Chapter 26: Dark Night
It is another dark night in Myrgard.
The Oneiroi are no more.
Their compound is levelled.
Their leadership is decimated.
They are for all practical purposes, extinguished.
Those that destroyed them flee into the darkness.
You flee into the night with your allies and your prisoners.
Alone you doubt you could avoid the guards rushing to the scene but Ceannard is an old hand at this. He stuffs each of your prisoners in a large sack and leads you around the honest guards and through the corrupt ones. Shadows through the night and coins in hand you come out of it unscathed.
As far as anyone is concerned the Oneiroi were victims of a tragic accident. Given their reputation you doubt anyone will miss them.
You slip across the city towards safety, towards the Pathfinder safe house, a comfortable bed, a hot meal and a little peace.
Unfortunately for you there is little peace to be found there.
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Battle rages in the heart of the safe house.
"So here is the plan," the four dwarves huddle together as their opponent waits calmly in the middle of the room, his eyes are closed as if he is sleeping on his feet, "The bastard is fast but if we work together we will beat him here. Astrid, Ori, I want the two of you to hit him from opposite sides, split his attention if you can," the two dwarves nod as he turns to the new arrival, "Stóri, brother, think you can hit him head on?"
The giant dwarf chuckles, "I will give it a shot Bari."
"Good," the Pathfinder nods, "Remember, everything depends on this!"
The four Pathfinders charge. Each picking the optimal avenue of approach, " Stóri hits first. Sheer brute force, a massive fist aimed directly for the sleeping dwarf's head. At the last moment their adversary ducks, swinging under Stóri's arm and to the side he catches him behind the knee. Stóri grunts as his leg buckles. The lone dwarf grabs the large dwarf by his belt and the collar of his tunic, with a grunt he swings him, head first, into a foot locker.
Astrid and Ori are on him in an instant. He ducks, he slides, he swings past their blows. Astrid brings an elbow down on him and he grunts a little as he pushes her back.
Bari kicks at the dwarf a second too late to connect. Ori strikes out with a fist but their enemy is too quick. The three dwarves bob and weave around each other while Astrid and Stóri look for an opening.
Their opponent is sweating. He is good but against these odds he stands little chance of winning. They just need to wear him down, avoid making a mistake, avoid providing an opening and they-
The dwarf redirects a high punch from Ori, using his own momentum he hurls him into Astrid and a recovering Stóri. Bari in desperation unleashes a flurry of blows. Fists, elbows, knees and feet at the tired dwarf.
Not a single one lands.
Their enemy shifts around the blows, he weaves, he bobs and he finds his opening. His leg comes up, crashing with full force into Bari's groin, "Ooooh...fuck...."
The Pathfinder collapses on the floor.
"You know Bari," the lone dwarf pants, "A few more years and you kids might actually beat me."
"Damn it Alvis... you old fuck..." Bari growls on the ground.
"Oh come on kid," the old dwarf taunts him, "It was one kick and you should have been prepared to block it!"
Alvis shakes his head as he returns to the center of the room, "You kids, you just do not know how to fight! Now get up, all four of you, and we will try this again!"
The beaten Pathfinders stagger to their feet, they wobble slightly, Bari in particular. Stóri steadies his friend, "So what is our plan this time?"
Bari takes a deep, sharp breath, as he leans forward on his knees, "Astrid?"
"Yes, Bari," she rubs her shoulder as she approaches.
"Have you got any grenades?" he grins maliciously.
"Great joke Bari," Ori smirks.
"Who the fuck said I was joking? If that old bastard wants to play dirty then we will damn well play dirty!" the Pathfinder coughs.
Stóri shakes his head, "Look we can do this! We almost had him last time. If we all attack him again we will-"
"Lose!" Alvis shouts from across the room and bursts into manic laughter, in his hand is a flash bang grenade.
"Right, that's it! Charge!" Bari screams as he snatches up a nearby grenade belt and the four dwarves rush across the room.
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"What is that sound?" Thaïs asks as the five of you drag your hostages into the safe house.
"And what is that smell?" you add.
Alvis is not at his usual post so you quietly slip through the shop and into the safe house proper. The place is a mess.
