act complete Angelcynn: The Myrcian Conflict - Act 3 Reunion

[Frostivus]

[spoiler=One Night in Magonsaete, Part 3]Stocking vulneraries in the inventory was an incredibly dull and mind-numbing task for someone as intelligent as Morgana. Each vial had to be drained of additional chemicals, an assortment of multi-coloured substances that only reduced the medicinal properties. Every now and then they had to be shaken to prevent sedimentation. Then the chemical waste had to be properly disposed of in an excruciating but necessary protocol, which involved a lot of monkey work interspersed with a lot of nothing. Any unlucky soul tasked with this job would have dislocated their jaw from the chronic yawning, or died from stimulation deprivation. Which was what gave Morgana’s broad smile as she dawdled away at the boring chore its very perplexing context.

Until of course, a terrifying shriek and the crash of glass pierced the early morning, followed by the sound of footsteps rapidly approaching her tent.

Her smile only doubled in width.

“Bard.” Very short. Very non-comital.

“Don’t you bard me!” Scuttle roared. She had only just awakened; still in her night chemise, a jungle of bed-hair no doubt hidden underneath her makeshift bandana. A bandana which Scuttle promptly tore off, pointing to her tresses flowing aquatically down. “Do you care to explain this?!”

Morgana shifted her gaze to the floor in an attempt to maintain her veneer, but she was already sniggering. “Why, whatever is it that needs explaining?”

“Why in Belial’s name is my hair sporting seven different colours?!”

She shrugged innocently. “Perhaps you were feeling patriotic in your sleep-walking routine last night.”

“Pink?!”

Was probably the least offensive one.

The sorcerer regarded the hairstyle with a thoughtful finger on her chin. “My, my, it really doesn’t suit you, does it?” She crossed her legs and spread her arms out, exuding triumph. “I warned you, simple fool. This was war, such, all is fair. You prank me? I prank you back.”

Scuttle’s face exploded into a rainbow-crowned rage, flushing as red as one-seventh of her hair.

“Watch yourself, witch. You’re not going to see the next one coming. I swear to you, I’ll get you.”

“Well, bard, if there’s nothing else,” Morgana glanced pointedly to the flasks of colourful liquid simmering on her workbench, “Watching vulnerary paint dry happens to take all of my concentration.”

The late arrival Scuttle slipped in quietly with the rest of the group, trying her best to look as small and inconspicuous as possible.

Or as best as she could when there was a turban wrapped around her head.

Blend in by standing out, was the bard's dogma.

"Morning, everyone." She raised an eyebrow at Serge's growling stomach, "Sid's turn to cook today again?"

[Xinnidy]

"Is that so?" Owen forced himself to focus on Sidney's words, despite the distracting concerns. "I'd like to know what exactly Escablor did to get himself in this mess, so that's good." And speak of the devil, the two were quickly approached by Cass herself, "Hello, sister." Owen put out a better face than before, which hastily soured at the nature of his sister's questions. Of course it's about him. All the hopes that talking with his sister would put his mind off the subject for a moment were somehow unfounded. Oh well.

"All that is to be done is to follow him some of the way towards Raewald, at least, that was my idea at first." The prince remarked, rather dismissively if not for a following sigh. "I'd rather not prolong things, however. As soon as we're a safer distance from there, I'd prefer to part ways with him." He shook his head. I wish he'd speak more of my father, but it was silly to think that was of his interest.

"About what we found..." There was a brief pause where the prince frowned, "He hoped to retrieve something out of the cultists that lived in the area, but said it was of no matter to me. He also took one of the leader's belongings." Right, I need to speak to Claire of it.

[Dandragon]

"I don't really know who is cooking, I just haven't eaten in a while" In all honesty, Serge didn't really eat any dinner that night when they got back. He had slept through it, as well as the night. It had been an exhausting day for him yesterday, and he has just wanted to sleep it off.

He was about to say something else when a peculiar piece of head wear caught his eye. "Scuttle? Why are you wearing a Turban?"

[Frostivus]

"Turban? Oh! You mean this turban! The one on my head!" She tightened the wraps around it, carefully tucking a stray lock of magenta back.

