Erik accepts the news with mixed emotions: guilt at possibly leaving Handril behind but relief that he'll be getting out of this site of such slaughter soon. Since he was unscathed in the fight with The Hunter, Erik spends most of the rest tinkering with his armor.
He speaks a command word and hidden hinges in his plate armor "open up" to let him step easily out of it. He reaches into his bag and takes out a set of customized Smith's Tools. He spends most of the Short Rest working on his armor, converting the armor model so that it's more useful for melee combat in case The Hunter wakes up during the helicopter ride or The Brute shows up before they can get out of here. If Eppie asks, he explains, "Just trying to adjust the power converter to transform the electrical charge into sonic vibrations instead of just letting in arc out from the armor."
"You can change the armor’s model whenever you finish a short or long rest, provided you have smith’s tools in hand." Erik changes his Arcane Armor to the Guardian model.
(OOC: Info dump for the group from one of Erik's earlier history checks...)
While he works, Erik shares some things that he remembered from the legends and historical records of the ancient times. "I've made a study of ancient times and especially of the lost arcane arts that created so-called 'haunted' items and places like this facility. It was The Hunter's silvered weapons that sparked my memory," he explains. "That struck me as odd. Why would the Dark Lord's forces need silvered weapons?"
Erik answers his own question: "The histories record several key figures involved in the ultimate defeat of the Dark Lord. Well, his first defeat until we re-awakened him. Supposedly, his opponents included werebears, big men who could shapechange into even bigger bears. Those shapechangers were supposedly resistant weapons unless they were coated in silver. The stories say that werebears were once plentiful in these mountains. They probably weren't the key force in the war against the Dark Lord, but they may have been enough of an annoyance to prompt the Dark Lord to issue silvered weapons to his soldiers. Or maybe this 'hunter' was looking for more dangerous and thrilling quarry and just took it upon himself to hunt the werebears for his master."
Erik pauses his work and thinks for a bit. He continues in a grim, matter-of-fact tone, "I don't know what we're going to do now that the Dark Lord and his allies are free. The old legends say that legendary wizards and war priests joined the armies arrayed against the Dark Lord's forces. That kind of arcane power is no longer available in this day, but even then it might not have been enough. The lead scholars in this field believe that the central figure responsible for the Dark Lord's ultimate downfall was none other than his own son, Norman Blackridge. Supposedly, Norman was born to the Dark Lord by an elven slave. Lord Tenebris raised the boy to be a weapon, the point of his spear to strike at his enemies. The Dark Lord's approach was a lifetime of brutal 'training' for the boy, and thankfully for the world, that treatment motivated the young man to turn against the insane monster his father had become. Norman's betrayal would cause an internal fight within the Dark Lord's ranks, which ultimately gave the neighboring kingdoms the opportunity they needed to strike back against the Dark Lord's forces. No history records what had actually become of Lord Tenebris and his closest servants after their defeat. Some thought that they were just driven into exile after they were defeated and stripped of their powers. That never made sense to me, not after they had caused so much death and destruction. I always assumed that they had been killed and utterly destroyed. That is, until just a couple of weeks ago -- here -- when our expedition discovered their bodies suspended in some sort of stasis. Would that we had just left and let them be and and buried this accursed place in rock and snow!"
At the end of the Short Rest, Erik is feeling a bit more hopeful about getting out of here. He praises everyone's skill and grit in taking down The Hunter. He talks about joining the others once they get back to base to help plan the next steps against the Dark Lord and his allies. Erik is motivated by his involvement in the expedition that accidentally set the Dark Lord loose on the world again. He also wants to avenge his associates who were slaughtered by the Dark Lord and his allies.
(Erik uses Inspiring Leader to grant everyone 12 THP. Just in case we run into trouble before we get back to base!)
