Server started; please wait for map to refresh.
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Invalid condition in IF(getImpersonated() == macro.args) roll option.
Statement
options (if any)
: h, if(getImpersonated() == macro.args)
Statement
Body
: abort(0)
Error trace : powerBarEx@lib:BS <<< macroLink
Server started; please wait for map to refresh.
=^v^= has connected.
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Vul foxes
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Riot has connected.
Ganaroth has connected.
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Ganaroth:
I
to you bring the hello.
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Ganaroth:
How's
it all going?
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Vul foxes more
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Riot:
It
goes, how about y'all?
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Riot:
Also
did you read the IC chat
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vonel has connected.
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Ganaroth:
Things...
go. Like you said, I guess. I think I described my thanksgiving.
Then I went to a friend's place, and now this is the first
significant thing since then.
|
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Vul:
I
cooked some sammaches
|
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Ganaroth:
That
actually is significant, yeah.
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Vul:
it's
ironic because vul would just magic up sammaches
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Ganaroth:
Friend
got me a bottle of Templeton Rye, so that's pretty great.
|
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Vul:
I
also help
clean the house
which was an undertaking also I
have a giant cut on my thumb knuckle because of.
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Ganaroth:
Sorry
about your thumb.
|
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Ganaroth:
That's
really annoying.
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Riot:
Hooray
for the rye though
|
|
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Ganaroth:
While
I have full confidence in our ability to sustain a conversation
for the full duration of this session, so long as we are allowed
to choose and switch topics naturally, It's possible we might want
to start playing, unless there are more fun things to talk about.
|
|
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Ganaroth:
Mmm.
Templeton is my drink of choice, so it's always a nice occasion.
|
|
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Ganaroth:
Hey,
if you folks wanted to just chat, I'd do it. Just stating the
choices.
|
|
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Vul:
i 4 1
would like clarity/sera's friend Patience or our resident
healer/excorcist to check her out
|
|
Eileen:
I'm
ready to start, just finishing up leveling Eileen, so I might not
respond right away.
|
|
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Vul:
it's
super convient that they are the same person!
|
|
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Vul:
also
riot for what it's worth I 'm like 90% sure changing your token
name whilst not in the middle of a combat is fine
|
|
Kris should probably also make save
vs. wolfvid at some point.
|
=^v^=:
(( also lucky ))
|
|
Ganaroth:
(Once
Sera is functional again, she's got a decend heal score to help
with wolfvid, on the off chance that nobody wants to just tough it
out with endurance.)
|
=^v^=:
(( I'm pretty sure Kris is incable of
failing the endurance check for it? ))
Riot:
(( oh I forgot to roll against wolfvid
for Lucky ))
vonel:
(( +16 endurance ))
=^v^=:
(( I think the 'get worse' threshold
is like easy difficulty or something, diseases aren't common ))
|
|
Riot:
lol
changing her name fucked up the ability to click her picture and
move to her token
|
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Ra'ven:
ya
you'd have to redo the token selection thing
|
|
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Ra'ven:
that
does save name since moving between maps means maybe it's not the
same any identifier except name
|
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Riot:
I
don't know what you mean
|
|
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Riot:
Also
is it just a saving throw against wolfvid?
|
=^v^=:
(( basically shift+click all your
tokens, then click on the 'overlay' button in campaign macros ))
=^v^=:
(( ya for lucky, if you fail it
becomes more complicate ))
|
Lucky:
|
:
Rolled
9.
Saving throw
|
|
|
Failure:
Lucky remains with effect.
|
|
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Lucky:
|
Sometimes I'm just better.
|
|
Trigger:
Miss with an attack or fail a saving throw
|
|
Effect:
Add +4 to the triggering roll.
|
|
Patience comes hurrying into the lounge, flanked by Yltheria and Hector.
Hector struggles to keep up due to his heavy armor, and Yltheria does
the same as a result of short legs. The expression on Patience's face,
rather than her usual annoyance or superiority, is one of very real
concern. Her eyes widen as she sees Sera's fragile body language and
perhaps hears a snippet of her unusual language, and she shakes her head
as though brushing off an insect, or a particularly intrusive thought.
Rather than going immediately to Sera, she instead turn agressively
toward Ra'ven.
|
Rai Patience Cantor:
"I
just had an invisible ghost hand take my pen from me and write
"Clarity is hurt." I'd like you to explain what's going on."
|
|
Sera flicks her eyes to Patience, but
quickly refocuses her attention on the little magical hummindbird
she's conjured that is hovering in front of her.
|
|
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Rai Patience Cantor:
"...To
me, this seems worse than the physical injury I'd imagined. We
have healers capable of dealing with those wounds. Ra'ven, you
need to tell me immediately how this happened. Was it natural or
supernatural in origin, to start with."
|
|
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Ra'ven:
"She
knows that devil we ran across."
|
|
|
Ra'ven:
"Apperently
she like, destroyed her homeland..."
|
|
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Rai Patience Cantor:
"...The
leader, you mean?"
|
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Ra'ven nods
|
|
|
Sera turns to face Patience, and says,
quietly, "
Mo tine sa dorchadas, mo aingeal leis na súile
gorm. Theip mé ort.
"
|
|
|
Ra'ven gestures, "I'm rather not the
best to deal with that sort of thing for all sorts of reasons..."
|
|
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Lucky:
"Honestly
I don't think whatever is going on here is in many of our
wheelhouses."
|
|
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Ra'ven:
"I'm
pretty sure it's cause she heard what that note Vul found said."
|
|
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Ra'ven blinks, "Oh wait you didn't
hear that either did you..."
|
|
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Rai Patience Cantor winces and rubs
her temples with her good hand. "I... I don't know why you would
say... Cé mise duit? Cé mise liom féin? Uaireanta nuair a
shamhlaím, feicim thú le scáthán agus claíomh."
|
|
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Sera:
"Resena."
|
|
|
Rai Patience Cantor shakes her head
again. "No. I don't have any right to... Please, stop. Stop
hurting me, and let me help you."
|
|
|
Eileen:
"What
is she asking you to do?"
|
|
|
Sera:
"If
you can see Anand - see the woman who did this, stole yourself
from you, and not remember, then I don't think telling you the
truth about who you are can do any more damage."
|
|
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Sera:
"I'm
not trying to hurt you. I would never hurt you."
|
|
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Ra'ven:
"Dunno
why I sorta know what she's saying though..."
|
|
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Rai Patience Cantor:
"Nothing.
She's not asking me to do anything, other than to be...more. Most
of it is just nonsense." She seems to barely register the
statement about her being someone else.
|
|
|
Rai Patience Cantor:
"...and
I know you'd never hurt me. Why is so easy for me to hurt you,
then?"
|
|
|
Ra'ven walks over to Elieen
|
|
|
Sera turns to Ra'ven, "My home still
exists. But I can't go back. Not alone. And the trip there is hard
- when Resena, the Captain of our Lance, repelled Anand and the
rest of her forces, the leadership of our home took drastic
measures to conceal it. No one who did not live there will know it
exists - they struck it from the memory of the world at large.
Don't ask me how. That kind of magic is beyond me."
|
|
|
Rai Patience Cantor:
"In
any case, you are saying that Jydith is... Anand? I have some of
her books..." She pauses. "The danger this city is in has been
magnified now. Anand is the Iron Empire's attack dog, the person
they send when...No, I'm only speaking from...from hearsay.
Sera-Clarity could explain it better." She trips over the word,
"Sera" reflexively coming from her mouth.
|
|
|
Vul wanders in with evil scroll since
commotions
|
|
|
Sera:
"It
isn't hearsay. Not for you. But yes, she is their attack dog. They
only send her when they do not care about the body count."
|
|
|
Eileen:
"That's
good to know at least."
|
|
|
Ra'ven frowns at all this, "All of you
are upset or mad at her... right?" she asks in a fairly
questioning reality tone.
|
|
|
Sera:
"Once,
during the war, she and her forces raided a civilian city - they
stole over a thousand children. They took them to one of our
military outposts, and she made a decree. If the soldiers inside
all committed suicide, she would free the children. In the end,
they did it. And she kept her word. She left a thousand children
to starve and freeze outside one of the most barren outposts in
existence."
|
|
Hector Achilon:
"Interesting.
And horrific." His eyes narrow towards Patience, and then, for
just a moment, flicker elsewhere, almost too quickly to catch.
