Sheogorath Shibboleth (SirOni) GMed by thetwo

[thetwo]

Clarissa Ramsey glanced down. It was about twenty feet of thin branches to the base of the tree. Then another hundred and a half to the base of the cliff. People milled about down there in a little camp. It was mostly tents and fire pits, but the thick mud suggested that it had been there a while, and the thick poles stuck into the mud in places seemed to be the start of more permanent buildings. If she fell, it would be only a few seconds before she saw them close up and could see for sure. Well, if she survived. And for a few seconds, before the green-skinned people decided that one of the pink-skinned people who wasn't naked but was nursing two broken legs needed to be dead or collared like the rest. Anyone would have to be foolhardy to climb this tree. A human would have to be crazy.

The other human sitting out on one of the limbs, drinking tea and carelessly swinging his legs back and forth wasn't much of a counterargument. He was wearing a purple silken shirt, and had a cane tucked under one arm. Presently, he took one last noisy sip of his tea, smacked his lips, and threw cup and saucer out into the open air above the camp. One turned into a dove, the other a hawk, and a chase began immediately. Suddenly he turned to face the girl. "Ah! Clara! What a surprise to find you here!"

He spoke too quickly for the damaged girl to respond, jumping quickly between topics. "Well, not a surprise as such, but certainly a pleasant state of affairs nevertheless. The Orcs here are such a fascinating people. Well, to me they are. The local humans are mainly just terrified of them, what with nearly crushing all of Crolia, and brutally enslaving every human and elf they could find. But if they weren't terrified, they would find them just as interesting as I do. If they were me. Which they aren't."

"A sad state of affairs! I want you to fix it. Well not so much 'fix it' as 'break it'. In a way. I'm certain that if the humans down in Lockacre were to attack the orcs, they'd not be so terrified of them. Well, as long as they attacked alone. Last time they fought the orcs, it was with a bunch of other humans, elves, and who knows what else. They won, or at least didn't lose, but it took so many allies that they still fear the orcs and can't be properly fascinated by them. But a victory, alone, against the terrifying numbers, ruthlessness, and organization of the combined orc tribes? Well, they wouldn't be so terrifying, would they? And if they were defeated... well, they'd still probably be terrified of the orcs, but as slaves at least they would get to see the Orcs up close, and that's what it's all about really."

"I would offer you some cheese, lass, but I'm afraid that this branch is not very stable. If you were to join me on it, we would both fall down and be enslaved by the orcs. Well, I would turn into a dove and fly away. And maybe you would be fighting them off. No, that's not the word. Yes, 'dead'. You would die an excruciating but mercifully short death upon hitting the ground."

"Anyway, yes. Diligently spreading my word is all well and good and proper, but I really want Lockacre to attack the orcs. Without their allies in Crolia. Soon. Just a pity I don't have any mortal pawns in the area to listen to my ramblings and act - oh! Now I remember why I told you to come here! So much warmer than the last frozen wasteland I visited, but now you can enact my clever plans! I'm sure there are simpler ways to educate humans about the orcs, but none quite so satisfying. Don't you agree?"

He got to his feet on the branch, leaning precariously against his cane and smiling at Clara. As he spoke, his balance began to fail, and he started rocking back and forth waving his hands wildly. "Do as I say and I will see that you get what you deserve. Fail to do as I say, and I will... Let me try again. Do what I want, or I will fill your skull with sweetr-"

The strange man finally slipped, and turned into a one-eyed crow. It looked at Clara, cawwed, and turned away, looking down the gentle slope that led up to the cliff, towards the Pass of Ghosts and the human lands under the control of the city of Lockacre.

 

[SirOni]

Re: Sheogorath Shibboleth (SirOni)

Clara rocked back and forth on her branch, a smile on the young woman's face as she hummed a tune, eyes locked on the green men down far below as she leant forward precariously. Though Clara's gaze snapped from the gathering of demons to the man that had just spoken, and when her eyes met him a wide beaming smile spread across Clara's face.

The crazed girl listened in silence to her beloved Sheogorath, not quite catching everything the Madgod said but getting the gist of it. "Clara thinks she understands!" The young woman replied joyfully, her eyes dazzling. "Clara will do her best to get the humans of Lockacre to attack the orcs!" Clara then watched Sheogorath climb to his feet, letting out a gasp of shock as he tumbled, turning to a laugh as the Madgod turned into a crow and flew off.

