Volcano's Land - Forged in Blood

Game Master Miner Cotren

Wamblee stands over Maht, picking bits of diamond out of his stony knuckles, and says:

"Maht, what did you intend with the ifrit priest?"

Thanks to Iniga's raging song, Wamblee had temporary hit points to take that damage from. HP 41/50

Maht seems dazed as the last of his shattered diamond armor falls twinkle tink onto the brittle dry grass.

He is distant as he says, "We wanted to, umm, get him to speak the words. To ignite the Hand."

Samen winces as he coats his wounds in acid to cauterize them. He won't die, but he definitely needs a rest.

"Got it. Use the weapon of mass destruction to destroy as much resistance as possible. We need to get you back to your clan. There's much you need to tell them, and much they'll need to tell the meet."

Acid splashing myself to get 6 rounds of fast healing 2.

"What inspired you to seek the Hand in the first place?"

Maht has a faraway look on his face. "We met someone. Someone who was..." His voice lightens suddenly, incongruously, as if telling the ending to a joke. "laughing? I think?" He grabs his neck, clearing his throat uncomfortably.

In a sickening moment, he begins choking, ribcage heaving in an attempt to breathe. But as you get closer and see the stupid grin on his face, you realize your mistake - he is laughing. The sound is as dry as the yellow grass beneath your feet.

Between the strenuous laughter and the wounds he has taken, the last son of Wyrmwood falls mercifully unconscious on the ground. His breathing stabilizes.

Wamblee looks at his own kin.

"Let us take this one and be away from this place. The chieftain will want to know that one of his sons survived, so far."

"Agreed. While his mind seems to be his, there doesn't seem to be much left."

how are you transporting the unconscious el? and what is your plan - are you going straight to the Wyrmwood chieftain?

I suggest tie Maht up with rope, gag him, and have the Firenze brothers each seize an arm. Are there camps between this spot and the isolated Wyrmwoods? If so, we can put a sack over him.

Marianne carefully picks through the shards of jewel bugs, taking a few vials' worth of poison from their broken forms where she can.

Before Samen helps Wamblee hoist up Maht, he does a quick scan of the area, just to make sure there aren't any latent but living Spes spores.

Perception: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 2 = 14

Iniga glances around as well, doubting that she would see any clues about where the priest might be, as it looks like Maht had traveled via a teleportation effect. Still, it never hurt to check, just in case.

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28

in the excitement I think it was missed - the priest is bound, gagged and awake, though not responding to much. he was teleported in at the same time as Maht.

Samen: there are no traces of elemental activity in the immediate area that you can see, save that of Wamblee's crystal and your own woodcut (and Samoon's cross staff, were it still here)

Doh!

"The priest!", Wamblee nearly swears under his breath. He immediately turns and jogs towards the bound ifrit.

"You shall be free shortly.", Wamblee says as he cuts bindings with one of his many sharp weapons, hoping that the priest did not hear too much of what was said in the heat of combat.

The priest is only half conscious, and hardly seems to recognize you, mistakenly calling Iniga 'Margherita' and mumbling a few passages from the Rove Voce. He leans heavily on Iniga and Marianne for support as the oread brothers carry Maht.

Away from the clearing, Margherita and the mercenaries are waiting, left behind at Samen's behest. "What in the land? You found the priest in the woods on your own?"

"He was teleported - I have no idea why, but perhaps Maht wanted him close by. He isn't in the best shape at the moment, but I think some rest would do him good - he might feel better in the morning I hope" Iniga replies.

Marg and company will take the priest back to his wagon and set watch around him, unless anyone objects.

Marianne has an extra wolf pelt in her pack to cover Maht up with, so you get back to Wyrmwood territory easily enough. The hunter knows you now, so you can get to the chief. Tossing this out to everyone, but I'm guessing Wamblee would be the one to speak - what do you say to the chief as you present Maht?

"We will return, Margherita. We have some more business to attend to."

*************************************************************

Wamblee and Samen carry Maht into the camp and to the chief, placing the wolf rug on the ground before the leader.

"Chieftain, we ended up in battle against a gem elemental who tried to corrupt my brother. In battle, the creature summoned Maht, covered in diamond armour, and the priest. We crushed the elemental and its gem creatures, and smashed open the diamond armour on Maht. He was unwilling to fight after that, speaking of a laughing figure. Perhaps even regaining some of his own will. Here he is, alive."

In the time it has taken you to carry Maht to the Wyrmwood tents, he has somehow...shrunken. His muscles are atrophied, as if long underused. He breathes, and his brown eyes are open, but there is little expression or curiosity in them.

Chief Wyrmwood stands without flinching at the weakened state of his last son. "Wyrmwood again owes you a debt, Cedarsmoke. If you have need of them during the Meet, call upon my hunter and my magician. I doubt I will see you. Shared roots, Wamblee son of Hotah." You hear this as a dismissal.

