IC VI Stormy Seas

[Athedia]

Mithril sighed and bowed her head a little. She couldn't really talk through the anger she was feeling right now. As odd as it was, Natalia might have to speak for the group. Laying a hand on Natalia's head she closed her eyes. [Draconic]"Speak."

[Admiral]

Calric Jr's eyes widen in response to Kurt's clumsy revelation. "My father... how can..." he seems almost dizzy.

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Not that it hasn't been fun watching Kurt's and Natalia's take on it, but maybe Shiny can help smooth things over.

Shiny steps forward. "Perhaps I can try and explain," he says gently, raising his hands in a calming gesture towards the suspicious party.

"Our friend Miriam here is, like you, a cleric of St. Cuthbert. While we were helping the war effort in Hulburg, she worked alongside another priestess called Mary- your mother," Calric Jr. nods in response. "She told Miriam of her husband, who had been missing for many years, and of her son, who was off fighting the ogres. Miriam swore she would find Mary's son and protect him, and we set off north to find you and lend our assistance in the war."

"From others along the route we heard the story of an mysterious old man garbed in shining armor who had been working his way through the conflict, looking for you just as we were. We wondered who could be looking for you... and it was Mithril," he gestures to the wizard, "familiar with many legends of heroes, who deduced it could be your long-lost father, having returned from his quest to save his only son from danger. A fantasy perhaps... but one that certainly captured our imaginations."

"Our search led us to an ogre camp, one that had previously been decimated by some sort of battle. We fought our way through the remaining ogres, but at a desperate price... both Kurt and myself were killed." He looks down for an awkward moment. "Only through our friends' courage were we returned to life. But it was worth it, because we saved the prisoners who remained- one of whom, Lorana, told us about you and the man who had come to save you. Based on his specific interest in you, we grew more confident that this man was your father- though perhaps we lacked in evidence." He shrugged apologetically. "I am sorry that our speculation has brought back such painful memories."

"It was a couple of weeks later that we received a new mission- one that would send us to this continent. And we were glad to hear that you were among the men assigned. Perhaps in our excitement we neglected to confirm that your rescuer truly was your father- or, indeed, if he were, whether he had shared that with you."

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This requires both Diplomacy and Bluff, since he's very distinctly chopping out anything about Miriam's relationship to Calric.

Diplomacy: (1d20+17)[34]
Bluff: (1d20+13)[32]

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia nods and adds, "Shiny's right. He's always been better at talking and explaining than the rest of us. I'm sorry about all this; it was just a rough time for all of us and...actually, Miriam, could I talk to you after this?" No sooner are the words out of her mouth than she stops and blinks, her mouth hanging open in sheer shock. The strange cadence to her words is still there, perhaps made more apparent now that the actual words themselves are untangled, but her sentences made sense. They. Made. Sense.

Natalia holds her hand to her mouth and looks down. She turns to Mithril, tears starting to fill in her eyes.

[Athedia]

"It isn't permanent, not yet. I wasn't even sure it would work." Mithril read the message on Natalia's face, remembered how excited she had been during the thought spell, that she could speak and be understood.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia doesn't even seem to be listening as she collapses sobbing into Mithril's arms. A torrent of words spills out into the mage, a refrain of, "You made me make sense I can talk, your spell helped me speak I can speak straight thank you thank you thank you..."

[Athedia]

Mithril looked down slightly startled. "Is it still working. did I do something wrong?"

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just because her hurried speech is going back to confusing

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia looks up, stunned. "No! Not at all! This is perfect, absolutely perfect. I'm just so...happy..." She sinks back down and hugs the mage tighter.

[Admiral]

The gnome speaks so smoothly that the party can't tell whether he was intentionally leaving out Miriam's connection to Calric, or whether he had simply forgotten it in the way he seemed to keep forgetting his own surname. Calric Jr and Brander notably relax as they seem to buy Shiny's explanation, with Ezra seeming as disinterested as ever. Lucius's face doesn't lose its paranoid expression, but then it never had since they had first laid eyes on him.

The other party is somewhat confused by the excitement over Natalia's speech, though they let the wizard and rogue have their moment. Once the discussion subsides. Brander turns to Calric. "I knew you had been held captive by the ogres, though you didn't tell me much of your rescuer. From what I was told, you returned to Hulburg only with half a dozen other rescued prisoners alongside you. Perhaps it's time for you to share."

The young cleric sighs, seeming reluctant to revisit the memory. "The man who rescued me... if he was my father, he certainly didn't mention it... but now that I think on it, perhaps there was a resemblance. He was at least sixty years old, so it would be hard to say for sure..." Calric Jr seems to be distinctly disturbed by the possibility, for reasons that soon become clear.

