Ashin's Commission: The Great Escape!

[Patlin]

'Zaeryl thinks she's probably just waiting for the poison's secondary effect to hit you, or for the constructs to dissipate. He's concerned because actually the constructs should already be gone by now, but they aren't. He claims to be 'methodically trying different permutations of actions to see if they are permissible under the effects of this spell'. I admire his persistence in not giving up despite no success so far. You could learn from that, you know. Anyway, he says that you should keep stalling, which he claims will be easy, since she wants to stall too.'

ooc: On the poison, hopefull Autohypnosis will help with that. Even with the -1 from the negative level, it's +13.

I'm not giving up, though I'd certainly be willing to accept a tie at this point. If she's telling the truth, there's no way I can keep her from getting away, anyway. Hey! Wait a second! Ask Zaeryl if he can find any sort of nearby object of power focus that might be the reason she's staying. If she's relying on something of that sort, disrupting it might give us a chance!

 

[Rystil Arden]

(OOC: Well, obviously he made a conscious choice to mention Vanitri/Michael when he spoke. But would any of these NPCs naturally flash through his thoughts when the topic was broached?)

'She's using something to augment her power, but she has that something. Whatever it is she has may be augmenting more than just her own power, though. That could explain the strange durations and other odd side cases,' this is Zaeryl's psicrystal this time.

 

[Patlin]

(OOC: Well, obviously he made a conscious choice to mention Vanitri/Michael when he spoke. But would any of these NPCs naturally flash through his thoughts when the topic was broached?)

'She's using something to augment her power, but she has that something. Whatever it is she has may be augmenting more than just her own power, though. That could explain the strange durations and other odd side cases,' this is Zaeryl's psicrystal this time.

Let's say all of them flashed through Ironwolf's mind, but none stood out.

To Zaeryl, through Ironwolf's psicrystal: Can you identify the object? Maybe if she attacks I should try to Sunder it? If she reverted to being merely human, we'd be back in business.

 

[Rystil Arden]

'She seems well and truly...whatever she is now. That object is just making her even stronger.'

"Cute. Trying to betray me behind my back? See, this is just the weird thing about the world. When the bards write the songs, somehow they're going to call you the heroes. Just like Paladins--those are just about the most evil people you could ever meet. I have seen a human woman who strayed from the light have an epiphany and admit her soul's secret evil in hopes of learning how to change her ways. She begged her beloved, a paladin, to help her find her path to redemption, but he cast her aside, refusing to associate with any who were evil. But her love was pure. When she insisted that she couldn't bear to leave him and that it would break her heart, he decapitated her. 'I've rid the world of one more evil creature today. And besides, if it really could not live without me, I showed it mercy in assuring that its suffering was not prolonged'. "

"What would Randorin think of that, Ironwolf? Or Arcadia? It is interesting to see how someone reacts to such an event. It can be quite life-changing. And speaking of them, I think I hear them calling to me from somewhere far off to save your life. If that is their wish, then I shall grant it on two conditions, much lighter than before--"

"The first--both of you will leave this room and you will not return for 24 hours. You will not take the bodies of your fallen comrades with you, as I will use them as collateral for any attempt by you to break in here again--I'll just finish off one of the currently-unconscious. On the other hand, if you do as you are told, I will leave them here, unharmed. The 24 hours is timed so I can get all of this lovely treasure out of here. There's nothing of major value anymore, but I'd be a fool to leave all these gems and this gold."

"Second, you will take good care of my gift to you. You will find that it is a boon and that it will help you achieve your dreams, so this will not be difficult. If you reject it, or, heavens forbid, try to have it removed, then I shall take that as a betrayal of your word, and I shall enact swift revenge upon...hmm..maybe Arcadia. Frankly, I don't want to have to do that, so I'll be happy if I can trust you to not be an ass and make me do it."

"As for you..." she turns to Zaeryl, "It seems to me that killing you would not inconvenience you particularly greatly anyway...So as it stands, even though I don't trust your word because you don't care about anyone or...is that right...is there a...I can't quite see her...but regardless, there is still no reason to kill you."

*She turns back to Ironwolf.*

"Do you agree to these terms?"

 

[Patlin]

Great, a telepath with a persecution complex. I think she may be about to attack me, and she considers it a "betrayal." And what's this gift she speaks of? I'd rather not accept a gift....

Ironwolf is torn between accepting and rejecting the offer. He'd rather have owed the succubus a favor, even if it would have been uncomfortable to fulfill, than have her use whatever changing magic she intends. He realizes, however, that she's too untrusting to accept anyone's offer but her own.

He has the psicrystal pass another message to Zaeryl: It's up to the two of them to save their fallen comrades. It's hardly safe to leave them alone with the enemy, but losing the battle altogether would likely doom them entirely. Whch would be better for them? What does Zaeryl recomend?

 

[Rystil Arden]

(OOC: It's worth noting that the last BBEG of mine in LEW to make a deal with a PC when the PCs were backed in a corner was betrayed by the PC (Rinaldo diSenzio, Neutral Good merchant). It's not necessarily ridiculous)

"I already gave you my boon," Aglaia responds to his unspoken thought, "It is a minor one, and it will never transform you. It only increases your passion and ability to achieve your dreams, and it will keep you safe for me until, perhaps, I need you later, though I do not expect to get your help for free..."

"You need do nothing but leave this place to me, for now. Will you do it."

*Zaeryl's psicrystal sends a long bunch of seemingly random psionic theory messages to Ironwolf. When he thinks about it, though, they correspond to particular psionic powers, the initials of which spell out 'WE MAY HAVE IT. SINCE HER SPELL IS ACTIVE, SHE WILL THINK SHE'S SAFE, SO GET HER DOWN ON THE GROUND. ACCEPT HER KISS IF YOU MUST, JUST FIGURE SOMETHING OUT FAST!' .*

 

[Patlin]

Ironwolf nods in consent, turns, and walks out of the area.

 

[Rystil Arden]

(OOC: Wait, so he's ignoring Zaeryl's idea and listening to Aglaia?)

 

[Patlin]

(OOC: Wait, so he's ignoring Zaeryl's idea and listening to Aglaia?)

Yes. Of the two, I sometimes find it difficult to tell which is the more morally questionable. At least I understand Aglaia....

Honestly, I have no idea what Zaeryl is talking about!

 

[Rystil Arden]

(OOC: He's saying that he knows how to break her Calm Emotions effect. But you guys still don't have anything that attacks her in the air, so he wants Ironwolf to lure her onto the ground)