It's the new rage in ladies' fashion! Haven't had time to comb my hair! Pick one, Scuttle!

"I've always worn a turban! All my life! And since we've known each other! Whatever are you talking about? Ha! Ha-ha," Scuttle laughed nervously.

She needed a more genuine smile. She tried to picture herself wringing Morgana's neck.

"Oh hey, has anyone else heard about what Malaphar found? That strange vial?" she asked in a feeble attempt to change the subject. "It was some really hairy situati -- Sebastian was close to dyeing -- it really showed the bandits in a new colo-- Has anyone else heard about what Malaphar found?"

Edited September 21, 2016 by Frostivus

[SB.]

Claire decided to follow Adele and the reliants over to Owen, still not feeling particularly alert, making sure to keep her distance from the jerk scholar. Instead, she found herself standing next to the bard, who she hadn't really spoken to at all after everything that had happened in the past few days. It took her a moment to spot the turban, despite the fact that it stuck out like a sore thumb. She blamed that on her drowsiness.

Her strange insistence about the turban almost dissuaded Claire from asking, but the subject of Malaphar was too important to ignore. "What did he find?" she asked, curiously. Maybe it was just Scuttle being weird again, but considering the wizard's comments two days prior, mentions of a strange vial put her a little on edge. She nervously felt around in her pockets for the elixir, just to assure herself it was still there. Even if Claire wasn't sure of its uses anymore, they didn't want to lose it.

[Ether]

As Adeltrudis made it over to Owen, giving a few nods to those gathered before turning face both the Prince's table as well as those who had followed her, she began to speak, somewhat grimly. The small exchange involving Scuttle's attire was odd, but not her focus at the moment.

"I can field that one, Claire. Well... he never let any of us touch or see it up close but... it looked the same as the Vial from Baleros. The head of the apparent cultists had it... the same ones that he basically dragged us along to help slaughter because he didn't like them. And Cass, Serge reported something that might pertain to you moreso, but to all of us in some way." Adele paused, taking a breath.

"The twins we fought on the beach are alive. Well, the man is... he claimed his sister to be as well. On another, more widespread note... they fought men who claimed to be the Reliants, and were told that Raewald had been killing messengers to Wyke, and that your coming was to be the start of a war, not the end of one. I'm sure that he or Angus could provide more detail on that, than I."

[Vestige]

There was some amalgam of people that had formed crowding the prince, and half of them were murmuring among themselves. He was starting to find it a bit of a bother, so he thought to open the conversation a little. "No, it seems as though no one else has heard about what Malaphar has found," Alain called out, overhearing Scuttle's confused ravings. He leaned over the table with his chin placed in his hand, and raised his brow. He paused for a moment, unsure of whether Scuttle was supposed to be of noble birth or not. Should I call her lady, or miss? He gave the woman a once over, and decided that her head garb most certainly meant she was noble. Only a noblewoman would elect to wear such head wear without a care in the world. But just to be safe, he decided not to make any mention of her stature for now. "Do tell, I'm sure people are rather curious," he said plainly.

[Dandragon]

"The entire time? Riiiiight." Scuttle was a terrible liar, that or she did not have a good lie prepared. Either way, Serge shook his head. "You know, your stories are getting crazier by the day."

Of course, it wasn't long before Adele brought up his report, including the part he had wanted to talk privately to Owen about. He turned to face the prince and princess, scratching the back of his head. So much for that... "Yeah...I didn't really wanna bring this up in front of everyone but...the leader of the wyvern knights we fought said that Raewald was killing any messanger they sent, and that...and that Queen Ethel was planning to take over Wyke herself, as well as Myrcia." That was the hardest part to get out. Serge waited for the potential backlash from his statement.

[SB.]

"It did?" Claire glanced at Adele worriedly. Malaphar taking the supposedly dangerous elixir (if it was that) into his possession after what he'd said previously was really not making him look good. Especially when he seemed to have his own agenda, by the sound of things.

Hearing about the supposedly reviving twins only increased the probability of the fountain being the real deal in Claire's mind. Raewald's supposed treachery certainly wasn't helping either, although the mage passed over that point for now, her features scrunched up in frustration. How much can we really do about this? Malaphar wasn't exactly going to listen to them, and none of the material she'd read mentioned how to deal with the seemingly immortal. And to top it all off, she really didn't want to speak with Emmet about any of this.

