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Story Hour
Way of the Wicked Playthrough - Updated 2023/03/28
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<blockquote data-quote="rchodges" data-source="post: 8744407" data-attributes="member: 7031385"><p><strong>Part 2:</strong> Call Forth Darkness</p><p><strong>Act 3: </strong>Thirty-one Weeks</p><p><strong>Session 25:</strong> An Eye for I</p><p></p><p>Donovan walked into Tamsen’s bedroom, where her and Bebop were enjoying each other. “Bebop, get a team together and head into Farholde. You need to learn Elise’s patterns, and bring her in. She’s going to answer for her betrayal to Father.” Looking up from where he was on top of Tamsen’s naked form, he immediately knew Donovan was in no mood for discussion, “What of the rest of her knot?”</p><p>“I don’t believe they are all aware of her machinations. We’ll give them an opportunity to explain themselves and be forgiven. But she will face consequences for her impertinence.”, Donovan responded as he walked back out of the room.</p><p>Tamsen giggled, looking up at Bebop, “It appears you have been given an assignment.”</p><p>Bebop nodded, kissing Tamsen once before he got off her, “I guess I better go to town. Did you want me to pick up anything for you while I’m down there?”</p><p>“No lover, the only thing I want is you back here as soon as possible.”, Tamsen sat up, kissing Bebop on his chest and face.</p><p>Bebop closed his eyes, taking in the sensations of Tamsen’s lips against his flesh, then pushed the two of them back down on the bed, “I think we have a few more minutes before I have to go…”</p><p></p><p>Later that day, Bebop brought Kirin, Lucius and Lucinda together; and the group headed off to Farholde in order to learn the patterns of Elise and the rest of the Seventh Knot. Lucius was clearly concerned about the nature of this expedition.</p><p>“Elise and her team have had months to get everything in place. Whatever we do, she will be several steps ahead of us. We need to be careful.”, Lucius cautioned.</p><p>“She’s not that tough, we can beat her.”, Bebop confidently replied.</p><p>Lucius rolled his eyes, unmoved by Bebop’s self-assuredness. Summoning Lucinda, he instructed her to go and lurk around the Auld Briarhall, which was supposed to be the place where Elise and the other members of the Seventh Knot maintained a headquarters of some kind.</p><p>As the rest of the group lacked any real talent for stealth, they decided to spend their time in Drownington, attempting to find the opportunities they could.</p><p></p><p>For his part, Donovan was also determined to take advantage of the opportunity provided by the absence of the rest of the family. Donovan strolled into Tamsen’s bedroom, and pushed himself up next to her, “Hello there, beautiful. I’ve been thinking about you.”</p><p>Tamsen’s gaze changed in an instant, as she instinctively responded to his advances. Her arms wrapped around Donovan’s shoulders, “Really now? And what have you been thinking, my love?”</p><p>“I’ve been thinking how very much I want to be with you.”, Donovan responded eagerly.</p><p>Tamsen quickly moved into her bed, drawing Donovan in with her. As Donovan slid into the bed, Tamsen rolled him underneath her, the lust and excitement in her eyes.</p><p>“Is this what you were hoping to find?”, Tamsen’s smile grew across her face.</p><p>“I’ve been craving our time together. You’ve become somehow even more appealing as of late.”, Donovan’s excitement was palpable.</p><p>The two of them tugged and pulled to remove Donovan’s clothes. Once he was naked underneath her, Tamsen licked her lips, “It’s time for you to learn to play with Cami.”</p><p>Donovan got a concerned look on his face, “I only have eyes for you, my love.”</p><p>Tamsen smiled broadly, then called Camille over to her. Camille slid into the bed with the two of them, her naked form already visible. Tamsen offered her hand to Camille, “Feed from me, Cami.”</p><p>Camille gently took Tamsen’s hand, and then bit into her wrist. Tamsen shuddered from the sensation, then leaned down and began kissing Donovan. Donovan kissed back, his hands tracing across Tamsen’s back, as he lightly traced around her wings.</p><p>The two of them carried on with this for a brief moment, and Tamsen could clearly tell that Donovan was wanting more. She pulled her hand away from Cami, then looked with confidence at Donovan. “Give Cami your wrist.”</p><p>Camille’s enthusiasm grew at the prospect, as Donovan offered his hand to her with trepidation.</p><p>“Gently, Cami. Gently.” Tamsen’s voice was calm, but insistent. Camille nodded as she took Donovan’s hand. Looking up at Tamsen one last time, Camille smiled and began to feed from Donovan.</p><p>Donovan felt the sensation of Cami’s fangs piercing his skin. There was a momentary flash of pain, and then Donovan felt himself relaxing under Camille’s touch. Meanwhile, Tamsen moved herself top of Donovan, positioning her body to join completely with him. “I need you, Tamsen.”