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<blockquote data-quote="Emperor Valerian" data-source="post: 1328265" data-attributes="member: 15043"><p><strong> The Darkness within a Soul </strong> part 3 f 3</p><p></p><p><em>”My dear former compatriots,</em></p><p><em>I am deeply saddened that, unfortunately, our business relationship has come to an end. We worked quite well together; it’s just that my current job supercedes any business relations or friendships.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>I was charged with killing you if the boy wouldn’t come, and taking the diamond by force, but I decided I just couldn’t do the former… job or none. If you know what’s good for you, you will ride north… far north, and never turn around.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>If the boy knows what’s good for him, he’ll return to his mother in Holstean, where he belongs, to learn by her side.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Oh… and the boy isn’t dead… he’ll be up and fine in about six or eight hours. I couldn’t have him interrupting a heist, now could I?”</em></p><p></p><p>Tess crumpled up the letter with a fury, and almost hefted it with all her might. They’d found it laying on the empty bag where the diamond had been kept in Lucius’ possession, and now her fury was focused on one person. Her first instinct was to ride hard after him, and run him down… but then she looked at Lucius’ crumpled form, now laying on Siabrey’s lap…</p><p></p><p><em>Oh God no!</em> Siabrey’s very soul kept crying out, as the party strapped Lucius’ unconscious form to the back of his horse. <em>My Lucius… they hurt my poor Lucius! Oh God no! Please, no!</em> It was her that grabbed the bridle of his white charger as the group thundered as fast as possible towards Kulloden… and it wasn’t until they had nearly reached the city that thoughts of anger and vengeance began to slowly push away the sea of fear and depression.</p><p></p><p>Shaun was full of anger as well… at Ilia (aka Rosalyn) as much as at Rogar. The poison, in his mind, had been clearly supplied by her, likely at Mephys… and now that <em>wretch</em> had enough vileness in him to use it against a mere boy! The only other emotion that weighed in over that of anger was fear… fear that Lucius might not last the night.</p><p></p><p>The party rode hard and fast, pushing their horses to the limit. Dawn was breaking as their mounts, bone tired, thundered through the gates of Kulloden, towards the Temple Mount, and the temple of Hieroneous of Valor.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Grumki volunteered to watch the party’s horses as they went into the temple… he had a feeling the priests might misunderstand if a half-orc strode in, and the Churches of Kord and Hieroneous were not on the best of terms.</p><p></p><p>Siabrey took all the strength in her small frame, and somehow through desperation and fear, hefted Lucius’ limp form onto her back and dragged him into the main temple foyer. A mix of emotions washed over her as she entered the temple of her own church…</p><p></p><p><em>Hieroneous the Protector will watch over him,</em> a cool voice in her mind tried to soothe her tattered emotions. <em>He has watched over you many a night.</em></p><p></p><p><em>But, I don’t know… I’ve almost lost him twice! I may yet lose him!</em></p><p></p><p>As soon as they saw the prone body of a man being dragged into the temple, acolytes immediately surrounded the group, asking if they could help. Siabrey set Lucius down gently, as a grim faced Tess told the priests that the boy was poisoned, and needs help. She also asked them if she could speak to either Brother Hidalas of the Church of Tarantor, or Brother Harrapias of this church. At the mention of Hidalas’ name, the acolytes paled, and one ran off quickly, asking the group to “stay put!”</p><p></p><p>As another checked Lucius over, Tess caught the hurried and frightened tone in the first priest’s voice as he left. </p><p></p><p>“What happened to Hidalas? Is he alright?” she pressed, and the priest looking over Lucius looked up at her, his eyes frightened. </p><p></p><p>He started to speak, before freezing momentarily, then saying, “Brother Harrapias will talk to you about that. He knows what happened, I don’t.” The priest then looked into Lucius’ unresponsive eyes, before pronouncing, “Its jubashi root poisoning… this young man needs time… nothing else… I’d give it another 3 or 4 hours before he’s conscious.”</p><p></p><p>“Give us the broad details then!” Siabrey snapped, her own voice quaking slightly... her emotions were in turmoil… a brief respite of relief that Lucius would be fine, fear and concern for Hidalas, rage at Rogar… the swirl grew increasingly violent. “If you don’t know, tell us who does!” Tess walked over and put an arm around her to comfort her, as footfalls began to echo in the massive temple foyer.</p><p></p><p>Coming from the left was a man dressed not in priest’s robes, but a paladin’s armor, shining and resplendent in the gilt and malachite halls of the temple. His face was stern, cold, and bore only a concerned look as he approached.</p><p></p><p>”Brother Harrapias!” the priest beside Lucius called, and pointed at the group, “these are the friends of Brother Hidalas!” The paladin nodded, dismissing the other priest, and in a voice, stentorian and without emotion:</p><p></p><p>“Follow me. The priests will take care of your friend Lucius.”</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>The man named Harrapias takes the party to one of the innermost chambers of the temple, far beyond prying eyes, before turning to them, and giving a loud sigh.</p><p></p><p>”Brother Hidalas was attacked last night… poisoned.” He raised a hand before words could be blurted out by anyone, and finished his thought, “he’ll be alright… he is going to need two or three days to recover, however. Do you have the diamond?”</p><p></p><p>Siabrey’s face went dark, as did Tess’. Shaun was the one to respond with a, “no.” Tess then managed to put aside her anger enough to relate the story of how Rogar had betrayed them, and ridden south with the diamond. Harrapias’ eyes grew wide at the mention of the man’s name.