Rev:
Brujo** spoiler omitted **
Rev
Rev: ** spoiler omitted **
Mirth
Rev:
After the group passes through Barthus' room, she will speak, from her shadowed corner. Her voice is soft but pitched to carry, and the words flow with a very faint sibilance, but boast no single identifiable accent (rather a mishmash of several).
"I shall trade thee, I think, a courtesy for a courtesy."
Leo/Brujo/Mirth
Palagro's face is a mask of fear as the small party enter the vaulted chamber. The eerie flickering of Brujo's ever-burning torch doing nothing to calm his already twitchy state.
Flanked by her comrades, Perigia pauses by the last remnants of the vampire.
"Relax Palagro. He's really gone."
"I'd still like to get out of here," mutters the mage.
"I'm enjoying this journey more than I expected," Perigia's voice is warm with an undercurrent of amusement.
As the party crosses to the far door, you hear a voice coming from a shadowed corner. It is soft, but pitched to carry, and the words flow with a very faint sibilance, but boast no single identifiable accent (rather a mishmash of several).
"I shall trade thee, I think, a courtesy for a courtesy."
Palagro suppresses a yelp of horror. "You said he was gone!"
Leo
You notice that the symbol of Bane has gone from the remains of Barthus's earthly body.
Brujo
Perigia's hand is now holding yours firmly. You can feel the warmth of her fingers as she deliberately caresses your hand, almost as if she wanted to learn the shape of it by feel. Walking together with her in the pool of light through the darkness of the catacombs is an extraordinary experience.
Leo/Mirth/Rev
"He is gone", Brujo quickly responds to the mage and draws his blade. As he does he feels as the warmth from Perigia fades from his hand as he draws the frosted sword. For a moment a frown crosses his face.
"I'm not one for talking to shadows. Why don't you come out so we can see you?"
Rev/Leo/Brujo:
"I'm not one for talking to shadows. Why don't you come out so we can see you?"
The reply is quick, the soft voice is sharper now.
"I am not one for talking to swords. Sheathe it, that thee may learn of courtesy."
A brief pause. A faintly drawn breath, almost a sigh.
"I am no shadow though, I but seek solace among them."
A faint note of condescending amusement surfaces, as she continues.
"I have not a trio of worthy but not-so-courteous men to see to my safety, and so must claim what small advantage I can find."
Leo/Rev
The moon elf looks back at the others and quietly whispers, "I know I can take someone without my blade, and I think we diffently know Perigia can with the wave of her hand. What about you Leo?"
For Rev
Brujo wrote:
"I'm not one for talking to shadows. Why don't you come out so we can see you?"
The reply is quick, the soft voice is sharper now.
"I am not one for talking to swords. Sheathe it, that thee may learn of courtesy."
A brief pause. A faintly drawn breath, almost a sigh.
"I am no shadow though, I but seek solace among them."
A faint note of condescending amusement surfaces, as she continues.
"I have not a trio of worthy but not-so-courteous men to see to my safety, and so must claim what small advantage I can find."
"Given who used to call this place his lair, your caution does you credit however if you come in good faith you have nothing to fear from us," Leo answers courteously bowing before placing his sword in the ground before him and leaning upon it slightly.
"you have my word that if you intend us no harm we will return the favour," Leo nods to Brujo and the others."It appears someone has picked up Barthus's holy symbol," Leo mentions to Brujo casually.
Rev/Brujo/Leo:
"Given who used to call this place his lair, your caution does you credit however if you come in good faith you have nothing to fear from us," Leo answers courteously bowing before placing his sword in the ground before him and leaning upon it slightly.
"you have my word that if you intend us no harm we will return the favour," Leo nods to Brujo and the others.
There is a small silence, then a light laugh. "My apologies. I did not mean to give the impression that I feared thee."
