[Adventure]The Eye of the Tiger(Judge: ???)

[TwoHeadsBarking]

The man calmly waits for you to prepare yourselves, then begins to lead you through the temple. As you go, you notice that the tendrils of scarlet crystal that lace their way through the surrounding stone become bigger and much more frequent. More than once you need to step around a particularly large vein that lies across the floor or risk tripping over it.

Your guide eventually takes you to a circular chamber. In the center of the room sits a stone altar, large and squat. The crystal veins are thick and many, and as you look around the room, you know you have found their source. Atop the altar rests a massive piece of crystal, perhaps as large as Olaf. From this the tendrils seem to have grown and spread across the room, and then through the rest of the temple. The whole thing looks disturbingly organic.

Sitting in fron the the altar is a young woman, pretty but not exceptionally so. She wears a simple, pale blue dress, and her hair matches her attire in both style and color. When you enter the room she stands and curtsies towards you. As this happens, your guide lies down on the floor and seems to fall asleep. The woman smiles warmly at him, then returns her focus to you.

"Ah, so you are the mortals who slew Wrendelmere. Well done. You are either very skilled, or exceptionally lucky. You may call me Hapherel. Welcome to the Heart," she gestures towards the crystal atop the altar. "As it happens, I need your assistance, and I would like very much if we could help each other. So if you don't mind my asking, why have you come here? What is it that you want?"

 

[TwoHeadsBarking]

"Aww, have I scared you into silence?" Hapherel smiles sweetly, "How darling. How about I tell you of my desires first; maybe then you'll feel more comfortable with me." She clears her throat before continuing, "I want you to sever my influence over this swamp. I want the safety of those who live here. I want to to ensure that an incident like this can never happen again. Specifically, I want you to break the Heart. As long as it is whole, I am bound to this temple. And I would like nothing more than to leave."

"But perhaps you would want payment? I know that many mortals are driven by desire of wealth, even if they won't admit it. Well, there is treasure hidden beneath this altar. A fair amount of gold, as well as several enchanted items. Consider it yours. Sadly, you won't be able to move the altar aside and reach it with all these veins holding it in place. The only way to get this wealth is to destroy the Heart. Which you will want to do anyway."

She moves closer, clearly excited by the possibilities, "You can destroy the evil artifact, scatter the gnolls, and save the villagers. You would be heroes, and wealthy ones at that. Really, everybody wins."

[sblock=Insight 20]As far as you can tell, Hapherel's telling the truth. But that doesn't mean she's being completely honest. For all her smiles and friendly gestures she appears to be a bit nervous about your presence.

[sblock=Insight 25]You notice that while she acknowledged Gren's intention of killing her when she was speaking through her proxy, she must have "conveniently forgotten" that when she asked why you were here. In fact, she has yet to give you a reason to not kill her, pretty face aside, as you would still be able to destroy the Heart and take the treasure afterwards. A little ruthless, perhaps, but she is a succubus.[/sblock][/sblock]

 

[Neurotic]

Insight (1d20+16=27)

"There is a reason wise men say not to deal with demons, demon. You say we get something, but it's hidden and we have your word on that. You say you can leave if the heart is destroyed. What happens then? How are you bound to it? Where will you leave, or rather, how many innocents will you kill to get there?

The silence has nothing to do with feat, but prudence. Now, I would vote for killing you where you stand, but others are longer with the quest and you were gracious enough to allow us to heal. Which of course has nothing to do with you needing us.

How do you propose that we destroy this thing anyhow?"

 

[twilsemail]

"I says we kill her. Then smash the red veins. Then take the box." Gren begins to eye the red sctructure taking over the temple. "How do we smash the veins?"

