Ehren glances around, looking for evidence of who may have done this, but because so many people have been in and out of the supply wagons, it is hard to make any conclusive statements.
Ary nods to Nurah. That sounded exactly like what was going on. Given how snappy her well-reasoned responses always seemed to be and the fact that she seemed like an open book to Ary... the woman was starting to have her doubts about Nurah being a traitor. She pauses on her way to Xanderghul, thinking about turning around to go back to Irabeth. "Good idea. It would save much more time to simply search everyone in the camp with a quick sweep of paladins... but.." she frowns. "We can't really do that so openly, though a quick response is likely the best one, I'm quite worried that it's the wrong response... and letting the demon know we know doesn't do us much good until we're able to put it into action." she says, returning to her desire to go see Xanderghul first. Heading that way... she doesn't find him. She frowns, and continues on to go see Kule and Ledsah since that was a likely place to at least find Isilme.
Ary leaves Nurah's side, though Irabeth dutifully remains behind with her. She intercepts Isilme, Valaria, Xanderghul, and Ehren on their way to the wagons. Once Artis shows them to the correct wagon, he leaves them in a huff to his other responsibilities, meaning that the heroes are left in relative privacy.
Isilme includes Ary in on the message spell and then begins explaining the situation. "It would seem the water has been contaminated by a purified form of rageweed. It was intentionally added by someone to sow discord among the ranks. Perhaps you could see if you can find any clues as to who did it at the barrels? I would like as much evidence as possible before we attempt to confront the most likely suspect. I suppose it would not hurt for me to have a look around as well."
Isilme takes a moment to look for any evidence of who might have been involved in tampering with the water supplies as well.
Isilme checks the area around the wagons. She finds footprints, both medium and small sized around the area, likely from people going to and from the wagon to refill their waterskins.
"Um... Alright.". Ary responds through the link. "This is an incredibly well-traveled area, so I don't expect to find much in the way of evidence..." she says as she begins to look over the barrels for any sign of tampering or evidence left behind.
"We need to get this water out of our supplies."
Ary looks around, noticing the same footprints in the area, but nothing unusual in the area of the barrels. She could, if she wants, attempt to track a given set of footprints around the camp, as she possesses the skills to do so. However there are the tracks of well over 40 different individuals in the area around the water wagon.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
After staring at dirt for entirely too long, Ehren stands up and sighs. For once, he almost wished that they had someone from the inquisition in the army. He quickly files that thought under "things not to say in front of Valaria."
"It's no use. Too many people have passed through the area. And even if we could trace some of these footsteps back to Nurah, we wouldn't be proving anything," he whispers through message, coming to the most obvious conclusion. Speaking of Nurah with such a conspirational tone still felt strange. The halfling woman had been so friendly and helpful since they first met her at Fort Portolmaeus. He could think of at least one opportunity she had in the past to get them all killed, yet she didn't. Could she really be the traitor?
Xanderghul blinks. "I could be the traitor. You could clap me in irons and see if anyone reacts or tries anything. You could see what your suspects' reactions are to me getting convicted."
He shrugs. "Whatever we do, we should do it now. Scanning people for evil, or magic, or whatever... we could even use Nurah's suggestion regarding the demons as an excuse to double-check everybody... including all of our suspects. I mean, even if whatever we try fails... we need to try something."
"And speaking of that, what are the thoughts on us being grounded here for the time being and conducting the Vilareth raid? Who do we send on that?"
"When we go, only those of us that are skilled in stealth or illusions should come along," Ehren replies, rubbing his chin. "But Vilareth will have to wait, in any case."
Ehren contemplates their options, wondering how they might root out the traitor. They were fairly certain of who it was, but they needed some way of exposing her. He frowns when he hears Xanderghul's suggestion.
"You're right. We do need to try something. We cannot go on like this, not when we are so close to our objective. But pinning the blame on someone else, even as a ruse, might not elicit the reaction we're hoping for..."
He pauses, strapping for ideas himself. Detective work was not his forte.
