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"Lot of paperwork here. Could be something of value. Maybe even some scrolls." After a raised eyebrow, Elmar starts going through them.
Elmar, not wanting to break his invisibility, resorts to more indirect magic. He retrieves from his pouch a small square of butter. With a flick of his other hand he lights a tiny flame and starts warming it. "Svejing." He pinches the corners of the butter and mimics throwing it forward, and a coating of grease appears!
Elmar reels from the explosions, ears ringing and staggering in disorientation. He coughs from the smoke, doing his best to get his bearings. He cloaks himself in invisibility and staggers out, trying to get distance from the hellscape that's being created.
Elmar's lip curls in pain and annoyance at the cut. With furrowed brows he steps away, quickly retrieving a pinch of ground grey material. He throws it in the air causing a small puff of dust. Then he points at the elephant, and cries out as he throws his hand open. "Itmemenisj bilaes!" Elmar's hair floats and his eyes glow, and his veins run with magic for a moment as he bares his teeth.
Elmar watches the surrender, then nods to them. He widens his hands out. "Iefky larp." With a motion like he's gently fanning away the air, the tentacles wither and turn to particles in a few moments.
The tentacles reassert their grip, crushing into the officer's torsos and whipping them around violently. As the others start moving Elmar calls out. "Wait." It comes from both Elmar's lips and Shendra's thoughts, a slight tinge of concern from the latter. She floats behind Elmar and curls in his shadow as he reaches for his spell component pouch again. This time he retrieves a small tightly wrapped container, and from it he draws a pile of half-solid black goo. It's smell is pungent at several feet away, smelling of decay and sulfur. He holds out his palm, causing it to float, and begins drawing a quick series of complex signals in front of it, towards the officers. The signals manifest in the air as a burning arcane symbol, and with a sharp gesture, the ball of goo ignites. He clenches his available hand and it condenses into molten-hot bead. "Docar garmth!" The bead whips forward, goes through the floating arcane gate, and ascends to such speeds that it causes whiplash to try to follow it. It vanishes into the room, a nanosecond later, an intense heat blossoms forth as a fiery explosion rocks the room, threatening the integrity of the building.
As the officers are left flailing in the air with their skin burned and the room filling with smoke, Elmar lowers his hands. "Now would be a good time to surrender." He suggests coldly.
If the others thought this situation would call for a haste spell, they were sorely mistaken. Seeing them all grouped up and far from his allies, Elmar thought it was time to try one of his new tricks. He steps forward into the clustered hallway, but instead of hitting the back of his companions, he simply...steps out of existence. But he is back instantly on the far side, positioned in the front where he can see the far corner of the room.
Elmar bends his knees, retrieving from his spell component pouch a dried and withered squid tentacle. He puts it between his teeth, widening his hands out and pointing his fingers upwards. The air above his fingers starts shimmering in a flat horizontal plane, and he pushes against it with force. As his fingers start shaking with the effort he bites down hard, shattering the tentacle and causing black ichor to run down his lips as he shouts "Pral kyfei!" Elmar's fingers burst through the invisible barrier, and at the same time, the ground underneath the soldiers shatters as a field of rubbery black tentacles erupts forth!
Elmar was not normally the one playing nice in the group, but strange times call for strange strategies. He finds a nearby cushion, moving it behind the man so he can at least rest his back and neck, but does not counter Marius's assertion that he must remain down.
Elmar softens at the latest development, a look of empathy crossing his face. He stops flipping the bracelet and steps forward. "Of course. We-" He glances pointedly at Kela. "-promise that your family will come to no harm. Now, let's talk."
Elmar takes the bracelet, flipping it into the air casually to show his evaluation of the danger of the item. He strolls over to Keli, squatting down. "C'mon, the game is up, now answer the questions. Either you answer nothing, annoying us, and we have the book thrown at you to ensure you never see daylight again, or you help and we make sure you get a nice deal doing community service or something."
Elmar's brows go up at the quick ending. He hadn't even be able to move before they surrendered. Elmar keeps his silence for the time being, nodding to Rose's request and moving to examine the bracelet. Shendra narrows her own eyes and offers her insights as well.
Elmar narrows his eyes in confusion and skepticism, also scanning the area with detect magic.
"There has to be at minimum a window on the second floor, if not a balcony door. Let's try our luck."
Elmar rolls his neck. "Alright, give me a minute." He retrieves his spellbook, a moderately thick tome with modern dull metallic bindings and very old elven designs. He flips through it for a few moments, mouthing silently to himself, then nods. Elmar places his hands in a contorted triangle in front of his face. "Hirvear trilvol." He spreads his hands out, and a number of illusory doubles spread out directly in the space around him.
