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Into the Moral Darkness: (Now a Completed Story!)
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<blockquote data-quote="Nonlethal Force" data-source="post: 3765749" data-attributes="member: 35788"><p>The party strode into Shiftedburg an hour before the sun was to make its disappearance from the sky. It had been a long day since Allyssa’s suicide. There had been many stages in the attempt to track down Pahk’s location in Shiftedburg.</p><p></p><p>They had left Allyssa’s dead body with the king’s guard and had given them specific instructions regarding the care of the body. The party warned them that the last time Allyssa had died she had reappeared alive in Eberdeen. Once they were sure that the king’s guard would take her dead body a seriously as necessary, they used the spell that Brandt had given Semeion to indicate that they were ready to return.</p><p></p><p>Brandt was not happy to hear of Allyssa’s death, but he did not hold the event against anyone in the party. She was a formidable opponent, and the use of the poison on herself indicated that she was serious about the choice of death over capture. Brandt consoled Charis over the fact that her healing magic could not penetrate through Allyssa’s death, although he admitted that even his healing magic can’t penetrate the barrier of death.</p><p></p><p>The party spent the rest of the time in the afternoon with Master Searthu trying to discern Pahk’s location in Shiftedburg. In spite of Master Searthu’s ability to magically observe different locations across the Confederacy of Tongra, they were unable to pinpoint Pahk’s hiding place. Master Searthu concluded that Pahk’s location must be protected by magical viewing. He also hypothesized that if this was the case, Pahk may be concealing more than himself. Yrraxea herself may be lending Pahk the power to conceal even more cultists.</p><p></p><p>As the party passed into the largest of Fingerdale’s suburbs, they knew that their task was going to be difficult. While Shiftedburg was only slightly more than a sixth of Fingerdale’s population, it was still well over a thousand occupants. It had outgrown the farming mentality of the smaller suburbs and had already begun to develop its own cultural centers apart from Fingerdale. Shiftedburg had several taverns, inns, and diners. They also had their own town square, which was really more like that of a community park.</p><p></p><p>The party decided to head into a few of the taverns and began to subtly ask around if anyone had noticed Pahk’s arrival in the past few days. They struck out after spending a half hour in the first tavern, but managed to find a lead in the second tavern. The lead hadn’t gone well, and that was what had alerted the party to the possible connection. The bartender reacted suspiciously to the question, so they decided to pay special attention to him. It wasn’t long before they noticed the bartender excusing himself for a few minutes and slipping out the back door.</p><p></p><p>The party waited until the barkeeper had exited. They left some money on the table before heading to the front door. They quickly exited the building and split up. Charis and Semeion took the right side of the building while Rhema and Ischarus took the left side of the building. Neither group found the barkeep until they emerged into the alley that ran behind the tavern. The barkeep was hurrying down the alley to the left and had already passed the backs of several buildings.</p><p></p><p>They followed as quickly as they could, but they also didn’t want to get too close and alert the barkeep. Shortly after they began following him down the alley he turned to the left. This allowed the party the opportunity to move quickly in their pursuit. Ischarus approached the corner where the barkeep turned and peeked around the corner. The barkeeper was gone.</p><p></p><p>The party fled down the space between the buildings and back out onto the main road that passed in front of the tavern. Just as they emerged onto the main road, they saw the barkeep turn a corner and head between a pair of buildings on the opposite side of the road. They moved quickly to pick up his trail and just as they reached the corners of the buildings they saw him turn down another alleyway.</p><p></p><p>This process of moving down alleys and behind buildings continued for nearly a minute, and more than once the barkeeper passed across the main street and used the alleys to loop back on his path. He was trying to move in a manner to either lose anyone following him or to come upon them from behind as he looped back around on his trail.</p><p></p><p>Eventually the barkeeper slipped into the back door of a warehouse. Ischarus smiled as he made note of the proper door. <span style="color: LightBlue">“Now we’ve got him. Just watch out for traps.”</span></p><p></p><p>As they approached the door, Rhema held out a hand to stop Ischarus from opening it. <span style="color: PaleGreen">“Let me scan the minds of the people inside, assuming that they are in range. I can get a hint of their state of mind.”</span></p><p></p><p>The other three relaxed for a moment as Rhema focused her thoughts inside. She smiled and reported her findings. <span style="color: PaleGreen">“There are too many minds in there to focus intently on one, but I can say that none of them are concerned about us coming through the door right now. They seem to be frantically worried about their space.”</span></p><p></p><p>Ischarus smiled. <span style="color: LightBlue">“Then we’ll go in. The door can’t be trapped, we just saw the barkeeper go through it.”</span></p><p></p><p>Charis lifted the handle of her pick off of her belt and moved to the door. <span style="color: Orange">“Use it if you got it!”</span> Her left hand touched the center of her forehead and she spoke a few magical words. <span style="color: Orange">“Meion Shintar.”</span> The muscles in her arms and legs swelled, giving her greater strength. With a swift kick of her leg she split the door away from the doorjamb that held it in place. A few splinters flew into the warehouse, but largely the door simply swung in on its hinges.</p><p></p><p>Ischarus hefted his sword out of its scabbard and charged into the room behind Charis. What he saw before him was a small group of Yrraxean cultists. Most of them looked to be simple folk who had been duped by the powerful Pahk, who stood in the center of the group. Ischarus extended his hand in the direction of Pahk and called upon his magic. <span style="color: LightBlue">“Ythan Egro poisse Umaam.”</span> </p><p></p><p>A dazzling display of colors burst forth from his extended palm and shot towards a large section of the cultist. The green, red, yellow, blue, and purple colors swirled among themselves as they passed over the people in their path like waves crashing against a rocky beach. Three of the six Yrraxeans trapped in the colors immediately crumpled to the ground.</p><p></p><p>Ischarus called out to Charis. <span style="color: LightBlue">“The ones on the ground will be unconscious for some time. Start with Pahk!”</span></p><p></p><p>Several of the Yrraxeans who were not caught in Ischarus’ spell dropped whatever was in their hands and began to flee for the front door to the party’s right. Pahk stood strong and drew a dagger. The other two Yrraxeans who were caught in Ischarus’ spell but not affected turned to Pahk for guidance. The lead Yrraxean smiled and commanded them. <span style="color: Red">“Fight or die! Running from followers of Reah will earn you no sympathy from your queen!”</span></p><p></p><p>Charis moved to intercept Pahk, but not before the Yrraxean could manage to get off a spell. <span style="color: Red">“Thin Zhendahl nuan Kelath!”</span> He pointed directly at Charis as he released the magical energy.</p><p></p><p>Semeion knew that the spell was going to hurt. His mind quickly deciphered the magical command and knew to expect a powerful ball of fire. His knowledge gave him no ability to alter the spell, however. The fire exploded upon Charis and quickly filled a quarter of the warehouse in addition to blasting out of the doorway and into the alleyway where Rhema and Semeion still stood.</p><p></p><p>Semeion and Rhema were blown back by the powerful explosion. Rhema was lucky and several crates in the alleyway shielded her from the flames once the force of the explosion had blown her back. Semeion was not so lucky and he quickly found himself wrapped in a cloud of fire.