Deep Troubles

[Balthazar Black]

18 Cylus 724

Balthazar and Lyanna had just arrived at the towering prison known as Slag's Deep. There had been a few times in the past where he was certain he'd end up there but it never happened. He never expected to be searching the prison for any hints to further explain what was going on with the islands now. Lyanna seemed a little giddy beside him as the Elements lead them up Shatter Peak and into the prison. He expected that Woe was already inside waiting for him but he couldn't be sure. The Elements assured him that they'd look after Simula while he was inside and he was confident in their abilities. Scalvwing Steeds were one of the more common breed for the Elements. Simula just happened to be an exceptional example of the breed. Once let inside, Balthazar and Lyanna gazed around in wide wonder at the prison they had found.

Balthazar felt compelled not to use his magic given the situation across the islands but his sparks were not content. Danger was just a doorway for them to force him into revelation. Let the barrels ignite the world and turn the mage into flame and wind. Let him turn his soul into a doorway for all portals. Let his body become so attuned to the universe that he could steal thoughts from the minds of any around him- so powerful he could mask his existence from even the immortals. His sparks had desire that chaos would see fulfilled. Balthazar wanted something different. He wanted Scalvoris to thrive. He wanted that because the person he loved would have wanted that.

It might have been more prudent to land on the rooftop and use that entrance but Balthazar wanted the memory of walking across the stone bridge to the prison. He wanted to recall the details incase he needed them later. The bridge made Slag's Deep seem like an ineffective sanctuary. Perhaps no one was hiding there. One by one the gates to Slag's Deep were opened and Balthazar moved closer to meeting Woe.

Why was he waiting? He could just walk through the gates. No. Bad spark. Stop asking questions.

[Woe]

After finishing his final correspondence from the comfort of an office in the Council Building in Scalvoristown, he wrapped up his echo scrolls, and stowed Winston's holocom in his belt, where it could be used to make immediate contact. He thought it might not be good to put it in the domain bag, in case Winston needed access to him immediately. So once he was prepared, he mounted Soz, and made swiftly as he could to meet Sage halfway to Egilrun.

Somewhere out there on the air, when he spotted her on her sigh, he signaled her down with a flash of illusionary light from the shadows. Once he had her attention, he landed, down to the ground with Soz, and she with her sigh.

Woe arranged to have Sage take Soz for the purposes of entering Vega's service as an airwoman for the Elements, temporarily at least. She wasn't exactly a military woman, or one that Woe conceived of as such. She was more a scholar of dragon lore, more at home among flying beasts and other creatures. But there was no question she was suited to combat, with her skill with a bow, and riding winged creatures.

She sent her sigh along to her home roost, took command of Soz, and then they parted ways with a short goodbye. Woe flew the rest of the way on his own wings, supported by the shadows cast by the bright moons of Cylus. They bore him swiftly toward Shattered Peak, and the entrance to Slag's Deep, with the tall gates before him.

It seemed he'd arrived a little late, as Balthazar was already there. Woe obscured his approach with an illusion over his shadowy cloak, to render himself invisible against the night sky, lest any of the Elements stationed take issue with a dragon-winged man approaching at great speeds.

Nevertheless, he landed soundly on the ground ahead of Balthazar, and emerged from behind the shadow cast by Shattered Peak, as if he'd been there all along. He let the illusion weaken, and in truth he was sure Balthazar would notice him if nobody else could.

Shadow Illusions were good to throw a casual scout, but then that didn't exactly describe Balthazar. Woe summoned from the shadows a swirl of glowing color from his hand, to show his face in a false light. Was it ironic that illusions born of shadow could emulate light? Woe sometimes thought so, but he was discovering things about his new powers every trial, one after the other.

"Let's go inside." Woe said, "I do wonder, if you have something that will help us map out the area around in there? Otherwise we might be dug in for a while, so I brought some rations in my domain bag."

"We should try and get as deep as possible before using your skill at attunement... I think. Unless of course we come across this fiery substance."

