938/The Deeper Darkness

The Deeper Darkness
Date of Scene:	08 November 2014
Location:	Faerun
Synopsis:	A trading post in the Underdark is mysteriously abandoned. Unlikely allies come together to find out why.
Cast of Characters:	Tomoe, Staren, 347, 367, Eryl Fairfax, 599

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Lolth (599) has posed:
Word was sent out a few days ago that a wealthy Multiversal merchant went missing in the Underdark. This alone would not normally be cause for note; the Underdark claims many visitors. But this man - Jack Lacey - had a small fortune to invest in his own safety. He'd been overseeing trade at the Veldrin Trade Post when he disappeared, and he'd left a contract before he began his journey. If he didn't return, he'd pay ten thousand credits to the team that brought him back to the surface; dead or alive.

Naturally, a rescue party has been formed.

The Veldrin Trade Post was one of the smaller settlements in the upper levels of the Underdark. If one knows the way, it is only a few hours walk from the surface. Of course, if one doesn't know the way, it can take much longer, roaming the blind tunnels, trying to grope one's way to some small place of sanctity and safety in a world of infinite darkness and sudden, horrifying danger.

What remains of the trade post now is not even that. It had been a series of small huts elegantly carved from the black stone of the cavern walls. There were once small stone tables in the center of the arrangement on which wares could be displayed and bargains could be struck.

What there is now, is very little. The luminescent growth that had been used to provide light to the cavern has been burned away. Scorchmarks on stone and broken glass, scattered food and disparate trade goods remain left on the tables or strewn about the cavern in a haphazard fashion.

Amongst the wreckage move six figures. Dark-skinned, short, and universally beautiful, the Drow have gotten here first and are in the process of systematically looking over the remains of the settlement. They are directed, fairly obviously, by a Drow Priestess. Clad in shining mithril and wearing her spider pendant proudly on her chest, she has summoned several small dancing lights which shed flickering, pale illumination about the bare bones of the trading post. But there's precious little noise, even as the five others go about their work - it is an eerie feeling, and even the very cavern itself seems to resent the presence of these interlopers.

Na`Sabal-Une Fang (367) has posed:
     Nasa had been listening for news of the Underdark. She'd been watching every single news post, every rumor... and thus she found the word of the missing merchant and destroyed. She joined the rescue party almost immediately, carefully following with them, wearing the armor that had been previously been her sister's. The sight of the remains of the trade post once the party arrived was... far too familiar for Nasa. It looked like the village she had come back to so many years ago.

     Nasa's lips pressed to a thin line as she moved slowly and carefully, beginning to slip into the shadows. Her fingers wrapped around the hilts of the twin blades that she carried with her at all times; the Viper's Fangs. Inside their poison reservoir was an extremely potent poison, strong enough to effect even the Drow.

     The wild drowess moved carefully, beginning to scout out the situation, her eyes twitching from one Drow to the next. Simply examining each drow and checking for their armor and armaments. Okay. That one is obviously the leader, a Drow priestess. Soon, Nasa was carefully beginning to make her way around, hiding among wreckage to try to get as close to the priestess as possible without being spotted.

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe had picked up word about the merchant who went missing, she'd seen the contract and that's a good deal of money. She also wonders what could have got him? He was prepared he'd hired a good crew that was well armed. That has her wondering tat this point. She at least looked more the part than she might for this world. Still while she had an elf like apperance it didn't quite fit what one might think of an elf.

She was armred had her shield and sword across her back. She's not making hostile moves but she does see the trade post that had been well? Decimated she notices the drow and has to say she's not quite seen anything like that.

She takes a deep breath and starts to approach not making any hostiles moves, she's here to find a man living or dead and bring him back to the surface, she's not about to ahem go cause problems but given her last incident with elves in mirkwood? She follows Na'sabal-une's order and has been doing her best ot keep quiet she'll let the Drowess do the talking she's got a better understanding of this place than she does.

