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Into the Moral Darkness: (Now a Completed Story!)
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<blockquote data-quote="Nonlethal Force" data-source="post: 3681649" data-attributes="member: 35788"><p>The party had little trouble finding and paying for healing services at the Temple of Reah. They paid the healer well for his services and offered a substantial tip from the coin purse that Semeion removed from Allyssa’s apartment. The money was given as a donation to the poor and needy. They had also brought Allyssa’s hired assassin to the temple for observation and interrogation and use some of the funds to cover those expenses as well. </p><p></p><p>Unfortunately, Brandt was unreachable, and they were unable to share their findings regarding the tie to Yrraxea with their mentor. They hung around the temple of Reah for most of the day just in case Brandt returned. While they were able to use the time to plan for the upcoming visit to the docks, Brandt did not surprise them in returning unexpectedly. An hour before sunset, the five adventurers left the temple and headed to the northern edge of the city. There they hope to be able to spot Allyssa and follow her to the appropriate section of the docks.</p><p></p><p>The trip across town was uneventful, and they managed to set up an observation post a half hour before Allyssa was supposed to meet her assassin. They had used an alleyway to sneak onto a rooftop that overlooked the various entrances to the dock. They waited in silence until Ophee spotted several forms drawing closer to the docks.</p><p></p><p>Ophee spoke in a hushed tone. <span style="color: Lime">“That’s Allyssa for sure. It looks like she’s with four others.”</span></p><p></p><p>Ophee pointed over the edge of the flat rooftop at a group of five people heading towards the dock. Each of the five wore a black traveling cloak, and only Allyssa had pulled her hood down along her back. The other four walked with their hoods up in a traditional clerical fashion.</p><p></p><p>The black robes flowed from shoulder to only an inch and a half off of the ground. They completely concealed clothing as well as any worn arms and armor. Since the party was on the rooftop well above Allyssa and her associates, they could not even see any feet beneath the robes. The impression given by the flow of the cloaks was that the five people heading to the dock were floating on air.</p><p></p><p>Ischarus squinted as they drew closer to the roof. He caught sight of a common silver medallion worn around each of the necks of the five in black cloaks. <span style="color: LightBlue">“Yrraxeans.”</span> His voice spoke in disgust, and it was likely a combination of the identification of the medallion and the fact that he had to keep his voice hushed. <span style="color: LightBlue">“If I am seeing the engraving and the painting correctly, I see a hand and a coin purse.”</span></p><p></p><p>Charis nodded along with Ischarus’ words. <span style="color: Orange">“And they’re wearing the medallions so openly, too. They don’t seem to be afraid of discovery.”</span></p><p></p><p>Rhema countered Charis’ suggestion. <span style="color: PaleGreen">“Perhaps, but would you have known what the symbol for Yrraxea looked like before yesterday? If I would’ve seen those medallions few days ago I would have thought it to be a sign of a merchant’s guild.”</span></p><p></p><p>Charis agreed with Rhema’s counter to her own thought. <span style="color: Orange">“Or some kind of rogues’ or thieves’ guild.”</span></p><p></p><p>Allyssa and her four companions took no notice of the party as the walked below them. They headed straight onto the nearest dock and walked past several moored boats before turning right and boarding a large vessel. They had a few brief words with the dock guard who had been paid to restrict access to the moored boat. There was no hesitation or caution in their movement. They didn’t seem to care who might be following them.</p><p></p><p>Semeion spoke for the first time since seeing the five followers of Yrraxea. <span style="color: Plum">“They didn’t wait at the docks for the assassin. My guess is they know that he failed. That means they may know that we are still alive and pursuing them”</span></p><p></p><p>Ischarus noted Semeion’s comment and put the group into motion. <span style="color: LightBlue">“Good observation. We’ll need to approach with caution, then. Let’s go.”</span></p><p></p><p>They slipped off the roof and into the alley that had given them access to the roof. In a matter of minutes they casually entered the main road and began walking towards the docks. Ischarus was beginning to take the lead and plan his speech to the dock guard when he was surprised by a ring of metal and a voice from behind.</p><p></p><p>The voice was clearly feminine. <span style="color: Red">“Allyssa is expecting you. Good thing you aren’t expecting us!”</span></p><p></p><p>Semeion took two quick blows to his back before he could turn around and face the voice. Rhema had also taken a strike from a blade. Rhema removed her sword and spun around. Semeion was not so lucky. The combination of attacks was enough to catch him off guard and he merely fell to the ground in pain, motionless.</p><p></p><p>As the party turned at the sound of the voice, they discovered that they had been followed. They saw three figures dressed in black assassin’s robes. The female was in the center and she was flanked by two slightly larger men. Fortunately, Ischarus made a quick check of the blades and could see no indication of poison use.</p><p></p><p>The party hadn’t considered that Allyssa would have gone to such measures, but it didn’t surprise any of them too much. They were dealing with an organization that seemed to excel at staying hidden and covering their tracks. They were skilled at working with assassins, too.</p><p></p><p>Charis cried out as Semeion fell to the ground, but there was little she could do at the moment. Before she could draw her own weapon, the three assassins were swarming past Semeion and towards Ischarus and Charis. The first two assassins missed, but the third assassin landed another blow against Rhema. She looked to be in a significant amount of pain after the strike.</p><p></p><p>Ischarus turned his blade over in his hand and faked a strike. Instead of swinging with his blade, he reached out with his hand and nearly touched the woman leader. His goal wasn’t to make contact. He simply needed to gesture in her direction. <span style="color: LightBlue">“Zysh Egro Umaam.”</span> The woman was bathed in a dark silhouette and a sudden look of panic spread across her face. Ischarus prepared his blade for when she would run.