Fantasy Fading Flames 2: Interrogation

[Kabboom]

CHAPTER 1 MISSION: COLD WAS THE NIGHT...

​

Cold was the night that breezed through Seedingstate's capital. Three days had passed since the fateful meeting with Alorias, and his feline servant Alastor - three days full of activity. The meeting room had since returned to its regular state, with no more steel and iron than the armor that Brom and Eliza have on their bodies; even so, the memories of what was disclosed in that room stayed fresh, with their discussions and planning, and their unease creeping behind them. An important mission had been sent forth, and this ragtag band of adventurers had accepted it, though whether they can pull it off or not...

No. Now is not the time to be having second thoughts. The two mages, Augur and Alastor have been tirelessly at work fulfilling different tasks for the other missions, it seems - their stamina seems to be running a bit thin, but they are here for the mission regardless; Bryn'ai of the Koa-Toh remains vigilant with endless training and inspection of her Landsuit, with cautious eyes for both the mission and her comrades still; Sylvia's eagerness for the task at hand is almost unmatched by the other members of the party; Brom's bulk and stoicism provides a good shield, should things go wrong; Eliza the paladin awaits her duty, though it seems to trouble her that they have to do this; Jazmin is... just scared shitless.

​

The plan has been set, despite disagreements between the members. The traitorous Guardian that Alorias had sniffed out had a habit of taking strolls at night - it's the only way he can get any quiet in his celebrity life. Tall, strong, charming, powerful, Guardian... the ladies flock to him, and the villagers envy him. Renowned as a staunch defender of the Light and of Seedingstate, Stangfel Horndarr is a name that almost every long-time Adventurer in Stately Keep knows about. 'Staunch defender', how rich. The truth of this traitor is a tad bit more sinister, as Alorias the cat would've revealed to the team: Stangfel worships the Dark cult, frequenting cultist hideouts in the deepest of nights under the thickest of disguises, and serves as a figurative foot in the Guild's door, a thorn masquerading as a rose. More so, Horndarr is also a source of new meat for the cultists - many nights he'd go out to town to attract unloved, lonely, naive young ladies to his side, take them to quiet little inns, and in the morning he'd come out alone.

Late nights like these make Stangfel nostalgic for silence, seeing as he doesn't appreciate 24/7 attention. After a good hearty meal at his favorite hole-in-the-wall, he prefers to take an unused route back to his lodging. This would prove to be his undoing, if the team succeeds. The birds in the trees, having gone to sleep, have left the local population of cicadas free to chirp, or whatever it is that they do with their freaky legs, while the team lies in wait. Stangfel will come out soon enough... soon enough...

Aryasaurus Silver Wolf Slop Noble Scion Inheritance ShadeAlucard (finalize any details of your plan if needed >.> also reveal the exact position of your character in post pls)

 

[Inheritance]

Brom Beararm​

After a very long and almost fruitful discussion the group had finally put together a plan, a plan that Brom took a very positive stance with. He didn't see anything majorly wrong with it, nor was anyone getting hurt. It was nothing like his old days of adventuring with the insane magicians that he had once grouped with. These people cared for the common person, and they were only doing this for the greater good. Brom was all for this plan and fully ready to play whatever roll he was instructed. He knew that he would take a decently neutral role in the actual interrogation-mainly because he was not the leader of this group and would not try to step in and mess with the order of power. The people who had stepped up to lead deserved it until they did something stupid or extremely reckless, and so Brom would follow their leaders with the loyalty they deserved.

He crouched down behind the brush and regripped his heavy forge hammer. He had always carried his equipment wherever he went, and had even coined the phrase "You never know when a forge might break out". He was armor-less and weaponless aside from the heavy hammer that he held in one hand, and the great-sword that was at his feet. He didn't plan on taking anything else out that might clank or make noise, and only had the sword back there for an emergency situation. He was not the stealthiest man in the world, but he had faith in himself to silence his steps for a few yards in order for him to strike.

What then? Well he would probably take a backseat in the interrogation as well. He had a very strange stance on torture, one that understood the necessity of it yet also stood against it. He had convinced himself that light torture in the name of the greater good was alright, but once it got to the point of cruel and inhumane punishment he was very against it. So he would probably watch the interrogation go down and help whenever he was instructed, only butting in if the interrogation became completely fruitless and pointless or if it was getting too cruel and too unusual in the punishment.

What then? Well he was hungry, and if everything went off without a hitch, he could go for a drink or two. It was high time he started enjoying his work again.

Kabboom Aryasaurus Silver Wolf Slop Noble Scion ShadeAlucard

 

[Noble Scion]

Eliza Starborn

Spoiler: Appearance

​

"Go on. You'll be fine. If anything goes wrong, Me and the rest of us'll be right here." Eliza said comfortingly to the mortified young woman, her heart aching at having to resort to using someone as a bait to achieve their goals. Patting Jazmin's back as she headed back to her position in the trees to the north-east of their planned trap. As much as she wished to take the young girl's place, she hadn't the fragile figure, and never had she been the best actor.

Taking her position behind one of the foremost trees, she peered out at Jazmin, feeling sorry for them, but supposing that it was necessary.

Brom seemed content and ready in his bush, hammer in hand and fully aware of his role in the plan. The paladin gave him an amicable, silent nod before turning her gaze back to the road, deciding to not think about what came after, and more about what could potentially go wrong right now, but pessimism was always lethal in the head of a leader, so she put it out of her mind. Wait too long thinking about the possibilities and nothing would ever get done.

So, instead of all those sour thoughts, she began settling on the words she'd use to comfort the probably-traumatised Jazmin after this little baiting act of theirs.

