"Thanks Pabrus Telecoum, I will make good use of this" Lope places the book in between his hands while already skimming through the contents and taking good note of the scroll and its magics "There is some inheritance I am worry about too, like this woman suffered before... I... have a friend, whose family sword was taken to pay for his father sins. The sword is a legacy, a blackblade which is told to be bonded to the destiny of Taldor itself, do you wise Pabrus Telecoum know of any record I could check to help my friend find it?"
Lope will spend some time here studying whatever Pabrus can toss at his hands, or just skimming through this woman's story book.
Cyrene skulks near Senator Tholeed and manages to overhear the conversation that goes on and frowns at the result. Tempting though it is to knife one of them shes well aware that this is not the time or the place and lets them leave unmolested, before returning to the gallery once more.
Julia listened to the exchange between the handsome Ulfen and chair-bound duke with a well-practiced look of deep attention. "Oh how very interesting indeed!"
In truth, Julia was actually somewhat interested in the whole project even if engineering was hardly her favorite topic of choice. After all, Shelyn was able to find beauty and all things and great feats of engineering could be a wonderous sight to behold.
Of course, she didn't say that. She had a job to do and was quick to focus on getting Ulfen to realize that Eutropia was his bet bet if he wanted that bridge. "You know... I heard that our Princess Eutropia is quite interested in funding more civic works. It's all part of her progressive plans as I understand it. Mayhaps your bridge in the mountains could be part of said plans if you ask for the Princess's favor this night. I'm sure she'd be just as interested to hear about it as I was," she said with a causal innocence to the Landgrove before quickly turning to the Duke and adding just as coyly, "Indeed, you seem like a man with a good knowledge of the subject. If you proposed a design to the Princess I think they'd be a good chance she'd fund it... if we were to become our sovereign one day, of course.
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Looking rather worried, she took another sip before talking about Senator Tholeed meeting, "It's interesting Sir Milon Jeroth is involved somehow, the popular rumour is he's a Lion's Blade. Not sure I believe that myself, I've heard he's rather too brutal for that."
"As for that spider Tholeed, I kind of doubt he and Stavian are in cahoots. His royal highness doesn't take orders from anyone and he's become really rather paranoid. Still I worry, especially since it seems Julia accidentally sweet talked Pythareus into accepting a deal he found distasteful. The hour grows late, it seems the die is cast - yet Taldor endures. We might as well have some supper and discuss what to do next."
She looks pensive for a moment and frowns, "It's always possible something might happen in the aftermath of the vote, feelings are running high." She hands you a bag saying, "Hopefully this won't be necessary but if something were to happen and you need a diversion..."
Duke answered this saying, "Yeah it's unusual. I can only assume there's been some kind of security alert, still the gala is proceeding normally and the main thing is his majesty is in good hands the guard know their business!" This answer seemed to please Ogvai.
Earl Norringham rolled his eyes upon seeing you but his daughter enthused about your performance. The Earl thanked you, saying, "Yes. Yes. Very nice uh performance. I think, yes I think you should have this as a token... Well frankly I think it will help, good bye." He thrust a wand into your hands before stalking off with his daughter to have dinner.
Pabrus frowns, "A black blade you say? I have heard of such things but not one that was taken away..." He sounded a bit miffed as he explained "Honestly this should be the place to search for record like that, but it's not. Judicial records get copied and sent to several locations for archival. One of those places is the Palace of Birdsong, in Meratt county. A bit of a trek but you could check it out, I believe the Lotheed family run the place these days.
Stavian's sudden arrival and equally sudden disappearance into his personal quarters sent ripples of unease through the delegates. This was not typical behaviour.
In the gardens servants bring out a light supper, placing various expensive cheeses, fruits, pastries, and wines out on tables or carrying platters to offer momentary repast. The food and wine mostly placates the masses left confused by Stavian’s behaviour, and soon conversations return to normal.
"The Palace of Birdsong, in Meratt county you say?" Lope smiles happy for the insight "Thanks Pabrus, I hope the Empire recognizes your great service soon, you can count with my vouch for it"
"I heard that Bartelby Lotheed currently holds the place on behalf of the Stavians" he says aloud, almost to just himself.
Thanking for the help given again, the Aldori rushes back to the main rooms when he hears the commotion of Stavian's arrival.
For the time being he is happy to just eat fruits and pastries and wait, relieved his work is mostly done. He will remain attentive to see if there is any business he can help his new companions with.
As if on cue, Triphylla's stomach growls with neglect. Of course, the mere mention of food caused her to forget all other avenues of potential disruption. Seeing her compatriot succeeding with Baron Okerra, she pauses to give Pelligrina a bow and then returns to the Garden to find Kalbio.
