"Let's not hurt his face, alright? I kind of like it," says Eirikr as he follows Tiferet into the cell.
Evelyn stays outside of the cell silently watching.
This Witch has quite the reach, learning more about her could be helpful.
Nathara nods on Tiferet's remark. "As you wish, sister." She is not entirely sure why Tiferet wants into the cell with him; anyways, as far as Nathara is concerned Tiferet is the leader of their little assembly and given the situation the spelldancer prefers to make that as clear as possible.
To the guard she remarks: "We won't harm him unless it is absolutely necessary. The point of all this is that he is not as helpless as he's trying to make us believe. He might be able to cast a spell on you and force you to do his bidding." Or he has already done so, but it does not appear so and Nathara cannot take her attention from Rokhar at the moment.
She folds pants and shirt and puts them back at the edge of the cell. "You can put these back on as soon as Tiferet says so." She takes a position besides the cell door, to be able to shut it once Eirikr and Tiferet are in. Since she can hardly use a her burning hands spell while friends are in the cell with him she readies her bow.
"Don't worry. When I said he's all yours, I meant it" Tiferet says to Eirikr as they enter the cell, a mischievous grin on her lips. True to her word, she focuses on inspecting the cell, leaving Rohkar in the young man's care.
___________________________________________________________
Morgraine remains outside of the cell and watches carefully for any sign of duplicity or aggression on the part of Rhokar.
It's a bit difficult to tell what Rohkar is thinking. Perhaps he's simply confident that no one will hurt him. Or perhaps he's simply determined not to say a word of use to you. Whichever it is, he shows no sighs of aggression. In fact, he looks almost relaxed.
Eirikr quickly surveys the cell, trying to find the unholy symbol that is most likely stashed back at the inn with the rest of the loot, but keeping an eye open for anything else as well.
Eirikr's eyes don't pick up anything noteworthy as he scans the cell. He paws through the clothes a little bit, but finds nothing there either. If Rohkar has anything hidden, he can't seem to find it.
Evelyn keeps a close eye on Rohkar [ooc]Hypno stare[/occ] as the others look over the cell, once they finish she speaks up. "So are we done here?"
Tiferet snorts in frustration, slowly resigning herself to the idea that Rohkar's holy symbol has been found long ago among his stash. Still, something doesn't quite add up. His calm, his unshaken loyalty to the Winter Witch even in the face of a far more present threat... he doesn't behave like the man completely out of options he appears to be.
"Yes. Just... one last thing."
Nathara does not quite trust the peace, but there is nothing to be done here at the moment. She takes silently takes a step back, but wait for Tiferet and Eirikr before she leaves.
The whole situation is most unpleasant, but it was the right thing to make sure after they found out they had been fooled. Maybe they should ask the Father to keep an eye on him every now and then.
Rohkar's posture hardly changes, but Tiferet can feel her spell take hold.
A half-smile appears on Tiferet's face as she feels her and Eve's conjoint efforts finally overcoming Rohkar's mental defences. Her contempt for the man being quite strong, she's not sure how to best handle a 'friendly' conversation with the necromancer-turned-captive, but as it often happens with those types, she eventually decides that playing to his ego couldn't be the worst of approaches.
"So. I believe we had a bad start. Forgive the... rough manners, but one has to take her due precautions before stepping into the same room with a powerful necromancer, I'm sure you understand?"
She flashes a wide, disarming smile toward the former bandit leader. "I thought that since we found no holy symbol on your person after your capture, you must've hidden it somewhere, ready to unleash your powers as soon as we'd let our guard down. No way you could have simply forgotten it upstairs, right? But you're smarter than that. You're playing the long game. The Witch's game. That's why you're so calm, even knowing what Taldan law has in store for those who try to harm the nobility. Care to share?" she asks enticingly. "As mercenaries, we're always open to new... opportunities."
Rohkar does little more than raise an eyebrow. "I somehow doubt that. You've taken my weapons, my armor, and my magic items. Even if I was an arcanist instead of a priest, you've taken everything I'm wearing too."
The bandit chief smirks. "You know, you're the first person, or people I guess, to figure out that con. Even my own men thought I was some kind of wizard." He tries to restrain a chuckle, but ends up laughing anyway. "Long game? The Witch and her fairies have me by the balls! I'm either doomed to the gallows or doomed to whatever she has planned for my failure. I simply don't care what happens to me anymore."
