Silthras glances at the door then back to Kaz, "We have come to a similar conclusion. Distrust at this point would seem counterproductive. I don't know that I speak for everyone else here, but at this stage the free transfer of information would be more valuable to us than any half-way solution."
He glances briefly at Kal before taking a deep breath. "We would, I think, be willing to meet your original terms. And after that...perhaps take on your fellow as an act of continuing good faith."
Before Kaz arrives, Usul had taken off his cat ring and placed it in his pouch. Seeing the man enter with his ring ((he’s wearing one yeah? If not, you can likely ignore this whole post :P )) Usul adds, when a time presents itself, “Hey… what do you all call yourselves anyway? We saw you all had the same cool ring on.” Pointing to it and twirling the advisor’s ring on his finger absentmindedly.
"Ah. Well that is refreshing to hear." Kaz says, his smile widening. "As a small concession - we can skip the bags on your heads." Unfolding his legs, he pushes off the bed and stands up, moseying over to the door. "It's a bit of a walk from here. Do you mind?"
The man is indeed wearing his ring, and as Usul airs his question Kaz turns to look at the gnome. He scratches his nose absent-mindedly, "You know we don't really call ourselves anything. Never bothered coming up with a name. But that would be a great idea wouldn't it?" At the mention of the ring, a knowing smile spreads across his face as he lifts his hand to show it off. "Oh these? Yes they are quite cool." He says, experimenting with the word. "I certainly hope you didn't pawn yours off somewhere, not a chance you got paid fairly." He gives Usul a wink, and puts his hand on the door. "Now...Ready to go somewhere quiet and talk business?"
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Kal nods along with Silthras. It seemed strange to ally themselves with a man who seemed to run a suspect operation to say the least...But the presence of the celestial had changed things. "We've done nothing but walk since we got here, what's a little more on top of that?" He says. As they follow Kaz to wherever they're being taken, he keeps an eye out around them, looking to see if anyone takes interest or seems to be following them.
Silthras follows as well, perhaps a little uncertainly at first, but the lack of hoods goes some way to assuaging his doubts. He too spends the walk watching for those who might be following, as well as trying to not where it is that they are going.
Perception: 19 (prying eyes etc) (passive 18)
Investigation: 18 (working out where they end up) (passive 10!)
Sylnora follows the others out quietly, content to let them do the scheming and planning. She was unsure of how she felt about this Kaz figure, but Silthras, Kal, and Velyra seemed to trust him somewhat, which was enough for her. Though...she was curious.
As she's taken a habit to recently, she decides to telepathically bug their resident knight about it. 'So what makes you trust this guy so much'?
Kal's attention on the streets and people around them are interrupted by Syl's voice in his mind. Hearing someone speak in his head like this wasn't something he was ever going to get used to. We're running into dead-ends on our own. He seems to have some idea of what's going on, with interests that align with ours. And when we met him the first time, he had a Celestial with him. It could be a trick...But I don't know why he would even expect someone to be able to check for something like that.
Kal becomes immediately distracted by his conversation with Sylnora, and doesn't really catch anything as they walk by. Silthras would notice subtle glances from seemingly regular people all along the way. Things like an older street urchin teaching a younger group how to throw dice, an elderly woman watering her herb garden, a shop keep brushing dirt and dust off his windows. No matter where you are in the city, it seems like there's always a pair of eyes on you. The man Kaz brought with him follows behind you all, though he keeps a far distance.
Kaz doesn't seem to notice - or care, whistling away as he leads you briefly into the Whitcliff Ward, only to cut down through the Silver Ward and into the Vault. There's significantly less people here - mostly workers moving loads of crates and barrels into storage buildings. He takes you all the way to the southeastern end of the ward, to a smaller storage building just off the docks. It has wide doors on the front, appropriate for letting in something like a cart or wagon. He takes you around the side however, through a door that he has to spend half a minute unlocking with a set of picks. "Don't really keep keys. Easy to be stolen you see?" He says with a grin.
