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<blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 7345112" data-attributes="member: 143"><p>I'm back! This is the final post of Book 5.</p><p></p><p>* * * </p><p></p><p>Chapter 123</p><p></p><p>The holding cells were in the cellar of the Governor’s House, squeezed in among storerooms and sleeping quarters for the lowest-ranking members of his staff. They occupied one corner of the building, four small rooms accessed by a narrow hallway. A narrow, barred window set at ground level—near the ceiling of the cellar—let in a meager light.</p><p></p><p>A lock in that door rattled, and after a moment the iron-bound portal swung open on creaky hinges. Bredan stepped forward into the hallway alone. He had a lamp in one hand and a small parcel wrapped in cloth in the other. He wasn’t wearing his armor, and if he’d brought his sword he had left it outside. After a moment the door swung shut behind him and the lock clicked shut.</p><p></p><p>After a moment’s hesitation he started forward down the length of the cell block. The cell doors were made of layered wooden planks that had been generously banded with iron. Each had a horizontal slit in the center, surrounded by more iron banding that jutted out at the bottom of the gap to form a narrow shelf.</p><p></p><p>Bredan walked all of the way to the last cell. There was a stool there, and he set the lamp on top of it before turning to the door.</p><p></p><p>“Are you awake?” he asked. “Rodan?”</p><p></p><p>There was no response, and after a moment Bredan stuffed the parcel into the slot in the door. It barely fit, and jutted out from the opening when he managed to get it wedged in place. “I brought you something to eat,” he said. “It’s not much, just something from the kitchen at the inn. Better than what they have here, probably.”</p><p></p><p>After a moment, the package wriggled and then disappeared into the darkness beyond the door.</p><p></p><p>Bredan put the lamp on the floor in front of him and sat down. “I’m sorry about this,” he said. “But you lied to us.”</p><p></p><p>“I never lied to you,” came a soft voice from the cell.</p><p></p><p>“Leaving aside the whole disguise thing, you said that the amulet gave you resistance to fire.”</p><p></p><p>“No,” Rodan said. “I said it was magic, and that I have resistance to fire. Both are true.”</p><p></p><p>Bredan shook his head. “That’s splitting hairs.”</p><p></p><p>“Sometimes that’s all I can do. You’re angry because I concealed my true nature from you. You were with Xeeta for a while, yes? Surely you saw how people treat us.”</p><p></p><p>“I’m not like that.”</p><p></p><p>“Maybe. Maybe not. For what it’s worth, I was going to tell you. I was about to, when Caleron interrupted us. I wouldn’t… it wasn’t my intent for that to happen.”</p><p></p><p>“From what I know of illusion magic, I would have found out real quick if things had… progressed,” Bredan said.</p><p></p><p>“From that discussion in the inn, before the dwarf returned… you have been keeping your own secrets.”</p><p></p><p>“That’s different,” Bredan said. “That’s something that was done to me, I had no control over it.”</p><p></p><p>“Yet you chose to keep it from your friends. And I am what I am… I had no control over who… or <em>what</em> my parents are.”</p><p></p><p>“But Xeeta said you were an assassin. You started to deny it, but after she confronted you with it…”</p><p></p><p>The voice that came through the door sounded tired. “Then ask her, she’ll tell you.”</p><p></p><p>“She won’t talk about it. She just says that you and she had both been part of an underground organization in Li Syval, a group that commited crimes and killed people.”</p><p></p><p>“She’s right.”</p><p></p><p>“That’s not good enough,” Bredan said. “I want answers.”</p><p></p><p>“You want answers. Are you sure that’s what you want?”</p><p></p><p>“I want the truth. I think I deserve that.”</p><p></p><p>There was a long silence. Finally, Rodan said, “I was born of the union of a mortal woman and a fiend… a creature commonly called a devil. Such entities are rarely drawn to this realm for innocent purposes. This one was summoned on purpose, by a cult in Li Syval that venerated such entities. Or more accurately, perhaps, venerated the power that they could grant.”