Standing with her blade halfway into the man before her, Sanira practically whispered to Fearn while her eyes stared into the cowardly Baroi.
"Waste not your words, good dwarf. This hollow man is beyond redemption for both your patron and mine."
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With a sigh, Sanira lifted her blade to the Baron's chest. "Enough games. We have been patient. I see you are nothing but a coward and heretic, and must instead be properly motivated." With a lunge, she thrust the dagger at the man's abdomen.
Sanira could stand it no longer. She laughed. Laughed at the Baron, the situation, the madness of it all. Had Nidal fallen prey to some demon's tampering? Her voice bellowed through the chamber, a suppressed anger at last exploding outward. "The kayal? The very people you treat as dogs?" Crossing the distance between herself and the Baron, she grabbed the man's arm and threw him to the ground. She stood, towering over the coward. "How dare you claim concern for them. You have no right to judge anyone, Baroi. I care more for my people - for your people - and for Nidal - than you could ever dream of. You are merely fortunate that your life more agonizing than the release of death." She reached to her side and pulled one of the long, curved blades from its resting place, putting it near to the Baron's neck. "Though I'm sure the Midnight Lord would approve of a little bloodletting in the right spots. Now - I suggest you grow a spine and provide proper aid for a mess of your own creation. And perhaps you'll even do it before your wife sees you as the quavering pile of failure you are."
Sanira had few words left for the Baron. He was even beyond pitiable, just a pathetic excuse for a man. She stood, head slowly shaking her discontent, as the Baroi wept upon the paladin amongst them. "Is this all you can muster for your home, Baroi? Excuses and tears? Then I see no reason not to let this Nicasor have his vengeance upon the Baroi. It is deserved, and surely my Master would agree."
Sanira laughed, nodding her agreement. "Nor do you offer a single lick of aid. If you truly believe I will willingly imprison myself at your leisure with nothing more than a shard of glass in hand, you are an even greater fool than I could have dreamt."
"Trust is a difficult thing to ask for, Baroi. Does not the Midnight Lord ask for loyalty? Have not you failed him?" Sanira paced around the room, stopping in front of the Mirror and staring into its surface. It was a truly marvelous piece of craftsmanship, likely made by some of the greatest shadowcallers of Nidal. How it had ended up in the hands of a fool like Baroi... that was another story. Turning back to Baroi, she locked eyes with the man and tried to read him. Was he truly repenting his crimes? Or was he seeking to eliminate them? "Suppose we do agree to willingly imprison ourselves into an extraplanar realm solely at your mercy. You offered precautions. What do you have more than this... shard? It looks... ineffectual."
Hp : You know that feeling when you make a low con character and say to yourself "this will make for an interesting and different opportunity!" and then you realize about 5 minutes afterward that you've made a terrible, terrible decision. Yeah. That.
Nodding, Sanira watches the Baroi squirm as Fearn holds him with the grip of a dwarven zealot. "I am still not entirely disinclined to merely toss him to the shae. With everything he has done to this village, neither Zon-Kuthon nor the Umbral Court would have any qualms with such an action." Sanira paced around the room, watching the strange and mystical mirror in the center. It practically oozed magic, even without further study. She circled it, pondering its intricacies. How exactly did one become trapped within it? And was Baroi being honest about holding the key to escape? It also begged the question... "If the enemy within is truly so dangerous, why have you not merely destroyed his prison?"
Leaning on the arm of the chair, Sanira rested her head upon one hand. "If I recall correctly, Nicasor was the leader of a rebellion against your forefathers, yes? Perhaps it runs in your blood to provoke the ire of creatures of shadow. Certainly your treatment of the kayal says as much." She sighed, watching the Baroi squirm beneath the gaze of three very angry - and heavily armed - adventurers. "I care not for your fate. Were it my decision, I'd let the shae have his way with you, then let our Master attend to your soul's eternal suffering. We need only a cure for the plague you have brought upon us with your foolishness. Your suffering, your fear - you have earned them."
