Way of the Wicked: Knot of Thorns [IC]

[Hypersmith]

Over the course of their training, Ilneshs habits become more apparent to the others. The lifestyle seems one he is intimately accustomed with already, and he takes to it immediately, calling frequently on the slaves to prepare him various dishes and draw his baths. He spends as much time as possible out of sight. Skulking in the shadows is not his usual method. He is far more accustomed to hiding in plain sight, taking the guise of a servant or someone meant to be in the background, and voicing his opinions if he feels the need to do so. Generally, his free time is not spend idle - his daily, almost ritual like weapon practice is when he is easiest to find and identify. He practices regularly with his daggers, and when armorless, the bootblade.

His visits to the library are intermittent. If anyone pays attention, he mainly focuses on reading about noble families and houses, with the occasional read on poisons, their cures, and their effects. Eventually, he cuts out of his practice time in favor of some experiments in crafting poisons.

Spoiler: Craft (poisonmaking)

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Drow poison costs 750 silver, DC 13 to make. 25 Gold spent on raw materials. Expected to take three or so weeks to craft, with approx progress each week = 247 (19x13) I'll roll five attempts. EDIT: Total tallied up.
(1d20+8)[22]
286
(1d20+8)[20]
+286=546
(1d20+8)[15]
+195=741
(1d20+8)[28]
Completed.
(1d20+8)[20]

One night, a little over a month into their stay and the others are all gathered at the table, Ilnesh speaks aloud. "You're all aware of my failure when fighting Balin. I apologize, and would presume that apology accepted, if only for my services regarding the rest of the trail. That said, I do not wish for a repeat. I have purchased several vials of antitoxin, and will store them here - He pats an easily accessible pouch on his belt. Along with a healing potion. I will continue to brew poisons, but should I ever nick myself again, these are a precaution." He falls silent.

[Ixe]

Ixe seems serious, rather than sarcastic. "A prudent precaution, friend. We shall administer them promptly, should the need arise. No need for apology; after all, that is why it's called training. Myself, I have a potion of healing...", he reveals a small, padded pocket on the inner lining of his robe, "in case of such emergencies."

[Ixe]

(( Hypersmith, I'm sorry that I dropped the ball on this one - it occurred to me just today that I had interacted with everyone's character except for yours (except for Seva, I don't have a good sense of who she is as a person yet). No offense intended, just an oversight. ))

"I have purchased several vials of antitoxin, and will store them here - He pats an easily accessible pouch on his belt. Along with a healing potion. I will continue to brew poisons, but should I ever nick myself again, these are a precaution."

Ixe seems serious, rather than sarcastic. "We shall administer them promptly, should the need arise."

Spoiler: Ilnesh: Perception DC 15

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Jervis: Sleight of Hand check: 1d20 +3 (racial) = 15

You feel a gentle tugging at the pouch that you just indicated. Looking down, you see Jervis standing next to your chair, quietly sticking one of his greedy little black paws inside, trying [unsuccessfully] to get at the item.

(( I am not sure if Ixe would have noticed Ilnesh's shapeshifting ability yet. Unless you have made a point to reveal this, probably not. Ixe has a Wisdom of 7; he's really smart, but he tends to be "in his own head" most of the time. ))

[Hypersmith]

Ilnesh does not notice Jervis going after his things, and so he does not react to it.

Spoiler: Ixe

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Nah dude, it's all good. It was awkwardly placed by me anyway.
Ilnesh has made no effort to hide his shape-shifting. He shows up in regularly the same shape, but he'll change casually if he wants to get something done. So it's up to you, since he's made no effort to hide it, but neither has he explicitly said he can do it.

---

On the ship.

Finding little information aboard the ship, Ilnesh decides to try opening one of the crates. He makes no effort to conceal himself, looking about for a crowbar or anything else with which to pry open a box. If he doesn't find one, he will attempt to open one himself.

[Cavir]

Learning from Sarin about Ilnesh boarding the ship, Vosnak gathers Ixe, Seva, and Jeyne. "Ilnesh boarded the ship and is getting nosy. I have Sarin keeping watch. Seems like Ilnesh is trying to open one of the crates. Might be wise to be ready in case the captain doesn't take well to it. "

[Kish]

Spoiler: Ilnesh

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Ilnesh finds a crowbar. One of the sailors says something to him in a sharp voice; he doesn't understand a word of it.

Assuming he continues with his plan, the sailor fetches the captain before he can open the crate. "'Ey, what are you doing?" the captain shouts. "My contract is to deliver those unopened, and I doubt Thorn told you different."

[Ixe]

Ixe: «taking a long, deep breath» "I understand. Let us proceed. I shall endeavor to remain unobtrusive."