</p><p></p><p>Rhema knew that she didn’t have much time left before she would be overcome and lying helplessly on the ground beside Semeion. She wasn’t sure how tough her adversaries were, but she knew that she had been hit hard twice in a row. She mustered her mental powers and launched the most vicious mental strike that she had ever unloaded against another being. The man’s face grew immediately red as if his mind and body were suddenly under a great amount of stress. His heart rate increased so rapidly on account of the duress that the man fell of unconscious before he could even crouch down to the ground or grab his head in agony.</p><p></p><p>Charis knew that she had one of the assassins looking to do the same thing to her as he had done to Semeion. She twisted the handle of her pick once in her hand and then snapped her wrist forward. The pick sprung forward and bit into the assassin’s flesh, drawing a fair amount of red blood from the meaty part of his thigh. The assassin received the blow well and returned the solid blow with one of his own. Charis winced under the pain, but managed to shrug off the cut and blood with clenched teeth.</p><p></p><p>Ophee took a swing at the woman assassin, but her blade missed its mark. She positioned herself defensively so that if the woman would strike out again she would be prepared. She didn’t realize that Ischarus had made her afraid of him through magic.</p><p></p><p>The woman assassin fled, much like Ischarus thought that she would. His spell had convinced her to lower her defenses and move as quickly as she could. Ischarus swiped at her retreating back as she moved by, but the edge of his blade didn’t catch anything except the air as she moved away. He turned and focused on the assassin who was looking to harm Charis. He used the momentum of the turn to drive his blade home. His blade dug into the back of the assassin’s right shoulder. As he pulled his blade free, the man slumped to the ground.</p><p></p><p>Ischarus turned and made eye contact with his wife. <span style="color: LightBlue">“Rhema, stop her if you can. Don’t get too close, but use any trick you can to attack her while she’s running away!”</span></p><p></p><p>Rhema focused on the retreating leader and unleashed another mental strike. This blow was not as menacing as the one she had thrown up in defense a moment ago. The assassin shrieked in pain as she ran away, but Rhema’s attack was not enough to bring her to the ground. As the woman shrieked, Rhema turned to Charis. <span style="color: Orange">“We’ll take care of her. You check on Semeion and get him on his feet! We’ll be back for the others.”</span></p><p></p><p>Ischarus stowed his blade and drew his bow as he ran after the fleeing woman. He knocked an arrow and drew the string back. He stopped only for a moment to aim and fire. His arrow missed high and long, barely threatening the retreating woman.</p><p></p><p>Rhema knew that the woman was very quickly going to be out of range for both her mental strikes and Ischarus’ arrows. She charged after the woman, hoping to at least keep pace with her until Ischarus’ spell wore off. As Rhema ran, Ischarus was forced to forego firing again and run with Rhema in order to protect her in case the spell wore off.</p><p></p><p>As Charis watched her two friends charge after the female assassin, Charis suddenly became suspicious of the area around her. She rushed to Semeion’s side and checked on his wounds. She could tell that he had been hit hard, but he was in little danger of dying. She took a quick look around to make sure that there weren’t any assassins waiting for the party to split up before attacking. </p><p></p><p>Once she was sure that she was safe for the moment, Charis dropped her pick beside her husband and removed her left glove. She knew that the magic would have worked through the leather, but she need to feel his skin after watching him fall limp to the ground. <span style="color: Orange">“Bondras-tol Shintar.”</span> She stroked his hair for a few seconds until he opened his eyes and let out a light groan. Charis smiled, knowing that he would be stiff from his injuries.</p><p></p><p>While Charis had been healing her husband, Ischarus’ spell had managed to wear off. The female assassin turned around and examined the battlefield. She could see that her associates were down, but she had managed to split the party up. If she could attack Rhema and Ischarus before Charis could come to their help, there was a chance for victory still. She pivoted and charged towards Rhema and Ischarus.</p><p></p><p>Ischarus did a good job protecting Rhema and getting in the way of the charging assassin. The assassin took advantage of Ischarus’ obvious defensive positioning and made a delicate strike. Her blade caught Ischarus in the side and opened up a long gash. Several streams of blood trickled from the nine inch wound, although the blade hadn’t penetrated nearly far enough to put Ischarus in too much danger.</p><p></p><p>Ischarus returned the blow with one of his own. His blade caught the assassin across her arm and dug into the skin. The woman’s dark clothing darkened even more and clung to her skin as the cloth absorbed the flowing blood. He smiled as he realized that if they continued to simply exchange blows he would be victorious.</p><p></p><p>Rhema thought for a moment about charming the woman and trying to interrogate her in case she had any useful information regarding the meeting that was happening on the boat. However, she assumed that her mental control would have a difficult time overcoming the effects of the current battle. She opted for another mental strike and in response to the assault the woman howled in pain. The assassin dropped to one knee and hung her head for a moment.</p><p></p><p>Ischarus paused for a moment, thinking that the woman was going to surrender or fall unconscious from the mental anguish. The assassin took advantage of his hesitation and drove upwards in a desperation strike. The blade of her short sword caught Ischarus in the arm and drew blood again. The wound was far from fatal.</p><p></p><p>Ischarus twisted his blade in his hands and brought it down upon the woman. He caught her cleanly and she sprawled backwards onto the ground. Her head thumped against the stone road and she passed into unconsciousness. Ischarus stooped to her side to ensure that she was breathing before looking around for Charis.