| Maiathreen Gyssearnith |
| Male Silastrix Magus (Bladebound Kensai) 10 (HP 80/80 AC 30, T 23, Flat 11 - F+9 R+9 W+8 Init +12; Senses: Darkvision 60ft Low-Light Vision (X2), Per +13 |
|
This way I don't continue clogging up DRA's thread.
Did you ever get the private message I sent you?
| Kai Kyrrosh |
|
|
Screaming through clenched teeth as the saw grinds through his humerus bone, Kai manages to spit out words of defiance. "YOU THINK THIS COMPARES TO WHAT THEY DO IN ABADDON YOU PUNK FAUX-LICH?! MY FATHER WAS A PURRODAEMON AND MY MOTHER WAS A SOUL DRINKER THAT COULD VAPORIZE YOU WITH A WORD!! I'VE ENDURED WORSE PAINS AS AN INFANT!!...." Gasping exhaustedly as the construct finishes its work, Kai spits at the lich's face. More weakly he continues, "I won't need that arm... to kick your ass... I should show you... what a real monster can do..."
Kai reaches back mentally to his youth and his martial training at the hands of Szuriel's deacons. It was there that his inner rebellion began; the source of his fury and inspiration both. After his escape, Kai chose not to be ashamed of what he was, but rather embrace it, and show the world that it could be made better. Unwittingly, the daemons of Abaddon had created a powerful force for good in the land while trying to make one for evil. And they had put some of their power into it. Kai called to this power now, hoping to channel even some small fraction of it so that he could burst his bonds and smash that smarmy little lich's face in.
| Kai Kyrrosh |
|
|
Kai sputters in futile rage, his eyes rolling back as he passes out from the blood loss...
| DM Downrightamazed |
|
|
As you pass out, another figure enters your field of vision. You must be delirious from pain, though, because you're obviously hallucinating; the person looking back at you is you. This other you grins wickedly and fades away.
You come to in a different cell. Your arm is indeed gone, the stump having been cauterized shut with rude fire. No magical healing was applied, this is obvious to you. The pain is...significant. A large creature of some sort walks by outside your cell.
As you lay on the cold, wet, stone floor, contemplating your fate, there is a disgusting splattery noise and a whirring hiss. You crane your neck up behind you, every nerve ending on fire as you move, to see what's there. High in the corner of your cell, barely visible among the bloodstained stones, is a Cacodaemon. Several of its hideous and jaundiced eyes regard you while the rest look around the cell with obvious contempt.
| Kai Kyrrosh |
|
|
Kai groans through his teeth as he clumsily shifts himself into a sitting position. Eyeing up the Cacodaemon Kai grimaces and thinks, Fantastic. Is this family business? Or are the horsemen working with the Black Dragonflight. I don't really care for either prospect, but there's only one way to find out... Kai awkwardly drags himself into the corner of the cell, and then stretches his remaining arm upward, and rests it over his head. What's one more disease?
He nods very slightly at the daemon, hoping it would be smart enough to come over and take a bite, so they could communicate without speaking out loud.
| DM Downrightamazed |
|
|
The little daemon gives you a disgusted look, its enormous cackle-toothed maw splitting into a grimace and one lip curling up in a surprisingly effective sneer. It remains floating up out of reach as you lay there, shaking with shock, pale and sweating and shivering at the same time.
Suddenly the cacodaemon makes a horrid retching sound and lets loose a sulfurous belch that turns your stomach. It retches again, and then hocks up a large black gemstone; the dully gleaming thing lands with a *clonk* on the floor a couple feet from your foot. The gem is covered in slimy mucous and innnard goo from the creature.
As you are regarding the gem, the fish-shaped daemon barfs up a second stone, this one a deeply unpleasant and mottled grey-white color. With that, the cacodaemon disappears. Both gems are near you, but down by your feet. You recognize them instantly as Soul Gems, but have never seen Soul Gems of these particularly...unpleasant colors.
Outside you hear heavy footsteps approaching your cell.
| Kai Kyrrosh |
|
|
Kai glowers at the vanishing Cacodaemon, doing his best to show that he feels the same way toward it as it does toward him. After it disappears, he reaches out with his foot to drag the soul gems towards him, and with his remaining hand, swallow them quickly before whatever it is arrives.
| Rakosh |
|
|
Lurking in the shadows, Rakosh observes the interrogation intently. He takes no small pleasure watching the rogue tiefling's suffering, and also enjoys watching the alchemist's failure. What a pair of arrogant fools, so wrapped up in their false beliefs that they are special. Kai Kyrrosh, so judgemental and self-important, how do you enjoy being so utterly powerless? And Pike, I look forward to when you learn you have been nothing but another one of Veriala's pawns. You believe yourself to be a true power, but you are just a useful accident. I almost want to give the grimspawn have a few minutes alone with you... But I suppose that would get me in trouble, he thinks casually. He tries to use his mind-reading abilities on Kai, but the fool liches's interrogation 'techniques' have the tieflings thoughts so focused on insulting him, Rakosh only picks up noise.