"Roger that," Eppie says to the radio. And settles down with everyone to wait for the helicopter pickup, keeping a watchful and begoggled eye on the unconscious Hunter. The other begoggled eye is on Erik's tinkering with his armor, which she is indeed intrigued by. "Fantastic," she says, with admiration. "Instruments of defense and offense aren't my specialty, although I've cobbled a few things together. Utility and biologic analogs are more my area of expertise. You've seen my Vox IV--it's a vast improvement over Vox III, I assure you. We'll have to compare notes when we have more time."
The goblin listens with fascination to the retelling of the history of the Dark Lord's defeat. "So it was your expedition that woke them up? How did you manage that? Or was it triggered by some accident?"
By the time an hour has passed, you can hear the choppers in the distance. The sound seems to be enough to rouse the Hunter. His eyes open groggily, and he chuckles as he realizes that he is in fact not dead.
"Still got something you want out of me?"he asks with a little smirk. "I'm guessing that you decided to turn back before meeting the Brute... I wonder if he was able to get that little alchemist guy to fix the transporter while you folks dragged me back out here."
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Erik's tinkering with his armor, which she is indeed intrigued by. "Fantastic," she says, with admiration. "Instruments of defense and offense aren't my specialty, although I've cobbled a few things together. Utility and biologic analogs are more my area of expertise. You've seen my Vox IV--it's a vast improvement over Vox III, I assure you. We'll have to compare notes when we have more time."
"Biologic analogs?", Erik says before realizing that she's talking about Vox IV. "Oh, you mean semi-autonomous constructs! I don't have any experience in that field, but I'd be happy to learn more from you." He seems impressed by Vox IV, perhaps at least partially because Vox IV helped to free him. "As you can see," he says, gesturing to his armor and his bag, "my research has been focused on personal assistive technologies with a particular focus in electronics, sonics, and extra-dimensional engineering. Unfortunately, I'm still in the prototyping phase, and I haven't figured out how to translate my suit into a product that would work for a broader market."
The goblin listens with fascination to the retelling of the history of the Dark Lord's defeat. "So it was your expedition that woke them up? How did you manage that? Or was it triggered by some accident?"
"Oh! That's right!", Erik says. "Vox IV was there, but you weren't." He shares with the rest of the party what he had told Toa and Pinion earlier. He says, "It was an accident...or -- at least -- I hope it was an accident! I was selected for the expedition more for my knowledge of this type of potentially haunted site and the arcane items that we might find here. When we found The Six, I was excited that my name would be associated with such a historic discovery: the location of the Dark Lord's resting place! But then we realized that they weren't dead, just frozen in time and unchanged for hundreds of years. Imagine that! I was looking forward to studying how that was done. If that could be done at will, you could 'freeze' a terminal patient, for example, until a cure for their disease could be found. But biologics aren't really my specialty. I wasn't in the room when 'it' happened, but I assume that, in trying to study the process that kept The Six in a permanent stasis, the other researchers must have accidentally revived them. I only found out as the battle spread. Probably a quarter of the team were killed immediately after the Dark Lord was revived or as they tried to flee. The ones who got away found us and warned us of the disaster. We tried to mount some sort of defense, but the Dark Lord and some of his allies wield magic I've never even heard of. Our our toughest guard struck dead at a word. The Vizier just appeared in the middle of a locked room and attacked us. When there were just a dozen or so left, Dark Lord spoke to us, and almost everyone gave up the fight immediately and surrendered. Their minds must have been dominated because they knew that our only chance of survival was escape. They were forced to torture their friends -- or even themselves -- to death. Not even for information, just for the amusement of The Six. With my suit, I evaded capture the longest, but this place is too remote to escape without a vehicle. Eventually, I was captured, and when I refused to help them, they chained me up, just as you eventually found me." Trying to lighten the mood after such a dark story, Erik says, "By the way...Thanks, again, for that! The next round of drinks after we get back are on me!"
Toa begins to go a little cross-eyed trying to keep up with everything that the guy in the strangely shifting armor is saying. Nodding and pretending that he comprehends everything perfectly, when it is clear that he really does not.