"I am here, my son. You will be strong again." You are walking away. "Together, we will stand again..."

"Shared roots, Chief Wyrmwood."

Wamblee turns and begins to leave.

It is seventeenth candle.

It is nearing night time, so feel free to narrate yourselves - if you have something in mind, go do it, or you can eat, talk, and go to sleep, take watches, etc. The mercenaries and the priest consider you good friends/allies after all your help.

"So, back to the camp? I imagine Margherita and the others will want to know what happened. We leave Wyrmwood out of it though."

"Yeah, seems fine. What do you suppose that madness was all about? A defeated mind, a possessing entity, or the fey covering their tracks? I can't quite help but thinking we just kicked over a hornet's nest."

"Well, at least we're learning to survive getting stung." Her fingertips give off a few sparks, still holding a charge several minutes after her spell.

"I think Spes got blood-mad when it realised that you had it rumbled. It looked ready to kill us all. At least we have grown in strength in recent times."

Iniga heads over to speak with the priest, and finds him recuperating after his ordeal.

"My apologies, but I'll need to ask you some rather difficult questions. Any answers you give me would be greatly appreciated." she begins, giving the priest a searching look before launching into her inquiry.

"Firstly, I need to know what happened once you were captured, where you were taken, why you were taking, what was said, and so on. Any insights, anything at all would just shed greater light or clarity on what happened, so my friends and I can ensure everyone who knew about the attack is held responsible."

"Secondly, I need to know who authorized your mission. Who knew your route? Who knew you held the Hand? You told us that this information was secret, secure which means it could have only come from the Church."

Predicting that this question would trouble the priest, Iniga gives him an earnest look.

"Believe me Saggezza, I hope it would be someone else, but it makes no sense whatsoever that you were able to be so easily ambushed and that the attackers knew exactly what you were carrying without prior knowledge. Someone, most likely from the Church, is playing games here. Someone in the Temple, is or was keen for unrest or even a rebellion. It gave them cause to send the Hand away from the city where it would be stolen by the oread tribes. I don't know why, but its possible someone wanted long term change both in Health or perhaps to re-ignite regional conflicts between oreads and ifrits. I'll need a list of whoever knew so we can track down who."

"Lastly, I...I have gifts of divination from The Lady. I can react faster than others, master divination magic, and occasionally I am sent visions without the aid of magic. I'd like you to tell me why I have a vision of you with Efreeti. You were naked, gagged and crying, and you looked younger than you do now - which means that it was a vision of the past. As a priest, I'm sure you would understand the significance of divine sent visions, I'd like to decipher it."

"Also, I'm keeping the Hand for now. I'll return it back to the Temple, where it should rightfully be, when I'm satisfied someone isn't manipulating the Temple to satisfy a hidden agenda. With respect, its probably safer with me than with you, I'm capable of handling myself."

I don't know if I need to say this, but I'm probably keeping a tight look on Perception / Sense Motives here since I'm asking tough / embarrassing questions. I can roll Diplomacy if required. Sorry this was so long.

never apologize for posting! :) that was awesome, and will take some time to respond to.

Grico swallows nervously, the wattle under his neck bobbing. "I have been thinking those very same questions, and come to conclusions that rob me of sleep at night. Before I answer your questions, I have just one for you. Are you willing to act against the Inquisition?"

Wamblee keeps a respectable distance from Iniga and the priest, so that his cousin can make her queries undisturbed. He patrols the perimeter, keeping senses clear for any approaching foes.

Perception: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (16) + 12 = 28

Iniga frowns slightly "No."

"I don't like the Inquisition, I found it frequently arrogant and superior, and disliked the constant arguments it had with the Army. The conflict you had with your mercenaries is an excellent example of this. With that being said though, and putting my personal grievances aside, the Inquisition still has a purpose, and I would hope that that the entire Inquisition hasn't gone corrupt and still has the best interests of Hearth (and Forge) at heart. Therefore, I won't act against the entire Inquisition, unless its truly broken without repair. What I would be willing to do is act against the individuals of the Inquisition that are either betraying its principals or acting against Hearth, Forge, or the people of this land. Is that acceptable?"

Samen, who was curious how Iniga would handle the priest, had followed her over. He nods at her analysis. "With Root disrupted and the elementals running amok, the stability of the Inquisition might currently justify its greater evils. If it takes sacrifice to restore order, better that they bleed than us."

Iniga, Grico nods at your words. "That was well reasoned, and well said. Fine then!" He clears his throat with a certain air of self-importance. "It was Inquisitor Locatelli who authorized my mission, and gave me the Hand. If you're looking for a place to start in Hearth, it's with him. I will not be joining you if you decide to risk your life against even one inquisitor, though. For a girl as smart as you, that kind of talk is foolish."