</p><p>“I need you always.” Tamsen responded as the two of them became lost in their world together.</p><p></p><p>Lucinda met back up with the rest of the group, telling Lucius what she had discovered over her time spent around the Inn. According to Lucius, Lucinda knew the general times that Elise was going to sleep for the night, and which rooms the group was staying in. Bebop was thrilled at hearing this news. “We’ll go in tonight and put her down, then head back to the Horn.”</p><p>Kirin nodded in support, “It will be nice to have a real challenge for a change.”</p><p>After waiting the appropriate amount of time, the group returned to the Inn, hoping to catch Elise and the others off guard. Lucinda returned to the Inn ahead of time in order to confirm when Elise was actually returning to her room. Once she communicated what she was seeing at the Inn to Lucius, the group entered the Inn, and began carefully looking around. The group noticed the many eyes on them, but didn’t give it too much consideration. Bebop consumed one of his Mutagens, and kicked in the door of the Inn where Elise was supposed to be staying. Despite the fact that Lucinda confirmed the Elise had entered that room, there was no sign of her there. Bebop looked annoyed down onto the street, as he noticed the open window headed out of the room. Perhaps they had already fled. Quickly, Bebop and the others rushed to the other room where Trik and Trak were staying, but their room had also been abandoned. Could Lucinda have been discovered? Perhaps her lack of ability to truly transform into a different looking entity tipped their hands. Whatever the reason was, Bebop was confident that the moment for capturing Elise and the others had passed.</p><p>“Well, I guess we’re going to head back. There’s nothing else for us to do here.”, Bebop said dejectedly.</p><p>“What are we going to tell Donovan when we return?”, Lucius queried.</p><p>Bebop shrugged, “We’ll tell him that they managed to get away, and so we returned.”</p><p>Kirin snorted in clear disappointment.</p><p>Lucius shook his head, “Alright, if you say so.” With that, he prepared the travel arrangements for the group, and they began the return to their home.</p><p></p><p>Lying naked and spent next to Tamsen and Camille, Donovan sighed happily as he slid his fingers across Tamsen’s legs. They had spent the previous day and today together, with only small breaks so that they could fetch food. “It’s so nice having these moments with you, my love.”</p><p>“I am always yours to have, Donovan. You’re the one who is busy all the time.” Tamsen giggled as her fingers stroked through Donovan’s hair.</p><p>“It’s just hard, you are very much… in demand around here.”, Donovan smiled as his hand touched Tamsen’s face. “I feel like I’m always competing for your time, especially with…”</p><p>“I’m home!”, Bebop called out as he barged through Tamsen’s bedroom door. “Did you miss me?”</p><p>Donovan quickly threw himself under the sheets, while Tamsen smiled at Bebop, “Welcome home lover.”</p><p>Looking around and seeing no one accompanying Bebop, Donovan interrogated Bebop about the events, “Where is Elise?”</p><p>“Oh yeah, they got away. I guess they knew we were coming. Sorry about that.”, Bebop responded with a sense of nonchalance.</p><p>Donovan quickly became irritated, “Oh no, this is my fault Bebop. I gave you too much free space with which to perform this task. Why would I expect any other outcome besides this one?” Looking over at Tamsen, Donovan continued, “My love, I need you to take the group and go back to Farholde. Capture or kill the entire Seventh Knot, and bring their possessions to me. Will you do this for me?”</p><p>Tamsen’s face turned quickly mischievous, “I will do anything for you, you know this, Donovan.”</p><p>With that, Donovan left Tamsen’s bedroom, half dressed and annoyed.</p><p></p><p>A few hours later, Tamsen met with Bebop, Kirin, and Lucius. “So, it appears I’ll be joining you as we head back to Farholde in order to get Elise and the rest of her team.”</p><p>Bebop whined, “But we already went up there, and they fled the Inn! There’s nothing less for us to work with.”</p><p>Tamsen’s eyes narrowed, “Did you interrogate every individual at the bar, to see if they knew about her? What about the Innkeeper? What about the orphans that visit her for her network.?”</p><p>Bebop looked down to the ground, realizing he had failed to capitalize on other information gathering opportunities.</p><p>“I thought as much.”, Tamsen retorted, an unusual haughtiness in her voice. “We’re going to get this information, and then we’re going to bring in Elise for Donovan, like you agreed to initially.” Smiling to Lucius, Tamsen continued, “Good sir, will you please take us again to Farholde?”</p><p>Lucius smiled and nodded, and the group headed back to the city.</p><p></p><p>Arriving back into the city, Tamsen went to work, wooing her way over several different patrons of the Inn, attempting to discern the type of influences that Elise held over the different patrons. As the family began working their way around the city, they discovered that the Abbey had been attacked.