WotW: Call Forth Darkness IC

[Comissar]

How interesting...

He waited a little longer on the Horn, not wishing to seem like he had spent the time spying on Hal. When he considered enough time to have passed, he flew back down to the balcony and walked back inside. He wandered the halls for a while, in search of his fellow wizards, before chancing across Ilvaria and Hal in the Sanctum.

"Ah! Here you are," a broad grin stretched across his face, "Now then, I have considered at great length how we might exact some revenge upon our dear Elise. First, however, I wish to know exactly what kind of contract you two signed before joining our little group."

[Angstrom]

As the power surges through him Hal mind awakens with an alien presence. As a sliver of Vetra-Kali's essence mixes with the blood in his veins, new resilience fills Hal's body.

Long moments pass as Hal focuses inwards. Noting every change, feeling every marking etched in his soul, he looks inwardly. It had been a long day, but all the trial and tragedy felt distant now. The hurt still remained, but the daemonic infusion made it seem a lifetime away. What is this boon?

As he asserts control over the prince's gift, he slowly realizes others have been speaking to him.

"Yes, right. What?" Genuinely surprised by Kydrak's apology, he isn't sure how to react. Thankfully the sylph arrives in time to spare him from needing to find a proper response.

"We signed the same contract as you, now let's hear your plan. I would say I told you so, but what she did far exceeded what I had expected that witch was capable of."

[Thattaman]

"In our contract we signed first to respect Asmodeous and to spread his worship. Then we had to follow Adrastis Thorn, obey his commands and not harm him. Unless, it goes against Asmodeous's will. Third was to you, my friends and allies. I must treat you fairly and with honour. Unless Asmodeous or Adrastis Thorn commands us. We must also share treasure equally to everyone who helped gain the treasure. So that means with all treasure, not just money. We should all share in the killing of Elise as long as all of us help to get to her. Finally, we must swear to ourselves, to make ourselves the best, to be powerful and great. Unless, it should interfere with the other three loyalties. And anyone who violates this contract shall feel the almighty wrath of Hell."

[Comissar]

"Yes, of course you did, I remember you saying now."

Quint walked slowly towards Hal, paying little attention to the other two.

"Now, what I have in mind will only take two of us to complete. It would be best if we left the Horn with as much of a guard as possible, wouldn't you agree?"

His form began to shimmer and change, using the iron circlet to alter his body until he looked like Elise.

"Well then, Hal, could you really miss the opportunity to avenge your dear Van? After all, she died at the whim of the Seventh Knot."

He chuckled mirthlessly, walking back to lean on the wall. His body changing back to his own in the process.

"Quite simply, we will let them destroy one another. They will not know who was behind it, we shall not make that error. The last I heard they were operating out of an Inn, it will be a simple enough matter to see if they are still there. If they are not, we will contact Tiadora on the basis that we would like to contact the Seventh Knot. I for one do not want to be linkable to their downfall, it would be most unpleasant should any feel revenge was the correct path. I'm sure you can agree with me on that."

He paused for a few moments, composing his thoughts, "Kydrak, your style would be ill suited to this sort of a mission. On top of that you have your own task to undertake, it would be best if you remained here. Ilvaria, to be perfectly blunt, I do not trust you. You arrived late to our group and you were able to return from the dead on your own. On top of that you are one of the Dark-Born, hardly a group that inspire feelings of loyalty. The contract I signed keeps me from acting against you. The contract you signed?" Quint shrugged, "Despite Hal's reassurances, I do not know what you signed. Regardless of that, you carry the favour of Asmodeus. Your continued presence here would be more beneficial than being taken on a more covert mission. And thus do we come to Master Halifax. For much the same reason as Ilvaria, I do not trust you. Your contract is unknown to me, for that reason, among a few others, I do not relish the thought of relying upon you. However, in this matter of revenge, I feel that you can be relied upon. Rest assured that I would be entirely capable of carrying this out with anybody else, I am offering you the chance to be there for Elise's downfall."