Then he steps over to Raesilia. From his component pouch he pulls out what appears to be a chewed wad of tree sap. He plucks one of his own eyelashes and wraps the gum arabic around it. Then he tosses it above Raesilia's head where it hovers. He places his hands on either side and mimics breaking an egg. "Rifstejarwim." The coated eyelash spreads and dissipates into nothingness, but that same nothingness coats her and she disappears completely from view.
Next he approaches Marius. Without looking he reaches up to his shoulder, where Shendra had already moved to pluck one of her own colorful feathers to hand to him. "Yellow. She likes you." He takes it in his hands, placing the palms against each other with one pointing up and one pointing down. Then he pulls his arms into his chest, followed by throwing out the motion with a large exhale. "Wiap!" There is a small gust of wind...but apparently no other effect. After a suitably dramatic pause, Elmar smiles, takes both of Marius's shoulders, and effortlessly lifts him. He releases his hands and Marius slowly drifts upward. Shendra whispers something in Elmar's ear which causes him to give a smirk of amusement. He walks over to Baron Barksley and repeats the process, this time with a blue feather given by Shendra who seems to have a taunting expression. As the wind gusts over the good Baron, Elmar reaches down and also gently pulls him into the air.
"I suppose we are on the march. Why corner the enemy pieces when you can simply take the king?"
Elmar closes his hand, brows going up at Faenias interrogation. He smirks as she divulges the information. "I think step one is some sunlight. Have them confess to their crimes and motivations in exchange for lenient sentencing, allowing the public to become aware of this trickery. Start cornering our adversary, limiting their options."
Elmar casually flicks a fan of flames in the background, considering their captives quietly while they're being interrogated.
Elmar bares his teeth in response to the arrow, ripping it out with a wince of pain. Then he chants a familiar incantation and moves himself back and behind cover.
"I was not suggesting an allyship in earnest, more of a blackmail situation. And then discard them when convenient. But your concerns are valid, perhaps the effort would not be worth the value of the low level pieces." Elmar waves his hand, as if making an agreement on what they would be having for brunch. "Let's keep it simple than, turn them in."
Elmar shrugs. "They've shown themselves to not be a threat, we've proven we can outwit them on investigations and out power them in a fight. We have them and can decide their fate. To me it makes sense as a potential bargain to be struck to make themselves indebted to us in exchange for not being turned in for their crimes. Then we have possible allies, possibly infiltrating the enemy. They're not powerful pieces, but taking control of an enemies pawns is more advantageous than removing them from the board. Especially if he thinks they're still on his side, which would prevent him from retaliating to taking them off the board." He takes a deep inhale and looks to the sky. "However, if the purpose of our being here is to publicly display our superiority, it would make more sense to turn them in. That would be more advantageous for public relations perhaps. I still think it's better to turn them into turncoats and work for us, but I can see the merit in throwing the book at them."
Elmar keeps his silence, as Marius was leading an excellent interrogation and he didn't want to cause an upset in his cadence. However he does transmit a mental message via his familiar, the sing-songy voice coming through quietly in Marius's head. There may be an opportunity to get them on our side, at least as low level henchmen. They know they're no match for us in guile or strength now, and the offer to look past their crimes in exchange for their cooperation could be enticing.
Elmar reaches into his spell component pouch, and takes out what appears to be a small preserved eye with a predator's iris. He places it near his forehead and it floats there on its own as he places his fingertips to each side of it. "Gwaedul dúven." The eye evaporates into mist that seems to be sucked into Elmar's own eyes, causing him to blink rapidly for a moment.
Otherwise he keeps his silence, nodding in agreement to the other's words.
Elmar hisses in displeasure at the ambush. He retrieves a tiny branch of root from his spell component pouch and tosses it into the air, then claps his hands together. "Ryst." The root is consumed nearly instantly in a flash of fire, and the entire party inhales what feels like invigorating licorice fumes.
Elmar nods in understanding, sending a mental nudge to Shendra who goes back to snoozing. He cocks his head in curiosity at the Kelish...curse? Blessing? Joke? It was hard to tell. "Well, no time to waste than." He says, ready to head out.
Elmar absentmindedly whirls a few sparks of magic around his fingers. "An interesting question. I could have Shendra follow them to find out." He offers. Shendra flicks her head up curiously in response.
Elmar stays with the others, taking on a supportive role while he's still mostly in the dark about their other priorities. However he does take the time to ask his new party members about said priorities, wanting to gain the full picture of all their current goals.
"Wise words, especially if the announcement comes loudly from us. Perhaps better than, to have the news spread more slowly and naturally via word of mouth? We could of course still catalyze the beginning of it, but it would seem less like propaganda that way."