 

[TwoHeadsBarking]

Hapherel’s smile fades, but her expression is still gentle. “Your words wound me, though not as fatally as you might like. And you, mortal?” she turns to Tondrek. “What do you have to say? Perhaps you believe there is nothing one such as I can offer one such as you. But I have spent lifetimes teasing hidden secrets from locked hearts. I believe I know what you want.” She extends her hand, and in her upturned palm a sphere of flickering blue light appears. No, it’s not a sphere, but a cloud of glowing arcane symbols. As you watch, they begin to arrange themselves into expressions and formulae. But before they can turn into anything more than intriguing hints to a greater whole, Hapherel closes her hand into a fist, and the symbols disappear. “Something more interesting than simple power or wealth. Am I not wrong?”

Her focus shifts over to Venakhad, “You ask many questions, mortal. I shall give you the answers you want. Know that I do not lie when the truth serves my purpose. And it always does,” she adds with absolute certainty.

“It was Wrendelmere who found this place. She summoned me here, bound me to both the Heart and her will, which allowed her to control us both. The Heart lets me command others more fully and from much farther away than I would normally be able to, but I cannot leave its presence. Even though Wrendelmere is dead, and my pact with her concluded, I am still trapped here until either the Heart is destroyed or I am killed.”

"In truth I do not know where I would go if you were to free me. I simply go to where I am wanted. All I do, all I’ve ever done, is give mortals what they desire. If this causes innocents to come to harm that is a tragedy, but perhaps the fault should lie with the mortal who wanted to hurt them. Perhaps if you mortals weren’t such violent, greedy creatures," she looks pointedly at Gren, "then you’d stop turning my gifts into weapons."

"As to how the Heart might be destroyed," she shrugs, "striking it forcefully should be enough. Physically, it’s just crystal. I need you to do it because neither I nor those bound to me can harm the Heart. Or, to be more accurate, none of us bound to the Heart can harm it. For as I influence the villagers, so does the Heart influence me. Curiously, when I first came here, the Heart was much smaller. Probably no larger than, well, your own heart. And there were none of these veins. But the more I used it, the more it grew. I am not entirely comfortable with the implications.”

Hapherel sighs and lowers her head; a gesture of humility. “I have answered your questions. I have dealt with you honestly and graciously. If you still desire my death, mortals, I will not fight you,” she says quietly. “You were skilled enough to slay Wrendelmere, you are well-rested, and you are many. It would not be a battle; it would be an execution. Why bother with the premise?”

“However,” a sharp edge creeps into her voice, “before you decide to kill me, I would like to point out a detail that you may have overlooked.” She raises her head to face you, her blue eyes sparkling with delight and malice. “You must have entered this temple through the back entrance, yes? Which means that you did not encounter the two villagers who guard the main doors. I believe they are brothers,” she adds as an aside, seemingly to herself. “They are still under my influence. Kill me, and that connection is severed. Violently. The backlash will be painful, maybe even fatal. But these two are strong, and it is far more likely to simply incapacitate them for a few minutes.” She pauses for a moment, “More than enough time for the gnolls watching over the pair to slay and devour them. The mongrels know better than to harm those I've claimed, but I doubt they would hesitate to feed if given the opportunity.”

Her voice softens, “Now, if you agree to let me leave, I will happily summon the brothers here and release them gently, as I have with that one,” she gestures at the half-elf. “And they are the last of those in my care. You will have saved all those who were taken. I would even bring them here before you destroyed the Heart, just so you could be certain they were safe.”

She grins wickedly, “The choice is yours, mortals. Kill me if you feel you must.”

 

[Neurotic]

"When you think you got better end of the deal with a demon, think again.

We could also incapacitate you, drive off the gnolls and then kill you when that backlash would be under control. You are wicked creature that preys upon perceived weakness of the good people. Those two, innocents before, who knows what they did while under your command. They would be casualties just like if we came from the front and they attacked us.

And you don't even know that destroying the heart won't kill you and those two would suffer anyhow.

You are the only one here with any chance of gain and with little to loose.

I will defer to those of the Houses who lead this, but this is my oppinion. Hear me well, dragon marked. This creature cannot bring anything good."

 

[twilsemail]

Gren nods as Ven speaks. He says, brusquely, "We let you go? You bring harm to many in your wake."

"We kill you? We maybe harm two?"

After a slight pause he looks to the others, "I know my vote."

