Jez pauses for a moment, but seeing the mayor in charge of this bunch is not really surprising with all the other strange happenings.
This land is governed by Magnimar. Sacrificial murder is against the law there and it is here. If one of you wishes to sacrifice yourself, so be it, but you are not going to take another innocent. . . Even if you are the soon to be former mayor.
Hah, you ignorant tool of a bureucrat! Magnimarian laws count nothing here. We follow our ancestors' laws and not some dusty old tome! And now leave this village or the unnamed's wrath will come upon you!
Jez begins to get a very evil grin:
I was born and spent my early years being raised by a succubi in the Worldwound, whatever your "unnamed" may be, I have seen worse. Plus, I have a named ogre, his name is Attalas and he REALLY does not like people trying to fool him.
Ragnvald brandishes his sword and continues forward.
I would mount your heads on the bloody spears
Outside your church's gates
And watch as crows peck out your eyes
And your town is laid to waste
Well Mayor what is your choice, lay down your weapons and admit that you are responsible for the murder of many youth of this town, or fight the crazed Ulfen - and his mostly humanoid companions.
Take all the time you want to answer, but if it is more than a few seconds, I am guessing that Ulfen will use his little sword to examine the weak connection between your friends heads and their necks.
"So you WAS calling me a pig! I knew you hateds us!"
"There is a town in Magnimar
dont go there it is too far
The place it has an pesky Mayor
Who at an Ogre to mock and stare
The stupid man he had some gall
so now he'll be a lesson to all"
Attalas advances, keen to get to paying him back for the earlier insults now that there is no disguising they were real and not just imagined.
"AH-HA! I was knowing there was a reason for not wanting the girls to be talking to me."
Noticing the look on Attalas' face, even the mayor loses his confidence
Ok, I admit that there have been...sacrifices, but the Unnamed demanded them and it has always been the responsibility of the Krieger family to care for that! I didn't have a choice - but I don't want to die today, so here are my weapons.
he lays down a long curved knife and a small mace. After a moment of hesitation, his fellow cultists follow his example.
Ok now, first all the masks come off - you are no longer a secret cult. Next, you tell us everything about this Unnamed. I have seen demons who would devour this town in minutes, and dragons which would consider you all to be a snack. If this Unnamed is only attempting to control a town this small and only demands a sacrifice every couple of months, it is not that powerful and can be destroyed. While we are here to find the Taxman, I have no problem killing someone who demands the sacrifice of innocents. I have seen far too many sacrifices in my few short years. If I have my way, I will attempt to stop any more. I could care less whether you god is good or evil, but there are other ways to pay homage than sacrificing virgins.
"Guessing I was was safe if that is what they were to be sacrificing this day, hahahaha."
Seeing the weapons placed down the Ogres face becomes a bit bunched up as he tries to process some deep thought... clearly the ditching of the weapons has sort of ruined his plans.
The Unnamed? His powers are beyond understanding! Mortals are no match for him and if you try to stop him, you will perish! You can threaten me with whatever you want, I won't give away the secrets of the cult or the names of its members!
The mayor seems to have recovered some of his confidence - yes, he's a prisoner, but no, he isn't a traitor.
"I'll put a blade in its unnamed guts and spill its unnamed viscera on the floor then after I hack its unnamed head off you will have a name for it; Ragnvald's Victim."
You are funny, see this and this. I show the mayor my golden scales of a dragon on my neck and my lithe tail. My mother is a succubi and I was bathed in the blood of a golden dragon as a girl. Trust me, I have seen true power. True power does not hide in the swamps of Varisia. All that hides here is a man capable of misleading good folk in a small town. Now then, either start naming names, or start dying, I really have little control over the goblin and ogre, and less over the crazy Ulfen. But, the choice is yours, at least for a few seconds.
Diplomacy:
The mayor is far more impressed by the goblin's rhyme than the alien origin of Jez
Hey, stop pointing that thing at me. Telling you each and every name of all members does not make sense, since we are legions of followers! But I do tell you that my father is the high priest of the cult and I bet he is already planning my rescue!
His voice is dripping with pride now!
"Oh! Does that mean more bad men might be coming?" Attalas asks with some concern...
"Such plans will no doubt prove fruitless. If we are done with him I would like to behead him. His smirk annoys me. And girl killers anger me more."
Sense Motive:
The high priest? Your a funny little man. Unless he has some high priest powers like being able to summon angels or devils, I am guessing he is also the High Charlatan.
Your words can't impress me, 'cause the truth will come to light! The unnamed one is already rocking in his sleep, soon he will awake and rescue me, his loyalm follower! Our temple is perfectly hidden and none of you will ever be able to find us, hah!
behind you the girl harrumphes and pipes in
I've seen the mayor go to the ruined farmhouse north of the village at night...
The mayor now looks more than a bit shocked...
"I dun think so"
Attalas lashes out with a boot, kicking at the Mayors shins.
Trip
"Thank you. I was getting a headache." Ragnvald says to the woman before coming down heavily with his blade on the tied and helpless mayor. "As I already said. His efforts would be fruitless."
COUP DE GRACE
Swift: Destructive smite!
Jez just shrugs.
I would have preferred a less violent end, but he seemed to think that annoying an ogre and a crazy Ulfen was fun. I think that he chose poorly.
I turn to the others.
Would any of you like to answer our questions, your boss seems to think that he will be saved from the downfalling blade of an Ulfen heretic by this Unnamed one. I believe he is wrong, but only time will tell. Now then, would any of you like to answer our questions and reveal yourselves, or would you also like to discuss things with the ogre and the priest of Gorum?