Of a sudden the shadows part, there is a slight, almost frail figure beside one of the shattered coffins, her wealth of dark hair crowned with a twist of horns, wrapped in a cloak of deep, dried blood crimson. Her left hand holds a staff as tall as she, and her eyes dance a lambent green, widening ever so slightly as they pass over the other woman.
"Flamesister," She inclines her head slightly, now addressing her directly. "It was my intent to thank thee only, for blazing a path of corpses to the White Lady - was she kind enough to gift thee with answers, or is she slain at thy hands?"
Mirth/Brujo/Leo
Perigia quietly assesses the stranger. "The White Lady lives, we believe. We have not seen her." Quickly she seems to come to some sort of decision.
"If something isn't done fast, nobody will ever see her again. I have strong reasons for making sure that doesn't happen. What about you?"
Rev/Leo/Brujo:
Mirth/Brujo/Leo ..."If something isn't done fast, nobody will ever see her again. I have strong reasons for making sure that doesn't happen. What about you?"
"She has an answer I require." The cloak ripples as she shrugs her narrow shoulders. "After that, I care naught for her fate."
A small hand emerges, to offer the Banite trinket to the man who promised peace. "I do not serve the tyrant - it is yours if you wish it." She flicks her wrist. The symbol clatters dully amidst the filth covering the floor.
She spreads her hands wide now, encompassing all four. "My courtesey to thee is this: the Halflings waiting above have been driven back to their ramparts. For how long, I know not, but a small respite is thine at least."
Another rustle of the cloak, and a sinuous tail flicks from beneath it, twitching, impatient. She looks again to the Genasi. "I must press on, though you retreat, especially if time grows short."
A smile sparks, flickers briefly across her face. "I have been named Mirth, and I am glad thou hast met me."
Fairwind shakes her head at all this verbiage and nude mages.
"Well, y'all're as crazy as one another. But I ain't one fer keepin' any bein' 'gainst their will." she opines.
Snaggletooth ignores the mage and sits next to Fairwind. "Um, do you have any cards or dice that we can play with?"
"I ain't much of a one fer games, lil buddy. Sorry, guess, couple o' blade-toters like us ain't cut out fer this sorta thing." she replies with a comradely wink.
Rev/Leo/Brujo: ** spoiler omitted **
Mirth/Rev/Brujo:
"Oh and tell Snaggle I'll be back with his rope shortly that should be enough to let them know you're friendly," Leo adds after a moment.
"We better press on if we want to get you there safely and back in time before the halflings return to their guard duty," Leo mentions to the others.
Rev only:
Leo
Mirth is on the level about the halfings
Rev/Leo/Brujo:
...after all why would anyone hand over a gold holy symbol except if asked to?" Leo explains to her.
Mirth nods reasonably. "As you say." She gestures with her staff, and a phantasmal hand picks up the talisman, slowly floating towards her as she turns to leave.
"Oh and tell Snaggle I'll be back with his rope shortly that should be enough to let them know you're friendly," Leo adds after a moment.
The small woman makes no indication that she has heard, striding purposefully deeper into the catacombs, her staff tap-tap-tapping with each step.
Rev
Leo/Rev
Hope you feel betterer soon!
Rev:
"I ain't much of a one fer games, lil buddy. Sorry, guess, couple o' blade-toters like us ain't cut out fer this sorta thing." she replies with a comradely wink.
"So why do you want to meet White Lady?" Snaggletooth asks. He draws in the dirt as to not meet her eyes. He looks up. "I'm bored. If you no want to talk, just let me know."
"Catch!" Caine tosses a piece of beef jerky in the direction of Snaggletooth.
"Catch!" Caine tosses a piece of beef jerky in the direction of Snaggletooth.
Caine:
Snaggletooth catches the jerky, quickly nods his appreciation to Caine, and starts chewing, all while still looking quizically at Fairwind. It is obvious to anyone that he is waiting for her answer.
"This is good stuff, where you get it?"
"My pack... where else?"