Small pools of blood splatter the floor. Scorch marks mar the walls and a putrid mist hangs in the air.
"Good evening young ladies," Alvis waves to you as he enters the room from one of the larger side chambers, a plum of smoke drifts lazily behind him.
He heads right past you, a smile on his serene face and a spring in his step, "What have you got there?" he gives one of the sacks you have your prisoners in a slight kick. When the sack wriggles slightly he chuckles, "Oh, you have prisoners! You should show them to Bari it might cheer the boy up some," without further explanation he begins to whistle as he returns to his post.
Your hazard a look into the side chamber Alvis came from. It is impossible to see anything, the room is filled with smoke, you call out, "Bari? Astrid? Anyone in?"
"Derryth? That you?" Bari calls back, "Hold on! We will be right out!"
Four badly beaten dwarves stumble out of the smoke.
"Damn Bari, you look like shit," you grin and place your hands on your hips, "Did Alvis do that to you?"
"I don't want to talk about it..." Bari nudges past you as he notices your prisoners, "Who are these two?"
"Prisoners," your friend begins, "Cultists actually. They were worshipping some sort of demon in their compound."
You nod, "We confronted them and destroyed their cult."
"Well fuck!" Bari stamps a foot, "You mean you were off fighting evil cultists and you did not invite us! That is cold ladies, ice cold!"
You cock your head, "Next time Bari. Next time."
"So I imagine you need them for something if you brought them here," Ori remarks as he examines them.
"That is correct," Thaïs responds, "These are the people responsible for Meletē's slumber. They should be able to give us the information needed to reverse the spell... hopefully."
Bari grins, his spirits lifted, "Oh, I get it! You need them to talk so naturally you thought 'I know, let's take these guys to our best friend Bari and let him have a little fun with them right?' Well all is forgiven girls, just leave them with me and-"
You try to let him down gently, "Well that is the thing Bari..."
Thaïs picks up your thought, "We were actually planning on using magic to get them to speak. We have an artefact that should work wonders, once it is keyed to a person it will write out their entire history. In a few days, a week at the most-"
"A week!" Bari laughs, "Two hours! You give me two hours and I will have their entire life stories for you."
"Sorry Bari, we are going to go with the artefact this time," you put a hand on his shoulder.
It is clear that he is disappointed.
"Well this night just keeps getting better! First that old bastard beats the shit out of me! Then I find out I missed a chance to fight some freaky cultists! And now my own friends do not trust me to get a little information for them!" he shakes his head dramatically, "Well, fine! Then the very least you can do is drink with me!"
You are certain that this is not a request you can deny.
You see your prisoners to their cells, specially warded to prevent magic use, and you begin the process to key your book to the first of them. Once keyed you place it back in your pack, hopefully you will have the information you seek shortly.
You, Thaïs, Lyssa and the Pathfinders share a few bottles.
The conversation if jovial.
Bari introduces you to Stóri, a giant of a dwarf, seems he has come up from Stoneheim for a couple weeks to help the king deal with the Eberhardt problem. The king will make his move soon, either tomorrow or the day after and everyone is a little on edge, excited at the prospect of action. The conversation turns from politics to your earlier escapades, you time under Muirthemne, fighting the necromancers, you even give them the almost full story of your attack on the Oneiroi compound. Naturally you both leave out the parts about the Faceless Man. Eventually you excuse yourselves to put the girls to bed.
It is quite the task too, they demand stories of adventure and intrigue and you decide to indulge them.
Eventually they drift off to sleep, innocent smiles upon their faces.
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You and Thaïs settle in next to Lyssa around a large table in the back of the safe house. She sits alone with a few unopened bottles reading. As you settle in she tucks the book away and slides you each a bottle, "I do not like drinking alone," she explains.
"Where are the Pathfinders?" you naturally ask.
"Still cleaning up. They made quite the mess and the king is due to stop by tomorrow morning so they have to fix everything they broke. I offered to help but they said they had it well in hand," she shrugs, "I don't think they trust me. Can't really blame them either I guess," you can tell it bothers her a little as she turns the conversation in a more pleasant direction, "The girls asleep?" she asks.