"I see you have secured us each a chair. Thank you!" In truth, being near Kalbio is like covering oneself in s*~&; no one could stand to be anywhere near him. Poor fellow. Triphylla liked him instantly.
She had to cajole a couple of the less tactically-minded wait staff and commandeer their cheese and jam platters. By luck, the same serving girl Triphylla accosted earlier made herself available for further ridicule.
"You there! You never did return with my refreshment. I'll have my young pre-society member here call for your dismissal! Now return to the kitchen and bring us a full tray of these delicacies, and spare no one a moment until you arrive at this spot!"
Meanwhile, she eavesdrops on nearby conversation...
Triphylla climbs atop the nearest table. "The Emperor is an opium addict! Of course!" she says over-loud and on-purpose. "If it's not slippery congress with an outlander then it's illegal chymikal subversions. Is there anyone who yet believes a man and all his sinful distractions can better rule this world than a more capable, less deviant woman? Let him speak loudly and challenge me now to any duel of your choosing!"
She really can't help herself. Besides, she has nearly everyone on the grounds in her audience at the moment.
Though Julia's smile did not falter, in her mind she was quite disappointed that the Duke had decided to play the cynic. Having a man as sharp as him on the princess's side would have been boon but she supposed that she'd have settle for the Landgrave. After all, he was her original target and she need to learn if he knew anything about the Ulfen Guard. Speaking of which...
"That's unfortunate to hear, my duke. Hopefully, our Princess can prove you wrong in time," she said pleasantly and without judgement before turning her full attention back to the Jarlbjorn. "But what you, my lord? Any thoughts on our Princess Eutropia and her plans for the future? I'd imagine you'd know her a great deal through grapevine given your connections with the Ulfen Guard."
At her mention of the Ulfen Guard, Julia innocently rubbed her chin as if deep in thought. "Say, I seen quite a few of the guard here night. More than usual even with festivities. Do you have any inkling as to why that is, my lord landgrave?"
Cyrene meanwhile ignores the twittering of the birds and gets on with her job, forging through the crowds to find Lady Morilla and deliver her letter.
When she gets the return letters she sets off immediately for the Archives where she last saw Duke Centimus. Martella probably has everything in hand, but the Duke is not (presumably) one of her creatures and therefore needs his instructions as quickly as possible!
"Does he even have a claim?! He's what, a third cousin? Some terrible calamity would have to occur for the throne to pass to him, yikes! I'd far far rather Eutriopia inherited the crown, in due course, rather than events shake Taldor up in the manor you're raising."
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Triphylla's intervention caused quite a stir with several people whispering in out raged murmurs ranging from "Surely not! That's outrageous!" to "Look at that hafling woman, climbing the table, she's drunk!" A couple of men loudly claimed, "I think she's right you know, it's not a smell you soon forget and I smelt it here tonight near the Emperor's Hall after Stavian had passed." Nobody seems to know what to do about the accusation though and the many platters of food distracted the lively debate that followed.
Elsewhere in the gardens the loose anti-Eutropia faction had gathered together. With great pomp and fanfare Martella's hated half brother Bartelby Lotheed declared a toast to Maxillar Pythareus. A group of ten of Pythareus's closest allies had joined Bartelby and each had a cup filled from the large 150 year old red that the Lotheed family had donated, they'd proudly told all and sundry that it had come from their vineyard.
"To the Startegos!" shouted Bartelby, and he raised his glass. The others in the circle joined suit and as one they stomped their feet, shouted "Startegos!" As one they took a large sip of what was said to be one of the best wines in Taldor and spat it out in disgust!
"Ugh! What the hell Bartelby?!" snarled one colonel. Another furious noble snatched up the bottle and inspected the label and spitting with rage he cried, "An insult! This is no noble Taldan wine, it's Qadrian rot gut! Damn you Bartelby, I took you for a patriot!" Bartelby protested his innocence but nobody was having it and his political machinations for the evening lay in tatters.
As this happened Martella sipped her coffee as smiled enigmatically. The anti Eutropia camp has another upset when it was discovered to great hue and cry that the items donated by Earl Calhadion Vernisant for the display in the Arcade of Triamphs had gone missing!
So it was with the factions arrayed against her humiliated and in disarray the senate of Taldor convened in the great senate hall to debate and then vote upon the Primogeniture Repeal Act. Senators filed into the hall while guests crowed to watch from the gallery above. The body of Taldan senators spread out twenty feet below the observation deck of the gallery.
A great many senators and their immediate aides scurry below line ants. The cacophony of voices is almost deafening, and it seems like the ceaseless chatter will continue endlessly. Suddenly, the magically amplified voice of the senate speaker interrupts the noise.
"Thank you all. I would ask that our observers please be silent and seat themselves. We will now begin voting on addendum number twenty-two thousand eighty-seven: the repeal of the ancient law of agnatic primogeniture, the issuance of inheritance and aristocratic title solely through male heirs."
