The Crystal Cult

[AvatarVecna]

It's been nearly 40 years since the war ended. A continent torn asunder, a race created, a nation destroyed. But afterwards, there was peace, of a sort. Things were beginning to settle down, and the wounds of the world began to heal. Slowly, the powers of Khorvaire became less guarded with each other, reopening trade routes that hadn't existed since before the war. It got to the point where an entire generation had been born and raised to adulthood without having ever experienced the terror of ongoing conflict.

Which, of course, meant there was another war on the horizon.

Over the years, a psion of remarkable power by the name of Azon Mathas drew in others with similar abilities, all with a single goal in mind: world domination. They started a cult, dedicated to the psionic crystals found in Khyber's depths. The cult grew, and grew, gathering massive numbers of followers to its ranks; in time, the cult grew so large, that every nation east of the Mournlands had succumbed to its lure. Even the Lord of Blades and his mechanical troops fell prey to this cult, eventually combining their forces together. It took a while, but eventually, the cult's secret to success was revealed: the psionic leaders of the cult had trained themselves to seek out lesser minds and take control of their desires, turning them into slaves of the crystal cult. But such control could not be maintained forever...

You are a member of Task Force Hydra: you are one of many highly trained individuals faithfully serving the crystal cult. You and your squad mates have just returned from a dangerous mission behind enemy lines; after retrieving some vital tactical information on Thranes battle strategies, you've returned to base camp. It wasn't easy: it was nearly a week's journey back to base camp, and you were ambushed multiple times on the road. Finally arriving at camp, you were so exhausted that you went to bed before handing off your information. You could always get it done in the morning.

When you woke up, something was different. You could remember your missions, and your teammates, and your drive to serve the cult, but somehow it was...distant. It was like a nostalgic memory of childhood, complete with the vast change in priorities. And suddenly you remember who you were. You remember how you came under the control of this infernal cult, how they trained you and used you. You've heard rumors about things like this: heretics who betrayed the cult, and who were either brought back into the folds by the Azon Mathas himself, or were executed.

You've got to get out of here.--Tacitus, playing Kilian Bohl (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=1038894)
--Vagabond, playing Tick (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=1035444)
--Esceton, playing Castar d'Sivis (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=10317)
--Fouredged Sword, playing Nyx Ebonmaw (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=1035505)
--Breithheamh, playing Merrid (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=1031322)
--copycatcat, playing Anirin Thraltak (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=41410)

Alright, here's the basics: you've all been under the control of a thrallherd, but you woke up this morning in your right minds. All of you were on a team together, and you remember working together, but that was when you were being controlled. Also, your last mission was to retrieve some vital strategic information for the cult, which you none of you have yet delivered to your commanding officer.

The morning has just started; what do you do?

EDIT: And here's (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?378499-The-Crystal-Cult&p=18286324#post18286324) the OOC thread.

[Fouredged Sword]

Nyx is the first to wake. She wakes from her slumber slowly, draped across the top of her wagon. She normally doesn't sleep, but because she was in camp, she allowed herself the luxury. She blinks the sleep away as she gently comes to full consciousness. Suddenly her eyes shoot fully open. She remembers. She remembers EVERYTHING. For a duration she is simply paralyzed by the realization that she has lost her home, lost her horde, and has been enslaved for the last number of YEARS.

She has to force herself not to ether break down or fly off into a rage. She realizes that they are only five things important right now: survival, revenge, reclaiming what she lost, revenge, and revenge. First though, the most important thing. She is alone and away from a defensible position. She needs help to ensure she can have her justice. If she has her memories...

She looks to her allies to see if they wake with memories as well. Their unguarded faces as they wake should tell her all she needs, who will help her and who to kill...