Staren has posed:
    ADVENTURE! Staren seldom gets to do the whole Adventurer thing, but it's cool when he has the chance. Okay, high-magic low-tech world, need to find someone who disappeared in an underground cave network... hmm. Being in such an isolated place could be bad, but if he could teleport to the surface... That is easily taken care of by leaving a couple of camera drones on the surface, following the data from his armor's inertial tracker.

    Thanks to the disguise bead, Staren appears as a human in bulky plate armor with a couple of wands built into his right gauntlet, though he moves as if it didn't encumber him at all (The missile ports are concealed by the illusion, but the missiles themselves lack an analogue and are undisguised). The beam sabers he uses to dispatch any random encounters on the way appear as brilliant energy weapons.

    He's pleasantly surprised to find that he's working with a crew of multiverse folk he knows -- Staren revealed his identity to them before they set out. It's their enemies he doesn't want to immediately tip off...

    Staren is... not happy to see a town destroyed like this, but it happened long ago now -- there is nothing he can do. He sends out a few fly-sized drones to check bodies and find their target, but when he notices the drow, he... finds cover to hide behind and observes them with drones. Maybe they'll say something useful, or he can figure out what they're doing here. Did they do this? Too many unknowns...

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
     ReGenesis has been keeping their ear to the ground as of late. This Multiverse they find themselves in offers huge opportunities to those who paid attention. The report of a missing merchant who had set up funds for a rescue party caught their eye. Some actual capital, even a small amount, is a start.

     Thus, they sent Eryl off to join the party, and make his way down to the Underdark. Crouching behind an upended table, he quickly scans the area. A devastated village is something he is used to by now. He pointedly tries to avoid looking at the magic lights. Last thing he can afford is a headache on a rescue mission.

     He isn't... quite sure why they're being so careful to avoid being seen by these elves. But, he knows little of this place, so he is happy to defer to someone else's judgement for now. Stealth is not his speciality, given the weight of his limbs, so he remains behind the table, controlling his breathing and heart-rate, and waiting for someone else's cue.

Lolth (599) has posed:
    Several things become apparent as the party arrive and take up stealthy positions. The first, and most important, is a total lack of any bodies whatsoever. There's signs of struggle, of a sort. There's a great deal of incidental damage, but there's no blood, no corpses, and aside from some fire damage, not a great deal of damage to the structure of the buildings themselves.

    "I don't understand it, Priestess." Murmurs one of the drow, approaching the leader. He's tall, for a drow, and wearing heavier armor - the cruelly curved swords he wears crossed over his back speak to an Elite status to Nasa's eye - perhaps a bodyguard? "I can find no trace of an enemy, and Imrae says there's no evidence of sorcery at play. Something odd has happened here."

    The Priestess shoots a dark look to the male, and her jaw sets. "What excellent deductive reasoning." She growls. "Tell me something I couldn't have determined for myself in the next ten minutes, Quavein, or I shall have to find some other way to make your hide useful."

Na`Sabal-Une Fang (367) has posed:
     Good, Nasa's allies had listened to her. They had hidden rather than jumping to conclusions. Still, that the Drow hadn't done this was ... admittedly surprising, really. Nasa slowly stood from her hiding place, her ears twitching. No corpses, all of the damage was there, but there were no signs of enemies, beyond the Drow. When Nasa speaks, it was in the Drow tongue, "This isn't your conquest? That's a surprise."

     The Drowess stood cautiously back, her fingers slowly twitching. "Perhaps it was spirits, or they have magic to hide their tracks. But, I would know your name, Priestess." She says, bowing her head politely and flexing her fingers. Her body was tightly-bound. She was ready for combat, especially if her Brand caused them to act over-aggressively.

     "I am here with comrades, perhaps for at least a brief time we could work together to get to the bottom of this mystery?" Nasa offers softly, her wings fluttering slightly. She was nervous, she was scared, but she hid it behind a face of relative impassiveness, like many Drow did.

Staren has posed:
    Staren listens through the drones. So, they didn't do this, and they don't know why there are no bodies either...