Inheritance Kabboom ShadeAlucard

 

[ShadeAlucard]

Sylvia

Sylvia watched as the others got prepared as she sat in the tree nearby, behind all the leaves, just resting. She honestly doesnt believe that the Cleric can pull off seduction or even anything that would remotely bring interest to the guy they were after, but then again, she has seen many a surprise in her time. All Sylvia could hope for was that everything went off without a hitch so she wouldnt have to expel any energy before the real fun began.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jazmin

Jazmin was a bit worried as they told her what the plan was and what her part in it was. Acting innocent wasnt hard, seeing she was trained all her life as a cleric and was nothing but innocent, but as for any form of seduction? That is what was gonna be tough if she had to use it. Jazmin got into position and tried to look as helpless as possible, looking all around, going one way slightly and then backking up as if she wasnt sure that was the way to go, she did everything she could do to pull off a lost, clueless woman.

Kabboom Noble Scion Inheritance

 

[Silver Wolf]

Alastor Lupom
Location: Heckin bush
Interactions/Nearby/Mentions: ShadeAlucard (Jazmin & Sylvia), Inheritance (Brom), Noble Scion (Eliza), Aryasaurus (Bryn'ai), Slop (Augur)
​

The dark often reminded the wolf incurscan of his race. His eyes peered through the darkness with ease, seeing the night as some might the ending twilight before darkness really set in. Of course, color was limited. Yet, it reminded him that to some he was a beast no different than his own animal. Brooding was not the mage's specialty though. He had his doubts about getting the cleric to seduce someone. Alastor was no stranger to the art himself. His relatively fair face and slim figure often meant he may be approached by drunken idiots. It could be useful if used right, so long as he didn't speak though. To call on someone like Jazmin would be far more effective in giving pity. Jazmin's behavior reminded him of a meek little rabbit in the grass hoping not to be seen.

On the other hand, the device in his satchel was ready to use. After some questionable testing the mission was decided upon. A few lies here or there may not be a big deal, but only so long as they weren't major ones. Alastor also fondled some hexagon shaped stone plates with bright yellow painting that almost seemed to faintly glow when someone looked on them. It appeared more like a reflection in daylight, but it was clear in the dark that the paint made a faint glow. In the center was a simple crystal of quartz. Common crystals were often poor conductors of magical energy, but that's exactly what he wanted in this case. By loading light energy into the crystal in a certain way until it popped, it effectively created a blinding flash of light and disruption of senses.

Alastor's ears twitched as faint steps could be heard upon the concrete. He just assumed they were nowhere near. Sensitive ears often meant mistaking sounds far closer than they might be. Especially when one's ears could hear a leaf dropping to the ground. Perhaps he could've planted some mines, but that would be too conspicuous. A lone woman surrounded by runes would just be idiotic. Only a dumbass would go so far. So portable light bombs were the next best thing he could think of. Alastor looked back to the road and sorted his runes into a throwing hand and non-throwing hand in preparation. All that was left was to wait. Jazmin knew about the runes, so he had hope the target would be more confused than caution.

 

[Kabboom]

GM

A creak. The door to the eatery swung open, as a larger-than-life figure emerged, with two lither figures in close proximity. The sound from the two figures quickly identified them as damsels, as they giggled in the way that only drunk women could, and their cheap heels clacked on the cobblestone pavement in that similarly drunk rhythm. The low, surprisingly charismatic voice of the big figure echoed off of the nearby cottages with even the smallest chuckle, which led to the two women guffawing even further, tugging the man ever so slightly. His robe, his stupidly charming face with a stylish scar down the crest of his lips, his ornate silver-plated quarterstaff glimmering in the moonlight... no doubt about it, this was Stangfel. With a saunter accompanied by laughter, the conversation grew closer as he walked down the predicted path.

Stangfel

"Yyyyyourre cute, oh my Lord! Yknow, yknow..." The bitch on his left stammered, the booze wracking her brain to the point that her words made no more sense. Stangfel just kept on walking, with a smile on his face and joy in his eyes. The usual meal he had at The Crooked Crow, poached salmon with butter sauce, was no less appetizing than it was yesterday, or the day before that, or the month before that. Poached salmon always put a smile on his face, even though the Crow had gotten crowded since the bitches found out he liked it. The chefs don't take as much care with his orders these days, and that was annoying to say the least - Stangfel never enjoyed having to keep his smile for so long in public, since it ached his face so much. The damn vermin wouldn't stop pestering him about tales and autographs, and girls wouldn't keep coming - no doubt they were fun to play with, but unless he got them alone, he couldn't be rough the way he wanted to be.

"Hhhheyy, hey! Wher' arwe going? I dounn know this roade..." The one on the right squeaked. He was surprised the two girls had managed to keep up at all, with their tinny fucking high heels. They wouldn't stop clinging onto him back at The Crooked Crow, and one of them even tried to get to him with a sob story. Boo fucking hoo, like he gives a shit. What the hell do these kids know about a hard life - they'd never lived like him, having to, to, do the chores and take the beatings he did. No, no, no, they never had to face any of that. The Horndarr boy's mind continued going around in circles about his hardships, as the cobblestone beneath his feet became coarser and coarser with every step. He was going down the road without deviation, although the women were practically announcing his every step.

His eyes spotted a fair sight at the bend, as he was pondering whether to use his catch tonight as electroshock candidates for his Cult friends, or to use them as quarterstaff practice. A cute maiden, lost and visibly quite distressed - in this time of day, in this obscure part of the bend? Was she blind, dumb or both? Couldn't she just follow the path? Stangfel's mind soured at the thought - he knew these whores could be dumb as bricks, but even bricks were smarter than this! Interesting indeed. Silencing the two girls at his side, he whistled out to the helpless bitch; one more girl wouldn't hurt. "Hello there, fair maiden! Are you lost? Do you need... assistance?"

