Eye of Profane Truth

[Albedo]

OOC: That wasn't nice. i didn't say anything about going to sleep . Oh well, go with the flow.

"I'm impressed. You guys got here pretty quick. One sec, I gotta get comfortable." Cann casts timestop and then uses a greater teleport to go near his things, deciding NOT to take the manacles with him. He will then use whatever actions he has to pick up as much of his stuff as possible (sword and buckler first, gloves second, everything else is last). If he has more than two rounds in his timestop, he will ready an action to cast timestop if the guards make any hostile moves towards him. Should all this go to plan, he will exit the timestop and resume the conversation. "Thats better. Now, do tell. Who are you and how did you get me so quickly? Not that I really care. I was just testing the law enforcement around here to see if it was up to par."

 

[Rkhet]

"Is it certain that this Lady Velshara would ascend to the throne were King Sarim... removed?"

"Others will strive to fill this vacuum, certainly. Lady Valshara is as much of the royal bloodline as any of the other candidates could claim. The difference, however, is that she will have the full backing of the Church."


/ooc: Albedo: well, you mentioned fiddling with your spells list... Don't worry, this one is not lethal.

Cann: The man smiles politely and pauses while you go through the motions of your spell. You notice that none of the four robed figures are trying to stop you. Then you knew why: you are inside an antimagic field. The shackles on your arms are more than they seem.

The man speaks on as if uninterrupted: "Perhaps introductions are in order. I am Sarim Khizareth, King of Vinecastle." He gestures at one of the robed figures, who unlocks your shackles. "And, as you can see, I come in peace."

Even so, you notice that the four robed figures have taken position around you, ready to strike at a moment's notice.

"...how did you get me so quickly?"

"That is something I'm quite proud of, actually. Surely, you must understand the difficulties of policing a city this size with simple, average human soldiers." The robed figure to your left hands you what seems to be a small strip of human skin. You notice a criss-crossing pattern, a tattoo of some kind.

"A trinket of lesser magic, cheaply mass-produced by the mage-foundries. This alerts the palace and shows me the last moments of a guardsman's death. It was quite impressive, by the by."

"Of course, that you prefer to sleep without your protective spells was a boon to us, too."

 

[Nephtys]

She chuckles. "Your magics do not help when your very thoughts are written in the way you move and in the sound of your pulse, leech."

"There is no need for him to die. If you can convince him to give up the throne willingly, then all the better. But if you cannot... you must understand that much is at stake here. Why does Sarim hoard his troops? Perhaps he seeks a bargain with Naramyr. Perhaps he seeks to betray the Empire while we are distracted. Even if he does not, 20,000 of Vinecastle's best could be the difference between winning or losing the war. Troubled times call for desperate measures. If slaying Sarim is what is required, then sobeit."

"The King's agents are many. But I know that you are not among them. This is why I am asking you."

"But I am going ahead of myself. Your companions have stated their desires. What is yours? What can the Church offer you?"

Cold rage bubbles up to the surface, replaced in an instant with equally cold calculation.
"Leech? I am no more a leach than you are, and no less. Normally I suppose an Ur Priest would argue the point, but let's just say that the matter personal choice and responsibility makes your moral judgements irrelevant. Insult me again, however, and I will reduce this church to ruins. And all I'd have to do is what any commoner could do, denounce your treachery. There are spells that can prove my word, to King or court, beyond any doubt."

"The question, then, is what can you offer me? To keep your secret and to remove your enemy. What do I need that you can offer?"

"You cannot offer salvation, because you are not greater than your God and what he has failed to do you can never accomplish. Nor can you offer answers, because you have revealed yourself as a deciever and your church as an institution of betrayal. No, what I want from you is quite simple. Wealth, magic and power."

"Now," he smiles far too widely, eyes remaining midnight cold, "make me an offer I will not find insulting."

 

[Pyrex]

Lessa waits to see how she responds to Moreth, then asks "What else can you tell us of King Sarim?"

 

[Rkhet]

"Do not think to blackmail me, ur-priest. That the church plots against him is nothing new to the king. If he could reduce the church to ruins, with no fear of the Legion, then he would have already done so."

"On the other hand, ur-priests are greeted with sword and fire anywhere, imperial soil or otherwise."

"But there is no need to exchange threats. You wish wealth? Vinecastle is rich from its export of wine and elven slaves. I will make sure that Lady Valshara rewards you all handsomely, once she sits on the throne. As for magic and power, the church has a few items it no longer has need for. We are fully aware of the need to reward well those that serve us. Especially," she nods in Rhakzan's direction, "if any of you would fight alongside us once this is over."

"The Kizarethian bloodline dates back to the War of the Dragons. Sarim can claim descendency from Talric Kizareth, who, while not as prominent as the legendary Wyrmslayers, was a great general and hero in the Empire's founding. When the First Emperor died and the empire was at the brink of civil war, it was him that lead the Knights of the Frost into the Imperial City and suppressed the warring factions with great slaughter, securing the throne for the second Emperor, Kaalt. For this he was granted his own kingdom. From Talric down, Sarim is the fifteenth monarch of Vinecastle."

