St. John speaks up and says "I'll take point if that is OK with you. We'll see where this takes us."
Triphylla is happy for St. John to take point. She's almost tapped out when it comes to combat for the day; best to let someone else handle that role if need be.
Esinti stays near Diana and Valeria and starts to scan their surroundings for signs of danger. It's not that they need Esinti's protection, but if trouble does find them, he has no qualms about throwing himself in front of whatever it is that wants to hurt them.
After all, he's the one wearing solid plate armor, even if it's hidden beneath a glamer.
"I must admit I know nothing of dryads, but hopefully, we can do this without having to use violence."
As you venture into the forest, the sounds of the city fade and the world closes in on the narrow path through the trees. To each side there are dense bramble thickets and you hear the sounds of birds in the canopy above.
While walking behind St. John, Triphylla notices nothing out of the ordinary for a wooded park, nor would she expect unpleasantries besides the odd vagabond, or dryad.
There are a thousand things Esinti wants to say, but he knows that all of them are but a splinter of his worries and fears. Nature, it's lovely, but Esinti is a city sylph at heart.
St. John walks point looking ahead, to the sides and sweeping the ground. Suddenly, he stops and raises his hand in a fist. He points ahead and says "There is a tripwire ahead connected to logs to sweep the path. It might be best to back up and set it off."
Valeria was content to stay towards the middle of the pack as they proceeded while she kept her eyes open. If there was a dryad, she rather wanted to meet it.
"I see it too," she said when the trap was pointed out, "I think that we can avoid it if we go over that way," she pointed to the side away from the trip wire, "a short distance and then cut back over."
Thanks to the sharp eyes of Valeria and St John you stop just short of the trap. You look around and you see no sign of any enemies close by, it seems you have time to deal with the trap and hopefully disable it. While you decide what to do, several birds quarrel in the canopy above, their rawkus calls rising before one is seen off by the other.
Triphylla looks at the trap once the others have pointed it out. She wonders briefly if there's no way round it, but to leave it active would probably cause the death of some child in the days ahead, so it must be dealt with.
She extracts her kit and puts her faith in her skill. "You may want to stand back."
Lope steps forward, his eyes sweeping from the trap to Triphylla's hands "Good work Tryp"
He glances up toward the quarrelsome birds above, narrowing his eyes slightly "Still. I have the strangest feeling we are being watched... someone must have set up this trap, and is probably not welcoming our approach"
Still if the trap is disabled, he advances through the path, a hand over the pommel of his sword, ready to draw it if necessary.
"What in damnation," Esinti mutters when the trap is revealed to him by his companions. Swinging logs, here, in a park accessible to everyone?! While Trip deals with the trap, Esinti checks his gear and weaponry to ensure everything is where it should be. Violence is perhaps more likely than first assumed.
"You're right, Lope. This ain't the work of bored kids or the good Gods forbid, an overzealous scout leader setting up a fun parkour for his troop."
Triphylla set to work making the trap safe, this turned out to be rather more difficult than she anticipated because the logs were extremely heavy and messing with the ropes that suspended them invited disaster. In the end she was able to temporarily lash the tigger system to another tree and safely cut the tripwires.
You then carry on down the path for a couple of minutes before it opened up into a small clearing that contained several dense thickets. Piles of leafy branches rest atop the thickets, making the dense undergrowth even more impenetrable.
Suddenly a wild eyed woman holding a nocked bow burst out from behind one of the thickets and cries, "You'll never take me alive! Begone or I'll shoot!"
Having no visible weapons and being of small stature, Triphylla hardly looks threatening. She takes a cautious step forward.
"We are friends to the fey," Triphylla announces truthfully. "We have previously held counsel with Atratus, fey guardian of Lauchlein Lake in the west. She treated us amicably and we performed a service for her, for which she gave us the gift of the mask my friend now holds." She gestures to Valeria.
"We mean you no harm. We only wish to talk."
The woman blinked, looking at Triphylla strangely before replying, "Um. Come again, you wot?!"
Seeing more clearly the dirty woman's costume, she realizes she has missed the mark.
"Oh, umm, I was expecting someone else. No matter. My name is Triphylla. We're looking for Lieutenant Gallindra Jonrek. The Emperor is dead. We are agents of the Princess."
"We're looking for Lieutenant Gallindra Jonrek."
The moment Triphylla said this, the crazy woman jerked her bow towards Triphylla and demanded through gritted teeth, "WHO SENT YOU?! IT WAS COMMANDER STAUBEL WASN'T IT?! ADMIT IT NOW!"
Lope approaches the conversation carefully " Lieutenant Gallinera? We freed from the stone to Sir Dratavis after killing the Medusa in the fort. He said you might have proof against Commander Staubel. We need it to bring him to the Law and safe the Taldan Horse"
Esinti carefully lowers his weapon to show the woman they're not here to capture or kill her.
