War of the Final Whisper [IC]

[Thrair]

The search through the rest of the Manor is largely unfruitful in terms of information. Though the furnishing are quite expensive and tasteful, they are, overall, quite minimalistic. Clearly, the merchant-lord felt no need to flaunt his wealth. However, there is a vast store of books and scrolls.

His own extensive personal library aside, there are also numerous tomes and journals occupying virtually every available shelf. In addition, there are numerous arcane and engineering projects scattered throughout the building, many partially completed and covered in a detailed, but meandering, notes in the same fine elven script as the letter addressed to the Lady Samiya.

The long search does turn up one bit of information that may prove useful: In the butler's personal quarters, a personal letter addressed to a clerk in the city (by the name of Regin Masser) makes reference to a recent altercation the Lord had with an emissary from Absalom. Apparently the emissary came to the lord with a business proposal, which quickly devolved into a heated argument from the Lord's chambers. The emissary was escorted out of the manor by the golems and the lord personally told the emissary that he could go to hell.

Before the butler's letter moves on to personal inquiries and conversation of little important to the current mission, he makes note of the strange attire of the emissary. In particular, an unsual Holy Symbol he wore in the form of a winged eye, surrounded by seal of Absalom.

Spoiler: OOC

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You can all make a Knowledge (Religion) check in the OOC thread on the symbol described.

TiaC: Perception check and a Linguistics check (With a +3 circumstance bonus on the Linguistics)

Bave: Roll the same Perception check (Only with a +2 circumstance bonus), and also a Will save. And for god's sake, use a different font or something. You've been rolling utter crap.

*EDIT* And after these rolls, you've done a solid search of the Manor. You could do more, but it's already very late at night, and you've done a fairly thorough search of the more notable areas. GTFO!

[Reltzik]

Alstroemeria begins a thorough search of the library. She shouldn't. She really shouldn't. But someone will apparently have to explain "late at night" and "GTFO" to her.

[Baveboi]

Anne will gather the blueprints and all the notes and stuff them in her safest and most intimate pockets (). No reading this time. Once was more than enough for a lifetime. Had she dealt with landlubber's magic she wouldn't be so imprudent before, but boat magicians and sea-magic work very differently, even the wizardly type.

"Meria, dear. Take Toothy there, we need to move out to Samiya already. I think we spent up what we can do in this place."

[TiaC]

After one quick final search and somewhat wistfully reading the titles of the books in the library, Velion will make ready to leave with the others.

He raised an eyebrow in response to anne's comment. "Toothy am I? Not the worst nickname I've been given, Luckless."

[Thrair]

Summary:

With little more to be found, and getting impatient, Anne suggested the party head back to Lady Samiya's manor. On the way, Anne's curiosity got the better of her, and she was delayed in the city, while the rest of the party was directed to the main meeting hall.

In the room, they came across Richard (AKA: Rashad) bound and gagged to a chair. Isaac was casting a long and powerful spell known as a Geas, while Samiya looked on. Briefly interrupting the proceedings, Velion alerted Samiya to the fact that he witnessed divination magic being cast upon Anne, surmising it to be a form of a scrying.

Alerted to the potential danger, but unable to do anything about it until Anne reappeared, Samiya returned her attention to the spellwork, as Isaac finished the casting and directed Anne to provide the terms of the Geas. Initially, her wording was poor, as her judgement was clouded by frustration.

Fortunately, Isaac patiently corrected her, and suggested more more viable orders. And they were as such:
"First, you are to make no attempt to escape, nor provide any form of contact or information to any not in this room. Second, you are to follow any further instructions from the Lady Samiya, as given. Third, you are to resist any attempts to remove the geas, and are to notify Lady Samiya immeadiately, should an attempt be made."

That business done, the party started to present their findings to Samiya, when Anne returned. Immediately, the entire assembled group cast detection spells up her determine if she was still being watched. Satisfied no such magic was currently in place, they continued their report, with Velion prompting Anne to reveal the strange firearm schematic they had both stumbled upon.