Aryasaurus Silver Wolf Slop Noble Scion Inheritance ShadeAlucard (asswhoopin time is now)

 

[Inheritance]

Brom Beararm
"Iron Sharpens Iron."​

As he crouched half listening to the people around him and half watching the road, he finally saw the target stroll around with two extremely drunk women. Brom cursed silently to himself as he saw this knowing full well this would be a complication. He had hung onto the dull hope that the man would be completely alone, but of course they were not that lucky. The two drunk women were so intoxicated it was possible that he could just follow through with the plan without them even realizing it, or perhaps another member of the group would take care of it. He felt bad for the two and began to wonder where they came from, and what circumstances put them in such an unfortunate place. It didn't matter though, he would help them if he could, but right now he had a mission to do so that other innocents wouldn't be hurt. Shaking his head of his other thoughts, he hardened himself and prepared for action.

He began to creep slowly out of the brush while priding himself on how little sound he made. He crept forward, thankful for the man's loud voice for and taking a few extra steps in the time it took for him to call out. Faster footsteps meant louder footfalls, but as long as there was other noise to block it off he could move faster. He had to admit, Jazmin did her job well (well enough to fool him), and made a mental note to thank her later. He crept closer and closer, each step sending a new wave of dread that he would turn around...But after what seemed like hours, he was in position and ready to swing...

So he did. For the last two steps he took a full sprint, raised the hammer, and swung down with the force he'd use to pound metal into a weapon. The hammer was not a weapon, and he wasn't trying to break the dude's skull, but he didn't want to take any chances in case there was some magical barrier. If he hit him too lightly everything was messed up, but if he hit him too hard they had a cleric. If he killed him...well there's one less cultist they had to deal with.

Aryasaurus Silver Wolf Slop Noble Scion Kabboom ShadeAlucard

​

 

[Aryasaurus]

• B r y n ' a i • T o h - A e s c a •

Warrior of the Koa-Toh • Guardian
• Rogue Archer → Poisons Specialist •

The matter of how the mission should be done, and the questioning morality of certain actions had worn Bryn'ai to a steady migraine, yet when the time came her head did not so much as ache. Like a true predator of the ocean, she was calm, focused. She had an edge about her that was unlike her natural indifference - like a switch had been flicked inside her brain; she went from reluctant and brash, to a more compatible nature. She was hunting now, no matter how this hunt would go, the result was either success or death - or both if the gods favoured them tonight.

Having gathered water from the well and placing it nearby for if needed, the Koa-Toh took her position; she took position in a tree closure to their little interrogation building, sat high up in its branches. Her bow was drawn previously, arrow dancing between her fingers and she kept still and silent. She was a sniper, eyes peeling for their target, yet this was no assassination mission. Her job was not so much to detain him, but more so to act with force if things got rowdy.
She was aware of Sylvia as well, who had taken point in another tree, nevertheless their wait was not long.

Jazmin soon took her place when the time came. She looked pretty stupid to Bryn, but she figured this was what they had meant for. To speak the honest truth, she personally felt the entire idea was a crock of shit, but the majority rules apparently. She rolled her eyes, but readjusted as voices wafted up from down the road. Voices, plural.
Bryn's eyes narrowed on the Guardian and the girls drunkenly wrapped around him, and then flickering over to Brom who had crept out from his position. Idiot! He should have waited. Let them speak. Stupid fucking landwalker. Oh, she was so going to have words with him later for this.

Bryn'ai's jaw clenched and she put away her bow, dropping from the tree. With her whole mental plan flung out the window, she quickly assessed and acted according to the situation. Staying low in the bushes, she waited to see how the two women would react. The last thing they needed was for them to make a scene. If they ran or screamed, Bryn'ai would use her water manipulation to place bubbles of water over their heads. Due to their drunken disposition, they would black out, falling unconscious in less than three minutes. Once they fell, Bryn would draw the water back, preventing them from drowning. Either way, her aim was to knock both the girls out at roughly the same time to limit the suspicion raised over this ordeal. Besides, so long as their little healer was fine, she could fix them up if she somehow managed to fuck up - however, being an aquatic, one would think it would be impossible to fail at hydrokinesis.

Mentions & Tags

Kabboom Inheritance ShadeAlucard and whoever else this applies to.

 

[ShadeAlucard]

Sylvia
'What the hell is that idiot doing?' Sylvia thought to herself as she saw the brute with the hammer sneak up on this guy, and then charge at last minute to go smash the guy's skull in. She got into a crouched position, ready to release either a wall of fire or a circle of fire if anything went wrong. She was not happy about this already, she couldve easily just slipped him some sleeping poison and let Jazmin do all the work on distracting him till he passed out, but noooooo....too inumane to do that shit.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jazmin
Jazmin acted startled as the man came up to her and started to talk to her like she expected him to. She seemed relieved and walked over to the guy they were getting ahold of. "Why yes, you can help me, i seem to be lost...i was trying to find my home, but i cant see very well in the dark. Can...can you maybe lead me home? I...could repay you there for your help?" Jazmin said, as she revealed only a little bit of what cleavage she hid away from the scrying eyes of others. She had the bosom that would send any man or woman straight onto her for sure, but of course, as was standard of most clerics, she hid all things that were considered distractions away. Jazmin gasped slightly as Brom made contact with thee gentleman, then watched closely to see how the two drunk girls would react. Maybe they wouldnt notice and be distracted by her as well?

 

[Kabboom]

GM

The tension was palpable. Jazmin played her role as defenseless witless damsel perfectly, even throwing in some boobies for the man to ogle. Stangfel made no attempt to look away, since he liked to think himself in control of everyone and everything around him. The hammer that negatively impacted the back of his head put Horndarr's train of thought to a grinding halt, derailing it into the pit of unconsciousness. With an audible thwack, and an almost audible crunch, Stangfel's limp body fell forward, his two ladies unable to hold up his bulk as the guy kissed the pavement in his blissful sleep - his ornate silver-plated quarterstaff shimmering in the moonlight as it hit the cobblestone beside him, rolling a fair distance before stopping.