</p><p></p><p>By this time, Charis had managed to get Semeion to his feet with Ophee’s help. They were already making slow progress on their way to meet Ischarus and Rhema. When Charis saw Ischarus crouch beside the assassin and look up, she called to Rhema. <span style="color: Orange">“Rhema, come help Ophee bring Semeion along. He’s a little stiff from his wounds. I’ll come and make sure the assassin isn’t going to die.”</span></p><p></p><p>Rhema turned and sprinted to Semeion while Charis ran to Ischarus’ side. In a matter of minutes the party had managed to secure the assassins in such a way that they weren’t in danger of dying, yet they weren’t able to escape. There hadn’t been any other sign around the docks of more henchmen working for Allyssa. It seemed like getting onto the boat was soon to be the next order of business. </p><p></p><p>[Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section]</p><p>The party had little trouble finding and paying for healing services at the Temple of Reah. They paid the healer well for his services and offered a substantial tip from the coin purse that Semeion removed from Allyssa’s apartment. The money was given as a donation to the poor and needy. They had also brought Allyssa’s hired assassin to the temple for observation and interrogation and use some of the funds to cover those expenses as well. </p><p></p><p>Unfortunately, Brandt was unreachable, and they were unable to share their findings regarding the tie to Yrraxea with their mentor. They hung around the temple of Reah for most of the day just in case Brandt returned. While they were able to use the time to plan for the upcoming visit to the docks, Brandt did not surprise them in returning unexpectedly. An hour before sunset, the five adventurers left the temple and headed to the northern edge of the city. There they hope to be able to spot Allyssa and follow her to the appropriate section of the docks.</p><p></p><p>The trip across town was uneventful, and they managed to set up an observation post a half hour before Allyssa was supposed to meet her assassin. They had used an alleyway to sneak onto a rooftop that overlooked the various entrances to the dock. They waited in silence until Ophee spotted several forms drawing closer to the docks.</p><p></p><p>Ophee spoke in a hushed tone. “That’s Allyssa for sure. It looks like she’s with four others.”</p><p></p><p>Ophee pointed over the edge of the flat rooftop at a group of five people heading towards the dock. Each of the five wore a black traveling cloak, and only Allyssa had pulled her hood down along her back. The other four walked with their hoods up in a traditional clerical fashion.</p><p></p><p>The black robes flowed from shoulder to only an inch and a half off of the ground. They completely concealed clothing as well as any worn arms and armor. Since the party was on the rooftop well above Allyssa and her associates, they could not even see any feet beneath the robes. The impression given by the flow of the cloaks was that the five people heading to the dock were floating on air.</p><p></p><p>Ischarus squinted as they drew closer to the roof. He caught sight of a common silver medallion worn around each of the necks of the five in black cloaks. “Yrraxeans.” His voice spoke in disgust, and it was likely a combination of the identification of the medallion and the fact that he had to keep his voice hushed. “If I am seeing the engraving and the painting correctly, I see a hand and a coin purse.”</p><p></p><p>Charis nodded along with Ischarus’ words. “And they’re wearing the medallions so openly, too. They don’t seem to be afraid of discovery.”</p><p></p><p>Rhema countered Charis’ suggestion. “Perhaps, but would you have known what the symbol for Yrraxea looked like before yesterday? If I would’ve seen those medallions few days ago I would have thought it to be a sign of a merchant’s guild.”</p><p></p><p>Charis agreed with Rhema’s counter to her own thought. “Or some kind of rogues’ or thieves’ guild.”</p><p></p><p>Allyssa and her four companions took no notice of the party as the walked below them. They headed straight onto the nearest dock and walked past several moored boats before turning right and boarding a large vessel. They had a few brief words with the dock guard who had been paid to restrict access to the moored boat. There was no hesitation or caution in their movement. They didn’t seem to care who might be following them.</p><p></p><p>Semeion spoke for the first time since seeing the five followers of Yrraxea. “They didn’t wait at the docks for the assassin. My guess is they know that he failed. That means they may know that we are still alive and pursuing them”</p><p></p><p>Ischarus noted Semeion’s comment and put the group into motion. “Good observation. We’ll need to approach with caution, then. Let’s go.”</p><p></p><p>They slipped off the roof and into the alley that had given them access to the roof. In a matter of minutes they casually entered the main road and began walking towards the docks. Ischarus was beginning to take the lead and plan his speech to the dock guard when he was surprised by a ring of metal and a voice from behind.</p><p></p><p>The voice was clearly feminine. “Allyssa is expecting you. Good thing you aren’t expecting us!”</p><p></p><p>Semeion took two quick blows to his back before he could turn around and face the voice. Rhema had also taken a strike from a blade. Rhema removed her sword and spun around. Semeion was not so lucky. The combination of attacks was enough to catch him off guard and he merely fell to the ground in pain, motionless.</p><p></p><p>As the party turned at the sound of the voice, they discovered that they had been followed. They saw three figures dressed in black assassin’s robes. The female was in the center and she was flanked by two slightly larger men. Fortunately, Ischarus made a quick check of the blades and could see no indication of poison use.</p><p></p><p>The party hadn’t considered that Allyssa would have gone to such measures, but it didn’t surprise any of them too much. They were dealing with an organization that seemed to excel at staying hidden and covering their tracks. They were skilled at working with assassins, too.</p><p></p><p>Charis cried out as Semeion fell to the ground, but there was little she could do at the moment. Before she could draw her own weapon, the three assassins were swarming past Semeion and towards Ischarus and Charis. The first two assassins missed, but the third assassin landed another blow against Rhema. She looked to be in a significant amount of pain after the strike.</p><p></p><p>Ischarus turned his blade over in his hand and faked a strike. Instead of swinging with his blade, he reached out with his hand and nearly touched the woman leader. His goal wasn’t to make contact. He simply needed to gesture in her direction. “Zysh Egro Umaam.” The woman was bathed in a dark silhouette and a sudden look of panic spread across her face. Ischarus prepared his blade for when she would run.