The Six From Shadow (IC) - Eyes and Sins

[Sen isSaqqara]

"Sounds good." Replies L. "Hmn... I know this is sort of off-topic, but do you even know where the rest of our group is going? Do you have any way of finding out?"

[Grim ranger]

"I have a good idea, but nothing concrete. We do not need to know where they are going as long as we know where we will meet them when this is all done... And besides, it lowers the chances of knights or other enemies laying an ambush for them if even we do not know their destination" Cynath says, looking at L. "At any rate, it does not matter right now. They have their tasks, we have ours. Go there and ask those fine gents who they are working for... And then kill them. We are on a schedule here."

[Sen isSaqqara]

"Hmn. I will try to get the information from them, but I must say that I have horrible luck when it comes to the whole 'killing people' thing. Y'might want to get in a position to help at short notice. Wish me luck." With this, L begins walking towards the front doors, keeping a close eye on the guards to see if they will try to stop him.

[3SecondCultist]

L: As you approach, the pair stops what they are doing. Drawing their swords, they turn to give you their full attention. The guard to the left, apparently the ranking officer, begins to speak.
"I'm sorry sir, but this property is off-limits, by the authority of the Council of Inquisitors. Only sanctioned officials are allowed beyond the threshold. Move along, please."

[Mordokai]

Putting her face in a palm of her hand, Synia can't resist sighing quietly this time. Somebody remind me why we're keeping her around. Poking Rebecca under ribs with one finger, she says to her. "Skip the pleasantries and explain the gentleman why we're here. For that matter... explain it to us as well. I don't recall you ever telling us what was on that mind of yours when you decided to come here."

[Sen isSaqqara]

"Ah, sorry to disturb you, then. Just dropping by the city, and thought I'd see a few places I remembered from my youth."

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Bluff:
(1d20+26)[43]

"Would you particularly mind if I took a quick look around? Just the outside, mind."

[3SecondCultist]

Rebeca, Mordrent, Synia: The boy is utterly still, and utterly silent. He does not seem to have responded to your speech, but the voice continues to reverberate inside your heads.
"Hahahaha. Your reactions are better than I would have expected. You're fun. Pay the boy no mind. He is merely an illusory projection of someone I once knew." The foyer itself is dark, but roomy. There are three passages to take, one to the right, one to the middle, and one to your left. All three seem identical, down to the matte wood paneling, and the fog that envelops the space beyond.
"Welcome to my humble abode. I will warn you, this once: you will be tested here. Guardians, precipices, and the foul magics of my past await you. I will be watching, but I will not hinder and I will not help. Feel free to leave through the same door you came in, but I do not think that is likely, given who you are. If you manage to make it all the way to me, then we will talk. Until then, I wish you good luck!"

[Mordokai]

Focusing her eyes on every passage in turn for a couple of seconds, Synia shrugs. "I pressume you both heard our "host"? Well then... Mordrent, take point. I will be in the middle. Rebecca, you and your... pet, take the rear. That way, we will be best prepared."

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Making Spot and Listen checks for each and every passage. I will choose which one to go in after you give me the results. Going from left, center, right, in that order.

Spot - (1d20+25)[44]
Listen - (1d20+20)[37]

Spot - (1d20+25)[29]
Listen - (1d20+20)[25]

Spot - (1d20+25)[37]
Listen - (1d20+20)[29]

[Lizard Lord]

Rebeca giggles and smiles cheerfully at Synia's question. "We're here to find a home silly!"

In response to the voice Rebeca's smile turns into a slight pout for about a second. "An illusion? Does that mean I can't get sigils of my own?


When the plan for formations is declared Rebeca nods and goes right back to smiling as her and Snookums take their place.

[3SecondCultist]

Synia: An intense fog seems to block off the corridors, of which you cannot see more than five feet. What you can see are walls of paneled wood, in a light, but somewhat decaying decor. There is no illumination getting through at all. From the middle corridor, you can hear of wood creaking, likely from some sort of pressure. From the left and right hallways, nothing. The host remains silent as well, leaving you to your own counsel.

L: The officer examines your appearance, laughing while he does it.
"Yeah, okay there, buddy. I'm jus' going to let you loiter 'round private property for no other reason of yer sense of damned curiosity? That'll go over well with the Council of Inquisitors! Sorry, sir, but orders are orders. Now beat it."

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I will admit, I had some fun writing this. He believes you, but now he just think you're an idiot. Apparently, going to see places of one's youth is not a high priority on this guy's list.

[Sen isSaqqara]

"Ah well. Wait, did you say the Council? Which of them ordered something like this?"

[3SecondCultist]

L: "Are you still talkin'? I thought I told you to leave. This is private property, and you've overstayed yer welcome!"

