Akkron regards the problem, his fingers steepled in front of him.
"If you feel it is absolutely necessary to murder this man I may be able to arrange something... in case you hadn't noticed, I already died quite a while ago, and as far as I know I have no living biological family."
His voice is heavy with unhappiness as he makes his statement. The idea of murdering a man in cold blood isn't especially appealing to him. Then he returns the woman's look.
"I do sincerely hope my presence isn't offensive to you; I was asked to come here to help resolve this problem."
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Unhappy that the market got rid of individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
Looking back and forth between Sephrenia and Sparhawk a slight chuckles escapes Mal's lips, "I'm sure someone would be willing to try if given the chance, especially if she has no family to worry over."
"Yes, that 'nearly' that you rightly pronounced makes the difference, Little mother..." observes Khessa, directing a gaze full of tenderness to the woman (a woman who is called 'Little mother' by her knights, according to Khessa, must be a sensitive and special soul indeed) "probably, if we decided that this is the best course of action, Master Akkron could neutralize any supernatural protections of Annias and Mal eliminate him. Subsequently, by keeping his remains in a dead zone magic, that man would probably be permanently out of action, godly protection or not. But I would hate to plan something like that without being certain of the seriousness of his actions".
"This Annias could just be blinded by his own ambition," hypothesizes the blonde arcane warrior "rather than a staunch ally of the forces of evil. And even if he turns out to be a pawn of Azash, who knows? We might find it more useful to have him discover false information to mislead the forces of evil, rather than eliminating it - at least at first".
"I suggest keeping in mind that we can probably actually get rid of him, if needed," concludes the tall adventuress "but I'd avoid acting blindly. Let's get more information first. From the prisoners and from Sir Ulath, Bhlokw and the troll gods".
Akkron regards the problem, his fingers steepled in front of him.
"If you feel it is absolutely necessary to murder this man I may be able to arrange something... in case you hadn't noticed, I already died quite a while ago, and as far as I know I have no living biological family."
His voice is heavy with unhappiness as he makes his statement. The idea of murdering a man in cold blood isn't especially appealing to him. Then he returns the woman's look.
"I do sincerely hope my presence isn't offensive to you; I was asked to come here to help resolve this problem."
Sephrenia blushes and waves her hands in defense. "Oh, no, no, no. Please pardon me, but I am fascinated for we have never met anyone like you here in Eosia. Not remotely offensive at all, rather I am very fascinated. I can sense a great power in you, and time weighs heavily upon your shoulders. I do not wish to offend as well, but if I may ask, how long have you existed? You are a great rarity indeed, the only one of your kind that I know of."
Sparhawk looks at Vanion. "I would not call it murder for an enemy of the state. If we suspect that Annias is in league with our enemies, then wouldn't be a preemptive strike against our foe? No different then removing a spy is it not?"
Vanion looks between Sparhawk and Akkron. "We walk a tight line here, between what we feel needs to be done, and what the church thinks. We don't need to get caught up in their politics, and Dolmant is supportive of us, we know other churchmen who would love to see the militant orders sent away as we interfere with theirbusiness dealings."
After setting forth to the city Mal will keep a close eye on the prisoners and deal with any of them that attempt to escape. She will also keep a close eye on Spawrhawk an dMaynard, watching their movements and how they hold themselves, looking for any faults that they might have while traveling and conducting themselves.
Seeing the city splayed out before her she is impressed by the size and also by its defenses that are so plainly obvious but also hidden as well in plain sight. It also seems at least the regions in control of the church are prosperous and it appears the church is concerned about others not just those employed with the church. As they travel through the city she will keep a keen eye out for anyone that is paying particularity attention to the group and more importantly taking note of the prisoners. She will also look for any signs that their is an underground criminal organizations here and if she does spot any signs, she will make a note as well that she is in the city and would like to meet and introduce herself to those in charge.
Continuing to go through the city before they get to the inner wall, she will move up next to Maynard, "For future personal reference, where might a lady such as myself find a more entertaining tavern to grab a drink?"
Hopefully getting and adequate answer she will leave a note on any criminal organizations hidden signs that she will be in the tavern either tonight or the next to have a discussion.
After greetings have been made and she listens to the conversation with the Preceptor and the rest, Mal chimes in, "Well its obvious the creatures are attacking the outlying civilizations as a distraction for what is really going on. They are meaning to split your forces so you can not provide an adequate defense of their true intentions and goals. Is there a map of the land that you can point out to where all these attacks are coming from or maybe where the concentration of attacks are coming from? Depending on that bit of information it might tell us where we should focus our attention. We might be able to talk our way out of some of these engagements, but if the creatures are coming out of the hills either upon their own accord or being forced to, it does not really matter, they will need to be dealt with. Our group should easily be able to handle those threats, either by words or other means, but it frees up your forces to deal with the greater threat of the Zemochs. As Khessa mentioned , these creatures, strings shall we say, are being pulled by others and an agreement can be made to rid the board of them." Mal will pause a moment and look about the room at the others sitting around her.
She then stiffens her spine and continues, "I have heard several mentions of this Annias person, and it appears this person has great ambitions of gathering as much power as possible and do not care how they attain it." She pauses and looks straight at Sparhawk, "What would the ramifications be if Annias ceased to be an issue? To an outsider it kind of seems the Zemochs have always been a nuisance, but just that a nuisance, and not any type of real threat. Something happened recently that has changed and if I can read between the lines it seems Annias might be at the heart of it, or definitely an integral part of it. Especially if as you have said his "empire" sits long the Zemoch border."