Samen, Marianne smiles at your last few words. "How do we make them bleed, Samen? Do we point a few elementals back their way?"

Grico has little to say as you pry further into his personal life. He leaves it at "I'll have to think more about it," and waves you on to the larger point.

***

As the truth of your words sinks in, the priest sags back in his bed, sick, tired, and defeated. Cynical now, "Wonderful. Then I am to be some eite piece played by you, bait in some trap, or perhaps die in crossfire between you. Does that about sum it up?"

sylph chess

"Ideally," in response to both Marianne and Grico, "the inquisition would do what it does best and save face. If that involves addressing the problem of their own creation, then at least things would be historically consistent with previous existential crises."

"Don't give me that" Iniga snaps slightly, in irritation. "Your initial response after being set up by an Inquisitor was to do nothing."

Iniga pauses, breathing deeply before continuing. "There is, potentially an alternative for you. You return home, and you go straight to Inquisitor Locatelli. You play dumb, but you tell him that you fear that I'm a threat. Perhaps Maht talked, perhaps I'm being sent divine knowledge via visions but whatever, you make it clear that I'm tracking down leads. Maybe I don't even suspect Inquisitor Locatelli, but regardless you make Locatelli so worried about me unraveling the conspiracy that he doesn't have time to worry about you."

"If you want to take this option, then understand that it has conditions. You would need to unravel the conspiracy from the Temple side, while I'm drawing everyone else's attention. Maybe you offer to help Locatelli out, maybe I offended you and you want revenge - but whatever you discover, you keep me updated and in the loop. You also keep Locatelli's focus on me and me alone, I don't want him coming after my family, or friends, I want attention on me. I'm not going to lie to you and tell you that it would be easy for you to feed information back to me, but its an option."

"At the end of the day, Locatelli is either watching me, or watching you. Whoever Locatelli isn't watching will need to unravel this thing. I really don't care either way, I can handle either option, so it comes down to your choice."

Is Locatelli male or female? Can I roll Knowledge (Local) on Locatelli?

yep go ahead and roll knowledge local

The priest shakes his head. "I still don't like the idea of anyone going to Hearth, singly, or under pretext, or what have you. I wonder if there is a different way..." He yawns. "Now, I'm still recovering, so I will bid you good night. I will ponder the problems you have so graciously laid at my feet."

"Is there some way we can smoke Locatelli out? Or make him come to us?" Her sharp eyes twinkle mischievously. "Some kind of disaster we could create? It's practically our specialty these days."

Wamblee returns from his patrols.

"What does this Locatelli seek? What motivates them? Simple power? Or something else? That will inform our next move against them. But first, I would see us crush the fey responsible for the gem-fuelled corruption we have witnessed."

At the mention of the fey, Wamblee's tone goes considerably gruffer. Noticably more than usual.

"We could always try to awaken that god-stump in the middle of the fair grounds. I'm sure that would cause a stir. Seems like more trouble than we could handle, honestly.

I still think we should swing by the breathless valley. If the fey are involved, whatever is going on there would give us more answers. We took out Spes, but it was substantially more powerful than I estimated. I'm not liking the idea of stirring up a whole nest of them."

Iniga nods and lets the priest retire.

Knowledge Local: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (9) + 11 = 20

"So we have the Fey, a Breathless Valley, and Amatshe, some bigass rock that Samen thinks is an elemental. Eventually we have Hearth to investigate" Iniga yawns, stretching slightly.

"I don't mind what we do, but lets keep an open mind on the Fey until we see what's going on. We don't know much about gem magic - perhaps its corrupted the Fey itself"

"Umm, I don't think waking that thing up would accomplish much besides killing elens and making everything worse. Doesn't seem like that would hurt or interest the Inquisition except, I don't know, make them happy that oreads were killed? So let's toss that option for now."

GM can we assume that I asked the priest about Mauro Locatelli before he left for bed?

Also, what happens with the mercenaries now GM? Where are they moving next? I have a chat / strategy planned for them as well but I'd probably need to know what they were / are doing after recent developments.

Yep, here's the relevant info. The priest had NOT been in direct contact with Locatelli before this. Like many in the priesthood, Grico had heard rumors of Locatelli and some of the other inquisitors trying to expand their reach within Hearth and abroad, but he it didn't seem especially interesting compared to other rumors at the time.

So when Grico met with Locatelli and got the order. Grico did as he was told without question, as he has always been a relatively unimportant person within the Temple at large. He hoped this would be an opportunity to do something worthwhile for the Temple - he seems particularly bitter here.

as for the mercs, the contract was to get the priest to the Meet AND back, so they will be following him back (assuming we are going with the plan of the priest going back to Hearth)

"Perhaps Grico could go ahead of us while we take care of other business, such as see if Samoon and Bree made it to the nearest Breathless Valley?", suggests Wamblee.