"When he rescued me and the others, he seemed every bit the hero. His spells and his mace cleaved the way through so many ogres, and his courage saved so many prisoners. But that night..." he shudders at the recollection... "I saw something else entirely."

"We and the other prisoners had been racing south towards Hulburg the entire night. The old man volunteered to take the first watch- normally I might have insisted on taking it myself, but we were all so exhausted from a week in captivity and starvation that I agreed. Until in the middle of the night I woke up... and found myself gagged, my hands and feet bound to a couple of stakes in the ground. The old man was kneeling above me, brandishing a glass jar and a knife, grinning like a maniac. And his eyes..." Calric grits his teeth. "They seemed to dance like a demon's fire."

"The old devil bent down and sliced a small notch right into my neck, and my blood started to drain into his jar." He coughs, disgusted by the memory, as he puts his hand to his neck. "Only the strength of St. Cuthbert helped me break my bonds. Our struggle was quick: he was a fierce fighter and I was losing blood, but I was younger and stronger, and my shouts were starting to wake others in the camp. Cursing, he ended up breaking free and then gulping down some potion- before I knew it, he had vanished from sight. Once I had finished healing myself I tried to find him, but he had taken the opportunity to escape the camp, and there was no tracking him in the dark. That was the last I saw of him."

"In any case, whatever the old crook wanted with my blood, he didn't get it." He feels his own neck again with a frown. "I'd hope to St. Cuthbert that that wasn't my father... I'd always assumed he'd died a hero serving the Cudgel. I don't much like to think of him this way."

[achinca]

Somehow, the forces that kept Miriam silent and seated dissolve when Calric tells his story. She slowly gets up and walk slowly toward Calric while still starring at him and stops in front of him.

She extends her hand and touches her face the way a grand-mother would touch the face of her grand son.
"You look so much like him. Just younger! But the face is the same. The eyes are as blue as his. The intensity is the same, may be stronger. You are his son. No doubt about it."

She moves her hand from his face and grabs her own face on her hands. "Ca,,, Ca,,,," she stops unable to say the name ".... I know your mother, Mary. I met her in Hulburg. She mentions you went to the front line and she was worried sick. I swear I would find you. I did not because I believe your father beat me to it. I caused the death of my two friends here to find you. And he found you first. I hope you went to see your mother before you left. She is worried sick."

She stops again and sits on a rock "I make no sense do I?" She shakes her head. "I think that you will not like or even accept what I am about to say. Your father, somehow, was not an accident that he abandoned your mother when you were young. I also believe you have quite a few half brothers and sisters out there. How do I know that?"

She hides her face in her hands as she starts crying "Please forgive me. Your father, was my master. And by master, I means he owned me. I was is property, although I did not know. I did not know better. I did not know anything. He was so handsome and charming so I just obeyed. It did not matter if I did not want to do it or like it, my goal was to make him happy. I ... he left me ... pretending to be dead ..... because I would not carry his seed ..... he thought I was infertile ..... I loved him so much .... his death nearly killed me.... "

She slowly gets up and looks at the horizon, her eyes getting lost in the distance "I believe that it is not an accident he is fathering all these children out of naive and stupid young girls who know nothing. He probably need your blood to stay alive .... Your mother had a pendant with a painting of him .... and 15 years later, he did not look like he aged a day ..... "

She kneels "St. Cuthbert .... why do you let him wear your symbol? Why?"

She stays silent before finally getting up and walking away. "I need time by myself. Right now I am a danger to the mission ...."

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia looks up and listens with growing horror as Calric tells his tale. Her face goes green as he describes as his father tried to bleed him out for some dark unknown ritual, and she feels sick to her stomach at the thought.

As Miriam pours out the truth and her heart, then runs off completely broken down, Natalia watches her go, and then stands up. She looks back at Mithril and the others, and then says, "I'm sorry, but I think I need to go after Miriam and talk to her. While I still can, I mean--this spell won't last forever, right?" It hurts to think about that, so for the moment she pushes it aside. Right now she's the only one who's okay. So she need to help like they helped her. Because they're her friends. Natalia plays her hands over each other and adds, "I'll be back soon, I promise, it's just...well, I don't think I'd want to be alone right now, no matter what I said to anyone else. Could you guys please fill me in later?"

And with that Natalia leaves and runs after the cleric. When she finds her she stands a few feet back, close enough to let Miriam know she's there but hopefully far enough away that Miriam can let her in if she wants (at least, that's what she's going for).