Sparhawk looks back, "We have some good vintages in the chapterhouse, but if you are looking for a good selection of drinks, music and gaming, then the three-headed dragon in the outer city is the place to go."
As Sephrenia returns to sipping her tea, she remarks to Vanion, "Perhaps we should bring our friends up to date on the primate and the circumstances around him."
Vanion nods, "Very well. Very little is known about Annias' early life. He became a priest when he was young, and was appointed Royal Chaplain to King Aldreas of Agartha. It is mentioned that in his youth he was dedicated to the ideals of the Church. It seems that as a young priest, and as Royal Chaplain, he slept the King's sister Princess Arissa, who had seduced him. He was very distressed by what he had done, and sought solace in prayer. As the rumor went around, it is believed that after much prayer and meditation, Annias made a decision: he would renounce his priestly vows and marry Arissa. However, the promiscuous princess did not agree, citing as the reason his poor prowess and stamina. What we heard she laughed in his face which didn't make the situation any better."
Vanion shakes his head, "Not to mention, she slept with everyone with a heart beat." Then looking aghast, Vanion looks over at Sephrenia, "Ah, my apologiesLittle Mother."
Sephrenia gave a tinkling laugh, and waved it off. "Please continue."
"Anyways, this was when we started seeing changes in Annias, as he started to become more aggressive in church politics all of a sudden. Seeing he violated his vows, not to mention with the Princess, all of a sudden is moving up the ladder. Annias took over the responsibilities of the Patriarch of Agartha when his predecessor got too old. This gave him a taste of the sort of power the Church could give him. He seemed to like it very much. Then he started to get involved in other politics. We had learned of a rumor that King Aldreas was so weak as a King, Annias was influencing him to the point, he was beginning to control him. We in the order began to keep an eye on him as things were staring to look very odd. We had learned that the King was going to marry his sister, in which the Church intervened and prevented."
Vanion stopped to take a drink from his cup. "We don't have all of the facts, though we suspect he has not only given up his vows, but perhaps even converted to the worship of Azash. We can't prove this, yet. A former Pandion Knight of our order, Martel who had been very gifted, soughteducation in the black arts which is forbidden. He stated it was to know his enemy, but it corrupted him. He was caste out of the order. Now there has been reports of seeing him, and at least two encounters with Annias. If we could get the facts, and the truth to the matter, this will help us if there is a war looming. That is why I am hesitant in order his death. With him dead, can we get all of the information from him, and can justice be served if he has betrayed us all?"
"Trust me, I am not offended by curiosity. Much better than some responses that I have gotten over the years. I have existed for around two thousand years, give or take a century or two. I stopped keeping track after about four hundred years. I will say right now, though, that I find it rather peculiar that this land has no liches at all. Granted, those who successfully follow the path that I did are quite rare where we come from as well, but the impact those few have had tends to be enough to shift the course of history. I'm sure my friend Olem will be happy to tell you more about that if you care to hear it."
He pauses in thought, considering the best course of action regarding Annias.
"If you can get me close enough to him, I may be able to determine for certain whether Annias has decided to worship Azash or not, and we can decide how to deal with him from there. Though, if he indeed has divine protection, even I might not be able to penetrate the defenses in place protecting his thoughts. Though if he has any consorts, servants, or others close to him who would be privy to such knowledge they might be easier to glean knowledge from."
After setting forth to the city Mal will keep a close eye on the prisoners and deal with any of them that attempt to escape. She will also keep a close eye on Spawrhawk an dMaynard, watching their movements and how they hold themselves, looking for any faults that they might have while traveling and conducting themselves.
Seeing the city splayed out before her she is impressed by the size and also by its defenses that are so plainly obvious but also hidden as well in plain sight. It also seems at least the regions in control of the church are prosperous and it appears the church is concerned about others not just those employed with the church. As they travel through the city she will keep a keen eye out for anyone that is paying particularity attention to the group and more importantly taking note of the prisoners. She will also look for any signs that their is an underground criminal organizations here and if she does spot any signs, she will make a note as well that she is in the city and would like to meet and introduce herself to those in charge.
Continuing to go through the city before they get to the inner wall, she will move up next to Maynard, "For future personal reference, where might a lady such as myself find a more entertaining tavern to grab a drink?"
Hopefully getting and adequate answer she will leave a note on any criminal organizations hidden signs that she will be in the tavern either tonight or the next to have a discussion.
After greetings have been made and she listens to the conversation with the Preceptor and the rest, Mal chimes in, "Well its obvious the creatures are attacking the outlying civilizations as a distraction for what is really going on. They are meaning to split your forces so you can not provide an adequate defense of their true intentions and goals. Is there a map of the land that you can point out to where all these attacks are coming from or maybe where the concentration of attacks are coming from? Depending on that bit of information it might tell us where we should focus our attention. We might be able to talk our way out of some of these engagements, but if the creatures are coming out of the hills either upon their own accord or being forced to, it does not really matter, they will need to be dealt with. Our group should easily be able to handle those threats, either by words or other means, but it frees up your forces to deal with the greater threat of the Zemochs. As Khessa mentioned , these creatures, strings shall we say, are being pulled by others and an agreement can be made to rid the board of them." Mal will pause a moment and look about the room at the others sitting around her.
