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"I would accept Lord Erallan's offer while it lasts, Vaddrigan. Surrender and pay for your crimes concerning the prince, and you will walk out of this alive. But just in case you are considering taking your chances..." The arrow is loosened a second later, burying itself in the wall behind vaddrigan as the faintest cut appears along the man's collar. "Know that I am a pretty good shot."
Rose nods, but when Huddriga's eyes move over her alchemical equipment as the systematic drugging of the prince is discussed, she begins more carefully studying the woman's body language and vocal tonality, pulling on her training to try and discern any concealed truths of the other woman's involvement.
"Eutropia would never do such a thing, Huddrigga. If she were, men like Lord Erallan would not follow her," Rose comments, deciding to join the conversation rather than keep watch. "If anything, it is *us* who are concerned of the prince's safety - assuming what we saw is truly him. There is a nightmare monster among your number. If you truly and honestly follow the Prince, how can you be sure that he isn't being manupulated? That he is safe here, with horrors like denizens of Leng taking recidence here?" She shakes her head. "Perhaps you aren't sure yourself, and we wouldn't blame you. Regardless, we do not wish to fight you. We only ask that you tell us where they are keeping the prince so we can verify the truth of these matters ourselves. You have my word that if he really is the Prince, true and natural and not a fake seeking to take advantage of his family name, we won't seek to harm him."
Rose stands by in the shadows as the conversation takes place, bow in hand and carefully watching the hallway for any newcomers.
Electing to open the door to the alchemist lab following a whispered discussion among the group, Rose signals the group to be ready and silently attempts to open the door. Should it be locked, she begins the process of lockpicking the door.
"Wonder how many of them actually know they're being led by nightmare monsters." Rose ponders as she hears the merry making coming from further down the hallway. She joins Marius as he creeps to the nearest, northern door and readies her bow, gesturing to the others she was ready to check what lay beyond.
"Let's see what else these demons are hiding..." Rose mutters as the group vanishes into the shadows.
Rose whistles low-key at the presumed magical fortune the dagger was worth. "Interesting... you say it can store souls? Is there a chance it is holding the soul of the late Prince and that they are somehow using that to control what we saw of him?" She wonders.
"A nightmare monster!? What on-... actually, why not. This city offers exotic enemies as readily as it does its vintage wares." Rose draws her bow then, unfortunately finding herself yet again in the unenviable position of having to shoot through her paramour's personal space to get to the target. "Marius dear, could you lean left just a tiny bit?"
"All right. A quick search of the bodies and we move - everyone take one of them. They know we're here now. We should hurry but not to the extent that we forget to take their keys." Rose reasons as she quickly sets about searching the nearest unconscious guard for anything noteworthy.
Cloaked in Marius' Invisibility spell, Rose shifts forward, towards the western Monk, saps out and ready to knock him out - or down, depending on what he decided to do.
"Agreed. We don't have a reason to go hard on an as yet seemingly peaceful cult. Their leader might be manipulative and power-hungry but that isn't exactly rare in this nation." She takes out her sap as her invisible form moves into the darkness ahead.
"All right. Time to head in. I could scout ahead, but if so, can anyone spare an invisibility spell for me? This is probably where we should put our other magical effects into place as well. Just in case things go horribly wrong."
"Finally I can get rid of these shoulder fillings..." Rose sighs in relief as she discards her dwarven bodyguard disguise. She smiles as she takes out her set of lockpicks. "Please allow me to invite us in." Not bothering with a disguise this time, she still uses her sleeves of many garments to alter her clothes to be fully dark and better blend into the night. Once there and in position, she scouts for any danger and proceeds to unlock the least conspicuous entrance.
Not having time or opportunity to fully change out of her disguise unnoticed in the middle of a thinning crowd, Rose stays in her Dwarven disguise as Kela makes her play. She glances at the heavens and shares a look of suffering with one of the nearby, adressed guards that screamed 'Gods help me, this woman' mixed with 'but what can I do? I'm just a servant,'. "Your Highness. Forgive me for speaking - I will accept whatever punishment you deem fit later. However, I was tasked by your Father to ensure your safety first and foremost. There is a very strange masked man with seemingly unnatural powers hanging around on the rooftops of this compound - one who can seemingly vanish into thin air. I am unsure as to the level threat he poses. How can we be sure the followers can protect you from him, especially if weapons, to my udnerstanding, are not allowed inside their community? I must insist that we will be allowed to accompany you with our weapons left to us in case he strikes. Anyone after the Prince of Taldor would likely love a chance to kill a Princess of Qadira at the same time."
