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The Liberation of Tenh (updated April 24)
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<blockquote data-quote="(contact)" data-source="post: 480434" data-attributes="member: 41"><p>Coldeven 7, CY 593</p><p></p><p><strong>15: In which it is revealed that given time, the multiverse always proves the pessimist right.</strong></p><p></p><p>After procuring a pair of <em>teleport</em> scrolls against any future emergency, the trio returns to Tenh. Upon their arrival, swords flash from their scabbards, as our heroes find the caves to be empty, and heavily bloodstained. By the looks of things, their camp has been a massacre site.</p><p></p><p>Elijah tracks the exterior of the cave, and discovers that a mixed band of humans, humanoids and giants fell upon the cave, most likely at night. There were some survivors, but many more bodies were dragged than led in chains. In one heartening note, a small band of survivors snuck away during the fighting and appear to have eluded pursuit. A child's footprints are in the lead.</p><p></p><p>Following the trail of that small group leads the party to a mesa some half-mile from the mines at Cur'ruth. A quick search reveals a secret door that opens to reveal a long, narrow passage leading down into the earth beneath the mesa. The passage winds and descends for many hundreds of yards before coming to an end in a small room. The room has one door leading from it, heavily barred, and a short table with a few stout chairs. </p><p></p><p>Elijah confirms that the survivors of the massacre came this way, and that Looish was leading them. This must be a "back door" into the mine-home of the Cur'ruth Tenha. Ignoring his now-instinctive distrust of back-doors, Heydricus knocks once, and waits.</p><p></p><p>A panel in the door slides open, revealing a woman's face, Tenha (if a bit pale) and elderly. She narrows her eyes. Heydricus tells her his name, and states that he is looking for his men.</p><p></p><p>"The soldiers?" She begins, "they are here. You will want to speak with the Aiman. He is expecting you." She lifts the bar, and the heavy wooden door swings open. "You may leave your weapons with me."</p><p></p><p>The party looks at her quizzically, and she continues, "You must leave your weapons here."</p><p></p><p>Heydricus laughs at her. Elijah shoulders past to get a better look of the room, and scout for an ambush. She turns back to Heydricus and signals "All clear. I'm on watch."</p><p></p><p>Heydricus refuses to disarm. He requests to speak with a clan leader. She replies that she is one. The woman fixes Heydricus with a cold stare, and repeats her demand that the party remove their weapons.</p><p></p><p>Heydricus replies that you don't get to be as old as he is by taking your weapons off within spitting distance of an Iuzian encampment, and he'll have his men back <em>now</em>.</p><p></p><p>The woman stands eye-to-sternum with the massive sorcerer and glares at him. After a breif stare-down, she leads the group through a series of passages to a large common room, filled with Tenha sitting quietly, apparently absorbed in various tasks. At the back of the room is an older Tenha, speaking to a small group that has gathered around him.</p><p></p><p>The matron mother leads the adventurers to the older man, and she introduces him as the Aiman of the Cur'ruth Tenha. A brief and tense audience follows where the party once again bluntly refuses to disarm, and laughs mockingly at the suggestion that they are safe within the Cur'ruth mines.</p><p></p><p>Perhaps it is the stress of teleporting from end to end of the continent, or perhaps the shock of realizing how many lives have been lost, but there is no mood for diplomacy or refinement within the group. The Aiman, showing the fearlessness that seems to characterize these Tenha, takes Heydricus to the surviving lads, and politely asks the group to leave.</p><p></p><p>Ywain is one of the survivors, and he tells Heydricus that they have been treated well, and fed, if poorly. Apparently, these Tenha have a very bland diet. </p><p></p><p>Heydricus and Prisantha gather the lads and leave the mine of the Cur'ruth Tenha. They turn the soldiers over to Elijah who examines them for wounds, and applies her knowledge of herbal lore. Finding a quiet spot, Pris and Heydricus quietly review the brief meeting, and conclude that their relationship with the Aiman might yet be salvaged. </p><p></p><p>Heydricus divests himself of his sword, and arms himself with his best apologetic face and a bottle of fine Furyondian wine. He returns to the doorway, and knocks once again.