Goriel and beyond, part 6

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Graybeard
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Re: Goriel and beyond, part 6

Post by Graybeard »

[OOC: Sorry for the hiatus, everybody. Internet connectivity while traveling was baaaad. I'm still on the road, but in a much better net situation now, so to flesh out the things hinted at in my last two messages:]

"What's that?" Sister Rose asked, looking to the sky as a shadow passed overhead, and then she realized the answer to her own question. The airship that she and her colleagues had flown into Goriel on was bearing down on them -- emphasis on "down." It was at far too low an elevation, even though she and the others had made it off the mountains and started to hike toward Rosteriel, following the tracking signal left by Therese. Something didn't seem right here.

As she watched, the vessel sank lower still, and then to her surprise, a hatch opened and a ramp slid down toward the ground. A crewman stood in the open hatch, gesturing at her. "All aboard, ma'am," he called. "There's trouble in Goriel city, and we're supposed to evacuate non-essential personnel. Captain says that includes you."

Rose turned to Argus. "Well, I wasn't expecting that," she said. "Let's take advantage of it -- I don't know about you, but I didn't want to go back to town anyway. But where's the rest of our party?"

--------------------

The answer to that question was in the process of preparing to change even as she spoke.

The improbably named Marge Vatnikov hobbled to the front of the shed. "What you are about to see," she announced, "must remain secret for all time, after you use it. Flamme, you will vouch for your companions? You know what's in here and its significance."

Therese cast a quick glance around the group. Anfisa, Brad and Lillith would be exactly the kinds of people to benefit most from what lay beyond the door, and she was pretty sure she could count on their cooperation. Desiree ... well, what would be would be, but she was equally sure the half elf had her own secrets, so why not trust her with this one? (Not to mention ... well, she shouldn't mention it.) That left only the -- unexpected Veracian priest.

I can take him if I have to, she thought, but cooperative would be much better. "Tim? Can I have your promise, on your word as a priest of your god, that you will not reveal to anyone what you are about to see here?"

[OOC: No table-top gaming any more in our house, D, but I sure wish ...]
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Jack Rothwell
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Re: Goriel and beyond, part 6

Post by Jack Rothwell »

OOC Used to work at Games Workshop actually D. Haven't played any warhammer games for the last five years or so though. Anyone heard from Al? Is he in for his op now?/OOC

"Party?" Tamina asked, confused. "Not throwing a party. M' birthday in a couple a' weeks, throw one then!"
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Re: Goriel and beyond, part 6

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A little language barrier, Sister Rose thought with amusement. "It means our group," she explained. "As for a birthday party, we'll get to that later." She smiled reassuringly at Tamina. The notion that she and Argus might be adopting a kobold was ... interesting.

The young officer at the ramp was puzzled, however. "Ma'am? Our orders are to transport non-essential Veracian staff to safety. Apparently two or three of the big clans in Goriel, the Zukalins and Gibazovs and maybe others, have started open fighting. We want our Veracian nationals to be safe. But I don't know if that extends to ..." He broke off, noting the presence of an elf, a kobold, and a scruffy who-knows-what in addition to the Tsuirakuan archmage that this nun-officer had become inexplicably attached to. (A special forces thing, probably, he decided; she must be spying on him too.)

"These are my party," she repeated simply, not worrying about further confusing Tamina. "And we're missing a few from it that we have to find. Let's get on with it." They mounted the ramp.

[Edit: minor retcon to bring it into conformance with what Alberich says below.]
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Re: Goriel and beyond, part 6

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"Tim? Can I have your promise, on your word as a priest of your god, that you will not reveal to anyone what you are about to see here?"

Tim was more sullen than he looked. "We're not allowed to take oaths - not after we take our vows," he said. "But I promise it."

In fact there was more theology behind it, and his hierarchy -- come to that, even Rose herself -- could override his promise and make him talk. He didn't think they would though. From the looks Rose had been giving this Therese, she was halfway to hero-worshipping her.

And come to that, he himself was sympathetic to what this "Sisterhood" did. It might seem frustratingly little, skulking around the edges saving one girl at a time while their whole rotten pagan latrine-ditch of a country continued to stink up the world, and of course while they were saving them from slavery they were not bringing them to true salvation -- but it was better than nothing. Which, as he remembered from Boris, was exactly what he was allowed to do. (Despite a certain temptation from Eli...) He had no wish at all to betray this Sisterhood's secrets.

[OOC: Rumors of course can be notoriously unreliable - the Duravsky are not actually involved in any fighting; but the Yurkashev, Gibazov, and Zukalin are. Or were. The "hot" fighting is over for the moment...but Goriel City is a very, very good place for this entire group not to be right now, and evacuation in one direction or another is a good thing for them.]

[OOC2: Haven't been sliced yet but had some "now-now" deadlines to meet & couldn't concentrate on gaming - I'm back now.]

[OOC3: My tabletop/chat room RPG'ing days are behind me, and someday in front of me - right now I can't be reliable enough for a weekly gaming commitment.]
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Re: Goriel and beyond, part 6

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Tim was more sullen than he looked. "We're not allowed to take oaths - not after we take our vows," he said. "But I promise it."

I sigh. "I think that's the best you're going to get, Therese," I tell her.

I wonder what the big secret is. That Therese has been stowing her rescues here? I think we (or at least I) already guessed that. Is there more?

