[Carrie] Chapter 8: Requests

[Throndir]

《 Chapter 7: Melrose

》

《Chapter 8: Requests》

Thura Forest - Lamia Priestess Tunnels
???

You were awakened by the sounds of soft snoring along with some sort of weight on top of your legs. When you were finally conscious enough to gather your surroundings, you realized it was Synithise, the matriarch of the Lamia priestesses. She was seated on a chair next to your bed, though she was leaning over on your bed with her arms splayed out. The purple-skinned and white-haired Lamia seemed to be fast asleep, laying her head on your legs, snoring blissfully with a bit of drool running down her mouth.

"mmm... m-more chicken... Carrie..." You heard Synithise mumble to herself.

Though you were awake, there was no lights or windows to be seen to dictate the time of day, though you did recognize this room and this bed as your own back at Thura forest. You still felt drowsy, as if your mana hadn't completely recovered.

[Erynn]

As Carrie comes to and realizes that she and Synithise are back in the tunnels beneath Thura Forest, hearing her friend dream about chicken that Carrie surmises she must have cooked in that dream, she arrives at the conclusion that the program she had employed on the wagon had taken effect, and that despite having passed out due to lack of mana again somebody had been able to figure out what she had in mind.

"Well, guess it's pollo asado for dinner then.", Carrie comments quietly with a relieved smile as Synithise rests with her head in Carrie's lap, then grabs the pillow from beneath her head and attempts to stealthily slip out of bed without waking Synithise and place the pillows beneath the matriarch's head as she vacates the space in a very Raiders of the Lost Ark fashion, grinning at the similarity of the two situations.

Rolled 1d20+19 : 18 + 19, total 37

Stealth (Subtract 5 if Carrie's still in her armor. She will also quietly remove it if she is.)

Carrie then takes this time to examine the kit of the assassin she had killed earlier again, now that she's not under pressure, in the hopes that she'll be able to get a better understanding of the magic the items bear.

Shortsword (1001)

Rolled 1d20+8 : 12 + 8, total 20

Cloak (1002)

Rolled 1d20+8 : 20 + 8, total 28

Leather Armor (1003)

Rolled 1d20+8 : 1 + 8, total 9

5 daggers (1004)

Rolled 1d20+8 : 18 + 8, total 26

Dagger (1005)

Rolled 1d20+8 : 13 + 8, total 21

10 Vials (1006)

Rolled 1d20+8 : 20 + 8, total 28

While Carrie is examining the items in question, she will make a point of seeing if any of them glow with spirit as they do with mana. This will also prompt a realization on Carrie's part that she hasn't checked on her status window after the combat with the Hyaenadons. She seeks to correct that by quietly uttering the word "Status.", still seeking to avoid waking Synithise. While she goes about all of this, Carrie realizes that for the first time since coming to this new world, she hasn't had a nightmare while asleep. While she isn't sure if it was a side effect of the lack of mana or Synithise's presence, Carrie finds herself grateful for the reprieve. She hopes it was the latter rather than the former. As Carrie further examines the items in front of her and her status window, she thinks back to the events that led to her coming into possession of these items and realizes that a great deal of subterfuge and deceipt was most likely involved. She decides that she needs a way to detect such with absolute certainty and despite still being drowsy from having low mana, she creates a new program, hopefully inexpensive, attached to her dog tags.

"Program, Condition: A lie is told in the wearer's vicinity. Statement: Apply a static shock to the wearer. Save."

It is Carrie's hope that this new program

[Throndir]

Thura Forest - Lamia Priestess Tunnels
???

You managed to move and replace Synithise's pillow without waking her up. Your PASGT tactical vest was already removed, and it was within reach next to a bag that contained the gathered items.

Like before, you noticed they were glowing with the faint glow of mana, save for the vials that did not. Going from the memories from Eveleen, along with exploring the feel of the mana from the items themselves, you were able to get some guesses on what each were.

Spellcraft (Red-Hand Gripped Shortsword +1, cunning (partly identified, 1001)): 20
You were not able to fully identify the shortsword. Just like before when you first attempted to identify the weapon, you were able to figure out that the blade seemed to bring to mind how to more-easily slice into something. However, there were other properties to it that you were not able to identify at all.

Red-Hand Gripped Shortsword +1, Cunning, ?

Spellcraft (Dark-Colored Cloak): 28
Having a second look at this cloak, you were able to identify it. The flow of mana told you that it somehow enhanced one's vision and sight. The feel of the mana that coursed through it was almost sinister, and from the memories of Eveleen, you surmised that it's creation was connected with the Goddess of Darkness. Wearing it would grant the wielder low-light vision, and once per day, a globe of darkness would be centered around you, while also granting you both darkvision and low-light vision while the globe of darkness was active.

https://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic-items/wondrous-items/c-d/cloak-of-the-dusk-walker/

Spellcraft (Leather armor (unidentified, 1003)): 9
This was magical, but the way the mana was weaved into the item was too difficult to follow.

