Alberik: HP = 60, PP = 71, EP = 91, Status = Fine, 3 Torch spells in assorted cells
Alberik, as she provided warmth to the orcs that seemed worst off, didn't seemingly earn the friendship of any of the soldiers set to guard their prisoners. Every single one of them within range to witness her beneficial spellcasting scowled darkly at her, and at the periphery of her inhuman senses she felt a man step out and head off, his intention to go and get a superior so obvious that she could glean it without even trying.
"I don't mind staying. This one isn't exactly.... Safe," Tariel replied, her tone grim but holding a note of softness to it. She didn't seem particularly happy to be in here, and from the brief contacts she'd had with the angel's mind it would clearly be because of the conditions suffered by the orc prisoners, but her desire to ensure that Alberik remained safe seemingly overwrote her distaste for the building.
“As you wish.“ Alberik said softly, crouching down to face the orc at head level to it. “I‘m told you have information I need to stop the war between our peoples. I will glean it from you, but the process will go easier if you don‘t resist.“ she told him, her tone neutral. “with the war over, we can both focus our attentions on the alien invaders. I think you‘d agree they are more worthy opponents, in any case.“
Alberik: HP = 60, PP = 71, EP = 91, Status = Fine, 3 Torch spells in assorted cells
The bound orc tilted his head back as Alberik crouched down to confront him at an even level, his stoic expression all but completely unreadable at first. He remained silent and expressionless for a few seconds after she spoke, but then a mirthless grin would break out across the orc's face, and he would begin to let out a cold, joyless chuckle while his black eyes looked into Alberik's with an almost frightening level of confidence. "You are a fool, wizard. And an alien, and an abomination!" he spat in a deep growl, venom dripping from every syllable.
"You would end the war after breaking the truce sworn between your coward leaders and our king? You think that he will even consider it now, after you have slain my brothers and sisters with your cowardly attack? What's more, you think that we fear your kind enough to ignore the weakness that allowed you to nearly destroy the world in the first place? You are more than a fool, abomination! When my kin sweep across this place and burn all of your precious sorcery to dust, never to be reclaimed, I pray that you live long enough to know your folly before your head rolls from your shoulders!"
He completed his statement by spitting in Alberik's face, and then fell silent and glowered. "Cheerful fellow, isn't he?" Tariel quipped sourly. The truce that he spoke of had, as far as Therion was concerned, been broken by the orcs almost as soon as it had been sealed, as the clanless raiders that made up a sizable portion of the orc's military had continued to raid the countryside unabated since then. Rumors of more organized orc raids had been heard as well, but survivors from such were rare enough to leave the reports of bands of orc clansmen led by honored since as still fairly shaky in the eyes of Theronian intelligence.
The outsider listened intently, twitching and calmly removing the spittle from her face with her sleeve when he finished. "You may think me a fool, but coming from one who's knees rest in mud, you are hardly one to object. You were bested in combat, and from your lack of burns, I'd guess in a fair combat as well. By your own laws, you owe us respect, show it." She said calmly.
If he seemed suitably cowed by her response, Alberik would step forward to place a hand on the orc's forehead, calling on her innate power to witness the information Tariel had told her the orc had within him. Most importantly, she needed a memory of the chamber where the orc king would be, so she could arrive there herself in those few day's time...
Alberik: HP = 60, PP = 71, EP = 83/91, Status = Fine, 3 Torch spells in assorted cells
Rolls
Resistance check time!
Resistance: Alberik vs Orc, 3 + 29 = 32 vs 30 = 25 + 5, Alberik wins.
The orc again issued a deep, mirthless laugh in Alberik's face, causing some of the guards to peek into the room in annoyance. "Oh, of course being ambushed by sorcery while having dinner is fair to your line of thinking... Witch," he spat, "your pet feathered whore has already tested me. Let us see if you are of the same caliber!"
If his words weren't a clear sign that the orc would be uncooperative, what she found upon entering his mind would be. A barrage of images, some memories and some imagined, were forced in the path of her mental probe. Men and women from the battles that had taken place before the assault on Gods-Reach being killed by the orc's own hands were the forefront, memories of which the warrior before her was deeply proud. Perhaps worse were those relating to what he had done to some of the women he had taken as captives, who had been raped often brutally until they were fully and completely broken.
