"As regards to the Czarine Valora regaining here freedom, Logan and Celene, I am deeply sorry and apologise to both of you for that. Both sides in this conflict have samples of my body material and can scry me at will - I have a way of mitigating that for a couple of hours but generally speaking I need to get in and out of the city as quickly as possible before they nab me. On the night that you retrieved that accursed blade I stayed too long and the Czarine's followers - the other enchanted weapons and those they are dominating - managed to catch up with me. It was either dumping the sword in the harbour or allowing myself to be caught and killed by them, and I need to be alive to defeat them. At least throwing that megalomaniac into the lagoon bought me some time to escape while her troops dived in after her - I thought it would take them longer to find her but they were lucky and managed it quickly. And so she survived and took control of her side again." The angry looking warrior shakes his head bitterly, then looks at Logan.

"Fractions. Yes, there are fractions of a sort. Two groups of intelligent weapons battling for control of the city down through the decades. Czarine Valora leads the Cabanites. From what I have learnt, the Cabanites were a criminal gang that sprung up several centuries ago and styled themselves some sort of royal court although as near as I can figure out they were nothing better than common thieves. They imprinted their personalities into these magical weapons to provide themselves with more power, but the weapons have greatly outlived the original owners and still strive to take over Sasserine."

"The other fraction call themselves the 'Revolutionary Guard' and they want to free the city from tyranny and establish the rule of the people - with themselves leading the people of course. These weapons are led by the 'Solo Hand' with 'Sabrehawk' as his second in command, and they were created at the beginning of the Thyatian occupation about 100 years ago. Now the Thyatians are overthrown and cast out, but the weapons remain to continue their mischief."

"Much to my personal pain, I know about this because I got involved some time ago when I was still a Paladin of Kord. I was possessed, first by Czarine Valora, and then by Solo Hand. I was considered quite a prize as I was the best swordsman in the city at that point. They fought over me and while dominated I did... things. Very bad things. I escaped and ran from the city and have spent decades... DECADES MIND YOU! Preparing my revenge! And now the time is ripe!"
This message was last edited by the player at 21:18, Wed 24 Feb 2016.

When Vorsh mentions being a 'Paladin of Kord' and doing bad things, it gets Angati thinking. Her father mentioned something about that after the awards ceremony when he was talking to Victor Saint-Demain. What was it?

OOC: Refer to the 'Wrapping Up' thread to see a new flashback.

Lavinia stood up, she had just remembered some important information, and could recall the face of this man with quite some clarity. They had to get out of there, go public... but with precautions "Come... let's go, somewhere else, I guess we need to talk, and this is definitely not the place, knowing that you are scried, I would not want Lavinia to run any risks". Turning to Lavinia, she said "Please do excuse us, I am sorry we interrupted like we did. We will be going, and... at some point we need to talk and see how to better improve security in your state, he is right about that. Sorry for all the hassle. We will keep you informed on how this goes, and come later to talk with you in case you have any information to share regarding intelligent weapons". Looking back at the ex-paladin she said "Ok, can you go invisible again ? we will go to a place we know close to here were we can talk without risking Lavinia... if you don't its probably best if you cover yourself so that your face is not easily seen".

She started conducting the man towards the exterior taking the most direct route quickly towards the Fifteen horses and a mule tavern. "It is funny that you should come to us, not even a week ago, we were given a list of wanted men... and, a colleague of yours, that is another Paladin of Kord, we could almost say a twin, by the name of Larcos Dengrin, was in this list, with a price tag of 30.000 gold pieces... imagine that !"

"Now, we are all sure that cannot be you, for you are much younger, and see the direct problem to everyone's security that these intelligent swords pose. But... we would not want anyone taking you for him... and there are certain people, like Victor San-Demain, that would love to get their hands on you, take the price and not worry about the truth, the danger for everyone, and least of all, about cleaning your name of all the things that you have been charged off... Not to forget, the Priest's of Kord whom I am sure you are aware are not exactly happy about what they feel to be your treason".

By the time she was finishing this, she was in the middle of the tavern "So! I am glad that we can help you clarify all this. But you need to be an ally to us, cristal clear on your plans, and the dangers we might run into. Else, well... I'll get to think that maybe those swords took the best of your soul, and feel that the best for all is just to turn you in".

OOC: Ok, if the scene runs differently, just let me know I'll edit. Angati would continue working on diplomacy and further it with Misfortune should the need arise to convince him. She is basically just saying that they are willing to help him, as long as he is transparent to them, and an ally... because it will be a huge risk for them all.