</p><p>“Such a pity, a religious fortress of Mitra being sieged in this manner.”, Kirin said, a sarcastic tone in his voice.</p><p>Bebop looked around the area at the injuries, “Elves. It would appear that Donovan’s letter found its way into the correct hands.” Bebop thought back to the memory of Jurak, and how they had all expected a reckoning to come from his demise. It would seem that now, the Sisters of the Abbey had become the target for that reckoning.</p><p>The group did not tarry around that area, there was still much to be discovered. After a while, the group found information out that suggested one of Elise’s contacts would be available in an establishment in Drownington. Having no other immediate leads to follow up on, the group headed to this bar, in the hopes of getting closer to the prize they sought.</p><p></p><p>Arriving at the bar, Tamsen opened her eyes to the Magic around her, and discovered an individual sitting at a table in the back positioned so as to carefully watch people entering the building. Moving towards the individual, it became clear to her that this was actually one of the Seventh Knot, using the circlet provided by Cardinal Thorn to hide their appearance. Once the individual realized who they were, it appeared they were going to flee. Before they were given a chance, Tamsen applied her Charm Hex onto them. “Stay please, I’d love to talk with you some more.”</p><p>“Of course I’ll stay for you. I want to talk to you.” The individual seemed overwhelmed by the force of Tamsen’s personality.</p><p>Tamsen began asking questions, attempting to discern more about where Elise was at. It had become clear that the individual sitting there was acting as a go between to Elise. Tamsen was adamant that they be told where Elise was hiding, and Trak was refusing to provide that information, even after Tamsen discovered which of them was acting as the go between.</p><p>Kirin sat next to Trak, his blade drawn and placed between them. “I suggest you cooperate with the lady, because I’m sure you don’t want to deal with me.”</p><p>Trak was obviously entranced by Tamsen and terrified by Kirin; but he still did not want to reveal the information he was holding onto. However, with patience and determination, Tamsen was able to get the information out of Trak,</p><p>The group headed out to the location where Trak told them to go, while Kirin waited around the bar to make sure that Trak was being honest about the information provided. Once the others were found, Kirin got up from the booth and watched as Trak slinked away, running quickly from the place after he was out of the front door.</p><p>Bebop discovered the individuals first, all three of them looked identical. Elise was banking on the fact that the family would not knew who to attack with all three of them looking the same. But Bebop had also learned the true nature of Elise, and realized that she had no loyalty to her group. Bebop consumed an Elixir to increase his size, which also made him faster as he moved through the city. One of the three of them turned around, deciding to attack instead of waiting until Bebop fell upon the group. As soon as the attack landed, Bebop laughed, “Dostan, you’re already beaten.” In a single moment, Bebop unleashed his natural attacks into a rapid succession where his speed was matched only by his brutality. In seconds, Dostan was knocked unconscious to the ground.</p><p>Still, Dostan’s sacrifice was not in vain, as it had give Elise and Trik time to continue escaping. But Bebop’s rage would not be denied. Consuming another elixir, Bebop increased his movement speed even further, as he sprinted even quicker to catch up to the two remaining members of the Seventh Knot. Bebop’s speed was unparalleled now, and even with the head start that the other two had, Bebop was back on top of them in a few moments.</p><p>After stabilizing Dostan’s injuries, Lucius opened up a Portable Hole, and had Lucinda toss Dostan’s unconscious form into the hole before pulling it back up. Lucius had already placed the Bottled Air inside the Portable Hole to allow individuals to continue breathing.</p><p>Bebop caught up with the two individuals, still appearing to be identical, even as he closed in on them, Bebop reached out and struck at one of them, injuring them. While some would think Bebop was planning to put another one down in the same manner that he stopped Dostan, he was much more interested in what the other individual did in that moment that gave Bebop the information he was looking for. The other individual continued running, unconcerned with the fate of the injured individual.</p><p>“There you are, you treacherous bitch!”, Bebop focused his attention on the individual who continued running, ignoring the other individual, which he now assumed to be Trik. Trik prepared to fight back, until Tamsen arrived on the scene and cast a Slumber Hex onto him.