I think Sun Snake asked you a question about your reactions to Vyctar's attitude. Other than that, can't see anything else which requires immediate answer from you, Sabre Fox. :)

This message was last updated by the player at 13:59, Fri 13 June 2014.

"Infact I am" Fox said getting himself as comfortable as possible to sleep whole answering. "Which is why when the time comes, I will challenge Vyctar one on one to battle. I know he will not refuse. That way, one of us will be released from our oaths in an honourable way"

Snake is so contrary. Feel free to ignore him further if you want a quiet holiday :) Plus I think I already gave my support as a player if you want to do the Vyctar assault plan later. He might be tough, but Sabre has killed one NPC we weren't supposed to kill before! :D

Sun Snake did not seem impressed, his genial face going neutral and his face crinkling. "So your talk of facing him one on one was not to help us, but as a sop to your conscience, no matter the cost or what will happen when we face him? Having him kill you or killing him does not seem to be anything more than a vanity. And be assured, even if you spare his life you will have killed the man in any meaningful way he cares about by defeating him, I am sure."

Sun Snake faced Sabre Fox. "So, you do this to satisfy the honour of yourself and Vyctar. What of mine? I have lied only as far as to protect Alyne and you. And only when it was revealed Vyctar's own lie of omission. And even then, he barely believes the fiction. I told him he would see me coming, there will be no surprises when he learns what we have done. In the spirit of the agreement, I have done all I can to not interfere with his plans nor harm his men. I knew you would do nothing dishonourable against him as part of his group. And I gave my word to you that if you went back to Vyctar, we would not let..."

Sun Snake seemed to choke off the second part of the sentence.

You might suspect after one person in his group dying Snake is a little touchy about feeling helpless about a second putting themselves in harm's way!

He started again. "So which is it, if you go back to Vyctar intent on fighting him no matter what. I either must break my word to you by seeing you go in to deliberate harm's way, or I break the spirit of my agreement to Vyctar by knowingly allowing someone back to him who seeks his death, metaphorically or physically."

"You misunderstand" Fox said shaking his head "I intend to fight him one on one according to whatever plan we devise. I'm quite sure you are all more than a match for his men, and while you do so I will fight him during the battle. That is what I meant. I will not stab that man in the back, I will fight him on even ground and kill him. I do not intend to spare him if we cross swords"

Fox then shook his head again

"We are doing this in your way Snake. However you want it to satisfy your agreement. But let's be right here, I doubt anyone here could best him except me or Sun Fox martially. He is took well skilled , and is armed with enchanted equipment that may very well  negate any magic or psychic effects."

Fox shifted position

"Plus I now need to go back to him. Even if only to safeguard the Grandmaster and Sommerswerd before you arrive. Once they are safe, we can proceed how you like"

Lol, that was easily resolved :) Being reasonable at Snake always seems to catch him off guard :D

Sun Snake grimaced and rubbed his eyes aggressively. "I did misunderstand," he said. "I am sorry, it's just..." Sun Snake move his eyes as if to look to the man behind him - Shining Peacock - meaningfully. "I am finding it hard to think. I am sorry." The last were whispered lightly enough so that only perhaps only Sabre Fox was meant to hear with his advanced skills.

"You are right. Get some sleep, we can discuss final tactics tomorrow before we separate."

Clearly Snake is blaming dealing with Peacock on all his repressed emotions about stuff. Other people might suspect Peacock isn't to blame at all...

Sun Snake turned around to see if Shining Peacock had thought of anything regarding Vyctar.

 "This bottling things up you do Snake" Fox said while closing his eyes "Does you no good" he adds with a smile

Sun Snake clearly heard Sabre Fox, but his troubled face at the words was gone by the time he faced Shining Peacock.

Shining Peacock locked his eyes with Sun Snake for a moment, their blue flickering to grey for a moment to match the colour of his, before he grinned.

"That was most informative, Sun Snake. I guess you have some more questions of me, now? Or do you just want to hear my opinion over all that has been said?"

"Valador, certainly," said Sun Snake neutrally.

Peacock shrugged.

"My professional opinion is that Valador is crazy. It just happens, sometimes, for people to merely be born mad."

He grinned again, then turned more serious and explained:

"I do not think there is much that need to be said, Sun Snake, the man is dangerous and we will need to take him down, as hard as possible. Honestly, I would not even care if it was not in a political fashion, at this point. After all, he has spread clues all along Toran so that he could be implied, but never proven, to be behind the disappearances, because he wants us to bring him into judgment, since his victory would then destroy our reputation. I have little doubt that he has prepared some form of defense to explain away even the strongest evidence you have collected this far, so I think not giving him what he wants would be the best option."