Then came the imaginings, which were perhaps easier to stomach for their unreality but nonetheless highly grotesque. Alberik herself and Tariel suffered fairly heavily in them, in some fairly imaginative ways at times.
The barrage did not stop her probing, however, and in an increasingly desperate bid to ward her away from her goal the orc put up wall after wall only for her to break through each and every one. His defense was impressive, but he was obviously not trained for this and hadn't had to fight it more than once. Alberik wormed her way through his efforts to find what she needed, an image of a large palatial throne room where the king of a fallen city had once held court. There were several others to pick from too, and every image was bloody with those that the orcs had killed, but the one she had been immediately guided to by her designs was the first. Whether she wanted to look for anything else while she was in was her choice, but she had what she had come for now regardless.
Alberik's odd face contorted in concentration as she pressed her will against the orc's. His mind was strong, but untrained, and it wasn't long before she worked her way through it to what she needed. She took the time to set the location in her own memory, then backed out, not wanting to disturb the man further. "I have what I need. Thank you for your cooperation." She said cooly, turning to Tariel. "We should go. I believe the man in charge here wishes to speak to me first, however. I shouldn't need aid for that, but thanks for your time." She said, walking with the angel out of the cell.
Alberik: HP = 60, PP = 71, EP = 83/91, Status = Fine, 3 Torch spells in assorted cells
The bound orc simply glared back at Alberik, his features still contorted with rage, as she turned and walked away. Tariel followed her from the cell, and though the outsider's words brought a frown to the angel, she simply sighed and replied, "I'll stay. Not doing anything else right now anyway." The door to the orc's cell was shut behind him, but the soldiers, who had been listening, glanced at one another and moved to form a very loose wall in front of the doorway. At least some of them probably knew that it wouldn't do anything to stop her if she really wanted to leave, but the gesture wasn't hard to interpret as a vehement request that she not try to leave.
True to her expectations, the braggart who had been put in charge of the militia, arrived at the poorly constructed prison. His uniform was somewhat mussed as it stretched over his rotund abdomen, and his blond hair and thick beard were both slightly messy, his overall disheveled appearance complete by heavy bags under his eyes. He was scowling as fiercely as he had been when he'd left the meeting in which they had planned the attack on Gods-Reach, and upon sighting Alberik and Tariel, who had crossed her arms over her chest, he quite promptly launched into loud shouting, "what in the hell do you think you're doing here!? I didn't authorize you to interrogate any of my prisoners!"
He strode forward angrily, his gait straight and steady despite his mild obesity, until he stood directly in front of Alberik. He towered over her, aided by his wide frame, and glared down with bloodshot blue eyes as he continued; "This is a gross overstepping of boundaries and a potential threat to the security of this camp! And what are you thinking, putting fires in their cells? Do you want that scum to break out!? Maybe slaughter a few of the people who escaped the pointless meat grinder you threw them into?" The militia commander was fuming, but whether or not he was at all intimidating was up to Alberik. Tariel, at least, didn't seem particularly impressed.
Alberik paused at the door when the soldiers around it moved to stand in her way, having expected the action. Just a few breaths later the guard captain arrived, the same man who didn't agree with the assault from the outset.
She let him bluster in her face, stepping closer herself until there was barely a handspan away from him, the tendrils on her face writhing slowly. Once he finished, she remained quiet, letting her own intimidating presence make a statement for her before she responded verbally.
"The torches are magical, will not burn anything, and would be ineffective as simple clubs. I would do more, as the fact is that these are our prisoners. The conditions they're being kept in currently is despicable, and are indeed -worse- than the conditions they keep their own prisoners and slaves in. We're proving ourselves as less than they are every moment they're kept like this. You should be insulted by the thought, captain." She answered him, speaking slowly and surely.
