Darzoni/CampaignsReflectionsS6
Session 5 of Reflections.
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Staren asks, "Do I get a tent?"
Damon sighs... "No. You get a cot because that is what I have avalible." She leads Staren down the stairwell, which fades into darkness.
Staren follows, Rabi-ohki riding on her shoulder. "So, it's inside?"
Damon nods. "Yes..." And soon it emerges into a world where the sky is entirely made up of a pale shade of white. There is a vast field of flowers here with blooms that are the head of beautiful maidens who sing a distant but faintly familiar lullaby. Screams occasionally punctuate this serene air as mobile mushrooms devour a maiden's head flower.
Staren eyes the mushrooms, hands on the hilt of her swords. "Will those try to eat me?"
"No." Damon keeps leading Staren across these fields. Overhead fly albatrosses made of golden leaves.
Staren follows, looking around at this... scenery that's as if from a crazy dream.
Soon there is a dark and forbidding woods where the trees seem to be brooding and full of malice. "It is not far now." Damon intones. Crows made of living obsidian perch upon the boughs of the dark trees. The trees all have faces, faces contorted as if they were dreaming of nightmares. And worse, you can hear their screams.
Staren .oO( Fey are strange creatures... ) "Why do all the plants have faces?"
"They have no faces for me. Perhaps there is a burden upon you?" Damon stops in a clearing, waiting for an answer.
Staren says, "...Does that mean that the people, if there are any, don't?"
Staren .oO( Fey are strange creatures... ) "Why do all the plants have faces? ...Does that mean that the people, if there are any, don't?
Damon frowns. "Well, my kind feeds on dreams... perhaps this is just where the nightmares gather before the dawn light banishes them to unspoken places." She smirks quietly as the dawn sun rises and suddenly the trees disappear. Damon and Staren are on a great golden temple overlooking the sea and the dawn sun. "Welcome to my home."
Staren blinks and looks around at the sudden changem then looks out over the sea. "How... big is this place?"
"Big enough. Now rest."
Staren blinks. "What, right here?" Although she half expects to suddenly find herself inside as she speaks.
Staren looks around for the expected cot.
There's a cot in the corner. It's made of burlap and straw.
Staren walks over to the cot, and lays down on it. And lets Rabi-ohki take first watch.
Staren asks now then. "You promise not to eat my dreams?"
Staren says, "Or Rabi-ohkis?"
Damon looks over. "I make no promises as you have not proven yourself trustworthy yet. If you attempt to escape, I will."
Staren says, "You promise not to as long as I don't try to escape before the night is over, then?"
"Yes."
Staren says, "Good. Good night. ...Do you dream? Or is the sleep of the fey an empty, dreamless one? ...Do you even sleep?"
Damon intones... "I don't need to sleep. Now, I have my gardens to attend to."
Staren says, "Well, goodnight then."
Staren waits for sleep to come.
Rynel is still searching every corner of his section of the manse to make sure nothing is hidden in it. Like rotten, centuries old fruit under his bed. Or an artifact that might glow in the night and keep him away. Y'know.
Hulen is reading his book on demonology, learning the intricacies of summoning. And also some useful names written by previous owners.
The main places of the Manse have been long since cleaned out by the Fair Folk Marauders.
Rynel goes to sleep, then.
Rynel wonders of what time he'll dream about tonight.
Sarlk is around in the manse, mainly the main court, doing his daily pratice session with his seven students -- of course not using Aurora Arc, but just an mundane little spear.
He's sparring with his young students, but he's holding back. He's not here to kick their asses, but to teach them.
Hulen has finished his studies, slept and is now preparing a small drawing of two things: first, the demon-cage, and second, the Manse. Also, some basic plans on dealing with demons are written in the margins. It never hurts to be prepared. On the back is certainly /not/ a half-finished picture of Sasaki. Nope. No way.
As for the local Zenith? Eh. He's in the courtyard as well, an old, slightly seaworn scroll spread over his lap as he sits against the courtyard wall, enjoying simply sitting in a sunbeam. ...Heh. Looks like some old habits do creep back, eh? Anyways. The other nifty thing is that he's also shouting the occasional taunt or bit of abuse at the students. Nothing too vulgar. Just...fairly vulgar. Hey, if they can't take the taunts during TRAINING...they're dead meat in the real world. Eventually.
Rynel, in the morning, is making friends and learning more about the town. He doesn't know enough about the place that he now calls his home, and wants to remedy it.
