Of course Ashley let's Joren bear hug her! She's a bit warm though ;)
After they are all debriefed, Ashley thanks Joren for being willing to take the first watch and heads back to the Inn, with Samir unless he stays behind. Once there, she sees Malachi in the corner sleeping and to Marion, "Why is he sleeping in the corner and not in a bed? Is there something wrong with the beds upstairs?"
If Marion does not deter Ashley from heading up to a bed, that is what she does and falls fast asleep.
"Of course, Ashley, the company is always welcome."
Samir explains as they walk that he hopes that can indeed undo the sigils worked on the people themselves, but that the process is likely to be trickier. For one, he is not used to working on people at all, but rather the more forgiving surface of metal, wood, and stone, where the surface is solid and unlikely to bunch or move. Or try to wriggle away for that matter. But in theory, it should work. His reaction to Joren's hug is one of momentary confusion and awkwardness, followed by patting the other man on the shoulder. It is not a situation that he is used to, but one that he doesn't find unpleasant, it seems. Listening to Ashley's recitation of events from earlier, he finds himself trying to work through the logical implications of what he can suss out about Silas' origins.
"It would seem that Silas was raised as part of, what, some kind of criminal empire? Plainly not an orginization that exists in any lawful capacity. I suppose this does help to explain his rather cavalier attitude towards taking a man's life. I worry that our association with him, however recent, might create some level of threat to our own lives. Of course, we seem to have done that ourselves by becoming involved in the machinations of this Razmus individual."
Samir will remain behind as Ashley leaves, and give Joren the opportunity to head back if he wishes. Once again, the artificer will place himself at a desk and begin fiddling with things. This time, however, rather than working on the artifacts of the cult, he will be working with his own tools and components, moving between manipulating various pieces and small items and studying what appear to be sketched schematics in one of his books.
Joren enjoys both Samir and Ashley's reactions to his hug. He's never been close with anyone except his mother before and he wonders if it was too forward. Being probably so, were I still back in the Dalmodh plains. Am I becoming too attached to these people?
With Samir, it feels like a brother, though he's fairly sure the half-orc does not regard him as such in return. Joren is not sure whether in this fraternal duo, he's the excited kid brother trying to understand what his genius older brother Samir is tinkering with, or the gruff unschooled older brother, grimly protecting younger sibling whiz-kid Samir from harm.
With Ashley... Joren has trouble putting his feelings for the bright, fiery genasi into words. Only that they are feeling warm. Like the hug.
Unbidden, the memory returns of the young child back in Tibben, but a couple days ago. The little girl who had collided with Joren, and what he had told her after making the face at the backs of the two boys who had been with her. The fear of loss.
Always is coming, a time for that. Leaving you alone...
Joren shakes himself from his reverie ruefully. A fine soldier, I am, daydreaming on the job.
"If Samir will remain here for first watch but working, then perhaps all three of you stay as well?" (He looks to Rana and the orc and elf who had come with her). "One to watch the cave-in, one to watch the cultists, and the fastest one as a runner back to the Inn if needed."
"I can take second watch. Planning to come back in a little over two hours I am, with two or three other freed prisoners. I am thinking Ashley, you take final watch so you are having a solid rest to be recovering your magic. Marion or one of the others can take third watch. But always with at least two of the others so we are having enough pairs of eyes and a messenger back to the inn. Agreeing everyone?"
With that, Joren heads back to the Inn with Ashley to get 2 hours of rest on a cot before his shift.
As Vilus takes a lap around the room, he wracks his brain. Modern religious sects were certainly always something that his people had kept an eye on within Talmouth and Cambria as a whole, since the right beliefs mixed with a charismatic leader could create sudden shifts in the balance of power.
6 Years ago a blood cult started to gain some traction in the underground, supposedly worshipping some god of vengeance, but they turned out to be toothless, and as quickly as they appeared, the Delirius removed them from play. He'd seen some use of red by travelling members of the Sanctuary of Solmon, but they usually favoured yellow and orange. Then there are the Sons of Hedona, a group that started up just last year who supposedly devoted themselves to a god of wine and revelry. But a secret inquiry quickly revealed it to be a lackluster facade for several prominent political and economic figures to indulge themselves under the guise of religious observance.
But if the visions were tied to something ancient that perhaps didn't have a following in Cambria, Vilus feared he would have little prior knowledge of it.
Stumped for answers, Vilus takes some small comfort in the fact that all of the windows seem undamaged, and their locks functional. Taking care to reinforce them against further tampering with a blade as Two had done, he prepares himself for the night ahead.
