Akkron chuckles as yet another person is more worried by the presence of a dark elf than an undead.
"I tend to agree that it is best not to say too much out here in public," he concurs with Khessa. "You know, I'm really starting to like this place... maybe I should look into getting a vacation home around here once the more pressing issues have been taken care of."
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"Hello and well met, brave defender!" Khessa smiles at the guard "We will be happy to tell everything, but why do it in the open, where even those who shouldn't could spot us or, worse, hear us? Wouldn't it be better if we talked about it in private? Maybe with whoever is responsible for the defense of the city?" she searches for Sparhawk, with her gaze, in the meantime... he should be more familiar with the current protocols than she is.
Sparhawk rides up, shows his signet of the Pandion Order. "Church business friend," he states simply. "Is the Lord High Marshal in residence? Perhaps he would be the one to hear our tale."
The guard, seeing the signet of the order, snaps to attention. "Yes me Lordship, his excellency is in residence. You may pass."
"Thank you friend, make sure you take an ale after duty hours to take the aches of a long day away."Sparhawk drops some coins in his hand and winks at the guard as he leads Faran into the gate, and leads the group into the city. Brother Maynard joins him at the front. The gate house is massive, composed of four towers with a mantrap between them. Two portcullis are raised and the inner doors which are about five-foot-thick stand open. There is a guard house off to the side where off duty guardsman are lounging, and basically ignoring anyone coming in.
The city is a typical border city, more fortress than city. The wall are thick, and the houses are built up against them to serve as an extra layer in the defenses. The roads are well maintained, and planned so that intersections can be defended by a small force with barricades. The central main keep is on an elevated hill that has its own wall and gate house that the road which Sparhawk and Brother Maynard lead you goes up.
At the gate house, Sparhawk is approached, and like before, shows his credentials as a Pandion, and you are all allowed in. Leading you all to an area where hitching posts are set, Sparhawk dismounts and ties Faran to a post.
"Better grab our happy friend and bring her with us to show the marshal," Sparhawk states.
When everyone is ready, Sparhawk and Maynard lead you into the main building of the keep. Sparhawk seems to know where he is going and after a couple of turns, you stand before two doors, with guard posted. Their eyes grow big when they see the party (Sparhawk, then Akron, and then the prisoner).
"May we inquire if the marshal will see us friend?" Sparhawk asks. The guardnods, "Your name sir?" he asks, and Sparhawk gives it. The guard turns and opens the door, "My Lord marshal, a Sir Sparhawk with a group is here to see you and it appears to be urgent."
"Well, show him in then" Comes from within the room and the guard gets out of the way.
You enter a medium size chamber, a throne on a dais at the far end, but there are four men sitting at one of the long tables before it. One is wearing a dark blue robe with a silver falcon on it. Another appears to be a member of the church, a second is a wizard, and the other is a nobleman.
"It has been some time since you have graced our halls Sir Sparhawk," the man in the blue robe stated as he stood up.
Sparhawk smiled and nodded. "Yes my lord, I believe it was during the tournament when I unhorsed you in the first pass."
"Well, they do say you Pandions are the best with the swords, nothing about the lance. It was a good joust." He pauses as he runs his eyes over the group, stopping on Lord Akron for a moment, then even more so on the prisoner. "So, what brings you to my court Sir Sparhawk, you seem to have surrounded yourself with a very unique party if I may add."
"Sir Sparhawk was keen to inform you, my lord," Khessa reports "that the Zemochs had established a base not far from here... on the ruins of an ancient temple of Ashur, dating back to the times of the Cipis Empire".
"They had" the blonde arcane warrior points out. "But we have eliminated that threat; so for now - and probably for the foreseeable future - you will have nothing to fear. The matron that accompanies us so happily is a prisoner - one of the few lucky enough to survive the folly to have put too much trust in treacherous gods. Maybe she will turn to a more worthy god, with time" she sighs, thinking to Ashur and Adad.
"During our... er... 'clenaup', we also discovered" the tall adventuress concludes, with an encouraging smile of self-confidence "that Azash is not acting alone in fomenting the Zemoch. Slaanesh has decided to join the party. But, oh, well, it's a party that we'll take care of crashing". She reveals nothing else for the moment... not knowing how much Sir Sparhawk and Borther Maynard deem it appropriate to go into detail.
The Lord marshal puts on a pensive look. "Well now, I guess that does explains some things." He motions to the table. "Please join us, I shall call for refreshments."
