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Brian:
|
And now you guys are camped for the
night.
|
Adam:
|
Time to wander through the woods
|
Brian:
|
Are you searching for something in
particular?
|
Adam:
|
If getting caught is going to start a
war, then we should probably just leave
|
Jannik:
|
oh, did we already talk about what you
did on the island?
|
Adam:
|
There was a run down shack and a water
fountain. Nothing terribly interesting
|
Brian:
|
So you guys just wander back to
Gorwood, or do you journey all the way back to the capital
|
Jannik:
|
Aren't we wanted criminals in Gorwood?
|
Jannik:
|
then I shall suggest to not go there
|
Brian:
|
Alright, I'm going to skip the hunting
and gathering checks for the journey back on the grounds that it
would be too pathetic if you guys starved to death while trying to
come home empty-handed.
|
Brian:
|
Straight back to Shavorne?
|
Adam:
|
There's no place like home
|
Brian:
|
It's only home for Aaron...
|
Brian:
|
Well if you want to stop at Eastmark
or Tinsboro, let me know.
|
Jannik:
|
I don't think I have a connection to
these places
|
Jannik:
|
and I'm not sure what we would search
for there
|
Brian:
|
Cool. Do you just report back to
Eryson then?
|
Brian:
|
Alright, so you have come back to the
palace, and somewhere you run into Eryson. The guards give you a
hard time at first, but after a while they remember you since you
lived amoung them for a bit.
|
Apparently Sir Eryson approached them...
|
Sir Eryson:
|
Hello.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
Is this a good place to discuss this?
There are more private places to speak if you think it's wiser.
|
|
Aaron:
|
Well, we didn't really find anything.
As we wanted to investigate Gorwood and almost find something out,
we were assaulted in the inn and fled from captivity. Afterwards
we went to a strange mystical lake near Daysriver, east of
Gorwood, only to find a deserted island and an orc who doesn't
seem to be affiliated to anyone, who wanted us to get out of there
so we don't provoke the war.
|
|
Aaron:
|
That's basically it.
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
The people of Gorwood claimed that
they had no idea what the black swords are or where they come from.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
Of course they would.
|
Brian:
|
There seems to be a look of genuine
shock on Eryson's face.
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
Sir?
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
Let's not talk in the hall. Come with
me.
|
Brian:
|
He leads you to a room near to where
Aaron was housed.
|
Brian:
|
I assume you follow?
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
So they told you to go away, and you
just did?
|
|
Aaron:
|
Well, we couldn't really go back to a
city we just fled from.
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
They were keen on keeping us
imprisoned or even executed. We were lucky to get out.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
Well apparently you took a trip to a
lake at some point...
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
Indeed. Our escape was aided by an orc
who claimed to know the origin of the blades. He told us to go to
the lake. There was nothing there. He was likely just telling us
what we wanted to hear.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
Never found him again and interrogated
him?
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
I never saw his face again, no.
|
Jannik:
|
fk, we should've waited for him
actually
|
Cerim Potter: (( we did ))
Brian:
|
might of been what that camp was for,
now that I think about it...
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
And then? You just...went home?
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
No, we came here.
|
Brian:
|
He opens his mouth to speak, but then
simply sits down.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
Do you know who's appartment this is?
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
I do not.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
It's Artyom's. That friend of yours
from Tinsboro.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
I know for a fact that he won't mind
us meeting here though. You know why? Because he hasn't been here
for over a month. He's down in the south of Eldati's fool crusade
killing every Nerulian he comes across, and building a damn
religion aronud himself!
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
So the war has already begun.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
They've built a castle together in the
south. Horizon castle or Ft. Dirtyom or whatever they want to call
it. He's making himeself into a king. Meanwhile, the black swords
still turn our people into monsters and we are no closer to
figuring out why.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
Do you know why we aren't any closer,
my young guard?
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
BECAUSE THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO COULD GET
CAUGHT IN GORWOOD WITHOUT STARTING A WAR DIDNT WANT TO START A
WAR!!!