</p><p></p><p>“What? Do you know Rogar?” Harrapias nodded.</p><p></p><p>“You rode with Rogar Mithras… I don’t believe it,” he gave a smile that those who have sunk into deep depressions or disbelief exude.</p><p></p><p>“What about him, other than he’s a rat, cheating bastard!” Siabrey managed to spit out, before she remembered she was in a temple of her God, and promptly apologized for her colorful language. Harrapias waved off her apology.</p><p></p><p>“I would have used such terms myself, child… Rogar was probably one of the deadliest assassins this section of the Empire has ever known… not to mention he’s the countess’ bastard brother…”</p><p></p><p>“What?” came a collective exclamation. Harrapias nodded, sighed, and sat down.</p><p></p><p>“The Countess’ father, Count Illayion, was a rather... promiscuous man. A dalliance with a servant girl brought our dear friend Rogar into this world… and while he wasn’t eligible to be of royal blood, he was kept around the palace, and fell in with the… darker retainers a noble requires. He and the countess remain close still, as far as we know,” Harrapias finished.</p><p></p><p>“<em>That</em> explains a lot,” Tess said with exasperation. The reasons why he betrayed them, and also why he was able to carry the stone that could only be carried by one of the bloodline were now apparent.</p><p></p><p>”Why… why was Hidalas here?” Siabrey asked, her voice more level now, though her eyes still had a very dangerous glint.</p><p></p><p>“Your friend was here,” Harrapias began, standing up, “looking for this.” He set down a massive, ancient book in front of them that easily numbered in the hundreds of pages. “It is the official Church of Tarantor’s history of Ananias’ Rebellion…”</p><p></p><p>“Well, there’s where the missing pages of Lucius’ history book are,” Tess mumbled.</p><p></p><p>“Only 12 copies of this book were made, as it details not only what Ananias did, but how the staff and magic was used and controlled by him…how to properly assemble it with the Great Diamond and the Great Fire stone, which is thankfully safe in the Imperial treasury at Iskeldrun…. Overall the book held information they didn’t want emulators to get their hands on.” The group nodded.</p><p></p><p>“When the staff was found and sent to Holstean, a copy was requested by the Church there… and we sent one. It was stolen a few days later.”</p><p></p><p>The group needed no obvious logic to lead them to who likely did it, as Tess pulled out the idol. Its form, head now raised, perfectly matched the countess, down to the large, green emeralds for eyes and long, fire ruby hair.</p><p></p><p>“Then its definite… she’s using the staff… not a retainer or someone controlling her?” Shaun asked.</p><p></p><p>“From the few loyal Tarantor priests that came up here to report, that is what we’ve been able to piece together. She is following the evil of her bloodline…”</p><p></p><p>“The evil of her bloodline?” Tess asked. The memory of what Lucius did against Ananias was still fresh in her mind. “How is such evil manifested?”</p><p></p><p>“The Caladron family line has been blessed with a unique connection to the planes of magic in their physical beings… unfortunately, this connection has led them to fall astray into the darker paths of magic in the past… it was his zealous pursuit of power that led Ananias to revolt, and is now leading the Countess to do the same.”</p><p></p><p>“Lucius, when we fought the demon Ananias, used an evil spell… bloodleech,” Tess continued, “...could he be turning evil?” She dreaded the possible answers, and Harrapias sighed.</p><p></p><p>“I don’t know… for now, no.” Tess and Shaun gave a collective sigh of relief; Siabrey gave an even bigger one. </p><p></p><p>“It seems being around you has prevented him from dabbling in the darker sides of his power too much… there’s literally too much good around him… good that he cares for. At this point, forget about the diamond, you three have a far more importantly job, at least for the next few days: keep Lucius away from Holstean… if he spends too much time around his mother now, chances are he <em>will</em> fall down the same path as her…Just watch over him. He’s obviously not going to take any of this news well, and he’ll need companionship, people he can trust since apparently his family has abandoned him.” Once again, the party nodded.</p><p></p><p>“What of the hordes marching from White Spine Mountain towards Holstean?” Shaun asked, and Harrapias’ face went puzzled.</p><p></p><p>“Hordes from Ice Spine? We haven’t heard of this from any of our paladins…” his voice trailed off rather ominously.</p><p></p><p>“Is there something wrong?” Tess asked, and winced, as she knew the question sounded stupid. Nonetheless, she wanted more information.</p><p></p><p>“Its just that… the Countess already is marshalling an army… orcs and hobgoblins, armed to the teeth and given the powers of ice… “ And for the first time, the party heard a paladin of Hieroneous curse. He went red at their blanching faces, and apologized.</p><p></p><p>“Hieroneous surely would understand knowing what I do now. We thought her forces were only slowly growing... if what you say is true... that the old ice demon’s forces are joining her... then… dear Hieroneous protect my blade!”</p><p></p><p>Harrapias then stood, and with a commanding gesture, began calling over acolytes, and barking orders to them in a language that none in the party could understand. Tess guessed the language was High Santoric, the language of priesthood in the Empire, but she couldn’t understand the gist of things even. After he was done, Harrapias sat down.</p><p></p><p>“Well. I’ve dispatched some riders. One will ride to the Imperial governor, requesting he move to Kulloden immediately with all available forces. Another was sent out to issue a recall to all of our paladins currently on assignment, while another has gone to the Churches of Pelor and Tarantor, with whom we have been working with Brother Hidalas on this issue, asking them to recall their paladins as well. We’ll need you to remain in Kulloden until the Governor arrives at least… as his mother is in revolt, your friend is currently the legitimate ruling Count of Holstean.”</p><p></p><p>Siabrey blinked at that, and both Tess and Shaun were taken aback a little as well.