That makes two of us Tiferet instinctively thinks in response to Rohkar's last statement, though she tries her best not to show it. Oh well, better to overestimate a foe than to underestimate him, as dad always says she reflects, trying to rationalize her disappointment at this whole thing having turned out a fiasco.
"Oh" she merely says, feigning disillusion. Let's see if we can salvage something out of this situation. "You see, I have trouble picturing something or someone that can scare one such as you. An enforcer of the God of Murder and Secrets, a powerful necromancer... You could have easily overpowered us if it weren't for the ineptitude of your own men. Not even good at raising an alarm until the very last second, before being dispatched" she goes on, casting a disparaging glance toward the other bandits. "So if you can't join them, beat them, I heard someone saying once. Or was it the other way around? Anyhow, It looks like our next job is to face that Witch, then. That at least would take care of one of your problems, wouldn't it? Is she really that powerful? Have you met her? What were her plans for the Lady? I don't think the fey would have gone such a long way for a mere ransom..."
"I'm also not stupid," Rohkar replies dryly. "I can tell when you're trying to butter me up. Maybe if I'd finished my research I'd have been ready to take you on..." He sighs and shakes his head. "Pointless to worry about it." He sits back and thinks about it for a moment. "I've spoken to her once, though not in person. The witch has magic that lets her communicate through mirrors and her troll carries one. She only spoke to me to give an ultimatum: become her killing hand or let the troll eat me. I'm not sure exactly how powerful she is, but I know she's lord of a fief or district or whatever you call it up north. As for the noble... we were holding her hostage as a deterrent for the moment. We could have threatened her life if the military tried to come to wipe us out before we were ready to make our move. We could ransom her back once she was no longer needed. The fey seemed to have other plans though. Something about making a spy, but I'm not sure of the details. The damned troll tried to keep details from me."
A spy. Now that's interesting. With the right spells, and mirrors for communication... Tiferet thinks as the former bandit leader speaks. Her smile is no less dry than Rohkar's when he off-handedly dismisses her pretences. She was used to people fawning when under the effect of her spells; Rohkar's more sober reaction was... refreshing, in a way. What matters is that he's cooperating.
"Your research... it was about creating those winter-touched skeletons we faced, right? We found a bunch of necromantic writings with interpolations in both Sylvan and Infernal in your study. Was that knowledge Irriseni in origin? Did you have to give... something in exchange for it? Is it the reason why you're so afraid of the Witch... even here, even now?"
Rohkar nods slightly. "Raising skeletons is easy. The cold infused ones on the other hand... I managed to negotiate a good payment for my services to the witch. Knowledge and gold in exchange for my loyalty. For what good having the 'loyalty' of a follower of Blackfingers is." He chuckles softly, a deep almost growling sound. "I'm afraid of the witch because she has assassins small enough to slip straight through the bars of this cell that can turn invisible at will and I'm now a liability."
"A valid concern" Tiferet reluctantly concedes. "We'll try to keep this basement as airtight as possible, shan't we?" she says to the guard. "We wouldn't want anyone magically slipping in... or out."
"I'd never thought I'd say it, but thanks for the chat. It has been enlightening, in its own way" she says somewhat genuinely. "Oh, and you may put your clothes back on now. Unless Erikr objects, of course."
"He can if he wants to," says Eirikr with a shrug and a smirk. "If they decide not to hang you maybe give me a visit, eh?" he says with a wink as he walks out of the cell.
Rohkar rolls his eyes and grabs his clothes, redressing himself carefully. "I doubt you'll want to see me again. Go and do your.. hero thing already. And stop bothering me."
"Farewell then, Rohkar. It looks like our paths diverge here. I don't suppose they'll ever cross again" Tiferet says turning her back to the cell, to the necromancer, and to her old life as a mercenary, a life when Irrisen was just a place out of a fairy tale and snow in Taldor was all but unheard of. In front of her, only the Portal and the Witches.
"By the way, I've got us a mount. Name's Lily. Sweetest young mare you could ever wish for" she casually yet cheerfully tells her companions on their way back to the inn, having forgotten to mention it in the abruptness of the moment. She hopes the sudden switch of topics would help dissipate the gloominess of Rohkar's revelations.
Once she's back at the Stoat, she relays everything they've learnt to Inire, with particular emphasis on the fey's plan to turn Lady Argentea into a spy.