(perception.)
|
|
|
Sera turns to Ra'ven, "I would rip
Anand's lungs out with my bare hands, given the chance."
|
|
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Eileen:
|
|
|
Sera:
|
|
|
Vul:
|
|
|
Lucky:
|
|
|
Vul trying to figure out what's going
on
|
Riot:
(( lol Lucky rolling a 2 ))
|
|
Hector Achilon:
(Sorry
lucky, that didn't make it.)
|
|
|
Ra'ven isn't actually watching people
in response to her own question
|
vonel:
(( Lucky and Eileen looking at the
same wall ))
Riot:
(( lmao ))
=^v^=:
(( it's a fancy wall,, maybe it has
some nice drinks on it ))
|
|
Hector Achilon:
(Vul
and Sera are able to see his eyes flicker in Lucky's direction,
though exactly what expression they held eludes you.)
|
|
|
Kris:
"A
little suprised they resorted to something like that, normally
that's a last resort sort of thing..."
|
|
|
Hector Achilon:
"Experience
with the Empire, I take it?"
|
|
|
Kris:
"A
bit yes."
|
|
|
Hector Achilon:
"My
condolences. Still, you seem to have emerged forged rather warped."
|
|
|
Hector Achilon:
*rather
than warped.
|
|
|
Ra'ven:
"I
mean it does seem rather wasteful right..."
|
|
|
Sera:
"Not
for Anand. And maybe my experience with the Iron is tainted. The
Bitter Reach was lucky enough to be in a close enough proximity to
the seat of their empire that we grew up under threat of Iron
attacks. But they were skirmishes, mostly. Until they decided they
were tired of skirmishing, and sent in Anand at the head of an
invasion force the likes of which we'd never seen."
|
|
|
Sera looks at Kris, "You've dealt with
the Iron? How?"
|
|
|
Rai Patience Cantor:
"...either
wasteful, or the result of them WANTING that kind of bloodshed..."
She frowns, but turns her head toward Kris.
|
|
|
Kris:
"Looking
in to what there up to mostly, and then reporting what I find to
local leaders. It's why I'm here now, there was to much chatter
from my channels about this gathering."
|
|
|
Vul:
"Oh!
Chatter?"
|
|
|
Vul:
"Hey,
did you see this thing that was left for me and Perra to find?" he
waves the scroll at Kris
|
|
|
Rai Patience Cantor:
"A
kind of... principled spy, then." She raises an eyebrow at the
scroll."
|
|
|
Kris looks over at Vul and the papers
he's holding, "I don't think so."
|
=^v^=:
(( Kris read infernal by chance? ))
vonel:
(( nope ))
|
Yltheria walks over to Sera, and
awkwardly grabs her sleeve, attaching herself in a poor attempt to
be comforting.
|
|
|
Vul:
"It's
an invasion... contract?" He frowns, "Right.. .it's written in
whatever sinister words that is..." he takes off his broken
glasses and hands it to Kriss, "Here, you can use this if you give
them back."
|
|
|
Sera startles slightly, but smiles at
Yltheria, before turning her attention back to Kris.
|
|
|
Kris nods and takes the glasses and
scrolls reading though them.
|
|
|
Vul hmms, "Oh... uh... right... there
was talk about like, maybe hiding this huh..." he says sheepishly
|
=^v^=:
(( vul being "omg a spy! Check out
the sweet stuff I spy'd on my adventure!" ))
Riot:
(( lmao ))
The language on the scroll alternates between blocky pictograms and
violent, complex slashes, which accentuate, and sometimes almost WOUND
the more geometric forms. Thanks to those glasses, they resolve into
intelligibility as you concentrate. The scroll is divided into several
parts; such as immediate goals, compensation, elevation to the status of
Archduke, first permission to use Si En Kelar as a base, and later for
it to be annexed completely, with the Emir still ruling, and his
political opponents dead. It includes timetables, counts of available
troops, and a plan to absorb the willing in the city guard while
eliminating the rest before the invasion even happens.
|
|
Kris sighs, "Guess I don't need to
report any thing... if these are to be belived the Emir is part of
the whole thing." He looks over at Vul and Perra, "How exactly did
you get your hands on these?"
|
|
|
Vul:
"Err..
that/'s the thing, we snuck in and took it from the Emir's reading
room."
|
|
|
Vul:
"It
was basically unlocked."
|
|
|
Rai Patience Cantor chokes a bit.
|
|
|
Vul:
"All
the traps were... err.. what was it... put to sleep?"
|
|
|
Vul:
"We
got a recording of the really really terifying one too!"
|
|
Perra nods, Yeah and no guards or
staff any were inside either."
|
|
|
Vul:
"It
was a pretty fun adventure except it looked a little fake."
|
|
|
Sera:
"I
just... don't know how we handle this. The only way we beat her
before was a gamble, and even then something happened that I
cannot fully comprehend. We were the last Lance left. Everyone
else was gone. All that was left was the eight of us - four
hoplites, and four 'squishies', as they called us. We threw
everything into a last, desperate push, into a poorly defended
flank, right up to Anand herself. And even then, we were almost
dead when we reached her. Resena - the Captain - I've never seen
anyone fight with the kind of fury and violence she fought with
that day. She lost her arm and she just fought
harder
. And
then there were words exchanged, and the Iron left. And Resena
was... unconscious. For weeks. And when she woke up, she wasn't
Resena, anymore. And now we're here and I don't know what to do,
and the person I trust most in the world to figure things out
doesn't remember her own name."
|
|
|
Kris:
"I
was about to say..."
|
|
|
Lucky:
"Wait.
If it was
that
easy, maybe it
was
planted for you to
find. Maybe it's not so far gone after all. Maybe they just want
us to
think
it is, so we'll give up and not fight back."
|
|
|
Rai Patience Cantor:
"...An
obvious lure, then. But why? Why make it so obvious, why use it on
you specifically... and why is it so thoroughly damning and not
written in code." Again, aside from a small frown, she doesn't
seem to absorb what Sera is saying.
|
|
|
Vul:
"I
mean, assuing this probably planted evidence is true we probably
could have used some group like those crazy wolf guys to help
overthrow the country or something."
|
|
|
Perra:
"I'm
not sure it was ment for us, I think it might have been ment for
the first person to come looking..."
|
|
|
Vul:
"Ya
us."
|
|
|
Vul:
"Otherwise
the'd probably have set up someone else to go looking before us."
|
|
|
Perra:
"We
just happend to be the first to get there... imagin what would
have happened if father had just pushed his way though and found
this."
|
|
|
Vul:
"Or
we snuck into their plan which would be funny."
|
|
|
Vul:
"I
mean, he'd probably do that declare war thing he said he was going
to do, just with more people on his side?"
|
|
|
Vul frowns, "Wait, isn't that good
now?"
|
|
|
Rai Patience Cantor gives a tiny
smile. "I'm not against the idea, but we'd just be overthrown
ourselves the next day." She shakes her head. "While you were
stealing this scroll, we were making plans to enact Okorion's
escape, and...Anand... showed up personally to greet us. A plan
for the Iron Empire to conquer this city given to part of this
group, and their most vicious general appearing to another part?
My belief in concidences is not that strong."
|
|
|
Vul:
"I
mean if this is real-ish, we probably could try to blow up one of
those mass transport gates?"
|
|
|
Vul:
"But
really we probably aren't an army right?" he looks around at the
group assembled
|
|
|
Eileen:
"No."
|
|
|
Kris:
"Nope."
|
|
|
Lucky:
"Not
even a little."
|
|
|
Vul nods "And I know Io and Tyl don't
have armies."
|
|
|
Ra'ven:
"Alsyne
is her people's army."
|
|
|
Ra'ven gives a little smile, "And
Princ... PERRA apparently has a father that can declare war" she
teases
|
|
|
Kris hands the scrolls and glasses
back to Vul, "So the question becomes what to do with this
information."
|
|
|
Perra blushes at that.
|
|
|
Vul puts the glasses back on and stows
the scroll, "Lots of things we could do, no idea what we should
though."
|
|
|
Rai Patience Cantor:
(she
sucks her teeth for a moment, a habit you've never noticed
before.) "Those gates aren't reliable over extreme distances. If
the Iron Empire plans to make use of them, they would need either
the other end to be inside the cluster of the league of five, or
at least have some kind of relay there. And as long as they have
agents in the city, any damage we did to the gates her would only
be repaired quickly. It might not hurt to put some feelers out, to
see if the Empire really does have something lurking on the other
end, though." Patience nods. "Oh, good, everyone knows who you are
now. I know your relationship with your father is tense at best,
but if worst comes to worst, would you be willing to at least TRY
to keep him from throwing Enseladar's forces in the wrong
direction?"