"Here... have some of this." Caine offers a flask to Snaggletooth.
Snaggletooth takes a long gulp of the dark liquid.
"That taste like kobold mead, only stronger." He smiles. "My face feels funny."
Snaggletooth gets up and goes over to the mage. "You have chalk? I feel like drawing. Kobolds great artists! Better than stupid gnomes or dwarves."
"Nice one, soldier-boy, now we got ourselves a blotto kobold."
As she turns to leave with her escort, Perigia tells the newcomer how to avoid setting off the water traps in the room beyond. "Good luck finding the others - it won't be hard," she concludes with a slight smile.
As Mirth said, the halflings have indeed returned to the ramparts and the rest of the journey back to the monastery is uneventful, apart from Palagro's twitchy response to every small noise. Turning to Leo and Brujo she looks at them.
"This is were we part for now. Go back and do what you have to do." An unexpected embrace for both companions and a final look at Brujo and she has gone.
Mirth continues to follow the path of carnage. In short order she crosses the trapped room, goes up the stairs, traverses the store and in due course emerges in time to here an unfamiliar voice say "Nice one soldier boy. Now we've got ourselves a blotto kobold".
...in time to here an unfamiliar voice say "Nice one, soldier-boy, now we got ourselves a blotto kobold."
Deciding against another dramatic entrance, Mirth halts midway up the stairs.
"Hail the watch!" she calls, before proceeding the rest of the way upward, taking pains to make her movements more audible than usual.
"The pretty blonde Kelemvorite said I was to offer thee this as a token of trust," she says as she enters the doorway, displaying the holy symbol of Bane. "A somewhat delicious irony, methinks."
Rev:
Mirth
"Yep, that's just the kinda 'noble' thing he woulda done," replies a tall, tanned half-elf woman dressed in travelling breeches, leather armour and wearing a rustic head scarf.
The woman in the doorway is short, slender at best, even wrapped as she is in a finely embroidered cloak of deepest crimson. The clothing she wears is uniformly dark, and despite a flattering fit, seems cut for comfort and ease of movement rather than modern fashion. Her eyes glint a splendid green matched nearly perfectly by the small oval gemstone hovering contentedly between the darkling curvesome horns that overarch her blue-black wealth of hair.
"Mirth, I have been named," she offers, in a voice that tastes of honey and promises. "I would be pleased to offer thee my assistance, as it seems that our paths walk side-by-side towards Lady Saharel."
Her tail twitches impatiently as she speaks, finally coming to rest wrapped around the tall, fire-scorched staff she holds loosely in her left hand.
"What? You look for White Lady, too?" 'hic' He starts to shake his head, as if to clear it somehow. "How you help us?"
Snaggletooth's eye grow wide as he does a double take at the tiefling's appearance. "And what are you, with horns and a tail? You part-dragon or something?"
Leo/Brujo
Leo follows Allendi to the monastery storeroom to find the equipment Snaggletooth wanted. As he leaves, Perigia takes the opportunity to take a more personal farewell of Brujo.
Brujo
She seems to find it hard to form the words, but tries anyway. "I know we'll meet again, but that will be with the others and I wanted ... I wanted ... I don't know. I think I wanted to say something special to you. I just don't know what."
Cronin/Mirth/Snaggletooth/Caine/Fairwind
Tervinwerd ignores the conversation around him and the unexpected arrival of a tiefling in their midst in favour of jotting down more calculations.
"I think it's best if I stay here. Thoran will be highly suspicious if I start wandering away from my guard post. Don't worry. I've seen what you can do - I won't be betraying you."
Rev/Fairwind/Caine/Cronin/Snaggle:
Mirth looks only briefly at the kobold, cocking her head quizzically. "What am I?" She rubs the tip of her nose pensively, taking a moment before responding. "I am, singularly and unequivocally, Mirth, no more and no less."
