Mexus Navarion's page

As Mexus enters the party's tent, he pulls a vial of alchemist's fire from a pouch and proffers it to Fahim. "I apologize for the brief delay, but I had to negotiate with Kella to keep her from hurling this at the other goblins. I assumed that she took it from your stores." Here his mood reverts to his previous dour and pessimistic demeanor. Mexus looks to 'Hel, obviously trying to sleep, but being awakened by the dispute, "I'm sorry that you were awakened, but you should probably be part of this discussion as well. To acquaint you with the details of the dispute, when I went to check on the goblins, Kella was suffering extremely from the falling temperatures. So, I cast a spell to alleviate her condition. As you all know, I am not a priest of any sort. My powers are limited to moving energies and creatures between locations and planes. After the tragic loss of Alahazra on our last mission, when I returned to Absalom, I did some research into what I potentially could have done in order to save her. And during that research, I stumbled across a spell that allowed the caster to temporarily steal a demon's natural healing capability, and bestow it on a wounded individual. Contrary to Fahim's previous claim, such magic is not illegal, especially not outside of any civilized settlement, in the middle of the wilderness ... in a snowstorm. However, Fahim is quite right in espousing that the spell is infernal, as it temporarily steals a demon's power, and it is most definitely evil. Contrary to Honus's claim, it does not in any way affect the soul of the individual on which it is cast. It, in no way changes the individual, aside from temporarily granting them a demons regenerative capabilities, and temporarily filling the target with a sense of palpable evil."
Here Mexus pauses to take a deep inhalation and replenish his spent breath before continuing. "Now, I assume that everyone is in agreement that my general inclination to prevent Kella from meeting Pharasma was acceptable, and that the objections lodged against my actions are in reference to my methods, rather than my motives. In defense of my actions, I offer two brief arguments. The first, based on the outcome of my actions, is that Kella is healed, and still very much alive, otherwise unchanged in her condition. She was evil before I healed her, she is still evil after being healed, and she is generally pleased with the outcome of the situation. So, I cast a spell that agreeably aided an individual in our care that is important to completing our mission. Given Kella's reaction, I see no way in which anyone can reasonably claim that I harmed her in the least."
"The second, and more nuanced, argument that I offer, deals with the morality of my actions. I postulate that the morality of a given action is determined by a combination of its intent and its result. We have all taken actions that, without context, could be classified as wrong. For example, we have burned archers to death, slashed mercenaries to death, exposed opposing lords to lower-planar environmental conditions, and scared goblins by firing arrows in their general direction. We have, in our own various ways, terrorized our enemies and cut down our opposition. But we justify all of these actions to ourselves by claiming that we are fighting for a nobler cause. We are working to build a better society, and a better world, where individuals get to make the choices that they want, rather than the choices with which the powerful leave them. Honestly, I think we are right to make that careful distinction. On this mission, we are trekking through the wildness with an equal number of evil beings at our side, and we are sheltering them through numerous dangerous trials, because we believe the end result of their intelligence will help our side win a complex military and political victory, which we hope will translate into a better world. During this trip, in which we are illegally ferrying evil beings between warring nations, I cast a spell utilizing demonic energies to keep one of these evil beings from death, and that's crossing a line?"
"Saving another being from death is what's morally objectionable?"
"If you want to worry about the moral toll that casting such a spell is taking on my soul, I am truly touched by your concern, and I am grateful to call you friends. But before you condemn me for using the power at my disposal to save Kella's life, ask yourselves what the cost would be if I just let her die. I've already watched one of our friends be eaten before me. I'm not going to sit back and let anyone in my care die as long as there is one damned thing I can do to stop it. So, you might think me a monster for borrowing dark powers to save Kella's life, but I think I would be a much more vile monster if I let her die instead. What I did was done with good intentions, and had a positive outcome. So, as far as I'm concerned, I used a nefarious tool to bring about a better world. No different than cutting down a tyrannical lord with a poisoned blade."
With that, Mexus raises his hands before him, palms upturned in a questioning gesture.

Mexus is obviously less than thrilled at the terrible turn of the weather, but he doesn't complain aloud. Instead, he simply ceases speaking altogether, aside from answering questions posed to him with incredibly curt and minimally useful responses. He seems to ignore the goblins altogether, not reacting to anything that they do, say, suffer, or enjoy.
With Mexus again taking the first watch, he leaves party's tent at regular intervals to make the briefest of patrols to ensure that dire bears or the like haven't wondered into the camp and eaten the goblins. His 'patrols' are short, rarely lasting more than two minutes. However, when he checks the goblin's tent to ensure that the goblins haven't attempted an escape, he finds Kella in her torpid, pallid state.
Mexus glares at the goblins, as he's obviously in a foul mood, and barks, "You fools! Kella is the only thing keeping you alive. If she dies, we will tie the rest of you to a tree and leave you for the cold and the wolves. Move back so that I can call upon the dark powers to restore her life!"

Bluff (as Mexus has presented an substantially false suggestion as to the party's likely course of action): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (14) + 9 = 23

Once the other goblins shuffle back to the far end of the tent so that he can cast a spell without concern that they'll do something disruptive or larcenous, he turns her face up, and his tail pulls a metal flask with the symbol of Asmodeus etched into the stopper, from his spell component pouch. As he opens the top, he frowns to find that the water in the pint flask has partially frozen. He tips it back and forth, feeling some liquid still sloshing about beneath an icy crust. So, Mexus concentrates for a moment and mutters a brief incantation to open a small, fist-sized portal to the elemental plane of fire in the air before him. He holds the flask towards the portal entrance as small tongues of flame irregularly lick out of the portal and caress the metal flask. After a minute or so, the flask is warmed enough to have melted the frosty crust within, and Mexus closes the portal. He then proceeds to anoint Kella's forehead, chest, and stomach with a small amount of the water, each time, drawing the symbol of Asmodeus on her. He then chants, "Hoch pong 'Iw 'Iw, chaq vor neH rIQ pong joH Hurgh HoS!"

The words sound harsh, and discordant, evoking feelings of despair and sorrow with their very tone. If Kella is conscious, she feels a palpable evil spread through her body, starting at the place where Mexus drew the symbols of Asmodeus on her, and spreading through her body, and leaking into her very soul.
Kella gains Fast Healing 1 for 10 rounds.
And then Mexus waits in silence to see the results of his dark labors.