Leaning herself back into the chair, Sanira shuffled around to make herself as comfortable as possible. She considered the Baroi's words, wondering if he was foolish enough to try and deceive the Midnight Lord. She closed her eyes, trying to recall if the name had ever come up before. Surely there had to be some connection between this Nicasor and the Barois. Or to this Mirror. If it truly connected to the Shadow Plane, why did she know nothing of it?
"Indeed he does, good Fearn." She stared at the Baron, staring through him. To his very soul. "While I respect your loyalty to your patron, this one is the property of an entirely different Master. And he will suffer an eternity at his hand." Walking across the study, Sanira sat herself down in the Baron's armchair. She crossed her legs, scraping at the fine upholstery with her gauntleted hands. She considered partaking of the man's brandy, but decided his liquor was tainted by his sins. "Now. Speak of your benefactor. I assure you, the kayal are no one's servants but the Midnight Lord's. Dare he to intrude upon the Master's domain?"
Sanira grew tired of the games. She took her foot and planted it firmly on the Baron's shoulder, shoving him to the ground. "I don't remember asking for complications, Baroi!" She was practically fuming, but continued with the same cold tone as before. "Speak. The truth, and all of it, or I will have your tongue out. Perhaps it will be more helpful than you."
Sanira turned her back on the Baron, staring off at the shadows cast across the manor. Each dancing shade seemed to be praising her actions, but she suppressed any sense of accomplishment she felt. If her Master was truly blessing her action, she saw no reason to cease. "I'm sorry, Baroi. I thought I asked for answers, not whispers." She shook her head, as though in regret. "Perhaps your family will show a little more reverence." Turning back around, she crouched and put her face within an inch of the Baron's. "I'm sure it would be an honor for them to bear the weight of your sins. I wonder which bits the Midnight Lord will lay his mark upon first? Perhaps the eyes..."
At the mention of the shadow plane, the priestess turned and faced the Baron. Sanira's ashen cheeks would have flushed with rage, had her pallor flesh been capable of truly showing it. She approached, only just barely restraining herself from gripping the Baron's tiny neck. "Continue, Baroi; you try our waning patience. What of the Midnight Lord's domain? Which of your crimes has his realm suffered? How will you bear the agony of your sins?" Even she was surprised at the calmness of her voice. It was the same calm, soothing voice of the Umbral Court's representatives.
Sanira took a deep breath, wondering how she'd been dragged into this situation. Her Master would either bless her with his shadows... or condemn her to a life of true agony. "Good Baron," she began, trying to quell her own emotions in favor of propriety. It proved rather difficult. "I will remove myself, as soon as you start providing the answers we need. You leave Karpad - my village - - to a fate it does not deserve! A fate that the Midnight Lord would look upon with disgust. You have failed in your duties, not just to Karpad, nor Nidal, but to our Master himself. Do you truly dare to defy our Lord? I strongly suggest you start cooperating, and atoning for your crimes, lest you be flayed for an eternity before Zon'Kuthon."
Sanira had remained deathly silent since entering the manor house - upsetting the Baron further was a foolish move, even if she despised the man. But Shadrick's outburst... even if she didn't entirely disagree with his assessment, it was unthinkable that an outsider would hold such an air within the lands of Zon-Kuthon. She reached out and grabbed Shadrick's arm, glaring at him. "The Baroi deserves little respect, but do try to be civil. It was the Master's will that he rule this town." With a deep breath, she let the man's arm drop. She silently prayed that Zon-Kuthon would understand the actions she was about to undertake. If he did not - she dared not think of the consequences.
Sanira glared back at the human, doing her best to refrain from sneering at him. His blatant disrespect for Zon-Kuthon would have been cause enough for death under most circumstances. Fortunately enough for him, these were not typical circumstances. The matter of the Baroi was far more pressing than him. Just as I imagine him learning the graces of the Master... Just another miserable, self-interested human. "I am afraid not - the gifts of the Midnight Lord are not simply gaudy baubles that one can don or toss with the passing of each moon. His blessings - and our servitude - are far more enduring."
