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[ZEITGEIST] The Continuing Adventures of Korrigan & Co.
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<blockquote data-quote="gideonpepys" data-source="post: 7519450" data-attributes="member: 79141"><p><strong>Session 203, Part One - Needlewire Parley</strong></p><p></p><p><strong>Soundtrack:</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCYndZn6wuk" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCYndZn6wuk</a></strong></p><p></p><p>On the way up to the mine, Brakken warned them that they were being followed. After concentrating for a moment, he said that he did not think the minds he had sensed were fully human, nor were they animalistic. Whenever they slowed, their pursuers did likewise; when they stopped (like now) they stopped – always remaining at a distance that was just beyond the range for Brakken to get a full ‘read’ on them. Brakken suggested that the others go on ahead. He would wait here, invisible, and would identify them when they approached.</p><p></p><p>The unit acquiesced to his plan, and pressed on with only Pardo for company. They reached the entrance to the mine and Uriel examined it. A large group of people – perhaps two dozen or more – had entered and not come out. Korrigan strode in, planning to challenge the occupants openly, only to discover their dead bodies in a cave not far from the exit. They lay still and peaceful, as if taken in sleep. Uriel was about to use location loresight, when a noise disturbed him. A nervous, mousy woman approached from another passageway. She was dressed in the garb of a genteel explorer – high boots and tweed, but she was very dishevelled: spectacles broken; dark stains around her mouth and on her fingers.</p><p></p><p>They reassured her that they meant no harm, and on demand she gave her name: Cosette Arianne. At once, she begged them for food and water, and to get them away from all of her dead friends. While they moved to grant her initial request, she offered to take them up to the ‘ritual site’. Uriel read her thoughts while she talked and found that they were warded by a magical ring. But Quratulain’s methods were deductive, and she recognised the speech-patterns of ‘Cosette’. The Humble Hook, too, recognised the spirit of its old master. This was Nicodemus! </p><p></p><p>Able to communicate without speaking, they relayed this information to the others. Gupta took out and began to play with Nic’s old Ob ring. He noticed the gesture and gave up trying to parley his way out of the cave. Instead, he asked for Leaf of Nicodemus. One of Rumdoom’s entourage obliged.</p><p></p><p>Nicodemus remained courteous, but was subtly more on edge than the last time the party met him. He lamented the death of his agents and his own inability to protect them. And he asked the unit how they managed to sabotage the ritual. When they denied their involvement he said that they knew the saboteur’s orders came from Risur: powerful divinations had confirmed as much. He assured them that if they’d only cooperated with him, the ritual would have been safely completed, and the world would still have a sun, for one thing!</p><p></p><p>They didn’t let him have it all his own way. Both Uriel and Korrigan frequently challenged his assumptions, exposed his hypocrisy, and promised to continue their efforts to thwart him. For his part, Nicodemus promised that the Obscurati would try again, and this time they wouldn’t allow any resistance. Even after five hundred years, he had still hoped a relatively gentle hand could guide people to the right path, but now he would have to take more forceful measures. “Fortunately, Risur is the only nation holding out against me. The leaders of every other civilised nation are already en route to attend our Forward Symposium. There, we will rally them against you! Perhaps the ensuing war, while tragic, will help cement the bonds forming now between the obedient nations of the world. Thank you for dealing with the threat of She Who Writhes, by the way. It will be much easier to conquer Risur now. Can I ask you to do the decent thing and ensure this woman survives?” Then he stubbed out his cigarette and vacated her body.</p><p></p><p>They grilled Cosette, having removed her magic ring to allow her mind to be checked for discrepancies. She asked them to let her keep it, as it was her mother’s. It was this ring that had saved her from joining the others. She went on to describe the formation of a hivemind: When reinforcements did not come, many days after the accident at the site, and the invasion of the gnolls, the other Ob agents began to act strangely, often speaking at the same time with the same sentences, or eerily completing each other’s thoughts. Eventually, the hivemind fully manifested, and the thoughtform fled the mines leaving Cosette alone with dozens of catatonic companions. In the intervening weeks Cosette resorted to cannibalism, too afraid to leave the caves. Desperate and fearful, when she heard ‘foreign voices’ she used a supply of needlewire she had found on one of the senior officers, knowing that it somehow connected them with the ‘high-ups’.