Is this other group related to us and what we carry? Or have we simply found ourselves in the middle of something bigger?"
Hewelathan assumed that the "cult of the dragon" was related to the dark wizard Firion somehow. The thought that there could be multiple groups of people coming after them had not occurred to him. He shrugs but looks worried.
Rhaenys takes the whistle, examines it with curiosity and after hearing Hewelathan's instructions she of course blows it. And she of course produces Tytus' code because it sounded like the funniest of the three.
- Don't look at me like that, I had to try. Imagine it didn't work! One can never be too careful...
"Oh, yes. Your companions and I 100% believe that is the reason why you blew the whistle."
Even if she's acting in her usual carefree behaviour she's obviously still shocked by what happened. And once she's with the party and with no one else around she says:
- That curse what's exceptionally complicated. I gotta say, if we ever encounter a cursed person under such a high level enchantment spell, I might not be that lucky again. So, yeah, thesemight come in handy. Thanks, Hew.
Later, when the moment is proper, she will go with Hewelathan and whoever else wants to interrogate Rupert. Even if she knows that the person in front him might not be the true Rupert at all (they could be his murderer, as Blythe said), the sorceress can't help but feel a wave of empathy towards them.
- I didn't expect to find one like me here. I'm not sure if I should be happy about it or not, to be honest. Tell me, are you the real Rupert? If not, what happened to him. Also, what can you tell us about the curse that was placed upon you? Do you remember any detail of the person that casted it? And what were your exact instructions?
(OOC: I'm not good at insight so I think I cannot give advantage. I'll leave my own roll. Which is a very nice and useful 2.)
The changeling looks exhausted, but after some attention from Jodie and a bit of rest he seems mostly alright. He looks at Rhaenys uncertainly.
"It has been some time since I have seen one of our people as well,"he says. "I am greateful that you are here... but... no, I am not Rupert. My name is Jarden... I left the boy unconscious in a barrel on the dock under the orders of the wizard Firion. I fell prey to the dark wizard about two years ago when I was hired by Baron Ryder to to eliminate the leader of the Order of the Dragon... as you might have guessed, I failed and was captured. The wizard decided to make use of my shape-shifting abilities rather than simply kill me. I... I cannot thank you enough for freeing me from the grip he had on my mind and soul... the man and his followers are completely mad."
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Rhaenyslooks towards Hewelathanand Flinnwith a relieved and smiling look that says "Sounds fine right? Look at that! Another nice and trustworthy changeling, just like me!". She's pretty sure not even Thruthseeker will find a problem with Jarden's words.
- Baron Ryder? Who's Baron Ryder? If he's an enemy of the Order of the Dragon he sounds like a potential ally we should definitely get to know, right? - the sorceress throws this last question more to his companions than to Jarden. But then she turns to look again to the changling to throw him another question - And your orders from Firion were...? To follow us, perhaps? Or to do something more, let's say, painful?
Flinn stands behind Rhaenys, one hand resting at the hilt of Truthseeker, his eyes narrowly looking at the channeling.
"He seems more like a victim than a conspirator or an assasin to me..." he thought
"If he lies I will know it... " Flinn could feel the anger of the holy blade barely contained just for the possibility of a lie told in its presence.
"Go figures... but what concerns me is that they knew that we were hiring Blythe's ship for this journey and they are close enough to infiltrate an agent... "
Flinn's sword should detect any outright lies. Hewelathan focuses more on the changeling's mood and attitude. Does his gratitude seem genuine? Is he holding anything back, whether out of fear, guilt, or malice? What are his feelings toward Baron Ryder and Firion?
"Go figures... but what concerns me is that they knew that we were hiring Blythe's ship for this journey and they are close enough to infiltrate an agent..."
