Mila plucks two arrows from her quiver that she purchased with the intent to use them on skeletons-- their flattened heads are better for smashing up bones. But long as she's careful with her hit she figures she can use them for inflicting some nasty bruises, too...
She steps out of the shadows and shoots twice at the man who hopefully doesn't even realize she's there... her lips pressed into a thin line.
She's never tried to do with an arrow before (just treat it like a trick shot, Milly...) and it shows in her first miss. But her second is more confident by far.
"Y'all sent us in here to die," she says flatly in the wake of her loosed arrow, her usual cheer nowhere in evidence.
The two villagers fall unconscious easily, slipping down onto the floor with the slightest impact of Mila and Shaggar's application of nonlethal force. They didn't feel like the tough opponents you may have expected.
Raj’s eyes scan the area outside the barn for any possible witnesses. Satisfied they are unobserved, he closes the barn door, leaving a mere crack for viewing, before dragging the locals over to the spider carcass and trussing them up with different ends of the rope of climbing. Just for the grim psychological effect, he pins each one down with a giant arachnid leg.
Satisfied with his work, he says, ”First, we search them. Then, we need to question them separately. When their lies are different… I’ll be obliged to hurt them. If any of you have a problem with that or witnessing that, tell me now.”
The two villagers fall unconscious easily, slipping down onto the floor with the slightest impact of Mila and Shaggar's application of nonlethal force. They didn't feel like the tough opponents you may have expected.
Mila approves of the tying up, even the freakish use of the spider limbs-- but sucks in a breath at Rajuna's words about hurting them.
"That's.... not how I'd do it," she says slowly. She's never done this before-- had to question someone, someone lying to them. She feels in murky waters of morality-- Erastil's scripture doesn't cover this bit...
"I mean... what if one's telling the truth and the other's lying, are you gonna hurt them both? We wouldn't know which was the liar, for sure. And what do you mean by hurt-- like... a punch... or... somethin' worse?"
As quickly as the villagers drop Park is glad that he missed with his chakram. He goes over to Zhandar and asks her to use the wand of lesser restoration on him. His equipment just feels too heavy....
"If they are cultists of Urgathoa we may have no choice. But as weak as they are they may be simply misguided fools. We need to know which. Of course we won't kill them, unless we have to."
Mila digs out spare rope from her pack and mutely offers it up.
"If they're cultists who are sacrificin' people or whatever-- killing them may be just," she says, still slowly. "Like-- a clean kill. No drawn-out suffering. But this notion that you can beat the truth out of people... I don't know about that."
Park hands the rope to Rajuna and puts and arm over Mila's shoulder. He turns her away, talking low. "Of course not. We're the good guys. We don't even consider torture. But we might have to scare them and make them think that we would. You can keep a stern face while they see you, right?"
He smiles at her, apparently glad to have to re-assure her. He didn't want to hurt anyone.... "Pity none of us can just detect evil like a Paladin! It would make it easier."
"I mean... what if one's telling the truth and the other's lying, are you gonna hurt them both? We wouldn't know which was the liar, for sure. And what do you mean by hurt-- like... a punch... or... somethin' worse?"
”Ever had someone dig a thumb into the nerves at the base of your neck? It hurts… a lot. But it’s only temporary.” Raj addresses her other concern. ”Yeah, I might hurt someone who is telling the truth… but they were gonna feed us to that spider, right? I don’t feel bad delivering pain to a potential murderer having a truthful moment. They’re lucky they are breathing at all.”
He lets the conversation between Park and Mila continue before interjecting, ”I don't enjoy this task. If they have to die, it will be quick and clean and they likely won’t even be conscious when it happens. But we need to know if we’re facing an entire town of Urgathoa-worshipping disease-spreading freaks or just a small cult. We need to find Kyle, if he isn’t in the guts of a spider swarm or some cannibalizing locals. And these two can tell us the truth… but they aren’t likely to give it up when we say ‘please’. So we need to be prepared to compel them.”
