| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Makori nods in acknowledgment of Talia's words, but doesn't say anything about them.
She ignores Kilarra entirely, continuing to follow you as you near the warehouse. Kilarra can't tell much about the rapier other than that it's very well made and seems to be in flawless condition, perhaps suggesting it's of masterwork quality and possibly magically enhanced in some way.
To Uruelleth, Makori says, “You’re right. You don’t have any imagination. For the record, that is a reason, but you don’t have to trust me, you have to need me. And you do. I know far more about this city than you, so if you want to avoid another situation like the one I just saved you from, you’ll keep me around. I don’t care if you actually trust me. This is a business transaction, and, so far, I’m the only one that’s held up my end of the bargain.”
As you approach your destination, Talia is able to cast Akashic Communion. She focuses on Makori's rapier and the circumstances around it.
-----
As the spell's effects begin, Talia finds herself surrounded by blotches. Some move around her and others are stationary. Eventually the blotches becomes blobs and the blobs becomes blurry people and buildings. Finally, the scene around her appears exactly like reality. Talia stands in front of a stone building next to a busy road. The tall walls behind the building indicate she’s somewhere inside the city of Ilizmagorti.
Talia can hear laughter coming from inside the stone building. As she enters, she can hear the sound of hammer against metal and sees that the building she entered is a blacksmith’s shop. She also sees three different individuals, a man, a woman, and a young girl.
The man appears to be in his thirties and wears a hat befitting a well-to-do seaman. The woman also appears to be in her thirties and has a similar outfit, with long, black hair braided into a single ponytail which stretches down most of her back. The girl is probably eight or nine years old at the most and has short black hair. They all seem well-dressed for people living in Ilizmagorti.
The young girl smiles at the man and says, “You mean we all get one, Papa? When do I get mine?”
The man laughs good-naturedly and says, “Yes, dear. We all get one, even your mama, as clumsy as she is.”
The woman glares at the man and he knows he’ll later regret having said that. But he continues, “I had the weaponsmith make yours first. I knew you’d want it as soon as possible. He should be out with it shortly. That’s why we’re here today.”
The woman says, “Unlike your father, I’ll be sure to teach you how to wield it, once you’re old enough. The man never did care to practice his swordsmanship. I keep trying to convince him to, but he always says ‘some day.’”
The man shakes his head a bit, still smiling, “Maybe we should have a duel one day, Kiani, and see which of us actually needs to practice their swordsmanship.”
The girl frowns and says, “Are you two fighting? I don’t like that.”
The man shakes his head at the girl and says, “We’re just having a bit of fun, dear. Nothing serious. We wouldn’t be smiling still if it was something serious.”
Kiani nods in agreement with the man and says, “And if we were serious, Sardan would be apologizing by now.”
Sardan scrunches his face in disdain at Kiani’s words, but doesn' say anything.
The trio grow silent for a moment. The girl’s eyes widen a moment later, though. Talia sees another large, muscular man come out from behind a curtain hiding the back half of the shop. He wears a grease-stained apron which contrasts starkly with the gorgeous rapier in his hands. He beams as he walks over to the trio. He looks quite pleased with himself.
“Here’s your first blade, Captain Six-Steps, with your family insignia, as you requested,” the blacksmith says to Sardan. “I promise the next two will look exactly like that one and be just as high in quality. I know a good wizard with the Order if you need them enchanted.”
“Thank you,” Sardan says, “but that will be unnecessary. We’ll take care of that part ourselves. I think our daughter’s been waiting longer than she’d like already, though. Would you like to hold the blade, dear?”
The girl looks up at her father in surprise. “Really? I get to hold it? But I thought mama said I had to be taught first?”
Kiani says, “You do, honey, but it won’t hurt for you to hold it for a minute or two. Just don’t touch the part above the handgrip.”
The girl nods vigorously and holds out her hands toward the blacksmith while bouncing up and down on her feet.
The blacksmith laughs and says, “Alright, little Makori. Here you go. Be very, very careful. I don’t want your mama and papa getting mad at me.”
Makori takes the blade eagerly and its bladed end immediately falls to the floor. It was far too heavy for her to hold up. “Oh, no!” she says.
“It’s perfectly fine,” the blacksmith says. “it’ll take a lot more than that to harm that blade.”
