Undine the Sea

[Amaury]

Before answering all the questions Jallembo says: "Well, I passed whatever test with the Goddess in the forest, I'm not sure why I should still be questioned, but I'll do it if you insist.. Then, sorry but we have a mission.. No time to go get whatever you are after.. We have lost too much time already..."

"What are your exact intentions involving Amalthea and the Undine Shard?"
"Go and nick the shard to bring it back to the Council. Hopefully we'll get good rewards with these high ranking nobility.."

"Do you have any additional intentions that you have not yet mentioned?"
"No... well make money.."

"Do you have any intention of poisoning the Azurine Wyldheart?"
"Who? Sorry but I have a code of honour.. I don't do poison.."

"Your dwarf friend (OOC: For Krindorf, they say 'you') expressed the sentiment that he would like to slit all of our throats. This was before the misunderstandings were ascertainted. As of now, would you consider retributory actions against Galatea's faithful or followers, of violent nature or otherwise?"
"No. I understand your queries though I'm losing patience.."

"Are you aligned with the forces of evil?"
"The forces of Evil?? What is this? If you mean the Wyrmlich followers, no way.. "

"Even so, it's possible that you are being misled by your allies. What would you do if one of your erstwhile allies turned out to be evil? What if they were not evil but had a hidden agenda?"
"I've met a few of what you call Evil persons, though not the types we're fighting now.. I can understand if someone has an hidden agenda.. I'm just a pawn in that story and if I'm being misled, so be it.. i'll decide how to react depending on how much I was fooled.."
(then, just to know for the ceremony as Rachel mentioned--)

"Who is your patron deity?"
"Deity?? Well.. none! Even Gods of Luck didn't attract me.. I don't fear gods as I never met them and many of their followers are just stealing from naive people.. however I think that recent meeting in the forest has.. troubled me more than I want to admit.."

[Voda Vosa]

OOC: It is time...

[Rystil Arden]

Originally Posted by Voda Vosa

OOC: It is time...

(OOC: I count 5--we're missing one, no?)

[Heckler]

Originally Posted by Rystil Arden

(OOC: I count 5--we're missing one, no?)

ooc: Dargon - Last Seen: 04-23-08 (05:11 PM)

[Rystil Arden]

Originally Posted by Heckler

ooc: Dargon - Last Seen: 04-23-08 (05:11 PM)

(OOC: Right, and Nura's should be the most interesting, since she's going to ping Evil)

[Rystil Arden]

(OOC: In the meantime, they do have one more thing to say to Corvinus)

Originally Posted by Corvinus

"Yes, those were exactly the tedious excuses I asked you to spare me," retorts Corvinus. "Since it sounds like you don't actually need an answer to the question, can we please, for the love of whatever god you care to name, move on, so that I can stop listening to you blather?"

"If you feel that the distinction between good and evil is no more important than between eating toast butter-side-up or butter-side-down, then why haven't you allied yourself with the Lichwyrm? I hear he has a better medical plan."

[covaithe]

Originally Posted by Rystil Arden

"If you feel that the distinction between good and evil is no more important than between eating toast butter-side-up or butter-side-down, then why haven't you allied yourself with the Lichwyrm? I hear he has a better medical plan."

"Have you ever seen a zombie? I bet you haven't, or you wouldn't say stupid things like that. I saw one once. It was in a neighborhood in Monemvassia where the guard patrols were mysteriously directed to go elsewhere for a week. Myself, I think the fact that the captain in charge of that district bought a fancy new sword that week, with gold inlays in the hilt and a big red jewel in the pommel, may have had something to do with it. But no one seemed to share my interest in this coincidence. Anyway, when we came back, it was a huge mess. Homes destroyed, shops looted, charred bodies in the street, and this... thing... eating them. The rumor was that there had been some kind of turf war between the thieves' guild and some independents, and the zombie was just another discarded weapon. We eventually put it down with arrows, but I'll never forget the look in its eyes... or the smell. Medical plan." He shakes his head in disgusted contempt.

"People's happiness doesn't come from the battle between good and evil. As long as people are safe and have the basic necessities of life, they'll make their own happiness, good or evil. And it's not 'good' that keeps them safe, it's laws. Basic rules of society, like 'Don't kill people without a good reason', 'Don't steal', and such. Speaking of which, when will you give us our equipment back? Anyway, the Lichwyrm needs to be stopped not because it is evil, but because it is bent on breaking and destroying those basic rules of society, and replacing them with his own whim. If Galatea were doing the same thing, I'd oppose her, too."

[Voda Vosa]

OOC: nothing to say to Krindorf? fehw...

[Rystil Arden]

(OOC: They could understand Krindorf's Point of View from his answers. Corvinus's seemed to them a bit twisted and possibly corruptable to the cause of the Lichwyrm, so they needed clarifications

By the way, in OOC answer to Corvinus's question, everyone's equipment was returned long before this--effectively, after the one night without their stuff (but still unguarded), they've had everything returned and had the run of the place--few PCs just ever chose to go exploring. I hope everyone knew that!)

"Have you ever seen a zombie? I bet you haven't, or you wouldn't say stupid things like that.

"A zombie represents pure anathema towards all those who have been given the spark of life. The undead are as close as you can come to the definition of Evil. Sometimes, they are wielded by aristocratic Necromancers to uphold the rule of law. Others, by destructive madmen bent on razing civilisation to the ground. Either way, it is Evil. It seems from your thoughts on the matter that you would agree to its destruction in either of those cases, no?"