Ashley very quickly realizes why Malachi had not chosen to opt for a bed in the upper rooms. Upon opening the first door she comes to, she sees that it is empty. Completely devoid of furniture. She checks the other rooms and finds no more than some soot from Marion's incense. The rooms were clearly never meant for anything other than housing rat-men for Jon's scheme of ambushing unsuspecting travelers in the cellar.
Samir tinkers away for a while, with the others watching over the area, eventually switching off with Joren and his company of two others. The shifts continue to rotate as such, and through the night only silence comes from the passage through the cave. A few times throughout the night, one or two of the captives stir, but as the companions had wanted to take no chances with their restraints, they are unable to so much as wiggle a finger or form a syllable. Eventually, after the uneventful hours of the night, the new day begins, and the group finds themselves convening in the lab to discuss their next move, refreshed, if a little stiff.
Ashley looks at all the things that Samir has laid out on the table and gives out a low, long whistle. She ends up at the amulet, "Do you know what that does?" she doesn't pick up, just points to it. "Its pretty amazing that you not only were able to figure out how to disable the staples, you did it using their tools? Wow." she looks at Samir with complete astonishment and admiration. "So what is the next plan? Think you can graduate to them anytime soon?"she bobs her head towards the captives.
Then, taking a step back from the table, "I am not sure what all is going on around here, but I know it's pretty big and serious. I will help in any capacity that I can, just let me know what I need to do. Once we have our captors taken care of, what will be our next step? Silas and Malachi, do you know what is our focus moving forward?"
Vilus winces slightly at Ashley's use of his alias, knowing that she left before he could tell her the truth, he thinks to say something now but instead gives a slightly shamed look to Marion and Malachi, before he takes a breath and as he begins speaking, his voice takes on its usual gravelly growl "We have a month, if the visions hold true. After one month, the threat that Rasmus brings arrives on the shores of Talmouth, what we can do is disrupt whatever preparations these rat cultists are focused on, in an attempt to maybe weaken whatever this threat is and also learn more about it.
What we know now is that this thing either is or serves an ancient source of magic named Apogee, and that one node of activity for preparation is under the Tensmith mines, I think this should be our next stop.
The way I see it we have two options each with pros and cons as is the norm with these kinds of plans. To reach tensmith mines we can either go there above ground through the first wood, or we go underground using their tunnels.
Pros of above ground are the chances we get lost are less, and I could get more info possibly at the first wood. But cons are that we won't know where the preparations are when we arrive and we would have to gain entrance to the mines ourselves which means permissions etc... Also I can't guarantee the information part, it's something to do with my abilities and so I also can't guarantee that it will be safe to be around me if I attempt to connect there.
Pros of underground are that we can likely thin their number as we go, get a good bearing of how their tunnel systems work and maybe even use them in the future, we would also come out at the furthest most point they have reached according to the stuff in the letter Malachi worked out, good job there by the way. cons are that we will be on their home turf and we could get turned around easily, they would also already know which way we were coming from, even if no message has gotten back to their frontline, the ones we took out haven't returned, they'll be alert.
As for the captives we have here, there's something that could help" Silas produces his mess tin and pushes it along to Samir, the lid is on it but a very faint smell of gas escapes it "it's not pleasant but I can collect more of this moss shit, it doesn't seem to work on me, but properly applied it could be used to sedate them, I think,
I know you aren't one of those alchemist people Samir but you're the closest thing we have, and if you want to work on their explosive symbols it's probably best to have them sedated, or we could do it the old fashioned way, I'm sure Joren doesn't mind.
But once they are safe to dispose of with out risk of explosion, we have to make a decision on if and who will do that, you all already know my stance so I won't bore you all with my input there." Silas once again shifts uncomfortably, he feels he knows what must be done but is hesitant to seem brash and keen to kill, worried that his words will be misconstrued as bloodlust he instead remains quiet on the subject.
Joren thinks for a moment, trying to make sense of everything that Silas is saying.
"I am not the best one to be thinking through overall strategy or moral questions. As for our route, leaning towards the underground path, I would be. Our enemy may be knowing something is wrong, but they will not know who to be expecting. Thinning their number, I would like nothing more. And more sleep moss Ashley and I were finding just down that tunnel where one of them fled. But then, I have never been to Cambria (neither Talmouth nor Tensmith) before, so I am not knowing the overland route or factions. So trusting in the judgement of those who have grown up closer to this western shore, I am."
"As for the cultist captives, sleep moss is seeming fine. Being so certain I am eager to execute prisoners, do not be, Silas. Being only because they are so clearly, irredeemably evil, mutilating and enslaving in the name of their evil deity, that I would be considering doing so. Or using them as bombs against further enemies. And only then, if we are deciding together as a group..." He looks at Marion and Samir as he trails off.
