Into the Moral Darkness: (Now a Completed Story!)

[Nonlethal Force]

Semeion spoke with confidence as he tried to get the group to forget about the dagger for the moment. “Listen. I don’t think that we’ll be able to do anything about the dagger or the Ephistaemi until we head into Fingerdale and perhaps scrounge up some information. I say we start looking around the villa and see if there are any more accidental clues that are left behind.”

Brandt nodded and spoke next. “Actually, I think that I’m going to use the time and research the Ephistaemi a bit if I can. I’ll teleport back to my office in the temple in Fingerdale and see what the other priests might make of this. Ausaphaborishan, are you going to stay here for protection?”

The dragon nodded his head, “I certainly can if my presence is needed.”

Rhema’s father turned around where he stood and spoke in reply to the dragon. “There’s not much point in you staying around, Ausaphaborishan. The ground looks calm. If there was going to be any kind of ambush, I’d have expected it when we arrived.”

Rhema contradicted her father’s words. “Yet, they might be afraid of Ausaphaborishan’s presence. If he leaves, anyone waiting to strike might just do so.”

Rhema’s father looked at her daughter with eyes of respect in regard to the wisdom contained in her words. However, in the same look from his eyes he also looked like a father figure expecting to win over the words of a child. “Even so, Rhema, there is nothing here to keep us anymore. If Ausaphaborishan is capable of sending us the horses that we used to get to his valley there is no reason we simply couldn’t flee from any threat. The rest of the stuff we brought with us could be sent home with the Drakontai who were working at the villa but went for the wedding. They can spend the week on horseback traveling back here with our supplies.”

Charis nodded in agreement knowing full well that the majority of those Drakontai were her immediate kin through her dragon father. “Besides, there’s not much for them to do here anyway. If they take a week in coming and we have our horses here, we can have a good bit of the villa’s rubble removed and get the site prepared for a new building. Their arrival would correspond to when we rebuild.”

Rhema’s father smiled politely and looked to the ground. “That’s mighty kind of you to offer, Charis. But you all have work to do. This here was my home. You all need not worry about it. I can hire people to help rebuild it.”

Ischarus grinned at the man’s words. “With all due respect, sir.” His voice hesitated before he spoke the last word. His mind thought about calling Rhema’s father by the title of dad, but somehow it just didn’t seem to fight the context. “This here was not only your home but Rhema’s. And by virtue of it being Rhema’s home that means it now is seen as my home as well. You certainly can’t expect Rhema and I to just leave. And you can’t expect Charis and Semeion to go without us!”

Semeion put his thin arm around Ischarus’ shoulder. “Yep, that means that you are stuck with us for a while. Besides, if we’re going to get to the heart of why this has happened, we’ve got to stay in the area before the trail gets too cold. If we go about a journey into Quehalost now, there would be no way that we could follow the trail once we got back.”

Rhema hugged her father. “See, dad? It looks like you are stuck with us. We’re not going anywhere until we’ve got some kind of lead.” Rhema’s father didn’t reply except to embrace his daughter in return.

Charis looked back around to the rest of the farm. “But, I agree with what Semeion already said. We’ve spent enough time for now on that dagger. We should go about the rest of the farm. I think we’ll manage from here, Ausaphaborishan. Please give my regards to my dragon father.”

The dragon smiled and patted Charis lightly upon her head with his massive front clawed foot. “If you all are sure of this, then I will return to my valley and leave you in peace.”

Ischarus looked up to his dragon father. “As always, your tremendous service as honored us. But when you sent me out into the world you told me that there would be many things that I need to accomplish without your help. This task is something that we can do. You have more pressing matters, I’m sure.”

The wyrm nodded and looked to the east. “I do in fact have other duties that I could attend to, and I am sure that Llywessiar will stay in my valley until I return. If I were to go back now I would release him and enable him and his people to go.” The dragon nodded once more, gave the magical command word, and vanished.

Once the dragon left the area of the burned villa, the party began to assign different forces for assessment. Rhema, Semeion, and Rhema’s father sifted through the damage surrounding the villa. Their hope was to pick anything out of the ash and stone from the ruined house that could be salvaged or even reused when the villa was to be reconstructed. Besides to blackened fieldstone there was little else to find.

Charis and Ischarus were assigned to search through the fields and surrounding area. The ash across the fields was might lighter than near where the villa had burned. Fortunately there was not enough plant material in the fields to add to the ash. Instead, the task of Charis and Ischarus was to see if the entire crops were lost and if the fields could be replanted without doing much work to the ground.

When Ausaphaborishan had been gone for almost ten minutes the horses suddenly appeared just to the east of the villa. The sudden appearance of five horses startled Semeion, Rhema, and Rhema’s father because they were so close to the horses when they appeared. Fortunately, the horses did not attempt to flee out of being spooked by the sudden teleportation. Rhema’s father quickly gathered up the horses’ reigns and began walking them to the nearest edge of the forest. There was nothing remaining outside the forest that would serve as a tie down for the horses.

Semeion and Rhema were left alone in the ash of the ruin when they heard a mysterious voice from behind. The voice was feminine, but clearly filled with anger. “I want my dagger back, and I’m willing to kill you for it.”

Rhema and Semeion spun around to face the newcomer. Neither of them had heard her approach. She must have used a similar teleportation trick that Brandt and Ausaphaborishan had managed. Rhema let out a cry of surprise as she spun around and saw their adversary. “Ischarus!”

The woman standing before Semeion and Rhema wore a dark cloak. As Rhema and Semeion turned, the woman flashed her hand to her belt where she drew a dagger that matched the one that Ischarus had found earlier. Only five feet separated Rhema and Semeion from the woman. Both Rhema and Semeion could easily see the etching upon the side of the blade. The dagger was etched with a crescent moon and a dagger plunging through it. She worked for the Ephistaemi.

As the woman drew her blade, Semeion caught sight of a small gold pendant resting atop her chest. The pendant was suspended from a thick gold chain that hung around her neck. Semeion didn’t recognize the symbol, but he knew enough about jewelry to have a hunch as to what the symbol might represent. He spoke bitterly at the sight of the pendant. “Careful, Rhema. This one looks to be protected by the gods.”

Before either Rhema or Semeion could react, the woman spoke in a low tone of chant. “Para Doithican Fael-tru.” The woman seemingly blinked out of existence and disappeared.

Semeion drew his rapier and gave a shout to Rhema. “Move back. There’s no way that she can attack both of us if we get far enough away.” Semeion stepped a couple of feet in a direction away from the route that Ischarus would be coming from to help. He hoped that this would force Rhema to step a couple of feet in the direction toward help.

Rhema responded with a nod and moved as Semeion hoped. When she saw Semeion draw his rapier she likewise drew her own azure colored crystalline short sword. She braced herself with the sword in front of her, although she didn’t know from which direction that the attack would come.

After several seconds the woman materialized out of thin air immediately before Rhema. She sliced at the arm that held Rhema’s sword and connected with little difficulty. The woman had caught Rhema off-guard in spite of Rhema’s intent on keeping from being surprised. A thick line of dark red blood followed the path of the woman’s dagger across Rhema’s arm. Several droplets of blood splattered through the air and landed among the deep ash that rested upon the ground.

Knowing that he was not the focus of the attack, Semeion shifted his rapier to his left hand and gestured with his now empty right hand. His voice matched the chanting tone of the woman and he began to use his own magic. “Thin-tok arash.”

Instead of the typical blue energy that Rhema had been accustomed to seeing dance down Semeion’s arm to his hand, this time a green energy sparked down his skin to the tips of his fingers. The energy formed a ball, burst forward, and struck the woman from behind. Instantly smoke began to form along the back of her cloak as the green acid seeped through her clothing and burned at the flesh of her back. Semeion cheered as his magic worked. “I’ve got several new tricks up my sleeve!”

Rhema smiled at the upgraded magic that Semeion used. She focused on the woman who was attacking her and spoke in a commanding tone. “Get away from me and fear my presence!”

The robed woman smiled and began to chuckle. “You had better hope that your mind tricks work soon, because in a couple more strikes I’ll have killed you outright!” She sliced once more at Rhema, but this time Rhema was prepared for the attack and could see it coming. Rhema parried the blow from the dagger with her sword.

Semeion reached back into his traditional bag of tricks and pulled out another spell. He had already tried something new, now it was time to go back to his old favorite spell. “Thin-tok!” The familiar blue energy leapt down his arm and formed a blue energy ball at his fingertips. He threw the ball towards the cloaked woman and the ball collided with her back. Semeion watched as the acid from the previous attack continued to smolder through her cloak. To his surprise, another set of energy sparks formed along his arm and leapt into an additional ball at the tips of his fingers. He yelled once more as he threw the second ball and hit the woman again. “Apparently I’ve gotten more upgrades than even I knew about!”

Rhema laughed again as she refocused her mental powers. She tried the same mental trick as the last time. Her voice lowered in anger and frustration as she called out in fury. “I told you to leave me alone! Now get away from me before I have to seriously hurt you!”

The woman smirked again and replied. “That’s two failed attempts to control me with your mind powers. I can keep this up all day.” The woman drew her lips back in a flashy smile and spoke her magical words once more. “Para Doithican Fael-tru.” As happened the last time she spoke the words, the woman vanished into thin air.

Semeion pointed behind Rhema to Ischarus. Rhema’s husband was charging across the nearest field toward the villa. Semeion yelled a command to Rhema. “Run to him. She’s going to reappear, but if you run away you’ll keep her from being able to strike you solidly until Ischarus can come to your aid.”

Rhema decided to follow Semeion’s advice. She turned her back to where the woman had just stood and began a full fledged retreat toward the charging Ischarus. Suddenly the blade of the dagger appeared out of the air and swiped at Rhema’s retreating back.

The blade missed by a considerable margin and the robed woman popped into full view. Rather than give pursuit toward Rhema, the woman turned around and faced Semeion. She casually approached him and challenged him as she prepared to strike. “Your magic will eventually run out, and then I shall have you as a sacrifice.” Her dagger slashed through the air and caught Semeion across the shoulder.

Semeion winced in pain but managed. He had a few more blows left in him. “Not before my friends arrive, though. And once they are here you will not last long.” When the woman had closed for combat he had switched the rapier back into his right hand. He used the blade to pierce the air, but the woman twisted out of the way. His blow caught nothing but air.

The woman responded to Semeion’s slice through the air with one of her own. Semeion easily parried the blow with his longer blade. He set himself to respond to the attack when suddenly a flash of movement to his left caught his eye.

A dog raced across the ground and leapt up to tear at the woman’s arm. The dog’s hair was a normal dark brown in color, although it almost seemed to radiate a golden hue. The jaws of the beast clamped down onto the woman’s left arm and she began to bleed. She cried out in both pain and surprise at the speed and ferocity of the dog. She completely missed the end of the pick that arced through the air.

Charis had heard Rhema’s initial cry for help. She had run towards the burned out villa as fast as her legs could carry her. When she approached within striking distance she had called upon her powers to bring the dog to help her in combat. Together, the dog and Charis managed to take the woman by surprise. The end of her pick lodged itself just under the woman’s right shoulder. The intense pain from the dog blow and the force of the pick dropped the cloaked woman to the ground at Semeion’s feet.

Ischarus quickly arrived on the scene with Rhema returning right behind him. “Are you both alright?”

Semeion glanced toward Ischarus before returning his gaze upon the fallen woman. “We’re fine, Ischarus. Although, I must admit that the help is greatly appreciated.” He nursed his sore shoulder as he spoke.

Charis bent down to the woman’s side and placed her hand upon the dog’s back. “Your service has been much appreciated, Arbok. Give my regards to our god.” Charis closed her eyes slowly and nodded to the dog in a dismissal. The dog vanished in much the same way as the party had used in teleporting into this place.

Ischarus bent down beside Charis. “Will she live for questioning?” He pulled a short rope out of his backpack as he spoke.

Charis placed her hand over the woman’s shoulder. She had lost a significant amount of blood between the pick wound and the dog bite. “Bondras-tol” She watched as a golden light radiated from her palm and passed through her fingers into the woman’s shoulders. A pleased expression passed across Charis’ face. “She will, now.”

[Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section]
Semeion spoke with confidence as he tried to get the group to forget about the dagger for the moment. “Listen. I don’t think that we’ll be able to do anything about the dagger or the Ephistaemi until we head into Fingerdale and perhaps scrounge up some information. I say we start looking around the villa and see if there are any more accidental clues that are left behind.”

Brandt nodded and spoke next. “Actually, I think that I’m going to use the time and research the Ephistaemi a bit if I can. I’ll teleport back to my office in the temple in Fingerdale and see what the other priests might make of this. Ausaphaborishan, are you going to stay here for protection?”

The dragon nodded his head, “I certainly can if my presence is needed.”

Rhema’s father turned around where he stood and spoke in reply to the dragon. “There’s not much point in you staying around, Ausaphaborishan. The ground looks calm. If there was going to be any kind of ambush, I’d have expected it when we arrived.”

Rhema contradicted her father’s words. “Yet, they might be afraid of Ausaphaborishan’s presence. If he leaves, anyone waiting to strike might just do so.”

Rhema’s father looked at her daughter with eyes of respect in regard to the wisdom contained in her words. However, in the same look from his eyes he also looked like a father figure expecting to win over the words of a child. “Even so, Rhema, there is nothing here to keep us anymore. If Ausaphaborishan is capable of sending us the horses that we used to get to his valley there is no reason we simply couldn’t flee from any threat. The rest of the stuff we brought with us could be sent home with the Drakontai who were working at the villa but went for the wedding. They can spend the week on horseback traveling back here with our supplies.”

Charis nodded in agreement knowing full well that the majority of those Drakontai were her immediate kin through her dragon father. “Besides, there’s not much for them to do here anyway. If they take a week in coming and we have our horses here, we can have a good bit of the villa’s rubble removed and get the site prepared for a new building. Their arrival would correspond to when we rebuild.”

Rhema’s father smiled politely and looked to the ground. “That’s mighty kind of you to offer, Charis. But you all have work to do. This here was my home. You all need not worry about it. I can hire people to help rebuild it.”

Ischarus grinned at the man’s words. “With all due respect, sir.” His voice hesitated before he spoke the last word. His mind thought about calling Rhema’s father by the title of dad, but somehow it just didn’t seem to fight the context. “This here was not only your home but Rhema’s. And by virtue of it being Rhema’s home that means it now is seen as my home as well. You certainly can’t expect Rhema and I to just leave. And you can’t expect Charis and Semeion to go without us!”

Semeion put his thin arm around Ischarus’ shoulder. “Yep, that means that you are stuck with us for a while. Besides, if we’re going to get to the heart of why this has happened, we’ve got to stay in the area before the trail gets too cold. If we go about a journey into Quehalost now, there would be no way that we could follow the trail once we got back.”

Rhema hugged her father. “See, dad? It looks like you are stuck with us. We’re not going anywhere until we’ve got some kind of lead.” Rhema’s father didn’t reply except to embrace his daughter in return.

Charis looked back around to the rest of the farm. “But, I agree with what Semeion already said. We’ve spent enough time for now on that dagger. We should go about the rest of the farm. I think we’ll manage from here, Ausaphaborishan. Please give my regards to my dragon father.”

The dragon smiled and patted Charis lightly upon her head with his massive front clawed foot. “If you all are sure of this, then I will return to my valley and leave you in peace.”

Ischarus looked up to his dragon father. “As always, your tremendous service as honored us. But when you sent me out into the world you told me that there would be many things that I need to accomplish without your help. This task is something that we can do. You have more pressing matters, I’m sure.”

The wyrm nodded and looked to the east. “I do in fact have other duties that I could attend to, and I am sure that Llywessiar will stay in my valley until I return. If I were to go back now I would release him and enable him and his people to go.” The dragon nodded once more, gave the magical command word, and vanished.

Once the dragon left the area of the burned villa, the party began to assign different forces for assessment. Rhema, Semeion, and Rhema’s father sifted through the damage surrounding the villa. Their hope was to pick anything out of the ash and stone from the ruined house that could be salvaged or even reused when the villa was to be reconstructed. Besides to blackened fieldstone there was little else to find.

Charis and Ischarus were assigned to search through the fields and surrounding area. The ash across the fields was might lighter than near where the villa had burned. Fortunately there was not enough plant material in the fields to add to the ash. Instead, the task of Charis and Ischarus was to see if the entire crops were lost and if the fields could be replanted without doing much work to the ground.

When Ausaphaborishan had been gone for almost ten minutes the horses suddenly appeared just to the east of the villa. The sudden appearance of five horses startled Semeion, Rhema, and Rhema’s father because they were so close to the horses when they appeared. Fortunately, the horses did not attempt to flee out of being spooked by the sudden teleportation. Rhema’s father quickly gathered up the horses’ reigns and began walking them to the nearest edge of the forest. There was nothing remaining outside the forest that would serve as a tie down for the horses.

Semeion and Rhema were left alone in the ash of the ruin when they heard a mysterious voice from behind. The voice was feminine, but clearly filled with anger. “I want my dagger back, and I’m willing to kill you for it.”

Rhema and Semeion spun around to face the newcomer. Neither of them had heard her approach. She must have used a similar teleportation trick that Brandt and Ausaphaborishan had managed. Rhema let out a cry of surprise as she spun around and saw their adversary. “Ischarus!”

The woman standing before Semeion and Rhema wore a dark cloak. As Rhema and Semeion turned, the woman flashed her hand to her belt where she drew a dagger that matched the one that Ischarus had found earlier. Only five feet separated Rhema and Semeion from the woman. Both Rhema and Semeion could easily see the etching upon the side of the blade. The dagger was etched with a crescent moon and a dagger plunging through it. She worked for the Ephistaemi.

As the woman drew her blade, Semeion caught sight of a small gold pendant resting atop her chest. The pendant was suspended from a thick gold chain that hung around her neck. Semeion didn’t recognize the symbol, but he knew enough about jewelry to have a hunch as to what the symbol might represent. He spoke bitterly at the sight of the pendant. “Careful, Rhema. This one looks to be protected by the gods.”

Before either Rhema or Semeion could react, the woman spoke in a low tone of chant. “Para Doithican Fael-tru.” The woman seemingly blinked out of existence and disappeared.

Semeion drew his rapier and gave a shout to Rhema. “Move back. There’s no way that she can attack both of us if we get far enough away.” Semeion stepped a couple of feet in a direction away from the route that Ischarus would be coming from to help. He hoped that this would force Rhema to step a couple of feet in the direction toward help.

Rhema responded with a nod and moved as Semeion hoped. When she saw Semeion draw his rapier she likewise drew her own azure colored crystalline short sword. She braced herself with the sword in front of her, although she didn’t know from which direction that the attack would come.

After several seconds the woman materialized out of thin air immediately before Rhema. She sliced at the arm that held Rhema’s sword and connected with little difficulty. The woman had caught Rhema off-guard in spite of Rhema’s intent on keeping from being surprised. A thick line of dark red blood followed the path of the woman’s dagger across Rhema’s arm. Several droplets of blood splattered through the air and landed among the deep ash that rested upon the ground.

Knowing that he was not the focus of the attack, Semeion shifted his rapier to his left hand and gestured with his now empty right hand. His voice matched the chanting tone of the woman and he began to use his own magic. “Thin-tok arash.”

Instead of the typical blue energy that Rhema had been accustomed to seeing dance down Semeion’s arm to his hand, this time a green energy sparked down his skin to the tips of his fingers. The energy formed a ball, burst forward, and struck the woman from behind. Instantly smoke began to form along the back of her cloak as the green acid seeped through her clothing and burned at the flesh of her back. Semeion cheered as his magic worked. “I’ve got several new tricks up my sleeve!”

Rhema smiled at the upgraded magic that Semeion used. She focused on the woman who was attacking her and spoke in a commanding tone. “Get away from me and fear my presence!”

The robed woman smiled and began to chuckle. “You had better hope that your mind tricks work soon, because in a couple more strikes I’ll have killed you outright!” She sliced once more at Rhema, but this time Rhema was prepared for the attack and could see it coming. Rhema parried the blow from the dagger with her sword.

Semeion reached back into his traditional bag of tricks and pulled out another spell. He had already tried something new, now it was time to go back to his old favorite spell. “Thin-tok!” The familiar blue energy leapt down his arm and formed a blue energy ball at his fingertips. He threw the ball towards the cloaked woman and the ball collided with her back. Semeion watched as the acid from the previous attack continued to smolder through her cloak. To his surprise, another set of energy sparks formed along his arm and leapt into an additional ball at the tips of his fingers. He yelled once more as he threw the second ball and hit the woman again. “Apparently I’ve gotten more upgrades than even I knew about!”

Rhema laughed again as she refocused her mental powers. She tried the same mental trick as the last time. Her voice lowered in anger and frustration as she called out in fury. “I told you to leave me alone! Now get away from me before I have to seriously hurt you!”

The woman smirked again and replied. “That’s two failed attempts to control me with your mind powers. I can keep this up all day.” The woman drew her lips back in a flashy smile and spoke her magical words once more. “Para Doithican Fael-tru.” As happened the last time she spoke the words, the woman vanished into thin air.