</p><p>Meanwhile, Bebop consumed another Elixir, causing Elise to erupt into flames. From this point, Elise knew she was forced into conflict.</p><p>Elise attempted to user her magic power to slow down Bebop, but his attacks were far too vicious and fierce. Unlike Dostan, Elise received no mercy from Bebop’s savagery. Elise was pulled limb from limb as she found herself the focus of Bebop’s seething rage.</p><p></p><p>Elise’s corpse, along with the unconscious bodies of Dostan and Trik, were placed into the Portable Hole, followed after by Bebop, who was there to make sure that they were able to breathe while in there. Lucius provided transportation for the rest of the group. Upon returning to the Horn, the group met back with Donovan, who was clearly pleased with the success of the group under Tamsen’s hand.</p><p>“Strip them of their gear and lock them in the third-floor prison.” Donovan barked out orders to the rest of the group, even as he wrapped his arms around Tamsen in happiness.</p><p>Following the instructions, Bebop and Kirin took the individuals up to the prison. Some time later, Donovan came up, and beginning assisting the members of the Seventh Knot with their injuries during the recent conflict.</p><p>“I’m sorry that it had to come to this. I was truly hoping that we could all work towards Father’s goals. However, now I am left with one simple question: Why?”, Donovan queried, staring at the two of them.</p><p>“She told us that she was following orders, that all of you had failed Cardinal Thorn’s orders in securing the Horn.”, Trik responded after a moment.</p><p>Donovan stared at Trik incredulously, “Let me make sure I understand this correctly. You believe that my family was failing Cardinal Thorn, and the way he decided to respond to our failure was to have you assemble a group of adventurers in the hopes that they would cause us some sort of difficulty, as opposed to having his personal handmaiden come down and punish us for our transgressions directly? Am I understanding the way Elise explained it to all of you accurately?”</p><p>Trik blanched, “Well, when you say it that way, it sounds ridiculous; but it made more sense coming from Elise.”</p><p>Donovan sneered, “That’s because it is, and you know it.”</p><p>Dortan spoke up, “Where is Elise?”</p><p>Donovan responded coldly, “Elise is dead.”</p><p>Dortan began to writhe and flail against the chains that were holding him restrained. “I will kill you for taking her away!”</p><p>Trik sat there, realization setting into him, “That witch… tricked me?”</p><p>Donovan looked with annoyance at Trik, “Do you think you can get Trak to listen?”</p><p>Trik nodded at Donovan, “He has to listen to me, he has to!”</p><p></p><p>With that, Donovan had a note delivered to the location of the safe house where the Seventh Knot were planning to meet. The note told Trak that the rest of his group would be waiting for him. Unsurprisingly, Trak came as per the instructions, and was soon captured and thrown into the cell with the other two, where Trak discovered the true fate of Elise.</p><p>Meanwhile, Donovan broke open the seal, summoning Tiadora to the Horn.</p><p>“Donovan, I presume you have good reason for contacting me and the Cardinal ahead of the scheduled time that was listed.” Tiadora chastised Donovan.</p><p>“Indeed. We have been betrayed by the Seventh Knot. They sent a group of adventurers in order to attack us here, in the hopes that the adventurers would be able to stop us from completing the ritual.” Donovan replied without any of the usual antagonism present in his conversations with Tidora. He produced the diary from Fineas Greenhold and handed it to her. “I have the remaining members locked up in my prison. Once Father sees this journal, I’m sure he will make a final decision regarding the fate of the remainder of the Seventh Knot.”</p><p>Tiadora eyed the journal, then stopped to look at Donovan upon reading the last page. “I see. I will deliver this to the Master.” With that, she disappeared.</p><p>Returning to the prison, Donovan addressed the three individuals of the Seventh Knot. “You know that if Father hears about your betrayal, he will punish all of you far worse than what happened to Elise. However, if you agree to work with me, I will advocate on your behalf Don’t allow Elise’s arrogance to take you down with her!”</p><p>Dostan and Trak raged at Donovan’s suggestion, but Trik seemed to have been impacted by his words.</p><p>When Tiadora showed up, she came bearing a chest. “The Master applauds your initiative.” Tiadora also provided a replacement seal for the one that Donovan utilized. Looking at the three men locked up in the cell, Tiadora spat out her words, “The three of you have violated the Oath that you each signed, and are no longer under his protection.’</p><p>Donovan looked at the group of doomed individuals, “Last chance, gentlemen. Swear your loyalty to me, and your commitment to the Father’s work, and I will speak on your behalf.”</p><p>Trik spoke up then, “Yes, I will follow you, Donovan.”