1/3 SkulkingHorror 2016/10/23(Sun)14:40 No. 754924 ID: 52d0bb
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Zirahar: “Do you know the secrets of telling falsehood undetected, Reinhard?”

Reinhard: “No. That is your craft Zirahar.”

Zirahar: “Then I will tell thee. There are three.The first is to lie as little as possible the is to be unusually specific, for no one ever suspects detail in a fabrication. The last is this: do not think of a lie before telling one, but after.”

Reinhard: “After? Spare me your riddles, monster. How can you say something before you think of it?”

Zirahar: “You don’t. If you must think of a deception at the time of the telling, you will be found out no matter what you do, if your victim is at all clever. The lie you invent afterwards is for the next time, so you are not caught unprepared again. No one ever lies just once, human. hehehe...”

Reinhard: “That would be a sound plan, if you knew the occasion under which the next time would occur.”

Zirahar: “You need not have the full thing, only the details. You should always have a few in your mind, ready to be used. How is it harder to remember a falsehood than a truth. For each thing learned, one invented: this is how one becomes a master of deception. Of course, if that is not to your taste, there are other resources one may use...”

2/3 SkulkingHorror 2016/10/23(Sun)14:41 No. 754926 ID: 52d0bb
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Reinhard: “These voices you speak of… I cannot but think they are the whisperings of devils. Surely no good can come from following their advice.”

Zirahar: “Devils, angels, gods… Human legends are full of such novel and clumsy notions. Such beings no doubt exist, yes, but they seldom interfere in this world of flesh and blood, and when they do it is for the annihilation of kingdoms and the desolation of realms. I have merely learned to listen to the voices of tree and stone, as you might, were you willing.
There are rituals, human. I can open the path for you.”

3/3 SkulkingHorror 2016/10/23(Sun)14:42 No. 754927 ID: 52d0bb
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Reinhard: “I have no wish to dabble in your black magic, shaman. A sharp blade and a swift horse are all I ask.”

Zirahar: “So you have said. And yet despite your sword and your horse, here you are, rotting in this tomb. Meanwhile your friends are dying, your patrimony despoiled, your mate given over to your rival. Do you really mean to tell me that there is a price you would not pay to see it otherwise?”

Reinhard: “You have offered me whispers and shadows, no more. And you have fared no better than I.”

Zirahar: “Hehehe... I am alive, human. There is no knightly order to pay my ransom, no enemy with which to exchange captives. Rishira would have fed me to her troops years ago, but for that. Even now, they tell me the masked captain is coming for me. He is going down, down far below, to fetch us from this hole.”

Reinhard: “I should have found that out myself in a little while.”

Zirahar: “Hehehe… You are a clever one, Reinhard son of Reinald. I have taught thee well. Not only have you learned mistrust, but your mastery of the zakasi tongue is equal to my own by now.”

Reinhard: “I had not noticed. I do not even know how long it has been since I last spoke to men of my own race.”

Zirahar: “hehehe… Would you know the signs that will precede your death, Reinhard son of Reinald? Or perhaps ye would prefer to know whether the order will pay your ransom?”

>>754927
I would prefer to know neither. To "know the future" can only lead to false confidence, complacency, or despair.

"... If we have nothing else to do, might I but speak to the voices in turn? For I have known you and learned from you long enough to trust you over my deepest friends

if not for your
incessant
cryptic
UNENDING
whining.

I may consider your offerings beyond denial if there was Someone ELSE TO @#$%ING SPEAK TO ALREADY! [large]AAAAAAAAAUGH[large]!!!"

SkulkingHorror 2016/10/23(Sun)17:45 No. 754957 ID: 52d0bb
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>>754940
>>754941
Hehehe… He can’t hear you. Few inhabitants of this plane can these days.

I don’t believe we’ve met before. My name is Zirahar, shaman of the Magakash Clan. Or, former shaman rather. The demon I was speaking with earlier has gone, you have nothing to fear from him. No doubt he was needed elsewhere...

Reinhard: “I don’t want to hear it. Even if I trusted you, it would only serve to bring about apprehension and waste my last moments. If you have any useful predictions, I would hear those.”

Zirahar: “Heh, there shall be no more predictions, after all. These are different spirits now.”

Reinhard: “Is that bad?”

Zirahar: “Who can say? Azirak will be here soon. Perhaps we shall have the opportunity to find out, hehehe...”

If you intend to linger here, I may have time to answer some of your questions before the captain arrives.

Where can we find hawt vixens with abnormally proportioned and supernaturally firm tits?

NOW, let's agree to a truce, you answer truthfully and we don't blow your head with annoyingly sexual content. How does Shaman Job work? Why are you in jail? What do you plan to do to get out? Can we help solve magic puzzles?