Everything was a mess.

[Nanami Touko]

Owen seemed reluctant to go into details. That didn't matter much, Adele and Serge weren't nearly as tight lipped! Not that the information brought a smile to her face. "Apellon is alive?" she asked, barely above a whisper. That meant his sister was alive. She paled, and held herself, quickly. That was the last thing she'd wanted to think about. It wasn't Serge's fault; she wasn't about to lash out at him, but that insane murderer, the one that had almost killed her, was still 'alive', somehow. And she did not wish to face off against her again.

Focus on the vial, focus on the vial... Thinking about Baleros after her recent brush with death was a lot easier to deal with. The lumbering moron had been a far less terrifying opponent, in hindsight. "So, what, Malaphar wants a crazy army? Or... Claire, please tell me your experiments with the substance didn't turn up... Is this why Apellon and Arteria are still alive? Because of this fucking liquid? Gods, please..." She tried to rein in her voice, but she wasn't having it, obviously shaken by the woman still being alive. But she couldn't just excuse herself and drag attention away from Owen. She could have her moment once he was done.

If that was all. Serge's party had all the luck, didn't it? And she hated every moment of it. Crazy twins still alive, and messengers being murdered. She shrunk further. Just hold it together and you can go vomit in the hallway after... Ugh, I didn't need to hear any of that. Why... Why does she have to still be alive!?

Edited September 22, 2016 by Narmaya

[riariadne]

"Hm hmm..." Sidney listened to all the differing tales of everyone's adventures. A strange potion, Raewalden trust broken, Malaphar continually being shady... none of the news seemed good. "Well, that sounds overall horrible. Associating with this guy seems to have brought nothing but trouble." She sighed, leaning on her hands. "So what do we do? Do we really even want to be around when he gets here?"

[SB.]

Claire shrunk back a little, taken by surprise by Cass' accusation. "Well, they're almost certainly connected," she started, voice fairly quiet. "But I hadn't seen the twins before we arrived here." This time, it hadn't been her mistake - although that was a very small comfort. Did she really have to bring it up now? In front of everyone? Claire had no idea what was going to be waiting for them back in the capital, and the thought of having to admit that to everyone here was almost as terrifying.

She wasn't ready for this. Her head was tilted downwards by this point, and most of her concentration was being spent on trying to keep her face from trembling. And all the while, the uncomfortable weight in her pocket felt heavier and heavier.

[Dandragon]

"Wait...What vial, what are you guys talking about?" Serge held his hands up, wanting everything to stop for a second. "Some of us haven't exactly been with you the whole way, so I would very much appreciate telling me what this vial is, because it sounds really important." He felt like he wasn't going to enjoy what he heard next.

[Xinnidy]

Well, the truth of the vial was out for the public, among other things. Some would say it was a matter of time, Owen was a bit unamused still. He held his hand up, "First of all, Sir mercenary." He spoke to Serge, "The vial is not something I want the public to know about, so make sure you and everyone here has the bit of responsibility to not let this spill to the common man, lest any ensuing chaos be your fault." It was a mixed vote of confidence, but Owen wanted those that weren't as close to him to realize the gravity of this discussion. "During the battle at Dettard's fort, we have found a concoction that supposedly can cure any ailment. We have tested it..." He paused, "It was proven true, but it drives a man mad. Baleros himself was a subject, presumably." He turned to Cass after that, she'd be the only one who'd make use of this information that didn't know before. But of course, that could be just a story told by Malaphar to scare us from testing it.

"And now the know that Malaphar has one such." The prince sighed, "The information about Raewald is appreciated, I'll keep this in mind." Owen had no idea who the twins even were, so the notion was shoved to the back of his mind quickly. "We still need to get out of this no man's land, and I'd appreciate it sooner, now that I've been informed of all this. Where is the captain?" The prince slowly stood up. At least one of them had to know anything about the Magonsaeten coast.

