[AU] Stone Bones

[Rybaer]

Leesea grins when she hears Atlas call for the woman to be taken alive for questioning. "Bright lad," she mutters.

With the poison coursing through her system, she doesn't feel up to joining the pursuit. Instead, she'll start rummaging through the deceased's possessions in search of anything interesting or useful.

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

*Atlas cries out to Darthallys, hoping the bloodthirsty sibeccai doesn't kill the woman.*

"Wot are them betrayers doin' to them bones, spir't? How you reckon we gone set 'em a'right? Jess go on killin' and killin' till they's all daid, all the mommas and daddies and little baby tunnel critters? Or...or mebbe it was jess them five wot was so bad..."

"THE BETRAYERS CORRUPT THE BONES. PURGE THEIR CORRUPTION, AND SEE TO IT THAT THEY CAN NEVER DO IT AGAIN!" the spirit thunders.

*Leesea starts to rummage through the other four betrayer's possessions. Their odd armor has seemingly devolved into random metal plates. It also becomes clear that their shields and weapons are rather... organic. It seemed they were gaining nourishment from their hosts, as if they were some kind of gigantic parasite. Bypassing those for the moment, Leesea does find several pouches of rock silvers on each person. The silvers seem almost alive in their warmth, though they are as hard and sharp as any stone. Faint glints, like flecks of crystal, are present throughout each shard.*

*At the other end of the hall, the woman continues to run for her life. Unable to catch up with her, Kelthet forms a mudball and hurls it after her, but is disappointed to see it splatter on the wall. Phaern sees that it looks like Darthallys and the crocodile have things well in hand, and so lingers. Wil assists Leesea, while his crocodile snaps at the woman's heels. Darthallys shifts his sword in his hands to hit the woman with the flat of the blade. It whistles right by her ear, and the woman gives a gasp of surprise. She throws herself on her knees and raises her hands above her head.*

"I surrender!" she cries.

OOC -

Initiative:
Atlas - 19
Indacallis - 16
Leesea - 13
Betrayers - 6
Phaern - 5
Kelthet - 4
Wil - 2
Darthallys - 15 (but delayed until after spellcasters)

Kelthet's mudball misses with a 16. Crocodile misses with a 12. Darthallys misses by just a little, and the woman surrenders.

 

[manifold]

dak

Dak is mad.

"Wot kind of runespit...Jess TELL ME WOT TO DO! I ain't never SEEN the bones, I don't know how to FIND the bones, I ain't seen a green thang in MUNTS and I HAVE HAD IT! I'm up to my eyeballs in blood, I ain't seen sunlight in so long I reckon I'll go BLIND next time I do, and YOU WON'T TALK STRAIGHT TO ME! I'm tryin to HE'P you, you durned wall-eyed riddle-talkin' rock-brained fool! I KNOW the bones is corrupted! You been sendin' me them dang dreams for so long I cain't hardly think about nothin' else! I KNOW we got to stop the betrayers! Wot d'you 'spect I'm gone do? Send 'em a rune and a potted PLANT? Throw 'em a gawl-dang BIRTHDAY PARTY?! DANG IT ALL, YOU TELL ME WHAT IS GOING ON AND HOW TO FIX IT, AND I MEAN GIT REAL SPECIFIC, OR I..AM...GOIN'...HOME!!"

Dak stands panting, his body tight as a spring, radiating fury and frustration.

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

*The wall spends the next minute in pure silence, blinking in astonishment.*

"THE BETRAYERS TAKE PIECES OF THE BONES, THE STONE BONES OF THE GREAT CAVERN, AND USE THEM TO FUEL THEIR BLASPHEMOUS FORGERIES, SUCH AS THE WEAPONS THEY USED UPON YOU. EACH TIME THEY TAKE THE PIECES AND USE THEM, THEY CORRUPT THE LIFE-FORCE OF THE GREEN ITSELF. THE EARTH CAN HEAL ITSELF, IF THE BETRAYERS ARE STOPPED. THEY HAVE SUBVERTED THE GUARDIAN, THE SHADOW SERPANT, BY OFFERING HIM TREASURE AND SLAVES. CONVINCE HIM TO NO LONGER LET THEM PASS, AND THEY WILL BE UNABLE TO CORRUPT THE BONES FURTHER. THEN YOU WILL BE ABLE TO SET THE GREAT BONES BACK TO RIGHTS, BY YOUR OWN TALENTS AND SKILLS," the wall says carefully. It's hard to tell with its bone-rumbling tones, but it almost sounds... chagrined.

 

[Ashy]

Darthallys snatches up the woman by her hair and lays the edge of his blade against her throat. "It would make utterly happy to split your throat open wide, wench." He whispers darkly into her ear, his breath hot on her cheek. "But right now, the only thing keep me from doing that is the giant you see before you-" Darthallys forces her head in Atlas' direction. "So, you'd best do your level best, wench, and make that giant happy; answer all his questions truthfully, or else he'll give you to me."

The sibeccai turns her head to look at his face and he shoots her a malicious and sadistic grin, "And YOU really don't want that to happen, wench..."

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

*The woman looks frightend by what she sees in Dar's eyes, and then shifts her terrified gaze to Atlas and swallows hard.*

 

[dead_radish]

*Kelthet stands aside, leaving the assorted details to his companions. His role is finished. He does keep a close eye on the questioning, though he focuses on the body language and attitudes, rather than the words themselves.*

(OOC: Sense Motive during the conversation, +10)

 

[Erekose13]

Phaern holds off on his spell, seeing the woman surrender. As they are still aways down the corridor, he turns to his friend Dak as he speaks with the wall. A small smile creeps onto his face as he watches Dak fluster the earth spirit, causing it to spell out their quest in fine detail. Sensing a moment to speak he adds, "Thank you earth spirit, we will rid this world of these betrayers. The advice on how to handle the shadow serpent is much appreciated as we were under the impression we would have to face him in combat and none of us relished the thought. Is there anything that we can do to help him remember his role beyond proving the Betrayers duplicity?"

 

[rangerjohn]

Atlas

*Atlas approaches the woman thinking Dar does have his uses. Now tell me why you are disturbing the bones of the earth? What do you hope to gain? Ansewer quick, I might grow impaitent!"

 

[Ashy]

At Atlas' words, Darthallys licks his chops and giggles darkly...