A Stitch in Souragne: Symbols of a Fallen Loah

[Ken of Ghastria]

Lucien gasps - a mixture of awe, horror, and lust - at the sight of the beautiful woman. Indeed, she's so lovely that his brain is unable to comprehend what he's beholding, and his vision simply... goes dark.

Still, the shock he feels isn't so much panic over his blindness but despair over the woman's sudden disappearance! "NOOO!" he wails. "Come back!!" The fist-sized crystal in the inner pocket of his ornate jacket practically vibrates with annoyance. Lucien! says the voice of Claude. Control yourself... NOW! You're in danger! You all are! Master your emotions or DIE! Or let me take control if you're too weak to stay focused....

It's this last, foreboding comment, more than the crystal's initial anger, that brings Lucien's mind back to the here and now, chilling him as rapidly as being dunked in ice water. "No, Claude," he says aloud, firmly. "Know your place. But... thank you."

The mental voice of Claude is silent for a moment, and Lucien wonders if he senses disappointment. Then Claude says, My pleasure. I can sense Goren's presence. He is likewise afflicted. The barbarian woman is tending to him, but something is strange about her, as well. There is no one el--.... Ah, Zumba has arrived.

"Zumba!" Lucien calls out, reaching forward with his arms in the direction of Claude's mental "nudge." "Beware! A woman... the sight of her... so beautiful. I... cannot see, and I fear the same for Goren, too."

[Ail]

Zumba is surprised by the vision of Lucien and Goren in distress, but he hears Lucien's words and instinctively understands he must not look to where Lucien is pointing. He looks at the rest of the room instead, opposite the stairs, to get knowledge of their surroundings.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

Zumba finds himself in the same lobby where the group was initially greeted. By carefully keeping your eyes low, you can tell that Lucien and Goren are near the stairs -- and so is someone strange. You see a woman's feet and legs, wrapped in the skirts of a beautiful, blue dress. You could swear she is a complete stranger, her voice sounds unfamiliar -- albeit musical -- and she is standing near Goren!

[Ail]

Zumba stands, averting his eyes from the woman.

He advances to stand between her and Lucien, and then calls out loud

"Who are you? Release him and move away", while holding his quarterstaff menacingly.

[A G Thing]

Orda removed the mask from Goren's face and looked at him without it, seeing the same lost eyes as Lucien she asked nervously again. "What happened to you?" Still feeling disturbed about the situation she finds it hard to remain focused.

Then she is suddenly confused by Lucien's outburst and looks at him again to see a play of strange emotions across his face. She is somewhat scared by the oddity of the scene and yet when Zumba walks in with his eyes averted and demands she step away she looks at him even more befuddled. He is between her and Lucien and is ready to fight but refusing to gaze her way.

She knows she looks different and yet instinctively she wants to threaten back. Her hand goes almost to the sword at her hip but she instead holds her hands before her to try and prevent such. She is already tired and frightened so she once again tries to push herself to be calmer but still her voice makes her sound weak to her ears.

"ZUMBA! It is me Orda... Something is wrong with Goren and Lucien! I know I am different but... I think they are blinded? And why won't you look at me??? What is going on?" Her altered voice with some tones of tense fatigue seems to rob her words of a confidant tone that she sorely needed to hear. She does not move away physically but Orda still feels her confusion pushing her back into a corner. She became tense as she wondered if something was wrong with Zumba too?

[Ail]

"Orda? If you really are Orda, how do you look so different now?"


he is looking only at her feet, but he can tell that something is different. For once, they do look smaller.


"Goren and Lucien are blinded. How did that happen, Lucien? He tells me not to look at you, maybe the vision of you blinded them somehow. Talk to me: prove to me you are Orda, and not some trick of this house."


Zumba holds the magical staff tightly, hoping that some of its hidden abilities will give him some hint here.

[steveflam]

Goren is definitely confused. He ponders having seen too beautiful a woman has blinded him for but a moment. Probably some magic trick of this Lord of the Dead, Anton Misroi, he muses to himself.

He hears Orda. "I do not know, Mme Orda" comes the shy reply in Souragnien. "I think our host might know
more about this blindness. Thank you for removing my mask. It is kind of you. I don't think I've ever, uh, seen a more beautiful woman as
you Orda. I think there is some enchantment afoot here"

The red haired priest looks blankly at the ground as he speaks to Orda, blushing. His left hand holds the wall so he can situate himself.

He does call out to everyone else of the party who might be nearby. "Please, do not be alarmed. I believe those of us who are blinded, might be compliments of our host. I would suggest removing the masks. If Mr Misroi objects I will tell him I think it is the mask which caused my blindness. Please, let us remain calm and head for our evening with him. We are his guests after all, no matter what transpired thus far in his abode."

His other hand reaches out. "Orda, would you just guide me to our meal? I have never been here and thus would not know
where to go after I descend the stairs."

