Ginrai: After leaving the office of Lord Kevin, you find yourself in the hallway (heavily guarded) along with Devin and Astryd.
Astryd looks like she's about to be ill. Devin looks disturbed, but much calmer than her.
"So, anything on your mind?"
"Not terribly much," Devin says, frowning. Shaking his head, he says, "You handled yourself well on the tower, Lorekeeper. Masterfully, even."
"Yes," Astryd says, collecting herself somewhat. "When are you to test for your mastery at the Collegiate?"
"Thank you. Not anytime soon, I'll only take it when I'm completely sure of myself."
Looking at Astryd, he asks, "Are you feeling okay?"
"I'm fine," she says crossly. "Just ... upset over the idea of a traitor. In the ... the command staff, no less." She sighs, and rubs at her temples.
Devin nods sympathetically, but says nothing.
"Well, Bjorn only mentioned that as a possibility. Not sure what he was thinking of there seeing that saying such a thing could lead to mistrust within the command staff."
"Well, ignoring a crack in the foundation does not make your home stable," Devin says, shaking his head. "The vassal of Hammar raised a very good point. It may not be one of the superiors who is at fault, or untrustworthy.
"But at the same time, this does allow us to plan accordingly. I believe, Lorekeeper Parthipan, that you are not a traitor. Your works were too effective against the Dreadmarch, in my mind, for you to be working with them. You'd have too clear a chance to let that sling stone ... whatever it was ... strike me, and then be free of my aid to the keep."
"Or maybe it was a cunning plan to secure your trust," Astryd counters, rubbing at her temples. "I do not like this game of trust. If only there was a way to know beyond any doubt...."
"There are some things, but I question the time we have for them," Devin says, frowning. "I suggest instead that we relay our plans only to those who we must. I believe that Radagast is trustworthy. And Lord Kevin. Those, I must trust. But beyond that, trust shall be a precious commodity.
"And ... it may be that we are all innocent ... and the traitor is another. All of the lorekeepers in the tower were aware of the plan."
Ginrai nods. "Currently the best course of action is to only tell any plans to those that need to know it. Though if we did have time, what plan would you have suggested to find out if anyone was a traitor?"
"Only by an oath of blood can you ascertain the truth of what another says," Devin says. "I've no fear, and would undertake such an oath, that were I to lie, you would know it. But we haven't the time to secure this same promise with every Lorekeeper and commander in the keep."
"We could do it for the three of us, though," Astryd says, looking at Devin and Parthipan. "We could make a pact such that the three of us -- the only three aside from Radagast that know that there may be a traitor -- are able to trust one-another, to hunt down the shadow that lurks within our number."
Devin nods slowly, and turns to look at Parthipan speculatively.
Before an answer can be given, however, the door opens, and Bjorn and Mirallia emerge.
Noticing the two newcomers, Ginrai says, "Hey, guys. Are you two going to be free anytime soon? There are a few things I need to talk with you about."
Bjorn looks at Mirallia. "I would like to speak with Master Radagast about plans for the next attack," Bjorn says, hesitantly, and then frowns. "In fact, Master Devin, Madame Astryd, if you could spare some time as well, I would be very appreciative. Beyond that..." he shrugs slightly.
Astryd nods to Bjorn, and Devin looks first puzzled, then annoyed. "We have time," Astryd says. "What did you wish to speak of?"
Bjorn hesitates for a second. "I understand that in asking this, I ask for far more than is, perhaps, proper," he says, delicately. "However, I have little idea of what your skills might let you accomplish. I thought, perhaps, that in discussing this, we might be able to find a way to coordinate the actions of the Keep forces with your own efforts."
Astryd pauses to consider this, and then glances covertly at Parthipan. "Fair enough," she says after a moment. Mirallia watches, crossing her arms over her chest and frowning in confusion.
Devin also crosses his arms, and rocks back on his heels slightly. "What did you have in mind, exactly?" he asks.
Bjorn is shaking his head before Devin finishes speaking. "I have nothing in mind," he says ruefully, "and that is the problem. Last night, the traps of Master Radagast and Master Parthipan's timely spell exposed the general quickly, with minimal losses on our part. Tonight -- and tomorrow night, and so on -- we need to do the same."
He spread his hands wide, before letting them drop. "If you can broaden the moat, or cause the earth to explode along the whole front of the keep, or set the snow on fire, or create a fire that cannot be extinguished -- all of these things would be useful. But I don't know what you can do, and without knowing that, I can neither offer you suggestions, nor plan around your actions." His lips quirk slightly, neither quite in amusement or self-deprecation. "I am not a Lorekeeper, Masters, Madames, but I am a soldier, and I hope that, in that respect, my advice is not insignificant. If I can be of any assistance, please, let me."
