Heroica RPG - Quest #127: A Light in the Darkness

[LordoftheNoobs]

"A kobold, if I'm not mistaken. Sneaky things, them. Can't trust them as far as you can throw them, generally."

[Chromeknight]

You can't throw Kobolds very far 'cause they tend to bite your arm off if you try picking them up. But if they need you to throw them, or trust them, you can get a decent distance.

Edited February 26, 2015 by Chromeknight

[LordoftheNoobs]

Grimwald looks at Goklo's pointy teeth. "I can believe that" he says gravely.

[Palathadric]

You can't throw Kobolds very far 'cause they tend to bite your arm off if you try picking them up. But if they need you to throw them, or trust them, you can get a decent distance.

"No wonder Watsap wore a hardhat."

[Zepher]

"Watsup?" my hands fly towards my Shackles of War. "How did you get out of the Town Watch jail? Nerwen, you know this criminal?"

"Nothing. What's up with you hehe," cackles the kobold.

Shifting to face Gocklo she continues,

I know you're not Order, and at a wild guess, I'd say they'd captured a witch that you're looking to sneak in and kill, the question is, are you the brains of the outfit and it's your mission or have you tagged along on someone else's ride? maybe you'll introduce us to your friends?

Speaking to Gocklo's companions she said,

I am Nerwen Calmcacil, Champion of the Northern Kingdoms, Minstrel of Heroica and former Paladin. These are fellow heroes, Monk Pretzel, Kiray Nastayo and Grimwald Gjinko. As always we are helping someone else, this time it is Yu-Shu, head of the Warrior Priests of Ennoc and our employer for our task. She has chosen other companions of her own. We intend to raid this place, end the Order Imperial here and rescue the witch.

What is your goal and, if I might note, how does it relate to one wearing a helm of the Children of Light?

"These are my friends. We work together all the time he heh. Deborah and Mitchell Blueblast."

"CALL me the GOLDEN enforcer!"

"I'm never the brains of the outfit. I just get to tag along he he he."

"I'm in charge of this operation." Deborah says, and offers her hand to Yu Shu. "I'm a straight shooter, so I'll be honest with you. It'll save a Hel of a lot of time too. My companions and I are part of the Golden Crusade. Put simply, we're looking to advance the fate of all mortals... the Ji Pei, for example, get a big old thumbs up from us, while organizations bent on holding mortals back, like, say, the Bonapartes, or more importantly right now, the Order Imperial... they gotta go."

Yu Shu stares at her hard, and doesn't accept her hand.

"That's a poor understanding of time."

"Yeah, sure, and the paladins are a backwards society worshipping a false eagle-looking god." Deborah shrugs. "We don't agree on a lot of crap, I'm sure, and we could spend all day going down the list. But regardless we're both looking to get into that compound. We've been staking it out for a week, and I can tell you it won't be easy. We need your help, no questions about it. I can't find a way in. The question is only if you want a few extra swords."

"I'm not working with a witch hunter."

"You and Gocklo can sort that out when we get to the witches. Hels, if we get to the witches. He's not here to kill them today, anyway. I swear. On Ennoc, or whoever."

"He sure is an ugly creature."

"You're no looker yourself he he he. For all you know I'm very handsome among kobolds."

[LordoftheNoobs]

"I'd hate to think what the majority of them look like, then" Grimwald mutters to Kiray.

Edited February 26, 2015 by LordoftheNoobs

[Chromeknight]

Nerwen shrugs and looks to Yu-Shu,

We are here on your job, it's your call. Gocklo is useful, I can't vouch for Miss straightsooter or the Goldenforcer.

[Zepher]

Yu Shu smiles ruefully.

"What choice do we have? They'll be here trying to get in either way. We can either ignore them or have some extra hands. It's better to keep them at our side."

"Useful he he he. Thanks."

"Good."

"But if YOU betray US to the Order Imperial HEADS WILL ROLL."

"Same to you."

Marcellus grunts and stares angrily at Gocklo.

"So, let's make camp then, and hash out a plan."

[Palathadric]

"Yeah, if they are enemies, it's better to keep them within eye shot and close enough to stab 'em quick. No offense...but just in case. By the way, I think your logic is entirely flawed. I don't know if anyone is in a hurry to meet their fate here. Bringing about the fate of the world and its people is not exactly my idea of a good time or a worthwhile goal, but...whatever. And about the...what was it called?... 'Kobold'. From what I've seen, they all look well-night identical. So I guess you could say this one is a 'looker' if looking exactly like everyone else is fashionable in his society...if there is such a thing as that."

