#vethiver

[we-are-a-dragon]

DM: These three archers fire at Seraph... Oh, that's two hits and a critical! You take 67 damage.

Tati (playing Seraph): *gasps* That almost kills me!

Adam (playing Billie): But it doesn't, right??

Tati: I'm at 18 hit points... No, I use my narrow escape power to take half damage from the crit and teleport behind Una.

DM: Okay, only 50 damage.

Tati: *mutters* Only...

M (playing Kjell): Get in the Bag of Holding and talk to Vethiver.

Tati: Are you sure? If breaking the mind control didn't work he could snap me in half like a twig.

DM: No combat inside the Bag of Holding. It's hand-wavy enough to let you talk in there, but I like it so I'm keeping it.

Andy (playing Una): Before you go I heal you for a healing surge +10.

Tati: Thank you, that's much better! Okay, I open the Bag again and hop into it like a jacuzzi. Check on me in ten seconds!

DM: The Bag drops to the floor behind Una. *passes Tati a note*

Tati: *eyes wide* Oh my god!!

Hamish (playing Thaddeus): What??

DM: You're reading the wrong side. It's a recycled note.

Tati: Oh! Oh god. The first thing I read was 'gentle repose' and I thought we'd killed him. *turns note over* Okay.

[we-are-a-dragon]

Hamish (playing Thaddeus): I notice Seraph is super upset that Vethiver was cast as a villain in the play, and I guess I'm not happy about it either since he's a fellow follower of Pelor. After it's over I go backstage to talk to them.

DM: It's pretty chaotic, which should come as no surprise at all.

Hamish: I tell them that I absolutely love the play overall: the writing, the casting, the costume design; all amazing.

DM: They are very excited to receive such glowing feedback from Thaddeus himself.

Hamish: I also point out that if it weren't for Vethiver Suda may never have been saved, and that they need to tell the truth. Also, put Kjell and Godric in the play.

DM: They make excuses about actors being sick and disasters all over the place and this that and the next thing.

Hamish: I'm stern. I tell them I'll become their patron, but they have to tell the story in a way that doesn't hurt living people.

DM: They hang their heads and say they'll rewrite Vethiver's ending.

Hamish: Good.

[we-are-a-dragon]

DM: The witch hunters aren't happy, but they lower their weapons. Vethiver looks to Seraph.

Seraph (siren sorcerer): Can you tell my friends what you told me?

DM: He nods. "My memories of the past two months are sketchy, but they do exist. I was mind-controlled by the mindflayer-"

Billie (gnome ardent): You're sure it was a mindflayer?

DM: He frowns and says, "Yes, I have no idea what you mean." Dorphi steps forward and says, "Wait, the mindflayer is bad?" Vethiver continues, "He would bring me out to gloat about how he was corrupting me, the terrible things I was doing, how I was ruining Pelor's name in the city..." His eyes fill with tears.

Thaddeus (khajiit paladin): *quietly* People still believe in Him.

DM: He looks at you with desperate hope.

Billie: Who are you really?

DM: He says, "I'm... no-one. I come from a small village called Furrowdown. I'm a cleric of Pelor."

Seraph: *soft* I am, too. And Thaddeus is a paladin of Pelor.

DM: He looks at you with wonder. "Then even more so, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for freeing me."

Godric (fairy warlock): Why did the mindflayer choose you?

DM: He shakes his head. "I don't know. All he said was that it had to be a Pelor connection and a half-orc."

Godric: *brow furrows* A half race. Half-and-half again. This is more than just a mindflayer's plot to take over.

[we-are-a-dragon]

DM: It's pitch-black inside the Bag of Holding. You hear sobbing.

Seraph: *skittish* Vethiver? ...B-Bird?

DM: He stops crying quite so hard. "Who are you? Where am I?"

Seraph: *gulps* Who... *thinks* Who is your master?

DM: "What? I... P-Pelor."

Seraph: What's the last thing you remember?

DM: He groans. "I... Oh gods, I remember so much. He kept pulling me out of the mind control to... to gloat!"

Seraph: Who? J?

DM: He sounds confused. "The mindflayer. I don't know who J is."

Seraph: Okay. *brow furrows*

DM: That's all you have time for before Una pulls you out.

[we-are-a-dragon]

DM: In front of the palace is a crowd of four-five thousand. There's a balcony several floors up, where Captain Vethiver and several elite witch hunters are standing. There's also a very tall cloaked figure, even taller than Vethiver.

Andy (playing Una): How tall is Vethiver?

DM: Well, he's a half-orc.

Andy: *dreamy* He can do no wrong in my eyes.

Tati (playing Seraph): The other half's probably human.

Andy: Half of him can do no wrong in my eyes.

[we-are-a-dragon]

DM: Vethiver looks hard at all of you. "Now, who are you people?"

Seraph (siren sorcerer): *heavily* "We're the heroes chosen to stand and to fall. We don't know why they chose us, either."

DM: He takes this in.

Una (genasi artificer): How are the other witch hunters looking?

DM: They're whispering to each other.

Seraph: Are any of them mind-controlled?

DM: Two of them have glassy eyes.

Billie (gnome ardent): Get them over here.

DM: Vethiver orders them to come close. They do so reluctantly.

Seraph: "Will you still obey Vethiver's orders? As you swore to?"

DM: There's a pause. The two who are mind-controlled start nodding furiously. The others follow suit, less vigorously.

Seraph: "If he tells you to get in this bag, will you?"

DM: They hesitate. Vethiver orders them to. They still hesitate.

Seraph: *opens Bag of Holding* "I promise nothing bad will happen to you."

[we-are-a-dragon]

DM: Vethiver says angrily, "You need to leave."

Godric (fairy warlock): No, we need to cure the emperor.

DM: He says, "I'm working to help him lead better."

Una (genasi artificer): How does being sick help him lead better?

Billie (genasi artificer): I telepath to Dorphi. -Why are you frustrated?-

DM: She replies. -The emperor told me to obey Vethiver in all things. But I don't think he's helping.-

Billie: -We're here to stop Vethiver, not to harm the emperor.-

DM: -I know... I trust you. But I can't break my vow to the emperor. I can't help you if it goes against Vethiver's orders.-

Godric: You're not telling us why we can't heal the emperor.

DM: Vethiver chuckles darkly. "Maybe I serve a different emperor."

Billie: -Uh... what about now?-

DM: Dorphi is staring at Vethiver, confused. -I... don't know.-

[we-are-a-dragon]

Hamish (playing Thaddeus): Can I have an Insight check on Vethiver?

Adam (playing Billie): Me too.

DM: As far as you both can tell, he's telling the absolute truth.

Adam: I ask him, "Is that your armour?"

DM: He looks down at himself, noticing the ornate garb for the first time, and cringes. "No..."

Tati (playing Seraph): Oh, I fetch out his sunburst morningstar from the Bag of Holding and hand it to him.

DM: He looks at it with a grimace. "Is that... mine?"

Tati: "I guess not, but it's pretty magical. It might come in handy."

DM: He takes it with a sigh.