[Admiral]

Calric gasps quietly at the cleric's revelation; he is as disturbed as Miriam, and he seems to have trouble staying upright. He turns and takes a few steps away from the group, then suddenly turns and runs after Miriam.

Out of earshot of the others, he gently stops Miriam. His face is desperate and overwhelmed, though he also seems concerned for the other cleric. "I never knew anyone else who knew my father," he says with difficulty, choking on the words, "and now you're telling me he's some sort of monster. How can I accept that?" Tears start to fill his eyes. "How can I know it's true?"

He shakes his head clear. "And... and you said that his death hit you hard. But if he's dead, why do you think this creep who tried to bleed me to death is the same man?"

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Coffee: let's let them talk a minute before Natalia runs over.

The other strangers watch the drama unfold from a distance, though they cannot hear the words. Lucius turns to Shiny and raises an eyebrow. "You know about this?"

"I thought it prudent..." Shiny says slowly and diplomatically, "to let her be the one to reveal it. It's a painful topic for her."

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia pauses as she sees Calric talking to Miriam. She hangs back until they're finished talking.

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No problem, Admiral!

[achinca]

Miriam looks terrified as Calric approaches her "Please leave me alone .... you have no idea the effect you have on me ...." The cleric looks totally hopeless and defenseless in her simple robe and sandals.

"I loved .... I loved your father so much .... his death crushed me ... I thought he was killed by cannibals ... using his last healing spell on me ..... I carried his armor, symbol, shield and mace with pride ....."

She pauses, taking a death breath " .. and things started to look not as they were ...... I was young and naive .... and I obeyed him with every thing .... and started to realize that I was just being used and abused ..... and I met your mother Mary ... and lies unraveled .... she mentioned her quest for the holy relic ... the mace that never forget .... see I was told the same story .... but he never mentioned your mother in the quest ..... and he never mentioned having children ... the mace is a powerful artifact .... and can only be yielded by a true cleric of St. Cuthbert .. and he could not ... however your mom told me he had it ..... but I never saw it .... it is just ..... the description matches .... you are him .... just younger ... stronger ..... please let me go .... you are him .... "

her voice is in full begging mode .....

[Admiral]

Calric Jr steps back when he sees she is scared of him, though he appears frustrated.

"The effect I have on you?" he asks, his voice filled with pain. "How do you think I feel? I just met you a few minutes ago, and already you're telling me my father was an abusive monster, who fathered who knows how many other children..."

He storms off, heading past his allies back towards the town of Bellville. The others let him pass, Ezra raising a single eyebrow.

Brander turns back towards the party. "Well, that was an... odd turn of events. But we can't let it compromise our mission. Give the clerics a break... I'm sure they'll sort themselves out."

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Natalia can go talk to Miriam if she wants.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia watches Calric storm off. She steps forward to where Miriam is standing and says quietly, "Miriam...do you want to sit down and talk?" She sits down and pats a perfectly shaped smooth stone beside her, inviting the cleric to sit beside her.

[achinca]

Miriam looks at Natalia, not even noticing that she can fully understand the rogue for the first time "I cannot do this Natalia. I am weak. I am a danger to all. You cannot understand because you and Mithril are happy together. He still owns me. He still controls me. If he would appears now and tell me to kneel and beg, I would do it. And his son? It is him, just younger and .... more attractive. The son could control me too if he wanted too. I am a lost soul. I wish the orcs would have taken me instead of Henry. I cannot go on. I am a danger to the group and the mission. I cannot break my chains. Even after everything I know, I still would obey him."

She turns towards the sky "Why St. Cuthbert? Why are you doing this? What are you trying to teach me? What lesson is there to be learned? I need a sign. You showed me the Vow of Poverty. Give me a sign. I have too many doubts. Give me a sign St. Cuthbert. I beg you ....." Her voices is full of pain .....

[Cavelcade]

Kurt nods slowly, looking over at Miriam unhappily, as if he'd rather go to her than stay there and talk...but Natalia's already over there, so he just shakes his head and sighs, turning back to the others. "I suppose you're right..."

[CoffeeIncluded]

That's it. Natalia grabs Miriam by the shoulders. "Stop. Just stop this right now. You are not weak, and you are not a danger to us. Do you know how many times we would have died if not for you? Do you know how often your magic has saved us? You're not weak, and you're not a danger to the group and you're certainly not stupid like you said before. "

Natalia pulls Miriam down to sit beside her and leans in conspiratorially. "You were just used and manipulated by a monster, just as Calric the younger was. You were starved for affection and he took advantage of that. I know this because...do you want to know a secret? If our positions were reversed, if Calric were female or I were into men, then I could be in the same position that you're in right now."