Woe led him into the gate, which opened with some effort. As they entered, they saw signs of passage. "How is it the Elements allowed people to crawl around in here? I could've sworn I set a guard out here..."

It looked like many people had been there, and recently. "We probably aren't alone." Woe stated, confidently. "We may have to slow our approach, as we go. I doubt we'll pass these layers unchallenged."

[Balthazar Black]

18 Cylus 724

While Balthazar was being lead to where he expected to meet Woe, he asked about any problems the Element's had been facing on the mountain. They weren't entirely forthcoming at first because their orders were to let Balthazar investigate, not to tell him about Element matters. However he convinced them that anything happening around Slag's Deep was likely connected to the larger investigation. They revealed that apart from a tribe of thwarthides who kept launching small and unsuccessful attacks, the prison had been relatively quiet since they were stationed there to watch over it.

Lyanna chuckled at the name thwarthide but Balthazar didn't find it as funny. He remembered the goblins and hobgoblins of Yaralon. If thwarthides could band together like the goblins could, they might present a problem to the investigation. Any time they attacked, they'd be doing damage to evidence. On the bright side, the prison was well built and being watched over by the Elements. Slag's Deep reminded him of Heaven's Fall in Yaralon. It made sense given that Slag's Deep had been founded by a Yari. The walking pigs might have been a problem for a settlement to defend against in larger numbers but not a prison. Especially not a prison with so many gates.

Balthazar hadn't considered how well defensible Slag's Deep was because he'd never really visited before but in hindsight, it was more than just a prison. It had also been one of Scalvoris's most profitable mines. Profits needed to be protected and the sturdy gates did that very well. His eyes narrowed slightly and a moment later he felt Lyanna's hand moving in to shove his shoulder. He shifted slightly to the right and she missed him entirely but she got his attention as she wanted. "You're doing the thing with your face." She said in a whisper to him.

"I'm thinking." Balthazar whispered back.

"About?"

"What's the point of blowing up the island if you don't have a means of coming back from it? All the factions we've found so far have radical beliefs but none of them want to destroy the island and leave it to waste. They all want it to become something they envision. They can't be envisioning ashes." Balthazar stopped walking and looked up at the prison again. "I'm getting tired of being a step behind them. It may be time to look into the places that weren't leveled after this."

"Maybe we should have done that before this?" Lyanna pointed out. Balthazar didn't mind her opinion but he didn't like the look that the Element's exchanged with each other. Who were they to judge? The Black Cats hadn't been infiltrated and gutted in a single attack. Maybe there was a value to hearing out dissenting voices.

"Possibly, but the Acting Militant asked us to look here." Balthazar reminded Lyanna. "Besides, I never investigated this place after... everything. Now is as good a time as any to look for any loose threads we can find."

He didn't understand the scale of it all. This plot against Scalvoris. If they wanted the government to be punished a reformed, you only had to blow up a few buildings on the right trials. Council meetings were a perfect target and the explosives were there. Suppose you miss one of the council members, well it seemed the tunnels were vast. Just blow up their homes on the same trial. Why go further? Why burn it all? Was it Chrien's hand that supported the greater destruction or just madness? No. Not madness. Madness could do many things but it could not orchestrate all of this. Not alone.

It wasn't so much that Balthazar realized Woe had concealed his entrance as he suddenly felt another figure had enter his surroundings. He only discovered it was Woe when he saw the similarly darkly dressed man approaching him. Lyanna cocked her head to the side when Woe arrived and looked behind her for a moment before seeming to disregard whatever she was thinking. The Elements were as accommodating for Woe as they'd been for Balthazar, albeit a little confused as to how he'd arrived in front of them.

Balthazar offered a small nod to Woe when he emerged from the darkness cast by the mountain. Shadows were strange to someone who could see in the dark. They just looked like wet patches of floor most of the time but they moved. Woe wasted little time getting them on the move and Balthazar was happy about that. They already knew each other and why they were there. No need for biscuits and whiskey when Scalvoris was on a timer. Lyanna didn't mind. She preferred people not know who she was. It was safer if she decided to pick their pockets later.

