Wu Chen's eyes grow wide as she understands the concept of souls sharing bodies. This is how she control follower of Shelyn? Then she force my body to break vow even if mind does not?
Is it breaking vow if not to lie if I attempt to avoid being possessed, knowing Lady can force me to break vow if her soul share my body?
Wu Chen considers that allowing another to control her mind and body is not the "cooperating" she promised, but still, she contemplates her studies.
Additionally, she wonders if her studies explain the kind of creature the Lady is:
Swallowing hard, Wu Chen chooses her next spoken words carefully. A promise is a promise, and regardless of what conclusion is drawn from her discernment, Wu Chen is not about to break a promise now.
"Cowardly assassin attack my father when I am eight. Is too many for him. He fall, Mother try healing him, but is also stab by many sword. I remain hiding until many men leave our home. I am not healer like mother, but I hold her hand and place free hand on chest. I pray to Shelyn, but there is feeling in hand on my mother heart.
"I know is soul passing through me, and I know what to do. Gold father in same way.
"Only... I misunderstand reason why. I think is mother and father both can say final goodbye in this way, but it turn out mother leave me parting gift."
Perhaps it's the stage training, but somehow, even under duress and magical restraint, WC is able to tell her most personal memory boldly and charismatically. She goes on,
"My touch heal father.
"And this power remain in my hand to this day. I can stabilize the dying! Is this what Lady see in me is special? I share soul in past, even if for fleeting moment, and trace of mother remain.
"So now, Lady invite her soul into my body? And you mean is possible my body can change from this?"
Correction - WC has +6, not +7 for knowledge, so she only makes her first at DC15. I have a feeling the second question was DC20 or 25 anyway... which would require a nat.19, like the one I rolled for CHA! Oh well!
Mr Vade replies
"Interesting, I should note this down before I forget some of the details, this could lead to some interesting breakthroughs."
He quickly goes to a desktop and starts writing like a mad man.
even writing a few theories along with the story.
He have theory, it seem.
"I have theory about connection with mother's soul. Of course is mother-daughter connection, but Shelyn is goddess both mother and I follow. And I cannot help but note Lady corrupt Priestess of Shelyn.
"So I wonder. How is your Lady--our Lady--connect to Shelyn? She mention daughter of Shelyn, and I wonder if she is daughter. Or if not, what is her connection to Shelyn's daughter?
"I cannot believe telling me of daughter is simply method of shocking me into corruption, especially since Shelyn having daughter is beautiful revelation to me. Surely there is reason Lady choose Shelyn's follower. Surely, studious man such as yourself either know or have plausible theory."
The Woman goes
"Oh I just had a great idea to relieve this boredom,
Let's see what your secrets are;"
She points to Corindus
"Corindus, I see you murdered someone to escape a ship......"
She points to Darion
"Darion knew someone from your home town was doing witchcraft and you ratted them out and the best part is it was one of your friends...."
She points to Kinshara
"Oh my, Kinshara, one that knows about being a slave, and even selling out another slave when fear was brought in to get an account of what happened when one of the slaves protecting another slave killed a Gnoll."
She then points to Kojima
"Oh Kojima, Needing to borrow some money during hard time from the Zilla family, oh that was a smart move, No wonder bandits attacked and killed your wife."
she points to Lady Cirthana
"A Lady of the Cloth Disobeying orders from above, no wonder you got sent here by yourself."
she points to Lord Locksly and Luk
"Oh this is great, Your both Under orders to watch the town and it's people and if evil is too great your ordered to call it in, and have the Purifiers Come here and wipe the town out. Those higher ups must think they have the right to judge a town of folks whom are just trying to live."
At the mention of "Purifiers" Lady Cirthana looks at Locksly with a serious face and it also shows some distrust.
she points to Noya
"Oh Noya, my dear, does Hu know that you already had some boyfriends whom fell into coma's after a good kiss, and not knowing about your heritage."
Duke now looks at Noya then back to the lady.
She points at Duke
"Duke, you ...... wow simple one track mind...... you've helped Hu do some horrible things when you worked with the Zilla Family.
And it is quite the list."
Mr Vade replies
"Oh those are some good points, I almost missed them.
Un fortunately I don't know the reasons she targets Shelyn, for I know it could be random chance. As for Shelyn's Daughter I don't know who it could be. It would require a lot of work since the daughter is humble and likely keeps a low profile."
Kinshara grits her teeth as the nature of the woman's self-amusement becomes clear and her own sins are announced.