</p><p></p><p>Her main duties had been back at the fort; she had no knowledge of the ritual site. “Don’t worry, we do,” sniggered Pardo. They took her back to the roadcars.</p><p></p><p>On the way back, Brakken spoke with them telepathically and said that he had made contact with their cautious followers. It was a group of deep faen who said they wanted to speak with ‘the frozen dwarf’ – Rumdoom. It turned out that they were formed variously of the deep faen tribes-people who inhabited the Yerasol Peninsula, and those from the jungles of Elfaivar who had followed the colossus here, and joined up with Rumdoom back in Methia (until they reached the sea and parted company). They were all very happy to see Wuzwaz, their shaman, who had joined Rumdoom’s entourage. When they had calmed down, and stopped dancing around, he interpreted their words: Uru (‘the Fading One’) had got them started on this quest, and Rumdoom (‘the Avatar of the End’) had encouraged them further and now they sought approval for their success: They had made contact with forces inimical to the Ob, and joined them in sabotaging the ritual at the heart of the island. How did they do that? They blew it up! Some of the native islanders laughed at this, and flicked out white tongues. Pardo confirmed that this was consistent with their findings, but expressed surprise that they had been able to invoke such power. Then the deep faen told them that the whole attack had been coordinated by a witch called Jenny Greenteeth. Korrigan was alarmed, and sought answers as to her current whereabouts, but he deep faen did not know. She was no longer on the island. She and her allies had infiltrated the Ob, and had ‘channeled the might of the great serpent’ into several huge explosions. They were very pleased to have seen the back of the sun, and much preferred things the way they were now. Rumdoom thanked them for their ‘help’, and gave them a second mission: to hamper the Ob at every turn, should they return to claim the island. They agreed enthusiastically and scampered off to comply. </p><p></p><p>Back at the roadway, they sent Cosette back to the fort with the rest of the gnolls, giving them strict instructions not to eat her. They also contacted Harkover to inform him that the Ob already knew that She Who Writhes had been removed. Then, with Pemberton, Pardo and Brakken they drove the rest of the way to the ritual site.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="gideonpepys, post: 7519450, member: 79141"] [b]Session 203, Part One - Needlewire Parley[/b] [B]Soundtrack: [URL]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCYndZn6wuk[/URL][/B] On the way up to the mine, Brakken warned them that they were being followed. After concentrating for a moment, he said that he did not think the minds he had sensed were fully human, nor were they animalistic. Whenever they slowed, their pursuers did likewise; when they stopped (like now) they stopped – always remaining at a distance that was just beyond the range for Brakken to get a full ‘read’ on them. Brakken suggested that the others go on ahead. He would wait here, invisible, and would identify them when they approached. The unit acquiesced to his plan, and pressed on with only Pardo for company. They reached the entrance to the mine and Uriel examined it. A large group of people – perhaps two dozen or more – had entered and not come out. Korrigan strode in, planning to challenge the occupants openly, only to discover their dead bodies in a cave not far from the exit. They lay still and peaceful, as if taken in sleep. Uriel was about to use location loresight, when a noise disturbed him. A nervous, mousy woman approached from another passageway. She was dressed in the garb of a genteel explorer – high boots and tweed, but she was very dishevelled: spectacles broken; dark stains around her mouth and on her fingers. They reassured her that they meant no harm, and on demand she gave her name: Cosette Arianne. At once, she begged them for food and water, and to get them away from all of her dead friends. While they moved to grant her initial request, she offered to take them up to the ‘ritual site’. Uriel read her thoughts while she talked and found that they were warded by a magical ring. But Quratulain’s methods were deductive, and she recognised the speech-patterns of ‘Cosette’. The Humble Hook, too, recognised the spirit of its old master. This was Nicodemus! Able to communicate without speaking, they relayed this information to the others. Gupta took out and began to play with Nic’s old Ob ring. He noticed the gesture and gave up trying to parley his way out of the cave. Instead, he asked for Leaf of Nicodemus. One of Rumdoom’s