</p><p></p><p>Several of the Yrraxeans who had initially moved to the door to the party’s right were also caught in the explosion. Many of them were blown off of their feet and badly burned as the fire spread across the warehouse floor. Several stacks of boxes caught fire and threatened to come crashing down to the ground above the fallen Yrraxeans.</p><p></p><p>Charis was blown forward by the assault, but she managed to keep her feet. The fire scorched her exposed skin and hair, but she continued to charge towards Pahk. She met him and easily landed a serious blow across his face. Blood streamed out of his mouth as he called the remaining Yrraxeans to his defense.</p><p></p><p>Rhema recovered from Pahk’s spell and charged into the warehouse. She quickly scanned the battlefield and knew that she could influence some control. Her mind focused on the battle between Pahk and Charis and a circular wall of ice sprang from the ground and encircled their battle. The air outside the wall immediately lowered in temperature and frost collected in the sweaty hair of the Yrraxeans who had been standing close to Pahk. The sweat on their skin began to freeze. </p><p></p><p>Charis and Pahk were unaffected by the cold inside the ring of ice. Rhema saw that her spell was affective and she called out Ischarus. <span style="color: PaleGreen">“I’ve sealed the two of them inside the ice! You’ll need to take care of the rest of the cultists!”</span></p><p></p><p>The two Yrraxeans outside of the cold ring quickly moved away from the chilled air. They drew their swords and attempted to attack Ischarus, but his skill with his own sword was measurably greater. He easily deflected their attacks with his own sword.</p><p></p><p>Semeion collected himself and moved into the warehouse as Ischarus was attacked. He turned and ran along the wall inside the warehouse until he was able to cast a spell against the Yrraxeans fighting against Ischarus without actually catching Ischarus in the line of the spell. His mind focused on the swords that the Yrraxeans were using and he uttered his magical command. <span style="color: Plum">“Thin Zhendahl quas Bukrol.”</span></p><p></p><p>The weapons that the Yrraxeans were using shattered, as did several of the empty wooden crates behind where the Yrraxeans were standing. The exploding steel swords left minor wounds on the Yrraxeans and Ischarus, but the largest effect was the surprise impression that Semeion’s spell left on the Yrraxeans. The young mage yelled to the Yrraxeans who had come to Pahk’s defense. <span style="color: Plum">“Some of your brethren have chosen to flee and confess that Reah has dominated over Yrraxea. If you flee now, your lives will be spared!”</span></p><p></p><p>Ischarus simply grinned at the two Yrraxeans who were now weaponless. He nodded, but made no aggressive move towards them. They glanced back to Pahk, but he was busy inside the wall of ice and could offer them no direction. They turned back to Ischarus and took advantage of Semeion’s offer. They fled to the far entrance of the warehouse, avoiding as many of the smoking crates as possible.</p><p></p><p>Inside the ring of ice, Pahk turned to Charis and cast another spell. <span style="color: Red">“Thin Zhentahl nienne Kelath.”</span> A ring of fire sprang up around Pahk and encircled him. As the fire circled around Pahk, it leapt out and burned Charis’ arm. The pain was intense, but not significant.</p><p></p><p>Charis responded with a magical assault of her own. <span style="color: Orange">“Thin Zhendahl gat Teos.”</span> Her hand extended towards Pahk, but she was wary of getting too close. She didn’t want to allow the fiery ring to have another chance to strike her. A ray of blinding energy burst forth from her palm and struck Pahk in the chest. Charis added insult to the injury. <span style="color: Orange">“You will find that Bemme is more powerful than Yrraxea.”</span></p><p></p><p>Pahk spat blood and spittle upon the ground and spoke while he planned his next assault. <span style="color: Red">“You serve Bemme? While you are obviously misguided, my quarrel is not with you. Stand aside and I will let you live!”</span> Pahk swung his dagger half-heartedly at Charis. Although his assault missed, the ring of fire circling him drew close enough to blast Charis with another strike.</p><p></p><p>Charis replied to Pahk’s religious assertion. <span style="color: Orange">“While Bemme has no official quarrel against Yrraxea, you are self-serving. Bemme’s love is charitable, and all those who seek to lift themselves above the community must be stopped.”</span></p><p></p><p>Pahk shrugged and smiled. <span style="color: Red">“So be it! Thin Shintar tok Arash.”</span> Pahk used a spell that Charis had seen Ischarus use a time or two. The knowledge did not help her avoid Pahk’s effect, however. A green arrow coated with acid emerged from each of Pahk’s hands and shot forward to strike Charis. Both arrows slammed into Charis’ chest, nearly knocking the wind out of her.</p><p></p><p>Charis had enough of trading magical blows. It was clear that Pahk was much more of a capable spell caster than most of the Wizard’s College guards had assumed. If she were going to defeat him, it would not be in a magical exchange. She lifted her shield defensively and swung hard with her pick. The pointed end struck hard and penetrated Pahk’s flimsy clothing. A pool of blood quickly formed in the clothing around his shoulder.</p><p></p><p>Pahk fell to his knees and looked up to Charis in anger. Magical words began to form on his lips as his shoulder oozed blood and plasma. Charis turned the pick a quarter turn and swung hard in an upward blow. The flat side of the pick caught Pahk under the chin and flipped him onto his back. He lay motionless on the ground.</p><p></p><p>Rhema released the ring of ice as soon as she saw Pahk fall to the ground. With her mind no longer providing the energy for the ice to exist, it dissipated quickly and the warehouse lost its cool spot. She turned and walked towards Semeion, who was trying to extinguish the flames among the wooden storage crates caused by Pahk’s earlier spell.</p><p></p><p>Ischarus had let Semeion handle the flames while he stood guard over one of the Yrraxeans who had tried to flee but instead got caught in the blast from Pahk’s fiery explosion. As the Yrraxean returned to consciousness, he was startled to see Ischarus standing over him. He quickly looked around and realized that except for Pahk the rest of his cult had fled. Pahk lay motionless on the ground, defeated.</p><p></p><p>Ischarus scowled and knelt down, holding his blade under the chin of the Yrraxean. <span style="color: LightBlue">“I’m going to assume that you got involved in this cult as a mistake. If that’s true, then your mistake can be forgiven. And if you want forgiveness, you had better explain what was happening here.”</span></p><p></p><p>The Yrraxean continued to sweat, and drips of his sweat ran down his face and pooled on the flat of Ischarus’ blade. <span style="color: Lime">“We were waiting for Allyssa. Pahk said something about the plan failing miserably. Allyssa was sent to Eberdeen. She was to return here and we were going to move to a new country.”</span></p><p></p><p>Ischarus smiled. <span style="color: LightBlue">“You speak vaguely, Yrraxean. What do you know of Allyssa’s mission?”</span></p><p></p><p>The Yrraxean shook his head slowly from side to side. <span style="color: Lime">“I know nothing, really. Pahk and Allyssa told us that if we supported them we would find ourselves in a new status in a few days. They promised us power and prestige.”</span></p><p></p><p>Ischarus looked at the Yrraxean as though he were disappointed. <span style="color: LightBlue">“Power and prestige? Where would this come from?”</span></p><p></p><p>The Yrraxean swallowed hard. <span style="color: Lime">“There are many who know that Lord Ironblood only thinks of himself. We assumed that they were planning something to remove him from power. But honestly, we were never told as much. We were simply promised power and prestige for our assistance.”</span></p><p></p><p>Ischarus chuckled once more. <span style="color: LightBlue">“Let’s just say that you guess is not far from home. But, they planned it to be much bigger. They planned to assassinate the king and all the leaders in Tongra. And they almost succeeded. You almost played a part in that plan. You almost played a part in the assassination of all the leaders of Tongra.”</span></p><p></p><p>The Yrraxean swallowed hard, obviously disturbed by Ischarus’ revelation. <span style="color: Lime">“But, I had no idea. I swear!”