Carnifex
First Post
Here we go...
Cavern Company: The Chattering Mimir
As they prepare to set off into the night, several members of the party voice their complaints at Sebastions treatment of them during the past escapade; the women think he's been treating them 'like a herd of cows', and make it clear that they're unhappy with being ordered around, even if he is a professional soldier (which he isn't, he's little more than a new recruit to a mercenary band, but from his manner they've assumed his experience). Mel calms down enough to realise they may have been a little harsh, and thanks him for staying with them and helping them when he could have easily struck out on his own at any point. The aasimar then announces her intent to head north - there's no way she's heading back south now, she's a turncoat Manipulator with no intent to put herself in the hands of a Carthagian military force - and Ebri decides to accompany her with the words "If north is where you are going, then I am going there too. We are not to the bottom of your shadow mystery." Sandslipper informs the others that she too is heading north, with a package she intends to deliver to a Naserian sorceror in the capital city, and since she doesn't realy know the way, it seems wise to seek safety in numbers.
They head north, not willing to sit around in the chilly damp and freeze to death.
Soon they come across the half-eaten carcass of a horse - Sebastions horse, which had been killed during the battle earlier. It seems the dreadspawn had dragged the body away to eat it, but they'd left all the gear attached since they had no interest in it. With the monsters seemingly no longer present, the warrior was jubilant to recover his equipment and above all his fathers two-bladed sword that was still tied amidst the bags.
They slog on through the night, chilled, exhausted and hungry. As they go, Melisande perches the mimir on her shoulder and asks it questions eagerly.
"Mimir: tell me everything you have about the Fire Serpent Rod that Asak was carrying. I want to know why your former owner wanted it so badly.
"I'd also like to hear anything you might have about the Great Prophet, or this symbol I have on this pendant--the eye on the triangle."
She lowers her voice to a whisper, holding the silver skull close to her lips. "And--on the off-chance- have you ever heard anything about blue people before?" - the young aasimar is eager to learn more of her origins, being blue-skinned herself.
The mimir begins to chatter away, eyes glowing, as it reels of a number of recordings:
In response to Melisande's questioning, the mimir reeled off a number of recordings, eyes glowing brightly as it did so.
* * *
The wheezing, male voice that they had heard relate the story of Asak and the Fire Serpent rod earlier. "I've discovered something rather intriguing - mention of an object that I would be most interested in adding to my collection. It'd probably fetch quite a good price if I sold it onto a Flame Guildsman or one of the elemental savants of the Khaya-Dura order, I reckon. Some travellers described a kobold colony in the borderlands which raided their caravan; a shaman of some sort wielding a rod that summoned a fiery serpent was involved. A little bit of research in the libraries, and I've turned up a few references to a 'Fire Serpent' rod mentioned; some sort of elementally attuned arcane focus for fire, noted as beingi in the possession of one mage or another. I have no idea how it came to be in the hands of some kobold primitive but it should prove an easy steal - I doubt the kobolds will prove any match for my magic. Even now I prepare to head south to investigate this, hopefully to return with the rod."
* * *
A deeper, gruff male voice. "Study of the runes in this tomb, like the others, reveals the emblem usually associated with the cult of the Great Prophet. It seems that whatever happened here, it resulted in a large number of these tombs being built in a short period of time; perhaps the followers of the Great Prophet were once more numerous until some catastrophe resulted in their significant diminishment and the construction of the tombs."
"The tombs seem bare of any grave goods or other treasure; it's likely grave-robbers have already plundered them, or they've simply fallen into dust, since my estimations reckon these tombs to be very old, perhaps over a thousand years in age. The tombs themselves remain impenetrable to my tools."