Thaïs smiles, "Yes they are, they wanted a story and Derryth was kind enough to oblige."
You shrug, "They love those old tomb running stories for some reason."
Your friend cracks open her bottle, "Everyone loves those stories Derryth and you tell them well, you really do."
You laugh off the complement, "Sure I do..."
"No I am serious," she catches your eye, "When you talk about Henry there is a genuine warmth there and it really brings the stories to life."
"I don't know..." you reach for your bottle and pry it open, "But I will defer to your professional opinion. You are the expert after all."
Lyssa grins at the two of you, "So what was this story called?"
"Ah well, it is not like I name them or anything," you shrug.
Thaïs sweeps an arm, "It is called, Derryth ó Foghladh and the Temple of Doom!"
The three of you laugh as you arch an eyebrow, "Temple of Doom? It was the crypt of a minor prince of Tyr. There were maybe six traps all told."
"It is all in how you market yourself Derryth," she takes your free hand, "We will never be 'great archmages' by downplaying our achievements. You are a master treasure hunter! A dashing explorer! Seeker of relics! A rescuer of friends and innocents everywhere! And a damn fine mage as well if you will pardon my saying so!"
You take a swig a little carried away by her rhetoric, "Alright then, but what about you? Advisor to princes perhaps? Diplomat extraordinaire! Negotiator! You stare down archmages and abominations same as I do and you do it with class! A rags to riches tale, the girl that fell and picked herself up again! A mage as brilliant as she is beutiful!" you take a hard gulp.
The two of you continue to joke and carry on, carving kingdoms from cloudy ale and lamp light as Lyssa gradually relaxes. You toast Thaïs, she toasts you, you toast to friendship and loyalty, wealth and knowledge.
Thankfully you are old hands when it comes to drinking. You enjoy yourselves but it never gets out of hand. This is a social occasion so you all remain firmly in control.
Gradually your conversation turns to Lyssa. With a lopsided grin on your face you focus to her, "So how about you Lyssa? You are with us now which means you are well on your way to becoming a great archmage as well. What stories should we tell about you? Are you a powerful mage? A brilliant schemer? A great general? An unparalleled warrior? What do you say?"
"I would rather no one said anything about me," she takes a long sip from her drink.
"That is no fun," Thaïs prods her, "Why don't you tell us the rest of your story and we can come up with something together."
Lyssa tenses, "So you want to hear it? You sure?"
You both nod.
"Okay but not here," the three of you take your drinks and head up to the roof of the safe house.
"She checks the roof thoroughly, then she bars the exit, "Not for my sake really but you might not want other people to hear this though I guess it all depends on what you decide to do with the information. I mean-"
"Lyssa, it is all right," you try to reassure her, "We won't judge you."
Thaïs nods in agreement.
"See... you say that now..." she hangs her head, "Alright... here it is... I was... I am... a Necromancer."
You laugh, Thaïs laughs. Lyssa must have an odd sense of humour you think.
Then you both notice how serious, how scared she looks.
You both tense up. Thaïs balls a fist. Your jaw clenches. She is not joking. She was, is, a necromancer... an enemy of every free person in the world.
Your first instinct is to blast her off the roof. But you quickly choke that down. You manage to speak, "We... we are going to need the whole story."
Lyssa shrinks before you, "Yeah, I know... So I told you about losing my brother and mother. About how dad worked himself to death for me. His heart gave out, it was too much work to do alone... I tried to run things on my own but that really was not feasible."
Thaïs scrutinizes the girl, "So then what happened?"
She won't even look at the two of you, "Well... I needed help. None of the villagers would help me but there was this old witch that everyone was afraid of. They said she conspired with dark powers. She didn't but she did have a book in her possession on necromancy. When I explained my problem she taught me the basics, she did not ask for anything and I had nothing to give her... she was kind... all the things she, ah, we did... but she was always kind to me..."
Lyssa trails off but you push her back on course, "So did things improve after that?"