</p><p></p><p>“I wasn’t the only one who was created out of such a… joining. Xeeta was another, and a number of others. The cult raised us. Our fiendish progenitors… they did not stick around, let’s just say. The cult trained us to be tools. Weapons. To steal, to destroy, and yes, to kill, when it suited their purposes. The ‘gifts’ that our bloodline grants us make us freaks, but they also make us powerful. You’ve seen some of them. We’re resistant to fire, can see in the dark… and we very often display magical talents as we age.”</p><p></p><p>“That… that sounds awful,” Bredan said.</p><p></p><p>“It was all that we knew,” Rodan continued. “The techniques that the cult used to maintain control of their ‘Blooded’—that’s what they called us—were strict. Few of us defied commands more than once. Every now and again one of us would become willful, refuse to cooperate. Maybe it was in their blood. The cult made very those into examples for the rest. I saw it happen once. Needless to say, it was a convincing lesson.”</p><p></p><p>Bredan, pale, shook his head but didn’t say anything.</p><p></p><p>“Even though they controlled us so effectively, there were some among us who resisted, who carefully concealed that resistance from all save for a few among the Blooded. For a long time there was nothing they could do. The cult leaders were too careful, and they were on the ascendence. The cult had used its power to rise to a position of influence in Li Syval.”</p><p></p><p>“Then things began to take a turn for the worse. A new faction arose in the Ruling Council, and there was a backlash against groups that relied on magic for their power. Two prominent figures in the cult were exposed as devil-worshippers, and the population unified against the rest in horror. Our masters were driven underground, back where they had started.”</p><p></p><p>“We didn’t know much about what was happening at the time. We only saw the wider world on missions, and those were carefully controlled so that there was little risk of revealing our true nature. We were told that if others learned what we were, we’d be executed immediately for the crime of being what we were.”</p><p></p><p>“A few of us decided it was time to risk escape. We planned every detail, every possible contingency. We had to be careful; even though the cult leaders’ desperation was causing them to send us on more and more missions, they were still watching us closely.”</p><p></p><p>“I never learned how they found out about our plans. Maybe one of us betrayed us to them; maybe we weren’t as careful as we thought. Maybe it was just bad luck. I don’t know if they decided we were no longer worth the trouble, but I remember it when Keesa—she was one of the oldest among us—she was killed, right in front of me. They came into our quarters and just started killing. I remember picking up a dagger and stabbing one of them. I can still remember what it felt like. I’ve killed a lot of people, Bredan. But somehow that one, I can’t forget her face.”</p><p></p><p>“In the confusion, a few of us managed to get out. They hadn’t found out all of our secrets, and there was a way out of the complex that they didn’t know about. We… we got separated. There was more fighting, all over the lair. They weren’t just killing us; apparently some members of the cult were settling old scores. I hope they all wiped each other out.”</p><p></p><p>“Up until the moment I saw Xeeta in that common room, I didn’t know if any of the others had made it out. I ran, and I never stopped running. The amulet helped me escape; I’d used it on some missions to conceal my appearance, and knew how to use it to hide what I was.”</p><p></p><p>“If you had it, why didn’t you just leave earlier?” Bredan asked.</p><p></p><p>“They never sent us alone,” Rodan said. “They knew how to turn us against each other. And they knew which of us were close to each other. They knew how to use that, too.”</p><p></p><p>“Gods,” Bredan said. “Why… if Xeeta was with you, why did she denounce you?”</p><p></p><p>“I don’t know. Maybe she thinks I was the traitor, that I betrayed our plans to escape. Or maybe I’m just a reminder of who… of <em>what</em> we are.”</p><p></p><p>“I don’t understand,” Bredan said. “If you had the amulet… how did she recognize you?”</p><p></p><p>“Stupidity,” Rodan said. “I kept my own face, and my name, the name she knew. I took away the features my father gave me, but I kept my own face, otherwise. It was a mistake. But I needed to keep <em>something</em> of myself.”</p><p></p><p>“That’s not your name?”</p><p></p><p>“It’s not the name they gave me,” Rodan said. “But some of us, we chose our own names. I should have picked something different, a new name for a new life. But I could not.”