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Dark Days in Sion - Act 2: Scene 5
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<blockquote data-quote="narayan" data-source="post: 6766913" data-attributes="member: 6677509"><p><strong>Ersun, Rasul</strong></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><em>Rasul listens carefully to your words, nodding appreciatively and topping your cup of Tejj off as necessary. When your tongue finally begins to tire he continues where he left off.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em><strong>Rasul:</strong> <span style="color: #6699ff">"I see now why Thiara values you so much as a potential ally. Your tribe would be well-suited to deal with our enemies in the Undercity. Masaeus itself is only about 300 years old, ruled currently by Baron Zomok. The Vul chose its location above the caverns of the Undercity because of their rich natural resources. They’ve been explored and mined with slave labor ever since. They’ve also been home to the criminal underworld and nests of Wererats for nearly as long."</span></em></p><p><em><span style="color: #6699ff"></span></em></p><p><em><span style="color: #6699ff">"The thieves guild of Masaeus has long since had Lycanthropes (Primarily Wererats) in their leadership for most of its history. These Alpha Wererats formed clans out of their wererat followers who serve as thugs."</span></em></p><p><em><span style="color: #6699ff"></span></em></p><p><em><span style="color: #6699ff">"When the so-called King Kyser rose to power he united the wererats under his rule which gave him the strength to push Baron Zomok out from the mining operations. Those were tense times until Baron Zomok recognized the undercity as Kysers domain. Now they split the mining profits and rule their separate levels in an uneasy truce. The Vul only tolerate that arrangement because it’s a well known fact they hate going underground and must rely on someone else to handle the mines."</span></em></p><p><em><span style="color: #6699ff"></span></em></p><p><em><span style="color: #6699ff">"The population of the Undercity is largely uneducated, desperate and impoverished. It is a wretched, dangerous place full of wretched, dangerous people. Each area of the undercity belongs to an Alpha Wererat that usually has a seat at the table of the thieves guild. Each Alpha may rule his territory as he see’s fit, so long as they remember they are still beholden to King Kyser if he ever asks for their aid."</span></em></p><p><em><span style="color: #6699ff"></span></em></p><p><em><span style="color: #6699ff">"Slavery is permitted here, as it is on the surface, but life in the caverns is generally far worse for slaves who labor everyday in the mines. King Kyser’s ‘Bosses’ are cruel taskmasters and many slaves don’t live long at their toils."</span></em></p><p><em><span style="color: #6699ff"></span></em></p><p><em><span style="color: #6699ff">"Contracting lycanthropy as a slave is not always a guarantee for earning your freedom, but it does create other opportunities from those who see potential in you beyond a mere laborer. Various alpha’s and/or the Cult of Vermithrax often bid to buy a slave promising them a chance to earn their freedom in other wicked ways. Do you have lycanthropes in the underdark?" </span><span style="color: #000000">He asks</span></em></p><p></p><p><em>Your response would mention were-bats and some other varieties that are even more horrific, but none of those creatures are permitted to live among your tribe.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em><strong>Rasul:</strong> <span style="color: #6699ff">"There is no doubt you will have to deal with them if you ever venture into the Undercity. They are strong combatants skilled in the use of deadly poisons. They are also cravens, preferring to overwhelm in numbers whenever possible. Their biggest weakness, as it is with all lycanthropes, is their aversion to silver. Nothing harms them so much as silver-weapons or silver-dosed substances. Take care to remember that."