</p><p></p><p>“Our paladins that can will ride south, and search for Rogar, and any associated with his work… do you know of any others?”</p><p></p><p>Shaun immediately blurts out what happened with Ilia, and Harrapias nods, writing her name down on an order that is quickly dispatched out as well.</p><p></p><p>“You haven’t answered one question,” Tess said as Harrapias finished writing the orders. “What exactly happened to Hidalas?”</p><p></p><p>“Well,” the paladin began, “he was attacked, on the steps to the Temple of Pelor last night by a woman with long blonde hair… possibly,”</p><p></p><p>“Ilia?” Siabrey said, raising an eyebrow, and Shaun nodded in agreement.</p><p></p><p>“Yes,” Harrapias said. “Now that we have a name associated with her, perhaps it will help our search.” </p><p></p><p>Shaun comes very close to blurting out that the Thieves Guild of Kulloden is also hunting her down, but he remembered at the last moment that the Church of Hieroneous does not look kindly on thieves… or those who associate with them.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>“Because of what happened to Brother Hidalas, this shows me that the enemy is watching the temples to see who is staying. I would advise you to find a good, trusted inn, and lay low there for a bit… at least till the governor comes. Give your friend Lucius a chance to rest…”</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>“This looks silly,” Siabrey said quietly to herself, pointing to the helmet the Church of Hieroneous had given her to cover her eyes. IT didn’t fit with her armor, and someone wearing a helmet everywhere was bound to get noticed.</p><p></p><p>”I agree,” Tess said quietly, as the group passed through an open-air market. The party stopped, and within a few minutes had a few wide brimmed hats and long, drab cloaks to cover themselves with as they continued to the Drunken Pony.</p><p></p><p>Shaun had evidently been in Kulloden before, and he commented that he had a great working relationship with the barkeep, as well as the barmaids there, who would help him in any way possible should he request it. The rest of the party (none of whom had ever been in Kulloden before) was relieved someone knew where they were going, and had agreed.</p><p></p><p>They planned that Grumki (as he was hard to hide) would stay elsewhere, though when they initially went into the bar, he would be a distraction so the well-known Shaun (and Siabrey with her distinctive eyes, and Lucius with his well known hair) could quickly get a room and get upstairs.</p><p></p><p>The plan starts off well, as Grumki strides in (much to the fear and amazement of the other patrons), and begins drinking the bar out of house and home. The distracted barkeep quickly deals with the group, getting them upstairs to their two rooms quickly. The only hitch come when Shaun notices a certain pretty barmaid come out of the kitchen, see him, stop dead in her tracks, and turn around.</p><p></p><p>He’s ready as the group starts to settle in, and as soon as he sees a small part of Elenya’s head peek around the corner, he grabs her and pulls her into the room, closing the door. </p><p></p><p>”It really <em>is</em> you!” she squeals, grabbing him and giving him a long kiss… before breaking it off and slapping him in the face.</p><p></p><p>“You didn’t write! I was so worried! Why didn’t you…”</p><p></p><p>Shaun hurriedly began apologizing, giving in the vaguest detail an idea of what the group had done… he tells her not to tell anyone that he’s here, otherwise, “I could die.”</p><p></p><p>This statement scares Elenya a great deal, and Shaun is forced to spend a good deal of time comforting her. Once she’s talking again, she asks if he wants breakfast… and she comments that she’ll talk to her uncle to get a special room to serve it in. The dalliance causes Siabrey and Tess to roll their eyes as Elenya sashays out of the room, a smile on her face. Shaun then announces that he’s going to the Thieves Guild, to see if they have any more information on Ilia/Rosalyn.</p><p></p><p>At this point, as if on cue, Lucius starts to stir. Siabrey is immediately by his side as he slowly comes to, at the very least so he’ll be greeted by a friendly face in this strange place.</p><p></p><p>”Hm… hi Siabrey,” his voice said weakly, and a small smile etched his lips. Siabrey almost started crying at that point, knowing what they had to tell the boy. She grabbed him and hugged him close.</p><p></p><p>“Lucius… your mother… she’s revolting against the Empire,” Siabrey said quietly, trying to keep her own voice soothing, “She’s raising an army… you are now the Count of Holstean.” Her mind didn’t like it, but she’d said what she had to simply, directly, and… she hoped, with enough humanity to ease the crashing of a world on the young man.</p><p></p><p>He looks at her in disbelief at first… and then breaks into honest, true tears, burying his head in her shoulders.</p><p></p><p><em>Poor kid,</em> Tess thought as Siabrey held him close and rubbed his back. <em>His world just collapsed all around him… he needs a little alcohol or something to calm his nerves.</em> She then said she was going to try and find something nice for him to drink to calm him some… Lucius didn’t respond, while Siabrey flat said that she wasn’t leaving his side, period.</p><p></p><p>Tess heads downstairs, to find Grumki surrounded by empty steins of ale. The half-orc hadn’t been touched by the alcohol, and he grunted a greeting of, “The strength of Kord requires stronger drink!” Tess gave a nervous laugh, and Grumki asked quietly how Lucius was. Tess replied that he was pretty broken up, and that Siabrey was with him.</p><p></p><p>“Good. Red Eyes will keep him in better spirits.”</p><p></p><p>Tess smiles at that, and asks the barkeep for the strongest, yet sweetest liquor the establishment has. He offers dwarven ale as the strongest, but Tess declines, asking for more smoothness. The barkeep produces a bottle he bought off of some elves several months earlier, saying its very strong stuff, though it goes down easier than wine. Tess buys the bottle, and is about to head upstairs when Grumki stops her, and points to a loud man that just arrived in the corner of the bar.