At the Manor (inter-session RP)

"Slaves!" calls Tiadora, clapping her hands sharply. A number of attractive men and women dressed in dark livery enter at her summons. "These people are our guests. I want them cleaned, dressed, and refreshed. Quickly." She glances once again at Grumblejack. "And show ... that to the stables." The slaves hustle to obey. You are led through the dark halls of the manor to separate rooms, each comfortably appointed. The house is nowhere near as run-down as it looks outside, and after prison cells and the struggles to cross the moors, it's pure luxury. You are provided with an opportunity to wash up, a selection of clean, dry clothes -- all perfectly sized to you -- and a platter of hot food with pitchers of water and wine. The wine proves to be spiced with something that has healing properties. The men and women in livery serve efficiently and unobtrusively, and in perfect silence. There is a somewhat blank quality to their expressions which reminds Sandra of Sergeant Blackerly's look when Tiadora visited the prison. As strange as it may be, the treatment cannot help but ease the pain of your wounds and the stresses of the journey. Game effects: You receive a full heal-up.

"Thank you for your hospitality, here and in our previous...predicament," Tek says, knowing it is probably best not to piss her off, "So, about this person we are to meet?" Although he doesn't eat or drink, he mends himself magically into mint condition.

The slaves avoid your eyes and give no sign of hearing your words.

I wasn't talking to them, but the lady Tiadora.

Riss has been rather flighty since the escape from the prison. Specifically, he's still a bird, and chirping around and flying about outside the house. "It's good to fly! I like to fly! Feel that breeze? Hey, an updraft!" can be heard floating in through the window, his words coming out in an odd mix of speech and joyous chirps. "...did you hear what that bird said? Hey? HEY!" And he's off again, flying away from the house. (I figure this will give me an IC reason to be gone for the previous and next session)

(erm, do you mind if Riss sticks around a bit longer? I was actually planning to handle the meeting with "the master" in here, since it's rather important you all be present for that.)

Riss comes back after a few minutes, flying into one of the open windows and turning back into his normal form, looking rather disoriented from the whole affair. Throwing on the clean clothes and grabbing handfuls of food, he starts to wander the house, so long as nobody stops him. (sure :D)

"All things in time," is all Tiadora will say before you're escorted to your rooms.

After you've had a chance to clean up, change, eat and drink, and relax from your hard journey over the moors, the slaves return to collect you and lead you silently through the dark halls. You are brought together in a small dark room lined with racks of books and scrolls, lit only by a few flickering lamps. Behind a massive carved ebony desk is a striking figure of a man. Tall and thin, he is bald as an egg save for a small pointed beard. He wears rich vestments of red and black with the thorned star of Asmodeus picked out in gold thread. His expression, as he leans back in a high leather-backed chair and studies you, is at once quizzical and amused. His voice is deep and resonant despite his slender frame. "Welcome to my house. It is quite an honor to meet the first to escape Branderscar Prison." He smiles. "Although I believe you had some slight help from the outside. To introduce myself, I am Cardinal Adrastus Thorn, and I am the last high priest of Asmodeus left in Talingarde. No need to give your names -- I am quite aware of who you are and what you are capable of. And that is why I facilitated your escape and am providing you sanctuary."

"What's the catch, your excellency?" Tek says with a slight grin.

Riss never had to deal much with clergy back where he came from. It was essentially a simple matter of geography. Not many would build a chapel that far north, after all. Especially considering the types of neighbors you'd likely have. "Hello Thorn. Thanks for springing us," he rumbles, waiting to hear the price of his freedom.

The trip had taken its toll on Sandra, and she was grateful to get into dry, clean clothes and rest for a few moments in the warmth. She partook liberally of the wine, having not enjoyed such luxuries since her days at her family's manor. When the servants came to fetch her, her pale cheeks were covered with a rosy blush of intoxication. She seemed clear-headed enough to acknowledge the man's status however, stepping into a graceful curtsy once he finished his introduction. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Cardinal," she said, casting glances at her fellow former prisoners. "It is good to know that the Dark Prince still casts his watchful gaze over this land."

