Gnome* Wizard/4, HP 15/23 (2 NL), AC 13 (T-13, FF-11), Fort +0 Ref +5 Will +4 ---- Init. +8, Perc. +2
Stephanie steps toward the door, and begins to roll up her sleeves to just beyond her elbows. She turns to keep an eye on her step-sister, fully aware that the goblin princess might do something... rash.
Day 7, late evening, 111 (Turn of the Clock, The approximate time of day is 6:30 pm)
Rownig removes the spikes, the moves to the center of the two doors. He glances over his shoulder, taking note of each other member of the party, making eye contact and giving each of them a slight nod of his head. When he is sure everyone is ready, he slides one of his axes into the crack between the two doors and puts just the right amount of pressure on the axe head, twisting it until one of the doors moves inward, toward him. The door moves silently, and with surprising ease and when he can get his fingers on the door he pulls it just that much further, until he can see beyond.
There is a passageway just on the other side of the door. This passageway is twenty (20) feet wide and runs east and west. To the east it only extends fifteen (15) feet and ends in a wall, while to the west it extends as far as he can see.
Directly across the passageway from him stand another pair of doors exactly like these.
"I was expecting... something else. Maybe those monsters blocked it off to keep anyone from wandering through. Straight ahead then?" Miagnik said glancing to the right and left down the hallway. He looked pointedly at Rownig and Hallister. Trying to not make eye contact with Wendle or Stephanie, for he wasn't completely sure how he felt about those two at the moment.
HP 38/38 , AC 15*, CMD 18, Fort +5, Ref +2, Will +4, Init +0, Per +0
"If there's a trap here, they really couldn'ta put it in a more obvious place. On th' other hand, if this is the only way t' git where we need t' go, they also couldn'ta put it in a better place."
Gnome* Wizard/4, HP 15/23 (2 NL), AC 13 (T-13, FF-11), Fort +0 Ref +5 Will +4 ---- Init. +8, Perc. +2
"What if whatever is supposed to be contained herein is invisible?" She outlines the inscription of her own invisibility spell, with a smirk on her face, trying perhaps to relieve the tension.
M Dwarf Rogue 5, Init 5(7), P10(12traps), HP 35/35, AC 15(16), 13 T, 10 FF, Save F: 3(5 pos/sp), R: 7, W: 3
Rownig taps out the spikes, peers as far ashe can down the hallway, and exhales. "Left foot first, then the right" He slowly moves into the passageway, stepping gingerly on the stone floor as he moves forward. "Follow me."
Day 7, late evening, 111 (Turn of the Clock) (The approximate time of day is 6:30 pm)
The passageway is wide and that gives everyone a feeling of maneuverability, though it is clear the east end of the passageway is a dead end and this leaves you feeling a bit worried.
You decide to ignore, for now, the double doors on the north wall and proceed to the west. Moving slowly, in the dark and relying solely on your ability to see a short distance ahead even with no light, you put some distance between each of you and stay alert for surprises.
It is quiet and it feels as though the temperature is dropping. It is colder than it was earlier in the day, but with no way to see the moving of the sun you have no real idea of how much time has passed.
After a short walk, you see another recessed section of the wall on the south side (to your left) just ahead suggesting there is another set of double doors coming up on the right. You signal each other to remain quiet while Melodak and Rownig scout ahead. When Melodak and Rownig reach the recess in the wall they confirm what you all suspected. It is another pair of stone doors and they are closed, but from this location Rownig and Melodak can see the four way intersection ahead that they now, to the south, leads back out of the tomb.
NPC: F Dwarf Ranger/4 | Init +2, P +0 | HP 36/36 | AC 19, T 13, FF 16 | F+5, R+7, W+1 | CMD 18 | 14 arrows
Day 7, late evening, 111 (Turn of the Clock, The approximate time of day is 6:30 pm)
Moralne nods at Miagnik, and then turns toward Atharessa.
”Atha, go ahead and move up to those doors, see if you can hear anything, and thenif it is quiet, open the door on the left, I’ll be covering you. Miagnik, can you stay behind Atharessa in case there
are surprises?”
NPC: F Dwarf Bard / 4 | Init +0; P -1 | HP 28/29 | AC 17, T 11, FF 17 | F +2, R +4, W +3 | CMD 15
”okay,” Atharessa says with a smile. She shifts her spear to her left hand and leans her right ear against the crack between the two stone doors.