The young woman watched Sheogorath fly into the distance before making her way down the tree, clumsily slipping through the branches before wrapping her arms around the trunk and gradually sliding down, landing on her ass with a thud as her arms grew tired. Wincing as she stood up, Clara brushed herself down and stole a quick glance at the orcs once more, a frown quickly forming on her face. "This could be difficult..." Clara muttered to herself as she turned to walk in the direction that Sheogorath had flown to. "Oh well! Clara will do her best to please her beloved Sheo~!" With renewed vigor Clara picked up her pace, almost breaking into a run as she made her way to Lockacre.

 

[thetwo]

Re: Sheogorath Shibboleth (SirOni) GMed by thetwo

The mad devout moved at a quick trot back down to the Pass of Ghosts, grinning happily despite the cold and the burn that the sustained effort put into her legs. But even the ecstasy inspired by meeting her God in person couldn't stop her from collapsing from exhaustion, and it would be difficult to spread his Word from beyond the grave. The ideal situation would be to find some group of travelers or a merchant's caravan, and as a poor and possibly ill woman gain access to their camp for the night. Food, a fire, and people to convert.

But alas sane men and women avoided this area if they could possibly help it. The camp Clara had seen was the closest to human lands that the Orcs firmly held, but raiding parties at times reached all the way through the Pass itself and into the lands beyond. Tomorrow she would make her way through the pass, and if she made good time she would arrive at Lockacre before she was again forced to stop. But tonight it would be even odds of running into an orc hunting or raiding party, even with reasonable precautions. If she simply slept on the road, it would be almost a certainty. Of course, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing...

 

[SirOni]

Re: Sheogorath Shibboleth (SirOni) GMed by thetwo

As night slowly descended on Clara she slowed her pace, the young woman's legs burning from overexerting herself though the deranged smile was still stretched across her pale face, a quiet hum escaping Clara. "Oooh, Clara's legs really hurt..." The young woman moaned as she stopped and sat down on the cold floor, rubbing her legs to try to alleviate the soreness. She sat there for several minutes, hunched over, wondering whether it would be best to call it a night for now or to press on.

Looking around Clara sighed. "Clara guesses it'll be better to continue in the morning..." The mad devout sounded disappointed, and indeed she had an annoyed look on her face, hoping to have been able to get to Lockacre in one night. Getting to her feet Clara looked around the immediate area, checking to see if there were any suitable places to use as shelter.

 

[thetwo]

Re: Sheogorath Shibboleth (SirOni) GMed by thetwo

A suitable place proved easy to find, and the young woman slept soundly through the night sheltered deep in a thicket that smelled faintly of deer. She awoke feeling refreshed before dawn. Then she realized what had woken her. There was a group of orcs walking nearby. There were six of them. All male, all armed. Two had slave collars visibly hanging on their person, and the leader of the group's battleaxe looked to be especially high-quality work. Clara could even feel magic coming off it, some sort of enchantment she didn't recognize.

The orcs were moving quickly, not making any special effort to hide or hunt, and they were going back the way Clara had come. They would shortly pass very close to her thicket, but it seemed unlikely that they would stray from the worn track that they walked.

 

[SirOni]

Re: Sheogorath Shibboleth (SirOni) GMed by thetwo

Waking up Clara stretched and yawn, it was still somewhat dark, the beginnings of dawn barely showing over the horizon. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes the young woman wondered what had woken her, though a fuzzy sound coming from the road she had been travelling the night before seemed to be the culprit. Curious as to what the sound was Clara slowly poked her head out of the thicket, her eyes opening wide in surprise at the sight of the six orcs striding down the road, going in the direction that she had come from last night.

"These must be from the tribe Clara was observing yesterday!" The mad devout thought to herself, an excited look on her face. She had never seen an orc this close before, and she wasn't about to waste that chance. Watching the group go by the odd-looking collars caught Clara's attention, wondering what they could be for, though she was quickly drawn away from them, her attention focused on the magical battleaxe.

The woman knew what she must do now.

From her relatively safe hiding spot a twisted smile formed on Clara's face, and backing up a bit in the thicket she focused her chaotic energies on the orc carrying the massive axe. She felt he was clearly important to the tribe, that axe obviously being a symbol of great status, and while she'd have liked to convert such a worthy person to Sheogorath her beloved had other plans for these orcs. Releasing the energies stored up Clara directs them at the mind of the 'leader' orc, attempting to utterly destroy his mind.

