"If your only goal is to simply exist with the rest of the stone and earth, then you do indeed have the advantage, Mr. Rockborn.  There is a reason, however, that those with great intellect and the will to yield it rule this land, or soon will."

Kiven spends any spare time crafting but otherwise tackles the following three tasks.

1) Kiven gathers the necessary herbs based on his own knowledge of alchemy and Eya's prior guidance.  He attempts to make a potent poison and tests it on a medium sized animal in the forest or, if he can't find one, someone's goat, sheep or pig when no one is around to see.

Craft, Alchemy: 26

2) Kiven, disguised as the curious old man Wulfric, introduces himself to the dwarves at the tavern.  He spends hours pretending to be interested in their culture, where they are from, their various crafts etc. before ever asking about their current project at the keep.  Only once they've warned to him and have a good deal of ale in them does he express curiosity into the wonders of dwarven construction when it comes to such a project, and eventually the specifics of their current work.  He hopes to identify a weakness in the keep or something the party could do to sabotage the repairs and bring part of the keep down at the proper moment.

Diplomacy: 27

3) Kiven talks to Snowball about Eya's death and what the creature wants out of life now.  He hopes to reach an agreement for a mutually beneficial relationship between Snowball and himself.

Diplomacy: 26

Blau finds a place in town, possibly near an herbalist, that he can rent for a month. His cover story is that of a hedge priest, using herbs and simples to heal and help the injuries and diseases that simple towns folk get regularly. He'll be a chatty sort, engaging in conversation with his patients to draw out anything that may prove useful, making notes in Terran. In talking with the herbalist, he will see what possible options there for water treatment are in stock. (Laxatives? :D)

Selena quickly finds that Lord Havelyn rarely leaves the castle, and the same goes for his second, Captain Mott. Easily the most accessible public leader would be Father Donnagan, but while he is extremely friendly, she doubts flirtations would go far with him. Perhaps the most likely targets would be Captain Varning or Captain Eddarling. Both are unattached, and in spite of multiple women in town being interested, both have so far remained unattached. Varning is probably easier to catch. He's a known flirt, having short relationships with the odd girl here or there. Eddarling is considerably more reserved, but has better access to the castle, and given the testimony of your new partners, distracting the suspicious Eddarling from the remaining two of the original team would be of benefit to the task at hand.

Working from Eya's notes, Kiven distills a poison that seems to be quite effective on the animals he tests it on. It takes a little while to find the right dosage to severely impair the imbiber. The main challenge now is obtaining enough ingredients to poison a large part of the garrison. His attempts at reaching out to the dwarves yields mixed results. He pretty quickly gets the impression that they've promised not to discuss the details of their work, and they keep to it remarkably well even when roaring drunk. He does get a good hint when one of them grumbles about having to work around a gate mechanism rather than just taking it apart for a few days.

Snowball is quiet on the matter of Eya's death. Between his earlier observations and the current discussion, Kiven gets the strong impression that the mephit is looking for relative safety and stability. Or to put it another way, he'll happily serve any strong master that doesn't abuse him or send him into harms way too freely.

Blau finds that his aid is welcome, but that things are relatively quiet in regards to his business. Serious injuries are not common here. Father Donnagan visits more frequently than anyone else, the gregarious priest looking to share healing techniques and discuss matters of faith from someone with a new perspective.

...

Ozette crests the final hill before Aldencross. It had been a fairly long journey.

She had spent months working for the mysterious Cardinal Thorne, running tasks here and there, observing merchant caravan routes, delivering things to other operatives, and in one case of glorious combat, ambushing a lone knight as he traveled and making sure his body was never found. She succeeded at all her tasks, and so Thorne declared that her talent had earned her a chance at greater glories. She was to report to Aldencross, and join a group known as the "Nessus Knot" as an equal, to strive together towards a rather vital task.

Thorne made it clear that this appointment came with great rewards for success, but also that failure would not be treated lightly to say the least.

Further communications had established a meeting point shortly outside of town, she was to meet her new companions there shortly after dark. They would brief her from there.