Elmar narrows his eyes at the baron's suggestions, trying to ascertain if it's an honest piece of advice or more of a veiled threat.
Both of Elmar's brows go up. "That's a large question to ask, and warrants more than a pithy answer. It would be no simpler than answer than 'What is your opinion on the state of our entire country?'." He pauses a moment with a small smile of acknowledgement. "But I will not skirt the intent of your probe. If we are to be allies, I would have us both know each other's intents. And if we were to be enemies...well I don't mind my enemies knowing my values." There is a humorous edge to his tone, implying his acknowledgement of the reality of their recent and unsure partnership while also showing he assumes the best intent. Elmar sets down his plate of food and folds his hands. "I would not describe the situation as unfortunate. I would describe it as intentional, and as malicious. Old barons of power shrieking in anger as their influence slips from their fingertips, and responding with violence to regain their hold." His words are serious and cutting, but he keeps his demeanor calm, as if asked to assess the marketplace. "They pretend to respect the will of the people and follow the laws they put in place, but when they were losing according to their own rules, they flipped the table. As soon as they realized they couldn't load the dice, they threw a fit. It is no less than a coup against the most fundamental aspects of our nation, and to resist their attempts at insurrection is a patriotic duty." Elmar lets those words sit in the air for a moment, leveling his gaze with Marius. "That is the philosophical way I think of it, as it stands to in regards to considering the structure of our nation." His countenance and posture shifts, less cordial, replaced by a forward leaning intensity. His voice lowers but it only makes his words land more heavily. "More directly, I have fought years for the sake of justice for the downtrodden, and have learned that the maxim 'The wheel of justice turn slowly' actually means 'You ought to accept tiny victories and go back to your suffering'." His gaze sharpens, and the deep passion in his voice cuts through, his speech betraying tiny wisps of hot emotions roiling up. "The wheel of justice will turn at the speed we push it, when it is oiled by the blood of tyrants. To that end I cast my fate with Princess Eutropia."
Elmar politely inclines his head and gives the necessary niceties to be proper, but otherwise keeps his silence. He takes a careful selection of food, but mostly feeds it to Shendra on his shoulder as he quietly takes in his surroundings. He gives a nod of agreement to Marius's assessment of Rhundle Navin, making a mental note of his magically educated grasp of the situation. As Marius talks of other matters Elmar breaks his silence. "For those of us who have recently joined the fray, could I be enlightened on the matter of the company of the Horse and the..." He raises an eyebrow. "Cult matter?"
Elmar Level 8 Ability Score: Int +1 (no mechanical change)
Familiar: gains base stat increases from Elmar's increased HP, saves, BaB, and skills, otherwise no significant changes
Elmar frowns. Certainly an enchantment of some kind. As quietly and subtly as he can he begins casting detect magic.
After giving adequate time for the others to make their necessary preparations, Elmar retrieves a tiny branch of root from his spell component pouch. He tosses it into the air, then claps his hands together. "Ryst." The root is consumed nearly instantly in a flash of fire, and the entire party inhales what feels like invigorating licorice fumes.
Barcos's words sit heavily in the air, and Elmar has no response for them.
Elmar cocks an eyebrow at the heritage comment. "It is moderately difficult, and it required research and hard work. Much like tailoring." He says flatly. He stops walking. "I need a moment." He closes his eyes and focuses.
Elmar draws a metamagic rod from among his goods and steps forward. "Group together. This spell will last for about fourteen minutes. Shendra will be the focus of the spell and will be staying at the center of us. We will be able to all see each other, but others will not be able to see us. They can still hear us, and can still detect the presence and location of magic. If you move farther than ten feet away from Shendra or take offensive actions, the invisibility will end for that recipient. Understood?" He pauses for questions, and once answered, nods. "Alright. Remember, ten feet from Shendra at maximum." The colorful faerie dragon hops over to the center of the group as Elmar reaches up, plucking an eyelash and mixing it with some pasty material from his spell component pouch. He places a hand on Shendra and begins making esoteric glowing symbols in the air with his other hand. "Cenneth neth." He proclaims. The air shimmers for a moment, and Shendra's scales seem to be slightly more reflective, but otherwise there is no noticeable effect.
Elmar takes another item from his spell component pouch, what appears to be a small preserved eye with a predator's iris. He places it near his forehead and it floats there on its own as he places his fingertips to each side of it. "Gwaedul dúven." The eye evaporates into mist that seems to be sucked into Elmar's own eyes, causing him to blink rapidly for a moment. "Alright. Proceed."
Elmar gives a bright smile to Barcos. "You are not the only one of two worlds. Well met Barcos."