Spoiler

Mind Worm - 15EP, attempting to wipe the greataxe wielding orc's mind.

 

[thetwo]

Re: Sheogorath Shibboleth (SirOni) GMed by thetwo

Spoiler

Mind Worm (Clara, X=15): DC 75 -> 0% chance of failure.

Clara spends X+4 = 19 energy.
Clara spends 4 additional energy and 4 health for violating her Spirit Cap (15).

Clara pressed her mind against that of the orc leader. He offered a surprising amount of resistance, but Clara was blessed by a God and pushed hard enough to feel the sweet pain. It was more than enough, and once she was able to touch his innermost mind there was nothing he could do to stop her. She knew exactly what to do once she was inside, and she did it quickly and efficiently. By the time she withdrew her attention, there was nothing left of the proud leader. He stopped dead in his tracks, and looked down at the axe in his hands, confused. He opened his mouth to speak, and a hideous sound came out, somewhere between a croak and a scream, but certainly nothing resembling either the sound or rhythm of any language.

The former orc leader looked around and saw the other orcs around him, reacting with alarm to the sudden change. He had, to the best of his knowledge, simply appeared in the middle of a patch of dirt with no explanation or any way of knowing what - much less who - he was. There were large things around him, making noise. He reverted to base instincts. He was confused and afraid. And he was holding something heavy in his hands. He swung, hard, and smelled blood. He swung again.

Clara watched from her hiding place as the sudden but very brief battle took place. Some of the blood very nearly reached her, but all too soon it was done, with a single slightly wounded and very confused orc stumbling away from the carnage, wondering how he would explain these events back at the camp. A better result couldn't have been hoped for, but perhaps a mindless Orc was more prone to uncontrolled rage then a mindless human. Or maybe it was just that orc in particular. It didn't really matter. The orc leader's body had joined his mind in the land of the dead, and he had taken four others with him, leaving a pile of bodies. Fully equipped too, though there was no way Clara could carry everything they had even if she wanted to. One or two items wouldn't slow her too much, but more then that and she might have to waste yet another night before carrying out her Master's wishes.

 

[SirOni]

Re: Sheogorath Shibboleth (SirOni) GMed by thetwo

Clara's eyes opened wide, a large smile forming on her face as the orc leader seemed to offer little resistance to her mind probe, easily passing along Sheogorath's Gift. The mad devout knelt in the thicket, watching the band of orcs look on in surprise as their leader hacked at them in his confusion, adoration in the young woman's eyes as all but one dropped to the floor from a flurry of attacks.

As the leader's body finally caught up with his destroyed mind, teetering in place for several moments before falling flat on his stomach and the lone survivor begun to stumble back to camp Clara leapt up from her hiding place and half-ran to the slain orcs, a childlike joyous laugh escaping the young woman. "Orcs really are impressive~!" Clapping her hands together Clara leant forward to check out the orc leader, admiring his muscled body, though a pout quickly formed on her lips. "Though they don't seem to take too well to the Gift... Oh well! Clara will just have to experiment some more until she finds a way to perfect it!" Standing up straight and clapping her hands together once more Clara giggled to herself.

"Hmmm, though this simply won't do," Looking over the fallen orcs once more Clara frowned, her arms folded over her well worn breastplate. "Well... Clara guesses they can carry her message." Taking out one of her journals, one that had currently not been filled, the young woman sat atop the fallen leader and begun to compose a message detailing her plan to lure the residents of Lockacre to the orc camp, and that the orcs should prepare themselves for te humans. "O-kay! Rise and shine little orcs!" With her letter complete, peppered with Clara's usual 'ha ha ha's', the young woman focused her chaotic energies once more, forcing them inside the corpses of the five orcs. Once revived she turned to the four heavily wounded orcs and gave the letter, now torn from her journal, to the closest one. "Here you go! Clara wants you to deliver this to the camp at the base of the cliff. It's really important, so if you could Clara would appreciate it if you'd deliver it super fast!"

