Ch 4: Part 4: To Serve Evil: Session 62

[15:13] <Kilarra> *****Second Darkness*****
[15:13] <Kilarra> ~~~Chapter 4: Eternal Night~~~
[15:14] <Kilarra> \Part 4: To Serve Evil/
[15:14] <Kilarra> -Session 62-
[15:17] <Kilarra> Life at House Vonnarc continues as normal for the party, their mundane chores continuing as expected. Unfortunately without many new leads. However, on her 17th day, Kahree is informed by Paingiver Drovoanis that her service has merited the 'reward' of more complex tasks, her skills having been proven.
[15:20] <Kilarra> Kahree is assigned to keep watch over the living quarters of the House Vonnarc nobles, rather than just a regular watch or patrol. Kjell is assigned a standard patrol, Aluthyra finds herself back in the Stables, and Kilarra is once again in the kitchen.
[15:23] <Kilarra> Kilarra has really gotten used to kitchen work and performs well, and Aluthyra's time in the Stables works out for her, even without Kilarra. Kjell's patrol goes without incident, and Kahree performs adequately on her first day of noble servitude.
[15:28] <Kilarra> The following day however, sees a bit of change from their usual servitude. Undamesta calls upon the party for a 'special task'. "You will, all of you, follow me."
[15:30] <Aluthyra> Kahree scowls. She rather enjoyed, or rather tolerated, this when not in servitude to the slavemother. She follows nonetheless, seeing as it would get them in trouble if she objected.
[15:30] * Aluthyra nods, keeping her mouth shut, and follows.
[15:30] * Kilarra isn't sure they're gonna like this, but given that Kahree had recently made some progress in terms of the house's view of her competence, it would probably be best to play along for now until any potential danger was confirmed.
[15:30] <Kilarra> Kjell follows along with Kahree, equally silent.
[15:33] <Kilarra> Undamesta begins leading the party towards, as Kjell and Kahree would recognize, the guard posts where they usually recieved their tasks from Paingiver Drovoanis. She explains, "Three of our driders have gone missing. We managed to track them down, but Drovoanis can only spare a couple of his regular guards. So, we're putting you on the task of dealing with them."
[15:36] <Aluthyra> Kahree nods. "Sure. Do you want us to bring them back, or just kill them?"
[15:37] <Kilarra> Undamesta looks back at Kahree, "We have no use for deserters."
[15:38] <Aluthyra> Kahree nods with a light frown.
[15:40] * Kilarra nods, not really having any objections given what she knew of driders. They were effectively living weapons so far as she knew, but not entirely mindless. They had already killed a couple during the battle of Celwynvian.
[15:41] <Kilarra> Kjell wonders why the driders would have fled at all.
[15:44] * Aluthyra wonders as well, but questions will probably only anger the Slavemother.
[15:45] <Aluthyra> Kahree nods. "Very well. So, where'd they track the driders down to?"
[15:51] <Kilarra> Undamesta brings the party to the company of a pair of House Vonnarc guards that would be joining them. "These servants will be at your disposal for the hunt." She then heads back to her own duties. The guards scowl at the party a bit, then motion for them to follow. "We tracked them to a cave only about an hour from here, but we leave now, otherwise they might be lost to us."
[15:53] * Aluthyra nods. "Very well." She slings her bow over her shoulder after taking it out from her efficient quiver.
[15:53] <Aluthyra> Kahree shrugs. "Ready to go then."
[15:55] * Kilarra isn't sure she wants to show off her divine capabilities in front of these two guards. She then loads her crossbow with one of the drow fire bolts.
[15:57] <Kilarra> Kjell nods and flexes his spell arm.
[15:58] <Kilarra> The drow guards lead the party away on foot, heading to the north of Zirnakaynin
[15:59] <Aluthyra> Kahree draws her maces along the way.
[16:02] <Kilarra> As the drow guards lead the party away from the city, it becomes evident that they are at least moderately experienced traversing the catacombs of the darklands.
[16:04] <Kilarra> That said, the darklands are a dangerous place...
[16:06] <Kilarra> The party can easily pick up on a bubbling, sloughing sound coming from just up ahead. Their darkvision in drow form allows them to make out a small crevice, out of which a mass of dark purple, almost black... stuff, is burbling forward.
[16:12] <Kilarra> The guards do not look happy to see this thing, turning back to the party, "Any of you got magic? Most weapons will just split that thing into multiple parts." One of them looks to Kahree's maces, "Those will work though."
[16:14] <Aluthyra> Kahree nods. "Alright... I can work with that, then."