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
So it's our fault, then.
|
Jannik:
|
were we out for a whole month?
|
Brian:
|
all travel times together, yeah,
roughly a month now. I think Artyom headed off a little before you
did, in fact.
|
Jannik:
|
doesn't that mean thatwhatever we did
wouldn't have stopped the war from starting?
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
Those orcs are unreasonable. They seem
to be keen to have a war simply for the sake of having some moral
high ground for being attacked..
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
Are you sure? Perhaps they had a good
reason, because they were already attacking.
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
They sent assassin's after us in the
night FAR before we showed any signs of being unfriendly.
|
|
Aaron:
|
Maybe that was because the war already
started?
|
|
Aaron:
|
And us coming there was too much of a
coincidence for them to believe?
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
An...interesting idea. Do you have
proof of them trying to assasinate you?
|
Jannik:
|
do we? probably not
|
Brian:
|
I can't think of anything.
|
Jannik:
|
we probably have some wounds? but that
could be anything
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
I doubt the orcs will confess to the
idea. Seeing as how our heads are still on our shoulders, there's
no other proof to provide beyond our word.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
But that still proves it to us.
Gorwood has been at peace with us for a human lifetime, why would
they turn on us now?
|
|
Aaron:
|
Did anyone here do anything without
the others knowing? Some people seemed suspiciously eager to fight
the orcs.
|
|
Aaron:
|
Not that I think that the orcs aren't
brutish enough to start a war by themselves, it's just not very
clever.
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
The orcs didn't seem very clever.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
They tend not to be. They're in the
woods for a reason.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
The only people who could have ordered
some kind of attack would be Eldati or the king, but neither of
them would have a reason to.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
Could be a random hunter from
Eastmark, but they've gone a long time without causing trouble.
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
The king seemed quite interested in
attacking them last I saw.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
Last time you saw was the last time I
had the king's ear. Glistar was content to let
the orcs die out on their own before I was able to convince him to
think about the idea that they might be up to something.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
And now that he has a war against half
the humans? Not wise, even for him.
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
It sounds like Artyon has become a
problem too big to ignore.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
Do you know anything else about his
powers?
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
I know very little. He claims they
were given to him by some unnamed god. All I know for sure is that
he wields terrible strength. Anyone to tries to face him in open
battle is a fool.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
Then I see no option besides trying to
manipulate him. Something that will force him to give up this
crusade willingly...
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
Perhaps a woman could talk some sense
into him. Then again, the woman he was courting back at home may
very well have joined him already.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
Aema?
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
Aye, sir.
|
Cerim Potter: (( I don't actually remember her
name. lol ))
Brian:
|
in game you do. You grew up together
|
Jannik:
|
you really have a lot of characters in
your campaign, dont you
|
Brian:
|
I started with about 6 core NPCs, then
every time someone went somewhere I didn't expect I had to write a
couple more.
|
Brian:
|
This game got out of hand FAST
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
A woman can be a powerfull tool. What
would you suggest doing though?
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
We'll have to find her and explain the
danger of his current path to her. He also has a younger sister
that might help also.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
The simplist, but most risky option.
Quite frankly, we both seem pretty bad at convincing people.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
But finding Aema will not be a
challenge. She's here in the palace.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
Guarded by two knights, and two
knights of the Order, at all times.
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
That seems extreme for a peasant
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
Well, that's the thing. She has the
same powers as Artyom.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
The guards were an order form the king
to keep either of us from stealing her.
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
Will we be able to speak with her?
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
If the Order is feeling nice. No royal
decrees about talking...
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
And if we are unable to open Artyom's
eyes...
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
You don't need someone to agree with
you to get them to do what you want. Anything that compells him to
go away and torment some other land will be enough to save the
kingdom.
|
|
Aaron:
|
Is Gorwood really that strong that you
fear we can't fight them even with two people with superpowers?
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
Gorwood is an enclave of savages that
should have been wiped from the face of the Earth a long time ago.