"People's happiness doesn't come from the battle between good and evil. As long as people are safe and have the basic necessities of life, they'll make their own happiness, good or evil. And it's not 'good' that keeps them safe, it's laws. Basic rules of society, like 'Don't kill people without a good reason', 'Don't steal', and such. Speaking of which, when will you give us our equipment back? Anyway, the Lichwyrm needs to be stopped not because it is evil, but because it is bent on breaking and destroying those basic rules of society, and replacing them with his own whim. If Galatea were doing the same thing, I'd oppose her, too."

"But the cult of the Lichwyrm is regimented. According to legends, he seeks to conquer all the Midlands and set up his own rule of law. Even Azwan agrees that changing the rule of law by conquest is a lawful endeavour. If the Lichwyrm conquered Monemvassia and established his own undead barony there, would you fight to free your homeland? In that case, you would be fighting against the rule of law. Ultimately, if you seek the best for the people regardless of the circumstance, then you seek good, whatever way you choose to couch it. If you agree that you would destroy the zombies in either case, would fight the Lichwyrm in either case, then, your games of semantics notwithstanding, you fight for the cause of Good, which will be enough to satisfy those on the Council who wish to hear it."

[covaithe]

Originally Posted by Rystil Arden

By the way, in OOC answer to Corvinus's question, everyone's equipment was returned long before this--effectively, after the one night without their stuff (but still unguarded), they've had everything returned and had the run of the place--few PCs just ever chose to go exploring. I hope everyone knew that!)

ooc: Sorry, I thought this conversation was not long after the councili with the priestesses. Corvinus asked for his stuff back before that meeting (#299 and was told it wasn't a good time to ask.

"A zombie represents pure anathema towards all those who have been given the spark of life. The undead are as close as you can come to the definition of Evil. Sometimes, they are wielded by aristocratic Necromancers to uphold the rule of law. Others, by destructive madmen bent on razing civilisation to the ground. Either way, it is Evil. It seems from your thoughts on the matter that you would agree to its destruction in either of those cases, no?"

"Zombies need killing, that's for sure. But it's not any more complex than that. Your clumsy attempts to twist this into some kind of proof of your ideology are as ridiculous as they are transparent."

"But the cult of the Lichwyrm is regimented. According to legends, he seeks to conquer all the Midlands and set up his own rule of law. Even Azwan agrees that changing the rule of law by conquest is a lawful endeavour. If the Lichwyrm conquered Monemvassia and established his own undead barony there, would you fight to free your homeland? In that case, you would be fighting against the rule of law."

"Azwan thinks that, does he? Tell that to a general on the losing side who is facing the headsman's axe. See how far he gets with that argument. But in the case of the Lichwyrm, there is another law that applies: the old makes way for the new. Sooner or later, everything dies. Everything, priestess," he says, with a pointed glance at her holy symbol. "Things that seek to cheat death beyond their appointed time are breaking one of the most basic laws."

"Ultimately, if you seek the best for the people regardless of the circumstance, then you seek good, whatever way you choose to couch it. If you agree that you would destroy the zombies in either case, would fight the Lichwyrm in either case, then, your games of semantics notwithstanding, you fight for the cause of Good, which will be enough to satisfy those on the Council who wish to hear it."

"If all you wanted to hear was that my goals are currently aligned with yours, then why are we having this conversation? I said that minutes ago. Was it only minutes? It feels like days."

ooc: I think this scene is pretty much played out, I'm just killing time.

[covaithe]

ooc: Bump

[Rystil Arden]

(OOC: Dargon disappeared in April at the time of Nura's last post. Shall I write Nura out of this so we can keep going at pace? If I don't hear anything to the contrary by tomorrow, I'll advance next tim I get a chance, which will be Monday by the latest, probably before (depends on what weekend activities I do) )

[Amaury]

ooc: sorry to say this but this game needs a serious injection of pace else I'm gone like Nura. I've lost track of all characters, etc.

[Rystil Arden]

(OOC: You make a good point--I'll write out Nura now then rather than waiting)

*Nura has been quietly brooding and keeping to herself much of late, and when the time comes for her to go before the priestesses, she has simply vanished. Since the group was free to go about as they liked and they weren't being watched, no one really knows where she might have gone.*

*After everyone is finished answering the questions, one of the priestesses makes the following pronouncement:*

"I have been told to relay to you the decision of the Hall. While one or two of you have severely poor attitudes, and, in one case, possibly a psychological condition, your cause is just, and if whatever Council sent you decided to hire such mercenaries, they do seem to have faith in you. In contacting Rayne Liore, she affirms her confidence in you, though she seemed troubled that we did not receive the message she sent to tell us about your arrival."

"As mentioned before, after the last group of petitioners, we do not possess the needed ingredients for the ritual. However, a few of the most important herbs grow on this island, though they are quite rare. If you can search for them and find them, we can send you to a place where you might be able to barter for what is left over. Are any of you skilled in wilderness lore?"

[covaithe]

"Alas, not me," Corvinus says. "If you needed me to find things in a city, that I could do. But finding herbs in the wilderness..." He shrugs good-humoredly. "I can help carry a basket, I suppose."