Shadows 6.3
Nov. 22nd, 2006 12:16 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
measured_wordsIt's been a while, hasn't it? Well, this is the end of the term, also known as the eason I will probably never attempt a NaNo project until I'm out of school. I still get to write a little bit everyday while I'm waiting for the bus, but I have less time that I can take to dedicate to writing or typing what's in my book. Good thing I enjoy academia! I don't forsee my meeting my self-imposed deadling of the end of the month for The Cursed Wreck, either :/ Maybe in December. In anycase, I' sure you've al been waiting with bated breath! This section turned out quite long, and despite the mopyness of the first bit, I think it turnd out pretty well :)
As a bit of a continuity note, Hadyn got dragged into a session of the ongoing campaign set in this world, with which Shadows occurs concurently. I think this chapter summarizes the meat of what happened pretty nicely, but if anyone is curious, you can always read the session logs here (main session - see especially wacky teleportation hijinks*, dance off, and the perils of polymorph), here (mostly Lendrick and Teah), and here(Lendrick and Hadyn).
*Any similarities to events recently seen in the excellent webcomic The Order of the Stick is completely coincidental. This was first! also I think that Rich Burlew is secretly part of our campaign group ;)
It was mid-afternoon by the time Hadyn made it back to Abe’s home. There was a large teleport sink outside Shiroeki to prevent unwanted incursions, and the gats were warded against similar transportation spells. The only ways to get around these precautions were either to be properly registered and licensed to travel magically, or to teleport a safe distance away and walk or ride the rest of the way. The first option wasn’t acceptable to Hadyn nor, as a foreigner, was he eligible. The power of the sink meant that a ‘safe distance’ translated into a three hour walk, and then he’d had to deal with the gate guards.
He’d been in a foul mood when he’d left white raven, and the walk and subsequent hassle at the gate hadn’t helped matters. He’d produced the documents Abe had secured for him which legitimated his business in the Imperial capital from where he’d tucked them away in his spellbook before he’d left to rescue Lendrick from his drunken teleportation misadventures. They’d only helped speed the interrogation slightly. The clerk had very nearly required a member of the Abe household to come down and vouch for him in person. He was glad it didn’t come to that, in the end. He was also glad he hadn’t had to explain Teah – she found her own way past the walls.
For once he was glad that he’d hardly seen his teacher – he wanted nothing more at this point than to crawl into bed and sleep. The night before had been anything but restful, and he just felt drained. He passed through the gate into the courtyard, aiming for the workshop and reaching into his component pouch for the twisted loop of parchment lubricated with cornflour he’d need to re-cast his Rope trick. He stopped when he noticed movement inside the building – it seemed he’d get no rest for the moment.
Hadyn looked to Teah, half considering just hiding out somewhere in the city until he felt a bit better put together, but he could sense her skepticism. He’d hide until it was too late, and she knew it. Instead of leaving, he walked over to one of the ornamental ponds where a few ancient koi hid under night blooming lotuses. Talking to Lendrick had in the morning had taken a lot out of him, and he hadn’t thought his system had much more left to throw at him. It was an unpleasant surprise to feel the familiar tension building at the back of his neck, creeping down through his shoulders into his core. He couldn’t remember not having a headache; yesterday seemed impossibly far away.
He couldn’t afford a panic attack here - especially not now – and he hunted quickly through his belt pouched until he found one of the Remove Fear potions his friend had given him when they’d said their initial farewells at Fort Cedric. He wished he’d had the presence of mind to do he same the night before, but that was the whole problem, wasn’t it? The potion was refreshing, with a slightly bitter aftertaste. Hadyn turned to face Abe as she approached, guided by a mental warning from his familiar. Teah took her customary place at his side and he placed a hand on her head as though he could draw physically upon her strength. His hostess bore her customary sour expression.
She stopped several feet away and looked him up and down critically as he bowed, and made a cursory gesture of her own. “Come inside,”
Hadyn followed into the workshop, where she ordered him to prepare some tea. There was already water boiled, so he produced two cups and an earthenware pot and set a basic calming brew to steep. This he set on the table in front of Abe, and sat himself on the stool opposite her. She nodded once, though he wasn’t sure if the gesture was one of approval or simple acknowledgement. Hopefully she would be as direct with him this time as she had on all previous occasions – it would at least be over sooner.