"Ah," Devin says, nodding, his eyes clouding briefly. "I maintain the walls. The ... the crystal within the keep resonates with old spells placed deep within the Stormwall itself. It has been centuries since those spells have been renewed, so I strengthen them, that the walls will not fail, and that despair will not spill over them into the keep. I can move earth, and that is simple enough when my attention is not required elsewhere. But it is difficult for me to do so quickly, while a battle rages."
"My own services were asked for because there was a fear that the beacons wouldn't provide enough illumination. My faculty with illusion to aid Loremaster Radagast was entirely secondary to that purpose," Astryd says. "Weaving light is difficult to explain to those who do not practice the lores. But if you wish to know if we can do a thing, you have merely to ask it."
Furrowing his brow, Bjorn asks, "How strong an illumination can you provide, if I may ask?"
"Bright enough to rival the sun, for a while," Astryd says slowly. "But not forever. Brighter, but not for long -- though I do not think you would understand was light so bright does." She says this in a manner that's obviously not meant to be condescending, but at the same time....
"I most certainly will not understand," Bjorn says gravely, without a hint of reproach in his voice, "if you will not explain. It will blind those who are looking at it, certainly, and ruin the night vision of all with their eyes opened. It would likely give a painful sunburn to any too close to it -- and do all the more damage to those orcs and ogres who fear the light, I presume? Would heat be a problem?"
"It could be hot, but on a scale to cover the battle-field ... that is beyond my scope. I could blind the enemy, perhaps, at least briefly," Astryd says slowly.
"A moment of blindness is a great thing. If a light as strong as the sun flared behind our troops just as we were about to make contact with the Dreadmarch's lines... blindness, the pain of blindness, and the ensuing chaos are great things." He grins, shark-like. "For us, of course.
"As for illusion... can you, during battle, create the illusion of the moat suddenly being widened by magic?"
She nods quickly at the first, and slowly at the second. "It would be difficult to make the moat seem wider, but it wouldn't be created, merely changed ... at least, in appearance. That would take some time to set up, but I could do it. I couldn't do both, however, not at the same time."
Bjorn grunts slightly. "They don't need to be done at the same time. The moat-widening illusion is to cause them to break their ranks and slow down earlier, making them easier targets for the archers -- and then to slow them down more, as they try to find the true width of the moat. Once they've crossed the moat, however, the illusion serves little purpose.
"On the subject of Earth, Master Devin," Bjorn says, turning to face him, "can you create pit-traps? Hollow pockets with only a thin layer above them?"
Devin considers this for a long moment. "I could," he says. "But not a great number of them ... and the moved earth would need to be put somewhere, as well."
Staring off into the distance for a second, Bjorn exhales slowly. "Maybe... there's a best approach to the gate. If you could create a row of pit-traps in front of that approach, and then use the moved earth to create walls between the traps, to funnel the Dreadmarchers into the traps..." He shrugs. "Hardly subtle, but for our purposes, it doesn't matter. Either they go through the pit-traps, or they stop to break down the walls. Either way, we'd gain."
Devin nods. "Then, I'll see what I can do." Eying Parthipan, he adds, "We must speak again, later."
Astryd looks at Devin as he turns, and wanders off -- presumably towards the walls to work on what Bjorn mentioned. Frowning, she nods at Parthipan. "Agreed," she says. "Be well." With that, she turns around and follows the other Lorekeeper away.
Before the two lorekeepers could get too far away, Ginrai catches up to them.
Once the others are out of hearing range, he asks, "If possible, can we continue the conversation we had before Bjorn and Mirallia appeared?"
"That was what I intended," Devin says, shooting a glance down the hall towards Bjorn and Mirallia.
"Personally, I trust Bjorn though I'm currently unsure of Mirallia, especially with her being accused of committing some sort of sin." Ginrai makes a mental note to go back to his room after this and check any of his books on the Archonae to see what they consider to be a sin.
"I also agree with taking part in the oath of blood."
"Well, we'll discuss that when we're not being watched," Devin says, motioning you back to Bjorn. "Just look for us on the walls when you're ready. At the same tower we used for the battle."
Ginrai nods and heads back towards Bjorn and Mirallia.
"What did you want to talk about, then, Master Parthipan?" Bjorn asks, having patiently waited while the other ran off.
"It might be a good idea to discuss this in one of our rooms."
Bjorn shrugs, and, glancing at Mirallia, gestures at Parthipan to lead the way.
Ginrai leads them to his room.
"Yes?" Bjorn says, once the door is shut.
"Last night Radagast was able to identify another person that was from our world -- the priestess of Liena, Lindsey. I'll need to ask him later on today if any of her vassals were also from our world."
Bjorn grunts. "That was pretty obvious after her slip-up during the meeting," he observes. "Good to have confirmation, though. I'm guessing that... Patrick? is an outworlder, too." He sighs. "Does Radagast actually know she's from the same world as us? Does he know from when?"
"Patrick? How'd you find out about that? Radagast did say that she was from our world though not when."