Perception:1d20 - 1 ⇒ (6) - 1 = 5
When she doesn't hear anything she shoves hard on the door and then flattens her body, as best she can against it, should anyone come charging out or if anyone wanted to go charging in. She pulls her spear across her chest, and then when nothing happens, she peers inside.
EDIT- I can delete Atharessa's post if it will make things clearer?
Day 7, late evening, 111 (Turn of the Clock, The approximate time of day is 6:30 pm)
The room beyond the doors is thirty feet square and the doors are centered in the north wall of the room. There is a platform (these should be familiar by now) in the center of the room but it is only about seven feet square. The remains of broken pottery are scattered all over the platform, and among them you can see bone fragments, and some pieces of jewelry.
Miagnik nodded to Moralane and moved behind Athareesa. When no immediate threat came to attack, he cast a spell to detect other auras and began inspecting the room.
If there is any magic, he will focus on it to attempt to identify.
Day 7, late evening, 111 (Turn of the Clock, The approximate time of day is 6:30 pm)
When Miagnik casts Detect Magic, the rest of the party notices that one of his eyes squints shut, and he begins to drool a little bit from the corner of his mouth.
Miagnik:
As soon as you begin to cast the spell, before you can take a moment to collect your thoughts and concentrate, your senses are assaulted by a cacophony of clashing patterns, colors and sounds that only you can hear. It is not a debilitating effect and no saving throw is required. You see what appears to be the lingering aura of several spells that have been cast recently in this room of moderate power. Including a spell that is being cast as you concentrate, that you identify as Detect Evil
As Miagnik seems to reel from the effort of examining the room, the rest of you all see a ghostly apparition begin to form above the platform. Pieces of bone swirl about as the apparition begins to take the form of a Goblin King in a long robe and wearing a simple iron crown with a few small common gemstones adorning it.
M Dwarf Rogue 5, Init 5(7), P10(12traps), HP 35/35, AC 15(16), 13 T, 10 FF, Save F: 3(5 pos/sp), R: 7, W: 3
"Nothi' good is right." the dwarf mouths as Hal moves into the room. He begins to instinctively twirl his hand axes. "Windel...er, y'might wanna 'elp out."
Huh, so that's what Arcane Sight, or something is like... cool!
Miagnik was having a hard time making anything out that wasn't flashing colors or scattering patters. But after a moment he began to mutter, half dazed. "Geh... tuuc... Dragekakhec gharlen."
Gnome* Wizard/4, HP 15/23 (2 NL), AC 13 (T-13, FF-11), Fort +0 Ref +5 Will +4 ---- Init. +8, Perc. +2
Stephanie hears Miagnik's words of strong magic from the corridoor. She had been trying to allow him some space, but instead rushes into the room at this moment--partly out of a desire to assist, but partly out of a gnawing curiousity.
Seeing the apparition freezes her in her tracks, and her knees begin to buckle. Though her body shakes she purses her lips tightly hoping to maintain composure and presence. She can't help but wonder if she recognizes the monarch, her curiosity overcoming the desire to act. Does she know of this king with such a simple iron crown?
Day 7, late evening, 111 (Turn of the Clock, The approximate time of day is 6:30 pm)
As more members of the group crowd in at the door, the apparition takes on a clearer and almost solid looking form
Hallister:
You recognize from your studies that this is a ghost, and you know that if it wanted to cause harm to the group, it could, and that it has not done anything threatening so far is encouraging. There are stories of Ghosts that remain bound to the material world due to violent and unjust deaths, but there are also stories of spirits that return to the material world as forms of warnings or to protect certain places or items from abuse.
Stephanie:
The apparition is not immediately familiar to you, from a perspective of your knowledge of Goblin History, but your understanding of Goblin Nobility and traditions tells you that the small iron crown with few gems was a common crown worn by “philosopher kings” or Goblin Kings that often were far and above more intelligent than those around them. It seems, as you were told, that Philosopher Kings preferred simple, durable crowns, adorned with a few gemstones of their liking as a way of reminding themselves that opulence is often short sighted.
Without warning the small bits of debris swirling around the apparition cease moving and fall to the ground. The ghost rises a few feet above the platform and floats there for a moment. Its eyes are closed, and a faint smile is on the wide mouth of this goblin spirit. Finally, when it seems that this spirit means you no harm, and you find yourselves drawn into the chamber out of curiosity, the apparition speaks.
