[4e FR] The Five of the Realm - IC

[Ascy]

Ewin

A wolfish smile finds its way onto Ewin's face.
"You know how to motivate a soldier, milady, there is no doubt.
What I do doubt, however, is our chances to make them answer questions.
The fear of the Nine Hells is strong, and they will almost definitely be hostile."
He squints his eyes and makes an apologetic gesture with his hands. "So if you hoped that my past will open up a diplomatic solution, I fear it won't work very well."
But then, he bows before the queen, this time deeper and more sincere.
He looks straight into these glowing silver eyes, and with a firm and determined voice, he proclaims:
"Be it as it is - I accept your task."

[Irish Musician]

Ewin

Smiling as he talks Metherna responds once he is done talking, "I do not expect them to talk to you as a diplomat, in fact I don't expect any of them to be left alive when you are done. But don't forget to use your eyes while you are there. Anything that looks suspicious or odd can help in determining what they are up to." She nods her head back to him when he bows and thanks Ewin before he leaves, leaving him to wonder about a great many things.

[CalebRoberts]

Infernion

Like all of his kind (red dragons) Infernion is instantly attracted to the riches in the room. He gets the urge to rub his belly on them but know that would not be fitting on another Dragon's treasure hoard.

The presence of a vastly older and more powerful dragon in the room causes many hormonal changes within Infernion. Immediately he fels like he must challenge her but right on that urge's heels comes the overwhelming feeling of subservience and meekness. In his mind as well as his body he knows the need to not give into his natural dominance. The young dragon has not lived this long with a price on his head to give way to urges now.

Infernion bows low but not like a humanoid. He gets down on all fours, his jaw touching the ground, his wings folded tightly.

"It is as you say my lady"

[Irish Musician]

Lucius

She lets the human talk and say what is on his mind. Listening to every word. When he is done she looks at him for a few moments and replies, "Nothing you have said is false. Though Vala and I have a good alliance between each other who knows what the future can bring. All I can do is tell you that I have need of a brave warrior now, and Vala recommended you. If I were you, I would take that to heart instead of dismissing it off like so many other things." Metherna nods to the fighter and lets him leave. Once he is done she thinks to herself and laughs out loud and whispers to herself, "You are just as Vala said you were."

[Dacia Brabant]

Mai-Sal

Mai smiles, accepting the dragon queen's compliment even if it was slightly backhanded. She paused in thought for a bit before replying, still in Draconic.

"Asmodeans, indeed they are a secretive lot, but not without reason--we will be ending them after all, rightly so I should say. Certainly, I will be pleased to get to the heart of this matter that troubles you, Lady Metherna, though if I may be so bold to venture, I do find it interesting you are including a tiefling in this affair--assuming each of us was summoned for the same purpose--though perhaps the reason for that will become apparent in due course?" she says, not really asking it as a question and still smiling, paying no outward notice of the tone Metherna took toward Tortia.

"It is well that you contacted my master personally, Lady Metherna, for I--I hesitate to show my weakness, but I have not yet learned the intricacies of ritual magicks," she demurred. "If I may ask a favor, would you likewise notify her of my safe arrival?"

[Irish Musician]

Mai-Sal

Metherna smiles at Mai, liking how quick she is and how quickly she can think through things. Again in Draconic, The Tiefling does have his place in this party. However it is not my place to reveal his secrets, that is up to him. Though I will say don't judge him because of his ancestry. He has had to endure things you cannot comprehend and do things that turned the bile in his stomach. Do not judge him too harshly, he is a fine man." Metherna goes on, "Trust me, though, when I say I would not place him in your company if I thought he was a danger to you all.....well too much of a danger," she ends with a smile and a wave of her hand, dismissing Mai. Oh her way out, Mai hears her say, "Oh, and I will tell your master you have arrived."