Inire stands and moves with them, clapping her book shut as she follows after, waiting for them to inform her.
Once back at the stair and in relative privacy, she nods slowly. "I hate to look a gift horse in the mouth... but it was mentioned previously that she was acting strangely. Aloof. Though... I feel a nobleman is likely to behave that way as a matter of station."
She slowly draws one of her thieves' tools in a slow circle on the table as she watches it. "All of that fits in rather well, though. Rhokar, his undead, and the fey attack the lady. They kill her retainers and then take her off into the forest. The fey have alternate plans for her, while the brigands opt to use her as a bargaining chip. First, keep the military out until they're ready... and second, get a bit of money added in for their troubles. Meanwhile, the fey benefit from both, gaining time to set up their plans, and if the princess is randomized back... the fact that she's a spy for the fey improves on that even further. People won't doubt her story since it was easily verifiable that she was kidnapped.
"That leaves a few concerns, though. How do we broach the topic? Is there a way to know for certain if she's a tricky fey or simply fey-tricked? Either way, Yuln should be staying close to her, and we can ask him what he thinks." she asks, raising her eyes back up to the others from her indiscernable patterns. "And if there are ways to know for certain, do we have access to them? Next, they were hoping to buy time by using her as a tool. We've disabled that trap, but haven't followed through. We should organize for a communication to be sent to her castle... whatever it is. Letting them know what has happened sooner will mobilize them faster. Ravens or some other bird the locals have would be best. Finally... if the witch is able to use mirrors to talk, do they need to be specific mirrors, or just any mirror? It's... a little worrisome to think she could watch us that way..."
After a moment, she shakes her head, and starts swirling her tool again. "Actually... there are a lot more 'finally's left. We need to press forward, soon, while they're unbalanced. They needed time to do whatever they're doing. So theyre weaker now. We can't just rely on the military. We also need to try to minimize damage. The objects the bandits had were likely taken locally... we should seek out the owners. Finally, the men who died just within the forest, we should try to get them back here if the village doesn't. Will the frozen man thaw on his own? Or is there a way for us to free him so we can bring his body back here?"
Nathara merely nods as she leaves. It's cruel world and many of those do the winter witches' bidding seem to be their greatest victims. The life on an adventurer has been Nathara's own choice, her own desire. She might very well end up with a similarly impossible choice. Would she sacrifice her own life, knowing full well that it hardly makes a difference, rather than start to compromise with evil? Sometimes compromises have to be made in order to be able to act all. Everything else is outright suicide. But would she have the wisdom to notice the moment that would result in stepping beyond the line?
She shakes the heavy gloomy thoughts off and smiles to Tiferet. "That's great; I am certain she's as lovely as you say. I will welcome her and take her to the shop to get the things I bought. And maybe an apple or a bit of sugar."
"By the way, I've got us a mount. Name's Lily. Sweetest young mare you could ever wish for"
Well that explains where the missing items went.
Evelyn frowns at Mouse as she mentions what Eve had told in private to the entire group but doesn't say anything about her displeasure.
"That is a lot of assumptions without much evidence."
"I left her in the stablegirl's care if you want to spoil her a bit. She probably deserves it... considering where we're about to lead her" Tiferet answers demurely.
Tiferet makes herself comfortable and then stays silently seated as Inire outlines a thorough analysis of the situation, only nodding thoughtfully from time to time. Mouse might not be a big talker she thinks. but when she does, one would be wise to listen.
"Not with this cold, he won't thaw, I'm afraid" she says as she stands up. "I've told the Sheriff about the bodies and asked him if he could dispatch someone to fetch them, but I wouldn't fault him if he's yet to act on my advice. With a gang of bandits and a necromancer in his custody, plus the prospect of fey attacks, he must have had his hands full as seldom before. If necessary, we might ask some villagers to accompany us as far as the ambush site, and then make their way back to Heldren with the carriage, should they be afraid to brave the road alone."
She doesn't have much more to add, her mind still focused on the points Inire brought up.
Your knowledge of local nobility is quite good after spending so much time working as a mercenary in the area and you recall a fair bit about the Malassene family. Lady Argentea is the current head of the family, and the only member of the main line in fact, though she has several cousins. Her primary estate is in Oppara itself, though she also owns a smaller country estate not far from Zimar. It is likely that she was travelling back to Oppara given her route. The family's political power is fairly substantial and mostly comes from their wealth, as they have been very successful with several mercantile ventures over the generations. Lady Argentea is known for being a peaceful woman and her influence is court is mostly spent to try to prevent outright wars and to prevent oppressive or draconian laws from being passed. She is known for being rather strong willed and passionate as well.
