Erven wisdom save :  6

Quote from Ursus_the_Grim >>

"I made my name killing a common brigand."

Here, Onyx raises his blade, sword-arm rock-steady, point towards Talion even as his eyes flick back towards Sho.

"I can do it again."

Talion stares at the sword, then at Onyx. Is he still possessed? He moves back as far as he can, back up the corridor if necessary, ready to defend himself should Onyx make a move against him.

"Righteous? I have never claimed to be righteous, but ask yourself who would profit from you committing such an unprovoked murder? Look around you. Listen to the chanting -- I'm sure it will turn to laughter soon."

"Killing a man for a thing they say is beneath you, and should surely damn you."

"You say I defend evil...When? How? Where is this evil I defend? Was it evil to plot to save you from an undead spirit that possessed you? By any standard, giving into possession, craving it's power, and threatening a man for speaking the truth -- those would all be evil acts."

"Look in a mirror and ask yourself who is behaving like the thing that they claim to despise."

Quote from Twombley >>

Erven wisdom save :  8

 Erven roll a d10 and then a d100 please. 

D10 :  7 

D100 :  9 

Onyx advances steadily, though he does not yet strike.  He does not let Talion slip away from his reach.  His attention slips from Sho for the moment, more agitated by Talion.

"Are you truly that ignorant?  Does the name Vecna mean nothing to you?  The Rotted King himself?  This is not some subjective challenge, like a dispute over land or a bastard child.  We have been accosted at every turn by the creatures of whom Vecna is the ultimate lord and master.  The very same Vecna that Sho serves."

He sighs and shakes his head.

"I was not possessed, you secular fool.  You're a competent fighter, but there is so much you don't understand."

“It is like a second birth.” Sho says, in a too calm of a tone, looking at the shaky elf, teetering along the border of insanity. “Why do you consider it is a foul act to bring people into undeath, when it is equally immoral to bring an innocent being onto the world just to live through the torment that is life itself. After all, none of the unborn wish to be born, but plenty of the living wish they’d never lived."

“You can kill Talion, and you can kill me.” Sho looks pointedly at Onyx, “But know that none of us wished to be here. None of us wished to be born. Lathander forced new lives onto the plane for praises to him. He cares not about suffering, or pain, that the life has inflicted on us. We do things, that may be despicable in your eyes, to survive, to maintain this life that we didn’t choose have in the first place. If your god were truly as benevolent as you believe him to be, could he not have given people a chance to reject this glorious gift of birth? But why would he do that, ultimately, this is where all his power comes from.”

“Blame your pain on whoever you wish. Know in your heart, that it is not me, not Talion, not Vecna, that made the world a cruel place. You suffer, because you were born. You were born, because Lathander wanted power.”

Onyx pauses, still staring at Talion.  He doesn't even look at Sho.

"Fine then.  Reject Lathandar.  Kill yourselves, here and now.  If the gift of life and light is so terrible, reject it.  Slay yourselves now, and I'm sure your wretched lich-king will give you the undeath you so crave."

Talion does not let Onyx get close, so we are rapidly disappearing up the corridor to the north. To Onyx's question, Talion replies, "Do I look like I had a comfortable education in a country monastery? F#!!?@g rich people! I can honestly say I've never heard of Vecna before today." (( He did roll a 1! ))

"And now I'm being chased by a crazed follower of Lathander who says he wants to murder me because I tried to stop him being possessed! Ask yourself, who should I trust? You say you weren't possessed, but it sure as all hells looked like it to this 'secular fool' (whatever that it). Perhaps you would prefer to murder me because I am a fool? Or because I didn't go to your school."

He tries to pay a little attention to what Sho is saying, but it makes no sense to him, between the madman with the sword, and running up the corridor...

Quote from Twombley >>

Erven's gaze is deflected and he does seem to hear what Talion says, but he turns back to Sho, hand still shaking, breathing heavily, sweating.  He seems to be waiting, listening, but doesn't say anymore.  His head also turns toward the house, looking, listening, hearing the chanting below.  He turns his head back to Sho, waiting apparently to hear more.  