The door opens and he leads you inside. It's dimly lit inside, but you can see crates stacked high, as well as a few covered wagons. It looks fairly unremarkable. "You know they let just about anyone buy one of these places? No real questions asked. Just 'give me the money, here you go.' Very convenient." There is a small wooden construction in one corner with windows, like a room for a sort of administrative area. He leads you into it, throwing open a plain wooden door. There's a fairly bare desk in here, some empty shelving, a rug, and a chair. It doesn't look particularly impressive, or secure.
The other man once again stays outside, closing the door and turning his back towards your meeting. "Ah. This is much better." Kaz say, taking a deep breath. "Now. How would you like us to start this sharing?"
Sylthras is a little surprised, and looks around the room. He had expected the one who was a celestial to be there. With a quick glance at the room in the corner, he turns back to Kaz.
"No tests? If not, then perhaps you might be able to tell us what you know of the Unmade?"
"As your companion stated when she called me - things have changed." His eyebrow goes up as you namedrop the Unmade, nodding slowly. "I know what they are. I know how they became what they are. I know two are been woken as we speak...And I know we have no way of stopping them."
Kaz takes a seat on top of the desk in the room, twirling his ring. "Where did you learn of them?"
Silthras takes a long look at his companions, then takes a deep breath. He waits a moment before answering, scanning his friends faces, looking for agreement that he proceed.
"I think you already know that we were ... economical .. with the truth, earlier." He smiles and mimics Kaz's half-shrug from their first meeting. "We explored the ruins as best we could and found some interesting reading. I'd tell you more...but first, perhaps, you can tell us how you know of them?" His eyes narrow, "And maybe throw in what you know about the watchers?"
"Oh these? Yes they are quite cool." He says, experimenting with the word. "I certainly hope you didn't pawn yours off somewhere, not a chance you got paid fairly." He gives Usul a wink, and puts his hand on the door.
"Ah... ho...yeah..."Usul somewhat stammers as the man stands up to leave. He then pats the pouch at his side and as they walk pulls the ring out to place it on his thumb, saying to Kaz, gesturing towards the man's ring as they walk, "We didn't know it was so special at first. Are they all from the Watchers?"
"Ah... ho...yeah..."Usul somewhat stammers as the man stands up to leave. He then pats the pouch at his side and as they walk pulls the ring out to place it on his thumb, saying to Kaz, gesturing towards the man's ring as they walk, "We didn't know it was so special at first. Are they all from the Watchers?"
Kaz waves away the question for now, saying quietly. "Beware speaking of such things in public. You never know when someone is listening in."
NOW
"Hahaha! Economical!" The man throws his head back with laughter, "Yes. That is one way of putting it." He pauses for a moment, continuing to mess with the ring as he ponders your question. "How do I know of them? That is quite a tale." He lifts the hand up, pointing to the ring as he glances to Usul. "To answer your earlier question, these are not quite from the Watchers." He puts his hands behind him, leaning back on the table and blowing out a sigh. "I did not lie to you when I said our organization procures items for a wealthy clientele. When we started, the jobs were varied. Sometimes it was thievery. Sometimes it was dungeon delving. Sometimes it was just negotiating."
"Things changed 15 years ago. We received a offer from an anonymous client that brought us to your lovely little empire. The job sent us deep into the depths underneath the Norxian Hinterlands, into a buried citadel." He seems to be drawn into a memory for a moment before coming to again, waving his hand. "I will not bore you with the details of this particular excursion. Suffice to say we were tricked, but not in a bad way. Oh sure there were trinkets and coin to be had - but the real prize was not a what, but a who. Locked away in that forgotten citadel was a divine messenger. A deva, you understand? By the name of Vanial."
"He revealed to us the truth of Ravere's history...And well...Most of us came from a land that knows well the destruction of otherwordly invaders. It did not take much to turn us to his cause."
"The citadel was a fortress belonging to one of the Starlight Court's orders. The rings we took from there." He sits back up now, crossing his arms. "Satisfactory?"
