She whispers back, "If Ink allows it. He seems rather... attached. He did bestow those foreign markings to her, I believe. I am willing to share, thank you for asking."
She whispers back, "If Ink allows it. He seems rather... attached. He did bestow those foreign markings to her, I believe. I am willing to share, thank you for asking."
With their brief discussion over Myriana said, "If nyoo onyae else wanyats her and her goonyas we will take them nya." She looked at Ink then and said more seriously, "You have the first claim of her though. I would onyaly request nyaot throwinyag her to the minyaionyas for their enyatertainyamenyat nya. I have serious conyacernyas about that nya."
“You know, it didn’t have to end like this. I wasn’t aware you were here and I still have a mission to complete. You could have assisted me of your own free will and maybe you could have worked with us. But no, you had to be a snarky pest didn’t you.” She stands and flicks him on the face before continuing, “But now, you will complete my mission all the same. Let's see if your race is as proficient as I have read. Bring me the severed head of Craterlord Chandler. Fight him one on one and let me watch. If you impress me, perhaps I will upgrade you from slave to bodyguard. Go, NOW.” Kislum orders as she follows the stalker outside. She tugs on the mental link to chandler and commands, ‘You will be attacked, fight back with all your might and entertain me.’
Desseer ignores the peanut gallery behind him and watches Jorlane with arms crossed.
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“Then we’re aligned for now.”
His gaze shifted briefly toward the streets beyond the cathedral grounds, where smoke still drifted between broken roofs.
“We regroup with those we entered the city alongside. After that, we head for Craterlord Black and see how much of this district truly rests on his spine.”
He looked back to John, steady and unhurried.
“Walk with us if you wish. Debts get paid faster when the work is done cleanly.”
** spoiler omitted **
** spoiler omitted **
Jorlane quickly acts taking her guard's. Tears fall as she apologizes, "Sorry Krate." She aims to bury the blade in his chest with a downward slice. If not stopped...
She continues to hack into her bodyguard. If not stopped soon the guard is dead on the ground.
John speaks with several people and gets directions to the red light district.
There you see a large gang of bandit guards standing at the ready. A noble flop stands on the porch and out walks a lady... with a black monster of sorts.
The black one shoots a dart and paralyzes the flop before charging...
Myriana thought that maybe making her stab the man was a bit too cruel for Jorlane given the way the woman started to cry and spoke what she presumed was the man's name.
Myriana realized that the man was likely Jorlane's lover as the woman held him as he quickly bled out. This was problematic, if he died that would be a sure way to turn her forever against them and that should be avoided, at least for now. Myriana looked to Iris and nodded to the man before she said, "Just as we take life away, we canya give it back. Conyasider this a taste of what disobedienyace will brinyag you nya."
Myriana looked to Iris and then said, "Iris-chanya, if you would heal him nyaow."
Desseer nods in acceptance and attempts to dismiss the suggestion. A notification pops up on from of him.
Do you want to use a mythic point?
Desseer gawks at the message for a moment, and then mentally presses yes. At that, he finds himself casting Dispel Magic .
We're mythic!?
Kislum will snap her fingers and the bandits around her will uniformly part themselves to form a path for her to pass through. As she moves, she will stop for an instant and extend her hand. The thrall in front of her will hand her his sheathed sword and she will hang it at her hip. She will subtly move her hands and whisper the incantation to a message spell to Chad. “take the other 3 and stand at the back where it’s safe.”
She gestures at the bandit host and ,slowly one by one, they will turn their heads and stare blankly at the approaching group. As she approaches them and gets a closer look, she remembers that Desseer had mentioned a dwarf and a giant as part of the allied guild. She relaxes a bit and a wide smiles slips onto her face.
A kitsune with dark grey coat and a white fluffy tail glides in front of the group. As she smiles widely at them, a pair of sharp fangs flash in her mouth. She is dressed in dark coloured silk dress that accentuates her natural charms as her violet eyes gaze at each of the group. She waves her hand and the many bandits behind her visibly relax though they still hold their weapons out lazily by their sides.
Her voice takes on a cheerful and excited tone as she says, “Are you the one Desseer spoke of? The one who we brokered an alliance with? If so, it’s nice to finally meet you. I am Kislum and do forgive the display, I am still getting used to the mental link and commanding 80 plus people isn’t easy as I thought. Is there something I could help you with or are you just sightseeing?”
She steps forward and heals the man but she looks to Desseer as the woman raises the blade again.
She steps forward and heals the man but she looks to Desseer as the woman raises the blade again.
[Dice=healing hex]2d8+5
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“We’re not here to sightsee,” he said, his voice even and grounded, carrying without rising. “Desseer spoke of cooperation. We came to see how that cooperation looks on the ground… and whether it’s holding.” His gaze passed once over the bandits—the blank stares, the casual grips on weapons—before returning to her. “You’re holding a lot of heat here, and you’re doing it without losing control. That tells me enough.”