She frowns and purses her lips at Miriam's desperate prayer to her god, but she's not quite sure what to say to that yet.

[achinca]

The silence following her prayer to St. Cuthbert is too much for Miriam as the tears starts falling uncontrollably "You don't understand Natalia. He still owns me. I am a risk for you and the others. Imagine he joins with the barbarians and orders me to follow him and attack you. I would probably obey because he still owns me. I cannot shake the chains he put on me. And I know why he prayed on me but I still cannot free myself. I am doomed to be in his servitude. This is why I cannot do this anymore ..... I am danger to you and the others."

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia just holds Miriam as the cleric sobs into her. "No, you won't. You won't and you know it because your better than that, you're better than you think you are. I know...I know you can't let go of the past that easily, I don't know what I would do if my parents or Lisk showed up in front do me, but that doesn't mean you have to lock and bolt and chain yourself down to it."

She shakes her head. "You know what I see wheb I look at you? I don't see a danger, and I definitely don't see a slave. I see one of the most selfless women I've ever met, battered and hurting but never broken. You're sometimes preachy, and sometimes hurtful with you words--" she breaks off for a moment, and it's clear what she's remembering, "But your heart's always been in the right place and you've never not cared, you've always cared..."

Natalia pauses, then quietly asks something. "Miriam, can I ask something?"

[achinca]

Miriam looks through her tears to Natalia "You don't get it Natalia. I saw his son and I saw him. I heard his son and I heard him. All I could do was stare and then run away. No will power, nothing. Honestly, if his son would have ordered me with his voice, I would have obeyed. May be you trust me but I do not trust myself."

She listens as Natalia expresses some truth "You are right. I have been preachy and nasty with my words. I have hurt you and Mithril. I am not sure I am as nice as you think I am. I am responsible for Kurt and Shiny's death. I am now more dangerous than ever because I cannot be trusted."

She stops and looks at Natalia "ask anything ...."

[CoffeeIncluded]

"You didn't run. You told him. You explained yourself. And I'm sure that once you think about it, you'll be able to stand your ground again. And if you can't bear to be around that old creep when we finally find him, then you won't have to. If you want, I'll stab him in his black heart myself. I might have to pass him along to Mithril and Shiny and Kurt though; they'll probably want a crack at him too after learning what he did to you."

She smiles, then continues talking to Miriam, laying a hand over her shoulder. "Abd I've heard you say words of incredible patience and compassion. I've seen you give everything you own to those who need it more--and you're right, I can be a bit greedy. I've seen you wade into battle and come out literally soaked in blood, entirely focused on saving the lives of everyone you touch. And I know you wouldn't betray us, because how could someone as good as you fall back into the claws of a monster, now that he's exposed himself?"

Natalia pauses and takes a deep breath. She's not sure how to say this, especially since she can actually be understood now. There was a sort of safety in Nutspeak, she's now realizing. But even that safety isn't worth it, now that she can be understood.

"Miriam, why do you still follow Saint Cutjbert? He's done nothing for you. All his disciples brought you nothing but pain. I've seen the look on your face when you look down at the symbol, and now the mark on your staff. You've given up everything and I don't know whether it's put of piety or punishing yourself for something that is not your fault, but please Miriam, be honest. What has Cuthbert done for you? Has he done anything for you other than bring you misery? Why would a god like that accept Calric into his ranks, and is such a god truly worthy of you?" She winces at that last statement, and braces herself for Miriam's response. It had to be told, she feels, despite the risks, but she's still afraid and reaches out a hand to brace her friend.

[achinca]

Miriam looks at Natalia but stays silent "Is she right or is she being naive? Who would I choose between him and them? Do I even know? Would I fall in line and follow his orders like I always did or would I stand for these people who literally died for me?"

She expresses none of her doubts out loud but speaks when Natalia questions her faith "Because He is real. Because He gives me magic. Because the reason I doubt is because I do not get the lesson I am been taught. Because I was shown the way to the vow of Poverty and it answered a lot of questions for me. I am trying to understand why Calric is allowed to wear the symbol of the cudgel but this is probably to teach me a lesson. And the question is not is St. Cuthbert worthy of me but am I worthy of being a cleric of St. Cuthbert?"

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia shakes her head. "What possible lesson could it be? That you have to march to the orders of a monstrous master?" Her words bite with bile and disgust, not at Miriam but at the idea she expressed. "What kind of lesson is that? What kind of god would teach that lesson? Certainly not one I would worship. If I were a cleric of Gond and he treated me Saint Cithbert treated you, I'd turn my back on him."