Taking note of the prince's odd behavior being directly adressed, Rose breathes a sigh of relief when the Cult guards do not attack Marius for his interruption of the sermon. She disperses back into the crowd heading out, then meets back up with the group as herself.
"So... that was quite something. There is definitely some sort of social manipulation going at the benefit of this 'leader', not so much for the prince. Carrius himself seemed a bit 'off' to me, like he didn't know what to do when spoken to. Is he really a normal person? An illusion? Some sort of thrall under another's control? I am left with many of the same questions I came here with. It could be that the prince, if he is real, is being taken advantage off - and I am not sure I buy the cult leader being so benevolent. The question remains: what do we do now?"
Intoxicated but still able to piece enough together, Rose realises there was social manipulation in play - aside from her sudden sense of euphoria. Maybe it was harmless -as of yet- but it *was* unnatural. She resolves to be even more wary as she continues to study the proceedings, waiting for the prince. ...But damn if that aasimar didn't know how to dress. Maybe she should be taking notes of that killer sense of style instead?
Rose shrugs. "Tis a bow. To shoot the Raven-masked man on the rooftops if he tries anything. He's been spying on the sermons for days. I don't trust him."
Rose was unsure to what degree she could hide a longbow, but as part of her disguise, she used her quiver and bow as shoulder fillings of sorts, to appear more bulky and - she hoped - dwarvenly.
Unsure what to expect, or - if she was honest with herself- whether Faenia could be trusted if exposed to the prince, Rose takes a moment to observe the guards and their outfits and doing her best to overhear any of them conversing with the general populace. All she really needed was the voice and accent of one of them to use in case of emergency. Then, disappearing into an alley, her Sleeves of many Garments activate to turn her clothes into an exact replica of that of the guards. TFinally, she lets her hair fall loose and hides the circlet beneath the hood of her cloak. What walks out of the alley is an unremarkable commoner cult guard shouldering a longbow, one who helps correll the flocks of commoners inside and then takes her place standing watch as the ceremony took place. If asked, she would say she'd definitely keep her eyes out for that 'creepy Raven guy on the rooftops' this time.
"I... don't know enough about the prince right now to decide on any definitive action. Is he his own person? Is he a puppet? Is he benevolent or malevolent? So long as this prince does not pose an obvious threat to us, the Princess or the people of Taldor, I do not see an immediate problem with letting him be. It should be up to his sister to determine how she wants to handle her lost family entering her life. If he *is* a danger, however, my loyalty is to the princess and protecting her and her agents. At present, that includes all of you. I did not swear any oaths to her long-dead brother and will not hesitate if he forces my hands." "I have so, so many questions for Kela, but they will have to wait."
"Hm..." Having seen Marius do his aura thing often enough, she patiently waits for him to finish and share his results. "'Overwhelming law'...? So... that means he is fairly powerful, right? Like an Aeon or such, perhaps, to trouble himself with something as supposedly unnatural as the prince being... raised? Constructed? That would fit him being unconcerned with 'mortal allegiances', as he put it. But that would also mean the prince, whatever or whoever he is, is probably very dangerous, to warrent such intercession." She takes a few moments to consider. "At this point, I have half a mind to write to our Patron to discuss opening the Prince's gave with Eutropia. To see if his actual body is still there. If not... well, that would greatly complicate the inheritance issue even more. At least that would give the princess more of a chance to prepare, with how quickly her supposed brother's popularity is growing."
"Amusing. Are you, good sir, deliberately playing off our efforts here as unworthwhile, hoping we would be inclined to correct you and share things with you that we are not supposed to?" Rose states, unsure whether she should be amused, concerned, annoyed or somewhere in between. It was one of the oldest tricks in the spy book, or so Aaron said, intentionally making mistakes of some asset or another in casual conversation, so that some unsuspecting guard would put the record straight. Often revealing far too much in the proces. If so, that would make this man... what, a spy? A lion blade? He had some serious balls to walk up to a group of Eutropia's agents seemingly unarmed and start commandanting them around. "Be that as it may, where I was raised, we at least introduced ourselves during meetings of import. Thus: I am Rose and these are my companions. Who are you, Ser, and why do you believe we would act as your pawns here, especially when we are already in the service of another?"