* * *
A human voice, a male. "I've spent the last few days researching, but I've found what I was looking for. The emblem the assassin was wearing is apparently the same as that of the cult of the Great Prophet - some sort of doomsday cult or something, I read, but there're barely any details about them written anywhere so only the Elders know what the hell the truth is. I'm not sure what the implications of this are. The assassin was a Nephian, I'm sure, but whether this means the Nephians worship the Great Prophet or whether he was given the emblem by whoever took out the contract on me is unclear. What is clear is that I'm going to have to be pretty careful. I must report the assassination of my comrades to the Bloodkin as soon as possible."
* * *
Another male voice, one that sounds used to giving orders. "The Nephians who were killed during the attack all wore strange emblems that the Truth Seekers tell me is the symbol of a minor deity called the Great Prophet. They seemed surprised though - seems that they thought it was a dead religion, since there're a handful of ancient tombs scattered across the Drakkath that bear that emblem, especially around the Plain of Sorrows near Adbar. It's likely it was just a contract killing, the usual process of Nephian assassins being hired by someone else. Hopefully we'll catch whoever's behind it - curse those assassins for being successful, the Grand Master Fire Lord was a truly good man. I've ordered all reports be filed in the main fortress of the Flame Hawks in Corvus."
* * *
A strong, regal female voice. "Nas, when you get this message, get your lazy blue-skinned arse out of the shop and over the the Lady's Ward right away. Me, Scar and Klentais will probably already be there - head for outside the Temple of the Abyss, the word is that some Arcanatum agents have been spotted skulking around! And if you turn up still high on those sodding Sensate drugs I swear you'll be in serious trouble."
* * *
The same male, melodic voice that had been in the first message that the mimir had ever relayed - the first owner ever. "We've just arrived on the first layer of... heh... Heaven. Sounds wierd to say it, even when you're there. Severin planeshifted us straight into an aasimar settlement - apparently they're his relatives, but most of the sods are blue-skinned like me. Anyway, even from here we can see the black stain on the landscape that's the invading army. Heh, the stuff of legends - heaven against hell - always wished I'd see something like this. Well, now I'm here, I'm sodding terrified, I have to admit. Tomorrow we teleport closer and see where Kilshanor's got himself too."
* * *
The mimir falls silent once more, leaving the listeners to digest this new information...
Melisande is intrigued by both the information that this perhaps reveals about her ancestry - she's never considered she might be an aasimar (a term she's come across in her studies), and while this might explain a few things it's also a disturbing concept - and by the information about the Fire Serpent rod she has in her hands. It's slightly worrying though, to think that she's carrying something Flame Guildsmen might well kill to get their hands on... All the talk of Nephians has raised her suspicions as well. Looks like at some point she's going to have to have a serious talk with Ebri about Nephians...
Ebir's own response to the new information serves to heighten the aasimars suspicion that the woman knows more than she is letting on. "The cult of the Great Prophet is still at work in the world," she tells them, "--but it's said it's members are few. The Nephians do worship in that way, if rumors are to be believed. But then, everything that is known about the Nephians is rumor." A shrug and a wry smile. "One would have to speak to one, if one could find one, to know anything for sure, and that is not likely to happen this day or the next, or even the next after that. Even should one wish to. They are said to be fearsome folk indeed..."
When Ebri quickly turns the conversation to the question of Melisandes parentage, the aasimar is even more convinced that Ebri has secrets, but replies that the problem is that her mother refused to ever tell her what had happened, and who her father was. The poor young blue girl had suffered a bit as a child from the odd looks and stares, and the whispered rumours. Boys would dare each other to kiss her. Her mother was fiercely protective of her daughter, even physically beating those who might try and run her out of town. Several times during the past few days young Mel has missed that maternal protection dearly.
At Ebri's comment that ones worth is determined by what is inside, not the colour of the skin, Mel replies: "What's on the outside is important. We are creatures of our world, and what is on the outside is what is in contact with the world; it's the part of us that shapes and is shaped."
You might think it's all silly and superficial, but it's my life; colored blue."
The blue-skinned maybe-an-aasimar walks on in silence.
