Streets of Atalya Volume Two: Tentacles

[Magnus_Samma]

Firethena's body is like a fine wine- the years have only done good things for her. It becomes apparent that the lines on her face are far more likely to be the result of stress than of old age. She is surprisingly toned for a wizard, particularly one who does so little adventuring, but there are no scars or wounds, old or otherwise. When she's satisfied that the party is satisfied that she's not harboring brain worms she slips her gown back on and follows Vodette out of the room.

Kumoru pokes his head in. "Hey guys, great news. It would appear that I am not yet entirely dead. If you know what I mean."

Ha ha! At last, someone with a sense of humor. High five.

"... how about no, you psychotic piece of crap."

... you hurt my feelings.

Tahlion murmurs in Horacio's mind.

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She's pretty good, alright. I can't help wondering if she has been up to more than she lets on. She's got an incredible head on her shoulders for someone who claims to spend all their time sitting around and moping.

[Should we do Firethena and Vodette's conversation in PM or just cover it with spoiler tags? I'm too tired to pick one myself. :P]

[Mike_Lemmer]

Horacio

Horacio thinks quietly to himself as he waits for Firethena to finish her inspection.

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Yeah, she's full of surprises. I bet she's been looking into the cause of Aerin's death as well.

Or she caused it.

No, she wouldn't cause it.

She was jealous of her, you know. She could've struck a deal to-

That's ludicris. Firethena would never stoop that low.

-just like she could've told the paladin about Gaudemus's experiments to drive them-

Shut up! That goes against everything we've seen about Fire-

You mean like Laura's betrayal went against everything you knew about her?

...

Hey, you could be lucky. She might regret it now. Or she could just be stringing you along, luring you into a sense of-

Shut it. She wouldn't mope for a century. All of Gaudemus's notes were in that lab. She could've read them all a dozen times over. She could've made a connection we haven't, or done her own private research like I do. Hell, we know Gaudemus had previous run-ins with them; he might've told her about them, tipped her off. There's a dozen explanations besides she did it.

I know, but it won't stop you from watching her reactions like a hawk when you ask her about it tonight.

...Xan Yae, there are times I wish I was more naive.

Horacio closes his eyes and leans forward, head drooped. He looks deep in thought.

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You're the only one in this whole mess I can truly trust, Tahlion. I hope we can still talk privately when I give you back to Tokugal; right now, I value your advice more than your fighting prowess.

...I want to know more about this transformation process. I want to know everything you know about it: how to do it, the result, the cost. I do not want to be caught off-guard if something like the Devourer happens again. This means too much to me; I would rather sacrifice my life than let this fail. Please, give me what I need to know to do that.

[Magnus_Samma]

Tahlion quivers gently at Horacio's side.

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I can't tell you not to be suspicious, Horacio; this is your nature. But I can tell you that if Firethena harbored such darkness within her heart, I doubt I could miss it. I detect no such hatred or anger within her. There is simply sadness, and a quiet, but powerful, inner strength.

The transformation... is as has been said. A merging of minds and bodies. We join together on the deepest possible level and become a single, unique being. I do not know if we will retain memories of ourselves, or if the process will wipe us out completely. I have never had the oppourtunity to attempt such an action. I... believe the result would be based on my... original form, whatever that was. Doubtless it would contain elements of yourself as well, though I haven't the slightest idea how they would be mixed.

It could be permanent. It could not be. It depends on the circumstances, I think- if we simply merged for a moment for the power, we might simply fall apart again naturally... but there are other ways.... deeper ways... that would make the combination lasting, and far more powerful. It is this sort of union that Kinslayer seems to desire, though I don't doubt he has his own reasons for requesting it that would not bode well for whoever accepted his offer. It is entirely possible that one of us could retain our consciousness and thus control over the agregate form... though in doing so the remaining personality of the other would be put at risk. I'll say it again, this is the kind of thing I would only attempt in time of the darkest need. It is old, wild magic, and I can't imagine the consequences of playing blindly with it.