</span> </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>He pauses to take a few more puffs of his cigar which is almost burned out at this point. </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em><strong>Rasul:</strong> <span style="color: #6699ff">"I suppose I should tell you the story about how I met Thiara? It all began towards the end of the reign of Baron Zomok's predecessor, Baron Sekh, fourteen years ago. Bad as Zomok is, Sekh was worse. A truly maleficent ruler who's favorite pastime was public displays of torture and executions. The man was paranoid, convinced everyone was plotting against him. No one in the city was safe from his secret enforcers. They targeted anyone and everyone seemingly at random, so long as Sekh got the idea in his head they were conspiring against him." </span></em></p><p><em><span style="color: #6699ff"></span></em></p><p><em><span style="color: #6699ff">"During the final days of his reign he targeted the mages guild, executing his own advisors and imprisoning the rest. Thiara's father, Stethasriss the high elf, was one of those imprisoned. Thiara was only fifteen at the time and she had to flee his quarters through a secret passage before she too was captured. Unfortunately a wererat rogue recognized her on the streets and decided to kidnap her for a reward. His alpha wererat master was none other than Kyser himself, though he was no king at the time."</span></em></p><p><em><span style="color: #6699ff"></span></em></p><p><em><span style="color: #6699ff">"I was also a rogue at the time, though my particular guild held no love for the wererats. We refused to permit any of their ilk into our ranks. Followers of the Cult of Vermithrax cannot be trusted! They'll betray anyone at anytime for the sake of their vile deity!"</span> He exclaims hatefully taking a breath. <span style="color: #6699ff">"I'll get into more details about their cult later... for now I'll stick with Thiara's story. The poor girl was held captive underground, while her father of course was similarly bound in chains and could do nothing about it."</span></em></p><p><em><span style="color: #6699ff"></span></em></p><p><em><span style="color: #6699ff">"It so happened that I was also imprisoned by Kyser at the same time she arrived in his dungeons. I was captured during a skirmish between my guild and Kysers wererat scum. My life was also held at a high price, but in truth my neck was far less-valuable than hers. The moment I saw her I pitied her a great deal. Her presence in chains angered me even more than my own situation, so I decided to befriend her and comfort her."</span></em></p><p><em><span style="color: #6699ff"></span></em></p><p><em><span style="color: #6699ff">"I gave her advice about how to act and react to her captors, how to appease them while also defending her virtue. Helping her also inspired me to help myself for her sake. I stopped spitting in the faces of my wererat jailers and started divulging tidbits of information instead. The way I figured it, my information was the only currency I had to keep us both alive. My former guild certainly wasn't going to pay my outrageous ransom, what to speak of hers."</span></em></p><p><em><span style="color: #6699ff"></span></em></p><p><em><span style="color: #6699ff">"Whatever I revealed about my former guild I did in exchange for special treatment for Thiara. An extra meal now and then, a waterskin, clean-clothes, etc. whatever was required to keep her in good health. The jailers all laughed and mocked me for it, but I knew I would have the last laugh eventually." </span></em></p><p><em><span style="color: #6699ff"></span></em></p><p><em><span style="color: #6699ff">"Meanwhile, back on the surface, Stethasriss was enduring an even more wretched time in chains. They say his hope for his daughters release was the only thing that kept him alive through all he endured. It may have only been a matter of weeks, but daily torture can make even a brief period of captivity feel like a lifetime."</span></em></p><p><em><span style="color: #6699ff"></span></em></p><p><em><span style="color: #6699ff">"Ironically Sekh was correct in his suspicions about the mage guild and Stethasriss in particular. He was plotting against him from the beginning as one of the few with the nerve to risk their necks to see his reign ended. Baron Zomok only managed to depose Sekh because of Stethasriss and all the merchant-lords he swayed against him. Zomok made a priority to launch his coup and free him as a direct result of those alliances."</span></em></p><p><em><span style="color: #6699ff"></span></em></p><p><em><span style="color: #6699ff">"Once in power Zomok restored the mage guild immediately, knowing how valuable they were to him and the cities infrastructure. Stethasriss was given the rank of guild-leader and served as Zomok's head-advisor ever since. The first thing Stethassriss did when he was freed was demand the return of his daughter from captivity."