Talia nods "I do in fact, have just the spell, and I'll submit to it...after you do. Considering that I'm accusing you of being an assassin I think its best we clear that up first before I submit to anything. Lets ensure your love and clients learn your integrity first before anything else. Are you ready?"
Erandlon shakes his head. "Considering that I'm accusing you of being crazed, I don't think you should be so quick to choose me to go first. Besides, I haven't even heard what spell you're referring to. What is it, exactly?"
Talivar's eyes narrowed, it seemed strange Erandlon spoke the same gutteral language Killara did but that was hardly reason to hang him. No the only reason they were going in so hard was because they trusted Talia. But how could they be sure her visions showed the truth instead of what she wanted to see? And what if Erandlon passed Talia's test? They'd look like gigantic asses and a humiliating apology would be in order. But that would be the least of their problems, if they couldn't trust the visions they'd have to investigate the old fashioned and very dangerous way.
While Talia's magic, Akashic Communion, is usually reliable - particularly as the user grows in her abilities - it is not foolproof. The Akashic Record is located in one of the remotest places in the multiverse. As such, visions can become muddled or even outright deceptive, due to the distance or an imperfect communion. It's impossible to say with certainty that a vision is correct without visiting the Akashic Record itself, which is an extraordinarily difficult task to perform.
"I think you should be the one to go first. All we need to do is ask if you are a Red Mantis agent. What would you ask me? Am I crazy? No-one thinks of themselves as crazy."
Talia smirks. "Dominate Person is the best truth detection spell there is, because it forces someone to answer truthfully. There is no defense against anyone willing to submit to it - and yes I'm perfectly willing to submit to a Dominate spell, once you have successfully proven to me that you are not an assassin. Before you balk, remember that I'm not armed or wearing any protective gear, and there's four explorers who can impartially observe that I stay on topic. Your love can even stand next to me with her weapon at my throat if it makes you and her feel comfortable."
Before Erandlon can reply, Asheda says, "I will not put my weapon at your throat in the same way that I will not subject my love to your sorcery. A domination spell? You can't be serious."
Erandlon nods in agreement and says, "Asheda is correct. This truth-telling spell you claimed to have - that was a trick, correct? To try to bend me to your will?"
The half-elf shakes his head sadly, "Only a crazy person would willingly submit to a domination spell, so you're not helping your case. Something along the lines of Zone of Truth would be reasonable. Domination? Absolutely not."
The female tiefling, who has been listening along with the other strangers, speaks up and says, "Is all of this really necessary? She's leading you on, Erandlon. Toying with you. I'm sure you're giving her satisfaction by letting her go this far. We came to you because you're the best in the business, but if we have to go somewhere else, we will."
Erandlon says to the tiefling, "My apologies. It's not everyday a psychotic person walks into our shop."
Looking back at Talia and the rest of the group, Erandlon says, "If you're not willing to make a reasonable request, you will need to leave. And it won't be a request this time."
Talia shrugged. "If it was a trick, I would have lied. Zone of Truth is a low level spell, as everyone knows. It has its numerous weaknesses - which every single spellcaster knows. Furthermore, the Mantis have learnt several ways to specifically avoid its effects - making it a useless spell for the purposes of the exercise. As for Domination itself, it doesn't prove I'm crazy - just how certain I am that he is a Red Mantis agent. Erandlon doesn't want to submit to it because he knows, that he cannot answer that question truthfully."
Uruelleth grinds his teeth in frustration. But a sudden glimmer of inspiration hits him suddenly and he decides to go with it.
"Okay, forget the dominate spell for a moment. She says you're a Red Mantis agent, or at least loyal to them to the point that you'll murder people looking for the Citadel. You say she's crazy, as if it's impossible for you to be a bug --er, Mantis. I mean, we're only here on Mediogalti Island, after all."
He shrugs. "So, why don't you just cure her insanity? There's magic that can do it, right? We've got the coin. Send Asheda into town, have her get a cleric to come and cure her insanity, or buy a scroll. So, once she's 'cured,' if she still says your a Mantis, then it can't be because she's insane, right?"
He shrugs. "So, why don't you just cure her insanity? There's magic that can do it, right? We've got the coin. Send Asheda into town, have her get a cleric to come and cure her insanity, or buy a scroll. So, once she's 'cured,' if she still says your a Mantis, then it can't be because she's insane, right?"
