Way of the Wicked Solo game (Thattaman) IC

[Maugan Ra]

Act One: Prisonbreak

It is dark in your cell - the guards have not seen fit to leave you a torch, and the only illumination comes from the dim moonlight streaming in through the barred window high above your head. Fortunately, the unholy power that runs through your veins has sharpened your senses, and even in this half-light you can see as well as if it were noon. Not that there is much to look at - just the crude stone walls of your cell, and the iron bars that separate you from the corridor beyond.

They confiscated your possessions when you were arrested, leaving you with little more than your dignity and a set of threadbare rags to ward away the chill of the ocean breeze. It is a task they fail miserably at, and after three days in this cell, your body aches from long exposure to the cold. The savage beatings doled out whenever you complain haven't helped... nor has the dull burn of the runic brand they seared into your forearm upon arrival. F, for Forsaken - the mark of those cast out beyond Mitra's light.

You deserve it, of course - no one gets sent to Branderscar unless their crimes are truly vile, and by all the laws of the land yours deserve the death penalty thrice over. Sir Balin, the witch-hunter who first arrested you, was very clear on that. You can still picture his face, still hear his arrogant words...

May Mitra have mercy upon you, for Talingarde will not.

Oh, what you wouldn't give for a chance to make him eat those words... but no. There is no hope, not any more. The witch hunter is far beyond your grasp, and all that remains for you to do is to waste away in this cell, until the judge arrives and the pyre is lit. You still have your magic, what little of it you did not expend in the fight against your arrest, but by itself that is not nearly enough. No one has ever escaped from Branderscar - a fact the guards took great joy in reminding you of.

At least you are not alone in your final hours. They brought in another inmate yesterday - an ogre, charged with banditry and all manner of other offenses against Lord and Land. It took three of the guards to get him in the cell, and even though he was drugged and bound the beast still managed to break a couple of their bones in the process before passing out. Judging by the steady breathing you can hear from across the corridor, he's awake now, but so far neither of you have said a word to each other. Might be worth changing that.

After all, what do you have to lose?

[Thattaman]

Jake sits still in the dark, embracing it and taking it into himself. The Ogre could be very useful if he played him correctly. He would escape, he knew that. Asmodeus would lead him back to Matharyn where he could kill Quintus and all the other Mitrans. He would also kill Finnius. If he'd died when the Vampires attacked he wouldn't be rotting away in this godless cell. And on the way out he'd kill and eat every guard that cam near him, then he'd go into the nearest village and rape then kill all of their wives and daughters. But keep a few alive to watch while he did that. Only then would Jake be satisfied that he had had proper revenge.

How did the Inquisitor find him? He had done everything to keep ahead of the Mitrans and yet here he was. Ready to before he true death could happen. How could they deny him of his true death? They would all pay. But for now he would have to sit and wait. Then kill them all.

[Maugan Ra]

There is a faint rush of displaced air, and suddenly you are no longer alone in your cell. There is a woman standing opposite you, clad in a long dress of dark silk that merely serves to accentuate her voluptuous figure. Her hair is a pale blond, and her beauty almost hurts to look upon.

"Oh, how the mighty are fallen." she says in a voice thick with mock concern, her green eyes sparkling as she looks down at you. "You had such potential... but look at you now. How did it come to this?"

There is an odd sort of flatness to her tone, and it's only after a moment that you realise she isn't actually speaking at all. The words are simply appearing in your mind as you look at her.

[Thattaman]

Jake stares at her as she disappears, then mutters to himself, "Even the mighty fall, when they are alone with no cause." Then he continues to sit still and wait, planning his revenge.

[Maugan Ra]

Rich, full lips pull up into a smile as the woman considers your response.

"How fortunate for you, then, that you have an opportunity to change that." she says softly, leaning in to gently touch one delicate hand to the side of your face. "My name is Tiadora. I am here on behalf of my patron, and the rest of our organisation, to make you an offer of employment. We intend to turn Talingarde upside down, and we could use someone of your... talents, to assist in that."

"Interested?"

[Thattaman]

"I would love nothing more than to see this country burn until nothing is left but ashes and corpses. I would take any job that was offered and I would kill them all." Jake snarls at Tiadora, baring the sharpened teeth he has perfected in his mouth. "Show me this employer, I would like to see him. I haven't worked for an organisation since I was bitten and left Mitra. But I have know way of getting out of this place, do I?"

[Maugan Ra]

"Well, you certainly have the enthusiasm. But I wonder if you have the resourcefulness... or the commitment." Tiadora says in a measured voice, as though evaluating you. The fangs don't seem to faze her in the slightest. With casual ease, she reaches down and grasps the thick metal chains binding your limbs, shredding them with casual ease, as though they were little more than paper.

"Consider this your audition. Escape from Branderscar, and when you reach the coast, search for the Manor on the Old Mill Road. There will be a single light burning in the upper windows. We will await you there... if you prove strong enough to be of potential use, at least."

She stands back up, and pulls a small strip of silk free from her outfit. In the dim light, you can just about make out a variety of patterned shapes stitched into the fabric. Tiadora hands it to you.

"Some... resources. Enough for a clever individual to exploit, if motivated. Let us see how you do..."

With a slight breeze, she is gone, leaving you alone once more... but unbound, and with something resembling a plan.

[Thattaman]

"I will escape and help you." Jake stands up, stretching his hands out, admiring his own black pointed fingernails. He looks down at the silk, admiring it and seeing if it has any magical properties.

Casting detect magic Perception [roll0]