"I have the scrying spell that we were planning to use on Mangvhune prepared. If we can secure some kind of article that belongs to Nurah, then I could use the spell on her instead. She isn't exactly alone right now, so it might not reveal as much as it would if she were left to her own devices. But it could confirm whether she's shielded against divinations - whoever the traitor is would have to be. And if she happens to notice the sensor, then we can see how she acts when she knows someone is on to her."
"Hmm, if we were able to successfully scry upon her, it might be effective to accidentally allow her some free time. She might make a move at that point. I would like to attempt to question her about the Thoxel demons, if she is using it as a cover and to sow dissent, she may slip up without us needing to give away that we are on to her. In the mean time, let us quietly dispose of these barrels and get Sosiel to refill them."
"It's possible that it's both the Thoxel demons -and- the Rageweed at the same time. It would be very useful for a Thoxel demon to do something like that to sow discord even after they've gone. It might be overkill, but if we were to scare someone enough..." she nods as she starts to work, lifting the barrels.
"I don't think these 'thoxel demons' are involved at all," Ehren says, shaking his head. "From what you told us, it would take a large number of them for so many soldiers to be affected - hardly ideal for infiltration. Using the poison alone is far more subtle."
Ehren decides not to bother with delving into the implications of there demons in the camp. If the enemy already knew exactly where they were, then they had bigger problems on their hands than a few dozen irate crusaders.
Suddenly remembering something that had slipped his mind, Ehren takes out one of his wands and pokes Ary with it. "Hmm. Sorry."
"Rousing the camp against infiltrating demons is likely to cause more chaos than it is worth, especially with people on edge. It is unlikely that we were suddenly infiltrated, we would notice the extra soldiers, and prior to today there have been no signs of these effects. As Ehren says, it is likely the seed of discord is entirely responsible. We can still broach the subject of the water being tainted and see her reactions, however. If she is the traitor she will likely attempt to construct a new narrative to deflect suspicion at someone vulnerable, or via some means that will likely increase discord within the army."
Xanderghul rolls his eyes and gives a great big huff. "Oh my Gods, can we stop talking about it already and just go? We're just going in circles, we all get what we all mean."
The heroes decide they need to confront Nurah, who seemed to be the most likely culprit, especially in light of Ser Jorsal's revelation that there was a traitor in their midst.
They find her with Irabeth, near the center of camp. The half-orc paladin is fulfilling her duties as lieutenant - directing the army to help pack up in preparation of the march, and delegating work to the various captains. Nurah sits next to her on the ground, cross-legged, busy scribbling notes in her journal. She smiles and waves at the heroes when she notices them approaching.
As they are on their way to see Nurah, Isilme steels herself. If it was true that Nurah was a traitor, it would take all of her skill to lure her into incriminating herself. Stopping briefly before they arrive, she focuses deep into herself, gathering the fragments of her memories around her so that she might more easily lull the halfling into a false sense of security.
Isilme waves back and smiles at Nurah, though the smile wears off to reveal a look of concern on her face. Every movement was measured to portray herself as she had been before she had suspected Nurah, and even her thoughts stayed focused on Thoxel demons as she began speaking. "Nurah, I wished to discuss this morning's events in the camp with you. Ary filled me in briefly, however I wished to hear more from you, as the situation is grave, and we need to deal with it immediately. You believe that Thoxel demons are the cause of this chaos?"
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Val rubs her eyes, still looking a bit tired. "I don't know what's causing this much trouble. I just hope it never affects me again. I feel like my head went three rounds with another hezrou."
Nurah is suspicious of your intentions, and she is trying to hide it.
Nurah glances up at Isilme, putting her pen down. "No, I simply offered advice as to what is causing the distress among our men. Thoxel demons are the most likely culprit, though I wouldn't be so proud to say that it couldn't be something else entirely. Xanderghul, for instance, exceeds my knowledge on spellery. Why? Have you discovered the cause?"