[Mike_Lemmer]

Horacio

Horacio keeps staring into space, thinking about something.

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That's reassuring to hear. I'll take your word on it. But I'll still have to pick apart her words. Gaudemus's friends seem reluctant to speak the entire truth about him, but we'll need that to find this corruption and exorcise it.

A merging of minds? One consciousness gaining dominion over the other? That sounds like a psionic merge; perhaps there's a way to practice for it, or ensure a balance between the two minds. I'll have to talk to Vera about that when we visit her. It is her area of expertise.

And deeper ways? Any more details on that, Tahlion? Or will I have to start hunting down some wild mages crazy enough to know those details?

...

Still, two minds merging, one controlling the other... those creatures know we're going to this meeting. It's a trap, but for who? We're bringing Kinslayer. They're bringing... Gaudemus? Perhaps not. Gareth? Gareth's probably infested, perhaps by his father, but- no, doesn't make sense, they attacked Gaudemus. Still, infested by another, one and one is two, two and one is three...

Nightfang said Kinslayer was interested in Gaudemus and his kin. What do you think would happen if Kinslayer merged with Gareth while he was infested by a nightmare? Just a thought.

[ExHunterEmerald]

Terry grins at Kumoru.
"Down, boy."
Then coughs.
"...Whoops, sorry. Forgot the whole arcane experiments thing."

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For the record, I have a perfectly fine sense of humor when I'm not babysitting soul eating greatswords.

[PolkaBear]

Tokugal Ardolin

Tokugal nodded at Firethena's further warning. I wonder how she knows that. Nevertheless, he stripped off his jacket and shirt as Firethena led Vodette from the room. "Could somebody check me?" Tokugal returned the favor for anyone who needed it. [Taking 10 for a 35 Search check.]

"It may be worth it to give the lab another look-through," he commented, "now that we have a better idea of what we're dealing with."

[Mike_Lemmer]

Horacio

"Labs. Hells, I want to go through this entire house with a fine tooth comb."

[boxboy582]

Vodette

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Vodette walks into the other room and begins to strip off her clothing.

Thanks Firethena. I just didn't really want to give the boys a full view of everything.

(OOC: Lets just do it in here with spoilers)

[Magnus_Samma]

"Baby-sitting" probably isn't a very accurate term... most babies can't kill you.

Terry feels -something- prod him sharply in the buttock.

Kumoru pauses in the act of removing his clothing. "... man, that thing's getting more schoolyard by the second. Also, I hate to break anyone's bubble, but don't most of us have a pretty decent assortment of scars and lacerations left over from prior conflicts with unrelated beasties? I mean, Tokugal, I can see what used to be some fairly considerable ventilation in your ribcage just by looking at you from here. How do we know these things can't use old injuries to invade our bodies, or just heal the wounds up after they're done? I mean, if you want you can probably cut me all the way open and get a look inside, but I don't reccomend it for those of who who still need all of those organs to live."

Kumoru, as previously stated, only has a couple of very old and long healed scars on his torso, but the wound from Kinslayer is still very much open and certainly large enough to admit something that would be small enough to fit inside his skull.

Tahlion murmurs quietly in Horacio's brainmeats.

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A permanent fusion requires... intent... some ceremony, something symolic... and a large source of magical energy, enough to really permanently break down the barriers between our minds and physical forms. That could require the help of a wizard amoral enough to assist in such an enterprise, but we could just as easily take the energy from some kind of object, or a place... even a being with sufficient supply of natural arcane power...

...that could be why Kinslayer wants Gaudemus' family so badly... if Gareth inherited any of his father's natural power... and given the nature of the experiments that gave rise to it, it is entirely possible that he has...

In the other room,

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Firethena smiles as warmly and as non-trheateningly as she can. "I understand. It's probably nervewracking to take off your clothes in a room full of people with swords and penises, ne? I was raised in a pretty open community, so I never had much of a problem with it..." She grins a little mischievously. "...and the looks on their faces are worth it, anyway. So! Let's have a look at you. Anyone ever tell you you have really cute breasts Vodette?"