She then stiffens her spine and continues, "I have heard several mentions of this Annias person, and it appears this person has great ambitions of gathering as much power as possible and do not care how they attain it." She pauses and looks straight at Sparhawk, "What would the ramifications be if Annias ceased to be an issue? To an outsider it kind of seems the Zemochs have always been a nuisance, but just that a nuisance, and not any type of real threat. Something happened recently that has changed and if I can read between the lines it seems Annias might be at the heart of it, or definitely an integral part of it. Especially if as you have said his "empire" sits long the Zemoch border."
Sparhawk looks back, "We have some good vintages in the chapterhouse, but if you are looking for a good selection of drinks, music and gaming, then the three-headed dragon in the outer city is the place to go."
"Thank you, I might make my way there later tonight, moving among the people without the distraction of everyone else in our company. See what I can see and seek the4 scuttle butt of the goings on within the city." Mal responds.
[OOC: Perception: 19 to see if she can find any Thieve's marks. and then Mal would leave a note if she spots any, on the trek into the church grounds, that she will be at the Three-Headed Dragon sometime around midnight, and be wearing a dark purple dress with streaks of red throughout. Sitting at the bar with drinks enjoying people watching and idle chat with the bartender/owner. On the trek in and at the moment during the above discussion, she has not determined if she would let anyone else know of her intentions or not, depends on how the conversation goes.]
"Trust me, I am not offended by curiosity. Much better than some responses that I have gotten over the years. I have existed for around two thousand years, give or take a century or two. I stopped keeping track after about four hundred years. I will say right now, though, that I find it rather peculiar that this land has no liches at all. Granted, those who successfully follow the path that I did are quite rare where we come from as well, but the impact those few have had tends to be enough to shift the course of history. I'm sure my friend Olem will be happy to tell you more about that if you care to hear it."
He pauses in thought, considering the best course of action regarding Annias.
"If you can get me close enough to him, I may be able to determine for certain whether Annias has decided to worship Azash or not, and we can decide how to deal with him from there. Though, if he indeed has divine protection, even I might not be able to penetrate the defenses in place protecting his thoughts. Though if he has any consorts, servants, or others close to him who would be privy to such knowledge they might be easier to glean knowledge from."
"You just may get your chance," Sparhawks comments. "I am willing to bet he will be there if we are doing an official meeting with Dolmant."
After setting forth to the city Mal will keep a close eye on the prisoners and deal with any of them that attempt to escape. She will also keep a close eye on Spawrhawk an dMaynard, watching their movements and how they hold themselves, looking for any faults that they might have while traveling and conducting themselves.
Seeing the city splayed out before her she is impressed by the size and also by its defenses that are so plainly obvious but also hidden as well in plain sight. It also seems at least the regions in control of the church are prosperous and it appears the church is concerned about others not just those employed with the church. As they travel through the city she will keep a keen eye out for anyone that is paying particularity attention to the group and more importantly taking note of the prisoners. She will also look for any signs that their is an underground criminal organizations here and if she does spot any signs, she will make a note as well that she is in the city and would like to meet and introduce herself to those in charge.
Continuing to go through the city before they get to the inner wall, she will move up next to Maynard, "For future personal reference, where might a lady such as myself find a more entertaining tavern to grab a drink?"
Hopefully getting and adequate answer she will leave a note on any criminal organizations hidden signs that she will be in the tavern either tonight or the next to have a discussion.
After greetings have been made and she listens to the conversation with the Preceptor and the rest, Mal chimes in, "Well its obvious the creatures are attacking the outlying civilizations as a distraction for what is really going on. They are meaning to split your forces so you can not provide an adequate defense of their true intentions and goals. Is there a map of the land that you can point out to where all these attacks are coming from or maybe where the concentration of attacks are coming from? Depending on that bit of information it might tell us where we should focus our attention. We might be able to talk our way out of some of these engagements, but if the creatures are coming out of the hills either upon their own accord or being forced to, it does not really matter, they will need to be dealt with. Our group should easily be able to handle those threats, either by words or other means, but it frees up your forces to deal with the greater threat of the Zemochs. As Khessa mentioned , these creatures, strings shall we say, are being pulled by others and an agreement can be made to rid the board of them." Mal will pause a moment and look about the room at the others sitting around her.
She then stiffens her spine and continues, "I have heard several mentions of this Annias person, and it appears this person has great ambitions of gathering as much power as possible and do not care how they attain it." She pauses and looks straight at Sparhawk, "What would the ramifications be if Annias ceased to be an issue? To an outsider it kind of seems the Zemochs have always been a nuisance, but just that a nuisance, and not any type of real threat. Something happened recently that has changed and if I can read between the lines it seems Annias might be at the heart of it, or definitely an integral part of it. Especially if as you have said his "empire" sits long the Zemoch border."
Sparhawk looks back, "We have some good vintages in the chapterhouse, but if you are looking for a good selection of drinks, music and gaming, then the three-headed dragon in the outer city is the place to go."
"Thank you, I might make my way there later tonight, moving among the people without the distraction of everyone else in our company. See what I can see and seek the4 scuttle butt of the goings on within the city." Mal responds.