Though saddened at the loss of her merchant friend, whose attempted resurrection by Isaac proved fruitless, she quickly tasked the assembled group with deciphering and analyzing the many files and documents.

Velion set himself to gleaning information from the vast array of correspondence and analyzing the handwriting of the schematic, while Samiya and Alstroemeria tackled the encoded Chelish military documents. The task proved relatively straight-forward, but also time-consuming, occupying the better portion of a week.

During this time, being somewhat out of her depth in these sorts of affairs, Anne busied herself slumming it up and selling off the unneeded loot from their adventures.

By the end of the week, the party had gleaned the following information:

1) The personal correspondence is mostly comprised of minor personal inquiries to a number of notables across the world. Individually insignificant, taken together they paint a larger picture of a military buildup by Absalom.

2) The handwriting on the schematics appears to match that of Antony Vectus, an Andoran General who was lost in the last major battle Absalom participated in. Antony was a noted wizard who dabbled in firearms. His body was never found, but the position he was last known to be in took heavy fire from siege cannons, so he was presumed KIA under the fortunes of war.

3) The Chelish documents reveal the major artifact unearthed was dubbed the "Hellstone", and that it was used to create and animate powerful and independent war golems. They also reveal this artifact has been stolen, and the golems all turned upon Cheliax in an attempt to assassinate the Queen.

[Thrair]

Summary:

Samiya was able to finish tracking the location of the traitorous Chelish noble. Unfortunately, he was aboard a ship that had just left the port. Sending the party after him with a light frigate, she gave orders to intercept the ship and apprehend the cowardly scum. With them, she sent a Paladin unknown the party, her face concealed by her helmet.

Upon sighting the vessel, the party attempted to send up signal flags, which were responded to under false pretenses, luring the poor frigate in for a fullisade of cannon fire. Anne recognized the vessel as the Flying Dreadman, her late foster-father's former ship.

Issuing orders to close to boarding range, the party quickly lept aboard and defeated the enemy crew, unceremoniously slaughtering the captain in the process.

Having seen the noble, Morhen, flee below decks. Alstroemeria teleported in with a deckhand to try and head him off before he could do any spellwork, to no avail, as he summoned an air elemental from a magical scroll.

As the rest of the party rushed below decks, Morhen was able to get one last vengeful spell off: A fireball against the party's ship, still lashed to the Flying Dreadman, setting it's rigging aflame.

Handily dealing with the last of the resistance and bludgeoning the coward into unconciousness, the party made ready to fight against the elemental. However, a quick-thinking Alstroemeria was able to recognize it was under no clear orders, and was able to convince it to stand down until it could gleefully return to it's home plane.

The party now has to deal with a rampaging fire from their former vessel, as it is still lashed to the Flying Dreadman; threatening to kill them all, even in victory.

Spoiler: OOC

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First off, I've wanted to do an encounter like that for ages.
Secondly, never again. Or at least not until I've got more experience with such encounters. You all ended up bored by the end, as combat dragged on too long. Apologies.
Thirdly... enjoy the loot. It's totally not going to be needed in the near future. Really. *cough*

[Reltzik]

Alstroemeria casts Summon Monster 3 to summon 1d3 small water elementals into the burning rigging of our original ship. She then shouts instructions at them to extinguish the flames, and helps out with a Hydraulic Push (can extinguish normal flames in any 5-foot square). If the elementals look like they'll soon have the fires reasonably under control, she'll then grab the ship's carpenter and help out as best she can with infinite castings of Mending.

((OOC: Rolling for number of elementals: [roll 1d3]))

((OOC EDIT: Sigh. And my ineptitude with the forum dice-roller continues. Just roll it for me, Thrair.))

[TiaC]

Velion will assist the carpenter, he still has a few minutes of flight left to get to hard-to-reach spots.