He shifted his hammer from his shoulder to his hand, not lifting it, simply letting its weight be known. “Black’s already been identified as slag,” he continued, the words carrying no threat, only certainty. “I’m only here to check whether cutting him free interferes with anything you’re shaping… or whether we proceed cleanly and leave you to your work.”
“As for your question…” black walks up to her and hands her the severed head of chandler which she caresses with her hands. “My mission was only to kill craterlord chandler and head back. Unfortunately black over here got in my way, didn’t you dog?” Kislum turns and grabs black by the ear like you would a child. “and he insulted me gravely before starting a fight. I brought him to heel.” she says before letting go and turning to face Hrothgarn.
“while it wouldn’t interfere with my mission to allow you to kill him, he still has a debt to repay me. So I would appreciate you hold off.” she says with a grin. “I am also about done here though and i would be delighted to follow if you have other mission. It’s not fair for me to ask something of you without something in return after all. “
She briefly turns to the host of bandits and loudly shouts. “Go and search the tower and surrounding buildings. Find me valuables and some blood bags, bring them to me now!” and she will allow the bandits to scatter.
Seeing that Jorlane was ready to strike again Myriana quickly moved to Iris and Krate and, as soon as Iris heals him, she touches them both as she says, "Donya't resist nya," and says a few words before teleporting them across the room. She then put herself between Jorlane and Krate and cast another spell to paralyze Jorlane if she started to move closer.
Ink just watches. Somewhar appathetic, He wanted to see the man dead and dying. The suffering. Yet also was done with this. Was he truly this evil? He had done evil for years, but his humanity had some positives. A killer and criminal he may have been, but he didn't want this sort of unnecessary torture.
** spoiler omitted **
The thugs all head out and after a few hours they return with loot. Some art, valuables of precious materials, and mostly silver and copper coins. Totaling 600 to 700 gp in wealth.
With the multiple layers of adjustment, Jorlane puts the sword down and crumples to the floor distressed. Krate and her are both paralyzed,
Desseer appears to stare at Jorlane for several moments, though particularly perceptive people notice that he is staring beyond her. He closes his eyes and then opens them. "My original plan for this woman was to assist in ruling Cinder. If you have need of her otherwise Myriana, I'll take that into account. However, I'm going to have to insist on her role though," he delivers this almost impassively. His eyes then lock with Jorlane's and a barely perceptible flash of annoyance crosses his face, "It seems you are both lucky and not. Lucky that my associates took pity on you. For now, he will be mine. If you demonstrate that you can abide by my wishes, he will be returned. If not, I will make you torture him yourself."
Desseer's gaze then shifts to Krate, "And you...you will do my bidding as well. Should you try something, I will make you watch her suffer. This has been but a fraction of what I am capable of, and I am incredibly creative. Am I understood?"
Ink moves over to grab some sheet or blanket and drapes it over Jolene
'The SLimes will always appreciate more things to eat. They are not picky. In fact, better than swine' Ink says telepathically.
Thorin sighed. Players. He thought, bitterly. They tended to be grandiose, and for good reason. Few were not when given the chance to be larger than life. But he told himself not to judge, for there was little choice for some. It was clear to him that the “world that was” had become a shadow and a dream, and that the bodies they now were in changed everyone. The woman that Kislum was had died. Now she truly was a vampire, and the nature of that was changing her just as surely as being a dwarf was changing himself. Thorin was who he was, and he accepted the changes gladly. Even if he did not have a choice in the matter.
”It seems.” He said, choosing his words carefully. ”That your cruelty serves a purpose beyond merely entertaining yourself. It is…hmm. Ideal. That our goals are aligned. Does paying his debt end with his head parting his shoulders?” The dwarf asked. He was still judging these new ‘comrades.’
Given that he was dealing with a vampire, he was truly glad that he had invested so heavily in keeping his mind free from both scrying and charms alike. One could never trust even your own thoughts when dealing with a creature of the night.
Kislum then tilts her head and muses quietly to herself for a moment before asking, “would you prefer to ask himself yourself? He did ask me to oblige you both so i am sure he wouldn’t mind me bringing you both back. Up to you, I am to work with you in either case.”
Kislum will see the small amount of gold her thralls bring back and sigh. She tugs on black’s link and mentally commands him, ‘go to this location (the base) and ask to be let in. Say you are under my control and ask what if I should bring the other guild’s members to base then return to me. And if not what I should do beyond being nice.’
Kislum will then turn to the other three and say apologetically, “sorry I just remembered something I should have him do. Do ignore him, now what would you like to do.?”