Malachi wakes up stiff from sleeping in the corner, but feeling refreshed, the recent intrusions into his mind not forgotten, but diminished. He raids the kitchen for a simple breakfast for the group and brings it down to the lab for all to share. “Good morning to all, please help yourself.”
Malachi stops eating in mid-bite as Vilus and Joren discuss next steps. “Why are we not heading for Talmouth to inform the authorities? Surely they are more equipped to handle this threat than we are? Especially if Silas has already sent a warning back to his…family, ..or group..or whatever” He looks over at Samir “We can tell the council the threat against Tensmith, be hailed as heroes, and use our newfound status to establish those trade connections for your family. Much safer than bumbling through underground tunnels.”
Samir, still somewhat sleep befuddled and fuzzy, looks somewhat embarrassed by Ashley's praise, even as he polishes his glasses on the fabric of his pants. "Well, um, well thank you Ashley. And I do believe that I could repeat my success with the captives. The theory would apply equally, if with a bit of modification. My biggest hesitation is that I have never worked on, well, skin before. I am willing to try, however."
He sits quietly for a moment as the others talk, nodding affirmatively when the idea of sedating the prisoners comes up. "While not my strong point, I believe that the sleep moss would work. Perhaps if they were fitted with a cloth around their mouths and noses with a small portion of the moss secured inside, it would serve to keep them in an unconscious state for the duration."
It is when the fate of the prisoners is brought up that Samir first looks troubled and uncomfortable, but quickly transitioning into a determined expression. "May I remind you all that these are prisoners. Unarmed, defenseless prisoners. While I have no issue with working to disarm the potentially dangerous sigils they bear, I cannot countenance their execution. We do not have that right over any being. Murder, is murder. We must be better than those who act in such evil ways. Perhaps, instead, they can be taken to the nearest government authorities or law keepers. Even if you don't want to try and convince the authorities of just what these people are doing, indeed I feel there is a significant chance that the authorities would not believe us should we try, we can simply say that they were bandits or something of the like."
He lapses into silence, looking uncomfortable once more, fidgeting with the glasses now perched on his nose before busying himself organizing and moving things around on the desk that he has appropriated. "I am not entirely certain what the amulet does. It seems to glow either red or blue in the prsence of different people." His words are almost a mumble now as he slides the amulet towards Ashley to see if it will glow in proximity.
As the minutes pass by, Malachi keeps waiting for that last little bit of stiffness to clear from his joints, but it remains stubborn. What's more, from the moment he enters the lab, he feels hyper aware of the cultists locked up across the room. He feels a heightened concern that they may try to escape or have some trick up their sleeve, and from his odd glances in their direction he starts picking up subtle details about their dress and appearance that he hadn't taken note of before.
Even as he brings up the authorities in Talmouth, concerns of corruption and bad faith cross his mind.
We are outsiders. Will they believe us? Will they care if there isn't money to be made by addressing the issue? Will we be locked up as insane people? What if they are in on it...
It doesn't take Malachi long, though, to once again notice the sensation of the tendrils prying at his mind and to recognize that the additional concerns about the cultists and the Talmouth authorities are not necessarily his own. With that, he is once again able to separate his own thoughts from the intrusive suspicions. Mostly.
"oh don't get me wrong Joren, I merely meant sedating, if the moss doesn't work for some reason then there are other, more traditional, ways to knock someone out" he gives a first pounding motion and a small chuckle to try to ease the slight tension there, "I can collect more moss now,
we should send one of the survivors to Burrwatch to inform the authorities, it's a days walk at best but quicker on horseback. Once the prisoners are non-explosive we can leave them to the care of the survivors and be on our way.
As for informing them of what is happening, there is no need for us to go directly to Talmouth, the guard won't do anything for whatever is happening in Tensmith from there and they are already being made aware of the approaching ships, they will prepare as is necessary, but they likely won't know what they will be facing, and right now neither do we, really. However shady or disreputable you believe a secret organisation, they do get shit done and they've been begging me for information from my voices for weeks and now they have it they'd be foolish not to act on it, especially because it's in the interest of self preservation for them.
We have one vote for underground travel and one for over."
Once Silas has made his points he starts walking slowly toward the moss covered tunnel, leaving the rest of the party to discuss further in his absence. He looks toward Ashley before leaving and gives a general nod in the direction he is headed and a smile, non-verbally asking her to join him, although he breaks eye contact directly after giving her the choice to simply ignore him without awkwardness if needed.
Ashley listens to the conversation and realizes she really lucked out with the group that she, just by chance, ended up with. They are all respectful, intelligent people and she wishes she could have known more like that growing up. She almost allows herself to get drawn into self pity about it, but when Samir moves the amulet towards her, it helps break her out of her reverie.
