Johnathan continues after Ifris. Still dripping salt water, the former marine scrambles up the ladder, awkwardly maintaining his grip on his weapon. He pulls himself onto the ledge, looking to the next ladder.
"I understand Constable Atherton and one of these days, someone has to make firearms shoot anywhere! What a pain this is uncoverin' everythin' and choosin' the correct ammo when I should be shootin'!"
Even as Johnathan gets to the top of the next scaffolding platform with his pole hammer, Ifris seems ready to burst forward to the next one. She looks aside to him briefly and nods with a grim, soldier’s acceptance. ”Two more to the top, and then we’ll deal with the Danoran.”
With a sprint forward in her blacksuit, she makes it to the next ladder and clambers up with ease, ascending to the next platform just past where the ropes are tied off for the old mine lanterns to hang.
The mysterious man behaves as a man gone mad – but whether through grief, horror or bizarre circumstances is anyone’s guess. He does seem to register Gemma’s words at least, though he angrily shakes his head and fires another shot at Emerson even as he replies to them. ”You killed all my men, you dirt worshippers! That wasn’t enough for ya? Now ya want me dead as well? I’LL KILL YA! I’LL KILL YA DEAD! YOU WON’T TAKE ‘EM FROM ME NEITHER!”
The pistol shot grazes Emerson at his left arm just by the shoulder, sending the mysterious man into a series of excited hoops and hollers from where he stands at the top of the mine.
The shadow reaches out again to grip at Gemma’s flesh, her breastplate useless against a creature that seemingly can move at ease around the physical laws of nature. It is only due to Gemma's guarded stance that she avoids the shadow's touch, deftly using her blade to perform a block-parry and move aside. It is a very near thing, however.
Anneca shouts up to Gemma, "I'm coming! Hold it off!" She sticks the wand in her mouth and grips it tightly between her teeth, freeing her hands as she runs to the ladder. She nearly bowls Muhnee over as he fiddles with his weapon. She takes the ladder surprisingly easy considering her lack of arm strength, and gets to the top very quickly. A few more moments and she'll be able to magically strengthen Gemma's weapon to properly injure the incorporeal figure.
Emerson shakes off the wound as best he can. "You son of a B@#$%. You're going to pay for that."
Emerson takes a step forward to get a better angle on his adversary. In one smooth motion he raises his musket and fires. The crazed man tries to duck but takes a round straight in the upper chest. ”Gotcha.” is all Constable Hill says under the report of the long gun.
The stout assistant made of stone and dirt heaves another rigged oil barrel at Emerson, but the barrel hits the rope lines and spins way off course, smashing against the side of the dock twenty feet away from Emerson with a loud BOOM! before falling into the water; some of the oil burns both on the dock and in the water below, adding the stink of burning oil and some smoke to the mine cavern.
Bleeding now through his leather jerkin from the musket fire by Emerson, the crazed mysterious man snarls and works feverishly to reload his pistol.
Knowing Johnathan is right behind her, Ifris wastes no time in sprinting forward a quick dash to the next ladder, scrambling up it with ease. Yet this time she slows and does not peek her head above the top of the next scaffolding platform, seemingly preparing herself for a fight once she decides to go over the top. Instead, she pulls the sunrod from her belt and drops it to the base of the ladder just below her.
Johnathan keeps following Ifris. He stops at the top of the ladder, just behind the psycho-armoured marine.
Gemma decides to wait, hoping to hold off the shadow long enough for Anneca to help her. In a rare show of emotion, she calls out to Emerson.
”Dammit, Emerson! Can you just hold your fire for a moment! The man is clearly crazed but he may have useful information.” She has no idea if Emerson will actually listen to her or not, clearly angered by the pistol shot.
She tries calling out to the man again, this time more forcefully, hoping to get a more favorable response. ”Sir! We will stop firing if you lay down your weapon and call off your wards! We do not wish to harm you further. If you refuse, I will have to insist on it. You will not like it if I have to do so.” Gemma takes a much harder tone to her voice attempting to intimidate the man to stop his assault.
Nice!
Willem smiles after he loads with what he thinks is the correct ammunition and takes one step to the left, using the part of the wall as cover, he begins to sight in on the mysterious man until he hears Gemma to hold, then Willem says to himself, "Frak, what now?! They fired on us first!"
The Mysterious Man, bleeding and up to that moment furiously working on reloading another shot into his pistol, snaps his head towards Gemma Atherton and focuses a crazed stare at her, his mouth working wordlessly. Finally he says, "You're just gonna kill me anyways, so why should I listen to ya...wait Wait WAIT!"
