[pnpgm] Game Update #101 - File #772- Prisoners are interrogated
Scott Adams
longshotgm at netzero.com
Fri Jul 2 06:44:10 CEST 2010
HT Alias/Player Character Name Type Status/Notes Sex
-- -----------------------------------------------------------------
R1.John Haight...........Arawn.............Druid .Normal/Alfar Ma
??.Chris Wells...........Ben'dar...........Warrior.Normal/Human Ma
R4.Tom Corckett..........Caladan...........Wizard Normal/Human Ma
W2.Marcel Liberty........Chion.............Sailor..Normal/Human Ma
W3.Ryan Torres...........Farseeker.........Warrior.Normal/Human Ma
--.Tobie Bonahoom........Fremea............Sidh....Normal/Faerry Fe
R2.Mark Murtha...........Kell..............Trader..Normal/Human..Ma
Do.David Sanders.........Kiet.Sunan........Acrobat Normal/Human Ma
R4.J H Hooten............Raban.Usherwood...Bard....Normal/Human..Ma
W2.Robert Maxwell........Strie'bog.........Bard....Normal/Human..Ma
W4.Wout Broere...........Unali.............Ninja...Normal/Human Fe
...Thomas.Magann.........Whitney...........Scholar.Normal/Human..Ma
R1 John.Stowman..........Will..............Hunter..Normal/Human..Ma
R4.Alex Koponen..........Z'leyra...........Healer..Normal/Human Fe
R1 NPC...................Zhou Kiwat........Noble...Normal/Human..Ma
Animals: Corona [Eagle] Z'leyra, Tef'wo (Horse) Ben'dar,
Cover Story Info: [HD- House member, F-Foreigner, N-native non house]
Arawn aka Arawn as Teacher to daughter [F]
Ben'dar aka Bu Da as Horse expert [F]
Caladan aka Ca Lu as Guard/Archer [N]
Chion aka Capt. Chu Mai as Sailor Trustee [HD]
Farseeker aka Fu Sa as Guard [F]
Fremea aka Lin Mong as Noble child [HD] [Disguised]
Kell aka Swan as Trader [F]
Kiet aka Kiet Sunan as Zhou's servant [F]
Raban aka Toban Nu as Entertainer/Guard [F]
Strie'bog aka Sun Zhu as Entertainer [N]
Unali aka Tun Au as Zhou's wife [HD]
Whitney aka Whitney as Herbalist/Tailor [F]
Will aka Sun Tzu as hunt master [F]
Z'leyra aka Kakita Junami as Healer [F]
Zhou aka Zhou Wa as Baron Noble [HD]
Game Web Site - http://www.furvert.net/longshotgm/pbem/index.htm
Public posts/actions to pnpgm at abroere.xs4all.nl (mailing list)
Private emails (not public actions) to longshotgm at netzero.com
Game Update #101 in sequence (file #772)
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Admin Notes: None.
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[Recap]
From Raban: [Re: Actions]
<Sorry, I just have not thought of anything that needs to be said
or done differently.
<No healing needed right now but it could be a good idea once we
plan to leave this area.
<Due to Katai people present, Raban will be acting as Frema's
guard if she is 'displayable'
<Raban would have liked to speak with the family but he knows it
is not safe to say anything to them
GM: Ack. Even a simple post saying your alive is better than nothing.
Sometimes I get none and I wonder if the microphone is on. :)
Then I get tons at the last couple hours before I have to work
on things and that results in rushed posts. So best rule of
thumb is post anything, just would prefer as soon as you can. :)
With that said I know folks get busy so not much one can do
there. Just how life gets. As to family why isn't it "safe"?
You can talk as you are human to another human. As a bard you
might even have some training in counseling those who have lost
family members. There is never a wrong answer in my book unless
of course you laughed in his at losing his wife then you'd be a
naughty boy.
From Kiet: [Re: Actions]
Kiet moves to speak to the young Vong captive...quietly speaking
in non- threatening tones...
"Do these Vong warriors have any weaknesses?"...
....
GM: Ack.
From Unali: [Re: Actions]
Unali will sit down and /talk/ with the human prisoner. (Mail
sent to Scott.)
After question time, she will get up, speak with the caretaker
(mail to Scott as well) and urge people to saddle up, get back on
the wagon. It depends on what she learns from the human prisoner
if she agrees to drop the disguise or not.
(Although it might still be helpful in the small town/outpost we
are headed for first.)
OOC: Sorry but was away on holiday with the family, so no replies
for two weeks.
GM: Ack. Good emails. Though didn't get the info on the caretaker.
From Z'leyra: [Re: Actions]
Z'leyra continues to monitor the noble...spending a few moments to
find a blanket or something for her. Feeling confident that the
party can deal with the rest she ponders what it would take to
remove the coral and if regeneration would heal the wound. Having
had prior bad interactions with Vong artifacts she keeps her hands
away from the coral.
GM: Ack.
From Arawn: [Re: Actions]
After introducing himself to Rua (the Vong) Arawn will speak
quietly with him before offering to serve as caretaker/watcher of
the Vong. He will push to keep the Vong alive if his fate is
discussed, both for the knowledge he carries and to give him a
chance to prove himself different from the other Vong castes.
Arawn will then speak quietly with the Rua and Z'leyra regarding
the baroness, trying to gain insight into the coral-like growths-
including purpose and possible safe neutralization- from the Vong
before discussing options for the baroness's treatment with
Z'leyra.(message sent to Scott)
In regards to the Katai warrior Arawn will mention that he does
have the ability to alter/erase memories and can do so if
necessary, drained as he is though he believes a distant
teleportation might prove just as useful in dealing with him.
Beyond that, he'll be seen attempting to aid/counsel the
children/father and mentions to the group the possibility of using
such magics to aid them in dealing with the trauma they have
undergone. He'll wait to discuss this with the family until he
hears back from the party. It will also likely have to wait until
the next day as he's spent and would rather not tap into his
spiritual reserves until he's rested.