Following this proclamation, the speaker begins calling on individual senators one at a time to support or oppose the repeal. Early declarations split evenly between the options, with many senators abstaining entirely, and only halfway through the process do votes begin to favor Princess Eutropia’s bid to end primogeniture. By the end of the tabulations, the repeal passes with roughly 60 percent of the senate’s backing. The speaker takes a moment to compose himself, seemingly shocked by the results, before continuing to formally announce the initial results in a distant shell-shocked monotone "And so, the final tally for addendum twenty-two thousand eighty-seven, the repeal of agnatic primogeniture, with thirty-six abstentions, the final tally stands at one hundred and seven for, seventy-nine against. The addendum passes. Among other business tonight, the senate recognizes Princess Eutropia Stavian I as the new heir to the Primogen Crown, and the first heir the empire has seen in twenty years."
With the declaration made, the chamber explodes in a riot of applause and condemnation. It takes several minutes for the cacophony to die down. The speaker declares that a closed senate recount is to take place, an event signaled by the speaker declaring a temporary recess of the senate to outsiders.
Matrtella was ecstatic and she gave the closes one of you a high-five, "Fantastic! Good job everyone, this is truly a historic occasion. I'll double your bonus!"
"A-ha!" Triphylla hoots and claps loudly when the final vote is tallied. She treats herself to a third and fourth helping from the pastries tray.
She gives Kalbio a pat on the thigh. If she were to be honest, the young halfling is nervous for him, or perhaps she senses his mood. "You can still decline the honor, I wager. After what just happened they'll be relieved. Last chance to live a normal life."
Cyrene, hovering at the back as usual, smiles but doesn't show any other signs of delight in the group's victory. Her own task was completed in the nick of time, which slightly offends her perfectionist side, but the win in the vote, and the thorough poke in the eye this gives the misogynistic pricks who run Taldor makes up for any trifling indignity.
"Do you mind if I slip off to change into something more comfortable?" She asks Martella quietly. "If we're done working I'd like a chance to enjoy myself properly."
Pelligrina's expression changes to mild surprise when Baron Okerra reveals himself to be so far behind on current events.
"Yes, Pythareus. All the latest rumors place him as the practical heir barring Princess Eutropia. There are a couple of others with closer ties to the Stavian line, but they are not reasonable heirs for various factors. Pythareus is a third cousin."
"The terrible calamity that would need to come to pass then is for the vote on Eutropia's resolution to fail. I am glad you are committed to doing your part in assuring it does not."
Pelligrina's expression shifts back to a smile, but a more knowing one. She takes one of his large strong hands in hers.
"The time for the vote is approaching. I should be on my way. Thank you for the great pleasure of your company, brief though our time has been. I dearly hope we may share each other's company again very soon."
She releases the Baron's hand and departs through the crowd. Pelligrina does look back a couple of times, making sure the Baron sees her do so.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
When the vote results are tallied and announced Pelligrina is jubilant. She limits herself to a broad smile and applause though. It is important to remain poised when victorious, especially when one is victorious so often. After she has finished applauding, Pelligrina slips her hand into her bag and then into the velvet coverlet inside. She gives her mirror a loving, grateful caress.
Kalbio gave Triphylla a puzzled look, "But I'd be letting everyone back home down if I did that. I promised my local weaver's circle that I'd get them some better representation. I've been lucky, artisans often get taken advantage of, I think I can do some good!"
Martella smiled to Cyrene, "Go on, have some fun!"
Baron Okerra winked as Pelligrina walked away and looked, back.
To those remaining near Martella, she said, "This has been an amazing evening and a large part of this is down to you. Yes Eutroipia had a groundswell of support, but several of the pillars were wavering - like Countess two-face Pace. She actually voted for Eutroipia, I think what did it for her was the loss of face the opposition suffered from the wine and the missing gifts. Anyway Stavian is up next, I expect he'll sound a defiant tone over Eutropia’s bid for the throne. He made no secret of his opposition to the repeal, and I expect him to show no restraint in lambasting his daughter."
Finally she said, "I notice some of you have been speaking to Kalbio. Poor boy's parents couldn't afford to come but they wrote him a heart felt letter would you mind giving it to him?"
Lope smiles amused from behind of an orange juice glass seeing the nobles enraged with the tampered wine quality and its origin.
The mustached man assists the voting already satisfied by this soiree of amusements.
-----
Lope applauds himself not minding to show his support for the cause "And there you have it my friends. We are seeing history developing here today"
He does actually look for Pythareus, trying to enjoy the reaction of the old-fashioned reactionary upon something that most probably bars his aspirations.
