NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="gideonpepys" data-source="post: 6251746" data-attributes="member: 79141">Session 99c - Oh what a tangled web we weaveLya Liar On the  journey to Hotel Aurum, Lya blithely explained her side of the story and stressed how determined she was to avoid miscommunication in the future.  There was no one around to witness her audacious display of mendacity, so it could only be a practice for the real thing when she told her lies to the King.  In a way it demonstrated that she did not regard the unit as being much of a threat, the fact that she was prepared to lie directly to their faces, and tell them that what they had seen and heard with their own eyes and ears was mistaken. She said that Luc's lamp was part of a arcano-scientific experiment designed to solve the Danoran 'magic problem'; that she was in Vendricce to meet him and acted only in self-defence; that her presence in the Bleak Gate was due only to the habit of senior clergy who have for centuries carved out private domains for themselves in that world.  The unit sat in stony, disapproving silence as she spoke.  Eventually Uru spoke up, asking after her friend Nicodemus. Lya smiled and explained that Nicodemus was the loyal and trusted retainer of one of her hosts, and that he had ('thank goodness') managed to recover from the seemingly fatal injuries he had sustained in the fight at Terminus East.  She responded in kind by politely asking after Malthusius (whose arm she had severed in that same encounter) and 'General Dax' who she hoped would be given over to Danoran custody as a result of the talks - along with her cousin Nathan and Duchess Ethelyn of Shale.  "His crimes were truly appalling," she said.  "I am sure you will be glad to be rid of him." What Happened to Leon The unit might have agreed with this - and only this - comment, had they not paid Leon a visit in his cell a few hours earlier.  He was sat on his bunk, looking sheepish.  Uru in particular was fuming, and when he saw the guilty smile playing on Leon's face he began to rant in elvish about the suffering of his people, the native fey of the islands. Korrigan had already received a damning report from Harkover Lee during his meeting with the King, which he had shared with the Unit: As soon as Leon entered Norm's cell, Harkover Lee paused in the doorway and said, “Officers Burr and Lansing, kindly place Sergeant Veilleux in mage cuffs.”  After a moment’s hesitation the guards moved to obey.  Lee instructed the others to lead Sylyx to another cell. “The subterfuge was necessary to prevent your escape," said Lee.  "New information has come to light which casts doubt upon your identity.  I will be blunt – are you in fact General Dax Corbeau?” Taken aback, Leon trired to obfsucate - something about missing memories and confused identity. Harkover Lee raised a hand, told Leon that the evidence against him was damning, and asked the question again. Leon abandoned pretence and admitted his guilt. One of the guards stammered, “He can’t be General Dax, sir. Dax was a man, not a tiefling.” “You need not concern yourself with the details, officer Burr," Lee responded.  "And I charge you on your oath not to reveal what you have learned here. Safe to say these revelations are grave concern to the King. The conduct of General Dax during the fourth Yerasol war was nothing short of unspeakable, and he will not be allowed to go unpunished for those crimes.” The evidence Lee spoke of had been provided by the Danorans, as part of the package of information exchanged prior to the Peace Talks. The family of Leon Veilleux could not believe he would defect to Risur. In possession of no corpse, they had to go outside Danor and pay a great deal of gold for a ritual that summoned the deceased spirit of the real Leon.  The rest of the details might have been circumstantial, were it not for the experimental machine developed by Isaac dan der Grimnebulin,  mayor of the Nettles: Fearing further instances of possession/domination (such as those that had afflicted Rumdoom and Xambria) the unit had subjected themselves to Isaac's ministrations several weeks ago.  His machine discovered no more instances of possession per ce, but did uncover some anomalies:  implanted memories in Uru and missing memories in Leon.  Harkover had read about this in the unit's report on the matter (prior to Rumdoom's reinstatement) and duly tracked down Isaac.  Isaac took another look at his readings and realised what he had not seen before - there was no instance of possession in 'Leon's' mind, because the whole mind belonged to someone else.  (Leon had only passed the test in the first place thanks to his enormously high bluff.) So Leon was indeed General Dax Corbeau.  Uru prepared to hurl abuse at him, when Leon spoke, explaining as best he could how he had come to possess his current form:  How the young Leon Veilleux had tried to kill Dax, and the Danoran military had attempted to make doubly sure of their target by launching a fiery bombardment at the same time.  When 'Dax' awoke he had been rescued by an eladrin woman known as Lavanya.  His memories were hazy (removed by Lavanya, he only recently discovered, apparently at his request).  She had been unable to save both men and had transferred the whole mind of one (whose body was broken) into the empty shell of the other (whose mind had cracked due to hideous burns).  By the time he was well enough to make good his escape 'Dax' had changed his view of the fey he had always despised, and vowed to dedicate his life to greater understanding of their strange ways.   (He omitted to mention the fact that he had also fallen hopelessly in love with Lavanya.) So taken with this story was Uru, that he immediately changed his mind and made some conciliatory comment about all being fair in love and war -  especially war. Leon shrugged.  "I used to agree with that sentiment; I don't any more." Korrigan asked one simple question.  "How much are you the person that I thought I knew?" Leon said he had told three lies that he could remember in the time he had served in the unit: his true identity; his desire to join the Vekeshi Mystics (which he had freely admitted many moons ago); and when he concealed his initial possession of the jade idol (to avoid it being handed in to the RHC and ending up in the hands of Black Star Mining).  Ever helpful, Uru reminded him of the time they both 'killed that fat  guy' (one of Eleanor Yanette's clients) without telling the others.  So that made four, then. Korrigan nodded and left it at that.</blockquote>

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