Alberik: HP = 60, PP = 71, EP = 83/91, Status = Fine, 3 Torch spells in assorted cells
The militia commander didn't back off when Alberik stood her ground, nor did he lose any of his angry thunder in the face of Alberik's apparent calmness or the writhing of the tentacles on her face. "Insulted!?" the man spat contemptuously, spraying the outsider's face in spittle, "no, what's insulting is you, coming in here like you have a lick of gods-damned authority over any one of these prisoners! I let you stage your pointless assault on Gods-Reach, and it cost far too many men their lives in exchange for a worthless slab of rock!"
Tariel's expression darkened visibly at the human's description of Gods-Reach, but Alberik wouldn't be able to see it unless she opted to glance in the angel's direction. "You think you know a damned thing about war, mage? About how the orcs treat their prisoners?" he continued, his anger obviously growing even as he got it partially under control. Leaning back slightly, his demeanor turned from enraged to sneering contempt, and in a much colder, seething voice he continued, "you don't have a damn idea how they treat anyone. You think being chained up in a cold cell is bad? You think the occasional beating should they try to escape is cruel? How about being raped, every day, sometimes multiple times per day? How about being forced to work out in the cold, in rags or less, without food fit even for a dog or decent water? How about knowing that your efforts are helping the ones trying to annihilate your entire way of life, just because it doesn't fit what they think the world ought to be like? Because that's how this filth treats their prisoners of war! That's how they treat their slaves!"
A somewhat manic grin came over the militia commander's face, and he leaned away with a satisfied smirk before adding, "ahhhhh, but you did know that, didn't you? Surely you must have... Though, maybe you approve? I mean, you brought one of their housebroken pet elves into your chambers before the battle was even over, didn't you? Are you enjoying your spoils? I suppose I shouldn't be surprise, given your appearance... It's not like any man would ever touch you, is it? Not by choice, at least. Your only recourse must have that, and a broken whore wouldn't have any trouble with how you looked, not after she'd been subjected to the attentions of scum like that," he gestured wildly towards the cell that Alberik had just left, where the orc she'd interrogated was still scowling darkly.
His sneer fading to a cold look, the militia commander calmly concluded his angry outburst by saying; "Get out. These aren't your prisoners, nor are they the Academy's, and you don't have the authority to dictate how they're treated. And while you're gone, think about learning some more about the swine you're trying to defend!" He then stepped aside, sweeping a hand as if to usher her out but not actually touching her or forcing her into anything. His blustering hadn't really given much opportunity for interruption, but she could offer a reply now if she liked. Of course, only her own self control would have kept her from making some effort to silence the man, and she might well have done something at any point.
Alberik's brow furrowed, her expression darkening as she fell perfectly still, standing silent until the man had finished her rant.
"Are you quite done?" She asked, anger now clear in her voice. "You're free to insult me as you wish, but if you ever demean Sera again, there will be consequences. She is one of the few people worth anything, and certainly more than you. I moved Heaven and Earth to save what I could of her and her kind, and you've gained a rather impressive fortification against orc incursion in the same fell swoop. You're correct in that I have no direct authority here, but go to your superiors and see how much your pull there compares to mine." She threatened, taking the man's invitation to leave by teleporting to the field outside, ending the conversation quite effectively. Glancing around to make sure she didn't startle anyone too badly, and apologizing if she had, she started back towards the academy, still in need of rest.
The man opened his mouth with a smug grin, a response ready at his lips, but Alberik cut him off by simply vanishing. She popped into a mostly empty region of the camp, much of which was no longer populated since so many had gone to Gods-Reach. Her journey back to the Academy would suffer no interruption, and she would be able to go and get some rest where she liked, either in her room or as she often did in a pile of books in the library. She had things to plan, after all, and would need some sleep to do what she planned.
[Bacon Room]: (shrikeeagles) The library was her first stop, the Outsider heading to the back and the pile of books she had left there from earlier. She wanted to learn a bit more about orc culture before she went to finish her plan, most specifically the way orc of different stations interacted with their king. Honorifics, special speech patterns, and the like.
tassadar003: There proved to be very little on orc culture that might prove useful to Alberik in the library. The written language of the orcs had never been translated into any more common tongue and had always been closely guarded. It was so rarely used by their people anyway that only a handful of shamans even remembered what their complex chiseled runes meant, and as such the only accounts that Alberik had to work with were second hand, from the journals of explorers or compiled synopsis of such in more common history works. What she managed to pick up from that was orcs tended to be far less formal than might be expected from humans or elves, though there was no mention of anyone speaking directly to a king that she could find. >>
tassadar003: The manner of an orc clansmen speaking to an honored, the next rung on the fairly short orcish social ladder, was more like a merchant speaking to another, slightly higher up merchant than it was like a peasant speaking to a noble. As an outsider, however, she might be treated as clanless, to whom the latter attitude might be more applicable.