"Yeah. But a lot of it is what we 'kind of' know. So it's more about connecting the dots, rather than anything else. Occam's Razor and all that. But they're still just theories. Thoughts I'm voicing out loud so that others can debunk them, or offer what they know." she offers Eve a small smile.
"We will definitely need to find a way to move him, then. The ice is going to make him substantially heavy, and just sitting there until we close the portal..." She shakes her head. "He might have family, and they might want him back for a proper burial. If we aren't going to press into the wilds today, we may as well do what we can." she says, offering a small shrug.
Tiferet once again nods at Inire's suggestion, still looking lost in thought for a while. "I remember Witch-mirrors featuring in some of the stories from my childhood" she eventually says. "Within Irrisen, it is told that no man is shielded from a Witch's gaze when he passes in front of a mirror; but outside their domain, only one infused with powerful enchantments would allow its bearer to communicate with his mistress. As for the Malassenes" she adds, "they are powerful and respected, meaning that their seat of power is in Oppara itself, as close to the Imperial Throne as possible. Worked for some of their business partners once. They have a smaller estate in Zimar, so it's likely that's where Lady Argentea was coming from when she was kidnapped. But as influential as they may be, the Horse and the Phalanx ultimately only answer to the Generals, and they in turn to the Emperor."
"Those mirrors might be an interesting subject of study" Nathara remarks nonchalantly. She has followed the conversation with interest, but there are too many obscure details to formulate a thesis which resounds in the right harmony.
"I would appreciate haste in moving for the gate. I am concerned what else might come through. What the troll might with any further heartbeat of his... and what might happen to Vosi and the fey in the witch's grasp. I for one believe him, anyway. We're up against impossible odds and every step must be carefully considered and every advantage taken. But every moment we spend on anything else might be our downfall."
They lost time dealing with Rokhar as well. But it had been necessary to make sure that he was indeed in check. If he had not been, who knows what consequences that might have had.
With that she leaves for the stable. It appears heartless, but she doesn't really want to concern herself with those who are already dead, not because it wasn't important, but because of the implication it may have on the living. But if Inire and Tiferet really want to do it, Nathara will do her best to help, of course.
If she sees anyone selling an apple or something a horse may like on the way, she'll buy it. Hopefully the beast will not react to her demonic heritage; some animals do, other's don't. Thankfully the wolf and the fox who belong with them have accepted her so far.
Nathara makes her way out of the jail and heads through the market. On her way through, there are several stalls with local farmers selling their produce in the town square. It takes a little searching, as it's a bit early for apples to be in season. However, a farmer with some nice honeycrisp apples. He's more than happy to offer you one for a simple copper piece.
The stable hand is grooming the mare and has already fitted her with a saddlepack when Nathara arrives. "Morning," she says cheerfully. "You're with that group of adventurers right? I'm afraid I don't know all of your names. Lily's all ready to go."
"She is right you know." Morgraine opines, perhaps bluntly after Nathara leaves. If we are to take whatever small sliver of advantage we may have gained with our raid on the bandits, then we must move with haste. If our witch learns that her plans are compromised and moves to either withdraw or reinforce her portal, then we are done before we begin. There is nothing of substance that we can do for the departed. Those men served the Lady, and their final fate must last in her hands. I trust that she will do right by them."
She frowns, considering the other problem. "And if she is corrupted, or a fey in disguise, or whatever, I do not know of a way to determine, especially since none of us know her well enough to spot unusual behavior."
Inire grimaces slightly, as the group opts not to do everything they could. The devil was in the details... but there was no helping the people they simply didn't have time for. After a moment, she nods, and then stands. "Alright... I guess I'm ready to go then. All I need to do is collect my furs."
At the stables:
"I am indeed, Nathara Darkblade." Nathara indicates a fluent, playful curtsey and reaches out for the horses reins. "... 'adventurer'. Takes some time getting used to. I am afraid there is a lot of hardship waiting for good Lily, but we can hardly do what we have to without her help. I promise will take good care of her."
She runs her hand carefully over the horses nose, avoiding to frighten her with the claws and offers the apple with the other hand.
