Ktinos, having accepted Lady Zal's invitation to sleep in her home, had rather less ground to cover to reach her courtyard. He steps out as she was examining the crystals, his mane looking, if possible, even more tangled than before.
He growls and bares one of his long fangs at the sight. "These," he rumbles. "We hunt those who make them?"
Ethana touches down in the courtyard not long after Ktinos arrives, having avoided most of the bustle of the city by wind-hopping between rooftops. When she arrives, she doesn't have her spear with her, merely her (clearly recently-repaired) shield slung across her back, with a white and brown-spotted owl perched on the rim. "I got your invite. You think you have a lead?" she asks, not one to mince many words.
Ktinos, having accepted Lady Zal's invitation to sleep in her home, had rather less ground to cover to reach her courtyard. He steps out as she was examining the crystals, his mane looking, if possible, even more tangled than before.
He growls and bares one of his long fangs at the sight. "These," he rumbles. "We hunt those who make them?"
She smiles as he walks up.
"Yes, because who ever made them, will be helping to harm others just as they did here."
Ktinos growls again, slightly closing his eyes as he feels the Chimera trying to turn his anger into berserk rage. She snarls within him, hungry for blood and death and flesh, but he pushes back.
There will be time for killing when we find these.
The Chimera cared not for waiting, but could not break his will.
He opens his eyes. "What are they?" he asks, waving a clawed hand at the crystals. "I understood little of what they were doing within the cave, beyond evil."
Ethana touches down in the courtyard not long after Ktinos arrives, having avoided most of the bustle of the city by wind-hopping between rooftops. When she arrives, she doesn't have her spear with her, merely her (clearly recently-repaired) shield slung across her back, with a white and brown-spotted owl perched on the rim. "I got your invite. You think you have a lead?" she asks, not one to mince many words.
"Thank you Ethana for coming, Your help I know will be needed with this hunt, now just wanting on
Quercus. Who I think has just arrived. If your hungry there is food. When you have eaten please join me at the table."She walks over to a table that has been set up and sits down behind it, she starts making notes and looking over papers. An elf her scribe stands next to her taking notes and handing over paper.
The lady of the house has barely finished her invitation to take a seat, as the reborn Ghoran enters the skillfully decorated room.
Compared to the last time you saw him, he has changed quite a bit, now positively oozing vitality and life force from the bright-green leafs making up his face.
He smiles at every one in turn, before bowing slowly before Lady Zal like a young tree would bow in a storm.
"Milady, I am grateful that you have choosen to follow this issue to the pit that gave birth to such evil and chaos."
He politely decline the offered food but instead take up a position at the table where the sun shines through a window. He does not sit down but instead takes a seemingly comfortable stand at the table.
Lady Z seem happy your all here at last and nods to her staff. Who all leave you in the small walled garden. Once the doors are close into the house she start to speak.
"My friends, as Quercus, has said seeking to find out who is behind this issue of the spider witch. More to the point who was aiding here. But before I say any more I have to confess something to you. I am a member of organisation. One that works at the highest levels of power and with the highest levels of discretion. Our members are form all levels of society, walks of life, cultures and races. I single goal is to protect the existence of our world from any who would seek to end it. Be they godly dreamers seeking of craft Heaven on earth at any cost or mad Despot seeking to burn it all down."
She lifted onto the desk a small chest.
"We work to protect those who do not have the power to protect themselves. The ordinary being just trying to live their lives."
She places a hand on the chest.
"I was once an evil being, doing that which made me rich and gained me power. Not for a moment did I care or even things about those I used or crushed to get what I wanted. But then one day I did a thing so vail or reprehensible that even I was shocked. It shuck me to my very core and in that moment someone came to me and offered me a means to atone for what I had done. In that moment I choose to dedicate myself to the Agency . My wealth body and soul."
She opened the chest. And pulled out a number of items.
4 belts, 4 garments of odd shape, 4 small bages.
"So then what dose this mean to you. Well I would like to offer you place in the agency. Each of you. So that you can make a new team, to replace my old one. I was like you in a small group, and I had a cell leader. Now they are all gone and I am the only one left. So it has fallen to me find and inducted 4 new Agents."
She closed the Chest.
"There is no contracts or Signatures, you need only say I agree to be an agent Thats it. Once you have said this then I will tell you more. If not then I has been nice to have you here. Its that simple, once you have agreed I can carry on.
She then sat and waited for your responce.
All the items of mage, But your not 100% on what school, they seem to be all.
Ktinos eyes the badges warily. "And you are certain you would have me? A stranger, who came here only recently?"
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She looked down as if taking her time to thing of how to phrase what she said next.
"We have meet before Ktinos, Long ago far from here. We meet before the events that lead to your current... condition. You where working with another agent of ours. I wish I could tell you more but until you agree to join us I can't say. I am bound by a ward unable to. I am sorry but it is our way."
Quercus is visibly poundering over this information.
"Humm-baahummm, you say this agency is using powerful mind wards to prevent its agents to speak about it to outsiders?