The Magnakai paused, letting those words sink in, before concluding:

"As for his plan, I had no inkling until you explained the finest details, but now it is obvious. All of his moves lead to only one goal, to destroy the Kai Order completely, and then have it be absorbed by the Brotherhood of the Crystal Star. And after that, he will have Toran secede from Sommerlund, and make it the economical center of the world, if his plan works. More likely, if things do not work as he hopes, he will make it into the casus belli for a greater war than any Magnamund has ever seen."

The tone was grim as he spoke the last words, and there was no trace of humor in the Mentora's voice - clearly, he truly belived his conclusion to be the right one.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:11, Sat 14 June 2014.

Sun Snake raised an eyebrow at Peacock's comments. However, he did not appear to disbelieve the man.

"If the plan is that severe, I cannot afford to come with you, then. The rest of us must secure what Vyctar has at all costs." Sun Snake then seemed to consider something. "So I suppose three questions spring to mind from your one answer. Firstly, you said before you guessed how he acquired Nexus. What do you think was his method, then? Secondly, if he means to destroy the order, then are your precautions for your own mission adequate so as not to fall foul of any of his manoeuvrings? After all, the man has traveled much, is politically savvy, and can now travel as he wills instantly. And thirdly, if we are to face him, do you have a way for us to neutralise his staff? You seem to have becalmed the Deathstaff."


Well, that was not the answer I was expecting :D 'He's mad, we have to take him out now, right now!'
This message was last edited by the player at 22:37, Fri 13 June 2014.

OOC: Sorry for the delay, no Net access at home right now thanks to my phone company messing with me again.  Also I won't be able to post again until Monday at least since the local library is closed tomorrow :(
At least Swift is conveniently away from the main group for now :)

Water Hornet had listened in silence to the ongoing conversation. He wondered how much had happened in the last six months and how he had come to know the most dire news only by an accident.

Peacock's last words spurred Hornet to interject, not waiting for answers to Snake's question. "And catching one of the senior Magnakai with the Deathstaff, travelling right into the heart of enemy's domain would be another piece of the mosaic to harm reputation of the Order," said Hornet thoughtfully, "although you can always say it was given to you by another Kai willingly." Water Hornet gave a wry smile and quickly continued. "And that most likely rules myself out as your companion for your mission. What I mean to say, though, is that Valador said himself he was able to track some magical items...I don't know if he could do it with the Deathstaff, but I think you better prepare for the possibility of meeting the man on your journey."

Hornet doubted Valador's plan stretched out as far as Peacock had just explained, but he had now had confirmed the man was dangerous beyond his worst fears; and while part of Hornet refused to believe a Brotherhood Magician would be able to turn against Kai, more rational part of his mind told him they should better be prepared for anything.

The interesting thing here is that neither of you asked Peacock how he reached the conclusions he did - you're taking his word for it. That's a good thing: he's gining your trust! :D

Shining Peacock offered a wry smile.

"Would that it happened that way. I could not ask for a better chance to solve this problem quickly and cleanly than meeting the man alone in the middle of nowhere. Alas, I doubt we will have such luck, but I will keep up hope, Water Hornet, and make preparations accordingly. Thanks for suggesting me such a possibility."

Then, the man turned to Sun Snake and added, in a tone that sounded almost lecturing:

"As for your questions, Sun Snake, I daresay that neutralizing the Guildstaff will be as easy as tking it from him. Capable of using Nexus, he may be, but the only Kai I know who can match me on that account are Moon Shadow, and maybe Sun Fox, if she has finished her study in it. Since neither of them are working with him, I have little fear that, once we have him in a place, he will be able to leave it."

Sun Fox flinched as if she'd been slapped by Shining Peacock's comment, but the man didn't seemed to notice, keeping his focus solely on Sun Snake.

"And i already answered the question of what will happen if he tries to ambush me, so all that remains is the question of his learning Nexus. It is pretty obvious, really, considering that it is the centerpiece of his plan, the one without which it would not have worked."

Shining Peacock gwestured at the boat wrapped in tree roots that had followed them outside, and continued, his tone turning dark:

"The man sold our brethen to the Nadziranim, let them be experimented upon, let these abominations be created, all for this ultimate goal. Working together with the dark sorcerors, he found a way to inject the power of Kai in normal people. Of course, the Nadziranim added more to the process, making the subject tests monsters and slaves to their will, but for Valador, the only important thing would have been the ability to learn the Kai Disciplines. You can see it, right, Sun Snake? If he can teach the Kai Disciplines in the same way he can teach Left Handed Magic, then the Kai would no longer be special, they would no longer be the choosen of our god, they would merely be people with powers, and they would owe those power to the man who gave them out. And of course, once our Order is in shambles from his machinations, and he has people willing to testify that the Kai powers can be taught just as well as his own magic, why, it would just make sense for the two groups to become one, sionce nothing is left to make them different."