Silthras smiles at the man's merriment but refrains from responding. At then end he glances at his companions then says, "Your story sounds not too dissimilar to ours, though ours seems to have had a less happy ending, which I will describe more fully shortly."
"But you did not answer how it is that you came by your knowledge of the watchers? Does it come from this ... Vanial? Was it they who sent you to the ruins, looking for ... what exactly?"
Silthras smiles at the man's merriment but refrains from responding. At the end he glances at his companions before speaking, “Your story sounds similar to our own, though ours seems to have had a less happy ending.”
“I note that you have failed to answer all of my questions, but that is fair. You might reasonably expect a little more from us first, so…”
Silthras settles on the ground, assuming a meditative position, eyes focuses in the middle distance, trying to bring structure his tale as he speaks. “Like yours, our tale is long, but I will try to keep to the most salient points to start. There will be economies ..." he says with a grin, "...and omissions, but I will not lie and I am happy to go into details later.”
“We have already described the unusual undead that we encountered, and we have also told you about the creature that ‘wore’ other bodies, so I will not cover them again, unless you have questions.”
He takes a deep breath and his eyes focus on Kaz, “What I did not mention is that we explored the complex under the mine that I think you sent your people to explore. And in that ancient ruin we discovered many things, including a dying Watcher.” He waits to assess Kaz’s reaction, then continues.
“We also found a way to travel to another place – we think it was another plane – where we found – literally – a whole cavern full of those clawed, fast undead. We did our best to seal that cavern before moving the key to the means of travel to a safe place. But I digress...that story can wait.” He says shaking his head, refocussingm hsi thoughts.
“The ruins themselves were a kind of shrine to the memories of a long line of Watchers of Amah, Lady of Winter. Fourteen in all. We did not know what we had stumbled into, and the Watcher I spoke of was like a statue, frozen in time. In trespassing into the inner sanctum we released the magic that bound it, and it – they – he – it was a Drow. Half-drow. Iven Quavein, fourteenth Watcher to the Lady of Winter – he soon died of wounds that he had sustained millennia ago.”
“This all happened around ten days ago. Clayus … the man we are seeking, reported that around that time the clergy in the Temple of Amah started to lose their connection to their god. He also overheard something said by the High Priestess that shocked him deeply. It may touch upon the corruption at the temple, which is why we must find him.”
“As to the Watcher, there was a corruption on him, or in him, that caused his death. Our healing did not help.” He looks at Velyra, and then shakes his head at the memory. “There is is much more to tell, but I will finish for now with a warning: There are people, well connected people, working to free the Unmade, and these people have a connection back to the capital and possibly the royal court -- and now, it seems, possibly to the Temple. We encountered one of their agents and gained some knowledge from them before they were killed by their own.”
At last it seems Silthras has said all he will say, at least for a time, and he looks up Kaz with his head tilted to one side, and a faint smile. “So...perhaps you can fill in a some of the details for us, in both our tale, as well as your own.”
“Can you tell us anything about theses undead – where they come from, whom they serve, how they might be destroyed permanently. As well as answer my earlier questions: How it is that you came by your knowledge of the watchers? Does it come from this ... Vanial? Was it they who sent you to the ruins, looking for ... what exactly?”
“And...perhaps most importantly of all, do you know if any others of the watchers yet live?”
Usul listening, fingers his cat ring absentmindedly then nods in response to Silthras. The story really did sound quite a bit like theirs… He then leans back, crossing his own arms, trying to look important and continues to listen.
Kaz scratches the back of his head, nodding along as Silthras speaks. His eyes do widen as you mention the Watcher, but he quickly checks the reaction. "I will fill in the gaps as best I can, and answer your questions."
"Yes. My people were there to gain access to the ruins. As I'm sure you made use of their journals and maps to do so yourselves."
"We...Suspected we might find Iven there, but we did not know for sure. It is unfortunate that he passed shortly after, we sorely need his kind now." He looks down at his hands, then back up. "Vanial told of us Ravere's true history, yes. The succession of Watchers, the betrayal during the last cycle, and why everything," he shakes his hands in the air chaotically, "fell to pieces."
