Age of Ruin IC: Where demons dwell

[The Great Skenardo]

Sumner Kesh
Sumner bows his head. Those times had been brutal, he recalled. He remembered the stories that his uncle told of the times before Gothul fell; sometimes you could smell the stench of burning flesh coming from the temple even halfway across the capitol.
Steeling himself, he looks at the rotted robed ruffian in front of him.
"Lies? I saw the ruins. I saw where the palace once stood, and my master with it. My friends, my brothers, my sister, my mother, my wife... I built their cairns in that smoking pit myself, because there was no one else to do it."
Sumner lets his gaze drop.
"The Kumari assassinated our Emperor, and their god cast down ours. The arch-magi descended upon old Davethra and killed all of the scions of Zere."
The ache in the youth's voice is marked, and the leather reins creak in his grip. Sumner sits silently for a moment, and then almost whispers
"Except for one. That's where we are headed even now; to the side of the last Zere, and the Emperor by right."

[knewsom]

Draven sighed. This was far more socializing with the undead than he ever cared to do. He's experienced first hand the heartbreak Necromancy can cause... but he never expected to bring bad news to the walking dead. Inwardly, he cursed whoever would do such a thing to men. He rode his horse back and forth in front of the skeletons, addressing them all in his booming voice.

"He speaks the truth. Zardis has been destroyed, the Empire has fallen, and Gothul... is dead. What will surprise you even more, is that it happened not days or weeks ago - but YEARS. You all have been cursed to walk these lands, carrying out a duty long obsolete... You see, Gothul and the Empire are not the only ones who are dead - YOU are all dead as well, your flesh continuing to carry out it's orders, Necromantic and vile magics binding you to your own decaying vessels, now little more than skeletons, and in some cases, only partly that. Either nobody has bothered to tell you this, in the many years that have passed, or you have been told but your memories eliminated. This may be difficult to believe, since you are all most likely bound heavily to the illusion, but it IS the truth, and whatever it takes for you all to break free from the curse and finally find peace in your deaths, I truly hope you find it."

[Ozzy_G]

The skeletons stand listening to Draven's speech... and then burst out laughing.
Bullsh*t! shouts one. What a load of rubbish! yells another. Do you really expect us to believe that crap?
The captain steps back, his hand going to the hilt of his katana. What is this? You expect us to believe some bollocks about us being dead for years, skeletons? Is this a joke?
Joke? snarls the priest. No, it's not a joke. It's blasphemy. These are obviously Kumari spies.
The captain looks up at Kesh. I wondered why I didn't recognise you or your father's name...
The priest draws himself up. Now, blasphemer, pay for your lies. He reaches out a hand towards Sumner.

[The Great Skenardo]

Sumner Kesh
Sumner takes a moment to shoot a poisonous glare at the dragon shaman. Then, as if by magic, his sword appears in his hand and he holds it ready to disrupt any spell the priest might try to weave against him.
"Shut up, Draven," he snarls over his shoulder. Turning his gaze back to the amassed dead legion.
"I am oathsworn. I am no spy. You insult my family and my name!"

Spoiler

Show

Prepare an action to disrupt the casting of any spell by the priest.
Attack roll, all other things being equal.
Attack - (1d20+11)[19] Power attack of 3
Damage - (1d10+13)[22]
Bane - (2d6)[3] (just in case they still count as human somehow.)

Confirm Crit - (1d20+11)[18]
damage - (1d10+13)[20]

[Toliudar]

Ismal

Leaping from her horse towards the conflict, Ismal casts a spell. The Imperial flag (or her understanding of how it would have appeared at the time of the war these men fought) of Davethra billows out behind her, strong and gleaming.

MEN OF DAVETHRA. Do you come to doubt your own eyes and hearts? I am of the house of Pennefar, longtime servants of the empire. Four hundred years of the blood of dragons flows through my veins. Would you raise your swords and hack me to death out of some suspicion? Some fear? I had thought that imperial warriors were made of sterner and more disciplined stuff.