.... and the follow through from Unali...]
Arawn is ready to move on, having spoken with both the family and
the Vong in regards to safe havens (sent to Scott). As to
disguises/magic items Arawn will mention,
"We still have at least one stop, in Pamau, to look for the ....
GM: Ack.
From Fremea: [Re: Actions]
<OOC - not sure why I didn't get the other updates, however I just
received the last two emails, so maybe it is fixed now. Read up on
the thread.>
Fremea gets back to the wagon and redresses for her part until
later. Counting the amount of arrows she had left, she then
realizes she will need to at least get some more shafts. She
leaves the questioning to the others, unless they need major
persuasion. She will spend time collecting her arrow heads.
GM: Ack. This is why I do Update # and File # in each update
at the top of the header. So you know what you may have
missed. Sometimes lists have problems and even I don't get
every post. This is why I check the list archive site
itself. Best thing to do is check my game site and you should
see anything that I have. If not there then I didn't get
it or it got to email.
From Will: [Re: Actions]
Will after collecting arrows and arrow heads and generally tiding
up from the aftermath of the battle will offer his opinion on the
prisoners.
"Both of these have considerable value alive for the moment......
If he doesn't have it he will draw a dagger and say "I have mine
right here" just to see what reaction he gets from him.
If he does have it Will compares it with the bounty licence we
obtained earlier after the extortion of the Katai official.
OOC: Will will try to find out who else knows they were coming
here looking for magic users he will also try to find out if our
bounty hunter papers would qualify us to do the same or if they
could be altered to do so. Maybe we could assume there identity?
Along the way he will see what the going rate for magic users is
and if Vong heads would have any value. He is also interested in
finding out if they would attempt to hunt the Vong (as magical
monsters or demons) if given the opportunity.
Then there is the matter of what to do with those we have
rescued. One thing is clear is that if the group that came
looking for us did tell anyone where they were going or what
they expected to find then we can probably not stay here to long.
GM: Ack.
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[New Stuff]
[Julis 26th, 1634TH]
[Location: Middle Katai Plains, Shantou Province]
[ 20 Miles south of Shantou City ]
[ Old Shantou Carnival Grounds ]
[Time: 2:56 pm]
The sun shines down onto the field drenching those who fought
in sweat. Adrenaline, heat and physical exhaustion soon take
over many of the people who fought the hardest. The sun is in
the high sky toward the north west. It beats down very humid
and hot upon the skins and heats up armor. It must be in the
low 90s even for this time of day. It is a shame there are no
clouds to cool things off.
The party finds themselves massed up east of the buildings and
between the caretaker and visitor houses. All around there
are Vong bodies near the barn and outside the visitor building.
Some begin to take out waterskins from their own horses or fill
cups from the nearby well in front of the visitor house. Some
find it odd how the party has just decided to be in the open is
the best thing. Why not go inside and stay cool? But then some
realize that being in the open is the best to avoid more attacks.
Some like Will and Fremea begin to collect their discarded
arrows. Sadly against the hard Vong crab armor most of the
arrowheads are cracked. Shafts are virtually destroyed due
to the impacts. A few escaped the hard impact damage but
most did not. Sure they could be repaired with time but the
time and effort is more than just buying new ones later on.
Zhou approaches Fremea and asks her to do a quick aerial
observation. If the riders approached using the sun as
a shield there could be more outside the perimeter. Of
course the advantage is the wide open plains. Few places
to hide a large force. Before dressing back up, Fremea
hides behind the house and takes to the skies while the
father and son are distracted. But father and son do not
care what is going on as they are recovering. Fremea quickly
does a wide arc over the field and sees no other forces or
people. None are hiding buildings or sneaking up that she
can see in the bright daylight. The only people she does see
is a few pinpoints, ant like at this distance, people and
horses that seem to be moving down the highway to the east
a couple miles away. Fremea soon returns to the ground and
dons her dress and freshens up her hair.
Soon three groups begin to silently form around the wagon.
The wagon horse team faces north and is given some water.
To the east or right side of the wagon the father and son
are taken and eventually the daughter. This is the cool
side and they are put on blankets and given water.
Behind the wagon in the south the Katai prisoner is put.
He is placed tied up at the hands onto Whitney's wagon rear
seat. While to the left or west of the wagon in the hottest
part the Vong prisoner is placed. Those who are more interested
in one group or another collect in those areas.
After giving the horses water and serving folks at Zhou's
request water, Kiet moves toward the Vong prisoner who
surrendered on his own. Kiet stares at the sitting Vong who
is tied at the hands. The ugly creature is like a deformed
human for sure. Kiet stands with hands at hips and eyes
the Vong to see a weakness. But how can you find a weakness
in a race who think torture upon their own bodies is a form
of pleasure? He begins to speak in a low but non threatening tone.
"Do these Vong warriors have any weaknesses?" Kiet begins.
Rua looks up but Kiet is standing near the direction of the
sun. Rua's eyes which are bigger and seem to be more sunken
into the head than the standard human's blinks very fast.
"The warrior caste are stupid beings who seek glory for the
gods and their caste. Pride and bravado would have to be
their main weak points."
"Are you aware of any poisons amongst our people that would
adversely affect the warriors?" Kiet adds to his questions.
Rua pauses for a brief few moments. "I will not betray my
people. I know they are not perfect and I will not likely
live long with you people. I am Vong and I still owe some
loyalty to my people. But I will say I have no idea of poisons
and you would need to speak to the shaper caste. We Outcasts
or Shamed Ones are denied such things. In your society we are
more or less laborers and slaves."
Kiet crosses his arms. "If the Vong shun magic so much, why is
it that they ally with the Shadow mages and the Shapers seem to
use magic?"