</span></p><p></p><p>Charis called to Ischarus and interrupted his interrogation. <span style="color: Orange">“I found a communiqué on Pahk.”</span></p><p></p><p>Rhema called from another area of the warehouse. <span style="color: PaleGreen">“Read it, Charis.”</span></p><p></p><p>Charis nodded and replied. <span style="color: Orange">“Pahk. The plan is in ruins. No assassinations have occurred. We are sailing for Fenneress, where we will return to Quehalost and wait for the Queen to summon our might again. Wait for Allyssa to return and report on her assassination attempt. If she failed, rendezvous with us in Fenneress. If she succeeded, stay in Tongra and contact us. We may still succeed at revolution.”</span></p><p></p><p>The Yrraxean underneath Ischarus’ sword called out. <span style="color: Lime">“I knew nothing of it, I swear!”</span></p><p></p><p>Ischarus smiled. <span style="color: LightBlue">“I pray that is true, for your sake. It may mean the difference between jail and a stay at a temple for some education in the truth.”</span></p><p></p><p>[Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section]</p><p>The party strode into Shiftedburg an hour before the sun was to make its disappearance from the sky. It had been a long day since Allyssa’s suicide. There had been many stages in the attempt to track down Pahk’s location in Shiftedburg.</p><p></p><p>They had left Allyssa’s dead body with the king’s guard and had given them specific instructions regarding the care of the body. The party warned them that the last time Allyssa had died she had reappeared alive in Eberdeen. Once they were sure that the king’s guard would take her dead body a seriously as necessary, they used the spell that Brandt had given Semeion to indicate that they were ready to return.</p><p></p><p>Brandt was not happy to hear of Allyssa’s death, but he did not hold the event against anyone in the party. She was a formidable opponent, and the use of the poison on herself indicated that she was serious about the choice of death over capture. Brandt consoled Charis over the fact that her healing magic could not penetrate through Allyssa’s death, although he admitted that even his healing magic can’t penetrate the barrier of death.</p><p></p><p>The party spent the rest of the time in the afternoon with Master Searthu trying to discern Pahk’s location in Shiftedburg. In spite of Master Searthu’s ability to magically observe different locations across the Confederacy of Tongra, they were unable to pinpoint Pahk’s hiding place. Master Searthu concluded that Pahk’s location must be protected by magical viewing. He also hypothesized that if this was the case, Pahk may be concealing more than himself. Yrraxea herself may be lending Pahk the power to conceal even more cultists.</p><p></p><p>As the party passed into the largest of Fingerdale’s suburbs, they knew that their task was going to be difficult. While Shiftedburg was only slightly more than a sixth of Fingerdale’s population, it was still well over a thousand occupants. It had outgrown the farming mentality of the smaller suburbs and had already begun to develop its own cultural centers apart from Fingerdale. Shiftedburg had several taverns, inns, and diners. They also had their own town square, which was really more like that of a community park.</p><p></p><p>The party decided to head into a few of the taverns and began to subtly ask around if anyone had noticed Pahk’s arrival in the past few days. They struck out after spending a half hour in the first tavern, but managed to find a lead in the second tavern. The lead hadn’t gone well, and that was what had alerted the party to the possible connection. The bartender reacted suspiciously to the question, so they decided to pay special attention to him. It wasn’t long before they noticed the bartender excusing himself for a few minutes and slipping out the back door.</p><p></p><p>The party waited until the barkeeper had exited. They left some money on the table before heading to the front door. They quickly exited the building and split up. Charis and Semeion took the right side of the building while Rhema and Ischarus took the left side of the building. Neither group found the barkeep until they emerged into the alley that ran behind the tavern. The barkeep was hurrying down the alley to the left and had already passed the backs of several buildings.</p><p></p><p>They followed as quickly as they could, but they also didn’t want to get too close and alert the barkeep. Shortly after they began following him down the alley he turned to the left. This allowed the party the opportunity to move quickly in their pursuit. Ischarus approached the corner where the barkeep turned and peeked around the corner. The barkeeper was gone.</p><p></p><p>The party fled down the space between the buildings and back out onto the main road that passed in front of the tavern. Just as they emerged onto the main road, they saw the barkeep turn a corner and head between a pair of buildings on the opposite side of the road. They moved quickly to pick up his trail and just as they reached the corners of the buildings they saw him turn down another alleyway.</p><p></p><p>This process of moving down alleys and behind buildings continued for nearly a minute, and more than once the barkeeper passed across the main street and used the alleys to loop back on his path. He was trying to move in a manner to either lose anyone following him or to come upon them from behind as he looped back around on his trail.</p><p></p><p>Eventually the barkeeper slipped into the back door of a warehouse. Ischarus smiled as he made note of the proper door. “Now we’ve got him. Just watch out for traps.”</p><p></p><p>As they approached the door, Rhema held out a hand to stop Ischarus from opening it. “Let me scan the minds of the people inside, assuming that they are in range. I can get a hint of their state of mind.”</p><p></p><p>The other three relaxed for a moment as Rhema focused her thoughts inside. She smiled and reported her findings. “There are too many minds in there to focus intently on one, but I can say that none of them are concerned about us coming through the door right now. They seem to be frantically worried about their space.”</p><p></p><p>Ischarus smiled. “Then we’ll go in. The door can’t be trapped, we just saw the barkeeper go through it.”</p><p></p><p>Charis lifted the handle of her pick off of her belt and moved to the door. “Use it if you got it!” Her left hand touched the center of her forehead and she spoke a few magical words. “Meion Shintar.” The muscles in her arms and legs swelled, giving her greater strength. With a swift kick of her leg she split the door away from the doorjamb that held it in place. A few splinters flew into the warehouse, but largely the door simply swung in on its hinges.</p><p></p><p>Ischarus hefted his sword out of its scabbard and charged into the room behind Charis. What he saw before him was a small group of Yrraxean cultists. Most of them looked to be simple folk who had been duped by the powerful Pahk, who stood in the center of the group. Ischarus extended his hand in the direction of Pahk and called upon his magic. “Ythan Egro poisse Umaam.” </p><p></p><p>A dazzling display of colors burst forth from his extended palm and shot towards a large section of the cultist. The green, red, yellow, blue, and purple colors swirled among themselves as they passed over the people in their path like waves crashing against a rocky beach. Three of the six Yrraxeans trapped in the colors immediately crumpled to the ground.</p><p></p><p>Ischarus called out to Charis. “The ones on the ground will be unconscious for some time. Start with Pahk!”</p><p></p><p>Several of the Yrraxeans who were not caught in Ischarus’ spell dropped whatever was in their hands and began to flee for the front door to the party’s right. Pahk stood strong and drew a dagger. The other two Yrraxeans who were caught in Ischarus’ spell but not affected turned to Pahk for guidance. The lead Yrraxean smiled and commanded them. “Fight or die! Running from followers of Reah will earn you no sympathy from your queen!”</p><p></p><p>Charis moved to intercept Pahk, but not before the Yrraxean could manage to get off a spell. “Thin Zhendahl nuan Kelath!” He pointed directly at Charis as he released the magical energy.