"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett
He said Riikana will not report incident or look for us. That we owe her our lives. That does not make sense, right? Druhdaar indicated she attacked them?
"W-Why w-wouldn't she r-report us?"Taran asks Ryder, "I-I th-thought she w-was the one wh-who attacked you all, w-wouldn't she n-need to r-report to her s-superiors about p-people p-planning on in-infiltrating and r-rescuing pr-prisoners? I-If she i-is l-loyal e-enough to at-attack us, sh-she w-wouldn't w-want us to s-succeed, r-right? O-Or w-was th-the attack a s-smokescreen s-so th-that you c-could j-join up and h-help us?"
Ryder turns around to face you all, crossing his arms. "Riikana is loyal to the Lord and the Path. But she...cares about individuals far more than she should, according to the Path. She was my mentor when I came to the Kintam to start training for the Shield. When I started having doubts...she figured it out, and told me she wouldn't interfere until I'd made my choice. She did what she had to, in there, to stay loyal to the Path and the Inspired. But she also gave me the push I needed to help you. She's 'hunting' us alone, and not reporting us, to give us a chance to leave."
"W-We c-can't leave."Taran says looking at Ryder's knees, "W-we c-can't abandon th-them to be t-tortured. I-It w-would be a b-betrayal. E-even if i-it ends w-with all of us dying, I-I c-can't t-turn m-my back on them."
He quickly turns to Vishal and River, "N-Not th-that I'm pl-planning t-to d-do an-anything th-that m-might b-be r-riskier th-than n-necessary."
' Rogues Will Be Rogues ' (Circle of Fives Admission Rules, § 6 par. IV) " Put It Down. Now. Or Be Sorry. " (D. Khar-Errendis' Reported Tips For Curing Soul Ailments And Assorted Bad Behaviours, v. LIV p.XIII) " Tween thisThy and yonThou, shall I prove to Thee that these art what thou dost see ? " (Grimoire of The Great Pananthyr) " This One has said enough. Now, we fight. This way please ?" (8th Grade Bronze Disciple Raulnar Drohjo, Way of the Open Palm)
Taran looks from Ryder to Liira and comes to a decision.
"M-M-My f-f-father,"he takes a deep breath, "h-he w-w-wanted m-me to l-learn m-medicine, s-so I c-could b-be b-better a-a-at k-k-killing. H-He w-wanted m-me to b-be a-able to k-kill an en-enemy in a s-single st-strike, t-to kn-know wh-where the l-least pain w-would b-be pr-produced, s-so the s-strike w-w-would be s-silent."
Taran looks over to the fire, and the stew pot sitting over it, "B-But, y-you c-can't l-learn one w-without l-learning the o-other. I-I l-learned h-how m-much y-you can b-burn someone w-w-without k-killing them, wh-where to cut that l-leave s-someone un-unable to m-move, th-the ch-chemicals th-that will in-increase p-pain wh-while preventing y-you from f-falling unconscious."The glowing coals of the fire seem to entrance Taran as he speaks, "I-I'm a h-healer, a-and a k-k-killer, a-and I kn-know wh-what I would d-do to t-torture s-someone f-for weeks on end."
Taran looks back at Ryder, eyes full of pain, "L-Lord S-Sulatesh and his p-people are t-torturers, a-and th-they en-enjoy it, f-focus on im-improving wh-what they c-can do. W-We b-both kn-know wh-what those sc-screams s-sound like, M-Mister Ryder. Our p-people h-have al-already b-been cap-captive f-for m-many days, e-every h-hour th-their pain only in-increases. I-I d-d-don't c-care if y-you despise us, w-will y-you h-help us end th-their s-suffering? B-Because if y-you w-won't, if-if you th-think wh-what he d-does to th-those p-people is j-justified, th-then w-we c-can't w-waste time c-convincing you. Th-they've suffered e-enough."
" What the boy said... Make yer mind up, is all we ask. And do it quietly, because I need a nap now. " Druhdaar croaks from his cot, smothering a yawn.
Pretty soon a steady, deep snoring sound starts rising from the big man's corner.