[Irish Musician]

Infernion

Metherna smiles, warmly, to Infernion and get up from her throne, walking over to his huddled form. She bends down to him, and crouches to his level. Grabbing his right arm she pulls him up from his subjugated position, "Do not bow before me Infernion, for you have done enough of that in your lifetime. I am not a dragon that need to bring her subjects to their knees, unlike the dragon from which you are named." Once he is standing, she moves her hand to his necklace, handling it for a moment, then speaking again to him. "I wondered how you slipped though Infernus' hand for so long, now I know. Very clever, young dragon. Tell me, do you wish to follow in the footsteps of your namesake?" Giving him a very serious look with this question Metherna quickly moves on, "I would like you to help me with a quest. There are some cultists in the Werewoods, and we know not what they are up to, but we know they are of Asmodeus. We need to know what they are up to, so you must figure that out as well. Once you have, do not leave any alive. Would you do this for me, Infernion: Red that is no longer enslaved?"

[CalebRoberts]

Infernion

Infernion stands as she commands but cannot meet her gaze. Despite her assurances the natural age hierarchy of Dragons forces him to cast his gaze downward.

No longer enslaved...hmm...Yet my actions are always forced by Infernus' constant hunt of me

"My lady, you are kind to one such as me but you know as well as I that the blood of the Red flows in my veins. Just now I was coveting your treasure as my kind must. My purpose is to end the reign of Infernus and to remove him from power before his end. Yet, I do not wish that power for myself....
I have never even imagined what the future might hold after his downfall."

The small red pauses, realizing he is getting too caught up in the first question and has not even considered the second.

"You have shown me great trust and honor My Lady. I will do you the same honor and see to it that this cult is eliminated. May I ask a question about on of the others in the waiting room?"

[Irish Musician]

Infernion

Metherna eyes him suspiciously at first, "Ask your question, Infernion." Waiting for this question, she taps on her throne, but not, it seems, in annoyance. Merely out of an odd habit.

[CalebRoberts]

Infernion

"I assume that you have extended the same quest to the Devil-kin Knight. Are you not concerned that this cult will have some power over him once we get there? I apologize if this is offensive but I have not lived this long on the run without having a healthy sense of paranoia, My Lady"

[Irish Musician]

Infernion

Metherna ponders the question for a moment. Not because she doesn't know the answer she wants to give, she just wants to see Infernion squirm. "I asked him to come along on this quest for the very same reason I called upon you. Not every person of a particular race falls into the same pattern as their kin. I met a dark elf once, a Drow, a long time ago. He was unlike any Drow I had ever met and he taught me to doubt my perceptions I had about typical assumptions of race. I ask you now, too, to put aside you assumptions of him being "evil" and learn of the Tiefling himself. I am not angry young one, nor offended, for I understand the reason for your question and it is perfectly natural. But this ask of you, now." She then gives him a genuine smile and dismisses him.

[CalebRoberts]

Infernion

Infernion performs a more humanoid bow with his head and torso.
"As you say, My Lady"

He leaves promptly.

[Irish Musician]

All

You are all called back into the Queen's throne room. When you walk into the room, there is slight change that has occured. The minute you walk into the room, you see it. Before the Queen was in her human form sitting on the throne. Now, however, she has quite obviously turned back into her natural form, and everyone is in awe. Not many have seen the majesty of an ancient silver dragon, some might even argue that she is more beutiful than Vala, the golden dragon. Her great, massive head looms down on you, and she moves it to your level. "I have brought you together to prove to others that all the different races of this land can work together for the common good of it. I have met with you all individually and given you a chance to talk with me. Some went well, some....were interesting", glacing at the ones who know what she is talking about. "You all know what needs to be done. If you cannot get the information from them at the time, try and capture one alive and bring him back to me. If you cannot do that either, then find out as much as you can about the site they have chosen to occupy and bring that information back. Record this information, then destroy the site and all the cultists you can find. You will leave tomorrow, I will have mounts waiting for you. I have arranged for you to stay tonight at the castle. I won't be able to meet with you tomorrow, for I am busy with affaris of state, but I wish you good luck with your endeavor." With that the great Dragon opens her giant maw, and breathes on all of you. It isn't fire and brimstone you feel, but a cool breeze that seems to relax and energize you. Then she dismisses you with a wave of her enormous hand.

Spoiler

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You all get a +1 to attack for the next 3 days

[CalebRoberts]

Infernion

Infernion bows deeply. "Your gift of favor is most gracious My Lady."