Spoiler

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Taking 10 on the craft(carpentry) check gets him a 16.

[Baveboi]

((( I will do it, Reltz. (1d3)[2] Also, notice the elementals do take damage from fire, so they are literally putting out the fire with their own bodies. )))

Anne ignores the cries of lamentation and panic flying all around the place. It was the deck-sorceress time to make herself useful and Anne's time to collect some old debts. She stalks confidently toward the stern updecks where the former "captain" had been fried and diced open. The giant wasp didn't even needed to be shooed away disappearing in thin air, proving no hindrance. "Fickle magic", her father used to say.

Once she is unmolested De Leon gives the smoked body a look of utter regret. "You know why you are dead, jolly boy? Your game was bad. What were you thinking? Shooting at the starboard at pointblank? Why, you thought even if you could sink that piece of crap that I wouldn't be coming for you? You don't get lucky twice. Even old man Cervantes met the Locker, jolly boy. I supposed you will have lots to talk about. I will pay Toothy what he is due in time, jolly boy, so you can rest, but here is to yours." The pirate lifts up the dead man up and throws it overboard into the salty water of the Inner Sea.

"No, jolly boy, I feel no joy in seeing you lying in blistered blood and charred flesh drift away. It doesn't compare to what I had in store for you. I wonder if you really did get lucky again." She then turns to the prisoners, smiling her predatory smile.

OOC: Ok Thrair. I have been good for too long! Time to let the beast out for a walk! How many of these sailors I know from the Flying Dreadman? How many of them served with Cervantes alongside me and Jolly Boy, the Floater? I have old debts to pay, and the sea makes no prisoner.

[Thrair]

Though the elementals are able to quench the fires in relatively short order, the damage to the vessel is severe. All but the fore-sails of the main-mast have been burned away, the main-mast itself is badly burned, and the mizzen-mast has been completely destroyed.

In addition, the point-blank fullisade has done it's work, and groaning noises are to be heard across the ship, as the structure strains under the damage of shot and fire.

Though the crew is making every effort to save the ship now that the fires are out, the ship is still taking on water at a steady pace, and the Captain has ordered some of the crew to move what valuables and equipment are easily carried over to the Flying Dreadman, preparing for the worst.

Spoiler

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Regular carpentry takes time, and Mending has a 10 minute casting time to effect relatively minor repairs, of which the damage is well beyond in scope. Extinquishing fires will keep her afloat longer, and allow time to save much materiel (and perhaps the ship), but stopping the ontake of water is going to take a lot more focused effort. In any event, the ship isn't going to be sailing under her own power any time soon.

If you want to focus your efforts to try and prioritize where the damage is most severe, roll me Engineering in OOC at a -5, without taking 10/20. If Anne pitches in, she can also make this roll untrained at a +5 circumstance. DC 20.

Side note, friendly ship would probably be roughly akin to a Brig.

[Baveboi]

While the sailors are busy carrying the crates, Anne stalks after the closest prisoner which have been left considerably alone. She draws her cutlass and rests it at the bare neck of the first one she recognizes, a poor decklegger that scrubbed the Flying Dreadman for years before earning his arms-right. She moves her crimson lips closer to his ears and whisper: "Do you fear death?" Then immediately slit his throat open (coup d'grace).

She will then laugh out loud and lock her eyes into the next one, whistling their battle song. "Pillage and plunder, lightning and thunder. The Dreadman crew is coming for you. Don't you know the sea takes no prisoner? Dead men tell no tales." By now they should have realized this redheaded half-elf wench is Anne De Leon's vengeance made manifest. She is anxiously expecting them to start crying and beg for mercy now.

OOC: I will roll damage anyways so people don't think I am cheating. (4d6+1)[14]

[TiaC]

Velion notices Anne's rather ruthless actions and draws his blade. Entering a dervish's ready stance, he says "I suggest that you calm down, your actions are reckless and unwise. If you continue to be such a loose cannon, I will be forced to judge you a risk to our long-term goals."