"I cannot speak towards the Silvershard's regions general undead population. The result of some wayward necromancer after the fall of the Starlight Court perhaps? But the ones you encountered - the faster, more intelligent undead. Those are wraiths. They are servants of the Unmade. As one begins to wake, the boundary between our world and the Abyss is weakened, and these wraiths begin to slip through. Once they gather in sufficient numbers, they attack population centers. If you are killed by a wraith, you become a wraith. So it becomes a sort of runaway effect. You can kill them individually, but they only way to permanently rid the world of them would be to seal Ravere from the Abyss. Destroying the waking Unmade helps, and is what in the past has given our world periods of reprieve."
"Vanial is not the one who sent us to the ruins. He has much knowledge of the past, but he is not the one guiding us. I suspect it to be one of the others Watchers who survived. Though truly, we do not know their identity. When they sent us to find Vanial, and now Iven, it was done through a veil of anonymity. So to answer your question, no, I do not know for certain if others yet live. And if they do, they do not want to be found yet."
"As for why all the secrets," the man gives an exaggerated shrug. "Your guess is as good as mine."
After considering everything he's heard so far, Kal asks carefully, "So what were you going to do after finding Iven? You know the threat we face, obviously. But earlier you said there was no way we could stop the Unmade."
Kaz glances over to the knight, "how to explain...We've found many doors in our time that cannot be opened without a Watcher's touch." he leans back again, looking up at the ceiling. "There was a way to destroy an Unmade. The Ark. But it required all of the Watchers to operate. Some of the survivors tried to use it last time, and it quite literally blew up in their faces." He sighs, "this may be difficult to contend with...But Ravere is doomed. We cannot stop the Unmade from waking. And now with Tel'n'avae's involvement, gods know what that fiend wants, but it can only mean the acceleration of the next calamity. We were hoping to find something left behind that could help us another way: perhaps slow it down, or create a safety zone?"
"We knew of Iven's injury, but we also know that Watchers could pass on whatever it was that made them a Watcher. We were hoping to convince him to pass that onto one of ours, so we could start opening doors."
Silthras glances at the door then back to Kaz, "We have come to a similar conclusion. Distrust at this point would seem counterproductive. I don't know that I speak for everyone else here, but at this stage the free transfer of information would be more valuable to us than any half-way solution."
He glances briefly at Kal before taking a deep breath. "We would, I think, be willing to meet your original terms. And after that...perhaps take on your fellow as an act of continuing good faith."
Before Kaz arrives, Usul had taken off his cat ring and placed it in his pouch. Seeing the man enter with his ring ((he’s wearing one yeah? If not, you can likely ignore this whole post :P )) Usul adds, when a time presents itself, “Hey… what do you all call yourselves anyway? We saw you all had the same cool ring on.” Pointing to it and twirling the advisor’s ring on his finger absentmindedly.
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"Ah. Well that is refreshing to hear." Kaz says, his smile widening. "As a small concession - we can skip the bags on your heads." Unfolding his legs, he pushes off the bed and stands up, moseying over to the door. "It's a bit of a walk from here. Do you mind?"
The man is indeed wearing his ring, and as Usul airs his question Kaz turns to look at the gnome. He scratches his nose absent-mindedly, "You know we don't really call ourselves anything. Never bothered coming up with a name. But that would be a great idea wouldn't it?" At the mention of the ring, a knowing smile spreads across his face as he lifts his hand to show it off. "Oh these? Yes they are quite cool." He says, experimenting with the word. "I certainly hope you didn't pawn yours off somewhere, not a chance you got paid fairly." He gives Usul a wink, and puts his hand on the door. "Now...Ready to go somewhere quiet and talk business?"
Kal nods along with Silthras. It seemed strange to ally themselves with a man who seemed to run a suspect operation to say the least...But the presence of the celestial had changed things. "We've done nothing but walk since we got here, what's a little more on top of that?" He says. As they follow Kaz to wherever they're being taken, he keeps an eye out around them, looking to see if anyone takes interest or seems to be following them.