OOC: Huh? Are you trying to drive my NPC's again Beni?!  :P




"My goodness, thank you Madam Lidu for your thoughtfulness. Yes, I promise I will work something out in regards to the security and let you know what I find out about these intelligent weapons. I will send Kora to the tavern to let you know the outcome."

"Invisible? No, unfortunately that is a once a day trick, but I still have a couple of hours of protection from scrying left. I will put my hood up and keep my face down - there are few people out on the streets at this time of morning anyway."



"Grrrr," snarled Vorsh beneath his heavy hood. Angati could not see his face since the man was sticking to his promise to keep his head down while they were out on the streets, but it was clear from his voice that he was not happy.



"I will tell you straight out Madam Lidu. That was me. A much more naive version of me, but the same flesh and bones. If you think 30,000 pieces of gold is worth selling your city into slavery, and betraying everything your father nephew fought for, then there is little I can do to save the place of my birth."

"As for my age. I have worked hard and used some magical means to stay young. I did whatever I needed to do to reach the day where I would have my revenge on these evil creations."



Vorsh pauses, starting at her hard in the middle of the tavern floor with his hood still up and only his piercing blue eyes staring out at her. "I give you my word. I swear an oath. I promise by everything that I was and hope to be again, that from henceforth I will be totally open with you all on my plans and the risks that we face. All I ask in return is that we win and all of these magical weapons are destroyed." He shrugs. "I can offer no greater guaranty."




OOC: I love it! Thank you so much for playing and making these posts! :D

Vorsh / Larcos Dengrin insists that they continue upstairs to Angati's suite so that they can talk in complete privacy.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:43, Fri 26 Feb 2016.

Logan absorbed Vorsh's words and lapsed in quiet as he followed along, first to the tavern, and then up to Angati's room.  At last, the rogue left out a slow whistle.

30,000 gold?  That's what the reward is for your capture?"  The rogue shook his head.  "Those weapons must really have a hate out for you, eh?  I suppose I feel the same thing they do, given how much trouble you've put us through, but I think I'd rather side with defeating those weapons.  Still, it is tempting..."

Though rogue goes quiet, idly flipping a gold coin across his knuckles, a practice for his legerdemain.  "You know, it's funny.  Just weeks ago, the thought that I would be invited into a noble house, much less have the opportunity to even think about seeing the kind of money I've been exposed to would have been ridiculous.  Now, here I am, thinking about turning down the opportunity to earn that kind of coin."

The rogue shakes his head sadly.  "Of course, Czarine probably wouldn't let whomever claimed that lived, especially if she knew it was Celene and myself.  Too much at stake."

The rogue turned to face Vorsh again.  "So, I don't know too much about things like this, but I suppose you've got a plan for defeating these things once and for all, or else you wouldn't be risking being in the city this much now.  It can't be as simple as just snapping the blades, or melting them down in a smithy, am I right?"

OOC: Well fuck, no, that would be far too simple. :D

"First," says Vorsh. "Tell me everything that happened in the bath-house. Which weapons were there and what did they do?"
This message was last updated by the player at 17:03, Thu 25 Feb 2016.

Angati and the rest went into her old room at the tavern. "If you do not have a safe place to stay, we will show you of another place where you may stay hidden and safe... or at least safer than here, but for the time being this will do".

She pulled a chair for the Logan and Vorsh and invited Celene to sit at the bed with her, and started retelling all the events from the point when Logan came to this very room with Zan, how he was wielding that strange sword and his strange reactions and detachment towards killing people. How they entered the room, where Czarine was about to set the other swords in stone, the friends of Sabrehawk. How they had avoided that, thinking that it was people that they were going to set in stone, and how Zan had managed to leave with the rest of the swords, and they had really managed nothing but keep the struggle between the two forces leveraged. "It is somehow surprising that our friends the Jade Ravens, ended up with swords from both sides of the struggle though... one would think that if they started working for someone, that someone would be aligned with only one side right ?" the word friends, of course was duly stressed to signify much the contrary.

"Now, if  you allow me to retrace our talks a little bit. I think we are in full agreement, may I ask... how did you come to know who my father is ? "

Logan adds it what he can to Angati's story, trying to remember the names of the weapons and the identities of who held them.

"They were trying to turn the mud baths to stone with the weapons inside - that it was Zan, or the weapon possessing him, was trying to stop.  But that wouldn't destroy the blades, correct?  Just render them unable to be wielded until they were removed from the stone?"

The ex-paladin listens with a disconcerting amount of intensity and is very interested about the magical powers the swords used - the animated objects, the hypnotised townsfolk and finally the teleporting out of the mud pit.