He motions for a page who moves off to do the marshals bidding as you take chairs at the table. The wizard, wearing traditional robes and white beard moves to seat across from Lord Akron, very interested in him. The churchman sits across from Maynard and Sparhawk, the nobleman stays where he was sitting, obvious as far away from Lord Akron and the Prisoner, while the marshal sits across from the prisoner.
"It has been some time since I have seen a Zemoch by light of day, they prefer the darkness for their deeds. From the look of this one, she is no minor soldier, is she?"
The churchman asks, "So its more than what we have thought, more than Azash returning from the past to plague us once more? Who or what is this Slaanesh you speak of?"
Lord Akkron nods politely to the wizard across from him.
"No, she is not," he says in reply to the marshal. "She is... well, I suppose was, one of their most high-ranking leaders. She is also a powerful spellcaster... which is why we made sure to silence her before we brought her here."
He then turns his attention to the churchman's question.
"Slaanesh is another dark deity of the Zemochs... a goddess of decadence, hedonism, sadism, and absolute domination over beings that she considers 'lesser.'"
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"Oh, I admit that I thought Slaanesh was more famous" Khessa continues the explanation given by Master Akkron, smiling in amusement. "I imagine it will be a blow to her ego to discover that she is less known than the divine puppet whose strings she is convinced she is pulling. Apparently, her real name is 'Sai 'lanthresh'. Is this more familiar to you?"
"However," the blonde arcane warrior shrugs "it seems that the collaboration between that pair of cosmic troublemakers is nothing new... We discovered that, in the past, with their influence, they managed to corrupt a thriving empire, the ancient Cipis Empire that I mentioned earlier. The empire abandoned the cult of Ashur to venerate them. The result is there for all to see: nothing of the empire exists anymore - almost not even the memory they had converted to the cult of the nefarious duo - employed as sacrificial victims by the same gods to whom they had entrusted themselves".
"A harsh lesson, come too late to save the empire" tall adventuress sighs. "But, who knows? Perhaps the Zemochs will have time to learn from it, before following the same tragic and ignominious end".
Lord Akkron nods politely to the wizard across from him.
"No, she is not," he says in reply to the marshal. "She is... well, I suppose was, one of their most high-ranking leaders. She is also a powerful spellcaster... which is why we made sure to silence her before we brought her here."
He then turns his attention to the churchman's question.
"Slaanesh is another dark deity of the Zemochs... a goddess of decadence, hedonism, sadism, and absolute domination over beings that she considers 'lesser.'"
The Wizard nods in appreciation, "I appreciate your safeguarding, if she is as powerful you indicate she is. I can sense she does have some power to her, though it feels like it is waning, could it be she is out of favor with these dark entities who may be granting her power?"
When you mention a detail of Slaanesh, the Churchman seems puzzled, as though he has never heard of her. "Well now, that is something perhaps brother Maynard and Sparhawk here can provide in detail. If you excuse us?" As the Churchman rises, he motions for Maynard and Sparhawk to follow, and they follow him out of the hall.
The refreshments arrive, and the marshal bids you to partake. Fresh fruits, cheese, fresh warm flat bread with wine and ale to go wash it down. He takes a mug of ale for himself, and seats himself at the head of the table.
"My keep is at your disposal; I can have the bath house prepared so there is warm water and fresh towels along with guest quarters prepared. I would love to hear more about this outpost you eliminated, making our frontier border that much safer."
There is a snort from where the nobleman is sitting. "My dear marshal, do you really think there is that much of a threat out there? I have seen nothing that would indicate we are in any real danger?
Upon hearing that the power of the matriarch 'feels like it is waning' Khessa approaches her discreetly and speaks to her, softly and calmly: "If it is you who are abandoning 'those two', I am pleased! But if they are 'those two' who are abandoning you... I imagine what it must be like. Perhaps a little less disappointment than that felt by those who served them a long time ago, only to be sacrificed by them. Just remember that deities, just like people, do not are all the same. There is a god who does not behave like this. And who is waiting for you - and the Zemochs".
As the refreshments arrive, the blonde arcane warrior thanks the marshal (diplomatically hiding her disappointment at the absence of cabbages) and begins to relax, tasting some fruit and alternating small sips from a glass of wine.
The nobleman's comment, however, immediately ruins her relaxation, insinuating in her the suspicion that he could perhaps be a spy, who is trying to give the marshal bad advice... The tall adventuress smiles at the nobleman condescendingly and replies: "If not seeing the dangers were enough to protect us from them, it wouldn't be necessary to train with weapons, spirit, mind and magic before going into battle... it would be enough to put a blindfold on; wouldn't it be so much simpler? And yet, it's one technique that almost no one applies, man... and if one day you decide to try it, if you survive, you will find out why".