"I am a little worried about the potential of supernatural means, or magic, used to influence the citizenry at large. By attending such a sermon, we might be exposing ourselved to the same thing. Still... it would at least give us a decent chance of catching whatever it is they are doing in the act - regarding either the 'miracles' or their explosive popularity. If we don't, since he appears to be a public figure, the prince might still be willing to meet with us as representatives of his sister. The last option I see is so sneak inside their compound right away and try to glean the truth for ourselves." She looks around to see what the others thought on the best course of action.
"First, thank you kindly for sharing all of this with us," Rose starts, giving the elder woman a nod of respect. "Secondly... you say that this new faith appears benign on the surface . That implies you are aware of more troubling rumors surrounding them and this child. Could you perhaps share these with us as well? And... what sort of 'miracles' does he perform, exactly?"
"...Yes, we should prepare accordingly. And Kela, I would like to speak to you later in private, when opportunity allows," Rose says, unsure where the anger and fear from the disguised Skald was coming from. It seemed illogical to believe she would feel... existential dread over learning Velvet had been a disguise. There had to be some deeper, more personal issue at hand here that she wasn't aware of. Supposing Faenia would share it, of course. But for now, she understood enough to not mention her by her true name. "All right. We're burning daylight. Let's see what we can learn about this cult."
"I think of what we read in those documents Rose found in Birdsong Palace, and I fear for what we might find." Roses gives Marius a look of confusion. After all, she hadn't been present at the castle as herself at all - that was Velvet, and Velvet had been the one to find those notes. So by stating this, he had essentially confirmed they were the same person - to whatever extent that was true- to everyone present. But she nods quickly, hoping Faenia/Kela and Barcos wouldn't notice that slip-up. But she supposed that if they had... well, she would have told them herself eventually, probably. By this point, she was fairly sure Faenia and Barcos, had they been spies, would have turned on the group to protect Pythareus' interests somewhere along the way. They had found some pretty damning stuff that was potentially very harmful to his political ambitions. "You mean the notes on the Soul research that Fae-"Goddess, now she was doing it too! "Our friend translated; the indications that someone had been trying to manifest the prince's earlier memories into a presumed undead of sorts? Yes, it is very troubling that this likely-puppet prince had gained such a following. We should probably prepare accordingly and get some blessed weapons and balms suited to strike down the dead, just in case."
"Then I can mount a rescue for my comrades. I'll- go speak with the council then. Thank you again." Sensing no deception from the woman, Rose ponders her options when an idea hits her. "Wait. Maybe there *is* something I can do. I cannot-" She searches for the proper word. "'Unstone' these soldiers. But I *am* a fairly decent tailor and this is wealthy trading hub between two large nations. There is a chance I can make a dress here that will sell for enough money to save them one way or another. I cannot promise success, but I will try. They deserve better fates."
"I suppose that if Marius is open about having been there, there is little further point in being vague or lying." "I see. I suppose those are reasonable concerns. So what is it that you wish of us? To know what happened to the medusa? We defeated in combat. We also reported the petrified state of your men to the Baron, and in extension, the council. I hope that they will be able to acquire the spellcasting services or salves required to save them soon - that isn't my call to make. However, as statues they should be well protected until then."
"...I'm afraid I am not at a liberty to say anything regarding her capture. It is a very delicate matter for the city," Raesilia says to the woman after taking a quick glance around for any potential vengeful supporters of Captain Staubel hidden nearby.
Should she not find any hidden danger, she softens when the soldier grows emotional. "...But I suppose I *can* ask some questions instead. Why did she send you there and what happened?"