Rua shifts his behind a bit and uses the wagon wheel to
scratch a possible sweat itch. "Our culture does not tolerate
machines, high technology and things the shapers do not create.
If it is not natural or made from living things then we do not
tolerate it. Why I can't tell you. Shapers do not use magic.
That would be a heresy in itself. They use only natural or
things made from living things."
Caladan nearby asks. "So the things like that small flying
thing that attacked was not magic?"
Rua turns his head toward Caladan, "I do not know of this
creature. But it was not magic. The warriors would see this
as a violation and be obligated to act on it if they used
magic."
"Where in this world is the home base of the warriors and the
Shapers?" Kiet bends at the knees and stares at Rua closely
to judge his answer.
Rua shrugs a mimic or a true human-like gesture? "I only
know we came into this world inside a mountain. Where it is
I do not know. The Flyer took us here and it took a bit of
time but I could not give more information even if I could."
Finally Kiet asks. "Now that you have decided to throw off
the yoke of the Warriors, what do you intend to do?"
Rua stops short on that question. A short pause occurs then
he finally speaks. "I was placed inside metal bars. I did not
do tasks they requested. " He lowers his voice to a whisper making
Kiet and Caladan strain to hear him. "There are some of us who do
not think the warriors are leading our people well. This track of
invasion upon invasion to many worlds is not good for our people."
He raises his voice a bit louder. "I did not think it that
far. I simply escaped the rod room and took my chance. The
warrior guarding me was stupid when he saw you come and become
distracted. I hope you would set me free and I can find my
own way in this world?"
Kiet smirks slightly at this and stifles a laugh.
Caladan turns to Kiet. "Metal rods? That building out there
we've not explored where he came from must be a guard shack
to hold rowdy guests. Are there more people inside these
rod rooms?" He asks of what must be jail cells.
Rua shakes his head. "Just us two."
Kiet stands and digests what Rua has said. Kiet says in
Marentian "I think it is time to dispense with the disguises. with
people carrying magic items now and 'hidden' in the wagon we have
already attracted attention. Not only did the riders know us,
but anybody they left behind or sent ahead will know us. Let us
simply gather back to us all of our items from the Dark Lands and
move on."
"Also, as far as the Katai human prisoner is concerned, what
use is he to us?" Kiet finishes speaking to those nearby.
Rua speaks up at this point. "Dark lands?"
Kiet and Caladan glance down in surprise and then at each
other.
Rua nods, "the worm creature in my ear translates all words
spoken. I do not know how it is done but the shapers do."
He then realizes that he just admitted a secret he might not
should have. He could have listened and not said anything.
He shrugs again. "Set me free and I'll just head out on
my own and never bother you again."
Caladan looks carefully at the Vong. "Could we use such
a creature like that worm?"
Rua shakes his head. "No. Each creature is specially grown
and adapted to each person." He raises his wrists showing the
tight ropes around his hands and points to the dead Vong
warriors. "Those amphistaves are specially grown and adapted to
each warrior. They would die away from them as well as the
armor."
Unali listens carefully to Rua for a bit then decides it is
time to question the Katai rider. Still wearing her full black
clothing the heat seems to vibrate off her body. Only her
eyes are seen from her face. Having spent time in the nation
some have heard stories of well trained elite warriors who dress
like her trained in special martial arts and weapon skills. Many
nobles use them for special tasks. It is clear Unali doesn't
work for any particular noble, other than Duke Aren, here so
she may only be using the disguise to prolong her reputation.
It seems to do the job as it intimidates those she gets near to.
With hands tied the unconscious Katai noble has been placed onto
the back of the wagon bucket seat. Unali sits beside the man
and eyes him. He can't be more than 19 at best and is all but
a typical Katai male. Unali grips one tied up hand and feels to
assess his hands. She finds them soft but poorly maintained.
There are bits of dirt under his nail but a lack of hardness to
his hands indicate lack of physical training or hardships. She
exhales deeply as she figures him to be a green warrior at best
and thus a low person in the society he likely belongs to.
Farseeker watches Unali inspect the male as if a lion inspecting
a target. Unali glances to those around and suggests to keep the
man for a few days to question him. It might be a good idea to
gain much knowledge from him. At least this is her first
impression of the situation. His answers will dictate if that
will be the case or not.
She begins to tap the young bounty hunter on the face. A few
taps and then a bit harder with some shakes. The young but
healthy bounty hunter begins to stir. He glances around and
quickly jolts up when he recalls where he is. He looks to Unali
and then to Farseeker. "What have you done to my friends?"
Unali calmly but quietly begins to rattle off questions as
she ignores the hunter's own question.
"How did you sense that magic was used here?"
"Who send you here, who commands you lot?" "What do you know of
magic detecting items?"
"What of other groups?"
"where are others like you stationed?"
"How do you keep contact?"
"Names!"
"How do you counter these magic detecting items?"
"Spill it or spill your guts. Talk!"
The Katai's lips begin to tremble a bit as he becomes a bit
confused and nervous. he begins to stare at the large great
sword sheathed to Farseeker's hip and around the field.
Either he becomes stupid at that moment or brave. He turns
to Unali with a hard jaw. "You are heretics! You will be
destroyed! What I do is for the Emperor! Surr-"
Unali sits back and stares south. She then glances back at
the man and begins to repeat some of the questions. She remains
calm while most would be slapping the lad around by now. The
man grins only and replies. "Kill me and you sign your own death
warrant!"
Unali pulls the fine magical dagger out of her special scabbard.
She grins slightly for a brief second at the irony of using
a magic item to question a magic bounty hunter. She twirls the
dagger in one hand showing her prowess as she continues to repeat
some of the questions. She then uses her left arm and places it
hard against his neck and places the head into a firm grip. With
her other hand she draws the dagger close to the man's eyes and
dances it close to his nose. She asks about names once more and
the man remains silent. With hands of steel she draws the dagger
close to the eye and pulls the eyelid out slightly with her free
hand and with her other hand slices the slew of eyelashes from
his left eyelid.