Semeion pointed behind Rhema to Ischarus. Rhema’s husband was charging across the nearest field toward the villa. Semeion yelled a command to Rhema. “Run to him. She’s going to reappear, but if you run away you’ll keep her from being able to strike you solidly until Ischarus can come to your aid.”

Rhema decided to follow Semeion’s advice. She turned her back to where the woman had just stood and began a full fledged retreat toward the charging Ischarus. Suddenly the blade of the dagger appeared out of the air and swiped at Rhema’s retreating back.

The blade missed by a considerable margin and the robed woman popped into full view. Rather than give pursuit toward Rhema, the woman turned around and faced Semeion. She casually approached him and challenged him as she prepared to strike. “Your magic will eventually run out, and then I shall have you as a sacrifice.” Her dagger slashed through the air and caught Semeion across the shoulder.

Semeion winced in pain but managed. He had a few more blows left in him. “Not before my friends arrive, though. And once they are here you will not last long.” When the woman had closed for combat he had switched the rapier back into his right hand. He used the blade to pierce the air, but the woman twisted out of the way. His blow caught nothing but air.

The woman responded to Semeion’s slice through the air with one of her own. Semeion easily parried the blow with his longer blade. He set himself to respond to the attack when suddenly a flash of movement to his left caught his eye.

A dog raced across the ground and leapt up to tear at the woman’s arm. The dog’s hair was a normal dark brown in color, although it almost seemed to radiate a golden hue. The jaws of the beast clamped down onto the woman’s left arm and she began to bleed. She cried out in both pain and surprise at the speed and ferocity of the dog. She completely missed the end of the pick that arced through the air.

Charis had heard Rhema’s initial cry for help. She had run towards the burned out villa as fast as her legs could carry her. When she approached within striking distance she had called upon her powers to bring the dog to help her in combat. Together, the dog and Charis managed to take the woman by surprise. The end of her pick lodged itself just under the woman’s right shoulder. The intense pain from the dog blow and the force of the pick dropped the cloaked woman to the ground at Semeion’s feet.

Ischarus quickly arrived on the scene with Rhema returning right behind him. “Are you both alright?”

Semeion glanced toward Ischarus before returning his gaze upon the fallen woman. “We’re fine, Ischarus. Although, I must admit that the help is greatly appreciated.” He nursed his sore shoulder as he spoke.

Charis bent down to the woman’s side and placed her hand upon the dog’s back. “Your service has been much appreciated, Arbok. Give my regards to our god.” Charis closed her eyes slowly and nodded to the dog in a dismissal. The dog vanished in much the same way as the party had used in teleporting into this place.

Ischarus bent down beside Charis. “Will she live for questioning?” He pulled a short rope out of his backpack as he spoke.

Charis placed her hand over the woman’s shoulder. She had lost a significant amount of blood between the pick wound and the dog bite. “Bondras-tol” She watched as a golden light radiated from her palm and passed through her fingers into the woman’s shoulders. A pleased expression passed across Charis’ face. “She will, now.”
[/Sblock]

 

[Nonlethal Force]

Rhema’s father had waited with the horses until he knew that the threat had passed. He had once been a decent warrior, but he was currently unarmed and hadn’t practiced in a while. He knew that staying with the horses was the wisest option given the current situation. Once he saw Charis’ pick deal the telling blow and end the combat, Rhema’s father left the horses tied to the edge of the forest and returned as quickly as he could to the remains of the villa.

He approached the party and embraced his daughter with a large hug. “I was so worried. Are you alright?”

Rhema nodded and looked down to the woman lying on the ground. “Yeah, I’m alright. The woman wouldn’t succumb to my mental suggestions, though. She must have been prepared for what was to come.”

Ischarus nodded and he finished tying the woman’s hands and slipped a gag over her mouth. “I think that is absolutely likely. She didn’t make herself known until Charis and I were away. She waited until Brant and Ausaphaborishan left. Her only mistake was going after Rhema instead of Semeion first.”

Semeion looked down to Ischarus and raised an eyebrow. “Hey! Just what do you mean by that? I know that you just got married, but you want me to die instead?”

Ischarus chuckled. “Oh, I didn’t mean anything personal. All I meant was that if the woman knew she could withstand Rhema’s telepathic suggestions then she should’ve attacked you first. You were the bigger threat to her.”

Charis slipped the protective leather covering over her pick once Ischarus finished tying the woman up. “Yeah, but that’s not really saying much.” Charis smiled innocently at Semeion as if to tease him with her expression in addition to her words.

Semeion smiled and looked around to the rest of the villa. “Great. So, now what do we do with her?” His expression and his tone refused to give Charis the woundedness she was hoping for.

Rhema nodded with Semeion’s sentiment. “Yeah, it isn’t like we have a place to spend the evening much less keep a prisoner.”

Charis turned to Rhema’s father and sought a more professional opinion. “Do you think we could run her into Fingerdale and ask to have her locked up under the warden’s care? We just got done saying that the warden was a legitimate guy in spite of locking Ischarus up behind bars for a few hours.”

Rhema’s father shook his head side to side, but he didn’t get a chance to speak before Ischarus added his own opinion. “No. We can’t trust anyone until we learn where the threat came from. As far as we know, the threat could have come through the warden. After all, I suppose Grick could have done enough talking to convince someone that we were dangerous. If Grick is the leak, then it would make sense that the warden and the captain of the guard could be linked to this.”

Semeion wrinkled his eyebrows in thought as he spun out Ischarus’ suggestion in his mind. “Now, wait a minute. You aren’t actually saying that the captain of the guard of Fingerdale and the warden of Lord Ironblood’s person jail are in on this, are you? If that’s the case, why don’t you simply say that Lord Ironblood is in on this as well?”

Ischarus smiled and stood up to his full height. He looked down slightly to Semeion while he spoke. “No, I don’t actually think that the warden or the jailer are in on this. However, I do think that we can’t put our trust into too many places without knowing for certain where this threat came from.”

Rhema’s father continued Ischarus’ thought. “Besides, both Brandt and Ausaphaborishan seemed convinced that if this were a true attack by a member of the Ephistaemi that there would be a significant financial source funding the attack. Unless Lord Ironblood is less frugal than I know him to be, I do not think the warden or the captain of the guard have a high enough rate of pay to fund an attack like this. The warden and the captain are no doubt well paid, but in order to make the attack go off in this manner there would have had to been significant funding.”

Charis looked down upon the woman lying in the center of the group. She was clearly still unconscious and would likely remain in this manner for some time. “Yet, just because the warden or the captain of the guard couldn’t fund it does not mean they might not have had a role to play. If they passed along information about our dealing with Grick to the wrong person, then they might be involved without being the official source of the conflict.”

Semeion looked back down to the woman. “Oh, what secrets you hold. I can’t wait until you wake up and we can try and get them out of you.” Semeion’s voice took on a tone that was full of pleasure. He looked back up to the party and added to his conversation with the unconscious woman. “Either way, we can’t even be sure that this attack originated with Grick. It would make sense, but it may not be the only solution. We dare not focus too long and hard on any particular solution or else we run the risk of blinding our minds to the other possibilities.”

Rhema breathed in deeply and turned her attention to the fields around the villa. “Charis and Ischarus, what did you all find out about the fields? How badly was the ground scorched?”

Charis pointed to the field that she had run across to get to the fight between Semeion, Rhema, and the mysterious woman. “The plants are ruined, but we had really surmised that much last night. The ground still looks well prepared for another planting. The plants will be a few weeks behind, but I think we could replant and still make the harvest before the frost.”

Rhema’s father shook his head slightly from side to side. “We’ll have to accept lower prices from the market, then. If our crop comes in later than the rest of the farms then the market will already be saturated. The prices will have come down from the initial spike.”

Ischarus turned to the field that he had run across. “I saw the same thing. The plants are burned and dead, but the ground is still viable.” He turned back to look to Rhema’s father. “With the reduced price, will we be able to recuperate the expense for growing the crop and paying the workers?”

Rhema’s father nodded affirmatively. “Assuming you all help when you can and we can beat the frost, we should be able to make enough.”

Semeion smiled as a thought ran through his mind. “Perhaps there is a magical solution to our dilemma? Could magic be used to advance the plants and get them back to the place of growth that they should be at?”

Rhema’s father shook his head discouragingly. “No, I will not stand for that. Plants that have had magically induced growth produce fruit that looks the same, but the quality in taste is simply not the same. Sure, you can live off of it. It has the same healthy amount of nutrients. But the flavor simply isn’t the same. I can tell by taste when I am sold a fruit that has been grown the old fashioned way and when a fruit has been grown with magical enhancements.”

Ischarus looked once more down at the woman. “Very well, then. We’ll replant when the help arrives in a week. But we still haven’t decided what to do with the woman.”

Charis looked to Rhema’s father. “I’m assuming the woods will be safe enough to sleep in tonight? We’ll just pretend we are in Quehalost and post watches. The watches will need to keep track of her until we can find some kind of better solution.”

Semeion shook his head. “The woods will be a fine answer for our sleeping tonight. However, I think that we’ll not want to keep the woman with us. We can only prevent her from casting a spell for so long. One mistake and she’ll be invisible before we know it. If she’s allowed to get invisible, then she’s gone.”

Rhema’s father looked back to Semeion. “Well, then, what is it that you suggest?”

Semeion nodded slowly as his mind spun out a plan. “Brandt. Surely the temple in Fingerdale has a means for dealing with heretical divine agents. They should be prepared to silence their opposition.”

Charis smiled. “And by silence, I assume that you mean it quite literally? They should be able to prevent her from summoning the power of her god and casting a spell.”

Rhema looked displeased as she spoke. “Don’t take this the wrong way, Ischarus, but can we trust the temple in Fingerdale? We spent a fair amount of time dealing with Brandt. How do we know that one of the acolytes is not responsible for leaking information to bring this destruction about?”

Ischarus glanced back to Rhema with a confused look. “You are actually thinking that a priest of my deity could be responsible for this? Look at this woman! If what you are saying is true then the implications are huge. It would mean that my god is in league with an evil cult from which this member of the Ephistaemi has come.”

Semeion looked back to Ischarus. “Careful, Ischarus. Do not let your faith blind you. We’re all capable of falling. Every one of us has a button that can be pushed or a price tag to be bought. But fundamentally I agree with you. At this point we cannot trust many, especially of those who live in Fingerdale. However, if we cannot trust the temple where Brandt has his office I do not know who we can trust. If the temple is corrupt, then we are in far worse shape than we can possibly imagine.”

Charis replied conclusively. “Then it is settled. We plant in a week. We sleep in the forest. The woman goes with Brandt when he returns.” Nobody objected to Charis’ summary, but Rhema looked skeptical as to whether the plan was wise.

[Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section]
Rhema’s father had waited with the horses until he knew that the threat had passed. He had once been a decent warrior, but he was currently unarmed and hadn’t practiced in a while. He knew that staying with the horses was the wisest option given the current situation. Once he saw Charis’ pick deal the telling blow and end the combat, Rhema’s father left the horses tied to the edge of the forest and returned as quickly as he could to the remains of the villa.

He approached the party and embraced his daughter with a large hug. “I was so worried. Are you alright?”

Rhema nodded and looked down to the woman lying on the ground. “Yeah, I’m alright. The woman wouldn’t succumb to my mental suggestions, though. She must have been prepared for what was to come.”

Ischarus nodded and he finished tying the woman’s hands and slipped a gag over her mouth. “I think that is absolutely likely. She didn’t make herself known until Charis and I were away. She waited until Brant and Ausaphaborishan left. Her only mistake was going after Rhema instead of Semeion first.”

Semeion looked down to Ischarus and raised an eyebrow. “Hey! Just what do you mean by that? I know that you just got married, but you want me to die instead?”

Ischarus chuckled. “Oh, I didn’t mean anything personal. All I meant was that if the woman knew she could withstand Rhema’s telepathic suggestions then she should’ve attacked you first. You were the bigger threat to her.”

Charis slipped the protective leather covering over her pick once Ischarus finished tying the woman up. “Yeah, but that’s not really saying much.” Charis smiled innocently at Semeion as if to tease him with her expression in addition to her words.

Semeion smiled and looked around to the rest of the villa. “Great. So, now what do we do with her?” His expression and his tone refused to give Charis the woundedness she was hoping for.

Rhema nodded with Semeion’s sentiment. “Yeah, it isn’t like we have a place to spend the evening much less keep a prisoner.”

Charis turned to Rhema’s father and sought a more professional opinion. “Do you think we could run her into Fingerdale and ask to have her locked up under the warden’s care? We just got done saying that the warden was a legitimate guy in spite of locking Ischarus up behind bars for a few hours.”

Rhema’s father shook his head side to side, but he didn’t get a chance to speak before Ischarus added his own opinion. “No. We can’t trust anyone until we learn where the threat came from. As far as we know, the threat could have come through the warden. After all, I suppose Grick could have done enough talking to convince someone that we were dangerous. If Grick is the leak, then it would make sense that the warden and the captain of the guard could be linked to this.”

Semeion wrinkled his eyebrows in thought as he spun out Ischarus’ suggestion in his mind. “Now, wait a minute. You aren’t actually saying that the captain of the guard of Fingerdale and the warden of Lord Ironblood’s person jail are in on this, are you? If that’s the case, why don’t you simply say that Lord Ironblood is in on this as well?”

Ischarus smiled and stood up to his full height. He looked down slightly to Semeion while he spoke. “No, I don’t actually think that the warden or the jailer are in on this. However, I do think that we can’t put our trust into too many places without knowing for certain where this threat came from.”

Rhema’s father continued Ischarus’ thought. “Besides, both Brandt and Ausaphaborishan seemed convinced that if this were a true attack by a member of the Ephistaemi that there would be a significant financial source funding the attack. Unless Lord Ironblood is less frugal than I know him to be, I do not think the warden or the captain of the guard have a high enough rate of pay to fund an attack like this. The warden and the captain are no doubt well paid, but in order to make the attack go off in this manner there would have had to been significant funding.”

Charis looked down upon the woman lying in the center of the group. She was clearly still unconscious and would likely remain in this manner for some time. “Yet, just because the warden or the captain of the guard couldn’t fund it does not mean they might not have had a role to play. If they passed along information about our dealing with Grick to the wrong person, then they might be involved without being the official source of the conflict.”

Semeion looked back down to the woman. “Oh, what secrets you hold. I can’t wait until you wake up and we can try and get them out of you.” Semeion’s voice took on a tone that was full of pleasure. He looked back up to the party and added to his conversation with the unconscious woman. “Either way, we can’t even be sure that this attack originated with Grick. It would make sense, but it may not be the only solution. We dare not focus too long and hard on any particular solution or else we run the risk of blinding our minds to the other possibilities.”

Rhema breathed in deeply and turned her attention to the fields around the villa. “Charis and Ischarus, what did you all find out about the fields? How badly was the ground scorched?”

Charis pointed to the field that she had run across to get to the fight between Semeion, Rhema, and the mysterious woman. “The plants are ruined, but we had really surmised that much last night. The ground still looks well prepared for another planting. The plants will be a few weeks behind, but I think we could replant and still make the harvest before the frost.”

Rhema’s father shook his head slightly from side to side. “We’ll have to accept lower prices from the market, then. If our crop comes in later than the rest of the farms then the market will already be saturated. The prices will have come down from the initial spike.”

Ischarus turned to the field that he had run across. “I saw the same thing. The plants are burned and dead, but the ground is still viable.” He turned back to look to Rhema’s father. “With the reduced price, will we be able to recuperate the expense for growing the crop and paying the workers?”

Rhema’s father nodded affirmatively. “Assuming you all help when you can and we can beat the frost, we should be able to make enough.”

Semeion smiled as a thought ran through his mind. “Perhaps there is a magical solution to our dilemma? Could magic be used to advance the plants and get them back to the place of growth that they should be at?”

Rhema’s father shook his head discouragingly. “No, I will not stand for that. Plants that have had magically induced growth produce fruit that looks the same, but the quality in taste is simply not the same. Sure, you can live off of it. It has the same healthy amount of nutrients. But the flavor simply isn’t the same. I can tell by taste when I am sold a fruit that has been grown the old fashioned way and when a fruit has been grown with magical enhancements.”

Ischarus looked once more down at the woman. “Very well, then. We’ll replant when the help arrives in a week. But we still haven’t decided what to do with the woman.”

Charis looked to Rhema’s father. “I’m assuming the woods will be safe enough to sleep in tonight? We’ll just pretend we are in Quehalost and post watches. The watches will need to keep track of her until we can find some kind of better solution.”

Semeion shook his head. “The woods will be a fine answer for our sleeping tonight. However, I think that we’ll not want to keep the woman with us. We can only prevent her from casting a spell for so long. One mistake and she’ll be invisible before we know it. If she’s allowed to get invisible, then she’s gone.”

Rhema’s father looked back to Semeion. “Well, then, what is it that you suggest?”

Semeion nodded slowly as his mind spun out a plan. “Brandt. Surely the temple in Fingerdale has a means for dealing with heretical divine agents. They should be prepared to silence their opposition.”

Charis smiled. “And by silence, I assume that you mean it quite literally? They should be able to prevent her from summoning the power of her god and casting a spell.”

Rhema looked displeased as she spoke. “Don’t take this the wrong way, Ischarus, but can we trust the temple in Fingerdale? We spent a fair amount of time dealing with Brandt. How do we know that one of the acolytes is not responsible for leaking information to bring this destruction about?”

Ischarus glanced back to Rhema with a confused look. “You are actually thinking that a priest of my deity could be responsible for this? Look at this woman! If what you are saying is true then the implications are huge. It would mean that my god is in league with an evil cult from which this member of the Ephistaemi has come.”

Semeion looked back to Ischarus. “Careful, Ischarus. Do not let your faith blind you. We’re all capable of falling. Every one of us has a button that can be pushed or a price tag to be bought. But fundamentally I agree with you. At this point we cannot trust many, especially of those who live in Fingerdale. However, if we cannot trust the temple where Brandt has his office I do not know who we can trust. If the temple is corrupt, then we are in far worse shape than we can possibly imagine.”

Charis replied conclusively. “Then it is settled. We plant in a week. We sleep in the forest. The woman goes with Brandt when he returns.” Nobody objected to Charis’ summary, but Rhema looked skeptical as to whether the plan was wise.
[/Sblock]

 

[Nonlethal Force]

[Sblock=Announcement]
I would like to invite any of the readers of this thread who have not already done so to look at the sketch of Rhema that has been added to the first post under the Major Characters Sblock. Once again, thanks, Hunter![/Sblock]

The party was able to scour most of the rest of the villa before Brandt returned. In fact, the party was actually able to scour the entire villa with the woman remaining unconscious. Charis’ combined attack with the celestial dog had nearly brought the woman to the point of death. Fortunately, Charis’ minor healing magic was enough to stabilize the woman before death could take effect. Charis’ magic had eased the vital injuries and left the non-vital injuries to be handled by the woman’s body and the compassion of her evil deity.

Rhema’s father had stayed with the woman and kept vigil over her. In the time since he had given up the path of adventure to retire in the villa he had acquired a fair amount of skill in healing. He knew that if her condition would have worsened that he could have dealt with it until Charis had time to arrive with her magical gift of supernatural healing. Fortunately Charis was not needed throughout the day. The dark robed woman remained unconscious and Rhema’s father had an easy duty to perform while the four adventurers picked through the remains of the villa.

The sun passed over the entire sky as the foursome searched through the ash. It appeared as though there was nothing left to find within the remains of the villa. By the time Brandt returned they had lost a significant amount of hope toward ever finding more answers. They had spent all but the last hour of sunlight for the day sifting through the blackened fieldstones and the ash. Brandt’s appearance was a welcome sight for the weary party.

Semeion was typically always the most excited by the aspects of the arcane. Although he had seen it used many times by now, he continued to be in awe of the teleportation magic as Brandt’s imaged wavered before them and eventually solidified. “Brandt! You’ve returned!” It was clear that Semeion was willing to grasp onto nearly anything that would bring hope after such a seemingly fruitless day of searching.

Brandt nodded as the others looked up to him. “I have indeed. And I do have some news.”

Rhema rubbed the backside of her hand over her forehead. The dark gray ash smeared across her already dark skin. “News? At this point I’ll take anything. Our search here has gone rather poorly.”

Brandt looked at the rubble before him and couldn’t help but shake his head in disbelief. He frowned and paused for a moment before speaking. “I still can’t believe this. But, you don’t want to hear me reflect on what you’ve been sifting through all day. You want my news, no doubt. Is there a place that we can go and relax and get you all out of the sun?”

Ischarus smiled as he looked down to his blackened hands and ash stained clothing. “Yeah, we’re done here for today, anyway. Another hour of sun won’t help us find something that isn’t here to be found.” He nodded in the direction of the horses and Rhema’s father. “We can go over there. That’s where we’ll be spending the night anyway.”

