Dragon's Egg - Act IV

[Legendary Sidekick]

Baldhart

I laugh lightly at the comment on Branwen's voice. Then say, "Go on, Sisters. Give Alin my message."

I give them a wave as they leave. (Or at least as a hint to.)

I tell Arnhoff, "Nissa and I have often discussed the afterlife, though our studies focused on Brynhild, valkyries, and what awaits those deserving of eternal peace. As for the ones who do not, I must say there was some consolation in the last words of three of the dark elves I faced. They all believe the afterlife is an abyss in which souls are tormented, and that may well be their fate."

I allow a grin as I add, "When the men told me they'd see me in the abyss, I made it painfully clear to them that my soul would be headed elsewhere. I pray Brynhild finds me worthy of the wings, but certainly, I do not share the fate of a child-killer."

 

[Steerpike]

Burnbright leads Branwen away. Steig follows them with his eyes, then turns back to Baldhart as she speaks to him. He looks over the children, who are playing with his boy, his face darkening. "You'll get no argument from me on that. Not much worse than someone who strikes down innocent children." He shakes his head. "What a world, eh lass?"

The carriage door opens and a thin man in blue and white robes emerges. His robes bear the symbol of a wolf's head embroidered onto the garment. He walks up to where Nissa is standing, then looks over the group. "Well met, travelers. I am Inquisitor Brecht. Miss van Donk has told me about your troubles." He glances over at the children playing on the ground. "We're bound for Alfoss, and I've offered my services in caring for the children. We can take them to the temple, where they will be cared for while we seek homes for them. Or, if you wish, take them to Ballara and mention me at the temple there. They will see to the welfare of the children."

 

[Philster401]

Something felt wrong about this inquisitor so he decided to use detect evil on the inquisitor. He also tried to remember if he had ever heard anything about him before...
(Didn't know if it was a int roll or wis roll so I did both. +1 was int -2 was wis.)

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Baldhart

I give the holy man a bow, in the fashion Hanako and her master taught me.

"Glad to meet you Inquisitor Brecht. I'm Baldhart Eisenberg, Brynhild's only nun. And yes, we've had our share of troubles—and the evil forces who crossed our paths paid dearly. But so did the innocents that we were too late to rescue. Arnhoff and I were just talking about how these troubles affect the innocent ones. That's what troubles me most."

I step closer to the man, though I make sure my approach does not alarm the guards.

I lower my voice as I say, "If the children wish to ride the carriage, Nissa trusts you, and that's good enough for me. However, I am hoping to take them as far as Ballara. Maybe it's just me not being ready to let them go." I see the children paying with the boy. Maybe… this would make it easier. "Perhaps if we chat while the children play, the children will want to go to Alfoss. Since Nissa was willing to reveal the contents of her backpack to you, surely you understand the state of the world is very grim.

"Whether we have met by chance or the gods directed us south of our intended path so we would meet, it is fortunate we met a man in your position." I look at Nissa. "No… not just any man in your position. I've known Nissa for seven years, and I saw her joyful expression when she emerged from your carriage. It is fortunate we have met you."

 

[Philster401]

"Baldhart are you sure Nissa is right about this guy?" Zoran whispered to her, "because that wolf could be a sign of the inquisition."

 

[Ireth]

Cadell

I glance sideways at Zoran and murmur, "If Nissa trusts him, that's good enough for me. And we know he's one of the inquisition. It's his title, after all."

 

[Philster401]

(Oops I wasn't sure if he was I thought he might have been someone who asked a lot of questions.)

 

[Philster401]

(Is there any way for me to take last 2 posts back?)

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Baldhart

I give Brecht a sheepish smile. I tell him, "My mother gave me diplomacy lessons, thinking I might be a chieftain's wife. I took nun's vows to ensure that would not happen.

"Anyway, one thing mother taught me was not to engage in whispers. Zoran, my paladin friend, was merely telling me he recognized the wolf symbol, which confirms you are indeed a man of the Inquisition."