"Are you finished?" she asks as the woman finishes with Duke. "Are we supposed to be impressed? All of us have done things which we are not proud of. That is what it means to be mortal. Perhaps if we were here for our own reasons your sniping would be enough to divide us. But we are here to rescue a child. Tell us where to find them immediately, or we are leaving."
"Oh aren't you the party pooper....
I was hoping for some entertainment here, but I guess I can't get it.
Well I'll let you rack your brains trying to figure things out."
She then Teleports out of the room.
The Church authorities like to Keep quiet about them as if they are a secret.
You have heard The Purifiers are a not liked branch of the church as they have been deemed extreme for their use of force when fighting evil, are rumoured for doing the churches dirty jobs, and are rumoured to of completely purged a town near the Worldwound with no townsfolk left due to a report of demon worshipers hiding and or converting folks there.
The Church mainly keeps them near the Worldwound to keep demons in check, but has sent them to check other areas if they think a powerful evil is rising there.
"We all have secrets," Corin says in the silence that follows the departure of their "host." He speaks the words in a way that is half statement and half realization. "And we all have regrets. Right now, my chief regret is that I didn't leave this place ten minutes sooner to rescue those children. She said they were taken to the Redrock Guild's barge, so that's where I'm heading - and I'm bringing a small army of deputies with me. Anyone here care to follow?"
To him self he says ”I was the one that was accused of practicing witchcraft because I could do magical things unassociated with Iomedae. Wow it is a good thing I’m not her relying on such worthless sources of information! That teleportation trick was pretty neat though... Note to self learn how to teleport”
You have no clue,
Your Familiar, Crusty Boogie, crawls onto your hand and taps it with one of it's claws.
Then you mentally hear in a brooklyn accent
"I interfered with the b%!++'s mind reading and fed her some bad hooch for information. Especially since we know we need to keep quiet about it since you know.....
Also don't trust that b$~!%'s info, she's the type that'll keep some cards close to her chest, if you know what I mean, so don't think you have all the info.
Now I saved this magical power for an emergency so don't expect me to be to talk again for a few years and times just about up."
Well let’s get a move on. These kids aren’t going to free themselves Darion says to those around the immediate vicinity then hurries up the path they came in earlier. Hoping he masked his odd behavior with his scorpion well enough.
Corin leads the way out of this Redrock hidey-hole and back into town. Along the way he flags down each deputy he recognizes, and he guides the party's hastened path by Roots and Remedies in hopes of finding the sheriff inside paying a visit to Miss Laurel.
Down to the river he storms, since simply marching down would be too slow. He scans the river for the Redrock barge while also looking for rowboats that could be commandeered to board the barge.
Corindus finds a few boats and get the group to the Red-rock boat and storm it.
The group easily overpower the few thugs on-board and find the children, But Wu Chen is not there.
Well good work everyone rescuing these children but there is still work to do. Wu Chen and possibly other children are still missing. Let’s go back to where we spoke to that mysterious woman. I believe there was a silent image spell hiding something that would be a place to start
What I am doing here, agree to cooperate under captivity? Shelyn, I only agree so other children get rescue... but what is to become of me? I cannot agree to killing innocent family like cleric Lady speak of.
She say Cleric spare child under one, so this mean she kill child one-year-old or older? I do not lie, but if I am honest with her, then she try making me break most other vow.
The child meditates on her predicament...
What am I up against?
"We must do what we can. Let's go," Kinshara agrees, clearly distressed by the situation.
Corin groans when it becomes clear that the party has to return to that den of inequity and half-truths. He leaves the barge and rescued children to Sheriff Baleson and his deputies.
On shore, the riverman prays that their triumph will not be denied and that they will be able to locate the last missing girl. He had no head for trickery and illusion, which was why it had been a fleeting relief to think that kicking down some doors on the barge would solve the problem.
Back in the Redrock hideout, he idly taps on walls with the head of his hatchet, trying to sound out potential hidden doors as though he knows what he's doing. Mostly, he keeps alert for ambushes or traps as he leaves his smarter, wiser friends to piece out this puzzle.
Kojima-San is visibly upset, rushing alongside the others with a white-knuckle grip on the hilt of his katana.
He says in a surprisingly calm baritone, "No matter my daughter's fate, you rescued those children from a life of slavery."
He continues to move in silence several paces before adding, voice darkened and grim, "But if my daughter paid for freedom with her life, those who harmed her will have to be carried from the hideout in buckets."
Despite his words, he does not rush recklessly ahead of Corin, trusting the deputy's trap-detecting skills... that, and he knows all too well that emotion clouding his judgment will not help Wu Chen.