Though it only seems to be with the slightest of gestures from his hand, both the shadowy scout and the stout assistant next to him stop what they are doing, arms dropping to their sides and going still. For a moment, all is quiet in the watery mine. Then the Mysterious Man speaks up again.
"You're RISURI MUD-GRUBBIN', TREE-SAP DRINKIN', FEY-F#$%^@#! SCUM! Skulking up from the sea like...like...sharks with gills at yer necks to try and take me! You couldn't do it to me on land like the others! NOPE! No forests ner fields for ya to split my head open with branches or strangle me with vines! NO SER! But now yer tryin' it this way! Why should I? HUH?" He juts his chin out in defiance even as he puts a hand over his leather jerkin where Emerson's bullet nicked him.
Gemma’s harsh words up to the Mysterious Man causes him to pause for just a moment, shaking him out of deep assumptions that you are simply here to kill him. Yet you must drive your impression home to his addled mind in stronger fashion. Whether by friendly persuasion or by threat of the death that he fears so, you must convince him it is folly to keep up a pitched battle with the six of you.
You may have gotten him to stop firing at you and beckoning his mysterious minions to attack, but you need to do more. Convince the Danoran survivor that your aims are to stop those that caused him so much grief and pain over the past few days...and perhaps too that you're not here to take his possessions!
You'll use something akin to what we will do for Combat Encounters, but much simpler in verbiage. Here would be an acceptable template:
Descriptive text follows to describe skill action above and how your character goes about it.
REMEMBER: Only the first two successes for Goal One will be counted, so coordinate and don't post unless you know the goal hasn't been met yet. Three successes in Round 1 for Goal One doesn't help you and wastes the actions for two of your PC's for Round 1. You cannot post for Goal Two until Goal One has been completed, but once you see two solid posted successes for Goal One, you can go for Goal Two.
"Look!" Emerson shouts as he walks back out from under platform. His arms are raised, outstretched in a cross. His musket is pointed towards the ceiling in his left hand.
"I'm not reloading! You don't shoot at me, I won't shoot at you!" He continues by looking at Willem and Gemma and waves them to lower their weapons into a non threatening manner.
"Hey friend. We are not here to kill you. As a matter of fact, we're trying to stop the next Yerasol War with the help of one of your ambassadors. We would prefer to leave you be, but, if you force us, we can continue this fight. But keep in mind, we outnumber you two to one."
Johnathan continues forward adding, "we may not be here to kill you, but we will if you don't stand down and let us pass."
Success
Gemma tries talking to the man again, although this time with as much calm and persuasion in her voice as she can manage.
"It's true what Constable Hill has told you. We were sent with Danoran blessing to try and capture our Dutchess. We wish to end the violence and return with her to Risur for judgement. We do not wish another war. We are sorry you have suffered at her hands."
Gemma lowers her sabre as a gesture of good faith.
Anneca clambers up the ladder and stands next to Gemma, taking the wand out of her mouth and holding it at her side. She points to the mysterious madman and whistles loudly. "Listen up! She's right! We're here to capture the Duchess and get the hell off this ugly rock. You want her off, you let us through!"
The Mysterious Man turns to and fro at those speaking at him, clearly confused by the recent exchange. He blinks twice, almost as if trying to really see them for the first time. "Shuttup...I don't like killin'...it's just what they did to them..." Oddly his mutterings don't seem to be directed at the constables, but...something else more familiar to him. The Danoran man closes his eyes a moment and puts the pistol to his head - for a moment to the constables it seems as if he may pull the trigger and take his own life - but he seems to be scratching the side of his temple with the barrel, as if warding off a headache.
Finally, he acts. "Okay, Risuri. Okay. Put yer weapons away and I do the same and I'll call...them...off. Here." He tucks the pistol back into his belt and then whispers something unintelligble; Gemma hears a similar whispering from the shadowy scout next to her, which then abruptly leaves her and flies up to the very top of the mine cavern above the stone column, lost in the dim light at the top there beyond the light of the sunrods. The stout assistant backs away from the barrels and seems to hunch down closer to the ground, almost as if in a seated position, part of the stone floor.
"The name's Nicolas. Nicolas Dupiers." He has both of his hands where they can see him - not surrendering but trying not to threaten either. He's still very nervous, however; Nicolas eyes both Gemma and Johnathan with clear apprehension, Willem and Emerson less so, and almost seems cordial to Anneca under the circumstances. "You're all wearin' grey. Hey now, doesn't that make you all greycloaks? I've heard of that. You're them Risuri spies then, right? Not like all those murderin' Risuri savages that killed all my mates, what with their fey pets and their tortures! Killing for three days or more they have. They're all wearing uniforms and tabards, the colors of their companies of whatever they are...that and the standards of that foul b#$*@ Duchess, same as what's flying over Axis Town, the fortress and the main keep tower. You lot aren't though, are ya?"