Kilarra waits by the door, arms crossed and leaning casually against a doorframe.
Erandlon shakes his head as he appears to grow impatient. "If you can afford a cure for insanity, then I suggest you take your friend to acquire it. Once she's thinking rationally we can speak more, though I suspect her nonsensical notions will vanish once she’s free of madness.”
Erandlon points toward the door out and says, “It’s time for you to leave. Now.”
Uruelleth makes a disgusted sound in his throat. "No. I see it now. You're stupid. You haven't denied you're a Mantis this whole time. You're so dumb that you don't think you should say you aren't a Mantis. You're so brain dead that rather than answer her accusations, you call her crazy. That's dumb. That's so stupid, you couldn't possibly be Mantis, since they wouldn't want someone so stupid as you. Did you eat too many strange jungle plants? Did your mother drop you on your head too many times? I don't think I've ever seen such a stupid human before."
Erandlon, ignoring Uruelleth's provocations, sighs and says, "I really did not want to have to involve them, but you're forcing my hand. If you won't leave willingly, I'll have to enlist the Blood Watch's help to remove you. I really don't want to do that."
Asheda puts a hand on Erandlon's shoulder and whispers to him, "Let me try."
Stepping in front of Erandlon, Asheda looks at each of you for a moment before saying, "I don't know who you are, but I know you aren't our clients, and I know you have been anything but polite since we met only minutes ago. You barge in here and make a bunch of outrageous claims and expect us to just believe them. Why? Because someone can see the past?"
Asheda shakes her head sadly, "Please. I don't like the way this conversation is going. Can't we just peacefully part ways? We obviously disagree, but that doesn't mean we can't just let each other be. Please."
"We were as polite as you were. It was a very impolite thing, telling us to give up our loved ones. What gives you that right?"
"Before you argue, remember that Erandlon knows where our destination is, he could have simply told us and we would have been on our way. Instead, he withholds that information. Would you not consider that cruel? Isn't that something a Red Mantis agent would do? Withholding such knowledge to prevent a rescue attempt? Isn't it odd that he knows where the secret location of a Red Mantis base is, and he's been left alone this whole time. Do the Red Mantis not run patrols anymore in their own jungle? Are they so incompetent that they let anyone stumble on their secret location?"
Talia holds her arms. "Which is it Erandlon? Either the Red Mantis are extremely protective of that knowledge, in which case you would have to be one of them to still be breathing. Or they are utterly incompetent and let anyone freely stumble across it - in which case their base should be common knowledge."
Asheda shakes her head. "He's withholding the information for your own protection. How many ways do we have to tell you that only death awaits there for you to believe us?"
Erandlon rubs his forehead at Talia’s words. He says, “Even if, hypothetically, you aren’t insane in the medical sense, you’re still crazy for wanting to go to the Citadel. And I assure you, their base’s location isn’t common knowledge. Why do you think they built it in the middle of the jungle on an island? As for your repeated accusations, you create a false dichotomy by assuming the truth must be one extreme or the other."
The Jungle Runner pauses for a moment before adding, "I can draw you a map. Would that satisfy you?”
"You are welcome to draw me a map, and my friends and I will go in peace. It was, after all, the reason we came here in the first place. Record the route you took please when you last saw the Citadel, seeing as the Red Mantis apparently dont patrol it - otherwise you wouldn't be alive to tell us about it right?" she remarks, her eyes boring into Erandlons.
"Asheda, I really, truly, don't want your protection. The Red Mantis already want me dead, so quite frankly, going to the Citadel or not going to the Citadel isn't going to make much difference."
Suddenly, the shaman's eyes light up.
"Hey, Asheda did you want to see a bit of evidence of the Red Mantis's pathetic attempts to silence me? Evidence doesn't lie right? I think I have Red Mantis equipment, sawtooth blades of course - something that isn't easy to get, illustrations, look, here's a picture and description of me that they gave their scouts" Talia smiles, pulling out a picture of herself they had looted of a corpse.
"See there, it says that I 'know too much". For the ever skeptical Erandlon I guess I could show him a Red Mantis corpse if he wants. I guess that's pretty hard to fake right? What do you think Asheda, how much evidence do you need that our story is legitimate?"