 As Erven continues to hold the dagger shakily, his eyes dart to and fro, between Talion, Sho, and Onyx.  Sweat is pouring down his face now and he blinks through it as it stings his eyes.  He begins to hear pounding from above and in his state imagines it is a heavy rock, crushing down - BOOM!  BOOM!  BOOM! - in time with his elven heartbeat.  He sobs a little and clutches the dagger ever tighter.  BOOM!  BOOM!  BOOM!  His mind flashes to his village - those who he once loved feasting upon others whom he once loved, their screams echoing off the ancient trees that he called home.  BOOM!  BOOM!  BOOM!  A great cracking and splintering of the earth and floor boards above sends a rock whistling to his feet.  As Erven looks at it, it is covered with hair and gore, brain matter and bone, and  -  is that a tooth?   Erven shudders and swoons, falling to the floor, narrowly missing stabbing himself in the process.  He rolls away from the rock, and scurries like a crab backwards up the stairs.  He slips several times and is spewing gibberish.  Finally, as far back as he can go, his eyes become vacant and unfocused - as if staring off into a night sky - but the sweat continues and his eyes twitch from some unspoken personal hell.  

He has retreated into his mind and is paralyzed and unresponsive...

[by the way, none of you see this rock, hear those sounds, and the floor above you remains as intact as it ever was.  The drumming and chanting are ever-present however...]

“Vvvvvvgggggggghhhhhhhhhhhh.”  Erven can’t speak to you, remains shivering.

(( Probably need to know where everyone is -- Talion will have been trying to prevent onyx closing, Onyx has been chasing Talion -- they may be back at the crypts by now. It would be convenient if they were able to see Ervan collapse... ))

Bertolt stays quiet as he steps away from the others, not wanting to pick sides of they suddenly turn on each other. As he sees Evren suddenly freeze up, the bard moves over to grab the dagger from him. "Enough with this! If you wish to kill each other let it happen after we are out of this place."

(I figured we had gotten maybe ten or fifteen feet down the hallway.  People don't generally turn their back and run full-tilt in this kind of situation.)

Onyx's expression softens.  He stops advancing, letting Talion get out of reach.  

"Ignorance is not a crime.  I cannot vouch for the holy man you killed.  I do not know him.  You cannot vouch for Sho.  You do not know Vecna."

He sheathes his sword.  Talion was retreating, scared.  Not a threat.  He takes a breath and turns back towards the room.

Talion shouts to Bertolt, "Thank you, exactly my point! I don't want to kill anyone here! The only would-be murderer is the crazy old man with the sword...I think he's possessed again."

Quote from Ereshion >>

(( Probably need to know where everyone is -- Talion will have been trying to prevent onyx closing, Onyx has been chasing Talion -- they may be back at the crypts by now. It would be convenient if they were able to see Ervan collapse... ))

 I am assuming that you all came together in the fun-happy room to take stock and catch your breath.  I don't envision Onyx taking big strides in this situation but rather creeping closer.  As Onyx steps up to Talion, Talion begins to creep backwards.  Because Talion also cast mage hand to potentially check out the trap door, I assume he was within sight of that, which could only happen on the right side of aforementioned fun-happy room.  

The tension is thick between Onyx and Talion :)

@Onyx, having just tried to tell Talion you were not possessed, feel free to react to that last comment.  (Lol).

@Bertolt - not believing what you're seeing and hearing in front of you, you grab Erven's dagger as the falls to the ground so he won't accidentally hurt himself with it.

As Onyx lowers his sword, Talion's eyes narrow. Now is the time to strike, if I need to. He lets the distance widen a little more then moves to the northern entrance of the room, keeping a wary eye on possesseed warrior, "Can we follow Bones' advice and hold off murdering each other until we are out of here?"

"And maybe somebody can tell me who the hell Vecna is? Sounds like an ointment."

"Vecna is an evil god. I have even read things that he was once mortal and somehow ascended. I do not know much more then that." Bertolt says as he tries to avoid going into a lecture about the history of what he knows of Vecna.

[I'll assume someone lights a torch?  Otherwise Bertolt is just dancing in the dark - remember to take it off your sheet if you use one]

Talion ponders for a moment, "Since I know that followers of supposedly good gods can be evil, is it so difficult to believe that followers of an evil god might be ... not evil?" He shrugs, and shakes his head. "This shit is just too stupid for words. Doesn't anyone else see that?"

He nods in Onyx's direction, "I think he's still possessed, but hiding it, and if anyone in this party is evil, he gets my vote, no competition. Who here has tried to murder someone...oh...say...in the last day or so? Hands up...you know who you are."

Finally, and he seems to unwind, he notices Ervan in the corner, "And what's happened to the crazy elf, anyway?"

Onyx glares at Talion again.

"If I were possessed, the spell Sho cast on me should have broken it.  Unless you're doubting his magic?"

He turns back towards the others.

"The difference is the goal.  I'm a flawed person in service of a good ideal.  But a good person in service of a foul paragon makes for a failing person.  But. . . I can put it aside so long as Sho takes point from here on out.  I'm not comfortable with him behind me, and you all clearly won't let me strike from behind him.  Best arrangement."