"Gods bless you, good man. Lily and I will head of to our adventures." With a friendly smile and a wave she heads off to fetch the gear she ordered.
The horse snorts and shakes its head, backing away from the dark skinned woman. It stares her down, clearly not happy, but it reluctantly leans forward and picks up the apple, munching on the sweet fruit while carefully eyeing Nathara. The mare reluctantly follows the tiefling off to the general store to pick up their supplies.
We're probably overestimating the impact of our actions on the Witch's plan. The Lady was anything but tangential to it, according to Fawfein. A lucky catch, most likely, given there was no way for the fey to know of her movements in advance. Still...
"I would have liked to make further preparations, but you're right, every minute this portal remains open is a minute more Irrisen's corruption is allowed to spread over Taldor. If haste it must be, let's not tarry any longer. There's still a couple of issues to be solved, but give us an hour or so, and we'll be ready to depart" Tiferet says, gathering the remaining items on display on the nearby table.
That done, she makes her way to the general store, asking the owner as well as anyone else she meets along the way and in the town square if they recognize some of the spoils.
Evelyn doesn't return Mouse's smile. "So what do you want to do about it, tell the guards or strip her down yourself looking for a mirror?"
Tiferet asks around for a few minutes. Several of the farmers in the square know Dansby quite well, though he hasn't been seen since the morning the day before Yuln arrived in town. Word of his death spreads like wildfire and you get a few somber looks once people know of his death. However, it also quickly becomes clear that he has no known relatives. The only person who might have a claim to his possessions is his nephew, who is currently serving as a sergeant in the military in Zimar. Most of the rest of the spoils from Rohkar's stash are identified as trade goods, likely taken from unfortunate merchants on the road, and the general store is somewhat interested in taking them. A few people suggest that the weapons and armor would be best sold to the blacksmith or perhaps the sheriff.
Tiferet chuckles at Eve's suggestion, looking amused at her sharp tongue. "If it weren't for her status, I'd say I've heard worse ideas. There's no such thing as a completely foolish plan when the stakes are high. However" she goes on, regaining her composure "I doubt it would turn out anything. Besides, she's only been in the bandits' custody for a day and a half, and long-lasting mind control spells are the prerogative of powerful casters, the kind who isn't usually readily available. A shapeshifting fey would be more troublesome, but it'd take time to properly instruct one to effortlessly blend in a society so different from Irrisen's own – and fooling her close relatives would still be quite out of the question. For what is worth, I believe our rescue was timely. And if it wasn't, I have to agree with Morgraine: there's very little we can do about it, without succumbing to rampant paranoia."
To everyone willing to share what he knows, Tiferet offers her thanks and a smile, as well as her condolences to those who seem most shocked about Dansby's fate. "We brought his body back to the shrine. I believe Elder Natharen is making arrangements to give him a proper burial even now" she says, piece of information for piece of information.
Several friends of the old farmer thank her and a few mention heading to the church to see the priest and pay their respects once the work day is done. Moving on to the general store, Vivialla is happy to take the valuables off your hands for a fair price. "I'm not going to be able to afford this," she says, examining the spyglass. "It's extremely high quality craftsmanship. I don't keep enough gold on hand to afford this. I might have something in the back to trade, but I doubt it. Everything else I can cover well enough though."
Inire offers a small shrug once Tiferet leaves, sulking a little. "If it was the only way to tell... it's not like I expect to come back this way once we reach Irrisen. So an upset noblewoman from Taldor is the least of my problems." She says, shifting from sulk to silk, with another small smile. "Either way... coincidence rarely plays a role in the larger stories, and I'd like to think ours won't be short. So... I'd rather believe that they knew her route, which means they'd have to have someone who knew." she adds, softly, brow furrowed, as she watched her tool swirl a bit more. "Its strange that the one man with a cold iron sword, whose ancestor hails from Irrisen is the one to have gotten away.." she says, after a short moment.
"Still being paranoid, but did you guys check about Yuln with Rohkar?"
"Don't worry. It is actually, as you say, quite a peculiar and masterfully crafted object. It will make for a nice memento of this adventure" Tiferet says, putting the spyglass back in her backpack. "Now, I believe a friend of mine – dark skin, pointed ears, moves with the grace of a consummate dancer – stopped by recently, placed quite a conspicuous order. If you wish, we might barter items, and settle the difference in gold."