Just give me my army and I can deal with whatever they are doing
to us. But while Gorwood's sins are an excuse to fuel Eldati's lust
for power, we are in much more danger.
|
|
Aaron:
|
So we really need to explore the
secrets of the black swords, right?
|
|
Aaron:
|
That's what makes this situation so
dangerous
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
You know, I thought it was you who
first convinced me of that not that long ago.
|
|
Aaron:
|
Yes, but it was for a different reason.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
Fair. But either way, apparently you
two can't do anything without permission, so we might not find the
answer any time soon.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
Or ever. We can always solve the
problem by killing all the orcs and letting the secret die with
them.
|
|
Aaron:
|
I just don't see how we get any more
information like this. We can't really go to Gorwood, and I don't
know any friendly orcs who happen to be involved with the black
swords and are willing to share what they know.
|
Jannik:
|
does Gorwood interact with any of the
elven cities?
|
Jannik:
|
like trading and stuff
|
Brian:
|
there is VERY occasional trade, which
has gone down even more recently due to an incident where some
traders vanished in Gorewood, and Gorwood claimed they were spies.
|
Jannik:
|
so that option is gone too
|
Jannik:
|
I mean, I only see three options now
|
Jannik:
|
1. find Neek and get him to infiltrate
Gorwood
|
Jannik:
|
2. find Umrat and get him to
infiltrate Gorwood
|
Jannik:
|
and 1. and 2. depend on if we can
trust them, which we don't know
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
Perhaps we don't need to play nice
with Gorwood anymore.
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
Perhaps you're right. If they can't
return the favor, then our diplomatic efforts would be better
spent elsewhere.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
Or we could engage in un-diplomatic
efforts there...
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
Isn't that what your army is for?
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
It is, but the king has made the royal
decision that it is not to be used. You two are really my last
tool, and frankly even meeting you in the palace is a questionable
choice.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
We might, however, have Artyom.
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
And if we don't, then perhaps we can
at least have him for tea. Black lotus might do the trick.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
Possible. Don't know what you would do
to bring him to the table though. He's kind of busy...
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
It would be easier to join his table.
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
Surely he spends some time at this new
castle of his.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
He does.
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
Perhaps without his walking god, the
king will be more inclined to hear your words of reason
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
He probably would. Unless Eldati tells
him more lies about prophecy and magic that make him run around
chasing more nothing.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
But if you think you can take out one
player, that's probably good enough.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
But don't take too many risks out
there, alright? Even if Artyom isn't fully brainwashed, Eldati
will be happy to kill you if she sees a trick. And frankly, I need
you at this point.
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
Is Eldati with Artyom?
|
|
Aaron:
|
Wait, so you are telling us to risk
our lives convincing Artyom, our strongest fighter, to not
participate in a war that we probably can't even end at this point?
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
The church of Nerul is small and weak.
Weaker and smaller now than before the fighting started. And he's
been suprisingly effective against the army of the dead. We can
take what's left.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
Artyom is quickly becoming far more of
a threat than an asset.
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
The "Church of Artyom" is most
assuredly far stronger than Nerul at this point.
|
|
Aaron:
|
What in the world ...
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
Tell me Aaron, how did you think this
was all going to turn out?
|
|
Aaron:
|
I don't know, sir, I have little
experience with war, superpowers, and necromancy.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
Sounds like you've lived a good life.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
Either way, this seems like a good
plan to start with. Anything else you might want from me first?
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
Some Black Lotus extract would be most
helpful.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
And most damning. Eldati's not stupid,
and she's got all her money on that man.
|
Jannik:
|
does Aaron know what that black lotus
is?
|
Jannik:
|
is that a special tea?
|
Cerim Potter: (( totes lol ))
Brian:
|
It's the most famous poison in the
world. Quite deadly, assuming it really exists.
|
Brian:
|
Which it seems like it does, judging
by how these guys are talking about it
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
If Eldati is really hovering over
Artyom so closely, then no matter what we try and to, she will be
working against us.