</p><p></p><p>”He’s a messenger,” Grumki points to his livery, “and while you talked, he spoke that Princess Zoe accepted offers to be betrothed to Lucius. She is coming down with a dowry from the Imperial treasury of items taken from his family many years ago…”</p><p>Tess’ mind immediately flashed to the comment about the Great Fire Stone. </p><p></p><p>“Has he blathered anything about what’s in the dowry?”</p><p></p><p>“No,” Grumki said sadly, “some already asked, he said he couldn’t say… he’s not drunk enough yet.”</p><p></p><p>Tess uttered an oath, and dashed upstairs… she’d hold this bit from him for a while… he was already broken up badly. Lucius didn’t need to know his mother had basically agreed to marry him off (especially since it was now obvious he and Siabrey had some very deep feelings for each other), or that part of the dowry might be the one stone his mother needed to finish her creation…</p><p></p><p>The words of the old man in Mephys plunged into her mind… “Once the rose contacts the snow at night, blood spills across the land…”</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Siabrey was busy holding Lucius together when Tess dashed back into the room.</p><p></p><p>“Lucius… here’s some wine, I bought for you… please, drink some of it… to steady your nerves.” Lucius took a mug, filled it, and downed the entire thing in one gulp. He was about to reach for more when Siabrey pushed the bottle away from him.</p><p></p><p>”No… no… not all at once. We don’t want you to get drunk,” she said quietly, running her hands through his hair. He sniffled, and gave a very small smile.</p><p></p><p>“I never said I would get drunk,” his voice said quietly, “I wouldn’t want to act like you in Mephys.”</p><p></p><p>Normally such a barb would have provoked a reply in kind or an elbow from Siabrey, but this one sparked a genuine, big smile… his soul hadn’t completely collapsed into desolation and ruin.</p><p></p><p>Tess then said she had to run back to the Hieroneous temple, and quickly darted out, leaving the two of them alone. There was silence for a few minutes, before Lucius spoke.</p><p></p><p>“Why are you so kind to me… when my veins have evil in them?” he asked, his eyes wide with fear. Siabrey put on her bravest smile.</p><p></p><p>“You aren’t evil, Lucius,” she said soothingly, again running her hand through his hair. “Just because someone in your family is, doesn’t mean that you are.”</p><p></p><p><em>The words aren’t having much of an effect</em> her mind alarmed.</p><p></p><p>“Besides,” she quickly added with a shy grin, “you’re too cute to be evil.”</p><p></p><p>That had the desired effect, as a genuine, if strained, smile came across his face. She thought the worst was over, till he leaned over and kissed her.</p><p></p><p>It was only a kiss on the cheek, but nonetheless her face went somehow from copper to deep red, a nervous laugh echoed from her lips, while her mind raced for a proper response…</p><p></p><p><em>He just </em>kissed <em>you! It’s a green light! Go! Go!</em> part of her mind, held in suppression for so long until the last few days, screamed at her.</p><p></p><p><em>He’s in a delicate state… doing anything like that,</em> her cooler, thinking mind pointed out, <em> would be taking advantage of him… things will progress if fate deals it so… but not before then.</em></p><p></p><p>And then, as she looked deep into his eyes, she tossed the cooler, thinking mind out of her head. </p><p></p><p><em>Just one kiss…I’ll be gentle,</em> then all thoughts were whipped from her mind as she leaned over and touched her lips to his.</p><p></p><p> Her lips quivered slightly as she tested his response. He didn’t move for several moments, instead staring wide-eyed up at her. Then his own eyes closed and he returned the kiss as a genuine smile played across his lips. He wrapped his arms around her small frame, and holding her tight, he ran his hands through her golden hair.</p><p></p><p>The kiss lasted seemingly hours, but couldn’t have been more than a few seconds when she pulled back gently and smiled down at him, again running her hands through his hair. Her heart bloomed when she saw him smiling back at her, and she looked deep into his eyes.</p><p></p><p> <em>I love you. I am here to protect you. You are safe with me. I shall never hurt you or leave you alone…</em> her mind echoed, loud enough that she was sure he could hear her thoughts. Her hope became trust, as she felt the same kind of assurance and love coming from him.</p><p></p><p>The two held each other closely for a long time, before finally falling asleep, side by side, their hands clasped together.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Tess’ hurried calls to see Brother Harrapias at the Church of Hieroneous were initially rebuffed, as acolytes reported he was in a “very important meeting.” Her continued demands finally got one to go find him… and an unhappy Harrapias met her, the whole time reading the acolyte that held her up the Hieroneous version of the Riot Act.</p><p></p><p>Tess explained to him that Princess Zoe was coming south… she was 2 weeks out of Irulas, would stay a week there before traveling to Kulloden, stay some here before finally going to Holstean. Apparently she didn’t know Holstean was in revolt. She also was bringing a dowry… which might or might not contain the Great Firestone…</p><p></p><p>Harrapias’ long face grew longer, and he frowned as more messengers were dispatched north, calling on the governor or his representative to hold up the Princess in Irulas as long as possible…</p><p></p><p>In the meantime, Shaun heads to the familiar hut that serves as the Thieves Guild. The same halfling is on the inside, and asks if Shaun’s there to find any new information.</p><p></p><p>“Of course… have you tracked Ilia down?” he asks, and the halfling furrows his brow.</p><p></p><p>”Yes, we have… but she’s been acting rather erratically lately… we found out this morning that she was in Kulloden last night… and she attempted to poison a priest of Tarantor!”</p><p></p><p>Shaun’s blood froze, and it took all of his strength to remain calm.</p><p></p><p>”Oh, really?” he struggled to say, though the halfling did not pick up on his distress.