    Nasa's gonna talk to them though. That works.

    When she explains she has comrades and offers a truce, he comes out from cover and approaches, hands raised enough to show that they are empty. The visor in his helmet covers his face, though.

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe gets the idea to hang back at this point she does now know the full deal on the Drow but she will trust Na'shabal-une on this. She's going to listen to her and is going to keep from going into be hostile she'll ket her do the talking and hope this does not break out into a fight.

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
     Eryl listens carefully as the drow speak, Original Face making estimations on their positions based on how the sound of their speaking hits his ears. He opts to remain behind cover, diverting power into 'One Hand Clapping' just in case a fight does break out.

Lolth (599) has posed:
    When Nasa stands, the Priestess' eyes flash with anger, and her hand goes to the snake-headed whip coiled at her side. For one terrible moment, it looks like there may well be trouble - and then just as suddenly, the Priestess jerks, as though her body were shot through with lightning. The other drow look to her for answers, and for a whole second, none at all come.

    "Hold." The Priestess hisses, raising her hand and - in that motion - causing the others to stop readying their weapons. "This, traitor, is not to be harmed." She does not explain why. The dictates of the Priestesshood are to be obeyed, not understood.

    "I am Charinda of House Ristel. We had merchants here. It was not in our interest to see this place destroyed." Her eyes slowly shift to Staren. "There will be blood for this. One way, or another."

Na`Sabal-Une Fang (367) has posed:
     That twitch, that flash of anger, Nasa tensed, her eyes narrowing and fingers flashing to her hilts. But when she said to hold, she released the hilts of her own blades. She breathes out slowly, her eyes glowing brightly. When it was said that she was not to be harmed, she glances towards her ally's hiding places. "Everyone, come out." She murmurs, before stepping towards Charinda. "I am Na`Sabal-Une of house Fang." She says softly, her lips twitching to a frown. "We have been hired to find one of the merchants, so it is not just Drow who have been effected by this... but a lack of bodies means at least there is a chance your merchants are alive."

     She takes a small breath, before beginning to scan the area, glancing to try and find any signs of what may have happened, scenting the air for anything that seemed out of place or what was most recently there. She looks towards Staren. "Are you finding anything?" She asks towards the catboy curiously. "We may be working with these Drow. What an amusing twist of fate."

Staren has posed:
    Staren cocks his head to the side at the priestess, not replying, though he nods at Nasa's words to her, then shakes his head at her question. "Just a lot of destroyed town."

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
     Yes! Peaceful negotiation has been reached. At Fang's command, Eryl slooooowly stands up, hands in the air, palms open and facing the drow. He offers a friendly smile and inclines his head. "I am Eryl Fairfax, diplomat for the ReGenesis Corporation. A pleasure to meet you all."

     He listens closely to the discussion of what has happened, before adding his own comment. "No blood could mean that everyone was taken. Perhaps whoever did this came when everyone was sleeping. If this is the case, we should be checking all exits for signs of tracks. If we find them, we follow them."

     To that end, Eryl begins to check all possible entrances to the trading post, Original Face scanning for any disturbances in dirt or dust.

Lolth (599) has posed:
    "Drow do not sleep." Charinda says to Eryl, her voice quite disapproving. She folds her arms across her chest, and turns her head to Quavein, who steps forwards to speak more clearly to the outsiders. "We've already looked for any sign of tracks. The food has been going stale for several days. The fire damage we believe to have been caused by a knocked-over lantern."

    He seems mostly correct, too. There's little evidence of life other than the direction the group came from and the direction the drow most likely came from. Of the two other exits from the cavern, one shows no signs of anything at all. The other is moist; a light pooling of water would make it impossible to tell, even if it is only a couple of inches deep.

Staren has posed:
    Drow don't sleep? Good to know. "No tracks, gone for days... a knocked-over-lantern? Could it have been done to cover the evidence? ...A moment. I have an item that may help." Staren removes one of his gauntlets, then reaches into his bag and pulls on a black cloth glove with clear crystals on the back. Then he kneels, and touches the ground with it, feeling for psychic impressions in the area...

