Heroica RPG - Quest #127: A Light in the Darkness

[Zepher]

"Well, I suppose the paladins have done their swearing, so we're not left with many options. Who is this 'Baba' anyway? And what do you mean by, 'they feed the world'? I suppose you could say everyone feeds the world something. The question is 'what?'"

"They offer people options," says the gremlin. "That's all." He shrugs, as if that's all there is to be said on the matter. "I've been with them since a very young age, but even I don't know exactly what they do. Doesn't matter to me. It'd be like asking your father why he was a carpenter. That's just what he does."

"Baba is an evil witch who appears to work for - or at least with - the Wolfgang. Kiray and I saw her and fought some of her food-based minions back on our first quest with Heroica, at the Eubric Foundation Day Ball."

Grimwald then turns to Marcellus, saying: "I'm afraid that I can't exactly swear to save this Morta, but I can promise you that I - no, all of us - will at the very least try our best."

"You can swear. You have to swear. That's what'll cost to get me to help you. I swear to lead you there, you swear to save her."

[Palathadric]

Grimwald then turns to Marcellus, saying: "I'm afraid that I can't exactly swear to save this Morta, but I can promise you that I - no, all of us - will at the very least try our best."

"I don't think he understands what you're saying. With these kinds of people you need to speak in short and simple sentences so they can understand, otherwise they fail miserably."

"They offer people options," says the gremlin. "That's all."

"Options, like: do you want to die, or do you want to sell your soul. It's hard to give people options when you don't have anything else but the options to offer. Why do I assume that these 'options' are more forcefully applied than willingly volunteered? Bah! In any case, I don't think I can stand this conversation much longer."

I feel like spitting close to the greenskin, but noticing the immaculately polished area, I decide against doing so.

[Zepher]

"I have never seen any of the witches force a choice on anyone. That is not what they do. You don't know what you're talking about. I've never seen them take a life either." He grunts. "They cause things to happen. That's best I can explain it. They took my life and made it into something different. That's what they do. They take something static, and they make it not static."

[Palathadric]

"Well, I'm not trying to change your mind seeing that you've obviously enamored of them."

[KotZ]

"Both of you can argue about this later," Kiray steps in. "Fight it out once we finish the mission."

[Palathadric]

"Is there anything else to be done here?"

I hand Kiray my Cloak of Necrotic Shielding before handing Grimwald my Strategist Shako and Ethereal Cloak; I round up by giving Nerwen the Darksteel Armour.

I then equip the Armour of the Dark Arts and the Cloak of the Barbaric Runecaster alongside my Heavy Armour and Marauder's Mantle.

Edited February 10, 2015 by Palathadric

[KotZ]

Kiray accepts the cloak and equips it.

[Chromeknight]

Nerwen speaks gently and diplomatically to Marcellus.

Your concern is that you give before you get. You give the information before you get your mistress. This makes you uncomfortable and you seek assurance. But you are asking either the wrong people or in the wrong way.

We are currently retained by Yu-Shu. You can ask her to swear and then she can instruct us that saving Morta is a condition of fulfilling our contract with her.

Or you can retain us separately to Yu-Shu, offering something to retain our services for the specific task of saving Morta. This means you will get Morta back before you give us any agreed upon reward.

Which will it be Master Gremlin?

[LordoftheNoobs]

"Couldn't have put it better myself, Miss Nerwen" Grimwald states, awaiting Marcellus' answer.

[Zepher]

We are currently retained by Yu-Shu. You can ask her to swear and then she can instruct us that saving Morta is a condition of fulfilling our contract with her.

Or you can retain us separately to Yu-Shu, offering something to retain our services for the specific task of saving Morta. This means you will get Morta back before you give us any agreed upon reward.

Which will it be Master Gremlin?

"I'm leading these Warrior Priests to the compound. They've agreed to save Morta. When they hired you to serve them, they must have hired you to agree to fulfill their entire mission. That includes saving Morta."

"Marcellus is right, heroes. I've already sworn to save his witch in return for him leading us to their hide-out. If you have a problem with that, now is the time to abort this mission. I have no intention to go back on my word - either now, or once we are in the thick of things. If he delivers, I feel we will be honor bound to return the favor. What would the world come to if one promise was delivered and the other broken? What would I be, then?"