Woe asked if he had anything to help them map out the place and Balthazar's hand instinctively moved over the bag he was carrying with him. It was enchanted but it was no domain bag. It only had so much storage space but he had indeed brought the journal with him. Did Woe know about the journal? Had it gotten out? He didn't want people to know. Then again there was no incentive to steal it if everyone also knew that only Balthazar could read it.

"I have... something. It might not work. I've never tried it on a... fortress. Only cities. This could either be too small or... we get lucky and it works for all the mountains." Balthazar said in a cagey way. Even if he was alright with Woe knowing, he wasn't alright with the two Element's escorting them knowing about it. "I'll need a full trial in Slag's Deep to even attempt it but we can spend that time investigating floor to floor. It's not the most entertaining but... it is necessary."

"In the mean time, I suggest we both avoid using magic as much as possible." Balthazar had brought the paradigm ring he from Rakvald with him. If they found any of the explosive in Slag's Deep, he would put it on to avoid causing an accidental explosion. It was currently on a small string around his neck while his right and left hands bore a few other rings- not that they were the most notable feature on his mutated limbs.

They passed through the third of seven gates leading up to the prison that they'd be investigating and Balthazar let his senses soak in every detail they could handle. He looked towards the top of the prison and mumbled, mostly to himself, "Is there an entrance up there?" It would have been faster for them to both just fly up and land on the rooftop. Waiting for the gates to open and close before the next opened was... irritating. However using the gates was also respectful to the Element who had to do it every trial that they were on guard- and there was something to be said about the mindset it put you in.

This was what the prisoners saw coming into the prison. This was what the miners had to do. Nothing easy. Everything bit by bit.

Woe had noticed the signs of passage before Balthazar and they were troubling. They were referred to as 'signs' because there were so many. Foot prints littering the ground where it was soft enough to be impressed upon. Food scraps and knocked over chairs. Scuff marks from a few who couldn't lift their boots high enough while walking. There had been people here. Many people. But they weren't there now. Each gate that opened and closed behind them as they neared the prison only revealed the same signs.

Woe seemed discontent at the Element's performance when he recognized the signs of passage. Balthazar wasn't surprised. "The Elements have been facing thwarthide attacks. Apparently there's a persistent tribe in the area." Balthazar offered optimistically when Woe asked how the Elements could have allowed people to wander around Slag's Deep. Then he went a little more realistic. "It's also possible whoever was assigned here was a spy. Or, more likely, the tunnels under the island connect here. It would be easy to get in and out without being seen using tunnels instead of having to wait for the gates." Balthazar knelt down for a moment while the next gate was being opened and adjusted the lacing on his boot before standing upright again.

"If we're being watched or spotted, I'll let you know." Balthazar said as confidently as Woe had suggested they were not alone. He had a knackThroughout arcs under the eye of governments concerned about mages and criminals looking to set up ambushes, Balthazar has developed a general sense of when he is being watched. When being observed through mundane or arcane means that he can perceive, Balthazar feels a strange sensation like an itch on the scars across his body. The location of sensation felt on the scars is specific enough that Balthazar can tell, in general, the direction and distance from which he is being watched. for that.

They were just about to pass through the last gate into the main hall of the prison. The seventh seal opened and Balthazar exhaled, "Finally-"

And then they all heard a signal horn sound off from the first gate.

All the way back at the start.

[Woe]

Woe noted the presence of the woman, but presumed it was one of Balthazar’s company, a mercenary under him. Whether she had any talents relevant to this expedition was yet to be seen, but Woe assumed he’d chosen her for good reason, so didn’t question her being there.

Balthazar was wonderfully vague about his tool that could work upon a city. Whatever that meant. Could he map out an entire location? That would be a useful trinket. And it stood to reason as far as Woe was concerned that it should work on a fortress as well as any city. Then again, maybe there was some caveat that the place had to be occupied or owned, which Slag’s Deep was not. Not really.