Bjorn shrugs. "He made the same sort of slip as Lindsey, when talking about Radagast's traps. Not quite as blatant, but a rather good hint." Frowning, he adds, "I'd like to know more about this priestess, but I'm not sure how to go about it."
"Maybe you and Mirallia can have a conversation with Lindsey about her beliefs?"
Bjorn snorts. "That's probably more than a little suspicious, don't you think?" He shakes his head. "Moot point for now, anyways. There's other things I should do first. Was there anything else?"
"I'm going to perform another 'Seeing the Wind' spell later on to check on the Dreadmarch and will need you to look after my body during it."
Bjorn starts at that, brow furrowing slightly. "Are you sure that's safe? If they have a lorekeeper, could they..." he gropes for a word, "catch you doing that, or something?"
"There's most likely a chance of that happening." Ginrai shrugs. "Still, I think it's worth taking such a risk, at least for the early battles, before some of the stronger generals appear."
"Er," Bjorn pronounces. "I'd say the opposite, in fact. If there's a chance they could, I dunno, erase your mind or something, it's a risk best taken later, not early. If them noticing that you're watching is the greatest of dangers, it's one thing. But if they could do more than that..." His voice trails off suggestively.
Ginrai thinks it over. "I'll consider what you said. Either way I'll still need to talk with you later on since I might get information from Radagast as to who else is from our world."
Bjorn nods. "All right. I'll check back in in a few hours. If you want me sooner than that, the castle servants will probably be able to figure out where I am."
Nodding good-bye, he guides Mirallia to the door.
"Later."
Once they have left Ginrai starts to look through any of his books on the Archonae, specifically for what they consider to be a sin.
Bjorn now returns to Successful Mission (http://pishoque.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=35010#35010).
You don't actually have any books on the Archonae. <Brian> roll 3d6
<Chibi-Suu> them bones was tossed for Brian ... : --> {6}But you do remember a good bit about them.
The Archonae consider a lot of things to be sins, as to them, every living being is innately sinful, and only through meditation, abstension, and devotion to an ideal, can anyone be cleanses of their sins. Archonea don't sleep, don't eat, and don't breed. The human need for sleep strikes them as sloth. The requirement of almost all living beings to eat strikes them as a wilful concession to their own weakness. And for the latter, Archonae think it horrific for any being who has not achieved a level of awareness sufficient to procreate, or even attempt it, without fully realizing the ramifications of their actions.
You don't know if this view on sin (essentially, not being an Archon is pretty sinful, to them) is reflected by the churches, though.
Ginrai tries to recall what would cause the reaction the Archon had against Mirallia -- her supposed 'Great Sin'.
That's a dead end -- almost anything can piss off the Archonae. They helped establish the tennents of the religions, though, so probably a priest would be more knowledgable about what exactly a human could have done to upset them.
'Best not to waste more time on this.' Ginrai sighs and leaves to look for Devin and Astryd.
They're up on the tower they said they'd be on. Devin is looking at the battlefield in determination. An earthen maze is slowly growing up out of the ground, one that would force the Dreadmarch to run through it before getting close to the gates.
Astryd watches on with interest, though she does glance at you when you reach the tower-top. Dorian is here as well, leaning against a stone rampart, and staring towards the Dreadmarch.
"How's everything going here?"
"Well," Devin says slowly.
"Boring," Astryd says, shifting her shoulders uncomfortably, and shooting a glance at Dorian.
Dorian ignores all of you.
"Anyway," Devin says, sighing, and wiping some sweat from his forehead. "I'll need rest soon. Before that, let's go to the relative privacy of our quarters to continue our discussion. Is this agreeable?"
"That's fine with me."
You shortly find yourself in Devin's room. It's very sparsely decorated -- it's identical to your room. The only thing you can see that's not in the heavy trunk is what looks like an iron gear.
It's about thirty centimeters across, six or seven thick, and heavily rusted. It looks pretty weighty, too. Devin has it laying flat on the window-sill, and runes and glyphs have been carved onto it.
He gestures to his bed and his chair -- Astryd quickly claims the chair for herself -- and then approaches that metal gear. After placing a hand on it, you feel ... oddly claustrophobic.
"There," Devin says. "Now, no one should be able to hear us, should they spy through magical means."
"A wise precaution," Astryd murmurs. "And this is where we prove, with a blood-oath, that none of us are traitors?"
"Yes," Devin says, opening up the trunk at the foot of the (neatly-made) bed. He has a number of things within it, but withdraws what looks like a tiny needle, set upright inside a small box. It's big enough to put a finger in, and prick yourself on, and you guess that's exactly what the idea is. The sides are made of wood, dark and aged, and the cube has no top, leaving the needle exposed.
"Now. We must each speak our names, and the intent of the oath we undertake. Do you find this agreeable?" Devin asks, holding the open-topped wooden cube in the palm of one hand.
Ginrai nods and waits to see what'll happen next.