[Reltzik]

Spoiler

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Perception check to spot all this happening while preoccupied on the brig.

Alstroemeria: (1d20+3)[6] (I'm GUESSING DC 15, Anne wasn't being subtle but she is preoccupied. If DM wishes to rule on a DC, that's his call, but for now this is mostly for my benefit.
Shozin: (1d20+6)[10] (I'm guessing DC 10 for him, since he's perched in the Dreadman's rigging and not preoccupied.)

I'll edit with actions once I see how these dice roll.

EDIT: Sucky both, but I figure Shozin passed.

Still lurking in the Dreadman's sails, Shozin noticed the events below. He (well, it, if one wished to be technical about things, but he didn't care to) typically didn't care about the lives of mortals. But when their combat could potentially destroy the only intact ship left, he took objection on principle... the principle principally being that he fancied the idea of napping away the trip back to land in a nice dusty hold, rather than making it back there on his poor abused wings.

So, Shozin noticed. He sent a mental alarm to his mistress, and then decided to stop the entire business before it really turned ugly. How to do that....

.... drop a sail on the fight if it broke out?

Perfection! A task already half-done was a task requiring only half the effort! He moved on to the next knot, getting ready. Just in case.

[Baveboi]

Mistress De Leon turns her cruel violet eyes towards Velion. "Oh, Toothy, Toothy, Toothy. What do you know of me, magus?" She removes her hat and suddenly her real form appears, that of a grey skinned half-drow with a short white mane for hair.

"Do you even realize whom you face? I am Anne De Leon and rightful Captain of this ship! By the Absalonian Right of Succession and as only daughter of Cervantes De Leon, greatest corsair of the entire Inner Sea, the Flying Dreadman, the very ship you are stepping on right now, is rightfully mine! You call wisdom yet dare to face me here? Disputing my right of revenge over this mutinous cretins over my own ship is, in itself, mutiny! And mutineers, dear Toothy, by law and decree of Absalom, Andoran and Cheliax, are hanged." She lets a small threat be heard in her voice.

Spoiler

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Let's do some things first. Dropping the disguise is a free. Taking her double barreled pistol is a move. For a standard I feel this should be an intimidation towards Toothy and anyone inside the Flying Dreadman: (1d20+14)[17]

Also, Reltz, I think there is no roll, since she laughed out pretty maniacally back here a moment. The mooks should be screaming and begging for mercy anytime now.

[Zerkai]

"I am not letting you execute unarmed men who disarmed and surrendered." Sekla spoke up, making her way towards the seen. It was easy for her to spoke the laughing, shouting, threats, and killing.

"Or... um... at least, any more of them that is... if that's alright." The four-foot full plated warrior said, her big dwarven axe never left her hand and now had a yellow glow to it.

[TiaC]

Mistress De Leon turns her cruel violet eyes towards Velion. "Oh, Toothy, Toothy, Toothy. What do you know of me, magus?"

Velion sneers, "Well, my first impression of your skill was that you have shoddy equipment. Since then, you have blinded your allies in combat, set off every trap we have encountered -causing severe injury to yourself and either your allies or our objective each time-, attracted our enemies attention, invited enemy divination, and attempted to withhold crucial information."

He continues "And now I find that you are executing prisoners without interrogating them, and have removed the most useful target of divination from our reach. Your actions since I met you have done more harm than good. As you possess no deed to the ship and have admitted that the previous owner was a pirate, attempting to fall back upon legalities is ludicrous."

He concludes with a glare "I would question whether you even seek our mission's success, or if you hope that our failure will bolster your bloody business."

[Thrair]

Summary:

With the group rounding on Anne with hostile intentions, Alstroemeria deviously created an illusionary and warped version of the enemy Captain, rising from the water and advancing slowly on Anne.