“Show me your hand, “she commanded as soon as he’d settled himself, “without your spell.”
He wondered, not for the first time, how much what she seemed to know was simple observation, or if she had other ways of knowing. His wards should protect him from most detection spells. He was a wizard, however, and it was clear that he was not sporting the strange wound she’d inflicted on him with her jade demilune. He hesitated a moment before he reached across the table and dropped the spell.
She was surprised, but covered her reaction with a quick frown and took his hand. The silvered veins were slightly darker today and now crept just a hair above his elbow. They throbbed slightly at the transition to his normal yellowish skin, and also wherever Abe touched them. He’d noticed the difference this morning, and had no doubt that she understood the implication even better than he.
“You still have the talisman I gave you?”
Hadyn nodded. It was tucked safely in his component pouch.
“Tell me what happened.”
“He wasn’t sure where to start. Last night with Lendrick and his fellow revelers trapped on a frozen mountain in need of rescuing? Teah’s initial account of meeting the strange wolf, Reason, before they’d left Fort Cedric? No, she wouldn’t care about details. If she did, she would ask.
“I went back to my allies last night. One of the druids there has recently taken a new animal companion – a wolf. Only last night, we learned this is not his true form. He is a Hound Archon – though he doesn’t remember much of his life. He is very old.”
Abe nodded. Of course she would know of the Archons, natural enemies of all evil creatures from the far planes – Outsiders. She was an expert on demons, and it followed that she would know their enemies.
“Did he attack you?”
“No.”
“But you believed he would.”
“Yes.” He hadn’t thought about it at all – just reacted. Teah had dealt with Reason after they’d both been given human (or in Teah’s case, Half-Elven) forms by Lendrick. Wizards shouldn’t be allowed near their components after they’d had that much ale. Or, even better, they shouldn’t be allowed to drink.
“And you reacted in a manner that increased the power of the demonic influence that taints you.” She made it sound as though he’d slaughtered a room full of helpless infants.
Hadyn shook his head. Why now? He wasn’t ready to get into this on a good day, which this certainly was not. “Nothing happened.”
“Don’t lie to me, Zanne.” Her small eyes narrowed to slits.
“I’m not! It was a….tense situation.” He’d certainly been tense; he’d fled to the lab and begged Volaris to send him away. In a more rational frame of mind, he’d have realized that reason posed him no immediate threat. But he hadn’t bee at al rational. “The taint. It feeds on that tension.” He’d felt close to snapping when Volaris had sent him back to White Raven Harbor with Lendrick. His friend had become an almost too convenient target. “It feels threatened, I think.”
“It. You speak of the taint as though it is its own entity. Is this the case?”
“I’m not sure.” Others spoke of it as though it were completely separated from him, something that could be easily removed. The truth was not so simple, he suspected. It spoke I his own voice, and he wasn’t convinced that was simply a trick.
“Tell me how you incurred this taint.”
And here it was. He wondered if he should preface his story with any kind of information – he hadn’t understood; he hadn’t really had a choice. His reasons weren’t clear to him now. Of course, Abe probably wouldn’t care even if she believed him.
“I was traveling through the planes. Blindly. I had an item, but I couldn’t control it properly.” At the time, he hadn’t care to much where he’d ended up, either. “It brought me to the prime Infernal Plane. Before I had an opportunity to escape, one of the native demons accosted me. It made me an offer – knowledge and power that I could use to … defend myself.” To use against the people who had killed his parents, who he’d known were after him. The king’s people, his guard. He understood why, what had happened – it was madness. Not his own in this case. It was the king’s madness.
“And in return?”
Hadyn nodded at Abe’s prompt, ignoring her scowl of disgust and trying to keep his own expression and tone from betraying how deeply disturbing he found it to rehash these events. “I traded it some of my own abilities. Things that my people can do – Psionics. I’m not sure how it worked.”
“And that is all?”
“No. It wanted the item I used to travel between the planes. It said it would send me somewhere safe.” It was a sour thought. True, it would be more difficult for a powerful assassin of any kind to follow him to Keth – the plane was warded. There were ways around these protections, however. And Keth’s guardians might well decide to take exception to his presence here. It had crossed his mind that Abe might be a servant to the Fates, wittingly or not..
