[AU] Siege on Ebonring Keep

[Rybaer]

Iriana nods at Danwyn and Ys-Baddaden. "A bladesman and a modest giant, good, good."

She turns to Pyrithanis and Osric. "And a couple of silent types...a warrior and archer, I would gather."

"Very well," she says by way of transition. "I've summoned adventurers here to recover an item of great value to this keep. I would like to have dealt with it myself, but holding this keep is too important...and it seems that my efforts are required to maintain some level of order within the ranks of the soldiers here. It's been a constant battle between the colonel and sub-commander, and neither has been quite as professional as advertised when I hired them on.

"Anyway. We took the Keep by way of a secret entrance that my studies had revealed. I should have known better than to believe it was the only one, though. Through the secret entrance, we entered the Keep and cleaned it out room by room. When we got to this chamber, however, I found that the Ebonring was missing." She gestures toward the pedestal in the middle of the lower section of the room. "Somehow, the rhodin got it out of the Keep. That means that some, perhaps many, of them escaped as well. I've been through this place top to bottom and still have not been able to find how they got out.

"In the end, I don't much care how they got out. I really just need the Ebonring back. My studies show that it has magical properties that are vital to maintaining the Keep's defenses strong. If ever this place is to return to its role as the defensive focal point for the region, recovery of the Ebonring is essential. I would like you to find and deal with the rhodin and, more importantly, recover the ring and return it here."

She pauses and looks at the party, as if trying to gauge their interest or reactions. "Yaren has some scouts in the Floating Forest right now. They're tracking what we believe to be the largest concentration of rhodin that fled from the Keep. Once those scouts return with their report, you should head out on this quest.

"You're welcome to stay here for now. There is a room upstairs you can use if you like. I can provide any healing if you are in need of it. Feel free to ask questions or explore the keep, but try not to get in the way of the soldiers too much."


[ooc - feel free to ask any questions...I just blew through this whole monologue, but there are any of a number of questions that could have been thrown out mid-stream.]

 

[Old Fezziwig]

Khajom turns towards the party. "If there is another way out, I bet it would give us a good idea of where they went with the Ebonring. If someone's capable of tracking, that is...of course, the way rhodin smell, we may not need one." He wrinkles his nose up and smiles, clearly teasing Pyior about their conversation back when they accepted the quest to meet Iriana Truthspeaker.

He then asks Truthspeaker, "Do you have a map of the keep? I'm sure you've searched thoroughly, but perhaps different viewpoints could lead to different conclusions?"

 

[garyh]

"Agreed," Pirythanis said, "Khajom has the right of it. Always best to know the battleground before the fight."

OOC: Sorry for the absence, just had finals.

 

[Rybaer]

"Hmmm," Iriana says. "I don't have any proper maps of the Keep on me, but I suppose I could sketch out something for you. Certainly won't be to scale or anything like that, but might give you a better feel for the layout. Give me a few minutes."

She walks back down to the book she was scribbling notes in and picks up her quill.


[ooc - Indeed, a map with numbers and references would help immensely in sorting out how and where y'all will be searching. I'm going to hand-draw some, but it might be a day or two before I get them finished...not to mention hook my scanner back up and get them suitable for posting.]

 

[Liminal Syzygy]

Pyior, Loresong Faen Magister

Pyior addresses Iriana...
"Madam, while I do consider myself a student of history and geography, I admit there is much I have yet to learn. I believe most of my companions simply wish to make a name for themselves and hone their martial skills in actual battle. But for my own peace of mind, could I persuade you to explain exactly why this mission is important? Why it is worth risking our lives over? And why is it worth the bloodshed that will likely result from confrontation with the rhodin?

As Khajom alluded, I am not completely convinced that we--ahem--enlightened races have completely explored the possibility of a diplomatic solution to the rhodin problem. Everything I have read indicates that for hundreds of years have given them no quarter. It troubles me. As a magister who has faced rhodin in battle, do you truly believe there is no negotiation with them?"

 

[Old Fezziwig]

Khajom shakes his head at Pyior's question, muttering something under his breath about the rhodin eating their dead.

 

[Mirth]

Is this game still on? BUMP

 

[Rybaer]

Iriana finishes her scribbling and tears a sheet of paper out of her book. She hands it to Khajom, the ink still slightly wet in spots.

"It's pretty crude, but should help you find your way around the place. The commander's quarters in the upper level are unused. You can stay there for now if you like. The guards have to go through there every now and then as the only access to the roof is through there. The colonel has never had any interest in using it for himself."

 

[Rybaer]

Pyior addresses Iriana...
"Madam, while I do consider myself a student of history and geography, I admit there is much I have yet to learn. I believe most of my companions simply wish to make a name for themselves and hone their martial skills in actual battle. But for my own peace of mind, could I persuade you to explain exactly why this mission is important? Why it is worth risking our lives over? And why is it worth the bloodshed that will likely result from confrontation with the rhodin?

As Khajom alluded, I am not completely convinced that we--ahem--enlightened races have completely explored the possibility of a diplomatic solution to the rhodin problem. Everything I have read indicates that for hundreds of years have given them no quarter. It troubles me. As a magister who has faced rhodin in battle, do you truly believe there is no negotiation with them?"

Iriana nods to Pyior. "You are wise to ask such questions. Let me explain.

"The rhodin are little more than semi-intelligent vermin. As much as anyone, I would rather resolve issues without resorting to violence, but no one has ever really had much luck in doing so with their type. Recovering the Ebonring is vital to the security of this region for a couple because of the way it is bound to this keep. Though I don't understand exactly how it functions, it's magic in some way fortifies this site - making it much easier to hold. At present, we don't have enough soldiers to hold the keep against a concerted attack. With the Ebonring, I hope to rectify that.

"In my estimation, the rhodin recognized the ring as being powerful, but were never able to figure out how to make it work. Should a rhodin come along who was smart enough to figure it out, their presence here could become a great threat to the cities in this region. The rhodin generally aren't very organized, but every now and then one will come along with the ability to command great numbers of them. When next this happens, I'd rather not see them commanding such a formidable stronghold from which to operate.

"You're welcome to try to find a more diplomatic solution to the problem, but I wouldn't hold out much hope. Likely, they wouldn't trade the Ebonring for anything less than the keep itself...and they'd probably be too suspicious to even accept that trade."

 

[Liminal Syzygy]

Pyior nods silently as Iriana finishes speaking.

"I...understand, madam. I will accept this task. I would like to ask for one thing, however. Do you have any texts on the rhodin language? I would like to prepare for our next encounter with them."

Vermin? Clearly they are more than vermin--they have their own language and social structures. It must assuage her conscious to think of them as such. While the aims of this mission may be somewhat distasteful, it looks like it's up to me to try to break the cycle of violence. It would be wrong for me to refuse. And... even if I fail at the very least I can surely gather enough data to write a paper on the rhodin, and perhaps put this four-chambered versus six-chambered heart debate to rest forever.