"Round of drinks? Yes, I also like round drinks. You know when you chop a green coconut in half, it's the best thing you'll ever..."
The island warrior trails off uncertainly. He glances over to Pyx for some moral support.
But then the Hunter speaks up and Toa turns to the bound lion-like form. "I do not know what they wish with you, arrow-cat. I thought we were going to give you a quick, honorable death. I mean, that is what I would want. You hunt well. I can still give it to you if that is what you wish?"
Toa hefts his maul expectantly. He is not making a threat. He genuinely believes the Hunter might want a clean death.
"I think I like you, warrior," he tells Toa, scooting into a slightly more comfortable position. "I have no intention of begging for my life. But I'm not going to throw it away at once if I don't have to... as long as I live I know the day will likely come when I shall hunt again."
His lips curl back in a smile, revealing his blood-stained fangs. The leonin's composure is truly remarkable considering the circumstances.
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By the time an hour has passed, you can hear the choppers in the distance. The sound seems to be enough to rouse the Hunter. His eyes open groggily, and he chuckles as he realizes that he is in fact not dead.
"Still got something you want out of me?"he asks with a little smirk. "I'm guessing that you decided to turn back before meeting the Brute... I wonder if he was able to get that little alchemist guy to fix the transporter while you folks dragged me back out here."
Seeing that The Hunter is awake, Erik steps back into his armor, speaks a command word, and the armor closes back around him. For now, his helmet is open.
At the mention "that little alchemist guy," clearly referring to Handril Kraggranite, Erik perks up. When The Hunter mentions "the transporter," Erik turns to give Simon and Eppie an inquiring look, wondering whether the reference means anything to them. A vehicle? Or perhaps a magical portal of some sort?
Simon will raise an eyebrow at the information from the transporter, "Look, you don't want to die here and you seem like a pragmatic person so let's look at your situation, shall we? You are currently greatly injured, tied up, surrounded by deadly adversaries, weaponless, ally-less, and soon there will be a bomb to destroy this place and everything and everyone in it. So! You have a choice, die smuggely for a being that would have nothing to do with you or answer a few questions and live another day to find other quarry worth your talent. The choice is yours." Simon will cock his revolver but keep it at his side, just to make sure the Hunter knows that he is not kidding.
"A what now?"the Hunter asks, in reference to the bomb.
He shakes his head, then gives a snicker.
"So you want information? It will do you little good... the Dark Lord cannot be defeated. Especially not now... now that he already used the transporter. The Dark Lord is long gone, him an' three of the Chosen. Problem is that the damn thing stopped working after that an' left me an' Brute here while everyone else went forth to the Master's many fortresses throughout Letera. The dwarf said he was close to gettin' it working again... 'course, he'll be the first one to walk through if he does get it workin'. Brute an' I might not be the brains of the operation, but we ain't stupid either."
The Hunter seems quite willing to talk, clearly believing that it doesn't really matter what you know or don't know.
"I am glad you are so willing to chat with us. Tell us more about your boss, what was the role of the gnome, who woke you up, what is Brute like, who are the other 'Chosen', what makes you think that your boss is so undefeatable?" Simon pulls out his notebook to jot down the answers given.
"In our own day the Dark Lord was nearly invincible," the Hunter says with a chuckle. "But now... when high mages are no more... there is NOTHING that can stand against his power."
It seems quite obvious the Hunter truly believes that it is impossible for the Dark Lord to suffer a second defeat if the high magic of old is gone... granted, the Hunter doesn't know much about the innovations of the modern world, so it is entirely possible that he underestimates the power of the new world.
As for the other Chosen, he doesn't really tell you anything that you didn't already know.