Farseeker crosses his arms and wonders how this person who could
dance in the Maren Palace balls like any Lady of court and yet
be so Kiet like. Where did she learn these things? Such a
simple use of a weapon can be hard on a person but this is clearly
not to hurt but to scare.
The Katai rider squirms at the attack to his eyelid. He begins
to shake his head but realizes that doing so could make the
dagger slice his eyes and suddenly quit. "You can't do this!
I have the full power of the Empire behind me!"
With her point shown she releases her grip on the rider's head
and draws the dagger along the cheek bones and jawline. She
asks the questions a third time. But before he can say anything
she knicks an artery near the jugular but not enough to kill him.
Blood begins to pour but it will not kill him.
"I don't know anything!" The man yells out in protest.
Unali draws the dagger down his neck and around his adam's
apple dancing it in a circle. Then down to his tan jerkin. She
quickly swipes the tunic down the center vertical line of the
jerkin and opens it like a vest. Now his pale white skin is
revealed showing lack of body hair.
"I am only a member not a leader!" The man begins to
try to block her hand with the dagger but realizes Unali
has the upper hand.
Farseeker flashes back to all the prisoners the group has had.
From Clima where the Climan folks knew the layout of the base
to be oddly killed by the shadow creature. To Donnie on the
Climan island who was a traitor to Marentia only to be killed
by Suresh before being questioned. To the Climan pirates who
were thrown overboard by Thig before they could be interrogated .
Many other cases seem to be the norm for this group. AS if the
gods wish not to have answers given and to make their lives
harder.
Unali begins to lower the dagger to his waist and begins to
prick around the top of his pants. The Rider's eyes lock
with Unali's and it doesn't take a brain like Arawn's to realize
what she has in mind. The man begins to shake his head as if
in disbelief. He realizes she has asked the questions for the
last time and begins to babble as the tip of the dagger gets to
the more sensitive areas.
"Okay. Okay! I do not know the secrets of the leadership.
They have some item that simply glows when magic or those who
can cast it is nearby. I believe..the range is 20 or 30 feet.
We....we take turns at the bridge. Usually on the bank fishing
or relaxing and watch those who pass over it or those on ship who
pass nearby. It is our station and it has worked well. I do not
know how it was made or why. Our leader is Yu Kim just outside
the city. But there are others under him. I've never met
him but I suspect someone up the chain sent us. Magic detection
items are those created by the Emperor to find your kind. They
are divine devices to protect the Empire."
At this Unali glances briefly at Farseeker. Could this boy
be so stupid? Doesn't he know the items are magic and by
using them they are heretics as well? Could they be so brain
washed by the Imperial leaders they can't question or choose
not to do so? Clearly the leaders of the secret societies
must know the truth. Farseeker gives a subtle shrug of slight
pity and wonder at the boy's delusion.
The boy continues. "Other groups? I do not know of other
groups. There are many around though. We have to be
vigilant to protect the empire and so many are around. I
hear of others but only rumors. Okay...just don't..." He
glances down to his waist. "...I've heard of one that works
in the area patrolling the highway but don't know where they
are located. Our base?...Our base?"
Unali begins to trace the man's groin to show her intent.
Sweat begins to pour down his head. "Our base?...It is a
ranch a few miles south of the city....we cover the river to
the city limits and the region around it but not that much
territory...." Unali notices his breathing becomes a bit
faster. She begins to wonder if the man is actually excited by
this whole thing?
"Contact is made through only a couple people. Look I don't
know how its done. Honest! We track. We hunt. We capture!
Contact is beyond me. My main job is cattle ranching on my
uncle's farm! I do this bounty hunting stuff for quick money."
"How do you counter these magic detecting items?" Unali
asks again.
"I do not know. I know some have eluded us by distraction.
Some use dark vile magic to block it. I do not know how they
do it though! The items are limited by range and can be
mislead by distractions or too much magic. How they work
and how to counter you'd have to ask the top folks in our
group." The man begins to gather some courage as Unali
removes the dagger from his groin. She asks about names
in the group and he hesitates but rattles off a list of folks
he knows. Unali doesn't recognize any of the names and likely
wouldn't in a empire of millions.
Unali glances to Farseeker to give a look that they got the
wrong person. If they had the rider leader maybe they would
get more info. She considers asking Chion to get him but
based on the pit Chion left them in he might not be in good
shape for questioning.
Farseeker being the tactical one asks his own questions. "How
strong is your group and how many are left behind?"
The man shakes his head in disgust at the stuff he has already
given out. "We have a few dozen members. When we detected you
at the bridge we figured you were a small easy group. We
clearly under estimated the situation. They only sent us. There
are others behind and no I don't know if they'll arrive after
us but I suspect if we don't return they will."
Unali considers the answers and sheaths her dagger back into the
magical scabbard. She stands and walks around the corner to check
on the caretaker.
There lying on blankses on the grass are the core caretaker
family. The father is checking over his son and giving him
water. When he sees Chion over the girl inspecting his work
the father begins to glare. Chion pours some water onto the
girl's face and she begins to stir slightly. The father
suddenly jerks and scrambles over to the girl. "I thought she
was dead?"
Chion simply speaks softly that the father was mistaken. She
is alive and will recover. The shock to her system will take
some time to recover maybe as much as 2-3 days. He explains that
the healer here was unable to help her. The father doesn't see
Z'leyra being talked about or seems to care. He simply begins
to check out the girl for injury and suddenly becomes torn
between both kids.
Standing now nearby Fremea watches the scene with some
keen interest. To torture adults is one thing but to harm kids
is beyond her logic. Why would the Vong do such a thing to
those who can't defend themselves? What glory does it give
them? She feels tempted by her anger at the treatment of
the kids to go and slit the Vong's throat. But the large
giant near her seems to radiate calmness. Could it be his
blessing that seems to be doing it to her or just his gentle
nature?