"It's true," the cardinal continues, "that I did not send dear Tiadora to assist you out of pure altruism. I have need of powerful and capable allies." He sweeps a glance across all of you, his deep-set black eyes burning. "For too long, Talingarde has been in the grip of a fanatical Mitran cult that denies the power of the Lord of Malsheem and indeed tries to destroy any religion that does not bow down to their feeble sun god. Folk such as yourself have suffered their twisted justice merely for affirming the natural order of things. I know some of what you have experienced, for I have felt it myself." Pulling up his sleeve, Thorn displays an old, pale F-rune brand, much like yours. "They must be stopped. No, more than that, they must be punished. I mean to burn Talingarde as it exists now to ashes, and build a new nation that knows its rightful masters. Plans are already in motion, and to carry them out I need servants worthy of the Infernal Father." Putting his hands on the arms of his chair, the cardinal rises, leaning over his desk. "Join me, and I will see you raised in the eyes of gods and men. There is nothing beyond the door of this home for you now but flight and disgrace and death. I can save you from all that, and make you lords and princes of the Talingarde-to-come. "I ask you tonight to swear fealty to me and to Asmodeus. Put aside forgiveness, and I will give you revenge on those who wronged you." His gaze sweeps across Sandra. "Put aside mercy, and you will be given power." He glances at Tek. "Strike down those who would force you to live on scraps and shadows." As he says this, he looks at Korabb and then Riss. "Abandon false promises of peace, and I will make you my harbinger of war and death." His eyes settle last on Vinha as he opens one hand slowly. "What say you? Will you swear allegiance, or burn with the rest of the fools beyond?"

"I may not worship him as you do, but,I promise to serve you in this mission to preserve the natural order. The strong rule over the others." Tek kneels and puts his hand across his chest as he says this.

That's an uncomfortable proposal. Riss glances to the others, before clearing his throat. "I'm not converting. But I don't need to, since we have the same goals. I won't be a slave to Asmodeus, or you, or anyone - but that doesn't mean I won't help you topple Talingarde and reduce it to ruin."

"Count me in to help, but like Riss, I see this as an alliance. I'm not going to be a slave, either. It's about time Talingarde learned its lesson." Vinha's eyes shine as she says this.

Sandra took in Cardinal's information silently, her eyes widening when he spoke directly at her. The others seemed to be in agreement, but she wasn't so sure. Despite the allure of his words, he was the self-professed last High Priest of Asmodeus. Shelter and purpose was all well and good, but did he truly mean to send the lot of them against the might of Talingarde's army? Throwing her lot in with Thorn and his schemes could very well mean a fate worse than death, especially as Asmodeus was involved. Still, the man managed to facilitate their escape, and judging from his own F-rune, this wasn't the first time either. Taking note of her fellow former-prisoner's responses, Sandra nodded and bowed her head, addressing the man. "It seems we are in accord, Cardinal Thorn," she said, smoothly glossing over the matter of her own allegiance. "What would you have us do?"

Cardinal Thorn smiles as you agree to his proposal. Reaching into his desk, he produces a tray bearing two sheets of reddish leather, a shallow dish, quill pens, and a silver knife that gathers light in pools on its blade. "I am glad to find you reasonable. From the start, I knew you would be an excellent addition to the forces I command. My plans are already underway in many quarters of Talingarde, and there will be work for you soon. "And while I understand the concern some of you have: I do not want you as slaves. The lesser sorts you have seen in my house are fit only to serve Asmodeus with their bodies. If you were not of a higher order, I would not have bothered to rescue and shelter you. And I do not require that you revere Asmodeus. Only be aware that the Lord of Hell speaks through me, and when you act in my name, you are his agents in this world. "Let us now make our pact official." He pushes one of the leather sheets across the black surface of the desk toward you and lifts the knife in his thin fingers. "Signing in blood is traditional." The handout "Cardinal Thorn's contract" should now be available in your Journal.

*Fake coughs* "Um, I do not bleed, so how may I sign?"

The cardinal's smile doesn't waver. "Oil, then. There must be some essential substance flowing within you to keep your machinery in motion."

