The Closed Eye (DM: Halford, Judge: garyh)

[nerdytenor]

Tander slumps down into a comically large chair inside Dod*3's residence, sighing heavily. Frustrated, out of ideas, and doubting everything he had learned about himself since the Big Forgetting, Tander frowns.

"What's the use," he mumbles aloud.

An especially astute observer would notice Tander disappearing altogether,

[sblock=Out of Time]
OH TANDER, NOW YOU'RE REALLY STARTING TO DEPRESS ME.

Tander hadn't been entirely sure his last episode really happened, despite the marks on his hands. Now he was both relieved and terrified to discover he had not, in fact, imagined the whole thing. He was sitting in a white room of nothing.

TANDER, YOU MUST SEE THIS THROUGH.

But why? I can't tell who is on the side of good. What if both these cults are evil? Not to mention my so-called allies. Where do their true loyalties lie?

YOU ARE PROJECTING, TANDER.

Projecting?

AH, I FORGET. PSYCHOTHERAPY DOES NOT EXIST FOR YOU YET. NEVER MIND. WHAT I AM SAYING IS, YOU DOUBT YOUR OWN LOYALTIES. YOUR OWN GOODNESS. THAT IS WHY YOU DOUBT IT IN OTHERS.

Maybe.

DEFINITELY.

But look at what they have done! We are running around like common criminals!

WHAT OF IT?

What...

TANDER, YOUR SITUATION IS.... DIFFICULT. COMPLICATED, EVEN. BUT THAT DOESN'T CHANGE WHAT YOU MUST DO. WHAT YOU HAVE ALWAYS DONE. WELL, UNTIL AROUND THE TIME I SNAPPED YOUR MEMORY AWAY, THAT IS.

And what is that? WHAT MUST I DO!?!?

GOOD. DO GOOD, TANDER.

But how do I...
[/sblock]

, and then reappearing in exactly the same spot, his nearly instantaneous change of expression the only hint that anything had happened.

 

[nerdytenor]

Tander nearly leaps up from the chair, although it is difficult to get up from given its prodigious size. He begins pacing about, thinking, and waiting for the others.

Tander begins to wander the halls of the tower, searching for the others.

"Palindrome, are you here?" Tander walks to what he thinks is Palindrome's door and gives a tentative knock.

 

[KenHood]

Palindrome starts at the knock. With a guilty look, he hides the paper he's been working on, titled, "Pro's and Con's of Murdering Fellow Party Members" (the Pro's are pretty long), in his desk.

"Possibly," he says.

 

[nerdytenor]

Tander sighs. "Well, if you are there, did you happen to discover anything new? My sources came up with nothing, although I would have been able to search farther if I were not so concerned with being captured..."

 

[Dunamin]

[sblock=Back in black!]Thanks for playing Woe superbly to character, Cov! Those were some truly faithful one-liners.

I don't think any of us would have let Arnest out of our sights (at least not unrestrained and/or conscious), but in the interest of keeping with the current script...

(The following assumes Tsasha is unconscious - if she isn't, Woe makes her)[/sblock]

You and Arnest carry Tsasha to Phredas Lindenfall, a middle-aged battleaxe of a priestess who has provided discreet medical services to you in the past, usually after a blurry night and an unpleasant burning sensation. She starts to give you one of her usual lectures, but when her eye falls on Tsasha's mangled foot, she becomes instantly professional, ushering her into a private room and laying out reagents immediately. Then she kicks you out of the room, brooking no argument. When you leave the inner room, you notice that Arnest is gone.

Upon discovering Arnest's getaway, Woe immediately takes steps to maintain leverage. Once Phredas Lindenfall finishes with Tsasha, takes a break, or leaves for more medical supplies, he sneaks back to the serpentine cultist.

He snatches her holy symbol and any other items that seem like irreplaceable MacGuffins for the cult, then dips into Phredas' collection of alchemy that he has grown familiar with after numerous treatments. He administers Tsasha with something that he knows by experience will have a lasting visible effect in a few hours.

After about two hours, Arnest returns, fully healed, wearing a clean doublet of fine velvet, and flanked by three competent-looking half-orc bodyguards. One of them gives you a gold-capped tusky smile that really isn't very friendly.

"Thanks for your help. I'll be taking it from here. I'll meet you tomorrow at the insane wizard's tower," Arnest says coolly. His tone invites you to wait elsewhere.

"Nice bling there, Tusky." Woe comments to the orc with unfazed bravado.

"I'm sure it would fit well at the tip of my spear, once I clean your guts off it."

Stepping up close to eyeball Arnest, he laughs defiantly.

"Oh, I'm certain you'll be there, punk. After all, Tsasha's life depends on it."

"You see, things happened while you squirmed away with your panties in a twist and your tail between your legs. I and Miss Tongue-In-(My)-Cheek got to know each other a little better... well, actually, a lot better."

Woe circles around the noble while taunting him, eventually getting uncomfortably close.

"As a reward, I gave her a little treat that left her quite pale. You see, there are some subtle perks when you work with insane mages... like fully stocked alchemical laboratories with complete collections of slowly acting toxins, volatile reagents, and even more obscure vials of delayed hilarity - magical or otherwise."

The merc is literally breathing down Arnest's neck now, daring him and his half-orc guards to react.