Rakosh rolls his eyes when Pike orders the dismemberment. As Kai falls into uncosciousness, Rakosh steps forward and gives him a wicked smile. He turns to Pike and says, "Well, that was quite incompetently done. But I have learned all I need to know. I shall be preparing my report to Veriala now, and I will also be taking this. Grabbing the severed arm of Kai, he glares at the alchemist and tosses him a rag. "Don't forget to clean up your mess."
| Kai Kyrrosh |
|
|
I know this is a bad choice that I am making, but what choice do I have? If they don't break my will, they will break my mind and I will tell them everything. I only hope the price will not be too high...
| DM Downrightamazed |
|
|
The clomping continues outside for a few seconds, and then your door is slammed open, revealing a really angry-looking brass construct of some sort. It starts to speak, but whatever it's saying quickly devolves into total gibberish:
"You shut up in here! I'll riopsoieioof;anioehoirhg;oafjsdfio;jadsoifjaiohrgioa;snnnnnnnnnn"
Everything then goes perfectly sideways as you slump over, and all sound ceases. Once again, you black out.
You come to on top of a pile of bodies, on a giant cart being pulled by ogrekin. The greasy, smelly ass of a fat orc is just inches from your face. Your right arm itches furiously, you think, until you remember it was removed. Looking carefully around, you see human soldiers of the Black Dragonflight walking alongside the cart, obviously meant as guards. They are very relaxed, though, so you'd guess you're still in their territory. You are outside, under an incredibly thick canopy of trees. Some woods of some sort, clearly. No casual stand of trees in farmland is this. The air is very cold, cold enough to be uncomfortable, and there are many calls and cries of birds and beasts you do not recognize.
The guards are wearing the usual high quality black-and-gold plate mail of their army and are armed with swords and bows and shields. They are laughing and talking among themselves. Still not even sure what happened, you strain to hear...
"Because the one on top is some enemy of Pike's. Did something or...I don't know. He's not supposed to be dead, is the point. Pike couldn't revive him and everyone's mad all the way up to Veriala herself. Said she was gonna meet with her Master."
"I hate that guy. He gives me the creeps. Worse than dealing with Rakosh or Pike or any of 'em."
"Pfffft. Pike's a rat, a goblin dog. He's nothing. His father's nothing, too, the cowed and cravenous old fool. The fact he brought us the Master's book so willingly is all you need to know to know that."
"Hmmm..."
"Anyway, we throw him to the goblins with the rest of the chum, and off we go. At least we get to be outside when the big bosses are all going around screaming at everybody."
"I heard they're gonna accelerate the march on Hallas, and take back Manaus. Also heard they have a way to crush the Archlich Firliadeth and take the Despair."
"...well...if anyone can do it, Veriala can, especially with help from the Master..."
There is a sudden lurching, then, and you are dumped down a hillside along with a dozen or more corpses. All you can smell or taste is corpse rot and orc farts.
Feeling oddly refreshed, you are able to grab a stone and pull yourself against the hillside, slipping into the shadow of an overhang. 100' below, in the pit, is a horrid chittering and pattering sound, and the sniffling and chirruping of goblin dogs. Not ten feet above you, the guards again:
"You see him? He down there?"
"Yarp. He's 'at one. See? Missing the arm."
"Ohhhhh right. I see 'im...you sure?!"
"Sure I'm sure! Dunce! Now let's back outta site and let the gobbos have their dinner, and we'll double-check once they're done."
Below you, hundreds and hundreds of ravenous, diseased goblins come charging out of the shadows and descend on the corpses, ripping them to pieces, taking their clothes and belongings and devouring their flesh. With the goblins below and the guards just a short distance above, you have few options. You can see that this ledge continues to your left about 50' and ends by some short trees it looks like you could use to pull yourself up. To your right is bare hillside bathed in starlight. Below you is actually a trail with lots of cover on either side, and it looks like it forks near the goblins, splitting off north, away from the midden-pit, and south right into it. This is likely the way the guards would come down to do their "check". But you wonder where that northern path goes... Lastly, you could remain tucked into this little crevice, but you're not sure how much cover it would grant you should the guards walk by.
| Kai Kyrrosh |
|
|
Looking grimly at the goblins and keeping an out for black dragon flight soldiers, Kai clumsily moves down to the path below and wanders off along the side of the northern trail.
What the hell did those soul gems do? How did I get here?