OOC; Oh damn, damn, damn! You got me! OK, he says' nephew' not 'father' then, since he doesn't know you relationship with the rest of your family. I have edited this in the earlier post and I'll ignore your question.



"Czarine Valora had control of the staff and workman in the bath-house. I imagine that she would have commanded them to pave over the old pits and then re-dig them to one side. Any weapons trapped beneath would have been stuck there for all time."

Vorsh takes to his feet and begins pacing up and down the room. "This is actually perfect. The Solo Hand can only use his teleport power once a day. The Czarine can only use mass hypnotism twice a day and she must have used it twice to control so many people. The Unseen Blade can only animate objects three times a day and she must have used all of that power from what you described. Now is the time to strike and by noon my plan will be in place!"

OOC: OK, here it comes! Please turn on your 'suspension of belief' motors and rev them aggressively.

He turns to Logan. "Lad. You are right in thinking that it is not as simple as just melting the blades down or snapping them in two. Neither side would ever venture near a smithy or anyplace with a forge - at least not in great numbers. And broken swords can be remade. And if we try to capture the swords then some of you would always end up dominate by them and would assist in their escape. No, what I needed was something powerful that could destroy the weapons but could not be detected, and mobile enough to be somewhere they wouldn't think of it, and something so crazy that they would never expect it."


The grizzled warrior peers at them intently. "Have any of your ever heard of something called a rust monster?"

Logan shakes his head.  "Never heard of one of those in Shadowshore, for sure.  You know, I bet Lavinia would actually know.  She seemed to know all kinds of useless stuff about monsters...useless except that it's how her parents defended..."  The rogue clears his throat.  "Anyway, no.  But I'm guessing you have heard of them, and it's just what we need.  Judging by the name, it what?  Rusts things?  Sounds like something you wouldn't want in a city, for sure.  We've run into some animal smugglers before - had a nasty spider-thingy that tried to eat us on a ship out in the harbor."

Vorsh just grunts at Logan's blabber. "Don't worry lad. I have hired the best team of rangers in the city and they have the right connections with the city watch to get this thing to the right spot even in the middle of the day, and even though this thing is the biggest rust monster that has ever lived. It is called 'Kogoloxen' and I am sure it has the power to destroy these magical weapons with one touch of an antennae."

"Here's the plan. I have obtained access to a large building called the 'North Marshalling Dome' - it's a disused fortification in Shadowshore. It's perfect because all of the interior walls are stone and it has enough room for us to hide the rust monster in. I have used magical means so that all of the doors - wooden doors - can be sealed from the outside. I have called for a council between the two sides to discuss the terms of a treaty and the division of the city. I know that each side will come in force, eager to slay each other and recapture me."

"BUT! I have another trick up my sleave. I have spent most of the last fifty years preparing my mind and now it can never been taken by another. Even allies that stand close to me will benefit from this effect. Once all of the weapons are inside I will trigger the trap and the doors will be sealed closed. Then we will release Kogoloxen and assist in the carnage. Are you with me?"

OOC: Logan has heard of the North Marshalling Dome. It is indeed a disused building in his home district that was striped of everything of value when the Thyatian oppression was thrown off 10 years ago, then used by families of squatters until the Shadowshore district representative them out onto the street recently.

Celene had sat on the bed next to Angati and listened to her friends recount the events of the morning and ask their questions. Vorsh seemed quite genuine in wanting to destroy the weapons; leaving him to his own devices was a bad idea. He had shown a lack of care once before. The plan seemed well thought out and had a chance at success but their was risk to her and her allies. A monster as described couldn't be controlled adequately it would be as much a hindrance as it would be an ally.

"This monster will be as harmful to us as it will be to Czarine and the others. I suppose your plan might have already considered that but you did not say so. There are magics that can control the mind of men; from research I know those same magics can be applied to animals and monsters. Do you have the capital for us to purchase such a thing? There is a chance it could be beyond my abilities to wield such magic; but the coin spent for a scroll would be far outweighed by the prospect of this Kogoloxen being focused solely on our enemies.

The idea would be to use a charm monster scroll to tip the odds in our favor. I think it would be a DC 5 caster level check to cast it since it is above my caster level.

OOC: Woah. Best idea ever!

Vorsh scowls at Celene, his eyes narrowing. But as he considers the idea his face relaxes. "Little lady, I think you might have struck upon a good idea. Very well, I will give you the coin to purchase such a scroll - and I will do you one better. If you also purchase a 'speak with animals' scroll then perhaps you may even be able to direct the great Kogoloxen."

