Daidalos's bolt of ice jostles the knight and further imbalances him on the already slippery surface. When the knight tries to parry Timo's blade, one foot slips out from beneath him. The knight manages to brace himself on one knee, still ready to fight and stand again, when Timo twists the blade and thrusts with all his might. The point pierces the knight's plate and into his chest.
The knight's blue-grey eyes go wide in shock as he looks down at the blade in chest and, as the last bit of life leaves them, a soft smile comes to his lips. Barely audible, his last word, "Mitra..."
Metal grinds against metal as the blade is withdrawn from the knight's corpse and that which once was Sir Balin collapses to the ground.
In the middle of the room, Grumblejack grunts, nudges the corpse with a boot, then grins at Timo. "You hit good for little 'un."
A potion of cure light wounds
A longsword
A magical cloak
Masterwork full plate (damaged but repairable)
heavy steel shield
silver and sapphire holy symbol of Mitra
the little bat turns back into Ineluki's human form... "Nice one, Timo!" he looks at the pile of loot... "Is that the item we're looking for? a holy symbol of Mitra?" he spits at the mention of the name... ".. that puts a bad taste in my mouth just saying it." He picks up the symbol, trying not to touch it any more than he has to, not out of fear of its power, because he knows it's got no power over him, but because he just finds it distasteful.
Before the knight dies, Price takes a moment to crouch down next to him and whisper a single word in his ear. Satisfied, she rises and smiles at Timo. "You really know how to treat a girl to all the best violence."
Price examines the cloak more closely.
Asturu laughs when he sees the silver pendant and softly shakes his head. He then eyes his companions, happy to see no one is seriously injured. "Would you like me to check for a pulse, Timo? Because I honestly think you absolutely murdered him."
Timo flicks the blood off of his blade and sheaths his sword. "Pathetic... Apparently you were not as worthy of an opponent as I believed."
He then turns to Price and responds with a sly grin, "Well I certainly know how to handle my weapon. Now I may need some help cleaning it once we're out of here." he finishes with a wink.
Timo then kneels down and begins removing the fallen knight's armor and examining it. "He won't be needing this anymore. Well made and fine craftmanship ... I'll need to fix that hole I put in it."
"With the Dark Prince on our side, only one outcome here was possible," Affyria says in a serious tone. She then smiles and adds, "Still, impressive martial skills there, Timo. And it seems our trials are finished with the recovery of his holy symbol. That only leaves the matter of his sweet little squire. I do so hate to leave loose ends," she grins.
As the knight falls, Daidalos wastes no time in rushing over to his corpse, an evil glint in his eye, "Oh, Mitra cannot save you, my friend. You are mine! I've been working on this, let's see...."
Daidalos closes his eyes in concentration, and slowly makes small, precise gestures, a circle forming in midair as he chants a profane ritual. As he finishes, the runes explode into a dark mist, coalescing into a little red ball of hate and teeth. Daidalos looks at the little daemon, and motions to the fallen knight, "Tyō ēka ātmā mērō hō. Yō malā'ī dē'u."
The fiend flies down to the fallen knight, and sucks... something from his body, blue-orange energy spiraling out of Sir Balin into the daemon's mouth. It then returns to Daidalos, forcing a small object from its mouth into Daidalos' outstretched hand, who takes it and waves aside the daemon, which vanishes to whence it came with a puff of smoke. He holds up a small, golden gemstone to the light, a wicked grin spreading across his face, "And so it worked. The poor man, delusional to think Mitra would care for him. He has a wonderfully golden soul. I wonder if that's normal for fanatics." he pockets the gem, handling it with a decent amount of care. While not quite as fragile as glass, he knew that destroying the gem would release the knight's soul. "Hm. Nice souvenir. Possibly valuable, too. I wonder how much it would go for on the Soul Trade...."
He also fingers the knight's cloak, eyes glowing as he tries to read the threads of magic that course through it.
Daidalos finally stands up, "Affyria dear, are you suggesting we kill the boy? It seems like such a wasted opportunity. I hold the soul of Sir Balin. Now, I can't repeat the trick, at least not yet, but we could do so much better with a young, impressionable youth.I foresee him being easily corrupted to a certain point of view. Not only would Mitra be deprived a young, fervent worshiper, as he would be whether Timeon lives or dies, but corrupted, not only would Mitra likewise be denied his soul, but Asmodeus would gain both. Besides, he may well know a lot about the inner workings of Talingarde. That is information that might prove useful in the months and years to come." He turns to face the entire group, "I suppose that leaves four things to do, no? Investigate the last room, if we so choose, deal with the Squire, see what is in that hidden compartment back in the first trial, and bring the medallion back to Thorn. How should we go about this?"