Sense Motive
[roll0]

[Tacitus]

Kilian Bohl

The disembodied consciousness that is Kilian has slept in the shape of a lithe steel and wood warforged, the shape he had sustained during the previous day. As usual, Kilian's piercing blue eyes with irises ringed with violet stood out in contrast to the otherwise dead eyes of an un-upgraded warforged unit giving the distinct appearance of a man trapped inside a steel bodysuit. The moment consciousness returns his body blasts apart in wisps of ephemeral green smoke leaving behind only a brain and his floating eyes; Kilian has clearly awakened from a nightmare once again. This nightmare, however, is not just his mind touching upon the realm of madness during slumber but something he has lived for far too long.

Those that have not awakened receive a pulse of mental static through the Collective, Kilian's means of joining the squad to share healing and provide better support during combat, even whilst underground. For Nyx the static resolves into a brief gasp before Kilian's form begins to construct itself once more. A skull forms around the brain and eyes and continues in a surge of bone to a full human skeletal system which is quickly covered in connective tissue, muscle, and a pulmonary system. At this point his form quivers and changes directly to a fully clothed young man floating just barely above his cot in a sitting position with Kilian's piercing eyes raking across his trembling hands. His concerns in the face of reprogramming or execution are secondary to the pained look in his eye as he reaches down to pass one hand through his cot. Not a ghost, but hardly living all the same, the young man has awakened to more than lost of time, atrocities committed, or loved ones forsaken. Kilian's body is gone, now and forever, and in service to the cult he willingly gave it up.

[copycatcat]

Limmin Thraltak

Limmin, a mere 3 hours into the night(which is probably around midnight?), awakes to a looming shadow over him. Long enough to see, and thus to fear this undead monster... but not long enough to scream..

In another 3 minutes, he arose into undeath, and instinctually know what he was. Strange, he thought to himself, he felt no compulsions. He walked outside of the magical tent and tripped over a body. Then he understood why there was no control over him.

He then returned to his rest, sitting up now, although he had been lying down before.

[TheEmperor]

It had been an hour of constant reading for Solar Macharius, the once proud arcane master of staff-fighting, mixed with heavy thought. He had been preparing his spells, and had, over time, felt a feeling creep up into the back of his mind. BY the time his spells were prepared, he was overcome with a feeling of... a lack of confidence in his reasons.

As if some hold over him, that had kept him together as a conscious person for far too long had fallen apart. He rose from his bed, in an outwardly graceful fashion, but it lacked the usual flow of the mixed ki in him. His ki flow had somehow changed.

This was a terribly bad start to a day already.

Rise and shine, master of the dual arts, wake to the dust and remnants of all you ever knew.

[The Vagabond]

There was a bolt, as the tiny clockwork fairy bolted awake.
And, oddly enough, aware.
Completely...
Huh...
For the past few years, she has been stuck in a form of... Something... She didn't quite have a word for it, but she knew that she was... New.
Tick slowly rose, her clockwork joins groaning... She really needed to find her oil...
She paused.
She felt AWAKE. That was the word. Awake for the first time...
And now she knew why she was scared.
The clockwork Lyrakien fell to the floor, staring to the sky.
Holy crap.
That was... Really, all she could say. Holy crap. They took her mind. They took control. Somehow. And now? Now she's just a minion in the ranks...
She slowly got up, looking to her book of Infusions.
She silently looked around, and began to pack her stuff into her Haversack, as she began to look around for somewhere to run, trying to figure out where she could go, where she could be effectively...
She needed out, out out... Now where...
She finished packing up, winding herself up, preparing some potions, and slipping away.

[The Vagabond]

There was a bolt, as the tiny clockwork fairy bolted awake.
And, oddly enough, aware.
Completely...
Huh...
For the past few years, she has been stuck in a form of... Something... She didn't quite have a word for it, but she knew that she was... New.
Tick slowly rose, her clockwork joins groaning... She really needed to find her oil...
She paused.
She felt AWAKE. That was the word. Awake for the first time...
And now she knew why she was scared.
The clockwork Lyrakien fell to the floor, staring to the sky.
Holy crap.
That was... Really, all she could say. Holy crap. They took her mind. They took control. Somehow. And now? Now she's just a minion in the ranks...
She slowly got up, looking to her book of Infusions.
She silently looked around, and began to pack her stuff into her Haversack, as she began to look around for somewhere to run, trying to figure out where she could go, where she could be effectively...
She needed out, out out... Now where...
She finished packing up, winding herself up, preparing some potions, and slipping away.
[roll0]

[AvatarVecna]

Let's begin.