The small red dragon stalks away from the group, lost in thought. the price on my head will be double once Infernus learns of my meeting with Metherna

he makes his way quickly to the city gates, then into the forest. He loses any possible trail with a quick teleport up into a tree then on the wing to a small cave he found just outside the city several days previous. He rests and waits for the following morning.

[Ascy]

Ewin

Ewin nods and turns to leave, but then waits for a second.
Before he can say a word, he sees the dragonborn rush off without a word.
He turns his horned head towards the rest of the group, and says in a diplomatic voice:

"The name's Ewin. I'll be in the inn for the night, if you need anything. Just let me get my sleep, it's going to be a rough day tomorrow."
Not waiting for answers, he leaves the throne room and makes his way into the city.

[Rausdower]

Without a word said, Lucius departed from the room as the assembly ended. He paid no heed to the dragon or demon and made his way to the nearest inn. Sleep was no necessity for him as the military offered few hours per night to rest. If that.

Five or six hours max. He intended to be the first awake and the first prepared to depart.

[horngeek]

Unlike a few of the others, Evalie stays at the palace that night, sleeping in the room she normally has. In the morning, she gathers her bow and longsword, buckling both to her back before heading to the meeting place.

[Dacia Brabant]

Mai-Sal

Mai nods in appreciation for Metherna's blessing, then watches each of the men leave in their own manner, some less anti-social than others, before facing the great dragon once again.

"A noble goal, Queen Metherna, but perhaps you intended to invite the women of their races instead?" she asks with a wink and a wry smile at her and Evalie, before bidding them good evening and retiring to her prepared rooms in the castle, which will no doubt be quite splendid.

After getting her seven hours of rest, Mai freshens up and studies her spellbook for another hour before finally descending to their designated meeting place.

[CalebRoberts]

Infenion

The red rises with the dawn and makes his way back to the palace. He stretches like cat on the warm steps. He acknowledges the others there with a nod to each but remains silent unless spoken to.

[Irish Musician]

ALL

You all sleep fine, despite one of you having a dream about being eaten by a very large silver dragon.....And when you all meet the following morning, Lucius is there, on his horse already, grumbling about people sleeping and and needing to get a move on....something about cultists won't kill themselves. Once you get on your horses, that Arnold is holding for you, he hands you a letter that has all the instructions of what you need to do on your quest.

[Irish Musician]

ALL

Spoiler

Show

If nothing else needs to be done I'll go ahead and move on, if there is, go ahead and post anything you want to say/do on the road, i.e. Road Talk, getting to know each other on the trail, etc. Oh, and this is the first day of your +1 the Queen gave you, so you will have 3 full days of it.

You start out, early in the morning, with the sun just barely over the horizon. You know it will take at least a day and a half to get to the woods, and that is without any distractions. You leave the city and start out on the road. Those who have lived long lives in Ferun remember when the roads were open and not as overgrown. Now, the trees encroach onto the road and it isn't uncommon to see a wild, and usually hostile, animal in your way while traveling. Just past about 10:30 in the morning, you past what used to be Daggerford. What was once a sizable city has now been taken over by the forest. Houses overgrown with plants, and not a person in sight. You pass it rather quickly, know it probably wasn't the safest place to hang around. The day passes as you all ride along. Finally, night starts to descend and you all think it is probably a good time to stop. You find a good, sizable clearing to make camp, surrounded by the thick trees of the forest.

[Rausdower]

Lucius

As the group left the safety of the town with Lucius taking point, the human yelled to the group.

"Alright, here's the plan," Lucius donned his shield and hammer.

"See this!?", he banged on it a couple time for effect. "Stay behind me and it in a fight and you won't die. Any questions?"

[Dacia Brabant]

Mai-Sal

Mai briefly considered using her "Charm Person" spell (that was the name her master always used anyway, even if the extant literature called it by a different name) on the oh-so-friendly human, just for laughs, but thought better of it in the end.

Instead, she held forth her staff and produced an orb from a fold in her robe to go with it.

"An excellent plan, no doubt, but allow me to offer a corrolary. See this?" Mai asked, then from head to foot she crackled with electricity, which quickly spread to connect her staff and orb. Gathering it all into a single ball of energy and holding it with both implements, she threw it at an unoccupied stretch of road roughly 50 feet away--the ball expanded into a destructive hemisphere of electricity 25 feet across in any direction, dissipating almost as quickly as it exploded. Had anything been in the area it could not have avoided getting shocked.