Offer made, he lapsed into silence, watching for the Halflings reaction.

[Thattaman]

Kydrak thinks to himself as he hears what Quint says. This is an opportunity to gain their trust. Show them that I am not just a mindless killing machine. "May, I interject. Although you are right in what you have said. I do have a task to do and from what you have seen of me shows that I lack subtlety and just kill for fun. But that is not entirely me. I can help with this. My thirst for vengeance, although not as great as Hal's, is still only quenchable by killing her or something worse. Also, Ilvaria is a cleric of Asmodeous. She would not betray us if what we do is helping the Infernal Lord's will. I could help with what you want to do. Maybe it would be best to keep me away from Elise herself, should I lose control. But, if we're tricking the other members of the seven knot. I could help with manipulation, I'm sure that I could be of assistance. We can't do this in one day, so just one of us could leave and become a member of the seventh knot and just pull the strings slightly. So that we can enjoy this revenge over the rest of the time we're here. So, I could become, say their cleric. And be caught saying something behind Elise's back. And suddenly, their group loses trust in each other."

[Comissar]

Raising an eyebrow at Kydrak's statement, Quint replied, "I believe you may have misunderstood me. I am not requesting your help, Kydrak. Your task is one that is pressing should you not wish to upset the one who bought your brother back. You should be focusing upon that matter rather than one of revenge. Besides, do you think their bonds could be broken with a few snide remarks?"

His smile fell at this point, "She knew what was going on within the Horn as well, if she's got people watching us then she'll grow suspicious should we not continue on as normal."

[Razorstorm]

Victor is walking through the Horn, his familiar notebook and pen in hand (a new one now, the old one got full), inspecting for structural damage in the wake of the battle. He wanders into the sanctum, and finds his companions scheming. He continues his inspection of the room, listening. When complete, he decides to continue lurking along the edge, leaning against the wall, his arms folded, still listening.

[Thattaman]

Kydrak walks over to Ilvaria, knowing that he is not part of this current plan. "Hello Ilvaria, I've been thinking and I'd like to know more about your worship to Asmodeous. As you may have noticed I am a devout follower of the Infernal Prince but I do not get any divine powers from him as you do. I was wondering if you could teach me more in the ways of our lord. I know some prayers to him, but only from what I have learned from books and nothing compared to what you must know. Maybe we could talk about it sometime."

[Razorstorm]

"Indeed, Kydrak, you have quite the ticking clock hanging over your head right now. You should really be focusing on that. It sounds like the rest of the group will be busy plotting and scheming, so I think you're quite on your own. Now, I could be convinced to join you on your challenge, but I'm not in the habit of sticking out my neck to pay other's debts, at least not for charity. If I come, you owe me favor which I will call upon someday. Do we have a deal? If not, I'll simply stay here and continue rebuilding our resources, which frankly are in rather rough shape right now."

[Thattaman]

"My friend Victor, it would be an honour if you would work with me to help retrieve this relic. And I would repay you if you so required."

[Snowfire]

Ilvaria's lips twitch in an amused smile at Quint's suspicions. "You're read too many stories of my demon worshipping kin, anulo dalhar." She replies. "I am bound to the same pact as you all. My name lies alongside yours on the same sheet. And I could hardly be a priestess of Asmodeus without matching in at least some way his lawful nature." She shrugs. "But it is not my loss. Regardless. I will go to Farholde tomorrow and I will see what can be done regarding what weapons and such that we do not wish to keep." She turns away, but is stopped by Kydrak's approach and his resulting words prompt an eloquent eyebrow raise followed by a shake of her head.

"For all that you first words are correct, that I would - in fact, I could - not betray you. Not unless it was ordered by one with the right to do so. And Elsie does not have that right. However." Her tone darkens, eyes glinting with easily remembered pain and the bright flame of unquenched vengeance. "Do not presume to know me, Kydrak. A divine connection is not something so easily found - not as magic can be drawn with enough effort from books.