”Listen, I can run this questioning. I just need you guys to back me up, look murderous, collect answers, and try to sniff out who’s being truthful and who’s lying. Are we agreed? Oh, and I’m gonna need that Urgathoa book…”
Zhandar puts away the lethal electricity potion she had ready to throw and pulls out the wand Park needs.
Zhandar looks dubious about being intimidating or reading if a person is lying, but nods as if willing to help in any way she can. "Of course I will, Raj, but it might be better to have me at the door watching the night for others approaching-- people or more spiders." She frowns. "Maybe I can do both, depending on where you do this."
Mila lets Park put an arm around her, her brows knit together.
"Yeah, but Rajuna wasn't saying he'd just threaten to hurt 'em. He was saying he would," she points out, quietly. Frowning, she looks back to Raj at his words, then at the unconscious people, then sighs.
"Let's see where we get with threats, I guess. If.... if... if you're hurtin' them in a way that... that goes beyond what I think Erastil could condone," she says, trying to keep her voice steady as she looks at Raj. "...then I'll have to... ask you to stop."
She hopes that's more convincing and firm than she feels it is. Mila unties one of the limp bodies in order to use her own rope on the second one.
"I can get them conscious, just give me a second. We can move 'em to opposite ends of the barn and plug the ears of one if we need to," she suggests. She suits action to word, hauling the bound, limp form of the woman over her shoulder and moving down to the end of the stable, then setting her down in the hay. She frowns as she looks at the woman's slack face. The villagers had seemed so nice. Maybe she's just naive. Maybe Rajuna is right that the ends justify the means. Maybe this is what it's like out in the real world....
She touches her stag pendant briefly, then returns to the other side, where the man is still out cold.
"I'll heal him awake first, yeah?" she says, trusting that Raj has searched him already.
Park moves up beside Rajuna. "I'll let you do the squeezing. But let me do the threats. As much as I hate it, I have trained...."
He waits until the gags are in place so they can't actually scream, then motions to Mila. "Check them out, and wake them. And if you can't look stern, look away. Let's make this quick."
The man wakes up as soon as Mila gives him the small relief from his wounds, and he is very confused as to what's happening and where he is.
"Huh...? Where..." it seems as if the beating he received was significantly damaging enough to at least put him off edge.
Mila crouches by the man and tries to keep her expression stern. "You folk sent guests in to get et up by your big spider," she says. "Not hospitality as I understand it. You better tell my friend there all he wants to know, you understand?"
She nods towards Park, then lets him take over.... Please, mister, just answer us so Rajuna don't start hurting you and I got a hard call to make!
”Raj, but it might be better to have me at the door watching the night for others approaching-- people or more spiders.”
He nods, ”Watching the door works. Good idea.”
"Let's see where we get with threats, I guess. If.... if... if you're hurtin' them in a way that... that goes beyond what I think Erastil could condone," she says, trying to keep her voice steady as she looks at Raj. "...then I'll have to... ask you to stop."
The thief seems unflustered. ”That’s why I asked. Everyone has bounds and I’ll try not to push yours. But I did more damage knocking her out than I intend to use to persuade her to talk. So did you, for that matter. Nice arrow shot.”
"I can get them conscious, just give me a second. We can move 'em to opposite ends of the barn and plug the ears of one if we need to,"
Raj smiles, and it isn’t warm. ”Ever heard the saying ‘rattlesnakes don’t kill themselves’. I want them both to hear me at first, then we pull ‘em apart. After that, fear and self-preservation will do the work… I hope.”
Park moves up beside Rajuna. "I'll let you do the squeezing. But let me do the threats. As much as I hate it, I have trained...."
Raj looks a bit skeptical, but he nods. ”Alright, but don’t make a threat you aren’t willing to keep. And let me kick this thing off, I’ve got a way to do it.”
"Huh...? Where..."
Raj puts his knee right next to the spider leg on the man’s chest, pressing him decisively to the ground. He makes a playful shushing gesture then stuffs the man’s sock back in his mouth. Somehow it had worked its way out. ”We’re waiting for your colleague to wake up. Then we’ll have a conversation. I smacked her pretty hard.”