He licks his lips nervously as they approach from the scaffolding platforms to both sides. "Hey...you...you've got anythin' to eat, do ya?"
Anneca scoffs when he asks if they are working for the Duchess. "That b@+#! has killed some good people and set the stage for many more to die. You'd have to kill me before I work for her." She reaches into her ammunition pouch and pulls out a few pf cold iron bullets. She holds them out in her hand. "No ally of the fey would carry this with them. Trust us, don't trust us, it makes no difference to me as long as you help us. If we don't get past, the Duchess is gonna stay in control of this island - and a lot more good men and women are going to die trying to take it from her. You want vengeance? Good. So do we. You see them as enemies, we see them as traitors. It seems that we have a common foe."
Willem lowers his weapon to the ready but still remains at the corner of Q17.
Up at the top of the mine, Nicholas Dupiers regards Anneca as she shows him her cold iron bullets and speaks to him about a common foe. Anneca would consider herself to be one of the last people on Lanjyr a previously hostile Danoran might come to trust, but he seems to hold her in better regard than most of the others. "Cold iron, eh? Didn't think you Risuri could own any of that, what with your Pact and all. We make...made...some of that here on the island. Good ore here, on Axis Island. I'm a mine foreman. Or was."
Though he has the Danoran accent that is apparent to most Risuri, and similar to what they recall with Lya Jierre a few days ago, his accent is decidedly rural and not the higher-class clipped speech of Lya Jierre. "Don't know how you're gonna take out the Duchess and her hundreds with just the six of ya greycloaks, even if you all are that good. Still, I'd like to see you try. I've only killed four of 'em myself..." He briefly watches Willem Muhnee skulking about at the corner of the docks near the bottom scaffolding, watching him a moment to see if he is trying anything. Then Dupiers shakes his head and looks back to Anneca. "So you were waving around that stick earlier, doin' something to the musket of that greycloak who shot me." He rubs his wound for emphasis. "That Risuri magic there? What kinda mumbly witchcraft were ya up to?"
Emerson shoulders his musket and makes his way up the ladders to where Nicholas and the others are. At the mention of his wound Emerson remarks ”Well, you did shoot me first.” He pushes his way forward and offers his hand to Nicholas. ”I’m glad we could end the hostilities.”
He sets his pack down, opens it and rummages inside for a moment before pulling out some of the rations he packed for the mission. ”Hungry?” He offers it to Nicholas. Looking around Emerson spots a wooden bucket. After making sure it appears clean enough he sets it down near their former foe. He waves his hand over the bucket and utters something under his breath. The bucket fills and overflows slightly with fresh water. ”There you go Nicholas.”
After a moment he realizes both he and Nicholas are still bleeding from their wounds. ”Oh I almost forgot.” Hill pulls forth the wand he just procured from the Quarter Master’s office. Seeing Nicholas’ eyes narrow in suspicion he points the wand to himself and activates it. When the wound closes, the Danoran nods his head in understanding. With that assent, Emerson heals his shoulder.
"So Nicholas....what is that strange rock with the gold in it? Does it have some religious significance?"
Nicholas Dupiers nods in curt appreciation at Emerson Hill, both for the healing as well as for the trail rations and clean water. "Thanks." He wearily sits down next to the stone mound that was his "stout assistant" lobbing barrels at them some moments before. Nicholas sniffs the water warily, then takes a sip, then long deep gulps at a time. "Ahhhhhhh!" Taking an eager bite of the rations, he chews at it several times before hastily swallowing and taking another bite immediately after. It appears the man hasn't eaten well in some time; he winces once on a bite as if hitting a sore tooth. "Mmmmwell I guess Risuri tack and Danoran tack share in common they're both s#*&, eh? Still...good...beats bugs. I haven't eaten anythin' normal in over four days I think." He takes another bite and chews on it eagerly.
In short order he's working on his second ration, pausing a moment to lean over and "offer" some of it to the stone mound; interestingly its "head" moves as if regarding the Danoran, though it has no eyes or mouth. "Heheheh..." chuckles the man, indulging himself in a fine joke and then taking another bite. Eyeing Emerson loading his musket and checking the action, he gulps down another bite and says, "Not a bad shot, Risuri. Always thought your kind couldn't hit the side of a fortress wall with modern weapons. What is that though...looks old...like something my grandpapa would've used back when he was a young spry whelp! Hehhehe..."