</p><p></p><p>“Yeah... she was working with some blonde boy-toy of hers… the boy acted hurt, and distracted the man while she stabbed him, on the steps of the Temple of Pelor, no less! I tell you, she may be crazy, she may have swindled us… but she has guts!”</p><p></p><p>“Do you know which way she was headed?” Shaun asked, knowing full well the likely words to come out of the halflings mouth.</p><p></p><p>“Oh yes… she was headed to Holstean… if we can get word to our guild there, she’ll have a greeting party…”</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - </p><p></p><p>The next adventure session is tomorrow night… updates will come after that.</p><p></p><p>Once again, kudos to Siabrey’s player for helping flesh out her and Lucius’ interactions… other kudos to Shaun’s player for looking things over, and to Isida Kep'Tukari for her letting me borrow various books necessary for me to flesh out some of the nasties the party has faced… and will face in the future… hehehe <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Emperor Valerian, post: 1328265, member: 15043"] [b] The Darkness within a Soul [/b] part 3 f 3 [I]”My dear former compatriots, I am deeply saddened that, unfortunately, our business relationship has come to an end. We worked quite well together; it’s just that my current job supercedes any business relations or friendships. I was charged with killing you if the boy wouldn’t come, and taking the diamond by force, but I decided I just couldn’t do the former… job or none. If you know what’s good for you, you will ride north… far north, and never turn around. If the boy knows what’s good for him, he’ll return to his mother in Holstean, where he belongs, to learn by her side. Oh… and the boy isn’t dead… he’ll be up and fine in about six or eight hours. I couldn’t have him interrupting a heist, now could I?”[/I] Tess crumpled up the letter with a fury, and almost hefted it with all her might. They’d found it laying on the empty bag where the diamond had been kept in Lucius’ possession, and now her fury was focused on one person. Her first instinct was to ride hard after him, and run him down… but then she looked at Lucius’ crumpled form, now laying on Siabrey’s lap… [I]Oh God no![/I] Siabrey’s very soul kept crying out, as the party strapped Lucius’ unconscious form to the back of his horse. [I]My Lucius… they hurt my poor Lucius! Oh God no! Please, no![/I] It was her that grabbed the bridle of his white charger as the group thundered as fast as possible towards Kulloden… and it wasn’t until they had nearly reached the city that thoughts of anger and vengeance began to slowly push away the sea of fear and depression. Shaun was full of anger as well… at Ilia (aka Rosalyn) as much as at Rogar. The poison, in his mind, had been clearly supplied by her, likely at Mephys… and now that [I]wretch[/I] had enough vileness in him to use it against a mere boy! The only other emotion that weighed in over that of anger was fear… fear that Lucius might not last the night. The party rode hard and fast, pushing their horses to the limit. Dawn was breaking as their mounts, bone tired, thundered through the gates of Kulloden, towards the Temple Mount, and the temple of Hieroneous of Valor. Grumki volunteered to watch the party’s horses as they went into the temple… he had a feeling the priests might misunderstand if a half-orc strode in, and the Churches of Kord and Hieroneous were not on the best of terms. Siabrey took all the strength in her small frame, and somehow through desperation and fear, hefted Lucius’ limp form onto her back and dragged him into the main temple foyer. A mix of emotions washed over her as she entered the temple of her own church… [I]Hieroneous the Protector will watch over him,[/I] a cool voice in her mind tried to soothe her tattered emotions. [I]He has watched over you many a night.[/I] [I]But, I don’t know… I’ve almost lost him twice! I may yet lose him![/I] As soon as they saw the prone body of a man being dragged into the temple, acolytes immediately surrounded the group, asking if they could help. Siabrey set Lucius down gently, as a grim faced Tess told the priests that the boy was poisoned, and needs help. She also asked them if she could speak to either Brother Hidalas of the Church of Tarantor, or Brother Harrapias of this church. At the mention of Hidalas’ name, the acolytes paled, and one ran off quickly, asking the group to “stay put!” As another checked Lucius over, Tess caught the hurried and frightened tone in the first priest’s voice as he left. “What happened to Hidalas? Is he alright?” she pressed, and the priest looking over Lucius looked up at her, his eyes frightened. He started to speak, before freezing momentarily, then saying, “Brother Harrapias will talk to you about that. He knows what happened, I don’t.” The priest then looked into Lucius’ unresponsive eyes, before pronouncing, “Its jubashi root poisoning… this young man needs time… nothing else… I’d give it another 3 or 4 hours before he’s conscious.” “Give us the broad details then!” Siabrey snapped, her own voice quaking slightly... her emotions were in turmoil… a brief respite of relief that Lucius would be fine, fear and concern for Hidalas, rage at Rogar… the swirl grew increasingly violent. “If you don’t know, tell us who does!” Tess walked over and put an arm around her to comfort her, as footfalls began to echo in the massive temple foyer. Coming from the left was a man dressed not in priest’s robes, but a paladin’s armor, shining and resplendent in the gilt and malachite halls of the temple. His face was stern, cold, and bore only a concerned look as he approached. ”Brother Harrapias!” the priest beside Lucius called, and pointed at the group, “these are the friends of Brother Hidalas!” The paladin nodded, dismissing the other priest, and in a voice, stentorian and without emotion: “Follow me. The priests will take care of your friend Lucius.” The man named Harrapias takes the party to one of the innermost chambers of the temple, far beyond prying eyes, before turning to them, and giving a loud sigh. ”Brother Hidalas was attacked last night… poisoned.” He raised a hand before words could be blurted out by anyone, and finished his thought, “he’ll be alright… he is going to need