”Thriika Niot Abkhul, Welcome children of the Dwarun*, and to my kin, Agrrib Neer, or peace on your heads. I am King Heelggod Jing, of the Long Ankle tribe. You are welcome to my tomb, and safe here for I protect this place. In ages past I was entered here with my parents and siblings, and for many years our remains were at rest here in the quiet and darkness of this chamber.”
”But, a curse was upon this place, a curse older than the fathers of my father’s and the kings of ages past. Over the centuries this curse has waxed and waned in power. At times the dead rested quietly here, and at other times the dead disturbed the world driven by the power behind that curse.”
”I died many years ago, and rested for many years undisturbed, but recently the curse has found a new host, and through her it was brought back into this world. Many of the people of my generation and the generations before me who are buried on this level of the tomb were called to her service, but some, like me, resisted, and so her call only brought me forth, and I denied her the privilege of putting my family to her tasks.”
”Tell me, children of the Dwarun, tell me descendents of the Goblin Kings, why have you come here? What is your purpose for disturbing the tombs of the kings?”
*Dwarun:
This is a word that has fallen out of use among the Dwarven people, and for some is considered an insult. Its history is shrouded in myth and legend, and is, according to the Goblin kind, the name of the first Dwarf, Dwarun, to settle on this island, and from his descendents has come the subjugation of the Goblin People, and although none of you have even been addressed this way, you can remember, faintly, your grandparents remarking that when this word was used it was always in a demeaning way. However, this Goblin King seems to use the word with respect.
As the spirit of the Goblin king and Hallister spoke, Miagnik regained his senses and joined in nodding. "As Hallister said." He considered not saying anything more than what his fellow member had divulged of their mission, but decided that he should probably not hold anything back, the king might sense something was amiss.
Plus, it would be boring if we were only here on the Order's business. "But on a more personal level, I have also come here to learn more of the histories of our people and of how the different kings ruled. Having a personal account of a king could prove quite... insightful."
"There are a great many troubles of late in the empire of Atharosse. King Heelggod. Whispers of war is common among some islands and bandit raids are common. Even here on Karrita Morianna, things have turned poorly. There has been a recent shift among Goblin religious beliefs. The Goddess Rath'Zeen has, according to her new priests, changed her form and emerged as Zeenthia. Many Goblin tribes have begun flocking to her belief but many more refuse. I have worries for what this means." He paused for a moment.
"More immanently, however, are the recent Undead troubles we've been having. I believe it is the work of a Necromancer..." He stopped, realizing what the King had said.
"You mentioned "her". Do you know who this Necromancer is? I have heard the name Galinea but I do not believe her to be the one causing all of this."
Day 7, late evening, 111 (Turn of the Clock, The approximate time of day is 6:30 pm)
First Hallister, and then Miagnik explain the reason for their presence.
The Ghostly Goblin King, smiles, and says, ”Yes the mind of a goblin is like a tide pool when the swells of a storm sweep into the bay, yes. There is chaos, confusion, but life and order as well. It must be watched with curious eyes to be understood. The dead rise, because of the curse, my young Dwarven hero. It is a curse placed upon these tombs some three hundred sixty years ago, in the time of my great-grandfather. It is a story that is long in the telling, and it has been all but forgotten. I know the story, only because as a ghost I can move about this place, but even I must be cautious for the power of the Vampire Queen is greater than anyone suspects. Yet, for all her power she is not the one to blame, no, not for the troubles you speak of, for this is the work of the Dwarven Woman, Anrollo. She is the one who stirs the ancestors and kings from their graves. Galinea is merely her pawn. Anrollo seeks to place herself at the right hand of the Vampire Queen. She seeks to call forth the drowned one. There is an old legend, older than this tomb, that speaks of a bride of the one who delivers the dead to their final rest, and the Vampire Queen would raise the drowned one as an homage to the Mistress of the god of death, and if she succeeds she may have her darkest desires, but what will be the cost, for even the oldest spirits in this place do not know.”
The Goblin King grins. It is a wicked and disturbing smile, and then he turns his ghostly stare upon Miagnik.