Emerson laughs at Nicholas' last comment. "Well truth be told it's a family heirloom of sorts. My Uncle passed it on to me." He finishes loading the musket and then takes the time to dissolve the rest of the alchemical sealant on the rest of his gear. "So what are you doing down here anyway? And if you haven't eaten in a while have you been trapped by the fey or Evelyn's forces?"
He sits down beside the man and starts eating some of his rations as well. "I don't know, some of the jerky is pretty good at times."
"Hey...HEY!" Dupiers turns away from Emerson a moment, peering down to where Ifris and Willem are both are at as they have not ascended the scaffolding to the vertical mine shaft. "Whaddya doin' down there? That gold coin of the Ancients is MINE there greycloaks! Don't get any ideas on it neither! I was here first, and I got claim on it."
Nicholas Dupiers shakes his head in irritated fashion, turning back to Emerson as he takes another bite of the rations. "What am I doin' here? Hiding from you Risuri, like I told you! Well...the other Risuri, the rebels as you call 'em. Murderous bastards."
"I just got here this evening to this mine, under cover of dark. Was workin' on the front entrance defenses with my stone-friend, when you lot came along and got spotted by the other one. Before that I was two days at another mine down south...that's where I lost most of my mates who went out on a foraging run and got butchered by fey in the woods outside...bad business that. Just outside this very mine towards the main road there's another mess of my countrymen, all ripped up and left for meat. I was lucky to make it, what with the patrols on the roads and fey prowling about and all, but I had to get here." He points down to the marble plinth jutting out from the grey stone column. "For that. I...thought...it would keep me safe...havin' all three of 'em. It was the last thing General Alsanor ordered me to find before the attack on 6 Spring, before he was killed in Axis Town."
"So how exactly are these things going to protect you? Are they particularly potent against fey."
With the mention of fey, Gemma can't help but say something as she sheaths her cold iron sabre. It's more a comment to herself, but loud enough for the others to hear.
"Bastards. Why did it have to be them? I could have gone a lifetime without meeting up with that f*~~ing lot again."
She looks up to where Emerson and the man are talking.
"I'll tell you what's potent again fey. Cold iron in the gut and then gutting them like a fish. That's what's potent.
Gemma then takes her pistol out and starts to work on getting the alchemical water-proofing off so that it's ready to fire when need be.
She can feel the bile rising up in her throat as she thinks about a possible encounter with fey. There was a feeling in her gut somewhere between abject terror and seething anger. But the more she worked on her pistol, the more she decided that the feeling was undying hatred which she would use to full advantage.
Nicholas Dupiers eyes Gemma Atherton for a long moment after her interruption, his stare fixed first upon her sheathed sabre, then on her face. He takes another bite of his rations and gestures to both Emerson and Anneca, saying, ”I thought you Risuri were all fey-lovers. Oaths to your Pact with them and all. I’m glad you all don’t feel that way about those twisted freaks. What they did to my…” Nicholas trails off as his eyes widen and he appears to be reliving a vivid memory akin to a nightmare. ”They weren’t just killin’ them, like the Risuri soldiers were doing with their bows and spears. No. These female-looking ones in the trees were stringing up the bodies with vines, some of them still alive and screaming. They were…they were slitting their bellies open with claws and leering faces…using large thorns to gouge out their eyes and impale their hands and…other things too.” Nicholas shudders and chokes off a gasp, shutting his eyes to try and block out the horrific images that he sees in his mind.
”You keep your cold-iron close, Risuri greycloaks. Pact or no, those things I saw relished their work on behalf of that foul incestuous Duchess! But from what I hear, that’s shouldn’t be a surprise to any of you.” He leans in closer, ushering them around with his hands in a conspiratorial manner. ”We Danorans hear things about your kinsmen and their barbaric pacts and oaths with those things you know. How your virgin brides have to give themselves over to fickle fey lords on their marriage first-nights. How each home has an altar to appease the fey with blood-offerings, and your savage skyseers sacrifice animals and worse to sow the fields with blood so that you can grow your crops! How the reason your King has no child heir is because he was bewitched by his own sister and her skyseer cult, his very seed given to her to birth and butcher under the light of a blood-red Lover’s Moon, the entrails of which led him to declare the Fourth War on us!”
Gemma can only stand there dumb-founded by what the man has said about her people. It takes her a moment to process both the initial horror and then the ending ridiculousness.
