Midnight RPG - Chapter 10.89

or: I Know What You Did Last Lhagba

At some point during the eight-hour rest break that fell in between the descent into the hole and the beginning of the trek down the root, Durgaz will approach Eranon.

Durgaz/ Andrew

Durgaz: "Eranon. You said that you could not tell us how we got from our starting point to the middle of the swamp, or what happened during the five hour we spent unconscious. You told us you had a good reason for keeping this information secret, and I know this is true. I also know who you spoke with, and how you bargained for our lives, and the promise you made. I understand that you cannot relay any of this information to me, and that is not a problem, because I already know it. So do not feel as though you need to tell me anything that would violate your oath. (Durgaz motions to Eranon's scar.)

"Here is what I am worried about. You have promised to do all that you can to rid this marsh of the Vile's influence. I don't know how you intend to do that. If you intend to try and destroy the Vile all by yourself, I am certain it will lead to you dying a painful and ultimately meaningless death. I don't know what our companions hope to find in the Spire, but I get the impression that they intend to attempt parlay with Vrolk. This is not an interest that I share; but then, unlike Kyuad or the Sarcosan or yourself, I had not planned to deliberately seek out contact with the Spire's master. My interest lies elsewhere.

"But I do not want to see you die. And if you did attempt to slay Vrolk, and failed, it would probably mean the lives of the rest of us as well. So we need to try and think of an alternate way that you can try to break the curse on this marsh, as you promised, that will not result in our deaths."

Eranon

"I am not sure that anyone cares about my promise, but you are right. Unfortunately, I do not know enough about any curses that Vrolk may have caused. You may be right, I may not be able to follow through on that, as much as I may wish. I am cursed, you must be able to see that now. I cannot have much more time to do any good for Aryth, but I would not see all of you die along with me. Additionally, now that you mention it, failure is failure, whether I live or die. I would like to break his curse, if possible. It seems a waste with this opportunity right in front of us. The potential to do good is so great."

"My guess is that the curse on the forest stems from the Spire itself, planting itself in this great tree. The answer may lie inside. And Vrolk's death may not even help."

"You said something troubling. I certainly don't like the idea of trying to parley with Vrolk, I am certain nothing good can come of it. There are only a handful of reasons that Vrolk would have Walden, and I guarantee you Vrolk knows who Walden is. He wouldn't be willing to give him up for anything we can provide, and if Zal'Kazir has anything to trade, that worries me even more."

"It's possible that Vrolk has captured Walden specificially to draw us to the tower, and if that is the case, the implications are even more terrifying."

"I'm sorry, I have wandered. Do you have any ideas about Vrolk's tower? What to do? How to break his curse?"

Kevin

FYI - Steve... I want you to know that I did not, have not and will not "reveal" any of your secret stuff unless another player has "special" ways of getting it. Durgaz happened to have a way to know, hence I posted a varient of your conversation/deal for Andrew to read.

Just wanted you to know that out of game.

Andrew...

ROLL: Durgaz (Spot +0) ROLLED: 13+0 = 13.
This is good enough to notice (now that he mentioned it) that Eranon's face is growing sickly looking. His sheen Elven palor has become wrinkled and rough. Spreading from his mouth, his lips are a greyish-green and grey-green veins spider out just below the surface. This wraps mostly down his neck onto his upper collar-bone and up below his nose. It hasn't ventured onto his cheeks yet. His eyes are also much paler and becoming bloodshot.
This is below notice unless you take moments to look. It's been growing since that Bog Hag kissed him.

This is the "curse" that Eranon mentioned above. One of them at least. hehe

Durgaz/ Andrew

FYI - Kevin... Actually, Steve and I talked about this, so he already knew what I had planned (the Seer Sight thing, that is.)

Durgaz backhands Eranon across the face.

Durgaz: "Stop speaking like you're already dead. Did you feel that? You did. Corpses don't feel pain. So enough of this "I cannot have much more time to do any good for Aryth" crap. When you are dead, we will cut you to pieces and scatter you in the swamp. Until then, we expect you to use your heart and limbs and spirit to help keep yourself, and the rest of us, alive.

"So. I don't know any more about curses than you do. But I have seen the tree that the Spire grows out of, and it would not be a stretch to connect that to ... some other symptoms of Vrolk's influence on this place. If what the little snake told us is true, we will be entering the Spire through one of this tree's roots. If there is a way to cure it wihout confronting Vrolk, the roots would be a good place to start looking, right?

"As far as Walden is concerned, I agree with you. Kyuad seemed to think that his legate friend had no idea who Walden was. That may be so, or it may be yet another symptom of his foolishly trusting nature. Either way, I am certain that Vrolk does know who Walden is. And let's not forget that Valendil may be here as well, if he is alive. As for whether he is deliberately using Walden, or a demon disguised as Valendil, to lure us to the Spire ... maybe he is. He surely knows we are coming, and has taken no direct action to stop us. I hope that is not so, but if it is, I don't know what we can do about it. When we get inside the spire, he will presumably let us know what he wants.

