groundrules | npc inbox: arc viii

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:

HATTHEVAR | ALLIED NPCs

HATTHEVAR

	MATTHIAS The white-cloaked wanderer, maker of the undead, nominal creator of the Brotherhood. Former lead magical scientist of Ellethia. A man of a forgettable face but considerable power, bound by covenant to propagate the 'dark water' that awakens the dead. Gently mannered, yearning to reunite with his daughter Cosette. Only available via network.
	THE WISH MAKER The Red Lady of the Whispering Houses, foremost among Hatthevar's wish makers. A little whimsical, a little cruel. Lover of wit, flattery and luxury. Presumably able to make any of your wishes come true... for a price of equal merit.
	THE ORACLE The one and only Oracle of Hatthevar, lady of the Halls. Mystical, Purposefully obscure. At times appears young and able, at others sage and crone. Speaks either in riddles or in cutting, biting fact.
	"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 negotiation. Loathes the Brotherhood, who briefly imprisoned him.
	RATHAKKU / RAKKATHU / 'THE LORD WHO WAITS' Undead liege. The Lord of War. Cruel, cunning, decisive, strong, strategic. Apt torturer and tactician. Sufficiently patient to wait out a year of siege against Alem, then win the fortress. Leads the armies of the Brotherhood — so far, to perennial victory.

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

So... was there a reason you didn't just openly tell us you worked for the Institute of Technology and Magic? I know you hinted at it but guess I'm just curious as to why the big secret.

...I saw a couple of Matthias' memories if you're wondering how I know- all official like.

Are you concerned that I might retain a soft spot for a former associate?

Not really. I don't think there's a lot I could do if you did have a soft spot for him that compromised the mission in some way, but you don't seem like the type. ( to let soft spots compromise him. ) You seem more like the type of person who will do what needs to be done regardless of the cost, which I'll admit I actually admire. The worlds burn without people like that. Just curious, because it seems like sharing that information would haved helped us be more successful unless I'm missing something.

How would it have assisted you toward success?

And remember you speak as someone who has decided, whether fruitfully and intellectually, or through some frank proof of foolishness, to trust in my good intentions. But, to many, knowing that their caretaker was once complicit to the institution and assignment that resulted in the current... state of the world would be a trifle challenging to disregard.

You could have provided us with more information about what and who exactly we were facing for starters, what you'd seen of the dark water in your time with it. But I think you know that. Maybe you're just trying to divorce yourself from what happened back then like he did but in a less extreme way. It must make it harder knowing you had a hand in things given what you lost so I am sorry for that.

And I'll ask you to remember, in turn, that you speak as someone who was our only option in a brand new world unlike any that we'd ever come from... so to call us foolish for surviving as best we could is frankly unbecoming. You know as well as I do that none of us simply trusted in your good intentions. I'm not coming at you with judgement so I'd appreciate the same courtesy in return. We were stuck in an impossible situation. We had no one else but you to turn to, and we were frankly lucky you helped us survive. Yeah, I know it helped you too, but still I'm aware of the alternative.

( It was the Merchant or the Undead - not much in the way of options, but he is obviously the better choice. )

We have all done what we have deemed best for ourselves or our purpose. I've made it explicit, this is an arrangement. We all stand to benefit, most of the time.

As for my personal past or affiliation, they are irrelevant. Ellethia is doomed. Worse... Ellethia is already gone. And with it, an entire civilization that deserved so much better. I have tried over the years to tell myself that the root of the trouble was Matthias. That we were... condemned because of the great and unavoidable misfortune of his singular existence.

The truth is, if not for Matthias, it would have been someone else. We were too close to Taravast. Our eyes only ever stared at the sun. Hasty, obsessive, unrelenting. Matthias spoke the words, or embraced the beast, or cut the pact, or whatever it is, frankly, that he did.

But he wasn't necessarily the worst of life's abominations. He was just first in line.

You have, which is why I didn't see the issue with sharing the information, but I get it now. You have your reasons like we all have our own, so I appreciate you entertaining the question and giving an answer regardless.

Knowing what I do about human nature, you're right about that. If not Matthias, it would be someone else. It still could be someone else even after we deal with Matthias. History repeats itself. He felt badly about enough of what he's done in his life to give away a bunch of memories of his daughter. He thinks she's five when actually she's older than that, or she seemed to be in the memory I saw.

Did you ever meet his daughter, his wife? In the memory, you were there after his daughter said she stopped admiring him when she was a child.

Edited (used the same icon three times in a row wtf self) 2024-01-29 23:03 (UTC)

I don't recall ever meeting his daughter. Certainly, not under her name. He spoke of her as a lovely child, but when or how she passed... I admit, I assumed sickness. It is not in the way of colleagues to necessitate the details of such an unfortunate, personal loss. I never inquired further.

But may I experience this memory, please? I assume it has been recreated for you.

Yeah, it would be impolite to impose on someone else's grief, and you're mostly polite so that tracks. This place was performed in relation to their story that apparently had her arguing with him about being gone, running away from him, and then getting killed by animals.

As for seeing the memory, can you see into my head? Cause that's where it's at. I touched a well of the remnants of memories that people wanted to forget, and now I've got a bunch up here along with two of his, including when he ordered for a blood storm to scare boats away from a power source on the coast so he could go snatch it up.

...a blood storm. The storm that started as blood, yes. That was an unpleasant and entirely avoidable episode. There was no need to make haste and resort to dire measures. Nearly four hundred people died at sea, as a result. Ellethia declared a day of national mourning.

Yeah, that sounds about right. You'd maybe not be surprised that the man didn't really even hesitate or think of the potential consequences before signaling the storm so he could be the first to get it. Four hundred people. ( She lets out a breath as that one decision kind of hinted at what was to come, didn't it? ) Now the whole of Ellethia needs a day of mourning.

The whole of Akhuras.

npc inbox: arc viii

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