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“Then our paths overlap, but they aren’t bound,” he said evenly. “Your business with Black is yours to finish. We didn’t come to contest debts already claimed.” His gaze lingered on Black only briefly before returning to her. “What matters to us is what comes after. A Craterlord removed leaves a vacuum, whether by blade or leash. If Desseer intends to shape what fills it, that’s a conversation worth having... just not here, and not while the district’s still burning.”
He shifted his weight, the hammer at his side remaining still. “As for your offer, cooperation cuts both ways. If you’re willing to move on from this district once your work’s done, we won’t interfere. In return, we’ll keep our actions clean and our intentions visible.”
There was a pause, then his tone eased, just a fraction, into something drier and more human. “After that, we’ll have an army of priests standing around waiting for someone else to decide what ‘help’ looks like. I’d rather not let that go to waste.”
He glanced briefly down the street, toward the wider sprawl of the city. “Before we move further, we’ll regroup with the others we came into Cinder alongside and “see how the situation’s been shaped so far. Once we’re aligned, we deal with what Black’s left behind.”
He glanced briefly toward Thorin, then back to Kislum. “If you want to bring us to Desseer when the dust settles, we’ll consider it. For now, we finish stabilizing what Black’s left behind.”
She analyses her ‘allies’ with the calculating gaze of a predator. Her powers yearn to be used but she stops herself. Desseer is no fool. If he allied with this guild instead of attacking them, their strength was comparable enough that victory was uncertain. She certainly didn’t wish to spend her new life fighting a war she might not win. And it would not be her who fires the first shot.
Her gaze turns to chandler’s tower and then back to the trio. She smiles brightly this time, before saying, “How very noble of you to desire the districts stability. Feel free to do as you wish in the district, I only desire you leave the craterlord’s tower and possessions to me. My thralls will remain here for the moment while I inspect the tower. I could have some of the bandits obey you for a while if you require extra hands but otherwise you need not worry that I get in your way. Would this be acceptable?”
She tugs on her mental command on black, ‘New plan, return the head to me. Then travel to your district and retrieve all of your magical items and other valuables for me. Meet me in the chandler’s tower with the items ‘ shortly after, black will pass kislum the head and he will bolt off again.
The dwarf listened and watched, fully aware that the vampire was looking at them with the gaze of a predator. This was as good a test as any to see if Kislum could control the dark urges which would forevermore curse her existence. For all of her obvious power, he pitied her. Her existence was not one which he would wish for himself. What was worrisome was the obvious power behind those eyes. The world, he mused, would certainly suffer with her.
He was, however, glad to have Hrothgarn by his side. The task ahead required an imposing presence to bring stability to the district. Something that he did not have in anyway approaching that of his comrade. Fortunately, in this task, the destabilizing forces had already gotten what they wanted. Which meant that 'all' they had to do was convince a terrified populace that no looting or the like was in their interests.
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His gaze moved briefly toward the tower, then back; no judgment, no interest. “What happens inside those walls is yours. Our concern is what bleeds into the streets.”
At the offer of bandits, he gave a small shake of his head. “We’ll manage with our own hands. Keeps the lines clean.”
He turned slightly, eyes tracking the surrounding district, the wounded, the scattered, and the absence of direction. “We’ll regroup with the others already working here and take stock of what ground’s been covered… and what’s about to give way.”
A faint, wry note entered his voice, just enough to cut the gravity “After that, I imagine I’ll be persuading an army of clergy that tending the living comes before guarding stone.”
His attention returned to Kislum, calm and unthreatening. “If we cross paths again, let it be because things are quieter than when we arrived.”
Myriana shook her head when Deseer said what his original plan was for Jorlane and her minons and that he needed her to perform it, "Nyao, that's finyae nya, If you donya't minyad I thinyak this might be a nyaice place to work as a base of operationyas for all of us nya." She grinned and then added, "Besides nya, I nyaow have a knyaight who is from here nya anyad seems to care for the people of his area nya."
Desseer scrunches his face in response to Myriana's words. "I planned on finding another location after the seizure of Cinder completed. It has likely been seen some of us coming and going from this spot, no rush but eventually," he says thoughtfully. "Also, the water stone is out of town so we might want to build a tunnel from somewhere in town. Or, see if there is already one sett up."
He quickly looks to Jorlane, "A steady supply of water can be very beneficial."
"Regardless, I am done with this one for now," he says and then turns to leave. "I need to chat with our other guest downstairs. Do any of you have something vital to share, or just updates?"
Krate and Jorlane nod in agreement to Desseer.
---
Myriana nodded and considered their next steps as she mused, "Yeah, I thiinyak we nyaeed to conyasolodate our power here first nya. I thinyak Iris-chanya and I will stay here for a while nya. I wanyat to try and finyad anyay nearby fey anyad see if we canya't finyad more allies nya."