After Mila is able to rouse the woman, Raj waits for her to orient herself and lets them both appreciate the gravity of their situation before he speaks. ”You tried to kill us in a nasty and painful fashion.” He pats the ‘skull’ of the giant spider. ”I’m inclined to return the favor – just as nasty, just as painful. My allies have suggested that at least one of you may deserve a chance to live. So, we’re going to play a game called ‘Truth or Consequences’ to decide what happens to each of you. I’m going to ask you some questions. Then we’re going to listen to your answers separately. If your stories match each other, we’ll call that a truth. If your stories don’t match, we’ll call that a lie... and you will both come to the first nasty and painful consequence of the evening. Is everyone clear on the rules?”
”Grand. Here is your first round of questions… How many family members do you have in town? Are you a member of a cult or a religion? How many people in town are part of your ‘group’? What cause do you serve?” He looks at the ‘contestants’, ”Do you need me to repeat those questions for you? If not…” Raj seizes the woman by the foot and drags her to the other side of the barn to get to the ‘answer’ portion of the game.
He whispers matter-of-factly in her ear, ”I’m going to remove your gag… well, your sock… and I want to hear your answers in a whisper. If I think you are trying to be loud enough so he hears you… consequences. If you waste my time saying you’re innocent… consequences.” He holds the back of her head and removes her sock. He looks at her expectantly, ready to shove the sock back in her mouth if she draws a breath deep enough to scream.
Park takes a moment to ready himself for his part. Rajuna had started it. As Rajuna carefully removes the sock he lets his anger build, knowing that his racial heritage will show through causing his eyes to glow red. He rests his dagger on the lady's collar bone with the very sharp tip just touching the skin. "Consequences. Interesting word. Think about it. Very. Carefully, before you answer, very.... quietly. Like. A. ... whisper."
The woman's eyes are quite wide, seeing both you and the dead deathweb. She seemingly has absolutely no nerve for resistance or any of the 'promised tortures' Rajuna threatens, and spills nearly immediately as soon as the gag is gone.
"I have a husband and two children. They don't know anything about us, so don't do anything to them, please!"
"Only about 30 of us know the truth." she says, sticking to the whispers as she has been told. "And even all of us don't really know the truth. The mayor is the head of it all, he'll know more than any of us." she says, her voice cracking and threatening to go louder before she calms herself down again. "Him, his two 'brothers', and that tiefling weaver, they're the true inner circle."
"I don't know who exactly the cult serves, or religion or whatever. All I know is that the mayor calls 'her' The Pallid Princess; he takes the odd villager and visitor every now and then and they disappear, and she takes care of our crops. With only the occasional plagued beast cropping up now and then. It's a small price for our simple lifestyle out here." she says, shrugging.
Raj relaxes a tiny bit as the game turns into more of ‘spilling tea’ than ‘spilling blood’. There was a lot to be unpacked in what the locals were saying but one step at a time. ”So, the mayor sent us out here expecting the spider would get us… and then what? You were checking to make sure the job was done? What were you supposed to do afterwards? The disappearing visitors… is that what happened to the tax man?”
Park feels an odd sense of relief with the reactions of the couple. Only a few truly bad apples in the town. The Mayor? Two brothers? And the tiefling weaver that had shown so much interest in Zhandar.... "Where do the brothers and the tiefling weaver live?"
"You'd have been much better off inviting a priest of Erastil into your town. Maybe we can look for one when we get to Lepidstadt. He's a good God for good, hard working people. You'll be amazed at the difference."
Once they get answers Park and Rajuna secure them and verify that the gags are back in place. "We're going to leave you here tied up. Better that than killing you since we have to take out the leaders of the cult. If all goes well we will return and release you. If not, well, your cult leaders will find you here. Keep in mind that if you somehow remove the gag and start screaming that we will hear you. Remember what we said about consequences? You don't want that, and we don't want that. The big spider is destroyed and the little dangers of this place are gone. We will come back and release you."