Staren has posed:
    Staren suddenly stands and turns towards the water-filled tunnel. Then he stops, blinks, and shakes his head, holding his hand to it. "...I think something compelled them all to walk into the water."

    Beat.

    "...I'm sorry. That doesn't make me feel good about their chances of survival..." He removes the glove and reattaches the gauntlet.

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
     "Ah, I see! My apologies, I was not aware." Knowledge isn't a skill that can be rolled untrained after all. He pauses before the wet exit, rubbing his chin. "This would be the wisest way to go for any kidnappers. No tracks. Assuming there were kidnappers."

     He stops and listens to Staren, rubbing his chin. "Interesting. They were compelled? Hurm... forgive me, I am not exactly experienced in such things." He turns to look at the drow. "How difficult would such a thing be? Would whoever did it leave any traces?"

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe listens and humms for a moment.

"So it's been several days since it happened, they could have covered a lot of ground and if they are not leaving tracks? Did they teleport? Float?"

she starts thinking for a moment.

"...wait into the water?"

That sounds terrible and well? She has to wonder /what/ are they dealing with.

Na`Sabal-Une Fang (367) has posed:
     Nasa tilts her head a bit as she gazes at Charinda. "You are a priestess, yes? Perhaps a scrying spell would work." Nasa says softly towards the priestess, shifting her ears thoughtfully as she carefully continued to scent the area. She looks towards Staren as he speaks, looking towards the water. She frowns a bit, turning to make her way towards the exit with the water. "Perhaps if we can find them, bodies might help us find some clues..." Nasa says softly, giving a soft exhale, her eyes glowing as she searched for signs of magic. She didn't seem to mind walking in the front of the group, even with the Drow.

     She waited at the watery exit of the cavern though, waiting to see if the others were willing to go with her to investigate there or not, as she didn't want to just wander off alone in the Underdark. It was dangerous to go alone, and taking her swords wasn't really necessarily going to help her at all.

Lolth (599) has posed:
    There's a wary look from Quavein as Staren does his thing, and he speaks in quick, hurried tones. "Surely, you cannot be thinking of trusting these outsiders, Priestess. For all we know, they are responsible for whatever happened here, I implore you-"

    The backhanded blow is not gentle, and it is not for show. The Priestess looks, then, to the other drow, none of whom dare to meet her eye. "The Spider Queen has made Her will known to me. They are not to be harmed. /I/ am not to be questioned."

    Looking back to Nasa, she just naturally seems to assume that the other drow female is in charge of their expedition. "Our efforts to divine their location have been blocked." She says, "For the moment, I see no alternative. Quavein and the men will lead the way. We will form the rearguard."

Staren has posed:
    Staren gives a curious look at the priestess. What's their goddess know about all this? But he doesn't comment, simply walking ahead into the tunnel.

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
     Eryl smiles and bows his head to the priestess once more. "By your leave ma'am." He takes point with the other men, walking through the tunnel. He whistles softly at random intervals, letting the sound bounce back to him, Original Face analyzing the pattern of it roughly detail what lies ahead.

Na`Sabal-Une Fang (367) has posed:
     The male, Quaevein is given a glance and even a brief glare from Nasa, her eyes glowing brilliantly. But she didn't comment. It was almost more an ages-old instinct from when she was still in the underdark. She watches the priestess. The Spider Queen made her will known. Hmm. She was a bit worried about that, really. Why did the spider goddess say /not/ to go after her?

     That had to be an alternate one, rather than the one she had directly pissed off. "As you wish, priestess. We will work together with you on this, at least until we find the merchants and the source of what happened to them." Nasa says, waiting for the soldiers to pass and go ahead of them. Honestly, she wasn't sure why she was acting the leader, she was usually kind of bad at it. Perhaps it was just familiarity and the interaction with the Drow that had her acting like that.