** (OOC) Attempting long rest if there is time **
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' Rogues Will Be Rogues ' (Circle of Fives Admission Rules, § 6 par. IV) " Put It Down. Now. Or Be Sorry. " (D. Khar-Errendis' Reported Tips For Curing Soul Ailments And Assorted Bad Behaviours, v. LIV p.XIII) " Tween thisThy and yonThou, shall I prove to Thee that these art what thou dost see ? " (Grimoire of The Great Pananthyr) " This One has said enough. Now, we fight. This way please ?" (8th Grade Bronze Disciple Raulnar Drohjo, Way of the Open Palm)
OOC: For Chaos's fantastic roleplaying, I'm not even going to require a Persuasion.
Ryder closes his eyes. "I want to help," he says softly. "But I don't want to betray the Path. I don't want to have to fight the people I trust. I don't want to hurt my friends. And no matter what you think, if you mount a rescue mission on the Kintam, you will end up fighting someone. People will end up getting hurt. There's no way out of that." He opens his eyes and looks at all of you. "And judging from what I saw in the meeting hall...you will win." He takes a deep breath. "You're right. When I heard the screams, I knew, in my bones, that it was wrong. Even after Sulatesh explained that it was necessary to purge them of their altavar. I just told myself it was a weakness of my mind, influence of the altavar that I had to overcome." He shakes his head. "But now I don't even know what altavar are." He nods. "I'll help you. To minimize the damage to my fellow soldiers, if nothing else."
You all notice that Liira's eyes are open, although you aren't sure how long she's been awake. She watches the exchanges expressionlessly, sitting up with her back to the cave wall and glancing at Tiem, who moves over and begins speaking quietly to her.
Caelius, if you use Observant to read his lips:
He's giving her a recap of what happened at the meeting hall. Apparently they secured Hama's help, Vishal tried to get Riikana's help, and then Riikana had her fellow off-duty soldiers try to arrest them. Druhdaar turned into a bull and then a bear, and got beaten up in both forms, Ryder helped by knocking out a soldier, River and Tiem teamed up on a pair of soldiers that River then stabilized, then Vishal created a smokescreen and they all got out. Riikana told the soldiers not to report it and to get the injured soldiers back to the Kintam while she tracked the group alone. Tiem adds that he used some magic to disguise their tracks for the first hour of the return.
Caelius, trying to follow two conversations at the same time, puts up a hand, and signs a long and complicated message.
”Altavar are a long story. I suggest we eat before we dive into that story. My intention, many of us share this, is never to kill, we may hurt them but we’ll try our best to keep them alive. Now, if the stew’s ready...”
"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett
"*crr* I can heal. *crr* You saw me earlier *crr* Saved them. *crr* I only hurt people because I have to. I don't like it." River continues looking at the stone wall as she speaks, probably making it hard for Caelius to understand.
"Th-the l-less fighting th-the b-better,"Taran agrees before seeing Mister Caelius's signs. He hesitates and signs back while speaking, "M-Mister C-Caelius a-agrees that k-killing sh-should be our l-last resort. Al-Also the stew is ready, w-we should eat."
"I do not think we should try and explain altavar. Too much too fast will hurt him more than necessary. I will defer to your wisdom though, Mister Caelius."
"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett
"I have been trying my best to just knock people out. And you can help in ways beyond fighting. Information about the keep, guard rotations, weak points, anything like that will help. If you can draw us a rough map of the area. Everything is useful." Vishal replies as he helps Taran serve food.
Ryder accepts a bowl of soup from Taran and pauses to murmur something under his breath before starting to eat. He looks at Vishal seriously. "It doesn't matter if I help fight directly. The further you get into the Kintam, the more common both noncombatants and highly trained soldiers it'll be harder to just knock out will be. So at this point, the sneakier I can help you guys be, the fewer of my fellow soldiers get hurt."
Ryder frowns. "No secret paths that I know of. The best way would probably be along the kitchen passage, fewer soldiers there and more people who will assume we're there on Kintam business."
“I did make contact with Hama who works in the kitchen before everything went down. We can see if she’s still down to help us sneak in.” Vishal supplies
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Caelius looks at Druhbaar with deep disapproval but when everyone’s attention turns to Ryder, he taps Taran’s shoulder before signing,
“What did Ryder say?”