"I don't think I have a whole lot to add about what way we should go, though I am worried if we go above that when we get to Tensmith, how will we know where to go from there?"
When Silas subtly invites her to join him, she returns the smile, feeling much better now that they have all had some rest and heads on down the tunnel with him. "I'm glad to be heading down here, there were some branches in the tunnel system, I'd like to look and see if there are any markings to assist those using these tunnels on which way to go."
Ashley and Vilus reach the stretch with the moss and cover their faces before Vilus begins harvesting more of the stuff and putting it in a secure bag.
As the pair returns to the lab, Ashley takes a moment at the fork to look around for markings with Vilus's help. At one point, she notices a small diamond-like shape on the stone wall between the two paths, and nearly writes it off as simply a natural stone feature, but upon closer inspection recognizes it was definitely man-made. It looks like a vertical line that splits into two lines which travel apart for a little before curving back towards one another and continuing as one line once again.
Vilus helps in the perception as he stops at the forks to look around before heading further until they reach the mossy covered tunnel, "hey about last night... I'm kinda glad you left to cool off and also kinda not, it's strange, I wanted to explain and make things less confusing but that also means saying difficult stuff that likely only makes me less trust worthy, but at the same time I know you got overwhelmed about it because you care, you give a damn whether I'm being truthful or not, how I grew up lies and deceit are like breathing and it's expected so basically no one ever really cares whether you're trustworthy or not just if you're useful.."
At this point Silas starts rambling a little, speaking quickly as if to get over a difficult social patch faster like ripping off a plaster (bandaid?)
"So thank you for caring, I'll tell you as I told Malachi and Marion after you left, I want to trust you, I want to trust all of you, and to do that I want you to trust me too, so Ashley I think it only polite that I introduce myself properly, I'm Vilus, pleased to meet ya!" At this he extends a rough stony hand in greeting.
When they finally reach the mossy crop, Vilus takes his mess tin and takes a step or two into the gaseous haze, making sure to stay in audible range of Ashley but also making sure she is at a distance to be unaffected, he scrapes off enough clumps to satisfy that they could be distributed amongst the three prisoners and be sizable enough to take effect properly, he then closed the tin to return with Ashley.
As Vilus opens up to Ashley on their walk into the tunnel, when he starts rambling, she stops and looks at him letting him get whatever it is he needs to get off his chest. Giving him the time and attention he needs. She feels for this man, even more so as he opens up about his worth only being chalked up to being useful. It breaks her heart as she watches him struggle to get the words out and talk about trust. She understands this so much and knows how it feels to have that ripped from you as well.
As he extends his hand in greeting, she almost rushes at him with a hug, but at the last second holds back. She normally doesn't control her emotions that well and she surprises herself at this moment. But with everything just the two of them have been through, all the back and forth, its just enough to stop her from fully engaging in that direction.
Instead she looks at him warmly, gives him a big smile and grasps his large hand with both of hers, the heat of her hands flowing up his arms, "Very nice to meet you Vilus."
Malachi sits silently as the others continue to debate plans, appearing to dismiss entirely his suggestion of reporting it to the council, even as doubt creeps into his own mind. The council or any other authorities would never believe them.
“According to the letter Tensmith is closed to outsiders. Consider it another vote for the tunnels, it will be easier to get in that way, and easier to find and disrupt whatever it is these cultists are planning.” he sighs in resignation.
Malachi looks up at Samir “You were successful in breaking the connection on the runes? Would you care to try on this one?” Malachi brushes back the hair from his face, revealing the raised mark of the rune on his temple. “Of course, I don’t really know what it does right now, so I am not sure I could tell if your work was successful or not. But I am willing to try”
He turns suddenly toward the prisoners in the cage, edgy and nervous “We must do something with them, they are plotting, I can feel it. They will try to escape. We must not let them.”
Accepting the warmth from the handshake and receiving some affirmation Vilus beams as he finishes collecting the moss and returns with Ashley.
Having the markings pointed out to him upon their travel back, Vilus remarks, "odd shape, could denote the way the path diverts then meets once more ahead, we should look out for ones that look like 'Y' as we travel if we continue underground, logically that would denote a complete fork in the path... Right?"
Once they return to the lab, Vilus hands over the tin to Samir, "I think this should be enough, if you want, when it comes time to work with this stuff I think it would be reasonable to have me present if anything goes wrong, we don't want you blacking out with them"
Of course Ashley let's Joren bear hug her! She's a bit warm though ;)
After they are all debriefed, Ashley thanks Joren for being willing to take the first watch and heads back to the Inn, with Samir unless he stays behind. Once there, she sees Malachi in the corner sleeping and to Marion, "Why is he sleeping in the corner and not in a bed? Is there something wrong with the beds upstairs?"