( Insight: 10 )
Hewelathan agrees about Jarden's status as an unwilling collaborator. He responds to Flinn's concern, "Yes, well, we arrived in Tormere with Lady Elora, and then we were openly going in and out of her house. Even if Lady Elora was discreet, the captains also came to her house so that we could choose. Even a common rogue watching outside the house could have guessed that we would be leaving on one of their ships. Maybe our enemies placed a spy on each Captain's ship, or maybe they figured out which ship of the three.
"The question is what we should do in the future. Is the Cult of the Dragon using mundane or magical means to spy on us? If they just had an extensive network of spies and informants, then we might be relatively safe for the rest of this journey. But given the power of the enchantment on this poor changeling, I think we have to assume that our enemy is using magic to spy on us. I think that we will need to find ways to block divination magic. Until then, we may need to be more careful about how we discuss our plans."
As far as anyone can tell, the changeling probably couldn't tell a convincing lie right now even if he wanted to. He just seems utterly drained from his two-year ordeal that you have finally brought to an end. And Truthseeker doesn't detect anything either.
"I never knew the Baron personally... he was just an employer to me," Jarden explains to Rhaenys. "What I know is that the cult was a thorn in the Baron's side and a threat to his people; I believe that he did eventually drive the lunatics out of his land, but rumor has it that he made a deal with a lich to do it... well, that's neither here nor there, I suppose the man didn't have many options left. As for my orders from Firion, I was told to report your movements and, if necessary, delay your travel so that the cultists would be able to overtake you and take your items by force. I don't know the details of the ambush they were planning... hopefully without my intel they won't be able to set their plan into motion, but I know from hard experience that Firion and his servants are cunning."
his two-year ordeal that you have finally brought to an end
As for my orders, I was told to report your movements and, if necessary, delay your travel so that the cultists would be able to overtake you and take your items by force.
Hewelathan asks, "Jarden, you replaced Rupert to follow us on this voyage, but was that the fist time you saw us? Or have you been following us -- or some of us -- for longer than that?"
Rhaenys will listen to any other questions the rest decide to ask, but since Jarden is being truthful and not a danger towards them anymore, she won't ask the changeling more questions. She will say though:
- I can't even begin to imagine how you must be feeling, two years under such a tremendous enchantment spell must have taken a toll on you. The Captain said you are to remain under custody until we reach land - she looks a him apologetically, but then smiles - But hey! I can come visit from time to time if you want. I might ease your imprisonment a little!
(No, Blythe is not there, she's busy doing captain-stuff and/or trying to make sure there aren't any other security breaches)
"No, it wasn't," Jarden says to Hewelathan. "I was at Lady Elora's mansion masquerading as one of the servants... Firion assumed (correctly) that she would do anything she could to aid you after you rescued her from his servants."
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Hewelathan is happy to learn that the cultist in the forest was working with Firion and not some other faction. He thanks Jarden for what they have told the group. Hewelathan says that he's sorry that Jarden got caught up with Firion, but he's glad that Rhaenys was able to free him from the dark wizard's spell. He hopes that's the end of Jarden's involvement with Firion's cult and that once the journey is over, Jarden can go his own way and live his life in peace.
The only other question Hewelathan has for Jarden, before he lets the changeling rest and recover from today's ordeal, is, "When you were Firion's captive and unwilling spy, did you ever see him summon a great, dark wolf with burning eyes and paws that scortched the earth? Some sort of hound from the nine hells perhaps? One of my companions saw such a fiend watching us at night a few days ago, but we're not sure whether it was sent from Firion or whether someone else is watching us!"
"Ah yes... the Hounds of Judgement..." Jarden says."They are fiendish spies that he uses to watch his servants, to report what they see back to him, and to slaughter any of his cultists who dare to betray him."
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Jodie turns to her companions to read their faces at the words 'Hounds of Judgement'. "Fiendish spies, I don't like the sound of that. All this talk of Baron Ryder and the Lich- seems we might have two potential allies. I am not accustomed to working with undead, but suppose there is a first for everything."
Jodie considers Jarden's orders, "Will the cultists pursue us by ship? Or should we expect them on the Isle?"