|
|
|
Vul looks at Patience with a
dumbfounded stare a bit then laughs, "Oh it was a secret too?"
|
|
|
Rai Patience Cantor:
"According
to the reading I paid for, she doesn't like to bring it up."
|
|
|
Lucky:
"I
mean, I definitely didn't know. Nobility of some sort, sure, but
damn."
|
|
|
Perra:
"He
probably won't listen to me... but I could try."
|
|
|
Vul pats Perra's arm, "Hey, at least
you won't be alone trying."
|
|
|
Perra:
"...amd
I don't bring it up because he basicly locked me up in my room
cause I devloped magic."
|
|
|
Rai Patience Cantor:
"Yes,
quite so. Her father rules one of the largest Duchies in Cor
Falca. There were some... differences of opinion. Peculialy Cor
Falcan differences of opinion. As you can see."
|
|
|
Vul pretends to whisper but everyone
can hear, "You have my sister if you need someone for a standing
tall and looking like you don't wanna mess with them."
|
|
|
Lucky:
"Ah,
that's right. I forgot they were total dicks about the magic
thing. Ugh."
|
|
|
Ra'ven on que shoots Vul a withering
scowl
|
|
|
Rai Patience Cantor:
"It's
seen as low class. A pasttime for peasants, and people who can't
manage better. If Perra had been born to a farmer, there would
have been no problem. But at her family's level? It doesn't
surprise me you were locked up. Still, your name might at least be
able to earn us an audience. If we have to."
|
|
|
Perra nods.
|
|
|
Ra'ven:
o.0
|
|
|
Ra'ven:
"That's...
a wierd thing!"
|
|
|
Rai Patience Cantor:
"It's
not so strange. After all, if the world gave you magic, it must
because you couldn't survive without it." Her mouth compresses to
an unamused line.
|
|
|
Rai Patience Cantor:
"Any
of you could talk to Abner about it as well. He has the
perspective on that from the poorer end of things.. and it's not
always much better."
|
|
|
Sera:
"Isn't
Si En Kelar one of the most powerful cities in the world? And
isn't that in part
because
of its magic?"
|
|
|
Vul:
"But...
I was a normal fox for a long time before I realized I could cast
spells."
|
|
|
Rai Patience Cantor:
"Oh,
easily the mosst powerful, and by far the wealthiest. But all that
means is that rich Cor Falcan lords can pay Kelarans for all their
magical needs, rather than lowering themselves to that level."
|
|
|
Vul looks to Perra, "It's not actually
true though... magic is cool..."
|
|
|
Yltheria:
"Yes.
I agree."
|
|
|
Sera:
"I'm
incredibly thankful the Reach was never like that. It had its
problems, sure, but nothing like that."
|
|
|
Rai Patience Cantor:
"Welcome
to the league of five, where all the nations are at least
dysfunctional in ways that allows the other to cover for them."
|
|
|
Perra:
"Yeah."
|
|
|
Rai Patience Cantor:
allow
the others*
|
|
|
Lucky nods at Vul, "Magic
is
cool." She turns to Sera, "Same with Lansir, even though I wasn't
really a huge fan of their 'Holy Kingdom' nonsense."
|
|
|
Rai Patience Cantor:
"Lansir...
and to think it was only weeks ago that I was worried about
Lansir."
|
|
|
Sera scrunches her eyebrows at Lucky,
as if trying to discern an answer to a question that was never
asked.
|
|
|
Rai Patience Cantor:
"The
only other person among us who might be able to give us an army...
well, you, Yltheria." She gives a pleasant smile that comes
nowhere near her eyes.
|
|
|
Yltheria:
"No."
|
|
|
Rai Patience Cantor:
"I'm
not asking for it now. It would be a last resort."
|
|
|
Yltheria:
"No!"
She screams, the first time you've heard her raise her voice at
all. "I can't. They'll kill me. They'll kill me parents. They
don't know that I know yet!"
|
|
|
Yltheria:
(typos
everywhere tonight.)
|
|
|
Eileen walks over and pat Ylth on the
head, "No ones going to make you do any thing you don't want to."
|
|
|
Rai Patience Cantor:
"If
the Iron Empire takes the league, how long before Ordomas is the
target, Yltheria? Are you confident your parents can escape a
second massacre?"
|
|
|
Lucky stares at the Rai, "You make
your own choices kid.
No one
is going to force you."
|
|
|
Lucky:
"We'll
find another way."
|
|
|
Yltheria lets go of Sera's arm, and
begins clenching and unclenching her hands hards enough that tiny
flecks up blood show on her nails. "Another way. Please." Her
voice drops to a tearful whisper. "It's just too awful..."
|
|
|
Ra'ven moves over to Yith somewhat
offering her a person to stand behind, "Hey, do not bully her"
|
|
|
Rai Patience Cantor looks at Lucky,
and at Eileen. "...Very well then. It may not even be important,
so at the very least I can drop the subject for now."
|
|
|
Sera doesn't chime in on the
discussion, but gives Yltheria a nod, though her eyes are still
focused on Lucky. "Cé hí, Resena? Cén fáth a bhfuil sí anseo?"
|
|
|
Lucky just nods to the Rai, "Thanks.
She's a good kid, and she deserves our support."
|
Riot:
(( entirely unrelated but I find it
kinda funny that almost every 'Lo-Fi beats to relax or study to' video
uses the same like 15 or so tracks ))
=^v^=:
(( better then every top 50 song
using the same 4 chords ))
Riot:
(( yeah it's not really a complaint,
just an observation. Means no matter which one you click you're getting
chill tunes lol ))
vonel:
(( Going to go throw a pizza in the
oven, so brb. ))
Riot:
(( nice ))
|
|
Rai Patience Cantor 's eyes narrow at
Sera "Simply understand that the girl has in her possession a
secret that could kill or save millions. If it comes down to it, I
hope she decides to save them." This time, when she speaks that
other language, she barely skips a syllable. As if she's not
totally aware she's using it. "Tá a fhios aici conas a oibríonn
mallacht ghnás an Bháis. An t-aon duine taobh amuigh de Chomhairle
Pale Ordomas a bhfuil a fhios aige. Má thuig siad cad a bhí ar
eolas aici ... agus stop ag glaoch orm Resena. Sin é...ní m'ainm"
|
taking advantage of the exchange to sneak away just a bit, she tiptoes
over to Perra. "I'm sorry about your father."
|
|
Yltheria:
Yltheria
|
|
|
Yltheria:
She
says that, because I'm a dumbass.
|
|
|
Perra smiles a bit, "it's okay, I know
he wasn't trying to be mean or any thing. Just the way things are
there."
|
|
|
Hector Achilon has been standing
silent with a dark look on his face ever since the subject of the
girl began. "You know that I owe you, Patience. I haven't
forgotten. But that only extends so far. You don't want to press
this." He looks toward Perra, and gives a sympathetic shrug. "She
might see something of her situation in you. Not the parents part
exactly, but... well, other stuff."
|
|
|
Sera looks at Patience, purposefully
nodding in Lucky's direction, "Tá brón orm, ní raibh mé soiléir.
Bhí mé ag tagairt di. ...Agus tá a fhios agam cé tú féin. Tá
aithne agam ort ó bhí tú cúig bliana d'aois, a scipéir carraige.