Perception: 10
Silthras follows as well, perhaps a little uncertainly at first, but the lack of hoods goes some way to assuaging his doubts. He too spends the walk watching for those who might be following, as well as trying to not where it is that they are going.
Perception: 19 (prying eyes etc) (passive 18)
Investigation: 18 (working out where they end up) (passive 10!)
Sylnora follows the others out quietly, content to let them do the scheming and planning. She was unsure of how she felt about this Kaz figure, but Silthras, Kal, and Velyra seemed to trust him somewhat, which was enough for her. Though...she was curious.
As she's taken a habit to recently, she decides to telepathically bug their resident knight about it. 'So what makes you trust this guy so much'?
Kal's attention on the streets and people around them are interrupted by Syl's voice in his mind. Hearing someone speak in his head like this wasn't something he was ever going to get used to. We're running into dead-ends on our own. He seems to have some idea of what's going on, with interests that align with ours. And when we met him the first time, he had a Celestial with him. It could be a trick...But I don't know why he would even expect someone to be able to check for something like that.
Kal becomes immediately distracted by his conversation with Sylnora, and doesn't really catch anything as they walk by. Silthras would notice subtle glances from seemingly regular people all along the way. Things like an older street urchin teaching a younger group how to throw dice, an elderly woman watering her herb garden, a shop keep brushing dirt and dust off his windows. No matter where you are in the city, it seems like there's always a pair of eyes on you. The man Kaz brought with him follows behind you all, though he keeps a far distance.
Kaz doesn't seem to notice - or care, whistling away as he leads you briefly into the Whitcliff Ward, only to cut down through the Silver Ward and into the Vault. There's significantly less people here - mostly workers moving loads of crates and barrels into storage buildings. He takes you all the way to the southeastern end of the ward, to a smaller storage building just off the docks. It has wide doors on the front, appropriate for letting in something like a cart or wagon. He takes you around the side however, through a door that he has to spend half a minute unlocking with a set of picks. "Don't really keep keys. Easy to be stolen you see?" He says with a grin.
The door opens and he leads you inside. It's dimly lit inside, but you can see crates stacked high, as well as a few covered wagons. It looks fairly unremarkable. "You know they let just about anyone buy one of these places? No real questions asked. Just 'give me the money, here you go.' Very convenient." There is a small wooden construction in one corner with windows, like a room for a sort of administrative area. He leads you into it, throwing open a plain wooden door. There's a fairly bare desk in here, some empty shelving, a rug, and a chair. It doesn't look particularly impressive, or secure.
The other man once again stays outside, closing the door and turning his back towards your meeting. "Ah. This is much better." Kaz say, taking a deep breath. "Now. How would you like us to start this sharing?"
Sylthras is a little surprised, and looks around the room. He had expected the one who was a celestial to be there. With a quick glance at the room in the corner, he turns back to Kaz.
"No tests? If not, then perhaps you might be able to tell us what you know of the Unmade?"
"As your companion stated when she called me - things have changed." His eyebrow goes up as you namedrop the Unmade, nodding slowly. "I know what they are. I know how they became what they are. I know two are been woken as we speak...And I know we have no way of stopping them."
Kaz takes a seat on top of the desk in the room, twirling his ring. "Where did you learn of them?"
Silthras takes a long look at his companions, then takes a deep breath. He waits a moment before answering, scanning his friends faces, looking for agreement that he proceed.
"I think you already know that we were ... economical .. with the truth, earlier." He smiles and mimics Kaz's half-shrug from their first meeting. "We explored the ruins as best we could and found some interesting reading. I'd tell you more...but first, perhaps, you can tell us how you know of them?" His eyes narrow, "And maybe throw in what you know about the watchers?"
((as they walk))
"Ah... ho...yeah..." Usul somewhat stammers as the man stands up to leave. He then pats the pouch at his side and as they walk pulls the ring out to place it on his thumb, saying to Kaz, gesturing towards the man's ring as they walk, "We didn't know it was so special at first. Are they all from the Watchers?"