He was not dead, sadly. Brom's proficiency in smashing dudes was high enough to render the traitor Guardian barely unconscious. The ladies, however, were not so unconscious. The one on the left let out an instinctive yelp as Stangfel's body weight pushed her to the side, while the one on the right maintained a bit more posture, and stumbled in place. Her voice grew louder and louder, stammering words of disbelief - I mean, the guy she's trying to nail just got brained in the back of the head with a hammer, and her valiant protector is drooling on the ground, so she can't be blamed.

Aryasaurus Silver Wolf Slop Noble Scion Inheritance ShadeAlucard

 

[Noble Scion]

Eliza Starborn

Spoiler: Appearance

​

As soon as the man fell in a pile on the ground, Eliza broke out from the tree she'd been hiding behind and strode towards the women with a confident grin on her face, noble and unthreatening, yet holding some level of intimidating authority within it. Once she was around half-way to the duo, she began speaking. "Hello, you've both just been witness to a formal matter that I'm afraid you should not have seen as it has been done in the name of humanity and its kin." she grinned, finishing the sentence as she arrive before them both.

"Unfortunately due to the possible risks that I can also not inform you of, you will have to remain with us for the time being, but worry not! You will be kept safe and out of harm's way for the duration of this little catastrophe, protected by a paladin of the king's own, me. Remain compliant and follow any instructions me an' my party give you and all shall be swell, and you'll be back with your families, friends, and lovers before a huntsman could catch a rabbit!" And with that, she knelt down next to the body, reached two arms underneath the target, and hefted him over her shoulder, giving the ladies a wink as she stood up and made sure that he was steady, and beckoned for them to follow as she walked towards the treeline once more, making way for the designated building.

As much as she'd love to let them go, the risk that they or their relatives were also cultists was too much to leave to chance.

"Please ensure these two damsels follow, er… Noble knight Brom, and someone also needs to grab that staff. No evidence must be left here lest people worry and inconvenience our holy mission any more than it has been." she called out as she hefted the unconscious man away, unsure of any titles he had, but trying to make it sound noble given that the ladies were quite clearly unused to such things and needed someone authoritative-sounding to keep them in check.
Inheritance Kabboom and all others in the vicinity

 

[Inheritance]

Brom Beararm​

When the adversary collapsed to the ground, Brom was almost surprised. From what he had been told, he had expected a lot more from a cultist who was crafty enough to hide within the ranks of the guardians (whom he had heard a lot about). Still, he was happy that he went down so cleanly (and alive), and was ready to make the next steps. The two women reacted about as well as expected considering their state, and as the paladin came out of the brush to pick up the body and casually stroll off, Bron simply flipped the hammer over in his hand and watched the two unfortunate bystanders.

"A knight I am not ma'am, but I thank you for the compliment." He said with a small laugh. He reached down nervously to grab the staff as if reaching his hand into a hot oven. When nothing happened when he touched it, he lifted it and went over to recover his large sword.

"Ladies, we'll need to follow her. No harm will come to either of you two, you have my word." He said sternly, waiting for them to move forward. These two certainly complicated things, but he was pretty sure someone else in the group was smart enough to figure it out.

Noble Scion Kabboom

 

[Kabboom]

GM

The unconscious Stangfel Horndarr valiantly drooled down Paladin Eliza's plate armor backside, as his brains were lightly fucked with a hammer. The two ladies were very much afraid - they were both drunk enough to trip and fall if they tried running away now, and the only one that could defend them from a bunch of strangers hidden in bushes in a secluded section of road in this hour was unconscious and being carried away by one such stranger. With eyes red from tears of fear, the two ladies sought solace in each other, as they held each other tightly and fearfully watched the two visible strangers that came to 'intercept' them. One of them gulped, and led the way, as the two ladies surprisingly kept quiet beyond stifled crying and shuffling high heels.

The ladies were compliant. All that was left is the actual interrogationizationing. The actual interrogation room provided by Alorias was an abandoned hunter's cabin, forfeited to the elf in a bet of long times past. From the outside, it was a decrepit shit-shack, rundown at every turn, stinking moss strung around every stone that made up the cabin's walls, with overgrowing vines leaving little more than a door's width of free space on all four walls. The inside, however, was tailor-made for this interrogation mission: Alastor (somehow) set up the interior of the room to prevent noise escaping it, or easy escape in general. The interior's walls were covered with wooden panels imbued with Soundproofing, and a one-way illusion window for the interrogators to keep an eye on the outside while the interrogated gets, well, interrogated. The tools provided were... crude, but effective with use. A trapdoor concealed by illusion sat in the corner of the home, in case anyone needed to sneak out of the house without being spotted immediately by anyone outside.



How goes the interrogation now? Depends on how good the team is, hopefully. If not, let the dependence fall upon the tools on the tables. Let's see how long it takes to crack the Horndarr.

Aryasaurus Silver Wolf Slop Noble Scion Inheritance ShadeAlucard

 

[Inheritance]

Bron Beararm​

Bron was very pleased how the rest of the plan went down. So far it had gone off without a hitch, which was a lot better than most other operations he had been in. He felt bad for the two women that happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, but along with the party promising them safety he went ahead and gave them his word that he'd protect them and get them out of here safely. He was a bit anxious to see how the party interrogated this man, and he knew that this would show many people's true colors. He knew he would have to watch for many things, but he figured that by him weeding out people who were unfit to lead, it would be the best use of his age and wisdom. What was he looking for? People who were too cruel, or not tough enough. People that enjoyed torture, people that couldn't do what needed to be done. Were they torturing to get valuable information that could save lives, or were they trying to punish this man? All of this was very important for future leaders and future partners.

When they got to their interrogation house, Bron took a seat in the chairs to spectate what was about to happen. He didn't say a word, just waited to see what would happen. His heart was beating faster than normal, and it occurred to him that he didn't have a plan if the party members ignored his advice. If they were enjoying the torture too much, he would step in-but what if they wouldn't let him. Would he have to attack his own team? He hoped not. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt or fight any member on their own team; but sometimes hard choices had to be made. He refused to sit idly by and watch someone enjoy the act of torture, or take it to an unusual level. The line between heroes and villains was very slim, and torture was a good way to break it.