After that, Khessa gives her mentor a brief knowing look with her blue eyes... A look to suggest that he read the guy's thoughts, if possible...
Akkron nods... but he waits until the noble is busy with something else before casting detect thoughts to determine if the man might indeed be plotting something rather than just being arrogant.
(Also... I assume we got a Long Rest in while we were guests to Adad, correct?)
Akkron nods... but he waits until the noble is busy with something else before casting detect thoughts to determine if the man might indeed be plotting something rather than just being arrogant.
(Also... I assume we got a Long Rest in while we were guests to Adad, correct?)
Your suspicions are correct, this nobleman has been selling secrets to the Zemochs, who in return have not raided any of his caravans but his competition. His has only begun worshiping Slaanesh, you see a growing seed of darkness in his mind, not fully germinated. He is trying to figure to who and how does he sell his info to now that you have destroyed the outpost.
Tyekanik is happy to let the others talk, holding the reins on their prisoner who should be sufficiently cowed after him growling at her more than once if she tried to move in any way that was unexpected.
Khessa continues to try to keep the conversation alive with everyone, in order to distract the nobleman she had become suspicious of and give her mentor the opportunity to read his mind.
The blonde arcane warrior, subsequently, if Master Akkron does not reveal anything of what he has learned (because perhaps he wants to consult with someone first or carefully evaluate what to do), waits for the first useful chance to approach the lich and whispers: "He's also under the influence of the nefarious duo?"
From what is detected in the mind as you probe deeper, there is a small cult here in the keep. The nobleman's head has been filled with delusions of grandeur, very much what Slaanesh would offer her followers. His greed runs deep, and it is there, that the dark spot sits.
As for the Lord Marshal, he is caught up in the description of your tale of the taking of the temple, and how many raiders were found there who were not Zemochs.
Khessa smiles furtively at her Mentor then resumes the conversation as if nothing had happened... then, as soon as she is alone with her friends (and without the noble, obviously) she informs everyone, inviting Lord Akkron to reveal the details.
"Probably, that nobleman, even if blinded by greed, can still be saved..." she concludes "We could, if the Lord Marshal agrees, offer the nobleman a lenient sentence, in exchange for his help. And the help would be to reveal everything he knows, thus allowing us to eradicate the small cult before it can grow and do more harm".
"This could also work" Khessa smiles at the Hungry Giant. "And you Mal?" she asks the half-drow, who has not yet expressed herself "Which would you prefer? Try to convince him with an advantageous offer, or to force him with threats? Or would your choice be another way yet?"
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Akkron chuckles as yet another person is more worried by the presence of a dark elf than an undead.
"I tend to agree that it is best not to say too much out here in public," he concurs with Khessa. "You know, I'm really starting to like this place... maybe I should look into getting a vacation home around here once the more pressing issues have been taken care of."
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Sparhawk rides up, shows his signet of the Pandion Order. "Church business friend," he states simply. "Is the Lord High Marshal in residence? Perhaps he would be the one to hear our tale."
The guard, seeing the signet of the order, snaps to attention. "Yes me Lordship, his excellency is in residence. You may pass."
"Thank you friend, make sure you take an ale after duty hours to take the aches of a long day away." Sparhawk drops some coins in his hand and winks at the guard as he leads Faran into the gate, and leads the group into the city. Brother Maynard joins him at the front. The gate house is massive, composed of four towers with a mantrap between them. Two portcullis are raised and the inner doors which are about five-foot-thick stand open. There is a guard house off to the side where off duty guardsman are lounging, and basically ignoring anyone coming in.
The city is a typical border city, more fortress than city. The wall are thick, and the houses are built up against them to serve as an extra layer in the defenses. The roads are well maintained, and planned so that intersections can be defended by a small force with barricades. The central main keep is on an elevated hill that has its own wall and gate house that the road which Sparhawk and Brother Maynard lead you goes up.
At the gate house, Sparhawk is approached, and like before, shows his credentials as a Pandion, and you are all allowed in. Leading you all to an area where hitching posts are set, Sparhawk dismounts and ties Faran to a post.
"Better grab our happy friend and bring her with us to show the marshal," Sparhawk states.
When everyone is ready, Sparhawk and Maynard lead you into the main building of the keep. Sparhawk seems to know where he is going and after a couple of turns, you stand before two doors, with guard posted. Their eyes grow big when they see the party (Sparhawk, then Akron, and then the prisoner).