If Marion does not deter Ashley from heading up to a bed, that is what she does and falls fast asleep.
"Of course, Ashley, the company is always welcome."
Samir explains as they walk that he hopes that can indeed undo the sigils worked on the people themselves, but that the process is likely to be trickier. For one, he is not used to working on people at all, but rather the more forgiving surface of metal, wood, and stone, where the surface is solid and unlikely to bunch or move. Or try to wriggle away for that matter. But in theory, it should work. His reaction to Joren's hug is one of momentary confusion and awkwardness, followed by patting the other man on the shoulder. It is not a situation that he is used to, but one that he doesn't find unpleasant, it seems. Listening to Ashley's recitation of events from earlier, he finds himself trying to work through the logical implications of what he can suss out about Silas' origins.
"It would seem that Silas was raised as part of, what, some kind of criminal empire? Plainly not an orginization that exists in any lawful capacity. I suppose this does help to explain his rather cavalier attitude towards taking a man's life. I worry that our association with him, however recent, might create some level of threat to our own lives. Of course, we seem to have done that ourselves by becoming involved in the machinations of this Razmus individual."
Samir will remain behind as Ashley leaves, and give Joren the opportunity to head back if he wishes. Once again, the artificer will place himself at a desk and begin fiddling with things. This time, however, rather than working on the artifacts of the cult, he will be working with his own tools and components, moving between manipulating various pieces and small items and studying what appear to be sketched schematics in one of his books.
Joren enjoys both Samir and Ashley's reactions to his hug. He's never been close with anyone except his mother before and he wonders if it was too forward. Being probably so, were I still back in the Dalmodh plains. Am I becoming too attached to these people?
With Samir, it feels like a brother, though he's fairly sure the half-orc does not regard him as such in return. Joren is not sure whether in this fraternal duo, he's the excited kid brother trying to understand what his genius older brother Samir is tinkering with, or the gruff unschooled older brother, grimly protecting younger sibling whiz-kid Samir from harm.
With Ashley... Joren has trouble putting his feelings for the bright, fiery genasi into words. Only that they are feeling warm. Like the hug.
Unbidden, the memory returns of the young child back in Tibben, but a couple days ago. The little girl who had collided with Joren, and what he had told her after making the face at the backs of the two boys who had been with her. The fear of loss.
Always is coming, a time for that. Leaving you alone...
Joren shakes himself from his reverie ruefully. A fine soldier, I am, daydreaming on the job.
"If Samir will remain here for first watch but working, then perhaps all three of you stay as well?" (He looks to Rana and the orc and elf who had come with her). "One to watch the cave-in, one to watch the cultists, and the fastest one as a runner back to the Inn if needed."
"I can take second watch. Planning to come back in a little over two hours I am, with two or three other freed prisoners. I am thinking Ashley, you take final watch so you are having a solid rest to be recovering your magic. Marion or one of the others can take third watch. But always with at least two of the others so we are having enough pairs of eyes and a messenger back to the inn. Agreeing everyone?"
With that, Joren heads back to the Inn with Ashley to get 2 hours of rest on a cot before his shift.
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Barn(Paladin1): Damian_May's Ereworn Under the Shadow | Lyra(Warlock2/Bard4): VitusW's Silverwood Forest
Dyson/Eleo(Cleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(Druid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(Sorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(Fighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(Monk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(Cleric3/Sorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk
As Vilus takes a lap around the room, he wracks his brain. Modern religious sects were certainly always something that his people had kept an eye on within Talmouth and Cambria as a whole, since the right beliefs mixed with a charismatic leader could create sudden shifts in the balance of power.
6 Years ago a blood cult started to gain some traction in the underground, supposedly worshipping some god of vengeance, but they turned out to be toothless, and as quickly as they appeared, the Delirius removed them from play. He'd seen some use of red by travelling members of the Sanctuary of Solmon, but they usually favoured yellow and orange. Then there are the Sons of Hedona, a group that started up just last year who supposedly devoted themselves to a god of wine and revelry. But a secret inquiry quickly revealed it to be a lackluster facade for several prominent political and economic figures to indulge themselves under the guise of religious observance.
But if the visions were tied to something ancient that perhaps didn't have a following in Cambria, Vilus feared he would have little prior knowledge of it.
Stumped for answers, Vilus takes some small comfort in the fact that all of the windows seem undamaged, and their locks functional. Taking care to reinforce them against further tampering with a blade as Two had done, he prepares himself for the night ahead.
Ashley very quickly realizes why Malachi had not chosen to opt for a bed in the upper rooms. Upon opening the first door she comes to, she sees that it is empty. Completely devoid of furniture. She checks the other rooms and finds no more than some soot from Marion's incense. The rooms were clearly never meant for anything other than housing rat-men for Jon's scheme of ambushing unsuspecting travelers in the cellar.