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Outside Talivar caught Kilarra's attention and rolled his eyes. He had initially hoped Talia would leave so they could trail Erandlon but that probably wasn't a great plan, if he really was what they suspected he'd easily give them the slip. The real problem was a bunch of potential innocent bystanders who presumably would come to Erandlon's aid especially with the mob handed approach Talia preferred.
He caught Kilarra's gaze and muttered to her, "Words are doing nothing here, some people just have to be shown." He moved to stand in the doorway and sighed, "They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Don't freak out I'm going to cast a minor spell on that wall over there, a harmless one. I'm going to show you what Talia showed me, which as far as I'm aware is a true representation of what happened, I think it'll explain a few things. I'm afraid I can't provide the sounds but you'll get the idea."
The flickering image starts with a group of people trekking through the jungle. The half elf in the lead hacks aside vines and branches with a machete. He is followed by to two well dressed Vudrani or Kelish men and one woman. At the rear is a spear wielding Mwangi woman who carefully scans the jungle.
The view point shifts to show the group talking before the half elf leads all but the Mwangi woman to a small ledge overlooking a steep drop revealing a shimmering, massive structure on a distant, jungle-covered mountain lit by the setting sun. The deep red colored citadel seems to fade in and out of sight almost as if it changes colors and perhaps shape, even as you behold it.
The moment is interrupted as the half elf stretches out his arm and swipes at something solid in the nearby jungle. The small ledge the four were standing on collapses and they all fall toward the small valley below but the half elf manages to grab hold of a thick tree root protruding from the side of the cliff face. A moment later, the panicked Mwangi woman emerges from the jungle and looks down at the half elf, and then further down to where the other three fell. She helps the half elf get up and watches in horror as dinosaurs devour the people below.
Erandlon ignores Talia’s stare as he retrieves a blank sheet of paper and dabs his pen in an inkwell before beginning to draw a map.
Asheda frowns as Talia speaks of sawtooth blades and pictures. She seems distressed as Talia speaks of a Red Mantis corpse. Taking a couple steps further away from Talia, Asheda says, “Sawtooth blades are common in Ilizmagorti. You could have pictures of yourselves for any number of reasons. If you’re truly wanted, it could just as easily be by the Blood Watch as by the Red Mantis proper. And if you’re wanted, it could be for murder if you have a corpse with you. What sane person carries a corpse around?”
Shaking her head, Asheda nods at the tiefling woman, “Ithoza’s right. We’ve humored you for too long. As soon as Erandlon finishes drawing your map, you need to leave.”
Erandlon, Asheda, and the four strangers all tense up as Talivar begins casting his spell, hands going to weapons or feet getting ready to flee. They relax only slightly when Talivar’s spell proves to be simple illusion magic.
The four strangers look at the projection dispassionately, but Asheda grows more and more confused as the illustration progresses. Erandlon glances at it occasionally while furiously drawing his map.
Once it’s finished, Asheda looks back at the group and says, “I recognize part of that. How did you learn of it? How did you really learn of it? Are you friends with those people or something? I’m sorry to say, but there weren’t any bodies to recover. I don’t know what you’re looking for, but vengeance won’t bring them back. They’re gone. And the last part… you can make those images show anything. As far as I know that’s nothing more than speculation.”
Erandlon walks over and holds up a hand to stop Asheda from saying more. “We can talk of this more later, my dear. Let’s be rid of these people now, shall we?”
Erandlon hands the hastily drawn map to Talia. It appears to show Mediogalti Island with a dot for Ilizmagorti and an X for the Citadel. A path extends through the jungle with a few landmarks along the way.
“Here’s you map,” Erandlon says. “You said you would go in peace. Now’s your chance to prove it.”
"Is that a correct map that will take us straight to the Citadel? Is the route also often unguarded by the Red Mantis or any allies they might possess - to the best of your knowledge?" Talia asks Erandlon directly, watching his body language.
Talia raises her eyebrows at Asheda. "We learnt it, because I can see the past. As you know, there were no other bodies and therefore no other witnesses. What is more likely - that I imagine something with no prior frame of reference or information that - right down to the minute details - matches a memory only you and Erandlon share - or that I can view the past."
Talia turns to the onlookers.