[Hypersmith]

Ilnesh nods to the captain and speaks softly. "No worries. I will simply check the cargo is in good health, then reseal it. Leave me to my job." He looks at him expectantly, waiting for him to leave.

[Kish]

Spoiler: Ilnesh

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The man scowls ferociously at Ilnesh like he's contemplating running him through, but after a long pause, he says, "You're Thorn's. What you do is his business. He better not try to short me if you damage his precious cargo." He snaps something at the crewman who fetched him, in that language you don't understand and storms off.

The crate you open holds greatswords. Each is marked at its base with an image of a battleaxe surrounded by flames.

[Hypersmith]

Ilnesh tuts. He expected something more exciting. All the same, it would be useful to find where these weapons are being shipped off to. Can't ask the captain without looking suspicious, can't ask the crew if I don't speak the language.

After a moments thought he shuts the crate and gives the end a few knocks with crowbar, hoping it will seal it well enough to get by.
He slips off the ship and away into the mansion, waiting a few minutes before shifting again into a stooped, gruff looking older fellow. He squints to complete the image, and shuffles out towards the ship, giving his eyes a wistful gleam as he approaches the ship looking for the captain.
"Off to the sea lads? Ahh, I miss it's comforts. Where you headed?"

Spoiler: potential rolls

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If needed: Persuasion (1d20+10)[30]
Disguise (1d20+17)[37]

[Jopustopin]

Jeyne

Jeyne blinks as Vosnak. A tired and annoyed look crosses her face. She stares directly at Vosnak while replying, "No, let us not proceed. I'd be less concerned with the captain's ire and more concerned with our master's. The wiser course of action is to wait for him to direct us... Whatever Ilnesh is doing is surely not helping what plans our master has set in motion."

"So unless there is something else, I was about to retire for the evening.", Her facial features don't change. Tired and annoyed.

[Kish]

As Ilnesh approaches the door to the mansion after having shifted, a servant approaches each of you and says, "The Cardinal wants to see you in his study immediately."

[Ixe]

Ixe quietly waits for Jeyne to take the lead, then follows behind her.

Now that the mood is all serious, Jervis will probably stop whatever he's doing and come find Ixe, to see what's going on. (He's like that.)

[Hypersmith]

Ilnesh is a little ticked at the interruption, but he nods and heads off immediately. Orders are orders.

[Cavir]

Jeyne

Jeyne blinks as Vosnak. A tired and annoyed look crosses her face. She stares directly at Vosnak while replying, "No, let us not proceed. I'd be less concerned with the captain's ire and more concerned with our master's. The wiser course of action is to wait for him to direct us... Whatever Ilnesh is doing is surely not helping what plans our master has set in motion."

"So unless there is something else, I was about to retire for the evening.", Her facial features don't change. Tired and annoyed.

"The captain's ire directly? No, but his ire leading to our master's ire may be of concern." Vosnak pauses. "Ilnesh opened one of the crates. He's coming back in now. "

The servant approaches with Thorn's request. "That was quick, but not surprising." He heads off to the Study, having Sarin catch up to him before entering.

[Jopustopin]

Jeyne

Her retort was already written on her face from the moment Vosnak began to speak. Jeyne had more to say when the servant walked in and alerted them to the cardinals request.

Jeyne didn't immediately leave. She let Vosnak get a good distance ahead of them before she started out towards the Cardinal's chambers. Walking with Ixe on the way she spoke under her breath to him, "Ixe, what is Vosnak? I don't think he's even remotely human. Something is very, very wrong with him."

[Kish]

As you approach the study, four people emerge from it. One is an unarmored female elf, strikingly beautiful, with platinum blonde hair. Right behind her is a hulking male human in leather armor, and two identical-looking male orcs, one in chainmail, the other in a chain shirt. The more heavily armored orc offers you a cheery smile, but none of them speak to you as they walk past you down the hallway.

As you enter the study, Thorn gestures wordlessly for you to be seated. When all of you are there, he says, "It's time to begin undermining Talingarde."

[Hypersmith]

Ilnesh shifts back to his "I'm going outside" skin - the tall dark man he was during the trial. He casts an appraising eye over the elf and the orcs, but says nothing. Thorn will have things under control.
He sits and waits for the rest to take up their positions - he tries to look discretely at Thron in the meanwhile. Three months, still enigmatic. He wonders what the weapons will have to do with the meeting.
----
At the Cardinals sweet words, Ilnesh breaks into a grin. He remains quiet. Good things come to those who wait.

[Ixe]

"Ixe, what is Vosnak? I don't think he's even remotely human. Something is very, very wrong with him."

Ixe: "That, Lieutenant, is indeed an astute observation." You have noticed that Ixe almost always addresses you as Lieutenant now, rather than "Lady" as he once did. He seems quite serious about it; perhaps as a gesture of increased respect and deference.