He shook his head in disgust, but then smirked and said, looking a bit wild for a moment:

"But then, his plan hoped for our monastery to be severely weakened in the attack he had the Nadziranim launch, and hat failed utterly. He underestimates us, and that is enough of a flaw that I am certain we will eventually win over him."

The satifaction at the thought of such a victory was clear on the Mentora's face, and for a moment, as the wind ruffled his hairs a bit, he almost resembled more a fierce wolf then a mere human being.

Sun Snake hates dealing with Shining Peacock....really, he should take Sabre Fox's advice!

And hey, there are many questions, was just going throug hthem in alphabetical order :p

"Thank goodness, we plan to take advantage of the flaw of our foe underestimating us by underestimating our foe," said Sun Snake drying while rubbing his eyes.

He looked to Peacock. "So your advice on dealing with the guildstaff is to assume a master magical craftsman who is also a poweful mage with a powerful artifact of teleportation has no ability such as clicking his fingers and recalling his most valuable asset back to him should it leave his person. Oh, and let's assume that the intelligence person who understands Nexus fundamentally and has access to powerful magics of all the orders won't think to neutralise - even temporarily - the air around him to slow down the attempt he will feel the moment it starts. Please answer the actual question, so I know if we have to rely on disarming him - can we actually neutralise the staff itself?"

Sun Snake then gestured to Water Hornet, while taking out the magical magnet. "And as Water Hornet says, the danger is not Valador confronting you. Though yes, Valador could track the Deathstaff. After all, that is what my group did before when looking for the Sommerswerd, using this. No, the danger is that one of our most powerful Kai, someone who for all I know has already arranged to be leader when he returns to the monastery, is going to appear to betray everyone and give this Senajoz the Deathstaff. Valador is well traveled anyway. He spoke of injustices in the world, so he may well have been to this place. And if you have foreseen it as a great evil, then it may well be on Valador's own periphery as the first place to strike when his first goals are accomplished. So I ask you, what precautions have you taken so that Valador cannot immediately the moment you stop Senajoz appear in Toran or Holmgard, take credit for the victory, and then spend the days you take to come back explaining in detail how you betrayed everyone and almost succeeded? How would you plan to turn such accusations around if you are met upon your return by those in Toran who have directly felt your uncompromising... drive...before?"

Sun Snake's face had twisted in to a disgusted grimace upon Peacock's surmising on how Valador got the power of Nexus. The expression did not leave his face as he discussed it, clearly barely believing what Peacock had guessed. "If  - if - what you surmise with the experimentation is true, then the Nadziranim have those more human and less contemptible to give powers to - the Drakkarim. There is nothing to stop them attempting to experiment that way, if Valador has even hinted at what he has been doing. Indeed, no matter what Valador plans for the GRandmaster, it would be all the clearer, then, what the Nadziran may with with Grandmaster. Vyctar's exchange may be more complicated than feared. Perhaps he may well gain what Valador has proven possible. And if so, the Colonel has even been given apparent proof - in Sabre Fox - that such a bonding is possible."

Sun Snake looked positively dour.

Shining Peacock looked annoyed.

"Nobody in the world knows who the tyrant truly is but me, Sun Snake, as Water Hornet here can confirm for you. As for the Guildstaff, I do not know how it works, so I do not know if it can be stopped. Hoever, I will say that I do not believe I am underestimating the man, I am merely saying that he does not knows the true extent of the power a Kai can wield and, as such, he will not be expecting what we can do to him. And that surprise, usually, is enough of an advantage to carry the day for us."

Then he turned more serious.

"The Nadziranim might well be able to do the same as Valador did, yes, although there is also a strong possibility that what he accomplished required Left Handed and Old Kingdom magic to be used alongside their Right Handed one, which would make it out of their reach when he is disposed of. Either way, the Nadziranim are always scheming and trying to gain some form of power capable of making them as powerful as the Darklords, and we will always be fighting them anyway, so what they do is a tertiary concern at this point, especially after we inflicted them such a blow by striking in the heart of one of their fortresses and killing one of their own. They will need time to recover, and that time we will use to remove my opponent, retrieve the Sommerswerd, and deal with this rogue mage as swiftly as possible."

He pasued, then added, with a smile:

"Which is the reason you cannot come with me. You are the only one I would trust to do a proper job of getting the Sommerswerd back. Beside, Dusk Rat volounteered first, so it should be her I am taking along anyway."

Lol, so Dusk Rat complains we don't get to know here then runs off! And also, right when everything is going to get harder, we lose one PC to bowing out and another to going off on their own? :(

"Well Dusk Rat was assigned to Swift Fox, so at the very least Swift Fox as the Toran group's leader should have a say. Unless you wish to overrule?"
This message was last edited by the player at 21:20, Sat 14 June 2014.