As the party rounded on this new "threat", their grievances with one another melted away. Satisfied that they were sufficiently distracted, Alstroemeria dismissed the illusion and launched into a long-winded lecture about recognizing one's friends from one's foes.

The tense situation defused, they returned their attention to the matter of their stricken vessel. Or tried, as they were interrupted by a commotion as a man introducing himself as Shiro Ikemo leaped down from the rigging and offered his wry commentary on their progress.

Though the group was suspicious of his intentions, the party's Paladin, Sekla, was able to put forth a good impression. Soon all accepted his offer of assistance, and work began to transfer supplies and stores from their sinking ship, to the one they had captured.

Velion began singing a work song of his ancestors, to the grief of every poor soul within earshot. A scrying attempt was even aborted when it passed upon the horrible screeching, which Shiro generously described as akin to "a cat drowning in cottage cheese".

Quickly finishing their work so that the awful sound might stop, the crew completed the transfers in record time, and cut their former vessel loose. The Captain was not all that keen to stay, as their was a fel air and strange weather promising ill omens.

After a few hours, it began to seem his superstitions would prove correct, and a strange fog began to follow and seemingly cling to the vessel. Quickly deducing the fog to be magical in nature, Alstroemeria called everyone's attention to it, as the wind died down to nothing, and the ship's pace slowed to a crawl...

End summary.

[Thrair]

Spoiler: OOC

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Since this thread's not seeing much use with the live sessions doing the bulk work, merging this thread into the OOC Thread.

[Thrair]

Spoiler: OOC

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Back from the grave, the IC thread arises!

Alstroemeria:
-Has been given a sort of brevet promotion in Chelish standing, marking her as acting in the authority of her house and Chelish intelligence (though her true rank is still as House Leroung property). She has been given information on whom Craven has been working for, and is currently searching the archives for the Elven ambassador in Absalom.

Velion:
-Has pissed off and been pissed off in turn by a clerk at the Andoran embassy. Has been reactivated as a lieutenant in the irregular forces of the Andoran military, though he has yet to receive orders. The captain at the embassy responded positively to the forwarded intel, but it is too soon to know how that will ripple through Andoran channels.

Sekla:
-Feesh. And urchins that can cook, and that showed potential as chefs. But mostly Feesh. And the celestial sword's now an axe. Oh, and there's Feesh.

[TiaC]

Still in dwarven, Velion will continue talking to Sekla, "Do you mind if I stay here tonight? Lady Samiya's grief has made her house rather depressing lodging. I would be glad to help you furnish this place."

"Oh, and I should probably introduce you to Asdoril. He finds you interesting." Vellion will draw his sword and lay it across his hands. "I do not believe he can communicate with anyone else. If he can, he has not let me know."

[Zerkai]

"Of course you can stay here." The hobkitty nods with a smile before looking at his weapon curiously, then at what used to be a longsword, having had transformed into her preferred weapon.

"... I don't know her name. She's been quiet since the high priest helped her. I want to ask, but I'm not sure if she's resting or not... if she is, I don't want to wake her." She considers it for a moment before setting her weapon down on the table.

"Still, it is nice to meet you, Asdoril. Hm... I will need to buy more food, several bedroll, and visit Lady Samiya. Recent events can not be easy on her..."

[Thrair]

Spoiler: OOC

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Asdoril speaks 3 languages. All Black Blades get Common, and one additional language each time their intelligence modifier goes up (DM's choice). Asdoril knows Aklo and Celestial.

And I assume that was a typo of Asdoril's name, not in character?

As Velion displays his weapon, the blade hums briefly before opening a telepathic link to Velion.
"I can speak aloud to others, if I so choose. Though I have not yet found many worthy of speaking to, as you are. Still, if you trust this one enough to reveal me, I will indulge myself in my curiosity."

Speaking aloud (in common), it greets Sekla somewhat haughtily.
"It is my pleasure to reveal myself to you, at last. As one holy warrior to another, Sekla of Clan Bloodthirst, I greet you with honour. You have a bearing nearly as honourable as that of my wielder."