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BEFORE
Kaz waves away the question for now, saying quietly. "Beware speaking of such things in public. You never know when someone is listening in."
NOW
"Hahaha! Economical!" The man throws his head back with laughter, "Yes. That is one way of putting it." He pauses for a moment, continuing to mess with the ring as he ponders your question. "How do I know of them? That is quite a tale." He lifts the hand up, pointing to the ring as he glances to Usul. "To answer your earlier question, these are not quite from the Watchers." He puts his hands behind him, leaning back on the table and blowing out a sigh. "I did not lie to you when I said our organization procures items for a wealthy clientele. When we started, the jobs were varied. Sometimes it was thievery. Sometimes it was dungeon delving. Sometimes it was just negotiating."
"Things changed 15 years ago. We received a offer from an anonymous client that brought us to your lovely little empire. The job sent us deep into the depths underneath the Norxian Hinterlands, into a buried citadel." He seems to be drawn into a memory for a moment before coming to again, waving his hand. "I will not bore you with the details of this particular excursion. Suffice to say we were tricked, but not in a bad way. Oh sure there were trinkets and coin to be had - but the real prize was not a what, but a who. Locked away in that forgotten citadel was a divine messenger. A deva, you understand? By the name of Vanial."
"He revealed to us the truth of Ravere's history...And well...Most of us came from a land that knows well the destruction of otherwordly invaders. It did not take much to turn us to his cause."
"The citadel was a fortress belonging to one of the Starlight Court's orders. The rings we took from there." He sits back up now, crossing his arms. "Satisfactory?"
PC MORE STABLE -- updating below
Silthras smiles at the man's merriment but refrains from responding. At then end he glances at his companions then says, "Your story sounds not too dissimilar to ours, though ours seems to have had a less happy ending, which I will describe more fully shortly.""But you did not answer how it is that you came by your knowledge of the watchers? Does it come from this ... Vanial? Was it they who sent you to the ruins, looking for ... what exactly?"Silthras smiles at the man's merriment but refrains from responding. At the end he glances at his companions before speaking, “Your story sounds similar to our own, though ours seems to have had a less happy ending.”
“I note that you have failed to answer all of my questions, but that is fair. You might reasonably expect a little more from us first, so…”
Silthras settles on the ground, assuming a meditative position, eyes focuses in the middle distance, trying to bring structure his tale as he speaks. “Like yours, our tale is long, but I will try to keep to the most salient points to start. There will be economies ..." he says with a grin, "...and omissions, but I will not lie and I am happy to go into details later.”
“We have already described the unusual undead that we encountered, and we have also told you about the creature that ‘wore’ other bodies, so I will not cover them again, unless you have questions.”
He takes a deep breath and his eyes focus on Kaz, “What I did not mention is that we explored the complex under the mine that I think you sent your people to explore. And in that ancient ruin we discovered many things, including a dying Watcher.” He waits to assess Kaz’s reaction, then continues.
“We also found a way to travel to another place – we think it was another plane – where we found – literally – a whole cavern full of those clawed, fast undead. We did our best to seal that cavern before moving the key to the means of travel to a safe place. But I digress...that story can wait.” He says shaking his head, refocussingm hsi thoughts.
“The ruins themselves were a kind of shrine to the memories of a long line of Watchers of Amah, Lady of Winter. Fourteen in all. We did not know what we had stumbled into, and the Watcher I spoke of was like a statue, frozen in time. In trespassing into the inner sanctum we released the magic that bound it, and it – they – he – it was a Drow. Half-drow. Iven Quavein, fourteenth Watcher to the Lady of Winter – he soon died of wounds that he had sustained millennia ago.”
“This all happened around ten days ago. Clayus … the man we are seeking, reported that around that time the clergy in the Temple of Amah started to lose their connection to their god. He also overheard something said by the High Priestess that shocked him deeply. It may touch upon the corruption at the temple, which is why we must find him.”