"We are no friends of Staubel."
Sounding incredulous she replied, "You killed the Medusa?! Where's Sir Dratavis then?"
"She turned me to stone!" says Triphylla, offended at Gallerina's incredulity.
Then she looks around sheepishly. "I got better."
Valeria was surprised when the woman popped out of the shrubbery and went on her guard, though she drew no weapons. Fortunately, they seemed to be doing alright talking to her until she got spooked and thought they were sent by Straubel. On the upside they managed to calm her down enough to keep listening when she asked where Sir Dratavis was.
Valeria stepped slightly forward as she said, "He did not come with us, not right away, but he does intend to catch up, but he did not say exactly when or where. The last we saw him he was safe."
She lowers the bow a little so it's not pointing at anyone in particular and says, "Well I'm not moving until he gets here. I've seen good friends turned to frigging stone, and the worst of it is, we were sent there by the C.O. because we were too loyal to Taldor!"
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You hear a sound of a horse approaching from behind which turns out to be Ser Dratavis who calls out, "Hullo! I have returned as promised!"
Noting the standoff he rolled his eyes and scolded Gallindra saying, "If only you could see yourself in a mirror Lieutenant Jonrek! You're uniform is an absolute disgrace, and put that bow down! Clearly they're not here to arrest or otherwise harm you because they would have done so already!"
Looking a bit sheepish, Gallindra lowers her bow and sighs deeply.
Dismounting, he trotted over to Dianna and said, "I've bought a small token of my thanks for freeing me. It's something that's been in the family for a long time, but honestly rather than being stuffed in a box it would be better for Taldor it was used. So I'd like you to have this."
He then passes Dianna a small lacquered wooden box.
"Yes, very well. Glad that's sorted. Okay, we have a cult to bust up. Carry on, Sir Dratavis!"
St. John watches the woman's reaction and says "Are you two good to handle the Commander now or do you need our assistance? There is a cult we would like to work into."
"Handle her?!" Gallindra snorted, "Er she's got dozens of soldiers with her, and no offence to Ser Dratavis but he's more a menace to himself than anyone else with that blade of his!"
Ser Dratavis sighed, "I'm afraid she's right, it will take more than the pair of us to handle Commander Staubel." He turned to Gallindra and asked, "Where is she stationed by the way?"
Gallindra replied, "At the Talgrasses caravanserai about fifteen miles west of Taldor on the Whistling Plains."
"Oh! Well now isn't that interesting!" piped up Terence who had been furiously taking notes, "There's supposed to be Qadiran bandits out there menacing traders, what is Commander Staubel up to?!"
"Nothing good." muttered Ser Dratavis.
"Interesting" Lope notes as the location of the Commander is finally handled "If there is any proof of the missdoings of the Commander, it would be useful for us to hand her to the Law"
"Though we might be better doing this personally. I do not believe much on the city's law being clean enough to handle this business" then thinking on the decision to handle the Cult, he inquiries "Do you think we have a day or two before visiting the Whistling Plains? Or the Commander is likely to move soon?"
"I doubt a couple of days would make any difference." replied Ser Dratavis, "As for proof, well we have Gallindra's word about Commander Staubel sending soldiers to their doom. Potentially other witnesses too if more scrolls can be obtained. Still if you really want a slam dunk I'd recommend looking for any correspondence with Earl Merkondus, we know they correspond at length and I'll wager there'll be something incriminating there!"
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Lope nods to Sir Dratavis "The Earl's correspondence. Good. I guess that means infiltrating his own location"
Then looking to the others "Ok, let's go investigate this business with the Cult" and turning to Sir Dratavis once again "Could you please hide Gallindra somewhere while we deal with the other stuff? We need a safe place for her, and better if the Commander and the Earl think you both are indeed dead, so avoid showing up until we are ready"
St. John nods as Lope speaks and then adds "We will need as much evidence as possible and we don't want anything to happen to our witnesses. More would help but I don't know if we can get anymore or who would be best to free."
Sir Dratavis nods to Lope "Yes, I have a couple of safe houses in town. If you leave word at your Inn I can find you when you're ready to talk next."
Terence was still jotting things down in his notepad when he asked, "Would you mind if I accompany you to the Encircling Bower? I think there's a second scoop to be had there. Don't worry I won't get in your way."
After talking to Terrence, you make your way back to the streets of Yanmass and head east towards the gate as the sun sinks towards the horizon, casting long shadows. Any worry that you might find it difficult to attend a meeting is swiftly dispelled when it becomes obvious hundreds of people are headed towards the old theater. You fall in line and before long a large torch lit shape resolves in the distance.