[OOC: Perception: 19 to see if she can find any Thieve's marks. and then Mal would leave a note if she spots any, on the trek into the church grounds, that she will be at the Three-Headed Dragon sometime around midnight, and be wearing a dark purple dress with streaks of red throughout. Sitting at the bar with drinks enjoying people watching and idle chat with the bartender/owner. On the trek in and at the moment during the above discussion, she has not determined if she would let anyone else know of her intentions or not, depends on how the conversation goes.]
Yes, you spot them. You also see those of the profession in the alleyways watching the streets.
"Annias must have really lost his head over this Arissa," Khessa comments, shaking her head with compassion, speaking almost more to herself than to the others "if she managed to upset his life so much. It's really sad, how he simply didn't know how to leave behind this love story with the wrong person, instead of letting himself be destroyed in this way. I wonder if he would still be able to change, if he found the right person now, one capable of love him for who he is... Or maybe in case Arissa changes and becomes for him what she has never been..."
"Annias must have really lost his head over this Arissa," Khessa comments, shaking her head with compassion, speaking almost more to herself than to the others "if she managed to upset his life so much. It's really sad, how he simply didn't know how to leave behind this love story with the wrong person, instead of letting himself be destroyed in this way. I wonder if he would still be able to change, if he found the right person now, one capable of love him for who he is... Or maybe in case Arissa changes and becomes for him what she has never been..."
Brother Maynard chuckles. "She is one of the more attractive ladies here, and in the King's court. From what I have been told, she is also very gifted in the bedroom or other places of pleasure. She has no morals, we have even heard when she gets frisky per say, she goes spend time down in one of the bawdy houses and makes a good bit of coin."
Vanion takes a deep sigh. "Well, at least I should orientate you to the lay of the land per say. We are in Chyrellos, the Holy Free City of Trade and Commerce. To our east, Cimuria where you rode through, Argatha, and Berngia. On the other side of the mountains is the Dead Land Waste where the Imramma Battle was fought a thousand years ago. Nothing lives there, and it was turned into a barren waster from all of the magical energies that detonated.
To the north is Shienar, Arafel, Dearia and Kandor. Above that is the great grasslands where the Shienarians and the Kandors have their great cattle and horse Heards. To our west is Arcium,and Elania. To the far north is Thalesia, where if you want to speak to Bhlokw. To the southwest is the Island of Rendor and Sunda. To the southeast the island of Pelos, and just above, the jungle lands of Nyissa.
As you can see, there are fortresses along the mountains and old border of Vigrid/Zemoch land. They patrol, but there are many passes from which small groups can make their way across. Then there are the numerous ruins that dot the former battle zone, allows for hiding and bases for operations. Perhaps our guests downstairs can enlighten us."
"It is getting late, and our new friends will need their rest before they meet Dolmant and deal with the clergy tomorrow. I saw we go down and have a conversation with our other guests down below," Sephrenia recommends.
An evil grin spreads across Sparhawk's face. "Sounds like a good odea Little Mother."
Sparhawk with Sephrenia leaves the chamber, with Vanion stating "I'll send a messenger over to the other chapter houses to inform them of what we have learned and suspected."
Winding through the chapter house, you head down below the courtyard, through a level where provisions and even a well is present. "Not to say anything could go wrong here," Sparhawk comments, "But we have enough stores and water to sustain a siege for three months."
You go down another level, dark, dank and only lit by flickering torches. You come to a solid door, a guard in the livery of the Pandions, "My lord, little mother," he recognizes, then opens the door into the holding cells. In the room are cells on either side of a large chamber, and at the far end, numerous torturing devices are present. Two more guards are inside.
The Zemochs stare back with hatred and fear in their eyes as Sephrenia moves along the line of cells. She points at one of the simple warriors. "I'll speak with this one first."
The guards nod, one unlocks the door and the other grabs the Zemoch and brings him over to the torture area and forcibly slams him down into a thick beamed chair. The guards stand behind him, their hands on his shoulders so he can't rise up.
Sephrenia walks up and faces him, "Now, we're going to have a nice little conversation about why you are here."
"I will tell you nothing witch," the Zemoch snarls, "You can't make me talk!"
"A witch now, that's strange coming from a Zemoch who worships a demon queen. Don't worry, you won't have to say a thing."
Sephrenia moves forward, her hands outstretched and begins to go to either side of the Zemochs head. The Zemoch squirms in the chair, but the guards hold him firm. When her hands are next to its temple, she begins to mutter words and a light blue nimbus of light surrounds her hands. You feel power begin to radiate from her, but its not the same as sorcery or other magic. The Zemoch stops fighting, and just stares are Sephrenia who is looking intently at her.
"This is a little trade secret about the Pandion order," Sparhawk explains. "Rumors about our cells and torturing of the enemy is wide but unfounded. In fact, a lot of the rumors is created by us so our enemies think, if we capture them and they are going to be tortured, will give up and tell us what we want. Sephrenia gets the information, so we don't have to torture anyone. Any information gleaned during torture is suspect. So we live off the rumor and it makes our job easier." Sparhawk winks and puts a finger up to his lips.
"Trade secret, tell no one."
"As usual, this one doesn't know much." She steps back. "Take this one back, and bring me their necromancer.
The guards comply, and bring the necromancer who is snarling at her. She does the same thing, except this time her hands has a larger glow, and in the background, for some reason you hear the faint sound of shepherd pipes being played.
The necromance stops fighting and just looks at Sephrenia in horror. You also see her face harden as well. Then she brings her hands back. "You can return him to his cell, and remove the gag, he can't use his powers anymore. Thje Zemoch was actually weeping when he passed you going to his cell.