     "Staren, do you have any idea of what may have been the cause of the compulsion? Can you see if you can figure that out before we encounter whatever it is?" She asks, not /entirely/ sure how he managed to figure it out, but she just assumed he had some sort of sensor or magic that gave him that insight.

Staren has posed:
    Staren shakes his head at Nasa's question. "I don't have that information. When I used the gloves, I felt pulled this way."

Lolth (599) has posed:
    Quavein is suitably chastened, and draws his swords. The weapons do not so much as gleam in the dim light of the cavern, and it is his turn to gesture and offer some weak, flickering light in the tunnel ahead. Two other drow males walk with him, weapons drawn, with Staren and Eryl following behind.

    The Priestess and the two remaining drow females walk alongside Nasa and Tomoe. "Make no mistake, traitor." The Priestess whispers when the expendable forces are up ahead, "This IS a temporary arrangement. If I see you again, it will be my honor to take your heart for the Spider Queen."

    The water is stagnant, old, and utterly lifeless. After ten minutes of walking, it begins to deepen enough that it flows up to ankles, and then, to shins. Eryl's sonar confirms that there's no side tunnels or anything clinging to the ceiling as the size of the tunnel slowly increases to twenty foot across. And it is his foot which bumps against ... something, in the murky water. Something fleshy that does not give.

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe is lkeeping tabs on things and looks about she's more of a fitghter really and she nods to the Down as her party gets ready to move at this point.

"Very well we should get moving and humm."

What could cause it? It can't be the same thing that happned in Kingsmouth that much is clear to Tomoe from the reports she looks to Nas and then to the Priestess for the moment unaware of the threat, or one might say promise that's been made to Nasa and it may be for the best she missed it. She looks at the water and keeps moving she doesn't seem put off by it badly.

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
     Eryl frowns as the water rises higher and higher on his feet, wincing at the feel of wet socks. He's probably going to need some new shoes as well. Maybe he should have taken them off and gone barefoot-

     And then his foot hits something different. Immediately, he raises a hand and says, "Hold. I think I just found a body." He kneels and plunges his hands into the water, lifting what he found to the surface.

Lolth (599) has posed:
    What emerges from the water is indeed a body. Small, stocky, the heavy frame was once a Deep Dwarf, judging by the pale coloration and stocky frame. He was still holding a satchel full of books when he died; drowned, most likely, as there are no signs of violence at all on the body. He's just waterlogged.

    One of the drow men up front sniggers.

Staren has posed:
    Staren looks at the body curiously. "No obvious wounds... but this water is way too shallow to drown in..." Staren checks the nearby water for more bodies, then, with some trepidation, uses the glove on the dwarf. Because there's no way that could end terribly, right?

Staren has posed:
    Staren freezes, then shakes his head. "Nothing new. Same thing as before." He swaps back to his gauntlet and heads onward.

Na`Sabal-Une Fang (367) has posed:
     "I am aware." Nasa responds softly to the priestess in a similar whisper. "But you will not succeed." She says, her tone just a bit arrogant and haughty. She flashed an almost cheerful grin towards the priestess. She scents the air as she went, her nose twitching slightly as she moved, her eyes glowing softly. She pauses at the sight of the Deep Dwarf floating to the surface, her lips twitching to a frown.

     "Well, let's hope that's not the fate of the other merchants..." Nasa says softly, quietly watching the dwarf. "Maybe there's still traces of the spell that was used on him?" She looks towards Staren. "It doesn't take much to drown in if you lay down and let it happen..." She shakes her head, turning to begin to follow after the male drow again. It was a bit sadly, it was an honorless death, at least poison had to be administered rather directly.

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
     Eryl stares at the dead body before him, Original Face scanning every detail it can find. One must pay their due to the dead, after all. When one of the other guards sniggers, Eryl breaths deep through his nose, quelling that sudden rush of anger.

     With a small grunt, he lefts the body out of the water and puts it to the side of the tunnel, in a sitting position against the wall. "This is all I can give you right now. I'm sorry." He stands up straight, nodding to Staren. "Thank you Mister Staren. Let us continue."

