This will happen to each of you individually
You are awakened by a dousing of water on your naked body surrounded by fiends laughing and leering at you. They quiet quickly as a heavy thudding noise grows louder, coming through the only door in this 20'x 20' square room is a truly horrific site. A snake bodied fiend topped by a womans torso with 6 arms. She glares at you as if appraising a piece of meat and speaks to you in a surprisingly pleasant voice.
The rules here are simple, you will do what we want, when we want and how we want it done any questions?
I will never bow to such a fiend but how to escape? I'll play along for now, but by my ancestors that monster's head will be mine.
"Where am I?" Kor growled, his beetle-like carapace flexing as he stood to face the monster before him,"And where is my hammer?"
The large trox warrior stretches his arms and bares his hands to the fiends, his two pairs of smaller arms mimicking his larger pair as if to amplify the gesture.
"What use is a warrior without his weapon?"grinned Kor,"What do you say, mistress?"
Kor:
The six armed snake woman answers you with a backhand across your face for
You do not speak thrall unless spoken to
She will then turn to leave.
Zoren shrugs, "What is it you want done? I am sure my Blade would love the taste of Blood again. I myself have little love for..."
His voice trails off as he stares at the far corner of the room which a moment ago was empty, now, his Blade inhabits that empty space.
Even were I to wield it here and now, I could not defeat these foes, would I even want to?
Zoren: You will notice immediately that magic is suppressed and your blade cannot be called.
The guards eyes flicker over to the corner you looked at and then look back at you with mock surprise in their eyes.
The Taskmistress addresses you.
looking for something thrall?
"My Blade has a habit of following me, even when I wish to be rid of it. Though it seems the Blade has been prevented from doing so by this... place". Zoren grins.
His demeanor becomes somber as he looks the Marilith in the eyes, "I have come here to be punished for my sins. If this is part of my punishment, then by all means let us get on with it. If not, let me rot here in peace".
I may as well get this out of the way. Things you will discover about Prison 14. It is a work camp with a reputation for housing higher level inmates that run afoul of the law, It is a no-exit prison that the warden and guards treat as a military front line. People are not executed as a matter of course but are worked to death.
Everyday life in the camp includes random beatings, inmates snitching on other inmates in order to gain favor and conjugal visits arranged by the guards for their own amusement.
Zoren: You will be escorted in to an adjacent room and issued a prison uniform really nothin more than a burlap sack with a hole for your head , arms and feet.
Anytime this gets to rough for you as he glances over the cliff.
On top of the plateau are several open longhouses each capable of holding 20 inmates. Looking at the other prisoners they seem malnourished and all bear scars of various sorts, some have missing eyes, ears or appendages.
The guards will issue you a hammer and then have you break rocks for long periods of time. The five of you will be bunked next to one another
Kor drops to a knee from the force of the blow, a trickle of dark blood can be seen from the corner of his mouth.
His eyes alight with rage he smiles and nods, licking the blood away.
In time I'll have my vengeance, but for now it is better to be underestimated.
Kor scowls and glares menacingly at the fiends.
Izura starts awake, taking in the scene around her. She sees the fiends' expressions of superiority and disdain; though she cannot hear their laughs and jibes, she understands.
The fools think to cow me with darkness and terror and cold...but the darkness is my domain, terror my life's blood, and I have known a cold they could never comprehend...
But at the voice, she is momentarily perplexed. I've heard nothing but my own thoughts...not since the void...
She stares for several seconds, attempting to comprehend the new voice, and begins to attempt to speak, her words garbled by the vicious fangs that fill her mouth, and by disuse and long silence. Ca...h...h...her yuh? (I can hear you?)
Kor: If you have not already, please see the spoiler for "Everyone"
Izura: If you choose not to resist, please see the spoiler for everyone 2 post above yours
As your shifts end you are taken back to the longhouse for your meal, really nothing more than a tasteless bowl of gruel. You all turn in for the night, your bed is the hard ground.