"From what I could gather, the Zemochs are using the ruins of all places, Sarak's Abbey over in Cimuria. Why we can't detect them is they are using an enhanced means of teleportation to get them here. The Zemochs are planning to invade and contiue the conquest from so long ago. Emperor Ortho and his Demons Queen and making big offers to anyone who supports them, from ruling the world as a warlord, to owning the world."
She pauses for a moment. "There are dark agents here in the city, their gold is being spread out and buying corrupt clergy as well as merchants and other lords and ladies. They are sowing discontent, brining up old rivalries. They fear the Church Knights and want them unbalanced or spread to thin. They want small wars to rise up between the Kingdoms. They do not want an alliance, between man, Elves, Dwarves and others. This one knew of a pact being made with some of the trolls to allow them the old ways of feasting on humans and returning to their range here on Eosia."
She looks to the party, "You are welcome to ask our guests anything else that you might need."
Khessa followed with amazement the mysterious neither-sorcerous-nor-magical procedure with which the Little Mother not only probed the prisoners' knowledge, but even removed the spellcasting abilities of one of them!
The blonde arcane warrior notes in her tome with a spiderweb-patterned cover what she has witnessed... and asks: "When you have more time, could you explain to me more about how you do this, Little Mother? Not that I think I'll necessarily being able to learn... maybe it will prove something that will always remain beyond my capabilities... but it is a unique and wonderful thing... so powerful and yet so... respectful... I would be really curious to better understand how this happens. Just out of female curiosity and wizardly love of knowledge!"
To the prisoners, however, the blonde arcane warrior asks: "Your plans seem effective, but it seems to me that they don't justify all the confidence you exhibited at the moment of your capture... I mean, ok, you plan to keep Eosia divided and to conquer it, possibly using allies. A good plan, overall, but it doesn't seem foolproof to me. Allies might fail you or betray you. Eosia might unite instead of split. Battles might not go as you hope. There's something... different from the past, something that you can count on and who gives you a lot of confidence? I don't know... some very powerful ally in whom you have great trust and which you didn't have in the past? Or some new magical power that you have discovered and which you couldn't count on before? Or ... have your tyrants simply convinced you that everything will go according to their plans and they will not fail?"
Mal will gently grasp Khessa's arm and slow their walk as the group moves down to interrogate the prisoners, when they are a few steps behind the other she will lean in and whisper, "I will be back before sun up. I believe I have made contact with the cities thieves guild, maybe, at least I left a note while we traveled through the city that I seek an audience with the one in charge. Will I see them tonight, probably not, but at least I will let my intentions be known and make an introduction. Hopefully I will be bale to find out some additional information about the goings on in this land and if not, at least I will get some good food and some ale. You are welcome to join me, but your presence might shoo them away as well." Chuckling, "You do kind of stand out in a crowd and have a sense of authority about you."
With that, Mal will sneak away form the group and make her way to the Three-Headed Dragon, hopefully picking a table that is a bit more secluded than the others with a clear view of the entrances.
"I know, I know!" Khessa laughs at Mal's words "I'm not the sneaky type! All good, you go, every information we can get can be precious! Let's see what we can learn".
Akkron is a bit disturbed by the revelation that it is possible to completely cut someone off from their spellcasting powers... but he does his best not to show it.
"Well, if they are using the ruins of Sarak's Abby to sneak their goons in, that's probably where we need to go next... hopefully their 'enhanced teleportation' is simply a permanent teleportation circle that I can dispel and stop further unwanted visitors from arriving that way. Granted, they'll probably find another way to sneak in sooner or later, but it should delay them at least."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Unhappy that the market got rid of individual purchases for one-off subclasses, magic items, and monsters?
Khessa followed with amazement the mysterious neither-sorcerous-nor-magical procedure with which the Little Mother not only probed the prisoners' knowledge, but even removed the spellcasting abilities of one of them!
The blonde arcane warrior notes in her tome with a spiderweb-patterned cover what she has witnessed... and asks: "When you have more time, could you explain to me more about how you do this, Little Mother? Not that I think I'll necessarily being able to learn... maybe it will prove something that will always remain beyond my capabilities... but it is a unique and wonderful thing... so powerful and yet so... respectful... I would be really curious to better understand how this happens. Just out of female curiosity and wizardly love of knowledge!"
To the prisoners, however, the blonde arcane warrior asks: "Your plans seem effective, but it seems to me that they don't justify all the confidence you exhibited at the moment of your capture... I mean, ok, you plan to keep Eosia divided and to conquer it, possibly using allies. A good plan, overall, but it doesn't seem foolproof to me. Allies might fail you or betray you. Eosia might unite instead of split. Battles might not go as you hope. There's something... different from the past, something that you can count on and who gives you a lot of confidence? I don't know... some very powerful ally in whom you have great trust and which you didn't have in the past? Or some new magical power that you have discovered and which you couldn't count on before? Or ... have your tyrants simply convinced you that everything will go according to their plans and they will not fail?"
Sephrenia smiles. "I am not fully aware how the people with the gift for magical energy get theirs from your homeland. I believe some are born with it, some have to train and use components I think, to get it to work. If I get this wrong, please excuse me, but do you have what I think is called a Cleric? They get their magical powers from a deity? I am very much like one of those, except my goddess, Aphrael who is one of the Thousand of Styricum. I ask her for the energy, and through me, she channels it directly. It was Aphrael's will that mostly blocked the necromancer's ability to do magic, like an isolated case of amnesia. Its there, he just can't remember how to use it, and never will."