[Sen isSaqqara]

L lets a little bit of anger slip into his expression. "I'm sorry, did you just give me an order? Me? You'd think the son of one of the council would get some respect around here."

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Bluff (Again): (1d20+26)[30]
Intimidate: (1d20+11)[26]

[Denomar]

For what must be the fifth time this night alone Mordrent dearly wishes that he had his armor.

Striding into the room Mordrent walks straight through the image of the "boy" until he is standing directly in the center of the entry way.

"We would prefer to entreat face to face. Show yourself."

Drawing his sword it comes alight with a cold purple luminescence. "I do not fear you." To Synia he says "Direct me."

[Mordokai]

Thinking a little, Synia points one finger towards the left corridor. "Lets start there. But proceed with caution. There's no telling what waits us and we wouldn't want any accidents." As soon as she's done, she pulls out her lute and starts playing a gentle melody, hoping for it to help her comrades overcome the possible difficulties of the road ahead.

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Inspire Greatness on Mordrent and Rebecca. They both gain the number of HP equal to the roll bellow, +2 to attack rolls and +1 to Fortitude saves. Lasts for as long as Synia performs and five rounds thereafter.

(2d10)[6] <--- constitution modifier applies

[3SecondCultist]

L: The officer's compatriot seems to be a little bit unsettled, but a glance from his superior calms him somewhat. The officer looks you up and down more carefully now, taking into account the glowing red bow on your back.
"I'm sorry that we haven't been properly introduced, but I don't particularly care that much who y'are. We were given direct orders to keep everyone away. Short of High Inquisitor Valentine or the Lord Regent, we aren't letting anyone in. By the Nine Hells, get out of here, before my partner and I have to employ some steel!"

Mordrent, Rebeca, Synia: As you begin to make your way down the left corridor, the voice makes itself audible once again.
"I believe my terms thus far have been clear enough. I promise you, there will be monsters enough to obliterate on your way. I could hardly leave to meet you face to face, that would defeat the purpose. You have to earn the audience." Whoever or whatever this is, they seem to have taken on an amused quality. After about ten feet, the fog gradually begins to clear.

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I will need two Will saves from all three of you. The first is a DC 21, the second one is a DC 22.

[Sen isSaqqara]

L crosses his arms across his chest, tilting his head back a bit any acting the part of the noble's son.
"You still don't realize who I am, do you? My name is James Silverholt, and me and my colleagues are looking into the previous occupants of this place. Our task brought us here. I suggest you get anyone posted inside out before we begin. Our... investigative methods can be quite destructive."

[Denomar]

"posturing son of a...."

Mordrent's thoughts are interrupted by the assault upon his willpower.

ooc.

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Save 1.(1d20+5)[13]
Save 2.(1d20+5)[10]

If this is explicitly a trap than those numbers are improved by 4 as per his levels in dungeoncrasher fighter.

Edit. Not that it would make a difference.

[3SecondCultist]

L: The guards take one more look at each other. Obviously, the senior officer is not pleased with the turn the conversation has taken, but grudgingly, he sheathes his sword, and motions for his partner to do the same.
"Alright. Let's say I do believe ya. I still can't let you in, 'thout direct authorization from a Council member, or anyone of a higher rank." He stops to think for a moment, before adopting a neutral expression and turning back to you.

Rebeca: As the fog clears, you see an empty room. Rectangular in shape, it extends about twenty five feet to an empty wall. This room appears to be a dead end, bare of any furniture, doors, or windows of any sort. After about a minute, the rotting stench of peeling, silo rich wood fills your nostrils. Something died in here, once.

Synia: As you step from the fog, you feel a chill seep through your body. Snowflakes fall from the slate sky above, and your breath begins to mist in the air. The sun is weak, but you can feel its light nonetheless. You appear to be standing in an alley. The rough stone walls of buildings on either side direct your gaze forward, to what appears to be a small square, off in the distance. You can also see, to the west, an ivory spire extending into the sky. The street is empty of people however, and completely silent, save the howling wind.

Mordrent: The fog has cleared, to reveal a city alley in winter. The snow descends slowly all around you, coating the ground in a fine shroud of white. In the distance, you can see the Solstice skyline. All of this, however, is in the background. Directly in front of you, there are two figures conversing. The first, a ragged urchin who you quickly realize is the same boy that you met at the entrance to the house. His apprentice robes are tattered, and he seems quite a bit thinner than he was before. The sigils are gone now, as well. The second figure is a man. Tall, with an average build, he has his back to you. He wears a long grey cloak, complete with a hood. From where you stand, you can see little of his features, save for a wicked looking spiked gauntlet on his right hand.
"Why are you here?"
The question, obviously directed at the boy, manages to send shivers down your spine. This is the voice of a dead man, a voice immediately familiar to you.