Moving off from the pair Park motions to get everyone's attention. "That tiefling weaver.... She was trying to talk with Zhandar at the gathering. Maybe she was trying to be friendly, but maybe she was seeing whether or not she could recruit her. So many people judge tieflings by their looks...." He looks at Zhandar with a sad expression. "Some tieflings accept the judgements of those fools. But maybe we can take advantage of that. Zhandar can lead us in, telling them that we found the book in the barn. Unfortunately we had to kill the big spider, but we got details from the two that checked up on us. Now that we know what is really going on here we want to join them.... They won't believe it, but it might give us a second or two to spot locations of each and attack before they are ready."
"Zhandar, I know it will be hard, but could you act convincingly evil, as we approach the weaver?"
”So, the mayor sent us out here expecting the spider would get us… and then what? You were checking to make sure the job was done? What were you supposed to do afterwards? The disappearing visitors… is that what happened to the tax man?”
The lady shrugs as well as she can, which isn't very well with how tightly they've been tied. "We were just told to see if the spider-thing had gotten you. I don't think the mayor expected you to survive coming in here, honestly." she says, shuddering at the sight of the corpse. "Like I said, the mayor takes visitors and they disappear. The last I saw of the tax collector was him staying the night at the mayor's manor, but I've heard stories of things happening over at the Chenowitz's old rotting farmhouse. Maybe they took him there?"
Where do the brothers and the tiefling weaver live?"
"The 'brothers', if they really are the mayor's brothers, live with him in their manor. They usually spend most of their time tending to the family farms and such, don't spend much time with the rest of the village. I have my doubts as to them being related, but no proof." she says, her lips seemingly unsealed by the threats of violence pointed towards these relatively harmless (to you) villagers. "The weaver has a house on the square, south of the physic. I imagine if you head there now you'll find her there."
You'd have been much better off inviting a priest of Erastil into your town. Maybe we can look for one when we get to Lepidstadt. He's a good God for good, hard working people. You'll be amazed at the difference."
She shrugs awkwardly again. "Wasn't given much of a choice, honestly. Apparently Iola did go out on that pilgrimage, but it was the Pallid Princess who answered, not any Dreamer."
bout the ‘Pallid Princess’
”Anything unfriendly lurking at the Chenowitz farmhouse we should know about?” Raj asks, trying to determine if the woman is setting them up for another unpleasant encounter. ”And where does your group meet?”
Anything unfriendly lurking at the Chenowitz farmhouse we should know about?
"Dunno, never been inside. They don't let us in, so probably a few dangerous happenings going on there." she answers, a tiny bit of...is that jealousy crossing her face? "I've heard them talking about the scarecrow out front, but I'm not sure if that means it's dangerous or not."
”And where does your group meet?”
"We haven't been allowed to join any of the meetings yet." she says, the jealousy returning. "We only joined a week or two before the tax collector showed up, so apparently we aren't 'special enough' yet. That's why we were sent to do this 'errand' of theirs, I assume."
”Thanks for the help. Now, we’re taking you up to the loft where we’ll leave you tied up. It’s in your best interest not to escape and not to cause us problems. After this is over, one of us or maybe one of your family will be along to free you.”
Once he has the prisoners trussed in the loft, with the regular rope, he says, ”Now, I’m going to knock you out. It’ll be quick and relatively painless. In case your ‘friends’ find you before we come back… you’ll want some bruises so they don’t think you betrayed them… or you might be the next people they disappear. Just relax now.” He expertly puts them out with single blows to the backs of their skulls.
When the team is reassembled, Raj asks, ”So, what’s the plan? Pick up Kendra and then head to the Chenowitz farm to possibly rescue Kyle, if he’s still alive? Or get Kendra and go after the mayor and family?”
Mila listens with her arms wrapped around herself a bit, pensive, relieved that the villagers are cooperating. When the full story is told, she rubs a hand over her face. So much death...
Rajuna asks thoughts on where to go next and Mila takes a deep breath.
"If the taxman's alive- that's a gamble, alright. It's been more'n a few days since they got him. I don't suppose it'd make too much difference if we go for him now or in an hour's time. I mean... I mean, if they already kilt him he's still dead, and if he's not yet killed, then why would they do it just right now? ...well, other than our arrival, I guess."