Despite herself, Sanira could hardly contain her sadistic pleasure at finally watching the Baron squirm beneath his accumulated crimes. It took every fiber of her being to maintain firm composure - and even then, she was unsure she'd be able to stop herself from striking Baroi herself. "I doubt the Baron or his servants will open the door for a kayal. One of you two should take the lead... at least until we get the Baron in our grasp." Her fists clenched, as if they desired to wring the miserable man's neck.
Sanira was caught more than a little off-guard by the dwarf's sudden heart-to-heart, even after wincing at the name of his dwarven god. In less than a day, she'd seen more compassion from Fearn for her and her people's plight than in a decade among the humans. Even the strange human seemed to have a fondness for her, and a concern for Karpad's ills. She hated to admit it, but perhaps these two were guided to Nidal by the Master. Perhaps it took an outsider, one not bound to the will of the Umbral Council, to mend Nidal's flaws. Perhaps the council served not the master, but their own ends... Shaking her head, Sanira quickly crushed the heretical thoughts. Still, she'd heard tales of dwarves. Tales that said they were as hard as the very rocks they lived beneath. Fearn did not seem as rough around the edges as the stories suggested, but his strength of spirit was itself inspiring - if a little misdirected at times. Earning his trust was nothing to be taken lightly. "Indeed, your company has not been entirely unpleasant. And while I doubt I will ever see your homeland, Fearn, I appreciate the honor. I only wish I could offer the same." She gestured to Karpad, the early morning fog rising from the river doing its best to dilute the sun's dim rays. "This day's light will bring us once more to the Baron's doorstep. Let us hope the Master sees fit to end this quickly and without dispute."
Waking soon after the sun broke through the comforting blanket of darkness, Sanira rubbed both the weariness and the light from her eyes. They were still a bit sensitive after her short bout of blindness. Which only served to remind her of the shadow and its cryptic words. She shrugged it off. There were bigger issues at hand. Most notably, of course, was the Baron himself. She sat on her bed, the deliberately stiff mattress shifting slightly as she sidled nearer to her armor. Whispering dark prayers to the Master, she began to strap on each piece, the metal digging into her flesh and drawing blood forth to enhance her prayers. She relished this moment, and almost thanked the outsiders for the opportunity. Her expertise was in such little demand in Karpad that she'd begun to think the Midnight Lord was punishing her with it. As strange as it was, it was because of these outsiders that she'd finally had a chance to act in the Master's name - and to challenge the foolish Baroi. After an hour of reverence for her Master and scorn for the Baron, she finishes eating a meager meal of cold vegetable stew - the best that Karpad could spare for the shadow-blessed kayal - and set off to meet the outsiders. With any luck, they'd all managed to stay out of trouble through the night.
I think the course of action we'd all agree on is to bust in on the Baron and get some real answers. Or at the very least, satisfy our urges to pummel him. Also, I guess a 20+ on my religion check is probably enough to know something about Lilith. Whatever it is you'd assume as common knowledge.
"Fallen angels are just fancy names for your Chelaxian devils, are they not? I must admit I am not exactly well versed on the pantheon of the Hells."