"As for our companions? I don't know what they have planned. I am making assumptions based purely on what they have said and done; Kyuad carries books written by Vrolk in his pack, and if the Sarcosan wished to stop and talk with one of his rotting wolf minions, I'm sure he'd be happy to sit down and chat with the Vile himself. I haven't asked. If they do go to speak with Vrolk, they will be going without me. I intend to make as directly as I can for the top of the tower, to the spot where I believe Walden is being held.

"But I will do what I can to assist you, if I can. What do you have planned? And do you think we should consider asking our companions for their suggestions? I don't know if they can be entirely trusted when it comes to Vrolk; if either of them has a price, it is knowledge. But I know nothing of magic, and you seem to know not much more. It is up to you."

Eranon / Steve

Eranon recoils, a look of of anger crossing his face. He calms a few moments later, after hearing what Durgaz has to say, honestly surprised at how close an orc has come to compassion."

Eranon "I think you're right, the source of the curse probably lies at the base of the spire. I have no better idea than to look once we are inside. Do you think any harm can come of simply asking Kuyad what he may know about the curse on the swamp? I do not know enough about enchantments to determine its source. I agree that it is likely the spire itself implanted in this majestic tree, but how to dislodge it or rob it of its power."

"For some reason, as we draw closer, I grow uneasy about the intentions of the humans. For my part, Vrolk is a race traitor, a manipulator of souls, destroyer of nature, and a servant of the Ruin of Trees. My preference is to die rather than treat with the likes of him. Tell me, if the choice be before us, would you stay my hand ere rage take me, or fight the vile at my side?"

"Either way, we need a plan, in this we should include the humans, I think. I fear our splintered purpose."

Steve Kevin, can Eranon attempt to make a knowledge roll for this sort of thing (Vrolk's curse on the swamp)? You can always ATTEMPT to make a knowledge roll, even with no ranks, right?

Durgaz / Andrew

Durgaz: "Elf, I owe you and your kind a debt that I know I will never be able to repay. Even though our peoples may always be at each other's throats, I consider it an honor to call you brother, and if it is your destiny to die in the Spire, I assure you that you will not die alone.

"I hope it does not come to that. Like you, I have no interest in dealing with the Vile. He is surely smarter than us, and I am certain that any deal we could make with him would ultimately serve his purposes, and not our own. And the goals of a being who knowingly creates Fell armies for the Priest of Shadow and curses an entire swamp with his very presence are goals I want no part of. I am worried about our companions' intentions not because I think they will betray us, but because I think they have too much faith in their own cleverness.

"In spite of my concerns, though, I know that Kyuad is a clever man, and he knows more of curses and spells than the rest of us put together. So we should ask him his opinion. And as long as we are at it, we might as well find out from the Sarcosan what his intentions are."

Kevin

[Steve]: Kevin, can Eranon attempt to make a knowledge roll for this sort of thing (Vrolk's curse on the swamp)? You can always ATTEMPT to make a knowledge roll, even with no ranks, right?

[A]: Right. Well... sometimes. It really is determined if you have ANY chance of knowing. For example, I couldn't make a roll to know how to do brain surgery, even if I were a general doctor - I just don't have the knowledge.
But for this, yes - you could make a roll...
ROLL: Eranon (Int +0) ROLLED: 18+0 = 18. That's a good roll...

Unfortunately Eranon's knowledge of "the Vile" and the Spire is limited to the fearful words of myth and legend passed down through fireside tales. Not much more than spooky ghost stories of the traitor... and of the time before he fled to shadow. Before now you didn't actually KNOW that the being called "Vrolk" was the one and same elf that you know as a traitor to his race. You hadn't ever made that connection until recently.

You do know the "real name" of Vrolk. (on the back of your last Bluebooking pages)

You also know that this elf was a convert studier of the Sarcosan ways... Vested in the study of time and the stars/moon cycles. He was afraid of dying, even with his long lived nature as an elf, and went east to find answers. He found those first in studying with the Sarcosan peoples. Over 120 years age, the Elf that came to be known by the Sarcosans as Vrolk followed Sunulael, Chief Acolyte of the Badrua, who served the Sarcosan faithful as a devoted priest of the Sorshef. The Followers of the Sorshef are a church based on a religion of faith, one in which the gods offered lessons to their mortal children, not powers or boons. Yet during all his years, as dedicated and faithful as he was, Vrolk harbored a secret desire to live beyond his means — to just once feel a divine touch such as those told of in the legends of the Lost Gods of the fey. Though this desire troubled the elf, he could not rid himself of the hope.

Through his new mentor the Chief Acolyte Sunulael, the shadow led the poor elven acolyte to believe that his was the voice of Dal Sahaad, god-rider among the heavenly host. The voice slowly convinced the priest that the time had come to reawaken the force of the gods in the mortal lands and he, Vrolk, would be the star-seer for their chosen champion, his teacher - the Priest of Shadow. Master Sunulael gathered about him a cadre of young acolytes that he in turn corrupted to the ways of the false Sahaad.