"To your own weapon, I extend sympathy. And the hope that, unlike it's former possessor, it's new wielder will treat it with the respect it deserves."

From the Axe, a faint glow emerges, then fades.

[Reltzik]

((OOC: NONE of what follows is relevant, save that Alstreomeria is giving up her search for the elven diplomat... or rather, going to hand it off to some NPCs. Everything else is just flavor.))

In the library, Alstromeria pulled off her glasses and rubbed her temples. Even with the lenses, reading for great lengths of time was a strain. But that was a necessary cost of study. The real source of her headache was unnecessary. The filing system was... lacking. Oh, the classics, the repositories of knowledge, the encyclopedias, all of those were well-organized. But the system couldn't expand. The past generation had neglected to leave room for new documents. Well, for some of them, but not a century's worth, and everything since the allocated space had been filled had been placed on overflow shelving with a minimum of organization. Why did humans never think of the future? The facile explanation was their short lifespan, but that did not hold water. Measured in generations, elves still planned further ahead. Perhaps it was an irregularity of elves. Or perhaps it was a cultural distinction, rather than racial.

It didn't matter. This library was as it was. And it was reasonably acceptable. Far from the equal of the library at House Leroung's central palace, but then hardly any was. Alstroemeria's eyes needed to rest, but her mind didn't. She took a mental review of the most recent developments, the present circumstances, and the current priorities. She did this as a chess master might consider the board. Though it was a very peculiar manner of chess.

The largest problem was that their opposition contained a scryer. There were counter-measures... and counter-counter-measures... but at present he or she knew all the moves being made and most of the pieces on the board, while the peace faction knew only the ones they made. The other side also contained more raw power. Neither was an insurmountable obstacle on its own, but the asymmetric tactics required to defeat a more powerful foe tended to rely upon secrecy. Clearly a liability.

Victory lay in turning liabilities into assets.

Their opponent was of vast power. Why had he (curse Common for its lack of gender-neutral pronouns) not simply struck? Either he was constrained in ways Alstroemeria could not recognize... greater concerns, perhaps, or a need for secrecy, or an overabundance of personal caution... or he was complacent and did not consider them a threat. Complacency, properly nourished, became arrogance, pride, hubris, and defeat.

How great a victory had they scored today? Not so great a one, if the sending could be believed. The redundancy of assassins necessary to permanently murder Isaac suggested it could be. Yet obviously enough of one to merit the attention. Yet not so great a one as to merit immediate and personal retribution. Complacency challenged, but secure. A piece had been removed from the board, but not a critical one. A knight. Unpredictable in its movements and its influence over the board, capable of striking where none other could reach. Yet well worth trading for several pawns and a bishop.

And she was a pawn herself. But pawns could be promoted into queens, if they worked their way in deep enough. And they often could, against a complacent foe.

Several thoughts worked their way through Alstroemeria's mind and combined. The assassin. Complacency. Transformation of liability into asset. Pawns and knights. Promotion in the back ranks. Geases in general, which House Leroung did not use to ensure the loyalty of its slaves and members, save in extreme circumstances. A happy pawn is a productive pawn.

The plan formed, one that would be highly illegal in any real game of chess. But then, this wasn't a real game of chess.

Alstroemeria considered it from several angles. It was risky, but then, any course of action was risky. But it furthered the priorities given to her by her house, and promised to provide great advantage if successful.

She set aside the fruitless search for the elven diplomat. Any librarian could attend to that task. She made a note to ask Lady Samiya to find one, when she had recovered from her grief. Besides, the last thing she wanted to do now was take a trip to Absalom. The librarian could take his or her time. Hells below, it would be a wonderful task for an apprentice. Let someone else search through this abysmal filing system.

Only she could do this.