"Do remember whose lands you tread upon, human. Watch your tongue while within the Midnight Lord's domain, or lose it. I have heard ornamental tongue piercings are quite popular in Pangolais - of course, only a few use their own tongues." She paused, taking a deep breath before she acted without prudence. "But yes. This particular batch of humans is truly vile. They disrespect the Master with their fear of the shadow-blessed. The Baroi is a fool, and the Umbral Court has little concern for the petty failings of a minor lord's holdings. And so you see Karpad truly at its finest." Sanira could feel the eyes of the fetchlings upon her as she led the outsiders back to Shade Row. Hopefully they had calmed themselves down from the day's rather hectic events. Near the center of the ghetto was the inn, The Shadow's Embrace. It was little more than a bunkhouse, with a few beds and a fire to keep it warm through the chilly grasp of night. She turned to Shadrick before opening the door. "While I'm sure you and your devil-worshiping kin would cherish the opportunity for all of us to sell our souls to Hell itself, I think you misunderstand the Master. While your 'gods' wait to drag you down into oblivion, ours has protected us for millenia. A little sacrifice is nothing for the joys of serving at his side. So do try to keep your disdain for our ways - my ways - under wraps while you stay here."
With a shrug, Sanira headed for the door to the inn. "I'd expected as much," she told the outsiders. "I was simply being a hospitable host showing you to this miserable excuse for an Inn. I'd invite you all to stay at my own abode - but it's a tad small. And I doubt you'd much care for my accommodations." She stepped out the door, then turned around for one last remark. "I'll come to rouse you soon after the stars set. Enjoy the bedbugs." As much as she truly did expect it, every act of antagonism against her kind was like a crime against the Master. She swore a silent vengeance against Boris, adding him to the long list of villagers she counted amongst the mild heretics - with the Baron at its head.
"Nothing, as expected. Both of the Baron's brothers are missing from their crypts, and only the Master knows what the Baroi has done with them." She fell silent, contemplating what the Baron might have wanted with his brother's corpses. Sliding the stone slab back into place, she nod her head in agreement with the dwarf. "A rest sounds good - it's strange how weary true darkness can make you."
With a sigh, Sanira closed her eyes and whispered a silent prayer to the Master - a prayer of vengeance and agony for the crimes likely committed here. "As expected," she muttered. For the sake of congruity, she inspected this grave as well - searching for any clues of what happened or why, and expecting nothing.
"Perhaps." The dwarf was naive. Although such disobedience to the Midnight Lord was a travesty, murder and kidnapping were not unusual. Nidal was driven by two forces - the true Master, and the aristocracy. Marriages, assassinations, excommunications, and executions were too often driven by the lure of mortal power. What was really strange was that the Baron seemed like too weak a man to put any such plan into motion. Silently, Sanira slid out of the tomb and moved towards the other Baroi's crypt. Her concerns had overridden her sense of somber respect, and she moved to open the stone coffin herself.
It was a strange proposition, but not impossible. It was certainly easy to make someone disappear beneath the shadows of Nidal. Not quite as easy to hide a nobleman, or the heir to a Barony - but still possible. "But where? And why?" The obvious questions. Sanira chided herself for stating them, but supposed that someone had to do it. She leaned forward, and with a few whispered words of prayer, scanned first the coffin, and then the stone tomb for any signs of magical intervention.
"We should look for Henric's body as well, just to be sure."
Sanira stepped forward to the coffin, examining every nook and cranny of the coffin. Surely, not even the heretical Baroi would deny his family their rites? How would Zon-Kuthon's faithful ever find their way to his Midnight Palace in the afterlife? Surely, there had to be a good reason. Not even the Baroi would be so much of a fool - unless he truly had no regard for how badly the Master would torment the soul of a traitor. An idea occurred to her - a final hope for the Baron's redemption. "Perhaps this is not the first outbreak of the plague? I can imagine few other reasons for such blatant disregard of faith. Mayhaps the Baron was actually trying to protect his town by interring the bodies elsewhere." Though unlikely. The Baroi will pay for his crimes against Karpad, even if I must personally deliver his rent soul to the Master.
It's always refreshing to see both sides of the spectrum played without falling into either lawful-stupid territory or stupid-evil land. I'd like to imagine that Sanira doesn't really fall into either pitfall, despite being LE and all...
Sanira stood by and watched the desecration of the Baroi's crypt. While she hated the current one, she hadn't known his brothers well enough to kindle a hatred. Still, though, she didn't want to arouse the Midnight Lord's ire. She stood at the entranceway of the tomb, silently watching as the dwarf approached the stone coffin.
as fun as option five sounds, my vote's already in.