She looks to the man and then very uncharacteristically spits on the ground. "That's what I think of the bloody Pact and every last single one..." Gemma stops herself short. Nobody needs to know. Get a hold of yourself. She gathers herself up and straightens her gear and uniform before continuing. "We are proud and loyal Risuri but we do not side with the Dutchess and her fey allies. Yet I can see why we had wars before! If your people have thought all along that we did all that nonsense...I mean, my parents put out milk and honeyed bread but that's about the extent of it."
Fat load of good that did...
Gemma tries to focus on the almost-silliness of the misinformation so as not to focus on her past experience and the burning sensation coming from the brand on her ankle. Adrenaline had kept the sensation at bay but now that she was firmly on the island, it was becoming more difficult to ignore. Now it was starting to itch, just like her arms had when she held the fire gem on the Coaltongue before dropping it into the water.
Emerson lets out a laugh at the descriptions given of the Risuri population. "Wow, it sounds like the Danoran propaganda machine is working overtime." He leans in towards Nicholas "I know governments will paint a picture of the enemy in unfavorable light but that is far fetched, friend. If what you say is true, we wouldn't have offered you a nonviolent option to our previous argument, wouldn't you agree?"
Willem sees that Nicholas and his cohorts now seem to be acting peacefully, he slings his rifle in the field carry for a faster draw and less chance of blowing someone's head off. He then climbs the stairs to join the others, "Sir, I was not going to steal yer coin, I was makin' sure you were no longer a threat to us." Willem pauses, "Didn't quite catch yer name down on the lower dock?" Willem looks around while waiting for his name, "Not to interrupt or make anyone feel rushed to mov' on but is the rest of the way to the surface dry? In other words, no more swimmin' or water drenchin' us like a waterfall?"
"Well...it's what I heard is all," answers Nicholas Dupiers to Emerson Hill rather lamely, shrugging his shoulders. Though he merely grunts in the direction of Willem Muhnee as he arrives up to the top mine passage, he does answer his question while chewing up the last of his second round of rations. "No water to worry on from here...the shaft here goes due south and intersects with a larger one just a couple hundred yards from here - that one cuts east-by-southeast at an upward slope until gettin' to the surface about a mile distant. It's what faces you once you're outside that you should be worryin' about there, greycloak."
Something about Willem mentioning the coin however, sets the Danoran to motion. With another deep draught of water from the bucket, Nicholas stands up and waves to the nearby constables to follow him. "That coin is why I came here. The third to claim, and then I thought combined I might be shown the power to rid the island of these murderers. Let's go see if I was right or not, hmm?"
Nicholas turns to the stone-mound assistant and waves him down the passage, whispering, "Keep watch down at the junction, and tell me if anything comes this way." The stone assistant was hard to see before when it was pitching rigged oil barrels, but now stands up and clearly moves for all of them to see. Amazingly, instead of walking it seems to slide through the cavern rock floor almost as if skating on ice, moving with speed down the mine tunnel into darkness.
As Nicholas and those constables that are accompanying him start to head down the scaffolding, the man looks up at the ceiling of the mine shaft with a wary eye and mutters quietly, "No. Just wait up there. I'm fine, so you stay put." He motions for the others to follow without concern and heads down to where the ladders have been set as a makeshift plank to get to the scaffolding next to the stone column. "General Alsanor had me head up the securing of the mine shafts for his archaeologists to work in, including these here scaffolds and platforms. Said I did a good job for him too - even when he moved up efforts to find the third Coin of the Ancients after we all found the first two. Said it was important, 'cause he wanted to move on to diverting more engineers to the central lake for the efforts there. This here shaft was finished just after the first of the year, and the third coin was to be extracted and sent for review with the others at the Temple of the Ancients down south. Course, they never made it up here. When Axis was attacked on 4 Spring and General Alsanor was killed, a few of us were just coming back from a supply run of repaired tools from Axis Town, headin' towards Highshade Village just down the ridge from this here mine. Well we didn't know what to do, and attacks were happenin' out west as we could see the fires, so we headed down to Southpoint Village and from there to the ziggurat temple. I heard some things you see - I was there when they claimed the first coin, so I thought...maybe...they could help us stop the invasion. We got to the Temple and I claimed these here two coins. I killed my first two 'rebels' as you call 'em after they burned Southpoint to cinders, but I lost my friends there too. After that, it was just me and my new "friends" as we holed up in Rookrock Mine, before I decided I had to take a chance and get up here to this here mine, and get the third coin. Said to be fashioned by the Ancients you see, that they put the coins and the pillars and the temple all around here, for some grand purpose known only to them. I've never heard of no Ancients before serving on Axis Island, but Alsanor and the archaeologist teams were right about the age of these things. Ah here we are! Now crawl across if you don't want to end up in the water below..." Nicholas scampers across the ladder with relative ease and makes his way on the platform in front of the white marble plinth, withdrawing a chisel and small hammer from a leather satchel. Under the direct light of the sunrods you carry, you can see the coin is very old, etched with a rather crude depiction of an eagle on the front, as well as various ancient ruins and markings you do not understand.