The fiend flies down to the fallen knight, and sucks... something from his body, blue-orange energy spiraling out of Sir Balin into the daemon's mouth. It then...
...stares at Daidalos for a moment before beginning to wretch. It heaves up a small golden gem into an almost fish-like tail and begins to float towards Daidalos before suddenly disappearing back into nothingness, taking the gem with it, the spell having expired. Meanwhile, Sir Balin's corpse takes on a prematurely ashen and withered look and the remnants of his dying smile have twisted into an expression of terror.
"That was interesting... what was it?"
"The soul of a righteous warrior. Mitra is denied his spirit, and the power contained within will mean it can be of use beyond a pretty trinket. It can be used in bargaining with fiends, creation in magical items, or even used to empower spells that normally require dust or onyx to function. But if you're referring to the whole body-shriveling thing, well..."
"Sweet!"
Daidalos believes the effect was simply that of the body robbed a connection to its soul. Even when a soul departs, it maintains a connection to the body. This is how simpler miracles of raising the dead work. But when a soul is claimed or trapped, particularly in a traumatic way, it can have a superficial effect on the body.
With Sir Balin's body looted and robbed of everything but its flesh, and a silver and sapphire amulet obtained, the choice seems to be between exploring the last chamber or returning back to the Cardinal.
He then turns to Price and responds with a sly grin, "Well I certainly know how to handle my weapon. Now I may need some help cleaning it once we're out of here." he finishes with a wink.
Price fans herself and pretends to look flustered. "Why Captain Zoci, I am shocked by your lascivious tongue. I think I shall faint if I hear a single word more... before the witching hour, tomorrow night. Tonight, I'll be resting. I'll also need to clean the foul taste from my mouth after I'm reluctantly forced to thank the Cardinal for handing us this bastard." She indicates Balin's desiccated corpse.
Asturu but stares. He's busy making mental notes, ordening them in such fashion that when he does get back to his diary he will have no troubles recalling the exact words so they may be put to paper.
Daidalos curses as the soul gem vanishes, but shrugs and stands off to the side as the others decide what to do.
Affyria smiles at Daidalos. "Oh no, I'm definitely not suggesting we kill him, such a sweet boy. He was the squire of that damnable inquisitor, and probably spent a lot of time by his side. He might have information and intel that might prove useful."
Affyria will take up her magical disguise of an innocent girl again as she heads back to Timo.
"Timeon, glad to see you are safe. We have found the exit, and are about to leave this dreadful cellar. There were nasty things down here, and your information was invaluable. Snake constructs, the undead, and even... well, your Sir Balin, I'm sad to say. It─it was ugly, Timeon, I won't lie. There was a summoned demonic entity and, well, there really wasn't any other way to end it, I'm sorry. I know this must come like a shock to you, but we have to leave now. You're probably hungry, and you need to get some rest," Affyria plays the part of distraught but understanding companion.
Healthier than when you first found him, the blond-haired squire is clearly relieved when Affyria (and anyone else accompanying her, presumably with Grumblejack out of sight) return. "Hi, Miss Ria." He remembers the name Affyria used to introduce herself in her guise. When he's told the tale of Sir Balin's fall from grace, he looks disappointed but accepting of the news.
"I... I've had time to think about what you all said earlier. If Sir Balin had been lying to me about that, I wonder what else he may have lied about. I'm still not sure about what you said on devils as compared to demons, but... well, I'm willing to listen and learn. I mean, you saved me... And Sir Balin said diabolists would never do anything of the sort. So, I guess he was wrong, and I owe you. If, that is, you're willing to teach me. And I can already fight. Maybe not as well as you, but I can, if I have a weapon."
There was no way this young squire was this naive. Okay, perhaps there was. It is after all Mitra's specialty to brainwash the population and make them live their lives in a sort of alternate reality.
Daidalos (back in cocky adventurer disguise), gets down on one knee alongside Affyria to "comfort" the squire, "I know what you must be going through is terrible. We found Sir Balin in the last room, in the middle of a summoning circle. He had almost managed to conjure a powerful demon, but we interrupted the ritual... and, well, the demon turned on him. It's... not a pretty sight, as Ria said. We'll keep you safe, but you need to trust us, okay? We can teach you whatever you want to know about.... whatever. How to fight Demons, how to use Devils, how to fight, how to shoot.... whatever you want. Actually.... here you go." Daidalos pulls out and hands Timeon Sir Balin's sword, "You recognize it? This blade has been used for great evil, but I think that you have the potential to redeem it and use it for the power of law and order. Now come along, we found the way out of here."