As the sun begins to rise in the east, the Army of the Faithful begins to rise from their slumber, answering the psychic call to arms that had enthralled them to the cult in the first place. As the mages prepare their spells, and the priests begin working through their longest-lasting buffs, the warriors run through weapon drills, and the various jacks- and jills- of-all-trades practice their skills as they idly wait for new orders.

You are members of Task Force Hydra, a division of the cult's standing army made up of the more powerful rank-and-file members. Last night, you and your squadmates (the other PCs) returned from a dangerous reconnaissance mission, with information vital to Thrane's border defenses; with this information, the cult can begin infiltrating Thrane, gathering new members for the cult and eventually taking over. Karrnath has already fallen, as has the Mournland and the Lord of Blades; as of yet, Jaena and her church are holdin out, but the tides may be about to change for the worse.

As the members of squad 66 wake up from their slumber, they find themselves free of the cult's insidious influence; their memories of their time with the cult, and the camraderie they held for each other, is not forgotten, but now it comes with the sickly reminder that it was the choices of another that brought you together. Still, when you're surrounded by psychic sycophants, it might be best to seek out whatever allies you can...

Tick (the group's tiny, artificial artificer) is freaking out. She quickly packs and attempts to slip away. She emerges from her own tent, only to discover her squadmates...ex-squadmates...were already rising as well. Panic grips her, as they take notice of the growing terror overtaking her. Rather than showing concern, as she expected they would for a troubled friend, they looked almost as shaken as she felt; quickly, she realized they too, had woken up not the same. With no small amount of trepidation, she sat down at the makeshift dining table as one of the others half-heartedly started cooking something or other.

Most of the others looked angry, or sad, or violated. Nyx looked absolutely furious. Summoning some courage, Tick asked "I take it your mornings aren't so good either?"

What do you guys want to do?

[TheEmperor]

Solar simply looked at the others, with drooping eyes, and a sign of tiredness in them. He did not move, and simply sat at his bed, legs crossed in that old monastery fashion, something which he hadn't done for what seemed like... ages. His mind felt violated, even as a monk with a wall of steel in his mind, and a body of rock.

He tried coming to terms with the simple lack of control that had existed for so long, and quickyl began to retake his mind, in meditation, multiple memories and feelings becoming apparent, and being seen in a different light.

After a small amount of time, his eyes jerked open, and he loudly said "So that was an insult!"

[copycatcat]

Anirin sighs. "I've been awake for hours, what's took the rest of you?" He then stepped outside the tent, noticing the body of the dread lord had been removed. "Oh.. It's morning? How? I must have slept less than I realized."
"And calm down, dragon. What's wrong with you six?" He makes a show of keeping his face blanketed into his trap of servitude.

[roll0]
For some reason, I don't think I'll fail that bluff...
EDIT: Even though I rolled a 1...
Also, he'll cast disguise self to appear like an elvenmage.

[The Vagabond]

"Well, Uh.... I sorta had a bad night... A really bad one..."
She looks over to Six, silent panic in her voice, "So, how are things doing?"
[roll0]
Passing a message (DC 15)
I'm free, are you?

[Fouredged Sword]

Nyx eyes the newly risen vampire.

"I just remembered that I have a very important errand to attend to, one that takes me elsewhere. Would any of you like to accompany me, I have room. Flying is such an important exercise early in the morning. I fear my task may take more hands than I would like to finish. I find it VERY important though."

Pass a message.
"I'm free, by the way, lets get out of here and kill whoever caused this. Everyone into the wagon."

