Midnight RPG - Chapter 16.28

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Durgaz/Andrew

[This scene takes place the evening of the departure from the Spire. The two groups parted ways several hours ago; Eranon and Shadaar went north, to try and capture the horses, and Durgaz and Kyuad were to travel a short distance to the southeast, set up camp and wait for them to catch up. This scene takes place at that campsite, somewhere in the woods between the Spire and Vrolk's camp. It's dark, but there is no fire ... just the light-stone, dimmed under a piece of fabric, which Kyuad is using to read by.]

Durgaz: "We need to decide what to do about the Sarcosan."

"I believe his intentions are probably for the best, and his goals are probably in line with ours. I also believe he is arrogant, stupid, reckless and ignorant, and that his stupidity will get all of us killed, or worse, if something is not done."

"I have tried to give him the benefit of the doubt whenever I could. I am done with that. I don't know what the hell he thinks he is doing, and I am tired of trying to care."

"Let's give him more credit than he deserves, and take his word that he is trying to play some sort of political game with the legates in the Spire. Idiocy. Blind, reckless, dangerous idiocy. This is not a time for games. This is not a time to indulge some sort of pathetic hunger for influence and control; he should have left that in Sarcosa, in the gilded cells of the idle rich."

"We could lose every advantage we have to this. If he were captured, I have no doubt that he would squeal everything he knew before hot iron ever touched his skin. Even if he didn't, his corpse could tell the right type of person everything he knows about us, our plans, and what we have discovered. And our best-case scenario is ... what? What can he possibly gain from this that would serve our interests? I can't think of anything. We have tried, time and time again, to teach this bloated, loudmouthed fool how to shut up and keep his head down, and he has refused to learn. I am finished trying."

"Why do we put up with this? Why do we let this idiot endanger us with his incompetence? Why do we stand idly by while his utter weakness and lack of conviction lead him further and further down the road into darkness? I don't know what sort of dark powers he is toying with, but from what you tell me, it is not something we can safely ignore. I am sure, despite his promises to the contrary, that he would happily enslave any of us with his magic if he thought his life or his goals were in danger. Why are we sitting around waiting for that day to arrive?"

"I have been thinking, and I have not been fair to ... the other one. The human, whose name I cannot remember, who died and became Fell, but has not yet succumbed to his curse. If you say you can help him, I believe you. He does not seem to wish us harm, and he cannot help what he is. I will give him a chance."

"But the Sarcosan makes his own choices, and time and time again he makes the wrong ones. If his life and goals were the only thing at stake, it would not be my place to prevent him from dying by his own foolishness. But now he endangers all of us, and yes, I have a problem with that."

Andrew: This is really frustrating to me. I really like Adam as a player. Truthfully, I really like Zal'Kazzir as a character. But I'm also really starting to get tired of rationalizing why in the world the other PCs are putting up with his crap.

OOC, I totally get it. Adam's been waiting a long time for an opportunity to put his social skills to the test and play the Diplomacy game, and when this opportunity came along, he jumped on it. That's understandable, but this was an awful place to do that. Moreover, it's not like he didn't have a choice: he deliberately stuck around for several minutes while Eranon ran for cover, waiting to the legate to arrive; and when she did, he seemed to have no clear goals in mind; he just wanted to charm someone. I'd draw comparisons to a hypothetical situation in which the campaign took us to Sharuun at some point, and in the middle of whatever delicate political maneuvering was going on, I started taking unnecessary opportunities to get Durgaz involved in combat. That would almost certainly either a) blow the plan, or b) require some real fancy footwork on the part of the rest of the players and/or the GM. Which is why I wouldn't do it.

I don't want characters in serious conflict, because it's too fine a line between that and players in conflict. But I'm running out of ideas here. Zal'Kazzir basically blew all the goodwill he had accumlated over the last ten sessions in one fell swoop by doing something monumentally stupid that makes him look like a traitor, at worst, or a complete jackass, at best. If Kyuad (or someone else ... I don't want to lay all this on your shoulders, Bill) can come up with a compelling argument why this is OK, Durgaz will listen to him, albeit begrudgingly. Otherwise, I don't know how to resolve this. If I have to, I'll just swallow it and make Durgaz act in a completely non-characteristic way, for the good of the group. But I'd really prefer not to have to do that.


Bill / Kyuad

As Durgaz walks through the swamp, carefully deciding where to step, Kyuad walks directly behind him stooping, and with his face cast downward into a book. The floating book cover tied to the base of Durgaz's pack holds a large tome almost high enough for the tall Erenlander's needs. Nisse rides on the top of the orc's pack, with her head tipped to one side, apparently reading along. Every now and again Kyuad mumbles to himself and whistles through his teeth.

As Durgaz begins to speak, Kyuad looks up at the orc's back, and then around at the dismal surroundings again. His face lit from below by the flaming rock in his hand, Kyuad looks troubled in more ways than one.

As he studies, Kyuad speaks to Durgaz distantly, though with cogent focus. "I think we two are of slightly different minds on this issue. The goals and intents of the courtisan and his old beast are most likely not in line with ours. I fear that his primary purpose in tagging along with our band was little more than survival and the desire to use some capable allies. The imp of his knows clearly how to tailor its conversation best to suit the listener, and it was telling to hear it cowtow, praise, and make promises of power to Zal'Kazzir. His willingness to give in to the tempting black power I felt when within the tower, his manipulations of our enemies, and his eagerness to play with one of the Shadow's legates only solidifies my suspicion that his hunger for power has virtually no bounds.