Samir tinkers away for a while, with the others watching over the area, eventually switching off with Joren and his company of two others. The shifts continue to rotate as such, and through the night only silence comes from the passage through the cave. A few times throughout the night, one or two of the captives stir, but as the companions had wanted to take no chances with their restraints, they are unable to so much as wiggle a finger or form a syllable. Eventually, after the uneventful hours of the night, the new day begins, and the group finds themselves convening in the lab to discuss their next move, refreshed, if a little stiff.
Ashley looks at all the things that Samir has laid out on the table and gives out a low, long whistle. She ends up at the amulet, "Do you know what that does?" she doesn't pick up, just points to it. "Its pretty amazing that you not only were able to figure out how to disable the staples, you did it using their tools? Wow." she looks at Samir with complete astonishment and admiration. "So what is the next plan? Think you can graduate to them anytime soon?" she bobs her head towards the captives.
Then, taking a step back from the table, "I am not sure what all is going on around here, but I know it's pretty big and serious. I will help in any capacity that I can, just let me know what I need to do. Once we have our captors taken care of, what will be our next step? Silas and Malachi, do you know what is our focus moving forward?"
Vilus winces slightly at Ashley's use of his alias, knowing that she left before he could tell her the truth, he thinks to say something now but instead gives a slightly shamed look to Marion and Malachi, before he takes a breath and as he begins speaking, his voice takes on its usual gravelly growl "We have a month, if the visions hold true. After one month, the threat that Rasmus brings arrives on the shores of Talmouth, what we can do is disrupt whatever preparations these rat cultists are focused on, in an attempt to maybe weaken whatever this threat is and also learn more about it.
What we know now is that this thing either is or serves an ancient source of magic named Apogee, and that one node of activity for preparation is under the Tensmith mines, I think this should be our next stop.
The way I see it we have two options each with pros and cons as is the norm with these kinds of plans. To reach tensmith mines we can either go there above ground through the first wood, or we go underground using their tunnels.
Pros of above ground are the chances we get lost are less, and I could get more info possibly at the first wood. But cons are that we won't know where the preparations are when we arrive and we would have to gain entrance to the mines ourselves which means permissions etc... Also I can't guarantee the information part, it's something to do with my abilities and so I also can't guarantee that it will be safe to be around me if I attempt to connect there.
Pros of underground are that we can likely thin their number as we go, get a good bearing of how their tunnel systems work and maybe even use them in the future, we would also come out at the furthest most point they have reached according to the stuff in the letter Malachi worked out, good job there by the way. cons are that we will be on their home turf and we could get turned around easily, they would also already know which way we were coming from, even if no message has gotten back to their frontline, the ones we took out haven't returned, they'll be alert.
As for the captives we have here, there's something that could help" Silas produces his mess tin and pushes it along to Samir, the lid is on it but a very faint smell of gas escapes it "it's not pleasant but I can collect more of this moss shit, it doesn't seem to work on me, but properly applied it could be used to sedate them, I think,
I know you aren't one of those alchemist people Samir but you're the closest thing we have, and if you want to work on their explosive symbols it's probably best to have them sedated, or we could do it the old fashioned way, I'm sure Joren doesn't mind.
But once they are safe to dispose of with out risk of explosion, we have to make a decision on if and who will do that, you all already know my stance so I won't bore you all with my input there." Silas once again shifts uncomfortably, he feels he knows what must be done but is hesitant to seem brash and keen to kill, worried that his words will be misconstrued as bloodlust he instead remains quiet on the subject.
Joren thinks for a moment, trying to make sense of everything that Silas is saying.
"I am not the best one to be thinking through overall strategy or moral questions. As for our route, leaning towards the underground path, I would be. Our enemy may be knowing something is wrong, but they will not know who to be expecting. Thinning their number, I would like nothing more. And more sleep moss Ashley and I were finding just down that tunnel where one of them fled. But then, I have never been to Cambria (neither Talmouth nor Tensmith) before, so I am not knowing the overland route or factions. So trusting in the judgement of those who have grown up closer to this western shore, I am."
"As for the cultist captives, sleep moss is seeming fine. Being so certain I am eager to execute prisoners, do not be, Silas. Being only because they are so clearly, irredeemably evil, mutilating and enslaving in the name of their evil deity, that I would be considering doing so. Or using them as bombs against further enemies. And only then, if we are deciding together as a group..." He looks at Marion and Samir as he trails off.