Akkron regards the problem, his fingers steepled in front of him.
"If you feel it is absolutely necessary to murder this man I may be able to arrange something... in case you hadn't noticed, I already died quite a while ago, and as far as I know I have no living biological family."
His voice is heavy with unhappiness as he makes his statement. The idea of murdering a man in cold blood isn't especially appealing to him. Then he returns the woman's look.
"I do sincerely hope my presence isn't offensive to you; I was asked to come here to help resolve this problem."
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Looking back and forth between Sephrenia and Sparhawk a slight chuckles escapes Mal's lips, "I'm sure someone would be willing to try if given the chance, especially if she has no family to worry over."
"Yes, that 'nearly' that you rightly pronounced makes the difference, Little mother..." observes Khessa, directing a gaze full of tenderness to the woman (a woman who is called 'Little mother' by her knights, according to Khessa, must be a sensitive and special soul indeed) "probably, if we decided that this is the best course of action, Master Akkron could neutralize any supernatural protections of Annias and Mal eliminate him. Subsequently, by keeping his remains in a dead zone magic, that man would probably be permanently out of action, godly protection or not. But I would hate to plan something like that without being certain of the seriousness of his actions".
"This Annias could just be blinded by his own ambition," hypothesizes the blonde arcane warrior "rather than a staunch ally of the forces of evil. And even if he turns out to be a pawn of Azash, who knows? We might find it more useful to have him discover false information to mislead the forces of evil, rather than eliminating it - at least at first".
"I suggest keeping in mind that we can probably actually get rid of him, if needed," concludes the tall adventuress "but I'd avoid acting blindly. Let's get more information first. From the prisoners and from Sir Ulath, Bhlokw and the troll gods".
Sephrenia blushes and waves her hands in defense. "Oh, no, no, no. Please pardon me, but I am fascinated for we have never met anyone like you here in Eosia. Not remotely offensive at all, rather I am very fascinated. I can sense a great power in you, and time weighs heavily upon your shoulders. I do not wish to offend as well, but if I may ask, how long have you existed? You are a great rarity indeed, the only one of your kind that I know of."
Sparhawk looks at Vanion. "I would not call it murder for an enemy of the state. If we suspect that Annias is in league with our enemies, then wouldn't be a preemptive strike against our foe? No different then removing a spy is it not?"
Vanion looks between Sparhawk and Akkron. "We walk a tight line here, between what we feel needs to be done, and what the church thinks. We don't need to get caught up in their politics, and Dolmant is supportive of us, we know other churchmen who would love to see the militant orders sent away as we interfere with their business dealings."
Sparhawk looks back, "We have some good vintages in the chapterhouse, but if you are looking for a good selection of drinks, music and gaming, then the three-headed dragon in the outer city is the place to go."
As Sephrenia returns to sipping her tea, she remarks to Vanion, "Perhaps we should bring our friends up to date on the primate and the circumstances around him."
Vanion nods, "Very well. Very little is known about Annias' early life. He became a priest when he was young, and was appointed Royal Chaplain to King Aldreas of Agartha. It is mentioned that in his youth he was dedicated to the ideals of the Church. It seems that as a young priest, and as Royal Chaplain, he slept the King's sister Princess Arissa, who had seduced him. He was very distressed by what he had done, and sought solace in prayer. As the rumor went around, it is believed that after much prayer and meditation, Annias made a decision: he would renounce his priestly vows and marry Arissa. However, the promiscuous princess did not agree, citing as the reason his poor prowess and stamina. What we heard she laughed in his face which didn't make the situation any better."
Vanion shakes his head, "Not to mention, she slept with everyone with a heart beat." Then looking aghast, Vanion looks over at Sephrenia, "Ah, my apologies Little Mother."
Sephrenia gave a tinkling laugh, and waved it off. "Please continue."
"Anyways, this was when we started seeing changes in Annias, as he started to become more aggressive in church politics all of a sudden. Seeing he violated his vows, not to mention with the Princess, all of a sudden is moving up the ladder. Annias took over the responsibilities of the Patriarch of Agartha when his predecessor got too old. This gave him a taste of the sort of power the Church could give him. He seemed to like it very much. Then he started to get involved in other politics. We had learned of a rumor that King Aldreas was so weak as a King, Annias was influencing him to the point, he was beginning to control him. We in the order began to keep an eye on him as things were staring to look very odd. We had learned that the King was going to marry his sister, in which the Church intervened and prevented."
Vanion stopped to take a drink from his cup. "We don't have all of the facts, though we suspect he has not only given up his vows, but perhaps even converted to the worship of Azash. We can't prove this, yet. A former Pandion Knight of our order, Martel who had been very gifted, sought education in the black arts which is forbidden. He stated it was to know his enemy, but it corrupted him. He was caste out of the order. Now there has been reports of seeing him, and at least two encounters with Annias. If we could get the facts, and the truth to the matter, this will help us if there is a war looming. That is why I am hesitant in order his death. With him dead, can we get all of the information from him, and can justice be served if he has betrayed us all?"
Akkron replies to Sephrenia.
