The Vicarius is still for a while, long enough to make you pay attention. It's odd, but somehow the direction his mask is facing makes it seem that he's not actually looking at you. After a few uncomfortable minutes though he finally sits up straighter and cradles one hand in the other.
"I'm tempted to tell you to train in actual subdual methods, but I can't help but feel it would be unproductive at the best," he stands and turns to face a fresco on the wall beside his desk. Two knights are shaking hands, with the ghosts of two other knights overlaying them, also shaking hands. All around them are strewn bodies and weapons, as if a massive battle had been fought.
"You've said what you won't do. So tell me what you will do now."
The Vicarius gazes at you for a while. You can't help but notice that you aren't quite the focus of his gaze given the direction his mask is pointing. Finally though he stands, turning to face a fresco on the wall beside his desk. Two knights are shaking hands, with the ghosts of two other knights overlaying them, also shaking hands. All around them are strewn bodies and weapons, as if a massive battle had been fought.
"Your oath. It commands you to guard the honor of your... 'fellows'. By disobeying orders, had he not already surrendered his honor?"
-Posted with Wayfinder
He pauses and twists a ring on his finger, still staring at the fresco.
"I have arranged for another Hellknight paladin to come and... tutor you I suppose. I honestly have no idea how to deal with you. But he has been more than successful as both a Hellknight and as a paladin, so I can only assume that he has some method that will prove beneficial. He will be here tomorrow. You are dismissed."
The door opens behind you as the Vicarius sits back down, pulling a sheaf of paper from the top of a stack on his desk and perusing it.
Ivari bows and clasps his hand to his chest in salute and exits the room.
-Posted with Wayfinder
"Upon assignment of our next mission I will make sure that the acting-malalictor discusses combat duties appropriate to the mission objective. I'll follow that up with a consultation with Cassius to determine how we should bets compliment each other's magical abilities. I might also consult with him about future magic studies to understand which branches of magic we can each learn to best serve the squad."
The Vicarius returns to his seat and waves you out of the room.
Kayle notices the note by her door and will arrive a few minutes early.
|
Cassius opens the door when Kayle arrives, giving her a bow that owes more to his upbringing as minor nobility than it does to their current relationship of soldier and officer.
"Tea, Acting-Maralictor?" he asks.
When Bjorn arrives, he gives him a similar bow and ushers him in. Cassius waits for the rest of the squad to file in, then settles on his bed, as he's given up all the chairs to his guests.
"Thank you all for coming. The Vicarius expressed something to me that I think is worth relating. This is delicate information, so we should be careful to give it the proper respect and--"
"փոթորիկ գլուխը կենդանի!" shrieks Decibel with a loud flutter of wings.
"...." Cassius is silent a moment, and has a deliberate sip of his tea to avoid strangling his parrot. He clears his throat. "As my familiar has just... tactfully stated, it seems likely that Zakat will be resurrected. According to the Vicarius, Imazi has resurrected the man several times. Therefore, we probably have not seen the last of him... and given that we did not, ah, get off to a good footing on our first meeting, we should have a solid plan for what we will do if there is a next time.
"We have one advantage, which is that Zakat seems to so heavily favor the lightning-based magics which we all became intimately acquainted with. Specialization makes one powerful, but it also lets us mount defenses. If Zakat continues to be predictable in his choice of elements-- and he may not-- then I can learn a strong defensive spell against lightnings, that I can deploy at once over all of us, should we have the need for it.
"That said, I believe we need to take the larger lesson into account. All of us have had the luxury, until now, of believing a fight is effectively over when we have destroyed our opponent. It appears that as Hellknights, we must learn the new rules of engagement-- we must learn that the game has changed, and that long-term goals are just as important, if not more so, than short-term successes.
"I would like to share information on our exact capabilities, so that we are better prepared. Specifically, I wish to know who among us can see in darkness; what languages we each speak; and a general statement from each of us regarding our tactical capabilities."
Cassius pauses, then bows towards Kayle. "In no way should my words be seen as an attempt to usurp your authority, madam. It is only that as a student of the arcane, my power lies in being prepared. I can shore up gaps in our defenses and skills, but I must know what those defenses and skills are.
"For myself: my specialty is control over the battlefield, through such methods as calling forth summoned creatures to shield my allies and distract opponents; and through the ability to bring opponents to the ground, to better allow physical might to subdue them. I will focus my studies on further options of control: spells of blinding, for instance, though I shall try to keep a diverse set of tools at my disposal. I have extensively studied demons and other outsiders, and learned ways to disrupt control of them when they are brought to this plane.
