npc inbox: arc v

[groundrules]

NPC INBOX

Reach out to your (not-so-)favourite NPC here, putting their name in the comment header. Try to keep it to just quick text/audio/written exchanges or inquiries that can accept summarised answers, please!

Previous NPC inbox posts:

■ Arc I: Sa-Hareth

■ Interlude: Stairs of Sighs + Arc II: Taravast

■ Interlude: Ellethia

■ Arc III: House of Ravens

■ Arc IV: Serthica

ALEM | ALLIED NPCs | OTHERS

ALEM

	DEIMAR Young king of Alem, six months into rule. Ascended after his father perished during Alem’s siege. Bright, sharp, sly. A golden prince with formidable charisma. Men would follow him to their doom.
	HAIVA Elder brother to Deimar, whom he resembles greatly. No appetite for the throne. Organises the evacuation convoys and healing efforts. Personally visits the wounded often. Scholarly, sedate and sickly. Has offered a bounty for the Reaper.
	CLE-FLORENS Twelve-year-old sister to Deimar and Haiva, in line for the throne. Shy, hesitant, weary of bloodshed. The people name her a symbol of righteousness and think they’ll win the war if they are led by her innocence and sacrifice.
	VATAZ DECEASED | Cousin to the heirs, son to Thyvault. Paladin of renown, serious, earnest, ready to sacrifice his life for Alem. Devout believer in the citadel’s sacred mission to rein in hell.
	THYVAULT Uncle to the throne heirs, father to Vataz. Pragmatic, weathered, strong. Consummate soldier and sorcerer. Briefly acted as Regent while Alem determined his brother’s succession — many say he hesitated to surrender the crown to Deimar.
	GALATEA Distant relation and noted paladin. Patient, fair and compassionate. A rare embodiment of military prowess and diplomatic sensibilities. Negotiated the trade route truce with Rathakku and has been single-handedly striking supply deals with traders.
	KERASSTONE Leader of Mount Attevar’s ancient dwarf tribes, which preceded the settlement of Alem. Allied with the citadel for its efforts to keep hell bound. Battle-hardened and quick-tempered, but a man you want minding your back in battle. The one who’ll make sure everyone survives.
	MERCHANTS OF ALEM Passing scavengers intent on stripping the flesh off Alem's financial bones. From boastful Batthour of the grain route to stern Eles of silks and steel, they'll supply most provisions... for a steep price.
	RATHAKKU / RAKKATHU / 'THE LORD WHO WAITS' Undead liege. The Lord of War. Cruel, cunning, decisive, strong. Apt torturer and tactician. Sufficiently patient to wait out a year of siege against Alem. Leads the armies of the brotherhood — so far, to perennial victory. Can only be reached by missive (a single letter/answer interaction) or through envoy.

ALLIED NPCs

	KARSA Sorceress, young (?). Employed by the Merchant and deferential to him. Talented but fiery and frequently impatient, intolerant of fools. She will get today's job done yesterday. Struggles to sympathise with men, objections and those who cannot absorb information quickly. Enchanted the group's translation devices. Currently unavailable.
	ZENOBIUS Former caretaker and scientist of Ellethia, site and cauldron of the first undead attacks. Fell victim to local enchantment and looked after the comatose bodies of his former colleagues for years. Fell and awoke from a long sleep, partly amnesiac. Practical, grumpy, unafraid to challenge the Merchant.
	'QUICKSILVER SAM'(UEL VANE) Pirate king of great renown, master of haunted waters. Recovering from a journey through the Crossing Seas, where he summoned the drowned dead for a foolish act of vengeance with an elusive artefact he himself misunderstands. Agile, quick-witted, charming and possessed of more street smarts than many. Intent to repay his debt to the party.
	HATISSE Revived witch of the Attaryl, partly responsible for the massacre of the Stairs of Sighs. Formerly a court witch of the Attaryl. Manipulative, vicious, a trained seductress. Formidably powerful. Buried with wards and injuries by her own sisters to prevent her return. Somewhat bound to Wrath.
	ASGEIRR The ghost of a scholar monk. Haunts the tattered execution cloak that the party stole from the La Rea bank in Sa-Hareth. Once a champion of equality and freedom, he faced ire for converting his followers against the regionally profitable trade of slavery. Soft-spoken but wise and just, slow to regain his strength. Will speak to those who visit his cloak in brief interludes. Favours necromancers.
	THE MERCHANT The patron saint of etiquette and the eastbound getaway expedition. Seems to largely trade information alongside wares. Appreciates spices, strategy and collaboration. Has an eerie and overly cautious manner. Committed. Defends the benefit of the many, to the detriment of the few. Not travelling with the party.