</p><p></p><p>Semeion knew that the spell was going to hurt. His mind quickly deciphered the magical command and knew to expect a powerful ball of fire. His knowledge gave him no ability to alter the spell, however. The fire exploded upon Charis and quickly filled a quarter of the warehouse in addition to blasting out of the doorway and into the alleyway where Rhema and Semeion still stood.</p><p></p><p>Semeion and Rhema were blown back by the powerful explosion. Rhema was lucky and several crates in the alleyway shielded her from the flames once the force of the explosion had blown her back. Semeion was not so lucky and he quickly found himself wrapped in a cloud of fire.</p><p></p><p>Several of the Yrraxeans who had initially moved to the door to the party’s right were also caught in the explosion. Many of them were blown off of their feet and badly burned as the fire spread across the warehouse floor. Several stacks of boxes caught fire and threatened to come crashing down to the ground above the fallen Yrraxeans.</p><p></p><p>Charis was blown forward by the assault, but she managed to keep her feet. The fire scorched her exposed skin and hair, but she continued to charge towards Pahk. She met him and easily landed a serious blow across his face. Blood streamed out of his mouth as he called the remaining Yrraxeans to his defense.</p><p></p><p>Rhema recovered from Pahk’s spell and charged into the warehouse. She quickly scanned the battlefield and knew that she could influence some control. Her mind focused on the battle between Pahk and Charis and a circular wall of ice sprang from the ground and encircled their battle. The air outside the wall immediately lowered in temperature and frost collected in the sweaty hair of the Yrraxeans who had been standing close to Pahk. The sweat on their skin began to freeze. </p><p></p><p>Charis and Pahk were unaffected by the cold inside the ring of ice. Rhema saw that her spell was affective and she called out Ischarus. “I’ve sealed the two of them inside the ice! You’ll need to take care of the rest of the cultists!”</p><p></p><p>The two Yrraxeans outside of the cold ring quickly moved away from the chilled air. They drew their swords and attempted to attack Ischarus, but his skill with his own sword was measurably greater. He easily deflected their attacks with his own sword.</p><p></p><p>Semeion collected himself and moved into the warehouse as Ischarus was attacked. He turned and ran along the wall inside the warehouse until he was able to cast a spell against the Yrraxeans fighting against Ischarus without actually catching Ischarus in the line of the spell. His mind focused on the swords that the Yrraxeans were using and he uttered his magical command. “Thin Zhendahl quas Bukrol.”</p><p></p><p>The weapons that the Yrraxeans were using shattered, as did several of the empty wooden crates behind where the Yrraxeans were standing. The exploding steel swords left minor wounds on the Yrraxeans and Ischarus, but the largest effect was the surprise impression that Semeion’s spell left on the Yrraxeans. The young mage yelled to the Yrraxeans who had come to Pahk’s defense. “Some of your brethren have chosen to flee and confess that Reah has dominated over Yrraxea. If you flee now, your lives will be spared!”</p><p></p><p>Ischarus simply grinned at the two Yrraxeans who were now weaponless. He nodded, but made no aggressive move towards them. They glanced back to Pahk, but he was busy inside the wall of ice and could offer them no direction. They turned back to Ischarus and took advantage of Semeion’s offer. They fled to the far entrance of the warehouse, avoiding as many of the smoking crates as possible.</p><p></p><p>Inside the ring of ice, Pahk turned to Charis and cast another spell. “Thin Zhentahl nienne Kelath.” A ring of fire sprang up around Pahk and encircled him. As the fire circled around Pahk, it leapt out and burned Charis’ arm. The pain was intense, but not significant.</p><p></p><p>Charis responded with a magical assault of her own. “Thin Zhendahl gat Teos.” Her hand extended towards Pahk, but she was wary of getting too close. She didn’t want to allow the fiery ring to have another chance to strike her. A ray of blinding energy burst forth from her palm and struck Pahk in the chest. Charis added insult to the injury. “You will find that Bemme is more powerful than Yrraxea.”</p><p></p><p>Pahk spat blood and spittle upon the ground and spoke while he planned his next assault. “You serve Bemme? While you are obviously misguided, my quarrel is not with you. Stand aside and I will let you live!” Pahk swung his dagger half-heartedly at Charis. Although his assault missed, the ring of fire circling him drew close enough to blast Charis with another strike.</p><p></p><p>Charis replied to Pahk’s religious assertion. “While Bemme has no official quarrel against Yrraxea, you are self-serving. Bemme’s love is charitable, and all those who seek to lift themselves above the community must be stopped.”</p><p></p><p>Pahk shrugged and smiled. “So be it! Thin Shintar tok Arash.” Pahk used a spell that Charis had seen Ischarus use a time or two. The knowledge did not help her avoid Pahk’s effect, however. A green arrow coated with acid emerged from each of Pahk’s hands and shot forward to strike Charis. Both arrows slammed into Charis’ chest, nearly knocking the wind out of her.</p><p></p><p>Charis had enough of trading magical blows. It was clear that Pahk was much more of a capable spell caster than most of the Wizard’s College guards had assumed. If she were going to defeat him, it would not be in a magical exchange. She lifted her shield defensively and swung hard with her pick. The pointed end struck hard and penetrated Pahk’s flimsy clothing. A pool of blood quickly formed in the clothing around his shoulder.</p><p></p><p>Pahk fell to his knees and looked up to Charis in anger. Magical words began to form on his lips as his shoulder oozed blood and plasma. Charis turned the pick a quarter turn and swung hard in an upward blow. The flat side of the pick caught Pahk under the chin and flipped him onto his back. He lay motionless on the ground.</p><p></p><p>Rhema released the ring of ice as soon as she saw Pahk fall to the ground. With her mind no longer providing the energy for the ice to exist, it dissipated quickly and the warehouse lost its cool spot. She turned and walked towards Semeion, who was trying to extinguish the flames among the wooden storage crates caused by Pahk’s earlier spell.</p><p></p><p>Ischarus had let Semeion handle the flames while he stood guard over one of the Yrraxeans who had tried to flee but instead got caught in the blast from Pahk’s fiery explosion. As the Yrraxean returned to consciousness, he was startled to see Ischarus standing over him. He quickly looked around and realized that except for Pahk the rest of his cult had fled. Pahk lay motionless on the ground, defeated.</p><p></p><p>Ischarus scowled and knelt down, holding his blade under the chin of the Yrraxean. “I’m going to assume that you got involved in this cult as a mistake. If that’s true, then your mistake can be forgiven. And if you want forgiveness, you had better explain what was happening here.”</p><p></p><p>The Yrraxean continued to sweat, and drips of his sweat ran down his face and pooled on the flat of Ischarus’ blade. “We were waiting for Allyssa. Pahk said something about the plan failing miserably. Allyssa was sent to Eberdeen. She was to return here and we were going to move to a new country.”</p><p></p><p>Ischarus smiled. “You speak vaguely, Yrraxean. What do you know of Allyssa’s mission?”</p><p></p><p>The Yrraxean shook his head slowly from side to side. “I know nothing, really. Pahk and Allyssa told us that if we supported them we would find ourselves in a new status in a few days. They promised us power and prestige.”</p><p></p><p>Ischarus looked at the Yrraxean as though he were disappointed. “Power and prestige? Where would this come from?”</p><p></p><p>The Yrraxean swallowed hard. “There are many who know that Lord Ironblood only thinks of himself. We assumed that they were planning something to remove him from power. But honestly, we were never told as much. We were simply promised power and prestige for our assistance.”</p><p></p><p>Ischarus chuckled once more. “Let’s just say that you guess is not far from home. But, they planned it to be much bigger. They planned to assassinate the king and all the leaders in Tongra. And they almost succeeded. You almost played a part in that plan. You almost played a part in the assassination of all the leaders of Tongra.”</p><p></p><p>The Yrraxean swallowed hard, obviously disturbed by Ischarus’ revelation. “But, I had no idea. I swear!”