Spellcraft (5 Daggers (1004)): 26
Each of the 5 daggers were identical to each other, after taking a closer look at one of them, you were able to figure out it's properties. They didn't hold any special enchantments, though they were able to cut into things alot easier than one normally could.

Dagger +2

Spellcraft (Red-Hand Gripped Dagger (unidentified, 1005)): 21
You were able to figure out that the dagger itself was enchanted to be able to cut more easily like the other 5, though, that particular enhancement wasn't as powerful. You were able to identify two other intricate patterns of mana woven together in the item that you were not able to identify.

Red-Hand Gripped Dagger +1, ?, ?

Knowledge (Nature) (10 Vials (1006))
The liquid inside these vials were not infused with mana, and did not glow like the rest. So rather than exploring it through your own mana and mana sensitivity, you took a more scientific approach to them. Whether by smell, taste, touch, or looks, you were eventually able to figure out that these were vials of poison. From Eveleen's knowledge, these come from a particular subspecies of the arachnid people of Darmona Kingdom. They had the ability to completely incapacitate a target if it's applied in a wound.

Effects of:
https://www.d20pfsrd.com/gamemastering/afflictions/poison/drow-poison

While you examined these items, you had brought up the status window. As expected, the familiar screen appeared when you triggered the keyword.

Carrie T. Cook
The Magical
Level 39

Condition: Injured, Drowsy

HP: 76/95
MP: 40/86
SP: 95/110

STR: 21
DEX: 28
CON: 25
INT: 29
WIS: 12
CHA: 13
MAG: 23

Blessings: Quick Learner, Mana Sensitivity, Translate All, Personal Status, Magic Reflect, Program

Your wounds haven't completely healed, though there looked to be some effort in cleaning the injuries you had sustained. Your MP hadn't fully refreshed either, though, with the drowsiness you felt, that was more than evident. The rest of your stats seemed to have gone up a few points since you had last checked.

You spoke the commands for your Program, as expected, by verbally saying the structure of the program, the program would write itself out. Saving the program then drained the mana.

The mana drain wasn't as bad as the wagon at all. You were still fairly drowsy, but the programming took hold.

[Erynn]

As Carrie reassesses the items she had acquired from the caravan's leader, she comments to herself quietly, "Well, I can certainly see why he had this on him as well as the cloak. This cloak will be a significant boon. To hell with this armor though.... Can't make heads or tails of it... These daggers will be useful, though,....... I'll have to test that theory. I didn't expect to be able to so soon though."

Carrie sighs as she considers the red hand gripped sword and dagger, commenting, "It's a shame these two are so conspicuous. They're practically a dead give-away if the wrong person is seen with them. Maybe if the theory is sound I can break them down and put them to use somehow..."

It is then that Carrie moves on to the vials she had obtained, realizing all too quickly what they were. She recalled from Eveleen's memories that they carried a knockout toxin and the instant she realizes just how close she came to being captured herself in her attempt to rescue Synithise, Carrie's blood turns to ice in her veins.

"Shit! So this is what was on the blade!", Carrie curses, a little louder than she had intended, and looks back toward Synithise hoping she hadn't woken her as she takes a moment to compose herself again.

Carrie then takes a moment to review the status screen as it appears in front of her, noting the changes as well as realizing that her HP had recovered some and that she had clearly been tended to by someone with medical knowledge.

Carrie once more looks over at Synithise with a smile, knowing she was likely the responsible party, before returning to the matters she was currently considering. There were two things Carrie needed to do first and foremost. One was to figure out a way to put the gear she had acquired to use without sacrificing the technological advantages she currently had. Two was figuring out exactly what the current situation now looked like after Synithise had returned to the tunnels. Carrie decided to test the theory she had before addressing the second issue and began to program once more.

"Program, condition, now. Statement, transfer enchantment to target object. Save." Carrie's test was simple and concise. She would attempt to transfer the basic enhancement borne by one of the daggers to her Ka-Bar. Regardless of the result, Carrie would then address the second matter while she drew her Ka-Bar in order to experiment with it and confirm the success or lack thereof of transferring an enchantment.

