"It's all dark to me", Arean says. "As for teaching... I wouldn't sentence you, to wander the dream of a burning library. But I'll bring you what answers you ask, sister."
"We should return the dagger when we find her. As gift and proof that we truly wish to help. It is not ours to take like thieves and looters."
"In the time between now and then, you bear it, Eldrian. Bear it ready, ready to avenge its master. If a widow might wed, a blade might serve. The escort of either, is to be judged by his heart. We aren't looters, if we didn't set out to loot."
"No no Arean, I didn't mean to... You do have a lot of knowledge with spells, don't you? You're not always in that cursed library, it seems... Shall we move in the city now people? Or do we have anything else to prepare?"
"No no Arean, I didn't mean to... You do have a lot of knowledge with spells, don't you? You're not always in that cursed library, it seems... Shall we move in the city now people? Or do we have anything else to prepare?"
"I'm not always there, no. But I've been years visiting. You're welcome to whatever I can teach."
"Let us go on, and find the knot of this ball of string..."
The party gather up the elf and what then can of the bandits things (which is just about everything) and then move on to the villiage.
In the villiage, the delicate elven dwellings mirror the grace of their people. One of the villiagers offer to take the elf's body and prepare it for funeral and then several others led you to an elven maid, whose veiled grace and beuty outshine all others present as the sun oushines the stars - she is Rahasia.
"Will you aid me?" she asks.
Eldrian aproaches her with the dagger in his open palm and gives it to her. "This was his blade. Unfortunately his sword was broken. When did this start?"
Ikvvy goes after the else she always find here and there. "Did you know we were coming?"
"More importantly, where's Rahib? If we fight these Siswa folks, we're just fightin' your family members, right? But if we find this chump, Rahib, then Bam!" He punches his fist fiercely through the air. "Problem solved."
"That plan has merit.", Arean says smiling.
Furnok nods at Braden's suggestion. That sounds like the most sane thing to do rather than cleave through them.
Rahasia replies"Rahib arrived three weeks ago and it was a week ago that the Siswa did not return." She pauses then says "I have no idea where Rahib is other than in the temple school somewhere."
Tears start to fill her eyes. "Everyone familiar with the buildings and grounds are either under the control of the Rahib or have gone to investigate and did not return."
She turns and looks to Ikvvy "I didn't know you were coming, a wandering knight of The Old Code arrived and offered to go get help."
"Then your plan is not so easy to execute, Braden. Rahasia, I'm sorry for your problems, but we will do what we can to help you. Can you tell us more about the people who went to the temple and never returned? If we knew more about your father, fiancee and whoever else went there we would have an edge on them. We need to treat them as enemies for now, as they might be enchanted."
Turning to the group she adds. "Any ideas aside from the direct approach?"
"Sneak in, remain unseen, jump this Rahib when we spot em?"
If we get ourselves some saps we can use those to knock the Siswa out, otherwise we can use clubs or the flats of our blades. It takes a careful hand to do that so we'll be fighting at a disadvanatge.
Stuff like Tanglefoot bags are perfect for pinning people down as well.
"Never used a sap before, but I have other skills to put them down. Who else have some rope we could use?"
Got 50' of silk rope
"How many? How many ought we plan to bind? How many were in residence? And what of guardian beasts?", Arean asks.
"If these are sons and lovers to the town, are we preforgiven, what we must now do? Will we be hated, when we return their corpses, or their selves, beaten, bitten, bound, blinded or maimed? Rahasia, lass, could you live here, where your baker every day is remembering a son lost, to keep you? What would you hear in the fall of the butcher's knife?"
"Let us plan, and think well. This is perhaps a war to win, or perhaps a puzzle to solve. But let us not leave these folk with the burn scars, where we once removed a splinter."
"Let us scout, and learn what we can. And think on this: some arrows must be pushed through, before being cut out. It may be needed to grant this Rahib his victory, or his victims, to gain the grace of striking first at himself, at the core of the problem, rather than peeling off his defenses like an apple."
"Could we fit three girls in an invisible horse? I might make myself pass for Rahasia. Well, save for the beauty."
"Indeed we may scout ahead and see what we can learn. Circle around the building from afar to get a general idea of the inside. Check for sentinels and other alarm options, including magic. If we need, I may present myself as bait for this Rahib. I can distract him and the other Siswa while you sneak in." She stops for a second, catching a detail. "What's this about invisibility?"
"Indeed we may scout ahead and see what we can learn. Circle around the building from afar to get a general idea of the inside. Check for sentinels and other alarm options, including magic. If we need, I may present myself as bait for this Rahib. I can distract him and the other Siswa while you sneak in." She stops for a second, catching a detail. "What's this about invisibility?"
"Only that we've no horse to hide in. If we're to be the three maidens, we'll have to appear as the three. If we'd any means for invisibility, it's a different myth I'd draw upon. Perhaps the one where the hero, unheard, unhearts and unheads the beast, all unaware."
