"And more to the point, all this political nonsense does little to help the people of Yanmass. You said so yourself, we should not ignore the plight of good Taldan people. And that includes everyone, regardless of who they support. If you truly mean to help the people of this city, all of them, even those you label as Loyalists, then you should be careful not to let your own loyalty blind you."
Diana then turns her focus to the Chief Enumerator and nods graciously. "Thank you for speaking up anout Sir Dratavis. I share your worry, based on what you all shared, his disappearance could easily be linked to these dreams. Was he particularly close to anyone in the church, with whom he might have shared more about what was going on with him before he disappeared?"
"Sir Dratavis' sudden change of behavior, around the same time as these nightmares... it does seem that we are dealing with a coordinated effort to disrupt the stability of this city and its people" Lope comments most to himself than anyone in particular "Maybe we should pay a visit to the Bank of Abadar and find out more about this vanishing. Do you know about anyone in particular that was in close contact with him and might know more?"
The Chief Enumerator answers both Diana and Lope's questions by saying, "Well you have to understand Sir Dratavis's business lead him to speak with lots of people, so answering that sort of question is hard. Still I seem to recall him speaking in urgent hushed tones a soldier from the Taldan Horse on several occasions, Gallindra was her name I think. I'm afraid I haven't seen her recently either. And before anyone suggests it, no I don't think they were romantically involved. She seemed to be trying to persuade him of something."
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Lope raises an eyebrow, clearly surprised at the mention of Gallindra and her membership "The Taldan Horse? Could it be that this Gallindra was part of the unit that vanished recently?" his voice carries a mix of doubt and realization, as if pieces of a puzzle are starting to fit together "If that's the case, then Sir Dratavis' disappearance might be tied to theirs. Perhaps he was with the unit when they vanished, or investigating what happened to them before he, too, disappeared"
He glances around the room, his eyes narrowing in thought before continuing "Does anyone here know where that unit was last deployed or stationed before they vanished? If we can retrace their steps, it might lead us to Sir Dratavis, and perhaps shed light on these larger disturbances plaguing the city"
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"I don't know where Gallindra was posted, but the standing orders for the Tandan Horse are to protect the trade routes and the caravans. These attacks by Keleshite bandits would not be happening unless something terrible has gone wrong." replied The Chief Enumerator.
Lady Carmellio Rauls spoke up to say, "I'm glad this problem is being taken seriously. I'd suggest visiting the markets and asking around the merchants. A good number have been harassed, perhaps they might have seen something."
"Ok, asking around the merchants can indeed be a good idea" Lope ponders as much as about the Taldan Horse "That means the unit is always in the road and there is nothing akin to a barracks, fort or stable where we can show up to further inquiry about?"
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Lady Carmellio replies, "They have a small regimental office and parade ground just outside of the eastern gate. There's hardly anyone there these of late, which is odd to say the least."
Valeria considered all that was said and nodded as she said, "It seems we have several leads to look into the question is which one should be first. I think we should retire for the evening and discuss this and we will let you know when we have anything to report."
Lope vows slightly and gives farewell to everyone gathered in the hall "Thanks for the information. It is time for us to start investigating elsewhere"
Agreeing with Valeria to move on, Lope starts walking out of the Mercantile Council building "It is still early afternoon. But I wonder where we could start investigating. Perhaps checking about this Caradinna Farkin. If she is trapped at home as some suggested, she might be in trouble. Maybe better to find out about her before she too vanishes"
Triphylla is exhausted from the long day of deliberations with the council. She hasn't eaten in hours, but Lope has the right of it.
"Alright, I'll go with you to the Farkin home. Maybe she has a stash of salted meats at the ready for visitors."
Cyrene falls into step with the others. She'd prefer to be dealing with Merkondus (in a more permanent fashion) but Lope's logic is good.
On the way she slips away for a minute and returns with a collection of steaming buns which she hands out with a smile (reserving a second one for Trip who she just knows will inhale her first).
"So, are we expecting trouble or just a crazy cat lady?" She asks lightly.
With the decision made to investigate what happened to Yanmass' resident conspiracy theorist, you start making your way south and east through the city. Even though its late afternoon the streets are still choked with traffic, with all manner of carriages, horses, carts, oxen and more laden with goods being chivvied along by a small army of merchants and drovers.
Not making much progress you try a side street which is much clearer and you start to make good progress however after a few minutes your hackles rise. You notice the crow has changed, a group of townspeople converge on you from different directions, they share haunted, desperate looks in their eyes. As one they brandish an assortment of daggers and clubs and pairing up they move into attack, all without saying a single word!
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"I got the feeling Lord Autun might have some suspicions about all these troubles when I raised the question of a deliberate attack on the city, before he was cut off by the earl. The man is incredibly vain and thinks himself at the top of Taldan fashion, if you can believe it. I'm pretty sure getting to confide in us won't be difficult if we drop in for a visit as well."