[Mike_Lemmer]

Horacio

"We might need a way to detect parasitic minds trying to hide in our bodies. We'll have to ask Firethena what else she knows about them when she's done checking Vodette. If physical checking and magic don't work, perhaps psionics will."

Horacio checks his body for any new scars while his brainmeats continue to throb.

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So Kinslayer could be trying to steal/tempt that power away from Gareth, with these nightmare creatures helping from the sidelines so they can slide into it. Kinslayer gets the power he wants, but then the nightmare gets the control they want...

Do you think Kinslayer would help them destroy the world, or do you think he's being played for a fool as well?

[ExHunterEmerald]

"And most greatswords don't goose their bearers."
Terry rolls his eyes and pulls off what's left of his cloak with Slayer in order to get back at the tunic and shirt.
"Hmmf, good thought, Kumoru. Most of mine--emphasis on most," he adds, throwing Slayer a look, "Are long since closed up. I guess we'll have to look for reopened wounds andd such."

[PolkaBear]

Tokugal Ardolin

"Those of us with healing magic are probably the most susceptible to such a scheme: once it had control, the creature could use our own powers to conceal the signs of its entry as old scars. Two points on that, though. First, I wonder how long it takes the creature to assume full control. Second, I wonder why the paladin continued to bleed--that's how I read the bloodstains on the bed, anyway--when he could have used his divine powers to heal himself. Do you think that perhaps he lost his divine connection when the creature infiltrated his body?"

[ExHunterEmerald]

Terry nods, unbuttoning his undertunic as they speak.

"Don't forget healing potions, either. Entirely possible those'd cover it up too.

The bleeding..hn. Maybe body functions are impaired by the infestation? That would explain why Percy wasn't quite 'with it.'"

Once again disrobed, Terry tosses his bundle of clothing, armor, half-a-cloak, and shirt onto a free surface and turns around. Terry's clearly had a rough-and-tumble life, with a few thin and faint crescent-scars from sword swipes. One or two at his sides are deeper, probably from being caught between ribs or stuck during a turn. Quite a few thinner puncture wounds here and there indicate animal wounds. Across his back in a faint stripe matching nearly Kinslayer's resting place, there is a thin band of grayed, deadened skin, cracking like old leather. Center stage, of course, is the fresh and massive exit wound Kinslayer's blade made, covering about half of a similar (but smaller) scar a few years older.

Terry cups his arms behind the back of his head and gives a few slow turns patiently.

[Magnus_Samma]

Tahlion wobbles.

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I guarantee you Kinslayer has his own agenda. I'm sure he's capable of being played for a fool, but... I honestly wonder just how hospitable his body would be to biological possession- I can't imagine his true form being anything remotely wholesome. As for his intensions... your guess is as good as mine. Call it a hunch, but he just doesn't strike me as the world destroying 'type', if you know what I mean.

I'll do a whole lot more than that, big boy. If Kinslayer had more than one eye, you could call it a wink. As it is, it's pretty much just unsettling.

[boxboy582]

Vodette

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Vodette gives a little chuckle and smiles, choosing to ignore Firethena's last comment. She holds her arms out and turns a few times. She reaches for her clothes and begins to dress, before waiting for Firethena's 'all clear'

Everything good? I told them that nothing was out of the ordinary, but I guess we all have to be careful. What do you know about these things? I'm so confused about what is going on, I don't know what is up and what is down. I don't know what to expect next. I was taken completely off guard by Dai's little outburst.

[Mike_Lemmer]

Horacio

Horacio keeps thinking as he looks at the others. His own body is surprisingly light on scars for a rogue his age, but the ones he does have look like they did some damage. There's a few slash marks, an old burn mark or two that never quite healed up properly, one place where it looks like his skin was ripped off, and stab pinpricks... lots of them.