Finally, the role of the dwarf... like Erik, Handril is a man of science, and Lord Tenbris finds thing interesting and possibly useful. More importantly, much of the ancient 'magic' was the product of lost technology, the kind of technology that modern artificers are in the process of slowly re-discovering. It took a long time, but the Dark Lord and his allies had been forcing Handril to repair a damaged device... one which allowed the Dark Lord and his minions to teleport out of the fortress to other locations. Each one of the five 'Chosen' had been assigned a location that was once a stronghold of the Dark Lord, from which they were to begin using their unique skills to start raising armies to wage war on this new world. Unfortunately for the Hunter (and the Brute), the hastily repaired device gave out after only four of the six evil lunatics had used it to go to their assigned locations.
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"In our own day the Dark Lord was nearly invincible," the Hunter says with a chuckle. "But now... when high mages are no more... there is NOTHING that can stand against his power."
Erik chimes in with some (forced) confidence: "I guess we'll see, won't we? The world is much changed since The Dark Lord was defeated, and in these enlightened times, men do not look kindly upon warlords who threaten stability with wars of conquest."
Finally, the role of the dwarf... like Erik, Handril is a man of science, and Lord Tenbris finds thing interesting and possibly useful. More importantly, much of the ancient 'magic' was the product of lost technology, the kind of technology that modern artificers are in the process of slowly re-discovering. It took a long time, but the Dark Lord and his allies had been forcing Handril to repair a damaged device... one which allowed the Dark Lord and his minions to teleport out of the fortress to other locations. Each one of the five 'Chosen' had been assigned a location that was once a stronghold of the Dark Lord, from which they were to begin using their unique skills to start raising armies to wage war on this new world. Unfortunately for the Hunter (and the Brute), the hastily repaired device gave out after only four of the six evil lunatics had used it to go to their assigned locations.
Erik tries to prod the Hunter into giving more information about these strongholds. "What makes you think that these ancient strongholds even still exist? Your companions were more likely 'transported' into the middle of desolate ruins!"
Once The Hunter has a chance to reply to that, Erik tries to clarify how many fortresses ware in play. "What's wrong with you?", he asks. "The way you explain it, it sounds like you were going to share a fortress with The Brute." Maybe Erik misunderstood that part, but if The Hunter confirms it, he continues to push: "And you accepted that? Each of the other four each got their own, but you have to share? Does the Dark Lord not trust you? Or does he only trust you with babysitting The Brute? Or did he run out of fortresses by the time he got down to his least important allies?"
Erik is trying to think of any specific "strongholds" or "ruins" that are associated with the Dark Lord in the histories. Unless the 5 or 6 locations are immediately obvious to Erik, he tries to keep The Hunter talking, hoping that he provides enough details for Erik (or the rest of the team) to figure out where these strongholds are.
"Sure, they probably are ruins," Eppie puts in. "But I think they meant to abandon this place altogether... except that the transporter broke. There's probably a few fortresses left that they couldn't get to... maybe we should try to find those, eh?"
Pyx trots up to the bound hunter, now that he's awake, and sniffs at his feet.
"Yeah, the goblin chick got it right," the Hunter says. "Stupid gate just stopped workin' before me an' Brute got to go to our strongholds. Ah well, ya' win some ya' lose some, I guess."
He glances at the feathered creature curiously. The Hunter shows surprisingly little fear for a man (well, lion) in his position.
Erik:
You're able to think of twelve possible locations scattered across the continent. As expected given the time that has passed, the actual fortresses are mostly destroyed, and if the Dark Lord intends to make use of them then they will need to be rebuilt. However, one notable exception is Waerham Castle, which has been turned into a museum and is now an active tourist destination. If one of the Dark Lord's minions... or the Dark Lord himself... has appeared there, you can be fairly certain that you will find out about it very soon...
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"Yeah, the goblin chick got it right," the Hunter says. "Stupid gate just stopped workin' before me an' Brute got to go to our strongholds. Ah well, ya' win some ya' lose some, I guess."