Sasaki sits next to Wolf, watching Sarlk's students and encouraging them to do their best.
Tsubasa somehow managed to get to the very top of the temple and is greeting the rising sun. Rynel's probably the only person who can see him up there.
Rynel is watching. "...How did he do that?" He keeps walking around town.
The Master and their students are mostly only shouting obscenities back at the Zenith, but things are mostly staying calm.
The townsfolk are up and about even at this early hour, milking cattle and moving herds out to pasture. Wet clothes are hung out on the lines, and the blacksmiths fire up their forges for the day. Another day.
Staren ponders the dream. .oO( How weird... ) but not life-scarring weird.
Rynel wanders town.
Staren goes back to sleep if you want to come up with a more disturbing dream, or she stays awake and lets Rabi-ohki sleep if you don't wanna make any more dreams.
Hulen finishes up his drawings (except that one that...uh...doesn't...exist...yeah), and heads out to the town, too. After all, they might know more about this demon cult that might be helpful.
Obiviously, Sarlk does not train forever. After his time is done, the Dawn Caste Solar has decided to pretty much wander around the village, letting out an sigh now and then. Arent they supposed to do /something/? It's been far too boring in the last weeks. He's itching for some godamned action.
The villagers do say there are men in brown robes staying in the hosteler's place.
Staren is following Rynel and/or Sarlk then.
Tsubasa says they wear the same garb as the men at the demon temple.
Hulen goes to the hosteler's to inquire more closely about those men.Darzoni/Subtly/.
Staren follows Hulen, actually.
The same robes of the people at the demon temple? That's work investigating, more certainly! Sarlk, not being the subtle man, is also with Hulen and enter right after him. Or actualy, he wait outside to catch glimsp of any such 'brown robbed mens' hanging around.
"They're in their room." The hosteler says while he stews breakfast in the kitchen. "They keep to themselves mostly. Real quiet lads, I say."
Rynel goes to the Hosteler's place thing to get breakfast, then!
Hulen says, "Did they say where the came from, or anything like that?"
The hosteler ohs? "A single coin for a bowl." He indicates to Rynel. "No, they just paid with fancy jewels for a whole month's lodging. Never quite seen gems like those, my goodness." He stirs the stew, tastes it. "Ah, just enough pepper."
The hosteler wipes his hands and takes the stew off the fire and sets it on the counter after he's served Rynel. Then he reaches under the counter for the purse, fishes around in it a bit.. pulls out very odd jewels indeed. "These. Aren't they a wondrous sight?" They have an internal glow, despite being black as night, the glow is reddish.
Hulen says, "...they look odd."
Staren is watching and being unremembered by people.
The gems, to Hulen's eyes, look like small imprisoned demons. Trapped in some sort of crystal... stirring, waiting to hatch.
Hulen examines the gems closely, and then motions for Rynel to come over, making a show of showing him the gems.
"Can you believe those men?"
He mutters, out of the hosteler's hearing, "Play along."
"They gave this good man false goods! These aren't real gems!"
The hosteler eyes Hulen suspiciously, washing his cooking utensils. "And what makes you say that?" He grumps.
Rynel finishes his food and goes over. He examines the gems, and looks suprised. "I've seen many gems in my travels. These are definately not the real thing.:
"Oh? I've seen odd gems too. Now, what about 'em makes you think they're not worth a thing?" he asks. "Because I'd be happy to let you in their room and have yer way with 'em if that's the case."
Hulen says, "Sir, I've studied many crafts, including jewelcrafting...I'm afraid these are nearly worthless. They're cleverly made, but they're still just detectable...that color isn't quite right, you see, and the cuts are slightly wrong. Your guests have tried to trick you."
The man puts on his aged reading glasses and looks at the gems in Hulen's hands... "Huh, well, if you say so. After all, you're a Chosen one." He gets the spare key from the board. "Here. Have at 'em." He laughs quietly.
"Just don't wreck the house, y'hear?" the hosteler says.
Sarlk is, by the way, hanging outside, waiting!
Rynel nods. "Don't worry, sir, we won't."
TO THE CULTISTS!
Rynel heads up.
There is a simple wooden door here with a lock on it. Room 13.
Hulen unlocks the door quietly.
"Those gems are demon eggs, I think...they were plotting to have demons hatch here. That's unacceptable - an uncontrolled demon is a great danger. This has to be stopped."
He doesn't look happy. Knowing /exactly/ what demons can do makes this all the more despicable.
Rynel nods. "Agreed." He motions for Hulen to open the door.