OOC: As those with a house are sort of NPC’d at the moment, it may be up to we few remaining to take action.

[sblock=actions]
Minor:
Move:
Standard:

[sblock=Gren]
Din - Male Changeling Rogue (Artful Dodger) 5
Passive Insight: 19, Passive Perception: 17
AC:17, Fort:15, Ref:20, Will:17 -- Speed:6
HP:42/42, Bloodied:21, Surge Value:10, Surges Left: 5/6
Action Points: 1, Second Wind: not used
Powers:
Sly Flourish
Deft Strike
Dazing Strike
Sneak in the Attack
Low Slash
Changeling Trick
Precise Incision
Bloodbath
Dynamic Dagger Power
Imposter's Armor Power
Amulet of Seduction
Conditions: Resurrected within last 1 encounters: -1 to relevant rolls.
[/sblock][/sblock]

 

[stonegod]

OOC: "I forgot you could tempt me with things I want." -- Bender Bending Rodreguez.

Tondrek had ignored the conversation, entirely focusing on the "Heart" before him as was his wont. Then that happened.

“What do you have to say? Perhaps you believe there is nothing one such as I can offer one such as you. But I have spent lifetimes teasing hidden secrets from locked hearts. I believe I know what you want.” She extends her hand, and in her upturned palm a sphere of flickering blue light appears. No, it’s not a sphere, but a cloud of glowing arcane symbols. As you watch, they begin to arrange themselves into expressions and formulae. But before they can turn into anything more than intriguing hints to a greater whole, Hapherel closes her hand into a fist, and the symbols disappear. “Something more interesting than simple power or wealth. Am I not wrong?”

Tondrek drooled. Oooooo. Shiney! He seemed lost, then a bit sad when they went away. But then his mind just started thinking and his mouth started babbling as the others argued around him; Tondrek was too busy putting things together in his mind. At one moment he looks up and asks, You have Eye of Tigger?[sblock=OOC]Tondrek has been spending his time trying to figure out what the magic is going on, and if it ties to the schema they've been looking for: Arcana 31. He'll add another one to figure out anything about the "temptation" briefly shown him: Arcana 33. Want to see how this ties to the greater adventure before deciding.

And, I know that's supposed to be Tiger. [/sblock]

 

[TwoHeadsBarking]

[sblock=ooc]

As those with a house are sort of NPC’d at the moment, it may be up to we few remaining to take action.

Pretty much. ren might be back before this concludes, but for now it's up to you three.[/sblock]

[sblock=Tondrek]The Heart is unlike anything you've seen or heard of before. The closer you study it, the more convinced you are of its foul and unnatural origins. Even Hapherel seems ordinary when compared to it. As for the symbols, Hapherel dismissed them too quickly for you to be certain, but it certainly looked schema-ish.[/sblock]

Hapherel's smile drains away as Venakhad and Gren speak. She looks from one to the other, fear and anger playing across her face, clearly caught off-guard. "You mean, you're really going to kill me? Even though-"

You have Eye of Tigger?

Her eyes light up, and her smile returns to her face, although it is somewhat tempered by confusion at Tondrek's words. "Is that what this schema is called? Hmm, I suppose I must be missing the part that has the name. But if you want it, mortal, it is yours. All I ask in return is that I be allowed to leave. Is that really so much, when compared to what I offer? Think of what you could do. Think of what you could learn. Would you really throw away such an opportunity, merely because your comrades have chosen to hate me? People come and go, but this knowledge will stay with you forever."

 

[stonegod]

Tondrek frowns, his face focused on the Heart. He waves about airily, This bad. Badder than she bad I guess. Tondrek looks up at the woman a moment. Hmmm. Mabbe contecty useful... Keep a looky. He twists his hands as if feeling for something after looking at his companions, but maybe his hands are just twitchy.[sblock=OOC]See if Tondrek can feel the nature of the connection between the "Heart" and demon-lady to see if it can be modified, perhaps used against her if needed? but not with that roll, likely: 20.[/sblock]