I'm curious about your current predicament. What conflict caused the imprisonment of a shaman? Why were you chained next to a paladin? How are you guys dealing with your waste?
Maybe you could tell us about what you are trying to accomplish. Do you have a motive to teach your ways to a paladin or are you just enjoying the little company that you have?

...You say we are spirits. How do spirits effect your world, normally?

Is it unusual for shamans to fall into disfavor? And why are you eager to share your ways with an outsider, a human at that?

1/2 SkulkingHorror 2016/10/26(Wed)20:44 No. 755624 ID: 52d0bb
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>What do spirits do? What do shamans do?
In truth, I know very little of all there is to know. I have met many kinds of spirits in my time, and there are probably countless more. Most common are those whose nature is bound up with certain fixed objects, such as those of forest, mountain, or bog. But I suspect you are among the spirits of the air, Skirihi as we call them, moving freely but without power to move aught else, or to observe except by the medium of a shaman such as myself.
In theory, a shaman, or zahukiki, serves as the clan’s ambassador to the other world, maintaining the good favor of the local spirits. The work is dangerous and even in the absence of catastrophic failure, constant exposure to the outer realms takes a toll on the practitioner’s sanity after a time, as you can see hehe… In practice, there is a great temptation to go further than what is prescribed, to seek to bargain for knowledge and power. Which leads me to the next question.


>Why am I in prison?
Not for what I have done, so much as what I might do. Rishira began to doubt my loyalties some time ago, and rightly so. I should have hidden my activities more thoroughly. No one can serve two masters, and a warlock’s loyalty is sold beyond hope of redemption. Still, my talents are useful enough that I am worth keeping alive.


>Explain your designs for the human.
We were locked in here apart from the other prisoners. I doubt it was chance, for I could not persuade Rishira to spare him without admitting the cause of my interest. We were probably placed together and kept under surveillance, in the hopes that I would reveal more. It seems like something Azirak would do.
The human’s arrival here was foreseen, I do not know how. He is important for some reason. Important enough that I was promised release from my pact, in exchange for persuading the templar to seal one of his own. It is a rare thing for a warlock to be released, especially so close to death as I am. He has been reluctant, but I can sense his curiosity and ambition are getting the better of him.


>How do I plan to escape? Is there a waste chute nearby?
We tried to dig our way out earlier. The plan was to hide the excavated dirt in yonder chamber pot, thus getting the slaves to carry it out for us. They caught on and thereafter they learned to just dump the refuse in the hole we’d dug. It was an effective deterrent, and we have not attempted it since.
Perhaps an opportunity will present itself once we are nearer the surface.


>Can you help solve magic puzzles?
Well, there is…
wait...

2/2 SkulkingHorror 2016/10/26(Wed)20:47 No. 755626 ID: 52d0bb
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Three gnolls enter the dungeon, two wearing armor of partial plate and wielding spears, one wearing a mask of bone and possessed of lighter frame and stature. The latter carries a scimitar and is clad in light armor.


Azirak: “Commander Reinhard. Enjoying your stay?”


Reinhard: “Go eat thee a baby Azirak.”


Azirak: “Ha, art thou still butthurt, vagabond? Thou’ll have to suck it up, for I have no time for thy moaning today. The matriarch would have words with the pair of you.”


Azirak is no fool. However, if we are to escape, I cannot afford to let this opportunity slip by. Be vigilant.

Reinhard will return to his homeland victorious, so his betrayal will either remain unknown or he will successfully escape. I advise you to invest in the escape plan.
He also won't be accompany by you, so if after gaining your liberty you decide to join his path something will prevent you from doing so. Better to leave the reencounter to a further future.

Now, how would you proceed in your escape plan? Two chained prisoners against three armed soldiers? I hope you have some trick to improve your chances.
If you are desperate enough you can attempt to push one or two down the stairs and disable the remaining enemy before the others can return. Azirak would be easier to push and have a better weapon for close combat, but the soldiers will probable be more difficult to handle unarmed.

1/2 SkulkingHorror 2016/10/30(Sun)14:09 No. 756160 ID: 52d0bb
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>>755672
There’s little to be done at present, besides wait for an opportunity. Even were we armed and unchained, this would not be a favorable fight. In all likelihood, the guard behind us would skewer me before I could get to Azirak. Even if we succeeded, the rest of the fortress is full of soldiers, and we are nowhere near the entrance.


Reinhard and Zirahar follow Azirak up a series of staircases and down a winding corridor. One guard follows behind, one guard marches ahead. They arrive at a gate of immense height and girth. A troop of gnollish soldiers stand guard, four on either side.


Azirak: “The prisoners are here for their audience.”


One of the soldiers opens the doors. Beyond lies a cavernous hall, filled with a great number of soldiers. At the far end stands a great throne of bone set upon which sits a huge gnoll. The gnoll wears a great horned helm and an immense pole-ax.
Azirak leads Reinhard and Zirahar into the chamber, and takes his place a short distance behind them. The guards take their place on either side of them. As the enter, the door closes behind them with a resounding clang.