Raesilia performs a courtly bow and leaves, knowing well the local customs and that doing otherwise would be offensive. "Well spoken, everyone. I don't believe we could have possibly done more in what little time we had," She says, smiling broadly at her comrades when the group reconvenes outside. "Of course, Merkorius fleeing is something we could all see from leagues away. But if even Shendra didn't notice, chances are he fled immediately upon our return or even beforehand. Maybe we couldn't ever have realistically stopped his escape. Still, I'd like to think that playing this by the book and going through the proper authorities was the right thing to do." She begins heading in the direction of a nearby park, intending to sit down and enjoy this rare moment of peace and quiet. "So, what shall we do now? Do we just wait? Go to his hotel and see if there are any remaining clues on where he could have gone? Send a messenger to M-" She briefly looks at Elmar and seems to catch herself. "-to Oppara? Try looking into this Cult of the Prince again? I admit I'm unsure what to best prioritize, though taking things easy for once is appealing on its own. We have a LOT of equipment and valuables to barter away on the markets." The earlier smile returns at that prospect.
Rose feels the collective eyes of the merchant council fall on the group and realises this was her last chance to obfuscate her own participation in these happenings to the outside world. Maybe if she stepped back and let the others handle things, maybe if she withdrew and gave control to Velvet instead, she could still lie about it to her father. But the moment she introduced herself here as her true self, that game was up. The Talbots were arguably the most prominent merchant family in the Nation. They would have extensive dealings with at least some of these people. Maybe some of them even knew Duke Talbot personally. But she then she rememberes her friends - Marius first, then Konstiantina, Lisa and Lotti, each encouraging her in their own way to stop living in fear. "Sorry Martella. I guess I never truly learned to keep my cards close to my chest." A wry thought to an outburst made so long ago, it felt like years. She was tired of hiding once and for all. And in that moment, she saw an oppurtunity - a small one, perhaps, but it was there. It had potential. Merkorius' war on the merchant leaders here might make them more succeptible to see Pytharius in a bad light. Maybe she could even leverage the family name as well... She nods at the Baron and steps forward to adress the 'nobles'. "Greetings, honored members of the Council. To those of you who don't recognize me, I am Reasilia Talbot, daughter of Duke Talbot. I'm sure that, directly or indirectly, we have done a great deal of business with eachother in the past. Unfortunately, we meet in worse times than I would like. For as well as the Baron has described the crimes of Yander Merkorius, in truth they are even worse." "I'm sure you all remember the nightmares." She produces the papers the group recoveren at the abattoir and reads the names of the merchant council members intended as targets. "Lord Atun. Lady Yaris. Lord Abergale. The list goes on." She gravely looks at each of them. "Of course, they suddenly stopped two days ago - when we killed a number of Paraika devils hiding in the city. These documents confirm they were instructed by the Grey Kingmaker - the Earl - to torment each and every one of you. Perhaps even to kill you - I cannot say what would come next. What is clear is that he would go to any lengths to destabilize the city, its rulers and their trade. If you deem the documents too convenient, whoch I cannot blame you for thinking, we also have two prisoners we rescued from torture who can confirm all of this." "I think that I speak for all of us when I say thay he has a lot to answer for. And that is to say nothing of the very troubling implications of him doing all these unspeakble acts in his position as envoy to Strategos Pythareus. Is this how he wishes to forge alliances? Browbeat and intimidate local rulers into submission while seemingly engineering conflict with other nations, regardless of the cost? I, for one, am furious! If we cannot trust our supposed 'allies', then who can we turn to? How can these people ever claim to give us the stability and safety we need to run our businesses?" She takes a deep breath. "In fact, do you know what these methods remind me of? The Senate massacre. I was there, a few months ago. When everyone present at the voting -which ended in disfavor to Pythareus- was corraled into a hall where *somehow*, a large group of assassins had conveniently bypassed all guards to surround and kill many in the crowd. It reeks of fowl play - of no regard whatsoever to dignity and humanoid life." "But that at this point in time, that doesn't have to happen. You still have a choice - to reject such barbarism and instead turn to the rightful monarch. I like to believe in that other path, where we *can* trust in eachother as fellow Taldans in these difficult times, to honor our words and traditions and not have to worry about our allies saying one thing and then knifing us in the back the next." Turning towards she prisoners, she nods. "I will uphold that notion too. For many of the soldiers captured by us laid down their arms volountarily and without a fight. And I believe there are others who *do* feel regret over their actions, who might still have a future that can serve Taldor. I ask that their sentencing be lenient. If nothing else, I have seen enough death these last months to last for a lifetime. I like to think that *we* are better."