"In short - he's asking if you're loyal to us. Because for our mission to succeed we must swear to save Morta. That's just the truth of the matter, unless we're willing to go back on what we believe in. Once this green skin fulfills his part of the bargain, how could we possibly not do what is right by him?"

[KotZ]

"We'll save her, or at least I'll try to. I've seen enough party infighting and it's not a road I want to travel down again."

[LordoftheNoobs]

Well, if that's part of the mission, and if Morta is so important to you Marcellus, then yes - I swear to you that we'll save her. Sorry about before, my good man, but I just didn't want to speak on behalf of my teammates here. That being said, however, I'm sure they'll agree." Grimwald pauses impressively and turns his gaze over his shoulder towards his party. "Isn't that right, everyone?"

[Chromeknight]

Nerwen sighs. Her usual sunny smile replaced by something sterner, more like the expression that characterised her as a Paladin.

If you and Marcellus have agreed on this, there is nothing more that needs to be said. It is nice that you're up front about it being a requirement of the task you have retained us to complete. You ask if we are loyal, but loyalty is not measured in words but in actions. Let us go and do. Fretting about anything else is merely wasting time. No one here is considering leaving just because you have added extra goals to our jaunt.

Equally you are not going to throw your hands in the air and try to source yet more heroes simply because you must have a precise set of words spoken, documents sealed in blood, amulets of coercion hung around our necks and whatever other tomfoolery you might dream of.

Trust is gained and earnt by working together, sharing goals and facing common enemies. Loyalty is fruit of trust. Sowing the ground with doubts and questions as preparation is hardly an auspicious start. You showed trust in us by engaging us from heroica, act on that trust you have already decided to give.

[Palathadric]

"Yeah, yeah, we'll save her.

"...The contract doesn't extend to what we do with her after saving her though..."

[Zepher]

"We'll save her, or at least I'll try to. I've seen enough party infighting and it's not a road I want to travel down again."

Well, if that's part of the mission, and if Morta is so important to you Marcellus, then yes - I swear to you that we'll save her. Sorry about before, my good man, but I just didn't want to speak on behalf of my teammates here. That being said, however, I'm sure they'll agree." Grimwald pauses impressively and turns his gaze over his shoulder towards his party. "Isn't that right, everyone?"

"Thank you." The gremlin bows stiffly to the two heroes. "I'm sure you know what it's like to have a duty to someone. I hope you don't know the shame that comes when you fail. I owe it to both her and myself to get her back."

If you and Marcellus have agreed on this, there is nothing more that needs to be said. It is nice that you're up front about it being a requirement of the task you have retained us to complete. You ask if we are loyal, but loyalty is not measured in words but in actions. Let us go and do. Fretting about anything else is merely wasting time. No one here is considering leaving just because you have added extra goals to our jaunt.

Equally you are not going to throw your hands in the air and try to source yet more heroes simply because you must have a precise set of words spoken, documents sealed in blood, amulets of coercion hung around our necks and whatever other tomfoolery you might dream of.

Trust is gained and earnt by working together, sharing goals and facing common enemies. Loyalty is fruit of trust. Sowing the ground with doubts and questions as preparation is hardly an auspicious start. You showed trust in us by engaging us from heroica, act on that trust you have already decided to give.

Yu Shu laughs and claps Nerwen on the shoulder.

"I think you and I are going to get along, Lady Nerwen. I'll let you know - on this mission, I'll be treating you all with the same respect and trust I'd give to my Warrior Priests. But at the same time, I expect you to treat me as a commander. Because I am one." She grins fiercely, and bares her sharp teeth. "Now, enough talking about how actions speak louder than words. Let us take action."

The heroes make their way towards the docks, where an impressive ship with a white hull waits for them. Sailors are lugging on some supplies. Yu Shu turns to the heroes.

"Aboard the ship it is absolutely imperative that you do not mention what we are doing, or where we are headed. Any one of these sailors could be on the wrong side."

The heroes head up the gangplank and onto the boat. Marcellus drifts away towards the sailors, keeping an intent eye on all of them and the crates they were carrying on. Oko goes to glance over the railing, but not without a reproachful glance towards the Red Assassin standing next to Yu Shu.