Astryd nods her agreement, as well.
He pricks his finger on the needle. A bright drop of blood balances on the tip of it. "I am Devin Stoneshaper, Lorekeeper of the Path of Earth. I swear that I shall never henceforth speak any un-truth to those who share in this bond." After that, the drop of blood spirals down the length of the pin, vanishing below the lip of the cube, and Devin hands it to Astryd.
She accepts his nervously, closing one eye and half looking away as she cups the box in one hand, and presses the tip of one finger against the needle, drawing a drop of blood. "I am Astryd Moonweaver, Lorekeeper of the Path of Light. I swear that I shall never henceforth speak any un-truth to those who share in this bond." Her drop of blood spirals down, too, and she then turns and offers the box to you, a challenging expression on her face.
Accepting the box from Astryd, Ginrai presses his finger against the needle and draws blood. "I am Parthipan, Lorekeeper of the Path of Wind. I swear that I shall never henceforth speak any un-truth to those who share in this bond." He watches the drop disappear into the cube. 'I *really* hope this doesn't screw me over.'
Devin takes the box from you, and puts it back in the trunk. "Now, we shall each speak one truth, and one untruth," he says. Clearing his throat, he says, "My family is from the lands west of Kith."
He looks between you and Astryd for a moment, and then says, "My father was great and respected." You can feel that he's lying. It's like an intense pressure in your head -- not painful, but very hard to miss. Devin winces, and a drop of blood falls from his hand to the floor.
Astryd blinks, and nods nervously. "My family is from the lands of Westings." She blinks, and frowns slightly, but you don't feel a lie from her like you did from Devin. "I am very close to my mother." This time, you sense the lie, though not as strongly as from Devin. Astryd hisses as a drop of blood wells up on her fingertip.
Both of them turn to look at you expectantly.
'Okay, just need to make sure it's something trivial....'
"I am currently longing for the day when I can return to my family."
Thinking over what his lie should be, Ginrai says, "Priestess Mirallia and I are best of friends."
For the first statement, nothing happens. For the second, you feel like you just pricked yourself with the needle again, and another drop of blood appears. Astryd smirks.
"Well, good," Devin says, nodding. "In the future, the pinpricks will no longer bleed, but for the rest of this day, any un-truth will cause that same pain, and we will always know when hearing a lie from one-another.
"I'd like to start by saying I'm not a traitor, nor do I serve the Dreadmarch.'
Astryd frowns. "I do not serve them, either." Neither of them evoke the sense that the other is lying.
Ginrai responds without hesitation. "As the two of you, I'm also not a traitor and do not serve the Dreadmarch."
"Well, that settles that," Devin says, sighing. "So what shall we do now?"
Ginrai sighs. "Well, it's obvious that we won't be able to have everyone take part in this. I guess the first thing to find out is if there were any Lorekeepers that you guys seem suspicious of."
"No one," Devin says slowly. "But I admit, I am an unsociable one. I tend to avoid the other lorekeepers, preferring my studies. It is odd for me to be thrust into such a situation."
"I get along with the other lorekeepers," Astryd says, which you know to be at least partially untrue. "Well, I can keep an eye out, at least," she amends, rubbing at the finger she had pricked.
Devin raises his eyebrows briefly, then shakes his head. "We'll all do what we must. Parthipan, have you any ideas yourself?"
Ginrai is able to prevent himself from laughing at the result of Asytryd's small lie.
"Maybe we can have Lord Kevin gather everyone from the meeting we had and at least make sure no one there is a traitor."
"We won't sense lies in others though," Devin says, as Astryd glares at you. "And I think we need to narrow our focus. If we can see to it that we can ensure there are not traitors among the Lorekeepers, then that should be a good start."
"Though the others would in that case. As for the other Lorekeepers, how would we be able to go about doing that?"
"That's a good question," Devin says, frowning. "Walking about and randomly asking, 'Are you a traitor' isn't likely to help."
Astryd shakes her head thoughtfully.
"Maybe we should talk with Radagast about this?"
"We might as well," Devin agrees. "If he can't be trusted, then who can?"
Ginrai nods and heads off with the others to Radagast's room.
'And maybe I can find out if he discovered anymore people from my world.'
You reach Radagast's room quickly, and the guards don't stop you from entering. When you get in, however, Radagast isn't there -- just Mirallia. She's currently got her back to you, and is looking out through the window at the moon. She doesn't appear to have noticed you.
Ginrai is initially startled at this. After regaining his compusure he coughs slightly. "Priestess Mirallia? Where is Radagast and, for that matter, Bjorn?"
Mirallia turns to face you, obviously startled. "Oh," she says, relaxing slightly, then frowning. "He went with Loremaster Radagast to take care of some errand," she says slowly.
Noticing her reluctance to say much else, Ginrai replies, "You do not need to worry about Devin and Astryd for the three of us have sworn our innocence under an oath of blood. They are definitely allies to this cause."