[Bacon Room]: (shrikeeagles) That was more or less what she was expecting to find. Thankfully, orc culture did permit non-orcs to hold station of a sort, treated as equals according to their merit. She could hold her own, should it come to it, and that should be enough. She did have access to some firsthand accounts, however. After reshelving the books she had pulled form the library back in their proper places (She was sure the librarian would have the new books in order Soon enough as well), she started towards the residential area, hoping to find Sera awake and in the mood to talk.
tassadar003: Sera would indeed be awake, and looked to Alberik curiously as the tentacle-faced woman entered the bedroom in which she was resting.
[Bacon Room]: (shrikeeagles) Alberik gave her a nod, taking the chair by the small desk and getting comfortable. "How are you feeling? I need some help for what happens next with the orcs. Just some questions, if you're up for it." She asked cautiously, looking the woman over. Physically, she seemed fine enough, at least.
tassadar003: "I am.... Unsure," Sera replied, though then she sighed and rubbed her belly, distended with child as it was. "What do you need to know?"
[Bacon Room]: (shrikeeagles) "I plan on showing up before the orc's king, and forcing him to accept a temporary truce until the aliens are dealt with." Alberik explained, pausing to let the elf soak that in. "I need to know what you've seen of how orcs talk to their betters, and the fastest way to prove on the spot that i'm worth their respect."
tassadar003: "You.... What!?" Sera asked incredulously, gaping at Alberik for a moment in disbelief. "I... Don't know how you intend to... Force a truce, but I'm not sure how helpful I could be there. I was a slave, and no one above clansmen ever owned me. A display of strength is all I can suggest, but... Magic wouldn't cut it. That would be more likely to get you killed.... Not that trying to talk to the orc king isn't unlikely to get you killed."
[Bacon Room]: (shrikeeagles) "My defenses are going to be well prepared. Would force of spirit work better than magic? The shamans rely on it heavily, they obviously respect the use moreso than magic itself." She asked, leaning forwards, hanging on Sera's every word.
tassadar003: "Yes, definitely," Sera said with absolute surety, "but I wouldn't suggest attacking anyone... Not unless they start it first."
[Bacon Room]: (shrikeeagles) "I was hoping to avoid that, so good. Did you see your clansmen talking to anyone further up their hierarchy? The books say that speaking to betters remains fairly casual, but I would imagine there is a bit more respect due to their king, specifically."
tassadar003: "I did, but not often. There was... It was like speaking to a teacher here. Respect, but not... Forced."
[Bacon Room]: (shrikeeagles) "I understand, thank you." She said, leaning back again and pondering for a moment. "Is there anything else you can tell me that I haven't thought to ask?" She added softly.
tassadar003: "Uhm, just... Be careful, alright? I wouldn't be surprised if the orc king has a lot of protection. You might not even be able to get close." She hesitated for a moment before asking; "Do you... Have a plan? Not just how you'll get in but... What you're going to say?"
[Bacon Room]: (shrikeeagles) "I just need to get close enough to speak. It requires some luck, but if all goes well, I'll arrive that close." She said, raising a temple to her brow at Sera's question. "Just the broad strokes, I fear. Prove i'm capable, use the retaking of the reach to prove that we as a whole are capable, that should force some respect. I know he won't even consider a permanent truce, so I just need to press that the aliens are a greater threat, and become more so the longer they're here." She told the elf. "He rules a people, he should be smart enough to understand that, as much as im sure it would leave a bad taste in his mouth, metaphorically speaking."
tassadar003: "You might need a bit more than luck," Sera replied dryly, "but regardless.... Good luck is all I can wish you." The elf didn't seem terribly sure of this plan, but also couldn't seem to find any sort of better idea.