The girl smiles then struggles in vain for a couple minutes to fully pick up the blade. Eventually she lets her father take it from her. Sardan says to the blacksmith, “We’ll be back next week for another one.”
The blacksmith nods in reply. Sardan, Kiani, and Makori turn and walk out of the shop.
-----
The vision begins to blur and a few moments later Talia finds herself once more standing with the rest of the party, still en-route to Rix’s warehouse.
Talia staggers for a moment, before straightening. Noticing Makori in the lead, she speeds up slightly, meeting her up the front.
"Makori, know this about me, I'm a bit of knowledge seeker. I'll pursue it, as much as I can, because I believe with knowledge, comes the ability to master a given situation."
The shaman pauses for a moment, letting the message sink in, before pushing onwards. "Having said that, I try not to pry into people's personal lives. For instance, I'd avoid breaking into someone's mind because I feel that breaks a person's privacy. I have boundaries. With that said, nothing matters more to me than our mission, and my friends won't stop pushing. As long as they push, our mission gets diverted, delayed. Ultimately, this forces me to push harder towards finding your secret with my magic, even though I would usually never cross such personal boundaries. I'll find it, eventually, although in the process I'll see unrelated events in your life that should stay private. Information irrelevant that would nevertheless be shown to me. So please, I implore you, just satisfy my friends curiosity, so that I don't need to use divination magic to pry deeper into your personal life"
Makori stops walking as Talia begins talking to her. She simply listens to the shaman’s words, but it’s clear Makori is also studying her.
Once Talia finishes, Makori remains silent for a couple minutes. She looks back and forth between Talia and the rest of you. She seems to be debating something in her head.
Eventually, she says to Talia, “If it’ll get you and the others to stop pestering me, then fine.”
Makori turns to all of you and says, “You want to know why you should trust me? I have leverage. No, not with the Red Mantis. I probably dislike them more than you do. I have leverage because of my family. I avoid talking about them for my own reasons, but suffice it to say that my family is well-known in Ilizmagorti. I showed the Shadow Stalkers’ master my family’s insignia which is emblazoned on my rapier and that persuaded him that he shouldn’t mess with us. There. You happy now?”
Talivar shrugs, "Good enough for me. Some folks however will never be satisfied..." He glances at Kilarra before adding hastily, "Anyway let's uh not have this conversation in the street?"
By now Vorya is starting to agree with Kilarra. While he kinds the woman hopelessly paranoid, Makori did just pull of one heck of a stunt with those street thugs.
When Makori finally cracks a bit, Vorya says, 'Is that connection going to be an asset we can sue consistently?"
he glances toward Talia, Does that story check out with your magical findings?
At Makori's words, Kilarra pauses. She rolls her eyes and sighs. Then she turns, with a smirk on her face, and looks hard at Makori...
After a moment of silence she looks to Vorya and then Talia, knowing that these are the two members of the group capable of delving into peoples minds...
After a long pause she tells Makori. "If I had a name, and if I saw the insignia. That would be enough to let you stay... For now."
Uruelleth shakes his head with a scowl. "Pestering? After the ship, and Driara, you think this is pestering, to demand why we should trust you? Who doesn't have imagination now?"
If Makori's story satisfies the others, he concedes for the moment.
Makori is still a mystery to Talivar.
To Vorya, Makori says, “It’s an asset I can use. Unless you’re secretly a member of my family, you can’t use it.”
Vorya does detect a magical aura coming from the blade.
Makori rolls her eyes at the inquisitor as he casts his spell. “Yes, my blade is enchanted. Congratulations, you know now.”
Kilarra believes Makori has told you the truth with what she’s said so far. She seems to regret telling you what she has, though.
“Makori is the only name you need, Kilarra. And you don’t need my family’s insignia.”
The navigator simply stares at Uruelleth, but it’s clear she’s not happy with his words.
Makori looks over at Talia again and seems to be considering the shaman’s words once more. She fiddles with her rapier before looking down and staring at it. She appears to be ignoring all of you entirely at this point as she draws her rapier and stares at the blade’s intricately-designed hilt guard.
Finally, after several minutes pass, she looks up at each of you in turn, starting with Talia. Her face is still mostly blank, but it also bears a bit of weariness and perhaps resignation.
