When she hears what the woman had on her, she'll say, "That sounds like some kind of suicide device... a way to kill herself if captured... Take those teeth out of her mouth and deny her that! I want her alive!"
Arhiel will let herself get led off.... for now. "I'll be okay... really I will.." she says after she trips over an uneven flagstone... she sighs... "Srue I will... who left a table in the middle of the walkway there?"
Yes, we take her teeth and make a copy of that map.
Issac nods. "Remov' 'er teeth. An' copy tha' tattoo o' th' map, as Diana sugg'sted."
Cog quickly manages to remove the woman's wooden teeth, grimacing slightly as he does so. "Gross." Once he has it out, he shakes the spine out of its tooth and into the ocean.
One of the other crew members begins sketching a copy of the map as you all watch. "There be writin' here too, as well...I'll copy that an' all."
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Arhiel will let herself get led away and rest for the night, preferably in her wife's arms... someplace where she feels safe... She feels like having a good cry but forebears doing so for now. She's torn between fury and frustration over her blindness, and finds more comfort in talking than in tears, finally drifting off to sleep, where her dreams are light and in color...
Come morning, she awakes to a dark world again, and closes her eyes, wishing for more dreams...
Diana will use as much of her magic ability to heal everyone on the island. She will put on the headband of alluring charisma for now to boost the number of spells she can cast for healing. When she is done with that she warns These pirates that attacked were not the threat I was expecting. I think they were maybe the agents of the Sahuagin. If so that means the fish people are still out there and just as much a threat as ever. We need to talk to this sorceress to know more but I suspect she will be fanatically loyal.
Isaac nods as Cog and the other crew member get to work. When Diana makes her suggestion, Isaac nods. "Aye. Iffen there' be anoth'r wav' comin', we need to be ready. She may be loyal, bu' we will be gettin' th' information out o' 'er." He looks at the direction that Arhiel went. "I hop' she be alrigh'." For the rest of the night before going to sleep, he just generally helps out around the keep.
Its not good enough to take away her spell components and lock her up. We need to restrain her and gag her too. She is a sorcerer. I am not sure what she might be able to do with just a word or a gesture and do not want to find out the hard way.
Cog nods at the instructions and drags the sorceress away with a few other crew members. The rest of the evening passes quickly--there are relatively few wounded on your side, so it doesn't take much to patch them up. The shattered door is the biggest concern, but your crew are already working on turning the ramshackle barricade and the door's debris into a new, temporary barrier. You fall into bed relatively early and sleep through what remains of the night.
The next morning, you wake to find Agasta in the dining room, where she's guided Arhiel and is puzzling over the map that your crew copied from the sorceress's back. It appears to show a small cluster of nameless islands--to the right is a half sun, as though cut by the horizon, and to the left are designs of a monstrous eye and a bearded king's face. Below the islands are scrawled a few lines of text:
From blue bight’s embrace
Spy the Grave Lady’s prize tooth
With the Dawnflower’s first kiss
Climb the Captain’s wayward orb
To claim old king’s hoard.
"Ah, good morning," Agasta says. "I wasn't sleeping well, so I thought I'd take a look at this. I'm afraid it means nothing to me...how about you?"
As you study the map, Agasta asks, "Do you intend to interrogate that sea witch today?"
Diana considers the map. No, nothing. She looks to the captain when asked if about the interrogation.
"The grave lady would be Pharasma... Is there a place, and island or something, called Pharasma's tooth? and the DAwnflower refers to Sarenrae. Those bits might help decipher the poem."
Edward feels he should know this, but whatever it is, it eludes him.
"I can't seem to remember, but i'm getting a gut feeling i've heard something before."
Isaac reads the map and the poem out loud for Arhiel. The marking triggers a memory. "Wait. This eye. I be seein' it befor'. This be th' symbol fer th' Beast o' Mancatch'r Cov'. Th' monst'r is said to be guardin' th' treasur' o' th' legendary pirat', Cyrus Wolf'. I don't be knowin' wher' th' cov' be, wha' th' Beast be, or ev'n if it exists."
Agasta frowns, looking annoyed. "The Beast of Mancatcher Cove...I've heard that name, but I just don't know..."