"Carrie to Eveleen. I'm awake and apparently safe in my room again, but beyond that I've got no idea what the situation is. I'm sure you've got plenty of questions yourself, not to mention we need to bring Jasna up to speed on the situation, so the sooner we can de-brief this impromptu rescue operation, the better. We've also got prisoners to interview at some point. Oh, right. There was someone in that caravan Felencorp considered a VIP prisoner sufficient to justify sending such a powerful agent to escort them back to their territory. Man, are they gonna be pissed when they realize they lost her. I never thought I'd find myself saying this about Synithise being kidnapped, but the way things have turned out, there appears to be a silver lining to the situation."

[Throndir]

Thura Forest - Lamia Priestess Tunnels
???

Your programming immediately took hold. The enhancement properties of the dagger was transferred over. You still felt drowsy.

"I'm glad you're awake! Synithise left to take care of you after that wagon with everyone piled on top of it appeared out of no-where... We took the slavers into custody then. Misophe and a few of her select guards are still detained as well. One of her subordinates, Kisisha, had taken over leading the rest of the lamia Misophe had brought in. However... Misophe has been fairly incessant about spending '3000 hours as soon as possible!', not entirely sure what that was about..."

"The rest have been assigned their own rooms. Though, to be on the safe side, we've assigned dullahan to patrol the lamia tunnels until things have calmed down."

"Anyways, we dullahan have no need of sleep, so we've been interrogating the slavers since they've arrived a few hours ago. One of Jasna's batfolks returned from the city as well... There's some interesting news she would like to discuss with the matriarchs."

There was a brief pause.

"Yes, of course, I'm talking to Carrie." Another brief pause. But you heard Eveleen sigh shortly after.

"Also..." There was another long sigh.

"Donovan says 'good mourn-ing'." You could hear the exasperation in her voice.

[Erynn]

"I'm just glad it's not as grave as the last one.", Carrie replies, the pun clearly intended for Donovan, pausing so that Eveleen could convey the pun before explaining, "As for those 3,000 hours, they're hours of community service. Misophe's surrender was secured with a conditional suspended sentence. As I'm sure you've surmised, one of those conditions was ceding her authority to her second in command. The other two were that community service and forfeiture of the right to bear arms unless specifically authorized to do so by either myself of Synithise. As for Misophe's group, I suppose their fate will depend on just how much they knew about what Misophe was planning. Even if they were just following orders, that defense only goes so far. Aside from interrogating the prisoners, it couldn't hurt to ask our new friends to tell us their stories either. From what I heard on the road, it's likely that more than one can give us some new information."

Carrie pauses, testing her K-Bar's edge on a bit of left-over bandage to see how it performs after the programming and grins at the success.

"In any case, if we've got information coming in that merits a meeting, I had best rouse Synithise.", She resumes, then looks at her uniform as the bandages remind her of the current state of her appearance and can't help but chuckle darkly, as a way of coping with the present reminder of the last time her uniform had been stained with her own blood, "Damn. I look like death warmed over. Technically, I am..."

With a sigh, Carrie does her best to banish the unpleasant memories from her mind and gives Synithise a gentle shake to bring her to consciousness.

"Rise and shine~! We've got places to be and people to see!"

[Throndir]

Thura Forest - Lamia Priestess Tunnels
???

"Very well then. A few of the others that came with you had asked to discuss things as well. They all had various requests. Anyways, I'll call for matriarch Jasna however, and we'll meet at the Lamia tunnels in an hour. That should give enough time for matriarch Jasna, Synithise, and yourself."

"And one more thing..." Eveleen said, her voice softening in tone. "I'm glad you're safe here..."

"mmm... " Synithise started to groan, but then got up slowly, her eyes still half-closed. She paused for a moment to blink and stare, but something must have finally ticked in her head.

"Carrie!" Synithise started, her eyes widening and eyes alight. She threw her arms around you into a tight hug as she coiled part of her tail around you.

"Let's have chicken tonight!"

[Erynn]

"I'm glad I have a safe place to return to.", Carrie responds to Eveleen with a smile before turning to wake Synithise.
_______________________________________________________________________________________

Carrie grins at Synithise's exuberant expression and despite initially flinching in pain with a brief "Ooff" at the tight hug given her injuries from the previous day, returns the embrace.

"I figured you might say that.", Carrie teases the Lamia matriarch, continuing, "And I've got just the recipe! We've got a meeting to attend to in an hour though. Apparently, there's news to discuss beyond just the recent rescue mission. Before then, I'd very much like to make myself at least somewhat presentable. It won't do for me to appear disheveled and covered in blood and filth. Problem is,... I don't have another uniform to wear and this one has definitely seen better days."
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Carrie is looking to accomplish two basic things before the meeting. A bath, and acquiring a replacement outfit for the damaged and bloodied uniform. She'll also swap the partially loaded magazines in her weapons for full magazines before she leaves her room.