Desseer pauses his exit. "Sweet. In that case, I'm happy to leave Cinder to you then after we settle things down. You will be coordinating with Jorlane here, Roth, and Zerasha. Talk with me in a little bit downstairs. " Desseer then continues his exit.
She thinks for a moment before saying, “oh and do inform the priest of my nature as well as our agreement. I would hate for any misunderstanding to affect our relations.”
Several simple magical rings of minor value and several decorated neckalaces are among them. Equallying at most 2,000 gp. Each item no more than 400 gp.
Black's quarters is like an alchemist lab. Many different cauldrons going likely brewing potions. Large glass distilling systems. You believe his only magical items are on his person. There are dozens of books on alchemy.
With Deseer making his exit Myriana nodded in understanding and said to Jorlane, "I will meet with you soonya anyad I will binyag my knyaight to meet you as well nya. He will be involed inya thinyags too nya." With that she went downstairs, letting Iris decide for herself what she wanted to do.
When Myriana eventually caught up to Deseer again downstairs she said, "What did you nyaeed to talk about nya?"
Kenyu smiles kindly at the injured woman in front of her, reaching out her hand to place on the woman's shoulder. "Its alright, I am here to help." She says gently but with confidence. She calls on the strange power she has felt within her and 5 small lights manifested, forming into 5 miniature orreries that zip around her. "Harbringers, may one of you help me heal this poor woman." The archons respond not with words but actions as one approaches the woman, landing close to her wounds. It begins to glow and soon the wound closes.
Kenyu helps the woman to her feet and pats her shoulder. "There all better. Now be careful, there are some unholy creatures running about. My advice would be to leave as quickly and as quietly as possible. Be careful." Kenyu leads the woman to the other end of the alley way before bidding her goodbye.
Kenyu moves back to the other end of the alley way where koro and flitter were waiting. She smiles at them before looking out of the alleyway. there in the middle of the street were Thorin and Hrothgarn. They were standing next to a man she didn't recognize but more concerningly in front of a vampire. One of the other guild's members and her many dominated bandits.
Kenyu's brow furrowed in sadness as she looked. Even in a different world, some people still lusted for power and control. "Harbringers, fly far and look for people who need healing. Heal them." The little orbs flew off at her command.
Her attention turned back to her guild members and the vampire. In theory, an ordinary vampire should not be able to dominate Thorin, Hrothgarn or his mount. But an ordinary vampire should not be able to dominate an animal like that black dog. So just in case...
She motioned for koro and flitter to stay put. Koro could attack from range and riding flitter would likely draw too much attention. She speaks the words and makes the gestures for an invisibility spell. As she vanishes from sight, she moves to stand 10ft behind her two guildmates. Close enough to hear their conversation and intervene if need be.
Iris sticks to Myrianna through the interactions.
She lets Myrianna go after Desseer and she goes to her own room.
When Myriana catches up to him, he pauses and turns towards her, "Oh, most of that was to reinforce the idea to Jorlane that I'm in charge. That way, in the future, you would be less likely to be targeted for death. Less likely, not necessarily removing it completely. I wanted to establish a sense of hopelessness. The rest of what I wanted to tell you is about Zerasha, but it has to do with Dom. So, you might as well join me for the convo with him. It'll make sense shortly."
Ink continues to move along with Desseer."I personally can kill her at any time. Few ward against a creature such as me. Especially when I am neither man nor ooze" Ink Adds as he seemingly slithers along a strange mix of snail and snake.
RARGHG mimes a yawn as she watches the others at work with the humans of this town. RARGHG didn’t particularly care or pay attention after Desseer began his work to intimidate the lady. Staring past the group as she gazed at the wall, she mused more on her new body. Unlike her previous one, this body was suited for combat and physical activity. She felt truly at home and joyous when she was in the field. Sure it was not as exciting as she would have liked it due the relative weakness of these warriors, but the feeling of being in combat felt right to her.
Maybe this transformation was affecting her as well. Perhaps to others this would have been horrible, terrifying even. But she embraced her change. Her disease had taken much from her and even the simplest of activities became impossible in the other world. Here, not only could she move faster and strike harder than any athlete, the rush of adrenaline as she prepared her body for combat was intoxicating after all this time. She longed to return to battle, to truly test the limits of her strength.
The meeting ended and one by one the other guild members left the meeting room. She remained in the tight restrictive door way, passively looking at the humans still present. Soon, the time for battle would come and maybe she would find out what she could really do.
In the other room he continues to meditate and wait...
RARGHG senses the immense presence and for the first time since she got here, she feels true excitement. Its presence was one she hadn’t sensed before and she was eager to test its strength. She gave a small gesture to steph who nodded before casting bull’s strength on her.
RARGHG rushed off in the direction of the presence. She will barrage in and gaze at the figure. Her chittering voice will sound out to the room, “you. You are strong.”. Her gaze is curious, excited and challenging all at once as she looks at the monk