"Linguistically, I have extensively studied Abyssal, Auran, Daemonic, Draconic, Infernal, old Thassilonian, and the tongue of the Underdark, and dabbled in a handful of other tongues. I will devote some of my study hours over the next few days to intense study in Varisian, for I doubt this will be the last time we deal with the Tower.
"If anyone has questions for me regarding what I can do to assist you all, please, ask."
Bjorn sits in one of the chairs, and when offered the tea, memories from his youth in the monastery comes to him.
I have been raised in a monastery, and learned both Taldane and Infernal at the same time, but I have been lectured to use infernal only in ceremonial occasions, like our test to become Hellknights or in religious events.
About my skills, I have been educated in religion and the knowledge of our ultimate foes, demons, to help me overcome their insidious powers.
I can take care of myself in the wilderness.
On the martial side, well, I take advantage of my physical strengh. In the monastery I trained my body to act as a weapon, both to be lethal by hitting, or to subdue by grappling. Once enlisted to become a Hellknight in the Citadel, I trained with weapons, but still making use of my body training to pass through enemies for tactical purposes.
Guess that is what you wanted to know.
Oh wait, I learned how to take care of horses, as when I arrived to the Citadel worked as stablemaster several months .
Vorgal stands against a wall, notes surprisingly absent. "I studied in Varisia for a while, and know the language well. I have also studied infernal, sylvan, halfling and, " Vorgal hesitates for just a second, and dwarven.
"My magical abilities are almost entirely damage oriented, though I would speak with you more specifically on this Cassius. I believe that access to previously unknown manuals can extend my knowledge quite a bit and I would hope we can find complimentary styles of magic to learn."
Some tea would be lovely Cassius.
Kayle will take a sip and address the rest of the group.
I have lived most of my life in service of Iomedae. I can speak Taldane and and celestial. I have been picking up on infernal and I think I can understand it.
I am skilled with weapons and can cure wounds and strengthen allies.
Next mission I would like to gather everyone to together to see what equipment and spells they are have prepared to ensure we are set up for mission sucess and that we can cover any gaps that we are missing.
Ivari stands and waves his hand to deny the offer of tea listening as his fellows share their background and skill sets.
When it seems appropriate the paladin speaks, I speak Taldane and Infernal both are languages I have known for some time and speak fluently. I am a paladin, of course, as such I can detect the presence of evil at will as well as pronounce harsh judgement against such evil in the form of otherworldly damage. I have some ability to heal though my training tends to rely more on using that font of power to fuel my ability to smite those that oppose me. I have access to some spells, I seem to have a knack for it compared to other paladins. Most of these are combat related. I know all martial arms and armor but clearly my greatest asset is my bow and so in lies most of my training and skill.
Almost as an afterthought Ivari purses his lips, The Hellknight abilities seem to be coming to me quickly as well. I can discern lies, detect chaos, pronounce judgement against chaos and I should be fitted for my armor in the next day or two...
Ivari offers a shrug, Since it is likely to come up again it might be worth talking about my code of conduct that instills me with the power of the gods. Clearly in a world in which we already have many rules, I have many more. It may make me seem inflexible or extreme but I would be happy to go into detail if you think it would be helpful to our tactics.
|
|
Cassius serves tea to those who wish it-- the china has the Thwaite family crest upon it-- and returns to his writing, nodding occasionally, scribbling quickly.
When Ivari finishes, he gives the other man a contemplative look, one brow arched. Cassius has little time for religion, or the religious-- though he offers lip service to Asmodeus, as is normal for a Chelish-born man, in truth he is disillusioned with all 'gods' and trusts far more to his own power and knowledge. Accordingly, his personal ideas of 'good' and 'evil' tend to be rather subjective. Hearing the man speak so bluntly of his ability to see evil in others makes Cassius smile faintly.
"And if... or when... we run into Zakat again-- what will your 'code' demand of you, Master Thien? Assuming, let us say, that our orders regarding the Tower do not change-- that we are still supposed to seek peaceable resolution-- if Zakat comes at us all-a-blaze, storm-raging with vengeance of his own to mete out-- what will your oaths demand as your course of action?"
Cassius wipes his quill off neatly then sets it down. "And the question applies to us all, doesn't it? Oaths or codes or not. We should know what our plan will be, if faced with a man who seems set to slay us all with lightning. Bjorn might have grappled the man, perhaps.... but in the future, Zakat will know as much about our tactics as we have already learned of his. Next time, I doubt he will remain on the ground."