Jodie tries to take her mind off the idea of being hunted by an evil cult with demon dogs to practice her swordwork with Korba. She incorporates her dance into the swordplay, attempting a flourish to distract the more competent swordsman. The explains the technique she is practicing, "I knew Sayf Alraqs, the dancing blade. His technique was a balance of sword and dance. For what it lacked in ferocity it made up for in mobility and presence. I thought I could spend my days singing songs, but it's clear my focus should be staying alive."
"Ah yes... the Hounds of Judgement..." Jarden says."They are fiendish spies that he uses to watch his servants, to report what they see back to him, and to slaughter any of his cultists who dare to betray him."
"Do you think they know you are no longer under their power?" Korba asks, wondering if the man is either in danger, or potentially, if he could be used as a double agent.
Jodie tries to take her mind off the idea of being hunted by an evil cult with demon dogs to practice her swordwork with Korba. She incorporates her dance into the swordplay, attempting a flourish to distract the more competent swordsman. The explains the technique she is practicing, "I knew Sayf Alraqs, the dancing blade. His technique was a balance of sword and dance. For what it lacked in ferocity it made up for in mobility and presence. I thought I could spend my days singing songs, but it's clear my focus should be staying alive."
Korba winses pulling the sword from its sheath as he cuts himself with it before practicing with Jodie, happy to use his shield some of the time, and leave it aside at other times so that she can experience different styles. Seeing her dance he says chuckling, "Staying alive is always the focus. Though it may feel special to pull off something fancy, the bards tell no tales of those who tried to dance and fell on the blade instead."
As the party leaves the infirmary, Rhaenys grabs Flinn by the arm saying "Let's go see your dear Captain and convince her to free Jarden, all right?". It's a funny scene, because the physically weak sorceress does try to move the bigger and stronger paladin but, as expected from this situation involving someone who has trouble opening the silliest of crystal jars with her own thin arms, Flinn just doesn't move an inch.
- Oh, come onnnnn! - she insists, verbally this time.
When they stand before Blythe, they tell her that Jarden is completely innocent and that he shouldn't be imprisoned. After all, it is not his fault that he succumbed to such a powerful enchantment spell. Could have happened to anyone!
- Please! - Rhaenys says, and glances towards Flinn, that seems to have forgotten why they have gone to see Blythe in the first place and is just looking at her with a twinkle in his eye. The sorceress nudges him and mutters - ... hey, wakey wakey!
Jodie turns to her companions to read their faces at the words 'Hounds of Judgement'. "Fiendish spies, I don't like the sound of that. All this talk of Baron Ryder and the Lich- seems we might have two potential allies. I am not accustomed to working with undead, but suppose there is a first for everything."
Jodie considers Jarden's orders, "Will the cultists pursue us by ship? Or should we expect them on the Isle?"
Hewelathan says, "There's no way to be sure, but while scrying could let them spy on us, I don't think that it'll be easy for them to find one ship on the open sea. Much easier to attack us as we approach land. Hopefully, the one we're going to visit is powerful enough to keep the cult away from his island. Of course, the island may hold many other dangers for us."
Hewelathan is interested to watch Jodie and Korba practicing, but he's more interested in practicing simple, fundamental exercises. He thinks about how the ship rolls with the waves, and he notices how his weight shifts and adjusts to the movement of the ship. If he can find a practice partner, he tries to recreate some of the drills he and Tytus saw at the monastery in Tormere. Simple exercises in redirecting a partner's movement and deflecting / dodging a punch or the strike of a sword.
Other than that, Hewelathan spends much of the day and most of the evenings up on deck when the weather is fine, watching the sky and waters with interest for any sight of birds and beasts of the sea. If permitted by the Captain Blythe's officers and crew, he'll also help with some of the daily tasks of running a ship, particularly any "heavy" tasks where he can be especially helpful.