"Oh?", Erik remarks casually. "What sort of place does Lord Tenebris consider an adequate fortress for him and his closest allies? A villa on the coast perhaps? Or a tower on a hill? Not an underground bunker, I hope? They're secure, but they're universally drab and depressing. Even though you 'lost' this one, I hope that you were at least allocated your preferred fortress. It will be tough to sit in prison if you also know that your least favorite ally is sitting comfortably in the stronghold that you wanted!" He's still trying to prod The Hunter into giving them some useful information about any of the fortresses that the Dark Lord and the other three Chosen went to.
Applying Flash of Genius to make that Persuasion22
So, basically continuing to chat as casually as possible with some leading questions to keep The Hunter talking and hopefully dropping some useful information for us to figure out where at least some of the Chosen are now holed up and what we would face if we tried to confront them there.
"Which fortress were you supposed to get?"
"How large did they build fortresses back in your day? What kind of square footage are we talking about?"
etc.
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Simon breathes relief as he hears that the helicopter is coming.
Erik accepts the news with mixed emotions: guilt at possibly leaving Handril behind but relief that he'll be getting out of this site of such slaughter soon. Since he was unscathed in the fight with The Hunter, Erik spends most of the rest tinkering with his armor.
He speaks a command word and hidden hinges in his plate armor "open up" to let him step easily out of it. He reaches into his bag and takes out a set of customized Smith's Tools. He spends most of the Short Rest working on his armor, converting the armor model so that it's more useful for melee combat in case The Hunter wakes up during the helicopter ride or The Brute shows up before they can get out of here. If Eppie asks, he explains, "Just trying to adjust the power converter to transform the electrical charge into sonic vibrations instead of just letting in arc out from the armor."
"You can change the armor’s model whenever you finish a short or long rest, provided you have smith’s tools in hand." Erik changes his Arcane Armor to the Guardian model.
(OOC: Info dump for the group from one of Erik's earlier history checks...)
While he works, Erik shares some things that he remembered from the legends and historical records of the ancient times. "I've made a study of ancient times and especially of the lost arcane arts that created so-called 'haunted' items and places like this facility. It was The Hunter's silvered weapons that sparked my memory," he explains. "That struck me as odd. Why would the Dark Lord's forces need silvered weapons?"
Erik answers his own question: "The histories record several key figures involved in the ultimate defeat of the Dark Lord. Well, his first defeat until we re-awakened him. Supposedly, his opponents included werebears, big men who could shapechange into even bigger bears. Those shapechangers were supposedly resistant weapons unless they were coated in silver. The stories say that werebears were once plentiful in these mountains. They probably weren't the key force in the war against the Dark Lord, but they may have been enough of an annoyance to prompt the Dark Lord to issue silvered weapons to his soldiers. Or maybe this 'hunter' was looking for more dangerous and thrilling quarry and just took it upon himself to hunt the werebears for his master."
Erik pauses his work and thinks for a bit. He continues in a grim, matter-of-fact tone, "I don't know what we're going to do now that the Dark Lord and his allies are free. The old legends say that legendary wizards and war priests joined the armies arrayed against the Dark Lord's forces. That kind of arcane power is no longer available in this day, but even then it might not have been enough. The lead scholars in this field believe that the central figure responsible for the Dark Lord's ultimate downfall was none other than his own son, Norman Blackridge. Supposedly, Norman was born to the Dark Lord by an elven slave. Lord Tenebris raised the boy to be a weapon, the point of his spear to strike at his enemies. The Dark Lord's approach was a lifetime of brutal 'training' for the boy, and thankfully for the world, that treatment motivated the young man to turn against the insane monster his father had become. Norman's betrayal would cause an internal fight within the Dark Lord's ranks, which ultimately gave the neighboring kingdoms the opportunity they needed to strike back against the Dark Lord's forces. No history records what had actually become of Lord Tenebris and his closest servants after their defeat. Some thought that they were just driven into exile after they were defeated and stripped of their powers. That never made sense to me, not after they had caused so much death and destruction. I always assumed that they had been killed and utterly destroyed. That is, until just a couple of weeks ago -- here -- when our expedition discovered their bodies suspended in some sort of stasis. Would that we had just left and let them be and and buried this accursed place in rock and snow!"
