Ebullience

[Anastasia]

"Danar," He answers, "I remember...that....he tore my brain open and...but..."

A pause to gather himself. "In short, my caravan was ambushed on the Astral by yugoloths. We were taken, presumably sold to someone on the Lower Planes, who used us as instruments for whatever this mad plot was," he answers. "Demons I believe. There was a chamber they took me to when they worked on me, when they maimed my mind. Demonic iconography was there."

The question Wit proposes to you is, "What did the demonic iconography look like?"

[Nephrite]

"What did that iconography look like?" Moore asks. "If you can't recall it well we can help you." He adds, his divine aura filling the room with that touch of hope that Danar needs right now. "You are safe from them, and we're going to make them pay for this."

He will wait until he's finished to invoke the spell again for another question.

[Anastasia]

"A demon's face and a fat demon. Orcus I think," He answers, "Never came across the Old Goat's servants before, but he's distinctive."

"Oh really?" Sylvie murmurs.

That makes sense, we did cross Orcus before. But I wonder if that's all?

We don't know enough as of now, but it's a good place to start. Keep going, Moore.

[Nephrite]

"We may have to see this from your eyes to find some answers." Moore says. "But this could also just be a diversion somehow."

He will invoke the spell to ask another question!

[Anastasia]

"What did you overhear them talk about?"

[Nephrite]

"What did you hear?" Moore asks. "If you couldn't understand them, that is all right - we can simply look into your thoughts and sort it out, so do not fret if you've no knowledge of their language."

[Anastasia]

"I heard them talk," he says, "But I don't know the words."

[Nephrite]

"That is fine. Please relax." Moore says, hope filling the room.

Wish to emulate Probe Thoughts. Weird!

We're going to go through his memories from start to finish - the attack itself, the imprisonment, the torture and the aftermath. I'd like to see where he got the forgeries from in all of that and how he ended up here.

Take 10 on Perception for 118, K:A for 123, K:P for 123 and Spellcraft for 118 during this.

I am looking through the memories for the following:

-Anything that seems out of ordinary for yugoloths
-Anything that seems out of the ordinary about his capture
-Identify anyone he got to see
-How he ended up at Hope's Landing and if anyone of note gave him the forgeries.
-I'm also looking for anything magical that might've happened that I could identify during the memories.

After all of this I'll invoke Wit again for another question based on what I find.

[Anastasia]

Do you have any ranks in Heal?

[Nephrite]

I do!

I can Take 10 for 96.

[Anastasia]

The yugoloths strike on the Astral and in an ambush. You aren't sure how - he was in a wagon when it happened and missed that part. But the tactics seemed pretty simple and routine. A sneak attack, an ambush and overwhelming force before the mercane could rally. Good use of their natural magic abilities too, the Astral helping both sides but the 'loths more since they had an ambush.

Nothing out of the ordinary there. He was knocked out and that was that. Hardly unusual for a yugoloth who wants to take captives to sell.

None of the 'loths seem remotely interesting and once in captivity, he only sees masked men in thick clothes or heavy robes. There's not much to work with, but based on the general pattern on the robes and masks, you're dealing with a death cult and probably Orcus. Not 100%, they're restrained, but it fits the Old Goat.

He was sent to the Astral and to a nearby natural portal, which he took to get here.

Yes. He was taken to that room, that chamber. The altar where he was cut open, his mind operated on.

The creature that operated on him is seen. Tall, lanky. Filthy blonde hair that's too long. Human-like on a glance but its eyes are black. It wears a bloodied smock and goes from rapt interest to fury to a dozen other emotions. A dead thing, a rotting body given form.

You know this thing. Pardol, a servant of Orcus. Obscure if known, one said to have long ago been some sort of mortal doctor. It's said he mostly keeps a low profile and works on his insane experiments. Notably unstable and uncontrolled, but that's not really a drawback in Thanatos unless you irritate Orcus or a rival strong enough to kill you.

[Nephrite]

With all the information he has, he hums once.

He invokes the spell again - with the knowledge he's gleaned, he's curious if there's something he might've missed in all of this. He explains the matter to the others through telepathy in case they wish to ask any questions about Pardol or the nature of all of this.

[Anastasia]

Did you or yours do anything to provoke Orcus?

Pardol? I've heard of the name in my lore readings. A vile creature, thoroughly mad.

Thanks. Run the spell out first, I have some but I strongly suspect he won't know. Not without more magical aid.

[Nephrite]

I've got 3 more, just for reference.

"Did you or yours do anything to provoke Orcus?" Moore asks.

[Anastasia]

"Nothing that I know of," Is his answer, "For all I know it was luck of the draw who bought us."