"Oh don't worry Timeon, I'm sure that we can teach you a thing or two. Now, let us leave this place. Tell me something about yourself, Timeon, where are you from, do you have any family? Parents, siblings?" Affyria engages the boy in some small talk as she leads him out, hopefully distracting him enough to allow her companions to shuffle Grumblejack out of sight from him.
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Timeon hefts the longsword that formerly belonged to Sir Balin. While he has nowhere near the skill of Timo or the brute strength of Grumblejack, he is fairly proficient in its use and any shakiness in his group could easily be chalked up to exhaustion and hunger. Rather than shove the bare blade through a belt where it would just aimlessly bash against his leg, slide around his hip and eventually cut the leather, he nods in thanks then dutifully carries the blade in hand.
"I'm not very interesting, I'm afraid. My parents are part of House Balentyne with a few estates up north. I have three older brothers, though, so they sent me to Tower Balentyne and the Watch Wall to learn to be a knight of the realm. It's how I met Sir Balin. I haven't been back in I guess a year or two. It's a nice place, though, if a bit cold."
Back in the first room behind the hidden panel you find a jewel that glows with a pale blue light. A closer inspection reveals it is cold to the touch and not a jewel at all but a skillfully crafted vial of sealed quartz. Inside the jewel is alchemist's ice.
Daidalos mentally perks up, but doesn't show it.
The Watch Wall? Wasn't that one of Thorn's targets? Perhaps he may be of even more use than I suspected. Thorn would likely welcome any information he can get about his target.
"Oh, really? The Watch Wall? That's interesting. I've heard rumors of there being unrest up there in the past few years, is any of it true? Still, it's nice to know we can count on the watchmen to keep us completely safe. They must be very noble, I'm sure. They couldn't possibly have any weaknesses, no? And their castles must be mighty as well. I've heard many tales of the great fortresses in the north. Which is the mightiest and most powerful of them all, would you say?"
Get him talking, he might spill something. The time will come when he will happily tell us how to tear down the influence of Mitra, but for now, trickery will suffice.
Price looks askance at the sword being handed to Timeon but says nothing. With the mystery of the panel resolved, she heads back upstairs to deliver the necklace to Thorn.
"That's nice," Affyria tells the squire absentmindedly. Once they head back up to the manor floor, she will instruct one of the servants to provide the boy with a warm meal and a place to rest.
She then seeks out the others, so they can find Tiadora and Thorn to report on their exploration of the cellars.
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Timeon nods dutifully as Daidalos talks of the watchmen's nobility and honor then says, "Oh, yes, they are. Well, mostly. And the Tower is indeed grand. None could ever breach its defenses."
When he has a servant tasked with seeing to his needs, he is momentarily stunned. For the past several years, he's been the one tending to another's needs. "Oh my. Thank you, that's very kind, um... where are we precisely?" The mute servant just smiles blandly at Timeon and takes him to another wing of the manor, gently guiding the squire away from the group.
A bit of quiet returns with only the background hum of the manor's normal sounds about you. Servants preparing meals, perhaps members of another knot conducting their own training. You have a moment of quiet to yourselves, with Grumblejack having returned to his own quarters to feast on a goat.
"I suppose we ought to report in, though something tells me everything that went on downstairs was carefully observed already."
Price nods, "Possibly. But the job isn't done until we hand that trinket over to Thorn."
Daidalos pretends to look concerned at Timeon's inquiry about their location, "Don't you remember? After we left the labrynth, we spent a couple hours hiking back to here, just outside of Varyton. Are you feeling alright? Here, let me check something." Daidalos runs a finger over the squire's brow, while muttering an arcane-sounding phrase, and winces, "Oh.... that's not good. Um, you seem to have a magical effect on you- presumably from your master- that messes with your memories. Not recognizing people, misremembering names, forgetting long periods of time that pass, or thinking thing that never happened did. I'll do my best to remove the enchantment when I can, but for now, I've suspended it. Starting now, your memories should be your own, but let me know if there's anything.... odd you see. Like, one of us not looking how you remember, if you forget one of our names, or anything like that. Okay? Can you do that for me? Now, go along with this fine young lady, okay? She'll take care of whatever you want or need. Get some rest, as well."