Tainted. Deviant. Monster. These were the words people in Tallingarde used to describe Ozette since she was very young. She never chose to be a tiefling, no one chooses their nature at birth, but everyone from her parents, to neighbors,  to her local cleric had only insults and beatings for her. They claimed it was for her own good and it would purge her of her sins. Sins they had accused Ozette of at birth. Was it any wonder she ran away, abandoned her old life and joined a cult whose members preached her infernal features were a blessing and a gift.

Now Ozette was on a mission for her new family and she was looking forward to meeting those who would help bring down the rule of the false god Mitra. She was disguised thanks to the magic of her talisman, a gift from the Cardinal. It was unfortunate that she couldn't walk about openly, but it was the current way of things and a reminder of what she fought for. Her disguise was of a woman of considerable statue, well over six feet tall, with dark hair and tanned skin, armoured in a shining breast plate and carrying a hammer with a starburst symbol of Mitra. Ozetta had chosen this form to match her normal statue and armour as close as possible, and help with the illusion if someone were to touch her.

Night began to fall as Ozette approached the meeting place; a small clearing off the road with enough cover to hide from any patrols in the area. Ozette had apparently arrived first, which was a surprise for her. She hoped she had the right place. Not know what to do until the other showed themselves, she found herself a tree stump and sat down to rest her feet. It had been a long trip and her boots boarded on the impractical.

Respar was frustrated.  So far he had several ideas and possibilities to explore, and he was having very little success.  He was about at the point where he was going to have to sneak into the castle, disguised as one of the guards he was sure was in town, so he could explore the keep further.  They really needed to know how the gate and drawbridge operated at a minimum.  But now it was time to meet their fifth team member.  He approached the clearing.  They had been told very little about who this new person was.  He saw a tall woman with a large hammer.  He stepped into view and spoke softly.  "Good evening.  I appreciate you being on time.  I am Respar.  What has our patron told you about our assignment?"

Waiting for a goodly dozen minutes after the new member had arrived, Blau rose up about ten feet away. The disguise spell that helped him resemble a stoney bump more so than he normally does faded to reveal his short, stumpy appearance.

Looking around again to confirm no unwanted company was around, his rough voice quietly spoke "You're our new addition? I'm Blaupunkt, priest. I'm the one whose going to keep your squishy insides, inside. What good are you to our task?"

His short stature barely reaching above four and a half feet, the grey skin,hair and eyes showed his elemental heritage. Bereft of much in the way of clothing, the few items he had were conspicuous on his body.

Ozette had been in her own head when Respar and Blaupunkt stepped into the clearing. Their sudden appearance made her nearly jump out of her skin and she was on her feet in moments, hammer raised like an avenging paladin. "Sorry, you surprised me." She said, lowering her weapon. Ozette looked from Redpar to Blaupunkt, and gave them a friendly smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you, the both of you. My name is Ozette; our patron hasn't informed me about our assignment, but I've heard very good things about this particular knot." To Blaupunkt she flexed her arm, showing of its impressive tone. "And since you're asking, I'm your new muscle."

   Shortly after Blau reveals himself a large a rustle of feathers is heard as a raven lands on a branch overhead.  He holds his head sideways as he studies her. The raven opens his mouth and begins speaking in a somewhat shrill voice.  " I am known as Poe.  I come on behalf of my mistress Selena.  You seem well endowed in the strength department but are probably lacking in brains. Such is life.  Kraa..." He paces back and forth. He mutters, " Smartest creature here and i don't see much hope.  A talking miniature rock and a giant of a woman with brains of mush.  "  He flaps his wings.  " Kraaaa..." 

"Don't worry about it, feather duster.I'm sure your superior brain works better under pressure. Like if I sit on you." Blau responds to Poe. Turning back to Ozette, he stares "People who smile too much are hiding something. Don't advertise. Try not to get hit too much, when you're using that strength. My God doesn't heal disappointments."