[copycatcat]

Anirin eyes back towards Nix. "What task would you drag us along? I shall go for you tell me where it will bring, for I have many errands also to attend to. Most are outside the Master's sphere of control, on the other half of the continent."

[Fouredged Sword]

"That sounds... convenient. My task also is best began far, far from here."

[copycatcat]

"I could say the same for that you have said. The master required some supplies that couldn't be obtained here.

Rolling dice is for people who don't have a +35 to bluff.

[Fouredged Sword]

"It sounds as if we are speaking along the same lines. I suggest we depart quickly. Delay in such matters may lead to... complications best avoided. I am strong enough to bare everyone at once. If those who wish to aid our errand would please find their way into the cart."

Nyx is taking 10 for a 22 bluff roll.

[The Vagabond]

Tick nods, packing her stuff in her Haversack, and flying onto his back, and sitting down on it.

[copycatcat]

I beat that on a one.
"Stop this bluffing and dancing around questions! You know as well as I do myself that I am an expert on all FOS of a lie. Tell me why and where you must go. And speak bluntly."

[Fouredged Sword]

Nyx gently grabs the tiny construct and puts it in the wagon. She whispers quietly, looking tick in the eyes with a cold smile that drips with acid.

"You ride in the wagon. Dragon, not horse. Your lucky enough to get carried under me. It will be a cold day in all the hells when I let someone take such liberties.

As for where and what I am going to do, well, I would rather not say with so many... faithful nearby. I know, and you know, and I think those of us here are all in the know. They on the other hand don't, and I am unsure who is listening. I intend to put many miles between me and here before I sit down to decide what comes next,"

[copycatcat]

Anirin smiles coldly. Answer the question.

[Tacitus]

Kilian

The ghostly man orients his gaze upon the rest of his squadmates with flickers of recognition and understanding, but he hesitates for a moment before intervening on the scene unfolding before him. His mind rifles through memories that he cannot believe are his own and worries that perhaps his existence as a psychic being might make his squadmates wary of anything he might have to offer. The fact that his Collective which links them together can and has been exploited in other squads causes him to shrink back into his cot a few feet and then down towards the ground. With only about half of his body exposed above ground, and half of that inside his hardly used cot, he broadcasts telepathically to each present, "Calm yourselves. Our orders are to return to Thrane for supplies and to continue infiltration. Perhaps even gain entry to the deepest sanctums of Flamekeep, where our master's reach has yet to extend."

*ahem* Hint hint. Also more than 15 to pass a message, requests for bluntness be damned. XD

But more importantly Kilian has a class feature known as the Collective, wherein he can bind a small number of people together into a mini-hive. In this collective the members get Telepathy with each other, share healing done, and a few other benefits. So please, once we get past any trust issues, Telepathy is your friend for not alerting those nearby of secret conversations. Unless one of ya'll actively drops out, we'd still be linked as it does not go away upon sleeping.

For reference, "Text" will be telepathy broadcast for any to hear, 'Italicized Text' will be Network Telepathy only to memebers of Kilian's Collective, and Italicized colored text without quotations of any kind will be personal thought not broadcast. I will be trying to specify at each point when used, but this is a good base reference point.

[copycatcat]

[roll0]

"I can see who is free and who is not. It's still all a blur to me..."


Question: Are any squad members not free?

also, 4edged, you can't call my bluff, so you currently would think I'm a friendly to the Master. And I rolled a one.

[The Vagabond]

Tick nods, sitting down.

Alright, this is a minor thing, but, since Emma's a construct, she has immunity to mind effecting affects. Does this include the telepathy? I hope not.
Tick looks over to the ghost, and waves, sitting in the cart.
She flies up to Anirin, and sits on his shoulder.
She tries her best to whisper to him, "We're free, okay? Don't tell anyone, don't think, just get in the cart, we're running. If you don't, we'll run. Faster."

[copycatcat]

Anirin laughs, but takes his enveloping pit out, opens it, and jumps inside. "Close this and put it in the wagon."