Ach má dhéanann sé dochar duit é a chloisteáil, scoirfidh mé. Ach
bíodh a fhios agat, nuair atá tú réidh leis an bhfírinne a fhios,
níl le déanamh agat ach a insint dom."
|
|
|
Perra:
"Well
I'll help in any way I can."
|
Riot:
(( brb, dog needs to go out real quick
))
Riot:
(( back ))
|
|
Ganaroth:
"Níl
tú ag gortú dom. Ní Resena an t-ainm atá orm anois. Tá brón orm,
is éard atá i gceist agam nach bhfuil sé ach Resena. But really,
do we have to bore the rest of these fine people with our own
little tiff? Why find something to fight over, when I'm finally
talking to you willingly?"
|
|
|
Rai Patience Cantor obviously.
|
|
|
Sera casts her eyes down, and her face
falls. "I wasn't trying to fight you. Never have been."
|
|
|
Yltheria:
"The
way things are there is stupid, and doesn't help people. You
aren't stupid, so you got out, and I'm glad, because your magic is
beautiful."
|
|
|
Perra seems a bit stuned, "I... thank
you, I don't think any one has ever called it that before."
|
|
|
Yltheria:
"They
should. Heat spiraling into the boundry, lost here and birthed
somewhere else, creating fractal patterns of ice on glass and
metal..." Her eyes are lit up, either having dismissed or
forgotten the earlier tension.
|
|
|
Yltheria:
"There
was a teacher at the Pale Academy that had a trick with making the
heat disappear in one hand and reappear in the other over and over
again, faster and faster, until anything he touched it with would
explode into a million pieces. But he didn't have as good a grasp
of the cold part as you do, Perra. I can tell."
|
|
|
Vul:
"You
see magic oddly, Ytheria..."
|
|
|
Perra:
"I'm
not sure how much of a grasp I have on it myself, the cold just
seems to happen as I use it."
|
|
|
Yltheria:
"That's
because it's so easy for you, like necromancy is for me. They sent
me here because they wanted me to learn things that were harder
for me. You have magic blood, but I have a magic brain, so it's
about the same." She pauses. "My brain is not literally magic."
|
|
|
Yltheria seems to relax now that his
ward has calmed. "Okay then.If we're all done almost coming to
blows before we even decide on a plan of action... maybe that's
what we could do? Way I see it, the only option we don't have is
pretending the problem doesn't exist. One direction or another, we
need to do something."
|
|
|
Yltheria:
AREGH!
|
|
|
Yltheria:
That
was hector.
|
=^v^=:
(( the greatest villan of all time,
Miss Tell ))
|
|
Hector Achilon seems to relax now that
his ward has calmed. "Okay then.If we're all done almost coming to
blows before we even decide on a plan of action... maybe that's
what we could do? Way I see it, the only option we don't have is
pretending the problem doesn't exist. One direction or another, we
need to do something."
|
|
|
Hector Achilon:
(there)
|
|
|
Perra nods to Hector as she takes Ylth
off to one side away from the heavy talk to contuine there
conversation.
|
|
|
Yltheria glances at Vul when he
speaks, but doesn't say anything. She leaves willingly with Perra.
|
|
|
Vul:
"Oh,
what about the Dean?"
|
|
|
Vul:
'You
rescued him right?"
|
|
|
Lucky:
"I'm
no good at planning. I'm generally the 'stab the problem until it
goes away' type."
|
|
|
Eileen:
"Yeah
but he seems to think he won't be the dean for much longer."
|
|
|
Eileen:
"That
whole 'Were going to kill you if you don't help us' thing."
|
|
|
Hector Achilon:
"Probably
what set off Perra's old man."
|
|
|
Eileen:
"To
be fair I'd be pretty hack off if I was told that."
|
|
|
Vul:
"I
mean I guess he really WAS told to say that though?"
|
|
|
Vul:
"So
maybe he keeps his job cause he did it well?"
|
|
|
Hector Achilon:
"You
ain't wrong, Eileen. The Emir will definitely have him take the
blame for it, even though it was on his own orders. Unless it
wasn't, because all the information we have looks suspicious."
|
|
|
Vul:
"I
mean he could be wanting to piss them all off?" gesures scroll-y
|
|
|
Ra'ven hmms
|
|
|
Ra'ven:
"Actually...."
|
|
|
Ra'ven:
"Starting
a war woud sortta mess up THESE plans right?" pointsat vul.
|
|
|
Hector Achilon:
"Nice
enough guy... but Emir Ibrahil sure as hell isn't gonna sacrifice
his own reputation to save Okorion. Even if that reputation is a
little..." He stops. "Whoa whoa whoa. Back up, start over, explain
clearly."
|
|
|
Sera doesn't look up as she speaks,
"Break the people's trust in their leadership, destabilize the
centers of power, and the city crumbles under the boot of the
empire."
|
|
|
Eileen:
"You
think he turned off all the wards and told his staff to take the
day off so someone could find those scrolls and start a war so he
woldn't have to go though with what's on them?"
|
|
|
Ra'ven:
"Making
the goverment seem like an enemy
before
all the devils are
in place to make it near impossible to stop."
|
|
|
Rai Patience Cantor:
"....Dammit.
That makes too much sense. Far too much. And without knowing who
really is working with them here, if it's not the Emire... we have
no target, and our fortress's gates stand wide open."
|
|
|
Ra'ven:
"The
plans are obviously in motion, but i would expect that passers by
sending their best agent back express-mode was part of them. I
assume it's a work in progres right? There wouldn't be a upside at
tiping ones hat but it's ALSO explainable as meglomania, which
is.. well... a forgivble sin of devils I think?"
|
|
|
Ra'ven laughs suddenly, "Oh! What if
it's like THAT!"
|
|
|
Rai Patience Cantor mumbles absently.
"No, no... she has enough bloodlust for twelve, and enough ego for
twenty, but she'd never let either derail her mission..."
|
|
|
Ra'ven:
"What
if they caught wind of it, so they decided to sick the silverfang
on the important people at the last moment?"
|
|
|
Ra'ven:
"That
would explain their sudden and dumb orders from 'on high'."
|
|
|
Ra'ven:
"And
just assassinating the Dean beforehand wouldn't prevent his
replacement from making the same statement and would just get
messy right?"
|
|
|
Ra'ven:
"And
the devils have to go along with it because it ISN'T too late to
stop them if the Emir was flat deposed via popular uprising or the
like... That's why they are suddenly here claming t hey are police
right? To cow the population since the last thing didn't work?"
|
|
|
Rai Patience Cantor:
"It
could be. I don't want to immediately leap to believing that
they're actively working together, though. It does offer a certain
explanation, but it's possible the cult may have been duped
themselves. Or that they are simply working in the same direction
without colluding..." She nods. "That's true enough, at least."
She frowns."Somebody went through a lot of trouble to attempt to
erase all copies of Elsora Tenning's journal. The one with
detailed observations allowing the ethereologists to confirm
Garmera's pregnancy. But after that, nobody came to kill Okorion.
They didn't even try to stop him from letting everyone know."
|
|
|
Vul hmms with a smile, "She's pretty
good at coming up with stories huh?"
|
|
|
Ra'ven:
"Also
ya, I was meaning that the cell we were in got ordered but the
orders were caused by the devils, not they work for them actually."
|
|
|
Rai Patience Cantor raises an eyebrow.
"Better than I would have credited. Maybe I'll lend you a copy of
"Under the Horn of an Anvil," by... well, Anand. A little insight
into the mind of our enemy, if yours thinks in those terms."
|
|
|
Ra'ven takes a step forward AND back
at the same time, a completly akward looking motion that is only
saved by her disapearing and reappering back where she started,
"... Ah.. I... I probably shouldn't I think?"
|
|
|
Ra'ven sheepishly looks away, "I... I
really had hoped that someone else was affected...."
|
|
|
Lucky looks at Ra'ven, clearly
confused.
|
|
|
Rai Patience Cantor:
"I'm...not
sure what you mean. But suit yourself. It's really a very good
book, though you probably shouldn't try to find hope in its pages."
|
|
|
Ra'ven:
"I...
look up to her somehow?"
|
|
|
Hector Achilon:
"Huh."
|
|
|
Ra'ven:
"it's...
well I sorta hoped it was being charmed? Like that succubus?"
|
|
|
Ra'ven frowns again, "Maybe the
opposite of it? The succubs shows a version of what you like...
with her it's like... I like
her
specifically despite for
the most part hating everything about what she's done or acted?"
|
|
|
Sera stares at Ra'ven, and it's clear
that she is deciding how to react. Judging by the look in her
eyes, it's between 'patiently waiting for an explanation' and
'throwing a table'.
|
|
|
Hector Achilon:
"I
see. So, you love and admire her even though you know you
shouldn't, then? What do you think you'd do if she appeared right
here? Out of curiosity."
|
|
|
Ra'ven gets a complicated look on her
face, "I... I would rather expect I'd fight her? But... the
why..." A deep breath, "I... can't say it wouldn't be to earn her
respect. It would also be because she's a terrible person and
should be fought at least?"
|
|
|
Rai Patience Cantor:
"Your
candor is appreciated, Ra'ven."
|
|
|
Ra'ven:
"Do
not send me to talk to her... basically...."
|
|
|
Ra'ven groans, "Maybe I am a devil
too? I sure sound like one sometimes..."
|
|
|
Eileen:
"Sometimes..."
|
|
|
Vul humphs and rushes over and punches
Ra'ven in the side hard enough to make her reel slightly, "You are
you. Never forget that..."
|
|
|
Ra'ven:
"Ow,
what the heck Vul..."
|
|
|
Hector Achilon:
"Awareness
of your weakness is the first part of overcoming it. Look, I'll
keep an eye on you... but my opinion is that you can be trusted
for now. If it's like you say it is, the more time we spend
dealing with her, the less you're gonna admire her." He shrugs.