She pauses, second-guessing her original instinct to go after the mayor directly. There's a moment's silence as she thinks, then shakes her head a little bit. "...if there's a chance he's alive still... then maybe we ought to look for him first. That's just my two coppers. --but either way we definitely gotta get Kendra first."
"Zhandar, I know it will be hard, but could you act convincingly evil, as we approach the weaver?"
Zhandar looks uncomfortable. "Of course I'm willing to try, especially since you asked so nicely, but I'm pretty sure they'll see through my bluff. Still, if you do the bulk of the talking, it might cover well enough to convince them."
”Let’s think this through. There is a score or more cultists in this small village. That’s a lot of eyes to see us… so we should be thinking about taking shortest routes and surprise. Also, we were slated to be eaten by that spider and the weaver is one of the main people… Stands to reason she knows we’re supposed to be dead. So, Zhander and Park showing up is going to stink. Zhander by herself, looking disheveled, bloody, and scared reaching out to another tiefling for shelter… might work.”
Raj grimaces, ”Alright, I know some of you goodly folks with have misgivings but I’m just gonna suggest this. We handle this like assassins. I scout out the weaver’s place, looking for a back way in. Most of you stick to the shadows. We rough Zhandar up a bit, wreck her hair, throw some hay into it and she goes to the front door playing ‘help my friends are dead and I'm scared’. If there’s a back way in… I take it while Zhandar is distracting the weaver in front, then we jump the weaver hard and fast from every direction we can manage.”
Park stays quiet, watching Mila and Zhandar, then nods. "I like it. I'll stay by the front of the house, around the corner from Zhandar. I'm concerned that she might be a spell caster. But, if we can hit her hard and fast that shouldn't be a problem."
Zhandar frowns. "You make good points. All right, I'll try to buy you some time by distracting the weaver. I suppose that means I will have to return to my normal form. Let us hope it gets us the advantage we need."
She takes a minute to mix a concoction of true skill to aid her attempt to bluff the weaver.
”OK. I’ll go check out her hut. Follow along when you're ready.” Raj goes out the back and down to the river. He follows the stream past the physic (not as quietly as he'd like).
After making sure she knows where she is going, and with Mila and Park's help in making her look like she had a fight with a giant spider and lost, Zhandar stumbles after Rajuna with very little attempt at stealth. She walks down the center of the path, zigzagging unsteadily like she doesn't quite know where she is going, and avoiding the physician's house. She waits to drink her Bluff concoction until she is almost at her destination, and then cries out softly "Help! Help me! Anyone! Is there anyone there?" when she is by the front door.
Park stays in the shadows watching Zhandar. As she approaches the house he moves off to the side, around the corner of the building.
Rajuna sneaks his way to the back of the other tiefling's house, fairly certain no one spotted him on the way over. He peeks through a small back window and looks into what appears to be her workroom, complete with loom, spinning wheel, and a large covered cage. There doesn't seem to be a door but the window also doesn't look to be locked or shuttered or the like.
Zhandar makes her way up to the front of the house, but there is no reply. She doesn't hear anyone moving inside and the door doesn't open.
Raj looks in the window and considers. The place seems empty and she isn’t responding to Zhandar… so maybe she isn’t home?
The thief doesn’t open the window because the covered cage is worrisome. I’d have a screechy pet in there as an alarm. Raj steps to the side of the building and signals Zhandar and anyone else over for quick meeting. He speaks, fast and low. ”Seems she’s not home. I say we press on and check on Kendra. If those lackeys were sent for us, maybe the weaver went for Kendra, or possibly she’s at a meeting with the mayor. Anyone see an upside on searching her place, cuz I don’t?”
Hearing Raj's whisper Park moves to Zhandar and motions everyone to join Rajuna. "She might be a sound sleeper or have traps. I don't think breaking and entering is a good idea here. Let's move on to check Kendra."
