"Escort? Not really something I'm great at, but if you need a hand I'm in"
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Elohir, Aden, and a (somewhat less frightening) acolyte head to fetch Sister Quinna from her nearby apartment. Quinna turns out to be a very pleasant and attractive young human woman, who seems somewhat disappointed when the acolyte explains that they can't wait for her to ready tea for everyone. The trip back and forth is without incident.
Meanwhile, a sommewhat sleepy-seemming dwarf wearing the red robes of the healing order fusses over Hasnett, dealing with the worst of her wounds, while never introducing himself.
Thanking the dwarf, Hasnett waiting until the group are alone with Sister Quinna, leaving the wounded warlock to the the care of Irawaru and Hoku.
"Sorry about the melodrama, but we were attacked on the way here and I didn't want you to meet the same fate. There is something new in the world and we need, urgently, to know if anything similar has happened before."
Pausing for a second to gather her thoughts, she goes on. "Sister, we're looking for information about the birth of new gods. Or rather, in this case, one new god."
Elohir paces nervously about once he is back inside the temple. He was courteous during the escort, if a little bit quiet; still feeling rather awkward and foolish in front of Aden.
"We have had a long journey in a very short time, if that makes any sense."
Hasnett opts for honesty. "He was part of the ambush party who attacked us. We're hoping he may tell us who hired him and why."
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"Oh. Yes. Of course." Clearly disconcerted, Quinna continues, "Should we talk here then -- in case he awakens?"
"Birth of a new god. That's, um, alarming. I believe the last -- or the last to enter the major pantheon -- was the Raven Queen. There may be records of others." She trails off, looking again at the unconscious warlock. "Can we -- you -- do something else with him, please?"
All:
"We can question him now if you like. Irawaru - can you loom a bit."
"Give me some time with him," says Elohir with an uncharacterically dark look. "I can make him wish he were dead. When I am done, he will renounce whatever patron fuels his powers and beg for mercy before telling us everything he knows."
Elohir then blinks for a second and looks about with a confused expression. He says nothing else, though.
"Elohir, we'll just ask him. He's not going to tell us anything if he's dead."
"It's been a trying day," she adds as a sort of explanation to Sister Quinna. "My friend had a nasty shock during the ambush."
Elohir stands in the back, watching the other warlock with a dark expression on his face.
Hasnett smiles soothingly at Sister Quinna and turns her attention to the warlock.
"You're safe for the time being and we just want a few questions answered. Who hired you and why? That will do to begin with."
"Since you're not going anywhere that's probably irrelevant. I'm a priestess. Convert me. Tell me about your one god."
"And what does your One-eyed Lord want so badly?"
"You're not answering my question. What does he want so badly?"
"My death? I'm not planning on returning when my time comes, whatever your Lord may think."
Hasnett sounds firm on that.
"One more thing," she adds. "You said we'd met worse. Are you talking about the creature commanding you or someone else?"
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"My death? I'm not planning on returning when my time comes, whatever your Lord may think."
Hasnett sounds firm on that.
"One more thing," she adds. "You said we'd met worse. Are you talking about the creature commanding you or someone else?"
Both "the worse" and "the Enigma" seem to refer to the leader/creature.
Hasnett:
Irawaru looms.
"If he is what I think his is," mutters Elohir darkly, "then what he worships is likely not any kind of real god."
"Just a moment."
Pulling her companions into a brief huddle, Hasnett lowers her voice.
"What exactly are we going to do with him? Anyone got any ideas that don't involve evisceration?"
"Just a moment."
Pulling her companions into a brief huddle, Hasnett lowers her voice.
"What exactly are we going to do with him? Anyone got any ideas that don't involve evisceration?"
Elohir shrugs.
"We could let him go and follow him. Might be obvious, but I doubt he has anywhere else to go."
"Good plan Elohir, but I really don't want him hearing anything the good Sister here can tell us. Knocking him out again might be the safest thing to do until we're ready to leave. Irawaru?"
Hasnett waggles an inviting eyebrow.
Irawaru grins and punches the man's lights out.
Elohir smiles slightly with the compliment, and stands a bit taller.
"It may or may not work. Worst case scenario, he simply kills himself rather than possibly lead us to his master. However, I believe priests sometimes have ways of making the dead talk."
"Some of them. I'm not among their number. I didn't want Henrick digging up corpses to find out where they'd hidden treasure in the bad old days."
Hasnett turns her attention back to Sister Quinna.
"I'm sorry to inflict our private affairs on your Sister, but things are difficult and the problems are urgent. We have to be rougher than you're used to maybe. Please, what can you tell us about the birth of new gods?"
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The warlock is unconscious again. Sister Quinna flinches, but says nothing.
She does reply to Hasnett. "Priestess, it is not a common thing, of course. Or, it may be, but it is little known, if so. As I started to tell you earlier, the most recent that's widely known was the Raven Queen, and history has that she ascended over fifteen hundred years ago. There are minor deities, of course -- gods of places, especially, or some ancient mortal spirits who ascend as patrons of their descendants -- that are thought to come and go, but somehow I don't think that is what you mean.
"Perhaps we can go to my office?" She looks at the unconscious form. "I could really use some tea."
"Tea..."
Hasnett looks for a second as though she might ask for something stronger, but thinks better of it.
She joins Sister Quinna in her office, along with the rest of the group.
"I'm pretty sure that we're not talking about a minor deity here, unless a minor deity can move time, shape space and raise the dead."
Hasnett regards Sister Quinna thoughtfully, wondering just how much to tell her.
"How much more do you need to know? We found an island with a wheat-headed god living in a volcano. He sent us back here but we do not know why yet. We need to get back, though. Something important is supposed to happen there. Personally I am still hesitant to call him a god, but he was obviously very powerful."
Hasnett sighs inwardly. So much for tact and discretion.
"As my friend here says. I'm not sure about the needing to get back part, Elohir. I think we need to find him, not his island," she adds, almost absent-mindedly, still watching Sister Quinna carefully.
"We're told it's death," says Hasnett simply. "And based on what we've seen of his powers, that makes sense. He can control it."
Privately she starts thinking of ways to make sure Sister Quinna doesn't talk about this to anyone else.
"Sister. Forgive me if I'm blunt here. It's important for your own sake that you don't tell anyone about this. You know we were attacked on the way here and you know who by. Please don't endanger yourself. However much you think you can trust someone, I'd really, really urge you not to. They nearly destroyed us and we're not inexperienced at staying alive."
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"Oh, of course. Strictest confidence," she nods earnestly, then becomes thoughtul. "A new god of death, and already maturing . . . Oh, my. Blessed Melora, what to do? And Elohir, whether you call them gods or not matters little to most of them -- or most of us they maneuver.
"The Raven Queen will not be happy about this, but better her being unhappy than the other," she says with a vague nod in the direction of the meeting room. "Why do you think they attacked you? Is he trying to gain control of -- what did you say his name is?"
Aden sits impatiently. Talking not being his strong point.
"I've got no idea if he is trying to get control of our new god or not, but the evidence points that way. They were very determined and they knew who we were. Particularly who I was. I appreciate that a lot of divine feathers are going to be ruffled if Alkanis is truly what we think, but the real question is this. What do we do next?"
Elohir crosses his arms and looks about with his penetrating green eyes, waiting for Hasnett's response.
"I think we need to find Alkanis and discover his place in the world. I think we also need to protect him. He's new here, he can be imposed on. I'd rather that didn't happen. A grumpy baby god is not something any of us want to deal with."
"Yes."
Hasnett shakes her head at the question about the island. "I don't think it necessarily exists any more. Elohir?"