</p><p></p><p>Rhema knew that she didn’t have much time left before she would be overcome and lying helplessly on the ground beside Semeion. She wasn’t sure how tough her adversaries were, but she knew that she had been hit hard twice in a row. She mustered her mental powers and launched the most vicious mental strike that she had ever unloaded against another being. The man’s face grew immediately red as if his mind and body were suddenly under a great amount of stress. His heart rate increased so rapidly on account of the duress that the man fell of unconscious before he could even crouch down to the ground or grab his head in agony.</p><p></p><p>Charis knew that she had one of the assassins looking to do the same thing to her as he had done to Semeion. She twisted the handle of her pick once in her hand and then snapped her wrist forward. The pick sprung forward and bit into the assassin’s flesh, drawing a fair amount of red blood from the meaty part of his thigh. The assassin received the blow well and returned the solid blow with one of his own. Charis winced under the pain, but managed to shrug off the cut and blood with clenched teeth.</p><p></p><p>Ophee took a swing at the woman assassin, but her blade missed its mark. She positioned herself defensively so that if the woman would strike out again she would be prepared. She didn’t realize that Ischarus had made her afraid of him through magic.</p><p></p><p>The woman assassin fled, much like Ischarus thought that she would. His spell had convinced her to lower her defenses and move as quickly as she could. Ischarus swiped at her retreating back as she moved by, but the edge of his blade didn’t catch anything except the air as she moved away. He turned and focused on the assassin who was looking to harm Charis. He used the momentum of the turn to drive his blade home. His blade dug into the back of the assassin’s right shoulder. As he pulled his blade free, the man slumped to the ground.</p><p></p><p>Ischarus turned and made eye contact with his wife. “Rhema, stop her if you can. Don’t get too close, but use any trick you can to attack her while she’s running away!”</p><p></p><p>Rhema focused on the retreating leader and unleashed another mental strike. This blow was not as menacing as the one she had thrown up in defense a moment ago. The assassin shrieked in pain as she ran away, but Rhema’s attack was not enough to bring her to the ground. As the woman shrieked, Rhema turned to Charis. “We’ll take care of her. You check on Semeion and get him on his feet! We’ll be back for the others.”</p><p></p><p>Ischarus stowed his blade and drew his bow as he ran after the fleeing woman. He knocked an arrow and drew the string back. He stopped only for a moment to aim and fire. His arrow missed high and long, barely threatening the retreating woman.</p><p></p><p>Rhema knew that the woman was very quickly going to be out of range for both her mental strikes and Ischarus’ arrows. She charged after the woman, hoping to at least keep pace with her until Ischarus’ spell wore off. As Rhema ran, Ischarus was forced to forego firing again and run with Rhema in order to protect her in case the spell wore off.</p><p></p><p>As Charis watched her two friends charge after the female assassin, Charis suddenly became suspicious of the area around her. She rushed to Semeion’s side and checked on his wounds. She could tell that he had been hit hard, but he was in little danger of dying. She took a quick look around to make sure that there weren’t any assassins waiting for the party to split up before attacking. </p><p></p><p>Once she was sure that she was safe for the moment, Charis dropped her pick beside her husband and removed her left glove. She knew that the magic would have worked through the leather, but she need to feel his skin after watching him fall limp to the ground. “Bondras-tol Shintar.” She stroked his hair for a few seconds until he opened his eyes and let out a light groan. Charis smiled, knowing that he would be stiff from his injuries.</p><p></p><p>While Charis had been healing her husband, Ischarus’ spell had managed to wear off. The female assassin turned around and examined the battlefield. She could see that her associates were down, but she had managed to split the party up. If she could attack Rhema and Ischarus before Charis could come to their help, there was a chance for victory still. She pivoted and charged towards Rhema and Ischarus.</p><p></p><p>Ischarus did a good job protecting Rhema and getting in the way of the charging assassin. The assassin took advantage of Ischarus’ obvious defensive positioning and made a delicate strike. Her blade caught Ischarus in the side and opened up a long gash. Several streams of blood trickled from the nine inch wound, although the blade hadn’t penetrated nearly far enough to put Ischarus in too much danger.</p><p></p><p>Ischarus returned the blow with one of his own. His blade caught the assassin across her arm and dug into the skin. The woman’s dark clothing darkened even more and clung to her skin as the cloth absorbed the flowing blood. He smiled as he realized that if they continued to simply exchange blows he would be victorious.</p><p></p><p>Rhema thought for a moment about charming the woman and trying to interrogate her in case she had any useful information regarding the meeting that was happening on the boat. However, she assumed that her mental control would have a difficult time overcoming the effects of the current battle. She opted for another mental strike and in response to the assault the woman howled in pain. The assassin dropped to one knee and hung her head for a moment.</p><p></p><p>Ischarus paused for a moment, thinking that the woman was going to surrender or fall unconscious from the mental anguish. The assassin took advantage of his hesitation and drove upwards in a desperation strike. The blade of her short sword caught Ischarus in the arm and drew blood again. The wound was far from fatal.</p><p></p><p>Ischarus twisted his blade in his hands and brought it down upon the woman. He caught her cleanly and she sprawled backwards onto the ground. Her head thumped against the stone road and she passed into unconsciousness. Ischarus stooped to her side to ensure that she was breathing before looking around for Charis.