entourage obliged. Nicodemus remained courteous, but was subtly more on edge than the last time the party met him. He lamented the death of his agents and his own inability to protect them. And he asked the unit how they managed to sabotage the ritual. When they denied their involvement he said that they knew the saboteur’s orders came from Risur: powerful divinations had confirmed as much. He assured them that if they’d only cooperated with him, the ritual would have been safely completed, and the world would still have a sun, for one thing! They didn’t let him have it all his own way. Both Uriel and Korrigan frequently challenged his assumptions, exposed his hypocrisy, and promised to continue their efforts to thwart him. For his part, Nicodemus promised that the Obscurati would try again, and this time they wouldn’t allow any resistance. Even after five hundred years, he had still hoped a relatively gentle hand could guide people to the right path, but now he would have to take more forceful measures. “Fortunately, Risur is the only nation holding out against me. The leaders of every other civilised nation are already en route to attend our Forward Symposium. There, we will rally them against you! Perhaps the ensuing war, while tragic, will help cement the bonds forming now between the obedient nations of the world. Thank you for dealing with the threat of She Who Writhes, by the way. It will be much easier to conquer Risur now. Can I ask you to do the decent thing and ensure this woman survives?” Then he stubbed out his cigarette and vacated her body. They grilled Cosette, having removed her magic ring to allow her mind to be checked for discrepancies. She asked them to let her keep it, as it was her mother’s. It was this ring that had saved her from joining the others. She went on to describe the formation of a hivemind: When reinforcements did not come, many days after the accident at the site, and the invasion of the gnolls, the other Ob agents began to act strangely, often speaking at the same time with the same sentences, or eerily completing each other’s thoughts. Eventually, the hivemind fully manifested, and the thoughtform fled the mines leaving Cosette alone with dozens of catatonic companions. In the intervening weeks Cosette resorted to cannibalism, too afraid to leave the caves. Desperate and fearful, when she heard ‘foreign voices’ she used a supply of needlewire she had found on one of the senior officers, knowing that it somehow connected them with the ‘high-ups’. Her main duties had been back at the fort; she had no knowledge of the ritual site. “Don’t worry, we do,” sniggered Pardo. They took her back to the roadcars. On the way back, Brakken spoke with them telepathically and said that he had made contact with their cautious followers. It was a group of deep faen who said they wanted to speak with ‘the frozen dwarf’ – Rumdoom. It turned out that they were formed variously of the deep faen tribes-people who inhabited the Yerasol Peninsula, and those from the jungles of Elfaivar who had followed the colossus here, and joined up with Rumdoom back in Methia (until they reached the sea and parted company). They were all very happy to see Wuzwaz, their shaman, who had joined Rumdoom’s entourage. When they had calmed down, and stopped dancing around, he interpreted their words: Uru (‘the Fading One’) had got them started on this quest, and Rumdoom (‘the Avatar of the End’) had encouraged them further and now they sought approval for their success: They had made contact with forces inimical to the Ob, and joined them in sabotaging the ritual at the heart of the island. How did they do that? They blew it up! Some of the native islanders laughed at this, and flicked out white tongues. Pardo confirmed that this was consistent with their findings, but expressed surprise that they had been able to invoke such power. Then the deep faen told them that the whole attack had been coordinated by a witch called Jenny Greenteeth. Korrigan was alarmed, and sought answers as to her current whereabouts, but he deep faen did not know. She was no longer on the island. She and her allies had infiltrated the Ob, and had ‘channeled the might of the great serpent’ into several huge explosions. They were very pleased to have seen the back of the sun, and much preferred things the way they were now. Rumdoom thanked them for their ‘help’, and gave them a second mission: to hamper the Ob at every turn, should they return to claim the island. They agreed enthusiastically and scampered off to comply. Back at the roadway, they sent Cosette back to the fort with the rest of the gnolls, giving them strict instructions not to eat her. They also contacted Harkover to inform him that the Ob already knew that She Who Writhes had been removed. Then, with Pemberton, Pardo and Brakken they drove the rest of the way to the ritual site. [/QUOTE]
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