"How much do they know?" Mirallia asks, frowning at you curiously.
'Now why the hell did she ask *that* type of question at this point?!'
Sighing, he replies, "Not everything as of yet. I was hoping it would be easier to do so with Radagast around."
She nods, frowning. "Bjorn went to speak with Lindsey," Mirallia explains.
"Know everything?" Devin asks, looking at you askance. "Is there something you're not telling us?
Ginrai's eyes widen at that. 'Ah, crap!'
"And I take it Radagast is with him?"
Turning to Devin, he says, "This is probably something that should be explained when Radagast and Bjorn are around."
"Yes," Mirallia says, nodding.
"But ... I think we can trust your word well enough -- though, Radagast is part of this?" Astryd asks, frowning. "Do you think that Bjorn is trustworthy?"
"I *know* Bjorn is trustworthy. Thing is, I'm not at good at explaining the situation as they are, though if you want I can try, *provided* that we won't be overheard from here."
"We can wait, then," Devin says. "I know you're telling the truth, after all."
"Is there anything else?" Mirallia asks.
"Nothing else. Right now we just need to wait for them to return."
"Fair enough," Astryd says, taking a seat at the smaller, uncluttered table.
Devin actually looks at some of the clutter on the central table, but touches nothing.
Mirallia just continues to look at you speculatively.
At this point, Bjorn and Radagast enter the room.
Bjorn is surprised for a second, and then bows. "My pardons. I didn't meant to interfere with your business. With your pardon, then, Master Radagast, I will get going. Madame Mirallia, shall we?"
"Actually, I was wondering if you could stay to help explain a few things. Along with Lorekeepers Devin and Astryd, I had taken an oath of blood to confirm our innocence in this situation. I feel they are trustworthy with regards to this and we *will* need some help in trying to find the traitor as quickly as possible."
Bjorn blinks at that. "I'm sorry?"
"Some clarification is in order, I think," Devin says, looking up from Radagast's table. "Parthipan, Astryd, and I are sealed in a blood oath -- should one of us attempt a lie, the others will know it."
"But, we do have a question about something that Master Parthipan said," Astryd explains. "Before we continue, can you explain ... what it is that Madame Mirallia is aware of that we are not?"
Showing slight surprise before he can control it, Bjorn shoots an inquiring glance at both Mirallia and Parthipan.
Mirallia shrugs. "I had merely though that all of the Lorekeepers would be aware of it," she says. "As Loremaster Radagast is."
Bjorn grunts. "Assuming I know what you're all talking about, only yourself and Master Radagast knew about it." He sighs. "Not much for it, now," he admits, eyeing Parthipan balefully. "Master Radagast, is this room... safe?"
"Yes," Radagast says after a moment. "It is."
"Well, then." Bjorn shrugs. "To put it quite bluntly, neither Parthipan nor I are from this world. The vassal of Hammar and the lorekeeper whose bodies we inhabit died in an ambush while en route to Stormwall Keep." He frowns, thinking of how to put it. "There is an evil that threatens our world, and we are fighting against it. As part of that, we found ourselves -- our minds, at least -- sent here, and placed in the bodies we now inhabit." He shrugs. "And it seems that our cause aligns with that of yours -- to defeat the Dreadmarch.
"We're not the only outworlders here. There are the ones who came with us -- Durant, Bloom, and Shuker. There are also others here, who are our opponents -- Lindsey, for certain, and apparently also Serril Dewer, as well as another whose name I don't know, who fled the Keep before the arrival of the Dreadmarch." He hesitates, and then adds, "I should be fair. In our world, our opponents are fighting against the same evil we are, but we strongly disagree on the means to defeating the enemy. It isn't necessarily true that just because Parthipan and I oppose the Dreadmarch, our opponents support them. But that's what I believe is the case."
He eyes Devin and Astryd coolly. "Needless to say, this is something that should remain secret. I'm only telling you because my hand is being forced... and because I'm confident that you'll now swear not to tell anyone."
Ignoring the look Bjorn gave him, Ginrai asks, "Serril Dewer? Do you know anymore about this person other than that he's from our world?"
"He's a lorekeeper," Bjorn says, "of the... way of Fire?" He looks to Radagast for confirmation.
"That's right," Radagast says, nodding.
Astryd and Devin look supremely skeptical at this.
"Is this true?" Astryd asks, looking at Parthipan.
"Another world," Devin murmurs.
"Everything that Bjorn said is true. Do you both swear to not tell anyone about this?"
Astryd looks amazed at this, and Devin is pretty wowed by this, too. "That explains why you didn't say where your home was," Devin manages, after a bit. Astryd just nods.
"Well, I trust them, for good or ill," Radagast says. "To the best of my knowledge, the only way they can leave this world is by winning the battle against the Dreadmarch. I have no assurance that the same is true for the others I've sensed, though--
"Ah," he says suddenly, looking distant. He fumbles through the clutter on his table for a moment, producing an inkwell and a piece of paper after a moment, muttering underneath his breath.