"Its up to you, but I probably wouldn't be using the Jungle Runners as guides for the moment - not when Asheda has admitted to helping guide an expedition to their deaths. You are welcome to debate whether it was intentional or accidental. If my friends and I are right, if you go with them, you probably end up dead. Even if my friends and I are wrong, the Jungle Runners are not above taking some casualties as you have just seen. Perhaps a different guide might avoid the risk entirely?"
Uruelleth waits and watches alert for violence to erupt, a little upset that it does not seem to be the case.
He glances at the map but shrugs, not recognizing anything depicted.
Erandlon, already exasperated by Talia, sighs at her questions. “It is a correct map. It will not take you straight to the Citadel, but it will get you there. A path straight from here to the Citadel doesn’t exist, nor do I suspect you want to waste time dealing with threats that you could have avoided by going around. And of course the route is guarded. This is the Red Mantis’s island. That route is often guarded as is the rest of the island. You won’t find a path that isn’t.”
Talia doesn’t sense any deception from the half-elf.
Asheda frowns at Talia’s question. “The event you may or may not be describing happened years ago. And your attempt at imitating our voices wasn’t particularly compelling. How am I to know you have the minute details correct when I can’t even remember them myself? I don’t think it’s normal to be able to recall the exact wording of a conversation that happened years before. If anything, it casts more doubt on your story.”
As Talia makes her request to the four strangers, Erandlon tenses up. He stares at Talia for a moment before turning to Ithoza and the other three with a smile.
He says, “We have led hundreds of expeditions through the jungle in our years in operation. What this woman is referring to is one of a minuscule number of instances where fatalities occur. If she’s actually referencing a real event, the explorers involved don’t sound like adventurers. You’re already much better off than they. You won’t find a better set of guides than us.”
Ithoza hesitates at Talia and Erandlon’s words. She whispers back and forth with her three companions for a moment before saying aloud to Erandlon, “I’m sorry, but it seems we have a few things to discuss before we make any definitive plans. Shall we meet back here tomorrow?”
Erandlon’s knuckles turn white as he grips the dagger at his hip. He simply nods in reply.
Ithoza turns to leave, but finds you standing in the pathway to the door. She says to you, “Perhaps the least we could all do at this point is get out of the Jungle Runners’ hair, yes? Leave and we’ll also do so.”
Talia nods solemnly at Ithoza's comments.
"I said that we will leave, and we will shortly, but please, don't let my friends and I keep you. I fear I have given you much to talk about, and you have my apologies for the inconvenience I have caused you today. If it would set your mind at ease, I just have the one further question for Erandlon."
"Erandlon, could you tell me why the Red Mantis are comfortable with you knowing the secret location to their home base? I don't imagine they like having that information out there, and who can blame them, you just gave a map to one of their self declared enemies. I could tell anyone this information after all, it could easily be...out there, in the open."
"Surely they would know you know that location right? You said it yourself, the route is guarded, perhaps more so than anywhere else, yet apparently any old guide can wander through and direct people right to them. Seems a bit...out of character for a simple assassins guild. Do you think that they take walk-ins?"
Talia allows her lips to curl up into an amused smile. She could see the white knuckles and knew what they meant - after all, Kilarra did the same thing often enough when she was talking. It meant that someone was getting very irritated and if there was one thing she did very well, it was pissing people off.
"I'm not asking you to admit to being Mantis Erandlon, this isn't a trick question. You would tell my friends and I, or Ithoza, or Asheda if you had a special relationship with them yes? Would you not agree with me that its sheer incompetence on behalf of the Red Mantis to allow such secret information to be freely available? Perhaps you have an alternative opinion?"
Erandlon's knuckles remain white as he answers Talia's question, "As I told you before, you're creating a false dichotomy by assuming the truth must be one extreme or the other. Two things can be true at once: the Mantis can be quite competent at what they do, lethally so, and - at the same time - a specialist such as myself can be aware of otherwise secret details. You can't go to any random person on this island and get an accurate map to the Citadel, if that's what you're suggesting. We make a living by offering a service no one else can provide."
Talia makes a non-committal gesture
"True, but now that you told us, we can tell others and then it becomes common knowledge where it is. So it does me good to hear you agree with me Erandlon, in a roundabout way, that it is sheer incompetence on their part. Here was I thinking we could never agree on anything." she finishes with a quick wink.
With a faux apologetic face, Talivar shakes his head as he holds the door open to let the Ithoza out while remarking loud enough for Erandlon to hear, "Sorry for this, the way she's going on he's going to burst a blood vessel. I'm sure if you wait by the Old Bell Erandlon will be along presently, to tend his flock or whatever it is he does there."