"This is our final traveling companion. Her name is Avery. She has survived the Red Death - I have done thorough research on the Red Assassins after almost losing my life to one - which will allow her to fight alongside us. In most cases, if anyone saw a Red Assassin fighting, they would also need to be killed or the assassin would perish. Avery comes without this complication."

"Hello, heroes," says Avery vacantly, staring past them. But then her lips quiver, verging on a smile. "I've tried to kill one of you before."

[KotZ]

Kiray lowers her voice to a whisper and speaks to the were-lion, "Were you not able to hand pick a crew of sailors? Isn't random sailors a bit of a risk for a situation like this?"

Kiray eyes the Assassin. She felt disappointment at not seeing Diana, but she was not sure if she really expected the young woman to be on this quest. Kiray extends a hand, "Kiray Nastayo, Knight of Heroica. Pleased to meet you, Avery."

[Zepher]

Kiray lowers her voice to a whisper and speaks to the were-lion, "Were you not able to hand pick a crew of sailors? Isn't random sailors a bit of a risk for a situation like this?"

Kiray eyes the Assassin. She felt disappointment at not seeing Diana, but she was not sure if she really expected the young woman to be on this quest. Kiray extends a hand, "Kiray Nastayo, Knight of Heroica. Pleased to meet you, Avery."

"I hand-picked Samuel and he turned his back on me. When people work in shadows, it is not possible to trust anyone but yourself. What good would hand picked sailors do us? But enough of that."

"I have always had a good time with heroes. It is nice to meet you, Kiray."

[Palathadric]

"Red Assassin, huh? What's your relationship with the Blue Assassins?"

[Zepher]

"Sometimes we kill them. They rarely kill us."

[Palathadric]

"I suppose we'll see about that once and if we get to fighting alongside each other. I know an ex-Blue Assassin who could give a caning to any hero he met and there are very, very few people I can say that about. Heck, I even defeated a blue assassin with relative ease. ...Perhaps they're more of a has-been society."

[Chromeknight]

Nerwen returns the smile

There are few who can say they have seen a red assassin in action and lived to tell the tale.

Foutunately my friends this time are just as strong as last time. But then I have nothing to fear from you do I, Avery?

As it is I owe you an apology, we oughtn't've protected Thistlethorp. If you can be restored to life without being enslaved again to the red death, if I can help that come to pass I will.

[Palathadric]

As it is I owe you an apology, we oughtn't've protected Thistlethorp. If you can be restored to life without being enslaved again to the red death, if I can help that come to pass I will.

"An apology for protecting someone! Who was this man?" I gasp.

Edited February 11, 2015 by Palathadric

[Chromeknight]

A city guard and a cleric but also a necromancer and a member of the cold circles.

Not all light is good and not all darkness is bad, but trying to gain favour with the Queen of Air and Darkness is not wise. Some powers are careless of the lives of their servanst, which encourages only a cold selfishness..

[Palathadric]

Not all light is good and not all darkness is bad...

"How do you reason that? Where can light come except, in differing measures, from the gods of light?"

[Chromeknight]

Nerwen grins, girlish, yet slightly wolfen, as if she had just spotted a tasty morsel of a rabbit.

My dear Monk, you have just agreed with me whilst trying to argue against. For if there are gods of light, if there is more than one God who lights then there are different lights, and if not every god is good to men, so not every light is good.

Even if you disagree with me and cling to the illusion of one God, either by denying the manifest power of the others or by positing them as puppets and masks of a deeper reality, yet you grant there are differing measures of lights, different lights. And if there are different lights, the onus is on you to show that all lights are good, a fact plainly refuted by experience.

Consider the deserts of Dastan. The noon sunlight there can kill, the natives there do not go out in it except swathed and protected from it. Is the naked sunlight unambiguously good? Consider the light thrown by the flames of a burning city, it's inhabitants piled in mounds or huddled in smoldering shells of houses. Is the firelight of destruction unambiguously good? Consider the glow on the tips of masts high in the northern seas before an approaching storm. Are such spirit lights not an omen of thunderstorms and violent weather, or do you say that Saint's fire* is unambiguously good?

What say you? How do you reason otherwise?

*We'd call it St Elmo's fire but I haven't heard of a St Elmo** on Olegia yet

**No, not that

. Edited February 12, 2015 by Chromeknight