He realized, in a terrible, shattering, yet releasing moment, that there was no choice. The logic of his teachings, the stars and moon themselves guided him as surely as a well-kept path in the midst of a dense wilderness: The Book of Sahi said that the heavenly riders were the source of all wisdom and power, and this essence that spoke to him evidenced much of both. Therefore, it must be one of the heavenly riders. Or, it was not…in which case everything that he learned as Elf-kind, everything that the Book of Sahi had taught him was a lie, and this being offered him true salvation, through everlasting life. Not only that, but whatever this being was, it brought true power to the world, and fulfilled a promise that Vrolk thought had long ago been made to him: that he would be a savior of his people. And so, knowing full well that the being he served could as easily be a power for evil as for good, for corruption as for balance, the Elven mage pledged himself to the faceless voice to become a priest in shadow.

His ego, his desire to learn, his fear and faith, all of them conjoined to search for everlasting life allowed the mage/priest to step from a life of compassion and contemplation to one of zealotry and deviousness.

The same rapture that filled his teacher Sunulael was contagious… few could witness the miracle of the divine magics and be unmoved, and the fact that the Shadow in the North required his new servants to remain secretive simply made their fire of devotion, like that of a stove with closed doors, burn that much hotter. Soon all that they were was distilled, the base metals of their minds and personalities melted away to reveal only the pure, dangerous, unadulterated faith and passion within.

Vrolk left Sharuun with Sunulael and the cult of followers to Cambrial in the summer of 881 TA, taking up residence in an old manor. Beneath the building he constructed the first temple to the Shadow in the southlands and erected a zordrafin corith. By the time Izrador’s forces poured out of the north, the Shadow had a large and secret following in southern Erenland.

In time the true nature of the voices became known to Vrolk, but he had long ago made his choices: Life and Knowledge were what mattered, not minor things like moral imperatives or outdated teachings. Not irrelevant things like the Elf-kind he once was, the things he once believed in. In the cold embrace of the Shadow, nothing else mattered but service.

For his service to the Shadow and to Sunulael, the devoted Vrolk was promised everlasting life - though he must earn this boon. He must bolster his Priest's position, he must prove his worth through creation of a nail to the heart of his people's home. His mind had been turned long ago, but it was his hope that his body was transformed as well. And this became his new obsession... He travelled beneath the Spine of the World and back again with terrible artifacts and ideas to build his fortress of death. Hellish deals were made under the mountains, two of the most powerful artifacts he came away with were the Cadaverous Eye and the Sunder Shard. The Eye is all but unknown, however the Sunder Shard is said to have been the seem that grew the black tower in the Dead Marsh.

It is important to note, there has always been a palpable resentment on the part of the legates for outsiders. They are offended that their order has served Izrador for thousands of years, and yet he chose outsiders to command and guide them. Though unwilling and unable to openly oppose the more powerful priests and commanders, the legates seldom forego the opportunity to steal what credit, praise, and honors they can while carrying out their orders.

Eranon / Steve

Eranon "With all this talk of Vrolk, I now realize that an Elven children's tale may in fact have been talking about the Elf who became Vrolk. The legend tells of an Elf before the Battle of the Pelurian Sea. He was steeped in the learning of the horsemen, but he became greedy, fearful of the day he would die, even as one of the long-lived. He became a student of Sunulael Chief Acolyte of the Badrua, who served the Sarcosan faithful as a devoted priest of the Sorshef. I'll be honest, I don't know exactly what all that means. Vrolk served as a priest, but couldn't shake the desire to become immortal."

"Through Sunaleal, the shadow led Vrolk to beleive he was a powerful god named Dal Sahaad. Vrolk would become the star-seer for the Priest of Shadow, corrupting others to thsi false Sahaad. Vrolk had come to far to go back by this time and the Shadow, in the guise of Sahaad offered him everlasting life. The power of the shadow duped Vrolk through power and false promises and Vrolk became a priest in shadow. His ego, his desire to learn, his fear and faith, all of them conjoined to search for everlasting life allowed the mage/priest to step from a life of compassion and contemplation to one of zealotry and deviousness."

"This makes me very nervous, as this weakness shown in Vrolk is the very same weakness I can see in our companions. I will not mention to them the promises of eternal life, in order to remove the temptation from them."

"Vrolk left Sharuun with Sunulael and the cult of followers to Cambrial in the summer of 881 TA, taking up residence in an old manor. Beneath the building he constructed the first temple to the Shadow in the southlands and erected a zordrafin corith. By the time Izrador’s forces poured out of the north, the Shadow had a large and secret following in southern Erenland."

"After this time, Vrolk learned the true nature of the voices he heard, but it was far far to late for the poor wood Elf, his greed and lust for knowledge and eternal life had taken him."

"This much of the story is used as a warning to young elves to steer them from lust for knowledge or being taken too far by their desires. The rest of the story tells taht in order to recieve eternal life, Vrolk must earn it by bolstering the Priest's position. The creation of the spire was a method to achieve this."

"To do this, he traveled to the Spine of the World and found the Cadaverous Eye and something called the Sunder Shard."

"I intend to share some of this with the others, but I will certainly omit some of the specifics, I fear the temptation of eternal life and other knowledges will draw our companions as it drew Vrolk."