At his wink, Pelligrina averts her eyes downward but also smiles, this happens quickly so it appears reflexive to the Baron. Then she brings her gaze back up to meet his own for another couple of seconds before hurrying on her way. It's a move Pelligrina has practiced in the mirror extensively; the timing of it is everything. Artifice designed to make the viewer believe they are seeing a natural reaction to their gaze, artless, shy, and inviting all at once.
"I love my new job! she says to herself.
Downing a third glass of wine probably worth more than Triphylla could earn in a lifetime, she graciously accepts Kalbio's letter from Martella. It seems to be no secret and she gives it a quick read.
She finds Kalbio one more time before his ascension, or whatever.
"Kalbio, you're right, and I apologize for my impertinence. You will certainly do some good, though steel yourself, for many of these new peers of yours are truly awful people.
"A final question, if you don't mind me asking. Your family - are you close?"
She withholds the letter and makes no mention of it pending his answer.
Cyrene disappears with a smile and about five minutes later there is a stir on the senate floor as a new figure enters the room. The woman has darkly caramel skin, lustrous black hair which hangs down to the middle of her back and gleams with health, and a pair of curling ebony horns which are capped with tiny golden points.
It is fortunate her hair is so long because her dress doesn't cover her back at all, falling all the way to the base of her spine before anything is really covered, and then only somewhat as the skirts feature a long slit up each side. Long legs stride across the room showing the occasional glimpse of tattoos through the slit skirts and a lashing tail makes the occasional appearance too.
From the front the demon is a little more modest - her chest is covered at least, but the dresses neckline is still fairly low and the swirling ink across her shoulders draws the eye in towards her cleavage regardless. The demon is clearly well aware of her effect on people and sashays around the room, leaving lingering touches and flirtatious smiles in her wake.
Julia tried to divine some hidden meaning between the Jarlbjorn's words but found nothing she could really gleam from the handsome Ulfen's rather bloody-minded jape. In the end, she figured that she'd gotten all that she was going to get from either of the two men and said her "Farewells" before departing the Archives in search of her next target.
Vernisant would likely be a harder nut to crack but Julia would have to try if she wanted to know whatever the Hell the Ulfen Guard were doing this night. So she promptly started asking around as to where she could possibly find the Earl.
Valeria gratefully accepted the bag Matrtella gave her and deftly slid it inside her dress where it would be out of the way but easily reached. There was little else to do then but wait for the voting so she stayed nearby until it was time. The actual vote was rather boring but it still had a certain suspense to it given what was going on. Finally the vote was completed and it went in their favor by a significant amount.
With the next speech to be Stavians, and Martella's warning of the lambasting it was likely to be, Valeria braced herself. Her nervousness was forgotten when Cyrene returned in her newest outfit. It almost made Valeria's jaw hit the floor. She'd never seen the woman dressed up this much before and found the effect stunning leaving her speechless.
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Lope looks for Pythareus, but the man is nowhere to be seen, however he notices lots of soldiers on the periphery of the room regarding events impassively.
Triphylla's question caught Kalbio by surprise and looking unhappy he sighed, "Yes. I... They really wanted to be here, I think they spent their life savings on getting me properly attired but there was no money left over for them to attend. I miss them, I wish they could have been here."
Cyrene's appearance causes quite the stir and she has to steer clear of several knights who where visibly upset at her 'wanton appearance'. However not every reaction was like that, more than one man earned a slap from their wive for staring too much!
Julia discovers Earl Calhdion Vernisant is in the eastern potion of the senate floor talking bitterly to a group of likeminded traditionalists.
A gong is run and the Senate speaker calls for silence, "Ladies and Gentlemen I now call upon you to witness the ritual of Exaltation where his Majesty will induct Kalbio."
Nervously Kalbio says, "Wish me luck!" After getting various claps on the back he heads over towards the speaker. As he does so hundreds of dignitaries, senators, and visitors cram onto the senate floor. A dozen hulking members of the Ulfen Guard, personal bodyguards of the grand prince, stand arrayed around a podium atop the central, circular stage of the chamber. A mix of senatorial staffers and Ulfen Guard assign people to positions within the chamber based on rank and influence. As mere aids you are placed toward the outer wall of the room, well over 80 feet away from the grand prince’s podium. Martella stands 20 feet closer, while Princess Eutropia and several prominent nobles stand at the podium’s edge.
A little bit wobbly on his legs, Grand Prince Stavian III ascends to the tall stage that overlooks the hall from its center. He raises a single hand to calm the murmurs of the assembled crowd. A member of the prince’s Ulfen Guard escorts a nervous Kalbio to stand several paces behind the prince.
