Arc 3 - Glimmers in the Dark (Main Roleplay)

[Kowsauni]

The man would let out a sigh as he closed his book and removed his feet from the body of the mindflayer. Standing up, he would state to Novi. "Hah, so violent... Well, lets look at this logically for a moment. One, If I wanted to fight, and I obviously new you were coming, why would I have let you waltz in here unopposed. Two, what benefit do you get in attacking me? You clearly have more pressing matters at hand then combat with someone not opposing you. Three, if you had bothered asking me before resorting to threats, you would have discovered that are goals here mutually align." The man would elt out another sigh. "Now, if you still wish to fight, come at me, but I'm just going to leave. I personally have no reason to engage in combat right now. I'm just trying to enjoy these books before the flames consume them. These ilithid's have such an impressive library. It's a shame it will soon be lost."

When Valac enters the room with Ruin the man would also comment. "Oh, I see Pierette did get one of you. That is unfortunate, luckily I believe we can resolve that here rather quickly."  

[PupSage]

"I get the benefit of smashing in the head of a person trying to use my entire tribe as test subjects for their war. Which is still pretty tempting. Get on with it then."  

[Kowsauni]

"Well, if anyone should deserve ire for what has been done to your people..." The man would motion to the ilithid on the floor. "...you know who is at fault. Now, before you go any further you should probably get your companion back to his fleshy state, yes? There ilithid's have a magical room in the back of here that speeds up the casting of a ritual to a tenth of its usual casting time! If you don't know how to remove petrification there is amazing collection of rituals..." The man would motion to a smashed and utterly destroyed bookcase. Burnt and damaged tomes were littered about it. "...oh, that's right. It got destroyed in my battle here...well, if you search around here I'm sure you will find what you need."

The young man would sit down and begin reading his book again.  

[PupSage]

"And not the ones that came here to send them to a new Hell?" Novi grunts. "Thanks for the advise and all, but I'm still not seeing any reason to keep you around if what we need is already here. So what if you already know the ritual to unpetrify somebody, unless you know the ritual to get my tribe out of limbo, you're not worth the risk of keeping around right now."



By this time the conversation was getting loud enough that Kuori began to make her way upstairs, her reaction was similar to her clanswoman, but having walked in on the tail end of their statement she said, "The one that deserves my ire is the b*****d that turned my sister into a roper hybrid. And that monster wears your countries uniform."  

[Kowsauni]

The man would flip a page as he continued to read. "You vastly, overestimate Aria's interest in your people, but there is one here who cares and she is currently working to free your people from their planar separation. The information you seek was in the mind of this mindflayer here, but he is no longer in a position to talk about it. However, I believe a ritual that complex must be written down somewhere. Alas, I have not stumbled across it yet." He would flip anther page. "I'm sure it is in this tower somewhere."

The man would pause from his reading to look a little closer at Kuori. "Hmm, despite your helmet I do see the resemblance. So the fabled sister has arrived. I'm afraid the one responsible for Maukeen's transformation isn't here and I have yet to see her in a uniform."  

[Southern Cross Nemesis]

Ruin stood in silence, disturbed and confused...

One responsible? There are multiple?! Like, more than one!! This could mean the one responsible for The Shadow Court is not the same one Pierette dealt with.

He always assumed this was the work of a single mage, a madman with a love of mixed drinks, women, and tails... Someone high in the military or government to allow such experiments to go unchallenged.

At least he would if he wasn't stone.  

[PupSage]

"Okay ... so you've been waiting on us to tell us that you think the book is here somewhere. You're leaving out the part where we leave you alive because of you being valuable somehow. No offense, but after having two people wearing that uniform turn out to be notorious liars, I'm not keen on just leaving you there until we sleep." Kuori grunts, though she is already looking at book titles, his included.  

[Kowsauni]

The man would chuckle to himself. "That is an awful small sample size to be making that kind of conclusion. There are currently hundreds of people here right now wearing this uniform. Have you talked to all of them? Are you including Pierette in that list? She wasn't lying to you, though, I'll admit, what she was saying is not the truth. I myself have no reason to lie to you right now as I have nothing to gain from it."

The man will sigh once again. "Such violence, I will state it again, you can waste your precious minutes here before the place burns down picking a fight with me, or, you can use the room in the back to restore your companion to his normal fleshy state and try to find the ritual book to save your people. The choice is yours. You are correct, there is no reason for me to stay here. My mission is done. I've already passed the information we need from this mindflayer's brain to my companions. However, I figure we could always use the help if you can figure out how to cast the ritual yourselves. Now, will you let me read my books?"

As Kuori glances around the at the books titles nothing immediately stand out to her, including the ones that are in the mans book pile or his hand. The place is such a mess, it is clear that a more through search will be needed to find anything.  

[Mongooseh]

While the other two were talking Valac idly sifted through the books on the floor using his foot to move books.

<21 Perception.>  

[PupSage]

Kuori is still looking as she talks, "Yeah, and? Small sample size or not, these are the people that were sent out into society as representatives of your nation and they failed. They are more vile than any creature down here and speak in lies, pitting friends and families against each other to accomplish their goals of recapturing their slaves for further experimentation. Real noble bunch of company you lot keep. Why stop there, there are far worse crimes you could have search for in your recruiting advertisements. Like torturing cats? Join the Arian Military today!" She rolls her eyes.

Novi looks, but keeps their weapon trained on the reader.

[Don't we *also* need the ritual to unpetrifiy Ruin, or does the room just do that automatically?]

