The Most Merciful Thing (Game Thread)

[TheBlackDog]

Lily

Lily sighs deeply. Old people are always making trouble.

She looks at Nis'Amain and speaks. "Maybe you should stop them, Nis. I don't think we need to fight each other."

[AetherFox]

Nis'Amain Fisthal

While they are arguing, Nis whispers to Lily,
"Yes. We can't be arguing now of all times."
She looked questioningly at Jon, but not because she wasn't familiar with that sort of magic.
"Wait a minute! Who said anything about killing them?"

[Terraspaz]

John and associates
Peering into the darkened storeroom, you see a plethora of things inside. Candlabras, shelves, dusty robes, assorted trinkets used in the worship of Pelor. Despite your keen intellect, there seems little systemized fashion to how the objects are arranged. Out of the corner of your eye, you see the figure of a small child slumped over against the left wall, with a small round object next to him.

Remainder of party
Opening the door, you see what appears to be an immaculate room. A modest bed lies along the far wall, with simple decorations adorning the otherwise spacious room. Seven skylights shine through the ceiling, arranged in a circle.

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I'm a little confused as to who's where. Could we clear that up?

[Shhhh!]

Jonathan Crowley
Jonathan sighs deeply, muttering to himself

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Idealistic fools, and idiots. Beautiful.
He then turns to face the Orc
Must everyone with the ability to lift more the 70 pounds cause me problems?
You are an Idiot of the highest regard. If I had wished you dead, you would have found yourself facing a Hellish Wolf, Perhaps while I granted you a curse, or simply froze you in place. If you wish to blindly charge into a room potentially filled with enemies, or traps, with nothing but your blind arrogance to protect you, feel free to do so...when it doesn't affect me. Up until that time, you shall have to learn to fight with wisdom, because if you try it any other way, you are a threat to me, My lack or respect for "warsong" stems from the fact that we are using Stealth, or should be, you colossal ingrate. And besides that all....my mist is shock white. Although purple sounds alchemical, I've not yet deduced an origin. I would need a sample to accurately reach a conclusion
He now faces Nis'amain
I feel sorry for her, I really do, but this is not the time to parrot about the Sanctity of life.
And yes, killing....Did you think that we were going to use axe and sword to bake them a cake? They've raided your church girl, killed your fellows. Don't kill out of rage, but out of necessity, because it it was you that had been here, it would be you laying dead on the ground. Of course, if you aren't up to it, you could take a nice nap in the pews with your friends....Mayhaps they'd enjoy your company?

Hm, invalidated by taking to long to post... Alright, I'm in the room leading to the hallway that goes to Davin's quarters, the preparation area, a few feet inside the door. Also.
Jonathan raises one hand, and taking up a small object from the ground beside him, Solis Aqien, while waving him hand hypnotically in the air.

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Daylight on whatever, 50 Min. Duration

[knewsom]

Remus ducked through the doorway and strode confidently into the room, his booted feet nearly shaking the marble floor beneath him, bold and confident of his power, bolstered by the bard's song.

"Davin?"

[Terraspaz]

Remus
You hear no reply.

John
Brilliant light now emanates from a small silver plate, on a shelf jutting out into the middle of the room. The details of the room appear vividly apparant.

[knewsom]

Remus

The warrior turned and left the room.

"Nobody home."

Looking around with a shrug, he decided to finish his initial search pattern, by opening the second door on the left in the hallway...

[Ascension]

Grug simply follows Remus as he makes his circuit. He has stopped singing, but he keeps idly humming.

[Terraspaz]

Peering inside, you see a very similar sight. Much like its sister to the left, this room bears a large oaken table, surrounded by chairs. Tapestries are visible on either wall, aglow from the dying light of the sunset.

[AetherFox]

Nis'Amain Fistal

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And yes, killing....Did you think that we were going to use axe and sword to bake them a cake? They've raided your church girl, killed your fellows. Don't kill out of rage, but out of necessity, because it it was you that had been here, it would be you laying dead on the ground. Of course, if you aren't up to it, you could take a nice nap in the pews with your friends....Mayhaps they'd enjoy your company?