Ivari nods at the wizard, I am content to follow orders, in fact it is to the core of my person to do so, but I also vow to defend my fellows. I thought we were threatened and that the group was in danger. I underestimated our foe's robustness. Believe or not I was shooting with intent to render him lame, not dead. I underestimated his strength. I can and will be more judicious in the future. I apologize. To the other point I'm not sure Zakat knows all that much of our tactics...I did kill him awfully quickly. Nothing in the paladin's face indicates an attempt at jest.
About Zakat, I guess that explains his lack of fear and the fact he was being reckless enough to attack five Hellknights on his own. But being ressurected several times, that just sound weird.
Perhaps there is something something more, like his life force being safe even when his body is defeated. Is that more feasible than being resurrected several times?
I'm not an expert on magic, but I know enough about religion to realize that coming back from death does not come without a toll.
I fear that we know little about that stormy guy too.
|
|
Cassius sighs slightly and pinches the bridge of his nose.
"The Vicarius specifically said he was resurrected. There are drawbacks to being resurrected, yes: those with sufficient resources may overcome them, and this Imazi has these resources. This is not some rag-tag organization: it is a group of sufficient power to think that their operatives are worth thousands upon thousands of gold pieces, several times over, to bring them back even from conflicts they have instigated. We must understand that-- that this is not a conventional battle. I sincerely doubt we are so valuable to the Order that the same would apply to us, if the positions were reversed.
[b]"The fact that Zakat was 'quickly killed' does not indicate he is a weak foe. Quite the opposite. He was playing a game that he could easily afford to lose, as he knew he would be brought back even if he died. This was not suicide: it was a general sending a first sortie, committing a handful of troops to test our defenses, and our retaliatory capacities.
"He knows Vorgal favors a scorching ray: next time, he will come upon us protected from fire. He knows Ivari is a master of the bow: next time, he will come upon us ready to blind Ivari, or with a spell to deflect arrows. Every attack we made against him is therefore a tool he knows to prepare against, just as we know that he favors lightning," Cassius explains.
"Forgive me. I feel I sound like a lecturer at the Academy. But it seems to me that we are still failing to recognize the tactics at work here, and we dearly need to should we ever meet him again.
"As Bjorn did not act against him, he does not know that Bjorn is a master grappler: that plays to Bjorn's advantage. Similarly for myself and for Maralictor Kayle.
[b]"What will you do, Master Thien, if he employs arrow magnets, or magical darkness to prevent you from seeing him? What will you do, Master Veil, if he has protected himself against fire? That is the sort of thing we must currently be discussing. We must assume he will plan out further encounters to at least the same detail we are currently planning. And we must still consider that our goal is not to kill him, unless our orders change."
Vorgal smiles. I have much more than just fire, and with acces to the war manuals I can expand my abilities even more. I'm curious as to whether he is able to embrace only lightning, or if he has more that can protect and heal him. This time though, I do think we should have some encapicitating magic, at least doing so without killing. I personally have no understanding of such magic, have you any insight Cassius?
I was not denying that he gathered intelligence, only that it was limited. I have abilities beyond the bow. I can fight with any weapon and be a force to reckon with and he will find me uniquely challenging to affect with some spells as my power gives me greater resistance. I agree we must think on how to approach him but I also do no want us to become lacking in confidence because he knows some things of us. Other than lightning are we certain he is a studied caster? I did not read the reports that you did.
If we encounter him again,I can provide some protective magic as well enhancing Bjorn's strength. I t would behoove you, Vorgal, to study those manuals and learn nonlethal spells.
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"I am relieved to hear it," Cassius says solemnly to both Ivari and Vorgal's words of having other options.
"By the reports, he is a caster who channels by force of will rather than by study. This gives him a more... personal connection to his magics, perhaps, and so I feel somewhat confident in thinking that he will stick with lightning as that is clearly the element he feels personal affinity with, but as indicated, the Tower has resources. Many spells can be obtained in scroll form even if they are not the ones he naturally is most comfortable with. I would much rather err on the side of being too cautious, than not enough."
Cassius sips his tea, then addresses Vorgal's question. "I have spent the last several hours among the manuals, and will spend more time there tomorrow. I am focusing on spells to blind enemies, which, even with Zakat's indiscriminate hurling of lightning, should still be an effective non-lethal method of impeding those who would mean us ill."
He has another thoughtful sip, listening to Kayle, then says, "The watchword, I believe, is versatility. It is very well that we plan incapacitating spells-- should we again be sent to Imazi's lands. But we have no guarantee that that will be our next mission. We must each maintain a wide range of options-- everyone of us should have the capacity to defend ourselves both at range and in close, against single foes or many... I would be happy to confer with you privately, Master Veil, if need be, regarding our respective areas of study."