[Zerkai]

Sekla blinks as the weapon addresses her "Oh... um, it's a pleasure to meet you too. And I wouldn't really call her 'my weapon'... I'm still going to use my own axe. After what she's been through, using her in battle seems... harsh, and..."

She paused, looking at the Axe as it glowed faintly, reaching out to grab the handle, channeling some positive energy into it "Um... hello? Are you awake?"

[Thrair]

Glowing steadily brighter, the blade respondes in echoing tones.
"Awakened unto the twilight dream. I have seen."
"Steel blades, tempered in blood. Blackened leaves on withered vine. Tallow marks in dying flesh. Through all, those thought dead slumber, though those that claim them know the truth. Only white struggles on, risking such it's own petard. I have seen."
"Prophet greatest heard this doom, fated, though, to see it through. Even now the sleeper wakes. Heart corrupted, filled with hate. I have seen."
Light fading, it's voice changes, somewhat less airy.
"It is cold. I miss them all."

Asdoril made an odd creaking noise, not unlike a hinge in need of oil.
"That was.... most odd. Thoughts, Master Thornsen?"

At this point, one of the children is going to creep forward and peek at the axe from behind Sekla.
"Miss? S-should we leave?"

*EDIT*

Spoiler: OOC

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TiaC, you know your own Black Blade well enough to know that this sound is basically the equivalent of a confused "Uhhhh."

[Zerkai]

Sekla blinks as she listens to... well, what sounds like prophecy, her eyes going wide as she tries to make sense of it. Those thought dead were sleeping, a sleeper corrupt with hate, and given the circumstances which she found the sword...

She snapped out of it when the Axe's voice changed, a look of sorrow on her face "I'm... I'm sorry. I'm not sure what I can do to help."

Then she looked to one of the children "Oh, um... no, no it's alright. I was actually planning to go shopping in a bit for bedrolls and more food. If... well, any of you need a place to stay..."

[Thrair]

One of the shorter children steps up a little, though still edging around the axe.
Telemil lives at the kitchen's boardroom. Most of the rest of us have places. Not as nice, but..."

He seems to be echoing the statement of the other child. They all seem a little uneasy because of the axe's little "moment".

Spoiler: OOC

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Anything you guys have yet to do before the next morning? Plot hooks to multiple areas are on the boarding station, but if you've got something you want to RP out, that's more than fine.

[Thrair]

In the morning, a messenger comes in from the Andoran embassy, asking for Velion. A man approached the embassy last night. He delivered a letter, asking it to be given to you. He was dismissed on account of lacking any form of credentials, but he left the letter behind, stating it was a truce offering.

The clerk on duty attempted to open the letter (despite it's being addressed specifically to Velion Thornsen), and was stricken with intense agony that left him gasping. After that, the letter was dealt with far more carefully, and was purged of any magical effects by a battle-magi before being read. They could not make sense of it, so the captain ordered it delivered to Velion.

Spoiler: OOC

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How do you proceed? This all assumes you all attempt nothing major until the next morning. If you do, this gets retconned forward a bit.

I'm trying to avoid railroading, here, so there's a lot of possible routes you guys can take the plot. But at the same time, I feel I should probably try to poke you guys into more activity.

Again, feedback is always welcome. If I'm forcing things and you'd rather I not, tell me. And if you're getting sick of idling, I can do a few things to try and push the plot along.

[Thrair]

The sergeant is going to call over the group for a private chat while Olin and the rest of the troops go about their business in setting up the outpost/camp. Olin's wolfdog, Hurin, appears to be taking a liking to Sekla, and is following her around, occasionally barking and/or licking her.

Addressing Velion with a crisp and formal salute, he'll launch into a quick debriefing of the camp status (mostly mudane things like readiness and provisions, as well as expected patrol schedules).

After this basic rundown, he's going to ask about the group.

"Sir, with Lt. Golus dead, you're the ranking officer here, until a replacement arrives. Already sent status updates, but it may take a few days for reinforcements to be sent. We'll follow your orders, but I must ask if your companions are trustworthy. And if you're aware of the strain their presence will cause.