</p><p></p><p>“I want to believe you,” Bredan said. “You fought with us. You risked your life against the chimera. But you weren’t with us when we went to the mine. Kosk said that one of the local leaders was involved, that he helped arrange for some locals to ambush us, to join that mage. Quellan and Glori both think he’s the same one that attacked us with the giants on the road to the valley.”</p><p></p><p>“I wasn’t involved with that,” Rodan said. “But I see how it looks. Somebody had to tip them off to where you were, that you were going to the mine. Somebody who knew the terrain well enough to set up an ambush.”</p><p></p><p>“We talked to the miners, they confirmed that you were with them until you got to town.”</p><p></p><p>“But, I am a tiefling, an acknowledged killer and knave, spawn of the lower planes. If someone could have pulled it off, surely it was one such as I.”</p><p></p><p>“I don’t think that’s true,” Bredan said. “Maybe I’m just some dumb yokel, smart enough to pound metal but nothing better. But I don’t think you’re that good of a liar.”</p><p></p><p>“You haven’t seen enough of the world yet, my friend.”</p><p></p><p>“Well… I’m sorry it had to come to this. Maybe we can work it all out when we get back.”</p><p></p><p>“You’re going then. To investigate this map of yours.”</p><p></p><p>“Yeah. Like I said. I need answers.”</p><p></p><p>For a moment the tiefling’s face appeared in the narrow opening in the door. “Be careful, Bredan. I wasn’t lying when I said that the south valley is dangerous. And if there is something important at that spot where the lines of power meet, you might not be the only one drawn to it.”</p><p></p><p>Bredan nodded. “We’ll be careful.” He picked up the lamp and stood. “I’ll talk to the guards, make sure they treat you okay. Quellan’s already spoken with the Governor. It may be frontier law up here, but there’s still law, and nobody’s proven that you’ve done anything.”</p><p></p><p>“Well, thanks for that, I suppose.”</p><p></p><p>“I’m sorry.”</p><p></p><p>He started to turn away, but Rodan asked, “Xeeta? Is she going with you?”</p><p></p><p>“I believe so. Her power… it’s quite considerable.”</p><p></p><p>“She’s always had a gift for magic. Well, good. I’m sure the locals would be happy to toss her in the cell next to mine, if she wasn’t with you.”</p><p></p><p>“You’re not going to tell me to watch her, that she can’t be trusted?”</p><p></p><p>“No. If anything, the opposite. None of us are ‘good,’ Bredan. I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you the truth sooner, when it could have made a difference. But I hope you find what you’re looking for.”</p><p></p><p>Bredan didn’t respond, he just turned and walked back down the hall to the exit.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lazybones, post: 7345112, member: 143"] I'm back! This is the final post of Book 5. * * * Chapter 123 The holding cells were in the cellar of the Governor’s House, squeezed in among storerooms and sleeping quarters for the lowest-ranking members of his staff. They occupied one corner of the building, four small rooms accessed by a narrow hallway. A narrow, barred window set at ground level—near the ceiling of the cellar—let in a meager light. A lock in that door rattled, and after a moment the iron-bound portal swung open on creaky hinges. Bredan stepped forward into the hallway alone. He had a lamp in one hand and a small parcel wrapped in cloth in the other. He wasn’t wearing his armor, and if he’d brought his sword he had left it outside. After a moment the door swung shut behind him and the lock clicked shut. After a moment’s hesitation he started forward down the length of the cell block. The cell doors were made of layered wooden planks that had been generously banded with iron. Each had a horizontal slit in the center, surrounded by more iron banding that jutted out at the bottom of the gap to form a narrow shelf. Bredan walked all of the way to the last cell. There was a stool there, and he set the lamp on top of it before turning to the door. “Are you awake?” he asked. “Rodan?” There was no response, and after a moment Bredan stuffed the parcel into the slot in the door. It barely fit, and jutted out from the opening when he managed to get it wedged in place. “I brought you something to eat,” he said. “It’s not much, just something from the kitchen at the inn. Better than what they have here, probably.” After a moment, the package wriggled and then disappeared into the darkness beyond the door. Bredan put the lamp on the floor in front of him and