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Barn(Paladin1): Damian_May's Ereworn Under the Shadow | Lyra(Warlock2/Bard4): VitusW's Silverwood Forest
Dyson/Eleo(Cleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(Druid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(Sorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(Fighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(Monk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(Cleric3/Sorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk
Malachi wakes up stiff from sleeping in the corner, but feeling refreshed, the recent intrusions into his mind not forgotten, but diminished. He raids the kitchen for a simple breakfast for the group and brings it down to the lab for all to share. “Good morning to all, please help yourself.”
Malachi stops eating in mid-bite as Vilus and Joren discuss next steps. “Why are we not heading for Talmouth to inform the authorities? Surely they are more equipped to handle this threat than we are? Especially if Silas has already sent a warning back to his…family, ..or group..or whatever” He looks over at Samir “We can tell the council the threat against Tensmith, be hailed as heroes, and use our newfound status to establish those trade connections for your family. Much safer than bumbling through underground tunnels.”
Samir, still somewhat sleep befuddled and fuzzy, looks somewhat embarrassed by Ashley's praise, even as he polishes his glasses on the fabric of his pants. "Well, um, well thank you Ashley. And I do believe that I could repeat my success with the captives. The theory would apply equally, if with a bit of modification. My biggest hesitation is that I have never worked on, well, skin before. I am willing to try, however."
He sits quietly for a moment as the others talk, nodding affirmatively when the idea of sedating the prisoners comes up. "While not my strong point, I believe that the sleep moss would work. Perhaps if they were fitted with a cloth around their mouths and noses with a small portion of the moss secured inside, it would serve to keep them in an unconscious state for the duration."
It is when the fate of the prisoners is brought up that Samir first looks troubled and uncomfortable, but quickly transitioning into a determined expression. "May I remind you all that these are prisoners. Unarmed, defenseless prisoners. While I have no issue with working to disarm the potentially dangerous sigils they bear, I cannot countenance their execution. We do not have that right over any being. Murder, is murder. We must be better than those who act in such evil ways. Perhaps, instead, they can be taken to the nearest government authorities or law keepers. Even if you don't want to try and convince the authorities of just what these people are doing, indeed I feel there is a significant chance that the authorities would not believe us should we try, we can simply say that they were bandits or something of the like."
He lapses into silence, looking uncomfortable once more, fidgeting with the glasses now perched on his nose before busying himself organizing and moving things around on the desk that he has appropriated. "I am not entirely certain what the amulet does. It seems to glow either red or blue in the prsence of different people." His words are almost a mumble now as he slides the amulet towards Ashley to see if it will glow in proximity.
Malachi:
As the minutes pass by, Malachi keeps waiting for that last little bit of stiffness to clear from his joints, but it remains stubborn. What's more, from the moment he enters the lab, he feels hyper aware of the cultists locked up across the room. He feels a heightened concern that they may try to escape or have some trick up their sleeve, and from his odd glances in their direction he starts picking up subtle details about their dress and appearance that he hadn't taken note of before.
Even as he brings up the authorities in Talmouth, concerns of corruption and bad faith cross his mind.
We are outsiders. Will they believe us? Will they care if there isn't money to be made by addressing the issue? Will we be locked up as insane people? What if they are in on it...
It doesn't take Malachi long, though, to once again notice the sensation of the tendrils prying at his mind and to recognize that the additional concerns about the cultists and the Talmouth authorities are not necessarily his own. With that, he is once again able to separate his own thoughts from the intrusive suspicions. Mostly.
"oh don't get me wrong Joren, I merely meant sedating, if the moss doesn't work for some reason then there are other, more traditional, ways to knock someone out" he gives a first pounding motion and a small chuckle to try to ease the slight tension there, "I can collect more moss now,
we should send one of the survivors to Burrwatch to inform the authorities, it's a days walk at best but quicker on horseback. Once the prisoners are non-explosive we can leave them to the care of the survivors and be on our way.
As for informing them of what is happening, there is no need for us to go directly to Talmouth, the guard won't do anything for whatever is happening in Tensmith from there and they are already being made aware of the approaching ships, they will prepare as is necessary, but they likely won't know what they will be facing, and right now neither do we, really. However shady or disreputable you believe a secret organisation, they do get shit done and they've been begging me for information from my voices for weeks and now they have it they'd be foolish not to act on it, especially because it's in the interest of self preservation for them.
We have one vote for underground travel and one for over."
Once Silas has made his points he starts walking slowly toward the moss covered tunnel, leaving the rest of the party to discuss further in his absence. He looks toward Ashley before leaving and gives a general nod in the direction he is headed and a smile, non-verbally asking her to join him, although he breaks eye contact directly after giving her the choice to simply ignore him without awkwardness if needed.
Ashley listens to the conversation and realizes she really lucked out with the group that she, just by chance, ended up with. They are all respectful, intelligent people and she wishes she could have known more like that growing up. She almost allows herself to get drawn into self pity about it, but when Samir moves the amulet towards her, it helps break her out of her reverie.