two or three days to recover, however. Do you have the diamond?” Siabrey’s face went dark, as did Tess’. Shaun was the one to respond with a, “no.” Tess then managed to put aside her anger enough to relate the story of how Rogar had betrayed them, and ridden south with the diamond. Harrapias’ eyes grew wide at the mention of the man’s name. “What? Do you know Rogar?” Harrapias nodded. “You rode with Rogar Mithras… I don’t believe it,” he gave a smile that those who have sunk into deep depressions or disbelief exude. “What about him, other than he’s a rat, cheating bastard!” Siabrey managed to spit out, before she remembered she was in a temple of her God, and promptly apologized for her colorful language. Harrapias waved off her apology. “I would have used such terms myself, child… Rogar was probably one of the deadliest assassins this section of the Empire has ever known… not to mention he’s the countess’ bastard brother…” “What?” came a collective exclamation. Harrapias nodded, sighed, and sat down. “The Countess’ father, Count Illayion, was a rather... promiscuous man. A dalliance with a servant girl brought our dear friend Rogar into this world… and while he wasn’t eligible to be of royal blood, he was kept around the palace, and fell in with the… darker retainers a noble requires. He and the countess remain close still, as far as we know,” Harrapias finished. “[I]That[/I] explains a lot,” Tess said with exasperation. The reasons why he betrayed them, and also why he was able to carry the stone that could only be carried by one of the bloodline were now apparent. ”Why… why was Hidalas here?” Siabrey asked, her voice more level now, though her eyes still had a very dangerous glint. “Your friend was here,” Harrapias began, standing up, “looking for this.” He set down a massive, ancient book in front of them that easily numbered in the hundreds of pages. “It is the official Church of Tarantor’s history of Ananias’ Rebellion…” “Well, there’s where the missing pages of Lucius’ history book are,” Tess mumbled. “Only 12 copies of this book were made, as it details not only what Ananias did, but how the staff and magic was used and controlled by him…how to properly assemble it with the Great Diamond and the Great Fire stone, which is thankfully safe in the Imperial treasury at Iskeldrun…. Overall the book held information they didn’t want emulators to get their hands on.” The group nodded. “When the staff was found and sent to Holstean, a copy was requested by the Church there… and we sent one. It was stolen a few days later.” The group needed no obvious logic to lead them to who likely did it, as Tess pulled out the idol. Its form, head now raised, perfectly matched the countess, down to the large, green emeralds for eyes and long, fire ruby hair. “Then its definite… she’s using the staff… not a retainer or someone controlling her?” Shaun asked. “From the few loyal Tarantor priests that came up here to report, that is what we’ve been able to piece together. She is following the evil of her bloodline…” “The evil of her bloodline?” Tess asked. The memory of what Lucius did against Ananias was still fresh in her mind. “How is such evil manifested?” “The Caladron family line has been blessed with a unique connection to the planes of magic in their physical beings… unfortunately, this connection has led them to fall astray into the darker paths of magic in the past… it was his zealous pursuit of power that led Ananias to revolt, and is now leading the Countess to do the same.” “Lucius, when we fought the demon Ananias, used an evil spell… bloodleech,” Tess continued, “...could he be turning evil?” She dreaded the possible answers, and Harrapias sighed. “I don’t know… for now, no.” Tess and Shaun gave a collective sigh of relief; Siabrey gave an even bigger one. “It seems being around you has prevented him from dabbling in the darker sides of his power too much… there’s literally too much good around him… good that he cares for. At this point, forget about the diamond, you three have a far more importantly job, at least for the next few days: keep Lucius away from Holstean… if he spends too much time around his mother now, chances are he [I]will[/I] fall down the same path as her…Just watch over him. He’s obviously not going to take any of this news well, and he’ll need companionship, people he can trust since apparently his family has abandoned him.” Once again, the party nodded. “What of the hordes marching from White Spine Mountain towards Holstean?” Shaun asked, and Harrapias’ face went puzzled. “Hordes from Ice Spine? We haven’t heard of this from any of our paladins…” his voice trailed off rather ominously. “Is there something wrong?” Tess asked, and winced, as she knew the question sounded stupid. Nonetheless, she wanted more information. “Its just that… the Countess already is marshalling an army… orcs and hobgoblins, armed to the teeth and given the powers of ice… “ And for the first time, the party heard a paladin of Hieroneous curse. He went red at their blanching faces, and apologized. “Hieroneous surely would understand knowing what I do now. We thought her forces were only slowly growing... if what you say is true... that the old ice demon’s forces are joining her... then… dear Hieroneous protect my blade!” Harrapias then stood, and with a commanding gesture, began calling over acolytes, and barking orders to them in a language that none in the party could understand. Tess guessed the language was High Santoric, the language of priesthood in the Empire, but she couldn’t understand the gist of things even. After he was done, Harrapias sat down. “Well. I’ve dispatched some riders. One will ride to the Imperial governor, requesting he move to Kulloden immediately with all available forces. Another was sent out to issue a recall to all of our paladins currently on assignment, while another has gone to the Churches of Pelor and Tarantor, with whom we have been working with Brother Hidalas on this issue, asking them to recall their paladins as well. We’ll need you to remain in Kulloden until the Governor arrives at least… as his mother is in revolt, your friend is currently the legitimate ruling Count of Holstean.” Siabrey blinked at that, and both Tess and Shaun were