Captain Blythe is willing to hear Rhaenys out and, eventually, agrees to let Jarden go free... but she's still quite nervous. After all, even if his service to the Cult of the Dragon was unwilling, it probably wouldn't be difficult for someone who could cast such a powerful enchantment to scry on someone who was in his service for two years, and, by extension, see what is happening on the ship. So several areas are off-limits to the changeling.
Hewelathan assumed that the "cult of the dragon" was related to the dark wizard Firion somehow. The thought that there could be multiple groups of people coming after them had not occurred to him. He shrugs but looks worried.
Rhaenys takes the whistle, examines it with curiosity and after hearing Hewelathan's instructions she of course blows it. And she of course produces Tytus' code because it sounded like the funniest of the three.
- Don't look at me like that, I had to try. Imagine it didn't work! One can never be too careful...
"Oh, yes. Your companions and I 100% believe that is the reason why you blew the whistle."
Even if she's acting in her usual carefree behaviour she's obviously still shocked by what happened. And once she's with the party and with no one else around she says:
- That curse what's exceptionally complicated. I gotta say, if we ever encounter a cursed person under such a high level enchantment spell, I might not be that lucky again. So, yeah, these might come in handy. Thanks, Hew.
Later, when the moment is proper, she will go with Hewelathan and whoever else wants to interrogate Rupert. Even if she knows that the person in front him might not be the true Rupert at all (they could be his murderer, as Blythe said), the sorceress can't help but feel a wave of empathy towards them.
- I didn't expect to find one like me here. I'm not sure if I should be happy about it or not, to be honest. Tell me, are you the real Rupert? If not, what happened to him. Also, what can you tell us about the curse that was placed upon you? Do you remember any detail of the person that casted it? And what were your exact instructions?
(OOC: I'm not good at insight so I think I cannot give advantage. I'll leave my own roll. Which is a very nice and useful 2.)
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
The changeling looks exhausted, but after some attention from Jodie and a bit of rest he seems mostly alright. He looks at Rhaenys uncertainly.
"It has been some time since I have seen one of our people as well," he says. "I am greateful that you are here... but... no, I am not Rupert. My name is Jarden... I left the boy unconscious in a barrel on the dock under the orders of the wizard Firion. I fell prey to the dark wizard about two years ago when I was hired by Baron Ryder to to eliminate the leader of the Order of the Dragon... as you might have guessed, I failed and was captured. The wizard decided to make use of my shape-shifting abilities rather than simply kill me. I... I cannot thank you enough for freeing me from the grip he had on my mind and soul... the man and his followers are completely mad."
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Rhaenys looks towards Hewelathan and Flinn with a relieved and smiling look that says "Sounds fine right? Look at that! Another nice and trustworthy changeling, just like me!". She's pretty sure not even Thruthseeker will find a problem with Jarden's words.
- Baron Ryder? Who's Baron Ryder? If he's an enemy of the Order of the Dragon he sounds like a potential ally we should definitely get to know, right? - the sorceress throws this last question more to his companions than to Jarden. But then she turns to look again to the changling to throw him another question - And your orders from Firion were...? To follow us, perhaps? Or to do something more, let's say, painful?
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
Flinn stands behind Rhaenys, one hand resting at the hilt of Truthseeker, his eyes narrowly looking at the channeling.
"He seems more like a victim than a conspirator or an assasin to me..." he thought
"If he lies I will know it... " Flinn could feel the anger of the holy blade barely contained just for the possibility of a lie told in its presence.
"Go figures... but what concerns me is that they knew that we were hiring Blythe's ship for this journey and they are close enough to infiltrate an agent... "
( Insight: 10 )
PbP Character: A few ;)
Flinn's sword should detect any outright lies. Hewelathan focuses more on the changeling's mood and attitude. Does his gratitude seem genuine? Is he holding anything back, whether out of fear, guilt, or malice? What are his feelings toward Baron Ryder and Firion?
insight 17 (in game log)
Hewelathan agrees about Jarden's status as an unwilling collaborator. He responds to Flinn's concern, "Yes, well, we arrived in Tormere with Lady Elora, and then we were openly going in and out of her house. Even if Lady Elora was discreet, the captains also came to her house so that we could choose. Even a common rogue watching outside the house could have guessed that we would be leaving on one of their ships. Maybe our enemies placed a spy on each Captain's ship, or maybe they figured out which ship of the three.
