Heroes, Inc. Day 3+, Voyage to Sarkon

[DM_Matt]

[sblock]Alethia looks at the caster steadily. "I am Alethia Sadinel, a priestess and ranger of Selune, currently in the employ of the mercenary band called the Hidden shield, which is in turn employed by the Lords of Waterdeep. We are on quest for them, to find a sword that may help us in defeating a powerful demon called Zura and whatever allies the demon may have. We spotted Rianna's ship in the harbor and also observed her and her pirates taking the islanders prisoners, obviously either for slaves or food. We could not in good conscious go on our way without at least trying to stop her." she smiled wryly.

"And we were doing a fairly good job of it too," she said in a kind of gallows humour.


ooc:
Would Alethia be smart enough to guess that they are casting some sort of truth spell like discern lies or zone of truth or a protection type of spell?[/sblock]

[sblock]
She would guess that.

Its hard to guage the masked caster's reaction.

She says "If that is the case, what is your relationship with the Zarun family? Why does your ship bear their insignia?

Meanwhile, Alethia find that her head doest hurt anymore. However, she also feels sleepy and finds it hard to look away from the caster's mask.
[/sblock]

 

[kirinke]

[sblock] "Our relationship to the Zarun family is purely an arraingment through the council. Lord Aiden Zarun offered the use of his ship for the mission and we accepted, though with some reservation." she said sleepily, distantly.

She blinks owlishly at the flickering, feathered mask. "My head doesn't hurt anymore." she said, her voice sounding somewhat surprised, though far off in her ears. At the same time, she realizes something important. "You're drugging me..."

ooc:
I don't know what else to call it. any ideas on how to say 'slipping someone a mickie?' in fantasy speech?
[/sblock]

 

[Hawkeye]

Anyone have any divinations to find the others?

Hawkeye

 

[Hypersmurf]

He's doing the latter, so the badgers cant catch up. Its not long before you cant even follow where the tunnel was.

"This isn't working," Fin admits. "And we've got complications."

"The one who snatched Maggie is evil, but no friend of the Reavers. Maggie and Alethia are in trouble, but we have no idea where."

"Riana and her puppeteer are likely headed back to the ship, reinforcements, and prisoners. I'm not keen for another fight the size of that one, today - they've seen all my best tricks, for a start. But they won't hesitate to use the prisoners as a threat."

"So we need to decide - head for the ship right now, and try to get there before them; or ignore them for now, and go hunting for Maggie and Alethia."

 

[Hypersmurf]

Anyone have any divinations to find the others?

Fin glances at Arundel; the priest shakes his head.

"Nothing that I'd expect to work."

Fin nods. "Might be up to you, Crimson," he says. "I left my scrying bowl in my other pants. Does anyone have any thoughts that won't take an hour's preparation to get anywhere?"

 

[DM_Matt]

[sblock] "Our relationship to the Zarun family is purely an arraingment through the council. Lord Aiden Zarun offered the use of his ship for the mission and we accepted, though with some reservation." she said sleepily, distantly.

She blinks owlishly at the flickering, feathered mask. "My head doesn't hurt anymore." she said, her voice sounding somewhat surprised, though far off in her ears. At the same time, she realizes something important. "You're drugging me..."

ooc:
I don't know what else to call it. any ideas on how to say 'slipping someone a mickie?' in fantasy speech?
[/sblock]

[sblock]
The masked questioner ignores Alethia's complaint, even as Alethia feels increasingly giddy. She continues "Then tell me. Why do we detect the taint of demons within you? Just admit the truth about your relationship with the Zaruns and the source of your taint and maybe we can help purify you."

Alethia find her request VERY reasonable.
[/sblock]

 

[kirinke]

[sblock] "I don't know. When I was young, I was taken captive by cultists. They killed my parents, sacrificed them. I was next. They tried." Alethia face screwed up at the memory, horrible as it was. "They took me to a ruined temple of Selune. They tried something, tried to defile the temple and tried to corrupt me. The ritual failed and they were destroyed somehow. But the taint remains. My rescuers, the tribesmen that adopted me say that the cultists bore the marks of Shar. My teachers said the taint was probably due to the failed ritual. A kind of spiritual scar. My own superiors tried to remove the taint. They failed." she blinked owlishly. "I don't understand it either. If you wish answers, ask Selune herself or your own gods. I have tried asking, but the only answer I've ever gotten is 'what has happened cannot be undone by mortal hands, what will be is up to you and you alone,'"

She shook her head, trying to clear it and as best as she can, she tells them of what has transpired since she arrived in Waterdeep, leaving nothing out. She tells them of Aleena's capture, her father's death. Aiden's 'timely' arrival. The attacks made by the undead dragon and the evil fey. The evil mulhorandi priests on board the ship that sank. The undead swarms. She tells them of the sword that Timrin bears and how he came by it. She tells them of Oberon's suggestion to find the sister sword to Timrin's. She tells them of Aiden's offer of the ship and their own reasonings to take up his offer. She finishes the tale.