Irabeth adds, "Wait - you believe the dip in morale is due to some sort of subterfuge? I was under the impression it was just nerves... but... to think of it, Anevia has been acting off lately. I thought she was just sour that I've been unable to share her tent as of late, but now that you mention it..."
Isilme measures her response, noticing that Nurah was apprehesive of her motives. "No," she says with a sigh, "we have not found a cause yet, and it concerns me. The possibility that we could have been infiltrated troubles me, and we cannot rule it out for the moment. But please, do not be so modest, you are certainly our foremost expert on the subject at hand," she says innocuously, smiling at Nurah.
Without waiting for a response, Isilme continues, sighing heavily, looking troubled. "One thing troubles me, however. Why would the demons have waited until now to sow discord? Would it not have made more sense for them to have struck as we were doing battle with Arastrax? What do you make of that?"
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
With a gentle smile and a nod, Hinagiku accepts Ehren’s compliment. A druid, her? She knew little about them, but it did seem like Ehren woshiped the very essence which she had strived to flow with. ब्रह्मा. The ley. Her mother. The essence of everything, the end of reincarnation. What was to Ehren though, she wondered.
”Thank you. Although, truthfully, I know little of druidism. I had never heard of it before I came here. What is it that you believe in? What is the Ley to you?” she asks, and, as she listens intently to the Kellid, she recalls also recalls the visions of her life she as just seen. A small smile appears on her lips.
Once he is done, Hinagiku nods to Ehren before answering is next question.
”I don’t know about having reached anyone… I have been trying to get to the condemned, but I believe it is a hard road ahead. And you know, it is exactly as you have said, people’s heart have hardened. It is true everywhere in the world, but the onis make it worst. But even them are only a sign of the truth: the wound of the world is what is causing this. It truly hurts all…. I could feel the pain everywhere at home, from the flowers to the trees, the birds and people. Everything… it keeps people away from finding their way.” she pauses for a moment. ”Truthfully, I will pursue enlightenment all my life, but as long as the wound is still open, I do not think I will reach it.”
The morning had been quite strange. After spending the whole night meditating, reading, or braiding Annabelle’s hair in peace, Hinagiku had left her tent to find the camp in quite a disarray. Emboldened by her discussion with Ehren on the previous night, she tries to put her people’s skill to use and goes from angry person to angry person in hopes of calming the down.
After many fruitless discussions, the monk realizes the futility of her task and decides to go in search of her companion instead. There had to be an unnatural cause to all this, and the others would be better at studying than she would. Finally, she spots as they make their way to the center of the camp and joins them.
”Ary... Do you know what is happening? I have spent the last two hours trying to get people to reconcile… but everything I have tried failed… it is like they are under a spell.” she starts asking to Ary before she catches a few words spoken by Isilme. She becomes silent and turns toward Nurah, curious to know what the others have found.
"Well, that's assuming this is a purposeful move on their part. It could be random demons, acting without any cause but to spread evil and chaos wherever they go. Or, it could be the work of Arastrax and his shadow demons, possessing people within the camp. But this is all conjecture. Perhaps we should have our best paladins scan the camp?" offers Nurah.
Nurah visibly relaxes when Isilme states that she doesn't know what is going on, but the difference is extremely subtle.
Irabeth nods. "That seems to be a wise course of action. Shall I ready a team?"
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Xanderghul dutifully follows along with Isilme and the others to confront Nurah - he could stop her if she attempted to escape, or engage her in a lively discussion on rageweed if she did not. However, he wisely keeps his mouth shut during the initial stage of the discussion, knowing that he may very well spoil Isilme's game. In fact, he stays some distance away, warding himself with invisibility before they are even within eyeshot of Nurah. Then, when they get a bit closer (but not too close, he wouldn't want her to hear him!) he casts detect magic, concentrating on the spell and allowing himself to get closer. He focuses on her once he gets to within 60', attempting to identify her auras.
The only magical auras on Nurah's person are inside her scroll case. Faint conjuration magic.