Aryasaurus Silver Wolf Slop Noble Scion ShadeAlucard Kabboom

 

[Noble Scion]

Eliza Starborn

Spoiler: Appearance

​

Arriving at their destination, Eliza made her way inside into what she presumed was the torture room and laid the man into his uncomfortable chair, tying his arms and legs into it and testing their strength before taking a step back to sombrely look at both her handiwork, and the person who was most likely going to experience an amount of pain she wouldn't wish upon her worst enemies. Death on the battlefield was swift, but this man was more than likely suffer until his very mettle was broken, something that could not be fixed with any amount of magic or therapy. She'd seen it before in her own knights and had spent countless hours trying to help them back into shape, with little success.

Heading out of the room, Brom appeared to have taken a seat with the two ladies with an equally grim expression as her own, but after a moment she forced a smile onto her face as she moved to the opposite side of the room and leaned against the wall beside the window, staring outside as the rest of the team trickled in. Hopefully he told them what was needed sooner rather than later.

As she waited, she began praying under her breath for forgiveness and purification for the acts that were soon to be on her hands as well as the others.
Inheritance Kabboom Aryasaurus Silver Wolf Slop ShadeAlucard

 

[Silver Wolf]

Alastor Lupom
Location: Shitshack, Interrogation Room
Interactions/Nearby/Mentions: ShadeAlucard (Jazmin & Sylvia), Inheritance (Brom), Noble Scion (Eliza), Aryasaurus (Bryn'ai), Slop (Augur)
​

Once the target was in the chair, the mage pulled out the device from his satchel. A metal circlet with intricate runes and lines painstakingly carved in by hand and lined with a yellowish paint was clasped onto the man's head with a simple latch system. A simple quartz gem sat in the center at the forehead where all the lines would meet up.

Alastor had little time to test the device, but the days he did spend on the silver circlet were wrought with countless work checking. Small circular nodes dotted the circlet in regular intervals. They were actually intricate magical circles meant to take in will which the circuitry right before the gem would interpret. The quartz would then shine a color based on the will. Blue meant truth, yellow meant half truth, red is lying, purple is deceit, and green is hesitation.

Simply lies or truths were too abstract. Alastor would make sure they got the information they needed. However, the complexity of the artifact showed. A large silver bulge where the gem was saw an intricate circle centered around the gem. It showed, but the artifact worked...hopefully.

"Try not to traumatize him too much. It will make scrambling his memories more difficult. Also, if it comes to killing him, try to minimize damage done to the internal structures. It's not every day I get to perform autopsies, much less on a guardian." The statement was said with a shocking amount of apathy aside from the very last phrase where Alastor cracked a playfully smile for. It vanished as quickly as it faded, but it was not unnoticeable. Alastor had performed autopsies on a variety of beings for various reasons. Few were human and far fewer were guardians, former or otherwise. The number was below the double digits for guardians.

Alastor hoped, for the sake of their mission's integrity, that his little device would make the victim shit his pants. Easier to get information without inflicting trauma.

 

[ShadeAlucard]

Sylvia (Collab with Kabboom )

Sylvia cracks her knuckles as she got ready and walked up to the guy strapped to the chair. She then pulls out some smelling salts and cracks them open right under their target’s nose. “Rise and shine you piece of shit.” She said as she took a step back and awaited for him to awaken.

Shaking awake, Stangfel managed to open his left eye, then his right. Taking a look around the room full of interrogators, his mind caught on slowly but surely. “Wh-what? The fuck is this? The fuck are you doing?”

Sylvia just smiles as she masks herself with her assassin mask and clicks one of her blades off her hip, speaking one word. “Ignis.” When she did, the broken blade erupted into flames and became a full blade once more, only the blade was made of pure fire. “You are gonna answer all of our questions truthfully and without any hesitation traitor...if you don't comply…” Sylvia said as she slices a clean cut across his arm. Nothing too deep, but enough to make a point. Because the blade was made of fire, it cauterized his wound instantly, making sure he wouldn't bleed out. Underneath the mask she has put on, she was smiling devilishly and her eyes had the full intent of a killer in them.

Chains rattled as Stangfel winced painfully, but he breathed out a response through quiet hyperventilation. “What do you mean, traitor? What cause have I betrayed? I’ve done nothing!” His eyes darted around the room, memorizing any discernible traits of the ones conducting this… mission. The device crafted by Alastor shone a bright purple under his chin however, making Horndarr squint.

Sylvia just giggles as she takes a few steps behind the man. “We shall see. If I am given the look, I'll easily kill you. However…” Sylvia said as she gently dragged her flame blade against his arm, not slicing him, but searing his skin intensely before leaning down to whisper in his ear. “I may enjoy a bit more of you before I do”

Provoked and currently very angered, Stangfel spoke scornfully once more. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Now let me the hell out! Light-damned heretics!” His conviction slowly hardened against the searing of the skin, bright yellow quartz shine following soon after.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jazmin

Jazmin was already in the other room outside the torture room, praying to God to please forgive them for everything they are about to do and that it was only in his name they would ever do things like this. Jazmin feared she would be absolutely shunned by the church if they were to find out what she had done. She had broken some form of chastity she had sworn herself too and it made her feel extremely guilty.

 

[Slop]

Augur
Location: Shrek's Mudhouse, Torture Chamber
Interaction(s): ShadeAlucard​

The assassin's artfully boorish performance did not sit too well with the mage. He was no stranger to the crude art of physical torture; less so to the position of torturee. However, this was his first time assuming the role of torturer (albeit indirect), and he found it a little less comfortable than he had anticipated.

"Not to doubt your.. interrogation techniques, but the truth serum should come into effect in around 5 minutes. I mixed in a modest amount of mental anaesthesia to remove unnecessary mental pressure, too. I'm not concerned about his physical wellbeing, but try not to break his mind entirely - otherwise, there'll be nothing to extract information from. For the time being, do enjoy yourself - within limits, of course."