”You would know my history, it is short, and meaningless, but I was a king for a while. I was placed here almost two hundred years ago, and I was one of the last to be given this honor. Below us are two levels of tombs of Goblin Kings going back to Outogal, the First. His tomb is on the third level, below us, as is his throne and the Arch of Kings, but there is more below this, deeper, and deeper still there are older tombs, Dwarven Tombs, and tombs of a people not seen in these lands for a thousand years. It was to these levels that the People of Handwind carried the dead taken from the sea on that day three hundred sixty years ago, and it is there that the curse was born. You speak of the goddess Rath’Zeen, and her transformation to a warrior queen who will lead our kind to glory, but know this little one. There has been no such transformation. Zeenthia is a creation of the priest of Rath’Zeen, the goddess of discord and treachery. They seek to stir the land to bloodshed, and lead our people to a greater place of trouble. Seek out the followers of Een’Droth, the spider queen, and her consort Fath’Reen, he who survives, for these are the gods of our people who protect us. This land is not the place where our kind was brought forth, nor does it belong to the Dwarun. There is no place in the future where our kind and theirs will not be found together, and only in peace will either of our people survive.”
Gnome* Wizard/4, HP 15/23 (2 NL), AC 13 (T-13, FF-11), Fort +0 Ref +5 Will +4 ---- Init. +8, Perc. +2
Stephanie cringes visably at the mention of Een'Droth the spider queen. She then glances quickly at Miagnik to see if he noticed.
"There is no place in the future where our kind and theirs will not be found together, and only in peace will either of our people survive." continues to echo in her head. Such a time will need strong leaders. It will also mean a new status for the gnomes if goblins and dwarves are to truly find that peace. She feels a sense of pride, as well as a weight from it.
The revelation of what King Heelggod's ghost had revealed was staggering to Miagnik.
Why would Rath'Zeen and her creation Zeenthia try to destroy us? Who is the Drowned One? Een'Droth and Fath'Reen. Omara, the Vampire Queen, Outogal's tomb and older tombs below his. The curse... Everything that forced us out of our home. He was having a hard time trying to take it all in at once.
He took a few steps back and slumped against the wall.
M Dwarf Rogue 5, Init 5(7), P10(12traps), HP 35/35, AC 15(16), 13 T, 10 FF, Save F: 3(5 pos/sp), R: 7, W: 3
"B'fore ye joined the group, some of us had a mission...'preciate yer help wit it, but I'll die tryin' b'fore I walk away." He nods his to Hal in unity. "We heard 'bout this bride... who delivers the dead to their final rest, and the Vampire Queen." He shakes his head "Ain't gonna raise the drowned one as an homage ta anyone."
At Hallister and Rownig's tone, anger sparked within the Goblin and Miagnik looked up at the pair of Dwarves. He pushed his confusion aside and himself away from the wall.
"I'm not saying we're giving up, Hallister! I'm saying that we ought to let the others know what's going on. What I'm saying is if we become a big enough thorn in the side of Omara, the Vampire Queen, or whoever else she has at her side and they start focusing on us and we fail, then everything goes back to square one only we're the Undead this time around. If we let the Order know, if we seek out Een'Droth and Fath'Reens followers, and maybe get the royal family in on what's happening..." He paused, looking at Stepahnie and Melodak.
"Then they can get moving to either assist us or distract our enemies. Oh believe me, I have every intention of leading the charge down to the deeps of the earth and rending this curse with my bare hands, if necessary! I'm not abandoning your mission. Your mission just became a whole lot bigger and a whole lot more personal."
M Dwarf Rogue 5, Init 5(7), P10(12traps), HP 35/35, AC 15(16), 13 T, 10 FF, Save F: 3(5 pos/sp), R: 7, W: 3
"Way I see it...nutthings changed from my mission to dissuade me from continuin' today." He shrugs. "You can go back...nutthing stoppin' you, but my direction is deep'r below...wit or without you." There is nothing hostile or adversarial about his tone, just to the point.
NPC: F Dwarf Ranger/4 | Init +2, P +0 | HP 36/36 | AC 19, T 13, FF 16 | F+5, R+7, W+1 | CMD 18 | 14 arrows
That’s a good question, Atha,”
She then steps forward, and stands before the ghost with her hands held wide and says, ”Sir, your majesty please forgive me, but not all of us here understand all of the things that are being said. Some of us do not know what this Order is that Miagnik speaks of, or who the drowned one is, but even more, please, if you can, tell me. Who is the Vampire Queen?”