[Throndir]

Thura Forest - Lamia Priestess Tunnels
The Hour Before the Meeting

During the next hour, Synithise had led you to her own quarters, showcasing the various clothing she had. Unfortunately, most of the clothing that the Lamia used, had a much more exotic design to them, not to mention revealing. They were akin to Arabic dancewear, consisting of pieces of jewelry or precious stones weaved into either a silken-like material or wrapped around one's waist. Synithise explained that clothing was more ornamental to the Lamia. The matriarch did mention that the dullahan of the forest generally have a wider selection of clothing, given the fact that many dullahan were once humans of the Darmona kingdom.

Either way, she did offer for your own clothes to be cleaned, washed, and dried.

Once that was taken cared of, Synithise would lead you towards the bath, and once that was done, Synithise would lead the way to meet with the other matriarchs.

You can decide what attire you choose to wear. There are humans who live with the Lamia, acting as their spouses, though the majority of them are male in which the lamia reproduce with. They live not far from the lamia tunnels. There are also dullahan guards (both male and female) about the complex who may be willing to exchange clothing with you. Lastly, Synithse and the rest of the Lamia are willing to provide you any of the clothing they have.

Your own clothing would be washed and cleaned while you take a bath with Synithise, so those should be fine.

Thura Forest - Lamia Priestess Tunnels - Outside the Meeting Room
Morning

Once you were ready, with Synithise leading the way, along with both a dullahan and lamia priestess following a few meters back, you eventually made your way towards the same meeting room that had been used before when you met with the other matriarchs of the city.

There were a few batfolk who nodded once you neared. They were guarding the entrance to the meeting room. You recognized them as the two batfolk guards who were with Jasna the first time around. One was male, and the other was female, however, unlike Jasna herself who displayed some humanoid features, the batfolk here were much more animalistic in their looks.

Apart from that, you also recognized Grus, Apulia, Viviana, and Aliana, who immediately greeted you good morning once you arrived. There was no sign of Donovan.

Aliana approached you once the others finished their morning greetings.

"I apologize for not meeting with you sooner for what you wanted to discuss..." The blue-feathered, red-eyed harpy said as she bowed her head slightly. "The others have requests and we've been discussing it since everyone had awoken. I would have left earlier to find you, but the others have decided to ask me to represent our requests to the matriarchs." As Aliana said this, she also glanced towards Synithise.

"I don't mind at all!" Synithise said jubiantly.

[Erynn]

If Carrie's uniform can be washed by the time she's out of the bath then she'll stick with that.

As Carrie approaches and recognizes the two batfolk she had seen the last time she had been in the meeting room, she returns their nod and greets the assembled group as well.

"I'm glad to see everyone is well. The last thing I remember before passing out was you chasing after a fleeing beast, so it's a relief to see you aren't missing from the group.", Carrie admits while looking in Apulia's direction before turning to address 'Aliana'.

"No worries. I was out like a light until about an hour ago so there wasn't much of an opportunity. Setting that wagon up to teleport took more out of me than I had expected. In any case, there's much to discuss so we had better get the ball rolling. As for the topic in question, are you comfortable discussing it during the meeting?"

Regardless of 'Aliana''s answer, Carrie will abide by it and continue into the meeting.

[Throndir]

Thura Forest - Lamia Priestess Tunnels - Outside the Meeting Room
Morning

Apulia flashed a toothy smile, showcasing the full array of her sharpened teeth. It was a wonder if she did that on purpose or if it was simply habit. Either way, she seemed to be in bright spirits when she responded. "I am of a fairly decent level, I'll have you know, dear." The mershark said proudly. "You'd have to be in my kind of profession."

"A mere bandit." Viviana mouthed, her words just barely above a whisper.

If Apulia heard, she didn't say anything, though she did glare daggers towards Viviana, even as the mershark continued to smile.

"Yes, I believe I can." Aliana replied, then in a quieter voice continued. "These are the priestesses of Thura Forest; summoners and guardians of the hero. It is safe here."

Synithise glanced towards you, then Aliana, then towards you again. The look on her face told everyone she had absolutely no clue what was being spoken, but rather than letting that get her down, she rushed to grab both yours and Aliana's hand. With one hand in each, Synithise moved to the front of the group.

"Then let's go! The other matriarches are probably already waiting! Dinner won't wait for anyone!" Synithise said, perhaps oblivious to the fact that dinner was at least half a day away.

[Erynn]

"Well, that would explain why you're so effective with a small blade.", Carrie replies with a smile, then turns to look at Viviana as she once more calls Apulia a bandit.