"And you," Regardless of whether the four orcs had followed her instructions or not Clara's attention is now on the orc leader, the small group had now completely left her mind. "You get to join Clara on her travels! W-what was that..? Oh yes, Clara agrees! This'll be such a fun journey!" Clara acted, or what was more likely for the mad devout, believed the orc leader had talked to her, and as such leant in close to him to hear what he had to say before clapping and replying to the animated corpse. "Well then, Clara's wasted too much time already. It's time for us to leave!" Instructing the orc to lower itself so that she could climb onto its shoulders Clara hefted the greataxe, intending to use it to persuade the humans of Lockacre that the orcs are not a threat. "Onward, Clara's most noble steed! Together we will carry out Clara's holy mission and please the great lord Sheogorath!"

Spoiler

30 EP spent on animating the five orcs, four of which are instructed to head back to the camp to deliver a message while the leader is accompanying Clara.

 

[thetwo]

Re: Sheogorath Shibboleth (SirOni) GMed by thetwo

The reanimated orcs stood with an unnatural silence that fit their nature perfectly. They didn't show any signs that they heard or understood what Clara was saying until the very end, when one of the orcs raised its hands to accept the letter. Then they turned and set off at a jog back in the direction of the camp, the one orc still holding the letter in both hands. Clara knew enough about her creations to trust them to run straight to the camp. What exactly they would do when they arrived was less clear, but even if they walked off the cliff in order to reach the base, the orcs would probably get the letter. Assuming nothing in the area was foolish enough to try attacking four armed and undead orcs.

The leader remained perfectly mute, staring unblinkingly ahead as the madwoman spoke, though exactly what she perceived was quite another matter. She felt his powerful muscles as she climbed onto his shoulders, muscles reinforced even further by her unholy magics. His mind and soul were gone, but it seemed unlikely that these had been especially noteworthy features in any case. In any case, the improved speed of her 'steed' would mean reaching the city in the early afternoon rather than at twilight... at just about the time her risen orcs deanimated, in fact.

The journey passed for the most part uneventfully. At one point a pair of mutant wolves appeared unexpectedly from behind a large rock outcropping, but upon seeing the madwoman sitting atop an enormous undead orc, wielding a magical battleaxe with both hands, they unaccountably turned tail and ran.

As the sun peaked in the sky, the girl and her zombie reached the river that flowed through Lockacre and turned to follow its banks. Before too long, they saw the city in the distance. In the hottest part of a bright day the whole thing shimmered with heat-haze, making the city all the more impressive. Great thick walls stood in a rough circle, marked periodically by towers, scarred in places from long-ago sieges patched long-ago. But as one of the largest human cities not to be directly attacked by the invaders, it had recently become home to large numbers of refugees, and outside the walls a small sea of huts and improvised dirt streets huddled close. Along the river to the north of the city, closest to Clara, stood a large marketplace.

Her approach to the city did not go entirely unnoticed. The houses outside the wall suggested that Orcs didn't make it this far south, but the three mounted men riding towards Clara suggested that they were still keeping a careful watch. Two of the men, wearing leather armor and holding aiming long rifles at the girl's noble steed, hung back slightly while the third rode forward. This one had his rifle strapped across his back, and while he held a revolver in his hand, it was pointed at the ground. He was also wearing a shiny breastplate and had an insignia Clara didn't recognize on his shoulder.

"Halt! What the hell is going on here! Explain yourself or my men will be forced to open fire!" The man looked extremely confused, and it wasn't entirely clear if he was addressing the woman or the orc.

 

[SirOni]

Re: Sheogorath Shibboleth (SirOni) GMed by thetwo

During her trip Clara had slumped forward, her arms resting atop the orc's head whilst her own head rested on her arms, a frown on the young woman's face. Clara had perked up at the sight of the wolves, wondering if she was going to make some new friends, though as they turned tail and ran away Clara frowned once more and returned to sulking.

Though as the twosome made their way closer to the city Clara gasped in awe, the familiar wide grin forming on her lips as she begun to laugh excitedly. The hordes of refugee's and their camps did nothing to dampen the mad devout's spirits, and neither did the armed guards. If anything they only helped to increase the young woman's giddiness. Who, by the time the guard had addressed Clara, was almost standing on the orc's shoulders, her knees resting on the zombies shoulders as her hands rested on its forehead.