"May we inquire if the marshal will see us friend?" Sparhawk asks. The guard nods, "Your name sir?" he asks, and Sparhawk gives it. The guard turns and opens the door, "My Lord marshal, a Sir Sparhawk with a group is here to see you and it appears to be urgent."
"Well, show him in then" Comes from within the room and the guard gets out of the way.
You enter a medium size chamber, a throne on a dais at the far end, but there are four men sitting at one of the long tables before it. One is wearing a dark blue robe with a silver falcon on it. Another appears to be a member of the church, a second is a wizard, and the other is a nobleman.
"It has been some time since you have graced our halls Sir Sparhawk," the man in the blue robe stated as he stood up.
Sparhawk smiled and nodded. "Yes my lord, I believe it was during the tournament when I unhorsed you in the first pass."
"Well, they do say you Pandions are the best with the swords, nothing about the lance. It was a good joust." He pauses as he runs his eyes over the group, stopping on Lord Akron for a moment, then even more so on the prisoner. "So, what brings you to my court Sir Sparhawk, you seem to have surrounded yourself with a very unique party if I may add."
"Sir Sparhawk was keen to inform you, my lord," Khessa reports "that the Zemochs had established a base not far from here... on the ruins of an ancient temple of Ashur, dating back to the times of the Cipis Empire".
"They had" the blonde arcane warrior points out. "But we have eliminated that threat; so for now - and probably for the foreseeable future - you will have nothing to fear. The matron that accompanies us so happily is a prisoner - one of the few lucky enough to survive the folly to have put too much trust in treacherous gods. Maybe she will turn to a more worthy god, with time" she sighs, thinking to Ashur and Adad.
"During our... er... 'clenaup', we also discovered" the tall adventuress concludes, with an encouraging smile of self-confidence "that Azash is not acting alone in fomenting the Zemoch. Slaanesh has decided to join the party. But, oh, well, it's a party that we'll take care of crashing". She reveals nothing else for the moment... not knowing how much Sir Sparhawk and Borther Maynard deem it appropriate to go into detail.
The Lord marshal puts on a pensive look. "Well now, I guess that does explains some things." He motions to the table. "Please join us, I shall call for refreshments."
He motions for a page who moves off to do the marshals bidding as you take chairs at the table. The wizard, wearing traditional robes and white beard moves to seat across from Lord Akron, very interested in him. The churchman sits across from Maynard and Sparhawk, the nobleman stays where he was sitting, obvious as far away from Lord Akron and the Prisoner, while the marshal sits across from the prisoner.
"It has been some time since I have seen a Zemoch by light of day, they prefer the darkness for their deeds. From the look of this one, she is no minor soldier, is she?"
The churchman asks, "So its more than what we have thought, more than Azash returning from the past to plague us once more? Who or what is this Slaanesh you speak of?"
Lord Akkron nods politely to the wizard across from him.
"No, she is not," he says in reply to the marshal. "She is... well, I suppose was, one of their most high-ranking leaders. She is also a powerful spellcaster... which is why we made sure to silence her before we brought her here."
He then turns his attention to the churchman's question.
"Slaanesh is another dark deity of the Zemochs... a goddess of decadence, hedonism, sadism, and absolute domination over beings that she considers 'lesser.'"
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"Oh, I admit that I thought Slaanesh was more famous" Khessa continues the explanation given by Master Akkron, smiling in amusement. "I imagine it will be a blow to her ego to discover that she is less known than the divine puppet whose strings she is convinced she is pulling. Apparently, her real name is 'Sai 'lanthresh'. Is this more familiar to you?"
"However," the blonde arcane warrior shrugs "it seems that the collaboration between that pair of cosmic troublemakers is nothing new... We discovered that, in the past, with their influence, they managed to corrupt a thriving empire, the ancient Cipis Empire that I mentioned earlier. The empire abandoned the cult of Ashur to venerate them. The result is there for all to see: nothing of the empire exists anymore - almost not even the memory they had converted to the cult of the nefarious duo - employed as sacrificial victims by the same gods to whom they had entrusted themselves".
"A harsh lesson, come too late to save the empire" tall adventuress sighs. "But, who knows? Perhaps the Zemochs will have time to learn from it, before following the same tragic and ignominious end".
The Wizard nods in appreciation, "I appreciate your safeguarding, if she is as powerful you indicate she is. I can sense she does have some power to her, though it feels like it is waning, could it be she is out of favor with these dark entities who may be granting her power?"