At the end of the Short Rest, Erik is feeling a bit more hopeful about getting out of here. He praises everyone's skill and grit in taking down The Hunter. He talks about joining the others once they get back to base to help plan the next steps against the Dark Lord and his allies. Erik is motivated by his involvement in the expedition that accidentally set the Dark Lord loose on the world again. He also wants to avenge his associates who were slaughtered by the Dark Lord and his allies.
(Erik uses Inspiring Leader to grant everyone 12 THP. Just in case we run into trouble before we get back to base!)
"Roger that," Eppie says to the radio. And settles down with everyone to wait for the helicopter pickup, keeping a watchful and begoggled eye on the unconscious Hunter. The other begoggled eye is on Erik's tinkering with his armor, which she is indeed intrigued by. "Fantastic," she says, with admiration. "Instruments of defense and offense aren't my specialty, although I've cobbled a few things together. Utility and biologic analogs are more my area of expertise. You've seen my Vox IV--it's a vast improvement over Vox III, I assure you. We'll have to compare notes when we have more time."
The goblin listens with fascination to the retelling of the history of the Dark Lord's defeat. "So it was your expedition that woke them up? How did you manage that? Or was it triggered by some accident?"
By the time an hour has passed, you can hear the choppers in the distance. The sound seems to be enough to rouse the Hunter. His eyes open groggily, and he chuckles as he realizes that he is in fact not dead.
"Still got something you want out of me?" he asks with a little smirk. "I'm guessing that you decided to turn back before meeting the Brute... I wonder if he was able to get that little alchemist guy to fix the transporter while you folks dragged me back out here."
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"Biologic analogs?", Erik says before realizing that she's talking about Vox IV. "Oh, you mean semi-autonomous constructs! I don't have any experience in that field, but I'd be happy to learn more from you." He seems impressed by Vox IV, perhaps at least partially because Vox IV helped to free him. "As you can see," he says, gesturing to his armor and his bag, "my research has been focused on personal assistive technologies with a particular focus in electronics, sonics, and extra-dimensional engineering. Unfortunately, I'm still in the prototyping phase, and I haven't figured out how to translate my suit into a product that would work for a broader market."
"Oh! That's right!", Erik says. "Vox IV was there, but you weren't." He shares with the rest of the party what he had told Toa and Pinion earlier. He says, "It was an accident...or -- at least -- I hope it was an accident! I was selected for the expedition more for my knowledge of this type of potentially haunted site and the arcane items that we might find here. When we found The Six, I was excited that my name would be associated with such a historic discovery: the location of the Dark Lord's resting place! But then we realized that they weren't dead, just frozen in time and unchanged for hundreds of years. Imagine that! I was looking forward to studying how that was done. If that could be done at will, you could 'freeze' a terminal patient, for example, until a cure for their disease could be found. But biologics aren't really my specialty. I wasn't in the room when 'it' happened, but I assume that, in trying to study the process that kept The Six in a permanent stasis, the other researchers must have accidentally revived them. I only found out as the battle spread. Probably a quarter of the team were killed immediately after the Dark Lord was revived or as they tried to flee. The ones who got away found us and warned us of the disaster. We tried to mount some sort of defense, but the Dark Lord and some of his allies wield magic I've never even heard of. Our our toughest guard struck dead at a word. The Vizier just appeared in the middle of a locked room and attacked us. When there were just a dozen or so left, Dark Lord spoke to us, and almost everyone gave up the fight immediately and surrendered. Their minds must have been dominated because they knew that our only chance of survival was escape. They were forced to torture their friends -- or even themselves -- to death. Not even for information, just for the amusement of The Six. With my suit, I evaded capture the longest, but this place is too remote to escape without a vehicle. Eventually, I was captured, and when I refused to help them, they chained me up, just as you eventually found me." Trying to lighten the mood after such a dark story, Erik says, "By the way...Thanks, again, for that! The next round of drinks after we get back are on me!"