[Fouredged Sword]

Nyx gathers his temporary allies and prepares to take off. Unless something stops him, he flies away. Best to leave camp as quickly as possible.

[The Vagabond]

Tick floats into the cart, sitting in it, and pulling out her Alchemist book, reviewing her things.

[Tacitus]

Kilian

Unable to keep up with the dragon's impressive speed the incorporeal young man copies the outward appearance of Anirin and glides into place on the wagon. He focuses for a moment and a field of force surrounds his body to not only help simulate a physical form but also contain his body for transport in the wagon.

1pp for a ML 5 Inertial Armor manifested as a Psion. It'll last for 5 hours, and if we timeskip longer than that, he'll be manifesting again at 30minutes remaining

120/121 PP

[AvatarVecna]

With a plan of action, the lot of you ready to depart, piling into the wagon as if embarking on a new mission. As you exit your squad's massive tent, you find yourselves in the camp proper: various warriors are milling about, practicing with their weapons, while mages prepare their spells and their breakfast. Every once in a while, you see a psion walk by accompanied by one of the Guardians of Knowledge, one of the crystals that forms the very base of the cult's beliefs. You find it strange to see them: usually, Guardians and their prime servants aren't seen out and about, unless...

A feeling of dread washes over you: they aren't seen unless they're searching for deserters. You've heard stories before about crazed individuals who try to leave the cult, or claim that it's all some massive conspiracy, but they've always been silenced fairly quickly, and even then were never taken seriously. But now...you have a sneaking suspicion that you would take them a lot more seriously now. The only upside to this search is that, due to the massive size of the Crystal Cult, and the fairly disorganized accounting of converters and convertees, finding out exactly who has let the cult usually takes a long time (at least several days, and usually longer, especially if they're far out on some mission), which gives you the advantage...for now.

Before you can take off, you see a few other Hydra Force squads approaching. Rather than coming with weapons drawn and guarded looks, however, they seem happy to see you. You realize they must still be under the control of the cult.

"Hold, compatriots!" one shouts out in greeting. As he speaks, your memories of this man resurface: this is Sergeant Branaggen, leader of squad 79 and second in command of Hydra Force. "I see you've returned from your reconnaissance! Come, the captain is waiting for your report." Without another word, Branaggen turns and begins striding purposefully towards the central tent. As you debate whether or not to follow, you take a look around; currently, the lot of you are pretty close to the middle of the Hydra force ground camp; within about a quarter mile in every direction are hundreds ofthe most capable archers, mages, warlocks, and psions the Crystal Cult has under its sway. Thinking back to previous operations, you start to wonder how far you would get before they took you down. There are two fates that await deserters: either they are talked into rejoining the cult by Azon Mathas himself, or they are killed before they can infect any others with ideas of rejection or rebellion.

Currently, you guys have some important tactical information; there are some small holes in the Thrane defense network, each of which could potentially allow a squad or two to get through. Escaping at this point is potentially quite dangerous, but not necessarily impossible. Do you guys follow Branaggen, continue your escape, or...something else?

[Tacitus]

Kilian

As Branaggen begins to turn the young man quickly contacts the others telepathically through the Collective, though he cannot reach Anirin in the portable hole, 'Quickly, let us discuss this at the speed of thought before we decide. If possible I'd like to follow after him and reveal a small parcel of the intel we recovered and immediately request to be assigned to continued infiltration to expand weaknesses in the defenses of Thrane. With the presence of the Guardians I am less sure of our ability to simply make a run for it.'

[Fouredged Sword]

Nyx quickly tries to calculate how high she would have to go before getting out of range of most attacks. Too high most likely.

'I agree. We are on uneven ground at the moment. We must not stay here long though. We cannot hope to avoid detection long'

[The Vagabond]

Tick nodded, somewhat worriedly, trying to hide it behind her clockwork face.
In the mindscape, she nods, "This is probably the only way I could ever manage to get this done." she said.