"Yes, that correlates to what I learned of his whereabouts earlier, during my exploration of the city. If he hasn't moved yet, he should be there barring some urgent midnight business." Rose says. She cannot quite suppress a yawn which she hides behind her velvet gloves. "Speaking of urgent matters, after all our travels today, I believe an emergency commission of a nighttime bath is in order." She covertly gives a brief yet meaningful smile to Marius on the last bit as the group departs.
"Thank you for your kind words, my Lord. And while I hope this matter can be resolved tomorrow with the council, I imagine there is a good chance Merkondius will either flee the city or make some sort of power before that happens. It is inevitable that he will learn his pawns have been captured in the meantime and he has already taken similar underhanded actions in the past. However, I suppose such is life and that dragging him from his bed in the middle of the night is not the way of Taldan politeness. I still agree with Kela that we should all be on high alert and take care to heavily guard both the detained soldiers and the evidence awaiting the council meeting," Rose muses. Realizing this was probably as good as the group could expect to get right now and her fatigue fully catching up to her, she looked at the others. "If you would allow our leave, I think we could all do with a good night's sleep after the day's events."
Rose level 9: Vigilante 9 (stalker specialisation) Updated talent loadouts:
Level 9 upgrades:
New skills: 1 arcana (forced from headband), 1 bluff, 1 perception, sense motive 2, 1 disable device, 1 stealth, 3 intimidate, nobility 1 (background), 1 perform (string)(background). Increases to skills from level 8>9 (including 3 x +4 social grace bonusses): +1 arcana, +5 bluff, +4 diplomacy, +6 SM, +1 DD, +1 stealth, +3 intimidate, +1 nobility, +1 perform: string.
The tailor smiles. "Thank you for your concern. We are in good health at present, your Lordship. Whatever injuries We sustained, we were able to undo magically ourselves. I'm sure your clerics could be put to better use this night." Rose says as she studies the baron, pondering what to do next. "And I well understand that the council might not be summonable at this moment. However, we have obtained critical information concerning the safety of the city as well as your own, a matter that I believe cannot wait out the night, especially since it will soon be widely known soon that the soldiers masking as brigands have been caught. The window of opportunity to catch the mastermind behind these events unaware is very narrow. Of course, I can only advise you on what to do. Perhaps, if the council cannot be summoned, it could be discussed in private with you first?"
"I am sorry for your loss," Rose offers Jondus, a quiet tone of respect for the dead. "If I could have, I would have tried to subdue it instead. He was strong and loyal - a credit to its trainer."
"Kela, that is enough." Rose insists, genuine worry over the skald's sudden agression creeping into her thoughts. "We are civilized Taldans and they are still our countrymen. Even if they have taken misssteps, as our prisoners, we will treat them with respect. Fathrie, you and your men have my word that I will speak on your behalf during the resolution with the baron, and the trial too if I can be present." She sighs. "Now come, we need to warn the city."
Steering her horse closer, Rose joins the conversation. "Forgive me, but you will have to give us more than that. The five of us just dismantled your entire base alongside your commander with very little effort. We could probably dispatch of you and yours just as easily. It is only courtesy towards your husband's wishes and to you as fellow countrymen that stays our hand. Which, I should add, is more courtesy than you have showed our country by your actions. You have not only betrayed the Horse, you are also enacting what appears to be a False Flag operation designed to instigate another war with Qadira. Do you *truly* feel no need to explain yourself, nor feel any shame when you look at yourself - yourselves -" She raises her volume to the knights in the background. "And see yourself dressed as Qadirans, robbing and attacking innocent people, the escalation of which would lead to untold suffering on the populace? Now, in a time where we are so divided?"
As discussed with the GM online, I need a bit of time to think of what to do with Rose from here. I'm going to try creating a level 9 investigator version this weekend and seeing how it matches up to the vigilante one. I'm considering switching out of it based on issues raised with the burst capacity of Volatile ammunition and the vigilante identity not being a factor in the story. I think that without Volatile ammunition, Rose is eventually going to drop off in power and struggle to keep up with the others. At the same time, I have no solution for the raised Vigilante identity issue since the narrative seems to push us very hard into the spotlight as direct agents and envoys of the rightful monarch, which seemingly makes the need for having a secret identity meaningless.