The father sits up between both kids and begins to finally
calm down seeing both alive. "Is there anything can be done
for my wife?" But Chion with a grim face shakes his head.
Unali watches for a few moments the scene before her. In
all the man has lost his wife and one servant. Does he know
magic was used or seem to care? What will he do when the
group leaves? Is his sorrow and concern for his kids enough
to protect what has happened here from those who will seek
to understand it?
Unali quietly asks the caretaker about when the baroness was
sent here and if she had guards.
The father glances up and stares at the black suited figure.
He shows no fright but seems to understand these people are
not the ones who tortured his kids. "She was bought here
a day ago. The creature things were here three days ago.
They ...they did things to us...killed...thank you...
for helping me...all of you...we...we are grateful. There
were no guards with her she was alone. They isolated hee
and questioned her for hours. I could not hear or see what
all was going on. Why she was placed here I do not know."
Unali softly explains the group will soon leave. That she
will get help to them and wishes to not be honored by telling
others of their deed. It is her way. The man seems to
understand maybe it is a ghost-ninja thing? The man seems
to nod as he considers this.
Zhou approaches at this. "We have some coins to help
in the damage and to recover. Please accept them."
The father glares. "I do not need your money. We have owned
this land for some time. We are on hard times but we will
survive as we always do."
Zhou steps back a half foot. "It is not out of pity sir.
It is for the cleanup required for the blood in the buildings.
We caused some of this in helping you. We would be pleased
to help pay for the cleanup. I came here to actually see
about renting the place. My House is interested in doing
such a thing. But now is not the time for business. Take
this bag as a future down payment."
Zhou simply drops the bag of silver coins near the man.
The father doesn't grab for it but nods grimly as he begins
to whisper to his daughter clearly starting to ignore the noble.
All this while Z'leyra listens to all the conversations
through the wagon windows. She finally covers up the
baroness and sits back after examining the coral. She
is confused by the stuff. Why does it grow outside
of water? How does it grow by eating the body? She has
many more questions but determines they won't be answered inside
the wagon and exits to join the others.
Arawn watches Unali leave to talk to the caretaker. He
inspects Kell's wounds and find them treatable. But he is
not sure if his elf skills or human skills will be best. He
should live for now and will have to get back to it later.
Arawn notices Kiet begin to get that gleam in his eye at
the thought of torture of Rua the Vong. Kiet found it fun to
watch Unali with the Katai and learned a bit from the process.
Fear is the best torture device not some nail under the
fingertip.
Arawn begins to approach and clearly gets between Rua and
Kiet eager to protect the prisoner. Kiet realizes what the
Druid is up to after seeing it before. The peacemaker the
pacifist wants to protect this vile creature. Kiet sighs and
glances down at the Vong.
Arawn asks if Rua is thirsty and he nods. Arawn gives him some
water from a Katai waterskin from one of the horses. Kiet glares
at the man as he the Alfar asks if he needs healing. Kiet can't
believe the Elf would ask to treat him first while others like
Kell need it first? Kiet crosses his arms in confusion.
Arawn asks if there are other Vong or slaves around but Rua
simply says no. He estimated the amount of Vong that came
with him and it seems to match up with the dead.
Arawn sees Z'leyra exit the wagon and waves her over. arawn
then asks Rua about how much time the noble has and what the
coral is and how to treat it.
The Vong Outcast shrugs. "I am no Shaper. They know those
things. The growths are there to control and invoke response.
Hoo-mans have been taken slaves and those growths placed on them.
The neck growth seems to be the control part. The shapers can
use them to influence the hoo-man brain directly. Those
secrets are beyond me. How long can she live? Hours or days
I just don't know. There were many experiments by the Shapers
to learn how to do this to hoo-mans. How to remove it I
don't know but acid can destroy anything. I have heard rumors
around the harves....certain energy...certain sounds can
disrupt the growths. Prolonged use can kill them but then they
are impossible to remove. So one has to be careful to make
the coral beasts shrink....they are only rumors and I do not
know how to test it. I give this information freely in hopes
of my own freedom."
Arawn suggests that he takes custody of the Vong prisoner and
will keep him alive. Kiet glances over at Arawn knowing the
Alfar would likely save a demon to nurture if he could. Arawn
gets near Z'leyra to discuss what Rua has just said and begins
to speak in whispers glancing over at Kiet to ensure the
man doesn't kill Rua.
Zhou calls over Kiet to help with some blankets on top of
the wagon. So Caladan sits beside the Vong as the two healers
talk about the noble inside the wagon. Caladan stares to the
west and speaks slowly. "You and me aren't much different. I
am from a land where we are used for our strength and combat
experience. Many including the land these," he waves a hand
at the party, "come from use the Zen'da for wars. So in some
regard we Zen'da are like you slaves. Used by the powers that
be to do their bidding. You know they may not allow you to
survive this day. Many wish you dead. But it seems you have
a protector here." He nods toward Arawn. "I just hope that
what you tell us today is the truth. Even Druids can be
quite vengeful when betrayed." With that he stands and glances
at the Vong and heads to check on the family around the other
side of the wagon.
Z'leyra moves on to check Kell and others for their wounds.
Arawn joins Rua back and begins to ask about various aspects
of their world. He asks about their gods. Their world,
culture and of other slaves that might wish to be set free.
Rua nods. "Outcasts are not well treated in our culture. They
are not called Shamed Ones for being just the lower caste. Some
feel the Vong invasion program of invading world to world is
not how things should be done. But the warriors wish to
conquer what they see. Our world was originally a great place.