"I don't trust Aiden Zarun. His arrival was too timed, too convient. He is garnering too much favor, too quickly. He knows how to play the crowd, he has made it seem like he was the one behind the victory, when he has only played a small part among many others. I do not know what his motivations are, only that they are suspect. Something is off with him. Something is wrong." she looked at the caster. "The situation in Waterdeep is far from over and whatever evil is behind it has been at least two steps ahead of us. We don't even know who is truly behind the attacks," she said truthfully. "We do know that the Unseelie court is involved somehow as well as the Aurilites and the evil Mulhorandi gods Annubis and Sobek."

ooc:
I figure that the ritual bound the demon's spirit to Alethia's soul, hence the temporary ability drain if and when he does manifest, because he will be drawing some of her strength inadvertantly through the link. The only reason why the ritual failed to corrupt her soul is because the demon isn't evil. She truly doesn't know that she's possessed. And from your description, Alethia's been given a dose of the fantasy equivalent of sodium pentathol aka truth-serum. [/sblock]

 

[DM_Matt]

[sblock] "I don't know. When I was young, I was taken captive by cultists. They killed my parents, sacrificed them. I was next. They tried." Alethia face screwed up at the memory, horrible as it was. "They took me to a ruined temple of Selune. They tried something, tried to defile the temple and tried to corrupt me. The ritual failed and they were destroyed somehow. But the taint remains. My rescuers, the tribesmen that adopted me say that the cultists bore the marks of Shar. My teachers said the taint was probably due to the failed ritual. A kind of spiritual scar. My own superiors tried to remove the taint. They failed." she blinked owlishly. "I don't understand it either. If you wish answers, ask Selune herself or your own gods. I have tried asking, but the only answer I've ever gotten is 'what has happened cannot be undone by mortal hands, what will be is up to you and you alone,'"

She shook her head, trying to clear it and as best as she can, she tells them of what has transpired since she arrived in Waterdeep, leaving nothing out. She tells them of Aleena's capture, her father's death. Aiden's 'timely' arrival. The attacks made by the undead dragon and the evil fey. The evil mulhorandi priests on board the ship that sank. The undead swarms. She tells them of the sword that Timrin bears and how he came by it. She tells them of Oberon's suggestion to find the sister sword to Timrin's.

ooc:
I figure that the ritual bound the demon's spirit to Alethia's soul, hence the temporary ability drain if and when he does manifest, because he will be drawing some of her strength inadvertantly through the link. The only reason why the ritual failed to corrupt her soul is because the demon isn't evil. She truly doesn't know that she's possessed.[/sblock]

[sblock]
The demon hunter says "Good girl. You have told us all we need to know.

"You do not know, do you? You are more than just scarred. A demon stirs within you. I can see him moving as we speak. Alas, after all this time, a full cleansing would be impossible. But there is something that we still can do."

She takes a vial from her belt, and says "Drink this, and save your soul."

Like before, it seems to her a VERY reasonable course of action. [/sblock]

 

[kirinke]

[sblock]ooc
Would the demon protest drinking or even manifest to prevent it. His secret is out and he will want to save both her, Maggie and himself.

She takes the vial and looks at it curiously. "What is it? What will it do? I don't understand. There is no demon..."[/sblock]

 

[Keia]

Crimson (Psion) AC:26 HPs: 99 PPs: 113

Crimson offered to use phase door to help pursue the transmuter and others.

Fin nods. "Might be up to you, Crimson," he says. "I left my scrying bowl in my other pants. Does anyone have any thoughts that won't take an hour's preparation to get anywhere?"

"Less than an hour," Crimson thought for a second, "No scrying, no impressions, no . . . wait, ten minutes and I could correspond with her."


OOC: Wow, a lot happened from this morning.