Still mildly heated but realizing there was little to gain from letting his anger control him, Miagnik let out a quick breath and waited a few seconds to make sure he was under control before speaking again.
"Well I guess it wouldn't hurt to tell you all now. Since we're together in this. Hallister and myself, at least, belong to the Order of Mafolin. We're a scholarly organization whose purpose is to gather information on and directly combat the Undead." He glanced at the ghost in the room. "No offense, King Heelggod. I believe we more specifically deal with harmful or out of control Undead. There's more to it than that but I'm a relatively new member and that's all I largely cared about learning."
The Ghost of the Goblin King smiles, ”Yes, how would you know the story? It has been a very long time, but this is what I have learned.”
Three hundred sixty years ago, three ships sailing from a country to the east, a land of the human kind, were caught up in a terrible storm and driven upon the reefs to the south of this land. Many were drowned that night, but many survived by clinging to the wreckage as the sea and the storm pushed the what was left of those ships onto the beach near a village that was called Handwind.
The dwarves of this village did everything they could to save as many of the survivors of the shipwrecks as they could, but within a few days a fever began to spread among the survivors, and one by one they all died.
Before these human folk died, the Dwarves learned that these humans were part of a wedding party, and among the survivors was the bride, a woman of nobility named Countess Olaphila Foresca D’Vorjka and her maids of honor, and other nobles. Among the maids of honor was a woman named Perretta Antollette Kruskova and she was the handmaid of the Countess. It seems that this Countess was given in marriage to a prince of another kingdom, a kingdom that had been at war with her people for many years, and the marriage was supposed to be a sign of peace and a truce between the people, but the wedding party, and the wedding gifts they brought with them, never arrived, and the war went on for another twenty years, but that is another tale.
You see, more importantly, among these people there are strange and confusing traditions. One of these traditions was that a woman who is the handmade of a noble woman cannot, herself, take a husband until her noble woman is married and has delivered a child into the world. The countess died within a day of being rescued from the sea, but her handmaid lived longer, and was driven mad by the realization that she would never be able to wed. Some of the Dwarven people tried to comfort her in her madness, but she only became worse, to the point of ranting and raving and swearing oaths to the dark god of death of her kind.
Just before she died, this woman, Perretta, spoke a curse upon the world, and the people of this land in particular. And even though that curse was incoherent at best, the Dwarves of Handwind were shaken by the ordeal, and being superstitious of the ways of the human gods they devised a plan that they believed would shield them from the wrath of the human gods.
The Dwarves knew of a tomb of goblin kings in the mountains to the north of their village, and they carried the bodies of the dead humans, and the chests that held the wedding gifts, deep into those tombs believing that the goblin gods would protect the island and prevent the human gods from fulfilling the curse. The Dwarves believed that they needed to place the humans and their cursed treasures deep in the tombs but they did not realize that as they ventured deeper and deeper they went beyond the goblin tombs into a place they should not have set foot.
The power of the curse, and the mistakes of the Dwarves caused Perretta to return to this world as a Vampire, and she is the Vampire Queen. Through her, and her twisted mind, all of the other humans were raised as minions to serve her, all but the Countess. She still sleeps in death deep below us, but the Vampire Queen has learned of a ritual, learned from the mysteries in the tombs below the goblin kings, that she has tried to perform many times. This ritual, if performed correctly, will summon the goddess Elmopona Shadow Seer, the dark goddess of the human kind who is one of the servants of Karuk, but at the same time she seeks to summon the one whom the Helmsman Loved, a spirit of a Dwarven woman and through dark magic bind these two to the body of the countess and raise her as an offering to the Helmsman. Now, surely one of your companions can tell you that there is an old prophecy, an omen of great ill that speaks of a great calamity that will be brought into this world if the one the Helmsman loved returns to the world of the living, for it is this prophecy that will unleash all of the dead from their graves. Parretta, in her madness, cannot see this will bring doom to all, but only believes that it will release her from her obligations to the Countess and allow her to marry her love, whom was also drowned in the storm.
She must be stopped, as your friends have said, but she must also be freed from her curse, and to do that you must return all of the wedding gifts that have been taken from these tombs over the centuries, and you must find her lover, and when he and the Vampire Queen are joined forever by the power of a god that loves their people, only then will the curse be broken and the forever dead released from this world.