"You know, I'm starting to wonder if you actually believe what you keep saying.", Carrie comments on Viviana's constant mantra regarding Apulia with mild amusement, "I mean, you're sitting right next to her. If you actually believe that she's a violent brigand, is going out of your way to irritate her entirely wise?"

Carrie pauses momentarily, looking like she was going to turn to someone else before turning back and adding, with a hint of mischief, "Then again, she hasn't exactly given you any reason for concern has she?"

Carrie then turns her attention back to the harpy, nodding at her assessment.

"As safe as it can be anyway.", she qualifies the statement, referencing recent events as she advises, "If you're comfortable with it, it'll probably be best to lead with that topic, especially if there's a possibility we'll wind up collaborating long-term."

As Carrie is led onward by Synithise, she can't help but smile in response to her infectious jovial demeanor.

"You're right, let's get this thing underway. It sounds like we've got a lot to cover."

[Throndir]

Thura Forest - Lamia Priestess Tunnels - Outside the Meeting Room
Morning

Viviana thought about it for a moment, but quickly responded. "Well, this bandit was a pain for the kingdom, and by that, I mean the kingdom of the mermaids... Not the kingdom we're all a part of... Anyways, she'd never actually kill anyone. She went around stealing a whole lot though! If I were to put her on like a list of the most dangerous people in this room, she'd probably be like a step above me, and I'm pretty weak!" She mermaid said smiling brightly, perhaps completely oblivious to the dangerous stare the mershark was giving her.

"Oh, dear, dear, dear. Perhaps you'd be the first to break my little mantra of 'thou shall not kill other mer-people?'"

"... ahahaha..." Viviana responded, looking as if a bead of sweat would form and roll down her brow at any moment.

Thura Forest - Lamia Priestess Tunnels - Meeting Room
Morning

Inside the meeting room were familiar faces: Everleen Dunn, the matriarch of the dullahan, and Jasna Kasun, the matriarch of the batfolk. Now with Synithise, the matriarch of the lamia priestesses, the room had Thura forests' leaders. But there was a new face in the group, and you recognized her as the lamia who had helped you escape from the tunnels the first time around.

She bowed her head as you entered the room. Synithise herself moving quickly to the couch, then scooting over in expectation for you to sit next to her.

"On behalf of the warrior arm of the priestesses, I ask that you forgive us for our actions."

"Oh don't worry about it! It's all under the meat!" Synithise said quickly. "Carrie, meet Kisisha. And Kisisha meet Carrie!"

[Erynn]

As Carrie enters the meeting room, she returns Kisisha's nod before taking a seat next to Synithise. Upon hearing the first words spoken, Carrie's assessment of Kisisha as a leader was proven correct. 'The buck stops here despite it being Misophe's mess huh?', Carrie thinks to herself, 'We're off to a good start.'

Carrie then responds to the introduction and Kisisha's request directly.

"We've met once before, though without the pleasure of a proper introduction.", Carrie explains for the benefit of the others in the room, "As for your request, Kisisha, I know that I can trust you given your assistance during the crisis, but the rest of the warriors are another story. I'll certainly defer to your judgement with respect to anyone you can personally vouch for, but recent events have called into question which side of the coming conflict they're on. Until we can be sure of the allegiance of those involved, we need to consider them a security risk."

Carrie pauses for a moment to allow the weight of her statements to sink in before continuing with a more conciliatory tone.

"That being said, regardless of the degree of involvement, I'm not about to offer Misophe's subordinates any worse than she got. It wouldn't be just if they caught it worse than the one most responsible. I'm sure there are even some whose entire involvement was guarding an entrance or a room and had no idea what Misophe was up to. I can't exactly begrudge them standing a watch."

[Throndir]

Thura Forest - Lamia Priestess Tunnels - Meeting Room
Morning

"That is understandable." Kisisha replied. "Then what, may I ask, would be a way to be sure of their allegiance? I know my hero-lore enough to know that each come with special blessings unique to them, and that even just one could change the tide of a war between nations. Is finding something as abstract as loyalty... possible?" Kisisha's gaze, even behind her face-fitting mask, looked towards each of the individuals.

"The dullahan can consume souls of others, and likewise, incorporate part of others, including memories, within themselves. That could perhaps determine loyalty, but can also risk turning the Lamia into husks. So, it's not really a process I would recommend." Eveleen commented when she noticed the gaze.

"The royal family had a device that detected intentional lies. But since we've been separated from them and are now in this new world, I'm not sure if such artifacts exist in our lands anymore." Aliana offered. "There may be chieftains who hold some magical items, but likely they keep them a close secret for feat of confiscation from the Felencorp."