OTHERS

"HALTHAM" | ANURR The undead warlord Anurr, previously posing as gentle-mannered giant Haltham. An embodiment of Sa-Hareth's cold storms and wind, who regained his territory from contender Unhalad with the inadvertent help of the party in Arc I. Frostily rational and amenable to some negotiation.

Comments

audio

[stephanivien]

Drat, I was somewhat hoping there might be more knowledge of it here.

[ The disappointment in his voice is genuine. ]

My personal knowledge is distantly academic at best, but there was someone back from my home [ Or, home planet, at the least ] who studied the aetheric density of battlefields, with some sort of utilization of the energies. I believe there was brief discussion of the applications towards things that might otherwise demand similarly bloody costs, but, again, my own personal knowledge of the subject is limited, and I had little time enough to pursue the results of his studies further than their distant mention.

I was hoping someone more native might know of something similar. And, well, you already have a battlefield to draw from.

[jatharin]

I'm afraid the minor matters of hell beneath our floorboards and a demon at our gates kept us otherwise engaged.

deimar | action

[rumorate]

[Allison should probably have a better plan in mind, but she's starting to get tired of the bullshit. She's tired of people not being bold enough to put their name on something, people trying to cause problems. As much as she's been trying to pretend that the siege is getting to her, she knows that she's been using her powers more often than she has in the past. That she's been possibly reckless.

But the best way to get the right information is for Allison to do it herself, so she uses her connections to get her as close to the king as possible.]

I was hoping I might be able to have a word with you, in private.

[She'll play it as flirting if that's what he needs to believe. Whatever gets her into a situation with no witnesses.]

[stephanivien]

'Twas the hell beneath the floorboards that I was hoping the technique might aid. Rather than two fronts, it would make the second far easier to deal with if the same losses caused on that front could be used to close the former.

I may still look into it regardless, but I've less expectation of luck, there.

[vdovy]

[ The most inoffensive response that Yelena can manage is to roll her eyes dramatically. Leave it to royalty to rate an insurrection on convenience of timing. ]

Then you will have to make time. This isn't going away. It isn't even the first time someone has tried to frame you.

[ In fact, Yelena has begun to turn over in her mind the possibility that both accusations— the mysterious woman and now this— came from the same source. Not that she has any proof of that to go on; for now, it's just a hunch. ]

[jatharin]

( ...oh. Oh, another one. He's trapped and squirming between looks of surprise, discomfort, terrible inconvenience, annoyance and amusement. How he transits between each expression so succinctly is a feat, no doubt, royal.

Finally, in the humble confidence of his Keep, he waves away his guard from immediate reach — two men lingering at a respectable distance as they trail behind him — before starting to walk down the halls with Allison. )

You'll forgive me if that's about as intimate as I'd like to remain. I understand your people might want me in less peace than pieces.

[jatharin]

Yes, and every time I seem to emerge triumphant. How clever I am.

( And dry-tongued, unimpressed with either his own feats or — the perennially waved potato. It really could do with a lick of... anything. Salt, to start. Heat. Prayer. )

Or maybe simply innocent. ( Imagine that. ) But! I'm afraid I, for one, wasn't amusing myself. I don't have time for this. If your people give me more trouble than help, I assure you, I'm happy to turn you all away.

[jatharin]

I'm afraid it's simply that we don't have your approach to magic or experience. I welcome you to try, as it pleases you. As long as you don't enter the room or turn our paladins too sour.