[Jotari]

Emmet watched in silence as small separate bits of information were revealed that eventually accumulated into the entire truth being brought to light. He would have preferred keeping the knowledge in the hands of as few people as possible. With so many more names on the table a lot unpredictable behaviours were bound to interfere. But it seems half the party already had compliments vague ideas of what was going on so the truth was somewhat inevitable.

Emmet cleared his throat and spoke. "I think we should kill Malaphar. It's no coincidence everywhere we go people are warning us about a wizard. And now with the elixir in his possession, he is far too powerful to leave alone. I think we've assisted in creating a monster and we need to deal with that fact."

[Terrador]

With Cassandra and Alain's attention wandering, Angus opts to stay behind, out of the teeming, dithering humanity clustered around Owen. He listens, a small frown on his face--he'd rather hoped Apellon's resurrection would remain quiet. Every word that followed continued to disquiet the young man. An elixir that raised the dead--Angus palms his head, slouching against the wall. [Not possible. Only Engel's magic could ever bring anyone back, but... if Claire says so, and that sort of magic can fit in a staff... maybe. Just maybe.] His frown contorts to a grimace at Cassandra's discomfort, but a mercenary openly suggesting they up and whack someone was too much. [That's Owen's business. Not his, not even mine. Hell if I'll let this uppity bastard start a riot.] Angus outright growls for a moment, rising uncomfortably to his feet before shouldering through the crowd, slapping a heavy hand on Emmet's shoulder.

"Oei. Emmet, righ'? Shut it." Wild eyes meet the bowman's, as a rough voice castigates him. "Let's say, f'r just a moment, you're righ'. We're gullivers up asses, doin' 'is dirty work. Notice who ain't? Anyone else." Angus spits on the floor, incensed. "Rulin' through fear works like shit, an' dries up jus' as quick. Only thing 'e could do is light a veck or two up, an' tryin' t'out-do me on th'stupid front only guarantees it!" The shouldered hand breaks free, Angus perhaps recognizing that he was too aggressive even for a mercenary. Still, he leans in close, and Emmet could doubtlessly smell what he had for lunch. "No more. Tha' man, right there?" Here, a cudgel arm extends, finger denoting the Prince. "This is his decision, an' he'll do right. So quit. Stirrin'. Th'damn pot." Even his own mention of Owen tempers Angus' anger, at least in part. He pops his neck softly, being deliberately, uncomfortably still for a time. Eventually, he turns to Cassandra.

"Don' worry about tha' girl. Had a chat with Apellon, after th'battle; I'm thinkin' he'd be... bored? Nah, not quite. Some kind o' not interested." Angus shakes his head, sighing, before side-eyeing Serge. "'sides, we killed 'em once, didn't we? Long as nobody runs off into th'wastes, we c'n do it again."

Edited September 22, 2016 by Terrador

[Juliette]

Freya was up early. She stood near the entrance, occasionally glancing out to check for the wizard or anyone else that might show up- though not particularly likely, it was a possibility. Inside, the nobles were discussing their findings, sometimes getting heated.

She rolled her eyes- it all seemed so ridiculous. Some people got into hysterics about the details, and plenty of bickering seemed to go on about some newfound mysterious shenanigans or another, which was apparently a popular run-in for the other two groups. Better than me needing to deal with it, at least, she reflected silently. The only information that was went over she found particularly worth thinking about was the threats one of the teams had heard about the war, but even still, she did not bother to raise her voice.

In her opinion, there were already too many people doing that anyway.

[Jotari]

Emmet pushes away from the overly touchy knight the first chance he can. "What in the world are you talking about?" Emmet asked, confounded by the man's words. He had heard this Angus speak on several brief occasions before but he'd always sounded at least slightly more intelligible than that. "You have some form of objection I gather? This is an open conversation, you don't need to shove your opinion down by throat. Talk to everyone."

[Terrador]

Angus exhales slowly, taking a few steps back from Emmet. Another breath, his eyes closed, his airs put on once again. One more, as he gathers his words.