She regarded him as she poured the tea, her own cup first, waiting for more. But that was all. His soul, such as it was, belonged to him. Even as young and terrified as he’d been, Hadyn was sure he would have balked at such a proposal. Now, however, he wondered if it mattered. If he were subsumed by the taint, he would be just as lost.
Abe picked up her cup and sniffed it suspiciously. “You are young, Zanne. You must have been quite young when you struck this ill-conceived accord.” She sipped the tea, and nodded once, though her tone remained patronizing and accusatory. “That does not excuse your folly. But it is too late for excuses, as you must well know. How long ago did all this occur?”
“Nearly three years ago now.” Hadyn picked up his cup, the heat sapping some of the tension from his hands. The tea itself was very slightly sweet. He took a deep drink and winced slightly as it burned in his throat.
“Explain the power that they gave you. And then you may go. I can see you will be of little use to me today.”
The end was in sight. And this seemed easier – more a matter of observation, with fewer painful memories to dredge up. “It gave me knowledge of magic. Things that a wizard would know. An aptitude for necromancy.” How to explain the rest, then? He’d rarely been pressed to put his understanding of it into words. “The taint started off weaker. It has grown in power, perhaps increasing as my magic has. It is difficult to describe. It’s negative. Negative thoughts and reactions. It feeds them and feeds from them. Containing it is, or feels like, a matter of self-control. When I lose…”
Abe looked up sharply. “It changes you. How you look, how you think.”
“Yes. I feel more removed from my actions. It’s only ever fully manifested once, and its influence faded in less than a day. I think it is stronger now.”
Lendrick thought this woman could help him. Hadyn still wasn’t sure. He didn’t trust her motives, or see any incentive for her. But he would try this for now, and tell her all she wanted to know. He doubted that this confidence could possibly give her any further power over him than she already possessed. He was already at her mercy, and she showed no sign that any of the details of his condition that she had learned tonight required his immediate elimination. Instead, she refilled her teacup calmly as he finished his explanation.
“I will consider this. Continue your reading for now – take notes on all you consider significant, for your Loyalists and for yourself. I will review them later.”
Hadyn rose and bowed, retreating quickly to his section of the workshop to retrieve his book, recast his Rope Trick, and withdraw from the world.
As a bit of a continuity note, Hadyn got dragged into a session of the ongoing campaign set in this world, with which Shadows occurs concurently. I think this chapter summarizes the meat of what happened pretty nicely, but if anyone is curious, you can always read the session logs here (main session - see especially wacky teleportation hijinks*, dance off, and the perils of polymorph), here (mostly Lendrick and Teah), and here(Lendrick and Hadyn).
*Any similarities to events recently seen in the excellent webcomic The Order of the Stick is completely coincidental. This was first! also I think that Rich Burlew is secretly part of our campaign group ;)
It was mid-afternoon by the time Hadyn made it back to Abe’s home. There was a large teleport sink outside Shiroeki to prevent unwanted incursions, and the gats were warded against similar transportation spells. The only ways to get around these precautions were either to be properly registered and licensed to travel magically, or to teleport a safe distance away and walk or ride the rest of the way. The first option wasn’t acceptable to Hadyn nor, as a foreigner, was he eligible. The power of the sink meant that a ‘safe distance’ translated into a three hour walk, and then he’d had to deal with the gate guards.
He’d been in a foul mood when he’d left white raven, and the walk and subsequent hassle at the gate hadn’t helped matters. He’d produced the documents Abe had secured for him which legitimated his business in the Imperial capital from where he’d tucked them away in his spellbook before he’d left to rescue Lendrick from his drunken teleportation misadventures. They’d only helped speed the interrogation slightly. The clerk had very nearly required a member of the Abe household to come down and vouch for him in person. He was glad it didn’t come to that, in the end. He was also glad he hadn’t had to explain Teah – she found her own way past the walls.