Spoiler

Show

Casting Major Image, and using Draconic Presence (Will save DC 20 or shaken, NOT a mind effect) to reinforce her attempt at a Diplomacy Check ((1d20+19)[39]) to try to head off a fight.

[Ozzy_G]

The skeletons stand confused at Sumner's words, but the priest ignores you. He shouts Gothul, smite your foes! As he does, Sumner swings his blade at the priest, but it scratches off his bones. It does cause him to stumble in the dirt, slowing him slightly.
While the priest is stumbling, Ismal shouts, and the skeletons cower at her words, standing reverently gazing at the old imperial flag, the Maw of Gothul beneath the jagged obsidian crown of Vellan Zere. The captain stutters Lady Pennefar, we are your servants, but we do not... he is interrupted by a flash of baleful light. The priest tried to touch Sumner again, but was thrown backwards by this flash, and lands on the ground in a clatter of bones.
Sumner is on the floor, curled in agony, his katana lying in the dirt next to his clutching hand. As he screams, the small bumps on the back of his green head lengthen and split, as beautiful feathers of black and red force their way out of the back of his neck and skull.
The priest holds up his stump in shock, his skeletal hand has burnt to ash.
The skeletons are yelling, pointing at each other, looking at their arms and feeling their faces. My skin! By Gothul! What's going on? Help... Mother! Several kneel on the floor, heaving in a grim parody of grief.
The captain stands at the front, staring at his skeletal hands in shock. I am...

[knewsom]

Draven's eyes went wide, and he shook his head in awe at Ismal's display before sighing and nodding as the skeletons began to realize the Truth. He cocked his head and shrugged at Sumner's new feathers.

"Hm... So that's what those bumps were." He scratched a bare part of his neck, and upon a closer look, faint scales could be seen growing within the skin. "I know how you feel, when these started to come in, it itched a bit, then, hurt like hell." He rode closer to him, then leaned over, extending a gauntleted hand to help the feathered warrior to his feet.

He then turned his horse around, regarding first the skeletons, then Ismal with a very impressed look. "The truth can hurt sometimes. I am sorry we had to be the ones to tell it to you." Impassioned as ever my dear... truly well done!

[Toliudar]

Ismal

Ismal shakes her head wryly as she looks over at Draven.

And we don't need to further discuss the size of your balls, my love. My bold, headstrong, crazy love. How is Sumner?

Ismal drops the illusion of the flag, and walks slowly to the captain, regretting breaking in on his private grief and horror. She extends a hand to his skeletal one.

You are a good and true servant of the empire, who has been lost in time, in a war which has unjustly left you cast aside. I hope only that you and your men will be able to rest, knowing you served a cause -and that others, like the man you see, transformed here, continues to serve.

Rest, now, if you can. You have earned that, a hundred times over.

[Ozzy_G]

Sumner takes Draven's hand, and staggers up. You can see that the red and black feathers also now have a few dark blue and dark green feathers amongst them. His green skin has darkened slightly as well. Thanks, Draven, he says as he gets to his feet. I'm okay.
He listens to Ismal, but shakes his head. They won't be able to rest. They've been made this way by the necromantic magic left over from the war, from all the spells that were thrown about near the end by General Khadoth and the other war-wizards. They created this whole wasteland with those spells.
The skeletal priest gets to his feet. What did you do? You took my hand, and have covered us all in some foul illusion! Some of the other skeletons look up at him, evidently wandering if that could be true.
Sumner looks at him, and smiles. There's something... predatory... about that smile. It is not an illusion, Goral Vor, Priest of the Third Circle and Initiate of the Bloody Mysteries. Nuk saga, vul arush, gok terak sherei moktan. He speaks the mouth-twisting words of Abyssal, the speech of demons. Vul turak Gothul muk saga kosh! Azakan ruk terk Zere mokal.
The priest gasps, and falls to his knees. He holds one skeletal fist to his heart.
We are yours to command! he says reverently.
What is going on? asks the captain.
Everything this man says is true, replies the priest. The war is over, and we are just its undead remnants. But we can still serve, and must. We must obey this man, and he will lead us to the Emperor's son, and we will rebuild the Empire!
The skeletons mill around, uncertainly. This is too much, says the captain, shaking his head. I just don't understand.
That makes two of us, mutters Khorik.

