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Hi everyone. I'm very sorry for disappearing like that. I've been pretty sick for the past few weeks, and at this point don't expect to start feeling better anytime in the immediate future. Therefore I'm dropping out of all my games. (Which I had unofficially done anyway I guess.) Again, I'm very sorry I didn't say anything sooner, I just kept hoping things would get better and I'd be able to rejoin. It was great playing with you all, and I wish you the best of luck.
Kira glances around after Adonara's question. Everyone looked fine, but that didn't necessarily mean they actually were. No one spoke up though, so she followed the courtesan down the hall. At a safe distance of course, which was proven to be prudent when the door exploded. "Are you okay?"
Being both Good and rather naive, Kira would prefer the catch-and-release option. The scrying insurance is a good idea though.
Kira leans back, biting her lip. This is the part she hates most. Killing people they were fighting was one thing. Killing people they weren't was another, and she doesn't really have the stomach for it even when she knows it's sometimes necessary. "Personally I think we should take them along. An...insurance policy, so to speak. In case they were lying about anything." She's pretty sure the cultist is telling the truth, but she could be wrong. "Manacled, of course, so they can't stab anyone in the back and try to run." She focuses her attention back on the cultist. "If you have told the truth about everything, then once we're finished I, for one, will vote to let you leave." The rest of the Ravens have been around Kira long enough to know that she means both parts of her proposal, but won't try to stop them if they think an execution is necessary.
In any 'good cop, bad cop,' routine, Kira is definitely going to be the good cop. "Everything, really." She gently pats the cultist on their uninjured shoulder. "There was some talk about a ghost earlier, where is that? Why were you all here to begin with? Those are good starters." She considers the bloody decor around them. "I'm not sure which god you worship, but I am sure that you'll be of more use to them alive than dead." She leans in close, voice oddly pitying. "And if I were you, I'd answer any question she asks." She gestures towards Adonara. "Because her god would definitely prefer you dead."
<"Nicely done Valekar!>" Kira cheers as Luculla reappears. She suspects with Luculla blind and the one remaining cultist still enthralled this battle is about to reach a swift conclusion. With that in mind, rather than use a spell Kira instead loads her crossbow and fires it at the now-sparkly Luculla. They have no idea how much they have left to explore; better save a few resources for later.
As Adonara moves to one side, Kira notices for the first time just how much she's bleeding. <"Adonara! Are you okay?"> It's a stupid question. She's quite obviously not okay. So without giving the disappearing Luculla another thought Kira raises her hand in an invocation. Starsong, protect her!
Kira shakes off the spell almost before Luculla has finished casting it. <"You think you can command me? Let me see how well I can command you. Or at least your bones."> She takes a step back so she's behind Adonara, (it's a tactical retreat, she's most definitely not hiding behind the much scarier woman), and begins twitching her fingers.
Kira coughs as the spell overtakes her. "<What...what was that?>" This is no time for talking though, the cultists are already attacking. She takes a cautious step to the right, which leaves her right in front of the cultist but gives her a good angle for her favorite spell. A bright array of dazzling colors rushes from her hands.
Kira approaches a very calculated distance away from the new figure. "Greetings. I am Adu, this is Pellius." No need for a code name there; he'd already used his real one. "With the Opera House temporarily unavailable, we're looking for a more...unique stage to showcase our production of Count Giova." She sighs dramatically. "My half-brother, Toulbe, supposedly arranged for us to meet with you. Unfortunately, it seems he rather exaggerated his efforts in that regard. As usual. So. Where shall we begin? The acoustics around the stage are wonderful, truly, but if we don't clean up some of that blood we're going to scare away our audience."
Not the GM obviously, but I don't think you or Ryker played through any of it. The finale of Book 1 was us
Kira (barely) maintains her composure as Adonara suddenly appears. The cultists are too confused to work out what's going on, which is good, because she doesn't know either. Maybe this will be like Hocum's Phantasmagorium, and they'll be able to explore the place without fighting anyone at all? "I was wondering when you'd decide to join us." She waves a hand dismissively at the whip. "Really, must you flash that thing at everyone you meet? These people have been quite helpful; no need to scare them half to death just to test out the ambiance." She eyes the wall with a look of disgust. "I'd say we already have quite enough ambiance to go around. The acoustics are stunning though, so perhaps this will work after all."