As they make their way through the side street, Diana spots the approaching townspeople and notices the tell tale signs of magical control on them.
"They're clearly under some kind of magic compulsion or similar magic!" She warns the others. "And the fact they don't seem to have slept in days worries me, as well. Might they be victims from those nightmares? Could the same magic that is causing them also grant some manner of control over the victim's mind? We should try to spare them, if we can."
With some words of power and the accompanying gestures, Diana conjures up a cloud of glowing particles over the northern group, hoping to blind most of them.
Triphylla has scant regard for high Taldan fashion, and only derision for those who aspire to high fashion and fail miserably. The suddenly aggressive throng of townsfolk surprises her, but she heeds Diana's words.
"It may not reflect well on us to slaughter these folk, regardless of what spell they have come under. Try to subdue them if possible."
She takes a Cytillesh Stun vial from her pack and lobs is at the pair approaching from the south.
Not killing people is something Cyrene finds hard so she lingers at the back of the group and tries to spot if someone is actively controlling the mob.
Valeria was a bit surprised that they were be accosted by sleep deprived citizens but she knew this could be very ugly if they did nothing. Knowing they needed to weaken their attackers without harming them after being told they were enchanted Valeria called on her goddess, "Redeemer Queen, place your bane upon our foes so they may be easier to defeat!" She then drew her dagger, hoping she could avoid using it.
Diana's spell has dramatic effect, a billowing cloud of golden dust swallows up the three northernmost townsfolk and they cry out unable to see and paw ineffectually at their eyes!
Triphylla can't say for certain which spell is involved here, but she believes it to be a charm of some type. She tosses her vial at the southern group and it shatters among them resulting in a flash of eerie blue light. The townsfolk clutch at their heads and stagger around.
Cyrene so far doesn't spot anyone directing the mob.
Valeria's spell completes and a ripple of dark radiance bursts out, it seems to envelop all but one of the townsfolk.
"We must try to subdue them without fatal force" he says quickly, his mind racing for a solution "If they are victims of the same dark magic that has been plaguing this city, perhaps we can learn something from them"
He moves swiftly into a defensive stance, positioning himself between his allies and the approaching citizens. With a subtle shift in his stance, Lope channels his arcane power, preparing to disarm one of the townsfolk without harming them.
"Perhaps it is better for us to run here, so we do not have to harm them!" he shouts as he completes his maneuver.
Triphylla grunts at Lope's suggestion to run. It's the smart thing to do with the townsfolk stumbling and blinded, but her short legs won't get her far, and what if there are more? She really doesn't know what to do but she also doesn't want to kill anyone here. Each one of these afflicted people are someone's father, mother, or child.
In the even the rest of the group decides to bolt, she drinks her extract of Expeditious Retreat, then moves up to confront the stunned townies, drawing her sickle as she goes.
"Snap out of it, you fools!"
Lope manages to punch the knuckles of one of the townsfolk, knocking a cudgel from his hands. The man tried to brain Lope for his pleasure but missed.
<--- MISS
As the cudgel clatters to the floor the man yelps and stares at his hand dully before shrieking, "F#*%! WHAT IN THE HELLS AM I DOING?!"
He starts backing away from Lope before turning to run away.
The three blinded townsfolk to the north stumble forwards as if in a daze, swishing their weapons meanicingly but hitting nothing.
<--- MISS
<--- MISS
<--- MISS
The two townsfolk to the south continue to clutch their heads as the after affects of Triphylla's alchemical weapon still grip them.
While the pair of townsfolk are still stunned, Triphylla quickly picks up their simple weapons. She'd prefer to take a punch if it comes to that. When she hears the assailant against Lope scream and come to his senses she has hope this will be a quick melee.
Lope nods as the weapon clatters to the ground and the townsman retreats in fear "Well done good fellow, run, and you also should do same!" the Aldori, seeing how successful the strategy turned, attempts to repeat the same with the other commoner in front.
And prepares for the likely retaliation while shouting to advise his friends "It seems disarming him made him come back to his senses! Try to hit them without harming them!"
Cyrene frowns and then stoops to pick up a discarded shoe before slinging it across the street at one of the angry mobsters.
Valeria saw how Lope's attacker came to his senses when he was disarmed and came up with an idea on how to possibly break these people from what was happening to them. Valeria moved in quickly by moving around Diana and darted in to deliver a quick slash before darting back from her target.
Triphylla manages to gather several dropped weapons and Lope deftly avoids a cudgel strike and manages to disarm the man by wrestling the weapon from him.
<--- MISS
Cyrene throws a shoe at one of the townsfolk which misses, Valeria instead chooses to draw blood, slashing at a blinded man who shrieks. He freaks out in response throwing himself away from her, and cowers in in the corner.