</p><p></p><p>After a brief conversation with the matron mother, Aiman himself emerges and sits down with the massive sorcerer. Heydricus offers an apology for his rash words, and demonstrates his willingness to meet in peace.</p><p></p><p>The Aiman, for his part, comments how much he enjoys the wine, and reminds Heydricus that he hasn't had a drop to drink since the Iuzian take-over ten years ago. As the wine warms him, Aiman takes to Heydricus and shares his story:</p><p></p><p>Since the Iuzian takeover, times have been hard. The miners at Cur'ruth have always been self-sufficient, exploiting the resources of the near-underdark to sustain their needs. The Iuzian garrison here was always small, and has grown even more so since the Stonefist rebellion. Exploiting this, the Aiman managed to negotiate a mutually benificial pact between his people and the Iuzians. The Tenha miners here live an autonomous life, and in exchange, they meet cruel quotas for food and ore.</p><p></p><p>The Aiman tells the party about the Iuzian 'leaders' (when asked if any of the individuals was in charge, his response invariably was 'he thinks he is'): Suel, a human necromancer; the Master Inquisitor, a torturer who treats his profession like a refined and subtle art; Martak the Undying, certainly undead; and Ra-Mohn, a darkling beast. In addition, there are beings named only as "The Seven Terrors", associates of Suel.</p><p></p><p>As the wine takes effect, the Aiman bluntly points out that he has no hope that the party might succeed in their mission. He cannot give Heydricus aid, he explains, because to do so would imperil the lives of his people once the Master Inquisitor got his hands on Heydricus. "They can wrest your secrets from your corpse, I think." He drunkenly advises the sorcerer.</p><p></p><p>The Aiman asks could he convince the party to desist? Not at this point, he is told. The old man nods and slyly implies that the PCs may not fully understand what is at stake. He asks Prisantha and Elijah to join him, and knocks on the stout wooden door. Elijah and Heydricus leave their swords with Ywain, and place him in charge.</p><p></p><p>The matron mother answers the knock with a worried expression, and is too shocked to even complain when the Aiman invites the party in! The Tenha wise man leads the group through a number of twisting corridors and into the mines themselves. He shows them the mine shaft, now carved smooth, where his ancestors first discovered the entrance to the vast network of caves that lie underneath the Flannaes: the underdark.</p><p></p><p>A short journey through natural caves ends at a low crevice, seeminly too small for anyone larger than a halfling to enter. But it's size is an optical illusion, and after shedding their packs, the party is able to crawl into the crevice. The Aiman leads them through a twisting, clausterphobic journey where they are forced to crawl worm-like through a stream-fed passage with barely enough room to keep their faces above water. </p><p></p><p>After an agonizing few minutes that seem like hours, the party emerges into a gorgeous natural chamber. The cavern is filled with stalactites and stalagmites, both types of rock formation studded with crystaline formations that sparkle in the reflected glow from Prisantha's <em>continual light</em> stone. The place is magestic, and there is a profound sense of the Holy in the air. "Almost there," the Aiman wheezes as he pauses to catch his breath. His eye twinkles as he regards the party and watches their expressions.</p><p></p><p>A second cave (this one, thankfully larger) leads the group into a massive cavern, fully as large as the greatest feast-hall of the Southern Lords. The Aiman instructs Prisantha to put away her light source. When she complies, the party realizes that the chamber is filled with enough glowing motes of light to rival the night sky! Stranger still, the lights are <em>moving</em> - flying to and fro. "Stand still," the Aiman instructs them, "and if you are pure of heart, they will come to you."</p><p></p><p>The party is pure, and Good are their intentions. One by one, the motes of light descend on the heroes, suffusing them with the purest essence of the Good ideals: True Hope, Bountiful Joy, Blessed Mercy, and Utter Peace flood into them, overwhelming their pain and exhaustion, lifting up the Heroes of the Temple and inspiring them.