Magically augmented, Stavian's voice filled the chamber, "Quite the assembly we have here today. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the senate building packed so full." His voice turned peevish as he said, "Especially not for any of my previous speeches. Even my lovely daughter, now a woman, sits among the players of Oppara’s greatest game. Of course, none of you are here for me. Oh no, today is about something else entirely! Today is about elevation. It is no secret that today is about exalting others to a new status in life. I’m sure many of you have had the opportunity to meet Kalbio here. He is a man of the people, elevated at the urging of all the ladies, lords, senators, and aides present in this chamber. I think we should all give him a rousing applause, to commemorate this momentous change in his life."
The prince's words are met with strong applause from various quarters and dark grumbling from others. Wide eyed, Stavian smiles widely as he takes in the adulation of the crowd.
Pelligrina watches the proceedings with interest.
Triphylla slips the letter to Kalbio into his pocket right as he steps away to join the Grand Prince at the heart of the proceedings.
The demoness is having far too much fun in the crowd to pay any attention to anyone not paying attention to her!
Valeria had absolutely no attention to give to what what was going on around them as she was still far too stunned by Cyrene's appearance to be able to focus on anything else. It was both incredibly arousing and brought back flashes of terrible memories all at the same time and it was overwhelming her as she tried to suppress the memories that were quickly surfacing of terror, lust, and pain.
Though she manages to charm some gossiping rakes into telling her where she could find Vernisant, the sudden announcement of the Exaltation grabs Julia's attention. The fact that the Grand Prince himself had deigned to make the actual speech was surprising but other than that Julia was momentarily content to watch the ritual unfold before heading back to her mission.
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<--- NO
All eyes were on Grand Prince Stavian III and as the applause abates, a hulking Ulfen Guard member pushes Kalbio forward, almost knocking the commoner down as he awkwardly regains his balance beside Grand Prince Stavian. The leader of Taldor maintains his calm, placing a hand on Kalbio’s shoulder without ever taking his eyes off the crowd.
Stavian's voice was every so slightly unhinged as he told Kalbio, "I understand your parents sacrificed everything to help you reach this day, my boy. Saving up for your apprenticeship and the tools you needed to achieve greatness. And today you are a grateful son, no doubt making them proud. I too understand what it is to sacrifice; I have given so much for the people of this nation: a brother, a son, a lifetime of service. Even my own daughter’s trust and loyalty."
He pauses savouring the moment, grinning widely at the crowd before pulling the awkward Kalbio closer to his side. He then tells him, "But unlike you, Lord Kalbio, these Taldans—my children, truly—are not grateful. They scheme and plot. They dream of hanging their dutiful father from the highest scaffold and placing a woman—a woman, sir! Gods damn it!—on the Lion Throne! And they have seen fit this very day to induct you into their conspiratorial ranks. And that is why here, now, you, Lord Kalbio, will be the first among them, but by no means the last, to DIE!"
And with that, the Emperor of Taldor plunges a jewel encrusted dagger worth more than everything Kalbio had between the ribs of the astonished man in his clutches before twisting it, causing Kalbio to spasm and spray blood.
A stunned silence fell upon the crowd as Kalbio’s blood showers the front row of the senate floor. Kalbio mouths "Ma...ma...pa..." before he collapses to the stage in a heap. A red-stained Princess Eutropia defiantly stands among the nobility, starring up at her father in horrified disbelief.
Stavian giggles, pulls out a small pearl encrusted box, takes a generous pinch of the powder within and snorts it. At the same time the black robed soldiers on the periphery of the room cast aside their cloaks to reveal armor and blades, the unidentified soldiers in the chamber already begin moving to cut down the attending masses in a wholesale slaughter. A total of 50 maybe 60 armed soldiers surround the room!
After a moment’s confusion from most of the Ulfen Guard, the viking warriors attempt to close ranks around their emperor, cutting down anyone—black-clad warrior and panicked senator alike—who approaches. Masked soldiers guard the doors and make wide-arc slashes with their swords to keep the crowds at bay. Within mere seconds, the senate floor becomes a killing field, as Stavian III looks around in deranged wonder, giggling incoherently at the butchery he has ordered.
All around mayhem has erupted, you witness dozens of nobles and senators hacked down. One of the killers makes a beeline for Lope!
With a brutal thrust, his sword should have disemboweled the magus but something surprising happened, as his sword made contact Lope's senate aid badge flashed and he vanished leaving a startled soldier.
Environment: Normal brightness
COMBAT ORDER:
Stavian's Agent
Cyrene <----- WE ARE HERE
Lope
Julia
Triphylla
Pelligrina
Valeria
Cyrene, Julia, Triphylla, Pelligrina and Valeria are up.
Triphylla can't see the stage well and she really can't see Stavian at all, which is just as well; he's a disgusting, demented little man. It's a wonder he helped create such beautiful children. Maybe he didn't...
But she can hear the old geezer just fine, and when he tells Kalbio the very things she'd warned him about only minutes before she gets a shiver. The air in the room changes, and then there is a ripple of horror as if the Emperor himself exploded. But that's not what happened. And then the killing begins.