Perception:
Kuori - 15
Novi - 26  

[Kowsauni]

The man shrugs his shoulders. "I never claimed any moral high ground, but I question anyone who does. Everyone is just doing what they think is best to amass the power they need to survive, whether as a person or a nation."

The man would stop reading for a moment and affix the party with a shrewd look. "What do you think is the morally superior choice? Take Pierette for instance. She is not like the rest of us. She is a rather new experiment. She has no memory that her transformation was more torturous then most. She believes she was hatched from an egg and the her keepers are her friends and protectors. Thus, she is afforded more freedom then the rest of us, her every needs are met, she is...happy in her ignorant bliss." In the man's eye there is almost a look of envy.

The man would suddenly slam his book shut. "You however, or at least your petrified friend, would take that all away from her, reveal the true nature of her situation, steal that happiness from here and destroy her entire world. Then what? Will you take her away? Keep her safe? Do you have the power to protect her from one of the most powerful nations in existence? Can you provide her with the peace and happiness you would so readily take from her? Or, will she spend the rest of her life running in fear, never getting a moment's rest, like the other fools who ran away, and have the rest of us get punished for their selfishness!" The anger that flared up in the mans eyes would quickly subside. He would let out another sigh and pick up a different book from his pile and begin to read it. "Forgive, me. As much as I would love a philosophical debate, I should let you get to the task at hand."

As Kuori searches through the burnt and damaged tomes near the destroyed bookshelf that the man indicated earlier she does in fact find a still intact ritual book. As she looks it over she finds it is the ritual to remove affliction.

As Valac browses the tomes scattered on the floor with his foot he stumbles across one that looks to be more than just a history book. The cover contains a picture of someone rising from the grave. Upon closer inspection Valac realizes it must be the ritual for raising dead.

Novi finds no books or tomes of particular interest. However, as she moves past a bookshelf in the back, she notices the subtle feeling of air blowing through it, indicating that their must be some sort of opening hidden behind it.  

[Southern Cross Nemesis]

Ruin questioned if Raven Queen, Kuliak, and other gods of death broke bread and discussed who would take a dying god's soul over tea? If so, are the gods of death the true gods of the Planes?

"Vaius?" Illya's voice came forth over his own thoughts.

Ruin's thoughts soon flowed to a rainy day, not long after the darkest day of his life. The young tiefling sat in a dark corner of the orphanage. Alone in his thoughts, like now.

"Vaius Mizviir?!" Her voice was louder now, as her hand touched his shoulder. Startling him to look up, she stood taller than him even back then. She held a book of stories. With her stood three other children "Sister Vichana wanted you to read this to us."

"Why?" Ruin would ask, angry that she would break his loathing. "I don't know how to, and you were reading it yesterday. And she has to make dinner." With a heavy sigh, Ruin would give a nod and hold out his hand for the book. "Fine, give it here and get me a lamp."

Unknown to Ruin, the group of 4 grew to many more before the dinner bell rang...  

[Mongooseh]

Valac grunted as he used his toe to punt the covering tome away. Then placing Ruin down carefully on stable ground Valac retrieved the tome.

"I ain't no finger wiggler but this looks like what you need." Said Valac offering the tome to anyone who wasn't an Arian.  

[PupSage]

Kuori walks the book she found over to Valac and says, "No, this isn't it. I found the one to fix Ruin, and this one looks like a ritual for raise dead, Useful, but not what we need at this moment. Now we just need to get into that back room."

Between reading, Kuori would say, "You are asking if I would choose a life of sadness now, or temporary happiness with the potential to learn that my entire life supported the misery of others later? I would choose sadness. Pain strengthens you, but the trauma that could happen to somebody like Pierette if they found out down the line what they have been aiding in is something that will take significantly more time to recover from. I'd rather be a villain in her eyes and disillusion her now than let her continue to think she is playing the hero by petrifying anything that walks. Thralls or not, those were people." Closing the book she will look up and say, "You said, the rest of us. You're one too then? And you are aware of the deeds of what you claim are a minority of ... guests in your Nation, and yet you support them. Although I will admit that you lack the fervent, cult-like, zealotry and greed I've grown accustom to with representatives of your nation. So why help us, what do you want?"


Novi will try to move the book case with a draft. Failing that they will start pulling books off of the shelf to look for a trigger. Failing that. SMASH.  

[Kowsauni]

The young man seemed a little surprised by Kuori's question. "What do I want? I don't think anyone has ever asked me that before. Well, I guess you can say I desire what the rest of us do, but I am not fool enough to make enemies of Aria to try and get it. My loyalty to them extends only as tightly as they can hold my leash. If they were to willingly let my leash go...well, I don't think that's a power you possess. As for why I am helping you, wel,l besides the fact I've already stated were share the same goals of saving your people, I...I guess you can say I am inspired by your family. For one as apathetic as myself, its hard not to be an awe at the self determination your sister has put towards her goals, given the circumstances she has found herself in. Somehow, she has convinced Aria to leave your people alone, despite this being a perfect opportunity to to peruse them for candidates. Aria is here solely for the Mindflayers. Maukeen and her team are here to free your people and I want to see her succeed, though, I fear she will need your help, as much as you will need hers.”

As Novi tugs on the bookcase it does not budge. As she begins to remove the books on it she finds that there a 9 books that a merely covers attached to some sort of mechanism embedded in the books shelf. These fake books can be tugged on and she gets the impression that if they are pulled out in the right order to bookshelf will reveal its secret. Unfortunately, the titles on the book covers are written in a language she does not understand, so it is impossible for her to tell what clues they might hold.

The man notices Novi's actions and asks. “Oh, did you find something?”