The thought has occurred that if Valador is indeed trying to "steal" Kai powers so that he can use them himself and maybe give them to others so that the Kai become superfluous...well, the Kai are like, the "chosen" of the god of the same name, right? And the gods are real in this world? So Kai (the god) could just go "Erm, nope" and take his powers back off anyone he didn't actually give them to ;).

At Sun Snake's last comment, Dusk Rat's head turns slightly in his direction, though she says nothign and makes no further movement.

Indeed! Although imagine the crisis in faith if that didn't seem to be happening with Valador...

Shining Peacock seemed annoyed at Sun Snake's last comment for some reason as he answered, coldly:

"I am not the one you should be asking that question to."

He turned toward his studen and added, his tone now much more soft, almost affectionate:

"Assuming that it is alright with you, Dusk Rat, maybe explaining yourself to Snake would help him see how this is the best possible outcome, and why he should respect your decision?"

There are rules in the war among the gods - one of which is not to interfere directly into it (since that would make the whole "war by proxy" idea pointless in the first place).

Of course Naar, being evil, cheats like a madman, but Kai is above such things, and he will only act in the way the rules allows - he would took pride in winning by following the rules against an opponent who isn't, and he wouldn't want a win if he had to break the rules to get it. He's the god of honesty and honourable attitudes too, not just light and the sun, so you should not expect him to take such a direct hand in humans affairs - the Kai Lords and Ladies are the ones who act his will on the world, so how to solve the problem Valador poses he'll leave up to you.

He'd only act directly if he had to create a new champion, and that would only happen if the Kai were to fail and he needed to replace them... of course, if you want to commit mass suicide to push Kai into action, that's your choice as well! ^_^

"And you forget that my offer to go with you was contingent on the group accepting it as well. As I say, unless you are explicitly overuling the group's decision, Dusk Rat should indeed speak up over her reasons. But to Swift Fox as group leader first and foremost."

Sun Snake looked to Dusk Rat and spoke softly. "You know it wasn't easy for Swift Fox to take on that role."


Maybe Snake isn't just being contrary for the sake of it, and is thinking of poor Swift Fox for a change! :) Ok, maybe there is a little bit of being contrary to Peacock.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:14, Sat 14 June 2014.

Oh, I thought the Kai powers being gifts from Kai himself meant he was literally giving them to certain people at birth or whatever, so anyone who didn't get their powers directly from him like that wouldn't "count" as proper Kai, sort of thing, so he could just remove them the same way he gives them to the people he wants to be Kai. Otherwise, how do Kai get their powers?

"If Swift Fox wishes to hear an explanation," says Dusk Rat without looking directly at Sun Snake, "I'm sure she'll request one when she returns. Since that seems likely, there's no reason I should repeat myself needlessly."

Ever the practical one ;). Why explain something to Snake and then again to Swift when we can just wait for the latter to get back and explain to both at once? :D
Incidentally, for my last few posts in this thread I've been getting the "nearly at thread post limit" message, so we must be getting close by now, I imagine.

Kai granted the first Sommlending who traveled from the outskirts of Magnamund to the central continent powers. Ever since then, it's been randomly appearing in generations of children. The latent abilities are or aren't in someone, but study is really all that is needed to unlock it. Kai exists, but he's rolled his die in relation to gifting powers. It's up to the Kai to regulate the Kai, and so on.

Though interestingly, there was a surge in numbers during the war - apparently adversity managed to unlock more latent powers in children.

Sun Snake turned away, fishing in his pocket for something. "Speaking of Swift Fox, Water Hornet, I have something for you."

Sun Snake pulled out a crescent shaped pendant. "Swift Fox found this in the Darklands fortress. She surmised it might belong to the old baron of Askhaven. You should have it. You can use it to cast the spell of strength, the old kingdom magic, if you need it in combat."


Sun Snake then walked over to Sabre Fox. "I hope you are not asleep yet, there is something I forgot to give you."

Sun Snake held aloft a snake pendant, with two snakes coiled in an ouroboros. "It apparently heals those in the greatest danger. It would seem appropriate for you to have it."

OOC: Actually the Anskaven Pendant wasn't crescent shaped, it had the crest of Anskaven on it.  Dunno if I typoed it back there or not.  Lot of stuff going on :)
Posting may still be a little erratic for a couple of days...

Ok, so for right now I think we're waiting for an answer from Hornet and, eventually and whn he has the time, Sabre, to confim they're accepting Sun Snake's gifts. Then it'll be up to Swift Fox to come back to the scene and thus have your characters determine how to go about the "who's accompaning Peacock" situation.

Meanwhile, as Dusk Rat just pointed out, this thread is to its lmit, so I'm styopping it - once eveerybody is ready to go for the next part, give me a PM or make an OOC post and I'll open the next thread, which should be either the penultimate or the actual last thread before the Endgame.

Unless some long discussion stretches things out again! ;D

Thread VIII closed.

This message was last edited by the GM at 15:24, Mon 16 June 2014.