She smiles sadly, "Yes, at least at first. I reanimated my family, the neighbours, even some of the beasts that attacked them. They did not need rest so I gradually expanded my efforts. There were a number of nearby properties that had been left abandoned so I began to have my undead work those as well. I was not cautious enough I guess though really it was only a matter of time. A Legion patrol found my thralls, they butchered them, they chased me. So I ran back to the witch and she protected me. We ambushed the patrol, we killed them all and reanimated their bodies. Then we fled. We ran for a long time, then two years ago we fell in with a larger group of necromancers and brigands. This group in turn chose to follow Soulblighter. I... I fought in the war. I fought for the Dark in the war... right until the battle for Scales. I fled, I saw Shiver that day and I fled... I ran, and I ran until the empire and all of my problems were so distant that they could not touch me."
Neither of you are particularly thrilled to hear this, she is a self confessed necromancer and the penalty for that is death. By all rights you should kill her here and now but you are curious about one more thing, "And Mazzarin?"
She nods, "Yes, I ran from the empire all the way to Myrgard but my past followed me. A necromancer I had know while in Soulblighter's service recognized me. He told me that the Watcher was coming back. That he would grant anyone that served him immortality. I was horrified but I agreed to help. I was certain that if I refused he would expose me or kill me. When I got him alone I murdered him and fled the city. I hid out in the desert after that. Afraid to return to civilization and one day I thought I felt something calling to me. It was faint, very faint but with nothing else to do I followed it. Obviously it was Mazzarin. I thought that if I helped the greatest hero of the Light return then I could start to make amends for what I had done. So that is it," she looks both of you in the eyes, you can feel her resignation but also a certain freedom, "Not a terribly interesting or endearing story perhaps and I am no storyteller but... before you make your decision I want to say that you were right. It does feel better to say this out loud so thank you for that if nothing else. If... if you want to kill me, I won't fight back."
She closes her eyes and hangs her head.
The two of you confer, "Should we kill her?" you ask.
You can tell Thaïs is having as much trouble with this as you are, "Probably, she is a necromancer and if you had asked me a couple months ago I would have said yes..."
"I am sensing a but," you nudge her a little.
She nods, "But, who are we to judge? We have knowingly broken Imperial law ourselves and we spent the better part of the last two months traveling with a trio of Fallen Lords."
You smirk in spite of yourself, "Hell we freed two of them and something that may or may not be the most powerful archmage of all time. She did also save us with that demon and she definitely seems remorseful..."
"Still..." Thaïs begins.
"I know..." you reply.
"Necromancy," you both utter the word together. It is so damning. So final.
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1. Lyssa's Fate, you chose to:
A) Kill Lyssa - She is a necromancer. That means she dies.
B) Give her to the Pathfinders - This is a death sentence but at least you do not have to do it yourselves.
C) You forgive her - It is not your place to stand in judgement over her. If she is willing to try and change then you will accept her.
D) freeform
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It is a dark night.
But with the morning come new problems.
Bari has informed you that the king wants you with him today.
He plans to move against the Eberhardts in front of the entire Assembly of Lords first thing tomorrow morning. If you agree you will spend the entire day with him preparing but he is also willing to give you one final chance to back out.
2. You choose to:
A) Become 'Hero of the Kingdom!' and go with the king. You will bring everyone along.
B) Become 'Hero of the Kingdom!' and go with the king. You will go with Thaïs only.
C) Bow out now while you can remain mostly anonymous you will do something else in the city instead (all C options will be counted together and the most popular option will be chosen.).
i. You will visit the academy for more spell training.
ii. You will visit the academy to learn more about your magical items.
iii. You will schedule a meeting with Mayer to discuss you future dealings
iv. You will stay at the Pathfinder safe house and guard the prisoners
v. freeform
D) Bow out now while you can remain anonymous and return to the empire. You will take your reward in(all D options will be counted together and the most popular option will be chosen.):
i. wealth (650 WPs)
ii. favours
iii. freeform
3. The Bracelets: Caoilainn can not communicate with you at the moment (though she can still send you warnings through still images) as she does not know how to use the bracelets. You can help guide her through the basics of magical theory if you want to. That should help her master use of the bracelets more quickly though it would also help her entrench herself within them.
A) You help her learn so you can properly communicate.
B) You do nothing. Let her figure it herself.
C) You actively work to keep her subjugated. You do not want her to gain too much control, only enough to be useful.