Nis steps into the room shortly after Jon, and returns his comment angrily.
"What I thought was that we had less brutish ways of dealing with them. I wanted to bring justice to my friends, but that doesn't give us the right to stoop to the killers' level. Gods, you can control arcane powers with a wave of your hand but the best solution you can think up is 'kill them'? I thought at the very least you'd want to question them or something.
After speaking, she walkes over to the small child, deperatly hoping it's not dead, and tring to keep it out of sight of Lily.
"She's already seen enough death for one day..."

[Terraspaz]

You approach the child, and to your disappointment, see no obvious signs of life. As you bend down to further inspect the boy, a glint of light from the ever-luminous silver plate shines off something partially concealed by the boy. Upon closer look, you make out what looks to be a hinge between his head, and the small leather ball beside his head.

[knewsom]

Remus

Oblivious of the happenings in the storeroom, Remus continued his systematic search of the remainder of the rooms in the back of the church, searching for survivors, namely, Brother Davin.

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search (1d20+2)[14]

[AetherFox]

Nis'Amain Fistal

"What is?.."
Nis'Amain takes a closer look at the hinge, unwilling to get closer to the dead body, if it is one. She touches the hinge to feel if it is smooth, like normal metals.

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Is the hinge on the boys body?

[Terraspaz]

Remus
Opening the three doors in the back of the church, a horrific sight greets you. Between the rooms, no less than 5 pelorian acolytes lay slain, surrounded by wide swashes of bloodstains on the walls, floor, and in the case of one poor soul, the ceiling. Settling yourself against the display, you turn towards Davin's quarters, and inspect the room adjacent.

As you open the door, a setting of chaos greets you. Piles and mounds of books are gathered disrespectfully in great heaps all around the floor, with hardly any remaining on the shelves. Amidst the disarray, you see what remains of a familiar face.

Davin lies atop a pile of books in the center of the room, now soaked a deep red. Just to the left lies his right arm, severed from his body.



Nis
Except for a few spots of rust, the hinge in the floor appears to be made of normal iron.

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In a flash of clarity, you remember seeing this boy enter the church as you met Lily outside.

[Shhhh!]

Jonathan Crowley
Absentmindedly picking up the plate Jonathan moves to the body, standing beside Nis'amain, while racking his brain for explanations.
Oh, I see. You feel fine about torture, it's just killing that makes you queasy. And, though it's beside the point, Divine, Not Arcane. Yes, I suppose it would be better to keep them alive, let Remus and Grug take of his fingers until he speaks, if then....I wonder, Have you ever heard rumours of secret tunnels in the church? Something that you discounted as foolish?
He then shouts for the warriors
I believe We have found their egress...Would you like to come open it?

[AetherFox]

Nis'Amain Fistal

Nis whispers sadly to herself,
"Oh, this must have been the boy that Tyrio was talking about..."
She lowers the child to the ground, closes his eyes, and thinks,
"Pelor, master of golden light, let this poor child rest easy in your halls. Let him find more peace there then he did in his last few moments here.
She then turns back to the others and says, loudly enoguh for all to hear,
"Guys, I found something..."

Nis'Amain carefully opens the hatch and looks down below.

[Ascension]

"We did too!" Grug shouts back, "It's Davin! I think... I think we're too late."

Grug is used to seeing death, but these particular killings disturb him, especially the acolyte pinned to the ceiling... if the brigands Are powerful enough to achieve such a feat, why did they left him alive?

[AetherFox]

Nis'Amain

With a clang, Nis drops the trapdoor and hurries into the room Grug is coming from.
"Are you sure?" She calls to the orc, then beholds the gruesome sight. "Let me see- Oh, gods, I think I'm going to be sick...

Thouroughly disgusted and horrified, she manages to keep her lunch and walk over to Drevin, and once again checks to see if he is by any chance alive.
"I've done this far too many times today..."

[Terraspaz]

Your suspicions upon seeing the severed arm are confirmed when the cold neck of Davin offers no sign of life.

[AetherFox]

Nis'Amain Fistal

"Damnit!"
Nis slamms her hand into the pile of books, and slumps down, crying silently as the cold realization of everything washes over her.
"Everyone in the temple is dead... What do I do?"