At any rate, he stated that he needed to spend more time within the Mine in order to even try to use it, so Woe took that at face value. “Then we’d better see how deep we can get, before we run into trouble. I take it you’ve never been in here?”

Woe hadn’t, oh he’d come as far as the gates before their former expedition had fallen on its face with the sudden departure of a few key members of their party. The logistical situation just hadn’t been amenable to their exploration. But now they had little choice but to see what lay at the bottom of this hole.

The mortalborn noted Balthazar’s warning about magic, even as Egil flew onto his shoulder, having followed alongside them surreptitiously from gate to gate. As the seventh seal on the final gate that led into the main hall unsealed, Woe went on ahead, Egil perched on his shoulder.

Woe looked at Balthazar, and with his left hand a nimbus of false light made signals in the air. Due in part to Woe’s skill at

communication, especially of the clandestine type,

he was able to make his meaning known to Balthazar. Balthazar would of course have to speak back to him, but Woe could make himself understood in a great variety of ways, with mere gestures, or in this case a bit of prestidigitation born of his effigy.

Egil will feel right at home here. He used to belong to the Warden, a gift from Audrae herself. Woe told Balthazar without speaking. Can you see in the dark? If we’re forbidden to use magic, we may need a way to communicate. In that case it may behoove us to hold hands, or form some other method of contact so that I can speak to you.

Egil quarked loudly, into the dark, sending an echo down into the tunnels. The echo vibrated through the rolling tunnels, over the tracks and smooth black granite. Woe frowned, and shrugged, making the bird flap its wings to stay its balance there. "That was ill done, Egil.

I can hide us if needs be, if anything lurking beyond these galleries has heard our approach. In the meantime, I'll try and keep my bird from such outbursts.

This said, Woe couldn't disguise his grimace as he forcefully told Egil in not so many words to shut his beak, a twitch and shrug from his shoulder was enough to send the message. Egil was willful, however, and who could tell if it'd obey.

They made their way, however, unchecked by any enemies. They made it to the first lift, that would lead down to the next layer.

[Balthazar Black]

18 Cylus 724

Before the Horn

When Woe said that he assumed Balthazar had never been to Slag's Deep before the mage shrugged his shoulders. Lyanna smirked behind the two of them because she knew why. "I don't think so. When we were abducted, they used paradigm shackles to hold Elisabeth and I. Hm. I had heard Slag's Deep had a level build for my kind so I don't see why they'd have needed the shackles. It's hard to tell when they put a bag over your head- but I'd assume I was still in Almund. Though, I agree. The more we see with our eyes, the better." Balthazar spoke very calmly about what had been one of the most frustrating times in his life. He hadn't even been as effected the first time he killed a man- or when he fought in the war for Quacia. Fighting was always easy. Listening to people dictate why you'd been fighting was less so. All of those events seemed a lifetime ago. None of the anger he felt then persisted now but the memory shaped his opinions all the same.

Lyanna looked back and forth between Balthazar and the Elements who were accompanying their party through the gates of Slag's Deep. She wanted to say something but she wouldn't while the Elements were with them. It wasn't worth the risk. Evidently Woe seemed to agree. Balthazar noticed the signs he was making once the final gate had opened and was able to interpret them but not Lyanna. Unfortunately Lyanna was familiar enough with Balthazar to recognize that he'd seen something. She just had no idea what he'd seen and the fact he wasn't saying anything immediately put her on edge.

Balthazar interpreted Woe's message as well as he could given the unique way it was conveyed. He was getting used to Woe's unusual message system but every time they met it seemed that the mortalborn had another trick up his sleeve. Balthazar didn't say anything in response because he wasn't sure who Woe was trying to hide the message from. He assumed the Elements who were present but no one other than Woe really knew.

The mage had his own thoughts about bringing one of the Warden's old spirits into the dungeon they faced but he couldn't convey them the same way that Woe could. He could speak with gestures but those gestures would be easily seen and interpreted by everyone given that they were not common sign- they just happened to make sense.Although not conversant in Common Sign, Balthazar is sufficiently ingenious at using gesture that he is capable of communicating via improvised hand signals as if he were Novice in Common Sign, and his target will understand him as if he or she were Novice in Common Sign as well. Balthazar can only maintain this charade (ha!) for two bits, after which he must wait two breaks to try again. However, Balthazar was not without his own subtly and he knew Woe to be among the more perceptive.