[vdovy]

[ By now, Yelena has grown so accustomed to the king's brand of self-flattery that she barely notices it. His threat, however, registers loud and clear. She thinks carefully on her next words because what the king takes away from this conversation will affect everyone in her party. ]

How would that solve your problem? Rumors about you preceded our arrival and could well outlive our exit. The doubt was cast on you, not us. Turning us away would only leave you most exposed when you can least afford it.

[jatharin]

( Ah, it's like this, then. A play for reason, for strategy, for the chance to see through further games, yet afoot. His smile turns thin, then bitter. Slow. )

...Yelena, I won't survive this either way. The hand is played.

( Now, he chews his potato again — meditatively. It tastes like ashes. So be it. )

You want the last tatters of my reputation? Take them. But you won't complicate our evacuation with conspiracy at the last hour. However much my uncle is paying your people, tell them I have more.

[vdovy]

[ Yelena winces to see Deimar so resigned to his fate. It's easy to forget in her frustration that the king is only human. ]

My people haven't complicated anything; they are still giving you the benefit of the doubt. You can provide the context we're missing and put this to rest. So what is stopping you?

[rumorate]

I'm not my people, and I have no intention of hurting you.

[At least not physically. What she may choose to do is questionable, but she doesn't intend to hurt him or kill him.]

I just require information from you, and if you're willing to share, I may have information that could ease problems you've been having elsewhere. Instead of fighting a war on two - possibly three fronts - you could just go back to fighting a war on one.

[jatharin]

( Remarkable, isn't it. How this matter keeps occupying time he doesn't have. If only it were a substantially less beautiful woman on his arm, he might be calling this conversation to a close already. As things stand: )

You realise, I could just turn you out? I don't need you here. You're useful, to the same measure as any pair of working hands. But you're not worth a headache.

[jatharin]

Have you considered that there is nothing more to provide?

( Chewing. Chewing is a miraculous and underrated gesture. So nuanced, so grave. He chews aggressively. He chews forlornly. He chews like a man possessed. )

I've said already. I haven't sold you. There is no more to say. Nor way to disprove this... anonymous accuser who I am told supplied you no detail, no evidence, no name...? What do you expect out of this, past, 'I say' and 'they say'?

( But no, he called this meeting. ) I don't want to have to worry on your account as well.

[vdovy]

[ Yelena suppresses a frustrated noise. They keep going in circles so she decides to lay it out explicitly. ]

Since you are innocent, there must be an explanation for your messages to Rathakku that has nothing to do with us. So what is it?

[ His next statement makes her frown. ]

I told you, I'm not the one to worry about. I am Team Deimar, all the way!

[ She feigns waving pom-poms in the air. ]

[jatharin]

What messages? ( Allow him an entirely lung-shattering sigh of frustration. Not even the potato can save this, and it has done much for Deimar and humanity at large. ) Do you understand the only thing brought to me was an accusation that I have sold you? Brought to you by an anony —

( No, no. They've spoken of this before, to excess. )

I don't care. You said I have nothing to worry about. Good. See it remains so.

[vdovy]

So I will lay it out for you: the accusation originated with your messages to Rathakku. There was something about a dozen plus tax. What does that refer to?

[ She nods to confirm understanding and neglects to mention that whether it remains so is dependent on the King's own actions. He can only enjoy her loyalty for as long as her people have his. ]

[jatharin]

( His brows furrow, mouth gaping, the entirety of his world narrowed down to Yelena, her obstinacy. This time, the potato lands squarely on his plate, rolling down the table in sad futility, while Deimar exhales harshly. )

Get your matters sorted, your information aligned. I never sent any message about... taxes.

[vdovy]

No, that part was demanded of you. But you keep telling me what you didn't do. What did you message him about?

[ Hopefully, her having volunteered some information first will make Deimar a little more forthcoming than his usual. ]

[jatharin]

When?

( He hasn't even the shame to pretend ignorance of transacting with the enemy. It strikes him, midway, that this might incriminate him — for all conversing with the enemy is a natural and strategic part of battle. )

I exchange words with him every few days. The man is my enemy. You've never carried a war, if you don't understand diplomacy takes place throughout. You have to keep testing and testing and testing each other's conditions.