"Well, you've got a spiky tail and horns. And you spit fire. But
I've known any number of Tiefling who were damn fine individuals
in my day, and I just described them too."
|
|
|
Ra'ven:
"That's
nice of you to say Hector, but as Vul says.. I'm.... me..."
|
|
|
Ra'ven rubs her side
|
|
|
Hector Achilon:
"Maybe
I wasn't clear. You're you, and so far that's been fine. Don't
worry about who you are; worry about what other people can make of
you. As long as you keep that in mind, I think you'll do fine."
|
|
|
Sera:
"She
broke the mind and body of the best person I've ever known. She
killed thousands upon thousands of my people. Admiration is the
last thing she deserves. I genuinely hope that you can see that."
|
|
|
Rai Patience Cantor:
"...Sera,
I could be wrong, but I get the feeling that our fiery friend is
not talking about feeling under her control."
|
|
|
Rai Patience Cantor:
"In
fact, it might be prudent to check you for magical influence, in
case you really have been altered, as you first suggested."
|
|
|
Lucky:
"Ra'ven
is, from my experience, a kind person. I don't think she
wants
to admire that woman anymore than you do."
|
|
|
Ra'ven:
"That's
my point Err... Sera? It's obviously wrong working from that
direction...."
|
|
|
Ra'ven:
"Like,
even if you ignore everything she stands for, says and has done,
her mannoisms aren't even my type, mostly..."
|
|
|
Rai Patience Cantor scoffs. "I admire
her efficiency. I admire her skills with the arts, and with
weapons. In every other respect, if I have the chance, I will drag
her to the abyss myself and hold her head under the vortex.
Glaonna fola searbh le haghaidh bhfeice searbh..." She trails off,
once again, without seeming to notice her slip in language.
|
|
|
Sera turns her attention to Lucky and
speaks, though it's clear she is barely keeping it together, "
Cé
hé an diabhal tú? Cén fáth a bhfuil tú anseo?
"
She stops, and takes a breath, "Who the hell are you? Why are you
here?" She doesn't wait for an answer before dismissing the
hummingbird with a growl, standing up, and walking towards the
door. At the door, she turns to Ra'ven, "I'm sorry. I feel like
I'm losing my mind more and more every second. I don't mean to
take it out on you."
|
|
|
Lucky just looks confused.
|
|
|
Rai Patience Cantor watches Sera with
a flat expression, hardly blinking as she leaves.
|
|
|
Ra'ven nods, "I.. I get that too... I
would rather not upset you by this...."
|
|
|
Sera:
"It's
not your fault. It's Anand's."
|
|
|
Ra'ven:
"That
woudl actually be a bit reliving..."
|
|
|
Sera turns to Patience as she finally
exits, "...Agus mar sin labhróidh an Reach agus déanfaidh sé
amhlaidh."
|
|
|
Eileen sighs
|
Riot:
(( brb doggo again lol ))
|
|
Rai Patience Cantor:
"...Of
course it will. Never doubt it."
|
|
|
Ra'ven:
"So
ya, I suppose that also plays into my reluctance to use her name,
other then that... so what about this invasion?"
|
|
|
Lucky:
"You
mean the invasion they seem to be planning?"
|
|
|
Ra'ven:
"We
should stop it right? I mean the only argument
for
them is
this probably IS the only way the whole of the world would be
united under one banner."
|
|
|
Lucky:
"We
should definitely stop it, if we can. I didn't think that was in
question. From what she said, that doesn't sound like a banner we
want to be united under."
|
|
|
Ra'ven:
"I
mean it's not unless you are like me and are inexplicably fine
with it. But again I... err.. don't actually want to stop the
wolf? So uniting the whole of the world isn't really necessary for
my desires?"
|
|
|
Lucky:
"Speaking
of the whole 'being fine with it' thing, did you want to have
someone check you for magical influence, like Patience said?"
|
|
|
Ra'ven:
"Sure!
Maybe they can break it or explain this nonsense or the like." she
points to her eye tatoo
|
|
|
Ra'ven:
"Wait,
Vul, those glasses read things right?"
|
|
|
Eileen:
"It'd
probably behove us all to get checked at this point, never can
tell and better safe then sorry."
|
|
|
Vul squints at Ra'ven, ">.. err... it
changes from the paterns to well... nonsense?"
|
|
|
Lucky nods at Eileen, "Absolutely."
|
|
|
Rai Patience Cantor:
"I
actually agree. Periodic examinations would be a good idea for
people in our line of work even if mind control weren't a real
possibility. In any case, we still have much more information to
uncover, if we're to be of any use in this situation. We don't
even know what form the invasion is likely to take, if we could
even accurately call it an invasion, let alone when." Her eyes go
blank for a moment, and then she gives a toothy smile. "Well, this
might help, at least. We've been asked to appear before the Emir,
so that he can present us with gifts befitting our contributions
in saving his man's life. I suspect he will wait until after the
affair to eject Okorion from his position under the guise of
retirement. It's likely to be a minor court function, rather than
a grand ball, but there WILL be people we can gain information
from there. If nothing else, looking the Emir in the eyes might
itself give us a clue. And... Well, I'm not going to lie and say
that I'm not looking forward to the potential contracts and the
money to be made, but I think we might learn quite a bit from what
kinds of contracts we are offered, and by whom."
|
|
|
Vul:
"Oh..
a ball would have been fun though..."
|
|
|
Ganaroth:
"If
we continue to increase our renown and the ability of others to
put trust in us, we may eventually be invited to one. One step at
a time."
|
|
|
Lucky:
"Hard
pass on a ball, thanks."
|
|
|
Eileen:
"I
don't dance."
|
|
|
Vul:
"Fancy
food, fancy dresses and dancing. All the best."
|
|
|
Vul:
0.0
"Perra's a princess, she's like... requried by law to be able to
dance right?"
|
|
|
Rai Patience Cantor sighs. "If you
insist. It's a moot point anyway, since we haven't been invited to
one. That's an issue for after we've established ourselves as the
best fixers in the League."
|
|
|
Rai Patience Cantor actually looks at
Perra curiously.
|
|
|
Rai Patience Cantor:
(Wait,
no.)
|
|
|
Rai Patience Cantor:
(Perra
is out of the room, right? Oops.)
|
|
|
Vul:
"I
mean Vala lived alone in a cave and still danced..." he nods to
himself.
|
vonel:
(( I mean Rai could see though walls.
))
|
|
Hector Achilon:
((Lol.
Not at the moment she can't, sorry. Wait until the right cycle.
))
|
=^v^=:
(( not sure Ra'ven would be coo
living with an assassin who can see through walls ))
|
|
Hector Achilon:
(Well,
if it makes you feel any better, it's not like she'd tell you.
*Pause* Wait, that shouldn't make you feel better."
|
vonel:
(( hope she like watching Eileen
stand in hallways when that time coms then
))
|
|
Hector Achilon:
((She'll
just start reading with the book closed to pass the time.))
|
|
|
Hector Achilon:
Kay,
folks, Im about ready to end for tonight, but I had a great time.