sat down. “I’m sorry about this,” he said. “But you lied to us.” “I never lied to you,” came a soft voice from the cell. “Leaving aside the whole disguise thing, you said that the amulet gave you resistance to fire.” “No,” Rodan said. “I said it was magic, and that I have resistance to fire. Both are true.” Bredan shook his head. “That’s splitting hairs.” “Sometimes that’s all I can do. You’re angry because I concealed my true nature from you. You were with Xeeta for a while, yes? Surely you saw how people treat us.” “I’m not like that.” “Maybe. Maybe not. For what it’s worth, I was going to tell you. I was about to, when Caleron interrupted us. I wouldn’t… it wasn’t my intent for that to happen.” “From what I know of illusion magic, I would have found out real quick if things had… progressed,” Bredan said. “From that discussion in the inn, before the dwarf returned… you have been keeping your own secrets.” “That’s different,” Bredan said. “That’s something that was done to me, I had no control over it.” “Yet you chose to keep it from your friends. And I am what I am… I had no control over who… or [i]what[/i] my parents are.” “But Xeeta said you were an assassin. You started to deny it, but after she confronted you with it…” The voice that came through the door sounded tired. “Then ask her, she’ll tell you.” “She won’t talk about it. She just says that you and she had both been part of an underground organization in Li Syval, a group that commited crimes and killed people.” “She’s right.” “That’s not good enough,” Bredan said. “I want answers.” “You want answers. Are you sure that’s what you want?” “I want the truth. I think I deserve that.” There was a long silence. Finally, Rodan said, “I was born of the union of a mortal woman and a fiend… a creature commonly called a devil. Such entities are rarely drawn to this realm for innocent purposes. This one was summoned on purpose, by a cult in Li Syval that venerated such entities. Or more accurately, perhaps, venerated the power that they could grant.” “I wasn’t the only one who was created out of such a… joining. Xeeta was another, and a number of others. The cult raised us. Our fiendish progenitors… they did not stick around, let’s just say. The cult trained us to be tools. Weapons. To steal, to destroy, and yes, to kill, when it suited their purposes. The ‘gifts’ that our bloodline grants us make us freaks, but they also make us powerful. You’ve seen some of them. We’re resistant to fire, can see in the dark… and we very often display magical talents as we age.” “That… that sounds awful,” Bredan said. “It was all that we knew,” Rodan continued. “The techniques that the cult used to maintain control of their ‘Blooded’—that’s what they called us—were strict. Few of us defied commands more than once. Every now and again one of us would become willful, refuse to cooperate. Maybe it was in their blood. The cult made very those into examples for the rest. I saw it happen once. Needless to say, it was a convincing lesson.” Bredan, pale, shook his head but didn’t say anything. “Even though they controlled us so effectively, there were some among us who resisted, who carefully concealed that resistance from all save for a few among the Blooded. For a long time there was nothing they could do. The cult leaders were too careful, and they were on the ascendence. The cult had used its power to rise to a position of influence in Li Syval.” “Then things began to take a turn for the worse. A new faction arose in the Ruling Council, and there was a backlash against groups that relied on magic for their power. Two prominent figures in the cult were exposed as devil-worshippers, and the population unified against the rest in horror. Our masters were driven underground, back where they had started.” “We didn’t know much about what was happening at the time. We only saw the wider world on missions, and those were carefully controlled so that there was little risk of revealing our true nature. We were told that if others learned what we were, we’d be executed immediately for the crime of being what we were.” “A few of us decided it was time to risk escape. We planned every detail, every possible contingency. We had to be careful; even though the cult leaders’ desperation was causing them to send us on more and more missions, they were still watching us closely.” “I never learned how they found out about our plans. Maybe one of us betrayed us to them; maybe we weren’t as careful as we thought. Maybe it was just bad luck. I don’t know