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Damn, that leaves us back at Square One. The nightmares are risking us attending this meeting for something. If they don't want Kinslayer and Gareth together, then the only thing we bring to the meeting is our representation of the Church.

If the nightmares want to ignite war between Gaudemus and the Church, they'll attack during the meeting, make it look like we did it. Oldest trick in the book. But why? Do they want the bloodshed? Or is there something sealed in Atalya they want cracked?

Darkness lurks behind the light...

You think the Church is hiding/sealing something?

[WhammeWhamme]

"Losing a connection to the divine... well, I'm not exactly a priest, you know? The point on scars is well taken, and I'll add another wrinkle with regards to myself; I'm reasonably handy at disguise.

Maybe we should try for simple layers of security. Codewords, that kind of thing, as well as inspections.

Although maybe we can just trust that odd changes in our behaviours would be noticed and corrected.

...then again..."

[PolkaBear]

Tokugal Ardolin

"Well, checking for unexplained wounds is something, anyway, even if it's not foolproof. The paladin had a number of little clues, too, although no single one was conclusive. Being forewarned should allow us to piece the little clues together. I hope."

"I'd also like to get those potions examined, since they seemed to have played a part either in the infestation or in its concealment. (Your potion idea got me thinking, Terry.) You think Firethena could do it?"

[Toliudar]

Daewell

Daewell's body has one prominent slash across the shoulder, and a long string of dotted marks along one side that suggest very big teeth. His skin is pale and flush.

Well, there's nothing special about scar tissue. If it can close up scars, it can close up regular flesh as well. There was blood in Percival's bed, which suggests that there is in fact a wound of some kind on entry.

He looks around.

I think that that's all of us except Dai, now. And you're right, friend. I'm not sure that any of us have been so rock-solid on one course that deviations in behaviour would be noted. With the possible exception of our rock-steady savant, perhaps.

He gestures at Tokugal.

Hmm. I have a spell which allows me access to the surface thoughts of those whose minds I enter. I of course haven't used it on any of you, or indeed anyone on this visit. It's an invasive act, and not one I undertake lightly. Still, if you were all willing, I could use it at the end of each day to monitor our own state of mind...

Of course, that doesn't help if I'm the one possessed.

He smiles weakly, and returns to his tea.

[Magnus_Samma]

Firethena

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smiles and nods, her eyes briefly glowing pale blue as she looks Vodette up and down. "You're clean, for all intents and purposes. Dai started the fight? That's odd, he usually seems so laid back. What crawled up his butt and died?"

Tahlion

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shudders. That's not a pleasant thought. The cudgelers would sooner destroy something outright than suffer evil or chaos to exist. If they had to seal something away, it would have to be something that the entire organization couldn't kill.

Kinslayer seems to be done for now and just kind of sits there.

Kumoru is listening intently to the conversation in the room while he sticks his hand as far as it'll go into the wound in his chest and feels around for tentacles.

[Mike_Lemmer]

Horacio

Once Horacio's been checked, he begins putting his clothes back on, waiting patiently for Firethena and Vodette to finish while he thinks to himself, idly looking around the room.

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Yeah, seems unlikely. But this entire quest's been unlikely. That's two potential motivations and no clues yet which is correct. Scratch that; no clues yet which is wrong. We need more info.

If we can talk to someone close to Gaudemus that isn't infected before this 'meeting', we could learn more.

[boxboy582]

Vodette

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I have no idea. We just had that run in with that thing that possessed you, and I wanted to be there when you woke up because I thought seeing everybody here would help. You know, make sure we're all safe instead of you waking up to just one of us and maybe thinking we're all dead. Then he just flipped out! Called me a witch with blood lust and said that I had no idea how to interact with anybody unless I was stabbing them. I don't know where he gets off telling me that. Just because I'm useful in a fight and don't run away like he does. . . It just bugged me. Do you know anything about these things that are crawling into people and making their heads explode? I happen to like my head. I'd be a little put out of it exploded on me.

[WhammeWhamme]

While the room only has guys in it, Dai removes his druid robe and the armour underneath while talking...