</p><p></p><p>By this time, Charis had managed to get Semeion to his feet with Ophee’s help. They were already making slow progress on their way to meet Ischarus and Rhema. When Charis saw Ischarus crouch beside the assassin and look up, she called to Rhema. “Rhema, come help Ophee bring Semeion along. He’s a little stiff from his wounds. I’ll come and make sure the assassin isn’t going to die.”</p><p></p><p>Rhema turned and sprinted to Semeion while Charis ran to Ischarus’ side. In a matter of minutes the party had managed to secure the assassins in such a way that they weren’t in danger of dying, yet they weren’t able to escape. There hadn’t been any other sign around the docks of more henchmen working for Allyssa. It seemed like getting onto the boat was soon to be the next order of business.</p><p>[/Sblock]</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Nonlethal Force, post: 3681649, member: 35788"] The party had little trouble finding and paying for healing services at the Temple of Reah. They paid the healer well for his services and offered a substantial tip from the coin purse that Semeion removed from Allyssa’s apartment. The money was given as a donation to the poor and needy. They had also brought Allyssa’s hired assassin to the temple for observation and interrogation and use some of the funds to cover those expenses as well. Unfortunately, Brandt was unreachable, and they were unable to share their findings regarding the tie to Yrraxea with their mentor. They hung around the temple of Reah for most of the day just in case Brandt returned. While they were able to use the time to plan for the upcoming visit to the docks, Brandt did not surprise them in returning unexpectedly. An hour before sunset, the five adventurers left the temple and headed to the northern edge of the city. There they hope to be able to spot Allyssa and follow her to the appropriate section of the docks. The trip across town was uneventful, and they managed to set up an observation post a half hour before Allyssa was supposed to meet her assassin. They had used an alleyway to sneak onto a rooftop that overlooked the various entrances to the dock. They waited in silence until Ophee spotted several forms drawing closer to the docks. Ophee spoke in a hushed tone. [Color=Lime]“That’s Allyssa for sure. It looks like she’s with four others.”[/Color] Ophee pointed over the edge of the flat rooftop at a group of five people heading towards the dock. Each of the five wore a black traveling cloak, and only Allyssa had pulled her hood down along her back. The other four walked with their hoods up in a traditional clerical fashion. The black robes flowed from shoulder to only an inch and a half off of the ground. They completely concealed clothing as well as any worn arms and armor. Since the party was on the rooftop well above Allyssa and her associates, they could not even see any feet beneath the robes. The impression given by the flow of the cloaks was that the five people heading to the dock were floating on air. Ischarus squinted as they drew closer to the roof. He caught sight of a common silver medallion worn around each of the necks of the five in black cloaks. [Color=LightBlue]“Yrraxeans.”[/Color] His voice spoke in disgust, and it was likely a combination of the identification of the medallion and the fact that he had to keep his voice hushed. [Color=LightBlue]“If I am seeing the engraving and the painting correctly, I see a hand and a coin purse.”[/Color] Charis nodded along with Ischarus’ words. [Color=Orange]“And they’re wearing the medallions so openly, too. They don’t seem to be afraid of discovery.”[/Color] Rhema countered Charis’ suggestion. [Color=PaleGreen]“Perhaps, but would you have known what the symbol for Yrraxea looked like before yesterday? If I would’ve seen those medallions few days ago I would have thought it to be a sign of a merchant’s guild.”[/Color] Charis agreed with Rhema’s counter to her own thought. [Color=Orange]“Or some kind of rogues’ or thieves’ guild.”[/Color] Allyssa and her four companions took no notice of the party as the walked below them. They headed straight onto the nearest dock and walked past several moored boats before turning right and boarding a large vessel. They had a few brief words with the dock guard who had been paid to restrict access to the moored boat. There was no hesitation or caution in their movement. They didn’t seem to care who might be following them. Semeion spoke for the first time since seeing the five followers of Yrraxea. [Color=Plum]“They didn’t wait at the docks for the assassin. My guess is they know that he failed. That means they may know that we are still alive and pursuing them”[/Color] Ischarus noted Semeion’s comment and put the group into motion. [Color=LightBlue]“Good observation. We’ll need to approach with caution, then. Let’s go.”[/Color] They slipped off the roof and into the alley that had given them access to the roof. In a matter of minutes they casually entered the main road and began walking towards the docks. Ischarus was beginning to take the lead and plan his speech to the dock guard when he was surprised by a ring of metal and a voice from behind. The voice was clearly feminine. [Color=Red]“Allyssa is expecting you. Good thing you aren’t expecting us!”[/Color] Semeion took two quick blows to his back before he could turn around and face the voice. Rhema had also taken a strike from a blade. Rhema removed her sword and spun around. Semeion was not so lucky. The combination of attacks was enough to catch him off guard and he merely fell to the ground in pain, motionless. As the party turned at the sound of the voice, they discovered that they had been followed. They saw three figures dressed in black assassin’s robes. The female was in the center and she was flanked by two slightly larger men. Fortunately, Ischarus made a quick check of the blades and could see no indication of poison use. The party hadn’t considered that Allyssa would have gone to such measures, but it didn’t surprise any of them too much. They were dealing with an organization that seemed to excel at staying hidden and covering their tracks. They were skilled at working with assassins, too. Charis cried out as Semeion fell to the ground, but there was little she could do at the moment. Before she could draw her own weapon, the three assassins were swarming past Semeion and towards Ischarus and Charis. The first two assassins missed, but the third assassin landed another blow against Rhema. She looked to be in a significant amount of pain after the strike. Ischarus turned his blade over in his hand and faked a strike. Instead of swinging with his blade, he reached out with his hand and nearly touched the woman leader. His goal wasn’t to make contact. He simply needed to gesture in her direction. [Color=LightBlue]“Zysh Egro Umaam.”