He managed simple answers with little gestures at his side. Could he see in the dark? Yes. Some other method of contact? I can link us three. Diri and marks. Referring to himself, Woe, and Lyanna.

After the Horn

Egil squawked and Woe chided his creature but Balthazar's attention had shifted to the Elements that let them through the gates. The two said something to each other quietly about checking to see what the signal was. "If you need us, blow the horn again." He offered the Elements as they began to make their way back through the gates to see what was happening at the first one. With their Element escort occupied, Balthazar spoke more freely to Woe. "I have no intention of hiding."

Woe moved more directly to the lift than Balthazar did because the main hall was, in Balthazar's opinion, the first place they needed to begin looking. He noticed more signs that people had passed through but they were small things. Wear and tear from feet on the floor and the like. Things that wouldn't have been present if people had been as diligent about cleaning as they had been in the past. The main hall had eight, large and gated archways leading out into a labyrinth of other locked gates, hallways, and rooms. Fuego and Crow, pick a gate and start looking around. Balthazar telepathically instructed his two diri who set off to do as they were told.

"She can get us through any locks we encounter along the way." Balthazar said with a gesture towards Lyanna and glance back the direction they'd come from. He had a feeling the Elements were going to be busy longer than he wanted to wait. He didn't like that, at first glance, Slag's Deep seemed to have been stripped down the same as all the other places but they had to look around to find out more.

[Woe]

“You wouldn’t have been taken to Slag’s Deep.” Woe assured Balthazar, in full hearing of Lyanna and anyone else nearby. “Scalvoris was at war with the Warden at the time, and this is… was his territory.” Woe sighed, unable to hide the wistfulness that such an idea brougth. Being isolated, in a seat of power, with servants and other creatures at your beck and whim. Woe had wished for such an existence once upon a time. Maybe he still did, deep down. But for now, the mask of civil adherence and moral grandstanding took center stage. He’d shed masks before, and wore them. Who was to say what he truly wanted out of Idalos?

It was his own curse that sometimes he was ignorant to his ownnature, his own inclinations. But for now, he wishedto preserve Scalvoris, and that was enough for the time being for him to work with all involved in trying to avert disaster.

Yet he could admire the Warden’s ambitious stance, even if it’d ended in his doom at the hands of his own daughter. It was a story that deserved to be recorded and told and repeated. But again, he was losing himself to reverie. He had a mission here.

Still, he wondered, “Was there ever a time when you thought you might go another direction in life? Before Elisabeth?” Woe asked Balthazar. Perhaps a strange time for a heart to heart, but travel in the deep expanses of Slag’s Deep would take time, and they had to pass it somehow. Besides which, they’d already abandoned any semblance of stealth or hidden approach to whatever lay at the bottom of the matter.

“I was a jailer and torturer once.” Woe said, “When I lived in Rynmere, that’s where I’m from.”

“Nothing to go back to, as you well know.” Woe said, “But I’ve been orphaned for a long time. Even Egilrun sometimes feels like the wrong place for me. I always imagined I’d end up either a hermit or a despot, keeping a dungeon for my very own, much like this one.”

Woe left Apples, the spider spirit at the gates of Slag’s Deep, so he could keep watch and warn Woe of any interlopers. As they walked down the empty halls and layers of Slag’s Deep, it occurred to Woe that there were signs of passage. Not only fresh tracks, but also signs that things had been tampered with. No sign of the explosives, yet, but Woe wouldn’t be surprised if he did find them.

“I suppose having power over prisoners engenders a sort of megalomania.” Woe said, of his former ambitions. “Being in the dark for so long, extracting confessions, penitence, or just for the pain of it… It doesn’t exactly lead to the sort of perspective on kindness that people existing in polite society enjoy.”