Tervinwerd speaks, and she gazes appraisingly Insight: 1d20+9=25 at him. "Since thee speak of betrayal, I might inquire as to whom this Thoran might be, and where he may be found. For that matter, what else stands betwixt us and the Lady Saharel?"
Fairwind says with a smirk, "Now I can see hows ya got on so well with preacher man."
Fairwind says with a smirk, "Now I can see hows ya got on so well with preacher man."
The tiefling offers a crooked smile that does not reach her eyes. "Opposites attract, it is said," she murmurs.
"Do none of thee have names, or must I offer more than a token of the tyrant god and a shared errand to earn them?"
Rev
He leans over and tenderly kisses her "Just promise me you'll be safe. I don't..."
Brujo fumbles with his words as he looks deep into her eyes.
Brujo
"I've lost enough people to know I'll never lose you, Brujo." Perigia embraces him passionately before gently pushing the moonelf away. "Now please go. We've both got work to do and neither of us should be distracted."
Mirth
Tervinwerd isn't faking as far as you can see. You also see roughly what he's aiming at with his calculations. Roll me an arcana or history check (DC20). If you make that, you can tell the optimistic little chap he's got no chance of shifting the illusion to anywhere else or altering it any way at all. It's a piece of magic way beyond anything he (or you for that matter) can achieve.
Rev:
"O.K, half-dragon lady...I mean, Myrr-th. I am Snaggletooth, mighty warrior and sneaky scavenger. Used to be a kobold raider, but now I am powerful hero with my friends here. I not know about White Lady, I am here to find my buddy, Kneebiter. Dark Ones stole him in the night. Watch out for them. I good with traps and sneak attacks." Snaggletooth says with a smile.
"O.K, half-dragon lady...I mean, Myrr-th. I am Snaggletooth...
Snaggletooth:
Rev
With a simple nod the moonelf leaves to return his friends. His thoughts though still on Perigia.
Leo/Rev
Making his way through the monastery Brujo finds the half-elf attaining the rat-lizard's rope. "Ready to go... Hey would you mind if stopped somewhere before seeing to business?"
Brujo
Leo/Rev
Seeing Brother Turnagall moving through the corner of his eye Brujo takes a moment to check on Harrak
Rev
Brother, if I may, how's Harrak doing. With our exploration of the area I haven't check on him
Brujo
The big monk grins amiably at at Brujo. "You're making a big impression round here," he nods at Perigia's retreating form. "Not just on her. That Harrak fellow's worth his weight in gold. I've never seen such a worker. Something's changed his mind properly and from all he's saying, it was you. Ever thought of going into the missionary business?"
Clapping the moonelf on the shoulder he goes on. " Harrak's one we're happy to see here. Shame he wasn't around when that nasty piece of work made a break for it. He's knocked him cold before for speaking out of turn, got a good punch in him. I wouldn't worry. Devlin's a twister, but even a twister won't get far without weapons. He headed into the ruins and good luck to him. All those pretty speeches must be a bit hampered by the bruising on his jaw.
I'm not sorry to see him go to tell you the truth. If it wasn't one thing, it was another. Never stopped complaining or trying to weasel his way out of work. We're better off without his sort."
Rev
Brujo minds races as the monk talks with him, [i]"Devlin's free, he's going to catch you... RUN... RUN[/ic].
"It's good to hear he's doing well. I thought, I thought he'd only be doing worse since he came here." His eyes sad and somewhat frantic as he talks.
"Perhaps he truly forgives me" Brujo notices Leo wating on him "My apologoes Turnagall I've kept my comrades waiting and must go. Tell Harrak my best wiashes are with him, and I look forward to speaking with him when I return."
"Oh, keep a look out for Devlin even an unarmed man can be dangerous."
Leo/Rev
Finishing speaking with the large monk the moonelf rejoins Leo. "We have trouble and it might be heading for the others as we speak."
"Seems Devlin's escaped and head into the ruins"