It was destroyed by other invaders. Some believe this is why
the warrior caste now seek to control and conquer so they don't
get conquered again. Our world Yuztar had a Skybridge of
rings that shined night and day. It was a glorious sight and
the purple skies made the land colorful and rich."
Arawn considers what he saw when he wore the snake helmet
at Lake Oca. He saw a purple sky and this strange thing
in the sky. Was this an ancient memory of the helmet or
memory of some person wearing it? If the world was destroyed
did he see a current world or an old one. But this is the
least of his worries. Another world? There is only the True
World. The Lower, Middle and Upper Worlds. How can there
be another world? This makes no sense. Some gods do mention
the concept of a multi dimensional existence. After all isn't
that what the Astral planes are? So if there are astral worlds
why can't there be others? Could there be worlds linked to
this one? More questions to ask the gods later.
Rua begins to speak of their gods. He explains there is a whole
pantheon of them just like here. Arawn tries to recall what
all he hears. When it comes to Yum-harla the Vong explains
she is a trickster god one of deception and trickery. The
shapers tend to worship her as the shaper caste is often known
as the deception caste.
At one point when Rua talks about some gods who only watch
those who self-mutilate, Arawn takes a chance to ask more
questions. Arawn asks what his view is on pain and torture
compared to compulsion.
"Pain is taught to us at birth. By time we get to our
adult lives it is expected to have practiced some form of
pain inducing worship. Many of the Warrior caste will
self-mutilate in order to please the gods. This helps our
warriors to control pain in battle but the Shapers do not
practice so much of this aspect of our culture. Many
shapers refuse and simply leave it up to the warrior caste
to do so. So the warriors turn to us and if we refuse we
are thrown out of the other castes and become shamed ones.
Our own supreme commander cut off his own hand recently to
replace it with a coral implant just to give him luck in
the conquest of this world. As to compulsion this is a strange
thing to me. I am a weak person and can I be compelled by
a warrior who intends to kill me if I don't do something? Sure.
Who wouldn't in order to survive."
Arawn asks about his plans for the future. Arawn also ask
about Vong weakness.
Rua looks to the west out to the vast plains. "I hope to
flee here and seek isolation in this world. Eventually the
Vong will conquer the entire world. It is not a matter of if
but when we will. I wish to hide in the nearby mountains and
never be seen again. Assuming I can avoid hoo-mans and the
beast and survive on the land."
Rua turns to Arawn. "Vong die like any other creature. Do
we have secret weaknesses? Sure. But until I get some
assurance I'll be set free I will not betray my people. I
may be a traitor but will not have hoo-mans kill even the
deluded warriors on my words."
Arawn ask about other Vong safeholds and where the other
Flyer went to.
"It may have returned to our central base or flown of to
some other place. I do not know. Vong have been here for
some time and we have people all around this world. We need
to establish bases and setup growing grounds for our staff and
orb farms among other things. The Shapers have to setup
local Brain so the World Brain can coordinate with them."
Arawn recalls Lake Oca and that odd brain like creature with
arms. Could that be some way for it to communicate with the
central base? Arawn knows he can't cast more magic and the
Vong might not survive the day if others decide to kill him.
So he can't cast Hidden Truth to learn if he Vong is telling
the truth. But aside from the weakness points the Vong seems
to be telling the truth to him. It is clear the caste system
seems to be the central cultural dividing point. It is like
that of Katai with the peasants and noble. A clear division
of leadership good and bad and day hardships of labor. Arawn
will have to follow up these questions when he has more time.
Arawn asks about using the language amulet to learn the
Vong's tongue. OF course he would need permission from
Z'leyra but would it even work. Could the high resistance
of the Vong damage the necklace? Rus simply replies. "I do
not understand these items you speak of. I am speaking your
tongue called Katai because the taozyn worm allows it. If
you wish to learn our tongue you could plant the worm in
your brain?" But Arawn is wary of that idea.
Before Arawn can follow up on all what has been said by
Rua he notices some gather around to decide what to do with
the others. Arawn suggests to erase the Katai bounty hunter's
mind or simply to teleport him away.
Arawn reminds the others. "We still have at least one stop, in
Pamau, to look for the human allies of the Vong. Perhaps we should
wait until after we've finished our business there." Clearly
Arawn seems eager to move on after hearing about delay here
to spend time with family and prisoners.
Will decides to talk to the Katai bounty hunter as others
do their things. With Ben'dar's help both check out the
bounty hunter horses. A great treasure. They can be sold
for some coins. But Zhou disagrees since each horse is branded
just under the rear of the saddle. It would be impossible to
sell them without raising issues of ownership and if the brand
is special without alerting folks. Zhou says they will have to
be left here. But the saddles and anything else can be collected
unless folks wish the family to use the profits.
Will searches the saddles and finds one document that seems
to indicate some official note. He is given description for the
leader's horse after he asks the prisoner the question. "So where
is your license for magic hunting?"
Will reads the document and it does appear to be a bounty
hunter licens issued by the local noble. He smiles at the
thought of this so called secret group having official documents
for a non official act. What kind of empire is run by these
folks who on one hand hates and hunts down magic users and
the other uses magic and magic users to hunt them down? The
document seems to indicate a general license but Will does find
this document limits the group to the south Shantou city
limits to 5 miles south of the river. It seems to be 5 miles
west and east of the city limits as well so a area where the
group might take a day or two to ride patrol. It seems to have
a specific clause for local military patrols at the bridge over
the river. It uses the stamp of the noble but Will likely
knows the stamp is fake and the noble's name is fake. Likely
it is a cover story to cover the actual noble. Only the
leader of the group and likely the military commander in the
area might know the truth. It also has a stamp of the group
itself which seems to show a hawk like bird capturing with
talons a object that might look like a amulet? Will realizes
the document will not be good outside this area. So the license
he obtained early from Tiehul is likely better. it gives a more
generic license. A smart patrol might learn it to be worthless
but the typical guard would not.