</p><p></p><p>Charis called to Ischarus and interrupted his interrogation. “I found a communiqué on Pahk.”</p><p></p><p>Rhema called from another area of the warehouse. “Read it, Charis.”</p><p></p><p>Charis nodded and replied. “Pahk. The plan is in ruins. No assassinations have occurred. We are sailing for Fenneress, where we will return to Quehalost and wait for the Queen to summon our might again. Wait for Allyssa to return and report on her assassination attempt. If she failed, rendezvous with us in Fenneress. If she succeeded, stay in Tongra and contact us. We may still succeed at revolution.”</p><p></p><p>The Yrraxean underneath Ischarus’ sword called out. “I knew nothing of it, I swear!”</p><p></p><p>Ischarus smiled. “I pray that is true, for your sake. It may mean the difference between jail and a stay at a temple for some education in the truth.”</p><p>[/Sblock]</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Nonlethal Force, post: 3765749, member: 35788"] The party strode into Shiftedburg an hour before the sun was to make its disappearance from the sky. It had been a long day since Allyssa’s suicide. There had been many stages in the attempt to track down Pahk’s location in Shiftedburg. They had left Allyssa’s dead body with the king’s guard and had given them specific instructions regarding the care of the body. The party warned them that the last time Allyssa had died she had reappeared alive in Eberdeen. Once they were sure that the king’s guard would take her dead body a seriously as necessary, they used the spell that Brandt had given Semeion to indicate that they were ready to return. Brandt was not happy to hear of Allyssa’s death, but he did not hold the event against anyone in the party. She was a formidable opponent, and the use of the poison on herself indicated that she was serious about the choice of death over capture. Brandt consoled Charis over the fact that her healing magic could not penetrate through Allyssa’s death, although he admitted that even his healing magic can’t penetrate the barrier of death. The party spent the rest of the time in the afternoon with Master Searthu trying to discern Pahk’s location in Shiftedburg. In spite of Master Searthu’s ability to magically observe different locations across the Confederacy of Tongra, they were unable to pinpoint Pahk’s hiding place. Master Searthu concluded that Pahk’s location must be protected by magical viewing. He also hypothesized that if this was the case, Pahk may be concealing more than himself. Yrraxea herself may be lending Pahk the power to conceal even more cultists. As the party passed into the largest of Fingerdale’s suburbs, they knew that their task was going to be difficult. While Shiftedburg was only slightly more than a sixth of Fingerdale’s population, it was still well over a thousand occupants. It had outgrown the farming mentality of the smaller suburbs and had already begun to develop its own cultural centers apart from Fingerdale. Shiftedburg had several taverns, inns, and diners. They also had their own town square, which was really more like that of a community park. The party decided to head into a few of the taverns and began to subtly ask around if anyone had noticed Pahk’s arrival in the past few days. They struck out after spending a half hour in the first tavern, but managed to find a lead in the second tavern. The lead hadn’t gone well, and that was what had alerted the party to the possible connection. The bartender reacted suspiciously to the question, so they decided to pay special attention to him. It wasn’t long before they noticed the bartender excusing himself for a few minutes and slipping out the back door. The party waited until the barkeeper had exited. They left some money on the table before heading to the front door. They quickly exited the building and split up. Charis and Semeion took the right side of the building while Rhema and Ischarus took the left side of the building. Neither group found the barkeep until they emerged into the alley that ran behind the tavern. The barkeep was hurrying down the alley to the left and had already passed the backs of several buildings. They followed as quickly as they could, but they also didn’t want to get too close and alert the barkeep. Shortly after they began following him down the alley he turned to the left. This allowed the party the opportunity to move quickly in their pursuit. Ischarus approached the corner where the barkeep turned and peeked around the corner. The barkeeper was gone. The party fled down the space between the buildings and back out onto the main road that passed in front of the tavern. Just as they emerged onto the main road, they saw the barkeep turn a corner and head between a pair of buildings on the opposite side of the road. They moved quickly to pick up his trail and just as they reached the corners of the buildings they saw him turn down another alleyway. This process of moving down alleys and behind buildings continued for nearly a minute, and more than once the barkeeper passed across the main street and used the alleys to loop back on his path. He was trying to move in a manner to either lose anyone following him or to come upon them from behind as he looped back around on his trail. Eventually the barkeeper slipped into the back door of a warehouse. Ischarus smiled as he made note of the proper door. [Color=LightBlue]“Now we’ve got him. Just watch out for traps.”[/Color] As they approached the door, Rhema held out a hand to stop Ischarus from opening it. [Color=PaleGreen]“Let me scan the minds of the people inside, assuming that they are in range. I can get a hint of their state of mind.”[/Color] The other three relaxed for a moment as Rhema focused her thoughts inside. She smiled and reported her findings. [Color=PaleGreen]“There are too many minds in there to focus intently on one, but I can say that none of them are concerned about us coming through the door right now. They seem to be frantically worried about their space.”[/Color] Ischarus smiled. [Color=LightBlue]“Then we’ll go in. The door can’t be trapped, we just saw the barkeeper go through it.”[/Color] Charis lifted the handle of her pick off of her belt and moved to the door. [Color=Orange]“Use it if you got it!”[/Color] Her left hand touched the center of her forehead and she spoke a few magical words. [Color=Orange]“Meion Shintar.”[/Color] The muscles in her arms and legs swelled, giving her greater strength. With a swift kick of her leg she split the door away from the doorjamb that held it in place. A few splinters flew into the warehouse, but largely the door simply swung in on its hinges. Ischarus hefted his sword out of its scabbard and charged into the room behind Charis. What he saw before him was a small group of Yrraxean cultists. Most of them looked to be simple folk who had been duped by the powerful Pahk, who stood in the center of the group. Ischarus extended his hand in the direction of Pahk and called upon his magic. [Color=LightBlue]“Ythan Egro poisse Umaam.”[/Color] A dazzling display of colors burst forth from his extended palm and shot towards a large section of the cultist. The green, red, yellow, blue, and purple colors swirled among themselves as they passed over the people in their path like waves crashing against a rocky beach. Three of the six Yrraxeans trapped in the colors immediately crumpled to the ground. Ischarus called out to Charis. [Color=LightBlue]“The ones on the ground will be unconscious for some time. Start with Pahk!”[/Color] Several of the Yrraxeans who were not caught in Ischarus’ spell dropped whatever was in their hands and began to flee for the front door to the party’s right. Pahk stood strong and drew a dagger. The other two Yrraxeans who were caught in Ischarus’ spell but not affected turned to Pahk for guidance. The lead Yrraxean smiled and commanded them. [Color=Red]“Fight or die! Running from followers of Reah will earn you no sympathy from your queen!”[/Color] Charis moved to intercept Pahk, but not before the Yrraxean could manage to get off a spell. [Color=Red]“Thin Zhendahl nuan Kelath!”