</p><p>Donovan looked over at Tiadora, “Tell Father this this one will follow me, and become a member of my group. He will serve Father’s will under my leadership.”</p><p>Tiadora nodded, “As you wish, Lord Donovan.”</p><p>With that, Tiadora grabbed Trak and Dortan, and teleported away from the Horn.</p><p></p><p>Donovan looked at Trik, who was still chained up. “Welcome to the family, Trik.”</p><p></p><p>Session 25 Ends</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="rchodges, post: 8744407, member: 7031385"] [B]Part 2:[/B] Call Forth Darkness [B]Act 3: [/B]Thirty-one Weeks [B]Session 25:[/B] An Eye for I Donovan walked into Tamsen’s bedroom, where her and Bebop were enjoying each other. “Bebop, get a team together and head into Farholde. You need to learn Elise’s patterns, and bring her in. She’s going to answer for her betrayal to Father.” Looking up from where he was on top of Tamsen’s naked form, he immediately knew Donovan was in no mood for discussion, “What of the rest of her knot?” “I don’t believe they are all aware of her machinations. We’ll give them an opportunity to explain themselves and be forgiven. But she will face consequences for her impertinence.”, Donovan responded as he walked back out of the room. Tamsen giggled, looking up at Bebop, “It appears you have been given an assignment.” Bebop nodded, kissing Tamsen once before he got off her, “I guess I better go to town. Did you want me to pick up anything for you while I’m down there?” “No lover, the only thing I want is you back here as soon as possible.”, Tamsen sat up, kissing Bebop on his chest and face. Bebop closed his eyes, taking in the sensations of Tamsen’s lips against his flesh, then pushed the two of them back down on the bed, “I think we have a few more minutes before I have to go…” Later that day, Bebop brought Kirin, Lucius and Lucinda together; and the group headed off to Farholde in order to learn the patterns of Elise and the rest of the Seventh Knot. Lucius was clearly concerned about the nature of this expedition. “Elise and her team have had months to get everything in place. Whatever we do, she will be several steps ahead of us. We need to be careful.”, Lucius cautioned. “She’s not that tough, we can beat her.”, Bebop confidently replied. Lucius rolled his eyes, unmoved by Bebop’s self-assuredness. Summoning Lucinda, he instructed her to go and lurk around the Auld Briarhall, which was supposed to be the place where Elise and the other members of the Seventh Knot maintained a headquarters of some kind. As the rest of the group lacked any real talent for stealth, they decided to spend their time in Drownington, attempting to find the opportunities they could. For his part, Donovan was also determined to take advantage of the opportunity provided by the absence of the rest of the family. Donovan strolled into Tamsen’s bedroom, and pushed himself up next to her, “Hello there, beautiful. I’ve been thinking about you.” Tamsen’s gaze changed in an instant, as she instinctively responded to his advances. Her arms wrapped around Donovan’s shoulders, “Really now? And what have you been thinking, my love?” “I’ve been thinking how very much I want to be with you.”, Donovan responded eagerly. Tamsen quickly moved into her bed, drawing Donovan in with her. As Donovan slid into the bed, Tamsen rolled him underneath her, the lust and excitement in her eyes. “Is this what you were hoping to find?”, Tamsen’s smile grew across her face. “I’ve been craving our time together. You’ve become somehow even more appealing as of late.”, Donovan’s excitement was palpable. The two of them tugged and pulled to remove Donovan’s clothes. Once he was naked underneath her, Tamsen licked her lips, “It’s time for you to learn to play with Cami.” Donovan got a concerned look on his face, “I only have eyes for you, my love.” Tamsen smiled broadly, then called Camille over to her. Camille slid into the bed with the two of them, her naked form already visible. Tamsen offered her hand to Camille, “Feed from me, Cami.” Camille gently took Tamsen’s hand, and then bit into her wrist. Tamsen shuddered from the sensation, then leaned down and began kissing Donovan. Donovan kissed back, his hands tracing across Tamsen’s back, as he lightly traced around her wings. The two of them carried on with this for a brief moment, and Tamsen could clearly tell that Donovan was wanting more. She pulled her hand away from Cami, then looked with confidence at Donovan. “Give Cami your wrist.” Camille’s enthusiasm grew at the prospect, as Donovan offered his hand to her with trepidation. “Gently, Cami. Gently.” Tamsen’s voice was calm, but insistent. Camille nodded as she took Donovan’s hand. Looking up at Tamsen one last time, Camille smiled and began to feed from Donovan. Donovan felt the sensation of Cami’s fangs piercing his skin. There was a momentary flash of pain, and then Donovan felt himself relaxing under Camille’s touch. Meanwhile, Tamsen moved herself top of Donovan, positioning her body to join completely with him. “I need you, Tamsen.” “I need you always.” Tamsen responded as the two of them