How can we know it is good work this organization is doing-humbarumm?
I am not convinced yet, that joining this agency could make for a more powerful reason to defend this country from evil than I already have-hummhumm."
Ethana narrows her eyes, "And if we want to leave?" she asks, cautions but not outright hostile to the idea.
She nods
"I know it can seem unsettling and may far to many say no at this point. If you do you can go back to your lives and have no relocation of this conversation. Which is a pitty but understandable. Think of this as a leap of faith. If yousay no then your will forever not know what is really going on in the world. But if you agree and join us they you will learn things beyind your imagination"
Ktinos's eyes go wide, and one of his large hands goes to his head, claws weaving between strands of steely mane.
"You... we did? I was? I... I do not..."
He trails off. The Beasts within him rage against the idea of being bound to human organizations, but... to know his past.
He lowers his hand. "I will know. I will join."
`Seems saddened and nods. She pushes over the a belt, 4 belts, one the garments and a small bage. To Ktinos.
"And understand you can leave at any time, just state I wish to leave the organisation of agents. Those items will be come inert and your memories of your time working with us will be erased.This is the only time with will action on your mind and only when your are willing."
She stands and pulled back her coat. The same bage sits in her breast, the belt on where wast.
"So I do not wish to hurry you but you others?."
Ktinos takes the items and quietly says, "I agree to be an agent."
He waits, hoping some memory will return to him.
As you pick up the items you get a flashing image of a jungle temple. A Ziggurat covered in Vines and odd righting in black and grey stone. You and others they are behind you, as you cut you way through the undergroth towards it. It is just you in your head there are no others. Then a flash of pain, darkness, screams and shouts, a flash of a mask evil and made to resemble a griffin. Falling a feeling of falling from a great hight into dark cold water. A glow and a red pained hand held up. A whisper
[i]Save them[i]
A rush as if wind blasting you, no beats of wings and a deep red orb flowing in a darksness, Bones of the dead all around and a ring of crystals. The orb seems to pull you in, you feel your life being pulled away from you, pain such pain and then...
Then your back in the moment, there in lady Z's garden.
Ethana shrugs, "It's basically what I'm already doing. I'm in."
Lady Z pushed over the belt, bage and odd looking vest garment.
This is a version of the Sleeves of many, but with some key differences.
Once put in, it exhumes your clothing and armor into itself. Forming a kind of simple uniform Much like this There is NO insignia nor sign of rank. It's simple and Smart.
Yet with a word of command it will transform into your amor and clothing.
It had two others magical Qualities.
Constant Prestidigitation [Clean] and Endure Elements.
If you take it off, your Armour and clothing once more revert to normal.
The Belt 3lb has 8 Pouches, each holding 20lb of stiff inside each, as a much-lesser bag of holding Each pouch acts as Handy havasack, giving you the item you wish from it. Detect Magic dose not work on the belt, showing it to be a normal belt as a pathfinder pouch dose.
In side one Pouch you fined
MW Survival Kit 3lb
MW Lock pick set 1lb
MW Healing Kit 20/20 5lb
A Ring of Sustenance
A Ring of water breathing.
Magic Any tool 1lb
Alchemy Kit
Wand of heal light wounds 50/50
50 silk Rope 2lb
A bed roll and pillow 3lb
Iron stone Touch.
The rest are empty.
The badge just looks like this
Ktinos inhales sharply, hand again going to his head.
"That... where was that? When? What happened?"
"Do you remember something? Remember meeting me on the ship Noroon?"
Lady Z asks with some interest.
The others forgotten
The Crystals, the ones in the vision where the sames kind you see smashed and in parts in the garden. As you look at them you see one glow.
Ktinos shakes his head slightly.
"A jungle. A ruined temple. A mask. A fall."
He stops a moment, amber eyes focusing on one of the crystals.
"Crystals," he growls. "But not a ship."
After a loooong, more and more uncomfortable silence, Quercus nods.
"Hummm, I shall hear you out, because I came to trust you over more than one life, Lady Zal.
But know this, should you or your fellow agents attempts any mind trickery beyond what you initially told us about, I will have to reconsider that trust."
She holds up her hands.
"I give you my word, we only remove that which could harm others. Members come form all walks of life, some darker than other. But we have one goal and one goal only. To protect the world from destruction, All the world not just one part of if. Ktinos was once an agent. He was with another agent looking into the maker of the Crystals. I was at a meeting he and the other was at. I did not say much other than my name. I was new. He seemed some what experienced. The shock of meeting him here. It took me some time but I worked out he had not had his memory changed the way we do it. Some one or things has done with bluntly. But I know the name of the agent you where with Ktinos. If you want her name."
Ktinos gives Lady Zal a nod.
She seems relived that the group as elected to join.
"I am sorry this was so secretive but once and agent knows what I am about to tell you. Then you will realise why we do things this way."
She places her hand on the Badge she has on.