</span></em></p><p><em><span style="color: #6699ff"></span></em></p><p><em><span style="color: #6699ff">"Baron Zomok used a sizable portion of his considerable wealth to pay her ransom. Thiara however, refused to leave without me. She threatened to take her own life unless they freed me along with her. Faced with the potential loss of so much gold, and open war with the Baron, Kyser agreed."</span></em></p><p><em><span style="color: #6699ff"></span></em></p><p><em><span style="color: #6699ff">"Thiara credited me with her survival to her father when they were reunited. He saw fit to reward me with a considerable sum. I used the gold to travel abroad for a while and avoid the assassins sent after me by my former guild. Much to their dismay, Kyser used my information to overthrow them. He also used Thiaras considerable ransom to bribe the other alpha wererats to unite with him and declare himself king of the Undercity."</span></em></p><p><em><span style="color: #6699ff"></span></em></p><p><em><span style="color: #6699ff">"When I eventually returned to Masaeus and met with Thiara again, she was closer to 18 and no longer a girl. Thiara took up studying her fathers trade of spellcraft, becoming an accomplished battle-sorcerer in her own right. Together we spoke of our hatred for Kyser and formed a pact to see him ruined and deposed. Unfortunately open war with Kyser will not be permitted by the Vul even if we would likely win."</span></em></p><p><em><span style="color: #6699ff"></span></em></p><p><em><span style="color: #6699ff">"All of the Barons forces, especially the city guard, are ultimately beholden to the Vul prince. He fears an uprising against him if such a war were to happen, even if he desires Kysers demise as much as we do. After all, the presence of another self-titled monarch is an affront to his father Vulerion, the Vul King. Prince Vulthane offers a huge reward for Kysers head, which proves how much he hates him more than anything. Vul are so greedy at their core they very rarely offer rewards."</span></em></p><p><em><span style="color: #6699ff"></span></em></p><p><em><span style="color: #6699ff">"Thiara and I have since had to make our own plots against him in secret. Sadly, the baron is not the man he once was and will no longer promise his support... but you know what they say.... power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Even Stethasriss doubts the security of his position nowadays. She warns we must act soon to depose Kyser while they still enjoy the barons good graces."</span></em></p><p><em><span style="color: #6699ff"></span></em></p><p><em><span style="color: #6699ff"></span><span style="color: #000000">He pauses to take one last puff of his cigar before he grinds out the ashes into his ivory bowl</span><span style="color: #6699ff">.</span></em></p><p><em><span style="color: #6699ff"></span></em></p><p><em><span style="color: #6699ff">"These last 11 years I've been in Cabarda, painstakingly forming this guild to gather so much wealth. Can you guess what I intend to use it for?"</span> He asks with a sly grin. <span style="color: #6699ff">"I promised Thiara long ago I will gladly use it all for the cause of Kysers ruin if she can find a way to de-throne him. She has a good heart, better than mine no doubt..."</span> He lowers his voice almost to a whisper when he adds. <span style="color: #6699ff">"...For instance, I know she wont stop at Kyser. Her ultimate aim is to start an uprising against the Vul!"</span></em> </p><p></p><p><em><strong>[Ersun:</strong> What do you do?<strong>]</strong></em></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="narayan, post: 6766913, member: 6677509"] [b]Ersun, Rasul[/b] [I]Rasul listens carefully to your words, nodding appreciatively and topping your cup of Tejj off as necessary. When your tongue finally begins to tire he continues where he left off. [B]Rasul:[/B] [COLOR=#6699ff]"I see now why Thiara values you so much as a potential ally. Your tribe would be well-suited to deal with our enemies in the Undercity. Masaeus itself is only about 300 years old, ruled currently by Baron Zomok. The Vul chose its location above the caverns of the Undercity because of their rich natural resources. They’ve been explored and mined with slave labor ever since. They’ve also been home to the criminal underworld and nests of Wererats for nearly as long." "The thieves guild of Masaeus has long since had Lycanthropes (Primarily Wererats) in their leadership for most of its history. These Alpha Wererats formed