Cassius stares briefly into his teacup, then looks back up to the others and says in a slightly more casual tone, "--did it seem to anyone else as though the Vicarius was not.... giving you his full attention?"
"Was he paying to much attention to your bird?" Vorgal isn't one for jokes, but he likes the feeling so much he become one for jokes.
He did occasionally seem to be looking or thinking elsewhere. But he did not seem, to me at least, unaware of the conversation?
|
|
Cassius smiles frostily at Vorgal's witticism about Decibel.
Decibel, meanwhile, is busy inaugurating a new purchase of Cassius's-- a suit of plain stitched-hide armor--- by delicately pooping on it, unseen by the wizard. Likely Cassius will be very annoyed by that later.
"Well. Perhaps there was another presence in the room above our paygrade, so to speak. Or perhaps.... I don't know, truly. Perhaps he simply had much on his mind.
"I suggest we each consider our potential versatility. I will study spells to counter things I think might be thrown at us-- such as darkness, or more lightning-- and leave pure arcane offense more in Master Veil's hands, unless you have different orders, Acting-Maralictor. If no one else has other concerns, I thank each of you for indulging me by attending."
Perhaps is just a silly question Says Bjorn with a concerned tone
but as we can't speak of this to any other, I want to ask your opinion on Imazi words about the Vicarius not even close to be prepared and if he is going to take the advice.
We should be more focused on ensuring we successfully complete the next mission rather than think about things beyond our control.
I think you both are right.
Was a nice meeting Cassius, you are a great host. Hope next time we meet for a tea will be to celebrate a flawless mission.
"I'm going to head to the Manuals of War. Before I do, I would like to know the extent of your magical knowledge. I know various elemental attacks, and ways to defend myself, but nothing to incapacitate an enemy. I will certainly add at least some understanding of curses, but if you have knowledge of them I'll leave the primary work to you."
|
|
Cassius bows to his teammates as they leave, and cleans up the tea service after.
The next few days find Cassius continually in the libraries, if he is not about his other duties. He takes the money from the sale of his fine mithral armor and puts it towards negotiating learning spells from some of the higher-ranked Signifiers. When he is not directly involved in that, Cassius is practicing the Varisian tongue, on any who will listen. (Decibel consistently mocks his accent.)
Over several days of time, Cassius manages to fill several pages in his spellbook. He stays up late and eats hurriedly at mealtimes, eager to accomplish with hard work and study what he failed to do on his first mission. Probably he is little seen by any of the other squad members, save for Vorgal, who occasionally runs into him in the manuals library. At such instances, Cassius explains what spells he has been learning, so that they might better coordinate, but then he's off again to the stacks.
Power is power. The more he learns... the more he rises in the Order's ranks.... the more absolutely he can crush the devil that holds his family's honor hostage, after all.
You return to your rooms for the night, tired from your various activities. On your desks, you see a sealed envelope. You recognize the seal immediately. You tear it open, perhaps with apprehension, perhaps with excitement. Regardless, the end result is the same. A single letter, bold ink scrawled across it.
The Vicarius is waiting.
Ivari arrives to the Vicarius' office now fully armored as a Hellknight after a morning of appropriate ministrations of his paladin faith.
|
|
Cassius arrives shortly after Ivari. Unlike on their last mission, he is not wearing armor of finely-made, lightweight chain. Instead he's in slightly-scarred-up, thick, sturdy leather armor such as the squires might wear while learning to wear the real thing. His Signifier mask is tucked under one arm, as if Cassius were slightly self-conscious of wearing the official symbol of his office in conjunction with the less-than-glorious-looking armor.
Regardless, he offers a salute to the Vicarius, a nod to his comrade, and then stands there impassively, waiting for the others to arrive.
The parrot is, as usual, on his shoulder-- trying to carve gouges into the stiff hide with his claws and make it a comfortable resting spot. The parrot is doing a decent job of this.
Bjorn arrives to the Vicarius office and salutes their commander, but his attention is draw by Ivari's armor. He can't avoid to feel proud of him.
Bjorn is dressed with black robes, and only wears the pad armor that fits under the heavy metal one. He carries no weapons.
Kayle spends the week practicing mounted combat and brushing up on Varisian during the evenings.
Kayle arrives at dawn fully armored.
The door shuts behind you and the Vicarius clears his throat.
"Your fortune is remarkable. It seems that despite your ineptitude on your previous mission, no small amount of good has come from it. Before Imazi recruited him, Zakat was running amok in Druma, attacking, and often destroying, small military fortifications and encampments. They obviously took offense to this, and attempted to capture and or kill him. Imazi manage to get him out of the country and hide him before they succeeded. Somehow, they managed to catch wind that you all slew him. We're still not sure how, but with the money the Kalistocracy can throw around it's not difficult to imagine that they found some way of countering Imazi's wardings," the Vicarius pauses, clearing his throat again.