Staren frowns and whispers, "Demon eggs? That IS unnacceptable. So how do you plan to deal with them?"
Sarlk is there, peering at the others and the news he learn. "Wait, wait, wait, Demon eggs been given out? That's freakin' insane." He says,but he belive that.
"Just how the hell we find out how many eggs there is hanging around anyway?"
Hulen glares at the door, in place of its room's occupants.
"Fatally."
The three men seem to be waiting, garbed in their brown robes and faces barely visible underneath. "What do you want, strangers?" The one closest to the door says.
Sarlk excepted such an answer. And that's excatly why he's entering the room ahead of everyone, holding out his spear behind his neck and leaning his arms on it.
"Oh, you know. Nothing. Just wantin' to know what you people knew about little red gems. I heard they were Demon eggs!" He laugh! "And they say that you were giving them away! That's pretty funny, huuuuuh? I wouldnt bet you know something about /them/, do ya?"
Hulen steps into the room, going smoothly into his practiced Snake Form.
"There is no need to talk. They know. Leave one alive - you can kill the other two. This is not allowed in our town."
As he sways back and forth, his eyes dart to each of the men...and then he suddenly lunges at one, dropping to the floor and swinging a foot around, to trip him and then kick him in the back as he falls with the other.
This cultist that was just beaten up, he doesn't look so good.
Rynel drops back into Mantis form, arms and legs bent, leaning back as if he was going to spring... And he does. He rockets towards the ceiling above, ricocheting with his ready hands, and goes into a reverse bicycle kick against the Cultist with the knives.
The goon looks unfazed. "Oh, really, is that the best you have?"
Hulen dodges his opponent's blows, and as he swings again, grabs the man's arm and then keeps moving, dropping to the floor and rolling with it, throwing the goon at his fellow goon. Why bother attacking /one/ when you can use one to attack the other?
The thrown cultist is knocked out from the blow, and the man who was hit by the thrown man is sent reeling.
Sarlk has been taking his sweet time at this. He has let his fellow exalted to deal with them, take a prisoner, and pretty much cause an little carnage. Then, he decide it's time to join the fun.
The large man slowly steps up nextg to the wounded Cultist, grabing his large spear and spin it next to himself...and just plain ol' stab him in the chest.
Which goes both way.
Staren switches her grip on her right-hand sword and swings it hard to make the blood slide off, then spins it with a flourish and slides it into its sheath. Then does the same for the other sword.
Rynel kicks the one that insulted him in the side, hard, and mutters something obscene in High Realm.
Hulen stands, walking over to the unconscious man.
"Leave the bodies. They'll be useful for scaring this man. Now...do you think the hosteler will mind if we rip the sheets?"
He actually sounds genuinely concerned about that bit.
Rynel says, "Probably, but we can just buy him new ones."
Hulen props the man up on the bed.
"We'll pay him the room's cost for the sheets - more if he asks for it."
With that said, he takes a sheet and rips it in strips, using it to tie the cultist.
The cultist is hardly in a position to disagree or protest. He is tied up summarily by Hulen.
Back at stately Resting Place of the Unconquered's Gaze...
The cultist awakens, tied and bound. The first thing he sees is...
Hulen glaring at him, the stabbed cultist behind him. Scenery /helps/. He's also been helpfully placed so he can see the pile of Dynast skulls. And Damon, with her armor and daiklave.
Sarlk is in the back, Aurora Arc behind himself, arms leaning on it.
Rynel is off to one side, watching.
Staren is off to the other side, also watching.
The men had very few of those demon gems on their person, mostly jade coins, likely traded to unsuspecting traders for their perceived monetary value. He waits for Hulen to say something.
Hulen says, "You see your friend there, friend? Well, you'll end up like that if you don't answer my questions. I'll let /him/ talk to you, see." He points at Sarlk. "Now. I'm going to ask each question just once. First...how many eggs did you bring into this town?"
"I'll tell you nothing, filthy dog!" He spits in Hulen's face for good measure.
Hulen says, "...well then. Sarlk? Please come here."
Sarlk slowly nods, getting a big grin on his face as he lean his spear on the wall and approaches the interrogation proper.
Hulen says, "Now, why don't /you/ ask him the question? Feel free to jog his memory. Just don't kill him."
"Oh, /sure/." Sarlk goes, peering over the cultist and /loudly/ crack his knuckles' fingers. "Now, now...How many eggs there is in the town?"
The man sneers. "More than your little head can imagine."