Toa begins to go a little cross-eyed trying to keep up with everything that the guy in the strangely shifting armor is saying. Nodding and pretending that he comprehends everything perfectly, when it is clear that he really does not.
"Round of drinks? Yes, I also like round drinks. You know when you chop a green coconut in half, it's the best thing you'll ever..."
The island warrior trails off uncertainly. He glances over to Pyx for some moral support.
But then the Hunter speaks up and Toa turns to the bound lion-like form. "I do not know what they wish with you, arrow-cat. I thought we were going to give you a quick, honorable death. I mean, that is what I would want. You hunt well. I can still give it to you if that is what you wish?"
Toa hefts his maul expectantly. He is not making a threat. He genuinely believes the Hunter might want a clean death.
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Xarian(Fighter2): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons
Dyson/Eleo(TwilightCleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(ShepherdDruid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(WildMagicSorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(EchoKnightFighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(MercyMonk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(NatureCleric3/DivineSoulSorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk
The feline chuckles.
"I think I like you, warrior," he tells Toa, scooting into a slightly more comfortable position. "I have no intention of begging for my life. But I'm not going to throw it away at once if I don't have to... as long as I live I know the day will likely come when I shall hunt again."
His lips curl back in a smile, revealing his blood-stained fangs. The leonin's composure is truly remarkable considering the circumstances.
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Seeing that The Hunter is awake, Erik steps back into his armor, speaks a command word, and the armor closes back around him. For now, his helmet is open.
At the mention "that little alchemist guy," clearly referring to Handril Kraggranite, Erik perks up. When The Hunter mentions "the transporter," Erik turns to give Simon and Eppie an inquiring look, wondering whether the reference means anything to them. A vehicle? Or perhaps a magical portal of some sort?
Pyx looks back at Toa... and licks her scaley lips. Maybe she likes coconuts too.
Eppie peers at the Hunter. "Transporter, eh? What's that? I'm an artificer as well, so I have something of a professional interest in Handril's work."
Simon will raise an eyebrow at the information from the transporter, "Look, you don't want to die here and you seem like a pragmatic person so let's look at your situation, shall we? You are currently greatly injured, tied up, surrounded by deadly adversaries, weaponless, ally-less, and soon there will be a bomb to destroy this place and everything and everyone in it. So! You have a choice, die smuggely for a being that would have nothing to do with you or answer a few questions and live another day to find other quarry worth your talent. The choice is yours." Simon will cock his revolver but keep it at his side, just to make sure the Hunter knows that he is not kidding.
"A what now?" the Hunter asks, in reference to the bomb.
He shakes his head, then gives a snicker.
"So you want information? It will do you little good... the Dark Lord cannot be defeated. Especially not now... now that he already used the transporter. The Dark Lord is long gone, him an' three of the Chosen. Problem is that the damn thing stopped working after that an' left me an' Brute here while everyone else went forth to the Master's many fortresses throughout Letera. The dwarf said he was close to gettin' it working again... 'course, he'll be the first one to walk through if he does get it workin'. Brute an' I might not be the brains of the operation, but we ain't stupid either."
The Hunter seems quite willing to talk, clearly believing that it doesn't really matter what you know or don't know.
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"I am glad you are so willing to chat with us. Tell us more about your boss, what was the role of the gnome, who woke you up, what is Brute like, who are the other 'Chosen', what makes you think that your boss is so undefeatable?" Simon pulls out his notebook to jot down the answers given.
"In our own day the Dark Lord was nearly invincible," the Hunter says with a chuckle. "But now... when high mages are no more... there is NOTHING that can stand against his power."
It seems quite obvious the Hunter truly believes that it is impossible for the Dark Lord to suffer a second defeat if the high magic of old is gone... granted, the Hunter doesn't know much about the innovations of the modern world, so it is entirely possible that he underestimates the power of the new world.
As for the other Chosen, he doesn't really tell you anything that you didn't already know.