taken aback a little as well. “Our paladins that can will ride south, and search for Rogar, and any associated with his work… do you know of any others?” Shaun immediately blurts out what happened with Ilia, and Harrapias nods, writing her name down on an order that is quickly dispatched out as well. “You haven’t answered one question,” Tess said as Harrapias finished writing the orders. “What exactly happened to Hidalas?” “Well,” the paladin began, “he was attacked, on the steps to the Temple of Pelor last night by a woman with long blonde hair… possibly,” “Ilia?” Siabrey said, raising an eyebrow, and Shaun nodded in agreement. “Yes,” Harrapias said. “Now that we have a name associated with her, perhaps it will help our search.” Shaun comes very close to blurting out that the Thieves Guild of Kulloden is also hunting her down, but he remembered at the last moment that the Church of Hieroneous does not look kindly on thieves… or those who associate with them. “Because of what happened to Brother Hidalas, this shows me that the enemy is watching the temples to see who is staying. I would advise you to find a good, trusted inn, and lay low there for a bit… at least till the governor comes. Give your friend Lucius a chance to rest…” “This looks silly,” Siabrey said quietly to herself, pointing to the helmet the Church of Hieroneous had given her to cover her eyes. IT didn’t fit with her armor, and someone wearing a helmet everywhere was bound to get noticed. ”I agree,” Tess said quietly, as the group passed through an open-air market. The party stopped, and within a few minutes had a few wide brimmed hats and long, drab cloaks to cover themselves with as they continued to the Drunken Pony. Shaun had evidently been in Kulloden before, and he commented that he had a great working relationship with the barkeep, as well as the barmaids there, who would help him in any way possible should he request it. The rest of the party (none of whom had ever been in Kulloden before) was relieved someone knew where they were going, and had agreed. They planned that Grumki (as he was hard to hide) would stay elsewhere, though when they initially went into the bar, he would be a distraction so the well-known Shaun (and Siabrey with her distinctive eyes, and Lucius with his well known hair) could quickly get a room and get upstairs. The plan starts off well, as Grumki strides in (much to the fear and amazement of the other patrons), and begins drinking the bar out of house and home. The distracted barkeep quickly deals with the group, getting them upstairs to their two rooms quickly. The only hitch come when Shaun notices a certain pretty barmaid come out of the kitchen, see him, stop dead in her tracks, and turn around. He’s ready as the group starts to settle in, and as soon as he sees a small part of Elenya’s head peek around the corner, he grabs her and pulls her into the room, closing the door. ”It really [I]is[/I] you!” she squeals, grabbing him and giving him a long kiss… before breaking it off and slapping him in the face. “You didn’t write! I was so worried! Why didn’t you…” Shaun hurriedly began apologizing, giving in the vaguest detail an idea of what the group had done… he tells her not to tell anyone that he’s here, otherwise, “I could die.” This statement scares Elenya a great deal, and Shaun is forced to spend a good deal of time comforting her. Once she’s talking again, she asks if he wants breakfast… and she comments that she’ll talk to her uncle to get a special room to serve it in. The dalliance causes Siabrey and Tess to roll their eyes as Elenya sashays out of the room, a smile on her face. Shaun then announces that he’s going to the Thieves Guild, to see if they have any more information on Ilia/Rosalyn. At this point, as if on cue, Lucius starts to stir. Siabrey is immediately by his side as he slowly comes to, at the very least so he’ll be greeted by a friendly face in this strange place. ”Hm… hi Siabrey,” his voice said weakly, and a small smile etched his lips. Siabrey almost started crying at that point, knowing what they had to tell the boy. She grabbed him and hugged him close. “Lucius… your mother… she’s revolting against the Empire,” Siabrey said quietly, trying to keep her own voice soothing, “She’s raising an army… you are now the Count of Holstean.” Her mind didn’t like it, but she’d said what she had to simply, directly, and… she hoped, with enough humanity to ease the crashing of a world on the young man. He looks at her in disbelief at first… and then breaks into honest, true tears, burying his head in her shoulders. [I]Poor kid,[/I] Tess thought as Siabrey held him close and rubbed his back. [I]His world just collapsed all around him… he needs a little alcohol or something to calm his nerves.[/I] She then said she was going to try and find something nice for him to drink to calm him some… Lucius didn’t respond, while Siabrey flat said that she wasn’t leaving his side, period. Tess heads downstairs, to find Grumki surrounded by empty steins of ale. The half-orc hadn’t been touched by the alcohol, and he grunted a greeting of, “The strength of Kord requires stronger drink!” Tess gave a nervous laugh, and Grumki asked quietly how Lucius was. Tess replied that he was pretty broken up, and that Siabrey was with him. “Good. Red Eyes will keep him in better spirits.” Tess smiles at that, and asks the barkeep for the strongest, yet sweetest liquor the establishment has. He offers dwarven ale as the strongest, but Tess declines, asking for more smoothness. The barkeep produces a bottle he bought off of some elves several months earlier, saying its very strong stuff, though it goes down easier than wine. Tess buys the bottle, and is about to head upstairs when Grumki stops her, and points to a loud man that just arrived in the corner of the bar. ”He’s a messenger,” Grumki points to his livery, “and while you talked, he spoke that Princess Zoe accepted offers to be betrothed to Lucius. She is coming down with a dowry from the Imperial treasury of items taken from his family many years ago…” Tess’ mind immediately flashed to the comment about the Great Fire Stone. “Has he blathered anything about what’s in the dowry?” “No,” Grumki said sadly, “some already asked, he