     He continues walking, doing his whistling.

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe pause as the body's found and halts looking to Nasa and then to STaren for a momet she's no good with this but it seems they can't find anything really. However Tomoe will take a moment to recover the satchen if she can and put it into her inventory. IF she can that is.

Lolth (599) has posed:
    "Pray to whatever weakling God you now hold dear, that you never have need to prove those words." Charinda whispers, harshly, to Nasa. The revelation of the dead man does not seem to draw much reaction from her, and she waves her hand vaguely for the group to continue.

    Imrae, the drow woman wearing only modest robes, pauses to murmur some arcane words and wave her hand over the corpse. "There's no magic of any sort remaining." She says, to Nasa. "Which is curious. If the male's tool isn't simply faulty, it is tuned to a different kind of magic to the one I am versed in."

    Up ahead, Eryl's whistling tips him off that the tunnel suddenly gives way when it opens into a cavern - a huge one, so vast, in fact, that it is as though the floor has simply vanished.

    But of greater concern is the sudden movement in the water behind the group. Rising up, the creature appears almost from nowhere (and does not register to Eryl's whistling). Enormous, it fills the tunnel behind with a mouth of razor fangs and lashing, swirling tendrils. None of which actually come close to touching any of the group.

    In an instant, the Priestess is hurling a bolt of shadowy energy from her hand, and the Wizard does likewise, filling the tunnel behind with flame and shadow - which passes through the monstrous creature with no visible effect.

    ~You have come~ Speaks a thrumming voice; not heard, but felt in the mind. ~Lay down your arms. Walk into the water. Rejoice. You will assist us greatly~

Na`Sabal-Une Fang (367) has posed:
     "Your assumptions are silly, Priestess." Nasa responds simply. "I follow no god or goddess." She murmurs, keeping her voice calm and soft, whispers only towards the priestess for her and her alone to hear. Not that it would be impossible to hear it. She was honestly enjoying the bit of banter with the priestess, not that she'd ever admit to it. Her gaze shifts towards Imrae, listening to her as she talks. "...Fascinating... hmmm." She shifts slightly, her ears twitching.

     And then... the monster appeared behind the group, speaking into her mind, and the priestess and wizard casting spells. The words tempted her, but she did not fall to them. Her mind was a Drow's mind, reinforced against mental effects such as that. The magic going... through the monster was fascinating. Her hand lifts, the Hand of Transference sparking to life, aimed towards the monstrous creature, attempting to draw energy out of it. "Illusion, I think..." Nasa murmurs in the Drow tongue. "I should be able to make short work of such." She states simply.

Staren has posed:
    Staren doesn't comment on the disparagement of his tool. "Woah." he comments, and stops, when the tunnel opens up... And then suddenly, the priestess is attacking something behind them! Staren turns, holding his right arm out straight -- the 'wands' fire blasts of superheated plasma before it registers with Staren that the attacks aren't damaging it.

    And then there's a voice. Staren's free hand touches his head. "Oh /great/. No, no, I don't think we /will/ assist you, in anything except a speedy death. Hey, how about that, huh? /You/ come up /here/, and we'll /assist/ you in suicide by adventurer!" Staren's looking around the giant cavern, trying to figure out where the source of this might be...

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
     A part of Original Face listens to the conversation between Nasa and the Priestess. He resolves to keep an eye on those two. They might suddenly lash out at each other when the partnership has ended.

     "There is a large cavern ahead," he reports when the whistles start indicating such to him. "The floor seems to be far below us. Does anyone have any ro-" Suddenly, something rises up behind the group! Eryl is momentarily stunned. How did it evade his notice? Water this shallow could not have concealed it. He watches at the magic attacks (eliciting twinges of pain caused by Original Face) go right though (causing more pain) and comes to a conclusion.

     "It's an illusion! Don't bot-ARGH!" He slumps, the voice in his head causing Original Face to really start panicking. "G-Get out of my head!"