Cavern Company: The Chattering Mimir
As they prepare to set off into the night, several members of the party voice their complaints at Sebastions treatment of them during the past escapade; the women think he's been treating them 'like a herd of cows', and make it clear that they're unhappy with being ordered around, even if he is a professional soldier (which he isn't, he's little more than a new recruit to a mercenary band, but from his manner they've assumed his experience). Mel calms down enough to realise they may have been a little harsh, and thanks him for staying with them and helping them when he could have easily struck out on his own at any point. The aasimar then announces her intent to head north - there's no way she's heading back south now, she's a turncoat Manipulator with no intent to put herself in the hands of a Carthagian military force - and Ebri decides to accompany her with the words "If north is where you are going, then I am going there too. We are not to the bottom of your shadow mystery." Sandslipper informs the others that she too is heading north, with a package she intends to deliver to a Naserian sorceror in the capital city, and since she doesn't realy know the way, it seems wise to seek safety in numbers.
They head north, not willing to sit around in the chilly damp and freeze to death.
Soon they come across the half-eaten carcass of a horse - Sebastions horse, which had been killed during the battle earlier. It seems the dreadspawn had dragged the body away to eat it, but they'd left all the gear attached since they had no interest in it. With the monsters seemingly no longer present, the warrior was jubilant to recover his equipment and above all his fathers two-bladed sword that was still tied amidst the bags.
They slog on through the night, chilled, exhausted and hungry. As they go, Melisande perches the mimir on her shoulder and asks it questions eagerly.
"Mimir: tell me everything you have about the Fire Serpent Rod that Asak was carrying. I want to know why your former owner wanted it so badly.
"I'd also like to hear anything you might have about the Great Prophet, or this symbol I have on this pendant--the eye on the triangle."
She lowers her voice to a whisper, holding the silver skull close to her lips. "And--on the off-chance- have you ever heard anything about blue people before?" - the young aasimar is eager to learn more of her origins, being blue-skinned herself.
The mimir begins to chatter away, eyes glowing, as it reels of a number of recordings:
In response to Melisande's questioning, the mimir reeled off a number of recordings, eyes glowing brightly as it did so.
* * *
The wheezing, male voice that they had heard relate the story of Asak and the Fire Serpent rod earlier. "I've discovered something rather intriguing - mention of an object that I would be most interested in adding to my collection. It'd probably fetch quite a good price if I sold it onto a Flame Guildsman or one of the elemental savants of the Khaya-Dura order, I reckon. Some travellers described a kobold colony in the borderlands which raided their caravan; a shaman of some sort wielding a rod that summoned a fiery serpent was involved. A little bit of research in the libraries, and I've turned up a few references to a 'Fire Serpent' rod mentioned; some sort of elementally attuned arcane focus for fire, noted as beingi in the possession of one mage or another. I have no idea how it came to be in the hands of some kobold primitive but it should prove an easy steal - I doubt the kobolds will prove any match for my magic. Even now I prepare to head south to investigate this, hopefully to return with the rod."
* * *
A deeper, gruff male voice. "Study of the runes in this tomb, like the others, reveals the emblem usually associated with the cult of the Great Prophet. It seems that whatever happened here, it resulted in a large number of these tombs being built in a short period of time; perhaps the followers of the Great Prophet were once more numerous until some catastrophe resulted in their significant diminishment and the construction of the tombs."
"The tombs seem bare of any grave goods or other treasure; it's likely grave-robbers have already plundered them, or they've simply fallen into dust, since my estimations reckon these tombs to be very old, perhaps over a thousand years in age. The tombs themselves remain impenetrable to my tools."
* * *
A human voice, a male. "I've spent the last few days researching, but I've found what I was looking for. The emblem the assassin was wearing is apparently the same as that of the cult of the Great Prophet - some sort of doomsday cult or something, I read, but there're barely any details about them written anywhere so only the Elders know what the hell the truth is. I'm not sure what the implications of this are. The assassin was a Nephian, I'm sure, but whether this means the Nephians worship the Great Prophet or whether he was given the emblem by whoever took out the contract on me is unclear. What is clear is that I'm going to have to be pretty careful. I must report the assassination of my comrades to the Bloodkin as soon as possible."