-- Desiree

OOC: KS is over. ^^ At 3.4 mil, we beat DoubleFine for 3rd best KS ever. Also, I'll be getting a giant Cthulhu mini to terrify my players with. Good times.
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Re: Goriel and beyond, part 6

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The old woman turned to Therese, an eyebrow cocked. "Are you satisfied with this young man's answer, Flamme? You'll have to live with the consequences fifty years longer than I will, you know."

That sums the situation up rather nicely, doesn't it? Therese thought, with a visible wince. The honest answer was "no." Then again, nothing about this whole situation was satisfactory ... except for one thing.

"Brad and Lillith, follow me, please," she said. "The rest of you, please wait here with Lady Vatnikov. I won't be gone long." Brad and Lillith looked startled, and a bit disturbed, at the switch to the first-person singular pronoun, so Therese patted the mother-to-be's hand and smiled gently. "Not to worry. You and your new family will like what you see here; love it, in fact. And you will also know how to undo what will be done beyond here, if it becomes necessary for your safety. This is knowledge that few have. Use it carefully." The smile had ebbed out by the end of this pronouncement, and Therese's face was serious again, as usual. She had two last things to say. "I will make sure that your father, and father-in-law, has the knowledge that you have. And remember always this: Drusia is on your side. No more powerful ally can be found on this earth."

At this last instruction, Lillith's eyes widened as she started to figure out what was going on. However, she said nothing while magic flared from Therese's fingertips and the door to the shed opened, revealing a curtain of shimmering light, which she stepped through.

------------

OOC: So does anyone currently aboard the airship want to say/do anything, or shall we just fast-forward them to Rosteriel? Also, a minor retcon to something I wrote earlier: the guy aboard the airship would have had the correct information on who's been fighting in Goriel, even if I didn't.
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Jack Rothwell
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Re: Goriel and beyond, part 6

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OOC I'm ok with fast forwarding. The last time Tamina was on an airship the most constructive thing she did was ride a cannon./OOC
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Re: Goriel and beyond, part 6

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Tim flexed his arms and waited. This business of asking whether she was "satisfied" with his answer, to which she responded by walking off with his companions to arrange things out of his hearing -- he didn't care for that at all. Brad and Lillith were probably promising to help Therese kill him if he breathed a word. If Rose had been here...she'd probably behave the way she had with the outlaw prisoner, first let his throat be cut and then complain about it. (And then be talked into seeing it was all right - though in that other case, it really was.)

Desiree and Anfisa would not defend him. For which he didn't blame them. They weren't made by nature or temperament to defend anyone - except, in Desiree's case, in very rare circumstances.

Besides, Desiree's little eye-roll had shown her total incomprehension. A priest couldn't take oaths, borrow money, stand surety, or do any number of other things that would overrule his own vows, give him conflicting duties in the Lord Luminosita's name, and place him morally in someone else's power - someone other than his hierarchy. That was probably related to the prohibition on marriage as well. There was no point in explaining it to Desiree though. She hadn't shown the slightest interest in anything about the priesthood except his duty of celibacy, though at least she was due credit for respecting that, and the odds were slim that she'd understand it anyway.

Regardless, he was resolved. He'd stay true to his vows, and if they decided to murder him for it, then he'd just have to be murdered..

[OOC: The last time Udo was on an airship, he carried out pioneering experiments in air assault...yeah, fast-forwarding is better.]
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Re: Goriel and beyond, part 6

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Ten long minutes passed before Therese stepped back through the shimmering curtain -- alone.

It had taken just a little coaxing by Lillith (who had figured out what was going on) to get her husband to pass through the film of light, but as soon as she started through it herself, Brad followed instantly, of course. Now, as she emerged, Therese held two objects in her hands. One was half of the bracelet that had identified Lillith as a married woman in "Clan Cleiviein." The other was a button from Brad's shirt. Both of these would be given to the appropriate person at the appropriate time. It required little magical skill for an observer to note that they glowed with a trace of magic.

Therese turned to Anfisa. "Mr. and Mrs. Nuria are safe now, and untraceable by anyone not holding these things." She displayed the button and jewelry. "I offer you the chance to escape this damnable country that is hostile to your kind -- our kind. You too can go to a place of safety, and you too cannot be traced if you accept the offer. But it is up to you to decide whether to accept it, or to go back to Goriel and take your chances --" she shuddered visibly at the thought -- "or travel onward with --"

She paused to consider what to say next. Just who would be going on from here? She and Rose and Argus, obviously; there was a thing that had to be done. Presumably Tim would join them. Udo? Probably not. Drusia? Who could know the ways and desires of an elf? Tamina? Therese had given up on trying to fit her own mind inside that of a kobold. And as for Desiree...

"Onward with those of us who must go and do a dangerous thing," she finished, leaving it open for the moment just who that "us" would include. "It is your choice to make, but you must not linger."

Both a grave nod from Marge Vatnikov, and the droning sound of an approaching airship's engines, punctuated this last, cryptic statement.

[OOC: Somebody is going to need to speak for Anfisa here before things progres much further. Alberich?]
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Re: Goriel and beyond, part 6

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Anfisa hadn't followed the business of "untraceability" - but then, she knew nothing of magic. Her heart beat faster at the choices Therese was offering. Going back was, of course, out of the question. From the moment she'd left she'd known that. The conversation Harker had overheard had simply underlined the fact and added punctuation. She was offering to take her where, for what? And what was this "your kind - our kind" business? Was she a getera? Just why did this woman think that she, Anfisa, had fled the life of a getera anyway? There was only one place she was going to be and if that wasn't clear she'd better make it clear.

She took Desiree's arm in both of her hands and said it simply. "I'm staying with Desiree."
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