became lost in their world together. Lucinda met back up with the rest of the group, telling Lucius what she had discovered over her time spent around the Inn. According to Lucius, Lucinda knew the general times that Elise was going to sleep for the night, and which rooms the group was staying in. Bebop was thrilled at hearing this news. “We’ll go in tonight and put her down, then head back to the Horn.” Kirin nodded in support, “It will be nice to have a real challenge for a change.” After waiting the appropriate amount of time, the group returned to the Inn, hoping to catch Elise and the others off guard. Lucinda returned to the Inn ahead of time in order to confirm when Elise was actually returning to her room. Once she communicated what she was seeing at the Inn to Lucius, the group entered the Inn, and began carefully looking around. The group noticed the many eyes on them, but didn’t give it too much consideration. Bebop consumed one of his Mutagens, and kicked in the door of the Inn where Elise was supposed to be staying. Despite the fact that Lucinda confirmed the Elise had entered that room, there was no sign of her there. Bebop looked annoyed down onto the street, as he noticed the open window headed out of the room. Perhaps they had already fled. Quickly, Bebop and the others rushed to the other room where Trik and Trak were staying, but their room had also been abandoned. Could Lucinda have been discovered? Perhaps her lack of ability to truly transform into a different looking entity tipped their hands. Whatever the reason was, Bebop was confident that the moment for capturing Elise and the others had passed. “Well, I guess we’re going to head back. There’s nothing else for us to do here.”, Bebop said dejectedly. “What are we going to tell Donovan when we return?”, Lucius queried. Bebop shrugged, “We’ll tell him that they managed to get away, and so we returned.” Kirin snorted in clear disappointment. Lucius shook his head, “Alright, if you say so.” With that, he prepared the travel arrangements for the group, and they began the return to their home. Lying naked and spent next to Tamsen and Camille, Donovan sighed happily as he slid his fingers across Tamsen’s legs. They had spent the previous day and today together, with only small breaks so that they could fetch food. “It’s so nice having these moments with you, my love.” “I am always yours to have, Donovan. You’re the one who is busy all the time.” Tamsen giggled as her fingers stroked through Donovan’s hair. “It’s just hard, you are very much… in demand around here.”, Donovan smiled as his hand touched Tamsen’s face. “I feel like I’m always competing for your time, especially with…” “I’m home!”, Bebop called out as he barged through Tamsen’s bedroom door. “Did you miss me?” Donovan quickly threw himself under the sheets, while Tamsen smiled at Bebop, “Welcome home lover.” Looking around and seeing no one accompanying Bebop, Donovan interrogated Bebop about the events, “Where is Elise?” “Oh yeah, they got away. I guess they knew we were coming. Sorry about that.”, Bebop responded with a sense of nonchalance. Donovan quickly became irritated, “Oh no, this is my fault Bebop. I gave you too much free space with which to perform this task. Why would I expect any other outcome besides this one?” Looking over at Tamsen, Donovan continued, “My love, I need you to take the group and go back to Farholde. Capture or kill the entire Seventh Knot, and bring their possessions to me. Will you do this for me?” Tamsen’s face turned quickly mischievous, “I will do anything for you, you know this, Donovan.” With that, Donovan left Tamsen’s bedroom, half dressed and annoyed. A few hours later, Tamsen met with Bebop, Kirin, and Lucius. “So, it appears I’ll be joining you as we head back to Farholde in order to get Elise and the rest of her team.” Bebop whined, “But we already went up there, and they fled the Inn! There’s nothing less for us to work with.” Tamsen’s eyes narrowed, “Did you interrogate every individual at the bar, to see if they knew about her? What about the Innkeeper? What about the orphans that visit her for her network.?” Bebop looked down to the ground, realizing he had failed to capitalize on other information gathering opportunities. “I thought as much.”, Tamsen retorted, an unusual haughtiness in her voice. “We’re going to get this information, and then we’re going to bring in Elise for Donovan, like you agreed to initially.” Smiling to Lucius, Tamsen continued, “Good sir, will you please take us again to Farholde?” Lucius smiled and nodded, and the group headed back to the city. Arriving back into the city, Tamsen went to work, wooing her way over several different patrons of the Inn, attempting to discern the type of influences that Elise held over the different patrons. As the family began working their way around the city, they discovered that the Abbey had been attacked. “Such a pity, a religious fortress of Mitra being sieged in this manner.”, Kirin said, a sarcastic tone in his voice. Bebop looked around