She extends the hilt guard of her blade in Kilarra’s direction to allow her to examine it for a few moments. Then she says, “My full name is Makori Six-Steps. I am the daughter of Pirate Captain Sardan Six-Steps, one of the most notorious and successful pirates to ever sail the Arcadian Ocean. Anyone who lives in Ilizmagorti knows the Six-Steps name. This is where he based his operations. No one in their right mind crossed my father and he was careful to avoid the ire of the Red Mantis. Not many know that he had a daughter, but they recognize his insignia instantly.”
Makori sheathes her rapier again after she finishes speaking. She looks quite drained after giving her explanation. Glancing up at you, she awaits your response.
Kilarra recognizes the Six-Steps name as belonging to a famous pirate captain based in Ilizmagorti. She’s not able to verify that Sardan Six-Steps had a daughter, but he’s quite notorious among nations who have a coastline on the eastern part of the Arcadian Ocean. The insignia on Makori’s rapier, that of three intercrossed rapiers, definitely belongs to the Six-Steps family.
"She's telling the truth" Sera responds simply, staring at Kilarra sternly before pointing up the street.
"Now after having spent too much time on this, can we progress further and do what we came here to do?"
Kilarra clearly recognizes the insignia. She smirks at Makori. "That'll do for now."
At Talia's continued whining, she scoffs. "Yeah, I put the safety of our pal over a few wasted minutes. I'm not sorry at all if you're too impatient to care."
With a shake of her head, Kilarra turns and continues down the road. As she begins to walk away, she remarks under her breath so only Ruel can hear, "Those damned fools."
With the Makori situation resolved for now, you’re able to make it the rest of the way to the warehouse. Makori remains silent during the remainder of the walk.
You arrive at the warehouse and Vorya informs you that, despite it appearing abandoned, people have been through the area fairly recently.
Talivar heard Kilarras words and although he was looking in the other direction. His face clouded briefly before he remarked to Makori, "I may be a fool, but for what it's worth I'm sorry that was forced out of you." Even he could see it had cost her something.
As they approached the warehouse, Talivar watched and listened.
Talivar doesn't hear any noise coming from inside the warehouse or from the surrounding area. Other than the footprints on the ground and the state of decay in the area, nothing seems out of place.
Doubt was niggling at him now... "I don't like it, it's too quiet." Talivar whispered under his breath, "Maybe somebody could scout ahead a little?"
]'Too Quiet'?' Vorya rolls his eyes at Talivar, "Very cliche. I like it though."
With that Vorya slips off, blending into the shadows, to get a closer look. The inquisitor looks for windows and other doors, trying to get a feel for the building.
Uruelleth resists the urge to start sniffing at the air. He missed his sensitive sense of smell as a gnoll, so he resigned himself to using the keen eyesight of the elves. The dim light was bright as day to them as he looked around.
Vorya's able to sneak quite stealthily, despite his age, and Uruelleth lumbers after him. Thankfully, nothing jumps out to attack the pair, despite Uruelleth’s size being hard to miss were anyone nearby.
You two scour the outside of the warehouse for an opening to peek inside. As you come round to the side opposite the warehouse’s doors, you spot a crack in the boards covering a window.
Looking in, you’re able to see by the dim light coming in through cracks in the ceiling. The warehouse is mostly empty save for a few barrels, a chair, and a man hanging limp from the ceiling by a thick wire around his neck. He doesn’t move and appears quite dead. A large pool of blood rests underneath him. It still shines some in the light, indicating the hanging must have taken place fairly recently. It’s impossible to see the man’s face from your angle.
While Vorya & Uruelleth scout ahead, Talivar asks Makori, "So apart from them who has all the money round here? I can only assume Pirating rakes in the loot if successful..."
At seeing the body, Vorya curses softly. Everything about this mission had been compromised from the start. Red Mantis agents on board ship, and now their only good contact, probably dead.
Vorya turns to Uruelleth and mutters, "Dead body inside. Odds are it is Rix? But let's be careful, might be a trap as well. Gods know I have pulled the same trick."
Makori looks over at Talivar. She appears to be annoyed that one of you would have the audacity to ask her another question so soon.