Sanira practically glowed with pride for her master as her vision grew brighter, then blurry, then distinct. The color remained more faded than it had been, but she enjoyed the deeper shades that now covered the world. A grim smile crossed her face as she bore the pain for her master, stretching her arms to examine the new scars. It was the least she could do. And despite the dwarf's wrinkled face of disgust, at least he had enough sense to hold his tongue within the Temple. It was no matter if he did not approve. Zon-Kuthon would lay his god low before Him, writhing in agony and pleasure - should he ever choose to do so. But the other deities were fools unworthy of his time. She waited as the dwarf shared his information with the priest before adding her own knowledge. "There is something more to this shadow. In the void, it reached out to me and spoke. It seemed to be seeking something greater than ourselves. Though I cannot imagine what would please it more than servitude to the Master... I must confess it has rejected the Midnight Lord. It must be destroyed for its crime."
Sanira was torn between her loyalty to the Master and her own hatred for the Baroi. Digging up the bodies was a disgrace - a crime against the sanctity and restful agony of death. And yet, she found herself remaining strangely silent. As much as she wanted to will herself to disagree, she couldn't. Was her own loyalty to the Midnight Lord faltering? Or was the Baroi that much of a heretic? Perhaps even the human priest? Or, perhaps worst of all, was she beginning to agree with Shadrick?
Sanira would have cast displeased glances to her traveling companions, had the world not continued to be a pit of blackness. Not only had the dwarf insulted her master, but the larger human was now trying to prevent her from honoring Zon-Kuthon properly! "Nonsense. Any true believer in the Midnight Lord would never allow another to accept their due agony. After all, it is only in the face of pain that we can truly honor our Master. So I am afraid I will be attending to my own needs, Shadrick." She bore her arms, once more displaying all of the scars that marred her grey flesh. "This offering will be but a pittance for the Midnight Lord."
Being led along by the Priest, Sanira waited for the man to pause before she broke the news. She had never really cared for the man - a fellow Kuthite, and equally devoted to the Master - but he held his humanity as a sense of pride over the fetchling population. More often treated them like favored pets of the Master than of his chosen. She regretted needing his help. She put on her best "play nice" voice and tried not to sound overly desperate. "Father Miklos, these outsiders have been given temporary deputization by our Midnight Lord. They have been aiding me - and the Baron - in seeking the source of Karpad's plague. Unfortunately, the forces that work against our Master have lashed out and taken my sight, as well as the cripple's hearing."
Sanira was taken aback by the kindness of the outsiders. She had not expected humans - or the dwarf - to be so accepting of her kind. Perhaps those from beyond the borders of Nidal were not as evil as she suspected. Gladly accepting the aid offered to her, she mumbled out a few curses to the damned fey that had done this to her. "Ilquis will beg for the mercy of death when the true shadows of Nidal find him. When I find him." Doing her best not to falter in appearance, even with her inability to actually see her appearance, she looked in the general direction of Shadrick. "Most servants of the Midnight Lord have the ability to heal wounds and restore senses, but few ask the Master for such blessings without good cause, or better blood. The human priest of Karpad should be able to provide us with service, for a minor remittance."
Still standing near the wall, Sanira wondered how long it would be before the outsiders questioned her inaction. She decided it was probably better to tell them on her own terms than to let them discover it. Especially with the sound of smashing wood somewhere in the room. "As glad as I am to be rid of that annoying creature, and as humorous as it may be that our cripple is deaf, and as great as whatever you're doing over there is - I can't see anything. At all." She paused for only the briefest of moments before adding: "The irony may be the most painful injury I've ever endured." She paused again, this time for much longer. In a much lower volume, she added: "Some assistance would be appreciated."
