Seven(?) against the Convergence

As we play, occasionally we'll close a thread and open a new one to keep the size of threads (and relative complexity) down to a dull roar. Here's where we store the closed posts from the history of Errant Road.
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Alberich
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Re: Seven(?) against the Convergence

Post by Alberich »

"Is there anything in there about Brother Dalton?" asked Tim. "Or the ones who took him?" Regardless of what Amalric's priorities had been, Tim recalled that a desire to find his old acquaintance had led Rose into this adventure and that getting him out of danger was part of the goal.
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Graybeard
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Re: Seven(?) against the Convergence

Post by Graybeard »

"Is there anything in there about Brother Dalton?" asked Tim. "Or the ones who took him?"

I really wish you hadn't asked that,
thought Sister Rose with a wince. And not just because of the answer I have to give.

"Amalric had bad news," she said gently. "Let me quote." She pulled the letter back out of her robe.
Say a prayer for Brother Dalton's immortal soul, but know that he is in a better place. He died serving Luminosita.
"I have no idea how he knows that," she said, putting the paper away. But I have a suspicion. "I'm sorry, Tim. I know that you knew him."
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Alberich
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Re: Seven(?) against the Convergence

Post by Alberich »

Tim nodded. "Sad news," he said, "but it's good to know he did his duty." Tim would not affect an exaggerated grief. In a way it was a relief -- Brother Dalton was not being tortured or corrupted (well did Tim know the corruption an evil cult could offer) -- but died as men of service, priestly and military, sometimes did.

"Then do we have any duty left except to leave here and go home?" asked Tim. "Strange for him to bring us so far if there was no other work for us but to watch his end."

Tim was by no means eager to run into danger right now. He'd had a lifetime's worth since going off with Rose, and saw no need to pile up any more if he didn't have to. He'd come close enough to losing his life and even his soul -- and pointlessly -- that he was purged of all desire to prove how brave he was by seeking out more dangers. Oh, he'd still do it if those were his orders, but he had no special wish to go looking for the opportunity. The death of Brother Dalton was just another reminder of how fragile and mortal they all were. Having Desiree to guard only increased Tim's desire to get them all to a safer place.
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Graybeard
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Re: Seven(?) against the Convergence

Post by Graybeard »

"Strange for him to bring us so far if there was no other work for us but to watch his end."

"I wonder about that too," Sister Rose said. "He knew what he wanted to do, he knew where to do it, he had the weapon to do it with. So why --"

But then she knew.

"We were plan B," she said slowly. "Until that moment at the airship terminal at Rinkaiel, he didn't know whether his A-bomb was going to work."

"A-bomb?" Therese asked, curious.

"Airship bomb. At least that's what I'd call it. He'd been planning this for a long time, I think. Some things are starting to make sense now." Indeed they were; the whole picture was unfolding in Rose's head. "He got himself assigned to that temple way out in the boonies down south, where people don't go into the wilderness if they can help it. Argus, do you remember that thing on the map, 'travel in this area not recommended without guides'? He took advantage of that to test the ship out, but he still wasn't convinced it would store enough magical energy to do what he wanted it to. He probably would have preferred to do more testing before going into action with it. But the combination of us showing up, and Dalton getting kidnapped, didn't give him the time. So he was taking us along in case something had to get done on the ground."

She smiled wanly at Desiree. "But then, the whole story changed in Rinkaiel. When that elf went after you, he saw an opportunity to at least see whether the magical energy was being stored properly, and Luminosita be praised, it was. After that, he knew that when he had the chance to release the whole energy of the ship at once, it would be enough to do the job -- whatever job he intended." Her smile broadened. "So you've been spending all this time worrying about not being 'useful' on this mission ... but you needing to get rescued was the key thing that made it all happen, in a way that kept us alive."
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Alberich
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Re: Seven(?) against the Convergence

Post by Alberich »

Tim nodded at her description of the "airship bomb." "It fits the play Desiree was telling us about...anyway, shall we do some scouting with the farsight spell? Good to know if there are any bands of trolls around so we can avoid them. And our landing may've drawn attention."
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Graybeard
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Re: Seven(?) against the Convergence

Post by Graybeard »

Sister Rose nodded. "Good idea." And it'll give me a little time to digest the other contents of that letter.

A quick application of the spell proved that they were alone, as far as the magically-enhanced eye could see. There were remains of a few campfires, but none with smoke or other signs of recent use; fire rings lasted a long time in terrain like this.

Satisfied that conditions for travel were as safe as they were going to get, Rose said, "Well, let's get going."

[OOC: Probably time for a new thread. Anybody want parting words?]
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Jack Rothwell
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Re: Seven(?) against the Convergence

Post by Jack Rothwell »

"Umm... k... erm... someone else want to take the lead?" Tamina was surreptitiously eyeing the other members of the party, trying not to think about what order they'd been served in if they were caught by the big, gnarled humanoids.

'Sooo... Harker would be the appetizer...'

'Shut up.'

'Tim's a little thin, he might make a good soup...'

'Knock it off!'

'Desiree? Probably diced up in a leafy salad...'


"Enough!" She shouted. "Err... enough waiting. We should... umm, go."
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Drusia
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Re: Seven(?) against the Convergence

Post by Drusia »

"Strange for him to bring us so far if there was no other work for us but to watch his end."

"So you've been spending all this time worrying about not being 'useful' on this mission ... but you needing to get rescued was the key thing that made it all happen, in a way that kept us alive."

Um, yay? Nice to know that my near-murder helped a man commit simultainous suicide and mass murder.

Tamina suggests - rather loudly - that we get going. I, however, am momentarily distracted.

"You know," I say, to Rose, Tim, Therese, or anyone who cares really, "I can think of another reason he brought us along."

I wait a second - just in case anyone wants to ask why, but no one does.

"I think he might have wanted us to bear witness," I finish. "He didn't want to die alone and forgotten. He wanted someone to know, and take word back about what he did."

... well, that's what I think anyway.

-- Desiree
Alberich
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Re: Seven(?) against the Convergence

Post by Alberich »

"That would be strange," replied Tim. "Suicide is a sin, a serious one. Not something you'd normally want known." As they trudged along, Tim gave it some thought.

"Unless...unless whatever he was striking was something the Church really needed destroyed, but they were worried about whether the airship would explode the way they wanted. The Patriarch might have granted him special dispensation." Doctrine, to the Orthodox, was not frozen in books and commentaries, but alive in the hands of men, specially chosen men who'd devoted their lives to the Lord's service.

Tim vaguely remembered there'd been exceptions carved out in the past -- brave soldiers who volunteered for suicide missions, or dying mothers who'd let themselves bleed to death while directing the healers to take care of their children first -- so that Amalric's act might've been justified anyway, but he didn't bring that up.

"So," he said after a time, "if they were worried the ship would not explode, then having us along would serve a double purpose, to go take care of whatever it was if it didn't, or to report back if it did.

"Since it did, I think that means our primary mission is to get home alive. And we should keep as quiet as possible, and not show those letters to anyone, but deliver them up to the right authorities when we get home. That's how I see it."
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Drannin
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Re: Seven(?) against the Convergence

Post by Drannin »

(OOC: Ugh, my schedule is packed this fall. Sorry, but my participation is like to be intermittent, at best.)

Argus looked up at the sky, and shook his head. "Funny, isn't it? The things we keep getting ourselves into. I have to wonder what's next... and then I shudder at the possibilities."

"At least it's never dull," Harker quipped.

"That's what I worry about, actually."
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