"Stay out of that and you won't die. Any questions?" She smiled at Lucius, but her tone was thunderous.

Spoiler

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For the record, that was Shock Sphere, L3 encounter power.

[horngeek]

Evalie closes her eyes, massaging the bridge of her nose. "Great, a pissing contest. We really need one of those on a mission that'll probably need stealth and discretion."

[CalebRoberts]

The horse given to Infernion goes wide eyed and bucks wildly when the small Red approaches. He smiles, showing a myriad of crocodile like teeth. "Horses don't like me very much." The rest of the party's horses instinctively shy away from Infernion as well.

"You will not lose me." He says with a smile, and spreads his wings to full extension and stands on his hind legs.

As the party leaves he launches but remains close to the ground, never more then five feet up. Occasionally he touches down in a hop and is back up into the air.
_________________________________

He stays away from the "sword" fight of the soldier and the elemental and swoops in to fly as close as he can to the wilderness scout without causing her horse to throw her. "What do you make of this mission from Metherna herself? I suspect she wants us dead but does not want to be seen doing it. Yet one must do as an Elder asks."

Inernion lets his internal heat be fanned by the wind of his flight. His scales glow like coals and begin to put off a dark, quickly dissipating smoke.

[Rausdower]

Lucius

Unimpressed with the light show, Lucius glared at the Genasi.

"Real cute, Sparkles. If you can sass the enemy to death, we can already say mission accomplished."

He then pointed his hammer's head at Evalie, "And if I hear any screams from you, Lil' Miss-Sneaks-Ahead, cause you got caught by anything paying attention, don't expect me to play knight in shining armor coming to the rescue!"

[horngeek]

Infernus' comment gets a glare from Evalie. "She saved me when I was a child. She made sure I had a good childhood, and is the closest thing to a mother I've had since, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't accuse her of something like that without significant proof."

She shakes her head at Lucius' comment, but doesn't reply. If he wants to compensate, she's not going to gratify him.

[CalebRoberts]

Infernus' comment gets a glare from Evalie. "She saved me when I was a child. She made sure I had a good childhood, and is the closest thing to a mother I've had since, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't accuse her of something like that without significant proof."

Infernion ignores the woodswoman's tone. "Ah, so you are the surrogate child of Metherna. Perhaps she does intend for, at least you, to live.

You must be aware of who I am if you are of the inner circles of one of te five. Why would the Silver want me anything but eliminated? If this does not turn out to be a trap, I will be closer to believing that, at least Metherna, does not want me immediately dead."
_____________________________

When they make camp, Infernion makes them all aware of his lack of skills on watch.

[Dacia Brabant]

Mai-Sal

Even though she didn't much like to make an example like that, Mai was pleased at what it sparked.

Excellent, she thought to herself as she listened to how her new friends were starting to reveal themselves--except for the tiefling. She was dying to know what Metherna meant when she spoke of him in their interview, but she knew not to press that button just yet.

"Please forgive my outburst, but that much condescension gets on my nerves," she said as she gradually came up alongside Ewin. "I can't help but notice you've barely said a word since yesterday in Metherna's castle, Ewin. Is something upsetting you?"

[Ascy]

Ewin

Ewin watched the whole spectacle with no discernable interest.
He made a mental notice about the fighter's temperament, but didn't comment.
He suspected that he would have enough trouble dealing with the group as it was, and didn't feel the need to raise more conflicts.
This made his surprise even bigger, when the blue-skinned woman started talking to him.

"Well, I guess you just fueled his fire, didn't you?", he answers in a slightly snarky tone. The tiefling's facial features relax just a bit, and his voice becomes a bit softer as he continues, now facing the genasi.
"As people usually tend not to speak to me, I return the favor most of the time.
Right now, the only thing that concerns me is if we can get this group of misfits to work together long enough to fulfill this mission."
With a short nod of his horned head towards Lucius, he adds:
"This human does have quite the temper on him. I'd like to see if it is earned."