The Psionicle, Part II

[GnomeWorks]

"So you want us to walk into a 'Kreen nest, swipe an incredibly valuable and doubtless heavily guarded artifact, kill their pack leader, and walk out again? I don't suppose you happen to have a head count for the number of 'kreen down there do you?"[/qb]

He looks at you simply.

"Yes."

His look turns into that of one who is thinking. "It is difficult to say how many of them there are. There are several dozen, at least. However, the weapon we can provide you - although it may not work correctly all the time - may help to even the odds. When you collect it from Tristam tomorrow, you will understand."

Jansson glowers at the blue.

"I am willing to risk my life for the good of the people of this town, but unless you know something we don't, what you are suggesting sounds like suicide to me!"

"You are not risking your life for just this town. You are risking your life for the art of psionics. That which makes you-" He points at you intently. "-what you are. Without the construction of The Psionicle, everything and nearly everyone here will be destroyed, overcome by the forces of technology and magic.

"This is by no means a requirement. You may decline, if you so wish. However, remember why you decided to put The Psionicle back together - to save yourselves, and those others who practice the art of psionics, from destruction. There are few who can steel themselves against the will of the Staff that you hold, and that in combination with your feats so far make you the best candidates for combatting the Thri-Kreen.

"We can provide you with whatever psionic equipment you require, up to a certain point. Our resources can only go so far. Tristam may be able to spare a workman or two, to accompany and assist you. Yes, the Thri-Kreen lair will be treacherous - but if you are cautious, you may be able to bypass most of them before they even notice you. They are not creatures of the night, and their vision is poor to begin with. The tunnels below the Floodplains are curved and twisted, with only one main cavern where they convene. We may be able to provide you with a crude map of the first few hundred feet of their lair, but beyond that our knowledge is non-existant.

"As stated before, this is not a requirement of you. This is a choice that you, as a group, must make. Eventually, you will require the crystal - and now, that requirement will serve two purposes: saving this city from the Thri-Kreen menace, as well as the surrounding villages and towns; and getting one step closer to completing The Psionicle.

"And yes - we are aware of things that you are not. If it will help in your decision, I will tell you something that few are aware of."

He composes himself, gathering his thoughts.

"The Illithids are coming back, as you may already know. They are around, lurking in the shadows. But they are there, and that is all that matters. They are still the power-hungry scum that they were before the fall of Penumbra, and they yearn to have the Staff back into their slimy grasp. There are none that could withstand the force of the Illithids - no matter how few or how many of them there were. The Psionicle will be able, however, to fight back their psionic capabilities and perhaps destroy them once and for all, before they enslave more."

 

[Hand of Vecna]

"The Illithids are coming back, as you may already know. They are around, lurking in the shadows. But they are there, and that is all that matters."

At the mention of Illithids, Nathan's eyes narrow in anger and his grip tightens on his quarterstaff.

"The Psionicle will be able, however, to fight back their psionic capabilities and perhaps destroy them once and for all, before they enslave more."

A sort of grin breaks across Nathan's face...

 

[Sollir Furryfoot]

"I have a few questions myself to ask your excellancies, if I may speak."

(Sahgrim will wait for acknowledgement before speaking and will pause inbetween each question for an answer.)

"What is the powers of the gem this Thri-Kreen has, if it is such a powerful artifact, how can we combat it?"

"What are your intentions in this, why are you eager to help us create the Psionisicle?

"You seem very powerful yourselves, why don't you handle this problem?"

"And my last question, earlier on, there was a power emanating from a (ooc-this?) clock tower, was it you or something we should know about?"

 

[GnomeWorks]

A sort of grin breaks across Nathan's face...

The blue looks at Nathan severely. "Do you find something amusing? The Illithids are a very serious threat - nothing to be laughed at. They may not be powerful now, but if they recover the Staff, and the other pieces of The Psionicle, then their power may be impossible to stop."

---

"I have a few questions myself to ask your excellancies, if I may speak."

(Sahgrim will wait for acknowledgement before speaking and will pause inbetween each question for an answer.)[/qb]

"Go on," The githyanki motions with her hand.

"What is the powers of the gem this Thri-Kreen has, if it is such a powerful artifact, how can we combat it?"

"In and of itself, it is not very powerful. It does give its wielder access to the discipline of Telepathy. With more of the constituent artifacts of The Psionicle, however, the power of each individual artifact grows slightly."

"What are your intentions in this, why are you eager to help us create the Psionisicle?"

"Are intentions are to ensure the survival of psionics, and its eventual dominion over magic and technology. We do not wish to see the art of psionics falter more than it already has, or to see it fail utterly - which it will, if The Psionicle is not constructed."

"You seem very powerful yourselves, why don't you handle this problem?"

"We cannot handle this problem because..." The githyanki stops and glances at her associates. The goblin and the halfling nod at her, and she continues. "...our own abilities are beginning to waver. Our powers are beginning to wane, and it is becoming more and more difficult to manifest our abilities. Soon, it will be too difficult to manifest even the easiest talents. You five, however, along with Shardorn, have proven that you are capable warriors, even without psionics. We believe that you will be able to fight off this threat.

"Not only that, but the technology that has been brought here by Tristam, and others like him, has begun to encroach on our powers. You may sense it, as well - it is slightly more difficult to manifest within the walls than normal. That is because the ambassador here brought with him many items of a technological nature, which is impinging on the abilities of the mind."

"And my last question, earlier on, there was a power emanating from a (ooc-this?) clock tower, was it you or something we should know about?"

OOC:

OOC: Yes, there is only one clock tower - it was definitely emanating from here.