"Clara is glad you have asked~!" Climbing down the back of the orc, falling and slamming on her backside in the process, Clara ran to between her steed and the guard, the maddening smile still firmly on her face. "Clara comes with good news! You, the people of Lockacre, no longer have to fear the orcs!" Clapping and hopping, Clara let that piece of information sink into all that were present before continuing. "After hearing of your plight, Clara's great and wise Lord ordered her father and his army of mercenaries to put down these foul beasts! See, even their leader is now the plaything of Clara~" Turning to face the zombified orc leader Clara conjured up threads of pure madness, assaulting the muscular body, forcing them deep within the orc. An act that Clara made no effort to hide from anyone present.

"See, watch this!" Once under the control of her puppet threads Clara made the orc dance, an energetic though clumsy jig that threw the beasts limbs in odd angles. This went on for several minutes, the mad woman laughing throughout the entire display before stopping it and turned back to face the guard. "Clara wishes to speak with the leader of this town, to let him know that her father and Lord wishes that everyone here who lived in fear of the orcs needs to go witness the fall of the tribe so that you all can realise that orcs are, and never have been a threat!"

 

[thetwo]

Re: Sheogorath Shibboleth (SirOni) GMed by thetwo

When it became clear that the Orc wasn't a threat, the two guards in back lowered their guns. But when it started dancing at Clara's will, they raised their rifles again, this time pointed firmly at Clara. The officer's face twisted in disgust. "A Witch, then. Well, if you think getting an audience with the Patrician is that easy I'm afraid you're in for disappointment. But that axe I recognize, so maybe you're not a complete liar. Destroy your... plaything... and perhaps you will be granted an audience with Lord Winder instead of the cell you deserve."

 

[SirOni]

Re: Sheogorath Shibboleth (SirOni) GMed by thetwo

Clara frowned as the guns were raised at her, a small voice in the back of the mad woman's mind demanding these men and everyone around her be slaughtered for daring to stop her from finishing her mission. And while Clara's orc companion twitched, as if he were to strike these men down, she stopped herself. No, Sheogorath wouldn't be pleased with that choice. And Clara did not want to displease her great lord.

"A witch?" A bemused expression appeared on the young woman's face before letting out a laugh. "No no no. Clara is not a witch. Clara was gifted these powers by her Lord! Clara's a good girl, of that you can be certain! Clara only wants what is best for everyone!" As she was instructed to do away with the orc Clara turns to face the beast, and pulling her strings to forced it onto one knee, as if the zombie were bowing to the mad devout. Taking the axe from the orc Clara hefted it up into the air, teetering for a moment as she got used to the sudden shift in weight, her childlike smile quickly twisting into a crazed grin, the young woman's eyes opening wide as she brought the axe down onto the orcs head, violently striking the zombie until it had ceased moving. And then continuing for several moments more.

Once finished Clara turned back to the guard, the usual smile back on her face as she held the axe out for the man to take. She obviously thought she had no more use for it. "Clara is done~! Clara can go see your leader now, right?" With that Clara begun to walk into the city proper, as if the matter had now been settled.

 

[thetwo]

Re: Sheogorath Shibboleth (SirOni) GMed by thetwo

"The inquisition may have been stopped, but I still know a witch when I - " The orc stood up fairly well against the blows, by virtue of its still-present armor and the madwoman's modest physical strength. And even when the axe bit deeply into the body, there was surprisingly little blood. Its heart had stopped beating hours ago, after all, and it had been walking around with open wounds since then. But there was still some, especially when her axe found the thing's belly and legs, and the guards shied back to avoid the splatter.

The guard stared disbelievingly at Clara as she walked away, then signaled his men and caught up to her. "That is not my decision or yours, Miss, but I will see if Lord Winder wishes to speak with you. If you want him to grant you an audience, then give me that axe so that it can be properly examined, and tell me your name and on whose behalf you are here."

The other two guards rode a short distance behind the blood-splattered woman in silence, but their leader had by now dismounted and was leading his horse as he walked beside her. He had also holstered his pistol, though his free hand often rested against it.

 

[SirOni]

Re: Sheogorath Shibboleth (SirOni) GMed by thetwo

Stopping in her tracks as the guard explained that he'd have to seek permission from the lord of Lockacre before she could have an audience with him Clara slowly turned to look at the armed man, a forced smile on her lips. "Okay, Clara understands! And sure, Clara has no need for this now." Trying to desperately contain her annoyance Clara offered the axe to the guard, thrusting the handle out with perhaps a bit more force than she intended.