As Ary dumps another barrel of water, she nods to Hinagiku. "We... Sort of figured it out. Isilme may need your aid, so...". She pauses, putting the barrel back in place and easily hefting another, "Perhaps investigate close to her. Check for evil with the people around her, including Nurah. Try to be subtle about it. But don't do anything rash. It's in the water, but don't mention that until after. Just... Stay close to them. I'll be there soon."
Nurah's relief was subtle, but it was clear to Isilme what it indicated. Nurah knew exactly what the cause of the discord was, and hence she either ordered or personally placed the seed of discord within the water. Furthermore, given that she had relaxed, she no longer suspected they knew about the seeds of discord.
Isilme holds up her hand to Irabeth to stop her, and looks at Nurah. "You will forgive me if I wax poetic for a moment, it is my nature: The weight of the lives of all those who fought and died to defend Mendev and the crusades weigh upon us all today, Nurah Dendiwhar."
"Tell me," she says, her voice deadly serious. "Have you ever heard of a seed of discord, and were you aware our water was contaminated with it?"
"Hm? Sorry, I haven't the faintest idea what that is," Nurah says, dismissively.
Xanderghul focuses, attempting to identify the magical aura.
Isilme was truly surprised that the bard had made a direct denial instead of attempting to hedge. But clearly Nurah was backed into a corner at this point. Had she hedged it would be clear to everyone that she had lied, and to be fair her reaction was flawless. To eyes and ears less seasoned than her own, the denial would have been sufficient to clear her. And to be clear, were they in Nerosyan, her standing with the queen would likely shield her from any direct accusations. It was only here where Ary was commander that she could so brazenly accuse the bard without direct evidence.
"In my travels I have met rogues and scoundrels whose silver tongues could convince a pauper that his dung heap was Absolom, and a king that he had nothing. But you... truly you are a master of your art, Nurah Dendiwar. Your words could convince a demon that acts of charity are the vilest of deeds, or an Archon that murder is the greatest blessing," she says with a slight bow bordering between mockery and respect.
She turns towards Irabeth, knowing the paladin was likely to take offense at her direct accusation of Nurah, who heretofore had been an important asset of the crusades with an unimpeachable reputation. "Patience, Irabeth. We have good reason to believe that Nurah is our saboteur."
"Clearly your words have rung true in the ears of many great and small throughout your life, but what reaches mine rings hollow. Perhaps... Perhaps this Raelis is wrong. Certainly if you have nothing to hide, you would not object to removing everything you are carrying and allowing us to dispel any magic on you? After all, there are many spells designed to foil the sorts of divination that would be used to spot a traitor, and as I learned in my many years at Kitharodian Academy, those with training such as ours may become masters of such magics."
For his part, Ehren is merely a quiet observer at first, standing nearby and impassively watching the confrontation. He could not begin to fathom what cues Isilme must have picked up on, to be so brazen in pushing forward the accusation. With the way Nurah was responding, he could not even be certain that she was lying. Regardless, he knew better than to doubt the azata's acumen, especially when it came to a duel of wits.
"It's true," Ehren finally says when Isilme addresses Irabeth. Securing her cooperation was vital, and though Ary could simply order her to act accordingly, he knew that they would all rather that she trusted them. Unfortunately, his own lingering doubts seep into his words. "There is no suspect that is more likely."
Irabeth frowns, confused. "Do you have any proof?" She glances at Ehren, noting his own doubts.
Nurah stands up, her notebook in one hand. "That's quite the allegation, Chevalier. Are you sure you're feeling alright?"
She glances at Irabeth, concern on her face. "Irabeth, I am concerned that whatever is affecting our troops has made her paranoid."
Irabeth glances between the two women, then stands in front of Nurah protectively. She speaks to Isilme in a slow, measured voice. "Isilme, I'm not certain you have control over your actions right now. Please calm down. Do you want to sit down and talk about this more? When did these thoughts start happening to you, this morning?"