[A G Thing]

Orda is almost offended by Zumba asking if she is who she claims but realizes how strange the situation is and keeps calm. She looks at herself going over her changed body and finding it just makes her more confused and angry she looks away from it.

Still looking at both Goren and Lucien she is also wondering if she is the cause of their sudden blindness. But that also infuriates her and panics her a bit as she tries to speak up and convince Zumba almost out of fear but also out of outrage.

But then Goren speaks aloud and to her and while he claims it is just the masks and she would like it to be so she moves behind Goren as if trying to shield Zumba from seeing her.

"NO... Zumba! Don't look... We don't know yet..." Orda's fear almost knocks her from her thoughts for a moment. "Just wait..." In a measured movement she makes sure Zumba does not look and then moves toward the stairs.

She grabs her bag from the foot of the stairs and reaching within removes her tent. After quickly shoving everything back into it. She covers herself in it completely and ties it off with one of the belts in her bag so as to make a full robe. She then reaches to grab her sword and then puts her arm under the cloth, keeping even the hand that grips the hilt hidden from view. Her head tilted down so as not to reveal her face she notices her hair fall into view and closes her eyes so as to calm herself more.

"I am Orda... I am..." She more quietly says the second to Goren as she steps forward in her makeshift robe and tries to speak calmly. "Zumba, I still owe you a silver for paying the elder Poppa Sweet. If that is not enough I did not take that staff when you offered it to us all... I was outside with Goren when we spoke to that Chicken Bone man." She is sickened by how weak her voice makes her sound. She looks at Zumba while trying to think about what he said and how to grasp the situation yet her mind is trying to avoid thinking about how many differences she notices in her body. It is becoming hard to do it however as she is even avoiding looking at her shadow cast across the floor from discomfort.

Then she looks to Goren seeing his feet. "I was careless... I won't let you be the same..." She feels a surge of guilt rise in her and suddenly staring at Goren's feet and even seeing Lucien's still form makes her ill and angry.

She begins staring at Zumba's feet so as not to look anywhere else and see Goren, Lucien or even herself so she can be maybe a bit more confident in her speech. "I was told to dress for the Baron. I did. And then I was given a mask which did this to me... This body is... Not mine. I tried to honor his request and was... I... She... He has... I would KILL him for this. Forcing this on me. Never again... I SWORE NEVER AGAIN!!!" No one is able to see the strange mix of emotions and intensity as the petite form encased in the covering becomes enraged and fierce for just a moment.

For once she manages to make her voice sound a bit more intimidating though it is weaker than she would have with such feeling behind it she tries to take comfort from it. Still she also feels tired and her mind seems distracted. After a slight breath she sits down on the stairs. In her distraction she whispers intently as if making a vow. "Never again!"

Orda brushes the now ash blond hair from her face with a petite hand that could have belonged to any other 'normal woman'. But it is not her and yet it is now and that just frustrates and confuses her near her breaking point. "I was shocked by it... The mask burned and chilled. It was in me... It was me... And it was in the mirror..." She pauses for a brief moment. "I think I split that dead woman thing in two... I could not let it pass... S.. HE CAN'T DO THAT TO ME!" While her voice makes her sound silly there is clearly an undercurrent of hate and fear in that last yell. It takes Orda a moment to catch her breath from the whole thing.

As the energy leaves her words a bit, she sounds a bit more tired and fragile though irritation is also in the voice. "But if I... If how I look. If that is what made them blind... Then I am covered."

Orda then goes very still and silent. She cannot get the image of that arm from her mind and she is comparing it to her own mental image. She is becoming sick with old doubts and she feels her anger still rising. Old sad dreams long ago cast aside so she could live strong. Now a nightmare returned and twisted just for her. She pushes past it however and forces herself to rise and face it. It hurts and makes her feel scared but she faces it though she is not comfortable with it.

She rises a bit and placing the mask in one of Goren's hands takes his other hand. He was blinded and yet he was not broken. It was honorable and reminded her of another memory from her past. A good one even if also not pleasant. "I will lead you Goren." She was firmer in her voice but she still sounded a bit tired.

Still she is seething beneath it all but it is hard to deal with it. So she locks on to the hate for the Baron and focuses. Come what may. They would meet and she was not ready to promise she could restrain herself from him.

[Ken of Ghastria]

Lucien listens to the discussion with growing confusion. The beautiful, slender woman... is ORDA?! He reaches out for the railing of the stairs and pulls himself up. Through his mental link with Claude, he is able to get a very rough idea of his surroundings, even a general idea of where his companions are standing, but nothing more. He understands, though, why Claude "saw" only Orda standing next to Goren -- the crystal's telepathic mind identified Orda by her thoughts, without being baffled by her apparently changed shape.