"I can try to teach you, I can pass on such wisdom that you are ready for. But Asmodeus does not give freely. And I will require, not want, require that you listen. And that you realise that sometimes the way requires sacrifice. She steps past the half-elf, takes her accustomed place in the Sanctum chamber for the night, and then looks up at him.

"L'Olath Senger zhah naut kaliath'. Usstan tlun naut kaliath'. Lu'ka belbaunin natha detholir tu'fyr ukt orn lu'l'dro d'jala, Usstan orn'la mei'q l'dro." She shakes her head. "Get some rest, all of you. We can talk again tomorrow, when all our minds are clearer." She waits until the others leave, and then tilts her head at Hal. "That was quite the show, Halifax. Would I be correct to assume you are not the only one in there anymore, so to speak?" She asks calmly.

[Maugan Ra]

Farholde, the Next Day

It barely takes you more than a few minutes upon returning to Farholde the next day to realise just how tense the city is. The citizens walk the streets swiftly and with their heads bowed, congregating in small groups in out of the way locations to whisper and wring their hands. The occasional Mitran fanatic can be seen on street corners, preaching that the judgement of the Divine Light has fallen upon Talingarde and the end has come... but unlike previously, the Watch makes no effort to break up their rantings.

It doesn't take long to work out why - anyone with sharp ears or a willingness to ask a few questions discovers the cause of Farholde's woes quite quickly. It seems that Lord Argus Welshire, the Duke of Farholde, was one of the commanders of the last Talerian force to engage the attacking Bugbear horde at the Battle of Upandershire Ford. With him marched a great many of Farholde's sons and daughters, mustered to defend their homeland. All of them are now dead - rumour has it that Sakkarot Fire-Axe slew the Duke in a single blow, and that he summoned hordes of unholy creatures from the Pit to devour the brave soldiers that stood against him.

More than that, there have been a string of vicious murders in the town of late, culminating last night in the massacre of a group of wandering adventurers at one of the town's inns. By all accounts, a dozen men were slaughtered and their bodies hung from the rafters, with some kind of unusual symbols painted on the walls in their blood. The general belief is that some sort of advanced force from the unholy horde has infiltrated Farholde, and that the rest of it might soon follow.

Still, Taskar Twelve-Knives doesn't let it bother him. Dropped off by Ilvaria at the edges of the town, he double-checks his gear and then nods professionally to his new employer.

See you at the rendezvous in ten hours." he says curtly, then turns and vanishes into the winding streets of the fearful city.

[Thattaman]

She turns away, but is stopped by Kydrak's approach and his resulting words prompt an eloquent eyebrow raise followed by a shake of her head.

"For all that you first words are correct, that I would - in fact, I could - not betray you. Not unless it was ordered by one with the right to do so. And Elsie does not have that right. However." Her tone darkens, eyes glinting with easily remembered pain and the bright flame of unquenched vengeance. "Do not presume to know me, Kydrak. A divine connection is not something so easily found - not as magic can be drawn with enough effort from books.

"I can try to teach you, I can pass on such wisdom that you are ready for. But Asmodeus does not give freely. And I will require, not want, require that you listen. And that you realise that sometimes the way requires sacrifice.

I know that I do not you and that we are only bound by the pact we swore to our lord and that once our job is done you could kill me without even blinking. I would like to establish a divine bond with Asmodeus as you have. I will not give up my arcane powers but I could channel his energy through my blade as I have started to do. It would be the highest honour if you would pass on the wisdom that he has given you and I would listen more intently than I have listened to anything before. As for the sacrifice, I would give anything. I have already given so much so that I could worship the infernal prince. My royal title, my wealth, my good name, I was a well respected prince in Kyonin and I could have stayed that way if I had not found Asmodeus. He showed me that I should not live the lye that my father had given me. I should make my own destiny here, in Talingarde. He showed me that my father deserves to be killed for the betrayal he showed me. I would give anything to give myself a place in Hell by the side of Asmodeus."