"The question is what we should do in the future. Is the Cult of the Dragon using mundane or magical means to spy on us? If they just had an extensive network of spies and informants, then we might be relatively safe for the rest of this journey. But given the power of the enchantment on this poor changeling, I think we have to assume that our enemy is using magic to spy on us. I think that we will need to find ways to block divination magic. Until then, we may need to be more careful about how we discuss our plans."
As far as anyone can tell, the changeling probably couldn't tell a convincing lie right now even if he wanted to. He just seems utterly drained from his two-year ordeal that you have finally brought to an end. And Truthseeker doesn't detect anything either.
"I never knew the Baron personally... he was just an employer to me," Jarden explains to Rhaenys. "What I know is that the cult was a thorn in the Baron's side and a threat to his people; I believe that he did eventually drive the lunatics out of his land, but rumor has it that he made a deal with a lich to do it... well, that's neither here nor there, I suppose the man didn't have many options left. As for my orders from Firion, I was told to report your movements and, if necessary, delay your travel so that the cultists would be able to overtake you and take your items by force. I don't know the details of the ambush they were planning... hopefully without my intel they won't be able to set their plan into motion, but I know from hard experience that Firion and his servants are cunning."
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Hewelathan asks, "Jarden, you replaced Rupert to follow us on this voyage, but was that the fist time you saw us? Or have you been following us -- or some of us -- for longer than that?"
Rhaenys will listen to any other questions the rest decide to ask, but since Jarden is being truthful and not a danger towards them anymore, she won't ask the changeling more questions. She will say though:
- I can't even begin to imagine how you must be feeling, two years under such a tremendous enchantment spell must have taken a toll on you. The Captain said you are to remain under custody until we reach land - she looks a him apologetically, but then smiles - But hey! I can come visit from time to time if you want. I might ease your imprisonment a little!
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
"This one shouldn't be impriioned..." says Flinn to no one in particular
(Is Blythe with us?)
PbP Character: A few ;)
(OOC: I wasn't counting on her being present)
Rhaenys looks back to Flinn:
- ... If we can convince the captain of that, all the better! We can try to speak to her, of course!
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
(No, Blythe is not there, she's busy doing captain-stuff and/or trying to make sure there aren't any other security breaches)
"No, it wasn't," Jarden says to Hewelathan. "I was at Lady Elora's mansion masquerading as one of the servants... Firion assumed (correctly) that she would do anything she could to aid you after you rescued her from his servants."
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Hewelathan is happy to learn that the cultist in the forest was working with Firion and not some other faction. He thanks Jarden for what they have told the group. Hewelathan says that he's sorry that Jarden got caught up with Firion, but he's glad that Rhaenys was able to free him from the dark wizard's spell. He hopes that's the end of Jarden's involvement with Firion's cult and that once the journey is over, Jarden can go his own way and live his life in peace.
The only other question Hewelathan has for Jarden, before he lets the changeling rest and recover from today's ordeal, is, "When you were Firion's captive and unwilling spy, did you ever see him summon a great, dark wolf with burning eyes and paws that scortched the earth? Some sort of hound from the nine hells perhaps? One of my companions saw such a fiend watching us at night a few days ago, but we're not sure whether it was sent from Firion or whether someone else is watching us!"
The changeling nods.
"Ah yes... the Hounds of Judgement..." Jarden says. "They are fiendish spies that he uses to watch his servants, to report what they see back to him, and to slaughter any of his cultists who dare to betray him."
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Jodie turns to her companions to read their faces at the words 'Hounds of Judgement'. "Fiendish spies, I don't like the sound of that. All this talk of Baron Ryder and the Lich- seems we might have two potential allies. I am not accustomed to working with undead, but suppose there is a first for everything."