"Sometimes it's hard to understand you, sister. You are saying that we impersonate the three maidens?"
"After we've learned more. Then yes. Three maidens, you, I, another, and a plan. And our hounds and bravos as near as we might have them. Because if we can end this Rahib, we might have to kill fewer of the innocents he's twisted into his skein."
"I'm so glad you've come to help," says Rahasia. "I don't know of anyone who knows any of the details of the temple school but here is a map of the area leading to it." she pauses "I do know that there are several underground levels. The temple school was orginaly built with the help of the Dwarves from the Citadels of Fire and Ice who owned a debt to the Wizard Elyas. He wanted a place where the villiagers could retreat from the Bane vs Vile war."
"If you like I can escort you as far as the roadside shrine. It is custom to stop and pray or make an offering before going on to the school, but don't go behind the wizard's statue that's disrespectful and forbidden."
"Two of them have been kidnapped already, Arean. I don't think that will work, then." She turns to Rahasia. "So this is indeed the school Elyas founded. Why would it be disrespectful to go behind someone's statue? I'm also looking for someone name Adrais, do you know him?"
"Two taken already? Was I dreaming, when it was said?" Arean sighs. "Rahasia, I'll ask a dress you're known for, and a scarf. And to watch you walk while you're fetching them, the better to seem you when I put them on, if we judge that ruse might have merit."
"What's forbidden a child, is expected of a wife. Or forbidden a stranger, is expected of a friend. I'll be making my apologies to the wizard of stone, and to your traditions, and looking for whatever the wizard of flesh hid behind that statue..."
A tail, maybe?
"Arean, so if you're playing the part of damsel in distress, who are we? Your guards?"
"Rahasia, if you and your neighbors have got any rope ta spare, we could sure use it. Tell 'em it's for a good cause."
"Braddon, I don't think we start with the ruse of surrendering Rahasia. Let us scout, and test, and take some of these Siswa as gently as we can. Plans may change from what we learn. But let us also be ready to pretend to surrender what he wants, on the ruse that the townfolk, given back their broken brothers, bound Rahasia over to their mercenaries, to be delivered to the Rahib. That may put our blades nearer the heart of the matter."
"Well, okay. Scouting is fine. But I still liked my plan better!"
"Well, okay. Scouting is fine. But I still liked my plan better!"
"I expect we'll be reduced to assault, soon enough. But what villain's pride might resist a surrender? So, to our scouting first, then?"
"Certainly. Let's make some scouting around it. I believe the prohibition about the shrine hides something we could use. I'm sure Elyas would not mind, since we're trying to save his school."
"Adrais? That's my father. Are you Ikvvy and Eldrain? Father mentioned some time ago you would be coming sometime this year but with everything that has been going on I'd forgotten. I'm afraid I don't know where father put the keys to your villa, their problem with our family's treasure where ever that has gone."
One of the villagers brings 2 coils of hemp rope each 50 feet long, and Rahasia offers to travel with you as far as the roadside shire if you wish.
Ikvvy scratches her forehead. "Indeed, I should have expected that. Well, let's see what can we find out, then. Is everyone ready?"
The group moves to the roadside shrine and there do some investigation. Ikvvy detects magic from afar, trying to identify any spells or magical auras present in the shrine.
Marcos draws a javelin and readies his shield, eyes always scanning and looking for threats.
perception
"So, let's see what this shrine is all about." Brad leads the way in.
Furnok will lead the way with Braden as well
Ikvvy is careful and keeps out of the magical aura. "There is a strong aura coming from the left of the shrine. I do believe it's a conjuration aura, but have no idea of what it does. Yet." She approaches the stairs, slowly, keeping her detection active.
Furnok has his Lucerne Hammer out as they approach.
Furnok points. Faint tracks go around the statue and just vanish, and there are faint tracks appearing in the aclove to the south. Might be a concealed door.
Arean idly mused back on the trail, watching the better-suited explore the small shrine.
"Adding your knowledge to the conjuration aura I noticed, I assume it's a teleport effect. We heard it's disrespectful to go behind the statue, so the effect might affect anyone that goes in the area, regardless of passwords or keys." She thinks for a little. "Now, I would say this is destiny acting again and take that lead of faith, taking me wherever the spell wants, but I cannot decide it for us. What do you think?"
Teleport? Then it might take us right to where we need to go. Course then we'd be right behind enemy lines.
"It also might take us to a trap. But considering they have taken all the Siswa, which probably are the only ones who know about this, they may be reckless about it. Rahib might not even know about it, but I would say the odds are each 50%. Can you tell us how recent these tracks are, Furnok?"
Very faint, this place is either cleaned or hasn't been used for a while.
"Let me regard it with a misted eye..."
Arean casts a spell, and follows where Ikvvy had been looking. When she has seen all she can by eye and by spell, starlight fills her eyes...
"It's a teleport, right enough. More knowing is just beyond my vision. I'm sorry."