She fiddles with her rapier for a few moments before saying, "Pirate Captains, for the most part. Most of the rich ones are in Dandy or on small private islands off the coast of Mediogalti Island. This used to be a pirate city before the Mantis showed up. There are a few others who may have resources, like Priest-Captain Rannos Blackarm of Besmara's House. Circus Master Gannak almost certainly has considerable resources as well. And I can only assume the Nymphaleum's artistic director, Origent Gamaron is fairly well off."
Vorya doesn't notice any traps on the window.
When Vorya says the way is clear, Kilarra follows him into the warehouse through the window.
Vorya pops around the corner and sends a mental message to 'Everyone
Dead body inside. probably Rix. Don't see any traps or ambush. Follow carefully.
With that Vorya heads back and helps the elf pry their way inside.
"Oh dear..." muttered Talivar upon hearing Vorya's voice. He pulled out his focusing rod and crystal and then cast several spells to prepare. The ghostly outline of armor surrounded him and his senses suddenly became much more acute!
.
Talivar trots after Vorya, senses straining.
Talia follows the group in, mostly wondering about the state of the corpse. Tomorrow, she could cast Speak with Dead if there was urgent information they needed but if the corpse was already damaged in some way, this would be unsuccessful.
Crinkling his nose at the hanging corpse, Uruelleth decides to draw his falchion. He then puts a boot to the door to force it open.
Vorya grabs Uruelleth, "Not the door! That is the one thing they might have trapped. Go through a window. Humor me."
Vorya makes his way easily enough into the warehouse through the window. Kilarra follows shortly afterwards. She doesn’t immediately notice anything awry other than the obvious hanging corpse in the middle of the warehouse. In one corner of the room is a bedroll and a pillow along with a small fire pit and cooking pot. It looks like they’ve been used as recently as earlier this morning.
After casting his spells, Talivar follows as well. Then Talia follows after him.
Vorya shouts caution to Uruelleth, but is too late. From the front of the warehouse, Uruelleth is easily able to force open the door with his boot. It comes loose from its hinges and shatters into several pieces as it hits the ground.
You’re all able to make your way to the middle of the room to stand in front of the hanging corpse. As you look closely at his face you can tell that he is the man in Queen Galfrey’s portrait: Rix Hiln.
His throat has been cut deeply by the wire with which he was hanged and his unseeing eyes stare blankly at the ground. He has numerous cuts and holes in his clothes from apparent blade strikes. Most noticeable, however, is the sawtooth dagger which pins a note to Rix’s chest.
The note is drenched in blood, but you’re able to read it easily enough. You all get a chance to do so.
To anyone who finds this body and this note, yes we know about you and your monarchs' foolish pact and your pitiful efforts to fulfill it. I hear the Vernai had quite the laugh when they learned of your plot.
Anyway, as you can see, any who oppose Achaekek and his Red Mantis are fated to die terrible deaths. This one, Rix, I believe, suffered greatly before death took him. I will admit that your monarchs chose someone with tenacity. He actually injured two of the Mantis before the end. But the end came for him all the same.
I’ve left a surprise for anyone who happens to read this note. Kilarra, if you happen to have survived Driara’s explosion, I have instructed the surprise to focus on you. I hope you don’t mind, love. But never fear, the surprise will get to the rest of you in due time.
I also instructed it to wait till you’ve finished reading this note, in case you’re curious. I much prefer my victims to know death is coming. Makes things much more dramatic. I think Achaekek appreciates a bit of flair in his assassins. I must be going now. It’s a pity I don’t get a chance to see any of you, but there will always be more people for me to kill.
Sincerely,
Bastien
Once you’ve all had a chance to read the note, you get the sense that you have mere moments before someone or something attacks. The exact nature of Bastien’s surprise is unclear, but what is abundantly clear is the surprise’s impending arrival.
Vorya curses at the note although he expected something like that. As he senses an attack he vanishes into nothing.
Out of sight he sends a mental message to everyone, I'm still here! Uruelleth, protect the others!
Then the inquisitor moves away from the group, toward a wall, hoping to avoid any area attacks.
After reading the note Kilarra's trademark smirk hardens. She clenches her fists, grits her teeth, and her eyes turn cold.
"D***wad."
She draws her swords--machete in one hand and longsword in the other--steps forward a few steps and waits...