Izura, still bewildered by hearing another voice besides her own inner monologue, lets herself be led out of her cell and "dressed". When she is led outside, she looks around the yard with a disaffected air, but shows a bit of discomfort at the heat. Looking at the sea of demons below the cliff's edge, she does little more than shrug. They think this a horror - ha! She barely manages to keep her laughter internal.
Breaking the rocks is monotonous, but not unduly difficult; while she is not a paragon of strength, Izura does have a decent amount of muscle ripping in her arms and shoulders as she swings.
Eating the tasteless gruel, however, is perhaps Izura's hardest task so far. Would that the void had left my hearing and taken my taste. This mush is awful.
As she lays down on the ground, sleepless, Izura looks to her neighbors, watching their lips for any sign of familiar movements that might signify a common language. I must try to get a feel for these, my fellows. It could be one of them is the Great Ones' gift to secure my freedom.
Zoren breaks rocks in silence not resisting the orders and not really paying attention to the others around him.
As he returns to bed his thoughts drift to the past reinforcing his decision to turn himself in, I deserve no les than this. My own arrogance brought me here. Perhaps one day I shall throw myself off of that cliff but not tomorrow.
He still pays little mind to the prisoners around him.
This will happen to each of you individually
You are awakened by a dousing of water on your naked body surrounded by fiends laughing and leering at you. They quiet quickly as a heavy thudding noise grows louder, coming through the only door in this 20'x 20' square room is a truly horrific site. A snake bodied fiend topped by a womans torso with 6 arms. She glares at you as if appraising a piece of meat and speaks to you in a surprisingly pleasant voice.
The rules here are simple, you will do what we want, when we want and how we want it done any questions?
William jumps back a little as he is startled by the fiends. Where are my cloths. Why would they leave me naked. He looks up at the snaked bodied fiend. What the hell is that? Maybe I could take her. Perhaps I will wait and observe first.
What do you want then?
Zoren: You will be escorted in to an adjacent room and issued a prison uniform really nothin more than a burlap sack with a hole for your head , arms and feet.
** spoiler omitted **
I am expected to wear this?
I wonder if I could fly out here? How far could it go on for like this? Could it all be an elaborate illusion spell? Perhaps I shall wait a little longer before I make my move.
Very well then. I know where to jump should I need to end it.
so then I am to assume that you think merely taking my affects will scare me into submission? I wouldn't have fought even with my affects as that would surely lead to death as the logical conclusion.... eventually. However, I will ask for my hat back. I don't care if you are so fascinated by my body. It wouldn't be the first time...
He smiles at his captors.
hmm, bide my time. They will lower their guard eventually.. That's when I will take advantage of them... hehe, I can wait awhile.
It is now your designated rest time, you may all chat, get to know one another.
Kor is all too familiar with the nuances of prison/slave life having freed many from such predicaments before. An opportunity always presents itself if one has the discipline and wherewithal to seize it.
"So,"Kor begins in a hushed tone, his skill with speech somewhat surprising due to his appearance,"I'd like to know the names of my comrades before we die a glorious death fighting to freedom. I am Kor, Breaker of Chains."
Zoren snaps out of his reverie, "Break out? Why would I want to break out? I am here for a reason, I belong here".
Trox, breaker of chains. That guy sounds like someone to befriend around here.
Trox, Breaker of Chains, I am William Dienow. I am a type of researcher, wrongly imprisoned for my research. Able to perform minor magical wonders when called upon.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Sleepless, Izura turns her head back and forth, observing her fellow inmates. She is slightly disappointed when she sees their lips moving, yet hears nothing. I hear the guards...but it must be a skill only they possess, not inherent to the place. I had hoped to hear some friendly voices...
After reading a few introductions on her neighbors' lips, Izura decides to make her own introduction. Unfortunately, her ability to judge her own volume is...a bit rusty. She half shouts to the others, speech garbled through a mouth full of fangs.
Do won bewongsh in sush a pwashe. Weasht of aw be. I'b Ishuwa Shewenewsh. I cad't hewe, bud I cad wead wipsh. I fashed de boid, ad itsh shiwensh wivesh id be stiw. Dey pud me hew becawshe dey shay itsh badness libs id be ash wew.