“As to the Watcher, there was a corruption on him, or in him, that caused his death. Our healing did not help.” He looks at Velyra, and then shakes his head at the memory. “There is is much more to tell, but I will finish for now with a warning: There are people, well connected people, working to free the Unmade, and these people have a connection back to the capital and possibly the royal court -- and now, it seems, possibly to the Temple. We encountered one of their agents and gained some knowledge from them before they were killed by their own.”
At last it seems Silthras has said all he will say, at least for a time, and he looks up Kaz with his head tilted to one side, and a faint smile. “So...perhaps you can fill in a some of the details for us, in both our tale, as well as your own.”
“Can you tell us anything about theses undead – where they come from, whom they serve, how they might be destroyed permanently. As well as answer my earlier questions: How it is that you came by your knowledge of the watchers? Does it come from this ... Vanial? Was it they who sent you to the ruins, looking for ... what exactly?”
“And...perhaps most importantly of all, do you know if any others of the watchers yet live?”
Usul listening, fingers his cat ring absentmindedly then nods in response to Silthras. The story really did sound quite a bit like theirs… He then leans back, crossing his own arms, trying to look important and continues to listen.
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(( Revised version of Silthras response above, now that I have a vaguely working PC ))
Kaz scratches the back of his head, nodding along as Silthras speaks. His eyes do widen as you mention the Watcher, but he quickly checks the reaction. "I will fill in the gaps as best I can, and answer your questions."
"Yes. My people were there to gain access to the ruins. As I'm sure you made use of their journals and maps to do so yourselves."
"We...Suspected we might find Iven there, but we did not know for sure. It is unfortunate that he passed shortly after, we sorely need his kind now." He looks down at his hands, then back up. "Vanial told of us Ravere's true history, yes. The succession of Watchers, the betrayal during the last cycle, and why everything," he shakes his hands in the air chaotically, "fell to pieces."
"I cannot speak towards the Silvershard's regions general undead population. The result of some wayward necromancer after the fall of the Starlight Court perhaps? But the ones you encountered - the faster, more intelligent undead. Those are wraiths. They are servants of the Unmade. As one begins to wake, the boundary between our world and the Abyss is weakened, and these wraiths begin to slip through. Once they gather in sufficient numbers, they attack population centers. If you are killed by a wraith, you become a wraith. So it becomes a sort of runaway effect. You can kill them individually, but they only way to permanently rid the world of them would be to seal Ravere from the Abyss. Destroying the waking Unmade helps, and is what in the past has given our world periods of reprieve."
"Vanial is not the one who sent us to the ruins. He has much knowledge of the past, but he is not the one guiding us. I suspect it to be one of the others Watchers who survived. Though truly, we do not know their identity. When they sent us to find Vanial, and now Iven, it was done through a veil of anonymity. So to answer your question, no, I do not know for certain if others yet live. And if they do, they do not want to be found yet."
"As for why all the secrets," the man gives an exaggerated shrug. "Your guess is as good as mine."
After considering everything he's heard so far, Kal asks carefully, "So what were you going to do after finding Iven? You know the threat we face, obviously. But earlier you said there was no way we could stop the Unmade."
Silthras is struggling with some internal conflict, perhaps related to Kal's. he nods slowly, interested in Kaz's response.
Kaz glances over to the knight, "how to explain...We've found many doors in our time that cannot be opened without a Watcher's touch." he leans back again, looking up at the ceiling. "There was a way to destroy an Unmade. The Ark. But it required all of the Watchers to operate. Some of the survivors tried to use it last time, and it quite literally blew up in their faces." He sighs, "this may be difficult to contend with...But Ravere is doomed. We cannot stop the Unmade from waking. And now with Tel'n'avae's involvement, gods know what that fiend wants, but it can only mean the acceleration of the next calamity. We were hoping to find something left behind that could help us another way: perhaps slow it down, or create a safety zone?"
"We knew of Iven's injury, but we also know that Watchers could pass on whatever it was that made them a Watcher. We were hoping to convince him to pass that onto one of ours, so we could start opening doors."