[Ascension]

Grug lays a gentle hand on the weeping cleric's shoulder.

"You do what you have to, Miss Fistal. You avenge their deaths and then you move on. It's the only way. Didn't you say you found the killers' escape route?"

[TheBlackDog]

Lily

Lily follows Nis'Amain, content to remain quiet as they search through the church.
I may be young, but I'm not stupid. Everyone is dead. Well, I've seen dead people before; I've even killed people. I don't like it at all, and I don't need to look at them to know they're dead. I should stay quiet. I don't know how happy Remus and Grug are that I'm here.

When Nis'Amain rushes to Davin's room, Lily follows, but stops at the doorway. Her eyes grow wide when she sees Davin's corpse. He's... dead. He was nice to me, and those people, whoever they are, killed him. Lily sniffs involuntarily, and a few tears leak out of the corners of her eyes. I know I should feel sad, and I do. But I'm mad too.

Lily wipes her face and crosses the room to Nis'Amain, and tugs on the cleric's arm. "Don't cry, Nis. We should do what Grug says." She tightens her grip on Nis' arm. "Let's go get them."

[knewsom]

Remus

The huge man heaved a sigh.

It's too late to return the favor. Now all I can do is avenge you Davin. Redemption be damned.

"Nis, what did you find?"

[Shhhh!]

Jonathan Crowley
Jonathan walks slowly to the library, gasping involuntarily upon entering the room. He walks to one of the piles of books, kicking aside a few on the top.
I'm afraid things are beyond simple revenge at this point. Davin died defending something in this room, and it must have been important, as clerics of the sun god do not spit in life's eye for anything less. I'd guess it was a tome, book, scroll, something, and there are only three reasons for stealing reading material. They either were curious of something they could find nowhere else, or they wished to learn a ritual, or location, that was contained in the library. The last option, it is by far the most troublesome, You see, when you are working to call upon some dread being for whatever reason, or attempting to summon the most powerful undead, the only was to ensure it's effectivity is to eliminate all evidence of the creature, or creatures, from the houses of the holy. I'd wager they've also struck out at a few Wizard's Guilds, if it is that last one. But, yes, We seem to have found their exit. We must hurry, though, and leave. The guard will be here, sooner, or later, and they have a tendency to arrest first, and work out the details later. I only wish I had time to do a inventory of these books, and see what, if any of them, went missing...

[Ascension]

Grug snorts derisively.

"Are books all you can think about?" he asks Jonathan, "Now is the time for action, not inventories."

[AetherFox]

Nis'Amain Fistal

Oh, this is horrible in so many ways...

Nis' gets up and wipes her eyes, trying in vain not to seem weak in front of Lily. She listen's silently to Jon's monolouge, not really taking anything in, lost in thoughts.

This shouldn't have happened. Someone should have been able to stop them.

[Shhhh!]

Jonathan Crowley
Jonathan sighs silently
Well then, Grug, lets just Oh, Guess at what they took! I'm sure it would have a 100% success rate! We may have too, especially if we don't catch them going. I must know what I'm dealing with, it's the only way to stop it.
He gestures here at Davin's body
He and I...We never truly got along. He hated the way I worked, The knowledge I gathered, But he was also smart enough to realize how important it was. He supplied me with forbidden tomes on a regular basis, provided me with contacts to assist me in my workings...I respected his wisdom, as he respected my intelligence. Let's hurry now, we need to get out of here, find them. There is a trapdoor in the other room, With a dead body beside it...I'd guess that was their path in, that they killed the child as a afterthought of sorts..Davin said they had been broken into multiple times, So I'd guess it leads to either a camp of sorts, or at very least, the path used to enter the church. We'll work backwards from the door, and hopefully find the perpetrators.

[AetherFox]

Nis'Amain Fistal

Nis looks at Jon while he talkes, unsure what to think.
He knew Drevin too?

She decides that it's best just now, to agree with the others.
"Very well, lead the way."

[Ascension]

"That's more like it! Now, let's get moving."

[TheBlackDog]

Lily

Lily nods assent at the group's decision to begin moving. She also truns to speak to Jonathan. "And if we catch them quickly, it won't matter if we don't know what they took. As long as they still have it, we can get it back."