"That was our searching of your minds, to see how much you already knew. Unfortunately, we were not even able to penetrate the power you manifested earlier, which goes to show how weak our powers are becoming."

[edit - formatting]

 

[Hand of Vecna]

The blue looks at Nathan severely. "Do you find something amusing? The Illithids are a very serious threat - nothing to be laughed at. They may not be powerful now, but if they recover the Staff, and the other pieces of The Psionicle, then their power may be impossible to stop."

Nathan's gaze at the Blue intensifies, and his voice takes on a harsh tone.

"Oh, I know all about the Illithid threat, sir, and nothing would please me more than to see them wiped from the World..."

 

[Jarval]

Jansson pauses a few moments to digest what he has just heard before speaking.

"I apologize for my outburst. It seems that there is rather more to this matter than it first seemed.

"Can you tell us more about the weapon the ambassador brought with him? And what other aid may you give us? Are there any in the town who have any knowledge of the 'kreen tunnels?"

 

[Zhure]

"We're going to need some stuff, too. Not just money. We were equipping for a scouting mission, not an underground raid. I'm thinking about weaponry, lights and maps. Food! Yeah, food, too. But mostly lights or somesuch. I dunno if 'Kreen can see in the dark, but I can't."

 

[GnomeWorks]

"Oh, I know all about the Illithid threat, sir, and nothing would please me more than to see them wiped from the World..."

"Indeed." The blue meets Nathan's gaze equally. A momentary feeling of something seeping through your brain surprises you, but it quickly passes. "... You are not the only one who has lost loved ones to the Illithids. It is good that you know the threat that they pose - that knowledge will serve you well in times of decision-making that will come ahead."

---

"I apologize for my outburst. It seems that there is rather more to this matter than it first seemed."

"You are forgiven. There is much to be seen here, and not all can be understood at first. However, remember this - the balance of the world lies within this time, and we cannot allow psionics to fade from the world, or the balance will be lost."

"Can you tell us more about the weapon the ambassador brought with him?..."

Tristam, who had appeared to have been sleeping against the wall, suddenly comes awake with a roar.

"Ah, yes! I can tell you about my weapon. Handcrafted by my own hands, it is, and you will find no equal in all the lands of the world. You have never laid eyes on such a weapon, nor shall you ever again. It is a technological weapon - and a most powerful one, at that!"

He comes up closely to Jansson. "We will discuss the rules concerning this weapon on the morrow, when I'm in a better mood and have had a few mugs of ale!"

He shoves past you and tromps down the stairs. You can hear him muttering something as he marches away, but you cannot make out exactly what he is saying.

---

"...And what other aid may you give us? Are there any in the town who have any knowledge of the 'kreen tunnels?"

"We're going to need some stuff, too. Not just money. We were equipping for a scouting mission, not an underground raid. I'm thinking about weaponry, lights and maps. Food! Yeah, food, too. But mostly lights or somesuch. I dunno if 'Kreen can see in the dark, but I can't."

The githyanki looks to both Jansson and Osius. "We can provide you with many mundane items, and a few of a psionic nature. We are unsure of what Tristam has to offer beyond his weapon, but you may query him about what other wares he has brought along - though he may require payment for them. We have no maps nor have any with knowledge of the layout of the tunnels, but we can provide you with mundane means of light. Food can be found at one of the inns around the city, and we will not be held responsible for your finding of lodging. I trust that you have enough coin about your persons to afford accomodations?"

 

[Zhure]

Osius jangles his coin purse.

"I think we'll manage fine for room and board. I can't speak for the group about mundane items we might need, but I'd feel a lot better for some torches, or some Darkvision encoded stones. We can all use them, I think.

"Will Shardorn be going?"

 

[GnomeWorks]

"...I can't speak for the group about mundane items we might need, but I'd feel a lot better for some torches, or some Darkvision encoded stones. We can all use them, I think."

The githyanki nods her head. "Yes, I believe that we can supply you with a few stones encoded with that power, though torches may be more reliable while in the presence of Tristam's weapon. It will impinge on the use of psionics immediately near it, so be cautious."

The halfling inserts himself into the conversation. "Speaking of this technological weapon of Tristam's. You may be wondering why it is that we would be allowing such things into our city. The reason is simple, really - once The Psionicle is complete, and our powers return to their full force, we can crush Tristam and all of his technological works here. While that will not finish off technology, it will certainly deal a heavy blow to them. He is quite well known in the Coldlands, and the loss of his genius in the ways of firearms would be devastating, at least temporarily."

The blue's head swings around to face him. "Are you a fool? Why are you telling them of our plans!"

The halfling gets an innocent look on his face, and his tone is slightly sarcastic and degrading. "Oh, I'm sorry, but I thought that maybe we could use their help, when the time comes. All psionic creatures and wielders are in this together, to forward the cause of psionics."

The blue shakes his head from side to side. "Indeed, their help may be useful in this matter - but at least next time, explain your thoughts to the rest of the Council before speaking!"

The halfling just shrugs at him.

"Will Shardorn be going?"

At this, Shardorn looks up at the githyanki.

"You said before," she says, "that Ratheqar was involved in this, in some way?"

The githyanki nods her head. Shardorn then turns to the group.

"Then yes, I shall accompany you. Ratheqar is an information broker, and he cares not for who he sells to, only for money. He does, of course, have preferred clients - and those who have worked with him before know what he prefers to see in those he sells information to. You will need both a healer, and someone who knows Ratheqar's ways, to help you prepare for what may be encountered, besides 'Kreen, that is hunting for the staff. My journey with you, it seems, has not ended yet."