[Bacon Room]: (shrikeeagles) "I've done what research I can, and will be as defended as I can make myself, hopefully with a few others helping as well. There is little else to be done, and it does have to happen. Crolia cannot continue fighting a war on two fronts, and the longer the aliens can spread without a unified force to oppose them, the harder they will be to uproot, if such is not already impossible." She said in a dire tone. THen she sighed, glancing over at the elven woman again. "Is there anything you need? I shouldn't be stressing you so."
tassadar003: "Don't worry about me," Sera replied sternly, "I'm in the best place to be for medical care, and I was better off than many of my kin. Worry about yourself... You're the one going into danger. Again."
[Bacon Room]: (shrikeeagles) "Im not sure my room is the best place for medical care, though Tariel does make quite the nurse, i'm sure." Alberik answered with a chuckle, reaching up to scratch at one of the tendrils leading from her face. She also pointedly ignored the second part of Sera's statement. "You sure, though? Glass of water, some food? It'll be a bit before I can sleep, and it will probably be early afternoon before I leave, so I have time."
tassadar003: "I CAN leave the room on my own you know," Sera replied dryly, "I've been taking care of myself. Tariel helped at first, the other healers have done what they can." She smirked and rolled her eyes, "the last woman I slept with... Near regularly taught me a few things about helping with getting to sleep, though the offers to get me a glass of water are certainly a nice touch."
[Bacon Room]: (shrikeeagles) "I... I'm not sure thats a good idea." Alberik sputtered softly. "There are plenty around here that already assume my saving you was simply saving you for myself, I don't see the need to add fuel to that particular fire." She explained, fidgeting slightly.
tassadar003: "Not sure what's a good idea?" the elf asked playfully, "and who is bloody stupid enough to think that? And why should you be bothered by their opinion anyway?"
[Bacon Room]: (shrikeeagles) "Public opinion is a powerful thing, and i already press people's perception of right and justice a fair deal. I'd rather have people focus on the larger picture than waste their time by fueling gossip." She answered, crossing her arms uncomfortably.
tassadar003: "Gossip about what though?" she asked playfully again, "there are ways to help people relax other than sex you know."
[Bacon Room]: (shrikeeagles) "Doesn't exactly halt the gossip, though." She replied, shrugging.
tassadar003: "Heh.... Maybe I'm just too casual about things now I guess.... I'll need to adjust back to how things used to be."
[Bacon Room]: (shrikeeagles) "Perhaps some, but I wouldn't worry about it too much. I'm a great deal more prudish than most, I assure you." Alberik admitted, her tone growing lighter at the end.
tassadar003: "MAybe hanging around you will help then."
tassadar003: Sera stretched out as much as her bloated body would allow and then sighed. "So, what are you going to do until it's time for you to leave?"
[Bacon Room]: (shrikeeagles) The Outsider gave a chuckle, standing. "I'm sorry, maybe you're right." Moving to sit on the edge of the bed. "I don't really have anythign planned, past getting some rest, and prepping the spells I'll use to defend myself just before I leave." She admitted.
tassadar003: "What did you have in mind in particular?"
[Bacon Room]: (shrikeeagles) "Defensive spells, a few to shield my mind, but I think it will be far more likely I'll need to shield my person, so I'll be focusing my attention there. I've also researched a ritual that will take the brunt of whatever magic they will attempt to cancel mine with." She explained, the details of which passed through her mind at the thought, doublechecking her rigour.
tassadar003: "I guess that's as good as one can expect," Sera said, "not that I'm an expert on magic or anything."
[Bacon Room]: (shrikeeagles) Alberik nodded. "It will be enough."
tassadar003: "Hopefully," Sera replied, and then sighed again. "Shall we try to get some sleep then?"
[Bacon Room]: (shrikeeagles) "Probably for the best. Are you sure you don't mind sharing?" The Outsider repeated, taking a moment to stretch her mucles, still sore from the prolonged fight, but feeling much better than the day before regardless.
tassadar003: "I don't, know. I think I'd be worse off sleeping alone," Sera replied, crawling into bed and patting the space beside her.
[Bacon Room]: (shrikeeagles) Alberik just nodded, slipping into the space offered and getting comfortable.