"Trust me, I am not offended by curiosity. Much better than some responses that I have gotten over the years. I have existed for around two thousand years, give or take a century or two. I stopped keeping track after about four hundred years. I will say right now, though, that I find it rather peculiar that this land has no liches at all. Granted, those who successfully follow the path that I did are quite rare where we come from as well, but the impact those few have had tends to be enough to shift the course of history. I'm sure my friend Olem will be happy to tell you more about that if you care to hear it."
He pauses in thought, considering the best course of action regarding Annias.
"If you can get me close enough to him, I may be able to determine for certain whether Annias has decided to worship Azash or not, and we can decide how to deal with him from there. Though, if he indeed has divine protection, even I might not be able to penetrate the defenses in place protecting his thoughts. Though if he has any consorts, servants, or others close to him who would be privy to such knowledge they might be easier to glean knowledge from."
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"Thank you, I might make my way there later tonight, moving among the people without the distraction of everyone else in our company. See what I can see and seek the4 scuttle butt of the goings on within the city." Mal responds.
[OOC: Perception: 19 to see if she can find any Thieve's marks. and then Mal would leave a note if she spots any, on the trek into the church grounds, that she will be at the Three-Headed Dragon sometime around midnight, and be wearing a dark purple dress with streaks of red throughout. Sitting at the bar with drinks enjoying people watching and idle chat with the bartender/owner. On the trek in and at the moment during the above discussion, she has not determined if she would let anyone else know of her intentions or not, depends on how the conversation goes.]
"You just may get your chance," Sparhawks comments. "I am willing to bet he will be there if we are doing an official meeting with Dolmant."
Yes, you spot them. You also see those of the profession in the alleyways watching the streets.
"Annias must have really lost his head over this Arissa," Khessa comments, shaking her head with compassion, speaking almost more to herself than to the others "if she managed to upset his life so much. It's really sad, how he simply didn't know how to leave behind this love story with the wrong person, instead of letting himself be destroyed in this way. I wonder if he would still be able to change, if he found the right person now, one capable of love him for who he is... Or maybe in case Arissa changes and becomes for him what she has never been..."
Brother Maynard chuckles. "She is one of the more attractive ladies here, and in the King's court. From what I have been told, she is also very gifted in the bedroom or other places of pleasure. She has no morals, we have even heard when she gets frisky per say, she goes spend time down in one of the bawdy houses and makes a good bit of coin."
Vanion takes a deep sigh. "Well, at least I should orientate you to the lay of the land per say. We are in Chyrellos, the Holy Free City of Trade and Commerce. To our east, Cimuria where you rode through, Argatha, and Berngia. On the other side of the mountains is the Dead Land Waste where the Imramma Battle was fought a thousand years ago. Nothing lives there, and it was turned into a barren waster from all of the magical energies that detonated.
To the north is Shienar, Arafel, Dearia and Kandor. Above that is the great grasslands where the Shienarians and the Kandors have their great cattle and horse Heards. To our west is Arcium,and Elania. To the far north is Thalesia, where if you want to speak to Bhlokw. To the southwest is the Island of Rendor and Sunda. To the southeast the island of Pelos, and just above, the jungle lands of Nyissa.
As you can see, there are fortresses along the mountains and old border of Vigrid/Zemoch land. They patrol, but there are many passes from which small groups can make their way across. Then there are the numerous ruins that dot the former battle zone, allows for hiding and bases for operations. Perhaps our guests downstairs can enlighten us."
(Note: for the map: https://inkarnate.com/m/qg8yRA-eosia/)
"It is getting late, and our new friends will need their rest before they meet Dolmant and deal with the clergy tomorrow. I saw we go down and have a conversation with our other guests down below," Sephrenia recommends.
An evil grin spreads across Sparhawk's face. "Sounds like a good odea Little Mother."
Sparhawk with Sephrenia leaves the chamber, with Vanion stating "I'll send a messenger over to the other chapter houses to inform them of what we have learned and suspected."
Winding through the chapter house, you head down below the courtyard, through a level where provisions and even a well is present. "Not to say anything could go wrong here," Sparhawk comments, "But we have enough stores and water to sustain a siege for three months."
You go down another level, dark, dank and only lit by flickering torches. You come to a solid door, a guard in the livery of the Pandions, "My lord, little mother," he recognizes, then opens the door into the holding cells. In the room are cells on either side of a large chamber, and at the far end, numerous torturing devices are present. Two more guards are inside.
The Zemochs stare back with hatred and fear in their eyes as Sephrenia moves along the line of cells. She points at one of the simple warriors. "I'll speak with this one first."
The guards nod, one unlocks the door and the other grabs the Zemoch and brings him over to the torture area and forcibly slams him down into a thick beamed chair. The guards stand behind him, their hands on his shoulders so he can't rise up.
Sephrenia walks up and faces him, "Now, we're going to have a nice little conversation about why you are here."
"I will tell you nothing witch," the Zemoch snarls, "You can't make me talk!"
"A witch now, that's strange coming from a Zemoch who worships a demon queen. Don't worry, you won't have to say a thing."
Sephrenia moves forward, her hands outstretched and begins to go to either side of the Zemochs head. The Zemoch squirms in the chair, but the guards hold him firm. When her hands are next to its temple, she begins to mutter words and a light blue nimbus of light surrounds her hands. You feel power begin to radiate from her, but its not the same as sorcery or other magic. The Zemoch stops fighting, and just stares are Sephrenia who is looking intently at her.