( Obviously, he doesn't mutter after. But ah, it is close. ) I speak to Raka... Ratha... that thing outside my walls more often than I do to my own brother, and he practically wears my face.

cle-florens

[weifinder]

( a little paper human shaped doll slips into where she is when she's awake, carrying with it a little note, folded and creased into a neat little love knot. "To the Duchess and Princess Cle-Florens." it leaves her the note, bows, and then runs away, to the door it then slips back under. mostly because wei wuxian is not chancing anyone cuts his paperman in half or sets it on fire, thanks??? )

Hello! My name is Wei Wuxian. I'm one of the outsiders who came in with a certain merchant a month ago, and have been helping map ways through the Gut's Bind to assist in evacuations of your kingdom's people, under Galatea's greater direction. I've also been drafted to help with healing of the ill and injured in the Wards as needs press. They've been very pressing! We do what we can to help.

It's been desperate here for a while, from what I understand. I'm sorry. A siege like this is hard on everyone, and the people who aren't fighters as much as the strong spirits of those who wake to fight another day. We're only a small group, and we can't do better than what your own people have done, but we're willing to lend our gifts to helping slow down the advance of the death lord at the gates, and the hell testing the gates below. We've already been doing what we can to help.

My friends and I wanted to ask you with the last evacuations approaching, do you have hopes of your own? The Paladins have been murmuring more and more about sacrifices, but those are things a person has to choose. And right now, desperation may make a sacrifice of life that isn't worthwhile seem like it might be logical. We don't want to see anyone, royal or not, die if we can help prevent it. We'd help them evacuate, if that's what they wish to do.

What do you wish to do, Princess Cle-Florens?

Sincerely,
Wei Wuxian 🐇

[jatharin]

( The first gallant note a young maiden receives, ah...! Of course, the response comes in fine penmanship and... doused in rose water. Alongside a lily blossom. )


Master Wei Wuxian,

I thank your kind note and pray to the good skies that they keep you in health and fair fortune. For I hear you are just and most worldly and kind, and I have heard ( Spied, since receipt of this note. ) much about you, and indeed the Gut's Bind is a fairer place since you have graced it with the gods' blessings of care. And though I am not permitted, being of the fairer persuasion, and knowing the weakness of my gender, such that it is, to visit often, I am told you are ( Handsome. ) most pleasing and accomplished, and so I thank you again. Please keep well and accept this pressed blossom of the lily of the vale, which I am told greatly resembles the fine pallor of your pristine cheek.

These are troubled times, my brothers tell me, and it must be so, for they are men, and greatly burdened with the glory of their wisdom and positions. And my brother is king, and so I am told I shall have a dowry of dignity to suit his station, and I am grateful and well pleased. But if it should please the skies to call upon me to serve my people in the ways of my blood, that it be shed, then it is done knowing that such is my duty, and so I accept it, for I was raised to this purpose. And know please that, in death, I would not dishonour my future husband, and that my dowry would yet become a fine and uncontested gift of widowhood.

Thank you and may the skies keep you in tender watch.

[reparo]

Here. [A cup of tea is deposited in front of Wei Wuxian, somewhere deep in The Keep of Alem. It's been a rough time, a rough week, and she's just recently stepped into an enforced pause from her tower watch.

She spots the lily first, as she's depositing the cup, and reads a few lines by chance over Wei Wuxian's shoulder.]

Sweet Merlin, what is this nonsense?!

[weifinder]

( Wei Wuxian, who is still staring at this return letter with a befuddled look on his face, turns his head to then look up at Hermione in turn. )

I think I'm missing some cultural clues here.

( In fact, he's fairly sure the flower? Is some sort of offer? Likening it to his pale cheek is telling him a few things about shared concepts of beauty he can at least acknowledge, but this is... so off topic to what he was actually asking after.

He hands her the letter, reaching for the tea instead with a small shake of his head. )

Am I reading this wrong, or does she think I have, or she has, proposed?

[reparo]

[All is well, she takes the letter quickly, reading it from top to bottom a few times while Wei Wuxian deals with his out-of-control handsomeness.

She shouldn't, she really shouldn't, but she lets out a laugh.]

I think she thinks you did, and is accepting. The patriarchal values and misoginy aside, why would she have reason to think this? What did you write? Did you write?