Once an imposing circular edifice, the brick arches and stone ornaments of theater are now scarcely visible beneath climbing rose, grapevines, and ivy. You worry that this jumbled mass of foliage may be the only thing
preventing the venerable theater from simply collapsing. The stone marquee set between the two entrances nears the nearly illegible text (especially in torch light): “The Encircling Bower Welcomes You into Its Embrace.”
There is quite a hum of excitement from the gathering crowd enthusing about the miracle of the Twilight Child. People start filing into the large two level auditorium, do you follow them?
"Good, let's also set a safe word Sir Dratavis" Lope agrees a means of communication, trying to keep it under unwanted ears.
Looking at the others, he agrees with Terence "Sure, you can come and witness what happens. But try to keep it safe"
---
Standing in front of the building, Lope frowns at the sight of guards "A theater for an audition of a cult? What a fitting place for the fake drama... and why the need of guards?"
The Aldori looks at the others, and if no one opposes, move in with the group to see what is happening inside.
Esinti slips away from the crowd and uses this quiet moment to adjust the glamer spell affecting her armor. When he returns not even a minute later, the sylph is clad in garb common to the people of Yanmass.
"To quench and silence dissent, I reckon," Esinti says in response to Lope. He eyes the impressive theatre and recalls the times his troupe got to perform in such places. For the first time in what feels like forever, Esinti misses home. Dealing with it in the most mature way possible, he quickly returns his full and undivided attention to the situation at hand. "Let's find some nice seats near one of the exits."
The theater is full and buzzing with the sound of hundreds of people from all walks of life. By luck you manage to find some seats near the middle rank in the stall, they were being reserved for a family who couldn't make it in the end and an usher directed you to the seats.
Shortly after you sit down, a beautiful female aasimar with a glowing halo steps onto the stage. She is dressed in what you gather is the cult's standard outfit of a sky-blue skullcap, veil, and long tunic with a pattern of overlapping circles. She claps her hands to quiet the crowd saying, "Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats our service will begin shortly." She scans the crowd and upon seeing you she points and says, "It is gratifying to see new people, please everyone welcome them to the mystery of the Twilight Child!"
Before going into the theater, Triphylla consumes her extract of Heightened Awareness, to better absorb the spectacle
Triphylla slips into the aisle seat; she hates being contained and often the big dumb humans that attend such things don't think to spare her an arm rest, and the aisle seat grants her one such luxury. As it were, her feet dangle above the floor and she rests deeply in the oversized seat.
"She's quite charming, no?" she asks no one in particular.
Then quietly, she whispers to the others, "They've locked us in."
Next a tall, gaunt aasimar with a prominent chin walks on stage flaked by several other high cultists. His severe features, deep voice, and penetrating gaze lend him an undeniable gravitas. His celestial heritage is obvious: his eyes are silvery orbs with pupils of darker silver, and his skin is pale and smooth. Like the others he wears the standard vestments of the cult: robes embroidered with overlapping circles.
The three cultists start a repetitive chant in a musical language which the crowd fervently picks up. Some members of the crowd ring ring chimes and bells in time with the chant. As this goes on nozzles around the stage spray a golden mist that slowly covers the stage and the audience, it all makes for quite an experience. Diana, Lope & Valeria in particular find the ceremony surprisingly uplifting, euphoric even with feeling a mystical connection those those around them. Clearly many in the crowd feel the same way, there's a general feeling of love and excitement in the air.
The lead cultist pops behind the stage curtain for a moment before reemerging. He points to a man in the row in front of you, "You there the baker. I know you are worried, I know times have been hard for you. Your main customers the Taldan Hose have vanished. Fear not! The Twilight Child shall provide. You have friends here! We shall all drop by, and buy our bread from you. This is not just a community, this is a family, we look after each other!"
The man seems taken aback, "Uh! T-t-thank you!". The crowd seem excited by this, they hang on the cultists' every word.
The lead cultist nods and leads everyone in a prayer, "Let us all pay homage to The Twilight Child!"
As the congregation prays you see a golden glowing child of noble bearing levitate up through the stage! A closer look reveals him as hollow-eyed young man dressed in golden robes with circle motifs.
The cultist points to another man, this time towards the back and he says, "Risen Prince, here is a man, a labourer, whose neighbors owe him debts” The radiant boy replies, "Elsar, In the same tokes as the roofs you mend, so we shall the debt you are owed be repaired and repaid!"
Triphylla begins to cheer. "Hooray for the Risen Prince!"
While clapping she nudges the party member nearest to her and casts her glance to the roof where Xan hides.
"More! More!" she cheers the stage show on. "Do me next!"
Lope nods, mesmerized by the chants, agreeing about supporting the baker.
His wizardry trained eyes though, narrow slightly at the sight of the levitating figure, even as the golden mist lingers in the air and the crowd falls into prayerful reverence.
