Randomguy

Absolved Will Be the Saviors

Carnatia de Valmont

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Carnatia grimaced as she saw the grim scene in front of her. If she were still that sheltered Duke's daughter, she probably would have barfed at the sight. Even now, somewhat 'seasoned' after all her adventures as an adventurer, she still felt somewhat nauseous at the scent of burnt corpse mixed with the rot and decay.

Linceleste and Mirielle was understandably upset, though Carnatia made a mental note to keep an eye on those two so they would not act rashly. Righteous fury was all well and good, but the last thing they needed while on a mission in a foreign—possibly hostile—land was inadvertently escalating conflict in pursuing just vengeance with reckless abandon.

"Are we sure our paladin and his companions are among the bodies? Even if they are not, I think this changes how we will deal with Ealdorman and his forces, do you agree? They are the only ones who would be capable of such, judging by the previous methods of execution they used and the power they seem to hold at the moment." Amaris asked, looking to Carmen with a grim expression.

@13org

"I- I apologize. I should not take this out on you." She coughed awkwardly, averting her eyes and shuffling away to help Carmen with the remaining corpses. "Yes, you have a good point. Even if they're not directly involved they must know something, this spot is too close to their outpost for them to be completely unrelated... little Lin, is there anyone you recognize among these folks?"

@A5G

It was then, that Carnatia caught the conversation between Amaris and Mirielle regarding the probable culprit of the massacre.

Her eyes narrowed. These sorts of circumstantial almost-baseless accusations were exactly the sort of thing they should avoid. Schooling her expression, she chimed in carefully, "While those soldiers were a likely suspect, the fact of the matter is that we do not yet know enough about the situation in Sielse. Those soldiers mentioned traitors and a witch. So at the very least we know of three factions at play in Sielse, any one of them could be responsible for the deed. It would be better for us to approach this situation without preconception lest we inadvertently let the guilty party escape our notice."

Then, turning to Ludvig, she added, "On that note, though, I am of one mind that seeking justice by our own hands should not be our main priority currently. Not out of any argument from morality, mind you, I fully agree that the perpetrator of such an abhorrent massacre should be brought to justice, however, the mandate we were given as Pontificials is an observation mission, not a punitive one. Once we've ascertained the situation, we are to report to the case officer for further action. To eschew that mandate in favour of pursuing retribution by our own hands would be a dereliction of our duty. In the best-case scenario, we would deprive the relevant stakeholders of a measured response to the situation, in the worst-case scenario, we perish and no information would reach them. Our first priority, first and foremost, was to have a clear picture of what happened."

"These victims seemed to be other members of the Order. Skipper... Lady Mirielle... I have a photogenic memory of my uncle Thomas and aunt Ursula. Their bone structure didn't match from my dear uncle and aunt." Lincelete spoke to Carmen and Mirielle with confidence.

The ice princess proceeded to the peasant and looked on him. "Tell me more about the witch from the mountain, Mister."

@Soldat Elf

Even if she did have photogenic memory, Carnatia doubted any accurate comparison between the bones currently laid out in front of them and Linceleste's memory could be made, considering it would be hard to have an accurate depiction of one's skeletal configuration underneath the muscle, cartilage, and so on. Unless Linceleste actually had seen the bones of her Uncle and Aunt, Carnatia remained sceptical of the claim.

Regardless, bringing that up would serve no purpose. Either way, there was no way to reliably confirm whether Paladin Thomas was among the corpses or not. Therefore, considering the objective of their mission, going with the assumption that Paladin Thomas was not among them and attempting to find out more information was probably for the best. It would also keep morale up if nothing else.

As Linceleste and Mirielle questioned Dromele about the witch and the soldiers respectively, Carnatia added, "While we are at it, sir, perhaps you can tell us about whom exactly the soldiers meant when they say traitors."

Absolved Will Be the Saviors

Carnatia de Valmont

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Carnatia clicked her tongue as she saw Ludvig approaching Mirielle and Amaris instead of answering her line of inquiry.

At least they were finally getting some answers from Dromele.

"Ye-yes sire." still stammering, the peasant continued. "I am sorry for your loss sire. Again, I didn't mean to lie to you, but folks here including meself had seen the soldiers beatin' and killin' fellows who found their dead friends on many occasions, blaming us for siding with the rebels in mad anger. Sire, you wont be hittin me, aren't you?"

"No," Answered Carmen, still not looking back. There was another silence until he turned to Carnathia.

"What do you think, Baronesa Carnathia?"

@Mas Bagus

Carnatia supposed she could somewhat understand now why Dromele was acting nervous, however...the fact remained that he had exhibited behaviours that would invite suspicion.

Ideally, Carnatia would have preferred to make sure the information was valid, but it was not like they knew the lay of the land to just go off in a random direction and hope for the best.

