line of sight so you can give a sign for us to follow you in."
Lucina flew upwards and followed Jorlyn as far as she could, to keep their scout in sight, but trying not to get so close as to blow her cover.
so... scouting confirms that Lucan entered the pyramid...
Should I assume that you will be going n after him?
"Alright. If we're going to talk I'm getting out my kit." Squeak grumped, taking the lead. "If we're going in, let's go. I'll take the lead - my lucerne hammer might not hurt him, but it'll probe for traps just fine. If the stonework is going to collapse, it'll do it when I walk on it. Palisade; make sure you dig me out. You're on repairs. stay at the rear in case of ambush. Bronwyn, remember we're in an enclosed environment. Stay with Palisade, you have range. Make a light. Vi - Jorlyn - with me. You and I are going quietly. Perhaps we can get the drop on something, and if seconds count we've lost anyway. If anyone needs to go to the toilet, do it now. Timer's running."
For such a heavy machine Squeak could walked very quietly. Some mechanism engaged, and the clomp of his feet faded to less than a rustle. Orange glowing eyes peered out into the darkness, and hand symbols communicated to Palisade - if no-one else - exactly what he was after. Periodically the spike on the end of his ten foot weapon would poke a troubling piece of stone.
Bronwyn looked aghast, "I am not peeing in the woods like some animal. I'd rather find some haunted latrine inside the pyramid."
"Um, guys? Stealth and scouting is all well and good but exactly how are we going to get across the water? Bad things hide underneath the water. That and being wet is miserable. I've never seen a happy, wet animal - have you?"
"Just walk through..." Squeak started, then paused. "Humans float, don't they?"
Jorlyn looked at Squeak with approval. "I fine plan, my fire-forged friend. Yes, I will lead with you. Lucina, will you travel as a bird for now? Flying could come in handy. Very well, let us begin to end this."
He and Squeak made their way carefully to the water, and he probed it with a branch to see how deep it was.
"Um, guys? Stealth and scouting is all well and good but exactly how are we going to get across the water? Bad things hide underneath the water. That and being wet is miserable. I've never seen a happy, wet animal - have you?"
"Agreement. Wading through cold water could indeed prove hazardous to your health, Lady d'Deneith. We would not want you to catch cold, as there might be some time before we have an opportunity to set up camp and dry out your clothes, not to mention provide you something warm to drink. Suggestion. If you would prefer it, this one would be pleased to carry you."
Lucina nodded in response to Joryln. Still airborne, she followed from above as he waded through the water.
Bronwyn really wanted to let Palisade carry her but thought it may seem inappropriate. She half-heartedly replied, "That's okay, Palisade. If you're carrying me and we get attacked then you won't be able to fight properly."
Turn 283 – Following the Vampire
Read the OOC.
Questions, comments, and/or suggestions?
Game on!
Palisade followed the others in, having assumed rear guard role as unit Squeak had requested. It raised its hammer high, invoking the blessing of the Creator-Goddess to cause it to blaze with greyish-purple light that cast strange shadows on the walls of the columned room - after all, the subject had already spotted them, making further efforts at stealth unnecessary... for the whole of the group at the very least. Indeed, for the stealthy few, having someone as the obvious centre of attention might be a boon.
Lucina landed down near the others and made a retching noise, as her head vibrated with noise. Trying to shake it off, she waited for the others to follow Lucan.
Action 1:
Bronwyn looked up at Lucan. Her hands twitched as she expected him to attack. When he went back inside, her brow furrowed. "Well that was weird. Either he's baiting us or he really doesn't want to fight us."
Action 2:
Bronwyn wrinkled her nose at the predominant theme of the ziggurat. "Ugh, water. I hate water." If that wasn't enough to make her feel ill, the moan inside her mind both unnerved and annoyed her. She found it very hard to concentrate and she tried to concentrate on not vomiting all over the floor. That would be very unladylike. "Can someone find the source of that noise and shut it up?"
Jorlyn stared at the vampire with unbridled hate. He kept his mouth shut, because the others seemed to have this perverse desire to help, or even save, the evil undead creature. Jorlyn cared little about how the sword was influencing the man. The man was a vampire, vampires were evil, end of story. With Ice in hand, he began to climb.
Action 2
Jorlyn clapped his hands to his head as the moan filled the air. It seemed to vibrate his very cells. After a few seconds, it suddenly seemed to be a great effort to hold onto Jorlyn's Face, his form. Vi shuddered, and allowed the half-elf's form to melt away, leaving her natural form behind. Grey skin, white eyes and hair, flat nose. Grimacing at herself, she said, "Yes, let's shut that up immediately."
She took a few steps further down the corridor, then spotted something up near the roof. "Head's up! Is that...a fish? Can't be. Flying fish?" She tried to make her brain work, despite the horrific noise.
Phew! I didn't like my odds there.... I assume we're still at -2 for everything?
Vi gritted her teeth and swallowed bile. The noise was horrific - it felt like she was being turned inside out.
Ice already in hand, Vi barely hesitated. She'd never thrown the weapon before, but this needed to be over, and over fast. Forcing a final shudder down through sheer willpower, the changeling reversed her grip on the dagger and threw straight at the cloaker.
the 1d6 is cold damage
The dagger flipped through the air, end over end, then buried itself hilt-deep in the creature's body. If it made any sounds of pain, Vi couldn't hear it over the ever-present moaning around her.
She then drew her morning star and her second dagger, and prepared to engage.
Bronwyn's whole body collapsed to the ground as nausea overtook her. While on her hands and knees the contents of her stomach violently exited her mouth to paint the flagstones with the remnants of her last meal. The noises she made were very unladylike as her insides heaved and she retched over and over.
Palisade fixed its gaze on the strange leather-winged beast while doing its best to ignore the strange harmonics of its humming. It was about to classify the creature as 'irritating but not damgerous', but then Bronwyn collapsed, clutching her stomach and retching. That fact immediately declassified the thing into the 'kill at sight' category.
The only problem was the way the thing clung to the high ceiling, out of reach of the 'forged's hammer and with no way of climbing up to reach it. Thus leaving it no choise but to ready its crossbow while staying close to cover the currently helpless Bronwyn.