[Toliudar]

Ismal

Not leaving the captain's side, Ismal gazes with a mix of fear, surprise and wonder at this new, feathered being that stood before her. She focuses on her medallion.

I just KNOW I'm going to regret this, but would you care to comment on who - or what - that is, Ur-Jyn?

[knewsom]

Draven turned away from Sumner, and raised an eyebrow at Ismal, mouthing the words. "what the hell?"

He turned back towards his feathered friend. "Sumner, is that Abyssal? When did you learn to speak Abyssal?"

[Ozzy_G]

Sumner looks at Draven, one eyebrow quirked in annoyance. It's a common language. When I was a child, all the priests spoke it, I heard it all the time. He rubs the feathers at the back of his head, and grimaces. These things are itchy...
He looks back at the skeletons. I understand that all this is probably difficult to get a grip on. But you are oathsworn warriors of the Empire. Yes, the old Emperor may be dead, but one of his sons, Azakan, survives. He needs you. Follow your Ne'sha, and follow me.
The captain rises. I don't understand what's going on, but Goral Vor believes you, and your words strike true. Ne'sha demands that if the Emperor is dead, we fight for his son. Perhaps in doing so, we will come to understand what has happened. We're warriors after all, we don't need to think about such things, we just fight for the Empire. It is Ne'sha. He bows to Sumner, and then to Ismal. Our lives are yours. He catches himself, Or, well, our unlives. He scratches the back of his skull. This is going to take some getting used to...

[Toliudar]

Ismal

The noble tries to smile graciously at the soldiers pledging their loyalty, but is too worried about this new version of Sumner. Providing insights into necromantic magics. Speaking abyssal, when she was SURE that he couldn't back in the city.

Hesitantly, Ismal sends her thoughts out to Kaleff, Khorik and Draven.

There's more than feathers that are new about Sumner. Any of you know much about demonic possession?

[The Great Skenardo]

Sumner Kesh (?)

The feathered youth shudders once, and then he quickly stoops and retrieves his katana from the ground, holding the weapon tightly in his grasp.
After a moment's silence, he puts up the sword.
"Good. Good. I'm...glad that you remember your Ne'sha so well, captain. The emperor will have special need for you. You are our secret strike force, and we will call for you when Emperor has need. If there are other units out here, then find them. Avoid engagements with the Kumari as much as possible, and do not let other travelers see you. Your provisional orders are to remain in these lands."
Sumner rolls his shoulders again, rustling the feathers slightly.
"And now...we've stayed long enough. We must go to the Emperor. The Empire, for Forever!"
So saying, Sumner remounts and turns his gaze to the rather suspicious looks of his companions.
"We'll speak of this in a bit. Now let us move."
Sumner gathers up the reins, clearly ready to depart.

[knewsom]

Draven growled inwardly, his teeth gritting.

No, but I know a thing or two about exorcisms...

He started his horse forward, then drew in the reigns, whirled around and addressed the captain.

"How did you cross the ward-stones onto the road?"

[NobleSavage]

Kaleff Nefud

Only a little, Ismal, mostly that it looks like that. What he's transforming is the approximation of the Nebuzim, the race of daemons that gave us Gothul. Oh, and the reason the priest shut up? He invoked something called the secret pact of Black Fire.

With as little disturbance as he can manage, Kaleff follows Draven, delicately guiding his mount through the thicket of skeletons.

He really hasn't done anything strange, for Sumner, at least. Could he just have been holding out on us?