"They desire to meet with you and reward you personally. I cannot stress enough how important making a good impression with them could be for the Order, or for Hellknights in general. Ever since the Goblinblood wars we have been attempting to foster an alliance with the Mercenary League. If this goes well, such an event might finally occur," the Vicarius stands up.
"A caravan is being assembled as we speak. You will travel to Druma, meet with the Kalistocracy and League officers, and do your utmost to impress them. There will also be a joint training exercise that you will be expected to participate in. Paralictor Malachai, of the Order of the Nail, will be the commanding officer for the mission as a whole, but you, Signifier Cassius, will be Acting-Maralictor for this squad personally."
Despite not having eyes, you can feel his gaze boring into you.
"You have been given a chance at... redemption..." he says the word as if it tasted foul, "Do not waste it."
|
|
Cassius's brows lift incrementally as the Vicarius lays out the... mission before them. They lift another fraction as he recognizes the responsibility placed upon him.
"Your orders are understood, Vicarius," he says with a small nod. "One question: if the Drumans are taking Zakat's death as the token upon which we proceed in friendship, should we... refrain from mentioning that he is likely not-- permanently dead? It would seem to be something of a, what is the common phrase, a wet blanket upon the festivities... and yet, should Zakat later resume attacking their facilities after they have congratulated us for slaying him, I can see that also being problematic for the Order."
As he waits to see if the Vicarius has any preference on how they handle that, Cassius runs mentally over everything he has heard or read of the Drumans and their trade-centric empire. He already regrets selling his fine-looking armor-- the battered hide is far from distinguished for a ceremonial gathering. Well, he will have to make up for it with his spells.
Shouldn't we be honest? If their apprehension in dealing with us is about a lack of trust I would think full transparency would garner us the most positive benefit. We killed him once, properly allied we will continue to aid them again if he returns?
Knowledge Local: The Resplendent Bureaucracy is the governing body of the Kalistocracy of Druma. All of its members, along with a sizable percentage of the general population of Druma, are followers of a semi-religious philosophy known as the Prophecies of Kalistrade, a series of rules, strictures, and laws that preach the accumulation of wealth for its own sake. The Resplendent Bureaucracy is made up of powerful merchant-lords, most of whom only work part-time. The rest of the time they pursue other business ventures. Most merchant-lords only hold terms of eight to ten years before moving on to more (or less) profitable opportunities, although there are some who stay longer and see the Bureaucracy's steady income as a more secure source of revenue (a somewhat un-Drumish attitude). Lifelong service to the Resplendent Bureaucracy is very rare, and is only practiced by apostates of the Prophecies.
The Resplendent Bureaucracy is overseen by the High Prophet of Druma, the nation's ultimate position of financial influence. This position is currently held by the High Prophet Kelldor.
It seems of late that the Bureaucracy is irritated regarding their relations with Numeria, and their trade agreement allowing them access to the nations unique skymetals.
Knowledge Nobility: High Prophet Kelldor is the religious leader and head of state of the nation of Druma, and one of the most powerful men in the Inner Sea region. The High Prophet and his contemporaries secretly own large tracts of Isger as investment, and in fulfillment of prophecy, the merchant lords plan to buy more.
High Prophet Kelldor knows every major political or civil leader in Avistan and Garund by name, but keeps a low profile in world affairs. He doesn't care about fame, only for wealth, the prime mover and abstract force of the universe, according to the Prophecies of Kalistrade. He is friendly and calm, and understands the interplay of non-financial factors in obtaining and maintaining wealth. Kelldor rarely leaves his estate in Kerse.
Knowledge Religion: The majority of Drumans and the entirety of the country's governing body all follow a secular religion called The Prophecies of Kalistrade.
The Vicarius shrugs.
"Their leadership will surely be aware of the possibility of resurrection. You're right, but I'm hoping that Imazi will be able to keep him on a tighter leash. I'm not sure what she's training him up for, but given how increasingly secretive she's become lately, it seems that whatever it is will happen soon. Probably within the next year or so. But that's a problem for me to worry about. Ivari is correct, if it comes up at all, just assure them that you are more than willing and able to dispose of him again."
|
|
Cassius absorbs the Vicarius's words in momentary silence, his mind also busy running through everything he has heard rumored and whispered. After a few seconds, he nods.
"Understood, sir. Do we have any advance intel on the nature of this 'training exercise'? How many other knights of the Order, if any, will be accompanying us to Druma under the Paralictor's command?"