Cho'Sul.

[Lizard Lord]

Curious as to where that lovely smell could be coming from Rebeca will search the room.

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Search Check: (1d20+4)[24]

[Sen isSaqqara]

"Ah well. If you insist on being obstinate, I'll go get signed documents of permission from my superiors." L turns and walks back towards where Cynath and Leona are hidden. He nods to them. Shall we kill them?

[Mordokai]

Looking around, Synia ponders on situation a little. The other two doesn't seem to be around, so the options are twofold. Either they have been truly separated... or this is some sort of illusion. Deciding to take the easier way out, she first tries and spot the telltale signs of magic.

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Spellcraft - (1d20+15)[28]

If Synia can identify any residual magic, she will use Evil's Blessing and attempt the two saves again.

Will 1 - (1d20+21)[35]
Will 2 - (1d20+21)[36]

If any of the above rolls fail, she will try interacting with the enviroment. Walking to the square before her, touching something in her way, like a well, wall, street sign... the like.

[Grim ranger]

Nodding to L in return of his question, Cynath slings his bow free from over his shoulder, nocking an arrow to the bowstring and aiming it right at the nearest gate guard. "Take them both out. With minium of noise, if possible. After that is done, drag them bit more out of sight. After that, we will enter and repeat the procedure inside if there are anyone there. I hope that you still know how to kill when necessary, Leona."

Firing the arrow, he quickly nocks and fires two more arrows, hoping that the projectiles will at least harm the guards enough for easier kills. If not, well... They will just have to get the bare essentials in that particular case. Burning will happen in any case: the manorhouse has already served it's purpose. Still, it would be good if they can retrieve the important items before torching it... And there is of course the matter of getting Donovan out, if the man is still inside.

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Going for full attack to use rapid shot, and thus getting 3 sneak attacks against the guards. Arrow 1 and 2 are for the guard closest to Cynath: arrow 3 is for the one further away from him.

(1d20+12)[22] (Arrow 1 hit)
(1d20+7)[17] (Arrow 2 hit)
(1d20+12)[31] (Arrow 3 hit)

If they hit, wounding rolls:

For arrow 1:

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(6d6)[26]
(1d8+2)[8]

For arrow 2:

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(6d6)[17]
(1d8+2)[8]

For arrow 3:

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(6d6)[14]
(1d8+2)[7]

If they hit, each arrow does automatic 2 Strenght damage to the target.

[3SecondCultist]

Synia: After several moments of searching, you manage to trace the origin of your 'surroundings' to a moderately powerful illusion aura. Steeling yourself, you manage to throw off the magical trappings, finding yourself in an empty room, that seems to be quite long. Rotten wooden planks cover the walls, and a pungent odor wafts throughout the space. Rebeca stands in front of you, looking around for something. Mordrent, on the other hand, is standing at near the entrance-way from which you came, staring at something only he can see.

Cynath: All three of your arrows fly true, ripping through the tender pink flesh beneath the mail of the guards. The belligerent officer goes down first, dead before he hits the ground. His partner, however, manages to survive your assault, albeit barely. He is breathing, but every breath draws out blood. He will not last long.
"Well done. You've improved since last we saw each other, I think." Leona stands up, winking lasciviously in your direction before moving to the manor's threshold.
"Does anyone have a pressing need to keep this man alive, or can I put him out of his misery now?"

[Grim ranger]

Furrowing his brow slightly and offering a simple nod in return of Leona's compliment, Cynath decides to keep his focus on task at hand. If he knows something about Leona, it is that she is not averse to using any means at her disposal to further her own agenda. That is something that they can see eye to eye on... And it means that he does not have the luxary of trusting the woman one bit. Then again, there is not really anyone barring the original members of the Six that he can trust in his current situation.

"We are on schedule here, but perhaps killing is not completely necessary here. In fact..." he muses, stopping next to the injured man "if you tell us how many of your comrades are still inside, what they are here to do, and where they plan on leaving to after they are done, I will let you live. If not, I will allow my associate here to kill you and bind your soul to my dagger, so there will not be afterlife for good little puppet like yourself" Cynath says in very matter-of-fact tone, drawing his dagger and showing it's crackling, purple blade to the guard. "I will even throw in a free healing spell so that you will even keep on living if you tell me what I want to know. Now, out with it."

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Bluff check ahoy!

(1d20+15)[17]

Edit: And miserable failure. Still, results should be funny to observe

[Mordokai]

"So it was an illusion after all. Crafty, but you'll need more than that to stop us." Looking around, Synia first spots Rebeca, searching for god knows what. Next, she sees Mordrent, looking into space. Steping next to him, she waves a hand in front of his eyes and when that doesn't seem to snap him back to the world of the living, she moves right next to his ear and... starts singing. A slow, mournfoul melody. Hopefully, it will guide him back to them.