"Oh, Clara is so rude! Bad Clara, bad," Frowning, Clara slapped herself, striking the top of her hand before turning back to the guard. "Clara's name is Clarissa Ramsey. Though you can call her Clara~! And Clara's lord is Lord Sheogorath!" Clara cannot contain her excitement as she mentioned the madgod's name, jumping on the spot and giggling loudly.

 

[thetwo]

Re: Sheogorath Shibboleth (SirOni) GMed by thetwo

The guard dodged the thrust of the axe handle, looking slightly ashamed that he'd jumped once he realized it wasn't the start of an attack. One of the mounted guards laughed briefly. "Can't say I've ever heard of him, Miss Ramsey, but that's hardly surprising."

At the gate of the city, the walking guard motioned for one of the gate guards to come up to him, and whispered some instruction in his ear that made him go running off. Then Clara was led through the gate still escorted by the same three guards, though all three were on foot now, and the two behind her had stopped aiming their rifles at her.

From there, it was only a short walk to what seemed to Clara to be a relatively small palace, where she was led into a small but well-furnished sitting room. Two of her guards waited outside the door, while the third lead her in. "You will wait here while I speak to Lord Winder. I will return when he has decided what to do with you. It shouldn't be more then a few minutes."

He exited through a different door then he had come in by, leaving the 'guest' alone in the room. There were a pair of metal goblets on the table, filled with water, and a bowl with some sort of strange nuts, all on a table between two padded couches.

 

[SirOni]

Re: Sheogorath Shibboleth (SirOni) GMed by thetwo

"You haven't?" Clara's eyebrows rose in surprise for a moment before excitement filled her face. "Oh my, Lord Sheogorath is such a wonderful person! Clara would be happy to perform a service for you once her mission has finished. Perhaps you'll then be interested in joining His congregation!"

Following the guards through the city Clara looked around, childlike glee etched into her features as she took in all the sights that were on offer, giggling quietly to herself. And despite the 'humbleness' of the palace the madwoman still gasped in wonder as they neared, and then entered the building, rushing around the small sitting room, taking in all the features.

"Okay, Clara will wait patiently for your return~" Watching the man leave through the door to presumably where Lord Winder resided Clara's attention turned to the collection of nuts and goblets of water, her stomach beginning to rumble from not having anything to eat all day. Walking over to them Clara picked up a handful of nuts before sniffing them, and seemingly content with the way they smelt the young woman threw them into her mouth, quickly chewing and swallowing them. The rest of the bowl was devoured in much the same way, taking Clara only several moments to polish off the nuts before downing both goblets of water.

Spoiler

Forgot to mention previously, Clara put 1 EP into the Puppeteer ability she had used to control the orc zombie.

 

[thetwo]

Re: Sheogorath Shibboleth (SirOni) GMed by thetwo

The much needed nourishment didn't take long to consume, and Clara found herself with a little bit of time on her hands. A few minutes passed, then a few more, with nothing apparently happening. There was a view out over a small garden full of flowering plants, but nobody entered the room. Fortunately the guard finally returned before Clara went completely stir-crazy. He didn't look especially happy as he told her what the Lord had said. "Lord Winder has graciously agreed to briefly meet with you. A room has been prepared. Please follow me."

They exited through the same door they had entered by, and the two guards still standing outside the room stopped leaning against the wall and started following Clara again. When they finally reached the location of the audience, Clara found that it wasn't so much a room as an alcove, set slightly apart from a much larger entry hall. There was enough room for two chairs set somewhat further apart from each other then the ones in the sitting room, one rather more ornate then the other, and little else. It was also rather more public, with only some potted plants and a chest-high wall separating it from the normal traffic in and out of the manor. There were half a dozen armed men and women in it at the moment, looking nonchalant and slightly bored.

The more ornate chair was already occupied by a grey-bearded man, overdressed and slightly but not hideously overweight. He waved to the other seat for Clara to take, but as she entered the alcove she felt something strange - a mental resistance, a distance between herself and the power that drove her magic. The man spoke. "The good captain tells me that you have a message for me, my Lady. You can wait on the other side of the hall, Captain, if you don't mind. And your men."

 

[SirOni]

Re: Sheogorath Shibboleth (SirOni) GMed by thetwo

By the time the guard had returned for Clara the young woman was lying in one of the chairs, her legs over the backrest and her head almost touching the floor, the dress barely managing to cover her pale, spindly legs. Looking over at the guard it was clear the madwoman was annoyed about the wait. "About time," She muttered to herself as the man told her Lord Winder was ready to see her, and sliding into a heap, giving the guard a very brief flash of her plain white panties, she got up and followed him through the palace to the audience room.