[AvatarVecna]

Sorry I haven't been doing much here; I've been busy with school and one of my other games. I'm back, though, and I've got the next several posts planned out, depending on what you guys decide to do


Sergeant Branaggen leads you through the maze of giant tents, each one containing a Hydra Force squad. As you come to a clearing, your destination appears: the tent of squad 1, where the best of the best of the best reside...including Captain Isaac Arshavin. Searching your memories, you remember many things about squad 1: these individuals are the original members of Hydra Force, and have been working tirelessly for the Crystal Cult since its conception; each one was handpicked by Azon Mathas himself for their personal power, team synergy, and their leadership skills. Each one has since moved on to become a leader of their own squad, but every once in a while, a mission comes along that needs the best the Cult has; that's where squad 1 comes in.

As you enter the gigantic tent, you see many things: around the edges, there are at least a dozen smaller tents, no doubt the resting place for each member of the squad; in the center, a makeshift mess hall has been put together, consisting of a portable kitchen set and a few tables pushed together; just about everywhere else, tables are set up covered in maps, reports, gathered intelligence, and spellbooks. Other than that, there appears to be a latrine set up in the far corner, far away from any of the tents. A hint of jealousy rises in you when you realize that theirs, unlike yours, is heavily enchanted, likely in such a way as to make its presence easy to ignore. Milling around are various members of Hydra Force, each focused on their particular task. At the biggest table, where several maps and reports are being examined, sits four members of Hydra Force:

The first you notice is Captain Isaac Arshavin, a gargantuan man, even by goliath standards; his armor bears a faint glow indicating its magical power, and strapped to his back is the largest hammer you've ever seen. His entire body is covered in a web of scars from various sources, and his arms look like they've been used as lightning rods at some point. Despite his physical prowess, you know for a fact that he's also one of the keenest strategic minds the Crystal Cult's standing army has (the Guardians and their servants being the only obvious exceptions): his tactical genius has brought about victory for Hydra Force when failure was imminent on many occasions.

Next to him is First Lieutenant Myra Creorshaa Xiloscient: this elven beauty was previously a powerful devotee of the Silver Flame, who was converted into the cult after she was sent on a mission deep undercover, and was discovered; since then, she has renounced her faith and taken to worshipping the Guardians themselves; as a result, she has gained power most priests couldn't match at this point in their careers; in this way, she is considered evidence of the cult's spiritual superiority and its divine right to power.

On Isaac's other side, fiddling with some magical doodad is Second Lieutenant Marvacko "Marv the Mad" Jolheor: this rather eccentric gnome is one of the most accomplished mages in all of Hydra Force, and almost assuredly the most skilled craftsman: whenever he's not on a mission, or sleeping, he's making some magic item that will spell victory for his allies; incidentally, there's rumors that he never sleeps. When it comes to spells, he prefers keeping the enemy confused, combining powerful illusions with devastating evocations. Due to his rather...wild nature, he's one of the only members of squad 1 that hasn't gone on to lead their own team.

Finally, on Marvack's other side (and keeping a close eye on the gnomish mage) is First Lieutenant Rinnie Silverpaw, a silver-furred shifter who fights unarmed and unarmored. Her opponents tend to underestimate her due to this, much to their dismay: Rinnie is capable of martial feats that seem beyond even the greatest of self-defense experts, and there's even rumors of her channeling magic through her limbs.

As you approach, Captain Isaac glances in your direction, then stands to greet you. Sergeant Branaggen snaps off a salute, which the Captain returns, before he finally speaks. "Sergeant Branaggen, squad 66, be seated. Squad 79, you are dismissed; return to your previous duties." Without another word, he sits down. As those of you who can sit down, his eyes sweep over your group, before he says "There's someone missing...where is Anirin ?"

Alright what would you guys like to do? Also, for future reference: all of you are corporals, except for whoever the squad leader is. Who exactly that would be is up to you guys to decide; keep in mind that this will be a bit of a social role at times, since the squad leader will be the one they'll look to for information, so choose your leader wisely.