Tooltips | Snippet Code | How to Homebrew on D&D Beyond | Subclass Guide | Feature Roadmap
Astromancer's Homebrew Assembly
"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett
Taran starts signing at Caelius as he talks.
He said Riikana will not report incident or look for us. That we owe her our lives. That does not make sense, right? Druhdaar indicated she attacked them?
"W-Why w-wouldn't she r-report us?" Taran asks Ryder, "I-I th-thought she w-was the one wh-who attacked you all, w-wouldn't she n-need to r-report to her s-superiors about p-people p-planning on in-infiltrating and r-rescuing pr-prisoners? I-If she i-is l-loyal e-enough to at-attack us, sh-she w-wouldn't w-want us to s-succeed, r-right? O-Or w-was th-the attack a s-smokescreen s-so th-that you c-could j-join up and h-help us?"
Taran Cragshollow (Summit Road)
Ryder turns around to face you all, crossing his arms. "Riikana is loyal to the Lord and the Path. But she...cares about individuals far more than she should, according to the Path. She was my mentor when I came to the Kintam to start training for the Shield. When I started having doubts...she figured it out, and told me she wouldn't interfere until I'd made my choice. She did what she had to, in there, to stay loyal to the Path and the Inspired. But she also gave me the push I needed to help you. She's 'hunting' us alone, and not reporting us, to give us a chance to leave."
Stella Diamant, Human Rogue 17 (Swashbuckler), The Exploits of Misfit Company
Kat, Medtech, Cyberpunk: Red
Shi, Changeling Bard 4 (College of Spirits), Tyrant's Grasp
Dani, Human Artificer 9 (Armorer), Skulls and Starships
DM, Project Point (Teams Scimitar and Longsword)
Everything Else!
"W-We c-can't leave." Taran says looking at Ryder's knees, "W-we c-can't abandon th-them to be t-tortured. I-It w-would be a b-betrayal. E-even if i-it ends w-with all of us dying, I-I c-can't t-turn m-my back on them."
He quickly turns to Vishal and River, "N-Not th-that I'm pl-planning t-to d-do an-anything th-that m-might b-be r-riskier th-than n-necessary."
Taran Cragshollow (Summit Road)
"What about you Ryder? Do you care more about individuals than you should according to the Path?" Vishal asks
Druhdaar shakes his head and says gruffly:
" This is getting too complicated. Y'all figure it out and wake me when you're done. I'll be right over here... "
And with that, he hobbles back to his cot and flops down onto it with a tired grunt.
' Rogues Will Be Rogues ' (Circle of Fives Admission Rules, § 6 par. IV)
" Put It Down. Now. Or Be Sorry. " (D. Khar-Errendis' Reported Tips For Curing Soul Ailments And Assorted Bad Behaviours, v. LIV p.XIII)
" Tween thisThy and yonThou, shall I prove to Thee that these art what thou dost see ? " (Grimoire of The Great Pananthyr)
" This One has said enough. Now, we fight. This way please ?" (8th Grade Bronze Disciple Raulnar Drohjo, Way of the Open Palm)
Ryder frowns at Vishal. "I think that if I had doubts, I certainly wouldn't be sharing them with you."
Stella Diamant, Human Rogue 17 (Swashbuckler), The Exploits of Misfit Company
Kat, Medtech, Cyberpunk: Red
Shi, Changeling Bard 4 (College of Spirits), Tyrant's Grasp
Dani, Human Artificer 9 (Armorer), Skulls and Starships
DM, Project Point (Teams Scimitar and Longsword)
Everything Else!
Taran looks from Ryder to Liira and comes to a decision.
"M-M-My f-f-father," he takes a deep breath, "h-he w-w-wanted m-me to l-learn m-medicine, s-so I c-could b-be b-better a-a-at k-k-killing. H-He w-wanted m-me to b-be a-able to k-kill an en-enemy in a s-single st-strike, t-to kn-know wh-where the l-least pain w-would b-be pr-produced, s-so the s-strike w-w-would be s-silent."