I dip the pen- wherever, and sign, in my oil,"Simple enough."

"I see no reason to withhold my signature as our purposes align and I have already given my life to service of Asmodeus." Korabb opens his palm with a small knife and signs the contract.

Sandra takes the opportunity to read over the contract at length before signing herself over. It all seemed straightforward, though having it written down before her gave the whole scenario some context. Asmodeus.. His name had appeared at length several times in the various dark rituals that had given her life. Though it was obviously difficult for a young noblewoman to learn more about the First of the Fallen, perhaps this was an opportunity in the making. The dark eyed young woman offers her middle and index fingers to the knife-wielding Cardinal, squeezing the bleeding digits into the dish once they'd been opened. With one of the pens, she signs 'S. Verdun' on the bottom of the contract and nods.

What is it with cults and blood pacts? Riss looks like he ate something disagreeable as he regards the writ, and eventually sighs. "I'd prefer a contract that isn't eternal, Cardinal. Can I sign something that's temporary? I assure you, I am your ally in this." But he also tends to avoid signing his soul over to dark gods as a matter of self-preservation.

Vinha reads over the contract at length as well. When she is done, she looks steadily at Cardinal Thorn. "It is all well and good to say that you do not wish us as slaves, and I believe you when you say you will not treat us as you do those we have seen. That said, slavery exists in many different forms. According to this contract, we would essentially be your slaves. I refer, of course, to the second Loyalty. The only time we are allowed to disobey an order from you is if it conflicts with loyalty to Asmodeus. I would prefer to have more security than that. Words are cheap; it is actions that speak. Right now, you SAY you will not make us slaves, but the wording of your contract essentially does make us slaves. "The easiest way to solve this problem would be to make yourself the fourth loyalty. I doubt you will do this. Therefore, I suggest adding more to the last line of the second loyalty section to make it clear that only orders related to our goal need to be obeyed. I am willing to obey any such orders; I am NOT willing to obey any order you have a whim to make, knowing that we are bound in such a way that we cannot refuse. For example, as I am not a beautiful woman, and I doubt you would actually want to sleep with me, my loyalty to Asmodeus would not prevent me, so if you did choose to order me to sleep with you, I would not be able to refuse. You have made it clear in your response to our concerns that you are not looking for that, so it should be reflected in the contract as well. Otherwise, it is just words, and you can easily change your mind once we no longer have any right to question your orders. Also, like Riss, I'd prefer a temporary contract. Prove your willingness to treat us as partners by changing the contract. My goals align with yours greatly; in fact, they are exactly what I was hoping to find, but I'm not willing to be a slave. I've lived on my own in the woods and I can do it again, if I need to. I'm not going to sign a contract that makes me your slave until I die."

Cardinal Thorn places his palms together thoughtfully. "I understand your concern. I have no desire to exploit you for mere tawdry amusement. I have brought you here for one reason only, and that is to further the destruction of Talingarde. If you wish a codicil to assure you that I will not command you to irrelevancies, you shall have it. "But at the same time, you must remember that the forces arrayed against us are great and powerful, and it would take only a slight ... error to end our plans and ensure that Mitra becomes indeed the unconquered sun of Talingarde." His thin lips twist as he says the words. "You will be a vital part of the work to come. I must be absolutely certain I can trust you, for I shall be putting the future of my plans, and the lives of my other servants -- and, aye, my own -- in your hands. "Make no mistake, the road ahead of us is long and difficult, and there will be no way to know when and where it will end until we do reach that glorious day when the star of Asmodeus is ascendant once more. So I cannot set a limit on how long the work will last. But know this: I have shown you a small fraction of my generosity in helping return your lives to you, and in further concealing you from the soldiers who even now seek your lives. Show some faith in return, and I assure you that you will have scant reason to complain."

"Very well. I will sign once the codicil is added." Vinha nods once in respect.

Riss nods his head. "Until Talingarde has fallen or until I die I will faithfully serve according to the contract. Is this acceptable? I'm offering my life to the vision, Cardinal. But once I die, I return to the earth."