The party continue discussing a few more details with Vorsh, but that conversation is stopped by a polite knock at the door. The ex-paladin acts in a flash - with the sound of steel against leather he draws his sword and jerks the door open. An elderly Halfling lady falls into the room, stumbles and lands on her back. Vorsh keeps the points of his sword a hair's breath from her throat. "Drop all weapons and show me your hands!" he roars.

The old lady does not look very impressed and surprisingly doesn't even look that concerned. "I am her with some information from Lady Vanderboren, as requested of her Ladyship by the people in this party Sir!" An angry crease forms in her brow.

Logan contemplates the plan, his face showing his uncertainty.  "But this great rust monster...eats all metal, correct?  Wouldn't we want to be...mostly unarmed when we face it and the magically-bound weapons?  Or at least not wielding anything we truly care about losing?"

Logan unconsciously reaches down and rubs the hilt of his rapier, though his reverie is interrupted by the knock on the door.

Logan scowls at Vorsh.  "Put the weapon down, man!  You can't jump at everything!"

The rogue looks to Kora.  "What do you have from Lady Vanderboren?"

OOC: Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmm. <DM opens module and starts furiously leafing through the pages of it> Yeaaahhh, that's actually a very good point John... But let's try this.

Vorsh scoffs. "Well, sure, of course! But that is the beauty of this ambush spot, it has two levels and we can keep ourselves separate from the rust monster... mostly. But now that Celene has come up with her addition to the plan Kogoloxen will very firmly be on our side!"

Kora pushes the blade in Vorsh's hand to one side and climbs to her feet. "Mister Logan, Lady Vanderboren was lucky enough to find this tomb in our library." She hands over a medium sized book with brown leather binding. "It is an account of all of the intelligent weapons in this area as encounter by the recently departed Lord and Lady Vanderboren and all rumours they have heard of them. I believe it is quiet complete."

OOC: And indeed it is complete. I will set up a new thread outlining each of the weapons, their names and their powers for you guys

I don't think fighting such formidable opponents unarmed and unarmored would be smart. If we can have two charm monster scrolls it would be best in case one does not take.

"Oh Dear... ! I am sorry Kora, please accept our excuses and thank Lady Vanderboren profusely from our part, this is very important information indeed.

Here, I have some tea ready if you would care for a cup.".

To the others, she said, "Maybe we should go looking for Kassius, he surely can help with monster handling, and Alohan... he seems to do quite well fighting naked... or as close to it as he can get"

OOC: Getting a little greedy there! OK, make a DC15 diplomacy check if you want to persuade Vorsh to buy you TWO scrolls of charm monster.

Turning back to Vorsh Angati asked "So.. one question, wouldn't you want to profit this trap to clear your name at the same time ? in-as-much as that can be done, that is ?. I mean, maybe I can persuade my nephew to send someone to be witness of what happens, or maybe you want to have someone that the temple would trust and clear your name once and for al... I mean, if we are successful there won't be any more swords to prove the mental control they had on you..."

The possibility of clearing his name actually seems to stump Vorsh for a few seconds. "I'd only been thinking of revenge... I've been Vorsh for so many years now, could I really clear the name of Larcos Dengrin and reclaim it?" he asks, seemingly to himself.

"There is one man that might be up to the task who would also be recognised by the temple of Kord as a trustworthy witness. There is a dwarf by the name of Karthach Feldspar-Ash, he was a member of the order at the same time as me and was always recognised as a person of honour and repute. In fact, he left the order rather than sacrifice his ethics and now serves in the shrine of Liir. He could be the man... ahem... dwarf for the job if he is willing."

Once Kora has been thanked and dismissed, the party heads over to Vorsh's ambush spot, only stopping to buy one (or two if Celene's diplomacy roll is good!) scrolls of 'Charm Monster' and one scroll of 'Speak to Animals'. The ex-Paladin uses a huge key to open the door to the 'North Marshalling Dome' and leads them inside.

OOC: See you in the next thread: Quarantine of Steel
This message was last edited by the player at 20:15, Tue 01 Mar 2016.

Angati nodded "I know Kartach well.. he is a friend. I will let him know then so that he comes and bears witness from somewhere safe... As for my nephew... well, If not clearing your name, at least he might do with removing the bounty on your name, that might be enough to at least drop down a bit of that paranoia that seems to be gnawing at you."

"Hump! That 'paranoia' little lady, is the only thing that has kept me alive over the last fifty years! When every single person out on the street, and anyone at anytime can be under the control of one of those weapons I think you understand how I became a little paranoid."