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Using Break Enchantement on Mordrent. I know it doesn't tehnically fit, since this is an illusion, not enchantement, or curse, or something similar, but it doesn't hurt any. Here's a caster level check.

(1d20+12)[24]

[3SecondCultist]

Cynath, L: The guard, bleeding out on the senseless stones of the street, does not even seem to acknowledge you. You can see his lips moving, however, and as you lean in you manage to catch four words.
"Inquisitor... Mandel... inside... searching." He coughs suddenly, violent tremors racking his body. Leona leans down and, drawing a hidden blade from her inner thigh, slits his throat in one fluid movement.
"Damn. This changes things. We have two options now. Firstly, we can torch the place from out here, and try to make sure that no one else gets out alive, or we can sneak in and try to figure out what is really going on here. I suggest we split up, as not all of us are adept at stealth."


Mordrent: The scene in front of you seems to be dragged out somewhat. The boy and your former master are having a somewhat lengthy conversation. It seems to be almost designed for an outside listener such as yourself, although the context is unfamiliar.
"They... left me out here, sir."
"Now, why would they do something like that? You seem like such a bright boy."
The boy looks down, mumbling something unintelligible, and Cho'Sul asks him politely to speak up.
"I... they caught me cheating, sir. Stealing the work of another."
Cho'Sul sighs out loud, but you can tell immediately that something is not quite right about his manner. He seems full of a hidden glee, a sort of pleasure in hearing the boy's fraudulent tale. His hood is still up, and he continues to face the boy, so his features remain out of your view. All of a sudden, you hear something else. Music, notes of a half remembered song on an eerie wind. It is Synia's voice you hear, calling you. Calling, calling, calling...

You awake again, to find yourself in an empty room, constructed of rot and wood. Synia and Rebeca stand before you, the former finishing her song, and the latter looking around. As you shift your weight across the floor, one of the wooden panels collapses, revealing what looks to be an elven corpse, in tattered robes of grey and white. He wears a pair of silver bracers on his arms, which do not seem to have been tarnished at all by the passage of time.

[Grim ranger]

"Is there something particularly dangerous about this Inquisitor Mandel then? It sounds like you know the man", Cynath inquires whilst grabbing one of the corpses by arms and dragging it closer to the manor so that not every passerby in the street will see it. "Splitting up at this juncture would be ill-adviced, and we still have to get some things from the manor before we can call it quits for the day. Do you think that we cannot defeat this Inquisitor?"

[Mordokai]

Smiling at Mordrent and patting him on the cheek, Synia says to him: "Welcome back darling."

But when one of the panels breaks under his weight and reveals the corpse underneath, she is somewhat surprised. She certainly didn't see this one coming. She kneels down to inspect it closer and once that is done, she will slowly take the silver bracers off the corpses arms.

"Mordrent, be kinds and watch for any surprises, would you?"

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Heal check, to see if Synia can deduce the cause of the death, or at least anything similar.

(1d20+3)[13]

Before taking the bracers off the corpse, Synia will once again activate Evil's Blessing, just to be on the safe side. After that, a Spellcraft on them.

(1d20+15)[29]

Remind me to get Detect Magic next level...

[3SecondCultist]

Synia, Mordrent, Rebeca: Upon further examination of the corpse, it becomes obvious that the elf did not die of natural causes. There are ancient, faded scorch marks on his torso, and a hole that runs right through his chest. The flesh around the wound has cauterized completely, and aside from what looks to be years of decay, quite clean. As for the bracer, your efforts are stymied. There appears to be very little magical potency in the bracer, or else you are not equipped to find it.
"Ah, good. I had hoped you had the fortitude to survive. That was the first of many to come. I relish the opportunity to test your mettle. But come, let us see what you do next." The voice, increasingly smug, seems to mock your situation.

Cynath, L: Leona helps Cynath in stashing the corpses discreetly. She frowns as she tries and fails to wipe a bloodstain from off her outer vest.
"Gods be damned, and that was one of my best outfits." She fiddles with a few strings, and takes the vest off, and stows it under one arm. Her current apparel, her short cloak notwithstanding, is much more revealing. A rather threadbare cotton t-shirt does not quite extend to her leggings, so a large amount of skin at her midriff can be seen, even from a distance.
"Well, that is hardly appropriate. Regardless, I have heard of Mandel. My sources tell me that he is a dwarf male, and a bit of an oddball. Even within the clergy, he has a reputation for being strange. They call him "The Hammer of Melancholy", for some reason. I know he is adept at hand to hand combat, and immensely strong. However, he is very emotionally vulnerable, on his own. If we can find a way to separate him from any other agents of Sirramar that dwell within, I think we might stand a chance at manipulating him."