Woe shook his head, as they descended another layer, down to the third one now, after a few breaks of walking the second. And still nothing there besides the signs of passage, and maybe the odd noise that drew suspicion, that something was there with them. “In this world, there are people, things, and entities that deserve punishment, no doubt. Yet I’ve never met such despicable colleagues as some of those drawn to the profession of jailer.”

“I was put out of that job, however, when I left a razor out for a squire who’d been tortured just for surviving his lord, who had he’d ‘failed’.” Woe paused, as he came to a vast darkness, leading into the fourth layer. “It was the least I could do, give a condemned man who probably didn’t deserve the darkness, a way out.”

They stood for a moment on the precipice between the third layer and the fourth. “Another pass, shall we see what’s at the bottom of all this?”

!	Message from: Woe
	Please feel free to get us as far as Seventh’ Layer, and we’ll see what we see. If you wanna introduce a Thwarthide fight that’s ok, but let’s try and power through this.

[Balthazar Black]

18 Cylus 724

While it was good to know he wouldn't have been taken to Slag's Deep, Balthazar still wondered where exactly he had been taken. The cuffs that bound his magic had disoriented him. When you were as attuned to your surroundings as he was, losing half of your senses suddenly could be discombobulating. He tried not to think about what he'd been doing while Scalvoris was at war with the Warden. He didn't like those trials, if they were the ones he was recalling. Still, things worked out for the better... mostly.

Lyanna was uncharacteristically quiet about everything transpiring while she looked around. There was nothing to pocket. Nothing to pick. Nothing for her to do at all while the two boys were chatting. Then Woe asked a question she wanted to hear the answer to and her head perked up a little bit behind them. He mentioned Rynmere. Robin was from Rynmere but he didn't talk about it a lot. Now she was curious.

Balthazar's expression darkened slightly when Woe mentioned Elisabeth. He and she had a complicated history. Balthazar wasn't sure how she felt about Woe before she vanished. Balthazar wasn't sure of much about her anymore. It hurt to be reminded but she knew many people. It was natural that they asked about her from time to time. Balthazar cast his feelings aside and listened to Woe's words. He liked whips. It didn't surprise Balthazar that Woe had been a torturer. He'd been on the receiving end of Woe's lashes.

Woe spoke on and Balthazar listened without interruption. He knew his answer but he would listen as attentively as one should. Woe seemed to be going through something. He wasn't hiding messages or trying to subvert someone... unless this was the deception at play. It was hard to tell but Balthazar was going to be optimistic. He thought Elisabeth would want him to be. Woe told the parable of the dying man and the merciful razor. There was a pause afterwards where Balthazar began to answer the question Woe had asked.

"Having any power can engender a sort of megalomania." Balthazar said. "Everything I did growing up, I did for power. Now that I have it I am cursed to spend the rest of my life resisting what I could do with it." Balthazar thought of Yaralon. He thought of what he could do in the land he was born if he returned now. The control he could seize. The mercenary bands he could work to absorb into The Black Cats. His banners over entire Burhos. In a Duel of the Spear, who could stand against him? Someone stronger. There was always a bigger fish. Balthazar took a breath and, despite his own views on death, he tried to comfort Woe. "The least you could have done was nothing. It was mercy- in your own way. We are what we are."

"Really, what would we be if not this?" Balthazar asked the air as he examined the passageway they'd come into. It was as empty as the others. "Yaralon, when I was young, was a violent place. By all accounts it still is. I thought I'd avoid becoming a common mercenary by pursuing magic. Magic lead me to alleged smuggling. That didn't work out. So then I thought I'd avoid being a common mercenary by leaving. I came here. I became a 'detective.' I was just a mercenary with another name. So I tried to avoid this fate again by joining the Elements. Then I thought I'd avoid it by founding Haven. And yet-" Balthazar turned his head slightly so he was looking at Woe. "All I did was become an uncommon mercenary."