Willem nods to Nicholas, "Thank you, then I must prepare further. Go ahead and continue to eat yer meal without bein' alarmed." At which time, Willem unpacks the rest of his gear saving the protective canvas and wrapping materials.
Archaeology and history is all fine for the scribbles but for an enforcing Constable, and former soldier, it is all about the mission and time constraints.
"So my friend, what awaits for us top side?"
"And if we help you with this coin thing, would you be able to help us with more information?"
"Huh? Oh..." answers Nicholas Dupiers distractedly, using the chisel and hammer to carefully chip away at the anchor points of marble which seem to have been sculpted to hold the coin. "Yeah sure...I suppose you lot would be goin' to Axis Town. Only way is along the central valley road runnin' east past Highshade Village, then take it north around the mountain ridges up to Axis. Road is going to be patrolled though, even at night, so you have that to deal with. The villages - or the ruins of 'em now - are billeted, so its best to avoid Highshade Village altogether, but there's a lesser track down the ridge that heads southeast so you don't have to . The last time I saw a score of my countrymen a couple days back, they were makin' their way to the crossroads east of here to where one of 'em said there was a cache of weapons to fight the Risuri invaders. Never saw them again you know...figured they all got themselves butchered."
Nicholas chips away two of the stone enclosures and is working on the third as he continues on. "Course, you could shorten your route by goin' over this here mountain ridge above us, once you get out of the mine entrance, but you'd need rope and skill to manage it. That would bypass the roads sure enough. Not sure what the point is though, once you get to Axis Town - the outer walls can't be breached or climbed and the outer gates to each side by the coastal cliffs are heavily guarded, closed unless they're sending patrols out or in. Ask me, and I think your Risuri generals sent you lot on a suicide mission." He continues to chip away at the third portion of stone, almost having the large old coin freed.
"We all have to die someday Nicholas. If my time has come at least I'm trying to make a difference to save countless lives, both Risuri and Danoran."
Emerson looks at his fellow constables now that they have more direct information on the countryside. "It seems like we have some thinking to do as to what the best route will be."
He then turns back to Nicholas. "So um, I've never heard of 'The Ancients'. Who or what are they and why do you think these gold coins will help defeat these wretched fey?"
Anneca finally has a better opportunity to analyze the coins with her magical sight, now that she has been freed from a lunatic trying to attack her. As the others distract the madman with soothing talk, she throws open her sight. She notes the three distinct auras, especially the aura of conjuration projected upwards. "What's above the coin? Anything strange going on there? The coin's aura goes up that way."
"Like I said before, I've not heard of Ancients before the good General and his archaeologist teams were here on Axis Island, but they knew what they were lookin' for sure enough! These Ancients made the ziggurat temple on the southern part of the island, and put in these here columns with the golden coins in 'em at particular places - I figured they were no lovers of fey either, as they seem to be keen on using gold and such. Gold has special properties you know, besides makin' one wealthy that is." He gives both Emerson and Anneca a meaningful look as he finishes his thoughts on the matter, chipping away the final bit of marble that holds the eagle-inscribed coin in place. "Don't see nothin' up above, but if it's like what I felt with the other two, it makes sense. Let's find out if I'm right or not."
With that, he grasps the large ancient golden coin from the marble and holds it in one hand, closing his eyes and concentrating fervently on it. Almost instantly Anneca's magical sight sees an intensification of the azure aura from the coin upwards to...something...and what's more is that she sees the aura encompass a swirling force that moves downwards now, drifting down towards Nicholas and the rest of them on the platform. All around them now they feel a swirling of air, of wind that shouldn't be blowing this far down in the mine shaft.
"YEEESSSSS! YES! YES! DO YOU FEEL THAT? IT'S MADE OF WIND!" Nicholas Dupiers does a quick little jig and hops upwards effortlessly, as if the jump up conveyed little weight of his body to do so, landing nimbly on his feet. The constables there all hear whispers in the winds, to which the Danoran mine foreman responds with his own unintelligible whispers. The wind intensifies and now swirls just to the side of Nicholas - though they cannot see it, the creature is made entirely of air and wind, nearly invisible but having some presence and substance to it. It does not seem to threaten the constables, but like the "stout assistant" of stone and the "shadowy scout" they have seen already, this creature seems now to obey and protect the Danoran.