Nissa

"Well, Baldy, he is certainly dressed as one. I believe he is who he claims to be and that he is a good man. Inquisitor Brecht had the same trust about my claims, but he also verified I am not a demon in disguise, so to speak. I took no offense that he searched my soul."

I turn to Brecht and ask, "Would you mind if Zoran used his god-given gift to confirm there is no evil in you? I have no suspicion, but we've had an hour of deep conversation. Please understand, these warriors have met their share of tricksters and men who abuse positions of power. Perhaps if Zoran could confirm no such evil exists in you, then we can discuss matters that are too big for us to handle alone as we can't be everywhere at once."

 

[SeverinR]

Bressel
Stops singing when the group arrives and lifts his empty right hand, and then leans against a tree listening to the group, watching the guards and the Iquistor for any signs of suspicion. He knows Aliron is watching also.

"Aliron's a good hunter, if there's a deer or a vile pig near by, He'll know it and he'll hit it in the heart everytime.." Bressel comments when Baldhart speaks of Aliron.
"I agree Branwen is a natural singer, much better'n me already."

Aliron
Remains still, listening and watching.
Did he see anything in the carriage when the door opened?

 

[Steerpike]

((Philster: we'll ignore the posts above, and you can respond to Brecht however you like)).

Brecht nods at Baldhart, and says to Zoran: "You may test me for evil if you like. I have nothing to hide from you or any of your group."

Continuing, he says "The wolf's head is indeed used by my order. It is the traditional emblem of Mittelstadt, where my order was founded. Some of our order modify it, and the witch hunters often wear no insignia at all. I'm more of a traditionalist, myself."

Looking back at the children, Brecht smiles faintly. "If these children were in the care of Miss Liv, then they come from Alfoss. At least, that is where she came across them. Liv is known in Alfoss, for she came to the city every month or two, sometimes taking an orphan back to her farm. I am sorry to learn of her fate."

"I agree that times are dire. It is something I have tried to convince my superiors of, and I believe it will only grow worse. The Taint here in the north is only part of it, though how it is related to events in the southlands I cannot say. That you and Miss van Donk are here...well, the gods work in mysterious ways, do they not? Brynhild is bold as ever, it seems."

He looks over the group again, eyes lingering on each of the elves in the group. "Strange days indeed, to find elvenkind walking this country." Brecht looks at Cadell and says "Your business is your own, of course, but I thought your people content to remain in their homelands. Do you sense a darkness rising in the world? Is that why you travel the north?"

Steig looks a bit uncomfortable at talk of the evil afoot, but the caravan master is drawn to Bressel when he speaks. He looks at the surrounding countryside, frowning, when Bressel mentions Aliron, but Steig is unable to locate Aliron. He shrugs and says to Bressel "She can sing, to be sure. A natural, as you say. Another of Liv's orphans?"

 

[Ireth]

Cadell

I nod in response to Brecht's words. "That is indeed why we are here." I glance at Liadan to indicate she is part of the 'we'. "It is true that most of our people are content to look after no affairs but their own, but we are among the exceptions."

 

[Keitsumah]

Keitsumah

I watch the others speak with the Inquisitor, not needing nor wanting to speak at the moment. Batos sits beside me, tail and legs tucked in and his spine straight. He keeps his gaze on Brecht, and though he seems relaxed I am worried to not be able to tell anymore.

Batos

I watch the members of the caravan, even the animals, with a keen eye as I sit next to Keitsumah, but try to keep still instead of pacing. The result may have brought more attention to me than i thought, as Keitsu keeps glancing at me with a slight worry etched into her face.

 

[Philster401]

He distrusted anyone who had to do with the inquisiton so he decided to use detect evil on the inquisitor. He also tried to remember if he had ever heard anything about him before I left the inquisition.
(Didn't know if it was a int roll or wis roll so I did both. +1 was int -2 was wis.)

He also decided to ask, "Why do you serve with inquisition?"

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Nissa

"Brynhild is… there is a kindness about Her that many do not expect. I think She felt my urge to help my big cousin. It was the day Baldhart was trapped in the jaws of a giant beast that Brynhild made the bold move to let me do more than watch.