[16:14] * Aluthyra nods. "I will as well," she reaches back, pulling out a blunt arrow. "This will do, I assume."
[16:15] <Kilarra> The guard doesn't look to sure. "No idea, but if you make things worse, we're leaving you to deal with it." The guards only have hand crossbows and Rapiers, and are not properly equipped to deal with an ooze
[16:16] * Kilarra stands back and lets the others handle the fight. She could provide healing if necesary when the guards were out of earshot.
[16:25] * Kahree charges forward, raising one of her maces up high and descending it upon the blob's form.
[16:30] <Kilarra> The ooze is substantially larger in volume than Kahree, but her mace manages to cave in a chunk of it. However, the surface of the ooze is corrosive, and leaves marks on her mace.
[16:33] <Kilarra> The mace is not structurally damaged, but the finish is scuffed
[16:35] * Aluthyra aims for the ooze, preparing her volley. Within moments, she sends five arrows towards the mass.
[16:37] <Kilarra> Four of them strike true, the ooze not very evasive in the slightest
[16:37] <Kilarra> The arrows almost immediately dissolve after punching into the ooze
[16:41] <Kilarra> Kjell steps forward, his spell arm crackling with lightning. He didn't want to risk his sword given what the two drow said. He fires a bolt of lightning at the huge creature
[16:42] <Kilarra> Kjell's lightning bolt bursts the blob's bubble, causing it to smoulder and slough back down into the crevice, dissolving into nothing as it goes.
[16:47] * Kilarra looks relieved that no one was hurt
[16:47] <Kilarra> The guards seem begrudgingly impressed
[16:48] <Aluthyra> Kahree grins, looking back over to the guards. "So, let's keep moving."
[16:49] <Kilarra> Kjell lowers his hand. He rolls his shoulder and looks to the guards. He nods simply as though he was simply doing his duty, and begins moving again.
[16:49] <Kilarra> The guards continue leading the party, with about half of their trek remaining.
[16:58] <Kilarra> The gaurds eventually lead the party to a small cavern. They can see only the one entrance, and the cavern is small.
[17:00] <Aluthyra> Kahree raises a hand to halt the guards and her companions. "Let me scout ahead, at least to get off the first hit and try to take 'em by surprise."
[17:00] <Kilarra> The guards look to each other, then to Kahree. They nods, "Your neck."
[17:01] * Aluthyra frowns. "If it goes poorly, call for us. Surely you cannot take them all."
[17:02] <Kilarra> Kjell draws his sword and flexes his spell arm
[17:03] <Aluthyra> Kahree nods. She places her hand upon her chest, mumbling, and after a short moment, disappears. Invisible, Kahree continues into the cavern.
[17:06] <Kilarra> The cavern is 60' in diameter. The three driders are inside. They seem on edge, as though expecting pursuit. Each is armed with a longspear. These driders are all male, and hideous looking compared to the female ones the rest of the party had seen on the surface at Celwynvian.
[17:12] <Kilarra> The three are talking amongst each other.
[17:14] <Aluthyra> Kahree grins, moving silently forward... She positions herself behind one of the driders, preparing to attack.
[17:15] * Aluthyra listens in, ready to move for trouble.
[17:18] <Aluthyra> Kahree raises both maces, bringing them down swiftly and simultaneously to batter the first drider's lower abdomen. In the same swift movement, she slides towards a second Drider, sideswiping with both maces into the abdomen.
[17:20] <Kilarra> Aluthyra can easily make out the sound of Kahree's attack in the echoing cavern.
[17:23] * Aluthyra frowns, pointing forward. "Go. She's attacked."
[17:26] <Kilarra> The first drider is smacked as Kahree becomes visible it reels from the blows as it is hit with considerable concussive force. The second one is dropped completely unconscious by the pair of sudden blows to its solar plexus.
[17:35] <Aluthyra> Kahree grins, lunging towards the third drider. This time, she unleashes her full flurry against a single target, blow after blow into its carapace.
[17:39] <Kilarra> It goes down before it even knows what's hit it
[17:41] <Kilarra> Only one drider is still standing, and its bruised and beaten
[17:45] * Aluthyra rushes in, looking around for the driders. She blinks, noting that only one stands, and fires a single arrow towards it.
[17:48] <Kilarra> Aluthyra's arrow drops the third drider without killing it. It had already taken too much of a beating, but was not critically wounded.
[17:48] <Kilarra> The drow guards follow Aluthyra in and look at the trio of dowwned Driders. They draw their weapons.