[/Color] The woman was bathed in a dark silhouette and a sudden look of panic spread across her face. Ischarus prepared his blade for when she would run. Rhema knew that she didn’t have much time left before she would be overcome and lying helplessly on the ground beside Semeion. She wasn’t sure how tough her adversaries were, but she knew that she had been hit hard twice in a row. She mustered her mental powers and launched the most vicious mental strike that she had ever unloaded against another being. The man’s face grew immediately red as if his mind and body were suddenly under a great amount of stress. His heart rate increased so rapidly on account of the duress that the man fell of unconscious before he could even crouch down to the ground or grab his head in agony. Charis knew that she had one of the assassins looking to do the same thing to her as he had done to Semeion. She twisted the handle of her pick once in her hand and then snapped her wrist forward. The pick sprung forward and bit into the assassin’s flesh, drawing a fair amount of red blood from the meaty part of his thigh. The assassin received the blow well and returned the solid blow with one of his own. Charis winced under the pain, but managed to shrug off the cut and blood with clenched teeth. Ophee took a swing at the woman assassin, but her blade missed its mark. She positioned herself defensively so that if the woman would strike out again she would be prepared. She didn’t realize that Ischarus had made her afraid of him through magic. The woman assassin fled, much like Ischarus thought that she would. His spell had convinced her to lower her defenses and move as quickly as she could. Ischarus swiped at her retreating back as she moved by, but the edge of his blade didn’t catch anything except the air as she moved away. He turned and focused on the assassin who was looking to harm Charis. He used the momentum of the turn to drive his blade home. His blade dug into the back of the assassin’s right shoulder. As he pulled his blade free, the man slumped to the ground. Ischarus turned and made eye contact with his wife. [Color=LightBlue]“Rhema, stop her if you can. Don’t get too close, but use any trick you can to attack her while she’s running away!”[/Color] Rhema focused on the retreating leader and unleashed another mental strike. This blow was not as menacing as the one she had thrown up in defense a moment ago. The assassin shrieked in pain as she ran away, but Rhema’s attack was not enough to bring her to the ground. As the woman shrieked, Rhema turned to Charis. [Color=Orange]“We’ll take care of her. You check on Semeion and get him on his feet! We’ll be back for the others.”[/Color] Ischarus stowed his blade and drew his bow as he ran after the fleeing woman. He knocked an arrow and drew the string back. He stopped only for a moment to aim and fire. His arrow missed high and long, barely threatening the retreating woman. Rhema knew that the woman was very quickly going to be out of range for both her mental strikes and Ischarus’ arrows. She charged after the woman, hoping to at least keep pace with her until Ischarus’ spell wore off. As Rhema ran, Ischarus was forced to forego firing again and run with Rhema in order to protect her in case the spell wore off. As Charis watched her two friends charge after the female assassin, Charis suddenly became suspicious of the area around her. She rushed to Semeion’s side and checked on his wounds. She could tell that he had been hit hard, but he was in little danger of dying. She took a quick look around to make sure that there weren’t any assassins waiting for the party to split up before attacking. Once she was sure that she was safe for the moment, Charis dropped her pick beside her husband and removed her left glove. She knew that the magic would have worked through the leather, but she need to feel his skin after watching him fall limp to the ground. [Color=Orange]“Bondras-tol Shintar.”[/Color] She stroked his hair for a few seconds until he opened his eyes and let out a light groan. Charis smiled, knowing that he would be stiff from his injuries. While Charis had been healing her husband, Ischarus’ spell had managed to wear off. The female assassin turned around and examined the battlefield. She could see that her associates were down, but she had managed to split the party up. If she could attack Rhema and Ischarus before Charis could come to their help, there was a chance for victory still. She pivoted and charged towards Rhema and Ischarus. Ischarus did a good job protecting Rhema and getting in the way of the charging assassin. The assassin took advantage of Ischarus’ obvious defensive positioning and made a delicate strike. Her blade caught Ischarus in the side and opened up a long gash. Several streams of blood trickled from the nine inch wound, although the blade hadn’t penetrated nearly far enough to put Ischarus in too much danger. Ischarus returned the blow with one of his own. His blade caught the assassin across her arm and dug into the skin. The woman’s dark clothing darkened even more and clung to her skin as the cloth absorbed the flowing blood. He smiled as he realized that if they continued to simply exchange blows he would be victorious. Rhema thought for a moment about charming the woman and trying to interrogate her in case she had any useful information regarding the meeting that was happening on the boat. However, she assumed that her mental control would have a difficult time overcoming the effects of the current battle. She opted for another mental strike and in response to the assault the woman howled in pain. The assassin dropped to one knee and hung her head for a moment. Ischarus paused for a moment, thinking that the woman was going to surrender or fall unconscious from the mental anguish. The assassin took advantage of his hesitation and drove upwards in a desperation strike. The blade of her short sword caught Ischarus in the arm and drew blood again. The wound was far from fatal. Ischarus twisted his blade in his hands and brought it down upon the woman. He caught her cleanly and she sprawled backwards onto the ground. Her head thumped against the stone road and she passed into unconsciousness. Ischarus stooped to her side to ensure that she was breathing before looking around for Charis. By this time, Charis had managed to get Semeion to his feet with Ophee’s help. They were already making slow progress on their way to meet Ischarus and Rhema. When Charis saw Ischarus crouch beside the assassin and look up, she called to Rhema. [Color=Orange]“Rhema, come help Ophee bring Semeion along. He’s a little stiff from his wounds. I’ll come and make sure the assassin isn’t going to die.”