Suddenly, the wind starts to die down somewhat, the wind-servant moving away back upwards to the top of the column. Before the constables can say or do anything in reaction, they see Nicolas Dupiers start to do something entirely unexpected in front of them upon the platform. He falls to his knees, still holding the newly retrieved coin but with his eyes shut tight, uttering a terrible moaning sound and starting to sob uncontrollably, tears streaming from his tightly closed eyes. In futility, he drops his chisel tool with his other hand and starts pounding on the wooden platform base with what can only be described as sheer anguish and frustration.
Emerson watches the whole affair and realizes he has forgotten to ask the man how he came across his friends in the mine. If they were connected to the coins he was already wearing on his chest when the man falls to his knees.
"Nicholas. What's wrong?: Emerson asks. He offers the man a hand to help him up off the ground.
Willem goes to help as well, "Yes, what is wrong Nicolas and what was the wind bout?"
"I'm not sure. But I have a suspicion that his wraith and stone friends are probably tied to the coins around his neck."
Gemma stays put and finishes making sure her weapons are clear of all their water-proofing. "Maybe this one just wasn't up for being controlled. It was probably a little upset being trapped in a coin for so long." Gemma shrugs and seems a bit miffed moving towards impatience. "Does he have any idea how any of this works or is he just guessing? I hate to push but we do need to be going soon. And we still have to try and locate Nathan Jierre as well."
Willem looks at Gemma, "I agree, we need to get goin'! If Nicolas does not need any more of our assistance after recovering from this spirit thing or whatever it is, nor provide us with assistance, we need to continue on since we do have a schedule to keep."
Anneca raises her eyebrows at the bizarre behavior of their erstwhile ally. "What?" She tries to figure out what precisely he is doing. When the air elemental appears with gusts of wind, she deduces its origin. She speaks back to Gemma, giving her the answer to her question. "Each of the elementals must be controlled by one of the coins - but there must be some sort of controlling agent within if someone gets all of them. It would explain why he was so agitated and confused when we arrived, if he was under the effect of two of them. Stand back and see if he's going to get out of it, but we shouldn't touch them ourselves."
Willem retracts his hands to help Nicholas and takes a couple of safe steps away from him. Then he shouts, "Hey a Nick, you ok?"
Nicolas Dupiers continues to sob and beat at the wooden platform they all stand on, under the white marble plinth that has its top sheared off just above where the coin emplacement is. The winds seem to pick up in intensity somewhere above them, and from even higher up in the cavern they hear the whisperings of the shadow beckon to its master. Even the earth elemental has come back now to the edge of the connecting tunnel passage, looking down upon Nicolas and the others from a distance, waiting. Ifris and Johnathan warily approach closer about midway on the uppermost platform, ready to hoist weapons against the Danoran should this be a precursor to an attack. The minute or so that passes by is awkward and uncomfortable. Then something happens: the sobs and tears of frustration give way to…laughter. Nicolas begins to laugh, tears still streaming down his face.
Truly the constables must think he has finally cracked and gone completely insane, looking at each other in disbelief. Yet a moment later he speaks, shaking his head ruefully as he wipes tears from his eyes. ”AHHH…ahh…a cruel joke on me, fool me thrice! Fool me to fall sway to magic like some superstitious Risuri yokel! I’ve been on this island too long I have…if I live through this I need to go home to Danor, back to where things make sense.” Nicolas shakes his head again and lets out a sad laugh, though he continues to speak up to the constables standing around him. ”General Alsanor wanted me to find these coins at the mines, to keep them safe for his inspection – said they had power and were ‘important to the mission’ he said. When he died I thought if I was able to get all three of ‘em…somehow I’d have to power to stop them, halt them in their tracks. Drive ‘em back to the sea. Make ‘em pay for killing my friends and torturing my countrymen. I was sure the three together would…show me the way…and I could stop these so-called Risuri rebels that have taken our island. And now I have ‘em all…I can feel what they all do I can, and how to use ‘em. But it’s not enough…not enough…”
He looks around to each of the constables in turn, though he focuses mostly on Emerson and Anneca. ”I’ve killed four. Killed them good too. Four out of five-hundred maybe. I’m a mine foreman, a decent shot with a pistol in my time, and with these here coins I could surprise a good handful I’ll wager. But they have magic of their own, these Risuri do, and twisted fey pets to boot. If I try to get into Axis they’ll butcher me, won’t they? One old man and three pets against this infernal Duchess and her companies of butchers.”
Nicolas stares at them as if seeing them clearly for the first time, putting ideas in his head together he hadn’t considered before. ”But you lot…you greycloaks…you’re not just spies are ya? Assassins then? You’re here to wipe her out, and with her gone this rebellion of hers will die, won’t it? I mean, you’re not here to go up against her companies with just you six. So you’ve got another plan to do the job, don’t ya?”