said he couldn’t say… he’s not drunk enough yet.” Tess uttered an oath, and dashed upstairs… she’d hold this bit from him for a while… he was already broken up badly. Lucius didn’t need to know his mother had basically agreed to marry him off (especially since it was now obvious he and Siabrey had some very deep feelings for each other), or that part of the dowry might be the one stone his mother needed to finish her creation… The words of the old man in Mephys plunged into her mind… “Once the rose contacts the snow at night, blood spills across the land…” Siabrey was busy holding Lucius together when Tess dashed back into the room. “Lucius… here’s some wine, I bought for you… please, drink some of it… to steady your nerves.” Lucius took a mug, filled it, and downed the entire thing in one gulp. He was about to reach for more when Siabrey pushed the bottle away from him. ”No… no… not all at once. We don’t want you to get drunk,” she said quietly, running her hands through his hair. He sniffled, and gave a very small smile. “I never said I would get drunk,” his voice said quietly, “I wouldn’t want to act like you in Mephys.” Normally such a barb would have provoked a reply in kind or an elbow from Siabrey, but this one sparked a genuine, big smile… his soul hadn’t completely collapsed into desolation and ruin. Tess then said she had to run back to the Hieroneous temple, and quickly darted out, leaving the two of them alone. There was silence for a few minutes, before Lucius spoke. “Why are you so kind to me… when my veins have evil in them?” he asked, his eyes wide with fear. Siabrey put on her bravest smile. “You aren’t evil, Lucius,” she said soothingly, again running her hand through his hair. “Just because someone in your family is, doesn’t mean that you are.” [I]The words aren’t having much of an effect[/I] her mind alarmed. “Besides,” she quickly added with a shy grin, “you’re too cute to be evil.” That had the desired effect, as a genuine, if strained, smile came across his face. She thought the worst was over, till he leaned over and kissed her. It was only a kiss on the cheek, but nonetheless her face went somehow from copper to deep red, a nervous laugh echoed from her lips, while her mind raced for a proper response… [I]He just [/I]kissed [I]you! It’s a green light! Go! Go![/I] part of her mind, held in suppression for so long until the last few days, screamed at her. [I]He’s in a delicate state… doing anything like that,[/I] her cooler, thinking mind pointed out, [I] would be taking advantage of him… things will progress if fate deals it so… but not before then.[/I] And then, as she looked deep into his eyes, she tossed the cooler, thinking mind out of her head. [I]Just one kiss…I’ll be gentle,[/I] then all thoughts were whipped from her mind as she leaned over and touched her lips to his. Her lips quivered slightly as she tested his response. He didn’t move for several moments, instead staring wide-eyed up at her. Then his own eyes closed and he returned the kiss as a genuine smile played across his lips. He wrapped his arms around her small frame, and holding her tight, he ran his hands through her golden hair. The kiss lasted seemingly hours, but couldn’t have been more than a few seconds when she pulled back gently and smiled down at him, again running her hands through his hair. Her heart bloomed when she saw him smiling back at her, and she looked deep into his eyes. [I]I love you. I am here to protect you. You are safe with me. I shall never hurt you or leave you alone…[/I] her mind echoed, loud enough that she was sure he could hear her thoughts. Her hope became trust, as she felt the same kind of assurance and love coming from him. The two held each other closely for a long time, before finally falling asleep, side by side, their hands clasped together. Tess’ hurried calls to see Brother Harrapias at the Church of Hieroneous were initially rebuffed, as acolytes reported he was in a “very important meeting.” Her continued demands finally got one to go find him… and an unhappy Harrapias met her, the whole time reading the acolyte that held her up the Hieroneous version of the Riot Act. Tess explained to him that Princess Zoe was coming south… she was 2 weeks out of Irulas, would stay a week there before traveling to Kulloden, stay some here before finally going to Holstean. Apparently she didn’t know Holstean was in revolt. She also was bringing a dowry… which might or might not contain the Great Firestone… Harrapias’ long face grew longer, and he frowned as more messengers were dispatched north, calling on the governor or his representative to hold up the Princess in Irulas as long as possible… In the meantime, Shaun heads to the familiar hut that serves as the Thieves Guild. The same halfling is on the inside, and asks if Shaun’s there to find any new information. “Of course… have you tracked Ilia down?” he asks, and the halfling furrows his brow. ”Yes, we have… but she’s been acting rather erratically lately… we found out this morning that she was in Kulloden last night… and she attempted to poison a priest of Tarantor!” Shaun’s blood froze, and it took all of his strength to remain calm. ”Oh, really?” he struggled to say, though the halfling did not pick up on his distress. “Yeah... she was working with some blonde boy-toy of hers… the boy acted hurt, and distracted the man while she stabbed him, on the steps of the Temple of Pelor, no less! I tell you, she may be crazy, she may have swindled us… but she has guts!” “Do you know which way she was headed?” Shaun asked, knowing full well the likely words to come out of the halflings mouth. “Oh yes… she was headed to Holstean… if we can get word to our guild there, she’ll have a greeting party…” - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The next adventure session is tomorrow night… updates will come after that. Once again, kudos to Siabrey’s player for helping flesh out her and Lucius’ interactions… other kudos to Shaun’s player for looking things over, and to Isida Kep'Tukari for her letting me borrow various books necessary for me to flesh out some of the nasties the party has faced… and will face in the future… hehehe :) [/QUOTE]
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