"Wait! I remember...something about the Ushinawa Isles?" What she says is enough to jog Edward's memory!
Once Edward has conveyed the location of the islands on the map to the group, Agasta asks, "This map was tattooed onto Arhiel's attacker, right? Why on earth do you think that is? If it's really a map to the treasure of Cyrus Wolfe...why, that would be an incredible haul!"
Aye. Something to ponder. But we cannot leave before we have ended the threat to your isle here and your little bobble.
Isaac scratches his chin. "Som'thin' to pond'r indeed, Diana. We coul' be lookin' at on' o' th' bigg'st scor's in our careers so far." He looks at everyone. "We need to interrogat' tha' sorceress abou' ev'rythin' she knows. Th' sahaugin, th' map tattoo, ev'rythin'. An' we be needin' to do it soon."
Agasta nods. "When you're ready, she should still be tied up down in water storage--I'll come with you."
Jaina cracks her knuckles after having silently observed the proceedings. "I'm always ready to go."
She is a tricky one. Be ready for anything. Diana warns.
Isaac nods. "Then, le' us be interrogatin' 'er."
"What approach do you want here, Isaac?
Promise of lessened punishment for cooperation, -talk or torture-?"
I believe this one is lost to Besmera and her actions are against the goddess' wishes. I'll start by stating that, noting that she has lost her way and offer her a path back. But if she refuses then we offer to sacrifice her in an unpleasant way. Besmara demands sacrifice of those who turn against her.
"Well....we could try to find shark infested waters.
Keeps our own hands mostly clean, and Besmara's pets would be pleased as well."
Isaac listens to both Diana and Edward. "We be off'rin' 'er som' form o' mercy iffen she be cooperatin'. Iffen she be uncooperativ', then, in th' end, we be sendin' 'er to th' deep. Eith'r way, we be gettin' our information. An' we be gettin' Ahriel's vision bac'."
Royster McCleagh leads all of you (including Agasta) down to the water storage room. A crewman is standing guard there, who gives you all a curt nod before stepping aside to let Royster open the door with his key. "She's awake--but no one's been in there long enough to determine aught but that," Royster tells you.
Inside the room, your opponent is, indeed, awake. Sea-green eyes glare at you, tracking your movements as you all enter the room. Now that she's not flying around casting spells at you, you can see that her tattoos are hugely varied, both in topic and in quality; clearly, a number of different artists have worked in them. She sits proudly upright, defiant, despite being completely unarmored and at your mercy. Her eyes say that she's furious at the sight of you--but she's currently bound to the chair and firmly gagged, so there's little she can do to act on her rage.
Isaac glares at the sorceress as he enters. He sees the sea snake out of the corner of his eye. He looks at her. "Well, well. Here we be. Ye, us... an' th' littl' snak' skulkin' abou'. Iffen ye be conjurin' it, I be suggestin' ye git rid o' it."
His glare softens a bit. "We be needin' to be askin' ye questions. Lik' wha' yer connection to the sahaugin is, why ye be attackin' us, an' why ther' be a map tattooed on yer back."
"That'd probably be her familiar... best kill it before you remove her gag, cap'n." Arhiel says softly glaring toward where she thinks the sorceress is .... someone can turn her around if she's glaring in the wrong direction.
Isaac looks at Arhiel. He places a hand on her shoulder and shifts her a bit so she's looking at the evil sorceress. "Iffen tha' be so, how did she ge' 'er familiar in her'? Wouldn't we hav' noticed it?"
"Sorcerers often carry their familiars, if they even have them, in the form of a tattoo, you'd never have known until it was too late. Be careful if it is truly a viper, it is probably poisonous."
What did you have in mind, Edward? I may have a few ideas. :)
Topics: friendships, pretty stuff, anything to hug (pets), shoelaces that go untied.
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Then when she'd think it's over, we switch places and continue to do so until she's willing to talk.
But what did you have in mind yourself?
Diana backs up her captain. If she does not want to talk we start by killing the snake. Then we start on her. Maybe carve off those tattoos for a start.