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
Whatever we whisper in his ear will be
contradicted by her whispering in his other.
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
We need to separate the two at the
very least.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
That...could be arranged.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
Getting Eldati up here will be tricky
unless some very important administrative matter comes up, and
even then she might just send another priest, but Artyom is
impulsive.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
If we can get him to be a hero, we
might have a chance of getting him to ignore Eldati's instructions
and split up.
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
Would she not follow him if he runs
off?
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
Honestly, I don't know. She might
consider protecting him to be her first priority, or she might
stick with running her inquisition. Or maybe he won't give her a
chance to stop him and leave without saying a word.
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
So we need some bait.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
How would you feel about taking the
role?
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
I could try. If we're lucky, he
secretly harbors some strong feelings for me.
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
We need him to rush, after all.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
We can make him. If he heard you stole
Aema, Emita, or both, he might have strong feelings indeed.
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
You might be onto something there.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
You're a lowly peasant, so I would
have no right to order you to stop your heinous act, and if you
say...fled to the border of Gorwood with her, my hands would be
tied. I am forbidden to order men to leave Damriel.
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
That idea certainly has its merits.
There is a risk that the orcs would get involved. They have eyes
all over the forest.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
The orcs are already involved.
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
That's not what I mean.
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
I mean when Artyom does catch up with
me, it will be a very delicate scenario.
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
Were the orcs to crash the party, the
results could be disasterous.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
Agreed. But to be honest with you, I'm
willing to lose you there for the greater good. If Artyom sees you
killed by orcs, the result is still that the true foes of the
crown will be punished.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
I don't want anyone to get hurt, but
part of command is knowing when to make tough choices.
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
That's... real big of you.
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
Very well.
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
How am I to get Aema out of Damriel?
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
Since you're already going rogue you
can try to defeat four of the kingdon's best knights. I, of
course, could arrange for two of them to NOT be the best, but you
two will still have a fight.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
Or you could finally take up Ephnyr's
offer to be his squire, only to turn out to be a traitor and sneak
off when the damn fool is drinking his guts out.
|
|
Aaron:
|
Didn't you just say Aema also has
Artyom's powers? Wouldn't napping her be a bit difficult, even
after getting through the guards?
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
That is a very good point. I was
always assuming she would just trust Cerim.
|
|
Aaron:
|
After he knocks out the guards
protecting her?
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
"Knocks out"
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
"Protecting"
|
Jannik:
|
wait, is she held hostage?
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
I've never had a chance to really chat
with her, but I'm sure she's learned to trust no one.
|
Brian:
|
you don't know any more than you heard
in this conversation
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
I mean, I could offer the guards some
spiked mead. That might knock them out. The odds of me taking four
men at once are slim.
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
And I've never been on the rack
before, but I hear it's tough to keep your mouth shut while on it.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
I'm sorry, who's going on the rack?
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
If I lose a fight against four
knights, it'll be me.
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
Assuming they don't kill me outright.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
And there's one other problem: Aema
would be the best chance I would have at a weapon if I were trying
to fight Artyom man to man. Eldati might not be able to risk
ignoring that.
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
If Aema has the same power as Artyom,
then she's as much of a danger as he is.
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
Their presence in this kingdom cannot
be tolerated.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
Lucky for us, Eldati teaches that only
Elves can have these powers, so she can never reveal Aema or use
her unless we do somthing to bring it to the light.
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
That's fortunate. Perhaps Aema will be
fine under lock and key for now. She's the best failsafe we have.
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
That just leaves Emita as bait.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
I don't know if it's better to
coordinate with Ephnyr or not. I want as few leaks as possible for
who's behind this, and unwilling actors are the best ones.
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
I wouldn't trust him to keep a secret,
if that's what you mean.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
What about Emita? What do you think
she would say if one of us told her?