Jodie considers Jarden's orders, "Will the cultists pursue us by ship? Or should we expect them on the Isle?"
Jodie tries to take her mind off the idea of being hunted by an evil cult with demon dogs to practice her swordwork with Korba. She incorporates her dance into the swordplay, attempting a flourish to distract the more competent swordsman. The explains the technique she is practicing, "I knew Sayf Alraqs, the dancing blade. His technique was a balance of sword and dance. For what it lacked in ferocity it made up for in mobility and presence. I thought I could spend my days singing songs, but it's clear my focus should be staying alive."
Fargen Hill Dwarf Cleric/Barbarian - Hoard of the Dragon Queen, Jodie Olwen Half-Elf Bard- Chronicles of the Accursed
"Do you think they know you are no longer under their power?" Korba asks, wondering if the man is either in danger, or potentially, if he could be used as a double agent.
Korba winses pulling the sword from its sheath as he cuts himself with it before practicing with Jodie, happy to use his shield some of the time, and leave it aside at other times so that she can experience different styles. Seeing her dance he says chuckling, "Staying alive is always the focus. Though it may feel special to pull off something fancy, the bards tell no tales of those who tried to dance and fell on the blade instead."
PbP 🎲: Tyekanik; Moneo Noree; Korba Muris; & occasional DM:
As the party leaves the infirmary, Rhaenys grabs Flinn by the arm saying "Let's go see your dear Captain and convince her to free Jarden, all right?". It's a funny scene, because the physically weak sorceress does try to move the bigger and stronger paladin but, as expected from this situation involving someone who has trouble opening the silliest of crystal jars with her own thin arms, Flinn just doesn't move an inch.
- Oh, come onnnnn! - she insists, verbally this time.
When they stand before Blythe, they tell her that Jarden is completely innocent and that he shouldn't be imprisoned. After all, it is not his fault that he succumbed to such a powerful enchantment spell. Could have happened to anyone!
- Please! - Rhaenys says, and glances towards Flinn, that seems to have forgotten why they have gone to see Blythe in the first place and is just looking at her with a twinkle in his eye. The sorceress nudges him and mutters - ... hey, wakey wakey!
(OOC: Persuasion 20)
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren | Lyra
Hewelathan says, "There's no way to be sure, but while scrying could let them spy on us, I don't think that it'll be easy for them to find one ship on the open sea. Much easier to attack us as we approach land. Hopefully, the one we're going to visit is powerful enough to keep the cult away from his island. Of course, the island may hold many other dangers for us."
Hewelathan is interested to watch Jodie and Korba practicing, but he's more interested in practicing simple, fundamental exercises. He thinks about how the ship rolls with the waves, and he notices how his weight shifts and adjusts to the movement of the ship. If he can find a practice partner, he tries to recreate some of the drills he and Tytus saw at the monastery in Tormere. Simple exercises in redirecting a partner's movement and deflecting / dodging a punch or the strike of a sword.
Other than that, Hewelathan spends much of the day and most of the evenings up on deck when the weather is fine, watching the sky and waters with interest for any sight of birds and beasts of the sea. If permitted by the Captain Blythe's officers and crew, he'll also help with some of the daily tasks of running a ship, particularly any "heavy" tasks where he can be especially helpful.
Captain Blythe is willing to hear Rhaenys out and, eventually, agrees to let Jarden go free... but she's still quite nervous. After all, even if his service to the Cult of the Dragon was unwilling, it probably wouldn't be difficult for someone who could cast such a powerful enchantment to scry on someone who was in his service for two years, and, by extension, see what is happening on the ship. So several areas are off-limits to the changeling.
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The rest of the day 1, amazingly enough, goes by completely uneventfully.
As for days 2-6...
Day 2: 19
Day 3: 73
Day 4: 4
Day 5: 61
Day 6: 96
(Note: a roll of 86+ results in some kind of random encounter)
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