After a minute of muttering and scribbling, he produced a sheet of paper, covered with English characters -- which is a little weird, given how used to the language of this world you've become. Once it's done, he frowns, and offers it to Bjorn. "This is from Nathan -- Sir Shuker. I ... was told that the key to this puzzle was, 'The key is in three parts. The first part is a blade the likes of which has never been seen, the second is what you owe me and have been refusing to pay up, and the third is the watermelon girl who hung around the null-space a lot. Combine them and you have the key to the cipher - have fun.'"
Devin and Astryd peer at the paper, but its meaning is lost on them.
The sheet of paper, when you look it over, reads thusly:
XACCSSWZPRSUVTYLDXCWGGAGNBIMRNGNFENFZNJDYLHRIVXYQXHQXCQRXXZNHMBDGLDDGGTNEWOJXAPAXTUNTZCUFGHIIGNWLGNH
JZGITSUWWTOFFKUQXBQGMRYLXVQWTZLVYNDFPIZXZTPTNFQOIERHMOMIHURQTQAOBCPILCSDHZSRR
GTHISNBNHNYPDYUVMCVRCTXTUVHGTOOXKBIUBQVXYBHXGNRGXXWASDAEMWVXHBXXXPCUBAVXJJLDNVOLWFSNSAZLXHKPKPLTFC
"Interesting...." Looking at Bjorn, he says, "The first and third answers are rather simple. Do you have any idea what was meant by the second question?"
"It means," Bjorn says sourly, "that Sir Shuker is being a pain in the ass, and I'm going to punch his teeth in the next time I see him." Eyeing the text, he sighs. "All right. I'm pretty sure I know how to decipher this. It'll be tedious work, though." Looking up at the others, he continues, "It'd probably be easier to do this without distractions. Unless any of you have questions you want to ask, I think perhaps I'll take it back to my quarters to work on. Is that all right?"
Astryd shakes her head. "We can question Lorekeeper Parthipan as easily," she says. "Though, I would like to know what method you use to turn that gibberish into words."
"The fewer people who know it," Radagast says, "the harder it will be for the enemy to understand." This is remarkably profound, especially considering Radagast can't read it himself.
Bjorn and Mirallia leave, and return to Successful Mission (http://pishoque.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=35266#35266).
"Did Nathan say anything else?"
Radagast nods. "That was the message he asked me to give to Bjorn -- he also told us the number of the Dreadmarch encountered, and some information I have to give to Lord Kevin. Hmm. I'll need to speak with him later."
Thinking over what to do next, Ginrai asks, "Does anyone here know much about Serril Dewer other than that he's a lorekeeper of the way of fire?"
Astryd and Devin shake their heads. Radagast merely looks thoughtful. "I knew his teacher, but that wouldn't help us much here," he muses.
"Hmm... I'm considering asking him a few questions, though I'm not sure if it'll do any good." He asks Radagast, "How did the meeting with Priestess Lindsey go? Were you able to find out anything from it?"
"Nothing," he says, sighing, and rubbing at his temples. "Nothing I could discern, anyway. She reveals nothing ... I'd hazard, no offense, that she's better at it than you and your friends are. Alan told me that there were degrees of affinity for it, and some people would be trained to blend in better beforehand."
Ginrai nods. "I understand. Still, I believe I have a way to possibly get some information out of Serril, or at least to frighten him into making a mistake. Radagast, do you have any small container that I can use for this?"
"Yes, certainly," Radagast says, offering you a small glass jar. "What are you planning on doing?"
Taking the jar from Radagast, Ginrai smiles. "Thank you. I intend to perform an 'oath of blood' with him in hopes of him slipping up and telling the truth. That being said, nothing will happen since I'm using an ordinary jar, right?"
Devin and Astryd blink at this, and exchange a glance. "Anything is worth a try," Devin says slowly. "We might be able to convince him. Just remember that you will bleed for each lie you say. That is something you must be careful of."
Ginrai nods. "I am hoping that he will not know about the concept behind it. Are the both of you going to come with me?"
"Well, given what we know, I hardly imagine we can leave you alone," Astryd says, wincing. You know her words for a lie, and she grimaces. "Curiosity compells me," she admits, "more than anything else."
Devin nods. "I'm curious as well," he says. "Shall we go to meet Serril, then?"
"I'm ready." And with that Ginrai heads out.
While walking, he asks Devin, "Just how much pain would you two feel if I told a lie and will you be able to hide any reaction from Serril?"
"It doesnt hurt us when you lie," Devin says, somewhat amused. "I'd suggest hiding the finger you already pricked, though."
Astryd leads the pair of you to the Lorekeeper's tower, and then, specifically to Serril's door. "Here we are," she says quietly. "Is there anything we need to discuss beforehand?"