Thanks again for showing up!
|
|
|
Hector Achilon:
(I
actually feel appropriately bedtime tired. Unusual!)
|
|
Itzen:
(xP)
|
Riot:
(( works for me, I need to actually
make food lol ))
|
|
Itzen:
owell,
more time to figure out katbirb token
|
|
|
Lucky:
lol
|
|
|
Itzen:
since
nobody has had a mount in my entirel time playing
|
|
|
Riot:
Oh
it's a griffon? I assumed it was like. Cat-sized lol
|
|
|
Itzen:
nah
it's a griffon
|
|
|
Eileen:
cause
mounts don't normally work that well.
|
|
|
Riot:
I
had forgotten the existence of griffons
|
|
|
Itzen:
she
can also shrink it to pocket size
|
|
|
Itzen:
no
|
|
|
Itzen:
because
they don't gain levels
|
|
|
Itzen:
normally
|
|
|
Itzen:
one
specific not good class gets a leveling mount
|
|
|
vonel:
aslo
hard to take them in to places the party would normally go, mount
taking up a 5x10 or 10x10 squares norammly not good for fights
when everyone else is on foot.
|
|
|
Riot:
Yeah
my friend Jess had a familiar in one of her 5e games that she
spent the entire time protecting (Mr Jangles, the cave badger)
|
|
|
Itzen:
like
|
|
|
Riot:
Ah
yeah that makes sense too
|
|
Ayalin has defenses of 20/19/15/14
|
|
|
Ayalin:
and
that's 2 higher ac then normal
|
|
|
Ayalin is a level 11 item
|
|
|
vonel:
plus
at this level everything is hitting that will on a 2
|
|
|
Ra'ven:
like
generally the tacitic for such things is to either not use it in
combat, where phantom steed rituatl that vul has is right there
|
|
|
Ra'ven:
or
use them for insane consumable item
|
|
|
Ra'ven:
wait
till level 14 wyverns are cheep then just.... have enough to
replace them when they die
|
|
|
Ra'ven:
they
tend to have pretty high hp
|
|
|
Ra'ven:
so
though they always get hit, you can then like have fighters or the
like do mean things for them killing your conga-line of fakedragons
|
|
|
Ra'ven:
both
of those tactics are sorta sad though so the only time any
character I ever played with had a mount, it was a gryphon she
absolutly would not ride into battle for a number of reasons and
eventually retired it to take her younger cousin on adventures
|
|
|
Ra'ven:
that
gm didn't let her ge the hydra, it was sad
|
|
|
Ra'ven:
Mir
correctly concluded that riding around lakes of acid and fire on
the back of a hydra was badassed
|
|
|
Ra'ven:
sadly
it died of magical trap disarmment instead of got added to cool
stuff back at base
|
|
|
Ra'ven:
(the
hydra was part of the trap)
|
|
|
Ra'ven:
owell
|
|
|
Ra'ven:
same
bat time same bat channel next week?
|
|
|
Itzen will never get to stab redcaps
|
Riot is disconnected.
Riot has connected.
Riot is disconnected.
vonel is disconnected.
=^v^= is disconnected.
=^v^= has connected.
|
|
Itzen:
|
Fourfold
Invocation of Doom
:
burst 10
|
|
The storm of the Auric, The silence of the Patina, The
wild of the Argent, The war of the Electrum
|
|
|
|
(243) Samminiil
|
—
|
Rolled
18
vs. Will
|
|
Miss:
Dazed until end of next turn
|
|
Effect:
Untill end of encounter, any creature that
hits or misses her takes 5 psychic damage.
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Apply
Dazed
save ends
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Apply
Dazed
until eont
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Apply
Enemies
that hit or miss Itzen take 5 psychic damage
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=^v^= is disconnected.
Riot has connected.
Riot is disconnected.
Riot has connected.
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Hector Achilon:
Heyo!
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Sera:
hi hi
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Hector Achilon:
I'm
just over here working on tokens. The pressure is a lot less when
remembering that you're probably not due a fight for a little
while.
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Sera:
lol
I can imagine
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Hector Achilon:
((Anyways,
should you wish, we can begin this. Sera left the room, right. In
which case Hector is going to try to go find her.))
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Riot:
(( yeah she walked upstairs to "her"
room in the house. by the time Hector shows up she'll likely be lying
back on the bed, feet on the ground, staring up at the ceiling ))
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Hector Achilon knocks, surprisingly
gently for a man of his size. "Sera?" He pauses. "...A lot of
people need to be alone at times like this. But a lot of people
just THINK they need to be alone, when really they need a
co-conspirator. I'm here, right now, and I have nothing else to
do. Which do you need? If you still say no, I'll get out of here."
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Sera continues staring at the ceiling
as she replies, "Come in. Might as well not be losing my mind all
by myself."
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Hector Achilon:
"Mhm.
It is always better in company. That way you can share any
revelations of madness." He sits down on the floor, back against
the door, as though to keep anyone else from bursting in. "All
right. You want a sound bubble too? Silent Gate rituals and all
that would make listening in pretty damn hard."
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Sera:
"Sure,
thanks."
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Hector Achilon draws a complex symbol
on the floor, although it doesn't appear that he's carving it, or
using any pigment. While doing so, he mouths a few words; either
he's being too quiet to hear, or he's simply not vocalizing. After
a bit, he nods. "Kay. Now, this is double edged, understand?
Nobody outside the bubble can hear anything inside, and vice
versa. We'll only know if someone's trying to get in if they start
pounding on the door." He pats the door he is sitting against.
"There's even some protection of basic scrying. Someone or
something powerful could break it, but I don't think anything like
that is probably listening it." He pauses again. "So. Before your
mind's completely gone, want to tell me what's chasing it?"
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Sera:
"You
see it too, don't you?"
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Hector Achilon sighs. "Just now, yeah.
They act so different, it wasn't easy."
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Sera turns her head slightly to look
toward Hector.
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Sera:
"I
don't understand why no one else can see it. I'm not even sure
they
see it."
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Hector Achilon:
"Patience...
she was awfully insistent on recruiting Lucky. Told her that there
were a thousand trustworthy mercs closer to us than her, and
probably easier to convince, but she was dead set. I think she
knows. Or at least, she feels some kind of connection."
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Hector Achilon:
"Probably
not the whole story. I heard her slipping into that language of
your just like everyone else, and she barely seemed to realize it.
Whatever she does know, it's incomplete and I don't like what I
saw it doing to her in that room."
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Sera:
"Yeah.
Sorry about that. It's just... at least she still understood me,
you know? Everything about her is so different. So broken. But it
feels like she might still be in there, somehow. I just don't know
how to bring her back. And I can't - I
won't
go home
without her. Without
Resena
. But I still can't figure out
who the hell this Lucky girl even is. Resena doesn't have a
sister, as far as I know. And we grew up together. She literally
lived three houses down from me in the poorest part of our city. I
met her out back at the creek that backed up to our houses,
skipping rocks. We were five years old."
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Sera:
"Unless
she had a twin who was raised somewhere else and she didn't know
about her... I don't get it."
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Hector Achilon shakes his head, a
gesture of commiseration rather than contradiction. "Them
reuniting after so long, with such different lives? Lucky'd really
have to live up to her name." He pauses. "You know that Patience
doesn't act much like the Resena you described. Are you a hundred
percent sure? I get that it was your job to watch her, but
mistakes really do happen, even with all the care in the world."
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Sera sits up and fixes Hector with a
look - serious, and full of conviction, she says, "We were side by
side our entire lives. When we joined the Vanguard, she tested
well enough for the officer track.
She
put in for
assignment with my Lance. I was there when she lost her arm. I was
there at the very end. I held her in my arms as we were taken off
that battlefield. I was there when she woke up, and didn't
remember anything, or anyone. She was -
is
the love of my
life. We were together since we were teenagers. She was my
scipéir
carraige
, and I was her
briseoir dlí
. If I am
mistaken then put me to death."
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Sera:
"Anand
did something to her. Broke her. When she woke up, she - she was
darker. Angrier. Like all the light and joy in her personality had
vanished. Which is exactly what she did, a few months later."
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Hector Achilon:
"Understood.
I'm curious to know if those were pet names or what, but that's
not the point. I believe you. In my experience, those kinds of
connections are very hard to fool. At least for any amount of
time." He puts his hand to his chin, pulling a bit on his beard.
"Now that does sound like Patience... should I call her Resena for
this conversation? Anyway, she vanishes... How long ago?"
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Sera:
"Yeah,
they were pet names. Rock-skipper and law-breaker. When I found
her skipping rocks by the creek, I had just um...
acquired
a
bairín breac
- fruit loaf - from the only bakery in
our part of town. I mean I was five, I didn't have any money. It
wasn't hard to for her to figure out where it came from. But we
sat there together and finished the whole thing, and when we were
done she taught me how to skip rocks." Sera leans back, giving a
noncommittal wave. "Call her whichever feels right to you. She
vanished about two years ago. People from the Reach found out
about what she did - how she turned Anand back and stopped the
invasion. They came every day with donations. Money, gems,
whatever. She didn't seem interested, always there in her room in
the hospital, staring out the window. They decided - the high
council, I mean - that they wanted to recognize her, officially.
To give her some award, for what she'd done. The day before it was
supposed to happen, I stopped by her room, and she was - gone. And
so were all the donations. That was the darkest time in my entire
life, Hector. No one knew where she'd gone. She'd disappeared
outside the Seclusion, and the only thing we could figure was that
she'd bribed people to keep quiet. After that I - all I did was
drink. For months. Until one day, Deket - Second Spear of our
Lance, sends word from the outpost that lies outside of the
Seclusion. Sightings. So Pell - Resena's brother - and I left. The
council offered to fund our search, for as long as it took, to
find her. She was the Hero of the Reach, after all."