The party didn’t think about telling Brandt their own news regarding their encounter with the woman. In their minds it had been a long time since the battle early in the morning. There had been so little excitement over the course of the day that it actually felt like several days had passed. In truth, they didn’t think about the fact that Brandt had not been around since the woman appeared.

As the foursome approached Rhema’s father with Brandt in tow, Brandt waved with a friendly motion. “Iasho, I have brought news to share.”

Rhema’s father smiled as Rhema added to Brandt’s words with a bit of her own enthusiasm. “Yes, and Brandt’s return means that we can finally do something about the woman!”

Brandt stopped and turned around to face Rhema. Suddenly their collective oversight became quite clear. Brandt’s face wrinkled as his eyes shot a distinctively probing glance toward Rhema. “Woman? You didn’t tell me anything about a woman!”

A few moments of stunned silence kept the party from answering Brandt. Charis was able to collect her thoughts before the rest. “Well, I guess none of us realized that you didn’t know. She came quickly after you left, and it felt as though so much time had passed that you should have already known. At least on my part it wasn’t intentional.”

Ischarus nodded. “Indeed. It clearly wasn’t intentional at all. I guess we were all so down after a hard day’s work which resulted in nothing positive. Seeing you and hearing of news was more interesting than trying to recap you on our day.”

Brandt smirked and shook his head side to side. “And, this woman is where?”

Rhema pointed to her father. “My father has been watching over her throughout the day. She possesses magical abilities, so we bound and gagged her after we dealt with her. We were hoping that you might have some other kind of suggestion for subduing her besides the gag and bindings.”

Semeion continued Rhema’s thought. “We were thinking of some kind of confinement where magic doesn’t work. Do you have any means of confining enemy priests who would use their powerful magic against you?”

Brandt looked back to where Rhema’s father stood. His eys grew wide with Semeion’s simple confession that she might be a foreign priest. “The woman is a heretic? She has the powers of an evil god within her?” Brandt paused for a moment but then decided to speak again before anyone else had the ability. “I think you all better show me this woman. I don’t like it at all.”

A deep darkness seemed to overtake the party as they completed the approach to where Rhema’s father stood waiting for them. They were still glad to see Brandt, but his concern seemed to cast a shadow over their rejuvenated mood. When they reached where Rhema’s father stood, Brandt extended his hand in greeting towards Rhema’s father. “I am glad that you are safe, Iasho. What is this about a woman?”

Rhema’s father stepped back and motioned to a small area within the tree line. “We wanted to keep her out of the effects of the sun while her body handled the injuries. She has not woken up since this morning, but she is alive. I have regularly checked her breathing and her pulse since the morning. Her breathing is shallow and her pulse is slow, but she is indeed alive. In fact, I think she shows improvement.”

Brandt took several quick steps past Rhema’s father and he approached the woman with caution. His robes even parted around his feet on account of the speed at which he walked. He quickly knelt beside her and lifted the right fold of her cloak. His hand disappeared for a moment underneath the folds of the left side of her cloak until he found what he was looking for. He lifted the chain that had once suspended the holy pendant over her chest.

Brandt mumbled as he gripped the holy decoration. “This is no trifle decoration. This will tell us the deity that she serves.” His monologue stopped short as he turned the pendant over in his hand so that the icon was able to be seen. Immediately he gasped and released the pendant. The chain fell limp against the woman’s robe as Brandt stood up in surprise.

Ischarus looked on with concern. “Well, this is stating the obvious a bit, but that’s not a good sign. What is it, Brandt?”

The experienced mage looked back to Ischarus. As he spoke, Brandt’s voice slowly transformed into something nearly resembling a growl. His eyes narrowed as he studied the woman carefully. “This is not good indeed. She is a follower of Yrraxea. Of course, wherever Yrraxea is I can assure you that Duu Mahr and his servants are not far away.”

[Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section]
The party was able to scour most of the rest of the villa before Brandt returned. In fact, the party was actually able to scour the entire villa with the woman remaining unconscious. Charis’ combined attack with the celestial dog had nearly brought the woman to the point of death. Fortunately, Charis’ minor healing magic was enough to stabilize the woman before death could take effect. Charis’ magic had eased the vital injuries and left the non-vital injuries to be handled by the woman’s body and the compassion of her evil deity.

Rhema’s father had stayed with the woman and kept vigil over her. In the time since he had given up the path of adventure to retire in the villa he had acquired a fair amount of skill in healing. He knew that if her condition would have worsened that he could have dealt with it until Charis had time to arrive with her magical gift of supernatural healing. Fortunately Charis was not needed throughout the day. The dark robed woman remained unconscious and Rhema’s father had an easy duty to perform while the four adventurers picked through the remains of the villa.

The sun passed over the entire sky as the foursome searched through the ash. It appeared as though there was nothing left to find within the remains of the villa. By the time Brandt returned they had lost a significant amount of hope toward ever finding more answers. They had spent all but the last hour of sunlight for the day sifting through the blackened fieldstones and the ash. Brandt’s appearance was a welcome sight for the weary party.

Semeion was typically always the most excited by the aspects of the arcane. Although he had seen it used many times by now, he continued to be in awe of the teleportation magic as Brandt’s imaged wavered before them and eventually solidified. “Brandt! You’ve returned!” It was clear that Semeion was willing to grasp onto nearly anything that would bring hope after such a seemingly fruitless day of searching.

Brandt nodded as the others looked up to him. “I have indeed. And I do have some news.”

Rhema rubbed the backside of her hand over her forehead. The dark gray ash smeared across her already dark skin. “News? At this point I’ll take anything. Our search here has gone rather poorly.”

Brandt looked at the rubble before him and couldn’t help but shake his head in disbelief. He frowned and paused for a moment before speaking. “I still can’t believe this. But, you don’t want to hear me reflect on what you’ve been sifting through all day. You want my news, no doubt. Is there a place that we can go and relax and get you all out of the sun?”

Ischarus smiled as he looked down to his blackened hands and ash stained clothing. “Yeah, we’re done here for today, anyway. Another hour of sun won’t help us find something that isn’t here to be found.” He nodded in the direction of the horses and Rhema’s father. “We can go over there. That’s where we’ll be spending the night anyway.”

The party didn’t think about telling Brandt their own news regarding their encounter with the woman. In their minds it had been a long time since the battle early in the morning. There had been so little excitement over the course of the day that it actually felt like several days had passed. In truth, they didn’t think about the fact that Brandt had not been around since the woman appeared.

As the foursome approached Rhema’s father with Brandt in tow, Brandt waved with a friendly motion. “Iasho, I have brought news to share.”

Rhema’s father smiled as Rhema added to Brandt’s words with a bit of her own enthusiasm. “Yes, and Brandt’s return means that we can finally do something about the woman!”

Brandt stopped and turned around to face Rhema. Suddenly their collective oversight became quite clear. Brandt’s face wrinkled as his eyes shot a distinctively probing glance toward Rhema. “Woman? You didn’t tell me anything about a woman!”

A few moments of stunned silence kept the party from answering Brandt. Charis was able to collect her thoughts before the rest. “Well, I guess none of us realized that you didn’t know. She came quickly after you left, and it felt as though so much time had passed that you should have already known. At least on my part it wasn’t intentional.”

Ischarus nodded. “Indeed. It clearly wasn’t intentional at all. I guess we were all so down after a hard day’s work which resulted in nothing positive. Seeing you and hearing of news was more interesting than trying to recap you on our day.”

Brandt smirked and shook his head side to side. “And, this woman is where?”

Rhema pointed to her father. “My father has been watching over her throughout the day. She possesses magical abilities, so we bound and gagged her after we dealt with her. We were hoping that you might have some other kind of suggestion for subduing her besides the gag and bindings.”

Semeion continued Rhema’s thought. “We were thinking of some kind of confinement where magic doesn’t work. Do you have any means of confining enemy priests who would use their powerful magic against you?”

Brandt looked back to where Rhema’s father stood. His eys grew wide with Semeion’s simple confession that she might be a foreign priest. “The woman is a heretic? She has the powers of an evil god within her?” Brandt paused for a moment but then decided to speak again before anyone else had the ability. “I think you all better show me this woman. I don’t like it at all.”

A deep darkness seemed to overtake the party as they completed the approach to where Rhema’s father stood waiting for them. They were still glad to see Brandt, but his concern seemed to cast a shadow over their rejuvenated mood. When they reached where Rhema’s father stood, Brandt extended his hand in greeting towards Rhema’s father. “I am glad that you are safe, Iasho. What is this about a woman?”

Rhema’s father stepped back and motioned to a small area within the tree line. “We wanted to keep her out of the effects of the sun while her body handled the injuries. She has not woken up since this morning, but she is alive. I have regularly checked her breathing and her pulse since the morning. Her breathing is shallow and her pulse is slow, but she is indeed alive. In fact, I think she shows improvement.”

Brandt took several quick steps past Rhema’s father and he approached the woman with caution. His robes even parted around his feet on account of the speed at which he walked. He quickly knelt beside her and lifted the right fold of her cloak. His hand disappeared for a moment underneath the folds of the left side of her cloak until he found what he was looking for. He lifted the chain that had once suspended the holy pendant over her chest.

Brandt mumbled as he gripped the holy decoration. “This is no trifle decoration. This will tell us the deity that she serves.” His monologue stopped short as he turned the pendant over in his hand so that the icon was able to be seen. Immediately he gasped and released the pendant. The chain fell limp against the woman’s robe as Brandt stood up in surprise.

Ischarus looked on with concern. “Well, this is stating the obvious a bit, but that’s not a good sign. What is it, Brandt?”

The experienced mage looked back to Ischarus. As he spoke, Brandt’s voice slowly transformed into something nearly resembling a growl. His eyes narrowed as he studied the woman carefully. “This is not good indeed. She is a follower of Yrraxea. Of course, wherever Yrraxea is I can assure you that Duu Mahr and his servants are not far away.”
[/Sblock]

[Sblock=Deity Note]I have decided to move this Story Hour away from the traditional Greyhawk deities. The first two new deities have been introduced here: Yrraxea and Duu Mahr. More to come on these deities![/Sblock]

 

[Nonlethal Force]

Charis looked up to Brandt. “The goddess Yrraxea and the god Duu Mahr?”

Semeion smiled. “Of course! That’s where I had seen the symbol before. Yrraxea is the goddess of many in the assassination business. Her priests promote torture and deception.” Semeion’s eyes danced with a certain sparkle as he remembered the training that he had once received from Master Sathwright. “And by suggesting the connection to Duu Mahr’s followers you are thinking that this might have to do with some kind of addiction?”

Brandt nodded slowly. “Perhaps. If not addiction, definitely some form of domination. Yrraxea’s priests see a great deal of use in Duu Mahr’s love for domination within their own tortuous schemes.”

Iasho spoke questioningly. “But what connects two evil gods to the villa? We were not about domination or addiction. We especially had no love for torture!

Rema looked to her father with a knowing glance. “But father, what exactly does the villa stand for?

Rhema’s father turned to her and thought through his daughter’s question before speaking. “We stand for generosity. We stand for compassion. We stand for freedom.” The fact that Rhema asked the question in the present tense was not lost upon him.

Ischarus smiled, already knowing where Rhema had been planning on going with her current line of questioning. “Personally, it sounds to me like the villa stands against the major tenets of Yrraxea and Duu Mahr.”

Iasho still stood with a perplexed look upon his face. “But that leaves us exactly back to where we started! In order for this to be some kind of targeted act of violence, someone would have known what this place represented. I know that nobody in Huetown would want this destruction. Our villa provides for many of their livelihoods through the commerce of our refugees. Lord Ironblood is well paid for his silence.”

Rhema held out a hand to stop her father from traveling down this useless path of discussion again. “Yes, father. We know that the implications of a targeted attack is that somewhere there must have been someone who knew of what was going on and who let that information slip to the wrong person. We don’t know who that person is yet, but that is what we next have to discover.”

Semeion turned back to Brandt. “Master Brandt, didn’t you say that you had information regarding the Ephistaemi for us?”

Brandt nodded and looked once more back to the woman who was lying at their feet. “Indeed I do. Although, I must confess that I am beginning to feel a great deal of worry concerning the implications between my knowledge and this discovery.”

Iasho looked to Brandt. “Worried for us?”

Brandt shook his head side to side and looked to the west. “No. I am worried for the sake of Tongra. Perhaps I am even worried for the sake of Enigmatica – even Quehalost.”

A silence fell across the people gathered around the black robed woman. The party would wait for Brandt to speak next. Their minds danced with questions that his comments had set in motion, but at the same time they knew that the only answers to be found were in letting Brandt speak.

The expert mage returned his gaze to the woman and began giving out his information. “I’ve already told you all that the Ephistaemi are a clearinghouse for odd jobs. And you no doubt remember that most of these jobs are highly specialized. Some have good motivations while others are rooted in evil. What I have learned since I told you these things is that there are no known bases of operations for the Ephistaemi within Fingerdale and its suburbs. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t Ephistaemi here, because obviously there are. What it does mean is that our friend here most likely didn’t come from Fingerdale.”

Ischarus looked down to the ground in deep thought before speaking. “But, then what you are saying is that this was a non-local job? You’re implying that someone from another location bought the services of the Ephistaemi and brought them here?”

Semeion interrupted Ischarus’ thought. “Or, perhaps the person who hired the Ephistaemi were from this area but had enough contacts in other areas to arrange for the right Ephistaemi to come here.”

Brandt nodded and continued. “Both of those are legitimate possibilities. What bothers me is the connection between the Ephistaemi and the goddess Yrraxea. There are not many places outside of Quehalost where Yrraxea is worshipped so openly. Her symbol is prominently displayed on the priestly pendant, and the pendant was hanging in an obvious place of interest.”

Charis smirked at the hidden innuendo contained within Brandt’s speech. Brandt smiled and turned to Charis with a smile on his face. “It is indeed unfortunate, Charis. But it does not change the truth that where this priest had hung her pendant is a place of keen interest. The fact that the pendant hung against the black of her clothes would only enhance this fact.”

Charis nodded. “Oh, very much so. I didn’t deny your assertion. In fact, I have to admit to having worn jewelry with the same intent on certain occasions.”

Semeion looked to his new wife, guessing that she hinted at one of her methods for drawing his own eye. Charis smiled flirtatiously with her new husband. Semeion’s mind refused to be distracted, although his body was willing. “Anyway, back to connecting the Ephistaemi with Yrraxea. I don’t quite see what you are getting at, Brandt.”

Rhema spoke up. “What he’s getting at, Semeion, is the fact that is Yrraxea is most commonly worshipped so openly within the borders of Quehalost. And if that much is true, then the likelihood of this woman coming from Quehalost is quite high. This means that there might be powers within Quehalost whose influence can reach this deep into Tongra.”

Brandt nodded methodically along with Rhema’s speech tempo. Her assertions could not be argued. They were the same conclusions that he had reached upon seeing the pendant with his own eyes. The ramifications of a power in Quehalost having this much reach implied that the civilized lands took the threat of Quehalost much too calmly.

Iasho followed up on his daughter’s words with words of his own. “And that means that if there is a power in Quehalost that can reach this far, they can no doubt reach equally far into Fenneress. That easily means that both of the capitols of Fenneress and Tongra are within striking range for some power in Quehalost.”

Brandt smiled as Iasho spoke. “We must be careful to not draw too many conclusions, however. All of this thought is based on the assumption that this woman is from Quehalost. She may not be. I doubt she comes from Barghost. Her holy pendant is too prominently displayed to have come from a place so closely tied to the divine. But she could have come from somewhere within Fenneress. She could have come from somewhere within Tongra.”

Iasho added his thoughts once more. “Or she could have come from Quehalost. It makes sense, Brandt. This villa stands as a bastion against the oppression in Quehalost. There are those in Quehalost who would now fear this villa because of what rumors must have spread regarding the destruction of the red wyrm. A preemptive strike would keep the members of this villa from doing the same to the next power in Quehalost.”

Brandt nodded in agreement. “I agree, Iasho. It makes the most sense. But that does not mean it is the right answer. That is all I am saying. It would not surprise me if that was the correct answer. We simply do not know, yet.”

The voices of the six people gathered near the forest’s edge had slowly grown louder as the possibilities began to be spun out. Nobody noticed at first that the woman had begun to blink her eyes. However, the party didn’t miss the first time that she moved. The woman tried to bring her hands around to the front of her body and found that they were tied. She kicked violently with her legs, although they had also been tied. Her leg thrust clipped the back of Rhema’s ankles and dropped her to her knees at the woman’s feet.

Rhema looked to the woman in surprise and found that her glare was returned by the follower of Yrraxea. The woman’s eyes burned with a fire upon the realization that she had been bound and gagged rather than killed. She struggled violently for several seconds before Brandt knelt down to break the woman’s concentration upon Rhema.

The right half of Brandt’s mouth lifted in a subtle smile. “You are a follower of Yrraxea, no?” The woman nodded. Brandt continued his speech as his smile widened to both sides of his face. He also extended his right hand to show the woman the holy image engraved upon a silver ring resting around his index finger. “Good. It is good to make your acquaintance. I happen to follow Reah, and I am taking you back to my temple so that you can answer for your actions.”

The woman bit hard into her gag and released a low growl upon the mention of Brandt’s god. Her arms clenched tightly as she tried to burst the bonds that Ischarus had tied earlier. Her arms simply did not have the necessary strength. She was at the mercy of Brandt, Iasho, and the four adventurers.

[Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section]
Charis looked up to Brandt. “The goddess Yrraxea and the god Duu Mahr?”

Semeion smiled. “Of course! That’s where I had seen the symbol before. Yrraxea is the goddess of many in the assassination business. Her priests promote torture and deception.” Semeion’s eyes danced with a certain sparkle as he remembered the training that he had once received from Master Sathwright. “And by suggesting the connection to Duu Mahr’s followers you are thinking that this might have to do with some kind of addiction?”

Brandt nodded slowly. “Perhaps. If not addiction, definitely some form of domination. Yrraxea’s priests see a great deal of use in Duu Mahr’s love for domination within their own tortuous schemes.”

Iasho spoke questioningly. “But what connects two evil gods to the villa? We were not about domination or addiction. We especially had no love for torture!

Rema looked to her father with a knowing glance. “But father, what exactly does the villa stand for?

Rhema’s father turned to her and thought through his daughter’s question before speaking. “We stand for generosity. We stand for compassion. We stand for freedom.” The fact that Rhema asked the question in the present tense was not lost upon him.

Ischarus smiled, already knowing where Rhema had been planning on going with her current line of questioning. “Personally, it sounds to me like the villa stands against the major tenets of Yrraxea and Duu Mahr.”

Iasho still stood with a perplexed look upon his face. “But that leaves us exactly back to where we started! In order for this to be some kind of targeted act of violence, someone would have known what this place represented. I know that nobody in Huetown would want this destruction. Our villa provides for many of their livelihoods through the commerce of our refugees. Lord Ironblood is well paid for his silence.”

Rhema held out a hand to stop her father from traveling down this useless path of discussion again. “Yes, father. We know that the implications of a targeted attack is that somewhere there must have been someone who knew of what was going on and who let that information slip to the wrong person. We don’t know who that person is yet, but that is what we next have to discover.”

Semeion turned back to Brandt. “Master Brandt, didn’t you say that you had information regarding the Ephistaemi for us?”

Brandt nodded and looked once more back to the woman who was lying at their feet. “Indeed I do. Although, I must confess that I am beginning to feel a great deal of worry concerning the implications between my knowledge and this discovery.”

Iasho looked to Brandt. “Worried for us?”

Brandt shook his head side to side and looked to the west. “No. I am worried for the sake of Tongra. Perhaps I am even worried for the sake of Enigmatica – even Quehalost.”

A silence fell across the people gathered around the black robed woman. The party would wait for Brandt to speak next. Their minds danced with questions that his comments had set in motion, but at the same time they knew that the only answers to be found were in letting Brandt speak.

The expert mage returned his gaze to the woman and began giving out his information. “I’ve already told you all that the Ephistaemi are a clearinghouse for odd jobs. And you no doubt remember that most of these jobs are highly specialized. Some have good motivations while others are rooted in evil. What I have learned since I told you these things is that there are no known bases of operations for the Ephistaemi within Fingerdale and its suburbs. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t Ephistaemi here, because obviously there are. What it does mean is that our friend here most likely didn’t come from Fingerdale.”

Ischarus looked down to the ground in deep thought before speaking. “But, then what you are saying is that this was a non-local job? You’re implying that someone from another location bought the services of the Ephistaemi and brought them here?”

Semeion interrupted Ischarus’ thought. “Or, perhaps the person who hired the Ephistaemi were from this area but had enough contacts in other areas to arrange for the right Ephistaemi to come here.”

Brandt nodded and continued. “Both of those are legitimate possibilities. What bothers me is the connection between the Ephistaemi and the goddess Yrraxea. There are not many places outside of Quehalost where Yrraxea is worshipped so openly. Her symbol is prominently displayed on the priestly pendant, and the pendant was hanging in an obvious place of interest.”