Rishira: “Commander Reinhard, it’s been a while. I have some good news for you.”


Reinhard: “Has the order decided to pay my ransom?”


Rishira: “They have.”


Reinhard: “Excellent. Where is my armor? It is perhaps too much to hope my horse still lives, but armor made for men cannot be of much use to you.”


Rishira: “Not so fast, human. Before I let you go, there’s something we need to discuss. After that, you shall have all your possessions restored to you. We shall even replace your lost steed.”


Reinhard: “What have we to discuss? I have been in your dungeons for the devil knows how long, and heard nothing except the ravings of yonder shaman.”

2/2 SkulkingHorror 2016/10/30(Sun)14:11 No. 756161 ID: 52d0bb
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Rishira: “Aye, but you will. You shall also have the ear of grand master, and command of one of the forts nearest to my lands. I want to make you an offer, vagabond. Agree to serve me as my agent, and I will reward you beyond anything you could ever hope from your order. And when the war has ended and my lands are secure, I will grant you one of my human tribes to rule in my name, and a fief greater than your father ever had by the emperor.
Or, I can let you return to your cell, there to rot until you feel more cooperative.”


Reinhard: “As you wish, but let me be off. I am sick to death of these lightless halls.”


Rishira: “Of course, I will need some surety that you will obey me once you have regained your freedom. This is where you come in, Zirahar. I need you to forge a blood-pact for me.”


Reinhard (aside, to Zirahar): “What is she talking about, Zirahar?”


Zirahar (aside, to Reinhard): “She wants me to summon a demon to witness an oath. In such a contract, the demon obtains the power to kill you and take your soul if the terms are violated.”


Reinhard (aside, to Zirahar): “What?! I could never agree to such a thing. Is there any means by which we may escape this choice of evils?”


We are in a black situation. I have told Rishira too much of my studies, and now we are at her mercy. There are ways in which such a pact could be negated, but it is a grave thing. It would require that one of us were killed, or that the demon be convinced to relinquish its claim.
I could attempt to fake or undermine the ritual, but this would be perilous in the extreme, for she will be expecting this. I must assume that she or Azirak has deciphered my notes by now, in which case they may well be able to detect such subterfuge.


There is a way I could use this to my own advantage, but I doubt the human would go along willingly. My master has a number of demons in his service, and he clearly has designs on the human’s soul. They may be willing to conspire to subvert the pact, but Reinhard must agree to the alternate terms, if not to the original. Unlike Rishira, Reinhard knows only what I have taught him, and may be tricked into believing the curse is more easily broken than it is.

Tell me this shaman, if we are indeed only spirits of air, then how is we can glimpse into the future. For we perceive ourselves with this knight, we act as a kind of guide for him. I propose this instead, if she wishes a spirit or demon to be bound to him, bind us to him. We will ensure his oaths are filled and you and his honor remains intact.

Could you, maybe, adapt the ritual to use something other than a demon? Like, for example, the bunch of dishonest assholes current speaking in your head. Reinhard looked less scary of us than he is of demons and we would love to renegotiate the terms when he inevitable decide he won't act as a spy. Would Zirahar be able to tell the difference?

If tricking the matriarch isn't an option, guess you will need to lie to him. Reinhard is nice and all but I doubt you want to die for him.

Speaking of your relation... I didn't want to mention in an inopportune time but there may never bee an appropriate time. You and him, two vigorous men chained together for devil knows how long in such a way that you can't touch your own back... There must be many inconveniences in which you need each other to "scratch your back"... maybe there were moments were you didn't needed, but never the less wanted his help... You know where I'm going with this.

...We have seen a dark messenger arrive for the knight. Telling him to 'remember'...
As for your actions here...
The Knight shall not accept a pact to serve this Gnoll. The Warlord here shall not accept your disobedience. I think...
So. If I understand this right if you die, the pact, whatever it may be, is forfeit. Tell the Warlord this, and thus garuntee your own survival.
Next...Your Master desires deeply the Knight's Soul. Have the demon prepare a subterfuge to twist the contract...
Now as for the two contracts...A pact of non-aggression, between this knight and any force he commands, and this Rishira and her armies. This, perhaps, should be acceptable to both parties, and is the contract you can offer.
If you wish, you may attempt to Twist this contract into a pact of non-aggression between yourself and either the Knight or Rishira, depending on who you think will win the war...

Assuming the future is as we have foreseen and this isn't some alternate timeline, the humans will win the war. Can you manipulate the terms so that Reinhard goes free if something happens to Rishira, or if the fortress changes hands?

Also, you implied earlier you were close to death. Do you have any particular reason to think you will die soon? If so, you might be able to convince Reinhard to accept the pact if he knows it will only be binding for a short time.

Does your master want you to get Reinhard to seal a specific kind of pact, or would this deal with Rishira be enough to earn you your freedom?