[Zepher]

"We're not racing towards an end. We're racing towards the future. At one point people didn't have houses. Then someone built some. Imagine if there were folks who all got up in arms and said houses shouldn't be around. That's the Order Imperial and their ilk, far as we can tell. Those are the sorts of people the Golden Crusade is trying to get out of the way, so that the house builders can get along with improving the houses."

"All you meat bags look exactly the same to me too he he he."

The party puts together a camp as the sun begins to set, and Oko lights a small fire. Gocklo is able to find a few small animals to cook, and everyone eats that except for Yu Shu who goes to find some mushrooms in the woods.

Deborah and Yu Shu quickly fall into discussion about various ways to gain access to the fortress. Gocklo and Marcellus, meanwhile, have a... heated debate over the witches. Oko and Mitchell stand away from the fire, eyeing each other warily. They trade war stories, clearly trying to one up one another. Avery just wanders around at the edge of the shadows.

[KotZ]

"We're the meat bags? Well, maybe," Kiray acquiesces. "You don't look like you have that much meat on your bones though."

She then moves to Deborah when she could spare a minute from the were-lion. "Sorry to bother you, but I had some questions. When exactly did the Golden Crusade start? And just how are you trained?"

[Zepher]

Deborah smiles.

"Of course. It's good to know who you're working with. The Golden Crusade was started by a woman named Natasha. She's from the north and a prophet. She's a good lady, you'd like her, I'm sure. For whatever reason, I don't know, maybe a vision - well, regardless, some ten years or so back she started our Golden Crusade. There's a fellow named Heweyrt, he was the first recruited, and then he found the rest of us or we found him."

"Gocklo is from somewhere in the low kingdoms I think. He doesn't talk about his childhood much, and I've never heard Heweyrt mention how the Hel he tracked that kobold down. He's the fiercest fighter I've ever met, though. Mitchell is from the Darklands. I think he's a mutant of some sort. And I'm from a small farm in northern Uland. My father still lives there with my brother. Oh, and we've got a fellow who builds us automatons as well."

"As for our training - like I said, must of us came pretty prepared. My mother taught me how to shoot a bow. Then it's just practice after that."

[KotZ]

Deborah smiles.

"Of course. It's good to know who you're working with. The Golden Crusade was started by a woman named Natasha. She's from the north and a prophet. She's a good lady, you'd like her, I'm sure. For whatever reason, I don't know, maybe a vision - well, regardless, some ten years or so back she started our Golden Crusade. There's a fellow named Heweyrt, he was the first recruited, and then he found the rest of us or we found him."

"Gocklo is from somewhere in the low kingdoms I think. He doesn't talk about his childhood much, and I've never heard Heweyrt mention how the Hel he tracked that kobold down. He's the fiercest fighter I've ever met, though. Mitchell is from the Darklands. I think he's a mutant of some sort. And I'm from a small farm in northern Uland. My father still lives there with my brother. Oh, and we've got a fellow who builds us automatons as well."

"As for our training - like I said, must of us came pretty prepared. My mother taught me how to shoot a bow. Then it's just practice after that."

"The name Natasha is familiar, but maybe it's more common of a name than I realize. On the subjects of automatons, those are very interesting things. One actually followed me into battle one time. When did you join up?"

[Zepher]

"Six years ago, about."

[Palathadric]

"We're not racing towards an end. We're racing towards the future. At one point people didn't have houses. Then someone built some. Imagine if there were folks who all got up in arms and said houses shouldn't be around. That's the Order Imperial and their ilk, far as we can tell. Those are the sorts of people the Golden Crusade is trying to get out of the way, so that the house builders can get along with improving the houses."

"I'm quite sure you said racing towards fate. Fate is never really a good thing. As far as people having houses is concerned, I don't think there's any way that you can say that for a fact, but I think that's more or less irrelevant. Improving houses is, obviously, a good thing, creating a world where soulless beings can fight and kill sentient ones, less so. Giving power to many just leads to confusion and a lack of progressiveness from what I've seen. Keeping power, such as can be created from machines these days, in the hands of just a few is a menace to society at large.