(No one belongs in such a place. Least of all me. I'm Izura Selenesh. I can't hear, but I can read lips. I faced the void, and its silence lives in me still. They put me here because they say its madness dwells in me as well.)
"I am Zoren Valkith. I have spilled the blood of innocents, too many innocents. Whether you belong here or not is not for me to judge Izura. I know that I belong here for what I have done, well perhaps my actions were not entirely my own but the events that led me here were set in motion by my own hand and of my own free will".
"Hah,"the bizarre muscled form of Kor shifts to face Zoren,"Self pity is for the weak. You appear fit and able,"Kor gestures to Zoren's tail,"accidents of birth should be acknowledged but overcome. I have slain many in my time. Some were deserving and others just in the way...,"he pauses as if in remembrance,"regardless the cost, freedom."
Why do those faces still haunt me? They were deserving of a master's fate... Poisoned tree, poisoned fruit...
Kor turns to William, the alien features of the hulking beetle-man somehow diminished, "A pleasure, learned one. A warrior of the mind is beyond useful."
Shifting to hear the odd-looking woman Kor nods as she speaks, the sounds familiar but clearly something is amiss.
Iddeed...iv you wew doidg whad you musht, den doshe who few showd dot hab opposhed you. Izura seems genuinely confused at Zoren's distress. Id da way...da guardsh wew id da way. Dey should'd hab bed. Dey would hab bed fide iv dey wew'dt id da way. Id deeded to faw...aw shaw faw ad da Gweat Onesh' wetown...
(Indeed...if you were doing what you must, then those who fell should not have opposed you....In the way...the guards were in the way. They shouldn't have been. They would have been fine if they weren't in the way. It needed to fall...all shall fall at the Great Ones' return...)
"I don't know of these great ones you speak, lady Izura,"Kor shivered at the reference but clenched a fist to steady himself,"but your strength of spirit is heartening."
William looks at Izura with puzzelment.
Elf girl, I have no idea what you are saying. I have never heard that language before. I am intrigued.
Alex paces around the small room, hand on his chin. He stops for a moment.
I still don't have my hat back! Is that really so much to ask? The bond between a man and his hat is sacred! He shouts out then shakes his head.
he turns to the rest.
My dear lady, perhaps I could aid you in your speaking? quite frankly my dear, and I mean no offense by this but, its atrocious. he turns to look at trox As for your glorious death, I'll pass. When one is patient, and observant, an opportunity will always come. Besides, this place is fascinating, did you know there is a legend of a man braving the demons and getting out? I don't believe it one bit. But you have to wonder where such stories come from.
he returns to his pacing.
Oh! by the by, what was it that got you gents thrown in here?
It'sh Cobodn, wike you...ugh, why did dey dake by shlate? Could'dt hab kebt at leasht by shlate? Ish dot by shoish I shpeak wike dish...ish teef. Ad I cad't heaw byshewf...ish id dat bad?
(It's Common, like you...ugh, why did they take my slate? Couldn't have at least my slate? It's not by choice I speak like this...it's teeth. And I can't hear myself...is it that bad?)
I've got it! I could teach you sign language! That way, even if by no fault of yours people can't understand your speech, they could still understand your gestures... well, I suppose that that would require them to understand sign language themselves...well, you could speak to me clearly anyway. Though, I suppose I can make out what you say well enough anyway... ah. What are these gods you speak of?
Valen stops right in front of Izura and leans down to look her in the eye.
Kor snorts loudly at the brusqueness of Alexander's reply. His bulk tensing reflexively from the sharpness of his words.
"Good, fire in you,"Kor shifts to Elven mid-sentence,"a bit harsh with the lady though. What is your name, elf?"
"Slaying women and children got me in here. The Black Blade is the culprit, I was its vessel nothing more. Still, in here, I can harm no one further. If I were to slay those in my way there is pride in that, what the Blade wants is simply murder for murders' sake..."