if they decided we were no longer worth the trouble, but I remember it when Keesa—she was one of the oldest among us—she was killed, right in front of me. They came into our quarters and just started killing. I remember picking up a dagger and stabbing one of them. I can still remember what it felt like. I’ve killed a lot of people, Bredan. But somehow that one, I can’t forget her face.” “In the confusion, a few of us managed to get out. They hadn’t found out all of our secrets, and there was a way out of the complex that they didn’t know about. We… we got separated. There was more fighting, all over the lair. They weren’t just killing us; apparently some members of the cult were settling old scores. I hope they all wiped each other out.” “Up until the moment I saw Xeeta in that common room, I didn’t know if any of the others had made it out. I ran, and I never stopped running. The amulet helped me escape; I’d used it on some missions to conceal my appearance, and knew how to use it to hide what I was.” “If you had it, why didn’t you just leave earlier?” Bredan asked. “They never sent us alone,” Rodan said. “They knew how to turn us against each other. And they knew which of us were close to each other. They knew how to use that, too.” “Gods,” Bredan said. “Why… if Xeeta was with you, why did she denounce you?” “I don’t know. Maybe she thinks I was the traitor, that I betrayed our plans to escape. Or maybe I’m just a reminder of who… of [i]what[/i] we are.” “I don’t understand,” Bredan said. “If you had the amulet… how did she recognize you?” “Stupidity,” Rodan said. “I kept my own face, and my name, the name she knew. I took away the features my father gave me, but I kept my own face, otherwise. It was a mistake. But I needed to keep [i]something[/i] of myself.” “That’s not your name?” “It’s not the name they gave me,” Rodan said. “But some of us, we chose our own names. I should have picked something different, a new name for a new life. But I could not.” “I want to believe you,” Bredan said. “You fought with us. You risked your life against the chimera. But you weren’t with us when we went to the mine. Kosk said that one of the local leaders was involved, that he helped arrange for some locals to ambush us, to join that mage. Quellan and Glori both think he’s the same one that attacked us with the giants on the road to the valley.” “I wasn’t involved with that,” Rodan said. “But I see how it looks. Somebody had to tip them off to where you were, that you were going to the mine. Somebody who knew the terrain well enough to set up an ambush.” “We talked to the miners, they confirmed that you were with them until you got to town.” “But, I am a tiefling, an acknowledged killer and knave, spawn of the lower planes. If someone could have pulled it off, surely it was one such as I.” “I don’t think that’s true,” Bredan said. “Maybe I’m just some dumb yokel, smart enough to pound metal but nothing better. But I don’t think you’re that good of a liar.” “You haven’t seen enough of the world yet, my friend.” “Well… I’m sorry it had to come to this. Maybe we can work it all out when we get back.” “You’re going then. To investigate this map of yours.” “Yeah. Like I said. I need answers.” For a moment the tiefling’s face appeared in the narrow opening in the door. “Be careful, Bredan. I wasn’t lying when I said that the south valley is dangerous. And if there is something important at that spot where the lines of power meet, you might not be the only one drawn to it.” Bredan nodded. “We’ll be careful.” He picked up the lamp and stood. “I’ll talk to the guards, make sure they treat you okay. Quellan’s already spoken with the Governor. It may be frontier law up here, but there’s still law, and nobody’s proven that you’ve done anything.” “Well, thanks for that, I suppose.” “I’m sorry.” He started to turn away, but Rodan asked, “Xeeta? Is she going with you?” “I believe so. Her power… it’s quite considerable.” “She’s always had a gift for magic. Well, good. I’m sure the locals would be happy to toss her in the cell next to mine, if she wasn’t with you.” “You’re not going to tell me to watch her, that she can’t be trusted?” “No. If anything, the opposite. None of us are ‘good,’ Bredan. I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you the truth sooner, when it could have made a difference. But I hope you find what you’re looking for.” Bredan didn’t respond, he just turned and walked back down the hall to the exit. [/QUOTE]
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