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe will make sure the boox are put into her inventory she keeps moving along and humms.

"No magic, then what could have done this?"

She pauses for a moment she halts and looks at the creature her blades out and her shield is up as strange well to thsi world letters shift across it's surfgace and she halts.

"So I take it your the one who did this to the outpost and I'm afraid I'll not rejoice."

Lolth (599) has posed:
    ~We were born before death~

    As the group largely realize that the creature behind them is illusory, the image of it begins to fade. When Nasa drains it, the link snaps instantly rather than waste any effort on struggling to control it. The image of the creature snaps out of existence as quickly as it had been created.

    "I've never seen a creature such as that." The Priestess admits, "We should fall back, return in greater number."

    And it is at this moment, that Quavain completes a graceful piroette, and the two men he had called his allies mere moments before, topple backwards into the water, staining it with their blood. "There's no need." He says, voice quite serene. "We only require more outsiders. The rest are unnecessary."

Na`Sabal-Une Fang (367) has posed:
     "...That was naut our enemy. That was also telepathic..." Nasa says, carefully lowering her Hand of Transference, her fingers twitching a bit as the sickly black-red energy fades back to nothingness. She shifts her gaze towards the Priestess. "We can push on. That was not a huge threat." She says softly towards the Priestess.

     And then Quavain simply... killed the two who he had called his allies, the other male soldiers. "I'm going to assume that those two were effected by the telepath and you didn't just kill those two needlessly in the middle of a mission." Nasa states dully, beginning to walk towards him and the two that stood by his side. As she approached though, her hand strayed to her weapons, seemingly preparing herself to defend herself against more treachery on the male's part. "Let us move on."

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
     Eryl takes a deep, bracing breath once the illusion and the words in his head fade away, cupping some water into his hands to splash on his face. "Urgh... my apologies everyone. That will not happen to me again, I assure you."

     He stands up straight once more, letting that smile creep back onto his face. A smile that instantly fades when Quavain lashes out as his own allies with his swords. "Oh..." But then Nasa answers first.

     That smile is replaced by a devious grin. "Oh my. Good job, Mister Quavain." He seems to radiate sincerity, years of experience as a diplomat, in conjunction with his implants allowing him to skilfully deceive near anyone. He continues to walk towards the cavern he detected, staying within sword-reach of the drow warrior.

Staren has posed:
    Born before death...?

    Staren feels a faint unease in the back of his mind. Something...

    The encounter is over almost as soon as it began. "...Yeah... let us find this thing and kill it." He's not sure what to make of the possible backstabbings. He knows little about Drow...

Lolth (599) has posed:
    "I think." Charinda says, "That Quavein is not feeling himself. I have never known the man to smile."

    Imrae takes a step backwards - putting as many others between herself, the cavern ahead, and Quavain as possible. "I, have heard legends." She murmurs, "Not many. But, it would explain... controlling the minds, the illusion... if it isn't a trick, it could be an... Aboleth."

    Quavein smiles easily, his eyes half-lidded as he raises his bloody swords in front of him, facing towards the group. "As we say, we need only the outsiders." He repeats, "You will help us craft a means to reach the Multi-Versal oceans. Then, we will be free."

    Charinda waves her hand irritably, "We've no time for this. If you believe you can deal with the monster, kill him and let us continue. If he can't keep his head to himself, he doesn't deserve to have it."

Staren has posed:
    It's a moment before Staren realizes what's happened. It wasn't the other two that were controlled... it was Quavein! Staren turns to point his arm at the man. "No... I don't think so. We will not help you." Staren draws his beam sword, wondering if he can disable the drow without killing him. As he turns to open his mouth to ask his allies if they have a method, he remembers the federation phaser in his bag. He draws it and starts firing stun shots at Quavein.

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe watches as the drow drops some of the others and she halts for a moment. Okay she looks to Nasa and isn't sure what to think. At being from before death she's got to really wonder here but she makes no hostile move she'll follow the other's leads but she seems concerned about something really. It's her job to be the shield but she'll say nothing more and she folds her arms at this point.