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Sera:
"I'm
sorry if I'm talking too much - it's just been a long time since
I've been able to talk to
anyone
about this."
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Hector Achilon:
"You
aren't talking too much. You're talking enough to help me
understand everything that's going on." He closes his eyes and
rests his head back against the door. "I met Patience... probably
a year and eight months or so ago. This girl, claiming to be an
aristocrat and almost pulling it off. Dressed in tattered finery
and everything. She even had documents of identification, and
could answer questions about what had happened... attacked by some
awful fucking monsters. Destrachan's, I think. Didn't matter,
'cause we.... The Order of the Silent Gate, were pretty busy
trying to hold off an undead incident AND the townsfolk who
somehow got convinced that we were the ones causing it. Anyway,
she acted cold even then. She was clearly impatient with all the
tactics and organization we'd set up, but when the next attack
came she just jumped to the front with the rest of us. Saved more
than just a couple of men, and helped guard the
retreat...dangerous job, as you know." He looks at you with a flat
gaze. "I don't know how she got her hands on those clothes, those
papers, or all of the letters of credit that she was carrying, but
the timeline fits. So... I guess your homeland was downcolumn,
right? Those gifts she made off with could help explain how she
got to the other side of the world so quickly, and without notice.
Plenty of captains willing to smuggle people for coin." He tugs on
his beard again. "So, there's a coherent story for your
rock-skipper and what's become of her. Now, I'm gonna ask a
question that neither of us has asked out loud, and which neither
of us probably knows the answer to: When did Lucky open her bar?"
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Sera scrunches her forehead, mulling
over Hector's words. "That sounds like the person you know, with a
little of the person I know. Resena was always the planner - most
Lance Captains were weak in the tactics department, but not her.
Her plans were always the best, the most sound. And she was always
the first into the fight. Most Lances would send their Hoplites
first - our warforged built with the souls of the dead and dying
Vanguard. Only at their consent, mind you. Just to be clear. But
yeah, she would always go first." She sits up and puts her back to
the headboard of her bed. "Yeah, we were downcolumn. Essentially
neighbors with the Iron. Constant skirmishes. The last thing she
and I said to each other, downstairs? Call and response. Lance
Vanguard speak. 'Bitter blood calls for bitter revenge - And the
Reach will speak and make it so.' That's what we knew, once we
signed up. As for Lucky - I don't know. But Resena sure seemed to
know a lot about it, back when we were talking with that..." Sera
shudders as she recalls the memory of Pasha's hands on Resena, "
Creep
who was funding the cultists."
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Sera:
"She
mentioned Lansir... has she mentioned
where
, exactly, in
Lansir?"
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Sera:
"Lucky,
I mean."
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Hector Achilon 's lip curls in a look
of total contempt. "He was never going to get anywhere with her.
She still fancies women, if you're worried about that, but that
digusting fellow was lucky he didn't lose an eye." He shakes his
head. "I don't think she did, no. Not while I was around, anyway."
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Sera hmms. "Yeah, she said as much,
when I walked her back to her room. It still gives me chills. And
the reason I ask - I went after a sighting reported in Seriatan.
Found her talking to someone I only recognized from their dress -
Cor Falcan diplomats. Pell, though. He went after a different
sighting. Somewhere way out west of the capitol. Somewhere
smaller, but with at least some form of transient population. If I
had any way of communicating with him, I could ask, but I don't.
And I've been too busy chasing Resena to get any kind of response
out of Deket."
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Hector Achilon:
"Hmph.
Well, it looks like you found Resena. Part of her, at least. And
she seems to want to keep you around, even if she plays the
spiteful card.
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Hector Achilon:
"We've
got a home base. It's got an address."
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Hector Achilon:
"So
even if we're gone at the time, a letter might be waiting when we
get home. Worth trying, maybe?"
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Sera:
"Yeah.
And Lucky - her face, her voice. It's Resena. Green eyes and short
hair be damned, she's Resena, too. I see all of the parts
'Patience' is missing in her, when she talks. The way she's
protective of Yltheria - Resena always loved kids. Probably
because of Pell. Her family adopted him when he was about eight -
we were already fifteen or so. As far as Resena was concerned, he
was blood, and she would fight the hells herself to protect him."
Sera laughs, slightly. "She was so
mad
when he became
a soldier. Got his orders changed so he would be in our Lance, so
that she could make sure she would be there in case anything ever
happened. The only thing Lucky doesn't seem to have is that fury,
but every once in a while I see the spark of it."
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Sera looks at Hector, "Make it make
sense, Hector. Because right now, I can't understand
any
of
it."
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Sera:
"And
yeah, we do have an address. I will try to reach out to Deket."
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Hector Achilon:
"Sera,
I'm going to suggest something possibly a little weird. I'm a
servant of life and death, right? I help to maintain the Silent
Gate, where souls pass into the unknowable." He pauses. "Do this
job long enough, and you learn to recognize souls. Easier when
they're out of the body, but it's still possible. I'd really like
to get them in a room together, doing some sort of activity in
tandem, without agitation or hostility. If we do that, and if I've
prepared the ritual... well, we could see if their souls resonate.
If Lucky is the pieces that Patience lacks, they'll shine in a
perfect pattern. It could be a complex pattern, might take a while
to see. But if they keep repeating that pattern, over and over...
well, that tells us something pretty big."
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Hector Achilon:
"The
part I'm stuck on is how to get them in a room, doing something
together and neither of them pissed off."
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Sera:
"So
far, 'Patience' doesn't seem to get that angry at Lucky. For some
reason, it's just me. She even stood up to her about Yltheria, and
all 'Patience' did was acquiesce. It almost feels like she's... I
dunno. Using her like a moral compass? But I don't know what we
could get them to do, together."
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Hector Achilon:
"Yeah.
I'd suggest a boardgame, but I don't think competing against each
other is the answer. Patience at least likes to win a little too
much. Drinking won't work... muddles the whole spirit." He sighs.
"Honestly, the best result would be if they were fucking, but I
don't really see that happening any time soon, and I'm not sure
how you'd feel about that. Nah." Another beard tug. "If we could
get them to make a kill together, without anger and with nobody
else around, that would do it. Births and deaths are the times
when souls shine brightest, and I'm not just talking about the
ones being born or dying. I could get Patience to kill someone in
cold blood, without feeling much, if I tried. Lucky though... like
you said, she's like a moral compass. That would be harder."
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Sera:
"I
don't think we could manage to get them to kill someone in cold
blood - except maybe Anand, but that is a feat that's near
impossible right now I think. In battle, maybe." She shudders as
she speaks next, "Yeah. Pass on the other thing."
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Hector Achilon:
"Like
I said, I wasn't banking on it." He's silent for a while. "They're
so different, despite the similarities. What would make one happy
would annoy the other. We might have to think pretty hard for this
one." a pause. "...what do you think it would take to set up a
situation where they both have to work together to save someone?
The setting would have to be perfect. The person they're saving
has to be in the room, so that they're inside the ritual diagram.
They both need to choose it on their own, and they both can't
choose it after anger or annoyance, or any of the many other
emotions that cause a soul to.. get spikey. Sorry, it's not really
visual, so it's hard to explain. Emotions we tend to think of as
negative mess things up, and the ones we think of as positive
smooth it out. I can't compare their resonance unless they're both
smooth. Concern is fine, but fear isn't. They'd have to both be
saving someone for the same reason. Least that's my idea. Damn
hard to pull off, too, cause we'd need a victim and a venue."
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Hector Achilon:
"Don't
get me wrong, here. I very much know that deliberately getting
ourselves a victim is not a good thing. I don't like the idea. But
they at least need to think somebody is in trouble unless they
both save them."
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Sera:
"I...
I don't want to put anyone in danger."
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Hector Achilon:
"Me
neither." He closes his eyes, and covers his face with his hands.
"Fuck. Okay, Sera. What if it was you?"
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Sera speaks at the same time as Hector
makes his suggestions, their words stepping over each other, "It
should be me."
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Hector Achilon nods. "Well then. You
gotta know that for this to work, they both need to believe you're
in mortal danger, and that only they can save you. And neither of
them is stupid, so the best way to make them believe that is to
make it true. How much pain would you be willing to experience,
just to know for sure?"
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Sera looks at Hector, her eyes a
perfect reflection of the sorrow and the desperation inside her,
"A world without her isn't a world I want to know. She's worth
everything, to me. Even if that means my life."
