Not long after she departs, Percy is back with a Dwarf. May I present Tor Deathsteel, Master Linguist and Cleric. Tor, Silas Runesong of the Pathfinders and Taerine Doumont of the Church of Asmodeus.
Please, you two, do try to get along. You'll need each other before this is over...
Then she is gone again.
Silas smiles as he brews the tea and nods to the newcomer. "Ah, Tor, welcome. Come share in some tea. I always find it agreeable to meet one of Torag's faithful."
Know history.
Therefore I am assembling a team to go in after the Torc. I would like your expertise on said team.
posted earlier, I may be falling a bit behind
I'd prefer the team to make it back alive. Other than that I require nothing if you save the Torc itself. Anything you find in the Veil is yours to divide along yourselves.
Talon finishes packing his bag. slinging it over his shoulder. As he turns to face Percy, his clothing and face have changed to that of a simple traveler and "wanna-be" adventurer. Alright then, lets get moving. there is lots of ground to cover.
with a slight smile to indicate Talon accepts the deal.
Percy reappears with a young man who looks suspiciously like a novice adventurer. Everyone, meet Talon. She introduces, then disappears again.
Percy's staging area sits in a small island of tundra trees in the rolling pain leading up to the Veil. The snow is deep here and she (or someone else, you can't be sure) has already formed a decently hidden area with low walls to protect from the wind, though they are only effective if you happenn to be sitting.
The temperature here is deep into the negatives and anyone without substantial mundane or magical protection (such as Endure Elements) will quickly freeze to death.
On the bright side, you assistance will not be uncompensated. As a demonstration of good faith, I offer you any one item worth up to 36,000 gold pieces.
When all have arrived (Ragnvald will soon), Percy announces something she has already offered to some. Your acts here will not be without compensation. Each of you may name one item up to 36,000 gold, and it will be provided.
"Tea would be ... most unexpected," she replies to Silas. "I shall be more than happy to take you up on your offer."
She accepts the cup with a nod, though waits until the Tian man has tried his before sipping.
She watches the newcomers with an equally weary eye.
"Taerine Doumont, daughter of Asmodeus, flame of His church," she introduces herself to each new arrival, sizing them up.
Percy takes her tea and breathes the steam with a contented sigh. We leave after tea. Such a thing is priceless in these troubled times.
Percy arrives with three lady of the party and introduces him, This is Ragnvald Hrolfson. Youall have probably never heard of him, but believe me when I say that he will be invaluable to your expedition.
She then makes get offer of an item and pointedly excludes Taerine (usually by pointing and saying, "except her", a lot).
Silas sighs, and sits back, sipping on his tea. He seems quite underdressed for this climate, but the cold does not seem to touch him at all.
"So..., and investigator, an assassin, a daughter of flame, and a devout of the Forge Father. Quite an interesting grouping we have."
He looks about, his vision occasionally scanning back to the veil. He seems to be puzzling at it, and considering many things. His eyes seem both tired and piercing at the same time.
He looks at the rest of them, holding his mug of tea for a moment before breaking the silence. "Do we all know why we are here?"
Ragnvald takes a seat and does not hesitate to answer.
"Because a quite powerful being requires convenient catspaws in a race with other powrful beings to retrieve an item that should not exist from a place that serves as a living symbol of a very old and very powerful woman's wrath. Does that about some things up?"
As Tor looks around, he nods approvingly at most of the members of the group....until his eyes alight on Taerine. Then his eyes noticeably narrow and he says without preamble "So, a devil worshipper eh? Are you planning on summoning beings of corruption, or will you behave?"
Tor then pauses an minute and says to the rest of the group "Apologies, but I've had some rather...unfortunate dealings with Asmodeans in the past, and I'd like to clear up any problems now, rather then when we have our enemy's blades at our throats. As the Gnome said, my name is Tor of clan Deathsteel. I am a voice for The Forgelord, and I channel his will. I'm also something of an expert on The Cyphergate, having successfully puzzled out the workings of 3 runes."
When Ragnvald replies, Tor will add "From what Percy was saying, we're working for one of The Eldest, the more-or-less leaders of The First World."
Tor then gratefully accepts a cup of tea, and returns his gaze to Taerine to await her answer.
Taerine nods at Silas' question, but is interrupted by the dwarf before she can say anything.
"I'm afraid you are mistaken, dwarf, on two accounts: Devils are not beings of corruption. You are in fact thinking of demons, or possibly divs. Devils are creatures of law, who bring order to chaos. As a follower of Abadar, you surely must appreciate contracts, no? It is Asmodeus who is the god of contracts, who enforces the rules that allow your church to function.
"Furthermore, I am not a devil worshipper. I am the Devil's daughter; the blood of Asmodeus flows through my veins, His hellfire mine to command. I know nothing of your dealings with the Church, but if you fear me, I am happy to draw up a contract for you, to detail our work together here. I bear you no ill will."
Taerine will have requested a carpet of flying (5-by-10) from the church.
Silas chuckles at the pair, smiling almost impassively as he sips his tea. "Madame, have a care for words. While Thrune does not worship devils, their house has not aquired the Thrice Damned moniker lightly. Nor would a devout of the Forge Father Torag take very kindly to your consortment with evil beings. Nor would I, but that is a completely different matter."
He sets his mug down, looking at the rest of the gathered members. "So, we are all gathered here. Are we then agreed on our purpose? Somehow, I suspect that some of us may not have entirely..., wholesome intentions for the Torc once it is found."
The novice adventurer scans the room and its people, seemingly to figure them out.
he takes a seat listening to the conversation of the various demons, devils, and such.