”We’re not assassins, Danoran,” replies Ifris coldly through her usual grimace, clearly heard but standing well away from them on her own platform.
”We took oaths, Danoran.” Johnathan somewhat strangely breaks his silent countenance and addresses the man directly with a tone that could almost be called earnest. ”Some oaths are old, some are recent. I abide by my oaths, and will see this through to the end – you can be sure about that.”
Nicolas Dupiers looks at the rest of them, seeing the nods or notions of assent, and makes a calculated decision. Standing up, he pulls the cord around his neck loose and unties the other two coins, feeling the weight of them in his hands. ”If you all die, I suppose I’m not long after. Yet if you win…I can go home.” He nods to himself and says, ”Okay, then. I’m asking for your food and as many sunrods as you can spare. The food you don’t need if you fail, ‘cause you’ll be dead. Right? I won’t be able to see in the dark anymore after this, so I want light to see by that won’t blow me up – I’m rigging this here mine to blow just in case you fail and they somehow find me up here.”
Stepping towards Anneca first, he hands the most recently acquired ancient golden coin to her, the one in the marble plinth above them that has the image of an eagle engraved to it. ”Here, Risuri mage. Your kind likes them familiars pets, right? Take it. Maybe since you have magical blood and all in ya, it will do more for you than I felt.”
To Emerson he hands one of the other two coins he had tied around his neck – this one is engraved with what appears to be a great mountain on its sides, the runes surrounding it still unintelligible as with the coin Anneca was given. ”Sorry I shot ya there, friend. Thanks for patching me up though – the stone-man will keep you safe well enough – he’s slow but your limp doesn’t make me think you’ll be outrunnin’ him anytime soon. Plus you’ll know what else you can do with it when you take it in your hands and think on it.”
Finally, he looks over at Gemma and somewhat rudely tosses the last coin at her, forcing her to catch it in her hands. ”You’re a right cold b$%@#, aren’t ya? You remind me of my cousin Marguerite back when I was young. She was cold too, threatened all of us cousins and brothers all up for even thinkin’ of makin’ fun of her. She used a sabre like what you wear too – accepted into Jierre Sciens d’Arms she was, before the Fourth broke out. Killed on some island I don’t remember after killing a whole bunch of your countrymen holding some cursed patch of ground.” He leers at her and points to the coin, which bears an engraving of a celestial body being eclipsed by a darker object in front of it. ”You won’t like my shadowy friend, girl! No you won’t! But he’ll do what you command him to – only he likes to whisper about killin’ and drainin’ men’s souls, askin’ yer permission to let him do it. The others won’t do that, but he will. I guess that’s a fair trade for being able to see in the dark. Still, it gets to you after a time...I'm glad to be rid of it.”
With the coins dispensed and the constables giving him what food and sunrods they can spare him, Nicolas Dupiers walks back up to the adjoining horizontal shaft, cracking a sunrod for light and starting to eat at what will be his third set of rations. ”On up then, to the junction, and head left. Then it’s just over a mile or so till you’re at the entrance – keep to the main tunnel and don’t veer off on any of those side passages. Once outside, you’ve got the main path that takes you straight down to Highshade village, but don’t take that way. A side path east will take you roundabout to the valley road and then that to the crossroads north, if that’s your aim. Or it’s ropes and pitons to ascend the ridge above us. Good luck, Risuri greycloaks. I hope you manage it all right, and put one between her eyes for me.”
Emerson pauses for a moment, not sure if he should accept the gift but then thinks better. ”Thank you Nicholas. I’m sure we can use all the help we can get. When we’re through storming the gates and kicking Evelyn’s sorry ass off this island, we’ll make sure to send some of your people this way to look for you. Best of luck to you.” He shakes the man’s hand firmly and clasps him on the shoulder.
Constable Hill pulls the medallion over his head and notices the weight. A little heavier than he would have imagined it to be. He looks up and back, towards the exit tunnel. He can feel the earth elemental’s position, its very being even. It sort of felt like a well-worn pair of boots. It added a little bit of weight to your step but was comfortable all the same.
”Well?” He looks around and his comrades. ”Shall we get on with it?” Without another word he limps off in the direction of the exit.
Willem looks at the coins he gives to all of the constables, particularly the one handed to Gemma. Then he looks back to Nicholas hoping for more for him and Johnathan. When Nicholas does not hand him anything, he does not say anything and begins to walk towards the exit. He then stops waiting for the constable to move out as a team.