[Ozzy_G]

Sumner's always been a bit weird, but I don't think he's doing anything particularly strange, replies Khorik. He's never said he doesn't speak Abyssal. I don't know what this Black Fire business is though. We know how Sumner is with the Empire, bringing it back is all that he cares about. But this business about him looking like a Gothul-like demon... that's worrying. Something's going on, but I don't know what.

Ur-Jyn replies in Ismal's head.

Spoiler

Show

I was right! He's obviously being possessed by Gothul himself! You morons didn't believe me, but it's true! You better kill him as soon as we're away from the skeletons, and burn his body.

The skeletons nod, and reform into their phalanx. Some of them still seem rather distraught, but they follow orders.
At Draven's words, the captain looks at the side of the road. Wards? We never noticed them before... we came straight up the road from the supply base near Ral Misari. Or at least, we thought we did...

[Toliudar]

Ismal

Ismal remounts and gets underway with the others. She sends her thoughts to Kaleff, Khorik, and Draven.

Khorik, I never tire of your glorious capacity for understatement. Sumner grows feathers out of the back of his head, goes from dedicated to fanatic, and starts talking about necromantic magics, and we consider it "worrying". I know that Ur-Jyn is just as much an unknown quantity, but for what it's worth, he's screaming that he's possessed.

[Ozzy_G]

Khorik grimaces, worried. Possessed? He doesn't seem possessed... wouldn't he be trying to kill people and stuff if he was possessed?

[knewsom]

Draven nodded before turning his horse back around and quickly catching up to the rest of his group as they headed off down the road. With a worried sidelong glance to Ismal, he allowed her to hear his thoughts.

Possessed? By whom? And... why? It's certainly odd that this entire time he's never spoken or mentioned that he spoke Abyssal. It certainly seems as though we've been well surrounded by demons... You'd think it'd have come up. We've got the figure out a way to tell for sure just what's going on. I'm not about to keep some DEMON as an ally.

[Toliudar]

Ismal

Mentally continuing their previous conversation.

Sumner's tried to kill people even before this...I don't think possession's likely to mellow him, but the demon may have clearer goals in mind...like, say, putting an emperor back on a throne.

Well, if I'm wrong, I'm just antagonizing Sumner further. If I'm right...there's a good chance that Plumage Sumner now has significantly greater, and entirely unknown-to-us powers. Including, for instance, the ability to listen in on this conversation. Either way, I'm suggesting we may need to hold off and observe, reserving judgement as long as possible.

[knewsom]

I'm all for reserving judgement... On possession. For now, I've got a bone to pick.

Draven sat silently for a while as they continued their trek along the desolate road. Once the skeletons were well out of sight, he turned to Sumner, confused and angry.

"Mind telling me how and why the hell you decided to take in a company of skeletons as allies!? Like we need any more of that vile magic in this world... We could have sent them against the Kumari skeletons, and they would have destroyed each other, letting all their souls find peace! Is that your plan now, to fight devils with undead? Because if it is, I want no part of it! Allowing cursed souls to remain in their animated dead bodies so you can USE them is nearly as bad as creating them in the first place!"

[The Great Skenardo]

Sumner Kesh (?)

As the skeletons form up, Sumner touches the central sunburst on his forehead and bows slightly in the saddle; a warrior's salute to the captain and his troops. He picks up the reins once more, but he stops for a moment while the inaudible conversation passes by, and frowns, apparently thinking. He shakes his head, still brooding as Draven comes alongside.
The young warrior listens as Draven talks, his eyes fixed just below the horizon, then he replies.
"Wrong? To bind mens' souls unwillingly to death is wrong. To call forth demons whose only goal is chaos and destruction...that is wrong." Sumner turns his head with a rustle of feathers in the wind. His gray eyes meet Draven's.
"But these men swore an oath, just as I did, to serve the empire and its emperor. I've been serving beyond death for nearly forty years, and I could have "released" myself at any time. But I chose to endure, hoping for a chance at redemption. They willingly fulfill their oaths, and so they endure their decay. How, then, is this wrong?"
Sumner shakes his head. "I would have taken a living regiment just as readily. To send such capable and loyal forces against the Kumari bound by the wards...that would be a waste of resources Azakan may well need."