[17:49] <Aluthyra> Kahree smirks. "Already taken care of." She looks around. "Looks like you all were a bit late."
[17:49] <Aluthyra> Kahree nods. "Of course, you can end them, if you'd prefer to."
[17:49] <Kilarra> The guards frown and approach the driders, looking ready to do just that
[17:50] <Kilarra> Kjell frowns a bit and looks to Aluthyra and Kilarra, "The driders are already incapacitated. Should we allow this?"
[17:51] * Aluthyra frowns. "Can we -not- allow this? I am unsure of the consequences if we stop them."
[17:54] * Kilarra nods, "The driders may not be stupid, but they're still beasts of burden. As well, given the way things work down here, taking them back alive would probably just lead to torture and execution."
[17:57] <Kilarra> Kjell frowns, "When I spoke of mitigating evils, this is not what I had in mind."
[17:57] <Aluthyra> Kahree walks back up to her companions, mumbling, "Y'know, we could just off the guards and claim the driders did it. Then we can question them? That is, if any of you speak... whatever they speak."
[17:58] * Kilarra notes, "Well, when the ones on the surface cast spells at us, I couldn't understand them. That said..." she looks down at her bloodlink, "Maybe with this."
[18:00] <Aluthyra> Kahree nods. "So... should I knock the guards out?"
[18:00] * Kilarra shakes her head, "We'd get in trouble if we attacked the guards, even if we claimed the driders did it, they'd say different once they woke up."
[18:02] <Aluthyra> Kahree adds, "I meant knock 'em out, then kill them, but fine."
[18:04] * Kilarra shakes her head, "Not worth the hassle. We do something like that, we jeapordize what we came here for. And for what, a couple of beasts?"
[18:05] <Aluthyra> Kahree shrugs. "What do you think, Kjell, Aluthyra?"
[18:06] * Aluthyra shakes her head. "I would like the opportunity to ask why the driders left, though I doubt they are actually any less evil than the drow."
[18:06] <Kilarra> Kjell frowns, "I do not like it. However... they were fleeing captivity. Evil or not, who doesn't desire freedom?"
[18:08] * Kilarra rolls her eyes, "It's not quite the same. The driders may be somewhat smart, but again, they're still beasts. To the drow at least, this isn't any different from putting down a diseased cattle."
[18:08] <Aluthyra> Kahree scowls at that. "Think we can get away with killing the guards? Or... convince them... something, anything?"
[18:10] * Kilarra looks at the rest of her companions, "Which is more valuable, three creatures no more virtuous than the ones they serve, or the lives of our elven allies on the surface? Given what we've already had to endure, to sacrifice, to risk, this shouldn't even be a discussion."
[18:12] <Aluthyra> Kahree growls. "Fine."
[18:14] * Aluthyra sighs. "Although I do not like it, I would have to agree."
[18:14] * Kilarra notes, "Besides... I don't want to lose any of you for something like this. Do what you think is right, but if we kill those guards, this mission is over."
[18:15] * Kilarra doesn't look like she's torn at all, but looks to Aluthyra, wanting to know what she thinks.
[18:16] * Aluthyra shakes her head. "As I said, I do not like it, but we should not interfere."
[18:18] <Kilarra> Kjell looks very emotionally exhausted. "I cannot serve evil, even through inaction. There is no such thing as a necessary evil, but it seems I am torn between two of them. My desire, for our servitude down here, was to learn about the drow's ways and the threat they posed. Now it seems they pose a threat to the very things I hold most dear."
[18:19] <Kilarra> Kjell slumps, "The drow guards are guilty of nothing other than following orders, and in their twisted view of the world, they have committed no wrong. However, I cannot see err in the actions of the driders, if indeed their only desire was freedom."
[18:24] * Aluthyra frowns. "There may not be necessary evil, but there are trials we must endure. We cannot act. If we do, others may die. Others may be forced into the servitude of the drow, or worse, if we cannot complete our mission." She sighs. "And do you really think they have a chance? If not us, others would be sent. And although we have the opportunity now, if we were discovered, surely, more would be sent afterwards. They have no chance, but we do. To do good."
[18:29] <Kilarra> Kjell sighs, "I fear that I may yet become a bigger burden to this mission than I anticipated." He looks to Kilarra, "If I am forced to make another decision like this, I cannot guarantee it will be the right one, just as I cannot guarantee this. If such a thing falls on me again, you may send me away and continue the mission without me."
[18:29] <Kilarra> -End Session-
[18:30] <Kilarra> Rewards: 1 EL 10, 1 EL 7, 3200 Experience Each