Turning slightly to the others in the row, Lope leans in and murmurs under his breath "Locked in a theater, drugged with mist, and shown a levitating boy? This is theater all right, but the tragedy kind. Eyes sharp"
Then, eyes focused on the glowing "Twilight Child," he studies its movements and mannerisms carefully. His instincts as both a spellcaster and a swordsman are on alert. The emotion in the room may feel real, but he has seen how easily magic can bend belief.
To those close enough, Tryp and Diana, he adds quietly "I want to believe this is a divine being. But it smells of enchantment and illusion. Be ready."
He then looks up towards where Triphylla is pointing.
Seeing nothing, he instinctively brings his hand to Gloria's pommel, while observing the show to develop with a feeling of relaxation.
Esinti cares little for the emotional spectacle. With a background in theatre and performance, he inadvertently focuses on the details of the performance. The trick with the levitating boy, now that's a good one! It's so good that it causes him to lean forward in his chair as he tries to figure out how they're doing this. Sadly, a satisfying conclusion doesn't come knocking, and as the show moves on to yet another emotional segment, so too does Esinti.
Triphylla leans over and says quietly to the others, "That weird man we encountered earlier today, the one going on about the Cult, he's there, in the rafters with a crossbow aimed at the stage."
Then to Lope's comment she adds, "You're right. The boy is under the stage. This is simple smoke and mirrors. But there are well-meaning people here. If we start a fight there will be misguided innocents caught in the melee, or those who might be roused to oppose us." In truth, she's less interested in saving gullible idiots and more worried about having to fight without any of her means, having exhausted her daily allocation of mutagen and extracts.
Triphylla keeps an eye on Xan lest he turn that crossbow on her.
Triphylla's outburst draws some attention although people seem confused whether she's with them or against. Up on the roof Xan seems to be just watching.
After a few minutes more, the lead cultist tells everyone, "We must avoid overly taxing The Twilight Child, it is time to say goodbye!"
He claps his hands and the glowing youth descends below the stage.
The cultist invites members of the audience who have previously received the prince’s assurances to stand and testify to the prince’s power. Half a dozen people do so relating various improvement in their station, that they ascribe this to the miraculously risen prince, none of which sounds terribly convincing to your ears.
By now it's full dark and the he aasimar high cultists lead the attendees in various hymns. At some point during the songs you notice Xan has left.
The service ends, the guards unlock the exists, and the cult members are invited to leave and go forth to spread the word of the cult. As the high cultists retire backstage, some of the crowd leave offerings of fine food, money, or other items on the stage as they leave. Still affected by the euphoric effect of the golden mist, the attendees chat good-naturedly as they exit.
Lope just stands, offering how the cultists retreat to the backstage and some people leave offerings. He comments to the group discreetly "What do you think? There seems to be performance, but perhaps there is something to it. And this Xan, what is his business here? I don't understand..."
Pointing to the backstage with his gaze, he adds "Perhaps we should further investigate. If they discover us, we can say we are interested to become more involved with the cult..."
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"The likeness to the Prince is uncanny. I daresay that would have fooled the emperor better than I on that fateful day. Yes, Lope, let's snoop around some. Perhaps one of you could create a distraction. Feign interest or something."
Triphylla does still have her Invisibility extract remaining, although Diana's spell is more powerful.
Valeria felt the golden mist fall and began to feel...uplifted, connected with those around her, and she did not register why this all felt so wrong. Valeria had even begun to bow her head in prayer to join in paying reverence but when she heard Lope say quietly they were being drugged by the mist Valeria felt a new feeling wash through her body, fear at being caught in the snare.
Valeria was not unfamiliar with being drugged, those dark times in the succubi's harem had resulted in that happening many times, and now that she was aware of it, she could feel the wrongness of the drug even as it felt so right. This, above all they had dealt with in this city, was the first thing to really, truly, scare her. She vaguely remembered when she was cleansed of the drugs after getting free, but she knew it was not a pleasant time, and she did not want to do it again. Unfortunately, she was having trouble resisting the call of letting the drug have it's way and found she lacked the will to try and shake it off.
Despite the fact that most under the affects of the mist were getting involved in the ceremony Valeria did not. Instead she sat there, somewhat listlessly, enjoying the euphoric high of the mist. She was still sitting there, not really paying attention to what Lope and Tryphylla said, she just wanted the high to continue.
Looking around as the congregation files out you notice a balcony level, but that doesn't seem to go anywhere interesting.
The round wooden stage is twenty feet in diameter and juts into the theater seating, allowing a good view of the stage from multiple sides. A heavy green curtain provides the backdrop, nearly obscuring two openings that lead backstage. The floor at the rear of the stage contains an obvious trap door ten feet wide by ten feet long.