Xanderghul creeps a little bit closer, dropping concentration on his detect magic spell. He frowns, uncertain what's going on, but knowing (from experience) that backing down from an altercation like this would damage face beyond recognition. Despite growing doubts, he readies himself to counter anything that Nurah might try.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Despite Nurah's move to deflect, Isilme continues to remain calm. This was a game to her now, one which she enjoyed greatly, and one she did not intend to lose to a mortal and cultist at that.
"Xanderghul and the others can confirm that the water was the source of what is affecting our troops. I am unaffected for one simple reason," she says, reaching up to flick the gem orbiting her head. "Her attempt at deflecting the issue back to me is just that. Was my request not simple? Did it not allow for error? Hardly the paranoid ramblings of someone not in control of themselves. Note that there is no anger in my voice, unlike all those afflicted today. Furthermore, those affected show clear signs of the magic at work upon them. Yet her choice was to sow doubt in my words with her own, rather than prove unequivocally her innocence through actions."
Isilme looks at Irabeth and then back at Nurah. She places her hands behind her back and begins pacing as she explains the situation and her rationale in detail. "Consider this, Irabeth: Firstly, Ser Jorsal informed us of the presence of a traitor within our ranks. A traitor high enough within the organization to have warned the demons to prepare for our march on the world wound. Someone who knew of Arastrax, but whose identity was only known by those above him. This person provided our plans for marching on Drezen directly to the demons, and this person accompanied us upon this trip. I might remind everyone at this point that at first Nurah denied ever having heard of Arastrax, which I recognized immediately as a lie, and when prodded suddenly she remembered details about him. This from the Crusade's foremost historian and expert."
"Secondly, the demons have had time to prepare for us. Arastrax knew we were coming to march on Drezen and was tasked with stopping us. Everything we have seen and heard from our captured cultists is that they intended to fortify Keepers Canyon, capture Vilareth and establish Icerift as a new hold. They captured Mantarin in order to get supplies to summon Abyssal Rift Drakes."
She looks at Irabeth, focusing on her as she continues. "Do you not find it too convenient that the demons have suddenly expressed interest in Northern Mendev? It has been some time now since the fall of Kenabres. They could have begun their conquest of the region much sooner, and without much resistance from the crusaders. Instead their arrival matches quite well with their forces departing shortly after our plans were finalized, and their actions speak clearly that they were intended to stop our progress. Their behavior, in fact, showed that Arastrax assumed they would have an easy victory over us, given that they outnumbered us so significantly, and knew our plans so well."
"Thirdly, this sabotage happened immediately as we planned to head up to the plateau, a serious change in the plans the demons were provided. The saboteur needed time to allow the demons to discover our new course, or to warn them. Who here has been pressing for the single most disruptive option, when even the greenest novice would first examine those affected to check for signs of magic?"
Isilme stops and turns to face Nurah finally. "Only one person had the access and capabilities necessary to evade detection and function as a spy. Only one person was privy to all the information necessary to allow the demons to prepare for our arrival.The traitor is Nurah Dendiwhar, Irabeth." Looking the halfling in the eyes, she finishes by goading the bard to try to best her logic while baiting her into Isilme's true trap. "Feel free to debate me, Nurah, however it is as plain as the golden hair upon my head."
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Words fly too quickly for Hinagiku to understand the logic or true meaning of things. All there is to her is the tone, the confidence, the body language. These are usually telling, but now, Nurah and Isilme seem on equal footing. Is Isilme affected by rageweed? Is Nurah the real traitor? The monk cannot make up her mind, all she can do is remember Ary's word.
"Please miss Irabeth, there is no need to stand between them. Do look at miss Isilme, if something has affected her, it is only in words, not actions. She has no weapons drawn, she is no danger."
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
"She makes a point. There's nothing more suspicious than refusing to answer the question. After all, if she had nothing to hide, why would she not want to show that." Val crosses her arms and looks curious. "And of course if she has something to hide, she'll do everything in her power not to actually have to say to anything. Harder to slip up if you admit very little after all."
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
Ary arrives, having been delayed in making certain that the issue was dealt with before she ever moved on; leaving the water would have exposed more of her men to the magic, and that was something she couldn't afford. She arrives just in time for Isilme's speech.