Ixe: «pausing» "Wrong, you say? Whatever he is - or has become - he appears to be endowed with remarkably formidable capabilities. He manifests these effects entirely without what you and I would consider obligatory spell components, and is rarely exhausted from them. He claims not to require sleep; never have I observed him sleeping, nor studying a spellbook. I might be covetous of such power - if I understood what sacrifice he has paid for them. As for the crystal - I am at a loss to discern its nature. He appears to silently converse with it, as if it were his familiar, yet I cannot comprehend how that could be. Perhaps some sort of ioun stone? Yet it bears no aura of enchantment. Would that I could offer you more acute insight, Jeyne. I find him to be most perspicacious in conversation, yet naturally, I have not confidence in his loyalties, nor should any of us."

As you enter the study, Thorn gestures wordlessly for you to be seated. When all of you are there, he says, "It's time to begin undermining Talingarde."

Ixe grins wickedly. At long last, an opportunity to evaluate his neoteric necromantic maledictions!

Jervis sneezes conspicuously, then settles himself underneath Ixe's chair.

[Cavir]

Vosnak gave an interested but polite smile to the elf, and a respectful nod to each of the others. The two groups had been kept separated so he didn't know any of them but figured they were another part of the grand plans. Perhaps the groups would cross paths again along the way to work together so the psion made note of their faces. Perhaps he'd find the elf after all this was done. Time was not a factor for either of them.

With the Cardinal's announcement, Vosnak smiled. "Excellent."

[Silver Night]

Seva

Seva doesn't speak, but leans forward with an eager look.

[Jopustopin]

Jeyne

She started to reply to Ixe before walking past the group of four, "No, it's not that. I trained with a psion in meditation and self hypnosis for a while to see if I had any latent talents. He was a human. Vosnak is not."

Jeyne watches the group as they pass simply because she was unaware of anyone else in the building. Jeyne looks at the group wistfully, giving the orc a cheery smile back. When they are farther away she continues but speaks as if thinking aloud and obviously in response to seeing the other group, "Our problem is that we have too much perspicaciousness... we don't make a good team."



She sits in the room next to Ixe. When her master speaks, she, for the first time, seems to have a genuine interested look on her face.

[Kish]

"First you will see a shipment of arms to the north, to the bugbear chieftain, Sakkarot Fire-Axe. He makes his camp on the northern coast of Lake Tarik beyond the Watch Wall. Sitting on the dock as we speak is the longship Frosthamar captained by Kargeld Odenkirk. It will be your transport. The captain's greed has made him a useful tool, but a limited one, and his usefulness is at an end.

Once the cargo is safely delivered, he will take you just south across the lake under cover of darkness and land you near the town of Aldencross. After you make the delivery, he will wait for you to return, as he believes the contract is to make the delivery and bring you back. Unfortunately for him, you're not coming directly back here. Kill him. Kill his crew. Burn his ship and leave no survivors. It is crucial that no one suspects our involvement and that loose ends are taken care of. Be sure to reclaim the coin I gave him. Waste not.

This done, you will begin your second task. As you may already know, the savage humanoids of the north have long yearned to overrun the Watch Wall and invade Talingarde. In Sakkarot Fire-Axe, they have a leader, yet the good people of Talingarde are not concerned. They are right not to be. The Wall would hold against ten times their number without serious danger. Alas, you are going to change the odds.

Infiltrate the tower Balentyne, keystone of the Watch Wall. Kill its commander. Ensure that when the Fire-Axe's horde arrives the Wall could not keep out a simple goblin raiding party. Do all of this and then when your task is done, break this clay seal.” He hands Jeyne a delicately carved clay seal adorned with a tangled knot of thorns. "I will have more instructions for you then."

[Jopustopin]

Jeyne

For most of the discussion a fire seems to return to Jeyne's eyes until the last sentence when she blinked hard, and a dumb, nervous look crossed her face. It was with that look that she took the clay seal from Cardinal Thorn. Then the fire returned and an anger took over her as she began to speak, "The commander is a paladin. He can detect our nature at will. A high powered fortress wizard with specialties surly in divination or evocation resides there. They have the ability to quickly reinforce from near and far. We're branded, some of us are known on sight. Wanted posters will be posted across the kingdom. They probably have the wall manned by some 200 soldiers at any time. If we're lucky that is; troop movement near the wall is random. It's never been breached. I'd say it's insane but you're far too smart for this. I know better."

She looks at the others in the room, before looking back at Thorn "Master, I'm bound by an eternal contract to do your bidding. But using us as a pawn to sacrifice is a waste. You're throwing away dedicated champions of Hextor. We have real talent and potential with the right leader. We would be a force to be reckoned with. And for what? A diversion? For those other four we just saw? Something else?"