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Hector Achilon takes a deep breath.
"We don't know a lot of people who'd be willing to almost... or
even actually kill you, but are also good enough to get away
without a trace. Remember, if they have a target to get angry at,
this is all pointless. For urgency, we should probably also set
the building on fire. That'll help them notice it faster, too." He
closes his eyes again. "I know... something of what it's like to
have something that meant everything taken away from you. To have
to embrace the nothingness they left behind. So I can understand
your determination. So these are the two things: First, remember
that even with all this preparation and sacrifice, this is only
fact-finding. If they really are counterparts, this isn't going to
stick them back together. And second... if you actually die in
this, the chance of my being able to raise you is questionable.
You'll have died risking your life willingly for something that
was more important than your own existence. Souls that do do that
don't always linger around the gate for very long, and nobody, and
I mean nobody, knows whether the souls themselves have any say in
it. Still in?"
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Sera wipes her eyes, which are
slightly wet, "I know. I know it's only fact-finding. But if
there's a chance that knowing could help? Yeah. I'm in. And I'm
sorry you've experienced this sort of thing, too. I'm here if you
want to talk about it."
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Hector Achilon:
"...Maybe
another time. For now, let's concentrate on getting back what YOU
lost." His eyes seem heavy lidded, as though he is forcing himself
not to feel. So, which do you want to do? Find the venue, or find
the perpetrator?"
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Hector Achilon:
"So
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Hector Achilon:
"There
are a million thugs in this city who would kill you for a silver
coin, but not so many that I would trust to try to ALMOST kill
you, not take your things, and leave no clues for those two to
latch onto. And a venue is really just as hard. Somewhere you'd
reasonably go, somewhat difficult to access so they have to work
together, and ideally somewhere that is both abandoned and
flammable. We don't want to actually hurt anyone, but we do want
to make it as dangerous looking of a situation as possible. And
beyond that, if we're going to wreck the building, it'll have to
be one that won't bring the law down on us."
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Hector Achilon:
"Well,
unless you plan to say "fuck the law," but remember that part
about us having an address?"
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Sera:
"What
about that group we worked with the first time we fought Anand?"
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Hector Achilon:
"The...
uh, The Ravens? Or did they call themselves the Unkindness? Ah, I
don't know, wasn't there for it. But if you think they can be
trusted to do all of that... well, they do owe you a favor."
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Hector Achilon:
"There's
got to be at least one of them who can stab you bloody and not
leave footprints, right?"
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Sera:
"I
think they can be trusted, especially for a price."
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Hector Achilon:
"A
price is good. A favor is better, but both together is best of
all. Ok, we've got the who. You'll have to go talk to them
yourself, obviously. M'self, I'll scout around for a good
location. Uh... fun fact, but I'm actually a good eye when it
comes to appraising real estate. It's why Patience left me here to
negotiate this place's puchase."
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Hector Achilon:
"Misspent
youth, and all that."
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Sera cocks an eyebrow, "Didn't I hear
that this place is haunted?"
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Hector Achilon:
"Oh,
it's extremely haunted. That's part of why I got such a good deal.
Yltheria made contact with Wan right away, and let him know that
we weren't here to wreck anything. It seemed safe enough after
that, especially since Wan confirmed that nothing can come out of
the weird portal basement."
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Sera smiles, "If you say so."
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Sera:
"Now
just to figure out a reason I'd be going back to Gillert and his
crew."
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Hector Achilon:
"Mmmm.
As long as you make it so that they don't get blamed. Remember:
they can't be allowed to focus their anger on something.
Desperation and grief... those sound like the negative emotions
the spike up the soul, but they aren't. Desperation is just a step
away from hope, and grief is the accompaniment to love. If they
stay there, all they'll be thinking of is you, and that will work."
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Hector Achilon:
"Me,
I'll go find something in the area that I can prepare ingcognito.
Probably have to buy it, to make sure of everything, but I can
manage that. As long as they don't find out it was us until after
the ritual, it won't affect anything."
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Sera:
"Preferably
not until we've figured out a way to bring Resena herself back.
She'll be furious, sure, but she'll understand."
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Hector Achilon nods. "Ok, I'll be
extra careful, then. Purchases through proxies, stuff like that,
so that it's not easy to trace afterwards. You need to come up
with an excuse to see them. As far as I know, we don't need
anything stolen, or anything spied on, or anybody besides you
stabbed. Could be missing something..."
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Sera:
"Any
idea how we get just the two of them to find me?"
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Hector Achilon:
"Also
a tough one."
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Sera:
"The
other thing I worry about... Lucky seems sure of who she is.
Doesn't understand the language. Like, at all. The look on her
face told me that. Resena, she recognized her name. She said she
didn't deserve it, that it wasn't her. But she
knew
it."
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|
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Hector Achilon:
"Yeah.
That's a thing, isn't it. I wish I knew why that was, but it's
clear that neither of them got everything. Patience actively
denying Resena... that's actually a good thing. Means there's
enough of her in there that the "Patience" persona is nervous
about it. Lucky on the other hand..." He scowls. "Lucky is, if you
excuse the partial pun, a fairly happy person, or at least that's
what it looks like to me. The problem there is that the Resena in
her might not WANT to come out and ruin that happy life."
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Hector Achilon:
"At
least, that's my theory."
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Hector Achilon:
"Gotta
admit, I've never seen anything exactly like this, so I'm piecing
together bits of my training that I never knew would go together.
I might be way off, but that's my best guess."
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Sera:
"I
guess now it's just logistics. Where do we do this, why am I
there, and how do we isolate it to just 'Patience' and Lucky?" She
sets her head back fairly roughly against the headboard and lets
out a sigh. "Resena would know what to do. She could put all the
pieces together and make the puzzle fit before any of us saw the
first piece."
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Hector Achilon:
"Hm.
Patience is like that too. Probably not as good as Resena, since,
I don't know, it sound like your version accounts for empathy. But
this one at least cares about Lucky. Attached herself in the guise
of "hiring" her. Maybe we only need to lure Lucky, and make
Patience think that tailing her is the best plan." Silence for a
few moments. "We should find out about her bar. Ask her about it.
What it was like, the stories, the people who visited. If we're
right, she hasn't existed all that long, even if she doesn't
realize it. All her real memories would be of that place, those
people. There has to something or someone she cares about in all
that."
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Sera:
"She
said she left it in her best friend's hands. That's all I
remember, because I was too focused on wanting to strangle that
creep touching 'Patience'."
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Hector Achilon:
"Best
friend. That's great. If we can find out who that is, we can maybe
fake a message from them. Say that there's something important,
come alone, etc. Something important enough to come all the way
out here and leave the bar behind.? Lucky goes... probably
suspicious, 'cause she isn't stupid. But that's not a problem,
because when she gets there, the building'll be burning, and when
she runs inside to find her friend, she'll find you instead,
bleeding out. Patience follows her in to help, and neither of them
give a shit for the moment about who actually sent the message."
He opens his hands, as though concluding a presentation
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Sera:
"That...
sounds like a plan. I think the only thing left to think through
is who ambushed me and why I was there in the first place. Because
they're gonna have questions."
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Hector Achilon:
"They
sure are. But the explanation doesn't have to be airtight. I don't
think they'll be expecting too many questions out of you while
you're dying, and if they ask afterwards... well, even if they see
through it, we'll already have the data. So really just pick
whatever explanation will make them the least angry with you. I
dunno. You got a similar message, or something."
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Sera:
"Yeah.
We'll cross that bridge when we come to, then."
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Hector Achilon:
"Agreed."
He purses his lips. "Nobody else know, okay? As far as they're
concerned, that was just a really weird experience in that room
just now, but there aren't any plans. Don't share your story any
more than you have, and if anyone else comes to you with a plan
along these lines, try to put it off until after ours. Some of our
friends have wide mouths."
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Sera:
*to
it
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Sera:
"I
wasn't planning on it. The only thing I was planning to do right
now was going to get a drink with Lucky to apologize for my
behavior. And maybe ask a question or two about a bar."
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Hector Achilon:
"Good.
That's about as natural as it gets. And a lot more straightforward
than my complicated bullshit."
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Sera:
"I'll
let you know what she says, so we can figure out what message we
need to fake."
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logfox:
(( osnap people are on here, better
not like, close it and update stuff etc right now ))
Riot:
(( yeah lol we're doing some character
stuff ))
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Hector Achilon:
((Extremely
important character stuff.))
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Riot is disconnected.