For once he was glad that he’d hardly seen his teacher – he wanted nothing more at this point than to crawl into bed and sleep. The night before had been anything but restful, and he just felt drained. He passed through the gate into the courtyard, aiming for the workshop and reaching into his component pouch for the twisted loop of parchment lubricated with cornflour he’d need to re-cast his Rope trick. He stopped when he noticed movement inside the building – it seemed he’d get no rest for the moment.
Hadyn looked to Teah, half considering just hiding out somewhere in the city until he felt a bit better put together, but he could sense her skepticism. He’d hide until it was too late, and she knew it. Instead of leaving, he walked over to one of the ornamental ponds where a few ancient koi hid under night blooming lotuses. Talking to Lendrick had in the morning had taken a lot out of him, and he hadn’t thought his system had much more left to throw at him. It was an unpleasant surprise to feel the familiar tension building at the back of his neck, creeping down through his shoulders into his core. He couldn’t remember not having a headache; yesterday seemed impossibly far away.
He couldn’t afford a panic attack here - especially not now – and he hunted quickly through his belt pouched until he found one of the Remove Fear potions his friend had given him when they’d said their initial farewells at Fort Cedric. He wished he’d had the presence of mind to do he same the night before, but that was the whole problem, wasn’t it? The potion was refreshing, with a slightly bitter aftertaste. Hadyn turned to face Abe as she approached, guided by a mental warning from his familiar. Teah took her customary place at his side and he placed a hand on her head as though he could draw physically upon her strength. His hostess bore her customary sour expression.
She stopped several feet away and looked him up and down critically as he bowed, and made a cursory gesture of her own. “Come inside,”
Hadyn followed into the workshop, where she ordered him to prepare some tea. There was already water boiled, so he produced two cups and an earthenware pot and set a basic calming brew to steep. This he set on the table in front of Abe, and sat himself on the stool opposite her. She nodded once, though he wasn’t sure if the gesture was one of approval or simple acknowledgement. Hopefully she would be as direct with him this time as she had on all previous occasions – it would at least be over sooner.
“Show me your hand, “she commanded as soon as he’d settled himself, “without your spell.”
He wondered, not for the first time, how much what she seemed to know was simple observation, or if she had other ways of knowing. His wards should protect him from most detection spells. He was a wizard, however, and it was clear that he was not sporting the strange wound she’d inflicted on him with her jade demilune. He hesitated a moment before he reached across the table and dropped the spell.
She was surprised, but covered her reaction with a quick frown and took his hand. The silvered veins were slightly darker today and now crept just a hair above his elbow. They throbbed slightly at the transition to his normal yellowish skin, and also wherever Abe touched them. He’d noticed the difference this morning, and had no doubt that she understood the implication even better than he.
“You still have the talisman I gave you?”
Hadyn nodded. It was tucked safely in his component pouch.
“Tell me what happened.”
“He wasn’t sure where to start. Last night with Lendrick and his fellow revelers trapped on a frozen mountain in need of rescuing? Teah’s initial account of meeting the strange wolf, Reason, before they’d left Fort Cedric? No, she wouldn’t care about details. If she did, she would ask.
“I went back to my allies last night. One of the druids there has recently taken a new animal companion – a wolf. Only last night, we learned this is not his true form. He is a Hound Archon – though he doesn’t remember much of his life. He is very old.”
Abe nodded. Of course she would know of the Archons, natural enemies of all evil creatures from the far planes – Outsiders. She was an expert on demons, and it followed that she would know their enemies.
“Did he attack you?”
“No.”
“But you believed he would.”
“Yes.” He hadn’t thought about it at all – just reacted. Teah had dealt with Reason after they’d both been given human (or in Teah’s case, Half-Elven) forms by Lendrick. Wizards shouldn’t be allowed near their components after they’d had that much ale. Or, even better, they shouldn’t be allowed to drink.
“And you reacted in a manner that increased the power of the demonic influence that taints you.” She made it sound as though he’d slaughtered a room full of helpless infants.
Hadyn shook his head. Why now? He wasn’t ready to get into this on a good day, which this certainly was not. “Nothing happened.”
“Don’t lie to me, Zanne.” Her small eyes narrowed to slits.