[/Color] He pointed directly at Charis as he released the magical energy. Semeion knew that the spell was going to hurt. His mind quickly deciphered the magical command and knew to expect a powerful ball of fire. His knowledge gave him no ability to alter the spell, however. The fire exploded upon Charis and quickly filled a quarter of the warehouse in addition to blasting out of the doorway and into the alleyway where Rhema and Semeion still stood. Semeion and Rhema were blown back by the powerful explosion. Rhema was lucky and several crates in the alleyway shielded her from the flames once the force of the explosion had blown her back. Semeion was not so lucky and he quickly found himself wrapped in a cloud of fire. Several of the Yrraxeans who had initially moved to the door to the party’s right were also caught in the explosion. Many of them were blown off of their feet and badly burned as the fire spread across the warehouse floor. Several stacks of boxes caught fire and threatened to come crashing down to the ground above the fallen Yrraxeans. Charis was blown forward by the assault, but she managed to keep her feet. The fire scorched her exposed skin and hair, but she continued to charge towards Pahk. She met him and easily landed a serious blow across his face. Blood streamed out of his mouth as he called the remaining Yrraxeans to his defense. Rhema recovered from Pahk’s spell and charged into the warehouse. She quickly scanned the battlefield and knew that she could influence some control. Her mind focused on the battle between Pahk and Charis and a circular wall of ice sprang from the ground and encircled their battle. The air outside the wall immediately lowered in temperature and frost collected in the sweaty hair of the Yrraxeans who had been standing close to Pahk. The sweat on their skin began to freeze. Charis and Pahk were unaffected by the cold inside the ring of ice. Rhema saw that her spell was affective and she called out Ischarus. [Color=PaleGreen]“I’ve sealed the two of them inside the ice! You’ll need to take care of the rest of the cultists!”[/Color] The two Yrraxeans outside of the cold ring quickly moved away from the chilled air. They drew their swords and attempted to attack Ischarus, but his skill with his own sword was measurably greater. He easily deflected their attacks with his own sword. Semeion collected himself and moved into the warehouse as Ischarus was attacked. He turned and ran along the wall inside the warehouse until he was able to cast a spell against the Yrraxeans fighting against Ischarus without actually catching Ischarus in the line of the spell. His mind focused on the swords that the Yrraxeans were using and he uttered his magical command. [Color=Plum]“Thin Zhendahl quas Bukrol.”[/Color] The weapons that the Yrraxeans were using shattered, as did several of the empty wooden crates behind where the Yrraxeans were standing. The exploding steel swords left minor wounds on the Yrraxeans and Ischarus, but the largest effect was the surprise impression that Semeion’s spell left on the Yrraxeans. The young mage yelled to the Yrraxeans who had come to Pahk’s defense. [Color=Plum]“Some of your brethren have chosen to flee and confess that Reah has dominated over Yrraxea. If you flee now, your lives will be spared!”[/Color] Ischarus simply grinned at the two Yrraxeans who were now weaponless. He nodded, but made no aggressive move towards them. They glanced back to Pahk, but he was busy inside the wall of ice and could offer them no direction. They turned back to Ischarus and took advantage of Semeion’s offer. They fled to the far entrance of the warehouse, avoiding as many of the smoking crates as possible. Inside the ring of ice, Pahk turned to Charis and cast another spell. [Color=Red]“Thin Zhentahl nienne Kelath.”[/Color] A ring of fire sprang up around Pahk and encircled him. As the fire circled around Pahk, it leapt out and burned Charis’ arm. The pain was intense, but not significant. Charis responded with a magical assault of her own. [Color=Orange]“Thin Zhendahl gat Teos.”[/Color] Her hand extended towards Pahk, but she was wary of getting too close. She didn’t want to allow the fiery ring to have another chance to strike her. A ray of blinding energy burst forth from her palm and struck Pahk in the chest. Charis added insult to the injury. [Color=Orange]“You will find that Bemme is more powerful than Yrraxea.”[/Color] Pahk spat blood and spittle upon the ground and spoke while he planned his next assault. [Color=Red]“You serve Bemme? While you are obviously misguided, my quarrel is not with you. Stand aside and I will let you live!”[/Color] Pahk swung his dagger half-heartedly at Charis. Although his assault missed, the ring of fire circling him drew close enough to blast Charis with another strike. Charis replied to Pahk’s religious assertion. [Color=Orange]“While Bemme has no official quarrel against Yrraxea, you are self-serving. Bemme’s love is charitable, and all those who seek to lift themselves above the community must be stopped.”[/Color] Pahk shrugged and smiled. [Color=Red]“So be it! Thin Shintar tok Arash.”[/Color] Pahk used a spell that Charis had seen Ischarus use a time or two. The knowledge did not help her avoid Pahk’s effect, however. A green arrow coated with acid emerged from each of Pahk’s hands and shot forward to strike Charis. Both arrows slammed into Charis’ chest, nearly knocking the wind out of her. Charis had enough of trading magical blows. It was clear that Pahk was much more of a capable spell caster than most of the Wizard’s College guards had assumed. If she were going to defeat him, it would not be in a magical exchange. She lifted her shield defensively and swung hard with her pick. The pointed end struck hard and penetrated Pahk’s flimsy clothing. A pool of blood quickly formed in the clothing around his shoulder. Pahk fell to his knees and looked up to Charis in anger. Magical words began to form on his lips as his shoulder oozed blood and plasma. Charis turned the pick a quarter turn and swung hard in an upward blow. The flat side of the pick caught Pahk under the chin and flipped him onto his back. He lay motionless on the ground. Rhema released the ring of ice as soon as she saw Pahk fall to the ground. With her mind no longer providing the energy for the ice to exist, it dissipated quickly and the warehouse lost its cool spot. She turned and walked towards Semeion, who was trying to extinguish the flames among the wooden storage crates caused by Pahk’s earlier spell. Ischarus had let Semeion handle the flames while he stood guard over one of the Yrraxeans who had tried to flee but instead got caught in the blast from Pahk’s fiery explosion. As the Yrraxean returned to consciousness, he was startled to see Ischarus standing over him. He quickly looked around and realized that except for Pahk the rest of his cult had fled. Pahk lay motionless on the ground, defeated. Ischarus scowled and knelt down, holding his blade under the chin of the Yrraxean. [Color=LightBlue]“I’m going to assume that you got involved in this cult as a mistake. If that’s true, then your mistake can be forgiven. And if you want forgiveness, you had better explain what was happening here.”[/Color] The Yrraxean continued to sweat, and drips of his sweat ran down his face and pooled on the flat of Ischarus’ blade. [Color=Lime]“We were waiting for Allyssa. Pahk said something about the plan failing miserably. Allyssa was sent to Eberdeen. She was to return here and we were going to move to a new country.”[/Color] Ischarus smiled. [Color=LightBlue]“You speak vaguely, Yrraxean. What do you know of Allyssa’s mission?”[/Color] The Yrraxean shook his head slowly from side to side. [Color=Lime]“I know nothing, really. Pahk and Allyssa told us that if we supported them we would find ourselves in a new status in a few days. They promised us power and prestige.”[/Color] Ischarus looked at the Yrraxean as though he were disappointed. [Color=LightBlue]“Power and prestige? Where would this come from?”[/Color] The Yrraxean swallowed hard. [Color=Lime]“There are many who know that Lord Ironblood only thinks of himself. We assumed that they were planning something to remove him from power. But honestly, we were never told as much. We were simply promised power and prestige for our assistance.”[/Color] Ischarus chuckled once more. [Color=LightBlue]“Let’s just say that you guess is not far from home. But, they planned it to be much bigger. They planned to assassinate the king and all the leaders in Tongra. And they almost succeeded. You almost played a part in that plan. You almost played a part in the assassination of all the leaders of Tongra.”[/Color] The Yrraxean swallowed hard, obviously disturbed by Ischarus’ revelation. [Color=Lime]“But, I had no idea. I swear!”[/Color] Charis called to Ischarus and interrupted his interrogation. [Color=Orange]“I found a communiqué on Pahk.”