The instincts of her father snap on inside her as she watches one and then another of the nearby guards begin to systematically murder the most powerful people in Taldor. She has only seconds to act...
She brought the disguise extracts for a different purpose, but it just might save her life now. Except who could she possibly disguise herself as to prevent these barbarians from cutting her down. A child, maybe. But not just any child.
No. Only one child. The most famous child in Taldor. The one who died.
Triphylla drinks an extract to Disguise Self, appearing as a young Prince Carrius II.
She then begins to move forward toward Stavian, using the chaos of human bodies as both shield and concealment, and taking out the dagger she'd absconded from the Arcade.
Stealth to concealment per the Human Shadow trait.
Lope looks at the scene out of gasp, grasping the pommel of his sword and trying to unbound the peace-bonded weapon in a rush "Eutropia! Save the Princ...!" his exclamation is suffocated as the bastard sword hits him, his body vanishing into thin air.
The demoness sizes up her nearest foe and slides in behind him, a sharp blade appearing from somewhere in her dress, although how is an excellent question.
She stabs forward, not bothering to pull the blow as she did against Malphene.
Valeria thought she had a handle on everything, she thought that she was getting a grip on things, but then it happened...the killing started. Amidst her already precarious mental state the sudden violence and scream and death tipped her back the other direction. It was the slaughter of the defenders of Kenabres all over again and Valeria dropped to the ground as she curled up into a fetal position muttering rapidly, "Notagainnotagainnotagainnotagainnotagain."
The gods seemed to be sharing a cruel jape amongst each this night as just as soon as Julia began to think the Grand Prince was not as mad as she assumed, the man proved himself irredeemable insane as his speech to the crowd quickly turned from a peevish address to one of utter madness and rage.
Of course, mere words were nothing compared to the rampage that suddenly broke as Julia saw the Grand Prince murderer his own guest of honor in front of hundreds. "What? she managed to stammer out just as the sound of more blades and steel being drawn started to echo across the entire senate floor."What is happenin-"
She couldn't get the words fully out before she realized that she'd share Kalbio's grisly fate if she did not act quickly. From the depths of her gown Julia reached for her rapier and pulled it free in a rush. Instincts took over then as a saw a knave try to unleash his sword upon a poor nobles that could not have been older than twelve. Children who had likely lost track of their parents in the chaos. Theatrical bravado became real or close as Julia rushed to their side and cut an arc of steel to repulse their attacker. "Murders! Bastards! Get away from them or by Shelyn I'll cut you down!"
Pelligrina doesn't try to prove anything to anyone. She screams and runs, working her way through the crowd while trying to see if any of the doorways out seem to be more lightly guarded that the others.
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Cyrene steps forwards and thrusts with her blade but the black cloaked warrior parries with contemptuous ease.
Screaming vitriol Julia thrusts at their attacker with her rapier but the man casually bats her blade aside. Meanwhile Stavian looks on with half lidded eyes as his personal guard beat back several determined attempts by political enemies to take him down with them.
Hoping beyond hope to get away with this somehow, Triphylla drinks a potion which transforms her into the likeness of Prince Carrius II. Not just the likeness, the spitting image!
Stavian's smug smile was instantly swept away and he went white as a sheet, he pointed at Prince Carrius and screamed "Aiiiiiieeee! NO IT CAN'T BE! YOU'RE DEAD!"
The hulking Ulfen warriors looked at him, "Sire?"
"KILL HIM YOU FOOLS!" Stavian screeched.
"Our duty is to be by your side Sire!" one demurred but Stavian was having none of it, "Your duty is what I tell you, KILL THAT CHILD!"
Without question two of his guards stalked towards Prince Carrius.
Pelegrina screams and searches for a lesser guarded exit but every exit is guarded by a knot of troops in front of whom lay heaps of dead or dying senators and nobles alike.
Valeria retreats into a catatonic state as she relives the horrors of war that preceded her fall from grace.
Lope's would be killer turns his attention to Julia, having batted aside her blade he attempts to run her through but just as before, the moment his sword toucher her, Julia's badge flashed and she vanished.
"Damn!" growled the man before stepping over to Valeria and attempting to chop her head off. She too vanished.
The pair of Stavian's personal guards reached 'Prince Carrius' and hacked him down, or they would have if he hadn't been whisked away by magic.
Cyrene watches as the fight washes over Grand Prince Stavian III's position, perhaps if he hadn't sent half his guards away to murder a boy Taldor's history would have turned out differently but the emperor died screaming shrilly that "He came back to KIIIIIIL me!"
Shortly after she felt a sudden cold pressure behind her before everything turned white and the room shifted. In the chaos that followed, a man covered in blood with an arm missing tried to gut Pelligrina with a long knife but she too vanished the moment his blade touched her!