::"Can you hear me, the Badges you have allow use to communicate telepathically. The range is short and you can only talk to fellow agents. But its 100% securor. As the Badge blocks all forms of mind reading and control to reveal anything about your work as an agent. If you lose you Badge, that part of your mind that knows about us will forget it all until you get your badge back. If someone seeks to read your mind they will find no hint of this block. Try it now, think some words to me and your fellows. Try and lie knowingly tell me an untruth you know to be unture."::
Quercus tries to 'send' the thought: I am a squirril but instead the following thought is forming in everyones mind - including his own.
::"I am a Ghoran."::
soon to be followed by: ::"Interesting. Now then, Milady: Who has created this agency and who is in charge of it right now? What are its goals and what the means to achieve them?"::
::"The history is long but the simple form is this."[/b]
In your mind you'er see the world.
::[i]"At the very start of time and at the every end, there are things that are only hunger. They wish to brake into our time devour all. If they ever got in, then we would not be anything, not even void. There would never have been this world. Every , Devil or Demon, Angel and god. undone with not even nothing to show they where ever there. Nothing to remake or rule, nothing at all."::
The world image in your mind seem to run backward. Unmaking itself until there not even nothing. All is gone as if it ever was..
::"But, this world like so many others, is protected. Powerful beings stand in the way of those that hunger. Pushing them back with force of will and mind."::
You see gods, demons, Angels, Devils, Demons and other, Standing in your minds eye.
::"All who cherish existence stand and fight the hunger."::
Again the world.
::"But the things at the start and end of time are cunning, testing, probing, seeking always to slip into out world by sly doors. Tempting those with weak hearts and minds. What we faced in that cave was one such fool. Unknowingly used as a tool. We stopped her and so this small part of a much bigger and longer war. Has been won, and the world carres on.":
The world starts to spin.
::"Gods and Demons can't catch every time the things out of time seek to brake in. So we cam into being. At a secret council of the gods. So ling ago. And from that day we agents have kept watch.n Every Vigilant"
The image zooms in to the worlds surface down until your looking at the tops of your own heads, Then the world is gone.
::"We have no ranks or leaders. No bases or councils. You are as I am. This is so that we aa a group can not be corrupted, Each acts knowing what I have just told you. If you choose to work as a group then that is what you are. If one of us dies then all that has fallen is a single agent. We all fight to keep existing nothing more unless you wish it to be. :::
::"Humm, is that so.
An enemy dangerous enough to unite angels, mortals and pit-hounds.
If that is indeed the root of things...
I.
Agree.
To.
Be.
An.
Agent."::
Ktinos is silent. He is too surprised to discover something he and the Beasts can agree upon to speak. Apparently even they do not wish the unraveling of reality.
She seems relived.
::"Thank you and welcome. Now to the point. The crystals where made and shipped, who made them? I only have a Signature on one small shard. But what I did find on the spiders cave was this."::
She slides over a chit of paper.
::"Its a signed reseat from a merchant band who pass this way twice a year. They came to the city. close to half a year ago. And will be here again in 2 days. I feel that if we could find which trader in the tribe Caravan signed this chit. Then we will have an idea of where the Crystals came from. I suggest you hid under a gise with in this band. They take travlers as well as goods, They hire Guards. I say this so you can be carful. It may be a bad idea to let any one know your looking into this.::
She hands over a small bag. In which is 6000 gold.
::"Coin to pay your way. And a think you from me for your help so far."::
::"This is imperative We have to find who made the Crystals and stop them. They link the forces beyond time. Stop them and find out who else has crystals"::
Ktinos looks to the others.
"It would be wise if I were not the one to do the speaking," he comments. "I tend to speak my thoughts."
Quercus is clearly not yet used to the telepathic link and speak out loud.
Beside the occasional word-swap happing in between thought and mouth, it is all but identical, thus true.
"Humm-baaah.
There are not many of my kind left.
And none of us are known to take regularily take on simple guard duties.
Thus, I shall attempt to join the caravan as a traveler."
"Good then you will head out and hunt down who is making them. What you do then is up to you. I trust your judgment, take what ever actions you feel will best end the danger to us all."
She claps her hands.
her house staff come, with mounts.
Ktinos eyes the riding beasts warily. He and animals had a way of not getting along, perhaps because they could sense the hungry Chimera within him. As if on queue he felt her urge to hunt, to kill, to rip and tear and eat warm flesh rise within him. With difficulty he stamped down upon it.
He almost refused the offer, but that would leave him depending on drawing upon the Beasts' forms to keep up with the others... probably not a wise decision, especially not when they might wish to appear like they weren't about to attack this group they'd be pursuing. And so he takes the biggest horse offered, hoping it wouldn't bolt at his scent and that it could bear up under his considerable weight.
Ethana shrugs, and floats onto one of the offered horses, laying her hand on its neck, "Onward and upwards, then?" she asks.
Quercus opts for a large Elk.
Once properly seated, he addresses Ethana.
"So, I am going to join as a traveler.
Which path will you take?"