"She sounds certain, Irabeth. And while that still leaves me with doubt, enough to not execute her, I trust the woman who has repeatedly saved my life to not risk an innocent woman's life recklessly. Hence, I am not asking for her execution. Merely the removal of any of her belongings that might be shielding her auras, and as many days preventing her ability to cast magic as are necessary to be certain she cannot shield her aura from us. We can't march for several days with the men like this as it is; the magic that has been wrought upon them will tear us apart in the coming days - and will last for days. And you each know that my intentions here are good. I do need verification that my way of testing her is valid, however, once we have sight of Xanderghul."
"If you are innocent, surely you will forgive my trespasses in trying to protect the good of the entire world. And if you are not... then I suppose I am not the one in need of giving an apology for my actions."
Eyes narrowed, Xanderghul remains invisible despite Ary's seeming request for him to show up. He was not about to give up his element of surprise, and he knew that if he let up that he might lose the opportunity to stop Nurah from escaping. Her apparent deflection onto Isilme has suddenly made him defensive. This group was his clan now. He suddenly began to imagine all of the painful things that his spells could do to Nurah if she slipped up and tried to resort to violence.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Nurah is confused at the mention of Isilme's hair color, but she hides her confusion very well.
Nurah watches Isilme carefully as she presents her argument to Irabeth and the others assembled. She pauses for a moment to think about her response.
Irabeth frowns, listening to Isilme's well-reasoned response...for awhile she isn't convinced, fully, that Isilme is still herself, but when Ary speaks up, she finally stands aside. She waits to listen to Nurah's counter-argument.
"Bravo, Isilme. Worthy of an opening statement by an inquisitor of Asmodeus. I understand that tensions are high, and you wish to find a perpetrator. Such is the pursuit of justice. But what is justice, Isilme, when it is pursued at the cost of all else? They say that to work for justice is, by nature, good; to suffer injustice, evil; but that oftentimes the evil is greater than the good. And so when men and women have both done and suffered injustice and have had experience of both, not being able to avoid the one and obtain the other, they think that they had better agree among themselves to have neither; hence there arise laws and mutual agreements; and that which is ordained by law is termed by them lawful and just."
"In support of this I submit to you the tale of Gyges. According to the tradition, Gyges was a shepherd in the service of the queen of Cheliax; there was a great storm, and an earthquake made an opening in the earth at the place where he was feeding his flock. Amazed at the sight, he descended into the opening, where, among other marvels, he beheld a hollow brazen horse, having doors, at which he stooping and looking in saw a dead body of stature, as appeared to him, more than human, and having nothing on but a gold ring; this he took from the finger of the dead and reascended..." Nurah smiles broadly.
And then... Nurah simply vanishes from sight, having skillfully woven her spell into her oration without a single person watching noticing...
Though Nurah doesn't directly take Isilme's bait, her confusion at the statement makes it clear that her alignment is unlikely to be what they had expected. She listens intently to Nurah's speech, losing herself in the quotations and rhetoric long enough for her to miss Nurah weaving a spell into her oratory. When the halfling disappears, Isilme immediately begins scanning the ground for signs of the halfling's egress. Catching only the barest glimpse, Isilme loses her for a moment before drawing upon her reserves of magic to guide her perception.
"There!" Isilme calls out, pointing to the others where Nurah was at the moment. Gathering further magic she unleashes confusion just ahead of Nurah, hoping the bard's luck would run out. "Well, it appears the matter has been settled, all that is left is to apprehend our saboteur, Irabeth. Ehren, can you faerie fire"
Ready for the worst, Xanderghul reacts quickly, casting see invisibility. He passes a hand over his eyes to reveal flashing white auras. Then, able to see the duplicitous perpetrator, he chases after her. Knowing that he was invisible as well and that she still couldn't see him, he grins savagely. She had done the one thing that she couldn't afford to have done.
Ary/Ehren/Hinagiku/Valaria are up!