Clara's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she entered the alcove, a sudden barrier forcing its way between her and Sheogorath's ever present influence, wondering what just happened. Looking around, Clara tried to spot where the interference was coming from, though all the guards in the room seemed inconspicuous, they didn't seem to be able to dampen the young woman's connection to her Lord.

"Y-yes, I do!" Pushing her suspicions to the back of her mind Clara sat down in the free chair, eager to explain why she was here. "Clara comes good news! You and your people no longer have to fear the orcs! After hearing of your plight, Clara's great and wise Lord ordered her father and his army of mercenaries to put down those foul beasts!" Clara repeated almost word for word what she had said to the guard that had stopped her at the gate, almost as if she had been rehearsing it to herself for this very moment. "No doubt the last of the orcs are just now being taken care of! It's the wish of Clara's Lord that you all bear witness to the destruction of the creatures that had tormented you for so long, to see that the orcs are nothing to be feared. If you need further proof of such a valiant deed you need to look no further than the very orc Clara had rode to your fair city, and the grand axe that it wielded, that is now in your care. That orc is none other than the leader of the tribe! And he went down as if he were but a child!" Clara then fell silent, an almost infectious smile, stretching from ear to ear plastered on her gaunt face as she waited for Lord Winder's response.

 

[thetwo]

Re: Sheogorath Shibboleth (SirOni) GMed by thetwo

Her efforts to discern the source of the interference didn't bear any fruit. It seemed to be coming from everywhere or nowhere. The Lord didn't seem to have any special spiritual talent, unless it was the nature of the interference to block such perceptions.

"If the rest of what you say is true, that the orcs are being driven back and destroyed... well, I must say that this is good news. They would be foolish in the extreme to try pushing though the Pass of Ghosts in their current state, but already they interfere in the trade with the rest of Crolia, and I fear that should they ever take the rest of the North then eventually they will have the numbers to reach beyond the Pass. And some on the council have the tenacity to suggest that we should bargain for peace!"

The lord shook his head, disgusted. "But go North myself? No, no. I am too old to be so brash. My court mage has verified that the axe belonged to an orc war leader, and that's hopeful enough that I would tend to offer you the benefit of the doubt, but marching North might be the death of me even without the orcs."

"I will relay your curious message and suggest to the Council and the Patrician that we send some scouts to see if the orcs are indeed being crushed, of course, and perhaps some of the younger members without too many obligations at court will wish to watch orcs being slaughtered." He smiled sadly at the foolishness of the young. "Now, was there anything else I could do for you?"

 

[SirOni]

Re: Sheogorath Shibboleth (SirOni) GMed by thetwo

Clara sat there in silence as the old man spoke, her expression quickly shifting to that of utter shock. This hadn't gone as well as the young woman had planned. Not by a long shot. And if Lord Winder did send scouts out they'd quickly learn that Clara had been lying. And that wouldn't end well for Sheogorath's most faithful follower. Clara wouldn't stand for this. Not for one second. Whatever held Clara's fragile mental state together suddenly gave way.

Looking at the lord of Lockacre, Clara scowled and stood up. "No, no, NO! Clara's lord extends his kindness and this is how you repay Him? With suspicion and disbelief? He, in all His greatness marked those orcs for death, and all He wanted was for you to follow Clara, to believe her, and to see the end of the orcs! Was it too much to ask for your trust in Clara and her lord? You... you are a bad man!" Now about a foot away from Lord Winder, her body shaking with rage, Clara's arm was held just by the side of her, a hand seemingly clasping some invisible weapon.

Though as fast as her episode came on Clara suddenly returned to normal. Or what could be considered normal for the broken girl. Realising what she had done, and what she had intended on doing, Clara suddenly let out a cry of surprise, her expression turning to shame as she had almost attacked the very man that Sheogorath commanded her to lead to the orcs.

"C-Clara is very, very sorry!" Dropping to her knees Clara was on the verge of tears as she grovelled to Lord Winder, her body still shaking though now because of fear. "Clara... She gets so very energetic when it comes to her Lord... Please, I beg of you, forgive this poor girl. She was only trying to do what she thought was best."