"What's more, I think that despite his weaknesses, he could be of great use to us. If you remember, he did manage to convince the lorekeeper in the tower that not only he but also we were friends. He also succeeded in earning enough of the trust of a legate to have his way with her," then under his breath, "or hers with him."

"An elf cannot be trusted by minions of Shadow. An orc should be trusted, but it is unacceptably dangerous for you to be called upon to prove your loyalty to their side." Kyuad rubs the his wrists as he then says, "I've experienced that type of proof first-hand." He continues, "Shadaar, the tragic once-man we found in the tower, is at so much of a risk when close to priests of Shadow that I have been working on ways to protect him from being used against us if that were to happen. And do not think that I have missed the way you all look at me. I know that my pallor is disturbing, and my skin is cold and blue. The... condition of my birth seems to be getting worse, and this will help us none at all were we to be forced to deal with legates.

"Face the sad facts my friend: Zal'Kazzir is our only means of hoping to ever survive a non-violent encounter with those of the unholy priesthood, or for that matter, any of his ilk of the 'idle rich'.

"And make no mistake - all of the events so far point to a direct conflict with the Priest of Shadow himself. The living denizens of Cambrial, and there are many, will warm to the foolish Sarcosan and none of the rest of us. I can think of no other option open to us but to use him until such time as we have finished with Sunulael.

"In the meantime we must work out ways to keep him in check and to prevent him from endangering us more than he already has. His hunger for power is my primary concern because it has such far-reaching dangers. We must never allow him to feel as though he has any power over the rest of us at any time. Though I hate the concept of slavery, we must do all we can to hold power over him and his actions, not only to prevent him from turning against us, but also to prevent him from feeling the freedom to act without our blessing. He is an exceptionally smart man, but his inability to recognize the most obvious dangers to himself and others marks him as a fool - he should have the freedom of a fool.

"We must also ensure that he does not know too much of our secrets, because you are right that his is the most dangerous mind in the hands of the enemy. It is an unfortunate issue that he knows our destination right now. His future ignorance is essential. This will be difficult until we establish power. How that is to be accomplished, I am not sure.

"For now, we must wait and see what results from his plan, and if he survives Vrolk's tower.


Bill:
OOC: I totally understand him going to great lengths to use the abilities that he has worked very hard to get. It's exactly the same as Kyuad constantly requiring huge amounts of time for things like study and making stuff. I think those are equivalent abilities in the minds of Adam and I as players (Zal'Kazzir using diplomacy with legates = Kyuad learning and creating). But I agree that putting everything else at risk just to do the Big Cool Thing he can do is really detrimental to the rest of us.

I just say we go with it! There is legitimate reason for us to want him around, and just as legitimate reason for us to not trust him. So we will have to work against Zal'Kazzir in some ways just to protect ourselves and to keep him under our control instead of the Shadow's.

Durgaz / Andrew

Durgaz walks in silence for several minutes before responding.

"I respect your opinion, Kyuad. You are much more knowledgeable than I am, and not only where it concerns magic. To tell the truth, I had not noticed any change in your appearance; if you are any paler than you were before, the difference was not great enough for me to notice. I don't know what condition you might be speaking of, but I doubt it's my concern. I have had only one quarrel with you, and I will not hold that against you, because I know why you did it. I think you made a dangerous mistake, but I might have done the same thing in your position.

"And you may be right about Zal'Kazzir's goals being no more complex than a lust for power. I will say that back in the Spire, he once told me some of his reasons he wished to join us, and his motivation seemed honorable ... but perhaps he was just telling me what he thought I wanted to hear. It makes no difference either way, as any intentions he might or might not have once had have now been overshadowed by his actions."

"You are probably also correct about his ... 'talents' ... being the only hope we have of achieving a non-violent encounter with agents of the Shadow. Though that may be true, I think it is in our best interest to avoid such encounters ... ANY encounters, violent or not ... whenever possible. Certainly not to actively seek them out, as he has done. That is the key to our continued survival. I think the rest of us understand that."

"So I will listen to your judgement. I would like to hear, however, your thoughts on HOW we can ... your words ... 'hold power over him and his actions.' He seems to care very little for our opinion, and as such mere disapproval has so far accomplished nothing. We cannot keep all of our plans from him, or he will have no stake at all in seeing them accomplished. I also think you are forgetting that if he wanted to, he could very easily enslave us all with his magics,and there is very little we could do about it. I don't know anything about sorcery, but I assume that whatever dark power he insists on playing with will only make him stronger and more dangerous, even as it makes him more reckless and susceptible to the Shadow's influence. That is not a good combination."

"I don't care for his creature, either. I do not think it serves Vrolk ... from what I have seen in my visions, he did not much care for it ... but it asks too many questions, and seems to know too much already, for our comfort. I don't know what Zal'Kazzir did when he 'bound' it to him, or 'set it free', or whatever he did. Just another reckless, ego-serving act performed with no thought of the consequences, like everything else he does.

"As for Shadaar ... he is your project. I will not judge him, for as I said before, he did not choose to become what he is; that fate could befall any of us, after all. If you believe you can save him, or at least prevent him from becoming a danger to us, I will fight beside him and show him the same respect I show the rest of you. If you cannot, we will put him out of his misery. I would expect no less, were I in his place."

Andrew: See, that was exactly what I needed. Kyuad's response is well-reasoned and makes sense, which was what Durgaz needed to hear. The incident at the top of the tower did a lot to curb Durgaz's tendency toward stubbornly sticking to conclusions that he probably reached too hastily in the first place, and he does look to Kyuad as the "smart guy" that he actually trusts. So that will work nicely. Thanks.