With a lurch each of you arrives somewhere that's pitch black and utterly silent beyond the beating of your hearts and heavy breathing fuelled by fear and desperation.
The doors here each lead into rectangular hallways that join up with the next chambers. A small bathroom still functions, the internal plumbing built to last millennia. One locker contains a grooming kit, a moth-eaten change of clothes, and a simple hand mirror, but the rest are empty.
"Mother, is this death?" Lope exclaims in the darkness when he starts to notice breaths around him.
Slowly he starts to fumble around finding what seems... bodies? Reaching to his own face, he feels his own mustache and smiles reassured. With a fingers snap he calls for arcane power Luz and four dancing lights push back the shadows revealing the room "Ah, there, that's better"
Finding his companions of mischief in the room he recomposes himself, standing up and adjusting his vest "So, what happened? Are we dead in some kind of limbo?"
Triphylla had no idea what she was going to do if she managed to reach Stavian. The dagger felt heavy and awkward in her small hand, and it's not like she was actually going to attack the Emperor.
Right??
And then Stavian spots her... him... and whatever her plan might have been blows up with a thrust of swords...
And now darkness.
And Lope's mother?
Her eyes quickly adapt to the magical light, having not had enough time to adjust to the darkness. Then she whirls around to see the rest of Martella's hand-picked team.
She forgets that she still looks exactly like Prince Carrius.
"Seems odd we would all wind up dead in the same place. Wait - did that really just happen? Did Stavian just murder the Senate? That evil bastard! And what happened to the Princess? And where's Lotheed?" On the verge of losing her s+#~, Triphylla/Prince Carrius slumps to her knees on the dusty floor.
In an eye blink Julia saw her death rushing towards her as her would-be assassin's blade seemed poised to cut her in half... only for the next blink to whisk her away into a poorly lit room surrounded by prone bodies and familiar voices.
"Lope? Triphylla? She manages to grumble out between heavy breaths. "Is that you? Where are we? I remember the senate, and Stavian going mad, and then all the guards attacking..." She suddenly remembered the children being attacked. The children that she failed to protect. Their attacker practically dashed her rapier away as if it was a toy. If she was here and they didn't disappear with her and the others...
Panic suddenly started to overwhelm Julia then, well, more panic and fear than she was already feeling. Without even thinking she quickly sang a verse about finding in the darkness and summoned several motes of light to join Lope's as she started to feverish look for the children.
"Did any of you see any children around!? We couldn't have been the only ones sent here. Maybe they got out as well before... Shelyn above. I hope they got out."
Valeria barely registered what was happening when the man came to take her head though she did look up enough to give him a grateful smile and sayd simply, "Thank you." The blade came down and then...there was nothing. She continued to lay in the darkness, silent as she felt herself drift to the grave not particularly hearing the others around her and their shock. When light was brought up Valeria was still curled up in a seemingly catatonic state.
Pelligrina stays completely silent after she awakes in the darkness. She doesn't believe she's dead, slipping her hand into her bag and feeling the cool metal of her mirror's frame convinces Pelligrina otherwise.
However she doesn't know where she is, or what the situation around her is like. Only when the lights appear and she can see some of her surroundings and hear familiar voices does Pelligrina hazard to shift to a sitting position.
"Where do you think we are?" she asks nobody in particular.
"Not sure, if you had not seen the same I would have said it was a nightmare. Is it possible we went through a shared simulation?" Lope asks, still in shock " Maybe Martella is putting us to test."
He comes to the lockers and starts showing the contents, he picks up the mirror and looks himself on it "And what is this place? It seems seldom used"
Lope gave her something to latch onto.
"Perhaps. But why us? No, it's too improbable. What happened happened. But we're alive, and that is likely Martella's doing."
Triphylla crawls over to where Valeria is curled on the floor. The halfling gently rubs her back. "There, there, love. The world may be coming undone, but we still have a place in it. We can't give up on it just yet."
Soon the illusion wears off and she looks like herself again.
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You find yourself in a group of four interconnected rooms. In each of these there are ancient light fixtures but they don't work so you'll have to rely on magic or other means of seeing.
After thinking about it for a while you decide the room you found yourself in must be some long abandoned servants quarters.
---o0o---
Working clockwise around you find what appears to be a social room .
In the north west corner there's an old fashioned wooden bar counter behind which stand open cabinets full of dusty liquor bottles. Most of these are open but one remains tightly sealed with a visible lock. Three tables with adjacent chairs fill much of the room. Portraits of posing nobles and historical scenes adorn the walls, all faded with age.