“I’m not! It was a….tense situation.” He’d certainly been tense; he’d fled to the lab and begged Volaris to send him away. In a more rational frame of mind, he’d have realized that reason posed him no immediate threat. But he hadn’t bee at al rational. “The taint. It feeds on that tension.” He’d felt close to snapping when Volaris had sent him back to White Raven Harbor with Lendrick. His friend had become an almost too convenient target. “It feels threatened, I think.”
“It. You speak of the taint as though it is its own entity. Is this the case?”
“I’m not sure.” Others spoke of it as though it were completely separated from him, something that could be easily removed. The truth was not so simple, he suspected. It spoke I his own voice, and he wasn’t convinced that was simply a trick.
“Tell me how you incurred this taint.”
And here it was. He wondered if he should preface his story with any kind of information – he hadn’t understood; he hadn’t really had a choice. His reasons weren’t clear to him now. Of course, Abe probably wouldn’t care even if she believed him.
“I was traveling through the planes. Blindly. I had an item, but I couldn’t control it properly.” At the time, he hadn’t care to much where he’d ended up, either. “It brought me to the prime Infernal Plane. Before I had an opportunity to escape, one of the native demons accosted me. It made me an offer – knowledge and power that I could use to … defend myself.” To use against the people who had killed his parents, who he’d known were after him. The king’s people, his guard. He understood why, what had happened – it was madness. Not his own in this case. It was the king’s madness.
“And in return?”
Hadyn nodded at Abe’s prompt, ignoring her scowl of disgust and trying to keep his own expression and tone from betraying how deeply disturbing he found it to rehash these events. “I traded it some of my own abilities. Things that my people can do – Psionics. I’m not sure how it worked.”
“And that is all?”
“No. It wanted the item I used to travel between the planes. It said it would send me somewhere safe.” It was a sour thought. True, it would be more difficult for a powerful assassin of any kind to follow him to Keth – the plane was warded. There were ways around these protections, however. And Keth’s guardians might well decide to take exception to his presence here. It had crossed his mind that Abe might be a servant to the Fates, wittingly or not..
She regarded him as she poured the tea, her own cup first, waiting for more. But that was all. His soul, such as it was, belonged to him. Even as young and terrified as he’d been, Hadyn was sure he would have balked at such a proposal. Now, however, he wondered if it mattered. If he were subsumed by the taint, he would be just as lost.
Abe picked up her cup and sniffed it suspiciously. “You are young, Zanne. You must have been quite young when you struck this ill-conceived accord.” She sipped the tea, and nodded once, though her tone remained patronizing and accusatory. “That does not excuse your folly. But it is too late for excuses, as you must well know. How long ago did all this occur?”
“Nearly three years ago now.” Hadyn picked up his cup, the heat sapping some of the tension from his hands. The tea itself was very slightly sweet. He took a deep drink and winced slightly as it burned in his throat.
“Explain the power that they gave you. And then you may go. I can see you will be of little use to me today.”
The end was in sight. And this seemed easier – more a matter of observation, with fewer painful memories to dredge up. “It gave me knowledge of magic. Things that a wizard would know. An aptitude for necromancy.” How to explain the rest, then? He’d rarely been pressed to put his understanding of it into words. “The taint started off weaker. It has grown in power, perhaps increasing as my magic has. It is difficult to describe. It’s negative. Negative thoughts and reactions. It feeds them and feeds from them. Containing it is, or feels like, a matter of self-control. When I lose…”
Abe looked up sharply. “It changes you. How you look, how you think.”
“Yes. I feel more removed from my actions. It’s only ever fully manifested once, and its influence faded in less than a day. I think it is stronger now.”
Lendrick thought this woman could help him. Hadyn still wasn’t sure. He didn’t trust her motives, or see any incentive for her. But he would try this for now, and tell her all she wanted to know. He doubted that this confidence could possibly give her any further power over him than she already possessed. He was already at her mercy, and she showed no sign that any of the details of his condition that she had learned tonight required his immediate elimination. Instead, she refilled her teacup calmly as he finished his explanation.
“I will consider this. Continue your reading for now – take notes on all you consider significant, for your Loyalists and for yourself. I will review them later.”
Hadyn rose and bowed, retreating quickly to his section of the workshop to retrieve his book, recast his Rope Trick, and withdraw from the world.