</p><p></p><p>There are tears in the Aiman's eyes as he says "Aren't they beautiful?"</p><p></p><p>-----</p><p></p><p>Next: Trouble below, and one less Liberator!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="(contact), post: 480434, member: 41"] Coldeven 7, CY 593 [b]15: In which it is revealed that given time, the multiverse always proves the pessimist right.[/b] After procuring a pair of [i]teleport[/i] scrolls against any future emergency, the trio returns to Tenh. Upon their arrival, swords flash from their scabbards, as our heroes find the caves to be empty, and heavily bloodstained. By the looks of things, their camp has been a massacre site. Elijah tracks the exterior of the cave, and discovers that a mixed band of humans, humanoids and giants fell upon the cave, most likely at night. There were some survivors, but many more bodies were dragged than led in chains. In one heartening note, a small band of survivors snuck away during the fighting and appear to have eluded pursuit. A child's footprints are in the lead. Following the trail of that small group leads the party to a mesa some half-mile from the mines at Cur'ruth. A quick search reveals a secret door that opens to reveal a long, narrow passage leading down into the earth beneath the mesa. The passage winds and descends for many hundreds of yards before coming to an end in a small room. The room has one door leading from it, heavily barred, and a short table with a few stout chairs. Elijah confirms that the survivors of the massacre came this way, and that Looish was leading them. This must be a "back door" into the mine-home of the Cur'ruth Tenha. Ignoring his now-instinctive distrust of back-doors, Heydricus knocks once, and waits. A panel in the door slides open, revealing a woman's face, Tenha (if a bit pale) and elderly. She narrows her eyes. Heydricus tells her his name, and states that he is looking for his men. "The soldiers?" She begins, "they are here. You will want to speak with the Aiman. He is expecting you." She lifts the bar, and the heavy wooden door swings open. "You may leave your weapons with me." The party looks at her quizzically, and she continues, "You must leave your weapons here." Heydricus laughs at her. Elijah shoulders past to get a better look of the room, and scout for an ambush. She turns back to Heydricus and signals "All clear. I'm on watch." Heydricus refuses to disarm. He requests to speak with a clan leader. She replies that she is one. The woman fixes Heydricus with a cold stare, and repeats her demand that the party remove their weapons. Heydricus replies that you don't get to be as old as he is by taking your weapons off within spitting distance of an Iuzian encampment, and he'll have his men back [i]now[/i]. The woman stands eye-to-sternum with the massive sorcerer and glares at him. After a breif stare-down, she leads the group through a series of passages to a large common room, filled with Tenha sitting quietly, apparently absorbed in various tasks. At the back of the room is an older Tenha, speaking to a small group that has gathered around him. The matron mother leads the adventurers to the older man, and she introduces him as the Aiman of the Cur'ruth Tenha. A brief and tense audience follows where the party once again bluntly refuses to disarm, and laughs mockingly at the suggestion that they are safe within the Cur'ruth mines. Perhaps it is the stress of teleporting from end to end of the continent, or perhaps the shock of realizing how many lives have been lost, but there is no mood for diplomacy or refinement within the group. The Aiman, showing the fearlessness that seems to characterize these Tenha, takes Heydricus to the surviving lads, and politely asks the group to leave. Ywain is one of the survivors, and he tells Heydricus that they have been treated well, and fed, if poorly. Apparently, these Tenha have a very bland diet. Heydricus and Prisantha gather the lads and leave the mine of the Cur'ruth Tenha. They turn the soldiers over to Elijah who examines them for wounds, and applies her knowledge of herbal lore. Finding a quiet spot, Pris and Heydricus quietly review the brief meeting, and conclude that their relationship with the Aiman might yet be salvaged. Heydricus divests himself of his sword, and arms himself with his best apologetic face and a bottle of fine Furyondian wine. He