Turning to Carmen, she replied, "Ideally, we should make camp where you and Lady Mirielle could use your ah...expertise...to question Dromele. I understand that ascertaining people's claims is a core skill of people in your line of work. However, I will say that considering our lack of information regarding the current state of Sielse, wandering off without a guide hoping to find a good spot to camp seems equally foolish. I say we should let Dromele lead us to where the corpses are."

Tales Of Endoroth (A Slice Of Life MMO Roleplay)

Robert/Claudia

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The tentacles that had sprouted from Claudia did their job as a defensive measure, batting the spiky quills shot at her away.

Judging from how the boss did not seem to receive any buff or perform special attacks after the minions died, it seemed that it would be safe to kill the minions. Rather, judging by how it buffed the minions instead, this boss might be more of a summoner type. Therefore, AoE would actually be preferable.

"Clear out, I'm casting an area spell," Claudia said, warning the party.

As soon as the party cleared out, a pillar of flame engulfed the creature and its minions. Flame Strike was a popular spell for Divine Spellcaster. With a 10-foot radius and height of 40 feet, not only was it a reliable AoE, hitting even fliers, but since half the damage was fire and the other half radiant, it required the target to have high resistance in both elements to truly nullify the damage.

In this case, since the enemies were most likely undead, it was probably even more effective, given radiant and fire elements were common vulnerabilities of the undead. Furthermore, the fire damage having been boosted by Claudia's Ring of the Inferno Pact, at the very least this attack should determine whether the enemies were vulnerable to fire or not based on the damage they took. And just in case they were, Claudia cast the spell using Metamagic: Quickened, reducing the spell's cooldown so she could use it again in rapid succession.

Absolved Will Be the Saviors

Carnatia de Valmont

---

Carnatia turned to Ludvig, giving him somewhat of an exasperated expression.

"You just finished saying that it sounds like a trap. And yet your opinion changed a scant few moments later? What insight have you gleamed, exactly?"

The—admittedly preposterous idea that the peasant possessed some mental interference skill—crossed her mind. It was unlikely, for if he had, he would used it on the soldiers before he was hanging. Still, Carnatia decided it was better to be safe than sorry and thus focused her mind once more, entering her zen-focus state. It was not a surefire way to avoid mental attack, but a focused and clear mind did help on some occasions. The encounter with the phantoms in the Land of Twilight came to mind.

"Pardon sir. Me name's Dromele. I'snt me intention to be suspicious with words, but I wish no harm, sir, nor the harm for meself. Guiding you and yous to a trap's never crossed me mind. Please hit me not for that, I just want to repay your kindness. Cuff me hands if you like, or put me down, and tell me to begone, and I shant trouble you no more."

The prisoner—Dromele—had made his case, and Carnatia doubted any further questioning would yield any result at this point. The fact remained that he still had not answered some of her questions, such as where exactly he was leading them and what 'not cheery' things he was about to show them.

"Captain, are we sure trusting Dromele to lead us is for the best? While it is true that we have to gain some distance from the garrison, perhaps it's wiser not to go where Dromele attempt to lead us until we can verify the veracity of his claim."

@Mas Bagus@Cale Henituse

Absolved Will Be the Saviors

Carnatia de Valmont

---

Judging from Linceleste's response, Carnatia surmised that at the very least the prisoner did see Paladin Thomas' group. Still, that did not guarantee that he had further information of where they went after he saw them last, in fact...

Addressing the peasant, Carnatia asked again, "You said you only saw them once and did not see them again after. But earlier, you also said that you know where, in your words, 'our folks' are."

Then, after briefly glancing at Linceleste, she continued, "What exactly did people say happened to them and what is this 'not-so-cheery-thing' you plan to show us?"

Carnatia felt a twinge of guilt for pushing on these particular points when Linceleste was looking dejected enough, but unfortunately, this was more important.

They needed to ascertain that this peasant wasn't trying to lead them to a wild-goose chase, or even worse, into an ambush in a plan to seize their supplies and equipment.

This man might very well have seen Paladin Thomas and his entourage, but as to whether he has further lead?

As a noble, she was no stranger to lies strung together in a tapestry of political schemes. And as any player knows, the best lies...are lies that contain a sliver of truth in them.

Absolved Will Be the Saviors

Carnatia de Valmont

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"Aint no sure, sire, but no less than a hundred red stripes. Could be wrong, for I isn't from here."

Carmen reassuringly tapped the peasant's shoulder and clapped his hands to quickly gather everyone's attention.

"We need to move now," he announced. "Quickly, before this place turns into another Vesnaggrad. Amaris, Mirielle, Ludvig, por favor! let us leave this place and leave those soldiers be! Peasant, you will ride with me, show us the way."