clans out of their wererat followers who serve as thugs." "When the so-called King Kyser rose to power he united the wererats under his rule which gave him the strength to push Baron Zomok out from the mining operations. Those were tense times until Baron Zomok recognized the undercity as Kysers domain. Now they split the mining profits and rule their separate levels in an uneasy truce. The Vul only tolerate that arrangement because it’s a well known fact they hate going underground and must rely on someone else to handle the mines." "The population of the Undercity is largely uneducated, desperate and impoverished. It is a wretched, dangerous place full of wretched, dangerous people. Each area of the undercity belongs to an Alpha Wererat that usually has a seat at the table of the thieves guild. Each Alpha may rule his territory as he see’s fit, so long as they remember they are still beholden to King Kyser if he ever asks for their aid." "Slavery is permitted here, as it is on the surface, but life in the caverns is generally far worse for slaves who labor everyday in the mines. King Kyser’s ‘Bosses’ are cruel taskmasters and many slaves don’t live long at their toils." "Contracting lycanthropy as a slave is not always a guarantee for earning your freedom, but it does create other opportunities from those who see potential in you beyond a mere laborer. Various alpha’s and/or the Cult of Vermithrax often bid to buy a slave promising them a chance to earn their freedom in other wicked ways. Do you have lycanthropes in the underdark?" [/COLOR][COLOR=#000000]He asks[/COLOR][/I] [I]Your response would mention were-bats and some other varieties that are even more horrific, but none of those creatures are permitted to live among your tribe. [B]Rasul:[/B] [COLOR=#6699ff]"There is no doubt you will have to deal with them if you ever venture into the Undercity. They are strong combatants skilled in the use of deadly poisons. They are also cravens, preferring to overwhelm in numbers whenever possible. Their biggest weakness, as it is with all lycanthropes, is their aversion to silver. Nothing harms them so much as silver-weapons or silver-dosed substances. Take care to remember that."[/COLOR] He pauses to take a few more puffs of his cigar which is almost burned out at this point. [B]Rasul:[/B] [COLOR=#6699ff]"I suppose I should tell you the story about how I met Thiara? It all began towards the end of the reign of Baron Zomok's predecessor, Baron Sekh, fourteen years ago. Bad as Zomok is, Sekh was worse. A truly maleficent ruler who's favorite pastime was public displays of torture and executions. The man was paranoid, convinced everyone was plotting against him. No one in the city was safe from his secret enforcers. They targeted anyone and everyone seemingly at random, so long as Sekh got the idea in his head they were conspiring against him." "During the final days of his reign he targeted the mages guild, executing his own advisors and imprisoning the rest. Thiara's father, Stethasriss the high elf, was one of those imprisoned. Thiara was only fifteen at the time and she had to flee his quarters through a secret passage before she too was captured. Unfortunately a wererat rogue recognized her on the streets and decided to kidnap her for a reward. His alpha wererat master was none other than Kyser himself, though he was no king at the time." "I was also a rogue at the time, though my particular guild held no love for the wererats. We refused to permit any of their ilk into our ranks. Followers of the Cult of Vermithrax cannot be trusted! They'll betray anyone at anytime for the sake of their vile deity!"[/COLOR] He exclaims hatefully taking a breath. [COLOR=#6699ff]"I'll get into more details about their cult later... for now I'll stick with Thiara's story. The poor girl was held captive underground, while her father of course was similarly bound in chains and could do nothing about it." "It so happened that I was also imprisoned by Kyser at the same time she arrived in his dungeons. I was captured during a skirmish between my guild and Kysers wererat scum. My life was also held at a high price, but in truth my neck was far less-valuable than hers. The moment I saw her I pitied her a great deal. Her presence in chains angered me even more than my own situation, so I decided to befriend her and comfort her." "I gave her advice about how to act and react to her captors, how to appease them while also defending her virtue. Helping her also inspired me to help myself