[Maugan Ra]

"Anything, you say?"

The voice is closer to a distant echo in the room, faint but still clearly perceptible to all. The smooth, educated tones clearly belong to Dessiter... but a quick glance around or magical scan confirms that the contract devil is clearly nowhere in the immediate area.

He sounds... amused.

General Note

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Yup. Sign a deal with a Contract Devil, they can always scry on you without impediment from then on.

Ilvaria

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Dessiter's voice whispers in the back of your mind, and the sense of malicious amusement is quite evident there. "I grow somewhat tired of this princeling and his ignorant foolishness. Let us test him, shall we? Bring him with you to the Court, and we shall see him properly rewarded for his... presumption. If he desires to accompany you there, so much the better."

[Snowfire]

Ilvaria nods to the half-orc, then turns away and heads for the Horn. It had been a very long night. And she was going to need her rest if things turned out as she suspected they might. Contracts on contracts. Lies and honour on promises of blood. It was probably a very good thing that she didn't exactly need to sleep like the others among the Knot. She just didn't have the time anymore. Not for much of it at least.

For now though she returned to the Horn. To her rooms. To rest and prepare. For there were many things to do. And some were coming far sooner than she had ever expected. Mira was there, rising already after her own rest. Admittedly, Ilvaria didn't really need this - she had rested enough to regain her spells - but this was a different type of fatigue.

Passing Mira a few instructions for the day - namely: go into Farholde and drop off a few pieces of the equipment they looted to be stripped of heraldry and sold with the profits to go into the business itself for expansion, she settled into her bed and let her mind drift. Trancing wasn't like sleep. You were aware of the outside world - and she especially so. But it was restful, thank Asmodeus.

[Angstrom]

Not a good sleep. Not at all good. Bad, in fact.

The events of yesterday were weighing heavily on his conscious. First Van, then he'd let Harkon escape to the afterlife.

There was business to attend to; much that still needed to be done. Buddy, his last true companion, had been urging him to confront the drow since last night, and now that his magic and composure were restored it was time.

Passing Mira in the hall, he smiles warmly. Knocking at Ilvaria's door, he waits for her permission to enter before leaning his scythe against the doorframe and stepping into the room.

"Good morning. I am sorry that your rest had to be disturbed, but it would appear necessary that we discuss why it is you let the Inquisitor's witch go yesterday. I'm less curious about why you have not shared this information than I am about why you thought, what did Harkon call her, DeMarco could be set free knowing as much about our operation here as she does."

Perhaps he'd see Ilvaria's true character at last. "I do not accuse you of bad judgment, yours has proven more sound than most and your support of this mission I shall never question, but I am curious."

[Razorstorm]

Early the next morning Victor's boots can be heard clomping briskly down the hallway as he went about his business with ruthless efficiency.

Passing through an area where fighting was yesterday, a young orphan girl was standing looking at the floor where she'd been scrubbing up blood since the night before. Before he'd gone to bed last night, Victor had found her, dragged her from her bed in her night gown and set her to cleaning. She sighed, rubbing her aching shoulders. Victor stopped next to her, looked at her handiwork, and nodded. "Nicely done. This was a nightmare last night. Now, I'll expect breakfast to be ready in 30 minutes when I'm done making my rounds." He took off to continue on his way.

"But sir, I haven't slept all night. I'm so tired!"

He swiftly turned on his heel and was immediately standing in front of her again, looking down at her sternly. She quickly dropped her gaze. "You're tired? Of course you are. You've been working through the night non-stop. If you could do that and not be exhausted I'd have much more important work for you that scrubbing blood and entrails off the floor. But we made a deal. You scrub and clean cook, and in return, you have a warm bed and regular meals. There was no guarantee of polite schedule. Remember, you were starving, dying on the streets, selling yourself just to earn your next meal. You could be back there again in a heart-beat, remember that. Now, breakfast in 30 minutes, am I understood?" After a moment of silence he moved in to whisper harshly in her ear. "Am I understood?"