[/Color] Rhema turned and sprinted to Semeion while Charis ran to Ischarus’ side. In a matter of minutes the party had managed to secure the assassins in such a way that they weren’t in danger of dying, yet they weren’t able to escape. There hadn’t been any other sign around the docks of more henchmen working for Allyssa. It seemed like getting onto the boat was soon to be the next order of business. [Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section] The party had little trouble finding and paying for healing services at the Temple of Reah. They paid the healer well for his services and offered a substantial tip from the coin purse that Semeion removed from Allyssa’s apartment. The money was given as a donation to the poor and needy. They had also brought Allyssa’s hired assassin to the temple for observation and interrogation and use some of the funds to cover those expenses as well. Unfortunately, Brandt was unreachable, and they were unable to share their findings regarding the tie to Yrraxea with their mentor. They hung around the temple of Reah for most of the day just in case Brandt returned. While they were able to use the time to plan for the upcoming visit to the docks, Brandt did not surprise them in returning unexpectedly. An hour before sunset, the five adventurers left the temple and headed to the northern edge of the city. There they hope to be able to spot Allyssa and follow her to the appropriate section of the docks. The trip across town was uneventful, and they managed to set up an observation post a half hour before Allyssa was supposed to meet her assassin. They had used an alleyway to sneak onto a rooftop that overlooked the various entrances to the dock. They waited in silence until Ophee spotted several forms drawing closer to the docks. Ophee spoke in a hushed tone. “That’s Allyssa for sure. It looks like she’s with four others.” Ophee pointed over the edge of the flat rooftop at a group of five people heading towards the dock. Each of the five wore a black traveling cloak, and only Allyssa had pulled her hood down along her back. The other four walked with their hoods up in a traditional clerical fashion. The black robes flowed from shoulder to only an inch and a half off of the ground. They completely concealed clothing as well as any worn arms and armor. Since the party was on the rooftop well above Allyssa and her associates, they could not even see any feet beneath the robes. The impression given by the flow of the cloaks was that the five people heading to the dock were floating on air. Ischarus squinted as they drew closer to the roof. He caught sight of a common silver medallion worn around each of the necks of the five in black cloaks. “Yrraxeans.” His voice spoke in disgust, and it was likely a combination of the identification of the medallion and the fact that he had to keep his voice hushed. “If I am seeing the engraving and the painting correctly, I see a hand and a coin purse.” Charis nodded along with Ischarus’ words. “And they’re wearing the medallions so openly, too. They don’t seem to be afraid of discovery.” Rhema countered Charis’ suggestion. “Perhaps, but would you have known what the symbol for Yrraxea looked like before yesterday? If I would’ve seen those medallions few days ago I would have thought it to be a sign of a merchant’s guild.” Charis agreed with Rhema’s counter to her own thought. “Or some kind of rogues’ or thieves’ guild.” Allyssa and her four companions took no notice of the party as the walked below them. They headed straight onto the nearest dock and walked past several moored boats before turning right and boarding a large vessel. They had a few brief words with the dock guard who had been paid to restrict access to the moored boat. There was no hesitation or caution in their movement. They didn’t seem to care who might be following them. Semeion spoke for the first time since seeing the five followers of Yrraxea. “They didn’t wait at the docks for the assassin. My guess is they know that he failed. That means they may know that we are still alive and pursuing them” Ischarus noted Semeion’s comment and put the group into motion. “Good observation. We’ll need to approach with caution, then. Let’s go.” They slipped off the roof and into the alley that had given them access to the roof. In a matter of minutes they casually entered the main road and began walking towards the docks. Ischarus was beginning to take the lead and plan his speech to the dock guard when he was surprised by a ring of metal and a voice from behind. The voice was clearly feminine. “Allyssa is expecting you. Good thing you aren’t expecting us!” Semeion took two quick blows to his back before he could turn around and face the voice. Rhema had also taken a strike from a blade. Rhema removed her sword and spun around. Semeion was not so lucky. The combination of attacks was enough to catch him off guard and he merely fell to the ground in pain, motionless. As the party turned at the sound of the voice, they discovered that they had been followed. They saw three figures dressed in black assassin’s robes. The female was in the center and she was flanked by two slightly larger men. Fortunately, Ischarus made a quick check of the blades and could see no indication of poison use. The party hadn’t considered that Allyssa would have gone to such measures, but it didn’t surprise any of them too much. They were dealing with an organization that seemed to excel at staying hidden and covering their tracks. They were skilled at working with assassins, too. Charis cried out as Semeion fell to the ground, but there was little she could do at the moment. Before she could draw her own weapon, the three assassins were swarming past Semeion and towards Ischarus and Charis. The first two assassins missed, but the third assassin landed another blow against Rhema. She looked to be in a significant amount of pain after the strike. Ischarus turned his blade over in his hand and faked a strike. Instead of swinging with his blade, he reached out with his hand and nearly touched the woman leader. His goal wasn’t to make contact. He simply needed to gesture in her direction. “Zysh Egro Umaam.” The woman was bathed in a dark silhouette and a sudden look of panic spread across her face. Ischarus prepared his blade for when she would run. Rhema knew that she didn’t have much time left before she would be overcome and lying helplessly on the ground beside Semeion. She wasn’t sure how tough her adversaries were, but she knew that she had been hit hard twice in a row. She mustered her mental powers and launched the most