WotW: Call Forth Darkness IC

[Angstrom]

When the partygoers return from Farholde Hal, Van, and the blood-soaked skeletons of two celestials are there to greet them. Welcoming them back, Hal tells them of the extra-planar incursion and the loss of Vexor. Retreating to the war room he asks Ilvaria to brief him on how the organization was functioning and what she had learned from their supposed allies. At first pleased that the adventuring shop cover seemed to be working quite well, Hal was disappointed with how much information the partygoers had divulged to the Baron and the witch. The more they knew about the Horn's defences the easier it would be for them to betray the Nessian Knot.

When Ilvaria tells him about the inquisitor, he and Van both recoil. Van runs from the room crying, mounts Moon, and flies off into the night. Hal asks the drow to excuse him, and retreats to his chambers. Van ran; just like she ran when the others were burning on Harkon's pyre. Hal can't help but suspect, this might be too much for her already broken mind to handle. Tori's death, and the year of isolation that followed, had broken Van and she showed no signs of healing.

Summoning Buddy to his side, the pair hold a brief discussion before calling upon guidance from on high. With daemonic confirmation of Harkon's involvement, their faces both grow serious and they agree that the group needs to be properly warned.


When the Knot, Ezra, and Hexor have all gathered in the war room, Hal begins. "As many of you know, our actions here have drawn the attention of the Mitran Inquisition. Incurring such unwanted attention is inevitable, given the scale of this undertaking. Buddy and I have ascertained the identity of the inquisitor; Father Matthias Harkon."

Not expecting a reaction from the others, Hal continues, "This man is trouble you've not known. Harkon, and his band of trained inquisitors, is deadly. This fortress is ready to repel waves of Talingarde's soldiers and squadrons of knights, but we are not ready for this man. We won't see him coming nor will we know rest as long as he hunts us. This won't be a palms-up military attack, he'll come at us sideways. Its how he thinks. He'll hit us where we're weakest, exploit flaws we don't know we have."

"We aren't ready."

Van stands in the doorway, her eyes red and puffy from the tears. "But we will be"

Hal smiles momentarily at Van's return before becoming grim once more. "Yes. We will be ready. He doesn't know that I'm here, and that takes away his advantage. We will kill him."