In short order the rest of the charmed and now stunned or otherwise disorientated townsfolk are disarmed. They seem to snap out of it when hurt and some flee while others like the man Valeria cut beg for mercy.
Diana approaches the wounded man cautiouly. With no way to heal his wounds, she tries to at least let him know they mean him no more harm, now that he is back to his senses.
"We know you were under a magical compulsion of some sort. Maybe related to those nightmares plaguing the town? What is the last thing you remember, before being ordered to ambush us?"
Diana frowns at the man's answer, confirming her fears - they came specifically to kill them.
Whomever is behind this knew we were coming, and wants us gone. Why?
"We mean to find and end whatever is causing these nightmares - and to that end, anything you can recall about them - when they started, what makes you so sure killing us would end them, how you even knew who we were - anything at all might help us put a stop to them."
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Valeria felt terrible as she saw the blind man she had cut fall to the ground and begin begging for mercy. Fortunately they were able to quickly deal with the attackers and Valeria sheathed her dagger and knelt next to the blind man as she said,"I am sorry for hurting you but it was necessary to stop what was controlling you and making you attack us. Please accept this as my apology."
Valeria cast a prayer to her goddess to heal the man and touched him with golden energy to heal his injury.
[b]"I hope you can forgive me for harming you but I will understand if you cannot.
The man screwed up his face as he thought before replying to Diana, "It's all so strange I don't remember much, but I do remember seeing a sort of sheep, yeah a white white ram with peculiar black on black eyes. This is going to sound really strange, but I swear it talked to us and then we knew what we had to do..."
The other man was initially quite scared of Valeria especially when she talked about casting spells, but in the end he allowed her to heal him and he said cautiously, "Thank you ma'am."
"A talking ram, you say? Did it give you any other instructions or warnings? Anything specific about what would happen if you failed to harm us? Did you hear its voice again after your initial encounter?" he pauses for a moment, looking to his allies before continuing, "We are here to put an end to this madness, and any details you remember, no matter how strange, could help us stop it before it consumes more innocent lives"
"And one more thing... before this compulsion took hold, or perhaps even after, were you acting on behalf of any group or cause? You know about the current tension in Taldor, between supporters of Princess Eutropia and those others who rally behind High Strategos Pythareus and the Imperialists. Did this creature speak to you about such matters, or perhaps anyone else made promises or threats regarding these factions?"
"Anything specific about what would happen if you failed to harm us?"
The man doesn't seem happy talking about this subject but you get him to admit, "It wasn't words exactly but it made me, well us, know that if we didn't the dreams would surely kill us."
"Did you hear its voice again after your initial encounter?"
The man and several others shook their heads.
"And one more thing... before this compulsion took hold, or perhaps even after, were you acting on behalf of any group or cause? You know about the current tension in Taldor, between supporters of Princess Eutropia and those others who rally behind High Strategos Pythareus and the Imperialists. Did this creature speak to you about such matters, or perhaps anyone else made promises or threats regarding these factions?"
The man grudgingly replied, "Not really had much time politics of late, on account of being bone tired and all. Before that it was no secret I'm not fan of the Strategos, damn warmonger would more than happy for the likes of me to die in some pointless war."
It was more or less the same story from the others willing to talk.
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There's something that's been bugging Triphylla about this business since it came up at the council meeting earlier.
"How does anyone else know what you think about the High Strategos? Do you all talk about it publicly or do you generally keep those feelings to yourselves?"
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"It's a good question, Triphylla, seeing as how these dreams seem to be targeting those loyal to the princess. Although it wouldn't surprise me if whatever is causing them had some way to peer into the minds of its victims - we know it can cause these nightmares and model them based on the victim's knowledge. And it seems to be able to grant them some measure of control over them, too, considering what happened with these poor people. The ability to read minds doesn't seem to far out from those we know it has."
Diana tries to recall if she knows of any creature with this kind of powers, possibly resembling a white ram.
Several of the townsfolk shrugged at Triphyllas question and replied, "People like to talk. Politics is a bit like supporting a sports team isn't it..."
Diana racks her brain but she can't think of anything that fits the bill, although she suspects some kind of shape shifter.
Lope frowns slightly, deep in thought as he listens to the responses from the townsfolk "It seems likely that whatever this creature is, it has an interest in destabilizing Eutropia's supporters, or at least stoking the flames of the existing tensions. The fact that it can implant compulsion and create nightmares means we're dealing with something powerful and highly manipulative"
He glances at Diana, nodding in agreement "I suspect you're right—some kind of shapeshifter or mind-controlling entity. We need to tread carefully; it may be more deeply embedded in these towns than we realize"
Then, sheathing back his blade, he looks to the street going forward "Let's hurry up for now to find Caradinna Farkin. Perhaps she has some clues about these nightmares."
Triphylla shrugs. Casting away the simple weapons she had taken from the townsfolk, she nods to Lope and the others.