"I don't think I have a whole lot to add about what way we should go, though I am worried if we go above that when we get to Tensmith, how will we know where to go from there?"
When Silas subtly invites her to join him, she returns the smile, feeling much better now that they have all had some rest and heads on down the tunnel with him. "I'm glad to be heading down here, there were some branches in the tunnel system, I'd like to look and see if there are any markings to assist those using these tunnels on which way to go."
Ashley and Vilus reach the stretch with the moss and cover their faces before Vilus begins harvesting more of the stuff and putting it in a secure bag.
(Ashley make a perception check)
Assuming Vilus assists in her looking for markings since she mentioned it to him? If not, take first roll.
20
As the pair returns to the lab, Ashley takes a moment at the fork to look around for markings with Vilus's help. At one point, she notices a small diamond-like shape on the stone wall between the two paths, and nearly writes it off as simply a natural stone feature, but upon closer inspection recognizes it was definitely man-made. It looks like a vertical line that splits into two lines which travel apart for a little before curving back towards one another and continuing as one line once again.
Vilus helps in the perception as he stops at the forks to look around before heading further until they reach the mossy covered tunnel, "hey about last night... I'm kinda glad you left to cool off and also kinda not, it's strange, I wanted to explain and make things less confusing but that also means saying difficult stuff that likely only makes me less trust worthy, but at the same time I know you got overwhelmed about it because you care, you give a damn whether I'm being truthful or not, how I grew up lies and deceit are like breathing and it's expected so basically no one ever really cares whether you're trustworthy or not just if you're useful.."
At this point Silas starts rambling a little, speaking quickly as if to get over a difficult social patch faster like ripping off a plaster (bandaid?)
"So thank you for caring, I'll tell you as I told Malachi and Marion after you left, I want to trust you, I want to trust all of you, and to do that I want you to trust me too, so Ashley I think it only polite that I introduce myself properly, I'm Vilus, pleased to meet ya!" At this he extends a rough stony hand in greeting.
When they finally reach the mossy crop, Vilus takes his mess tin and takes a step or two into the gaseous haze, making sure to stay in audible range of Ashley but also making sure she is at a distance to be unaffected, he scrapes off enough clumps to satisfy that they could be distributed amongst the three prisoners and be sizable enough to take effect properly, he then closed the tin to return with Ashley.
As Vilus opens up to Ashley on their walk into the tunnel, when he starts rambling, she stops and looks at him letting him get whatever it is he needs to get off his chest. Giving him the time and attention he needs. She feels for this man, even more so as he opens up about his worth only being chalked up to being useful. It breaks her heart as she watches him struggle to get the words out and talk about trust. She understands this so much and knows how it feels to have that ripped from you as well.
As he extends his hand in greeting, she almost rushes at him with a hug, but at the last second holds back. She normally doesn't control her emotions that well and she surprises herself at this moment. But with everything just the two of them have been through, all the back and forth, its just enough to stop her from fully engaging in that direction.
Instead she looks at him warmly, gives him a big smile and grasps his large hand with both of hers, the heat of her hands flowing up his arms, "Very nice to meet you Vilus."
Malachi sits silently as the others continue to debate plans, appearing to dismiss entirely his suggestion of reporting it to the council, even as doubt creeps into his own mind. The council or any other authorities would never believe them.
“According to the letter Tensmith is closed to outsiders. Consider it another vote for the tunnels, it will be easier to get in that way, and easier to find and disrupt whatever it is these cultists are planning.” he sighs in resignation.
Malachi looks up at Samir “You were successful in breaking the connection on the runes? Would you care to try on this one?” Malachi brushes back the hair from his face, revealing the raised mark of the rune on his temple. “Of course, I don’t really know what it does right now, so I am not sure I could tell if your work was successful or not. But I am willing to try”
He turns suddenly toward the prisoners in the cage, edgy and nervous “We must do something with them, they are plotting, I can feel it. They will try to escape. We must not let them.”
Accepting the warmth from the handshake and receiving some affirmation Vilus beams as he finishes collecting the moss and returns with Ashley.
Having the markings pointed out to him upon their travel back, Vilus remarks, "odd shape, could denote the way the path diverts then meets once more ahead, we should look out for ones that look like 'Y' as we travel if we continue underground, logically that would denote a complete fork in the path... Right?"
Once they return to the lab, Vilus hands over the tin to Samir, "I think this should be enough, if you want, when it comes time to work with this stuff I think it would be reasonable to have me present if anything goes wrong, we don't want you blacking out with them"
16
22
(Just going to make a couple of rolls first and then I'll add text in the next post. )