Gnome* Wizard/4, HP 15/23 (2 NL), AC 13 (T-13, FF-11), Fort +0 Ref +5 Will +4 ---- Init. +8, Perc. +2
Princess Stephanie tries to conceal the tears that are welling in her eyes, wiping them quickly with the side of her hand and turning from the rest of the group.
"Your majesty," she adds, now more composed, "do you know how many wedding gifts there are, so that we may know when we've gathered them? Also, there seems to be a lot of looting happening within these depths, do you know if they remain undisturbed still? Finally..." she sighs, bowing slightly before the scholar king, "is there anything we may do for you, in exchange for the assistance you've provided us?"
HP 38/38 , AC 15*, CMD 18, Fort +5, Ref +2, Will +4, Init +0, Per +0
Hal just shrugged. The cat was out of the bag now. He wondered how the others would react now that they knew what he was.
"Miagnik, nobles know. They all know. The best case scenario is that they don't want to believe. Its that or they're traitors." Hal says with a sigh. "I've been trying' t' get someone to take action for a year before we were sent on this mission. I was in the thick of it when the barrows started spitting walking corpses out toward the costal towns, back when this all started. I ran into a wraith in those barrows that laid me up for months."
"I brought back evidence that no one could ignore, and the nobles just sat on it and argued. It should have gone to the King's ear straight away, but someone blocked it."
"I'm not sure which of our patrons is on the wrong side of this, but at least one of them is. There's no other explanation for the kind of stonewalling we've come up against."
"I said back then that this was a job for an army, and instead they sent us. We were a lot sorrier of a crew back then, too."
"The point is, someone wants us to fail. We go making a stir back at the capitol, we aren't going to find allies. We're going to find daggers in the dark."
"The Princess here is the only one of us with the political clout not to be brushed aside, which means she'll be the first target."
"We go home for help and we're painting a target on her back."
M Dwarf Cleric 5, AC 18, T 10, FF 18, HP 10/41, I 0, P 4, F 5, R 2, W 8; +2 vs. fear, +2 vs. poison, spells, and SLA
"Now ain't dat a whoop'r...two of ye workin' fer a secret society and not tellin' us." The cleric does not appear overly thrilled, "We put our necks on da line fer each of ya, even if ther's been sum tension betw'n us at times but Rown'g and I've nev'r held back information."
He is standing like his avatar, arms folded over his chest.
M Dwarf Rogue 5, Init 5(7), P10(12traps), HP 35/35, AC 15(16), 13 T, 10 FF, Save F: 3(5 pos/sp), R: 7, W: 3
Before tempers flare, "y'know I've always suspected there was another reason Hal joined this mission. Doesn't right matt'r now does it he's always stood his ground and provin' himself. We are in this to solve a problem...odds are there's no help from oth'rs. WE either put an end ta this madness or we die tryin'" he looks to Hal, "my liege, Lady Renarie Inarossa, is honest...that I believe. I can't say d'same fer th' Sir Guisse, sumthing 'bout him that's suspicious."
HP 38/38 , AC 15*, CMD 18, Fort +5, Ref +2, Will +4, Init +0, Per +0
Hal shook his head. "The Black Guard ain't exactly appreciated by most folk. Its easiest just to keep it to ourselves unless it becomes really important. Now its important."
"Thanks Rownig. I get the same feelin' off Sir Guisse. We're going to have to deal with that at some point, but for now, he probably thinks we're dead. That's a good thing for us."
Twice Miagnik nearly opened his mouth while Hallister spoke. Once to comment and once to argue. He did not get a chance and when his Dwarven companion brought up the possibility of Stephanie being killed by traitors wanting to keep her silenced, any momentum he had sputtered and died.
"Nn... no." He muttered glancing at Stephanie and then back down at the floor.
As the groups reactions of what he had revealed came to light, Miagnik felt a strange sense of anger but he realized it wasn't directed at any of them. It was anger directed more at himself and it wasn't the good kind of angry.
Usually he felt empowered by his anger, focused and driven. This was anger that left him feeling drained and heavy, it was anger tinged with shame. He couldn't believe his own naivety. His obsession with power, his inability to keep not just his secrets but that of Hallister's and
My own stupid belief that if we just told those in charge of what's going on that everything would be fine. That's why it is supposed to be a secret order...