A shwate, a shwate... Izura mimics writing with a piece of chalk in front of her. A shwate ish aww I deed, ded it'sh eashy. Bud dey took it wiv evewyshing ewshe... She begins for a moment to throw an almost toddler-like fit, but manages to compose herself.
De godsh awe...de onesh in de shpashes between da shtarsh. Da Dweamew Id Da Deep...Da Wowd Shunder...da Gwead Owd Onesh, ov da Darg Tapeshtry. Dey sweep dow id da boid...but I shaw. Da shcry showed be, when dey endashepded id. Powahfuw...tewwibew...dofidg hew shcawes be, aftew dem. Dofidg cowd.
(A slate, a slate...a slate is all I need, then it's easy. But they took it with everything else...
The gods are...the ones in the spaces between the stars. The Dreamer In The Deep...The World Thunder...the Great Old Ones, of the Dark Tapestry. They sleep now in the void...but I saw. The scry showed me, when they intercepted it. Powerful...terrible...nothing here scares me, after them. Nothing could.)
"Slaying women and children got me in here. The Black Blade is the culprit, I was its vessel nothing more. Still, in here, I can harm no one further. If I were to slay those in my way there is pride in that, what the Blade wants is simply murder for murders' sake..."
Ish jusht a bwade...how aw yuh ish veshel? How doesh id wadt?
(It's just a blade...how are you its vessel? How does it want?)
Zoren laughs at Izura's comment, "You speak of mysteries of long forgotten Gods in the void between time and space, Primordials I assume, yet you marvel at a Blade with its own designs? I wish I knew what it wanted. It destroyed my father's soul before me. I assumed that he was simply weak so I took it from him. He was a bastard who, I thought, deserved death for his own crimes. Now, my own experience makes me wonder how much of him was even left at the end. Instead of be consumed by it, I chose to come to a place where I could be free of it. I do not pity myself, I am here of my own volition".
Powerful beings in the void and cursed blades. By my ancestors, we are a strange gaggle of discard. Maybe fate will grant us a reprieve from our well-earned reward in this hell hole.
The mention of the Great Old Ones caused another shiver and from deep within a sense of wrongness accompanied Izura's words, as mangled as they were.
Valen, The name is Valen. You could call me a.... detective of sorts, seeker of knowledge and truth. I will not withhold the truth my friend. That is, in part of why I am here.
At the mention of the 3 gods of the void he turns back to Izura.
my word, you say those horrible beings of the void speak with you? I've heard many tales, and I fear the day that they ever proved real, much less returned. For the stories I've heard do not bode well. Better to not speak of them if they are indeed real. Or, at least not yet. I would like to be able to make notes on them when you speak of them.
He turns away from the oracle, his face a little paler than it was. He looks to Zoren.
A black blade you say? I assume it has been passed down your family for ages? You would happen to be one of those wandering magi yes? I've heard tales of you, warrior and scholars, equally deadly spell or blade. Quite the opponent you would make. The black blades you speak of, they are intelligent items of sorts yes? Then it is simple. You must exert your will over the blade, and not let it control your actions. It is no fault of the blade that those people died to it. It is yours, your lack of will and resolve that let the blade guide your hands. And still you flee from it.
He resumes his pacing.
Kor nods at Valen's reply,"Truth is quite the commodity. I respect such frankness even if my instincts do not. A beast chained inside is still a beast."
The trox drops face first at the ground catching his body with his two primary arms and begins counting out pushups. His massive tail is stretched out straight behind his body and his four smaller arms crossed and tucked close.
"One, two, three..."
"Lady Izura,"Kor manages between pushups,"would you be so kind as to sit upon my lower back, I need some additional resistance. Please center yourself as well, don't mind the plating."
Izura gives Kor a quizzical look, but climbs up the hard chitin and sits cross-legged on his back. Like thish? She settles into her seat, her posture loose and slightly slumped. She watches as Alexander paces and Koren lies still, her view bobbing up and down with Kor's movements. Barin, Shoren. You bofh shay you come om porposh. Why shend yourshelvesh to thish plashe? There are zhailsh aw ofer Gorariam thad guild could'b tagen you; why od ob the worsht id de word?