"I was glad of it in Arendal. We saved every child when we were there, and I am well known there by those who saw me and those who heard of me. People talk. Again, Inquisitor Brecht, I would ask that the contents of my backpack do not endanger those with me. Aside from that, I have no problem with you confirming the rumors from Arendal, if you feel my presence helps make your case that the world is indeed in a dire state."


Baldhart

"If she's asking you to keep the witch-hunters away from us, yes, I would appreciate that. In fact, I think my Goddess wishes me to be part of this—a small group that travels in secret." A little laugh escapes me. "The enemy always stumbles upon us, so I wonder how secret our travels truly are.

"But more likely, the reason we find the enemy is that it is everywhere. And that's our most overwhelming problem—our inability to save the innocent. I tire of arriving too late.

"Perhaps we could exchange some information. For the children's sake, we have not discussed any destinations beyond Ballara. They are safest with no secrets to keep. What I would gladly tell is where Aslaug can be found—Verstenn Hold—and the dark elves' motives, which is to resurrect Aeron.

"I wish I knew more of the dark elves. They appear to be the greater evil, but we just met some for the first time." I give Zoran a sheepish look, then confess to Brecht, "I suppose should have let one live until he talked. There was—" I lower my voice, making sure the children aren't paying attention before I say, "—a little girl with her heart cut out. It was hard to look at her while I had one of her killers in my grip. I couldn't bear the thought of being tricked into letting one escape.

"Their deaths were quicker than deserved, but serving Brynhild means fighting the just battles. Retribution from a mortal is meaningless when the gods' judgment immediately follows. I'm only interested in how our victories protect the innocent."

 

[SeverinR]

Bressel
"Branwen is an orphan of our finding." (our making too, but we don't have to tell the whole truth, now do we.)"Another orphan of the evil caused by this taint. Everywhere we go, we find innocent lives destroyed by the evils surrounding the taint."

"You don't have to worry about Aliron, He only kills food, those associated with taints evil or anyone that harms any in our group. He's kind of shy around strangers, but he's always there when we need him, and he is where you least expect him."

Aliron
Aliron remains silent, a slight smile on his face when he hears Bressel talking about him.

 

[Steerpike]

Brecht holds still while Zoran checks for any signs of evil within him. While Zoran is checking, Brecht says to Cadell and Liadan "It is good that events of the world interest you. The stories say Men and Elves once interacted a great deal more than they do today. The knowledge of your people will be invaluable in the dark days that are coming. Elves have always been better versed in the ways of magic, and particularly in the old magics, than my own people."

Zoran finishes his spell, finding no evil in Brecht. When he asks Brecht why he serves with the Inquisition, Brecht says "I joined as a young boy, seeking to do good in the world. We all know what magic did at the end of the Great War, the terrible potential for destruction that it represents. My order seeks to prevent another such catastrophe, and to deal with the evil manifestations of magic where we find them."

He uses the conversation with Zoran to segue into Nissa and Baldhart's comments. "I will say nothing to the witchhunters. I do not believe that any of you are evil, or that you mean harm to the world. The witchhunters...well, they are part of my order, and we have the same goals, but our methods are different. To a witchhunter, eliminating a source of evil, a source of arcane magic, is above all other concerns. They believe, with some justification, that if the evil is not checked, great harm may result from it. And so, if there is...collateral damage...as they carry out their task, it is viewed as unfortunate but necessary. I do not share those methods. I agree with the goal, but believe we must take care to protect the innocent and do no unnecessary harm. I am those like me who argue for a more deliberate, careful approach once made up the vast majority of the Inquisition. We have lost power of late, though, precisely because our hesitancy cost lives. The witchhunters took this as justification that their own methods were best, and indeed many were persuaded."

Brecht shrugs. "I do not call the witchhunters for aid except in the most dire of circumstances. My interactions with them are generally limited to what my duty demands. Do not worry - I will tell know one where you are or what I have learned of your group. You must steer clear of the witchhunters as best you can, for I believe they would see evil among you where none exists."