"I agree. We could lose days waiting for all remaining stragglers to show up here. And we don't have do this this ourselves, either. Just warning the Baron should be enough. Yanmass is a wealthy trade city; it will have forces able to deal with bandit deserters," Rose reasons as she looks up from the mountain of items and valuables the group had collected from the bandit stronghold. She sighs tiredly. "Gods, there's also so many implications to this that it makes my head spin. If Merkorius is Pythareus' envoy, and he ordered all this, that would mean Pythareus is likely trying to engineer a war between Taldor and Qadira... probably hoping the general population would rally around a general rather than a progressive peace-seeker." Her face falls at the thought. "That would mean lives mean essentially nothing to Pythareus so long as he gains his power... which makes it more likely he was behind the Senate massacre too." Rousing her remaining energy, she slowly rises and re-attaches Dignity's Barb to het backpack. "Of course, there's no direct proof of such and if confronted, Pythareus could just say Merkorius went rogue. But it the most we've found thusfar. Let's hope we can make it back before nightfall... and that the beds are soft and the baths warm. I'm pretty much exhausted after all the tracking we did."
Rose continues firing on the unusually sturdy Ram...
Seeing her attacks not have much effect, Rose calls into the whirlwind. "Barcos! Are you all right? If so, can you ask the ram to stand down now that its master is dead?"
Good, the drake was down, the company leader was on her last legs and most of the enemy was either magically slowed, blinded, or both. Of course, it wasn't over until the last combatant dropped their weapons. Or simply dropped - that worked too. "Face ME, you coward!" "Not where I would have wanted to be shot, but if you insist." Rose says, and unloads a volley of bolts into the officer from her vantage point up the stairs.
Rose continues firing, her hestitation over trying to take the commander alive lessened by the danger to her allies as well as Marius' own efforts of seemingly trying to execute her where she stood. Time seemed to slow down - or maybe it actually did on Kela's urging - as she took her shots...
Rose doesn't take part in the conversation, rather she sneaks to the edge of the railing, peeks around the corner and unloads a barrage of arrows into the animals accompanying the new group of enemies. They needed their leader alive. The same was not true for her allies.
Posting this to all of my campaigns: I will undergo surgery on my wrist tomorrow the 19th (it was planned for a while, old boxing incident. I just didn't think of posting it here yet, apologies). It is my dominant hand and I may not use it for a while afterwards. The expected recovery time is somewhere between 1 and 3 weeks, during which I cannot use the hand and posting will be very difficult. As such I'm giving everyone permission to agressively bot my characters during this time period. I will still read the forums but any posts I can make will be very short and shouldn't be waited for/expected. I Apologize for the inconvenience and hope to be back as soon as possible!
"Yes, we are ambitious, but last I checked it was exactly ambition that made Taldor into a great empire... once. Look at us now. The country is falling apart, and our old enemies won't miss this chance to leap at our throat." "And you would take the risk of starting an actual war between Taldor and Qadira for granted? Or was that the goal, and to hell with how many innocents die in the crossfire?" Rose scoffs as she finishes her own knots - only to then receive Shendra's report. "Marius, we have a few survivors approaching us from the west." She reloads dignity's bard as she prepares for the imminent next fight - then gives the Faerie dragon a pat. "Good girl. An extra serving of fruits and nuts back in the Inn it is."
Rose waits out the tendrils, keeping her bow trailed on the turncoats before she walks up and begins binding the ones that had surrendered. She places a comforting hand on Marius' shoulder as she passes him. ""The good Lord Erallan asked you a couple of fairly important questions - the answers of which might well determine your fate, and our patience is short. I suggest you answer them." "Elmar, can you ask Shendra to get an aerial view? I want to know if anyone is attempting to flee the compound - how much time we have to deal with these... 'enterpreneurs'." She says as she begins tying them up.
"Cowards! Cursed yellow bellies!" "At least their bellies are intact." Rose responds, side-stepping the hit into a glancing blow and deeply cutting into the woman's stomach with her dagger in passing. There is no wasted movement as she then fluently follows the motion by throwing the same dagger at the other officer scrambling for her bow. Then she retreats, making room for anyone wishing to enter in her stead.
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