"This is a little trade secret about the Pandion order," Sparhawk explains. "Rumors about our cells and torturing of the enemy is wide but unfounded. In fact, a lot of the rumors is created by us so our enemies think, if we capture them and they are going to be tortured, will give up and tell us what we want. Sephrenia gets the information, so we don't have to torture anyone. Any information gleaned during torture is suspect. So we live off the rumor and it makes our job easier." Sparhawk winks and puts a finger up to his lips.
"Trade secret, tell no one."
"As usual, this one doesn't know much." She steps back. "Take this one back, and bring me their necromancer.
The guards comply, and bring the necromancer who is snarling at her. She does the same thing, except this time her hands has a larger glow, and in the background, for some reason you hear the faint sound of shepherd pipes being played.
The necromance stops fighting and just looks at Sephrenia in horror. You also see her face harden as well. Then she brings her hands back. "You can return him to his cell, and remove the gag, he can't use his powers anymore. Thje Zemoch was actually weeping when he passed you going to his cell.
"From what I could gather, the Zemochs are using the ruins of all places, Sarak's Abbey over in Cimuria. Why we can't detect them is they are using an enhanced means of teleportation to get them here. The Zemochs are planning to invade and contiue the conquest from so long ago. Emperor Ortho and his Demons Queen and making big offers to anyone who supports them, from ruling the world as a warlord, to owning the world."
She pauses for a moment. "There are dark agents here in the city, their gold is being spread out and buying corrupt clergy as well as merchants and other lords and ladies. They are sowing discontent, brining up old rivalries. They fear the Church Knights and want them unbalanced or spread to thin. They want small wars to rise up between the Kingdoms. They do not want an alliance, between man, Elves, Dwarves and others. This one knew of a pact being made with some of the trolls to allow them the old ways of feasting on humans and returning to their range here on Eosia."
She looks to the party, "You are welcome to ask our guests anything else that you might need."
Khessa followed with amazement the mysterious neither-sorcerous-nor-magical procedure with which the Little Mother not only probed the prisoners' knowledge, but even removed the spellcasting abilities of one of them!
The blonde arcane warrior notes in her tome with a spiderweb-patterned cover what she has witnessed... and asks: "When you have more time, could you explain to me more about how you do this, Little Mother? Not that I think I'll necessarily being able to learn... maybe it will prove something that will always remain beyond my capabilities... but it is a unique and wonderful thing... so powerful and yet so... respectful... I would be really curious to better understand how this happens. Just out of female curiosity and wizardly love of knowledge!"
To the prisoners, however, the blonde arcane warrior asks: "Your plans seem effective, but it seems to me that they don't justify all the confidence you exhibited at the moment of your capture... I mean, ok, you plan to keep Eosia divided and to conquer it, possibly using allies. A good plan, overall, but it doesn't seem foolproof to me. Allies might fail you or betray you. Eosia might unite instead of split. Battles might not go as you hope. There's something... different from the past, something that you can count on and who gives you a lot of confidence? I don't know... some very powerful ally in whom you have great trust and which you didn't have in the past? Or some new magical power that you have discovered and which you couldn't count on before? Or ... have your tyrants simply convinced you that everything will go according to their plans and they will not fail?"
Mal will gently grasp Khessa's arm and slow their walk as the group moves down to interrogate the prisoners, when they are a few steps behind the other she will lean in and whisper, "I will be back before sun up. I believe I have made contact with the cities thieves guild, maybe, at least I left a note while we traveled through the city that I seek an audience with the one in charge. Will I see them tonight, probably not, but at least I will let my intentions be known and make an introduction. Hopefully I will be bale to find out some additional information about the goings on in this land and if not, at least I will get some good food and some ale. You are welcome to join me, but your presence might shoo them away as well." Chuckling, "You do kind of stand out in a crowd and have a sense of authority about you."
With that, Mal will sneak away form the group and make her way to the Three-Headed Dragon, hopefully picking a table that is a bit more secluded than the others with a clear view of the entrances.
Stealth to sneak away: 38
"I know, I know!" Khessa laughs at Mal's words "I'm not the sneaky type! All good, you go, every information we can get can be precious! Let's see what we can learn".
Akkron is a bit disturbed by the revelation that it is possible to completely cut someone off from their spellcasting powers... but he does his best not to show it.
"Well, if they are using the ruins of Sarak's Abby to sneak their goons in, that's probably where we need to go next... hopefully their 'enhanced teleportation' is simply a permanent teleportation circle that I can dispel and stop further unwanted visitors from arriving that way. Granted, they'll probably find another way to sneak in sooner or later, but it should delay them at least."
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Sephrenia smiles. "I am not fully aware how the people with the gift for magical energy get theirs from your homeland. I believe some are born with it, some have to train and use components I think, to get it to work. If I get this wrong, please excuse me, but do you have what I think is called a Cleric? They get their magical powers from a deity? I am very much like one of those, except my goddess, Aphrael who is one of the Thousand of Styricum. I ask her for the energy, and through me, she channels it directly. It was Aphrael's will that mostly blocked the necromancer's ability to do magic, like an isolated case of amnesia. Its there, he just can't remember how to use it, and never will."
The explanation thar the Little Mother gives does little to make the lich feel better about what just happened...
"If that is the case, the kindest thing to do might be to execute him quickly now that we have what we need from him. That poor bastard..."
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