"I understand the sentiment about Egilrun. I've built and burned too many homes for anything to feel right." Balthazar said softly. Elisabeth had felt right. Wherever she was had been home. Now he was homeless again despite all the buildings and beds he had and could have wanted. Balthazar sighed slightly and turned his head towards Lyanna who looked away as if she wasn't eavesdropping on their conversation. She could have at least tried to participate in Balthazar's opinion but she was unlikely to divulge her past to... well anyone really.

Woe asked if they should move on and Balthazar nodded slightly. "Level by level." Balthazar mumbled. "Let's get back to work."

The Seventh Level

Eventually the Elements who had left to check on the first gate made it back to the group and explained that there had been a minor thwarthide attack, but it was under control now. The Elements were a little cross with the trio for beginning without them, but it wasn't a mistake that was going to be repeated. Just like that, they had their escorts again. Now accompanied by the Elements, Balthazar, Woe, and Lyanna made their way through the remaining levels they could access. It was slow work but it was made much faster by Balthazar and Woe's skills. There was nothing to find really. Nothing that they hadn't found as they went down the levels and examined them each.

The further they went, the more secure the old prison seemed to get. It was a good design but an ominous one. It made everything feel as if they were walking into danger. As they began to pass out of the sixth level down into the seventh level, a very noteworthy challenge presented itself to them. The entrance to the seventh level was closed off. He didn't notice the drain on his magic until he got closer to the sealed entryway. He began to feel disconnected. He looked down at his hands and then towards Woe. Could Woe feel it too?

"My magic is- Why is this one sealed? Can we get it open?" Balthazar shifted from his confusion to focus and asked the Elements escorting them the questions directly. His eyes shifted to Lyanna and he shook his head, signaling for her not to act unless the Elements couldn't open it. If the Elements couldn't open it and Balthazar couldn't use magic to get through it, why not just break it?

[Woe]

Before Balthazar had a good look around, Woe had been reading the notes of Winston on his experiments with Drainglass and Chaos glass that he'd devised, in order to render the explosives inert. It was an interesting experiment.

"I'm becoming convinced that terrestrial ties are the most enthralling." Woe said of setting down roots, whether in Haven or Egilrun. "The closer one is to the earth, the less free. Wouldn't you agree, Egil?"

"You know nothing ,Woe!" Egil squawked as they stood in the very precipice of the Seventh Layer, which showed them.... nothing but a dead end. Apart from a sense of extraordinary anti--magic power, there was nothing visibly different about this stop to their travels. Yet, Woe knew there was a Seventh Layer. The fact that it'd been hidden from him and Balthazar, only convinced him that it was that much more important that they breach the passage.

He went over his options in his head, which were for the most part inane. Shattering the anti-magic wall with the power of Sombran and his whip would resullt in the best case scenario a explosion of razor sharp glass, spitting its way back at the party. Woe could conjure a suit of armor at need, but no. That was a senseless waste of his resources for a single gesture.

He tried seeing through any potential illusions, but he saw nothing. It might've been that Egil either couldn't or wouldn't help him here. Afterall, it'd been Audrae's machinations that'd resulted in the Warden's rise to power, had it not?

Ultimately, his eyes turned upward. He had but a few cards to play that might be of use here. All of them high level asks for favors that likely wouldn't come cheaply. And thus, he didn't seek the advice of Balthazar, or Lyanna, or the Elements. Woe was somewhat discourteous when it came to such matters, but he had a feeling Balthazar would object to anything to do with Chamadarst, given the Immortal's treatment of Elisabeth so many arcs ago. Although Woe knew the truth of it. Chamadarst had saved their wedding from Elisabeth's own shoddy invitation scheme, or namely her ignorance of several key Immortals that played a role in their romance prior to the wedding. But that was all rainbow dust under Winston's nostrils. Chamadarst had prevented disaster for them, and if challenged, Woe would correct Balthazar's perception of Chamadarst.

So he began, intoning the words in Ancient tongue, and also using Csssion's token to call him into the meeting within Chamadarst's Palace.

There, they would have a negotiation of sorts, and also perhaps a plot twist from Cassion.