When you mention a detail of Slaanesh, the Churchman seems puzzled, as though he has never heard of her. "Well now, that is something perhaps brother Maynard and Sparhawk here can provide in detail. If you excuse us?" As the Churchman rises, he motions for Maynard and Sparhawk to follow, and they follow him out of the hall.
The refreshments arrive, and the marshal bids you to partake. Fresh fruits, cheese, fresh warm flat bread with wine and ale to go wash it down. He takes a mug of ale for himself, and seats himself at the head of the table.
"My keep is at your disposal; I can have the bath house prepared so there is warm water and fresh towels along with guest quarters prepared. I would love to hear more about this outpost you eliminated, making our frontier border that much safer."
There is a snort from where the nobleman is sitting. "My dear marshal, do you really think there is that much of a threat out there? I have seen nothing that would indicate we are in any real danger?
Upon hearing that the power of the matriarch 'feels like it is waning' Khessa approaches her discreetly and speaks to her, softly and calmly: "If it is you who are abandoning 'those two', I am pleased! But if they are 'those two' who are abandoning you... I imagine what it must be like. Perhaps a little less disappointment than that felt by those who served them a long time ago, only to be sacrificed by them. Just remember that deities, just like people, do not are all the same. There is a god who does not behave like this. And who is waiting for you - and the Zemochs".
As the refreshments arrive, the blonde arcane warrior thanks the marshal (diplomatically hiding her disappointment at the absence of cabbages) and begins to relax, tasting some fruit and alternating small sips from a glass of wine.
The nobleman's comment, however, immediately ruins her relaxation, insinuating in her the suspicion that he could perhaps be a spy, who is trying to give the marshal bad advice... The tall adventuress smiles at the nobleman condescendingly and replies: "If not seeing the dangers were enough to protect us from them, it wouldn't be necessary to train with weapons, spirit, mind and magic before going into battle... it would be enough to put a blindfold on; wouldn't it be so much simpler? And yet, it's one technique that almost no one applies, man... and if one day you decide to try it, if you survive, you will find out why".
After that, Khessa gives her mentor a brief knowing look with her blue eyes... A look to suggest that he read the guy's thoughts, if possible...
Akkron nods... but he waits until the noble is busy with something else before casting detect thoughts to determine if the man might indeed be plotting something rather than just being arrogant.
(Also... I assume we got a Long Rest in while we were guests to Adad, correct?)
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Your suspicions are correct, this nobleman has been selling secrets to the Zemochs, who in return have not raided any of his caravans but his competition. His has only begun worshiping Slaanesh, you see a growing seed of darkness in his mind, not fully germinated. He is trying to figure to who and how does he sell his info to now that you have destroyed the outpost.
Yes, when you with last with Adad, that counts as a Long Rest
Tyekanik is happy to let the others talk, holding the reins on their prisoner who should be sufficiently cowed after him growling at her more than once if she tried to move in any way that was unexpected.
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Khessa continues to try to keep the conversation alive with everyone, in order to distract the nobleman she had become suspicious of and give her mentor the opportunity to read his mind.
The blonde arcane warrior, subsequently, if Master Akkron does not reveal anything of what he has learned (because perhaps he wants to consult with someone first or carefully evaluate what to do), waits for the first useful chance to approach the lich and whispers: "He's also under the influence of the nefarious duo?"
From what is detected in the mind as you probe deeper, there is a small cult here in the keep. The nobleman's head has been filled with delusions of grandeur, very much what Slaanesh would offer her followers. His greed runs deep, and it is there, that the dark spot sits.
As for the Lord Marshal, he is caught up in the description of your tale of the taking of the temple, and how many raiders were found there who were not Zemochs.
Khessa awaits her mentor's response with curiosity...
Akkron nods silently... he hopes that is enough to communicate to Khessa that her suspicions were not unfounded.
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Khessa smiles furtively at her Mentor then resumes the conversation as if nothing had happened... then, as soon as she is alone with her friends (and without the noble, obviously) she informs everyone, inviting Lord Akkron to reveal the details.
"Probably, that nobleman, even if blinded by greed, can still be saved..." she concludes "We could, if the Lord Marshal agrees, offer the nobleman a lenient sentence, in exchange for his help. And the help would be to reveal everything he knows, thus allowing us to eradicate the small cult before it can grow and do more harm".
"Or I can just squish an apple in front of him and say that if he doesn't help that'll be his head," Tyekanik says clenching his fist in front of him.
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"This could also work" Khessa smiles at the Hungry Giant. "And you Mal?" she asks the half-drow, who has not yet expressed herself "Which would you prefer? Try to convince him with an advantageous offer, or to force him with threats? Or would your choice be another way yet?"