the area at the injuries, “Elves. It would appear that Donovan’s letter found its way into the correct hands.” Bebop thought back to the memory of Jurak, and how they had all expected a reckoning to come from his demise. It would seem that now, the Sisters of the Abbey had become the target for that reckoning. The group did not tarry around that area, there was still much to be discovered. After a while, the group found information out that suggested one of Elise’s contacts would be available in an establishment in Drownington. Having no other immediate leads to follow up on, the group headed to this bar, in the hopes of getting closer to the prize they sought. Arriving at the bar, Tamsen opened her eyes to the Magic around her, and discovered an individual sitting at a table in the back positioned so as to carefully watch people entering the building. Moving towards the individual, it became clear to her that this was actually one of the Seventh Knot, using the circlet provided by Cardinal Thorn to hide their appearance. Once the individual realized who they were, it appeared they were going to flee. Before they were given a chance, Tamsen applied her Charm Hex onto them. “Stay please, I’d love to talk with you some more.” “Of course I’ll stay for you. I want to talk to you.” The individual seemed overwhelmed by the force of Tamsen’s personality. Tamsen began asking questions, attempting to discern more about where Elise was at. It had become clear that the individual sitting there was acting as a go between to Elise. Tamsen was adamant that they be told where Elise was hiding, and Trak was refusing to provide that information, even after Tamsen discovered which of them was acting as the go between. Kirin sat next to Trak, his blade drawn and placed between them. “I suggest you cooperate with the lady, because I’m sure you don’t want to deal with me.” Trak was obviously entranced by Tamsen and terrified by Kirin; but he still did not want to reveal the information he was holding onto. However, with patience and determination, Tamsen was able to get the information out of Trak, The group headed out to the location where Trak told them to go, while Kirin waited around the bar to make sure that Trak was being honest about the information provided. Once the others were found, Kirin got up from the booth and watched as Trak slinked away, running quickly from the place after he was out of the front door. Bebop discovered the individuals first, all three of them looked identical. Elise was banking on the fact that the family would not knew who to attack with all three of them looking the same. But Bebop had also learned the true nature of Elise, and realized that she had no loyalty to her group. Bebop consumed an Elixir to increase his size, which also made him faster as he moved through the city. One of the three of them turned around, deciding to attack instead of waiting until Bebop fell upon the group. As soon as the attack landed, Bebop laughed, “Dostan, you’re already beaten.” In a single moment, Bebop unleashed his natural attacks into a rapid succession where his speed was matched only by his brutality. In seconds, Dostan was knocked unconscious to the ground. Still, Dostan’s sacrifice was not in vain, as it had give Elise and Trik time to continue escaping. But Bebop’s rage would not be denied. Consuming another elixir, Bebop increased his movement speed even further, as he sprinted even quicker to catch up to the two remaining members of the Seventh Knot. Bebop’s speed was unparalleled now, and even with the head start that the other two had, Bebop was back on top of them in a few moments. After stabilizing Dostan’s injuries, Lucius opened up a Portable Hole, and had Lucinda toss Dostan’s unconscious form into the hole before pulling it back up. Lucius had already placed the Bottled Air inside the Portable Hole to allow individuals to continue breathing. Bebop caught up with the two individuals, still appearing to be identical, even as he closed in on them, Bebop reached out and struck at one of them, injuring them. While some would think Bebop was planning to put another one down in the same manner that he stopped Dostan, he was much more interested in what the other individual did in that moment that gave Bebop the information he was looking for. The other individual continued running, unconcerned with the fate of the injured individual. “There you are, you treacherous bitch!”, Bebop focused his attention on the individual who continued running, ignoring the other individual, which he now assumed to be Trik. Trik prepared to fight back, until Tamsen arrived on the scene and cast a Slumber Hex onto him. Meanwhile, Bebop consumed another Elixir, causing Elise to erupt into flames. From this point, Elise knew she was forced into conflict. Elise attempted to user her magic power to slow down Bebop, but his attacks were far too vicious and fierce. Unlike Dostan, Elise received no mercy from Bebop’s savagery. Elise was pulled limb from limb as she found herself the focus of