Your hobgoblin friend in particular is gonna be causing some problems. They're hated by most of the boys from the northern provinces. Especially given how bad the recent raids have been from the Stonefists, Bloodthirsts, and Iron-Reavers. I can keep the men in control to a degree, sir. But her presence is going to cause problems. And that's leaving aside the formal regulations we're expecting in a few weeks. Bad business, that. But beyond my control."

Turning his attention to Alstroemeria, his gaze lingers on her brand.
"Former slave, eh? Sorry we couldn't bruise the bastards more, for you. Maybe in the coming war, we'll get the chance. Yonder golem's just a taste of what they've got coming, I promise you that."

[Reltzik]

"You are operating under several misconceptions, Sergeant," Alstroemeria says, rising from examining the golem and turning to face him. "The most critical of which is that war is inevitable. This is the most severe class of Ka'gasin's classification of the lies, what she calls the Self-Realizing Lie. If enough people believe it, it becomes the truth when it need not." ((OOC: Random philosopher reference.)) "This is not a single, isolated incident, but a piece of a symphony, one note struck among many, carefully orchestrated into a single disharmonious harmony: The resumption of war, to the detriment of Cheliax and Andoran both. And like any other piece of the symphony, you are responding to the conductor exactly as desired. You are being LED, sergeant, led as surely and as unthinkingly as your pets there can be led by a man with an iron ingot. The baton falls and you simply react. It is understandable, I suppose. Even predictable. But your duty to your nation demands that you respond otherwise.

"Judging by your rank, I would hazard to guess that you are a veteran. So what does your experience tell you? Does nothing strike you as odd here? A surprise assault against, forgive me, a minor border outpost? What value would that have? I could name half a dozen fortifications which, if reduced in a surprise assault, would have drastic implications for a renewed war effort. This most certainly is not one of them. Yet because of this assault, those fortifications will now be on heightened alert. Any true advantage of a surprise assault will have been squandered.

"And witness the pure incompetence of this attack! Golems, sent against rust-monster handlers! I could not engineer a worse mismatch if I tried! Imagine instead that you had been beset, in the dead of night, by a skirmishing force of thirty. These walls would not have kept them out. Half of your force would have been dead before the rest had rousted themselves from their tents and grabbed their weapons, and then you would be facing iron weapons and chain armor with your own stone arms. I doubt, in the chaos, that anyone would think to even uncage your pets, or would have the opportunity to do so if the thought did occur to them. These would not need to be particularly capable skirmishers, either... any marginally-disciplined band of brigands could manage the same.

"Cheliax could easily muster such a force, cheaply and quietly. Any one of its nobles could, and do so with deniability, and in turn be disavowed by the Crown if discovered. And yet instead you are struck with valuable, distinctive units... the very type that you have been specifically equipped and trained to fight. This attack would have been an incompetent waste of Chelish resources in any event, Sergeant. Knowing what your unit is, it would be a disaster, and yet not knowing, it would still have been senseless. Why send a golem, much less several golems, out to hit this unit as an opening gambit, when a few dozen men would suffice? This was a provocation, pure and simple, and yet even that could be accomplished without a golem. A massacre, with incriminating evidence deliberately left behind. Easily accomplished, and without the massive waste of rare resources that THIS-" a gesture at the golem "-represents!"

"I'm sure you have many words that you would use to describe Cheliax in general, and the Chelish military in particular. But ask yourself, Sergeant. Is 'incompetent' one of those words? Does any of this actually make sense? Because if it does not make sense, then that means someone else is engineering these events, with the obvious end of provoking a war. And if it is not Cheliax... and why would Cheliax waste resources in this manner?... then it must be someone else. So I suggest you stop simply reacting in the obvious, predictable way, and start thinking deeply on these topics. And once you've done that, ask yourself. Who do you know of, who calls most strongly for renewed war?"