Will finds the Katai prisoner and asks how much the price is
for magic users these days? How much Vong heads are. Are
the Katai helping the Vong?
The Katai prisoner finally calmed down from Unali's dagger
dance of please and pain speaks quickly. "Most magic users
go for a few silver. Experienced ones go for gold. Your
full group could allow most of us to retire and live without
no more hunts. Who are these Vong? Why would we be helping
these Vong things?"
Will clearly finds the man doesn't know what the Vong are
and points to one of the dead warriors rather than pull the
bag of the dead Vong head down upon the poor man. The
prisoner nods. "Them? We aren't looking for them why
should we? First I..we've seen of them. We were shocked
when we got here. We thought it was some of your vile
magic trick or illusion."
Will decides that if the Vong aren't known they aren't
being hunted. As to if the Katai are helping this clear
low man in the chain of command knows nothing of it.
Will missed some of Unali's questions when he was collecting
his arrows so begins to repeat some of the things she asked.
"How do you detect magic is it a magic device and do you carry
it with the group or is it permanently at the bridge?"
The prisoner looks at Will like he just answered this. "We
use a device. The leader has one small one. The other device
is at the bridge. When he left ..he had it on him so it is
there somewhere..where ever he is."
Will and Ben'dar did a search of the horses and found nothing
that seems to be magic so that seems to confirm. If the leader
was teleported to a pit somewhere far away maybe a thousand
miles then it is possible the device is damaged? But how hard
is it to make a device of detection to detect magic?
Will asks. "Why do you not apprehend people immediately or
does it take time to get a group of bounty hunters together to
pursue them?"
"The party we saw was large. Some.." He looks around for
Raban but doesn't seem him. "Are large enough. We only have
1 or 2 men at the bridge at any one time. One to watch and
one to send a message or follow. We had to call for backup
and we did have one follow you along the road till they
caught up then we went on the plains to avoid being seen."
"Was there more than one group sent out to search for us or
did you know where we had gone or were you checking every possible
location along the way. Did you have a description of the wagon
and party?" Will asks of the prisoner.
The man seems to not speak for a few seconds. Farseeker nearby
shifts and yells out for Unali. "Our friend has lost his tongue
can you help him find it?"
At that the man speaks up. "We find it not practical to detect
every area on the road. We do have a patrol that goes out
along the highway between the river and Shantou to sense for
heretics but not as often. The bridge is our station that
is used all the time. We did not notice or know of you until
you hit the bridge."
Will grins at the thought of Unali helping the man. "Does your
magic device detect for other magic devices magic users or both
like mine and does it therefore detect my magic detection device."
The man's eyes glaze over in confusion. Clearly Will speaks
of things over his head. "It finds magic and magic users. How
it works is the Emperor divines it to work."
Will shakes his head in disgust at the thought of a man being
treated as a god. Then he glances over at Arawn talking to
Z'leyra in whispered tones. Glancing back at the man. "What is
the penalty for bounty hunting without a license and must we hang
you immediately?"
"What?1 No..wait...huh? Hang me? We have a ..wait..your
the heretic! We hang you! The penalty depends on the local
guards and nobles. Some are fines, jail time or more extreme
if the noble is bored." The man replies to Will with a confused
tone to his voice.
Will finally decides he should ask things of Rua and finds the
Vong prisoner sitting as if thinking of the day's future activities
eager to get onto it. "How did you get into this world? Are there
certain gates and can they be closed?"
Rua looks up as if bored from the questions. "One Shaper came
across the gate...an interdimensional gate they call it...to
this world. Apparently this isn't the first one we've seen.
Some years ago they said we were here before. The gates just
appeared out of nowhere. The shapers claim not to have created
them. Are there other gates? We believe not. the other one
wasn't in this land from what I've heard. Can they be closed?
Who knows." He shrugs. "That is beyond my understanding. I
will say the Shaper caste had to do things to make it stay
open and wider. But their ways are beyond me."
Will asks, "What is the attraction of this world? Have they been
able to access others?"
"Attraction is not needed. Only a world to conquer and an
enemy to our gods is enough for the warriors to act. We have
conquered many worlds. We did not need gates but our craft."
Will knows he might not get much from this question. "Where in
Katai are they located and with whom are they working with?"
Rua grins a lipless grin. "Sure. I'll point you to my people
so you can slaughter them. What do I get out of it? Even if I
knew the area I wouldn't tell you." Will decides its time to
pull a dagger and examine the shiny blade. But he knows
threats to a people who take pain as a normal rule is not much
of a threat. Though this one seems far weaker than a warrior.
"You can threaten me. But there are things I will not betray
my people for. In this case I do not know. It was some tall
mountain and we never saw the outside. We boarded a flyer and
then we were here. Ask the shaper inside for that information.
As to who we are working for or with I do not know. Our
caste doesn't get reports and news the other castes do.
We simply get orders and execute them. I do recall some
hoo-mans inside the mountain. I only saw them being
escorted about but I was not privy to those conversations."
Will asks a tactical question. "How many Vong can we expect
at these other locations?"
Rua sighs almost human like. "You ask things I just don't
know!" He clearly becomes frustrated. "Maybe a couple
hundred warriors? But many have gone elsewhere in this
world to escort shapers to prepare bases. How many is there
now? Who knows. Enough to guard the base. By now it could
have an entire army and eventually it will have one once we
get ready and mobilized."
Will slows his voice and speaks a bit softer. "Do you know of
any others who feel as you do."
"You mean if the outcasts are tired of the yoke of the other
castes? Sure. I believe many are around. But some might not
agree that allying with hoo-mans might be worth the risk of
an revolt." Rua swipes a bug from his face and watches it
fly away.
Will lowers his dagger to show some civilized manner. "it must
be tough being part of a caste system that doesn't value what you
have to offer... I bet there must be lots of others who feel like
you do and would jump at a chance to be recognized and be at the
top of the caste system where they belong."