Charis smirked at the hidden innuendo contained within Brandt’s speech. Brandt smiled and turned to Charis with a smile on his face. “It is indeed unfortunate, Charis. But it does not change the truth that where this priest had hung her pendant is a place of keen interest. The fact that the pendant hung against the black of her clothes would only enhance this fact.”

Charis nodded. “Oh, very much so. I didn’t deny your assertion. In fact, I have to admit to having worn jewelry with the same intent on certain occasions.”

Semeion looked to his new wife, guessing that she hinted at one of her methods for drawing his own eye. Charis smiled flirtatiously with her new husband. Semeion’s mind refused to be distracted, although his body was willing. “Anyway, back to connecting the Ephistaemi with Yrraxea. I don’t quite see what you are getting at, Brandt.”

Rhema spoke up. “What he’s getting at, Semeion, is the fact that is Yrraxea is most commonly worshipped so openly within the borders of Quehalost. And if that much is true, then the likelihood of this woman coming from Quehalost is quite high. This means that there might be powers within Quehalost whose influence can reach this deep into Tongra.”

Brandt nodded methodically along with Rhema’s speech tempo. Her assertions could not be argued. They were the same conclusions that he had reached upon seeing the pendant with his own eyes. The ramifications of a power in Quehalost having this much reach implied that the civilized lands took the threat of Quehalost much too calmly.

Iasho followed up on his daughter’s words with words of his own. “And that means that if there is a power in Quehalost that can reach this far, they can no doubt reach equally far into Fenneress. That easily means that both of the capitols of Fenneress and Tongra are within striking range for some power in Quehalost.”

Brandt smiled as Iasho spoke. “We must be careful to not draw too many conclusions, however. All of this thought is based on the assumption that this woman is from Quehalost. She may not be. I doubt she comes from Barghost. Her holy pendant is too prominently displayed to have come from a place so closely tied to the divine. But she could have come from somewhere within Fenneress. She could have come from somewhere within Tongra.”

Iasho added his thoughts once more. “Or she could have come from Quehalost. It makes sense, Brandt. This villa stands as a bastion against the oppression in Quehalost. There are those in Quehalost who would now fear this villa because of what rumors must have spread regarding the destruction of the red wyrm. A preemptive strike would keep the members of this villa from doing the same to the next power in Quehalost.”

Brandt nodded in agreement. “I agree, Iasho. It makes the most sense. But that does not mean it is the right answer. That is all I am saying. It would not surprise me if that was the correct answer. We simply do not know, yet.”

The voices of the six people gathered near the forest’s edge had slowly grown louder as the possibilities began to be spun out. Nobody noticed at first that the woman had begun to blink her eyes. However, the party didn’t miss the first time that she moved. The woman tried to bring her hands around to the front of her body and found that they were tied. She kicked violently with her legs, although they had also been tied. Her leg thrust clipped the back of Rhema’s ankles and dropped her to her knees at the woman’s feet.

Rhema looked to the woman in surprise and found that her glare was returned by the follower of Yrraxea. The woman’s eyes burned with a fire upon the realization that she had been bound and gagged rather than killed. She struggled violently for several seconds before Brandt knelt down to break the woman’s concentration upon Rhema.

The right half of Brandt’s mouth lifted in a subtle smile. “You are a follower of Yrraxea, no?” The woman nodded. Brandt continued his speech as his smile widened to both sides of his face. He also extended his right hand to show the woman the holy image engraved upon a silver ring resting around his index finger. “Good. It is good to make your acquaintance. I happen to follow Reah, and I am taking you back to my temple so that you can answer for your actions.”

The woman bit hard into her gag and released a low growl upon the mention of Brandt’s god. Her arms clenched tightly as she tried to burst the bonds that Ischarus had tied earlier. Her arms simply did not have the necessary strength. She was at the mercy of Brandt, Iasho, and the four adventurers.
[/Sblock]

 

[Nonlethal Force]

Brandt transported himself and the unholy priestess back to the temple in Fingerdale. There wouldn’t be any need to transport anyone else with them. Ischarus and Charis were needed at the villa in case it was going to be attacked again. Semeion and Rhema wouldn’t be able to do anything during the interrogation that Brandt and the members of his temple couldn’t also accomplish. For the night, it seemed to make more sense to have the four adventurers stay together with Rhema’s father.

Once Brandt took the woman back to Fingerdale via a teleportation spell, Iasho led the other four to a place where the five would be able to spend the night sheltered from the elements and in relative privacy. During the day, Iasho had discovered a small clearing with a thick layer of trees surrounding it. The clearing was no more than twenty feet wide and it had several fallen branches lying across the ground. These branches were easily cleared to make room for sleeping comfortably. The horses were secured along the edge of the clearing and slightly among the trees.

As the day had passed by, the party realized that the likelihood of retaliation grew less and less possible. If the priestess of Yrraxea had associates who were waiting for her return, then they should have come looking for her by now. The fact that the day had passed by so uneventfully most likely meant that the priestess was working within the Ephistaemi on the side of her duties for Yrraxea. Or at the very least, her dealings here with the villa were not officially sanctioned by the temple out of which she served.

Yet as the day drew to a close and the sun descended behind the tops of the trees, their fears increased. Suddenly the possibility of a surprise attack became a new threat. With the cover of darkness, a challenger could come upon them from almost any direction so long as they knew where to look.

This very possibility caused Ischarus to be particularly edgy as they set up camp for the night. “Perhaps their was no counterattack during the day because they were spying on us and watching our movements while they could from a distance. If they are powerful enough to teleport into this area, surely they are powerful enough to observe us through magical means. Maybe they wanted to wait for us to feel secure and then attack under the cover of darkness.”

Semeion nodded in agreement. “Of course. If they have the power to teleport then I absolutely guarantee that they have the power to observe the land where the teleport is to happen. I don’t know anybody who blindly teleports into an unknown situation.”

Charis hefted her pick from where she had rested it beside her bedroll. “We talked about setting shifts. I’ll take the first watch. I’m not really feeling particularly tired this evening, so I wouldn’t mind staying awake for a few more hours while you all sleep.”

The rest of the party agreed upon a watch schedule and tried to rest as comfortably as they could. The night passed by quickly as they traded shifts and watches. Perhaps most importantly for them as they slept among the trees, the night passed uneventfully as well.

The same could not be said for Brandt and the priestess of Yrraxea. Once they had successfully transported to the temple, Brandt summoned two acolytes to his office. The acolytes responded as quickly as they could to the superior priest. They arrived only moments after the summons to the outside of Brandt’s office. Only after Brandt beckoned them to come in did they open the door and see Brandt standing over the bound and gagged woman.

Brandt nodded to the acolytes and motioned for them to step fully into the room. “Come in, come in. As you can see, I have need for you to raise this situation to the attention of several other priests.”

The acolytes stepped into the room and cautiously approached the bound woman. The taller of the acolytes looked down upon the woman and recognized the pendant around the gagged woman’s neck. “Yrraxea? This woman serves and honors Yrraxea?” Suddenly his caution turned into a morbid curiosity. “Where did you bring her from? Master Brandt, have you been adventuring into the evil lands?”

Brandt lowered his glance to the woman and then looked to the acolyte who had spoken as if he were staring at him over a pair of lenses. “I figured that you would appreciate this find, Thomas. I see that your studies regarding the identification of the unholy under Master Searthu have been progressing well. Would it surprise you to know that this woman was discovered only a few miles outside of Fingerdale? She was retrieving an item that had been lost in the razing of a local nobleman’s villa. Fortunately, the nobleman’s remaining forces were strong enough to apprehend her.”

Both of the acolyte’s jaws opened as they heard Brandt’s testimony regarding the woman. The acolyte who had identified the pendant asked more questions of Brandt. “Yrraxea’s followers have grown so bold as to come this close to holy land? We’re not far from Barghost, after all. I could see them acting in the areas of Scarhaus or even Reignsburg so openly. But what does it mean to have a worshipper of Yrraxea so open here in Fingerdale?”

As the conversation continued, the woman opened her eyes but sat still upon the floor. There was no use fighting the bindings, but she could still listen attentively. If she knew what was coming, she might be able to produce some kind of defense before she was subjected to the questioning of Reah’s priests.

Brandt looked to the acolyte who had studied under Searthu. “I am pretty sure that your master would find this discovery interesting, don’t you think? I know that it is late, but I would like you to find out if Master Searthu has left the temple. If he hasn’t, please explain to him what you have seen with your eyes and heard with your ears. If he has left for the evening, please summon another acolyte to take your temple duties and go to his home and tell him what you know. I think that while he may be bothered originally by being disturbed, he will quickly be grateful.”

The acolyte bowed low to Brandt and backed his way out of Brandt’s office. Soon the door closed on its own once more. Brandt was left alone with the second acolyte and the bound priestess of Yrraxea. Brandt addressed the second acolyte who stood silently in the office. “Barra, you still continue to study under the protective arts of Master Buschlerre, do you not?”

The acolyte nodded in silence. His master had often cautioned him that silence was as useful a skill that any spell caster could employ. The acolyte knew that silence taught the mind to listen and to remain alert to one’s surroundings.

Brandt smiled at the acolyte’s reaction. There was no doubt that this acolyte was under the rigorous teaching of Master Buschlerre. “Go and find your master. I assume that he is still in the temple. For some reason the elven followers of Reah here in Fingerdale have an absurd aversion to spending time away from the temple. Of course this is not a bad thing, especially because it will be to Master Buschlerre’s benefit on this night. You can still speak, can you not?”

The acolyte smiled as he looked directly in Brandt’s eyes. Rather than responding, the acolyte merely nodded his head in the affirmative. The acolyte’s eyes did not leave Brandt’s eyes or his mouth as Brandt spoke.

Brandt couldn’t help but laugh at the preparedness of this acolyte. There could be no doubt that Master Buschlerre had spent years influencing this particular student. “Very well, indeed. Tell your master that I will have need of his silence as well as his defense before the night is over. Tell your master what I have told both of you tonight. Explain to Master Buschlerre that the interrogation of a priestess of Yrraxea will take place as soon as Master Searthu can be summoned. Once the interrogation is complete, your master’s expertise at keeping this priestess from casting spells will be quite useful. Of course, tell Master Buschlerre that he is welcome to participate in the interrogation as well.”

The acolyte nodded once more in the affirmative and began to back away as the first acolyte had done. After taking two steps, however, the acolyte stopped. Brandt watched the acolyte’s actions and glanced back to the acolyte’s face once the acolyte had chosen to linger. The master searched the acolyte’s face for a few moments before speaking. “Yes, Barra? Is there more you wish of me today?”

The acolyte nodded and licked his dry lips. “May I have your sanction to speak well, sir?” Brandt nodded and motioned with his hand that the acolyte was to continue. “Sir, my training period is almost complete. I will be coming upon my time of examination. The fact that you know the gifts and talents of acolytes that are not your own impresses me, sir. I would be honored if you would consider being a part of my challenge team.”

Brandt smiled at the offer. “You understand what you are asking, no doubt? The fact that I know your strengths and weaknesses will not make it easy for you, Barra. And I do believe in the challenges to stretch the acolytes to ensure that they are ready.”

The acolyte of Master Buschlerre smiled. “Yes, sir. Your reputation upon the challenge teams precedes you, sir.”

Brandt was intrigued. He raised an eyebrow in the direction of the acolyte, but did not say anything further. He knew that by remaining quiet he would keep the acolyte in the dark as to whether he had taken the acolyte’s last comment as an insult or a compliment.

The acolyte continued. “I would have it no other way, sir. I would like to know that I was challenged properly when my time comes. I do not wish to pick a challenge team that wants to see me pass. I wish to pick a challenge team that wants to ensure that I am right for your order. If I am to be called a Master, I desire to know that I was challenged by the best, Master Brandt.”

Brandt smiled broadly. The acolyte had spoken well, even if he did portray a hint of arrogance that exceeded self-confidence. “Go and find your master, Barra. When you have demonstrated your worth to me by completing my task for you then I shall give you my answer.”

The acolyte backed out the room the rest of the way and Brandt was left alone with the priestess of Yrraxea. He knelt down to the ground and spoke directly to the woman. “There is a saying among the storytellers who entertain the people in the city square. They say that villains fall because their pride forbids them to keep any secrets. In other words, their villainous monologues lead to their own destruction by warning their victims of what is coming.”

Brandt continued his own monologue, knowing that the priestess of Yrraxea was unable to interrupt him. “However, I am going to demonstrate the same flaw out of my sympathy for you, priestess. You should prepare yourself. I have summoned the strongest controller of the temple’s aegis. We will be protected against your vile magic. I have also summoned the temple’s strongest truth-speaker. He holds the distinction of being our temple’s True-Tongue. You will be left with no option but to tell us why you have come and who has sent you. I would recommend that you prepare yourself for this event. Before the night is over we will know your secrets. Pray to your goddess for the protection of your tongue. Or pray to Reah for forgiveness of your earlier transgressions. I care not which you chose, but I warn you to pray.”

[Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section]
Brandt transported himself and the unholy priestess back to the temple in Fingerdale. There wouldn’t be any need to transport anyone else with them. Ischarus and Charis were needed at the villa in case it was going to be attacked again. Semeion and Rhema wouldn’t be able to do anything during the interrogation that Brandt and the members of his temple couldn’t also accomplish. For the night, it seemed to make more sense to have the four adventurers stay together with Rhema’s father.

Once Brandt took the woman back to Fingerdale via a teleportation spell, Iasho led the other four to a place where the five would be able to spend the night sheltered from the elements and in relative privacy. During the day, Iasho had discovered a small clearing with a thick layer of trees surrounding it. The clearing was no more than twenty feet wide and it had several fallen branches lying across the ground. These branches were easily cleared to make room for sleeping comfortably. The horses were secured along the edge of the clearing and slightly among the trees.

As the day had passed by, the party realized that the likelihood of retaliation grew less and less possible. If the priestess of Yrraxea had associates who were waiting for her return, then they should have come looking for her by now. The fact that the day had passed by so uneventfully most likely meant that the priestess was working within the Ephistaemi on the side of her duties for Yrraxea. Or at the very least, her dealings here with the villa were not officially sanctioned by the temple out of which she served.

Yet as the day drew to a close and the sun descended behind the tops of the trees, their fears increased. Suddenly the possibility of a surprise attack became a new threat. With the cover of darkness, a challenger could come upon them from almost any direction so long as they knew where to look.

This very possibility caused Ischarus to be particularly edgy as they set up camp for the night. “Perhaps their was no counterattack during the day because they were spying on us and watching our movements while they could from a distance. If they are powerful enough to teleport into this area, surely they are powerful enough to observe us through magical means. Maybe they wanted to wait for us to feel secure and then attack under the cover of darkness.”

Semeion nodded in agreement. “Of course. If they have the power to teleport then I absolutely guarantee that they have the power to observe the land where the teleport is to happen. I don’t know anybody who blindly teleports into an unknown situation.”

Charis hefted her pick from where she had rested it beside her bedroll. “We talked about setting shifts. I’ll take the first watch. I’m not really feeling particularly tired this evening, so I wouldn’t mind staying awake for a few more hours while you all sleep.”

The rest of the party agreed upon a watch schedule and tried to rest as comfortably as they could. The night passed by quickly as they traded shifts and watches. Perhaps most importantly for them as they slept among the trees, the night passed uneventfully as well.

The same could not be said for Brandt and the priestess of Yrraxea. Once they had successfully transported to the temple, Brandt summoned two acolytes to his office. The acolytes responded as quickly as they could to the superior priest. They arrived only moments after the summons to the outside of Brandt’s office. Only after Brandt beckoned them to come in did they open the door and see Brandt standing over the bound and gagged woman.

Brandt nodded to the acolytes and motioned for them to step fully into the room. “Come in, come in. As you can see, I have need for you to raise this situation to the attention of several other priests.”

The acolytes stepped into the room and cautiously approached the bound woman. The taller of the acolytes looked down upon the woman and recognized the pendant around the gagged woman’s neck. “Yrraxea? This woman serves and honors Yrraxea?” Suddenly his caution turned into a morbid curiosity. “Where did you bring her from? Master Brandt, have you been adventuring into the evil lands?”

Brandt lowered his glance to the woman and then looked to the acolyte who had spoken as if he were staring at him over a pair of lenses. “I figured that you would appreciate this find, Thomas. I see that your studies regarding the identification of the unholy under Master Searthu have been progressing well. Would it surprise you to know that this woman was discovered only a few miles outside of Fingerdale? She was retrieving an item that had been lost in the razing of a local nobleman’s villa. Fortunately, the nobleman’s remaining forces were strong enough to apprehend her.”

Both of the acolyte’s jaws opened as they heard Brandt’s testimony regarding the woman. The acolyte who had identified the pendant asked more questions of Brandt. “Yrraxea’s followers have grown so bold as to come this close to holy land? We’re not far from Barghost, after all. I could see them acting in the areas of Scarhaus or even Reignsburg so openly. But what does it mean to have a worshipper of Yrraxea so open here in Fingerdale?”

As the conversation continued, the woman opened her eyes but sat still upon the floor. There was no use fighting the bindings, but she could still listen attentively. If she knew what was coming, she might be able to produce some kind of defense before she was subjected to the questioning of Reah’s priests.

Brandt looked to the acolyte who had studied under Searthu. “I am pretty sure that your master would find this discovery interesting, don’t you think? I know that it is late, but I would like you to find out if Master Searthu has left the temple. If he hasn’t, please explain to him what you have seen with your eyes and heard with your ears. If he has left for the evening, please summon another acolyte to take your temple duties and go to his home and tell him what you know. I think that while he may be bothered originally by being disturbed, he will quickly be grateful.”

The acolyte bowed low to Brandt and backed his way out of Brandt’s office. Soon the door closed on its own once more. Brandt was left alone with the second acolyte and the bound priestess of Yrraxea. Brandt addressed the second acolyte who stood silently in the office. “Barra, you still continue to study under the protective arts of Master Buschlerre, do you not?”

The acolyte nodded in silence. His master had often cautioned him that silence was as useful a skill that any spell caster could employ. The acolyte knew that silence taught the mind to listen and to remain alert to one’s surroundings.

Brandt smiled at the acolyte’s reaction. There was no doubt that this acolyte was under the rigorous teaching of Master Buschlerre. “Go and find your master. I assume that he is still in the temple. For some reason the elven followers of Reah here in Fingerdale have an absurd aversion to spending time away from the temple. Of course this is not a bad thing, especially because it will be to Master Buschlerre’s benefit on this night. You can still speak, can you not?”

The acolyte smiled as he looked directly in Brandt’s eyes. Rather than responding, the acolyte merely nodded his head in the affirmative. The acolyte’s eyes did not leave Brandt’s eyes or his mouth as Brandt spoke.

Brandt couldn’t help but laugh at the preparedness of this acolyte. There could be no doubt that Master Buschlerre had spent years influencing this particular student. “Very well, indeed. Tell your master that I will have need of his silence as well as his defense before the night is over. Tell your master what I have told both of you tonight. Explain to Master Buschlerre that the interrogation of a priestess of Yrraxea will take place as soon as Master Searthu can be summoned. Once the interrogation is complete, your master’s expertise at keeping this priestess from casting spells will be quite useful. Of course, tell Master Buschlerre that he is welcome to participate in the interrogation as well.”

The acolyte nodded once more in the affirmative and began to back away as the first acolyte had done. After taking two steps, however, the acolyte stopped. Brandt watched the acolyte’s actions and glanced back to the acolyte’s face once the acolyte had chosen to linger. The master searched the acolyte’s face for a few moments before speaking. “Yes, Barra? Is there more you wish of me today?”

The acolyte nodded and licked his dry lips. “May I have your sanction to speak well, sir?” Brandt nodded and motioned with his hand that the acolyte was to continue. “Sir, my training period is almost complete. I will be coming upon my time of examination. The fact that you know the gifts and talents of acolytes that are not your own impresses me, sir. I would be honored if you would consider being a part of my challenge team.”

Brandt smiled at the offer. “You understand what you are asking, no doubt? The fact that I know your strengths and weaknesses will not make it easy for you, Barra. And I do believe in the challenges to stretch the acolytes to ensure that they are ready.”

The acolyte of Master Buschlerre smiled. “Yes, sir. Your reputation upon the challenge teams precedes you, sir.”

Brandt was intrigued. He raised an eyebrow in the direction of the acolyte, but did not say anything further. He knew that by remaining quiet he would keep the acolyte in the dark as to whether he had taken the acolyte’s last comment as an insult or a compliment.

The acolyte continued. “I would have it no other way, sir. I would like to know that I was challenged properly when my time comes. I do not wish to pick a challenge team that wants to see me pass. I wish to pick a challenge team that wants to ensure that I am right for your order. If I am to be called a Master, I desire to know that I was challenged by the best, Master Brandt.”

Brandt smiled broadly. The acolyte had spoken well, even if he did portray a hint of arrogance that exceeded self-confidence. “Go and find your master, Barra. When you have demonstrated your worth to me by completing my task for you then I shall give you my answer.”