"I dunno. Can you count to the thousands?" Sarlk answers, nicely, beaming.
Then grab the man by the shirt and begins to shake him. "I WANT A STRAIGHT ANSWER."
The man seems unfazed. "Besides! Why would we bother with this little mudhole anyway?"
Maybe the man need a little more convincing. Oh yeah, he does, specialy after that little remark.
"Because that 'mudhole', as you call it, is where I fucking live." *SMACK. SMACK* The Spearman actualy backhands the man a couple of times, then begin to shake him a new.
"SO FUCKING TELL ME BEFOR I SHOVE YOUR HEAD UP AN HORSE' ASS."
The man laughs even as he is slapped and shaken. "A crate of them was shipped to the Blessed Isle two weeks ago. It's the Realm's problem now!"
Hulen says, "Hm...we don't have to worry about those. Let the Realm deal with demons - they can. What concerns us is here and nearby."
Hulen says, "More specifically - why here?"
"I'm not asking you about the crates to to the Blessed Isles, I'm asking HERE." Roars Sarlk.
"Nobody comes here! Just Dynasts wanting to make a name for themselves. I guess Yohan forgot that we had real jade to pay for the rooms. Too bad he paid for it with his life!" the cultist laughs harder.
Hulen says, "...lastly, Sarlk...find out who he serves and where that man is."
Staren watches.
"You heard him." Sarlk says, peering at the man, eyes narrowed, but not shaking him just /yet/.
"I serve the Mouth of Erembour." He grins madly.
Hulen says, "...I doubt we'll get any more out of him. Kill him...do it quickly, though, he's cooperated. He'd only go back to doing this again if he lived."
Hulen says, "...actually. Damon - do what you want to him."
Hulen says, "He's yours."
Staren looks at Damon, wondering what she'll say.
Damon promptly severs the man's legs and drags him back to her freehold. "As you command."
Staren says, "..."
The next time you see him, the man is on crutchs and drools quite frequently, gibbering about butterflies.
Hulen says, "...before anyone tells me that that was cruel, please consider what he was doing, what he served and what these eggs will hatch to be."
"...That was kinda /harsh/." Sarlk admits as Damon leaves, slowly shaking his head. He can't deny the logic, but...that's the kind of stuff he wouldnt wish on /anyone/. Even bastards that spread demons around.
...
"Okay, maybe not."
Staren says, "He told us what we needed to know. You could have just killed him quickly."
Hulen says, "I could have. But I'd like to think that the men who'll die by demon hands due to him would thank me for this."
Tsubasa says to Staren in his whisper quiet voice. "Demons wouldn't grant anybody the same mercy." Only Staren can hear that, of course.
Staren stares. .oO( HE can TALK?! )
Staren says, "Doing that didn't help them."
Hulen says, "...tell me, what do you know about demons? I've been doing some research on them - what I just did was a mercy, compared to what he was planning to do."
Rynel nods. "Hulen is right. I've only heard stories, but those were enough."
Staren shrugs. "He was planning to do terrible things... but unnessesary cruelty on your part doesn't help anyone."
Hulen says, "The key word there is 'unnecessary.' I'll lend you my book on demons, if you want to challenge me."
Staren says, "I know about demons. He was a terrible man. But throwing him to a fey doesn't help anything."
Hulen says, "Actually, it helps her. I'm sure I read somewhere that they take sustenance of some sort from humans..."
"I do have to admit a little on that." Sarlk goes, peering at the Sideral a moment.
"Just plain killin' him could have done it."
Staren says, "She said she doesn't need to feed on dreams as long as she has her freehold."
Hulen says, "In the same sense that a man doesn't need to feed on meat if he has gruel, I'd think. In any case...it's done. I can't go and tell her no, can I?"
Staren says, "Mm. Still... to be food for a fey is a fate worse than death."
Hulen says, "The man deserved worse than death."
Staren mms, "I guess so."
After a week of study, Hulen is finally ready to send the eggs back to hell.
The demon eggs have been placed in a circle, and Hulen is preparing to cast his spell.
His esssence flows around him as a brilliant corona of reds, blues and golds as he chants and concentrates for a few seconds, and then points at the eggs, sending them back to Malfeas, leaving only some small green bits of fire and and charred spots where the eggs were.
Siaka nods to Staren discreetly in their little meeting place. "Yes, I will. Can't have demons running about, after all."
Staren says, "Thanks for saving me the trouble..." Siaka is older and probably can get to Yu-shan more conveniently than she can.