The Lady reappears and asks Mr Vade
"Is everything ready?"
He replies as he is looking over his notes
"Yes, everything its ready.."
The Lady walks and gets on the alter with Wu Chen floating above
"let's get started then."
Mr Vade walks behind the mirrors and starts chanting
The Lady disappears as you float down onto the alter's surface.
Then Wu Chen hears in her head the voice of the lady.
"It's a very cramped in here, gotta make some more room."
Suddenly you black out and what felt like a long time was just under 2 minutes when you regain your senses.
You see an attractive voluptuous woman with Tian and non-tian traits with red and black hair and golden eyes in the mirror.
Then Wu Chen hears in her head the voice of the lady
"Ah Much better."
The Group splits in two with Corindus, Darrion, Kojima, and Kinshara double checking the underground structure, while the rest look for anything else that could lead to the hidden Wu Chen.
Ah... much better...
For the first time in her life, Wu Chen feels a tingle of arousal. She feels a strong urge to--
Wait. What I am thinking?! That is mirror...! Wu Chen stares at her hands... or hands anyway. She isn't sure they are truly hers. And the mountainous breasts... those are new. A part of her likes what she sees, what she feels... but everything she was trained to believe tells her that this is what a succubus does.
She allures her victim until...
No...
This is how Shelyn's cleric was taken, Wu Chen realizes. She was never persuaded to cooperate. The cleric didn't cooperate at all. She was coerced. A puppet on the Lady's strings.
You are wrong about me, Lady. I make vow to cooperate, but cooperate mean I have free will. Cooperate do not mean you take my mind, my body, my childhood... and I certainly will not give you my soul!
No longer bound by the magic, Wu Chen leaps off of the altar.
It is a terribly clumsy landing! She's not used to this new body at all!
She shouts at the demonic voice in her head, "GET OUT!"
She prays to Shelyn, Grant me strength to eject this evil spirit from my body!
Wu Chen falls front first as she is not used to the new center of gravity, sits up and yells get out
As Wu Chen shouts she feels a hit on the head from the back and sees the lady appear in front of her in the same stance.
The Lady turns, gets up and screams at the intruder
"You, have messed up everything."
You hear Hu behind you
" Do you feel lucky, Mary.
Cause I don't like youkai possessing innocent kids.
So prepare for a exorcism, Wang Style."
The lady stands still as she thinks over her options.
Wu Chen also notices her body is not back to normal, yet.
The Lady carefully moves behind the mirrors with Hu carefully following with katana drawn.
Wu Chen hears a click, running, and a door closing.
After a few more moments Wu Chen can start feeling her body slowly going back to normal with some pain as her bones resize themselves to their original state.
It takes a few minutes, but Wu Chen goes back to normal sans one eye is now gold and her hair has some red in it.
"Coward!" she shouts, feeling more emboldened than a child should. She does have the good sense to see that Mary and Hu are running as she darts after the Lady, intent on bringing the demon down with her own punches and kicks.
Passing the mirror, she catches a glimpse of her once-again-flat-chested reflection, the only permanent change being the red streak and golden eye. A small approving smile crosses her face, and she prays her mother's gift of healing will spare the demoness' mortal form, should katanas and western blades cut her down.
Despite conflicting feelings about the ordeal, Wu Chen stays the course, chasing the Lady who deserves to be beaten and thanked!
The group finds a hidden door that leads into a room with 5 mirrors, an altar and Wu Chen.
"Wu Chen!"
Kojima-San rushes to his daughter, though relief turns to bewilderment when he sees something different about his daughter. Her long, black hair has some prominent bright red streaks—which could be dismissed as normal for a maiden devoted to Shelyn. The eyes on the other hand—Wu Chen's right eye a jade green, her left unnaturally golden...
...but other than a new look, the girl is clearly unharmed and is definitely his daughter.
Wu Chen looks like she's ready to bolt. She looks into her father's eyes, the whole rescue team. She looks like she wants to cry, laugh, kill, hug, bombard the room with questions...
"Succubus... she was inside me. I force her out. She is running."
The girl turns to the direction of the Lady's escape. She takes a small step, leans into a stance like a runner waiting for the starting signal, waits only a fraction of a second—just long enough that her next move is obvious to onlookers—
"We chase her!"
—she bolts!
Despite being an entertainer, a dancer, an acrobatic performer, the girl barely maintains her footing as she scrambles toward the door. Her father is a samurai, but the child leading the charge has no weapon, no armor, and if she's a spellcasting prodigy she's hidden her ability well. As far as anyone can see, the girl's only weapons are her tiny fists.