The acolyte backed out the room the rest of the way and Brandt was left alone with the priestess of Yrraxea. He knelt down to the ground and spoke directly to the woman. “There is a saying among the storytellers who entertain the people in the city square. They say that villains fall because their pride forbids them to keep any secrets. In other words, their villainous monologues lead to their own destruction by warning their victims of what is coming.”

Brandt continued his own monologue, knowing that the priestess of Yrraxea was unable to interrupt him. “However, I am going to demonstrate the same flaw out of my sympathy for you, priestess. You should prepare yourself. I have summoned the strongest controller of the temple’s aegis. We will be protected against your vile magic. I have also summoned the temple’s strongest truth-speaker. He holds the distinction of being our temple’s True-Tongue. You will be left with no option but to tell us why you have come and who has sent you. I would recommend that you prepare yourself for this event. Before the night is over we will know your secrets. Pray to your goddess for the protection of your tongue. Or pray to Reah for forgiveness of your earlier transgressions. I care not which you chose, but I warn you to pray.”
[/Sblock]

 

[Nonlethal Force]

It was almost an hour before Brandt received word from either of the acolytes. Barra was the first to return to Brandt’s office. The priestess of Yrraxea continued to lie on the floor.

The acolyte waited for Brandt to address him first in the tradition of defense taught to him by Master Buschlerre. “Yes, Barra? You have news of your master’s progress?”

Barra nodded his head. He was shorter than the more mature and experienced Brandt. “Yes, Master Brandt. Master Buschlerre wishes to inform you that a room is in the process of being prepared for the interrogation. Would you like the details in a more private location?”

Brandt smiled politely and shook his head to decline the offer. “No, Barra. If Master Buschlerre is preparing the room, I do not believe that we have much to fear in the priestess’ ability to counteract our plans. Whether she knows about the preparations or not, I do not think it will matter.”

Brandt’s words were a simple display of bravado. He was confident in Buschlerre’s ability to prepare the room for the interrogation, of course. What Brandt couldn’t be sure of was the capacity for spell casting of the priestess. His show of words was mostly for her benefit. If he could convince the priestess that he truly believed that she could do nothing, then she might cooperate more readily.

The acolyte nodded and continued. “Master Buschlerre is confident that if we head toward the room immediately that it will be ready when we arrive. The only question is whether or not Master Searthu has been able to be raised. Can the interrogation begin if he is not present?”

Brandt nodded. He stood so that his head was unable to be seen by the priestess. He knew that she did not need access to that particular batch of information. “We can go.”

Brandt took several seconds to kneel down to the priestess’ level. He knew that so long as she was gagged and bound that she could be no threat to him. He was innately curious to see if she could even be a threat without all of the precautions. “We have a choice, priestess. We can travel through the temple in a civilized fashion and treat you with respect. Or, if you force my hand we can simply teleport into the room. The choice is yours, of course. Nod your head if you would like the opportunity to stretch your legs and walk down the hall.”

The priestess stared deeply into Brandt’s eyes. The follower of Reah seemed to be able to back up his aggressive stance form her perspective. He had already proven his ability to teleport more than one person. She had no reason to doubt that any of his other claims would be false. She nodded her head in support of the idea that she would behave.

Brandt smiled at the woman. “Good. I like being able to treat people with the respect that they deserve.” Brandt stood up to his full height and turned back to the acolyte. “Barra, help the priestess to her feet, please. And do be careful to not disturb the bindings or the gag.”

Brandt smiled at the acolyte and watched as Barra helped the woman to her feet. Together the pair of temple staff escorted the woman down the hall. They would need to walk through a back passageway through the temple to avoid walking past the entrance and the rooms designated for healing. There would be no need to have this woman walk past any potential number of innocent citizens waiting for healing in the other hallway.

Brandt turned and opened the door to allow the priestess to enter and to be followed by the acolyte. As he did, he saw Thomas walking quickly towards his position. Brandt smiled as he saw an indication that Master Searthu had successfully been alerted to the need.

The acolyte strode towards Brandt with a certain spring in his step. “Master Brandt! Master Searthu has been directed to the room that Master Buschlerre is preparing. I have been sent to tell you that all is indeed ready to await our guest. Master Searthu is excited and sends his regard for allowing him to assist you in this matter.”

Brandt nodded and smiled even more broadly. “Very good, Thomas. Follow the priestess with Barra, if you will. You can help to ensure that she thinks twice before doing anything that would be considered foolish.”

The acolyte took his place slightly behind Barra. Barra was the more veteran acolyte and Thomas’ position would naturally be behind Barra. Either way, Brandt felt more secure about traveling with the priestess with a total of three, even if two of his number were acolytes.

Within another minute the trio had escorted the priestess to the room where the interrogation was to take place. The elf priest of Reah, Master Buschlerre, was at the door to greet Brandt and the acolytes. Master Buschlerre looked to be of a middle age for an elf. He wore his hair long and pulled back into a single pony tail off the back of his head. The hair was pulled back so as to hide the pointed ears that would otherwise have readily distinguished him as an elf. Instead, it was his thin frame, alert eyes, and pale skin that gave his race away to most observers. His robes were identical to Brandt with the exception that they were lighter in color and had an additional strip of color sown just above the bottom hem.

The elf reached out a hand and greeted Brandt. “Good day, Master Brandt. Well, I suppose by now it is good evening, although without going outside too often it is easy for me to lose track of the time. You have had quite an interesting day, no?”

An amused expression passed over Brandt’s face. It did not surprise him at all that the temple’s current master of aegis magic spent little time outside the temple. It did surprise him that Buschlerre had spoken first instead of waiting to be addressed. There was no doubt that Buschlerre was the superior in age and had the right to greet Brandt instead of the other way around. However, it certainly was not his custom. The discovery of the priestess must have been enough to draw the defensive master out of his shell. With an odd smile on his face, Brandt replied to the elf priest. “Yes, quite. You were told of the priestess of Yrraxea that was discovered in Huetown?”

Buschlerre nodded in return. “Interesting, indeed. I can hardly wait for what we are about to discover tonight.” A genuine smile of anticipation passed over his face.

Inside the room, Master Searthu stood waiting patiently. When he heard the greeting from Master Buschlerre, he approached the door. He stood a mere five foot and eight inches tall, although that was an average height for an Ehrmenae. His ears rested flat against his head in the traditional configuration of the Ehrmenai people. The cartilage on the outside of the ears of the Ehrmanai fused with the skin behind it, allowing a small yet thick guard to grow in protection over the vital sense organ. His narrow eyes, slim mouth, and thin nose also easily identified him as an Ehrmenae. However, perhaps the most interesting facial development was the bony nasal carapace that was common among his people. The carapace extended over his nose, eyebrows, and a full third of his forehead before merging back into his skull. It was almost as if he wore a natural nosepiece from a helm without the rest of the headgear.

Searthu’s robes contained two less stripes than Brandt’s, although the robes themselves were the same color and style. He was the least in both rank and age of the three priests of Reah, and this alone caused him to want to wait his turn rather than speaking in greeting once he had heard Brandt’s voice in the hallway. As Brandt turned the corner and was shown into the room by Master Buschlerre, Master Searthu stood up to the fullest height he could gain from his shorter body.

Brandt stopped and extended his hand in greeting to Searthu. “Master Searthu, I am glad that you were able to come tonight. I hope I did not interrupt your plans with family in light of my discovery?”

Searthu smiled. “Are you kidding? A discovery like this does not happen all that often! I am excited to be a part of this. I had not left the office for the evening, and my family will no doubt understand when I return home and speak of what kept me delayed!”

It was clear to Brandt that both of the men who had been summoned were pleased to be here. While the masters passed along their greetings, the acolytes had detained the priestess of Yrraxea in the hallway. Once the pleasantries were said, Master Buschlerre motioned for the acolytes to bring the woman into the small room.

The room was only about twenty feet square. It proved to be a rather tight fit for the priestess of Yrraxea, the three priests of Reah, and their two acolytes. Master Buschlerre spoke first once all were present in the room and the door to the hallway was shut tight. “Fellow masters, I know we are tight in here, but I believe this experience would go quite far in the training of these two acolytes that have been summoned by Master Brandt. With your leave, I would suggest that they stay.”

Master Brandt and Master Searthu nodded in approval without speaking a word. The two acolytes smiled with distinct pleasure at being allowed to see the interrogation first hand. Master Buschlerre turned to the priestess and continued his speech once he knew of the approval of the other masters. “Madam, we respect your life although we regret that you have chosen to follow such an evil goddess with it. However, you should know that so long as you cooperate there will be no harm that comes to you. Please nod if you understand this fact.”

[Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section]
It was almost an hour before Brandt received word from either of the acolytes. Barra was the first to return to Brandt’s office. The priestess of Yrraxea continued to lie on the floor.

The acolyte waited for Brandt to address him first in the tradition of defense taught to him by Master Buschlerre. “Yes, Barra? You have news of your master’s progress?”

Barra nodded his head. He was shorter than the more mature and experienced Brandt. “Yes, Master Brandt. Master Buschlerre wishes to inform you that a room is in the process of being prepared for the interrogation. Would you like the details in a more private location?”

Brandt smiled politely and shook his head to decline the offer. “No, Barra. If Master Buschlerre is preparing the room, I do not believe that we have much to fear in the priestess’ ability to counteract our plans. Whether she knows about the preparations or not, I do not think it will matter.”

Brandt’s words were a simple display of bravado. He was confident in Buschlerre’s ability to prepare the room for the interrogation, of course. What Brandt couldn’t be sure of was the capacity for spell casting of the priestess. His show of words was mostly for her benefit. If he could convince the priestess that he truly believed that she could do nothing, then she might cooperate more readily.

The acolyte nodded and continued. “Master Buschlerre is confident that if we head toward the room immediately that it will be ready when we arrive. The only question is whether or not Master Searthu has been able to be raised. Can the interrogation begin if he is not present?”

Brandt nodded. He stood so that his head was unable to be seen by the priestess. He knew that she did not need access to that particular batch of information. “We can go.”

Brandt took several seconds to kneel down to the priestess’ level. He knew that so long as she was gagged and bound that she could be no threat to him. He was innately curious to see if she could even be a threat without all of the precautions. “We have a choice, priestess. We can travel through the temple in a civilized fashion and treat you with respect. Or, if you force my hand we can simply teleport into the room. The choice is yours, of course. Nod your head if you would like the opportunity to stretch your legs and walk down the hall.”

The priestess stared deeply into Brandt’s eyes. The follower of Reah seemed to be able to back up his aggressive stance form her perspective. He had already proven his ability to teleport more than one person. She had no reason to doubt that any of his other claims would be false. She nodded her head in support of the idea that she would behave.

Brandt smiled at the woman. “Good. I like being able to treat people with the respect that they deserve.” Brandt stood up to his full height and turned back to the acolyte. “Barra, help the priestess to her feet, please. And do be careful to not disturb the bindings or the gag.”

Brandt smiled at the acolyte and watched as Barra helped the woman to her feet. Together the pair of temple staff escorted the woman down the hall. They would need to walk through a back passageway through the temple to avoid walking past the entrance and the rooms designated for healing. There would be no need to have this woman walk past any potential number of innocent citizens waiting for healing in the other hallway.

Brandt turned and opened the door to allow the priestess to enter and to be followed by the acolyte. As he did, he saw Thomas walking quickly towards his position. Brandt smiled as he saw an indication that Master Searthu had successfully been alerted to the need.

The acolyte strode towards Brandt with a certain spring in his step. “Master Brandt! Master Searthu has been directed to the room that Master Buschlerre is preparing. I have been sent to tell you that all is indeed ready to await our guest. Master Searthu is excited and sends his regard for allowing him to assist you in this matter.”

Brandt nodded and smiled even more broadly. “Very good, Thomas. Follow the priestess with Barra, if you will. You can help to ensure that she thinks twice before doing anything that would be considered foolish.”

The acolyte took his place slightly behind Barra. Barra was the more veteran acolyte and Thomas’ position would naturally be behind Barra. Either way, Brandt felt more secure about traveling with the priestess with a total of three, even if two of his number were acolytes.

Within another minute the trio had escorted the priestess to the room where the interrogation was to take place. The elf priest of Reah, Master Buschlerre, was at the door to greet Brandt and the acolytes. Master Buschlerre looked to be of a middle age for an elf. He wore his hair long and pulled back into a single pony tail off the back of his head. The hair was pulled back so as to hide the pointed ears that would otherwise have readily distinguished him as an elf. Instead, it was his thin frame, alert eyes, and pale skin that gave his race away to most observers. His robes were identical to Brandt with the exception that they were lighter in color and had an additional strip of color sown just above the bottom hem.

The elf reached out a hand and greeted Brandt. “Good day, Master Brandt. Well, I suppose by now it is good evening, although without going outside too often it is easy for me to lose track of the time. You have had quite an interesting day, no?”

An amused expression passed over Brandt’s face. It did not surprise him at all that the temple’s current master of aegis magic spent little time outside the temple. It did surprise him that Buschlerre had spoken first instead of waiting to be addressed. There was no doubt that Buschlerre was the superior in age and had the right to greet Brandt instead of the other way around. However, it certainly was not his custom. The discovery of the priestess must have been enough to draw the defensive master out of his shell. With an odd smile on his face, Brandt replied to the elf priest. “Yes, quite. You were told of the priestess of Yrraxea that was discovered in Huetown?”

Buschlerre nodded in return. “Interesting, indeed. I can hardly wait for what we are about to discover tonight.” A genuine smile of anticipation passed over his face.

Inside the room, Master Searthu stood waiting patiently. When he heard the greeting from Master Buschlerre, he approached the door. He stood a mere five foot and eight inches tall, although that was an average height for an Ehrmenae. His ears rested flat against his head in the traditional configuration of the Ehrmenai people. The cartilage on the outside of the ears of the Ehrmanai fused with the skin behind it, allowing a small yet thick guard to grow in protection over the vital sense organ. His narrow eyes, slim mouth, and thin nose also easily identified him as an Ehrmenae. However, perhaps the most interesting facial development was the bony nasal carapace that was common among his people. The carapace extended over his nose, eyebrows, and a full third of his forehead before merging back into his skull. It was almost as if he wore a natural nosepiece from a helm without the rest of the headgear.

Searthu’s robes contained two less stripes than Brandt’s, although the robes themselves were the same color and style. He was the least in both rank and age of the three priests of Reah, and this alone caused him to want to wait his turn rather than speaking in greeting once he had heard Brandt’s voice in the hallway. As Brandt turned the corner and was shown into the room by Master Buschlerre, Master Searthu stood up to the fullest height he could gain from his shorter body.

Brandt stopped and extended his hand in greeting to Searthu. “Master Searthu, I am glad that you were able to come tonight. I hope I did not interrupt your plans with family in light of my discovery?”

Searthu smiled. “Are you kidding? A discovery like this does not happen all that often! I am excited to be a part of this. I had not left the office for the evening, and my family will no doubt understand when I return home and speak of what kept me delayed!”

It was clear to Brandt that both of the men who had been summoned were pleased to be here. While the masters passed along their greetings, the acolytes had detained the priestess of Yrraxea in the hallway. Once the pleasantries were said, Master Buschlerre motioned for the acolytes to bring the woman into the small room.

The room was only about twenty feet square. It proved to be a rather tight fit for the priestess of Yrraxea, the three priests of Reah, and their two acolytes. Master Buschlerre spoke first once all were present in the room and the door to the hallway was shut tight. “Fellow masters, I know we are tight in here, but I believe this experience would go quite far in the training of these two acolytes that have been summoned by Master Brandt. With your leave, I would suggest that they stay.”

Master Brandt and Master Searthu nodded in approval without speaking a word. The two acolytes smiled with distinct pleasure at being allowed to see the interrogation first hand. Master Buschlerre turned to the priestess and continued his speech once he knew of the approval of the other masters. “Madam, we respect your life although we regret that you have chosen to follow such an evil goddess with it. However, you should know that so long as you cooperate there will be no harm that comes to you. Please nod if you understand this fact.”
[/Sblock]

 

[Nonlethal Force]

The priestess of Yrraxea was beginning to feel the pressure of the situation at this point. She has not bargained for five. There might have been some kind of hope against three, even if they were masters. But there would be little she could do against all five. Reluctantly, she nodded in the affirmative as a response to the priest’s bid for cooperation.

Buschlerre continued his explanation of the proceedings. “Excellent. You should know, then, that this room has been equipped with a certain magical trigger. As you no doubt already know, I am a defensive master. Yet, we cannot take any risks. The room has been equipped with a magical contingency. If I am required to cast any spell at any time, the contingency will be triggered. First of all, the room will be bathed in a magic that prevents you from lying to us. It will also prevent us from lying to you, but since we do not intend to lie we need not fear it. The next spell is already triggered onto you. The spell will blind you. The blindness is permanent without magical aid, although I control magic capable of reversing it. A third spell that has already been triggered upon you is one that will slow your movements. You will be slowed to a fraction of your speed and at the mercy of the rest of us who will be moving quite fast from your slowed perspective. Finally, you will be the victim of a simple hex. The hex will drain what little power remains after the other three spells have taken their effect. Do you understand what I am telling you?”

The priestess of Yrraxea nodded and Buschlerre turned towards his own personal acolyte. “Barra, I believe that our priestess here has agreed to play nice and talk. Would you be so kind as to remove her bindings? Once her hands are free, I will allow her to remove her own gag. She knows what will happen to her if she disobeys.”

Barra nodded in response. His eyes focused hard upon his master as if to draw the necessary strength from him. The acolyte knew that in undoing the woman’s bindings he would be closest to the priestess should she desire to rebel and lash out in any sort of attack. However, his long studies in the way of Reah under Master Buschlerre taught him that trust was important. He would need to trust his master’s contingent protection much in the same way that Master Brandt had trusted Master Buschlerre and Master Searthu to handle the interrogation.

Slowly Barra approached the priestess and undid her bindings. The priestess stretched her hands and winced as she brought her stiff arms forward. She looked to Buschlerre for approval and once the priest of Reah nodded his head in approval she lifted her hands and undid the gag.

Few but Buschlerre were prepared for the speed in what happened next. The woman lifted her hands in a movement that caused her tremendous pain. Her face winced as her lips formed the words. “Par Ah…” Fortunately for the interrogation squad, she was unable to complete her spell.

Master Buschlerre had been anticipating her deception. He knew that she would go back against her word. The temple’s master of the arts of the aegis cried out in an interruption to the priestess of Yrraxea’s spell. “Kashan!” His voice blasted across the room and struck the priestess hard. She was unable to focus enough to complete her own magical spell and the yellow light that had been gathering around her body faded into nonexistence.

Buschlerre looked to the woman and could only smile as four distinct effects flashed into existence. First, a low resonating hum drummed faintly as background noise. The hum was not enough to drown out conversation, but it was enough to irritate the mind sue to its persistence.

The defensive master smiled. “That hum implies that we are all now incapable of lying, even myself.”

No sooner had Bruschlerre stopped talking than a brilliant light flashed directly above the priestess of Yrraxea. She cried out in pain as the room blackened from her perspective. She was no longer able to distinguish the walls from the ceiling. She was also unable to distinguish any of the people in the room, including her own hand in front of her face.

Buschlerre continued the explanation as the second effect took hold. “You are now blind, but you know that. Believe me when I tell you that the room has not changed for any of us.”

The priestess’s shrill cry suddenly dropped in an octave. From the perspective of the followers of Reah, the priestess’ motions and voice slowed considerably. Until someone spoke, the priestess herself didn’t notice any difference since she was blind and unable to judge herself against the others in the room.

Buschlerre spoke intentionally slow so as to still be able to make sense to the priestess. His voice still sounded higher in pitch than normal to the priestess’ ears. “Now you have been brought to a more manageable speed. Trust me when I tell you that it causes me great strain to talk slow enough for you to understand me.”

Finally, the priestess felt her strength drain from her body. Her breathing became significantly labored. Her appendages grew heavy as if encumbered by great weights. Her shoulders sagged and her back began to hunch over as if her body was overcome by some genetic deformity which had crippled her muscles.

Buschlerre smiled, although it was clear that he no longer enjoyed watching the effects of his magic upon the woman. Once more he spoke slowly so that the priestess of Yrraxea would be able to understand him. “Now, you have been hexed. I am sorry that you felt it necessary to choose this path.”

The elf priest turned to Searthu and spoke at his regular speed. With respect to the priestess of Yrraxea, she could not make out Buschlerre’s words as they were spoken too fast for her slow ears to distinguish words. Buschlerre nodded to Searthu and gave the order to commence as he let out a significant sigh. “She is yours to command, Searthu. She is greatly weakened, of course. Get the information we need, but do not abuse her position.”

The Ehrmanae priest nodded and turned his attention to the blind priestess. He spoke slowly, but it was obvious that he was not as skilled as Master Buschlerre at the slowed speech. “I will finish your spell for you. Par Ah-thaal.” Instantly his body was coated in a brilliant yellow aura, although the effect was lost on the blind priestess.