Oh, and we've got a fellow who builds us automatons as well."

"I would suggest you be wary of that fellow. Anyone able to create those things who is willing to take a bribe or two can spell a lot of trouble. I've already rescued Eubric from some crazy scientist who's experiments went wrong and ended up creating multitudes of shadowy beings who intended to destroy Eubric. He couldn't even control the machine that was sending forth these shadows and we had to destroy it ourselves, fighting our way through the shadowy beings. There was also a crazy alchemist years back who created a sword that could hold sway of animals and humans alike. After nearly getting killed, we managed to relieve him of the sword. We then helped him to see the error of his ways so he destroyed the sword. But those were two close calls. There are some things that are just better left untouched."

Edited February 26, 2015 by Palathadric

[Chromeknight]

Nerwen just rolls her eyes at the posturing. She fixes on Deborah firmly and says

If an idea needs you to kill those who oppose it to make it successful, that says it's not a successful idea.

If you're coming on the ride, keep your hands and head inside the cart. Or at least wait until after we've done what we came to do before turning your blade.

To Yu Shu she says,

A place like this will have more than one door, so that higher ups can escape if threatened or move special goods in without disturbing the plebs. If you want to catch them all you'll have to stopper all the holes.

Did this magic which prevents earthworks also prevent travelling in and out magically? We are dealing with a mage you said.

[Palathadric]

"Good thinking. Surely no one would build a hideout of a kind with only one entrance. I just hope we don't need to find ourselves going through a sewer or something again."

Spying Grimwald not talking to anyone, I lean over to him and whisper,

"I don't like the look of our new companions. They could spell trouble for all we know. Still they may provide a balance to the trouble that others in our team might cause..."

I cast a glance Marcellus' way.

"We need to keep an eye out on that assassin as well. As an undead, there has to be some necromancer still in control of her actions or she's the strangest case I've seen. Necromancers and paladins do not normally work together well so it strange that they hired her along here. Let's hope she doesn't have some mission of her own like everyone else seems to."

[LordoftheNoobs]

"Agreed. Trust needs to be earned, after all."

[Chromeknight]

Unless he had part of his soul stashed away for safekeeping, the Necromancer that raised Avery is dead. Her persistence after his death is due to the effects of the red death, which has also left her, I believe. So, she continues as and unclaimed package so to speak. But yes, she has her own agenda too, I'm sure.

[LordoftheNoobs]

"Oh? And what exactly is this, 'Red Death'?"

[Chromeknight]

You'dhave to ask Avery to be sure, but it seemed to be something which improved her stamina, reflexes and skills in exchange for her services as an assassin.

[LordoftheNoobs]

"Hmm, interesting... do think it would have anything to do with the whole 'being undead' thing?"

[Chromeknight]

Nerwen shrugs.

I'm becoming increasingly confused as to what undead is.

I've met several beings now that don't conform to Glorfindel's taxonomy nor Tuor's expanded rankings. There seem to be more exceptions than exemplars these days.

But the red death was very muchsomething for the alive, when Avery was killed it tried to power her to complete her task, then Thistlethorp's raising her as a minion seemed to interrupt that.

Edited February 28, 2015 by Chromeknight

[Palathadric]

I'm becoming increasingly confused as to what undead is.

I've met several beings now that don't conform to Glorfindel's taxonomy nor Tuor's expanded rankings. There seem to be more exceptions than exemplars these days.

"From what I've noticed with some of the cases I've seen recently, it's possible that if the necromancer is powerful enough, he can raise the undead to do his bidding, and then somehow leave them so their own devices when they are no more immediate use. That way they no longer drain his, or her I suppose, power. It's the strangest things I've seen and I don't know how it works from there, but that is my theory anyway and it does seem to match the facts well enough. However, Avery's case does put that to the sword just now, but perhaps it's possible that such a body that wanders aimlessly and uncontrolled in that manner can be used by another necromancer? But then, do I really think there are necromancers among the ranks of the red assassins? I do doubt it, honestly. It would some seem to clash with their pride I would think.Bah! It's all so convoluted these days."

[LordoftheNoobs]

"Fascinating..." Grimwald muses thoughtfully, more to himself than anyone else.

Edited February 28, 2015 by LordoftheNoobs