"Honestly perhaps we should fire them," Kira sniffs dismissively. "I keep trying to give Toulbe a chance for our mother's sake, but this is completely unacceptable." She glances towards Pellius, wondering how long they want to keep up the ruse. She'd kind of thought they'd just bluff until everyone was in position. For now she just moves into the center of the room. If fighting breaks out, she can try to down two of them with a color spray before they know what's happening. "Perhaps we could have the orchestra line the walls? Literally surround people with the music. Unorthodox, but very impactful."
Kira doesn't recognize anything about the decor or the creatures, but she doesn't need to. That's not her role. Her job is to help Pellius distract them until everyone gets into position. So she cheerfully (and obviously) follows Pellius into the room. "I don't know, the acoustics are wonderful but the location might discourage some of the audience." She sniffs, then holds her nose dramatically. "And the work it would take to clean this place up! We'd have to hire a whole team to get...is that blood?!"
"They're saying something about a ghost, and someone named Luculla. The ghost apparently freaks out about cards, not sure what that means." Before the door is opened she brings her hands together, offering a quick prayer to Desna. I know we're nowhere near the stars, but please let your light shine upon us anyway. With Desna's blessing washing over all of them, Kira nods at Adonara. "Ready when you are."
The further they get away from the otyughs, the easier Kira finds it to think. While there is a certain elegance to Adonara's plan, she sees one immediate problem with it. "How exactly do we plan on escorting those creatures across half the city without being stopped by dottari, driving innocent citizens into a panic, or both? Even if we're sneaky, they aren't. The smell alone would be noticable from hundreds of yards away." Downstairs while Adonara works on the lock, Kira presses her ear against the door and sees if she can make out anything that's being said.
Kira has no idea what Adonara means by blood pudding, but she's willing to go along with it. "Um, yes. We'll see what we can get you from downstairs, and then we'll talk about other options." She doesn't wait around to see how the otyughs react to that; practically lunging forward as soon as the door opens. Once it's closed and she can breathe a bit more freely, she takes several large swigs from her waterskin. She could practically taste the foulness there, and needed something to wash it away. "That was unpleasant." She starts to take another sip, then has to stop as a nauseating though occurs to her. "What do creatures like that even eat?" She's very, very glad she hadn't thought ahead that far while still in the room with them.
"Food?" Kira repeats blankly. She hadn't really expected the creature to talk back. "Um, I don't think we have any, do we?" She directs the question towards the rest of the company, (unfortunately distracting Adonara in the process).
Kira doesn't see the creatures at first, but Ryker's gesture catches her attention and she peers deeper into the muck. The sight does not help her sensitive stomach. Valekar's question makes her do a double-take at the thought that these creatures might actually be intelligent. If they are, she supposes there's no harm in trying, and if they're not, they shouldn't even realize she's talking to them. Please don't vomit, please don't vomit... "Um. Hi there. You...people...in the middle of the room. We're just passing by and don't intend to cause you any harm. So. Any chance we can walk through this door and you can stay in this room and no one gets hurt?" If the otyughs show no sign of responding, she'll repeat the same sentiment in every language she knows. Just in case.
Kira jumps down the trapdoor with the others, then promptly holds her nose and thinks clean thoughts. She gets halfway through "This is worse-" before she has to stop talking and swallow hard. Reluctant to open her mouth for fear of an insect flying in, she points to Adonara, then to the door, waggling her eyebrows in a hopefully suggestive way. Traps? Trusting Adonara to take care of the door, (and please let it smell better in there), she joins Valekar in looking around the room they're currently in.
Unfortunately she's far too busy swatting away flies to actually pay any attention.
"I'm pretty sure the unofficial motto is 'No kill like overkill.'" Kira joins Pellius in looking around the ruins. "But the place was sealed for later looting, which means there must be a way in to do said looting."
I was eyeing the cloak of elvenkind, but I'm pretty stealthy without it. Kira will take it if no one else needs it, but she won't be upset if we sell it or give it to someone else. I've crunched the numbers and think we have enough money for the wands Kira mentioned without selling the cloak, but it might also not be a bad idea to pick up a Wand of Lesser Restoration. (I almost picked that as a second level spell known, but for a spontaneous healer I think it works better as a wand.) Rolling for new HP!
With +2 from Con that's 9 more HP. Not bad at all.