Brecht's eyes flick to Nissa, then to Keitsumah and Batos sitting silently nearby, then over the faces of the elves. "Quite a group you have formed. Such an assortment of allies do not come together lightly. A storm is coming, I'm afraid. I believe you are part of this world's answer to that storm."

"That the dark elves are moving about the surface only deepens my concern. I had thought them only a legend, and I admit I know little about them, Baldhart. Stories of ancient days describe them as innately evil, though that idea troubles me. Still, the accounts of the Great War speculate that they aided Aeron, though rarely on the surface. If you wish to learn more of them, you might try the library in Mittelstadt. A great deal of information is gathered there."

Brecht's eyes grow sad when Bressel says Branwen is an orphan. "How many more orphans will we see before this is all over, I wonder? Will she...Branwen...accompany us to Arendal?"

 

[Philster401]

"What about Nicolaus Galt which side does he lead towards stamping out "evil" of magic including those whom are parents or those who wish to protect the innocent?" then stated to the rest of the group a bit begrudgingly, "I sense no evil in him.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Baldhart

"Masama, monk of Asra, wishes to be Branwen's caretaker. He is also helping me train Burnbright, though it is I who trains her in matters of faith. We will keep them with us for now."

The girls would be targets of the witch-hunters, especially Branwen, but a good spokeswoman knows what not to say.

"Regarding the witch-hunters, I don't know if they would listen to a warning, even from you. But I will tell you what I have heard of their purification ritual spoken in Tyr's name. Nissa is absolutely certain it is not Tyr's ritual, or that any good god would accept the killing of an innocent as righteousness—and those who spilled innocent blood will to answer to Him for their kill-em-all-and-let-Tyr-sort-em-out line of thinking. I'm sure the witch-hunters would not be deterred by that.

"But they should ask themselves, if not of Tyr, and if not for purification, what is the purpose of the ritual burning? It is in fact a true ritual which, like those rituals recognized by the gods, does something that mortals cannot see.

"As for what that is… one of our former allies contacted the enemy, so bear in mind that this is a warning from an evil woman. But what she told is supported by other conversations we've had with other enemies, and other things we've learned.

"When the innocent die in this ritual, they die as any mortal would and go on to the afterlife as normal. This is true based on Nissa has often assured me; mortals cannot harm the souls of the innocent and the good, only our bodies. However, a corrupted soul is required in order for the witch-burning ritual to work as intended. When the corrupt die by this ritual, I'm not sure where their souls end up. What I have heard is that somehow, this ritual gives power to Aeron. I don't know if it's the soul itself or energy drawn from the Taint—the corruption from magic.

"I can't say what's in the hearts of all witch-burners. I suspect a select few knowing work with the dark elves, or whoever else might be interested in Aeron's resurrection. Most, I suspect, are people who believe evil needs to be eradicated swiftly, and they don't know that some of their actions aid a greater, more powerful evil."

I pause here to let my words sink in.

 

[Philster401]

Zoran then he knew had to speak so he said, "I must agree with Baldhart I have know personally evil done by the inquisition they murdered my parents I was young, they didn't kill me, though luckily in fact they trained me to fight for their cause, and I once believed in it, but then I found out that even those who believe they are doing good isn't always right, and that those who I once called friends killed those who used magic without knowing the truth behind the person's reason for using it."
"And for this reason I abandoned all the inquisition stood for, took a knife to my wolf tattoo making a scar in the middle of it, saying that he pulled his shirt's collar to show a scar on his right arm with the remnants of a wolf was still visible though and continued speaking, "and I have set out to find and hopefully cure this Taint on magic, and halt the inquisition's unjustified killing of anyone who uses magic, for most of the people who use magic want to help people and do not wish to do people harm. I do wish to state now that if I had found any evil in you, I wouldn't have killed you when I found out I would have given you a chance to explain, then if and only if you had no reason for your evil doing do you harm. I also wish to state that I see you as a wise man so I hope you don't take this explanation and refuse to help my friends but I has to state my mind.".