groundrules | npc inbox: ephes

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!

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EPHES | ALLIED NPCs | OTHERS

EPHES

	CAIUS Leader of the great Senate, revered for enlightenment, wisdom and fairness. A cunning politician whom the Senate has, exceptionally and unanimously, voted to retain into a fourth mandate, after the expiry of his lawful three. Nominal commander and head priest, currently retired in a temple of the Chained God to consider Messalina's proposal.
	MARTELLIUS Second speaker of the Senate and cat wrangler of senators representing both patrician and plebeian interests. A veteran of political warfare who gives starting orators and politicians a hand. Immune to bribery but vulnerable to reason.
	LAETIO Keeper of the main gladiatorial arena and administrator of the games. Offers instruction and care to new gladiators, as well as arranging their matches. Strict, abiding no disobedience or attempts to sabotage fellow gladiators.
	VALERIA Formerly the mistress of Caius, now sworn off earthly pleasures to serve as the great priestess of the Chained God and holiest of women. Where she walks, they say a thousand blessings follow.
	NARULA Genera of the Hand armies of Ephes. Disgruntled, easily irritable, demanding. Never thanks, never congratulates, never disobeys an order or fails to generate a result. Under his leadership, the Hand rose from meager hope to glory. Some yet question... how.
	MESSALINA Newly risen mistress of the dead, who promises Ephes any territories she conquers when defeating the established Undead Lieges, in exchange for the citadel's army. Soft and honeyed spoken, hypnotic. Advocates for freedom and equality and an end to the conflict between the living and the dead.

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.
	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.

Threaded | Flat

Sir, my apologies for disturbing you, but during todays meeting of the lords and ladies of the senate, a point was made that I do not fully understand.

Lord Silvanus said we could not be sure of Justus' meditation at the Temples. But surely this is something that can be checked? For lord Justus' own safety and health?

[ooc: I'm not sure if a face to face would be possible. That would be Lockwood's first route, but if that proved impossible, video message is the fallback!]

[ After the chaos of the Senate floor had adjourned, and after Lockwood had spent more than a bit of time wrestling with himself, he determined his next course of action was to speak with Messalina directly.

Or at least make the attempt.

His initial route would be to seek an audience with her in person, but thwarted, he would give it his best attempt over the communication device. Either way, his opening message would be relatively the same: ]

Messalina. My name is Anthony Lockwood, I am a member of the Ephes Senate [ a little stretch of the truth, but hey ... he's got the robes and the bracelets! ] I would be grateful if you were willing to grant me an audience, and promise not to take up too much of your time.

[ Considering his interest in Messalina's plight and the fact that he's worked to gain her favour and votes, perhaps he should have tried to speak to her sooner. Or, perhaps, the fact that he has shown his support to her both in the senate and elsewhere means she might be more inclined to be truthful and that will work in his favour. At least, he hopes so. After all, he cannot travel back in time, even if his arrival here has made him wonder about the potential of human invention.

If that's what it is.

Anyway. ]

Messalina.

My name is Connor. I wonder if you might be willing to speak with me. It seems there are many who oppose your wishes and the situation is beginning to turn violent. I would call the response disproportionate to what you ask for. Do you have any theories as to who is behind it, and why they are so desperate to stop you?

[ And he really wants to know what's going on with Alir, but that's not something you just ask right off the bat. He's smart enough to know that, at least. ]

[ After speaking to Alir, and listening to him vent, Five has a fairly good sense that Messalina's strategy is falling apart. He can't really blame her. Being patient isn't working, and the longer she waits, the more reasons the living seem to give her to try other options.

It just happens that neither of her alternatives are particularly helpful to their situation, so he'd like to see how much she's thought them through. He leaves the hellhound at the door and comes into the hall first, followed by Natasha, who insisted on tagging along. Part of him knows it's because she doesn't trust him, but since the feeling is mutual, he decides to give her the opportunity to show off her interrogation techniques while he's there to see them.

Five's arrival is to be expected, so he doesn't anticipate resistance when he asks to speak to Messalina. He casts one more frown in Natasha's direction, then straightens his jacket and addresses everyone in their path with a little more formality than usual. ]

A quick word, if you don't mind. There's been a few rumors floating around, and I can't make my recommendations until I know we're on the same page.

[Wen Kexing's discovery of the scrap of purple fabric clutched in an undead hand has led Caitlyn here. She's only aware of one person among the Hand who wears the colour: Narula. So while Wen Kexing plans to find out which - if any - senators the cloth might belong to, Caitlyn has decided to use her limited access to Narula to question him.]

Sir, I have some questions regarding an item that was discovered during the recent incident at the Colosseum.

TO MARTELLIUS / audio/ un: of corpse not

Seeking Messalina

[Voice, un: howl in one]

Messalina | action

narula | action