(Valen, Zoren. You both say you come on purpose. Why send yourselves to this place? There are jails all over Golarion that guilt could've taken you; why one of the worst in the world?)
"Perfect,"grunts Kor,"feel free to recline as well."
The two largest plates of chitin on his back shift and rip through the burlap tunic to form a makeshift chair-back, the powerful ligaments holding the plates close together. All the while he keeps the rhythm.
"49, 50, 51..."
Valen looks at Kor. Quite fascinating... As for why I am here, I didn't necessarily come here of my violation. I merely got to choose the one I went to. I decided I wanted to experience this one. Though I wish I had my hat. Its very important to me.
From her vantage point, Izura can't see to understand Kor's response, but as the chair forms itself behind her, she takes the meaning and settles back languidly into it. Musht be a nishe had. (Must be a nice hat.)
Yes well, not so much nice as important or meaningful. Though yes, it does look rather dashing.
Valen looks around and spies some rocks nearby.
Say kor, care for a test of strength and intelligence? Lets see who can shatter the rock first eh? He points at a few rather large rocks sitting along the wall outside.
"Reminds me of my hammer,"growls Kor,"It was a gift from...,"a strange chittering reverberates from Kor's mouth, tiny maxillae inside vibrating together and distorting his speech while his external tusk-like mandibles flare angrily,"from my master."
The vibration of his maxillae travelled through his body but the two upright plates remained as well as his count.
"67, 68, 69..."
A black blade you say? I assume it has been passed down your family for ages? You would happen to be one of those wandering magi yes? I've heard tales of you, warrior and scholars, equally deadly spell or blade. Quite the opponent you would make. The black blades you speak of, they are intelligent items of sorts yes? Then it is simple. You must exert your will over the blade, and not let it control your actions. It is no fault of the blade that those people died to it. It is yours, your lack of will and resolve that let the blade guide your hands. And still you flee from it.
"The Blade is insidious, when I sleep it takes over. Perhaps my will is weak when I sleep as you say but I could find no way to prevent nocturnal wanderings and bloodlettings".
Izura gives Kor a quizzical look, but climbs up the hard chitin and sits cross-legged on his back. Like thish? She settles into her seat, her posture loose and slightly slumped. She watches as Alexander paces and Koren lies still, her view bobbing up and down with Kor's movements. Barin, Shoren. You bofh shay you come om porposh. Why shend yourshelvesh to thish plashe? There are zhailsh aw ofer Gorariam thad guild could'b tagen you; why od ob the worsht id de word?
(Valen, Zoren. You both say you come on purpose. Why send yourselves to this place? There are jails all over Golarion that guilt could've taken you; why one of the worst in the world?)
Zoren walks around the front of Kor, Breaker of Chains so that Izura can more easily read his lips, "Indeed, any prison could contain me but what prison on the prime could contain the Blade? I heard tell that this one could, so here I came. The other prisons I entered ended in jail breaks, ones where the inmates took terrible vengeance upon their prior captors. I did fear the Blade could could even follow me here, thankfully it has not".
"Sounds like a worthy distraction, Valen. Milady, can you assist me again in the future?"
The large plates slowly fold back into place as the trox gently prepares to stand up.
I feel you need to gain control of this blade my friend. What happens when another picks it up? or it bonds with a new master. Besides, I've heard these type of blades can speak with their wielder. Have you spoken with it before?
Izura feels her seat shifting, and makes her way off of Kor's back. Nod mush of a lady, bud I cad hewp. (Not much of a lady, but I can help.)
After dismounting, she continues speaking to Zoren.
Sho yowr plan ish tah shtay in thish plashe ethernally for the bwade'sh shinsh? Ad what if thish bwade shimpleh takesh anover ash thrawl? What pwofhit, then, doesh yowr shervithude acconpwish?
(So your plan is to stay in this place eternally for the blade's sins? And what if this blade simply takes another as thrall? What profit, then, does your servitude accomplish?)