"The point is, we're that wizard's only allies. The only real danger is in fighting him, and he doesn't seem interested in that just yet." The baron shakes his head. Only now did he realize the hollering must have slaughtered his credibility. "Any thought of a move against him only spreads fear and insults the Prince." Angus looks to his liege. "Any action would be his decision, and he is... incredible. None of us need to worry." Angus' words were still rough, still failed to convey why he spoke. Maybe a better man could speak well of Owen's moral and mental fortitude. A better man could explain that discord and disharmony, let alone a half-hearted assassination, were far likelier to tear these soldiers' souls from the earth than the silver-tongued wizard that accompanied them.

Better men and women were whom Angus addressed, thankfully. With any luck, they would understand what a mooncalf couldn't fully explain.

Edited September 22, 2016 by Terrador

[Jotari]

"Of course the princes gets to decide the matter." Emmet raised his arms and shook his head. "He is our leader after all. But I'm free to make a suggestion. And I think this Malaphar is bad news for the people of Magonsaete and Wyke. In the short time he's known us all he's done is manipulate us like attack dogs in order to further his own designs. I don't know what your battle was like yesterday but the prince and I found ourselves fighting people that did not deserve to die that way. They were armed but nothing about them suggested they wanted to harm anyone aside from Malaphar. I'm not afraid to tell it like it is. We probably killed innocents, purely because of our allegiance to that man. He's dangerous. And we've only made him more dangerous. I think we should deal with him before he has the chance to hurt anyone else. Simply walking away from this mess would be extremely irresponsible."

[SB.]

Since when have you gave a damn about doing the right thing, Emmet? Claire wondered, slowly looking up and taking a deep breath to try and calm herself. It made her glad to see Angus giving him some hassle, but for once Claire wasn't up for joining in. She continued to avoid making eye contact with anyone, hoping to avoid any questioning.

[Nanami Touko]

Angus' comfort did little for her, but at least he'd tried. Owen seemed to look past her entirely, either too distracted or not caring at all. Cass gave him the benefit of the doubt, only because of the severity of their situation. Don't become like Father, Owen... Swallowing her vomit as she felt a bit coming up, the only thing the bothered her further in this discussion was Emmet's sudden suggestion to kill Malaphar. Despite everything, she had no reason, not that she could think of, to disagree with the notion. It only bothered her that he'd brought it up.

"You seemed all too eager to lick after his boot heels when he was deciding where we would go. You kill some innocents and your tone shifts entirely? Like the rest of us are any better. This is about the vial, and you're not telling the class something, Emmet." She had no patience for further discussion, and she didn't want to risk losing her breakfast in front of everyone. Alain was sitting off to the side. Without a word to Angus, his brand of comfort had truly done nothing-- why can't he just be as caring as he was that night? It's like he's not even the same man... --she walked off towards Alain, sinking herself into a chair and having a frighteningly long staring contest with the table.

Edited September 22, 2016 by Narmaya

[Jotari]

"Of course this is about the vial" Emmet said. "The vial that can make someone invincible and a maniac wizard now has in his possession thanks to us. I've already seen him literally roast someone that was running away from him. What greater reason do you need to bring an obvious threat to justice?"

Edited September 22, 2016 by Jotari

[Dandragon]

"That's enough, Emmet!" Serge finally stepped forward to stop Emmet from continuing his rant. "In case you didn't realize, we aren't exactly the spitting image of 'justice' right about now. And maybe the reason so many people are reluctant to go after him is because he can incinerate some of us without a second thought. I get it; you're angry about being this. So am I. I just had to kill the last remnants of a guild I looked up to for several years of my life because of that man. But you need to understand that he could kill us in an instant if we so much as looked at him funny." He did not need this. He was already hungry and had no idea if there was even any food for him, and now he was getting irritated. Probably because he was hungry. "I need you to understand our position here, Emmet. We aren't agents of divine justice or anything like that. We're just people."

[Jotari]

Emmet began playing with a strand of hair that had come loose from his pony tail. "You are mistaken Serge. I'm not angry. I'm just expressing my opinion on the matter. Ultimately I'll follow whatever decision you make. You are my commander after all. If cowardice is the path we shall walk then so be it." He shrugged. "Of course this is all assuming we ever even see him again. Now that he has what he wants from us he's probably gone immediately on his way to manipulate another bunch of saps."

Edited September 22, 2016 by Jotari