However, despite being unable to see the light the true effect of the spell was not lost upon the follower of Yrraxea. Her head immediately snapped to the direction of Master Searthu as he slowly spoke to her. “You are incapable of lying. Tell me, who has brought you here.”

The priestess now spoke without hesitation. The Ehrmanae priest of Reah had all but charmed her into telling him the truth. Her voice was almost painfully slow to listen, but the interrogation team could make out the words if they concentrated intently. “I was contacted by another member of the Ephistaemi. His organizational name is Bloodseeker.”

Searthu continued the interrogation. “And what is your organizational name?”

The priestess replied, again without hesitation. “I am called Darkbringer.”

Searthu nodded to his fellow priests. He was pleased that his spell was working so well in conjunction with the other spells from Buschlerre. “And Bloodseeker funds your efforts?”

The priestess shook her head. “No. Bloodseeker works for Lord Ironblood as our spy. I was paid independently from Lord Ironblood’s sources and independently from Bloodseeker. Our pay was not connected to each other.”

Searthu wrinkled his eyebrows in confusion. “Then who paid you?”

Darkbringer shrugged her shoulders. The motion was painfully slow to watch for the priests and acolytes of Reah, although eventually the priestess spoke again. “I do not know. I never met my financier.”

Searthu spoke once more. “And what were you paid to accomplish without meeting your financier?”

Darkbringer smiled as if she recalled a pleasant memory. “I was paid to destroy the villa in Huetown while the residents were away. I was told that I was allowed to kill the few workers who remained behind while the rest went to Barghost to be married. It was imperative that the four and the father were not harmed or present to watch the villa burn.”

Searthu and Buschlerre both looked to Brandt. They didn’t need to speak. Brandt told them all they needed to know with a nod of approval. Darkbringer was still telling the truth. The interrogation would need to continue for some time, but their information was reliable. Yet if the early indications were worth using to make any predictions, they would not find many answers in the priestess of Yrraxea. They would only find more questions.

[Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section]
The priestess of Yrraxea was beginning to feel the pressure of the situation at this point. She has not bargained for five. There might have been some kind of hope against three, even if they were masters. But there would be little she could do against all five. Reluctantly, she nodded in the affirmative as a response to the priest’s bid for cooperation.

Buschlerre continued his explanation of the proceedings. “Excellent. You should know, then, that this room has been equipped with a certain magical trigger. As you no doubt already know, I am a defensive master. Yet, we cannot take any risks. The room has been equipped with a magical contingency. If I am required to cast any spell at any time, the contingency will be triggered. First of all, the room will be bathed in a magic that prevents you from lying to us. It will also prevent us from lying to you, but since we do not intend to lie we need not fear it. The next spell is already triggered onto you. The spell will blind you. The blindness is permanent without magical aid, although I control magic capable of reversing it. A third spell that has already been triggered upon you is one that will slow your movements. You will be slowed to a fraction of your speed and at the mercy of the rest of us who will be moving quite fast from your slowed perspective. Finally, you will be the victim of a simple hex. The hex will drain what little power remains after the other three spells have taken their effect. Do you understand what I am telling you?”

The priestess of Yrraxea nodded and Buschlerre turned towards his own personal acolyte. “Barra, I believe that our priestess here has agreed to play nice and talk. Would you be so kind as to remove her bindings? Once her hands are free, I will allow her to remove her own gag. She knows what will happen to her if she disobeys.”

Barra nodded in response. His eyes focused hard upon his master as if to draw the necessary strength from him. The acolyte knew that in undoing the woman’s bindings he would be closest to the priestess should she desire to rebel and lash out in any sort of attack. However, his long studies in the way of Reah under Master Buschlerre taught him that trust was important. He would need to trust his master’s contingent protection much in the same way that Master Brandt had trusted Master Buschlerre and Master Searthu to handle the interrogation.

Slowly Barra approached the priestess and undid her bindings. The priestess stretched her hands and winced as she brought her stiff arms forward. She looked to Buschlerre for approval and once the priest of Reah nodded his head in approval she lifted her hands and undid the gag.

Few but Buschlerre were prepared for the speed in what happened next. The woman lifted her hands in a movement that caused her tremendous pain. Her face winced as her lips formed the words. “Par Ah…” Fortunately for the interrogation squad, she was unable to complete her spell.

Master Buschlerre had been anticipating her deception. He knew that she would go back against her word. The temple’s master of the arts of the aegis cried out in an interruption to the priestess of Yrraxea’s spell. “Kashan!” His voice blasted across the room and struck the priestess hard. She was unable to focus enough to complete her own magical spell and the yellow light that had been gathering around her body faded into nonexistence.

Buschlerre looked to the woman and could only smile as four distinct effects flashed into existence. First, a low resonating hum drummed faintly as background noise. The hum was not enough to drown out conversation, but it was enough to irritate the mind sue to its persistence.

The defensive master smiled. “That hum implies that we are all now incapable of lying, even myself.”

No sooner had Bruschlerre stopped talking than a brilliant light flashed directly above the priestess of Yrraxea. She cried out in pain as the room blackened from her perspective. She was no longer able to distinguish the walls from the ceiling. She was also unable to distinguish any of the people in the room, including her own hand in front of her face.

Buschlerre continued the explanation as the second effect took hold. “You are now blind, but you know that. Believe me when I tell you that the room has not changed for any of us.”

The priestess’s shrill cry suddenly dropped in an octave. From the perspective of the followers of Reah, the priestess’ motions and voice slowed considerably. Until someone spoke, the priestess herself didn’t notice any difference since she was blind and unable to judge herself against the others in the room.

Buschlerre spoke intentionally slow so as to still be able to make sense to the priestess. His voice still sounded higher in pitch than normal to the priestess’ ears. “Now you have been brought to a more manageable speed. Trust me when I tell you that it causes me great strain to talk slow enough for you to understand me.”

Finally, the priestess felt her strength drain from her body. Her breathing became significantly labored. Her appendages grew heavy as if encumbered by great weights. Her shoulders sagged and her back began to hunch over as if her body was overcome by some genetic deformity which had crippled her muscles.

Buschlerre smiled, although it was clear that he no longer enjoyed watching the effects of his magic upon the woman. Once more he spoke slowly so that the priestess of Yrraxea would be able to understand him. “Now, you have been hexed. I am sorry that you felt it necessary to choose this path.”

The elf priest turned to Searthu and spoke at his regular speed. With respect to the priestess of Yrraxea, she could not make out Buschlerre’s words as they were spoken too fast for her slow ears to distinguish words. Buschlerre nodded to Searthu and gave the order to commence as he let out a significant sigh. “She is yours to command, Searthu. She is greatly weakened, of course. Get the information we need, but do not abuse her position.”

The Ehrmanae priest nodded and turned his attention to the blind priestess. He spoke slowly, but it was obvious that he was not as skilled as Master Buschlerre at the slowed speech. “I will finish your spell for you. Par Ah-thaal.” Instantly his body was coated in a brilliant yellow aura, although the effect was lost on the blind priestess.

However, despite being unable to see the light the true effect of the spell was not lost upon the follower of Yrraxea. Her head immediately snapped to the direction of Master Searthu as he slowly spoke to her. “You are incapable of lying. Tell me, who has brought you here.”

The priestess now spoke without hesitation. The Ehrmanae priest of Reah had all but charmed her into telling him the truth. Her voice was almost painfully slow to listen, but the interrogation team could make out the words if they concentrated intently. “I was contacted by another member of the Ephistaemi. His organizational name is Bloodseeker.”

Searthu continued the interrogation. “And what is your organizational name?”

The priestess replied, again without hesitation. “I am called Darkbringer.”

Searthu nodded to his fellow priests. He was pleased that his spell was working so well in conjunction with the other spells from Buschlerre. “And Bloodseeker funds your efforts?”

The priestess shook her head. “No. Bloodseeker works for Lord Ironblood as our spy. I was paid independently from Lord Ironblood’s sources and independently from Bloodseeker. Our pay was not connected to each other.”

Searthu wrinkled his eyebrows in confusion. “Then who paid you?”

Darkbringer shrugged her shoulders. The motion was painfully slow to watch for the priests and acolytes of Reah, although eventually the priestess spoke again. “I do not know. I never met my financier.”

Searthu spoke once more. “And what were you paid to accomplish without meeting your financier?”

Darkbringer smiled as if she recalled a pleasant memory. “I was paid to destroy the villa in Huetown while the residents were away. I was told that I was allowed to kill the few workers who remained behind while the rest went to Barghost to be married. It was imperative that the four and the father were not harmed or present to watch the villa burn.”

Searthu and Buschlerre both looked to Brandt. They didn’t need to speak. Brandt told them all they needed to know with a nod of approval. Darkbringer was still telling the truth. The interrogation would need to continue for some time, but their information was reliable. Yet if the early indications were worth using to make any predictions, they would not find many answers in the priestess of Yrraxea. They would only find more questions.
[/Sblock]

 

[Nonlethal Force]

Chapter Three: THE INFERTILE HUNT

The next morning Rhema, Ischarus, Charis, and Semeion woke up with the sun. They knew that Brandt had no doubt already questioned the priestess of Yrraxea. They saddled up their horses and headed to Fingerdale to try and meet with the powerful priest of the temple of Reah. Iasho stayed behind to watch over the remains of the villa and begin to plan a new layout for his villa that would rise again from the stones and timbers of the land.

The trip to Fingerdale passed uneventfully and well before noon the foursome found themselves hitching their horses to the rails provided in front of the temple. The entered the temple and looked for the nearest acolyte. As they had come to expect, the party did not need to look hard.

An acolyte waited for their entrance and immediately approached. As she stepped forward, another acolyte took her place in waiting for the next patron of the temple. The girl who approached the party looked as though she had not yet hit her growth spurt. She couldn’t have been much more than ten years old. As she spoke, the elevated pitch of her voice confirmed that she had not yet begun to hit puberty. “Sirs and Madams? How can the temple assist you today?”

Ischarus looked down to the girl. His large frame dwarfed the girl, and he tried to smile pleasantly as he spoke. “We wish to see Master Brandt. I believe he is expecting us, although we do not have an appointment.”

The girl thought for a moment and replied. “Do you mind waiting here in the lobby while I go and check on the status of Master Brandt this morning? I know he was here late last evening. I do not know if he is seeing clients for the day.”

Rhema smiled politely. “I doubt he will refuse to see us. However, we will certainly wait for you to speak to the master.”

The girl bowed deeply and backed away until she was about 30 feet down the hallway. Once she was far enough away to not seem rude, she quickly spun on her heels and trotted down the stone hall. The faint patter of her bare feet could be heard as she jogged away towards Brandt’s office.

She returned much more quickly than any of the party expected. She had hardly been out of their sight for thirty seconds before the patter of her feet could be heard once more and this time they were returning towards the party. Another ten seconds later and the girl turned the corner and came into view. “Master Brandt says that you are welcome to come and meet with him.”

She had no sooner gotten the words out of her mouth than Brandt appeared around the corner of the hallway and into full view. His eyes carried dark circles underneath them as if he had not slept for the night. His face was weary and he carried his arms as if they were great weights. However, he smiled when the party came into view.

Once he had closed the gap enough to speak at a volume only slightly higher than a whisper, the veteran priest addressed the party. “I had a monitor on the temple doors that was searching for you, I figured that you would come. I was alerted to your presence before the acolyte had spoken her first word. But, I trust that your night passed far easier than mine? I also hope that your journey here was free of trouble?”

Semeion nodded, smiling at the man who had unofficially become his own mentor. “Indeed, sir. Our night was relatively easy. Our watches proved unnecessary, although still a wise precaution. And our journey was easy this morning. However, if I may say so it appears that your night was much the opposite.”

Brandt nodded and continued to speak in his hushed tone. “Quite. However, I will certainly say more when we have gone into my office.” The priest turned to the acolyte and smiled. “Aurelle, you performed marvelously. Please return to your post.” The girl beamed at the praise and trotted down to her station by the temple entrance.

The foursome followed Brandt down the familiar hallway and into his office. Once the priest had closed the door and directed the party to sit comfortably, he began to speak. “It was a long night of research well after the interrogation was concluded.”

Rhema leaned forward in her chair. She was especially curious at the news that Brandt could give to her regarding the destruction of the only home she’d known since childhood. “I am assuming that you found out who is responsible and why this act was committed?”

Charis chuckled at Rhema’s words. “By all means, Rhema, just cut straight to the chase. Don’t worry about anything except the most important fact first, right?”

Brandt smiled and interrupted before Rhema could offer up any kind of retort. “In truth, we found more questions than answers. We were unable to find out the rationale for the destruction of the villa. It would seem that the priestess of Yrraxea didn’t know herself.”

Rhema’s eyes grew wide. “What? You weren’t able to find out who was responsible?” She attempted to stand, but Ischarus reached out a hand and placed it upon her knee. She tried to shrug him off, but was unable to accomplish her desire. Since she was restrained, she simply squirmed uncomfortably in her seat for a few seconds.

Brandt replied honestly to Rhema’s assertion. “That does not mean that our interrogation was altogether unsuccessful, either. We were able to find out a few important details. I believe that these details will be quite significant when it comes to your next step.”

Ischarus smiled at Brandt’s offer. “Well, then. Do tell. Any information is important at this stage. Considering all we know is that the Ephistaemi are involved, anything that you can add will be appreciated.”

Brandt looked directly to Rhema. “We learned that the priestess’ name was Darkbringer among the Ephistaemi. We also learned that she was working with another member of the Ephistaemi called Bloodseeker.”

Charis frowned disapprovingly and slightly stuck out her tongue. “Such dark names. Obviously we’re dealing with the most pleasant of the Ephistaemi this time around.” Her tone had taken on a distinctly sarcastic tone.

Brandt smirked at Charis’ response. “Obviously! But that should not surprise you, considering what they were responsible for accomplishing while we were all away for the ceremony.”

Charis nodded. “True enough.”

Brandt picked up his story where he had left off. “However, we were not able to completely discern how Bloodseeker fit into the equation. Bloodseeker did not hire Darkbringer. As close as we could tell, Bloodseeker was more like a reference.”

Rhema chewed the inside of her cheek as she churned the information through her head. “A recruiter, perhaps?”

Brandt pursed his lips and thought for a moment before speaking. “Perhaps. Although it was clear that Bloodseeker did not pay Darkbringer. Their connection was minimal at best. They didn’t work together on this project, yet I got the distinct impression that without Bloodseeker this would not have been possible.”

Ischarus also churned the information through his mind. “Well, if they’re not directly connected then who was in charge of Darkbringer? Who gave her orders and paid her for the task?”

Brandt shook his head in disgust. “That’s the part we were never able to figure out. The priestess of Yrraxea did not know! Trust me, I am sure that our interrogation methods were working properly. The answers she did know were given immediately without coercion once Master Searthu applied his magic. But she seemed to know absolutely nothing about who actually was in charge of paying her off and giving her orders. Our best guess is that the information came through Bloodseeker, although that is sketchy at best.”

Rhema sighed deeply. The frustration of feeling blocked from useful information was getting the better of her. “Then where do we find this Bloodseeker?”

Brandt breathed in deeply and looked to the ground before returning his gaze upon Rhema and answering the legitimate question. “This is the disturbing part, and it is the part that had me up doing research most of the night. Bloodseeker works for Lord Ironblood.”

Charis chuckled again. “Huh. I wonder. Could there be any connection to the name? Bloodseeker works for Ironblood. That seems too simple.”

Brandt’s eyes glistened with a newness of thought. His eyes wrinkled as he wondered how such a simple detail could have escaped his analysis. Had he been looking so deeply that he missed the most obvious answer?

He didn’t get a chance to answer before Rhema jumped to the next obvious conclusion. “You are telling me that my father has been betrayed by Lord Ironblood? All the tribute that my father paid was for naught?”

Brandt nodded. “That is one possibility. The unfortunate fact is that we’ll not know unless this Bloodseeker can be found and brought in for questioning. I imagine that Bloodseeker knows far more about the motivation behind that attack than the priestess of Yrraxea. Once the interrogation had begun last night it was quite clear that Darkbringer was simply a hired tool to do a job. She was hired because she wouldn’t ask too many questions. The challenge of the destruction of the villa stood before her and she didn’t care about the motivation. Since she didn’t care why the villa needed to be destroyed, she was the perfect tool. She could be used and discarded without fear of her revealing too much.”

Ischarus locked eyes with Rhema for a few seconds. He could almost hear her thoughts leaping out of her eyes, which were growing darker with nearly every sentence coming out of Brandt’s mouth. Ischarus seemed to subconsciously respond to Rhema’s thoughts and then he spoke. “Well, then. It seems like we are at a standstill until we find this Bloodseeker.”

Brandt rose to his feet before any of the party members could stand. “There is one other disturbing piece of information of which you should all be aware. Darkbringer was told to burn the villa at that specific time. It was not a coincidence. The attack was planned because they knew that you all would be away. That includes your father, Rhema. They knew that you would all be away.”

Semeion frowned. “Then we face a foe that wants us alive. At least for now, that is. We can likely rule out any enemy in Quehalost, then, can’t we? The denizens of Quehalost would likely want us dead, not alive.”

The rest of the party nodded with Semeion’s conclusion. In any regard, they were now done here for the time being. Until they found the one called Bloodseeker, there would likely not be any advance in the quest to find the responsible party. Bloodseeker had to be found, and likely he had to be found quickly.

[Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section]
Chapter Three: THE INFERTILE HUNT

The next morning Rhema, Ischarus, Charis, and Semeion woke up with the sun. They knew that Brandt had no doubt already questioned the priestess of Yrraxea. They saddled up their horses and headed to Fingerdale to try and meet with the powerful priest of the temple of Reah. Iasho stayed behind to watch over the remains of the villa and begin to plan a new layout for his villa that would rise again from the stones and timbers of the land.

The trip to Fingerdale passed uneventfully and well before noon the foursome found themselves hitching their horses to the rails provided in front of the temple. The entered the temple and looked for the nearest acolyte. As they had come to expect, the party did not need to look hard.

An acolyte waited for their entrance and immediately approached. As she stepped forward, another acolyte took her place in waiting for the next patron of the temple. The girl who approached the party looked as though she had not yet hit her growth spurt. She couldn’t have been much more than ten years old. As she spoke, the elevated pitch of her voice confirmed that she had not yet begun to hit puberty. “Sirs and Madams? How can the temple assist you today?”

Ischarus looked down to the girl. His large frame dwarfed the girl, and he tried to smile pleasantly as he spoke. “We wish to see Master Brandt. I believe he is expecting us, although we do not have an appointment.”

The girl thought for a moment and replied. “Do you mind waiting here in the lobby while I go and check on the status of Master Brandt this morning? I know he was here late last evening. I do not know if he is seeing clients for the day.”

Rhema smiled politely. “I doubt he will refuse to see us. However, we will certainly wait for you to speak to the master.”

The girl bowed deeply and backed away until she was about 30 feet down the hallway. Once she was far enough away to not seem rude, she quickly spun on her heels and trotted down the stone hall. The faint patter of her bare feet could be heard as she jogged away towards Brandt’s office.

She returned much more quickly than any of the party expected. She had hardly been out of their sight for thirty seconds before the patter of her feet could be heard once more and this time they were returning towards the party. Another ten seconds later and the girl turned the corner and came into view. “Master Brandt says that you are welcome to come and meet with him.”

She had no sooner gotten the words out of her mouth than Brandt appeared around the corner of the hallway and into full view. His eyes carried dark circles underneath them as if he had not slept for the night. His face was weary and he carried his arms as if they were great weights. However, he smiled when the party came into view.

Once he had closed the gap enough to speak at a volume only slightly higher than a whisper, the veteran priest addressed the party. “I had a monitor on the temple doors that was searching for you, I figured that you would come. I was alerted to your presence before the acolyte had spoken her first word. But, I trust that your night passed far easier than mine? I also hope that your journey here was free of trouble?”

Semeion nodded, smiling at the man who had unofficially become his own mentor. “Indeed, sir. Our night was relatively easy. Our watches proved unnecessary, although still a wise precaution. And our journey was easy this morning. However, if I may say so it appears that your night was much the opposite.”

Brandt nodded and continued to speak in his hushed tone. “Quite. However, I will certainly say more when we have gone into my office.” The priest turned to the acolyte and smiled. “Aurelle, you performed marvelously. Please return to your post.” The girl beamed at the praise and trotted down to her station by the temple entrance.

The foursome followed Brandt down the familiar hallway and into his office. Once the priest had closed the door and directed the party to sit comfortably, he began to speak. “It was a long night of research well after the interrogation was concluded.”

Rhema leaned forward in her chair. She was especially curious at the news that Brandt could give to her regarding the destruction of the only home she’d known since childhood. “I am assuming that you found out who is responsible and why this act was committed?”

Charis chuckled at Rhema’s words. “By all means, Rhema, just cut straight to the chase. Don’t worry about anything except the most important fact first, right?”