"Mostly." Perfect. Plenty of time to inquire about what he means once he's settled in. For now, ensuring he doesn't think twice about seeing us as we really are, or not knowing our actual names, will suffice.
Once the gullible squire is led away, Daidalos allows his disguise to drop, and turns to the others, "Well? Are we waiting on anything? Shall we pay a visit to our dear master?"
As they have a moment to themselves mingling, Affyria will take some time to converse and question Daidalos, in order to learn some more about the inhabitants of the outer planes. "So what was that spell you used on the knight? What kind of planar creature was that? And that information you gave the boy about the difference between demons and devils, was all that entirely accurate?"
Daidalos answers each of Affyria's questions in turn, but stops the moment someone cuts him off, "It was a simple summoning spell, uniquely tuned towards Abbadon. While it lacks the full versatility of the normal summoning spells, being able to summon a Cacodaemon more than makes up for the fact. Now, a cacodaemon is a low-ranking daemon, the least of them in fact. However, it possesses the unique ability to consume and crystallize the soul of a sentient being, forming it into an object known as a soul gem through an unknown process- I hope to study it more someday, but for now I don't know how it works. And yes, what I told the boy was true. There are three major races of fiends- devils, daemons, and demons, from Hell, Abbadon, and the Abyss respectively. Devils are the most agreeable of them all. Their very nature has them with a personal sigil inscribed upon their very essence. This enables them to be bound by a contract even easier than most outsiders, and is in addition to their true name, which is also useful when binding extraplanar beings. Anyway, the sigils devils have means that they tend to keep their word. While they are masters at deception and lying, a properly worded contract is an incredibly useful tool when trying to command them. Devils, on the other hand, simply want to destroy. While devils delight in corrupting or tricking a soul to be doomed to Hell after death, Demons are born from the wort vices in mortal life. They simply destroy life and beauty whenever they can, and very rarely bother with souls. Demons are significantly more treacherous that Devils- already a dangerous prospect in itself...." Daidalos simply continues talking about the differences between fiends, for hours potentially, until someone cuts him off. Once someone does, he shakes his head and looks at whoever interrupted him, "Sorry. Didn't mean to go on like that." he then gives Affyria a nod and a grin, "Feel free to drop by my chambers anytime for more teaching. I'd happily have you over whenever you want."
Affyria listens intently to Daidalos' explanation, often interjecting with questions with additional questions or observations of her own.
With a knock at the door you announce your return and the cardinal's voice replies almost immediately, "Enter!"
You return to his study where you find him rising from an overstuffed armchair by the fireplace, an old tome in hand. He smiles congenially as you enter, gesturing for you to make yourselves comfortable as he returns the book to its proper spot on a burdened shelf. That done, he turns his full attention to you, brow arched in anticipation, "I assume this means you've found the pendant?"
Ineluki nods and makes a hand gesture to whoever has it, indicating they should produce it. He doesn't look smug or overconfident, his expression just neutral and relaxed.
Price briefly debates presenting the false pendant to the Cardinal but decides against it. She drops the true pendant in his hand. "As ordered."
Thorn accepts the pendant and pauses for a moment, as if in contemplation. He holds it up the fire light and muses, "A pretty enough thing, eh? This is a holy symbol of Mitra, you knew that much, I'm sure, but it's also of the type favored by the Knights of Alerion."
He scowls, turning his gaze back to Price and the others. "Remember this symbol. This is the mark of those who destroyed our faith and sought to banish all trace of the worship of our Father from these shorts. These, my friends, are your enemies."
He tosses the symbol back to Price, saying "Keep it. It may aid in disguising yourselves." He returns to sit at his desk and smiles, [b]"You have done well. Escaping Branderscar, slaughtering Sir Balin, you are worthy. Now, let us complete your training..."
Affyria nods solemnly at Thorn's words. "The leadership of Talingarde, these Mitran worshippers, are little more than corrupt tyrants. They seek to remove free will and subjugate all of its people. They hide behind their faith, thinking their acts will automatically be absolved and considered righteous. We, the servants of the Archfiend, will show them the truth, and the error of their ways."
Price considers the symbol in her hand, then pockets it.
"Cardinal Thorn... thank you for Balin. I hadn't expected the opportunity for personal revenge quite so soon." She gives him a deferential curtsy.
Asturu listens and nods at Thorn when he compliments the group. T'was a challenging task, indeed, and they had done a fine job at fulfilling their objective. It had given him so much fuel for thought that now his fingers were aching to sit down with a pen and write, but it seems life was ever more prone to keep him away from his beloved writing desk.