Rua does not reply. He simply nods as if distracted by
something on his mind.
Soon many in the party begin to form up as a group away from
the others to discuss the situation and future.
As others discuss the fate of the others, Fremea examines
her bow. She sighs at the loss of arrows. Even the Elven
metal was far better shape than normal arrowheads but they
are likely damaged with micro-cracks. She is unsure they
can be used again without repair beyond the broken shafts alone.
She counts here Elven arrows and finds 7 more and 3 more with
the dedicated elf shot magic on them. She knows the others
have plenty of arrows she can borrow. But it seems a waste to
use human arrows on a fine Elven bow.
Arawn suggests the party move quickly on to some other place.
But he doesn't know if he should trust the Vong's answers or
the caretaker's suggestion for advice on where. Would the
caretaker report their location?
Will speaks of the Vong and Katai prisoners. "Both of these
have considerable value alive for the moment... but we're going to
need quite a disguise," pointing to the Vong, "for that one."
Arawn reminds the other he can erase the mind of the Katai
rider or make him forget. But he admits he is drained and
it may need to be done tomorrow if he isn't teleported away.
Caladan reminds folks that forget spells are short term but
the party will be long gone by then.
When Arawn suggests wiping the minds of the kids to erase
the trauma, Fremea perks up at this.
Will suggests taking the Vong prisoner back to the dark lands
to be questioned later.
Zhou crosses his arms. "I don't think the father would take
kindly to us separating them now. It is clear he will protect
them at all costs. You would need to distract the father
and I doubt he would allow it. I personally get the impression
that he knows in the back of his mind we are ....unusual. But
he will not argue the point. Maybe he is even sympathetic to
our use of magic. But it might be a thing of being grateful
for saving his family in exchange for the use of foul magic?
It sounds like a good plan but it is a risk."
As the group talk quietly the two prisoners sit now side by
side in constant view. The caretaker family is on the other
side of the wagon still recovering from the shock and trauma.
Caladan leans on his staff as he usually does, "I say we teleport
the rider away. I doubt he has anything useful for us. The
Vong prisoner though....We can't take with us. If he escapes
or is seen we just can't explain it. So that leaves us with only
two choices to kill or set him free. I feel a bit sorry for him
and say we should set him free. Personally I think he'll be seen
by others and likely killed. So his fate is sealed either way.
He has no armor or weapons and a group of peasants scared of him
could take him out. At least we wouldn't be the ones to kill him."
Chion simply says he can teleport the rider away. But the Vong
might have high resistance to even his teleport. He doesn't care
either way.
Farseeker crosses his arms. "It would be good to question both
but we simply do not have much time here. We could take the
Katai bounty hunter with us as Unali suggested but if he is
seen or questions then we might have a problem. We really
need to leave here as soon as possible. We will need to cover
our trail and get as far away as possible and we have only a few
hours left of sun. I say we just leave him here and if his
friends do come they can find him or have Chion take him away.
As to the Vong prisoner a mercy quick kill is best I'd say. He
has been quite helpful from what I've heard."
Fremea is happy to see the boy moving about and starting to
question what is going on. The father is keeping both kids
away from the carnage until the party decides their actions.
She wonders if the Vong is just lying to cover his own part
in this whole thing.
Strie'bog also suggest we should leave as soon as possible.
Being a Bard mercy is part of their trade and so the prisoners
should not be killed but dealt with either by teleport or
keeping safe here until the party is way off.
Unali listens to all views. She has a feeling the caretaker
family will recover. One good thing about the bounty hunters
who may come here is they can help clean up or at least get
locals to help. For the last ten minutes or so the healers
have been treating some of the more harsh wounds and knows
the baroness will take some delicate treatments. Even if
what Rua said was true on a cure. How do you use what he said
to perform an effective treatment? By now her likeness has
been given to local patrols. If the noble is taken with the
party and they search, likely with the Shantou searches, then
they will find her. That will be hard to explain and cause
trouble and delays. She has to decide in the end as the
de factor leader. She has heard Zhou's views but it seems
her will be the deciding factor.
[Time: 3:23 pm]
Almost a half hour has passed and questions have been answered.
Unali tells everyone to pack up gear that she may decide it
is time now or soon to leave.
Actions? Comments?
Next Update...Monday...
GM: Wow. Big update. Took 5 days. Sorry for delay. But
the good emails and posts delayed me a bit with all the
questions plus the storms. We've had daily storms here
and a very wet season. Just 2 years ago it rained like
once a month. Now its daily and in some cases twice
a day. So stayed offline during the lightning stuff.
I tried to form up the scenes into some cohesive piece
and slightly sequential but for the most part all did
happen at the same time. Since it was done over several
days I inserted things into parts so hope I didn't goof
up and insert at wrong parts. Very good questions guys!
GM: Experience - It seems no issues with the experience reports.
I did find a possible deleted spell for Will I need to
research this weekend. Let me know of other issues.
GM: Just reminder - Anything posted to email will be considered
for Update/public replies content unless stated otherwise.
Some stuff posted in emails are assumed to be seen by
others. I tried to cover everything above more or less
but can't do it all. So rule of thumb is best to send to
list. I feel like I've covered 99% of everything in posts
and private emails.
GM: Reminder if a skill/spell is maxed out at CURRENT stat
levels (cps are done at the very end of adventure for
my sanity) then those expertise points will go do CEP/MEP.
You can tell me in some specific cases to pool those
expertise points. I'll note them on the sheet and when
stats change I can add those to improve new max ELs.
GM: Consider this Friday update so will give you guys a few
extra days to reply.
GM: So - Kill/Teleport/Leave Katai prisoner?
- Kill/Teleport/Leave Vong prisoner?
- Any other actions before party leaves?
GM: Would've been out a day ago but had some last minute problem.
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