Brandt smiled and interrupted before Rhema could offer up any kind of retort. “In truth, we found more questions than answers. We were unable to find out the rationale for the destruction of the villa. It would seem that the priestess of Yrraxea didn’t know herself.”

Rhema’s eyes grew wide. “What? You weren’t able to find out who was responsible?” She attempted to stand, but Ischarus reached out a hand and placed it upon her knee. She tried to shrug him off, but was unable to accomplish her desire. Since she was restrained, she simply squirmed uncomfortably in her seat for a few seconds.

Brandt replied honestly to Rhema’s assertion. “That does not mean that our interrogation was altogether unsuccessful, either. We were able to find out a few important details. I believe that these details will be quite significant when it comes to your next step.”

Ischarus smiled at Brandt’s offer. “Well, then. Do tell. Any information is important at this stage. Considering all we know is that the Ephistaemi are involved, anything that you can add will be appreciated.”

Brandt looked directly to Rhema. “We learned that the priestess’ name was Darkbringer among the Ephistaemi. We also learned that she was working with another member of the Ephistaemi called Bloodseeker.”

Charis frowned disapprovingly and slightly stuck out her tongue. “Such dark names. Obviously we’re dealing with the most pleasant of the Ephistaemi this time around.” Her tone had taken on a distinctly sarcastic tone.

Brandt smirked at Charis’ response. “Obviously! But that should not surprise you, considering what they were responsible for accomplishing while we were all away for the ceremony.”

Charis nodded. “True enough.”

Brandt picked up his story where he had left off. “However, we were not able to completely discern how Bloodseeker fit into the equation. Bloodseeker did not hire Darkbringer. As close as we could tell, Bloodseeker was more like a reference.”

Rhema chewed the inside of her cheek as she churned the information through her head. “A recruiter, perhaps?”

Brandt pursed his lips and thought for a moment before speaking. “Perhaps. Although it was clear that Bloodseeker did not pay Darkbringer. Their connection was minimal at best. They didn’t work together on this project, yet I got the distinct impression that without Bloodseeker this would not have been possible.”

Ischarus also churned the information through his mind. “Well, if they’re not directly connected then who was in charge of Darkbringer? Who gave her orders and paid her for the task?”

Brandt shook his head in disgust. “That’s the part we were never able to figure out. The priestess of Yrraxea did not know! Trust me, I am sure that our interrogation methods were working properly. The answers she did know were given immediately without coercion once Master Searthu applied his magic. But she seemed to know absolutely nothing about who actually was in charge of paying her off and giving her orders. Our best guess is that the information came through Bloodseeker, although that is sketchy at best.”

Rhema sighed deeply. The frustration of feeling blocked from useful information was getting the better of her. “Then where do we find this Bloodseeker?”

Brandt breathed in deeply and looked to the ground before returning his gaze upon Rhema and answering the legitimate question. “This is the disturbing part, and it is the part that had me up doing research most of the night. Bloodseeker works for Lord Ironblood.”

Charis chuckled again. “Huh. I wonder. Could there be any connection to the name? Bloodseeker works for Ironblood. That seems too simple.”

Brandt’s eyes glistened with a newness of thought. His eyes wrinkled as he wondered how such a simple detail could have escaped his analysis. Had he been looking so deeply that he missed the most obvious answer?

He didn’t get a chance to answer before Rhema jumped to the next obvious conclusion. “You are telling me that my father has been betrayed by Lord Ironblood? All the tribute that my father paid was for naught?”

Brandt nodded. “That is one possibility. The unfortunate fact is that we’ll not know unless this Bloodseeker can be found and brought in for questioning. I imagine that Bloodseeker knows far more about the motivation behind that attack than the priestess of Yrraxea. Once the interrogation had begun last night it was quite clear that Darkbringer was simply a hired tool to do a job. She was hired because she wouldn’t ask too many questions. The challenge of the destruction of the villa stood before her and she didn’t care about the motivation. Since she didn’t care why the villa needed to be destroyed, she was the perfect tool. She could be used and discarded without fear of her revealing too much.”

Ischarus locked eyes with Rhema for a few seconds. He could almost hear her thoughts leaping out of her eyes, which were growing darker with nearly every sentence coming out of Brandt’s mouth. Ischarus seemed to subconsciously respond to Rhema’s thoughts and then he spoke. “Well, then. It seems like we are at a standstill until we find this Bloodseeker.”

Brandt rose to his feet before any of the party members could stand. “There is one other disturbing piece of information of which you should all be aware. Darkbringer was told to burn the villa at that specific time. It was not a coincidence. The attack was planned because they knew that you all would be away. That includes your father, Rhema. They knew that you would all be away.”

Semeion frowned. “Then we face a foe that wants us alive. At least for now, that is. We can likely rule out any enemy in Quehalost, then, can’t we? The denizens of Quehalost would likely want us dead, not alive.”

The rest of the party nodded with Semeion’s conclusion. In any regard, they were now done here for the time being. Until they found the one called Bloodseeker, there would likely not be any advance in the quest to find the responsible party. Bloodseeker had to be found, and likely he had to be found quickly.
[/Sblock]

 

[Nonlethal Force]

Charis led the other three out of the temple. She seemed rather excited about the next portion of the journey. “I don’t see what the big deal is. Sure, we didn’t get a name and address on where to find this Bloodseeker, but now we’ve got all kind of reasons to head into the grimy parts of the town and investigate Lord Ironblood!”

Semeion shook his head at the exuberance of his Drakontos wife. “The problem is, we don’t know where to start looking for this Bloodseeker. It isn’t like there are taverns just for the Ephistaemi that we can walk into and request the information. We have to find a person by a name that most people wouldn’t even know the person by!”

Ischarus shifted his eyes from side to side as he undid Elistra’s reigns from the hitching post. He wanted to be sure that they weren’t being watched. When he was satisfied that their coming and going had gone without notice, he spoke. “Maybe we’re thinking about this all wrong. Maybe it is impossible to find the Ephistaemi because the Ephistaemi are good at finding those who need them.”

Semeion allowed a look of academic enlightenment pass over his pass. “I follow you! You’re saying that we create some kind of need that would attract a member of the Ephistaemi. Rather than trying to get to them, we allow them to come to us.”

Rhema shook her head from side to side and frowned. “The problem is, we don’t have a year to wait. We have a narrow band of time before people start forgetting what they know. We only have a small amount of time before the trail is eventually going to run cold.”

Ischarus replied quickly. “So, we make the need urgent. We make the need appear to be dire enough.”

Charis grinned with excitement. “And I think that I’ve got a plan. Let’s look around town for a bit and see if we can’t find a tavern that looks to be in the know. If we can find a likely place where information would be bought or sold, we can plant our need there. It will likely spread to the right people more quickly.”

Semeion looked backwards over his shoulder as he rode down the street atop Thana. Like Ischarus, he hadn’t been all that trusting in Fingerdale since Grick had followed them in nearly three-quarters of a year ago. With Lord Ironblood at the helm, this city would always have the feel for needing to be cautious. Even as he glanced backwards he couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary behind him.

They rode around town for another hour while they were scouting out the town’s local taverns. Eventually the foursome came across a smartly painted tavern. The outside was painted a simple dark gray with black on the corners and light gray trim around the windows. The paint job effectively allowed the tavern to blend in with many of the shadows from the surrounding buildings. This effect didn’t hide the building more than it simply allowed the building to seem rather indistinct when compared to the rest of the buildings on the block.

Rhema pointed quickly to the shingle that hung out front which served as a sign. The shingle read, Shrouded Tenor. Underneath the name was a simple engraving. The engraving was of a man dressed in a cloak who was obviously singing. In the engraving, the man’s cloak was almost completely pulled up around his head. As she took in the sign, Rhema nodded with agreement. “This looks like the right kind of place. Don’t you get the name?”

Semeion nodded slowly as if he was unsure of the intended truth of Rhema’s assertion. Charis and Ischarus both looked at Rhema as if they didn’t follow her declaration at all. Their eyes continued to flash between Rhema’s face and the shingle as if there was some obvious truth that they had missed. Finally, they looked to one another and shrugged their shoulders.

Rhema smiled expectantly in the direction of Ischarus and Charis. “Wait, you two don’t get it? It’s called the Shrouded Tenor.”

Ischarus smirked and laughed while glancing to Charis. “By the gods, then it is settled! She can read!” Charis allowed a hearty laugh to escape her mouth with regard to Ischarus’ comment.

Rhema looked less than pleased. “Muscular buffoons, both of you!” Her tone was clearly one of teasing, although it quickly switched to seriousness for the explanation that followed her cynical comment. “You know, because other words for shrouded are hidden or covered. And other words for tenor are intention or meaning. So the name of this place could really be the hidden meaning.”

Ischarus raised his eyebrows and slowly nodded his head. He wore a look upon his face as if Rhema was obviously grasping at straws with this explanation. However, he dismounted in support of her idea anyway.

Charis smirked and watched Ischarus dismount. “Yeah, because you know that the tavern’s logo of a man singing while wearing a cloak has nothing to do with being a shrouded tenor. I mean, nothing would ever be that obvious.”

Semeion followed Ischarus’ example and dismounted. “I say we give Rhema’s idea a chance. Besides, the worst that happens is that she’s wrong. And, since it is her father’s villa that we’re investigating, I’d just as soon be wrong about her idea that one of mine.”

Charis dismounted and tied her horse’s reigns to the provided rails in front of the tavern. “Oh, I’m all for going inside, but I can certainly tease her while I’m going!” Rhema turned and gave Charis a half-heartedly amused look.

The four adventurers entered through a door that had been painted light gray to match the trim around the windows. The tavern appeared to be on the ground floor, while the family residence looked to be on the second floor. Of course, the second floor could have been partially filled with rooms for rent as well.

Inside the tavern, the party found that it was only half full of patrons. Most of the patrons sat in clumps of two or three, although a lone woman sat at the bar talking with the barkeeper. The woman turned her head to smile in the direction of the party, but she quickly gave a disappointed look and returned her gaze to the bartender. The woman appeared to be as human as Semion, Ischarus, or Charis. Of course, in the case of the latter two it only proved how much looks could be deceiving.

The barkeeper was an interesting figure. He was clearly a dwarf. There was no hiding his physical stature. His short thick appendages and his blockish head spoke much of his lineage. His beard was neatly braided into two tails. Each of the tails ended in a silver bead with a single red stripe running the horizontal circumference of the bead. The hair on top of his head was cut short so that it stood up on end.

The dwarf motioned to the party for them to join him at the bar. When Ischarus lead the rest of the party towards the bar the dwarf introduced himself. “The name is Wolf. Here they call me Wolf the Stout.”

Rhema couldn’t help let out another snicker. This time, her laugh was in reference to the dwarf’s name. When Ischarus and Charis turned to her with questioning looks upon their face, Rhema shrugged her shoulders and spoke. “What? I thought it was a joke.”

Ischarus raised an eyebrow in Rhema’s direction as the dwarf stared directly at Rhema and questioned her sense of humor. “A joke? Forgive me, milady, but I believe that you must not be accustomed to the ways of civilization. One typically doesn’t come into a tavern and insult the innkeeper. Well, not if you want good service and warm food, of course.”

Rhema couldn’t help but notice the amused expression upon the face of the woman who sat opposite the barkeeper. She was beginning to seriously feel as though she was playing the part of the fool accidentally well. “Well, it’s just that I thought the name Wolf was okay. But Wolf the Stout, well; to be honest it was just too much to pass up.”

Ischarus shook his head slowly. “Please tell me this isn’t going to end in a punch line about stout being another term for short.”

Rhema’s face suddenly flared up in embarrassment. “But, of course not! I meant that one could take the name Wolf to mean to eat or drink quickly.”

Semeion connected the ends of Rhema’s thought with his deft mind and interrupted her explanation. “And Stout is just a dark type of ale? So you thought the man’s name meant to guzzle dark ale? That’s a bit presumptuous a name for a barkeeper, don’t you think?”

Rhema turned and looked to the barkeeper, who did not wear any expression upon his face that indicated to Rhema that there was any chance that he was enjoying this particular joke. When she realized that the barkeeper wasn’t finding this funny, she looked to her feet. “I’m sorry, sir. I was just caught up with the double meaning of your sign and I guess I took it too far. I feel terrible.”

The dwarf listened intently to Rhema’s apology and nodded slowly. Suddenly his thick right arm swung out and his stubby right hand slapped Semeion on his back. Wolf the Stout let out a boisterous laugh as he made contact with Semeion and nearly knocked the young mage to the floor. “I got you better than you thought, girl!”

Semeion, Ischarus, and Charis all turned to the dwarf with a confused look. Wolf saw the glance and decided to continue to explain his position. “My lady friend here gave me that name when I opened up a few years back. I brew my own stout, here. To help make a name for it as a gimmick, I allowed my first one hundred patrons to submit nicknames for me when I tend the bar. This lady here gave me the nickname Wolf the Stout.”

The woman turned to Semeion and smiled broadly. “And yes, sir, you are quite correct. The name is supposed to imply the act of guzzling dark ale. I thought it was pretty ingenious, personally.”

Rhema offered up a self-conscious laugh. She was unsure if this was still part of the joke or not. The rest of her party wasn’t talking, either.

Wolf pointed to an empty table. “How about you folks take a seat over there and I’ll bring you four of my home brews?”

Ischarus turned and looked at the table before turning back to the dwarf. “If it’s all the same, sir, we’d rather just have four teas. The ale clouds the mind’s ability to make decisions.”

The dwarf nodded and began to prepare the drinks while the party found their seats. Soon the party had begun to produce small talk around the table while taking note of the rest of the patrons. Rhema wore a significantly proud look upon her face due to the fact that she was the only one to get the barkeeper’s name. Her mind was also convinced that she had gotten the double meaning of the tavern correct as well.

[Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section]
Charis led the other three out of the temple. She seemed rather excited about the next portion of the journey. “I don’t see what the big deal is. Sure, we didn’t get a name and address on where to find this Bloodseeker, but now we’ve got all kind of reasons to head into the grimy parts of the town and investigate Lord Ironblood!”

Semeion shook his head at the exuberance of his Drakontos wife. “The problem is, we don’t know where to start looking for this Bloodseeker. It isn’t like there are taverns just for the Ephistaemi that we can walk into and request the information. We have to find a person by a name that most people wouldn’t even know the person by!”

Ischarus shifted his eyes from side to side as he undid Elistra’s reigns from the hitching post. He wanted to be sure that they weren’t being watched. When he was satisfied that their coming and going had gone without notice, he spoke. “Maybe we’re thinking about this all wrong. Maybe it is impossible to find the Ephistaemi because the Ephistaemi are good at finding those who need them.”

Semeion allowed a look of academic enlightenment pass over his pass. “I follow you! You’re saying that we create some kind of need that would attract a member of the Ephistaemi. Rather than trying to get to them, we allow them to come to us.”

Rhema shook her head from side to side and frowned. “The problem is, we don’t have a year to wait. We have a narrow band of time before people start forgetting what they know. We only have a small amount of time before the trail is eventually going to run cold.”

Ischarus replied quickly. “So, we make the need urgent. We make the need appear to be dire enough.”

Charis grinned with excitement. “And I think that I’ve got a plan. Let’s look around town for a bit and see if we can’t find a tavern that looks to be in the know. If we can find a likely place where information would be bought or sold, we can plant our need there. It will likely spread to the right people more quickly.”

Semeion looked backwards over his shoulder as he rode down the street atop Thana. Like Ischarus, he hadn’t been all that trusting in Fingerdale since Grick had followed them in nearly three-quarters of a year ago. With Lord Ironblood at the helm, this city would always have the feel for needing to be cautious. Even as he glanced backwards he couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary behind him.

They rode around town for another hour while they were scouting out the town’s local taverns. Eventually the foursome came across a smartly painted tavern. The outside was painted a simple dark gray with black on the corners and light gray trim around the windows. The paint job effectively allowed the tavern to blend in with many of the shadows from the surrounding buildings. This effect didn’t hide the building more than it simply allowed the building to seem rather indistinct when compared to the rest of the buildings on the block.

Rhema pointed quickly to the shingle that hung out front which served as a sign. The shingle read, Shrouded Tenor. Underneath the name was a simple engraving. The engraving was of a man dressed in a cloak who was obviously singing. In the engraving, the man’s cloak was almost completely pulled up around his head. As she took in the sign, Rhema nodded with agreement. “This looks like the right kind of place. Don’t you get the name?”

Semeion nodded slowly as if he was unsure of the intended truth of Rhema’s assertion. Charis and Ischarus both looked at Rhema as if they didn’t follow her declaration at all. Their eyes continued to flash between Rhema’s face and the shingle as if there was some obvious truth that they had missed. Finally, they looked to one another and shrugged their shoulders.

Rhema smiled expectantly in the direction of Ischarus and Charis. “Wait, you two don’t get it? It’s called the Shrouded Tenor.”

Ischarus smirked and laughed while glancing to Charis. “By the gods, then it is settled! She can read!” Charis allowed a hearty laugh to escape her mouth with regard to Ischarus’ comment.

Rhema looked less than pleased. “Muscular buffoons, both of you!” Her tone was clearly one of teasing, although it quickly switched to seriousness for the explanation that followed her cynical comment. “You know, because other words for shrouded are hidden or covered. And other words for tenor are intention or meaning. So the name of this place could really be the hidden meaning.”

Ischarus raised his eyebrows and slowly nodded his head. He wore a look upon his face as if Rhema was obviously grasping at straws with this explanation. However, he dismounted in support of her idea anyway.

Charis smirked and watched Ischarus dismount. “Yeah, because you know that the tavern’s logo of a man singing while wearing a cloak has nothing to do with being a shrouded tenor. I mean, nothing would ever be that obvious.”

Semeion followed Ischarus’ example and dismounted. “I say we give Rhema’s idea a chance. Besides, the worst that happens is that she’s wrong. And, since it is her father’s villa that we’re investigating, I’d just as soon be wrong about her idea that one of mine.”

Charis dismounted and tied her horse’s reigns to the provided rails in front of the tavern. “Oh, I’m all for going inside, but I can certainly tease her while I’m going!” Rhema turned and gave Charis a half-heartedly amused look.

The four adventurers entered through a door that had been painted light gray to match the trim around the windows. The tavern appeared to be on the ground floor, while the family residence looked to be on the second floor. Of course, the second floor could have been partially filled with rooms for rent as well.

Inside the tavern, the party found that it was only half full of patrons. Most of the patrons sat in clumps of two or three, although a lone woman sat at the bar talking with the barkeeper. The woman turned her head to smile in the direction of the party, but she quickly gave a disappointed look and returned her gaze to the bartender. The woman appeared to be as human as Semion, Ischarus, or Charis. Of course, in the case of the latter two it only proved how much looks could be deceiving.

The barkeeper was an interesting figure. He was clearly a dwarf. There was no hiding his physical stature. His short thick appendages and his blockish head spoke much of his lineage. His beard was neatly braided into two tails. Each of the tails ended in a silver bead with a single red stripe running the horizontal circumference of the bead. The hair on top of his head was cut short so that it stood up on end.

The dwarf motioned to the party for them to join him at the bar. When Ischarus lead the rest of the party towards the bar the dwarf introduced himself. “The name is Wolf. Here they call me Wolf the Stout.”

Rhema couldn’t help let out another snicker. This time, her laugh was in reference to the dwarf’s name. When Ischarus and Charis turned to her with questioning looks upon their face, Rhema shrugged her shoulders and spoke. “What? I thought it was a joke.”

Ischarus raised an eyebrow in Rhema’s direction as the dwarf stared directly at Rhema and questioned her sense of humor. “A joke? Forgive me, milady, but I believe that you must not be accustomed to the ways of civilization. One typically doesn’t come into a tavern and insult the innkeeper. Well, not if you want good service and warm food, of course.”

Rhema couldn’t help but notice the amused expression upon the face of the woman who sat opposite the barkeeper. She was beginning to seriously feel as though she was playing the part of the fool accidentally well. “Well, it’s just that I thought the name Wolf was okay. But Wolf the Stout, well; to be honest it was just too much to pass up.”

Ischarus shook his head slowly. “Please tell me this isn’t going to end in a punch line about stout being another term for short.”

Rhema’s face suddenly flared up in embarrassment. “But, of course not! I meant that one could take the name Wolf to mean to eat or drink quickly.”

Semeion connected the ends of Rhema’s thought with his deft mind and interrupted her explanation. “And Stout is just a dark type of ale? So you thought the man’s name meant to guzzle dark ale? That’s a bit presumptuous a name for a barkeeper, don’t you think?”

Rhema turned and looked to the barkeeper, who did not wear any expression upon his face that indicated to Rhema that there was any chance that he was enjoying this particular joke. When she realized that the barkeeper wasn’t finding this funny, she looked to her feet. “I’m sorry, sir. I was just caught up with the double meaning of your sign and I guess I took it too far. I feel terrible.”

The dwarf listened intently to Rhema’s apology and nodded slowly. Suddenly his thick right arm swung out and his stubby right hand slapped Semeion on his back. Wolf the Stout let out a boisterous laugh as he made contact with Semeion and nearly knocked the young mage to the floor. “I got you better than you thought, girl!”