Chamadarst forgive me.

!

Message from: Note for Reviewer

This thread is a side plot off of the Pirate Finale. The results of their actions are summed up here  !  Message from: Note for Peg Woe is using the champ ability to bring Balthazar, himself and Casssion (through the favor Cassion owes Woe) to Chamadarst's Palace of Wealth. To negotiate a way into the Seventh Layer. He will be straightforward and to the point, without the need for flowery language: His priorities in order would be to acquire: Passage to and from the SeventhLayer. Removal or Transformation of all Drainglass on Scalvoris into Winston's new form of chaos glass. Possibly a safety clause to spare any innocent from the fallout of any plot twist such as Cassions deems necessary to acquire these things. Forgiveness of Chamadarst.

[Woe]

Rewards Requested

Notes/Warnings: The results of the thread are detailed here Particularly at the end of the threada, the results are provided in the event. You the reviewer need not weigh in on the consequences, as Peg will decide those in the Event I think.

Thread: Deep Troubles
City/Area: Egilrun

Renown: Probably a significant amount.
Do you want this to be considered for Mark Progression? (Y / N) Yes
If so - which mark. Sombran for woe, Bellinos for Balthazar I think.
Peer Reviewers: Please give feedback as to whether you feel this is appropriate for Mark Progression.
Once feedback is received, player should then post in the PSF.
If any PC in this thread is in a faction, please list them: Song Forged Woe, Fire Forged Balthazar (also leader of the Black Cat Mercenaries)
Faction Points: Yes please.
Collaboration: Yes
Local Language Thread? No

!	Message from: Doran
	Done!

[Doran]

Balthazar:

Knowledge: -
Loot: -
Language -
Losses: -
Wealth: -
Injuries: -
Renown: 20. For exploring Slag’s Deep and gaining access to the seventh level.
Skill Review: Appropriate to level.
Points: 15

Woe:

Knowledge:
Deception: 4
Navigation: 3
Tactics: 3

Loot: -
Language -
Losses: -
Wealth: -
Injuries: -
Renown: 20. For exploring Slag’s Deep and gaining access to the seventh level.
Skill Review: Appropriate to level.
Points: 15

- - -

Comments: Slag’s Deep! Threads that have something to do with that – or the Pirate Lords – interest me especially due to my own PC’s past involvement.

I found it interesting that Balthazar felt compelled not to use his magic les the revealed. It’s touching to see how Elisabeth still affects him. Hopefully, Scalvoris will thrive again, just like she would have wanted!

I’ve never thought of walking a certain way just so that you would be able to remember it later on. I’m impressed by Balthazar’s thought process. Those that have Vri’s Blessing have a perfect memory!

I’m also curious about why those people want to blow up the island. I wonder if we’ll ever find out why …

Woe has a few impressive skills of his own, especially when it comes to communication. You also made me curious about Egil. How exactly did he get something that used to belong to the Warden?

I also found it interesting that being in a position that is similar to that of the Warden still appeals to him, even after all those arcs. This shows what a complex PC he is. I wonder if he’ll ever shed his current mask …

The way you mentioned historical events and talked about personal matters during your current investigation made this a very fascinating read.

I couldn’t help but wonder why the entrance to the seventh level was closed off and Balthazar’s magic was being drained. I thought that Balthazar and Woe would use more conventional means to open the door, so I was totally surprised when Woe used his champion ability to bring Balthazar, himself and Cassion to Chamadarst’s Palace of Wealth to negotiate a way into the seventh layer.

I checked the Pirate Finale after that because I wanted to know if it had worked. I’d already known about the dead people and the drainglass, but I didn’t know there was an actual drainglass creation facility …

I wonder how the Pirate Finale will end. I’m just beginning to realize that it isn’t just one big thread, but also spawned side threads. Whatever will happen, I hope Scalvoris will still be standing after it!

That being said, I’m not comfortable awarding mark progression and faction points. You’ve definitely earned both of those things in my opinion though, so, feel free to post in the PSF or the relevant trackers!

Enjoy your rewards!