The other cultists gasp as the mayor's head roll off his shoulders, none of them is able to say anything until Jez breaks the silence. Suddenly they fall on their knees and pule for their lives
We cooperate, please don't kill us!
The shout and take their masks off. You remember seeing some of them at the Founder's Feast - ordinary farmers at first glance.
Much better, now then, where do you meet and pray to this Unnamed One? and where were you going to take your sacrifice tonight?
|
"Take your stirges for their strolls,
Festival brings in new souls,
To Unnamed One pay your tolls,
But cross us and your heads will rolls."
"Think your god is pretty tough?
These scary masks will hide your bluff?
My clan is angry, and we're rough,
This goblin here has had enough."
Mobo's eyes burn with a red light in the dark as once more humans have shown their true colors.
Shocked by the goblin's song, one of the men quickly answers
An old farm house north of here, about half a mile into the swamp - please don't kill us!
I know the place. I can show you the way.
The youth puts his hammer down and leads his sister inside the house - moments later he is back, now holding a bow in his hands.
If you don't mind, I'll accompany you?
"Not yet." RAgnvald says. "Who else is part of your merry band? And what can you tell us of this unnamed one? Speak quickly before my blade grows thirsty."
The cultist glances at your still bloody blade and gulps, quickly he explains
About thirty villagers make up the cult, but I don't think that more than ten, the high priest and the Unnamed are at the farmhouse now. The Unnamed is invincible, no weapon can harm him, he's a god and mortals can't stand against him, that is all I know! Actually I have never been worthy enough to see him!
Invincible simply means we will have to consider the best way to attack him for about ten seconds rather then charging straight in. Unless he is a demon lord or great wyrm, I will consider this Unnamed to not be Invincible. And last time I checked no demon lords and no great wyrms had decided to start up a cult in a small village in the middle of Varisia.
Oh yeh, and we have an Attalas, thanks Mobo.
"I dont mind thinking, sometimes it even works!"
Picking up the cultist bodily he glares into the mans eyes Ragnvald is clearly not happy his red rimmed eyes speak of a terrible bloodlust that can only come from a man who values his sleep quite highly.
"You've never even seen the thing that you worship so? Boy I have seen the Lord in Iron. He has no face, save that of anger, and the lust for blood. He is covered in gore and armor, and wielding a blade so mighty it an hew mountains. I have seen him every time my blade has clashed with another, every time I have felt a spear pierce my flesh or an axe carve a new scar into my bones. I have felt his hot breath in the flames of every village I've burned and seen the path that he treads at the calm of every battlefield. His heralds are terror and uncertainty and his followers are carrion feasting crows. I have killed hundreds in the name of my god without remorse, pity, or mercy. I have killed many evil men and many good men without caring for the morals or reasons for the battle, only for the taste of carnage and the thrill of clashing steel against flesh. Where the Lord in Iron treads, death follows in his wake. And I walk with him hand in hand. You? With your masks and your petty sacrifices and your gods you have never seen, nor felt, nor known? You know nothing of faith. Take some advice from this holy man. After tonight, when the flames have died down and the swamp has claimed its fill of blood for the night, you rebuild your church. For Desna, it seems, has decided to let you live. Pray to her. Pray to her reprieve from the nightmares I am to unleash. Pray to her that Gorum does not tread in his blood soaked greaves through your village again."
A warning given Ragnvald drops the man on the ground in what is hopefully a puddle of his own liquefied terror and stalks off into the night. Then stops and half turns.
"That and we have an Attalas. Though I seem to recall eating unnameable thigns is a past time of mobo's"
Then continues.
"This Gorum sounds interesting. My Pa used to speak of his Gods, but never like that. "Be good always" he said, "Above all other things think of goodness and your duty to your liege and Lord"... and where did that get me eh? Last Paladin spouted hatey words and was mean, and the town guards? "Wait here" they said, "Be right back for y" they said, then they left me."
"Gonna gut your stupid god-in-a-swamp" Attalas adds, matter of fact.
I follow behind my companions, skipping and singing a cheery Gorumish tune.
Gonna be a bad night;
Unnamed gonna die of fright;
With an axe in his head;
And a sword stained blood red;
The Unnamed gonna be dead.
The cultists remain behind, staring at your backs with a mixture of shock and awe. The youth grins, packs his bow and jogs to Ragnvald's side
I know the way, it's a bit tricky and the ground is treacherous here and there, just follow my step and don't look left or right...
The way into the swamp leads past willows, flooded glades and murky meres.
In the darkness you can hear the sound of the creatures of the night - owls, bats, and even a wolf from time to time...
Perception:
Jez finds this all rather foolish and is not really paying attention.
Perception
Attalas actually manages to pay attention.
Both Jez and Ragnvald are just to focused on death and bloodshed to notice when the youth changes the path. Here and there they get stuck or crick their ankles - not dangerous but annoying
Nymeria
Vidor
"It seem I do myself an injury, I was watching of Jez's behind... for security, when I too wandered off the path"
with minor damage done to himself, Vidor also follows the group further into the swamp.
After another twenty minutes the silhouette of a farmhouse and an outbuilding becomes visible in the twilight created of some torches standing outside the building.
Ouch, that hurts, watch out for the marsh, I think they put pokey things in it. So, what now? I am thinking we should have Attalas pull out the support post in the corner and see what type of vermin comes running out when the building collapses.
"Just a big hut, not really a house."
"What we gonna look in first?"