But if she wants to save her own skin, literally, then perhaps we need not be so difficult. I'd have no problem freeing her in the right circumstances, assuming we know her story and motivations.
When you ungag the sorceress, she moves her jaw back and forth, trying to loosen it. When Diana threatens to kill the snake, her eyes widen slightly. "Don'...don' kill Moto. Gimme m'teef. I can teh yeh some'in if yeh giff me m'teef."
x10 minutes
Isaac looks at Arhiel as she explains the concept of a tattooed familiar. "Tru'ly? How fascinatin'. Wha' will magic us'rs think o' nex'?"
Isaac looks at the sorceress as she speaks. "We be findin' a sea urchin spin' in on' o' yer teeth. So, ther' be no us' in usin' tha'. We will be sparin'... Moto, was it? We be sparin' 'im iffen ye talk to us. We will also giv' ye yer teeth iffen ye agree to not atta'k us. I woul' be considerin' it iffen I were' ye. Ther' be many her' tha' wan' ye dead. I be generous her'."
Jaina stands off to the side, looking mean and ornery. Interrogations were going well enough--no need for her to get involved unless things start going bad.
Dianna retrieves the teeth minus the urchin spine and hold them up with a look to Isaac.
"Yeh haff nofin t'fear from me tied up like 'is." The woman still looks angry, a bit defiant, but cowed enough to obey. "Pleaf. I hate...not bein' able t'talk."
Dianna offers to put the teeth into the sorcerer's mouth. We have no wish to humiliate you but these things could be used as a weapon. You will understand our caution.
Isaac nods at Diana's statement. "Aye. She be righ'. We be needin' som' assuranc's tha' ye won't atta'k us."
The ghost of a smile crosses the woman's lips. "Yeh have m'word. Not 'at it'th worth tha' much."
Isaac looks at Diana and nods.
Knowing that some spells can be cast with a word Diana stands close readies to disrupt and spell cast.
The woman moves her jaw back and forward as Diana steps away from her, settling the denture-like teeth. Then she grins, shark-like. "Mucch better," she says, and though her voice is a bit raspy, it's at least easier to understand. She settles back into the chair.
"Sooooooo...I'm alive. And I'm not tied to a rack or a bed, which means I'm not just here for your amusement. And you've given me my teeth back, which I gather means you were sincere when you said you wanted to talk. So out of curiosity...what do you want to know, and what happens to me if I refuse? I feel like we might be able to come to an understanding, but I'm curious what I'm up against. Slow dismemberment? Chains and whips? The 'attentions' of your loyal crew?" She smirks. "Though you did give me my teeth back--so you may be soft."
Edward looks in amused surprise.
"Well, sounds like you've got inspiration, or experience?
I mean, i know of this one particular case back in Riddleport, which includes everything you've just summarized."
He shakes his head.
"But i'm not into that kinky stuff, lady, but if that's your fancy.
I don't know about some of the others, though."
The bard says with a playful smile.
We are followers of Besmara. We will give you to her if you do not cooperate. There are worse deaths but I am betting you want to live. You can start by telling us why you attacked here, and for who. And please answer the questions. I am not patient and will kill the snake at your first hesitation.
The woman glares at Edward, but then turns sullenly toward Diana. "My name is Isabella Locke. I attacked here for Krelloort, lord of the Fever Sea sahuagin--or at least, the tribe in Mancatcher Cove. He's my..." her face twists wryly. "Associate? Master? I hardly even know anymore. You had a run in with one of his raiding parties a while ago...a raiding party that included one of his sons." She nods to Arhiel. "That wench's bangle belonged to Krelloort's son, and it's made of a kind of platinum that calls to a lot of seafolk. They can sense it--so when Krelloort's son didn't come back, it didn't take him long to track you down."
Isaac raises an eyebrow as the Isabella's lewder remarks. "Sorry. I be tak'n. An' I am not cru'l to subj'ct som'on' to such a fate."
When she explains the story, Isaac nods. "Thank ye fer tellin' us. Now, I wish to kno' how to be makin' this stop. Or their location so we end this ourselv's. Also, I woul' also lik' to kno' why ye be havin' a map o' Mancatch'r Cov' on yer bac'."