for her sake. I stopped spitting in the faces of my wererat jailers and started divulging tidbits of information instead. The way I figured it, my information was the only currency I had to keep us both alive. My former guild certainly wasn't going to pay my outrageous ransom, what to speak of hers." "Whatever I revealed about my former guild I did in exchange for special treatment for Thiara. An extra meal now and then, a waterskin, clean-clothes, etc. whatever was required to keep her in good health. The jailers all laughed and mocked me for it, but I knew I would have the last laugh eventually." "Meanwhile, back on the surface, Stethasriss was enduring an even more wretched time in chains. They say his hope for his daughters release was the only thing that kept him alive through all he endured. It may have only been a matter of weeks, but daily torture can make even a brief period of captivity feel like a lifetime." "Ironically Sekh was correct in his suspicions about the mage guild and Stethasriss in particular. He was plotting against him from the beginning as one of the few with the nerve to risk their necks to see his reign ended. Baron Zomok only managed to depose Sekh because of Stethasriss and all the merchant-lords he swayed against him. Zomok made a priority to launch his coup and free him as a direct result of those alliances." "Once in power Zomok restored the mage guild immediately, knowing how valuable they were to him and the cities infrastructure. Stethasriss was given the rank of guild-leader and served as Zomok's head-advisor ever since. The first thing Stethassriss did when he was freed was demand the return of his daughter from captivity." "Baron Zomok used a sizable portion of his considerable wealth to pay her ransom. Thiara however, refused to leave without me. She threatened to take her own life unless they freed me along with her. Faced with the potential loss of so much gold, and open war with the Baron, Kyser agreed." "Thiara credited me with her survival to her father when they were reunited. He saw fit to reward me with a considerable sum. I used the gold to travel abroad for a while and avoid the assassins sent after me by my former guild. Much to their dismay, Kyser used my information to overthrow them. He also used Thiaras considerable ransom to bribe the other alpha wererats to unite with him and declare himself king of the Undercity." "When I eventually returned to Masaeus and met with Thiara again, she was closer to 18 and no longer a girl. Thiara took up studying her fathers trade of spellcraft, becoming an accomplished battle-sorcerer in her own right. Together we spoke of our hatred for Kyser and formed a pact to see him ruined and deposed. Unfortunately open war with Kyser will not be permitted by the Vul even if we would likely win." "All of the Barons forces, especially the city guard, are ultimately beholden to the Vul prince. He fears an uprising against him if such a war were to happen, even if he desires Kysers demise as much as we do. After all, the presence of another self-titled monarch is an affront to his father Vulerion, the Vul King. Prince Vulthane offers a huge reward for Kysers head, which proves how much he hates him more than anything. Vul are so greedy at their core they very rarely offer rewards." "Thiara and I have since had to make our own plots against him in secret. Sadly, the baron is not the man he once was and will no longer promise his support... but you know what they say.... power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Even Stethasriss doubts the security of his position nowadays. She warns we must act soon to depose Kyser while they still enjoy the barons good graces." [/COLOR][COLOR=#000000]He pauses to take one last puff of his cigar before he grinds out the ashes into his ivory bowl[/COLOR][COLOR=#6699ff]. "These last 11 years I've been in Cabarda, painstakingly forming this guild to gather so much wealth. Can you guess what I intend to use it for?"[/COLOR] He asks with a sly grin. [COLOR=#6699ff]"I promised Thiara long ago I will gladly use it all for the cause of Kysers ruin if she can find a way to de-throne him. She has a good heart, better than mine no doubt..."[/COLOR] He lowers his voice almost to a whisper when he adds. [COLOR=#6699ff]"...For instance, I know she wont stop at Kyser. Her ultimate aim is to start an uprising against the Vul!"[/COLOR][/I] [I][B][Ersun:[/B] What do you do?[B]][/B][/I] [/QUOTE]
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