Taran looks over to the fire, and the stew pot sitting over it, "B-But, y-you c-can't l-learn one w-without l-learning the o-other. I-I l-learned h-how m-much y-you can b-burn someone w-w-without k-killing them, wh-where to cut that l-leave s-someone un-unable to m-move, th-the ch-chemicals th-that will in-increase p-pain wh-while preventing y-you from f-falling unconscious." The glowing coals of the fire seem to entrance Taran as he speaks, "I-I'm a h-healer, a-and a k-k-killer, a-and I kn-know wh-what I would d-do to t-torture s-someone f-for weeks on end."
Taran looks back at Ryder, eyes full of pain, "L-Lord S-Sulatesh and his p-people are t-torturers, a-and th-they en-enjoy it, f-focus on im-improving wh-what they c-can do. W-We b-both kn-know wh-what those sc-screams s-sound like, M-Mister Ryder. Our p-people h-have al-already b-been cap-captive f-for m-many days, e-every h-hour th-their pain only in-increases. I-I d-d-don't c-care if y-you despise us, w-will y-you h-help us end th-their s-suffering? B-Because if y-you w-won't, if-if you th-think wh-what he d-does to th-those p-people is j-justified, th-then w-we c-can't w-waste time c-convincing you. Th-they've suffered e-enough."
Taran Cragshollow (Summit Road)
" What the boy said... Make yer mind up, is all we ask. And do it quietly, because I need a nap now. " Druhdaar croaks from his cot, smothering a yawn.
Pretty soon a steady, deep snoring sound starts rising from the big man's corner.
** (OOC) Attempting long rest if there is time **
' Rogues Will Be Rogues ' (Circle of Fives Admission Rules, § 6 par. IV)
" Put It Down. Now. Or Be Sorry. " (D. Khar-Errendis' Reported Tips For Curing Soul Ailments And Assorted Bad Behaviours, v. LIV p.XIII)
" Tween thisThy and yonThou, shall I prove to Thee that these art what thou dost see ? " (Grimoire of The Great Pananthyr)
" This One has said enough. Now, we fight. This way please ?" (8th Grade Bronze Disciple Raulnar Drohjo, Way of the Open Palm)
OOC: For Chaos's fantastic roleplaying, I'm not even going to require a Persuasion.
Ryder closes his eyes. "I want to help," he says softly. "But I don't want to betray the Path. I don't want to have to fight the people I trust. I don't want to hurt my friends. And no matter what you think, if you mount a rescue mission on the Kintam, you will end up fighting someone. People will end up getting hurt. There's no way out of that." He opens his eyes and looks at all of you. "And judging from what I saw in the meeting hall...you will win." He takes a deep breath. "You're right. When I heard the screams, I knew, in my bones, that it was wrong. Even after Sulatesh explained that it was necessary to purge them of their altavar. I just told myself it was a weakness of my mind, influence of the altavar that I had to overcome." He shakes his head. "But now I don't even know what altavar are." He nods. "I'll help you. To minimize the damage to my fellow soldiers, if nothing else."
You all notice that Liira's eyes are open, although you aren't sure how long she's been awake. She watches the exchanges expressionlessly, sitting up with her back to the cave wall and glancing at Tiem, who moves over and begins speaking quietly to her.
Caelius, if you use Observant to read his lips:
He's giving her a recap of what happened at the meeting hall. Apparently they secured Hama's help, Vishal tried to get Riikana's help, and then Riikana had her fellow off-duty soldiers try to arrest them. Druhdaar turned into a bull and then a bear, and got beaten up in both forms, Ryder helped by knocking out a soldier, River and Tiem teamed up on a pair of soldiers that River then stabilized, then Vishal created a smokescreen and they all got out. Riikana told the soldiers not to report it and to get the injured soldiers back to the Kintam while she tracked the group alone. Tiem adds that he used some magic to disguise their tracks for the first hour of the return.
Stella Diamant, Human Rogue 17 (Swashbuckler), The Exploits of Misfit Company
Kat, Medtech, Cyberpunk: Red
Shi, Changeling Bard 4 (College of Spirits), Tyrant's Grasp
Dani, Human Artificer 9 (Armorer), Skulls and Starships
DM, Project Point (Teams Scimitar and Longsword)
Everything Else!