[knewsom]

Draven shook his head.

"But you're alive. They're not. They have no other option but destruction, destruction they could have found without breaking their vows. Leaving them out here, knowing and seeing the truth of what they are, isn't that kinda... cruel? What if they get stuck on the other side of the ward-stones? Then Azakan won't have any resources anyway, and they'll be stuck there for eternity! Men's souls are not resources, dammit... their service, sure, but their souls...? Are you certain Azakan will even want them?"

[The Great Skenardo]

Sumner Kesh
Sumner snorts.
" 'Cruel?' Remind me, Draven, who it was who made a point of dispelling their illusions?" Sumner waves his hand "Nevermind. Let that pass. But One thing you may have noticed about me, Draven, is that I take an oath very seriously." Sumner's hand grips the leather of the rein tightly.
"And the captain and I... we have made the same oath. Our souls are committed forever to our goal. One thing you must understand, Draven, is that for us of the old empire...there is nothing waiting after death. Gothul is dead, and that was all we ever had. Release holds little attraction to me when there is work to be done. Otherwise I might have released myself long ago.
As for them...If we call and they cannot respond, Fine. If it assuages your conscience any, I'll return to this waste and "release" every last one of them myself."
Sumner turns back to face the road.
"But in the meantime, they serve the Empire still. Perhaps later something magical can be done about their state." He waves a hand, vaguely.

[Toliudar]

Ismal

Her voice is soft, cautious.

How are you feeling, Sumner? Your transformation seemed pretty, ah, difficult for you.

[NobleSavage]

Kaleff Nefud

Guiding his horse closer to the shaman and the freshly molted Sumner, the Zhan looks quizzically at the clansman. "Must they be destroyed? They may be dead, but they are surely sentient. They can clearly decide for themselves if they still want to serve, and their desire to do so must be taken at their word. The oathsworn are a different breed, Draven, and you must allow for them to make decisions you wouldn't consider."

Turning to Sumner, Kaleff studies his plumage for some time. "I can't help but think you're starting to look like Thalgor's companion, who helped him slay Gothul. Do you think you may becoming an avatar of his? Might Gothul be attempting to lay claim to this realm again?"

[knewsom]

Draven shook his head in disbelief, scoffed lightly and spurred his horse forward ahead of the group, but made sure to stay within close enough proximity to hear the conversation.

Facing the horizon, the lines of age across the balding warrior's forehead, caked with dirt and sweat, deepened further with concern. His eyes narrowed, and he continued to ride ahead of the group, alone with his thoughts.

Gothul? Return? I've heard the stories about his fanatical followers... the constant sacrifices and needless bloodshed at his command... First Anarazel, and now Gothul too? I could hope for them to destroy each other, but they could take the world with them when they do, the amount of power they have. If Sumner IS turning into Gothul... I'll have to find a way to put a stop to it!

[The Great Skenardo]

Sumner Kesh
Sumner glances at Ismal, an eyebrow raised.
"I? I suppose I am fine. We...will need to talk, once we stop to rest. For now, though, I feel we ought to get out of these wastes. Quickly."
the feathered green warrior turns his gaze to the horizon, letting it fall at that.

[Ozzy_G]

The group ride on. They can see behind them the skeletal phalanx marching after them, but on horseback they soon leave the undead far behind. The land the group rides through is still just as barren as before, with only the occasional ancient corpse sticking out of the ash. Sumner seems preoccupied, but the group says nothing to each other.
Eventually, the sun starts to set. There is still a long way to go before you leave the wastes, and you're hungry and tired.