She sighs and hugs Miriam, trying to be a support, and speaks as kindly and softly as possible. "Im saying this because I'm worried about you. I care about you. You're so much better than what you've been taught and given. You and you're trapped and chained by Calric, and I want you to be free. And I'm afraid that your following Cuthbert is holding you back. It's binding you to nothing but pain and misery and bad memories. And Miriam, why did you end up worshipping him in the first place? Did you choose him because he aligned to your ideals like with me or Mithril or Kurt? Or did you worship him because you had to?"

[Athedia]

Mithril stood awkwardly as the clerics left and Natalia followed Miriam.

Turning to Ezra she stumbling tried to start a conversation. "So, you're a sorceress? How do you do that, I mean are you like Shiny? I don't really understand how everyone I seem to meet doesn't need a book, don't you worry about making a mistake on a spell? And how do you study the mechanics... I guess I have never actually talked about this before." She was trying to save her groups image after the difficulties with Calric the younger.

[Admiral]

Ezra raises her eyebrow disdainfully as Mithril asks her question. "Some of us can get it right without trying so hard," she says.

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Don't blame yourself, Mithril. Some people are just rude.

Brander coughs awkwardly. "We should focus on the plan of attack," he says, not waiting for the others to return. "We have some resources now that we didn't have before... but not enough to win a straightforward battle. We need a diversion- preferably one that wouldn't be sacrificing whoever it was doing the diverting."

Shiny steps forward. "I had a plan that might be of some interest to you... I can conjure large clouds of dark mist. If I turned myself invisible and sprinted around one of the caves, I could cook up an entire smokescreen surrounding one of the caves. At that point, it wouldn't matter if no one else was charging in... any orc would sound the alarm. And if they needed more prodding, I could conjure the noise of about twenty soldiers on the other side of the smokescreen. Hopefully that would be enough to draw all the orcs to one entrance, while you approach another one."

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Giving others a chance to respond, though I'm sure the newly coherent Natalia will want to get in on the planning once she's back.

[achinca]

The tears keep flowing as Miriam listens to Natalia. "You don't understand. I was saved by the Church of St. Cuthbert. My parents had decided I was not worth keeping: not smart enough, not strong enough, not agile enough, not pretty enough, not robust enough to have a litter. All I did was eat with little prospect to marry and bring in money. So the priests took me in their church and took care of me. I worked hard but they never questioned my worth. They only saw me as a maid and Calric was the one who saw that I could channel St. Cuthbert magic. You see, if it was not for St. Cuthbert, I would be dead. It is not an accident. He is trying to tell me something, to learn a lesson. No one said it would be easier. No one said my path would be a bed of roses. And Calric ownership of me has nothing to do about my God. It is a deeper thing, a primal force. That is what scares me ....."

She stops and looks at the rogue "you ... you ... speak normally? I can actually understand you .... must be magic!"

She gives Natalia a big hug "Don't waste the spell talking to me. Go to Mithril and the others. I need to be alone ..."

She forces a smile but once alone a totally depressed look appears on her face. She sits on the floor hunched and puts her head in her hand "How can I make the pain go away? I am so tired of suffering ....."

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As you probably suspect, Miriam will be fine with whatever plan the group decides to do, even it means to for to get covered in tar and feathers and do the chicken dance.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia shakes her head. "Then your parents swerve wrong too. You are definitely worth keeping. And..." she draws a shaky breath. "If that's what you believe, then maybe he's saying your purpose is with us, and not Calric. But whatever you decide, and in sure you'll decide what's right, I'll be with you to help. And I'm sure everyone else will be too.".

She smiles at Miriam's hug, wondering when the cleric would notice. "Mithril cast this spell. And that's why I came over to you. I'm bit wasting this spell on you. I'm using it for you, because now you can understand me. Miriam, are you sure about being alone right now? Don't you want to be with the others?"

[achinca]

Miriam keeps forcing herself to smile "I need to be alone and pray. It helps me. A lot"

Once alone, the sadness overtakes her "St. Cuthbert, just take me. I cannot go on anymore. Enough innocents have perished. Time to take your unworthy servant"

[CoffeeIncluded]

Natalia gives Miriam another hug. "If that's what you think is best. Just please, promise you'll come back to us soon, okay?"

Reluctantly, very reluctantly, Natalia returns to the group. She sits down and says, "Miriam may be a bit, but she promised me shed be back. What's the plan?"

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i definitely want to participate, but in running errands for college and so might be a bit. Sorry.