---o0o---
The next room in a clockwise direction has been decorated to a much higher standard. It's an opulent bedchamber lined by heavy wooden bookshelves carved with various traditional Taldan motifs. A posh chair sits in the northwestern corner alongside a small circular table. A massive dust and cobweb covered bed and an adjoining table rest along the eastern side of the room. An open bathroom fits into the southwest, with a bathtub matching the room’s opulence, but adding an ignoble odor. Clearly this once belonged to somebody important.
The shelves are full of moldering books, most of them detailing points of Taldor’s long history. Despite a thick layer of dust, the high-quality bed and bedclothes here have aged much better than those in the servants’ quarters. A hand mirror and a frayed brush rest on the sink in the bathroom.
You notice a circular, coin-sized niche on the northern wall, but it connects to no obvious mechanisms.
---o0o---
The final chamber appears to be a storage room. The southern and wall is piled with wooden crates and more occupy the northwestern corner. Wooden shelves fill much of the eastern half of the room, each tier filled with dust-coated bottles, crockery, and glass jars. A routine check of the chamber reveals changes of clothes, condiments, pickled vegetables, preserved delicacies, salted meats, and a well-stocked toolkit.
While all the foodstuff here has long since rotted, the toolkit is well stocked and in excellent shape, counting as a masterwork tool for Craft checks related to carpentry, metalworking, or stonework.
You find three daggers, two longswords, a halberd, a masterwork rapier, 12 masterwork darts, and a masterwork suit of studded leather armor.
Once the group has begun to recover their resolve, Triphylla cracks a Sunrod and explores the door to the east. Finding it leads through another door into another square room, she gives it a twice over. Unfortunately, the locked cabinet looks impenetrable, but she does discover behind the bar two unopened bottles of whiskey and a wand.
She hefts the bottles onto the top of the bar and hands the wand to Pelligrina (or whichever spellcaster wants to take it first). "What do you make of that?"
Finding nothing further to spend her talents on, she proceeds north into yet another square room. This one isn't as dull but the owners' attempt at charm falls flat to Triphylla's eye.
A thorough and exhaustive 3 hour search of this room, which is full of surprises, turns up an ornate gold key, a bronzed scroll case with a note inside, and a book that looks interesting...
She hands the scroll case with the note to Julia (or whomever happens to also be in this room with Triphylla).
It took awhile but eventually Julia manages to calm herself as she realizes that wherever they were it was likely far from the senate floor. She'd just have to pray for the best and hope that some people escaped the massacre. With that mind, she took in a steadying breath and got to work. "If we're ever going to find out where we are we're going to have to search these rooms for... something."
Just as she's about to head towards one of the interlocking rooms, Julia notices through the dark a prone Valeria being attended to by
Triphylla. At first she thinks her old friend is hurt only to quickly realize that she's in hurt in an altogether different way. "
Triphylla is right, Val," she says quietly as she kneels beside her and Triphylla. [b]"Things are mad right now but we're all still alive. If we work together now I know we'll stay that way."
Julia can't be sure if her words hit home but she makes another silent prayer to Shelyn that something of her old friend will overcome whatever trauma she's suffering in time.
Though a part of her wanted to say by Valeria's side until she was up and walking again, another told her that practicality demanded she go back to searching for a way out. So she did, heading towards the room to their immediate right with her motes of light following her as she moved out.
She'd spend about half a hour combing through the room for anything that would point them to where they were and how to get out but ultimately food nothing but long rotten food, a few toolkits, and some idle weapons. Quiet a few weapons in fact. Perhaps they were in a barracks? Julia didn't rightly know for sure which irked her. Not wanting to return to the others quite yet, she spent another half a hour looking though some boxes until she managed to discover that past them was a beautiful painting of one of Taldan's great military heroes. Though a fine work of art that called to her Shelynite heart, it was hardly a great clue as to where they were or how they'd get out.
In the end, Julia returns to the party with the weapons, taking a especial liking to the rapier, and tells them all about what she discovered there. "Given the painting of Galitian Maramaxus and the weapons here we might be in an old barracks but Ican't be sure."
Hours later when Triphylla returns and hands her the scroll case and note she looks it over for anymore clues as to where in the Hells they were. "Fourth bed from the north. Comforter. Backup key," she read aloud for the others. "Has anyone spotted this bed or the comforter? Maybe this backup key is our way out?"
Pelligrina eventually rouses herself and begins to help some with looking around. When Triphylla hands her the wand, Pelligrina looks it over and declares it to in fact be "yes, a wand of some sort."
Mostly Pelligrina seems calm but befuddled by the new location, needing direction from others to do much of use.
Cyrene claims the available armor and steps into another room to cha ge, although she makes no effort to hide if anyone else follows along. At Julia's question she humms in assent and disappears, only to return two minutes later with a key.
"Found it." She says, handing it over with a wink and a grin.
No point in Spellcraft so can't make the check. Looks like nobody else has it trained either. Hopefull 2nd level isn't far away. Don't have Detect Magic prepared.