At Blau’s warning, Ozette shifted her smile to a pout. She bit her tongue, holding back a plethora of insults to defend herself from the birds insults. “For your information…” She said to Po. “I was assigned to this Knot because half of the original group were crushed to death by a golem. I’m here to deal with any threats and prevent the rest of you from dying horribly.” By the fires of hell, Ozette, don’t embarrass yourself by arguing with a bird, she thought to herself. 

The big woman composed herself before turning back to Respar and Blau. “Ok, so no smiling. We’re all miserable worshipers of Mitra and have no joy in our lives. What’s our mission?”

Blau summarizes the mission as he knows (see previous posts from the others on page 44) , and adds "Basically, we are to make it as easy as possible for our forces to defeat their forces, and give the miserable, self-righteous  worshipers of Mitra a REAL reason to be miserable. Various schemes are in the works, we just have to pick a day to start the various sands running."

 After all of the others have arrived, an old, wizardly looking man approaches and enters the clearing.  "Wait, wait for me..." he mumbles.

As he draws near, the illusion of the old man fades and is replaced by that of a pale but tall and regal half-elf with fine clothing and a thin gold crown.  

Kiven Aloro of House Aloro wears a smirk and replies to the Ozette's comment about hearing very good things about the Nessus Knot by simply saying "but of course you have" matter of factly.  He remarks to the bird "Poe, do not insult those in our precious Knot, especially a newcomer."  He pauses only briefly before adding "that is my job."  "Your dear Cardinal has surely answered all of my prayers, more muscle" he says sarcastically to Blau before sighing.  "He does enjoy tormenting me so, for now..."  "My dear Poe, we'll have to settle for one another when it comes to matters of intellect, it seems."  

"I digress, so where is our new recruit?  I only see a giant Mitran.  I would see your true form if I am to allow you to join our merry band."  Kiven raises an eyebrow at Ozette.  "Any chance you are actually a dwarf with exceptional skill at stone craft?  If so we do indeed have a position available."

Ozette pressed her lips together. So, Nessus Knot was full of “smarter than you, brainy types”, she thought. "So... you must be the leader of the Nessus Knot." She said, looking Kivan up and down, giving him an unimpressed look. "I thought you'd be taller." 

Ozette placed a hand on her breast plate, touching the amulet hidden by the illusion. Immediately, the illusion fell away, being replaced by a tiefling of equally large proportions. Two pairs of sweeping horns sprouted from her head, decorated with gold chains and bands studded with jewels, with a well combed mane of red hair falling between them. At first those assembled thought she was wearing scale armour on her arms, but they quickly realized her arms were bear and covered in armored scales, complete with clawed hands. She still wore a breastplate, though now it was black iron instead shining silver. Her hammer was replaced with a heavy flail with a huge, spiked weight on the end. Behind her a thick draconic tail lashed back and forth and the white robes of a Mitra paladin were replaced with a black gown with lace and ruffles. 

The infernal warrior snorted, a tiny burst of flame shooting out of her nostrils. “As you can see, I am not a dwarf. Nor am I a flimsy elf; I am one of our Lord’s chosen instruments on this plane.” Her grin returned, revealing pointed reptilian teeth. “I was sent to assist you in your mission, but mark my words; I won’t hesitate to replace you if I think you don't have our Lord’s best interests in mind.”

  Poe almost has a smirk if possible for a raven as he listens to Blau and Ozzette. He says to Selena telepathetically, " The new comer is a huge tiefling. Another devoted fool to Asnodeus.  " She replies, " Learn what you can Poe. " 

  He hops along the branch and jumps to the ground in front of Blau. He shimmers and  ls much larger. His beady eyes are at eye level with the Oread. His wingspan is about 6 feet.  " Squash me? So unthoughtful of you.  It is so nice to see that we have 2 such devoted...." He mutters " fools" then says louder, " Followers of Asmodeus in our group now. I rest easier knowing this. " 