[/Color] Rhema called from another area of the warehouse. [Color=PaleGreen]“Read it, Charis.”[/Color] Charis nodded and replied. [Color=Orange]“Pahk. The plan is in ruins. No assassinations have occurred. We are sailing for Fenneress, where we will return to Quehalost and wait for the Queen to summon our might again. Wait for Allyssa to return and report on her assassination attempt. If she failed, rendezvous with us in Fenneress. If she succeeded, stay in Tongra and contact us. We may still succeed at revolution.”[/Color] The Yrraxean underneath Ischarus’ sword called out. [Color=Lime]“I knew nothing of it, I swear!”[/Color] Ischarus smiled. [Color=LightBlue]“I pray that is true, for your sake. It may mean the difference between jail and a stay at a temple for some education in the truth.”[/Color] [Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section] The party strode into Shiftedburg an hour before the sun was to make its disappearance from the sky. It had been a long day since Allyssa’s suicide. There had been many stages in the attempt to track down Pahk’s location in Shiftedburg. They had left Allyssa’s dead body with the king’s guard and had given them specific instructions regarding the care of the body. The party warned them that the last time Allyssa had died she had reappeared alive in Eberdeen. Once they were sure that the king’s guard would take her dead body a seriously as necessary, they used the spell that Brandt had given Semeion to indicate that they were ready to return. Brandt was not happy to hear of Allyssa’s death, but he did not hold the event against anyone in the party. She was a formidable opponent, and the use of the poison on herself indicated that she was serious about the choice of death over capture. Brandt consoled Charis over the fact that her healing magic could not penetrate through Allyssa’s death, although he admitted that even his healing magic can’t penetrate the barrier of death. The party spent the rest of the time in the afternoon with Master Searthu trying to discern Pahk’s location in Shiftedburg. In spite of Master Searthu’s ability to magically observe different locations across the Confederacy of Tongra, they were unable to pinpoint Pahk’s hiding place. Master Searthu concluded that Pahk’s location must be protected by magical viewing. He also hypothesized that if this was the case, Pahk may be concealing more than himself. Yrraxea herself may be lending Pahk the power to conceal even more cultists. As the party passed into the largest of Fingerdale’s suburbs, they knew that their task was going to be difficult. While Shiftedburg was only slightly more than a sixth of Fingerdale’s population, it was still well over a thousand occupants. It had outgrown the farming mentality of the smaller suburbs and had already begun to develop its own cultural centers apart from Fingerdale. Shiftedburg had several taverns, inns, and diners. They also had their own town square, which was really more like that of a community park. The party decided to head into a few of the taverns and began to subtly ask around if anyone had noticed Pahk’s arrival in the past few days. They struck out after spending a half hour in the first tavern, but managed to find a lead in the second tavern. The lead hadn’t gone well, and that was what had alerted the party to the possible connection. The bartender reacted suspiciously to the question, so they decided to pay special attention to him. It wasn’t long before they noticed the bartender excusing himself for a few minutes and slipping out the back door. The party waited until the barkeeper had exited. They left some money on the table before heading to the front door. They quickly exited the building and split up. Charis and Semeion took the right side of the building while Rhema and Ischarus took the left side of the building. Neither group found the barkeep until they emerged into the alley that ran behind the tavern. The barkeep was hurrying down the alley to the left and had already passed the backs of several buildings. They followed as quickly as they could, but they also didn’t want to get too close and alert the barkeep. Shortly after they began following him down the alley he turned to the left. This allowed the party the opportunity to move quickly in their pursuit. Ischarus approached the corner where the barkeep turned and peeked around the corner. The barkeeper was gone. The party fled down the space between the buildings and back out onto the main road that passed in front of the tavern. Just as they emerged onto the main road, they saw the barkeep turn a corner and head between a pair of buildings on the opposite side of the road. They moved quickly to pick up his trail and just as they reached the corners of the buildings they saw him turn down another alleyway. This process of moving down alleys and behind buildings continued for nearly a minute, and more than once the barkeeper passed across the main street and used the alleys to loop back on his path. He was trying to move in a manner to either lose anyone following him or to come upon them from behind as he looped back around on his trail. Eventually the barkeeper slipped into the back door of a warehouse. Ischarus smiled as he made note of the proper door. “Now we’ve got him. Just watch out for traps.” As they approached the door, Rhema held out a hand to stop Ischarus from opening it. “Let me scan the minds of the people inside, assuming that they are in range. I can get a hint of their state of mind.” The other three relaxed for a moment as Rhema focused her thoughts inside. She smiled and reported her findings. “There are too many minds in there to focus intently on one, but I can say that none of them are concerned about us coming through the door right now. They seem to be frantically worried about their space.” Ischarus smiled. “Then we’ll go in. The door can’t be trapped, we just saw the barkeeper go through it.” Charis lifted the handle of her pick off of her belt and moved to the door. “Use it if you got it!” Her left hand touched the center of her forehead and she spoke a few magical words. “Meion Shintar.” The muscles in her arms and legs swelled, giving her greater strength. With a swift kick of her leg she split the door away from the doorjamb that held it in place. A few splinters flew into the warehouse, but largely the door simply swung in on its hinges. Ischarus hefted his sword out of its scabbard and charged into the room behind Charis. What he saw before him was a small group of Yrraxean cultists. Most of them looked to be simple folk who had been duped by the powerful Pahk, who stood in the center of the group. Ischarus extended his hand in the direction of Pahk and called upon his magic. “Ythan Egro poisse Umaam.” A dazzling display of colors burst forth from his extended palm and shot towards a large section of the cultist. The green, red, yellow, blue, and purple colors swirled among themselves as they passed over the people in their path like waves crashing against a rocky beach. Three of the six Yrraxeans trapped in the colors immediately crumpled to the ground. Ischarus called out to Charis. “The ones on the ground will be unconscious for some time. Start with Pahk!” Several of the Yrraxeans who were not caught in Ischarus’ spell dropped whatever was in their hands and began to flee for the front door to the party’s right. Pahk stood strong and drew a dagger. The other two Yrraxeans who were caught in Ischarus’ spell but not affected turned to Pahk for guidance. The lead Yrraxean smiled and commanded them. “Fight or die! Running from followers of Reah will earn you no sympathy from your queen!” Charis moved to intercept Pahk, but not before the Yrraxean could manage to get off a spell. “Thin Zhendahl nuan Kelath!” He pointed directly at Charis as he released the magical energy. Semeion knew that the spell was going to hurt. His mind quickly deciphered the magical command and knew to expect a powerful ball of fire. His knowledge gave him no ability to alter the spell, however. The fire exploded upon Charis and quickly filled a quarter of the warehouse in addition to blasting out of the doorway and into the alleyway where Rhema and Semeion still stood. Semeion and Rhema were blown back by the powerful explosion. Rhema was lucky and several crates in the alleyway shielded her from the flames once the force of the explosion had blown her back. Semeion was not so lucky and he quickly found himself wrapped in a cloud of fire. Several of the Yrraxeans who had initially moved to the