* * *
Another male voice, one that sounds used to giving orders. "The Nephians who were killed during the attack all wore strange emblems that the Truth Seekers tell me is the symbol of a minor deity called the Great Prophet. They seemed surprised though - seems that they thought it was a dead religion, since there're a handful of ancient tombs scattered across the Drakkath that bear that emblem, especially around the Plain of Sorrows near Adbar. It's likely it was just a contract killing, the usual process of Nephian assassins being hired by someone else. Hopefully we'll catch whoever's behind it - curse those assassins for being successful, the Grand Master Fire Lord was a truly good man. I've ordered all reports be filed in the main fortress of the Flame Hawks in Corvus."
* * *
A strong, regal female voice. "Nas, when you get this message, get your lazy blue-skinned arse out of the shop and over the the Lady's Ward right away. Me, Scar and Klentais will probably already be there - head for outside the Temple of the Abyss, the word is that some Arcanatum agents have been spotted skulking around! And if you turn up still high on those sodding Sensate drugs I swear you'll be in serious trouble."
* * *
The same male, melodic voice that had been in the first message that the mimir had ever relayed - the first owner ever. "We've just arrived on the first layer of... heh... Heaven. Sounds wierd to say it, even when you're there. Severin planeshifted us straight into an aasimar settlement - apparently they're his relatives, but most of the sods are blue-skinned like me. Anyway, even from here we can see the black stain on the landscape that's the invading army. Heh, the stuff of legends - heaven against hell - always wished I'd see something like this. Well, now I'm here, I'm sodding terrified, I have to admit. Tomorrow we teleport closer and see where Kilshanor's got himself too."
* * *
The mimir falls silent once more, leaving the listeners to digest this new information...
Melisande is intrigued by both the information that this perhaps reveals about her ancestry - she's never considered she might be an aasimar (a term she's come across in her studies), and while this might explain a few things it's also a disturbing concept - and by the information about the Fire Serpent rod she has in her hands. It's slightly worrying though, to think that she's carrying something Flame Guildsmen might well kill to get their hands on... All the talk of Nephians has raised her suspicions as well. Looks like at some point she's going to have to have a serious talk with Ebri about Nephians...
Ebir's own response to the new information serves to heighten the aasimars suspicion that the woman knows more than she is letting on. "The cult of the Great Prophet is still at work in the world," she tells them, "--but it's said it's members are few. The Nephians do worship in that way, if rumors are to be believed. But then, everything that is known about the Nephians is rumor." A shrug and a wry smile. "One would have to speak to one, if one could find one, to know anything for sure, and that is not likely to happen this day or the next, or even the next after that. Even should one wish to. They are said to be fearsome folk indeed..."
When Ebri quickly turns the conversation to the question of Melisandes parentage, the aasimar is even more convinced that Ebri has secrets, but replies that the problem is that her mother refused to ever tell her what had happened, and who her father was. The poor young blue girl had suffered a bit as a child from the odd looks and stares, and the whispered rumours. Boys would dare each other to kiss her. Her mother was fiercely protective of her daughter, even physically beating those who might try and run her out of town. Several times during the past few days young Mel has missed that maternal protection dearly.
At Ebri's comment that ones worth is determined by what is inside, not the colour of the skin, Mel replies: "What's on the outside is important. We are creatures of our world, and what is on the outside is what is in contact with the world; it's the part of us that shapes and is shaped."
You might think it's all silly and superficial, but it's my life; colored blue."
The blue-skinned maybe-an-aasimar walks on in silence.
on him!
ideas about the character Ebri...
I wish this Raven guy hurries up.... 