"Yes my lord," she mumbled softly.

"Good." He cupped her jaw in his hands and kissed her gently on the forehead. "Now, about your business. Remember, you're part of our family now. We have much to do around here. You can sleep later."

The sound of his boots clomping down the hallway accompanied a tear falling softly to the ground.

[Snowfire]

Ilvaria sighs as Hal enters the room, silently whispering a few words of thanks to her knowledge of the arcane that allowed her to open the door from across the room. Magic was just...useful sometimes. Little things. Like opening doors. Then her mind fixes on what Hal's saying. Icy darkness ripples out around her in response to Hal's words, her magic mirroring her internal reaction as she rises slowly from her bed - and her eyes glitter with repressed emotion as the hafling finishes speaking.

"I am...impressed, Halifax." She says finally, brushing off the sheet and rising, the magical blackness around her cloaking her in robes of utter darkness that seem to suck away light as it touches her. "Your little daemon, I assume?" She shakes her head abruptly.

"Not that it matters I guess. So. You come to me with this knowledge in the name of curiousity, do you? Well. " She moves across to her desk, sweeping assorted clutter - countless scrolls of parchment, at least half a dozen inkpens - to one side. She reaches beneath the table, retrieving a bottle of something unlabeled and two small glasses."Drink?" She flicks an eyebrow at Halifax, the same motion idly ripping the top off of the bottle of - now she was pouring it - amber liquid. She offers Hal his choice of glass and sips from her own before he has a chance to do the same.

"Now. You asked why I felt letting her go was safe considering what she knows? It's quite simple really." She chuckles. "Those lot were sellswords. Plain and simple mercenaries. Oh, sure, Harkon and his personal soldiers weren't. But the rest? Gold or the promise of freedom was all that held them. And there's a simple honor and loyalty that can be brought by such things. Treya? She's honest in her own way - much like myself. And it was either try to kill her - which would have been a distinctly unpleasant fight alone - or ensure that she was tied to a specific location. Having her work for us is just a bonus.

"And tell the others, really?" The drow shakes her head, expression chiding. "How do you think our so called 'Prophet' would react to that?" She shakes her head sharply, almost dismissively. "I look after those who work for me. And letting that mal'ai know about the person who temporarily killed his brother would be quite the opposite of that, now wouldn't it." She takes another sip of her drink, and then spears Halifax with her gaze.

"So. There you are. Now what do you want?"

[Angstrom]

"Your little daemon, I assume?"

"Indeed. One of them."

Hal's eyes stay on Ilvaria as she speaks her piece. He smiles slightly at the offer of a drink, smelling it with false appreciation before setting it down on the table.

"Very fair explanation. Though Treya's honesty can't be absolute. I presume you have some plan for ensuring no one buys her out from under you. I can imagine the temptation to sell what she knows to the Mitrans being rather strong. She knows we're wanted and dangerous, so after the incident yesterday its only a natural step for her to attempt to buy her way out of this country with information. Either way, I shall be heading to Harkon's outpost after this to secure it before making efforts to disable the teleportation circle there."

"As for the others, there are reasons they are still, as far as my daemons tell me, unaware of your arrangement with the sorceress. As for taking the half-orc mercenary to Farholde this morning, I suspect that some know of that, or shall guess soon enough. What I want, however, is best summarized as what you want. I want this mission to succeed, and I am understandably weary of seeing our poor coordination have consequences. I am High Priest of this temple and you are the highest ranking cleric of Asmodeus, together we can stop being a cabal of wizards hiding in caves and become a new power, that Talingarde will not be able to stop."

"I won't speak of your dealings with the sorceress to the others, nor shall I question your decision to send the half-orc to Farholde. I will however ask for your assistance in supplanting the seventh knot and I ask that you be present when Victor summons Tiadora."