door to the party’s right were also caught in the explosion. Many of them were blown off of their feet and badly burned as the fire spread across the warehouse floor. Several stacks of boxes caught fire and threatened to come crashing down to the ground above the fallen Yrraxeans. Charis was blown forward by the assault, but she managed to keep her feet. The fire scorched her exposed skin and hair, but she continued to charge towards Pahk. She met him and easily landed a serious blow across his face. Blood streamed out of his mouth as he called the remaining Yrraxeans to his defense. Rhema recovered from Pahk’s spell and charged into the warehouse. She quickly scanned the battlefield and knew that she could influence some control. Her mind focused on the battle between Pahk and Charis and a circular wall of ice sprang from the ground and encircled their battle. The air outside the wall immediately lowered in temperature and frost collected in the sweaty hair of the Yrraxeans who had been standing close to Pahk. The sweat on their skin began to freeze. Charis and Pahk were unaffected by the cold inside the ring of ice. Rhema saw that her spell was affective and she called out Ischarus. “I’ve sealed the two of them inside the ice! You’ll need to take care of the rest of the cultists!” The two Yrraxeans outside of the cold ring quickly moved away from the chilled air. They drew their swords and attempted to attack Ischarus, but his skill with his own sword was measurably greater. He easily deflected their attacks with his own sword. Semeion collected himself and moved into the warehouse as Ischarus was attacked. He turned and ran along the wall inside the warehouse until he was able to cast a spell against the Yrraxeans fighting against Ischarus without actually catching Ischarus in the line of the spell. His mind focused on the swords that the Yrraxeans were using and he uttered his magical command. “Thin Zhendahl quas Bukrol.” The weapons that the Yrraxeans were using shattered, as did several of the empty wooden crates behind where the Yrraxeans were standing. The exploding steel swords left minor wounds on the Yrraxeans and Ischarus, but the largest effect was the surprise impression that Semeion’s spell left on the Yrraxeans. The young mage yelled to the Yrraxeans who had come to Pahk’s defense. “Some of your brethren have chosen to flee and confess that Reah has dominated over Yrraxea. If you flee now, your lives will be spared!” Ischarus simply grinned at the two Yrraxeans who were now weaponless. He nodded, but made no aggressive move towards them. They glanced back to Pahk, but he was busy inside the wall of ice and could offer them no direction. They turned back to Ischarus and took advantage of Semeion’s offer. They fled to the far entrance of the warehouse, avoiding as many of the smoking crates as possible. Inside the ring of ice, Pahk turned to Charis and cast another spell. “Thin Zhentahl nienne Kelath.” A ring of fire sprang up around Pahk and encircled him. As the fire circled around Pahk, it leapt out and burned Charis’ arm. The pain was intense, but not significant. Charis responded with a magical assault of her own. “Thin Zhendahl gat Teos.” Her hand extended towards Pahk, but she was wary of getting too close. She didn’t want to allow the fiery ring to have another chance to strike her. A ray of blinding energy burst forth from her palm and struck Pahk in the chest. Charis added insult to the injury. “You will find that Bemme is more powerful than Yrraxea.” Pahk spat blood and spittle upon the ground and spoke while he planned his next assault. “You serve Bemme? While you are obviously misguided, my quarrel is not with you. Stand aside and I will let you live!” Pahk swung his dagger half-heartedly at Charis. Although his assault missed, the ring of fire circling him drew close enough to blast Charis with another strike. Charis replied to Pahk’s religious assertion. “While Bemme has no official quarrel against Yrraxea, you are self-serving. Bemme’s love is charitable, and all those who seek to lift themselves above the community must be stopped.” Pahk shrugged and smiled. “So be it! Thin Shintar tok Arash.” Pahk used a spell that Charis had seen Ischarus use a time or two. The knowledge did not help her avoid Pahk’s effect, however. A green arrow coated with acid emerged from each of Pahk’s hands and shot forward to strike Charis. Both arrows slammed into Charis’ chest, nearly knocking the wind out of her. Charis had enough of trading magical blows. It was clear that Pahk was much more of a capable spell caster than most of the Wizard’s College guards had assumed. If she were going to defeat him, it would not be in a magical exchange. She lifted her shield defensively and swung hard with her pick. The pointed end struck hard and penetrated Pahk’s flimsy clothing. A pool of blood quickly formed in the clothing around his shoulder. Pahk fell to his knees and looked up to Charis in anger. Magical words began to form on his lips as his shoulder oozed blood and plasma. Charis turned the pick a quarter turn and swung hard in an upward blow. The flat side of the pick caught Pahk under the chin and flipped him onto his back. He lay motionless on the ground. Rhema released the ring of ice as soon as she saw Pahk fall to the ground. With her mind no longer providing the energy for the ice to exist, it dissipated quickly and the warehouse lost its cool spot. She turned and walked towards Semeion, who was trying to extinguish the flames among the wooden storage crates caused by Pahk’s earlier spell. Ischarus had let Semeion handle the flames while he stood guard over one of the Yrraxeans who had tried to flee but instead got caught in the blast from Pahk’s fiery explosion. As the Yrraxean returned to consciousness, he was startled to see Ischarus standing over him. He quickly looked around and realized that except for Pahk the rest of his cult had fled. Pahk lay motionless on the ground, defeated. Ischarus scowled and knelt down, holding his blade under the chin of the Yrraxean. “I’m going to assume that you got involved in this cult as a mistake. If that’s true, then your mistake can be forgiven. And if you want forgiveness, you had better explain what was happening here.” The Yrraxean continued to sweat, and drips of his sweat ran down his face and pooled on the flat of Ischarus’ blade. “We were waiting for Allyssa. Pahk said something about the plan failing miserably. Allyssa was sent to Eberdeen. She was to return here and we were going to move to a new country.” Ischarus smiled. “You speak vaguely, Yrraxean. What do you know of Allyssa’s mission?” The Yrraxean shook his head slowly from side to side. “I know nothing, really. Pahk and Allyssa told us that if we supported them we would find ourselves in a new status in a few days. They promised us power and prestige.” Ischarus looked at the Yrraxean as though he were disappointed. “Power and prestige? Where would this come from?” The Yrraxean swallowed hard. “There are many who know that Lord Ironblood only thinks of himself. We assumed that they were planning something to remove him from power. But honestly, we were never told as much. We were simply promised power and prestige for our assistance.” Ischarus chuckled once more. “Let’s just say that you guess is not far from home. But, they planned it to be much bigger. They planned to assassinate the king and all the leaders in Tongra. And they almost succeeded. You almost played a part in that plan. You almost played a part in the assassination of all the leaders of Tongra.” The Yrraxean swallowed hard, obviously disturbed by Ischarus’ revelation. “But, I had no idea. I swear!” Charis called to Ischarus and interrupted his interrogation. “I found a communiqué on Pahk.” Rhema called from another area of the warehouse. “Read it, Charis.” Charis nodded and replied. “Pahk. The plan is in ruins. No assassinations have occurred. We are sailing for Fenneress, where we will return to Quehalost and wait for the Queen to summon our might again. Wait for Allyssa to return and report on her assassination attempt. If she failed, rendezvous with us in Fenneress. If she succeeded, stay in Tongra and contact us. We may still succeed at revolution.” The Yrraxean underneath Ischarus’ sword called out. “I knew nothing of it, I swear!” Ischarus smiled. “I pray that is true, for your sake. It may mean the difference between jail and a stay at a temple for some education in the truth.” [/Sblock] [/QUOTE]
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