"So you better untangle your balls, man up, and play along... or your precious Tsasha will learn that her gory rituals are child's play compared to the hellride her body is in for."

Woe finishes with a wink and takes his leave, shoulder-shoving past the orc provocatively and returning to the party.

 

[covaithe]

[sblock=Woe]Unfortunately for Woe, Tsasha's injuries are extensive enough to warrant continuous attention from Phredas during the time Arnest is gone. Worse, it seems that Phredas has invested in a sturdy locked cabinet for her more potent supplies since the last time Woe had the misfortune to need her services.

When she catches Woe sneaking into Tsasha's room, Phredas puts her hands on her ample hips and gives Woe an evil glare. "You brought this poor wretch here. Now I'm gonna heal her. She ain't goin' nowhere, so go away and let me do my job. If you don't stop fussin' around, I'm gonna bar the door on you."

At least it isn't necessary to relieve Tsasha of holy symbols and the like; her eye medallion having been removed just after the fight.

ooc: If you like, you can keep the same dialogue with Arnest, but it will need a bluff check now.
[/sblock]

[sblock=Atreus]Atreus pauses to consider his next move.

The elf is now blind, lame, and missing several important parts of his hands. It's doubtful that he could be any threat at all on his own, even in Atreus' much-weakened state. Likewise, he could hardly recognize his attackers, except perhaps by voice. On the other hand, there is a possibility that he could provide descriptions...

The temple of Juna is involved in a number of charitable works, in separate wings of their large compound. There is a kitchen that serves free meals to qualifying individuals at noon. They are reputed to offer sheltered places to sleep in various places around the city, one of which is attached to this temple. Finally, they offer healing, free in emergencies or to the very poor, and charged at varying rates to those who can pay. The medical wing is large and lavish, and is on the opposite side of the compound from the more utilitarian kitchens. If the elf was taken here, it would surely have been to somewhere in the medical wing.

Atreus considers various ways of entering the hospital area. "Disguising" himself as a patient needing medical attention would certainly get him in. Considering his quite real wounds and general filthiness, not much disguise would be needed. But while that would get him inside, it would also likely get him stuck in a bed, wrapped in bandages, and watched carefully by concerned medical staff. Disguising himself as a priest, on the other hand, would require him to get ahold of one of their distinctive green robes with the white rope belt, and the golden holy symbol that each of them wear on a chain from their belt. Looking around, there are a number of priests leaving in ones and twos, heading out in the twilight to their homes. It would be possible to ambush one of them, though risky.

ooc: If you want to ambush one, make a stealth check and an attack roll.
[/sblock]

 

[Atriden]

[sblock=To Covaithe]
Atreus follows the priest that looks to be a easy target and while tracking him does what he can to improve his look to seem like a beggar. The rogue follows him to a location that he deems safe to attempt his attack.

If the priest discovers that he is approaching silently, he quickly changes his approach and claims to be a beggar and asks if he has some coins to spare. If the priest is not satisfied with that, he weakly starts to tell how he got mugged this morning and has lost all his earnings this day. And if needed, Atreus continues the act showing signs of psychological scars, by acting to forget what the priest says and when the priest comes too close to him puts frightenly his hands up to defend himself... but still asks once and a while for one more coin. When the priest as bought the act he strolls off in a random direction still acting as a beggar until he is out of sight.

If he manages to sneak up too him without getting noticed by the priest, he attacks him with the blunt end of his dagger by throwing it a few feet from him in the head.

Stealth: 14 Bluff: 18 Attack: 10

As stated, if Atreus got noticed before by the priest then after he is out of sight moves back to the temple and finds a new target. And tries the same stunt.

Stealth: 15 Attack:15
[/sblock]

 

[Dunamin]

Bluff 12

Hmm, I guess that was wasted roleplaying in absence of any circumstantial bonuses...

 

[KenHood]

Tander sighs. "Well, if you are there, did you happen to discover anything new? My sources came up with nothing, although I would have been able to search farther if I were not so concerned with being captured..."

"Yep. I know exactly where the Closed Eye cult is located, which means that all the time we spent interrogating Arnest and keeping him alive was a waste--or even more than a waste, when you consider that he's wealthy, connected, and probably surrounded by many heavily armed individuals with a strong desire to torture us before we die."

"So..."

"Let me say again: I told you so."

"Now, if that's all, I'm going to sleep behind my barred and barricaded door. If Meatshield shows up with my monkey, please wake me up. Thanks."


[sblock=Dunamin]

Bluff 12

Hmm, I guess that was wasted roleplaying in absence of any circumstantial bonuses...

The story of Palindrome's life.[/sblock]

 

[nerdytenor]

"Yep. I know exactly where the Closed Eye cult is located"

Amazing, Tander thinks. Eager to ask Palindrome about it, he starts to turn the handle to the door.

I'm going to sleep behind my barred and barricaded door. If Meatshield shows up with my monkey, please wake me up.

Tander sighs again. This would have to wait until morning. "He'll have to wake you up himself. We have a big day ahead of us - hopefully we can bid farewell to the Eye cults once and for all". Tander finds another comically-oversized chair, attempts a brief meditation, and immediately falls asleep.

[sblock=Going Down...]
... in a Blaze of Glory...

Hopefully the bad guys and not Team-Whack-A-Mole
[/sblock]