Respar shakes his head and sighs loudly.  "Kiven is no more our leader than any other.  None of us would be willing to completely obey any of the others, so don't feel you need to either.  That said, if we don't work together, we fail our mission, and our patron punishes all of us.  So by all that is ho-, I mean unholy, stop being such pricks.  All of you!"  He spits to the side in obvious disgust.  "Sometime in the nest 3 weeks, we must signal our allies to attack the keep.  We must weaken the defenses here so the attack succeeds.  And so far, we've not had a lot of luck.  We've been trying to gain as much intelligence as possible.  Our only real edge at this point is we have found a tunnel into the keep we can use for infiltration.  But it's still dicey exploring.  We haven't even seen the gates and their mechanisms.  So any ideas would be welcome.  Most of us are working on learning what we can from the locals, and those who work in the keep.  Since most of my attempts at learning with subtlety have not gone well, my next gambit will probably be to go inside, looking like a guard we know is in town, deep in his cups.  Just long enough to explore and learn more of the gate."  He pauses, "Though I also intend to break into the homes of two of the officers that live in town."

Ozette thought for a moment. "How often do any guards leave the city to patrol the country side? Especially any of their captains? If we could capture a few of them, perhaps we could learn more about what's inside..." As she spoke the words, Ozette could already see the flaw in the plan. There was no way a captain would betray his lord, even with Ozette's skills at integration. They would die before besmirching their pathetic honor.

"If the Keep is our current objective, then that's where I'll go. My disguise will easily fit in as a new recruit and from there I'll be in the best position to help the rest of the knot gather information. Maybe open a few doors for you when you need it. Literally." She paused. "Do we know it the keep has a prison built inside it? Getting arrested may be an easy in for someone who can open locked doors."

  Poe struts around as he listens.   " I will spend some of my most valuable time checking on these cages the birds are kept in.  We need to make sure that none of them will be able to get out with any messages.  Snowball will handle them from what i heard previously.  " He glances at Blau and Ozzett again.  " My concern is your ability to remain quiet.  From the looks of you two we might as well sound the alarm wherever we go.  Am i wrong?"  

  He holds his head sideways for a short time.  Afterwards he says, " My mistress says she will work on seducing one of the captains.  Maybe Captain Adderly.  Are we through here? I have some hunting to do.  " 

Balu sneers at the arrogance of the bird, the size change not intimidating for one who has seen and been better. Ignoring the inflated mouth piece, he says "I think I'll see what I can learn from the dwarves. Speaking their language and understanding the culture, i may be able to find some details of this project they are working on so hard. If we choose a target date, we can better select our strike points. I wouldn't want anyone imprisoned though, as that would risk exposure of our plans. As far as seduction goes, " he adds, looking at Poe pointedly, "As long as some creatures keep their mouths shut, that may be an avenue you soft ones can explore."

------------------

The next available day, Blau uses the disguise magic to resemble his adoptive father, and arranges to be in a tavern frequented by the workers, beginning the process of friendship. 

Poe shakes his head and listens again to Selena. He pointedly ignores Blau and speaks to Respar and Kiven.  " The lady Selena will begin to work on this Captain Adderly today.  I will find you Respar and inform you of the situation and can warn you if he heads back to his home.  I will be the way she communicates with each of you the majority of the time.  It keeps her from being linked in any way to this group. " He shimmers and changes back into his smaller version.  " Even though it has been a true pleasure dealing with such wit I must be off.  Blau,  I am sure you will have great success with the dwarfs.  They do enjoy working with rocks.  "

  With a tip of his wings he is gone. He flies away from the village for a time to sate his hunger.  After he has had his fill he circles around and back to the vicinity of his mistress. 

  She glances up and sees him in the distance.  " It is time my friend.  You know what to do.  " She will await news of the captain's whereabouts.  In the meantime she puts on her tightest fitting gown and makes sure her appearance is perfect.   Once she receives word of his location she will intercept him and be flirty with him to see where it goes. 

Bluff/Seduction  33

Ozette touched her hand to the amulet and the illusion of a Mitra knight resumed itself. "Well then, I've traveled a long way; is there an Inn in town I can stay the night at? It would probably be better to maintain my cover, rather than spending the night with one of you.  In the morning, I'll visit the castle and see what I can learn."