Kilarra steps to the side, making room for the customers to exit through the door she's still waiting beside.
Erandlon’s grip on his dagger tightens and his knuckles are now bleach white. He begins drawing his blade till Asheda steps between him and Talia.
With fire in her eyes, Asheda says to Talia and the rest of the group, “Get out. You’ve harassed us. You’ve accused us of horrible things. You’ve driven away clients. You’ve made complete nuisances of yourselves. Leave now or we’ll have to put a word in with the Blood Watch.”
Ithoza shakes her head as Kilarra opens a path. The tiefling says, “We may be considering our options, but Asheda is correct. You’ve done nothing but harass them since you’ve arrived uninvited. We’ll leave when you do so.”
Talivar opts to bite his tongue and stalks out. He then stops turns around and gives the others a look as if to say come on then.
Kilarra follows Talivar outside, then leans casually against the edge of the open door, holding it open for the others -- potential customers included.
Outside Talivar considers were The Old Bell is in relation to their current location and he plans a route that initially appears is if they were going elsewhere. As he does this he keeps a sharp lookout for trouble.
With everyone leaving peacefully, Uruelleth is disappointed but he knows the problems those other bystanders presented. He sorely wanted to sneer or give some defiant parting shot, but masters himself enough to simply exit the Jungle Runners' business and follow the others.
Talia leaves with the rest.
Asheda and Erandlon relax, but only slightly, as you leave. Erandlon takes his hand off his dagger as Asheda rushes to his side and puts her hand around his shoulder.
Ithoza and the rest of her group follow you out. The last thing you see before the door closing is Asheda comforting Erandlon while giving you an unnerving stare.
Once outside, Ithoza and her group give you the briefest of acknowledgments before parting ways, heading towards Ilizmagorti proper.
Talivar opts to bite his tongue and stalks out.
Talivar opts to bite his tongue and stalks out.
Talivar selected a random direction that lead deeper into the wilderness and once they'd been walking for some time he spoke softly, "Talia I appreciate you trying to find Alanya but for the love of all that's holy warn me before you pull anything like that again!"
"I didn't think it mattered Talivar, since we agreed on taking him down today to find that information on where Alanya is. Its the whole reason we came here, the whole reason I prepared Dominate Person. So warn me next time you get cold feet - preferably before I dedicate a large chunk of my spell list around a goal?" Talia responds angrily, kicking a nearby rock down the trail in disgust. She couldn't understand why Talivar was willing to endure a delay to find information that would be important to him but didn't want to use stronger language since it was clear that he was hurting.
Eyes narrowing Talivar growled, "You don't understand Talia! It's been years since they took her. Years! One way or another my little girl DIED in the infernal Silvamilk!" A craze glint entered in his eye as he struggled to constrain the glacial forces within, the ground beneath his feet flashed to frost and ice formed on the tree he was leaning on.
After a couple of minutes he managed to cool down and he told the group in a broken whisper, "I'm sure Uruelleth will appreciate this. What's the worst thing you can do to a man who has lost everything? Give him back something that's broken!" Shaking his head he ground out, "If Alayna's somehow still alive she's a teenager now, raised by the Mantis. We all know that that means, she's a thing of pleasure or an assassin, or maybe both. I wonder what her first mission will be? Stabbing her old man in the back is a classic from what I hear." His eyes lingered on Killara, wondering what her dad thought when he discovered what had become of his little girl.
Needing to be alone Talivar gripped his metamagic rod and whispered an arcane word and started to rise off the forest floor. With another word he vanished from sight and a disembodied voice told them, "I'm going to find somewhere to camp."
Talivar, having been on the island for a while now, knows intuitively where to look for the best place to make a shelter. He finds a stone outcrop like he had been looking for, one with plenty of dense forest around it. There’s no sign the Mantis or any other humanoids have been anywhere nearby, though Talivar does see droppings and footprints from at least a couple different kinds of four-legged animals.
Having found a likely spot Talivar returns to where the others where and explains his plan. If they agree everyone gets to fly!
Kilarra's eyes widen as she takes flight, but she manages to avoid letting out a shocked squeal.
Bloody magic. She'd never get used to all this flying and teleporting....