Finally, the role of the dwarf... like Erik, Handril is a man of science, and Lord Tenbris finds thing interesting and possibly useful. More importantly, much of the ancient 'magic' was the product of lost technology, the kind of technology that modern artificers are in the process of slowly re-discovering. It took a long time, but the Dark Lord and his allies had been forcing Handril to repair a damaged device... one which allowed the Dark Lord and his minions to teleport out of the fortress to other locations. Each one of the five 'Chosen' had been assigned a location that was once a stronghold of the Dark Lord, from which they were to begin using their unique skills to start raising armies to wage war on this new world. Unfortunately for the Hunter (and the Brute), the hastily repaired device gave out after only four of the six evil lunatics had used it to go to their assigned locations.
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Erik chimes in with some (forced) confidence: "I guess we'll see, won't we? The world is much changed since The Dark Lord was defeated, and in these enlightened times, men do not look kindly upon warlords who threaten stability with wars of conquest."
Erik tries to prod the Hunter into giving more information about these strongholds. "What makes you think that these ancient strongholds even still exist? Your companions were more likely 'transported' into the middle of desolate ruins!"
Once The Hunter has a chance to reply to that, Erik tries to clarify how many fortresses ware in play. "What's wrong with you?", he asks. "The way you explain it, it sounds like you were going to share a fortress with The Brute." Maybe Erik misunderstood that part, but if The Hunter confirms it, he continues to push: "And you accepted that? Each of the other four each got their own, but you have to share? Does the Dark Lord not trust you? Or does he only trust you with babysitting The Brute? Or did he run out of fortresses by the time he got down to his least important allies?"
Erik is trying to think of any specific "strongholds" or "ruins" that are associated with the Dark Lord in the histories. Unless the 5 or 6 locations are immediately obvious to Erik, he tries to keep The Hunter talking, hoping that he provides enough details for Erik (or the rest of the team) to figure out where these strongholds are.
History: 23
"Sure, they probably are ruins," Eppie puts in. "But I think they meant to abandon this place altogether... except that the transporter broke. There's probably a few fortresses left that they couldn't get to... maybe we should try to find those, eh?"
Pyx trots up to the bound hunter, now that he's awake, and sniffs at his feet.
"Yeah, the goblin chick got it right," the Hunter says. "Stupid gate just stopped workin' before me an' Brute got to go to our strongholds. Ah well, ya' win some ya' lose some, I guess."
He glances at the feathered creature curiously. The Hunter shows surprisingly little fear for a man (well, lion) in his position.
Erik:
You're able to think of twelve possible locations scattered across the continent. As expected given the time that has passed, the actual fortresses are mostly destroyed, and if the Dark Lord intends to make use of them then they will need to be rebuilt. However, one notable exception is Waerham Castle, which has been turned into a museum and is now an active tourist destination. If one of the Dark Lord's minions... or the Dark Lord himself... has appeared there, you can be fairly certain that you will find out about it very soon...
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"Oh?", Erik remarks casually. "What sort of place does Lord Tenebris consider an adequate fortress for him and his closest allies? A villa on the coast perhaps? Or a tower on a hill? Not an underground bunker, I hope? They're secure, but they're universally drab and depressing. Even though you 'lost' this one, I hope that you were at least allocated your preferred fortress. It will be tough to sit in prison if you also know that your least favorite ally is sitting comfortably in the stronghold that you wanted!" He's still trying to prod The Hunter into giving them some useful information about any of the fortresses that the Dark Lord and the other three Chosen went to.
Persuasion 18
Applying Flash of Genius to make that Persuasion 22
So, basically continuing to chat as casually as possible with some leading questions to keep The Hunter talking and hopefully dropping some useful information for us to figure out where at least some of the Chosen are now holed up and what we would face if we tried to confront them there.
"Which fortress were you supposed to get?"
"How large did they build fortresses back in your day? What kind of square footage are we talking about?"
etc.