Kira spends a significant portion of the night outside, on the roof, just staring up at the stars. I really should get myself an orrery. One fortunate consequence of this whole unfortunate business is that I should be able to afford one now. And it would be nice to think about something simple for a change. The next morning she's in far better spirits despite the grim subject matter. "I find it difficult to believe the Grey Spiders didn't have something to do with Wex, if for no other reason than it seems strange for Balgorrah to reappear now. As for whether the Spiders are working for Thrune, against him, or both at the same time I don't really think it matters. They need to be stopped regardless." "As for witchery, I'm afraid I'm not exactly versed on that subject. I don't even know what hags are capable of, outside of a few childhood stories of bad gnome children who get eaten if they don't listen to their parents." She rests her chin in her hands, legs swingly idly. "If this is going to be that dangerous, maybe we should do some shopping first. We've got stuff to sell, and a wand of Cure Light Wounds would make things a bit easier on me. Plus aren't there spells that help with traps? Maybe we could get a wand of that too."
Kira sips her chamomile while considering how to answer Ryker's question. "I'm doing..." She pauses and shakes her head. "No, I'm not doing okay. To take over someone's will like that goes against everything the Starsong stands for. What's worse is that I can't even be certain how much of Wex's actions were his own and how much he was being controlled. We stopped a murderer and saved Desna knows how many lives...but it doesn't feel like a victory." She shudders and her hands close more tightly around her cup. "I don't think any of us ever planned to join this cause. I certainly didn't. I just wanted to find out what happened to my father. Everything just kind of kept escalating from there. I love Kintargo. I don't want to lose it to whatever Thrune plans. But at times I wonder what we can really do." She focuses even harder on the tea leaves in her cup, refusing to meet anyone's gaze. "I'm just a student. My only concern before all this started was whether or not I was passing my classes. Astronomy, mostly. Those were always my favorite, even if they weren't a regularly-taught subject at the
"But we're helping people. I know we're helping people. And if we don't know what we're doing...well, who does?"
As Haetamon prepares to leave Kira briefly stops him. Quietly, she tells Wex, "I'm very sorry for what happened to you. I know you probably can't understand me, but I pray that the North Star will guide your way back home." She bows her head and clutches her pendant for a moment, then nods to Haetamon. "Thank you for taking care of him. And the shards of Balgorrah. Let us know if you ever need our help." She's quiet and pensive on the way back, and asks Laria for a cup of tea rather than coffee. She doesn't want to deal with the caffeine right now. Settling down with a sigh, she says, "I suppose that could have gone worse, but a nasty business all around. At least Balgorrah shouldn't be able to haunt anyone ever again."
To add my two cents to the discussion, Valekar, if you want to drop out because you're not having fun that's completely understandable. But if you're just worried about the roleplay/banter, it's not bothering me at all. Us Original Three™ all have high-charisma characters with players that tend towards verbosity. That's not everyone's style; nor should it be. In short; I do like playing with you and would be sorry to see you go.
"I'd think it would be safe to touch now that it's in pieces, but I can't be certain." Kira certainly has no intention of taking that chance. (Not that she could do much harm with it if she did; unless it could force her to cast she'd be more likely to cut herself than anyone else.) "Lead boxes seems like a good idea. At least for the blade." She shivers and wraps her arms around herself as she looks sadly at Wex. "I suppose now we'll never know how responsible he actually was. Do you think he has any family? If so, we should try to notify them somehow. Even if we can't tell them the truth. It wouldn't be right to just leave them wondering."
Kira lowers her own hands from her ears. ”That was...wow.” She laughs shakily. ”I guess you have to be able to sing that loud for everyone in a theater to hear you. Balgorrah never stood a chance.” She shakes her own head to clear it, then moves to Adonara’s side. ”Adonara? Are you okay? I hope I didn’t hurt you, the spell isn’t supposed to hurt but I guess you might have hit your head or something, I can heal you if you’re hurt.”
Kira looks at Adonara, momentarily confused, then her lips tighten as the situation hits, Infernal:
”I knew touching that thing was a bad idea! “ She briefly switches her glare to Pellius. ”And you, I get what you’re trying to do, but I don’t know what kind of after-affects being stabbed by that thing would cause. Nope. Not happening. Sorry Adonara.” Her hands twist in a familiar gesture, and dazzling colors fill the air.