Semeion, Ischarus, and Charis all turned to the dwarf with a confused look. Wolf saw the glance and decided to continue to explain his position. “My lady friend here gave me that name when I opened up a few years back. I brew my own stout, here. To help make a name for it as a gimmick, I allowed my first one hundred patrons to submit nicknames for me when I tend the bar. This lady here gave me the nickname Wolf the Stout.”

The woman turned to Semeion and smiled broadly. “And yes, sir, you are quite correct. The name is supposed to imply the act of guzzling dark ale. I thought it was pretty ingenious, personally.”

Rhema offered up a self-conscious laugh. She was unsure if this was still part of the joke or not. The rest of her party wasn’t talking, either.

Wolf pointed to an empty table. “How about you folks take a seat over there and I’ll bring you four of my home brews?”

Ischarus turned and looked at the table before turning back to the dwarf. “If it’s all the same, sir, we’d rather just have four teas. The ale clouds the mind’s ability to make decisions.”

The dwarf nodded and began to prepare the drinks while the party found their seats. Soon the party had begun to produce small talk around the table while taking note of the rest of the patrons. Rhema wore a significantly proud look upon her face due to the fact that she was the only one to get the barkeeper’s name. Her mind was also convinced that she had gotten the double meaning of the tavern correct as well.
[/Sblock]

 

[Nonlethal Force]

The foursome sat within the inn and talked for over an hour. They watched a few of the patrons come and go and quickly realized that there were a number of the clientele who were likely here for the long haul. Besides the woman sitting at the counter, the rest of the patrons who looked as though they weren’t going anywhere looked to be of an age of retirement. They probably had long given up the sword and shield and dropped out of Lord Ironblood’s army. Perhaps they had already sold their stores. It was quite possible that some of the patrons who were present had already handed over the control of the family land to their eldest son or daughter and thus could afford to work the land only sparingly.

Semeion had spent a good deal of the time perusing through his smaller spell book. He had brought his large grimoire to Ausaphaborishan’s valley so that he could continue his studies while the final preparations for the wedding were taking place. When he had heard that the villa had been destroyed, Semeion decided that the safest place for his grimoire was in the valley until the remaining Drakontai who had come from the villa returned. They would bring the grimoire with them. Until then, Semeion only had his traveling spell book to study. While considerably smaller, it had all the spells that he needed for this particular day.

Semeion leaned forward and drew the right side of his lips back as he looked around the room and thought. The effect that this motion had on his face was the formation of a significant dimple in the middle of his right cheek. He leaned forward in his chair so that the majority of his torso was over the table and spoke softly. “I don’t know, guys. This doesn’t have the right feel. The majority of the people who appear to be more than just occasionally patrons look rather old. I just imagined Bloodseeker to be a younger man than the majority of the people spending their afternoon here.”

Charis leaned slightly towards Semeion and put her arm around her husband’s shoulders. “Oh, come on, Semeion. Whether or not this is exactly the right place doesn’t particularly matter. We could use a little practice with our plan, so if it doesn’t happen to be the right place then that’s fine, too. You can’t honestly think that the first place we choose to walk into is going to have exactly what we need, can you?”

Rhema and Ischarus nodded in agreement to Charis’ words. Rhema leaned back in her chair and winked to Semeion. “Besides, you and I have the easiest roles to play. It is Charis and Ischarus who truly have anything at stake in the plan. If we play our part right, nobody will even know that we were involved.”

Ischarus looked directly into Semeion’s eyes and then grinned broadly. “Since it is typically a wise thing to do, anyway, I agree with the women. Now, go and make yourself scarce.”

Charis interrupted Semeion before he could start into motion. “Ischarus, slip me the handle of your sword under the table as quietly as you can. I need to touch the blade, but I don’t want the scabbard. As soon as I’ve touched the blade, it needs to go back into your scabbard as quickly as possible.”

Ischarus wrinkled his eyebrows in slight confusion, but he knew enough to trust his fellow Drakontos companion. “Very well. I’ll hold onto the scabbard while you draw out the blade. The sword is longer than the table is wide, so it won’t come out from the scabbard. When you are done, slide it in rather quickly. You won’t hurt me, just keep the noise down.”

A slight metallic sound rang out for just a moment as the hilt of the sword was drawn away from the scabbard and passed underneath the table. Few in the tavern even heard the noise, and even fewer in the tavern bothered to turn and try and find the origin of the sound. Those who did were unsuccessful in looking for what they knew should be there.

Charis looked down toward the table as her hands fished for the sharp blade underneath and out of view. She searched gingerly, knowing that Ischarus kept his blade meticulously sharpened. One wrong move and she could cut herself badly. After a few seconds of blind searching, her fingers found the flat of the blade. She pressed one hand over the blade and then cradled the underside with her other hand. Her lips moved, but the sounds coming from her mouth was nearly inaudible. “Arack.”

Semeion had used the spell often enough that everyone at the table knew immediately what she had done. With recognition in his eyes, Ischarus gripped the end of his scabbard and prepared for Charis to shove the blade quickly into its holder so that few if any of the patrons would see the magical light cast upon the blade. Charis did not disappoint Ischarus. With a firm thrust, she gripped the handle and drove the blade toward him until she could feel the blade lock closed in the scabbard. “We’re ready.”

Rhema rose from the table with a bit of a nervous look on her face. She spoke with a louder than normal voice so that eavesdropping upon the conversation would be made easier. Her only fear was that it would grow too obvious that she was speaking loudly. “I don’t really need to hear your bickering again! We’ve already been down this route several times. If you two can’t settle your differences in a normal fashion then I don’t want to be around when you chose another way! I’m checking on the horses.”

Several patrons in the inn looked in her direction, but they quickly turned their heads back to their tables. Rhema was pleased to know that she only got a passing glance. As she walked over to where Wolf stood talking to the woman she was confident that she had pulled her part off. As she approached the bar, she spoke softly. “Wolf, I’d keep an eye on those two, if I were you. Especially keep an eye on the female. She’s more powerful than first appears. I might even suggest eavesdropping a bit on their conversation in case it starts to get ugly.”

The barkeeper nodded slightly upon hearing Rhema’s words. Both the barkeeper and the woman sitting at the bar turned their heads towards the threesome still sitting at the table. What neither of them was aware of was Rhema’s subtle use of her mind control powers upon the barkeeper. Rhema had emphasized her last sentence with the help of her mental control. She had planted the desire to eavesdrop into Wolf’s mind. The barkeeper turned his head back to Rhema and said, “Will do, lady. I’ll keep an eye on them while you check on your horses.”

Rhema looked kindly into Wolf’s eyes. “Thanks, Wolf. I knew I could trust you.” She smiled pleasantly and touched the back of his thick dwarven hand with her fingers. Once he smiled at her, she removed them and strutted towards the door.

Semeion waited a few minutes before sliding his chair backwards across the floor. The feet of the chair scraped across the polished wooden floors and the majority of the patrons inside the tavern turned their heads to look at him. So far, things were going as planned. In order to pull this off, he needed to continue to draw the attention of the patrons to the table and make it clear that he was leaving as Rhema had also done. While nearly everyone was at least partially still paying attention to him, Semeion stood up and spoke. “I’m going outside to find Rhema. If you two can’t handle your differences, then don’t come out. I’d rather leave than do business with the both of you if this is how you are going to act!”

Semeion rose violently, tipping his chair backwards. He barely paused long enough to tip it upright, much less push it in. In a matter of seconds he was outside the tavern and walking toward the horses. Once he had moved far enough from the building to be away from all of the windows, Semeion crouched down to the ground and spoke the desired magical words as quietly as he possibly could. “Para Doithican Fael-tru.” Within the time span of a single second, Semeion vanished from sight completely.

Rhema stood by the horses until she felt Semeion come up from behind her and touch her elbow. That was her cue to head back inside the tavern. When she returned, she would let Semeion inside without anyone realizing that he had come in.

Inside the tavern, Charis and Ischarus began to have a much more heated debate across the table. Charis spoke first. “See? Because of your inept abilities, you have driven away my business!”

Ischarus called back, making it appear as though he was trying to keep his volume in check. “My ineptness? You sent me on some foolhardy mission that was impossible to complete! Nobody in their right mind could accomplish that task. But at least I was willing to try!”

Charis narrowed her eyes as her volume increased slightly. “Try? You call that trying? You didn’t do anything except drink a bunch of ale for a few weeks on my tab!”

Ischarus leaned forward as if to make it appear that Charis had pushed a nerve. “So you are calling me a drunk now? Is that it? You are going to dismiss my work as the work of some sot? You really think you can accuse me of being a lush and get away with it?”

Wolf the Stout had seen enough. He began to step around the end of the bar and head towards the table. Rhema had been watching discretely from the outside and the bartender’s movement was her cue. She opened the door, drawing the attention of all those inside to her. Rhema stood in the doorway for a second, as if she were trying to get a look at what had happened since she had left. It was clear that the whole inn had gone quiet as the patrons grew worried about the argument raging between Charis and Ischarus. Things typically got ugly when one person accused another about being a drunk.

In truth, Rhema was holding the door open to allow Semeion to cross in front of her. Once the invisible mage was inside, he tapped her on the elbow so that Rhema would know that it was safe to close the door. His last responsibility was to find a place where he could sit that offered a good view of the table but wouldn’t run the risk of anyone accidentally striking his invisible form. He spotted an unused table across the room and quickly slid into a seated position on top of the table. He knew that he wouldn’t leave an indentation upon the table like he would upon the seat of a chair. Once he was on top of the table he was in position.

Charis paused in her speech and turned her head to Rhema. There was silence in the inn for several seconds until Rhema closed the door. Once the door was closed, Charis knew that she could begin the tirade once more. The closing of the door signaled that everything was in place. “Do not doubt who I am, Ischarus. There is little limit to my power. Most people know me as Darkbringer.”

Semeion knew the cue. He extended his finger toward Charis and softly spoke the magical incantation. “Parzuhs Egro.” Instantly Charis’ body altered its shape to look nearly identical to that of the priestess of Yrraxea. Her clothes remained the same, but her face, height, and even hair color had become that of Darkbringer. As her body shifted in form, most of the people in the tavern gasped in awe.

As Semeion quickly looked around the room, he could see that the alteration had the desired effect. The people in the tavern were completely drawn into what was happening at the table. The magical effects were drawing them in so well that they weren’t able to realize that this was a huge dramatic performance.

Once Charis could feel that she had shifted form, her demands became even more violent. “Do you not see the power that I can wield? This is but a simple taste of what I can do to anyone that disobeys me!” Charis’ fist slammed down upon the top of the table as she concluded her sentence.

Semeion was prepared with the next magical trick and waiting for the physical cue. The magical words slowly released from his lips. “Par Ah-sahn.” In the same moment that Charis’ fist slammed against the table, Semeion used the magic within his latest spell to lift up the saltshakers sitting in the middle of the surrounding tables.

The people in the tavern gasped noticeably when the salt shakers seemed to jump on the surrounding tables due to the force of Charis’ fist. Of course, they had no idea that it was actually the invisible spell caster who was working out the timing. From their perspective, Charis was demonstrating her power quite effectively. However, Semeion knew that the most convincing portions of her argument were yet to come.

[Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section]
The foursome sat within the inn and talked for over an hour. They watched a few of the patrons come and go and quickly realized that there were a number of the clientele who were likely here for the long haul. Besides the woman sitting at the counter, the rest of the patrons who looked as though they weren’t going anywhere looked to be of an age of retirement. They probably had long given up the sword and shield and dropped out of Lord Ironblood’s army. Perhaps they had already sold their stores. It was quite possible that some of the patrons who were present had already handed over the control of the family land to their eldest son or daughter and thus could afford to work the land only sparingly.

Semeion had spent a good deal of the time perusing through his smaller spell book. He had brought his large grimoire to Ausaphaborishan’s valley so that he could continue his studies while the final preparations for the wedding were taking place. When he had heard that the villa had been destroyed, Semeion decided that the safest place for his grimoire was in the valley until the remaining Drakontai who had come from the villa returned. They would bring the grimoire with them. Until then, Semeion only had his traveling spell book to study. While considerably smaller, it had all the spells that he needed for this particular day.

Semeion leaned forward and drew the right side of his lips back as he looked around the room and thought. The effect that this motion had on his face was the formation of a significant dimple in the middle of his right cheek. He leaned forward in his chair so that the majority of his torso was over the table and spoke softly. “I don’t know, guys. This doesn’t have the right feel. The majority of the people who appear to be more than just occasionally patrons look rather old. I just imagined Bloodseeker to be a younger man than the majority of the people spending their afternoon here.”

Charis leaned slightly towards Semeion and put her arm around her husband’s shoulders. “Oh, come on, Semeion. Whether or not this is exactly the right place doesn’t particularly matter. We could use a little practice with our plan, so if it doesn’t happen to be the right place then that’s fine, too. You can’t honestly think that the first place we choose to walk into is going to have exactly what we need, can you?”

Rhema and Ischarus nodded in agreement to Charis’ words. Rhema leaned back in her chair and winked to Semeion. “Besides, you and I have the easiest roles to play. It is Charis and Ischarus who truly have anything at stake in the plan. If we play our part right, nobody will even know that we were involved.”

Ischarus looked directly into Semeion’s eyes and then grinned broadly. “Since it is typically a wise thing to do, anyway, I agree with the women. Now, go and make yourself scarce.”

Charis interrupted Semeion before he could start into motion. “Ischarus, slip me the handle of your sword under the table as quietly as you can. I need to touch the blade, but I don’t want the scabbard. As soon as I’ve touched the blade, it needs to go back into your scabbard as quickly as possible.”

Ischarus wrinkled his eyebrows in slight confusion, but he knew enough to trust his fellow Drakontos companion. “Very well. I’ll hold onto the scabbard while you draw out the blade. The sword is longer than the table is wide, so it won’t come out from the scabbard. When you are done, slide it in rather quickly. You won’t hurt me, just keep the noise down.”

A slight metallic sound rang out for just a moment as the hilt of the sword was drawn away from the scabbard and passed underneath the table. Few in the tavern even heard the noise, and even fewer in the tavern bothered to turn and try and find the origin of the sound. Those who did were unsuccessful in looking for what they knew should be there.

Charis looked down toward the table as her hands fished for the sharp blade underneath and out of view. She searched gingerly, knowing that Ischarus kept his blade meticulously sharpened. One wrong move and she could cut herself badly. After a few seconds of blind searching, her fingers found the flat of the blade. She pressed one hand over the blade and then cradled the underside with her other hand. Her lips moved, but the sounds coming from her mouth was nearly inaudible. “Arack.”

Semeion had used the spell often enough that everyone at the table knew immediately what she had done. With recognition in his eyes, Ischarus gripped the end of his scabbard and prepared for Charis to shove the blade quickly into its holder so that few if any of the patrons would see the magical light cast upon the blade. Charis did not disappoint Ischarus. With a firm thrust, she gripped the handle and drove the blade toward him until she could feel the blade lock closed in the scabbard. “We’re ready.”

Rhema rose from the table with a bit of a nervous look on her face. She spoke with a louder than normal voice so that eavesdropping upon the conversation would be made easier. Her only fear was that it would grow too obvious that she was speaking loudly. “I don’t really need to hear your bickering again! We’ve already been down this route several times. If you two can’t settle your differences in a normal fashion then I don’t want to be around when you chose another way! I’m checking on the horses.”

Several patrons in the inn looked in her direction, but they quickly turned their heads back to their tables. Rhema was pleased to know that she only got a passing glance. As she walked over to where Wolf stood talking to the woman she was confident that she had pulled her part off. As she approached the bar, she spoke softly. “Wolf, I’d keep an eye on those two, if I were you. Especially keep an eye on the female. She’s more powerful than first appears. I might even suggest eavesdropping a bit on their conversation in case it starts to get ugly.”

The barkeeper nodded slightly upon hearing Rhema’s words. Both the barkeeper and the woman sitting at the bar turned their heads towards the threesome still sitting at the table. What neither of them was aware of was Rhema’s subtle use of her mind control powers upon the barkeeper. Rhema had emphasized her last sentence with the help of her mental control. She had planted the desire to eavesdrop into Wolf’s mind. The barkeeper turned his head back to Rhema and said, “Will do, lady. I’ll keep an eye on them while you check on your horses.”

Rhema looked kindly into Wolf’s eyes. “Thanks, Wolf. I knew I could trust you.” She smiled pleasantly and touched the back of his thick dwarven hand with her fingers. Once he smiled at her, she removed them and strutted towards the door.

Semeion waited a few minutes before sliding his chair backwards across the floor. The feet of the chair scraped across the polished wooden floors and the majority of the patrons inside the tavern turned their heads to look at him. So far, things were going as planned. In order to pull this off, he needed to continue to draw the attention of the patrons to the table and make it clear that he was leaving as Rhema had also done. While nearly everyone was at least partially still paying attention to him, Semeion stood up and spoke. “I’m going outside to find Rhema. If you two can’t handle your differences, then don’t come out. I’d rather leave than do business with the both of you if this is how you are going to act!”

Semeion rose violently, tipping his chair backwards. He barely paused long enough to tip it upright, much less push it in. In a matter of seconds he was outside the tavern and walking toward the horses. Once he had moved far enough from the building to be away from all of the windows, Semeion crouched down to the ground and spoke the desired magical words as quietly as he possibly could. “Para Doithican Fael-tru.” Within the time span of a single second, Semeion vanished from sight completely.

Rhema stood by the horses until she felt Semeion come up from behind her and touch her elbow. That was her cue to head back inside the tavern. When she returned, she would let Semeion inside without anyone realizing that he had come in.

Inside the tavern, Charis and Ischarus began to have a much more heated debate across the table. Charis spoke first. “See? Because of your inept abilities, you have driven away my business!”

Ischarus called back, making it appear as though he was trying to keep his volume in check. “My ineptness? You sent me on some foolhardy mission that was impossible to complete! Nobody in their right mind could accomplish that task. But at least I was willing to try!”

Charis narrowed her eyes as her volume increased slightly. “Try? You call that trying? You didn’t do anything except drink a bunch of ale for a few weeks on my tab!”

Ischarus leaned forward as if to make it appear that Charis had pushed a nerve. “So you are calling me a drunk now? Is that it? You are going to dismiss my work as the work of some sot? You really think you can accuse me of being a lush and get away with it?”

Wolf the Stout had seen enough. He began to step around the end of the bar and head towards the table. Rhema had been watching discretely from the outside and the bartender’s movement was her cue. She opened the door, drawing the attention of all those inside to her. Rhema stood in the doorway for a second, as if she were trying to get a look at what had happened since she had left. It was clear that the whole inn had gone quiet as the patrons grew worried about the argument raging between Charis and Ischarus. Things typically got ugly when one person accused another about being a drunk.

In truth, Rhema was holding the door open to allow Semeion to cross in front of her. Once the invisible mage was inside, he tapped her on the elbow so that Rhema would know that it was safe to close the door. His last responsibility was to find a place where he could sit that offered a good view of the table but wouldn’t run the risk of anyone accidentally striking his invisible form. He spotted an unused table across the room and quickly slid into a seated position on top of the table. He knew that he wouldn’t leave an indentation upon the table like he would upon the seat of a chair. Once he was on top of the table he was in position.

Charis paused in her speech and turned her head to Rhema. There was silence in the inn for several seconds until Rhema closed the door. Once the door was closed, Charis knew that she could begin the tirade once more. The closing of the door signaled that everything was in place. “Do not doubt who I am, Ischarus. There is little limit to my power. Most people know me as Darkbringer.”

Semeion knew the cue. He extended his finger toward Charis and softly spoke the magical incantation. “Parzuhs Egro.” Instantly Charis’ body altered its shape to look nearly identical to that of the priestess of Yrraxea. Her clothes remained the same, but her face, height, and even hair color had become that of Darkbringer. As her body shifted in form, most of the people in the tavern gasped in awe.

As Semeion quickly looked around the room, he could see that the alteration had the desired effect. The people in the tavern were completely drawn into what was happening at the table. The magical effects were drawing them in so well that they weren’t able to realize that this was a huge dramatic performance.

Once Charis could feel that she had shifted form, her demands became even more violent. “Do you not see the power that I can wield? This is but a simple taste of what I can do to anyone that disobeys me!” Charis’ fist slammed down upon the top of the table as she concluded her sentence.

Semeion was prepared with the next magical trick and waiting for the physical cue. The magical words slowly released from his lips. “Par Ah-sahn.” In the same moment that Charis’ fist slammed against the table, Semeion used the magic within his latest spell to lift up the saltshakers sitting in the middle of the surrounding tables.

The people in the tavern gasped noticeably when the salt shakers seemed to jump on the surrounding tables due to the force of Charis’ fist. Of course, they had no idea that it was actually the invisible spell caster who was working out the timing. From their perspective, Charis was demonstrating her power quite effectively. However, Semeion knew that the most convincing portions of her argument were yet to come.
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