Zhandar will leave the door alone. She continues to stumble past the weaver's house, and then sits in the shadows like she collapsed from exhaustion to wait for the others to join her. "I will continue to maintain the ruse on my way to the campsite, in case we come upon someone," she whispers.
Mila whispers quickly, "Hang on a second, y'all. If she's not home... maybe this is a good idea to poke around and find some stuff. Or if she IS home and sleeping, that'd be the best time to fight her, right? I think we at least ought to look inside-- thirty seconds if nothin' else?"
Raj doesn't waste time. He immediately moves to the door to check it for dangers or a lock and then works to foil whatever measures are taken to keep him out.
The door is looked, but not nearly strongly enough to keep Rajuna from breaking and entering. None of the villagers seem to notice or care, however, and Rajuna can just walk right in once the door is open.
This shop is filled with simple clothing, cloth, thread, and yarn; a large loom and spinning wheel take up most of the shop's back area, along with a large cage containing Mushfen silkworms.
In a side room, Rajuna finds the tiefling weaver's bedroom and is shocked to find a horrible sight awaiting him on her bed: her headless corpse lays on her bed, with an unsurprisingly large bloodstain spread across her pillow case.
Rajuna has seen a lot in his career… but this is a first, and not one he wants in his record book. Morbidly curious, he inspects the corpse closely, looking into the neck hole… ”It looks like the head came away with a lot of the internal organs as well… I didn’t know that was possible.”
Not watching where he’s treading, Raj kicks a box beneath the bed which clinks like glass. He pulls out the box of jars with liquid in them. He waves the others back and slowly opens one of the lids…
Do we recognize the body?
Does me conveying the information from the first spoiler allow others with K:Religion to try for that roll?
He pulls out the box of jars with liquid in them. He waves the others back and slowly opens one of the lids…
The jars don’t explode, and it doesn’t appear to be poison. Instead, the pungent odor of vinegar fills the room as soon as he opens one of the jars.
[ooc]Almost! Any chance that an aid would do it?[/dice]
"Well, that is disgusting!"
"...she's dead? That... don't make no sense," Mila mutters in confusion after Raj relays the weaver's fate. Is there infighting in the cult's ranks?
"...well... uh.... yeah."
Zhandar follows the others furtively into the house. She is shocked by the discovery of the dead tiefling, though she isn't very broken up about it. "Those who feed the devil are filled with fire and blood," she says quietly.
"That's a penanggalen!" she says with a fair bit of surprise. "A kind of vampire that lives inside a person, and bursts out at night. It's just a head and intestines, and I don't know if it returns to the body after the sun rises."
Park considers Vhandar's words and the jars of vinegar. "Vinegar is a preservative. Maybe it has something to do with keeping the body from rotting. Her body would be her disguise. Maybe we can destroy it so she can't return to it? I know we didn't want to alert the whole town. But maybe we should. Start a fire here under her bed? Then we get out of here, across the bridge, check on Kendra and get to the Chenowitz farm. This... thing might even be there."
"When they check on the house here they'll find the body, minus the head. That should raise a few questions!"
A smile – playful and feral – crosses the thief’s face. ”Body? What body?” He begins wrapping the weaver’s corpse tightly in the blanket upon which it rests, using the bedding as a winding sheet. ”We’ll get it out the back window and hide it under the bridge or send it down the river. We can’t risk alerting the whole town by starting a fire. Fingers will naturally point at us.”
Park thinks a moment and smiles. "Good idea. We wouldn't want a fire hurting any innocents in the town. Let's dump the vinegar too."
Park helps get the body out of the house and heads toward the bridge.
2. DR 5/silver and slashing.
3. Resist cold and fire 10, immune: undead traits but that's it.
4. It has light sensitivity (The creature is dazzled in areas of bright sunlight or within the radius of a daylight spell.) and is additionally staggered while outside of her human body and exposed to direct natural sunlight.
As you stand around discussing the revelation (and horror) of what the tiefling actually is, Park suddenly gets a flash of insight through his empathic link with Birdie. First of fear, then of panic. Whatever is happening, something is wrong back at your wagon camp.