Kira blinks at Pellius for a minute, then remembers he was standing guard outside. "Oh. Oh! I'm sorry, I forgot you weren't there. We found Balgorrah. Um, an intelligent weapon. Forged by Skinsaw cultists in the service of Norgorber. The Temple Hill Slasher used it for his murders, and there is some speculation that the blade was more to blame than the man." She glances back towards Wex. "So his comment about the blade making him do it might actually be true. Unfortunately I have no idea how to tell." Once Haetamon arrives, Kira nods along at the suggestion of sending Balgorrah to a temple of Sarenrae. "If anyone can banish this evil, a high priest of the goddess of light seems like a good candidate." She shudders. "Plus I won't rest easy until it's out of the city." She's a little more hesitant at Haetamon's suggestion of what to do with Wex. "Um, I'm sure you know better than me, but if you feel he's not to blame, doesn't wiping his memory and effectively enslaving him seem...harsh? I mean," (she shifts uneasily), "shouldn't we try to help him?"
Kira follows a few paces behind the group. She hadn't been convinced that they would actually find their target, let alone with such conclusive proof, and the question of what to do now weighs heavily on her. Especially if it's possible the man really was ensorcelled. As she walks her gaze is more frequently fixed on Adonara, (or rather her boots), than it is their prisoner. She does however do her best to straighten up and look like a good little Citizens Group member if any passerbys seem to be staring too closely.
Kira eyes the bound man with a mixture of pity and disgust. "He's probably not lying. Intelligent items often do have a will of their own, and Balgorrah was created to kill. How much influence it had over him though...I have no idea how to determine that. Maybe Haetamon will know something."
Kira didn't expect Wex to run immediately, but fortunately he's running towards them rather than away. She nervously glances about for any dottari, (or other people who might get involved), before stepping back and casting her favorite spell.
"Alright." Taking Adonara's suggestion of surrounding Wex to heart, Kira takes a deep breath then starts casually walking across the street. Nothing to see here, just an ordinary gnome going about her business...
Kira looks at Adonara with concern as she slips Balgorrah into her boot, but keeps her mouth shut for now. They have more important concerns. She quickly grabs any papers that might have been missed and shoves them into her bag before filing out with the others. "Are we confronting him now?" she hisses. "Or tailing him for later?"
Kira's eyes keep being drawn back to the blade. It looks familiar somehow, although she can't quite place how. Until she can. "Drop it!" Her sudden outburst comes from nowhere as she stares at the kukri in Adonara's hands with wild eyes. "I remember now...that's Balgorrah! It's intelligent, it's a tool of Norgorber, it wants to kill..." She shudders and backs away. "Just...just don't touch it. Not barehanded at least." She takes a few deep breaths and forces herself to calm down. "It was the favored blade of the Temple Hill Slasher. Scholars vary on how much influence Balgorrah had over him, although most think his first murders were committed before he found the knife so it's possible they just amplified each other's worst tendencies. Regardless it's not something to be messed with. It's been lost for over a century, how did Wex find it?!"
Kira lingers in the doorway, arms folded, nose wrinkled, the perfect picture of an unwilling socialite being dragged along an adventure she really had no interest in. Until the secret door was opened, at which point she carefully made sure there were no peeking eyes about before vanishing into the new room. "I suspect there's our kukri." She wrinkles her nose genuinely this time, and moves on to check other areas. "Which implies this actually is our stalker, and not someone framed by him. Ryker, do you mind watching the stairs for us in case he comes back? There are a lot of documents to go through."
Personally I like the idea of us sticking together long enough to break into his place. We might find evidence proving his involvement in the murders, or at least indicating what kind of places he frequents to help out with the tracking. If we split off afterward we actually do have a way to communicate with each other, via our Silver Raven Figurines of Wondrous Power. I don't think we've ever used them before, but we do have them.
Kira sighs. "He might be gone for hours? Are you sure you want to wait that long?" Under her breath, (although still loud enough to be audible), she mutters, "'Go shopping with us', she said, 'it'll be fun,' she said." Folding her arms, she sighs again. "Fine, I suppose if you must have your music box created by this particular artist, we don't have much of a choice in the matter. But if this takes too long I'm going home, with or without you."
Sorry everyone, I have not had a good couple weeks and have been having trouble doing anything, frankly. I've just posted and will try to be more consistent.