"Orda," he says, holding one of his now-gloved hands before his sightless eyes, "you say this happened after you put on the clothes? I'm doubly glad that I did not don this mask, in that case." He tries to keep his voice calm, but his fear regarding their predicament and his own blindness (is it permanent?) seeps through. "It seems we are playthings for our host at the moment. If he had wanted us dead, he could have killed us easily enough. We have no choice but to... see it through."

He suddenly hears Claude's telepathic voice. Concentrate, Lucien... you've trained yourself - you've trained me - to focus your thoughts. You've grown stronger in your time out there, strong enough to overcome the limitation of your feeble five senses....

And with that, Lucien does concentrate, expanding his consciousness -- and then something miraculous happens! He can "see" nearly everything around him! Shades of grey, perhaps, and devoid of color, but clear, distinct shapes: Goren, Zumba, Orda, the stairs...!

He gasps with joy at the discovery, but he quickly conceals his excitement. He has no doubt that they are all being watched, and he'd rather let his host continue to believe in Lucien's helplessness.

He turns his head toward Zumba, though he doesn't look at him. "Zumba... are you all right? No strange magicks at work on you?"

_______________________________
Wow, I certainly didn't expect the power Lucien gained at 6th level to come in so handy: Lucien expends 5 pp to manifest touchsight. He can "see" everything within 60 feet.
Power Points remaining: 41.

[A G Thing]

Orda goes to nod in response to Lucien's question but halfway through realizes he cannot see it. She keeps her vision down for Zumba's sake and answers rather quickly.

"Yes Lucien. I am glad you did not wear the mask. The last thing I got was the mask. After I put it on... This happened..."

Her voice is firmer and measured but the melodic tone makes her sound more contented then she actually is. Her hand still grips Goren's though they have yet to move yet.

As Lucien speaks of moving on and the Baron's intentions, she grimly focuses on that. She had been thinking of little else.

[Ail]

Zumba nods at Orda's words and distress, and looks even more down if possible... not for caution, but for helplessness.


"I'm sorry, I didn't know. And... I can't help."


It's almost as if he's feeling guilty. But his mind is thinking, and he answers Lucien thus:


"No, I don't feel a change. But do you? Or do you, Goren? It may have been the mask in your case, and it may have been not. And if not... I don't see any other change.

But I'll tell you what I think. Inside that room, the Baron tempted me. He tempted me to be the opposite of all I am, to be all I hate: to be like a plantation Sieur. And these clothes... are just that, he wants me to play a mockery of myself tonight, the exact thing I most hated and most desired while I was a slave. But although I dressed the clothes out of respect for him, I will not play the part. I did not play the part! He wanted me... he wanted me to torture the girls in that room because they are the daughters of plantation owners.

Maybe he is playing such games with us all? Has he done anything to you that played with your forbidden wishes?"

[steveflam]

Goren listens to everyone. "I can cure my blindness in the morning after my prayers.". He keeps holding Orda's hand, feeling a bit more secure. "As for our host, I am most sure he is aware of the masks abilities. We are in his home and his guests like I said. However,
I am not too impressed with what has transpired. Are we not supposed to be helping him and Souragne? I suggest we head down now and continue our conversation with Mr Misroi at the dinner table."

He tosses his mask back down the hallway without looking. He does squeeze his holy symbol first then the other afterwards as an afterthought. He wants to see if it is still emitting a strong sensation.

[A G Thing]

At Zumba's mention of forbidden wishes Orda sighs...

"What child never dreams of fitting in? What girl never dreams of beauty?" She speaks grimly as the conversation makes her tense. "I am not this. I accepted that. Lived strong without it. Now it is here... But wrong..." She tries to sound disgusted by the last word but it just makes her sound scared even to herself.

She silently agrees with Goren however glad to hear the blindness might not be permanent. This small spot of good news makes her clench his hand a little less tense as some small measure of guilt vanishes. She is eager to move on but waits for her comrades to get ready. In truth looking as she is at the floor she is unsure if she can find her way without watching Zumba's feet.

[Ken of Ghastria]

Lucien replies to Zumba, "There was a temptation, yes, but it was one that our host knew that I would refuse... well, probably."

The brown-haired half-elf tries not to react to the "sight" of Goren tossing away his mask, but he does say, "Keep your masks with you, even if you do not wear them. The baron has set up this show for us, and would likely be upset if we fail to play along. And as you say, Goren, he is supposed to be helping us save Souragne. Yes, let's meet our host. We'll get no more answers standing here. Have courage, Orda.

"Zumba, if you wouldn't mind assisting me, sil vous plait?" He reaches out for Zumba's shoulder, still reluctant to tell his companions - even mentally - about his bizarre new sight. He has no idea what Misroi's capabilities are, and experieice has taught him that information is a commodity to be treasured, spent only when the time is right.

[Ail]

Zumba nods, and then takes Lucien's arm as he steps towards the dining hall.