He had taken into account the respective professions and correspondingly brutal nature of some of his colleagues and prepared accordingly. The mental anaesthesia was formulated to have gradual, but near-immediate effect, so as to preserve the subject's mind from mental deterioration; self-inflicted or otherwise. Discomforting as the actual scene was, Augur couldn't help but let out a well-hidden grin of anticipation; he was eager to observe the fruits of his work.

 

[Aryasaurus]

• B r y n ' a i • T o h - A e s c a •

Warrior of the Koa-Toh • Guardian
• Rogue Archer → Poisons Specialist •

Low in the bushes, laying still in ambush, the Koa-Toh warrior watched the unfolding events. And, she kept watching. At any time she could have moved - at any time she could have acted and knocked the remaining girls out - but something inside her spoke with a primal command. She didn't dare to act, or react.

Her 'comrades' in this mission soon traveled on, leading the two ladies, as well as the traitor, Stangfel, to the shack they had planned to interrogate him in. Bryn'ai, once the group had disappeared from her sight, pushed herself to her knees. She sat there for a moment, eyes distant as thoughts filled her mind; many, yet none at all.

Maybe five minutes passed before Bryn'ai got to her feet and peeled out of the bushes. Her absence obviously had no affect on the group if none had come back to see what happened, or where she was. Yet, with a sigh, she strapped her weapons away and slowly headed in the direction of the interrogation shack. Still on the main road, she paused once more. A thousand-yard stare tore through the trees. A light flickered through the foliage, though with a blink it was gone, leaving her to wonder if it had just been a trick.

It felt as though her legs had been drenched in cement as she made her way to the location. She checked and double check that she was not followed, and then approached the cabin. One knock on the door.

"It's me," she told them; her voice was careful and quiet. "Bryn'ai." In case they had forgotten. "I'm going to stay out here, to keep a lookout."

She didn't need their approval, but she waited a few seconds to see if anyone responded. They could find her if they needed her, and she would seek someplace to hide away from the dry-landers and make sure no other nuisance came wandering their way. Or maybe she'd let them through - she'd wait and see how she felt.

Mentions & Tags

@ basically everyone.

 

[Silver Wolf]

Colab post of Alastor, Sylvia ( ShadeAlucard ), and the unfortunate victim ( Kabboom )

Location: Shitshack, Interrogation Room
Interactions/Nearby/Mentions: ShadeAlucard (Jazmin & Sylvia), Inheritance (Brom), Noble Scion (Eliza), Aryasaurus (Bryn'ai), Slop (Augur)
​

Provoked and currently very angered, Stangfel spoke scornfully once more. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Now let me the hell out! Light-damned heretics!” His conviction slowly hardened against the searing of the skin, bright yellow quartz shine following soon after.

Sylvia snarls and slices a clean slice through the tip of his right ear, as it clipping the ear of a cat. She caught the tip in her palm and smells it, smiling at the smell of burnt flesh. "You aren't telling the full truth now are you?" Sylvia said before coming around and facing him, bent over a bit to show off what she had slightly. "How about this...if you are a good boy and start telling the truth, I'll remove a piece of clothing and not harm you in any way. Would that be motivation enough?" Sylvia said with seduction in her eyes.

The Horndarr man, cut up and pretty fucked up at this point, still did not yield to this, this harlot. With a precision strike spit at Sylvia’s face, he breathed defiant in the face of physical torment. “You must be stupid and treacherous to think I’d be tempted like that. C’mon, do your fuckin’ best! I will never, ever yield to your weak, savage attempts at torture. If you are the least bit intelligent, you’d release me and beg for mercy.” The quartz shone accordingly - he was speaking the full truth.

Sylvia chuckles as she stands up. "Well, appears you are finally telling the truth. But my patience runs thin." Sylvia said as she then walks towards him and this time, grabs him physically around his neck and digs her nails deep into his neck, making sure not to nick his artery. "You will answer these questions, you will answer truthfully, and if you fucking don't then I swear on everything I will physically remove your esophagus and let you die a slow, painful death." Sylvia's eyes were on fire at this point. All playfulness was finally gone and she was now in serious executioner mode.

Choking but still contemptuous, Horndarr mustered all of his strength to cackle. “Go ahead then… I’m fuckin’ waitin’...” The man shook in place, but completely adamant on dying.

(Skipping to Alastor)

Alastor winced a few times watching it, but his composure remained. Once the petite little fox started ripping into his neck he began to walk up. He wrapped his hand around Sylvia’s tiny wrist and persuaded her to let go if possible. With a dead serious expression, he looked at her and said, “We don’t want to kill the target. It would be a waste to kill him now, before we get any information. We would have been better off just assassinating him then.”

When the Incruscan mage finally did manage to get the sadistic fox’s grip out from around the victim’s windpipe he looked him straight in the eyes while addressing Sylvia.

“Patience is a virtue. A good torturer breaks the mind and spirit before the spine. And he will break. It’s not a matter of how, but a matter of when. Everyone has a breaking point,” he said softly with a shockingly dark tone. The emphasis on the word everyone put a smile on his face. Oh how cathartic this could be in some sense, the man saw nothing wrong with what he had done likely. It reminded him of a certain individual he resented greatly. Picturing that particular individual will be a useful tool in snuffing out the mage’s own emotions for this person.

There were many ways to cause excruciating pain. Alastor felt a pit inside him re-emerge. One he thought long dead. Perhaps it was the entire ludicrous situation, but now was the time to cast those doubts aside. It was only logical after all, if the Darkborne are left unchecked far more will suffer. The mage grabbed some tongs and very simple tools meant for grabbing and leverage.

“To be fair, I despise people like you,” he said looking straight to the unfortunate victim. Horndarr’s shoes were taken off and Alastor took a good long look at the feet. He would start simple. If simple wasn’t enough, it would be Horndarr’s fault. “You sell people out for your own personal gain.”