He remains quiet, and as Silas mentions about less than wholesome intentions, he watches to see who he casts his eye upon.
Request is made to have Greater Eye Piercings:
(32,000gp eyes slot, allows the see in darkness ability (including all magical darkness), source is "Champions of Corruption")
"You mean less wholesome than the powers already after it?" The older Ulfen man says with a snort. "Just be thankful we've not a whole host of celestials here while we're at it..."
"You mean less wholesome than the powers already after it?" The older Ulfen man says with a snort. "Just be thankful we've not a whole host of celestials here while we're at it..."
Silas can't help but chuckle as Ragnvald says this. "I'm here, so they stay their hand. Though the hosts of the Heavens and Elysium will be with us, that I can assure you."
As everyone talks, Talon gets himself some tea as he notices others partaking in.
"So what exactly is this torc, and what exactly does it do?"
"It is an item of incredible power housed within the Veil. Within it it contains a portion of Kostchtchie's soul. And with it, his command over frost, and his dominion over the frost giants. Were one to wield such a power and be able to fend off the Torc's original owner they would shortly be in command of a vast and terrible army. Giants are savage, but not foolish, they would know well that they cannot resist the Torc's will."
Silas smiles, pouring Talon a cup of tea. As everyone sits, he slips into his best scholarly teacher voice, as he is given to do being a Venture Captain of the Pathfinder Society.
"The Torc of Kostchtchie. It is a necklace of gold, that houses a bound portion of the Demon Lord Kostchtchie's soul. Simply put, his power and influence are restricted while it exists. Should anyone attempt to use it, or release the Torc, It would draw the Demon Lord to them like a moth to flame. This would have devastating effects on the whole of Golarion. Not to mention the current queen of Irrisen covets it for its power over frost and the Frost giants as Ragnvald so astutely pointed out."
"To say the least, it would be disastrous were it's power to be gained by the Winter Witches, or the Demon Lord himself. Or..., perhaps say..., the Thrice Damned House?" Silas's eyes narrow for a moment as he looks over to Taerine. "I hope you will forgive the assumption, dearest one. However, one who calls herself the Devil's Daughter, hailing from Cheliax..., Let us just say that the Paracountess, while helpful to the society, always has her own agenda."
Silas looks around as his gaze ends up resting on the Veil of Frozen Tears. "I don't expect all of you to understand, or in some cases agree with me. However, the facts remain that the Torc is an artifact of terrible power, and should anyone that seeks to bring that foul power to bear obtain it..., there will be many dark days ahead for all of Golarion. Not only the witches of Irrisen, and the Demon Lord, but the Veil of Frozen tears, which stands as a living monument to Baba Yaga's personal revenge against her enemies. These are all powers far beyond our ken. Only together can we plan to resist and deprive them of the terrible prize that they seek to obtain."
"Okay, so if this torc is as powerful as you say, what do we know about the people asking us to recover it? I was led to believe that this 'Percy' was working for one of the Eldest, as I said before. Can anyone confirm that? With something that powerful, we want to make sure that we're handing it off to someone who won't misuse it, after all."
"Okay, so if this torc is as powerful as you say, what do we know about the people asking us to recover it? I was led to believe that this 'Percy' was working for one of the Eldest, as I said before. Can anyone confirm that? With something that powerful, we want to make sure that we're handing it off to someone who won't misuse it, after all."
Silas nods. "Many have forgotten the Silvershaper sisters. Percy and Allie. They were here when the original Witch War occurred. They were part of the ones trying to stop this madness. Percy now serves Imbrex the Immutable. To my understanding, he intends to spirit away the Torc to the First world, a place where a demon lord would have a hell of a time going to, much less recovering anything from it."
"You need not worry about the House of Thrune, Venture Captain," Taerine replies with a smile. "I give you my word that it shall not come to have the torc. Though to be honest, I fear what they would do with it less than I do one of the Eldest or even the little bleachling."
The "little bleachling" continues to pointedly ignore the Chelaxian.
Have each of you decided on your gifts? She asks in mild annoyance.
Silas smiles, and turns to look at Percy. "You know, Percy, I think that I know just the thing. Being that we are going to be in icy enviorns, do you think you could scrounge up one a helm of brilliance. Of the lesser variety of course. It might be quite helpful in our endeavors inside the Veil."
"Well, now that that's taken care of, how do we want to proceed? It appears there are a number of obstacles on the ground, but also a way to enter above."
Percy hears all your requests. She sits in the snow and goes into a kind of meditative trance. About a minute later the air shimmers and your requests are provided.
Good luck. If you ever need me, simply return here. I will know and join you as soon as I can.
She then turns and disappears on the spot.
A large encampment sprawls near the base of the waterfall behind a rough ice wall. Several huge tents of poorly cured mammoth hide cluster together around a cleared space in the center, and a number of giant beasts are corralled on the camp’s outskirts. Despite the biting cold, there is no sign of any fires for warmth or cooking.
The camp is a massive affair, with a dozen giant-sized hide tents and a fenced-in corral made from rough-hewn logs, both encircled by a 10-foot-tall wall of hard-packed snow.
The giants have no real watch set. In fact they are milling about like the boss is absent from camp.
Talon takes the gift and nods to signify his gratitude. opening the small parcel, he removes a small piece of jewelry that seems to shift between light and shadow.
taking a seat Talon sips his tea. So how do we get to this place that the Torc you guys keep talking about is at? he asks innocently, trying to make some conversation.
Silas looks around at the group, shifting the new helm into his bag of holding. He sighs frowning just slightly. "Ragnvald or Talon, would either of you be of a more..., stealth like persuasion? Think you could give us an idea of what is going on up there?"