Carnatia did not like this, she did not like this at all.

There was no guarantee that the information this man claimed to have was valid. In fact, there was no reason to not think he actually did belong to a criminal element and he would actually be leading them to an ambush instead of a lead to Paladin Thomas.

She was not one to think ill merely because one was a peasant, but the reality was, in this war-torn land of a failed state, their group would make an attractive target for their supplies and the potential gold their equipment could be sold. Especially considering the man was accused of being a theft, he must be in dire circumstances. If he were part of a brigand or something, him leading them to an ambush wasn't unthinkable.

Then there was the matter of the soldiers that had seen their faces. She didn't feel right outright killing them, as they were doing their duty all things considered, however, were their group to be on the wanted list of this region's ruler, it would undoubtedly make their job harder. Ideally, they would at least discuss what to do with the soldiers, but...

That was a contentious topic and she could just see the group devolving into a debate and wasting time. Something that they cannot afford if this prisoner's statement of a nearby garrison was to be believed.

Before Carnatia could come to a decision, Carmen ordered them to flee, leaving the soldiers behind. As she had not yet come to a decision on her own, Carnatia acquiesced to Carmen, who was the designated leader by the Church.

She ran over to her horse, climbed up to the saddle, and took up the reins. She then urged the horse to ride close to where Linceleste was.

"Follow me, there is something I need you to confirm!"

Hoping that the girl heeded her, Carnatia then rode to catch up to Carmen and the peasant. Addressing the peasant, she asked, "You there, you say you know where the group we are looking for went? From what you said, it seemed that you saw them yourself. What about the paladin leading them? What can you tell us of him?"

She then glanced back, hoping to see Linceleste there. If the peasant was simply making things up, hopefully, Paladin Thomas' niece would notice.

@Soldat Elf@Mas Bagus

Absolved Will Be the Saviors

Carnatia de Valmont

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"You are a funny guy, let me tell you where we go from here." He spat before shouting like he was in delirium. "You will be dead, BLYATS! Don't you know who we are?! Oh, I think you do! Who sent you, hah? Those damn traitors? Or could be That witch in the mountain? Crone got some new lackeys I see."

To be fair, Carnatia did think that their side had started the escalation. She would have preferred the diplomatic route from the start, but in retrospect given the temperament of certain people in their group, Carnatia supposed it was to be expected.

Still...it would do them no favour to overtly concede that point. Perhaps if the soldiers were calmer instead of this erratic behaviour they exhibited. Considering their tone of voice and behaviour despite having been soundly beaten, Carnatia doubted they would respond well enough to concession, probably seeing it as a sign of weakness.

Carnatia addressed the sergeant, "While it was one of ours who initiated the conflict, when I attempted to deescalate, your response was to attack me, surely you cannot blame us for fighting back at that point. Now...you can continue your blathering, but I doubt it would do you any favour here, not with me and especially not with the..."

Carnatia gestured to Mirielle and Amaris, "'bolder' members of our entourage, shall we say."

She then continued "To clarify, the primary source of our disagreement—debates of what constitutes proportional retributive justice notwithstanding—was that the man you sought to execute claimed to have some information regarding our person of interest. It was not, as you have implied, specifically targeted at your group. We do not even know who you are, we have seen nary a soul since we arrived in this region. We also know not of who these traitors are nor this witch you were talking about. Now then, why don't you start by telling us exactly what you are speaking of? Who is the Ealdorman of this region you serve? And who are these traitors and witches you spoke of?"

Absolved Will Be the Saviors

Carnatia de Valmont

---

Carnatia clicked her tongue as the sergeant forced her hand.

Very well then. An old adage of diplomacy was that it only worked if each of the sides respected the 'threat' of the other side enough. After all, if they did not feel the other side was a threat, why negotiate instead of merely taking what they wanted?

The sentiment that people wished to talk to solve issues diplomatically was a kind gesture, but a naive one. The truth about negotiation was that the strength projected by each side was an integral part of a successful—and fair—negotiation.

A show of force, then, was necessary.

She glanced at Linceleste's drone, which was subduing the sergeant. It seemed that one was handled for now.

Carnatia then turned her attention to the rest of the soldiers, as she leaped towards them.

Still. She would like to avoid killing them if possible. Better to avoid further troubles with whoever control this part of Sielse before they get the lay of the land.

While keeping mind of incoming shots or attacks, her focus sharpened, entering her Zen Focus state. Carnatia looked for a vulnerable spots in one of their limbs, not to kill them but certainly to cripple them, possibly for the rest of their life.

They could have walked away, or take up her offer for parley, but now that it came to this, a show of force it was.