Knowledge Nobility DC 20:
Tarathiel is the family name for a group of elven scholars and mages, and they are often found as hired experts among the noble families of Taldor, including the Lotheeds. Knowledge Nobility DC 25 (same roll higher DC): The Lotheed family currently employs Alenia Tarathiel as a scholar in their library, and rumor has it that she had a half-elven child out of wedlock with Edwyn Lotheed, a minor relative from a cadet branch of the Lotheed dukedom.
Shendra huffs a bit in Marius's direction, but keeps her silence. Elmar absentmindedly scratches at her neck again with a ghost of a smile. Quite the soldier type. "Courageous, but brazen and foolish. I will openly admit that is not the first time I've heard such an assessment. Although I usually put a more positive spin on it and chalk it up to unbridled passion for my cause." He smirks at his own joke, but he focuses on keeping pace with the others and keeping an eye out for threats. "If you all are interested, I could make our entire group cloaked in invisibility. We would have to remain close together, and I know the pairaka's have the ability to see magic, but it takes them a bit to focus on the source of the magic to find it's exact location." He raises an eyebrow inquisitively.
Instead of looking embarrassed or angry, Elmar chuckles lightheartedly at the assessment of the situation. "Ah, now that is refreshing. No, don't apologize, your understanding is correct. Well, mostly. I didn't anticipate being able to take everything in here on myself, but I thought I could at least gather intel and then safely retreat if need be. I'm not used to having magical invisibility pierced so easily. I have other tricks but the pairaka's, as I mentioned, are very magically resilient, and completely immune to fire. I did not know the nature of what I was dealing with until I ran into them." He chuckles again, running a hand through his semi-messy hair and shaking his head. "So yes, brash and confident, but also deeply unlucky."
Elmar quickly acquires his gear, then falls in with the others, taking a spot in the rear. He glances curiously at the two that haven't spoken yet, but the urgency of the situation has him hold his tongue as he nods to show he's ready to continue.
Elmar smiles; a deep, true smile, putting a comforting hand to the creature's neck. "This is Shendra, my dearest companion. Forgive her outburst, I sent a mental distress signal when you burst into the room but didn't have adequate time to provide all the details." Shendra seems pleased at the closeness, and half curls around his neck. Elmar's face turns back to a more serious expression. "Now, as you say, time is of the essence. The longer we leave them the longer they will have time to rally a defense. We can exchange more history later, for the time being we share the same goal in eradicating the divs and liberating this compound. I will need my gear if I am going to be helping though..." He begins searching the room, hoping his equipment was not taken too far.
The rescued prisoner flinches from the spatter of blood near him, but looks more upset at the state of his clothes rather than the gore. With a minor annoyance he flicks his wrist, and the blood vanishes. He slowly makes his way to his feet, happily taking the helping hand from Faenia, and once on his feet begins nursing a leg that has obviously fallen asleep in his tied up position. He clears his throat, working out his hoarse voice. "Elmar...Tarathiel. Pleased to meet...some friendly faces." Elmar cuts a slim figure dressed in a sharp but practical set of well-tailored black and silver robes, the cut decidedly at the modern edge of Taldan fashion but the pattern and trim from old elven culture. His wavy blond hair is cut short and combed forward with just a bit of messiness. His facial features are sharp, pointed ears showing prominently past his short hair and adorned with a mixture of modern and classical earrings. His eyes are a piercing sea green, and there is a certain loose intensity to his posture. The collection of features and accoutrements marks him as sharply half-elf, a foot firmly planted in each world. Elmar regards Raesilia with a polite inclination of his head. He takes the spell component pouch and turns to Faenia...but holds it for a moment. His eyes flick back to Raesilia. Quite a trusting sort to give all that information so freely...but I sense no dishonesty. He hands the spell component pouch back to Raesilia. "Well...I believe to put it simply, we are each in luck. My own objective here was strikingly similar to your own. However the opposition being pairaka's was...unanticipated." He shakes his head. "My own shortsightedness really. Their resistance to magic and outright immunity to fire left me mostly defenseless against them. I attempted to cut my losses and flee...but between their magic sight and flight, that option was fruitless as well. And so I was captured. The only reason I suspect I'm alive is so they could question me, but-"
The elf..or on closer inspection, more likely a half-elf, gives an appreciative nod as his ties are released. He removes his gag and speaks hoarsely, using short clippy language to quickly convey information. "Spellcaster, no components, options limited and ineffective against them." He says with an apologetic grimace.
Hello all! I am thrilled to be joining you! I will work on finalizing my crunch today. I am always open to feedback/suggestions/criticism! |