"I've got a basic grasp of wizardry, so we could check each other if you're okay with me inscribing the spell in my spellbook, and assuming it's not too complex... Just putting that out there for the record."

[PolkaBear]

Tokugal Ardolin

Tokugal looked around the room for someone else to check and saw Kumoru investigating his own chest cavity.

He inhaled sharply in shock and began choking, coughing. When he regained control of himself, he smiled weakly at Kumoru. "Sorry. I wasn't--wasn't expecting that." He blinked the tears from his eyes and smiled again.

[Mike_Lemmer]

Horacio

Horacio chuckles a bit.

"You need to work on that stomach, Tokugal. How much you want to bet he can stick his hand all the way through it? Wave at you from his backside. Hells, I bet I could hide in there."

[PolkaBear]

Tokugal Ardolin

Tokugal chuckled at a picture of Horacio stuffed inside the vulpine warrior. "Reminds me of some morbid games we used to play with cadavers on this one job. Manipulate the tendons, and you can make them go through all sort of motions." His mental image of Horacio now showed the halfling pulling on various internal organs and ligaments, sending Kumoru into a ragged dance.

"I, uh, don't think a game like that would be a good idea with Kumoru, though."

[Mike_Lemmer]

Horacio

"I don't know. No one would ever suspect him of being able to pick a quadruple-tumbler lock. I could have fun with that.

"But yes, you're right. That's much too disgusting. We'll just limit ourselves to hiding weapons in there. Er... sheathed, of course."

[Magnus_Samma]

Kumoru pulls his hand out and casts about for something to wipe it with. "I'm sure there's all sort of stuff we could fit in there. Wonder if Horacio could crawl all the way up my digestive tract and come out the door, so to speak... I mean, think of the fun at parties."

Kinslayer makes a noise that sounds far too much like choking to come out of a being without an actual throat.

In the other room:

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Firethena frowns a little and nods. "If these things you're describing are what I think they are then I've heard of them. I've never heard tell of them exploding people's heads, though, so I could be wrong... or this could be a new strain... I hope it's not what I think it is, though. I don't have many nightmares, but if I did the flesh wearers would be in all of them. Not a lot of worse things than having a writhing mass of tentacles crawl up your whoopsie daisy and hollow out your innards so it can use you as a costume. Beastly things."

[boxboy582]

Vodette

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Vodette shudders and continues to tie her tunic and replace her armor.

So these things just crawl inside you? Is there any way to fight them, or even detect them? How would we know if somebody has, in fact, been possessed? Is it as easy as looking for some sort of entry mark?

Vodette waits for Firethena's response as she continues to dress. After Firethena's response:

Lets head back into the room. My guess is the boys are all done and waiting for us. Horacio says you are coming with us, wherever we're going now. Will you come with us from now on? It seems like it isn't safe here anymore, if you could ever call it safe here. I'd like to have you come with us. It'd be nice to have another female along, instead of just a bunch of guys and me.

She chuckles after a moment's silence

Except you'd think there would be more fighter types in here. I was half expecting there to be one brute with his axe and armor but nothing in between his ears. Most of them aren't fighters at all. It's mainly just Terry, Horacio, and myself. Ahh well. I hope you'll come.

Vodette continues on to the other room, unless Firethena stops her.

When Vodette reaches the door, she knocks on the door and slowly opens it. She pokes the top of her head in and says, just before entering:

How are you boys doing in here? Everybody clothed and still in control of their own brain?

[Mike_Lemmer]

Horacio

Horacio is getting too involved in this conversation to notice Vodette at first.

"Crawl out? Why would I give up good cover like that? No, I'd shoot a crossbow out of your mouth and stab them through the gut scar. They'd never see it coming."

That's when he notices Vodette. He looks over.

"I think so. We're telling stories about our scars. You check out alright? Oh, and please ask Firethena to bring a towel for Kumoru. He still has some juices inside."

Okay, don't think too hard about what those juices are. This is normal for us...