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
She would be wholeheartedly against
betraying her own brother.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
Then it looks like all the pieces are
set in place.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
You've been quiet Aaron, what do you
think?
|
|
Aaron:
|
Uhm ...
|
|
Aaron:
|
So the only option is to kill four
guards, nap Aema, go to Gorwood, and hope for the best?
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
The plan is to not do that, nap Emita
instead, and go to Gorwood.
|
|
Aaron:
|
Didn't you say she's against betraying
her brother?
|
Brian:
|
Eryson looks towards Cerim
|
Jannik:
|
also, I'm not quite sure how you want
Aaron to be reacting in this situation
|
Brian:
|
Nor do I. But I want to know what he
does, as does Eryson.
|
Brian:
|
Aaron didn't get to do much of his
plot at all so far
|
Jannik:
|
well, if we went with who I thought he
would be, he would just support this thing but not want to be
involved too much
|
Jannik:
|
his only quest - to find out what
happened to his brother and/or avenge him - seemingly failed
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
That's right. If she finds out about a
hostile plan against her brother, she will fight against it. She
will either need to be kept ignorant of any such plan or be taken
by force.
|
Jannik:
|
and he doesn't want to abandon his
whole life over a plan that doesn't exactly seem foolproof
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
Or?
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
Or?
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
If she's ignorant of the plan, how
would you convince her to pretend to be kidnapped?
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
She doesn't really need to. If Artyom
is going to be hearing the news through a letter or something, all
we need to do is say she's been kidnapped.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
You think he won't ask around?
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
Who would he ask? Unless he plans to
stop at the Capitol first, nobody would know any better.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
You seem to be leaving an opening
without good reason...
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
If it's all that important, then we
could kidnap her for real.
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
I doubt she's being guarded as much as
Aema
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
Why would she need to be? She has one
of the better knights in the land protecting her.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
But I wouldn't risk the fate of the
nation just to be polite. But at the end of the day that's going
to be your choice, and I can't really stop you.
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
Does espionage ordinarily fall under
the purview of your position?
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
It's a part of everyone's position at
the capital.
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
Well, if we're being bold then there's
no sense in withholding attack vectors. If you haven't the poison,
you'll need to give me information to get my own.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
You're going to Poison him? After this
whole chat we had?
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
You said that the Priestess would
catch it. We're arranging to split up her and Artyom. If she's not
around, then she won't catch it, will she? Besides, that will be a
last resort. To have not contingency plans is needlessly foolish.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
*smiles* I think this is going to be
the start of a beautiful friendship. The poison will find you in
short time.
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
Excellent.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
But for now, if you could leave in a
huff that would be lovely.
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
Before that, there's still one more
thing to be addressed.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
Aye?
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
Will you be joining me, Aaron?
|
|
Aaron:
|
I would prefer to help from the
shadows, but if the worst happens, I'll come with you.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
Don't feel like you need to come. I'm
sure everything will be fine.
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
I'll likely need the aid of the
shadows before it comes to the worst.
|
|
Aaron:
|
Consider me on your team.
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
I'm pleased to hear that.
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
First things first, I'll need to learn
Emita's schedule.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
That's the job of a handmaiden when
she's not pretending to be one. It also depends on Ephnyr's, so I
can adjust it if you find it's not to your liking.
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
Preferably there will be a time after
dark when she's outside the walls of the castle.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
Which god do we pray to for that?
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
Our own. Didn't you just say you could
adjust Ephnyr's schedule? Surely there's some romantic pond that
needs to be defended from rumors of monsters or something.
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
"rumors"
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
As a matter of fact, I think there is.
Thanks for reminding me.
|
|
Sir Eryson:
|
Anyhow, we best not stay lurking too
long. Anything else you need?
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
Not presently, though I'm sure we'll
be in touch.
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
Time to leave in a huff.
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
UGH!
|
|
Cerim Potter:
|
*leaves huffing*
|
Brian:
|
Alright, looks like I've managed to
fully split the party again, which means this is session for at
least one of you.
|
Cerim Potter: (( gratz ))