Goriel and Beyond, Part 5

[Jack Rothwell]

OOC I've got no clue, I'm still stunned by the fact that Blaize was killed off-camera and out the blue (which I still maintain undermines what the group was doing for the last several threads) Tam'll be heading to the Lorrel thread in the near future, anyone who's involved in the Ralkin angle is welcome to tag along. I'm fine with keeping Jaime at a distance, Tamina's not happy with her in any case, given her habit of abandoning her./OOC

[Alberich]

OOC: I definitely prefer that Jamie high-tail it away, whether or not she manages to recover the head. She operates on a different level of reality than most of these characters and her adventures don't mix well with theirs.

I'll also PM you with some info on the group that Blaise was with -- as I suspect that Rose, at least, would want to "make sure" of Blaise, and so run into what is needed to segue into What We Knowe. That in turn may cause the group to split along predictable lines between "Tamina/Ralkin" and "Rose/BBEG" parties, especially if any lead toward the Ralkin pops up.

[Graybeard]

[OOC: I'm actually quite OK with the way this is working out. It's just unfortunate that Sareth wasn't here, so that Jamie could do the actual hit on-stage rather than off. However, I introduced another small complication a bit earlier, and it's time for that one to make itself known, so ...]

I can't believe I'm about to say what I'm about to say, Sister Rose thought, a sickening feeling developing in the pit of her stomach.

Truthfully, she was strangely relieved by this turn of affairs. As sick as she was of all the death that had been following her around on this mission, the prospect of capturing a man who could kill with a word, and bringing him back alive, could hardly be described as anything other than "daunting." Even causing his death themselves was going to create risks to people she cared about (let's be blunt about it, girl: love...) sufficient to keep her awake nights. Now this strange, violent girl claimed to have done the dirty work for her. And it was a "dead or alive" situation, after all.

"We'll make you a deal," she said, trying to sound as calm as she could. "Show us the head, and tell us where you found him and the people with him. Then we'll give you the papers. You go your way, we go ours, everyone's happy, nobody's the wiser. Deal?"

Therese shot Rose a startled look, nor was she the only one, but Jamie pounced on the offer like a chicken on a june bug. "Deal!" she shouted enthusiastically, and she reached into the sack she was carrying over one shoulder, extracting a head ...

It's Blaise, all right, Rose thought, struggling hard to keep her equilibrium amid the retching noises around her. Deep breaths. And try not to think about why it doesn't bother this girl at all. "Thank you," she said, hardly able to believe herself capable of saying such a thing. "And where did this happen?"

Jamie stuffed the head back into the bag off-handedly. "On up the road a couple of miles. There's this town, and --"

"JAMIE! JAMIE PORTER! AT LAST I'VE FOUND YOU, YOU UNGRATEFUL, DISOBEDIENT CHILD! SUCH A HIDING YOU'RE GOING TO GET WHEN I GET YOU HOME!"

What in Luminosita's Name was that? Rose wondered, as the girl with the bag jumped an improbable distance straight up in the air, dodging a lasso hurled at her by a woman who'd snuck up on the campsite while all and sundry were occupied with Blaise's head ... a woman who was carrying a baby on her back.

"OOPS! Gotta run! See ya later!" Jamie shouted, and took off like she'd been shot out of a gun, Jasmine Porter and Nera in hot pursuit.

[Alberich]

This development, at least, did not perturb Tim. If these heathen harridans ran over the hills and far away, and never came anywhere near again, that would suit him blissfully.

"Did you notice something about Blaise's head?" he asked Rose, conversationally. "He looked older -- way older -- than he did back on the coast. Whatever that black magic he was using, maybe it turned on him in the end. Or strained him.

"But I would still like to find the rest of his remains." Though if ever a Rite of Repose was futile, I think it would be that one.

[Graybeard]

"But I would still like to find the rest of his remains."

Sister Rose's face rolled up in distaste. "What in Luminosita's Name for? It's not going anywhere without the head." Then she relented. "I'm sorry, that was in poor taste. Still, we have what we came for, and this is dangerous country. We've done what we came to do. It's time to get out of here." She looked around the campsite at the other members of the party, now emerging from their aversion to what they had just witnessed.

[Drusia]

"What in Luminosita's Name for? It's not going anywhere without the head." Then she relented. "I'm sorry, that was in poor taste. Still, we have what we came for, and this is dangerous country. We've done what we came to do. It's time to get out of here."

Drusia:

"I'll go," I volunteer, stepping forward. A decapitated head holds no particular horror or mystery for me - unlike my daughter, who retreated to her tent (and her lover?) almost as soon as this Jamie person appeared.

I turn to the kobold. "Would you be willing to come with me?" I ask her, ignoring the fuss over Jamie's mother. "I would very much like to talk with you about the Raklin."

-- Drusia

[Jack Rothwell]

Tamina watched Jaime go, this time without panic, but with resignation and no small amount of anger. The kobold actually scooped up a pebble and threw it after her lover with an elaborate sounding curse as she disappeared; something she wouldn't have conceived of doing only yesterday.

"Would you be willing to come with me? I would very much like to talk with you about the Raklin."

The humanoid acknowledged the elf's invitation with a nod, and followed her to quiet spot in the camp.

"What you like to know?" She said, as soon as they had some privacy.

[Alberich]

"What in Luminosita's Name for? It's not going anywhere without the head." Then she relented. "I'm sorry, that was in poor taste. Still, we have what we came for, and this is dangerous country. We've done what we came to do. It's time to get out of here."

"Mostly to see what was on him," said Tim. "We know, don't we, that black magic comes with its books and amulets and things? I assume this 'Jamie' would take his purse and his jewels" - bad word choice, Tim, better not think what other trophies she took - "but I wouldn't want to leave anything with him to lure or corrupt anyone else. Not that anyone in this country would need much corrupting.

"But if she was telling true and there was a group with a wizard that might be trying to track her - then we should definitely get moving one way or another. Me, I wouldn't want to leave such a wizard at large, not if he was working with Blaise and might've been learning what he knows."

He wasn't planning to leave Rose or disobey her instructions, but he thought the case was pretty sound.

"Also, given the news from Harker...whatever we do, I don't think we should just roll back on the main road to Goriel city." He looked at Therese -- given her experience getting people out of this country by unusual routes, she might indeed prove a godsend to them.

[Graybeard]

Sister Rose listened to Tim's argument, growing more uncomfortable as he went on. Finally she nodded. "I don't like it, but you have a point. I really don't care about Jamie -- I know that sounds heartless, but she's a paid assassin, after all, and people like that are hard to have much sympathy for. But you're right about what he was carrying. We know that it wasn't Blaise himself that killed Sister Bree back in Umbertiel, it was something in his room. It would be a terrible thing for that something, whatever it was, to fall into the wrong hands." She chuckled humorlessly. "Not that there are any 'right' hands for it to fall into, probably." She couldn't help but glance at Therese, who met her gaze calmly and nodded.

Once again, she glanced around the campsite. "Any other opinions?"

[Drusia]

"What you like to know?" She said, as soon as they had some privacy.

"You indicated that you'd tangled with them before," I remind her. "I only just learned of them a day or two ago, when I found out they'd made a member of my family into a... 'bad man'. I don't know if I can help him, but I can do my best to make sure they never do that to anyone else ever again. So I want to know all about them - how many there are, where you encountered them, what they did - did they just use magic and summons, or do they have other tricks too?"

I pause, considering. "Also... does the name 'Aleron' mean anything to you? A member of the Ralkin maybe?" It's a long shot, but any information this Aleron who recruited Eli would helpful. Particularly if it's that Aleron.

-- Drusia