"Get back," she tells the others.
Sensing an upcoming battle, Talivar whispers a strange word and his hand starts to glow with a silvery radiance. He reaches out and touches Uruelleth who suddenly grows to twice the size!
Talivar, sensing an upcoming battle, whispers a strange word and his hand starts to glow with a silvery radiance. He reaches out and touches Uruelleth who suddenly grows to twice the size!
Kilarra draws her swords--machete in one hand and longsword in the other--steps forward a few steps and waits… "Get back," she tells the others.
Vorya curses at the note although he expected something like that. As he senses an attack he vanishes into nothing. Then the inquisitor moves away from the group, toward a wall, hoping to avoid any area attacks.
??? Nothing materializes to attack, but Kilarra is taken completely off-guard as a heavy weight slams into her chest, injuring her a fair bit. After the attack, there’s still no indication of who or what was responsible, but Kilarra and the rest of you can tell which square the attack came from.
Readied Action: Kilarra swings wildly at the square she was attacked from but strikes only air.
Makori doesn’t look particularly surprised to see Rix’s corpse hanging from the ceiling. She just shakes her head before drawing her rapier as she walks over to where the attack appeared to have come from. She stabs at the open space. You all hear a low grunt from the space, but once again nothing materializes. Makori looks satisfied with herself.
Vorya still out of sight, sends a mental message to everyone , Anyone have a way of making this thing visible? At least an outline?
Vorya waits for a reply, keeping invisible.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"Wait! I'm a slow reader," Uruelleth shouts in a bitter tone as a fight erupts around him.
His eyes snap up to the spot where an apparently invisible opponent strikes Kilarra.
After waiting for the full magic of Talivar to take hold, he let's the battle fury overtake him and swings a vicious blow into the spot where he believes the enemy to be.
Kilarra grits her teeth and swings her swords at the invisible creature.
Talivar harrumphed, they where clearly dealing with an invisible foe. Very carefully he peered into the gloom, muttering strange words and entering a kind of trance. As he did so tiny ice crystals formed round his eyes, refracting and reflecting the light in mystical ways. If there was something here, he would see it and then it would be ice cube time...
Talia casts Burning Hands at the square from which Kilarra was attacked. Though Talia strikes her target with the full effect of her spell, no clothes or other garments catch fire to reveal its location.
Talivar harrumphed, they were clearly dealing with an invisible foe. Very carefully he peered into the gloom, muttering strange words and entering a kind of trance. As he did so tiny ice crystals formed round his eyes, refracting and reflecting the light in mystical ways. If there was something here, he would see it and then it would be ice cube time... A figure appear that is only visible to Talivar’s eyes. Its form is almost as inscrutable as when it was invisible. Swirling clouds form a vaguely humanoid-shaped body. Talivar gets a sense of force and hulking malevolence from the creature’s presence.
Uruelleth shouts, "Wait! I'm a slow reader," in a bitter tone as a fight erupts around him. His eyes snap up to the spot where an apparently invisible opponent strikes Kilarra.
After waiting for the full magic of Talivar to take hold, he lets the battle fury overtake him and swings a vicious blow into the spot where he believes the enemy to be. Though Uruelleth’s blow strikes the creature with a strong blow, it doesn’t seem to critically effect it like the bloodrager had expected.
Kilarra grits her teeth and swings her swords at the invisible creature. Her machete manages to strike a glancing blow on it. Like Uruelleth, she finds her attack doesn't have the critical effect she had expected.
Vorya still out of sight, sends a mental message to everyone , Anyone have a way of making this thing visible? At least an outline?
Vorya waits for a reply, keeping invisible.
??? Another blow slams into Kilarra’s arm. A third collides with the slayer’s armor, keeping it from doing damage.
Makori stabs at the invisible attacker once more. While her blow would normally have struck, she’s foiled by the being’s invisibility. She curses under her breath.
With a feral growl, Uruelleth keeps swinging at the invisible foe, putting everything into his attack.
Apparently not Vorya thinks. Well, remaining invisible isn't helping matters.
Vorya flickers back into sight, attacking as best he can.
Kilarra curses at the pain, then swings her swords in retaliation.
Furious that the creature didn't catch on fire, and suspecting something otherworldly as a result, Talia casts again, trying to burn it down.