Bebop’s seething rage. Elise’s corpse, along with the unconscious bodies of Dostan and Trik, were placed into the Portable Hole, followed after by Bebop, who was there to make sure that they were able to breathe while in there. Lucius provided transportation for the rest of the group. Upon returning to the Horn, the group met back with Donovan, who was clearly pleased with the success of the group under Tamsen’s hand. “Strip them of their gear and lock them in the third-floor prison.” Donovan barked out orders to the rest of the group, even as he wrapped his arms around Tamsen in happiness. Following the instructions, Bebop and Kirin took the individuals up to the prison. Some time later, Donovan came up, and beginning assisting the members of the Seventh Knot with their injuries during the recent conflict. “I’m sorry that it had to come to this. I was truly hoping that we could all work towards Father’s goals. However, now I am left with one simple question: Why?”, Donovan queried, staring at the two of them. “She told us that she was following orders, that all of you had failed Cardinal Thorn’s orders in securing the Horn.”, Trik responded after a moment. Donovan stared at Trik incredulously, “Let me make sure I understand this correctly. You believe that my family was failing Cardinal Thorn, and the way he decided to respond to our failure was to have you assemble a group of adventurers in the hopes that they would cause us some sort of difficulty, as opposed to having his personal handmaiden come down and punish us for our transgressions directly? Am I understanding the way Elise explained it to all of you accurately?” Trik blanched, “Well, when you say it that way, it sounds ridiculous; but it made more sense coming from Elise.” Donovan sneered, “That’s because it is, and you know it.” Dortan spoke up, “Where is Elise?” Donovan responded coldly, “Elise is dead.” Dortan began to writhe and flail against the chains that were holding him restrained. “I will kill you for taking her away!” Trik sat there, realization setting into him, “That witch… tricked me?” Donovan looked with annoyance at Trik, “Do you think you can get Trak to listen?” Trik nodded at Donovan, “He has to listen to me, he has to!” With that, Donovan had a note delivered to the location of the safe house where the Seventh Knot were planning to meet. The note told Trak that the rest of his group would be waiting for him. Unsurprisingly, Trak came as per the instructions, and was soon captured and thrown into the cell with the other two, where Trak discovered the true fate of Elise. Meanwhile, Donovan broke open the seal, summoning Tiadora to the Horn. “Donovan, I presume you have good reason for contacting me and the Cardinal ahead of the scheduled time that was listed.” Tiadora chastised Donovan. “Indeed. We have been betrayed by the Seventh Knot. They sent a group of adventurers in order to attack us here, in the hopes that the adventurers would be able to stop us from completing the ritual.” Donovan replied without any of the usual antagonism present in his conversations with Tidora. He produced the diary from Fineas Greenhold and handed it to her. “I have the remaining members locked up in my prison. Once Father sees this journal, I’m sure he will make a final decision regarding the fate of the remainder of the Seventh Knot.” Tiadora eyed the journal, then stopped to look at Donovan upon reading the last page. “I see. I will deliver this to the Master.” With that, she disappeared. Returning to the prison, Donovan addressed the three individuals of the Seventh Knot. “You know that if Father hears about your betrayal, he will punish all of you far worse than what happened to Elise. However, if you agree to work with me, I will advocate on your behalf Don’t allow Elise’s arrogance to take you down with her!” Dostan and Trak raged at Donovan’s suggestion, but Trik seemed to have been impacted by his words. When Tiadora showed up, she came bearing a chest. “The Master applauds your initiative.” Tiadora also provided a replacement seal for the one that Donovan utilized. Looking at the three men locked up in the cell, Tiadora spat out her words, “The three of you have violated the Oath that you each signed, and are no longer under his protection.’ Donovan looked at the group of doomed individuals, “Last chance, gentlemen. Swear your loyalty to me, and your commitment to the Father’s work, and I will speak on your behalf.” Trik spoke up then, “Yes, I will follow you, Donovan.” Donovan looked over at Tiadora, “Tell Father this this one will follow me, and become a member of my group. He will serve Father’s will under my leadership.” Tiadora nodded, “As you wish, Lord Donovan.” With that, Tiadora grabbed Trak and Dortan, and teleported away from the Horn. Donovan looked at Trik, who was still chained up. “Welcome to the family, Trik.” Session 25 Ends [/QUOTE]
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Way of the Wicked Playthrough - Updated 2023/03/28
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