Caelius, trying to follow two conversations at the same time, puts up a hand, and signs a long and complicated message.
”Altavar are a long story. I suggest we eat before we dive into that story. My intention, many of us share this, is never to kill, we may hurt them but we’ll try our best to keep them alive. Now, if the stew’s ready...”
Tooltips | Snippet Code | How to Homebrew on D&D Beyond | Subclass Guide | Feature Roadmap
Astromancer's Homebrew Assembly
"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett
"*crr* I can heal. *crr* You saw me earlier *crr* Saved them. *crr* I only hurt people because I have to. I don't like it." River continues looking at the stone wall as she speaks, probably making it hard for Caelius to understand.
Dungeon Master - LSoL
Kaori - Battlemaster Fighter 5 / Paladin 2 (Kenku) - TSR
Cherna Godhari - Grave Cleric 4 (Human) - TW
Breena Mahi'ai - Divination Wizard 8 (Halfling) - WoE
Sharyn Savonath - Open Sea Paladin 4 (Triton) - PoPI
Zephyr - Four Elements (Revised) Monk 4 (Air Genasi) - IO
Takeshi - Mercy Monk 6 (Protector Aasimar) - TBW
Avrui Sirsash - Genie Warlock 2 (Wildhunt Shifter) - WotBS
"Th-the l-less fighting th-the b-better," Taran agrees before seeing Mister Caelius's signs. He hesitates and signs back while speaking, "M-Mister C-Caelius a-agrees that k-killing sh-should be our l-last resort. Al-Also the stew is ready, w-we should eat."
"I do not think we should try and explain altavar. Too much too fast will hurt him more than necessary. I will defer to your wisdom though, Mister Caelius."
Taran Cragshollow (Summit Road)
Caelius nods at Taran and signs,
“Agreed. I wanted to keep such a conversation from occurring.” He seems to be purposely ignoring Taran’s deference to him.
Tooltips | Snippet Code | How to Homebrew on D&D Beyond | Subclass Guide | Feature Roadmap
Astromancer's Homebrew Assembly
"The relevant equation is: Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read." - Terry Pratchett
Taran looks down, his hands moving.
Then he begins unpacking the bowls he had just packed, and begins serving stew to everyone.
Taran Cragshollow (Summit Road)
"I have been trying my best to just knock people out. And you can help in ways beyond fighting. Information about the keep, guard rotations, weak points, anything like that will help. If you can draw us a rough map of the area. Everything is useful." Vishal replies as he helps Taran serve food.
Ryder accepts a bowl of soup from Taran and pauses to murmur something under his breath before starting to eat. He looks at Vishal seriously. "It doesn't matter if I help fight directly. The further you get into the Kintam, the more common both noncombatants and highly trained soldiers it'll be harder to just knock out will be. So at this point, the sneakier I can help you guys be, the fewer of my fellow soldiers get hurt."
Stella Diamant, Human Rogue 17 (Swashbuckler), The Exploits of Misfit Company
Kat, Medtech, Cyberpunk: Red
Shi, Changeling Bard 4 (College of Spirits), Tyrant's Grasp
Dani, Human Artificer 9 (Armorer), Skulls and Starships
DM, Project Point (Teams Scimitar and Longsword)
Everything Else!
"Wh-what is the b-best way t-to get to the d-dungeons?" Taran asks, "A-are there s-secret p-paths you know of?"
For DM
Taran Cragshollow (Summit Road)
Ryder frowns. "No secret paths that I know of. The best way would probably be along the kitchen passage, fewer soldiers there and more people who will assume we're there on Kintam business."
Stella Diamant, Human Rogue 17 (Swashbuckler), The Exploits of Misfit Company
Kat, Medtech, Cyberpunk: Red
Shi, Changeling Bard 4 (College of Spirits), Tyrant's Grasp
Dani, Human Artificer 9 (Armorer), Skulls and Starships
DM, Project Point (Teams Scimitar and Longsword)
Everything Else!
“I did make contact with Hama who works in the kitchen before everything went down. We can see if she’s still down to help us sneak in.” Vishal supplies