vicious mental strike that she had ever unloaded against another being. The man’s face grew immediately red as if his mind and body were suddenly under a great amount of stress. His heart rate increased so rapidly on account of the duress that the man fell of unconscious before he could even crouch down to the ground or grab his head in agony. Charis knew that she had one of the assassins looking to do the same thing to her as he had done to Semeion. She twisted the handle of her pick once in her hand and then snapped her wrist forward. The pick sprung forward and bit into the assassin’s flesh, drawing a fair amount of red blood from the meaty part of his thigh. The assassin received the blow well and returned the solid blow with one of his own. Charis winced under the pain, but managed to shrug off the cut and blood with clenched teeth. Ophee took a swing at the woman assassin, but her blade missed its mark. She positioned herself defensively so that if the woman would strike out again she would be prepared. She didn’t realize that Ischarus had made her afraid of him through magic. The woman assassin fled, much like Ischarus thought that she would. His spell had convinced her to lower her defenses and move as quickly as she could. Ischarus swiped at her retreating back as she moved by, but the edge of his blade didn’t catch anything except the air as she moved away. He turned and focused on the assassin who was looking to harm Charis. He used the momentum of the turn to drive his blade home. His blade dug into the back of the assassin’s right shoulder. As he pulled his blade free, the man slumped to the ground. Ischarus turned and made eye contact with his wife. “Rhema, stop her if you can. Don’t get too close, but use any trick you can to attack her while she’s running away!” Rhema focused on the retreating leader and unleashed another mental strike. This blow was not as menacing as the one she had thrown up in defense a moment ago. The assassin shrieked in pain as she ran away, but Rhema’s attack was not enough to bring her to the ground. As the woman shrieked, Rhema turned to Charis. “We’ll take care of her. You check on Semeion and get him on his feet! We’ll be back for the others.” Ischarus stowed his blade and drew his bow as he ran after the fleeing woman. He knocked an arrow and drew the string back. He stopped only for a moment to aim and fire. His arrow missed high and long, barely threatening the retreating woman. Rhema knew that the woman was very quickly going to be out of range for both her mental strikes and Ischarus’ arrows. She charged after the woman, hoping to at least keep pace with her until Ischarus’ spell wore off. As Rhema ran, Ischarus was forced to forego firing again and run with Rhema in order to protect her in case the spell wore off. As Charis watched her two friends charge after the female assassin, Charis suddenly became suspicious of the area around her. She rushed to Semeion’s side and checked on his wounds. She could tell that he had been hit hard, but he was in little danger of dying. She took a quick look around to make sure that there weren’t any assassins waiting for the party to split up before attacking. Once she was sure that she was safe for the moment, Charis dropped her pick beside her husband and removed her left glove. She knew that the magic would have worked through the leather, but she need to feel his skin after watching him fall limp to the ground. “Bondras-tol Shintar.” She stroked his hair for a few seconds until he opened his eyes and let out a light groan. Charis smiled, knowing that he would be stiff from his injuries. While Charis had been healing her husband, Ischarus’ spell had managed to wear off. The female assassin turned around and examined the battlefield. She could see that her associates were down, but she had managed to split the party up. If she could attack Rhema and Ischarus before Charis could come to their help, there was a chance for victory still. She pivoted and charged towards Rhema and Ischarus. Ischarus did a good job protecting Rhema and getting in the way of the charging assassin. The assassin took advantage of Ischarus’ obvious defensive positioning and made a delicate strike. Her blade caught Ischarus in the side and opened up a long gash. Several streams of blood trickled from the nine inch wound, although the blade hadn’t penetrated nearly far enough to put Ischarus in too much danger. Ischarus returned the blow with one of his own. His blade caught the assassin across her arm and dug into the skin. The woman’s dark clothing darkened even more and clung to her skin as the cloth absorbed the flowing blood. He smiled as he realized that if they continued to simply exchange blows he would be victorious. Rhema thought for a moment about charming the woman and trying to interrogate her in case she had any useful information regarding the meeting that was happening on the boat. However, she assumed that her mental control would have a difficult time overcoming the effects of the current battle. She opted for another mental strike and in response to the assault the woman howled in pain. The assassin dropped to one knee and hung her head for a moment. Ischarus paused for a moment, thinking that the woman was going to surrender or fall unconscious from the mental anguish. The assassin took advantage of his hesitation and drove upwards in a desperation strike. The blade of her short sword caught Ischarus in the arm and drew blood again. The wound was far from fatal. Ischarus twisted his blade in his hands and brought it down upon the woman. He caught her cleanly and she sprawled backwards onto the ground. Her head thumped against the stone road and she passed into unconsciousness. Ischarus stooped to her side to ensure that she was breathing before looking around for Charis. By this time, Charis had managed to get Semeion to his feet with Ophee’s help. They were already making slow progress on their way to meet Ischarus and Rhema. When Charis saw Ischarus crouch beside the assassin and look up, she called to Rhema. “Rhema, come help Ophee bring Semeion along. He’s a little stiff from his wounds. I’ll come and make sure the assassin isn’t going to die.” Rhema turned and sprinted to Semeion while Charis ran to Ischarus’ side. In a matter of minutes the party had managed to secure the assassins in such a way that they weren’t in danger of dying, yet they weren’t able to escape. There hadn’t been any other sign around the docks of more henchmen working for Allyssa. It seemed like getting onto the boat was soon to be the next order of business. [/Sblock] [/QUOTE]
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