Yet there she goes—chasing a woman. No. A demon. The child already referred to the Lady as "Succubus."
A demon eh? Succubus I believe she said? What do I recall about succubus?
Darion thinks to himself as he watches the girl Wu Chen half stumble towards the door
It suddenly hits him that if the woman is a succubus then this party of individuals likely is no match for it. Darion also recalls that the succubus can teleport and can very likely be anywhere. Hmmm, she did teleport away earlier, that lends proof to the thought that she was a succubus, and those men seemed convinced that she was a demon too?
Wu Chen! Wu Chen stop! I know that you want revenge but if that woman is what you say a succubus, then she could very likely defeat all of us without breaking a sweat. Not to mention that she can teleport and be pretty much anywhere by now. Let’s all stick together for safety and to come up with a plan!
Wu Chen does as directed. Turning to Darion, she says, "Not revenge..."
She catches her breath, then goes on, "If she escape, instead of me she find other girl. She kidnap many—only need one, sell rest to slave market. All suffer fate worse than death.
"I do not need revenge. Is other children need us stop her."
She points to the door.
"She flee on foot—maybe is too weaken to teleport. We can catch her if we hurry."
The girl wants to run, but waits to see what her rescuers will do.
Wu chen points to a spot behind one of the mirrors.
She didn't see it used as it a secret door.
The group tries to find the secret door, but can't.
So the group heads towards the Exit, just before exiting they see the Lady again and she sees you and runs for the exit herself.
She keeps the the street as she escapes.
Exiting the Lady Rouge you all have Two options;
A) DC: 15 Climb onto the Goose n Gander
B) DC: 10 Diplomacy to move through festival.
Not encumbered by pesky weapons, Wu Chen scales the wall with relative ease!
Kinshara attempts to move through the festival swiftly, encouraging people to move out of her way.
Talk of a succubus retwists the knots in Corin's stomach. Even if he shares none of Darion's knowledge, he knows enough to fear the word. Of course, the young girl's own worries urge him onward. After rescuing these children from harm, Corin wasn't about to let some demon claim another.
He follows behind Wu Chen, scaling onto the roof behind her, only somewhat slowed by his mail shirt.
Darion takes one look at the climb and then the crowd. He decides to try to negotiate the crowd mostly because he doesn’t relish the idea of what he would look like splattered all over the ground when not if he falls
He makes the short pleasantries necessary to navigate through the crowd with relative ease
Places:
Lady: Street 2
Wu Chen: TGnG Roof
Corindus: TGnG Roof
Darrion: Street 0
Kinshara: Start
Wu Chen and Corindus are catching up on her quickly, but she know how to move through the crowds.
Darrion politely moves through the crowd,
Kinshara tries to get through, but gets drunks who don't make way.
Wu Chen and Corindus:
Acro (20) to Jump The Roof to another
Acro (15) + Stealth(10) Get down to Street Level with causing her to rush faster.
Darrion:
Local (10) To know a local short cut
Perception (15) to find a easy path through the crowd
Kinshara:
Climb (15) onto the Goose n Gander
Diplomacy (10) to move through festival.
Wu Chen leaps to the street, gracefully, and lightly on her feet...
Darion continues to navigate his way through the crowds
As he is moving he remembers a short cut the next question is how to get there from here
Ah hah! he shouts That way should get me there
Darion hastens through the crowds as he makes his way to try and cut off the demon
"Please!" Kinshara pleads with the drunken crowd. "I must get through. Lives are at stake!"
Corindus takes a painful tumble to the ground, hoping that it neither slows him down nor startles the woman they pursue.
Places:
Lady: Street 3
Wu Chen: Street 1
Corindus: Street 1
Darrion: Street 1
Kinshara: Street 0
Darrion catches up to Corindus and Wu Chen.
With Corindus landing into a manure cart.
With the Lady progressing as Well
Kinshara gets the drunks to move and progresses
Darrion, Corindus and Wu Chen
Climb (10) + Enginner(10) to climb the Jack N Napes to take to the roofs
Diplomacy (20) to Move throw the crowd
Kinshara:
Local (10) To know a local short cut
Perception (15) to find a easy path through the crowd
Climbing is easy for WC, and she's got a brain in her head. She thinks she might have found a good way to cut off the Lady's escape!
And then what? Fight demon with own fist? Shelyn... please guide me. I am beginner, but I cannot use my age as excuse to hide and do nothing.
[dice=Climb]d20+7
[dice=INT]d20+2
Darion sees a good way to climb but his scrawny arms won’t do the work