The tongs clamped the big toe to keep it in place. Alastor’s focus remained on the now captivated lump and continued to speak, “Your kind, regardless of race, are incredibly simple creatures. Shallow without a vision. Blind in a swamp of base pleasure.”

Alastor shoved the leverage tool onto the toe and began to pull up, slowly. Ripping off the nail would do no good. Extending the pain as much as he could. He might as well abandon any hope of letting Horndarr escape unscathed.

“You people hold no vision for the future. Your heads are wasted space. Even when your kind does have potential, it’s wasted. So tell us,” Alastor said, stopping his push. He looked into Horndarr’s eyes, his own uncaring and devoid of any empathy. “How many people would you be willing to sacrifice for your base pleasures?”

It was a seemingly pointless question, but if Alastor was anything he was a patient man. He felt a burning desire to rip the nail clean off, but his eyes were now focused on Horndarr and the device on his head. In the highly likely case Horndarr lied in any way, he would rip the toe nail then and there over the course of a minute, making sure he dug through all the sensitive areas to prolong the suffering. After all, he prides himself in patience.

Horndarr didn’t fare so great. Whatever pomp he maintained slowly fell apart the moment the cold tongs grasped his toe, and it all collapsed when his nail started going somewhere it shouldn’t. Grabbing the chair tightly and shaking violently with his other foot, Stangfel grunted in pain. His affected foot kept perfectly still, but the noises coming from him grew in volume. “Nice… fuckin’ try- Gah, fuck-” He managed, before crumbling entirely. “Alright! Alright! Stopstopstopstop!” Seems Guardian training can’t prepare you for toe-pulling.

“That was fast,” Alastor muttered to himself loud enough for everyone to hear. He finished the job and ripped the nail off, giving the man time to cry out and recover a few seconds. He then looked at him in the eyes and asked, “So, what do you know about the Darkborne Cult plaguing the city?” His eyes shifted to the device he made and waited.

Regaining his breath after the scream, Horndarr whispered slowly. “What do you want to know about ‘em? Huh?”

A smartass, great. Alastor looked at Horndarr briefly before asking, “I mean, everything you know would be nice, but since you’re feeble mind cannot answer without specifics, I guess I shall name a few. First off, I want to know who other members are. Do they have a leader? Second, what do you do for them? Finally, why work with them at all? Did they promise you power, safety, or did they buy you for something worth far less?” Alastor listed off his demands and waited with a small pile of notes.

 

[Kabboom]

Stangfel

He'd been defeated. Guardian training didn't prepare him for this - hell, even his bitch parents couldn't prepare him for this torrent of pain and battery. He'd loved to break open from his chains, and smash these dumb bandits in the face until they pleaded him to stop, until their faces begun to melt into red paste, until his fists contacted the floor through their empty skulls. He'd loved to open the door and finish off whatever scum there were outside this interrogation chamber, then finish his business with the whores. He'd loved to do all that and then some, but these chains were just too thick even for someone of his bulk. He would've sweet-talked and lied his way out of this, but this damned fucking necklace they put on him tells the truth.

Best tell the truth then. After all, these bastards seem reluctant to off him. When he comes back, he'll let them feel pain - especially that broad that lured him in the first place. With great difficulty (no thanks to the cut wounds), Stangfel huffed out the answers. The necklace's quartz shines bright blue throughout his statement.

"The cult... keeps its secrets well, to defend against people like you. I only know my part of the operation, anything else is delivered via messengers and proxies. I think they do have a leader, but I've never received any information or orders from such a leader. I do people acquisition: I snatch people for them. They need people for experiments and new members, and I provide."

"I work with them because I want to. The Empire doesn't deserve this fucking city, or this state. Have you seen how they treat their people? Everyone around here walks around, thinking they aid the greater good or some other bullshit. I wanted to rule this fuckin' place, and they'll get me there. Besides, they don't treat Guardians well anyway."

"There. That good enough for ya? I told you the truth."

GM

Outside the interrogation chamber, the two drunk ladies Stangfel were with now sobbed quietly on their chairs. Positively scared shitless, the two drunks had no idea what they were in for, and still don't have any idea. The whole time they had been silent, afraid of repercussions should they do anything other than exist - Stangfel was still a hero in their inebriated minds, and him being clocked unconscious the last time they saw him made them restless. Mustering up the courage, one of the girls asked the female paladin sitting in the room with them. "Wh...what are ya gunna'do with us?? W-we din't do anythin' wrong..."

Outside the shack, Bryn'ai had volunteered to keep watch on the road, on the off chance that someone would come by at this place, at this time of day, at this time of year, at this exact road. Of course, the chances of that were infinitesimally small - why would anyone come down here at this time of the night? There was nothing to do here at all! Nothing at all. Absolutely nothing. And yet, Bryn'ai's eyes spotted a silhouette of a man jogging down this stretch of road. Coming closer, the man was a simple city guardsman, seeming a bit out of breath. He did not seem to be aware of Bryn'ai, or the shack, or anything really. Panting heavily, he just stood around and checked his flickering personal lantern, regaining some stamina. Bryn'ai could faintly hear him thinking out loud.

"Phew... God, you can't run for shit, Bob... ah, my legs hurt... where'd those ladies run to...?"

The guardsman seems content with standing there. Curious how he showed up alone, when city guardsmen are supposed to travel in pairs at night.