She looks down for a second before looking back up at him, "At least tell us why our sacrifice matters."

[Kish]

"You will not be recognized," the Cardinal says. "Tiadora?"

Tiadora steps forward from where she was apparently standing behind the door, and places five iron circlets on the desk.

"Each of these will permit you to disguise yourselves. I suggest you choose identities that are unlikely to be scanned by the commander and immediately executed if they are read as evil--or avoid being seen at all. I believe you can break Balentyne--in part because they will not believe you can. If they look for a threat, they will expect an army, not a group of five...whatever you pose as. If the commander tested everyone who entered the castle for evil he would be so accessible that he would have been assassinated by now.

My agents are organized into nine knots, one for each of the Nine Hells. You are the Ninth Knot, the knot that corresponds to Nessus. You are the least expendable of those who serve me. The Seventh Knot, like the other seven, has its part to play in my plans, weakening Talingarde, but yours is the most vital task at the moment. If I believed the task before us was impossible, I would have delayed it to build my power base for more decades, leaving you to die in Branderscar.

Still, we who serve Hextor in Talingarde are desperately outnumbered. Expect an uphill battle at every step until the King falls."

[Hypersmith]

Ilnesh nods several times at Thorns words, seemingly unfazed by the difficulty of the task ahead. He raises an eyebrow at Jeyne's response, then bows his head and speaks, following the Cardinal's response.
"You shame us Jeyne. You have good basic knowledge of the fortress, and of our target, and so I see no reason why we cannot accomplish our goal."
His face warps, knotting itself into a new shape - smooth milky-white hair and skin, pearlescent eyes lacking pupils. Facial features almost nonexistent, thin lips, small nose, and no facial hair. The first time he has appeared distinctly Changeling. He raises his head to look at Jeyne.
"We kill the commander early. We lock away the wizard, or kill him too. Then we take their places, and tear it down from within. It only takes a moment of laziness for us to strike, and they have sat safe and secure for long enough to grow complacent."

[Jopustopin]

Jeyne

She seems confused at her master's response both because of the honor that he's bestowed upon them and the amount of confidence he has for their group. She seems to be in deep thought when Ilnesh begins to speak. Although even then there was more life to her eyes than you've seen since you all escaped from Brandascar.

A look of realization crosses her face when Ilnesh shapeshifts. But for the most part she's already looking at Cardinal Thorn, simply waiting for Ilnesh to stop talking, so that she may speak to Thorn.

"You do us a great honor with that title. I have not been worthy of it as of late I fear. It's time I stop brooding. She looks at the rest of the group, "I will have my revenge and see this kingdom burn to the ground. Disguising ourselves at will gives us a supreme tactical advantage at infiltration. Think how easily it would have been to take Timeon's likeness and fool Sir Balin instead of fighting both of them. I was in the Talirean military for years. I know how they operate, I know how they will respond. We will succeed where no one has. We will do what no one has done. And we will bring Talinguarde to it's knees." She finishes with a look in her eyes that suggest pain and anguish to anyone and anything who crosses her.

[Cavir]

Vosnak takes a circlet and puts it on. He ponders for a few seconds then activates the new item. His looks change, keeping to the same height but becoming an older man. His hair was still brown but greying and his eyes become green.

"I agree, we stand a better chance with secrecy than an open army. The trip north will not be quick, giving us plenty of time to come up with various plans of our own to take the tower. A map of the tower would be ideal if one exists."

[Ixe]

Ixe narrows his eyes slightly, looking quite pensive. He says little but listens intently, apparently content to allow his Companions to verbalize the questions that he himself is contemplating.

"We have real talent and potential with the right leader. We would be a force to be reckoned with."

Ixe: «tilting his head to the side as he regards you thoughtfully» "...and, most propitiously, we have one."

"We kill the commander early. We lock away the wizard, or kill him too. Then we take their places..."

Ixe: «a bit over-eagerly» "...and his grimoire!..."

(( That is surely not what Ixe would have said to the Cardinal. Ixe is not that immature, and, this is a pretty solemn, even tense, situation. ))

Ixe: «solemnly» "...your Eminence, the investment you have made in our initiation will bolster the cause of Hextor immeasurably. We owe you - and Him - our lives. We are honored to constitute your Knot of Thorns, and savor the opportunity you have bestowed on us, to wreak our vengeance upon those who have persecuted and disparaged us. They shall fall beneath the juggernaut of our coordinated Wrath."

[Kish]

Cardinal Thorn smiles coldly and pours a glass of deep red wine for each of you, finally pouring one for himself. He raises the glass and offers a toast.

"To war."

Whether you drink or not, after the toast, he says, "You should get some rest. You set out first thing tomorrow morning."