"I think I see where this is going."

She seems to be preparing a chat at this point she's got an idea strange runes appear about her as he attempts a hindering spell.

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
     Eryl sighs, rubbing the back of his neck as Quavain squares off with them. "Mister Quavian. This is not you. You are a warrior, strong, brave and true. You would never let your will be bended by another so easily. Fight it!"

     He turns to stare at Charinda, frowning slightly. "You would give up on him so easily? If we defeat this... Aboleth, its hold on him should be broken. All we need to do is incapacitate him for now."

     But then, Staren opens fire and Tomoe starts casting. Eryl breathes a sigh of relief, so sure that his allies would not kill readily, even if he is unclear as to what they are doing.

Na`Sabal-Une Fang (367) has posed:
     "..." Charinda's words are given a rather quick nod, glancing towards her. "I see. I understand now, then..." She murmurs. Imrae is given a small smile. "Ah, to naut worry, little mage. We will be fine. The 'outsiders' are capable of doing what is necessary." She says, turning towards the cavern. She looks towards Quavein as he raises the swords towards them. She gives a soft sigh, her fingers twitching as she calmly reaches back for her twin swords, slowly drawing them as chains rattle between the weapons.

     "Erel'Avin. Become Dull." She says, stepping towards Quavein. Her blade was lifted almost immediately, Nasa circling to be out of the firing range for the stun shots... she attempts to slam Erel'Avin with her blade. She was aiming to disable. She would not needlessly kill someone who was simply under control of others. "Rest for now." She says softly towards Quavein.

     If they successfully stunned and knocked the drow unconscious, she would simply continue on towards the following cavern. He was a good warrior, she did not want to see him dead just yet.

Abstractum.Net (347) has posed:
    Nasa's blades flash with a soft red light. "Non-lethality?" It queries, curiously. "I can assist with that. But it's such a strange way of approaching this. I like it." The eye that sits on one of the blades seems to have thoroughly integrated this decision into its perceptions of proper handling of situations.

    The soft red fire tries to modulate; the impact of the dulled blade against the skull isn't enhanced in terms of of its sheer impact, but rather the precision. It's trying to minimize the long-term health impact! Knock-out without any brain damage, hopefully, but making sure that it doesn't fail to achieve the proper IMPACT, with a soft red shockwave of light coming from the impact.

Lolth (599) has posed:
    Quavein is a great warrior, a bodyguard and a swordsman. He is not used to phaser blasts. Magic spells and swordplay he's on stronger ground with, but ultimately, he's overwhelmed. Energy bolts slow him down, the magic hinders him, and Nasa's sword hits him heavily, the shockwave of light bounces him from the stone wall. He lands in the water, face up at least, and does not move.

    "If he is so weak as to fall prey to such a creature, he is of no use to me." Charinda explains to Eryl. "He'll pay for his failure later, I suppose."

    The cavern beyond is really more of a lake than anything else. There's no solid ground to stand on; the tunnel opens up to thirty feet across, and yet the yawning emptiness of the darkness extends further in all directions.

    Of the Aboleth, there is no sign. At least, not at first. When the group dive down into the depths, there, they find what they are looking for. The population of the trading post - eighteen in all, including their erstwhile employer and six drow traders - had been tasked with the creation of an intricately carved circle on the floor of the lake. The twisted sigils within are deeply unsettling to behold, as is the scale of it, some hundred feet across... but it doesn't seem to have been completed yet.

    More horrific is the disease which has afflicted them. They've got gills, and they can't breathe air any longer. Its a magical disease, and it can be cured - but doing so will take time and effort.

    The Aboleth, however, is gone. A thorough exploration of the 'lake' reveals a half dozen underground reservoirs which could have been used to flee, and as the Aboleth's slaves regain their right mind, it seems that the creature has chosen not to test itself against the strange forces the Multiverse has sent against it - today, at least.

    But that means the creature is still out there, somewhere, and may yet return to finish what it began.