Ginrai nods, making a mental note to use his other hand this time around.
"We'll need to not mention the part about our finger bleeding whenever a lie is told. Also, are you two going to take part in this or will it just be me. If the latter I'll tell him that you two are here to make sure that the process goes to form."
"Well enough.... And we'll go with you. But without an actual oath, it may be difficult to convince him," Devin opines. "Knock when you are ready."
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
"If we've a proof -- he feels something when we lie -- then there's no doubt. He'll know the oath for its truth. If he feels nothing when we lie, or tell the truth, then he may suspect that the oath is false," Devin explains. Astryd nods thoughtfully.
"Ah, that. Well, we wouldn't need to go out of our way to purposely lie in this case." Thinking it over, "Actually, there might be a way around that. Though in this case I'll have to do nearly all the talking."
"Suit yourself," Astryd says. "Ready?"
"As ready as I'll ever be." Ginrai knocks on the door.
Serril answers the door. He's dressed like every lorekeeper (except for Astryd, when you first met her), in the same multi-pocketed brown robe. He's holding a quill pen in one hand, and has smudges of ink staining his fingertips, and another on his nose. His hair is an unruly mop of red, held back by a ragged bandana.
He blinks at the three of you, then frowns. "Can I help you?" he asks.
Ginrai bows. "Sorry to disturb you at this time but due to certain incidents during the first night of battle, it was deemed that all those taking part in it were to be questioned with regards to their loyalty to the cause. The three of us were given the task to question all the lorekeepers. May we come inside?"
Serril's eyes widen to near panic, and he jumps backwards, away from the door. "Investigation?" he squeaks. "Um ... come on in," he says nervously.
Your fingertip is bleeding -- you feel like you just jammed it with a needle, and your stomach is pretty upset, too.
Ginrai quickly wipes the blood away on the back of his robe before entering. After taking a moment to check out the room, he asks, "To help aide us out in this process we shall be taking part in something called a Blood Test. Before we start, do you know how this works?"
He blinks, obviously bewildered. "What does that mean?" he asks, frowning in confusion.
"Simple." Taking out the small jar Radagast gave him, he continues, "Each of us will add a drop of our blood into this jar, after which I will ask you a series of questions. Should you be lying, the three of us will immediately know it."
Serril's eyes go wider at this. "O...okay," he says hesitantly. "Well, let's ... let's get this taken care of, then."
"Glad to hear that."
After tapping the top of the jar, as if beginning some sort of ritual, Ginrai takes out a needle and pricks a finger, allowing a drop of blood to fall into the jar. He then hands both items to Devin.
Devin mumbles something under his breath, while moving the needle close to his finger. You get the sense that he's lying, whatever he's saying. A drop of blood falls from where he made it look like he pricked himself, into the jar. He passes it to Astryd, who does the same thing, and then passes the jar to Serril. "Your turn," she says solemly.
Serril accepts needle and jar with trembling fingers, nearly looking away to prick himself -- he looks more squeamish than Astryd first was. But he pricks a finger and squeezes a drop of blood into the jar, then turns to look at you expectantly, now holding a jar with four drops of blood in it.
Nodding, Ginrai takes the jar and taps it again as it to end the ritual.
"Now that that's done let us begin with the questions. First, please tell us your name and where you're from."
Serril looks like he's about to explode for a minute, turning from a human to a solid ball of living tension.
Then he sighs, and hangs his head. "I'm not really Serril Dewer," he says, quietly. "I'm a traveler from another world, inhabiting this body briefly. My real name is Stephen Riley."
"I see.... It's obvious that you're telling the truth. Can you please further elaborate?"
"Realistically, I shouldn't say more than that," he says, shaking his head. "I ... I can assure you that my purpose here is to defend this keep from the enemy, though. I'm not a traitor."
"Unfortunately due to the situation, a few more things have to be explained. Do not worry, this information will only be known to a few people, but it is important that they know it. Who else among your group is within this castle?"
"What?" he asks, frowning. "How did you know there was anyone else?" He frowns at you, narrowing his eyes, and then sighs. "You're from the Order of Symetry?"
Ginrai nods. "Yes. At this point I probably wouldn't have been able to get anything more unless I got that out of the way. I take it that you're a part of Pax Arcana?"
"That's right," he says, nodding. Astryd and Devin look a little out of their depth. "So. Now what?"
"Well, first I want to know why one of your members left the castle the past day or so."
"What? Oh." Stephen frowns. "Liandral went to watch over Nathan and Bloom," he explains.
"..."
Stunned over what he just heard, it takes Ginrai some time to think of what to ask next. "Okay... that I wasn't expecting, especially since Liandral was with us since we first got here. Just when did you guys come over here?"
"Uh, for us, it was a few days ago," he says, squinting. "But time seems to work funny here."
"Time runs differently in your world?" Astryd asks, looking faint.
"I believe so. As for when you arrived, was it when we were already situated within the castle?"