Aryasaurus Silver Wolf Slop Noble Scion Inheritance ShadeAlucard

 

[Silver Wolf]

Alastor Lupom
Location: Shitshack, Interrogation Room
Interactions/Nearby/Mentions: ShadeAlucard (Jazmin & Sylvia), Inheritance (Brom), Noble Scion (Eliza), Aryasaurus (Bryn'ai), Slop (Augur) Kabboom (Strangfel)
​

The device stayed blue the whole time. As Strangfel gave Alastor his side of the story. He felt his humanity and any good nature he had left die inside. Of course the fool acted like he could see the bigger picture. Of course he would claim he was in the right while spouting off selfish nonsense. Gripping his staff he took the words in until his knuckles turned white. He could feel his composure breaking down. Of course another fucking pion in the human high society felt he deserved everything. It was no different than the man that ruined his previous life, the man who booted him and his father for showing nothing but kindness and servitude, all for a cheap and simple pleasure. He may be part animal, but he had vowed that day to never be as much an animal as humans. However, he felt himself almost shaking, something deep inside him whispering to shake that vow. And it finally snapped.

"Words cannot describe how pathetic you are!" Alastor shouted at the top of his lungs. He approached with his staff glowing as his will began to boil over the rare gem that sat on the pole. Yes, the same pole his father's spear was made of. It felt right, it would feel right. No one would care in the end. "Of course the empire doesn't deserve this city, but you've done NOTHING to help it. You have only driven it further into chaos by helping those who would willingly kill every man, woman, and child to get their way! This isn't about the greater good you thick skulled dimwit! This is about lives, about people with souls no different from everyone in this building! You wanted to rule this place?! Sure, as a zombified corpse when the Darkborne overrun this place and possess your body leaving an empty shell! You cannot see beyond yourself! You think the world owes you!? Well I'm about to give you what you deserve."

Alastor looked at his staff and pointed it point blank at Strangfel. The tip began glowing as his will began manifesting power in the staff. "Dolor altum propagationem passionis anima mea scintillam coruscare cororis et animo serva!" A bolt shot Strangfel in the chest. The bolt itself will do no damage, but powerful and unbearable pain will be shooting from that spot spreading around the body. The spell was also set to prevent Strangfel from passing out or irreversable damage from the body's response. He would only let a single minute of this take place before canceling the spell, but he watched with his uncaring expression twisted into fury. As the man suffered he watched and imagined his father's lord in that chair almost feeling a smile come to his face, but he stopped himself from enjoying it. Once the minute of pure unraveled agony would reach its end, the wolf incruscan caster would lower himself to eye level, give Strangfel room to breath and ask with a voice wielding shocking amount of venom, "Tell us where you take your victims or I will not hesitate to use that spell on you again. And don't even think about delaying anything, my staff has plenty of power left. Right now there is no network to track us, so we can be here until your demise."

Alastor hoped that burst was a one time event. He hoped nothing worse came to pass, but that was his last question. Once he was done, he would leave Strangfel to Sylvia's hands. He doubted the malevolent kitsune wouldn't fail to kill the man. But he knew now he wasn't sleeping. He would be up all night struggling with this new issue. He couldn't believe what he just did and every moment was ingrained into his mind. That was when a memory echoed deep into his soul. A memory he wished he could leave buried. "Filthy beast." He would ultimately write down whatever Strangfel said, but if they got what they wanted and it proved to be true, he would ultimately leave the room in a hurry. Collapsing in the far rightmost corner in a fetal position trying to get his bearings, holding his ears like a scared child and his tail tucked in. Plenty nearby could probably have heard the door slam as he left the room to cower like a puppy.

 

[Noble Scion]

Eliza Starborn

Spoiler: Appearance

​

Hearing the worried tones of the drunk women behind her, her seemingly endless murmuring of prayer after prayer stopped as she turned around with weary eyes but a gentle smile. "To put it bluntly, nothing. Do not fret, you both are in no danger, and if anything we might have just saved you. That man is dangerous and we must keep you here with us, at least for the time being, so that your safety and the perhaps the rest of the village is not in jeopardy." she said confidently before pondering a little more on how she might be able to ease their worries.

"I might be able to get you both some water, I would offer wine but over-indulgence is a sin, and from what I can tell.. You both have probably indulged in enough for this night. Would you like something to drink?" she asked politely, considering the two women and maintaining her composure as her thoughts ran rampant about the possible tragedies happening simply through the door.
Kabboom

 

[Kabboom]

Stangfel

That damned bolt! The fucking...bastards! Horndarr had never heard such words go unpunished before, and his minute of agony was suffused with deep hatred and anger. But at least they're keeping their word: questions, and they're done. Stangfel will be back in bigger numbers - the cult members, despite what the dog said, will stand by his side; if they won't, then he's more than capable of doing it by himself. One final answer, and then he can get the fuck out of here.

"I hand the people off to a cult agent in Darrellville - back of the Square Pip Inn. That guy separates the men from women: men head in the direction of Highpine Ridge, women in the direction of Foisten Brek. That's as far as my position in the cult goes."

Watching the little pup run out of the room was satisfying enough for him - remembering about the girl with the flaming blades was a bit less pleasant.

GM

Outside, the ladies were sated by Eliza's answer, though they didn't stop fidgeting in their chairs. After all, sitting in a relatively dilapidated shack (in the dark) surrounded by warriors more powerful than one can fathom doesn't really do much to calm two drunk ladies who are *this* close to pissing themselves out of fear. They nod to the second question, and nearly shot out of their chairs when the door slammed shut, on account of the dog Incruscan. The two ladies held each other's hands tightly, banding together in solidarity against the weird sobbing pup-man.

Silver Wolf ShadeAlucard Noble Scion

 

[ShadeAlucard]

Sylvia

Sylvia was watching intently, smiling as the wizard guy tormented this soul and was laughing internally with pleasure. She did enjoy tormenting the souls of her victims, even as an assassin, her methods were...torment before killing. She frowned a bit when the wizard finished and ran off like a puppy with his tail tucked between his legs and scoffed. "well, looks like it is my turn again." she said out loud as she fires up her blades again and walks over to the guy, seductively licking her lips and placing a foot right in between his legs on the chair. "now, what do i do with you? perhaps some fun before i slaughter you and use your blood as a bath? or do i torment you by flaying you limb from limb?" Sylvia stated out loud, clearly thinking she was alone in the room as she went to ready herself to strike.