On the way over, Kira shakes her head at the mention of a Dimension Door spell. "That's something far beyond my level. I don't think I could cast it even with years of study. If this person is interested in us...well, I just hope it's because she wants to be on our side!" As they approach the Iudeimus Tenement, her lip briefly curls at the state of the place before she pastes a smile onto her face. "I think, in this instance, just asking might be the best way to get what we want." On second thought, she allows her lip to curl again. "Dear, are you sure you need this 'Wex's work? This seems a bit...below your usual standards."
Kira sighs. Why couldn't things ever be simple? "There are spells that can make you look like someone else. Not for long, but maybe long enough. That could also explain why the killer was so bold. Maybe they knew that anyone who saw them would end up looking for someone else." "I agree we should investigate quietly for now. Pellius' timepiece is a good enough reason to seek out the shop, and if we're hinting at a bigger commission in the future they'll be eager to talk to us. I have been considering getting a calculating orrery for my studies..." Not that she's been studying much lately. She hasn't had time to visit the Academy since her father disappeared.
Kira closes her eyes and bows her head as the spell takes affect. Aronida is asking the questions, and all she needs to do is observe. Respectfully. The description of her killer is detailed enough that they should be able to identify him. There can't be that many Varisian artisans working with slurk grease that also had leg braces. The place however raises more questions. "Attacked on the main street?" Her brow knits with concern. "Either the killer is very bold or has some sort of magic to make himself unnoticable. Or both." She gives Haetamon a quick apologetic glance before continuing. "This murder wasn't swift and quiet. The killer took his time. He must have been confident he wouldn't be interrupted...which concerns me more than anything else."
Kira sniffs the air a few times as she approaches the body, nose wrinkling. "That smell...could it be from a slurk? I wouldn't expect a slurk to be anywhere near a main street though." She looks puzzled for a minute, then brightens as a thought occurs to her. "Actually, I think slurk grease is used to make clockworks, so maybe there wasn't actually a slurk there, just someone who used a lot of grease. Are there any clockwork shops nearby?" Any satisfaction she gets from (hopefully) solving a piece of the puzzle immediately evaporates as she starts examining the wounds in more detail. This part still makes her queasy, but it's necessary. She just has to keep reminding herself of that. "I think Ryker was right about these murders being for...fun. These wounds weren't caused by an ordinary blade. It was enchanted specifically to make the wounds worse. More bloody. More painful." She closes her eyes briefly as she steps away. "I'm sorry, Haetamon." Maybe I should have waited until he was gone...but no, he deserves to know.
Kira forces down her natural revulsion as she studies the body. She's still not used to examining corpses, and she hopes she never gets used to it. "Do you know how many victims there have been? Were they all worshipers of Milani?" She's echoing Pellius' earlier questions, but they're important ones. They'd caught the tooth fairies by recognizing the significance in all the attacks occuring very close to each other, if they want to catch this killer they'll have to figure out their pattern of attack. Hopefully there is a pattern. If the killer is grabbing people at random, they could wander Old Kintargo for years and never catch them.
The first thing Kira does upon their return is take a very hot bath. She'd throw away the clothes she'd been wearing, but it seems wasteful, so instead she scrubs them as thoroughly as she had herself. Much refreshed the following morning, she looks troubled at the reminder of the murders. "I do hope we don't have any more tooth fairies running around. Regardless looking into the murders does seem to be the logical next step." Before they leave she makes sure to grab the scarf that she'd previously used as a face mask. Just in case.
Oh. OH! "Well now things make sense," Kira mutters half under her breath, a slight smile appearing on her face as she watches the lovebirds reunite. Louder, she adds, "You already did us a favor, Captain, for which we are most grateful, but if we ever need your help again we'll be sure to let you know." A thought occurs to her and she gives Marquel a piercing look. "Does your family know about your relationship? Because if so here is the first place they'll look once they discover you're missing, which they no doubt already have." She doesn't think Marquel would have come if that were a risk, but nobles didn't always consider the consequences of their actions. Best to be sure.
As Kira half-climbs, half-tumbles into the room, she takes in the young gentleman's face. "Um, are you Marquel Aulorian? Because if not we might have the wrong room."
Kira's fingers twist into the spell she'd prepared even as she takes a step closer. Not the one to take control of a skeleton, no, she thinks she's going to avoid using that for a while. Instead a rainbow of pretty colors covers the dog.
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