"Yes," he says, nodding. "I believe so -- you were here already when I arrived, at any rate."
"Ah. How did you know about Nathan and Bloom but not anyone else?"
"Wait, you mean they're other Order of Symmetry agents?" Stephen/Serril asks. "He was just sent after them because of the inherent frailty of leaders and heroes in this world."
Ginrai starts to laugh. "I should've known...."
Shaking his head, he says, "Yes. I also know that Lindsey is part of Pax Arcana. If you feel like mentioning the other two I'll also state those in my group. Otherwise I'm wondering what your group's agenda is."
"I haven't heard from Anton or Sam, though," he says, frowning. "I don't think they're near the keep yet ... which means they're either with Liandral, or somewhere south of us. Not sure why that happened...."
"There's a chance they're a part of the Storm-riders then. The other two members are Durant and Bjorn; all of us appeared near each other. Now, as for your group's goal in this world?"
"We've got to ensure that you alter fate, and keep the Dreadmarch from winning," he explains. "Essentially, since we came into the dream while you were here, but after you arrived, we got stuck with babysitting."
Ginrai smirks. "Thanks. From what you said it sound like Seventh Cabal fucked this world over to the point where the Dreadmarch was fated to win. Do you know anything specific about their actions in this world?"
"Nah, they got out long before we got here," Serril says, shaking his head. "Um.... Lessee.... We've kind of gleaned what we have through the ... meta-structure of the world, I guess. Looking at the events and pretty much saying, 'this is not a coincidence', more or less." He shrugs.
"Ah. Do you know of anything in this world that can be used to our advantage?"
"Not much; we just got here, after all. I'd expect you to know more, having been here longer," he says, shrugging again.
"True, though you did say that you were informed of events in this world before arriving. Is there anything else that you were able to find out?"
"Not much. Basically just that there was a lot of stuff going to go wrong, thanks to the Cabal," he says slowly. "You didn't get any kind of advanced warning?"
"Not really. We basically had to find this out on our own."
"Ouch," he says, offering you a sympathetic smile. "Sounds rough. So, uh, what's the plan?"
"Well, currently we're under the impression that there's a traitor within the castle because of how the Dreadmarch general completely ignored one of the fighters that was disguised as an Archon. It's important that we're able to find out who it is before it could cause any more problems."
"Yeah," he says slowly, frowning. "A traitor could be problematic." He thinks about this for a while. "Any ideas of how to find them?"
Ginrai shakes his head. "Not at this moment, sorry." Thinking over something he had wanted to ask earlier, he says, "By the way, what were you writing before we arrived and how much do you know about your former self or those he associates himself with?"
"I was working on a spell," he says, frowning. "I can't ... pull much of my ... host's strength, yet. I need to use things that are set up in advance, so I thought I'd work on assembling the spells I'd want to use tomorrow, today." He shows you the paper -- which means nothing at all to you, Devin, or Astryd. It looks like a wildly assorted collection of almost entirely random shapes and symbols, though they do look painstakingly hand-penned with his feather quill.
"And Serril kept a journal, so it was pretty easy to learn about him," he adds, putting the paper back on the desk.
"Was there anything about him that was strange?"
"Quite a few things," he says, frowning. "He kept a detailed journal. Also, he used magic. A lot. Being from one world, it's difficult to make judgements on what is and is not usual when you arrive on a new one."
"You're lucky that your other self kept a log. I have absolutely no idea what my other self was involved in before I arrived."
Sighing, Ginrai continues. "What I'm about to say can't, under any circumstances, be mentioned to others who aren't from my world. Before the start of the first night Radagast mentioned to both me and Durant that, because the both of us were for some reason at the temple of Hammar during the time of the former priestess' death, that one of our other selves is likely the one who murdered her. If that's the case then there's a good chance that the traitor might know whomever was involved and possibly meet with them later on.
"Furthermore," Ginrai takes out his pendant, "this seems to be something that once belonged to the late Windmaster Banor."
"Well, that's ... nice," Serril says slowly, frowning. "Why are you telling me this?"
"Or me?" Devin asks, frowning.
Ginrai shrugs. "Just wanted to mention that there's a small possibility the traitor might approach either me or Durant. Other than that I don't have anything else to say."
"...okay," Astryd says, visibly preturbed. "Regardless.... We should probably get some rest. Tomorrow's going to be another busy day."
Ginrai nods. To Devin and Astryd he says, "Sorry about all this. I realize that some of what me and Serril have talked about must have been confusing."
"I understood enough," Astryd replies.
"Well, then, I'll see you all during the battle." Ginrai heads off to his room.
And a restful night of sleep is had.
You're woken by a knock at your door, and summoned to another meeting with Lord Kevin.
'And now time for the second battle.' Ginrai heads off to meet with Lord Kevin's.
This thread now merges with Crossfire Sequence (http://pishoque.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=35823#35823), already in progress.