Sanira was only mildly annoyed by the shadow's desire to consume the life force of both herself and her companions. It was among the most mindless of the Shadowplane's denizens, and one of the least loyal to her master. Far too often they acted on animalistic impulse, rather than the defined order of pain that her master preferred. And given her condition, she was not about to question the "heroes" willing to throw themselves in front of the creature and eliminate it. She maintained her position near the wall, doing her best to manifest her scorn across the connection she seemed to share with the creature.
Sanira pushes herself off the wall, offended, and trying not to lose her bearings as she does so. "What exactly does that mean, dwarf?" Nicola's own plight would have been humorous if she hadn't been incapacitated herself. Still, she wanted to show as little weakness before the outsiders as possible...
Sanira keeps near the wall, half expecting her vision to return at any moment. It doesn't. Somehow, the darkness is almost comforting, despite her inability to do much.
I'm not sure I can express how much I hate this little guy.
With her spatial awareness quickly failing, Sanira tried to work her way towards where she'd last seen a wall. Bumping into it a little harder than she'd intended, she put her back against it and gripped her weapon. Hopefully she wouldn't have to flail it around like a fool.
Sanira's Response: Despite the overwhelming darkness that blinded her, it seemed as though a single being stood out in the blackness. Somehow, it called out to her - without words, but directly into her mind. The very fact that it was projecting its presence despite the blindness was evidence enough to that fact. She tried to muster her thoughts into something close to a conversational voice. "You have been given a gift. You have been rent from our home, and given the honor to serve Zon-Kuthon on the mortal plane." She wasn't sure the beast would understand the more complicated explanation - that he was the spawn of a disease of unknown origin, and surely disapproved of by Zon-Kuthon. Hopefully the short version would suffice. And it wouldn't try to maul the outsiders. At least, not yet.
We are all kinds of dead. Our magic is ineffective, and conventional weapons are also having a terrible time of it. I'd vote to run, but Sanira would probably rather die than run from some baby who hides in the light.
The world went dark. But this wasn't the darkness that Sanira was used to. Her eyes struggled to make sense of the blackness, but there was... nothing. Nothing beyond the black. She could sense things moving around her, but strain as she might - it was of no use. At least that cursed light is gone... Either the creature had drowned the room in a supernatural darkness beyond even that of her master's domain... Or the light had blinded her senses. It was unfortunate that the latter seemed so much more likely. She silently muttered a prayer to her master that she'd slowly tear the fey limb from limb in his honor, should Zon-Kuthon feel the desire to guide her through this. Still, she was not about to show weakness to the outsiders. She turned in the direction she'd last seen the shadow beast. "How dare you attack the denizens of your Master's lands! Do you truly wish your miserable existence to end with the Midnight Lord's scorn and wrath? A beast of shadow - serving a minion of the light?" She broke into a laughter, half fueled by the growing sensation of dread within her. Sanira was not accustomed to blindness. "Do your Master some honor. Slay this fey beast in his name, and perhaps he will spare you the torment of his ire!"
Sanira's eyes narrowed, and despite the blinding brightness of the light, she stared at where she believed the creature to be. "The shadow-blessed are far from the mindless drones you imagine. We serve a master far greater than any Baron - a master your presence has offended," she paused, but couldn't help to laugh. She stilled the outburst, and continued. "My purpose is simple - I serve the Midnight Lord's interests. The better question, beast, is what purpose do you serve?"
As the sphere of light continues to circle around the room, Sanira turns and follows it. Curse this infernal creature... how dare this being of the sun intrude on such splendid darkness. Still spinning the chain, she lashes out again - hoping to drag the beast to the ground. Invisible or not, he'd be far easier to catch if he couldn't fly.
With little recourse left, Sanira offers half a shrug to her companions and starts to whirl the chain through the room. Even with the high ceilings of the workshop, the spinning chain nearly scraped against both floor and ceiling. As the sound of whipping steel resounded in her ear, she squinted her eyes against the small sun that was blighting Nidal, and struck out with her weapon.
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