"He came into power nine years ago, still wet behind his ears. It was a compromise between various factions, meant to provide little more than a puppet. But he proved much better at courtly intrigues than anyone imagined. Nowadays, you would be hard-pressed to find a force in the city not at his beck and call. Save for us."

"Sarim has studied the arcane arts, and he is an adequate swordsman, but far as we could tell he does not have the kind of power that you possess. However, we know that he has gathered many powerful beings around himself. Moreover, the Order of the Frost is absolutely loyal to him. Your task will not be an easy one."

"Have you been to the palatial tower? It is a replica of the legendary Black Tower, almost an artifact in its own right. Far as we know, it contains at least nine 'floors', each a non-space, similiar to a portable hole but much larger. The ground floor is open to all - it is where the day-to-day business of the kingdom is conducted. The other floors are accessible only by those wearing amulet-keys. Sarim spends most of his days in one of the higher floors, out of sight of even our most powerful divinations. The church has been barred from most of the palace, so I cannot tell you much more. But I suspect that the floors are heavily trapped and warded - it would be most unwise to attack him there."

 

[Pyrex]

"Then it appears we must lure him out of his tower. When is he known to leave it?"

 

[silentspace]

"I suppose, you seek an alliance with the Church? There are practical difficulties with this, you understand. I am not the only one blessed with the Sight, and others may not be so flexible."

"This Church of the High Lord that you speak of so proudly and vainly. What is it? Why would I seek an alliance with it?"

 

[Nephtys]

""The truth could ruin you in more ways than one. And if my identity is revealed it would only force me securely into the camp of your greatest enemy, making him that much more powerful. But for now, very well. I'll do your wicked bidding."

"Can the demiplane of the Palace be entered at any point, by divination or Gate? Can its wards be broken or dispelled? Are the wearers of the keys fully protected against scrying? If these options are closed to us we must try to draw him out of hiding, and the best way to do that is to threaten something he values. Now, before I burn half the city to the ground, do you have a more specific suggestion?"

 

[Albedo]

OOC: My mentioning of the tinkering was just a forewarning. Theres no way I'd sleep without making a few preperations. But I probably should have made that clearer.

"So, what does the almighty king want with a nobody like me?" Cann smiles a crafty smile.

 

[Rkhet]

"This Church of the High Lord that you speak of so proudly and vainly. What is it? Why would I seek an alliance with it?"

"Wherever the Imperial Standard flies, there is the Church. We worship the Perfect as the High Lord of all, and we venerate the heroes of the Empire as saints and martyrs. In times of peace, our clerics heal the sick, shelter the poor, and do what we can to ease the hardships of daily life. In times of war, our warpriests join the ranks of imperial soldiers, as healers, advisors, and sometimes as generals."

I'll do your wicked bidding.

"I offer no defense, and I suspect that this will weigh heavily on my soul when my judgment comes, but that is the choice I have made."

Can the demiplane of the Palace be entered at any point, by divination or Gate? Can its wards be broken or dispelled? Are the wearers of the keys fully protected against scrying?

"The interior of the tower cannot be scryed from the outside - this I know from personal experience. Nor could it be scryed from one level to another. As for planar travel... our diviners have not been able to locate the demiplanes of the tower, and not for lack of trying. With no idea where they are in the multiverse, it would be impossible to Gate inside."

"The tower draws its power from the very land it stands upon. Dispelling and the like cannot affect it. It may be possible to dispel individual wards inside, but even those will regenerate quickly."

"Key amulets should not to be too difficult to find, for the lower levels at least. Many of his generals and advisors, and even some of the tower's servants and guards carry them, and they mostly live outside the tower. Keys for the upper levels are rarer, though, and Sarim has the only key to the uppermost level in his signet ring."

"If you are to try this, you will need to obtain Identity Rings. Those rings are attached to their wearers by magic and turn into dust if forcibly removed. Anyone entering the tower without them will alert all its guards."

"Then it appears we must lure him out of his tower. When is he known to leave it?"

"There are rumors that the King likes to, as they say, sow his wild oats. If this is so, then he must have been very discreet, for we do not know who his mistresses may be. But that is a lead you can follow up on."

"Alternatively, you could try the mage-foundries, the Arcane Order guildhouse, or the barracks. He inspects them periodically. He is always heavily defended in those occasions, however."

*

Cann

"So, what does the almighty king want with a nobody like me?" Cann smiles a crafty smile.

"Nobody? Strangely enough, that is true. For someone so skilled in the deadly arts, you have not the reputation to match, and nor does your companions. Perhaps you would care to divulge your origins? In any case, you and your companions are not of Empire or Church, nor do you appear to be agents of the Wyrmslayer. For now, that is enough."

"The Empire has exhausted its might. The Legion is nowhere to be seen. Yet Naramyr has overextended his forces and will ultimately fail. For a man with ambition and the power to match, opportunity beckons. What I want from you, and from your companions should you be able to convince them, is loyalty."

"Serve me, and you shall have whatever you desire, so long as it is within my power. Serve me, and whatever I gain in the war to come, you will be guaranteed a share. If you are ever offered a better deal, come to me, and I will double it."

"And when I sit upon the crystal throne, you will have your own kingdom to rule or ruin as you see fit."