returns to the doorway, and knocks once again. After a brief conversation with the matron mother, Aiman himself emerges and sits down with the massive sorcerer. Heydricus offers an apology for his rash words, and demonstrates his willingness to meet in peace. The Aiman, for his part, comments how much he enjoys the wine, and reminds Heydricus that he hasn't had a drop to drink since the Iuzian take-over ten years ago. As the wine warms him, Aiman takes to Heydricus and shares his story: Since the Iuzian takeover, times have been hard. The miners at Cur'ruth have always been self-sufficient, exploiting the resources of the near-underdark to sustain their needs. The Iuzian garrison here was always small, and has grown even more so since the Stonefist rebellion. Exploiting this, the Aiman managed to negotiate a mutually benificial pact between his people and the Iuzians. The Tenha miners here live an autonomous life, and in exchange, they meet cruel quotas for food and ore. The Aiman tells the party about the Iuzian 'leaders' (when asked if any of the individuals was in charge, his response invariably was 'he thinks he is'): Suel, a human necromancer; the Master Inquisitor, a torturer who treats his profession like a refined and subtle art; Martak the Undying, certainly undead; and Ra-Mohn, a darkling beast. In addition, there are beings named only as "The Seven Terrors", associates of Suel. As the wine takes effect, the Aiman bluntly points out that he has no hope that the party might succeed in their mission. He cannot give Heydricus aid, he explains, because to do so would imperil the lives of his people once the Master Inquisitor got his hands on Heydricus. "They can wrest your secrets from your corpse, I think." He drunkenly advises the sorcerer. The Aiman asks could he convince the party to desist? Not at this point, he is told. The old man nods and slyly implies that the PCs may not fully understand what is at stake. He asks Prisantha and Elijah to join him, and knocks on the stout wooden door. Elijah and Heydricus leave their swords with Ywain, and place him in charge. The matron mother answers the knock with a worried expression, and is too shocked to even complain when the Aiman invites the party in! The Tenha wise man leads the group through a number of twisting corridors and into the mines themselves. He shows them the mine shaft, now carved smooth, where his ancestors first discovered the entrance to the vast network of caves that lie underneath the Flannaes: the underdark. A short journey through natural caves ends at a low crevice, seeminly too small for anyone larger than a halfling to enter. But it's size is an optical illusion, and after shedding their packs, the party is able to crawl into the crevice. The Aiman leads them through a twisting, clausterphobic journey where they are forced to crawl worm-like through a stream-fed passage with barely enough room to keep their faces above water. After an agonizing few minutes that seem like hours, the party emerges into a gorgeous natural chamber. The cavern is filled with stalactites and stalagmites, both types of rock formation studded with crystaline formations that sparkle in the reflected glow from Prisantha's [i]continual light[/i] stone. The place is magestic, and there is a profound sense of the Holy in the air. "Almost there," the Aiman wheezes as he pauses to catch his breath. His eye twinkles as he regards the party and watches their expressions. A second cave (this one, thankfully larger) leads the group into a massive cavern, fully as large as the greatest feast-hall of the Southern Lords. The Aiman instructs Prisantha to put away her light source. When she complies, the party realizes that the chamber is filled with enough glowing motes of light to rival the night sky! Stranger still, the lights are [i]moving[/i] - flying to and fro. "Stand still," the Aiman instructs them, "and if you are pure of heart, they will come to you." The party is pure, and Good are their intentions. One by one, the motes of light descend on the heroes, suffusing them with the purest essence of the Good ideals: True Hope, Bountiful Joy, Blessed Mercy, and Utter Peace flood into them, overwhelming their pain and exhaustion, lifting up the Heroes of the Temple and inspiring them. There are tears in the Aiman's eyes as he says "Aren't they beautiful?" ----- Next: Trouble below, and one less Liberator! [/QUOTE]
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