Absolved Will Be the Saviors

Carnatia de Valmont

---

As the group made their way through Sielse, Carnatia's face occasionally scrunched up in disgust. The province of Sielse was in poor condition. Whoever was charged in the province had failed utterly at upholding their duty. She cannot imagine what conditions the common people living here were facing. At this point, calling it a failed state was not an exaggeration. At the very least, it made her feel better should her actions here would indeed end up in Westernant annexing the province. Surely, life under Westernant cannot be worse than this for the people of Sielse.

If any even yet lived, that was, Carnatia thought as they travelled through the province with nary a soul in sight.

Eventually, however, they encountered natives of the province. A group of soldiers attempting to arrest a man. The man claimed that he had the information they were seeking, but then again, of course, a man on the verge of death would claim that, clinging to the hope that their group may be his salvation.

For a moment, Carnatia mused the current conundrum at hand. One side of the argument was to respect the 'laws' of the land. These soldiers claimed to be the authority here, and thus far, nothing Carnatia had seen betrayed that fact. This was definitely unlawful conduct, considering that this was in the middle of nowhere, Carnatia doubted that the man had been sentenced in court and was simply being executed here, however...this was still their land—for the time being—and thus it was their prerogative to enact such barbaric law enforcement.

On the other hand, the fact that such barbaric law enforcement was upholding might count toward the eventual argument Westernant would make that Sielse was a failed state and thus they needed to move in to restore order. Thus, as a noble of Westernant who had a duty to advance her country's agenda, it might be prudent to save the man as a witness to the barbarism of the ruler of Sielse.

That, coupled with the fact that currently the representative of the Church, meant that her duty would be to not tolerate such blatant wickedness...

Yes. Saving the man probably would be the correct choice. That being said, killing the soldiers of the land's ruler would be ill-advised as they would have enough trouble without being wanted by the ruler of the land.

Therefore, diplomacy should—

Just as Carnatia came to her conclusion, however, Mirielle charged.

'That hothead...!' Carnatia thought.

Carnatia put herself between Mirielle and the soldier.

"Hold, Mirielle. Best we pursue diplomatic avenue further!" she shouted, her rapier drawn and enhanced with magic, her senses sharpened to sense any incoming attack with her prescient defence, just in case Mirielle did not incline to reason or the soldiers attacked anyway.

Then, she added toward the soldiers, "We clearly have conflicting interests, let us parley with your lord. That is the only scenario in which this won't end poorly for you. If you refuse, then we have to fight, and this is not a fight you'd likely win."

Gesturing at Amaris, she continued, "This Sarkaz is the infamous 'witch' who massacred an entire town. I'm sure you've heard the rumours of a border town between Varenhaim and Westernant being destroyed by a single witch.

Then, gesturing at herself, she added, "Even if you somehow win, it will not end well for you. For I am a daughter of Westernant's Ducal House, de Luson. Killing me is ground enough for Westernant to declare war. You will be known as the soldiers who invoked the wrath of Westernant, probably causing a war. I'm sure your lord won't look kindly at that."

Absolved Will Be the Saviors

Carnatia de Valmont

---

Carnatia picked up the utensils before starting to eat the food she had ordered.

...It was quite good actually. This was the first time she had eaten this particular combination of Sauerkraut, Schweinshaxe, and knödel so she did not have an exact frame of reference, but if, for instance, she compared the Schweinsaxe with other pork dish, she would say it ranked quite high. Not the best she had ever tasted, but if she were to give a numerical ranking, she would say it was in the 80s out of 100. Which, given the suddenness of her request and the fact this was no fine-dining establishment, meant that it was even more exceptional for the chef to have delivered this much.

She definitely would tip well.

After finishing the apfelstrudel as the dessert, Carnatia walked over to the bar.

This might not be fine dining establishment, but if they rose up to the task and gave her a fine dining worthy experience, than it was only proper and dutiful for Carnatia to give a proper review.

"It was an exquisite dish. The Dunkel in particular paired well with the Schweinsaxe. The Dunkel's caramel and nutty undertones of highlight the roasted flavours in the meat. Furthermore, though the juicy and flavourful meat of the pork's roasted crust was very tangible, it would risk being too overbearing, diminishing the taste of the side dish and the apfelstrudel dessert. However, you even compensated by giving a Dunkel brew with more bitterness, helping cleanse the palate and connecting the dishes. Mycompliments to the chef. If you wish to open a branch or relocate to the Vauclair Barony up North, I would welcome it. As the Baroness, I might even be inclined to set aside some funding.

She then took out a gold coin from her pouch, putting it on the counter, "The tip. More than deserved considering my admittedly rather outrageous request.

Returning to the table, she turned to Carmen, "I'd say it's about time we wrap up our soiree, no? But before that, is there anything important you found out from the Castellan?"