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So Hal is proposing the pair of them set up the soul-taking, item-making, city-spanning, plan we discussed by PM.

Hal's plan for the day is for he and Ilvaria to finish this chat, then summon Tiadora, then go through the teleporter again with some of his skeletons to explore and secure it. Harkon may well have left some gear there for us to funnel into the Farholde organization.

[Maugan Ra]

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OK, the rest of that can be assumed to proceed as the PMs indicated. Beyond that, I'll move onto the calling of Tiadora, because at least a few of the team are evidently inclined to do so, and I might as well resolve it now.

As before, anyone who has a reasonable excuse for being present may, indeed, be present.

The little clay amulet breaks easily, emitting a sound like a brass gong that echoes throughout the stone corridors of the Horn. Perhaps five minutes later, Tiadora appears in the centre of the room, her red dress and long blond hair giving her the appearance of someone just called away from some kind of social function.

"You called? For something important, I hope."

[Thattaman]

Kydrak hears the gong and goes to where the sound came from to see Tiadora standing there. "Lady Tiadora," he says as he gently kisses her hand. "How nice it is to see you here. I hope that we have not dragged you away from something important. I think what they wanted to tell you was that we were recently attacked by an inquisitor named Harkon who killed three of our number: my brother Caldrel, Quint's friend Il'Tara and Halifax's closest companion, Vancouver. We then got an audience with a lovely contract devil who offered to bring back our fallen companions in return for a small deed, mine was to go into a Mitran temple and to take it back. I'm not aware of what Quint's and Hal's contracts were but I know that Quint accepted and Hal didn't, hence the mess on the floor in the war room."

[Maugan Ra]

"A contract devil?" Tiadora queries with a raised eyebrow, before evidently guessing the answer and smiling. "Ah, Dessiter. How interesting..."

Still, she dismisses the matter after a moment's thought. "Still, I do hope you have something more, hmm, important to discuss? Such minutiae are hardly worth breaking the seal and summoning me all the way out to this rather desolate backwater..." she continues, and though her voice and expression are pleasant, there's an unmistakable warning in her eyes.

[Comissar]

Quint gently pushed Kydrak back with one arm, speaking as he did so, "Before we go into detail about the attack, I would like to enquire as to the nature of the contract that our allies tasked with keeping such attacks away have signed?"

[Maugan Ra]

"The Knot Hibernal? They are bound by much the same contract as you are. The Four Loyalties are something of a cornerstone of the organisation." Tiadora says, looking intrigued at this new line of questioning.

[Comissar]

"So they are prohibited from acting against us by their contract?" Quint pressed, "Or merely those within their own group?"

[Maugan Ra]

"You seek to develop a sense of legal finesse? The Third Loyalty is to the other Bound, those designated as such by our Master, which would normally prohibit conflict between the cells. There might be some room for alternative interpretation in that regard, which is why the Second Loyalty takes precedence in matters of possible dispute."

Tiadora looks very interested now.

[Comissar]

"I see..." Taking a moment to form his thoughts, he continued, "So presumably, any action taken against us, even if it could be interpreted as being allowable by the Third Loyalty, would run afoul of the Second Loyalty as they would be actively seeking to disrupt Cardinal Thorn's plans?"

[Maugan Ra]

"Unless the First Loyalty were to somehow overrule the Second, yes." Tiadora says, her eyes narrowing. "I take it, then, that you believe the Seventh Knot to have been working against you?"

[Comissar]

"I thought as much," Quint nodded to himself in satisfaction, "We have strong evidence suggesting Elise was behind the recent assault on the Horn, aiding Harkon in striking at our weakest point and making use of a, previously unknown to us, teleportation circle within the war room. The attack took a great toll on both our defences and our allies and has left us severely weakened in the event of another assault."

[Thattaman]

"This information came from a mercenary named Taskar. Elise has been shape-shifting into a Mitran priest and giving information to Harkon so that we can come about our downfall. Would you know of any reason why?"