Right,

before jumping to actions we need more information.
First we need to know where the Inquisitor is staying.

Stop time and quickly go to see the barracks in the monastery and then the military camp.

Now, I had though about this after the last thread and have an idea.
We really need to take this to Leonard. He is a BARON, a NOBILITY, he has political power and finances, he can get information we need and help us out. People seemed to worry that killing inquisitor will not stop the invasion, but with Leonard, he could use his influence to stop the invasion if the inquisitor is out of the picture.

rolled 68 = 68

>>15012303
Dem rolls man.

rolled 22 = 22

>>15012249
While I think about it, an army moves on its stomach. To quickly stop a marching army, cut its supply lines and make their campaign too expensive.

We have Xepoch on hand. Stop time. Steal every weapon in the armory and barracks. Swipe all of them. That will stall the invasion for at least a few months while they replace the weapons. Then we do it again. How many soldiers are we talking about, and how much does an average sword/halberd/ace/spear cost? Soon the crown will be unwilling to justify the expense. It's all about Dollar$ and $en$e

Meantime, find the food stores that the inquisitor has set aside to supply and feed the troops once they leave Nordrime. Steal/destroy them. An army marches on its stomach. No food = no campaign.

That's the only way I can think of to stop this before it gets out of our control and we're forced to hurt people we once considered friends.

Barring that, bind to Tenebrotep (with an additional condition that the binding will end automatically should we link out pinky fingers together and touch our thumbs to our forehead, since we can't talk while bound to the jackass) and memory-wipe the inquisitor while he sleeps, removing all his knowledge of Elves, how to fight, how to lead men, and how to use the bathroom. If we cut him down to size, it should confuse and stall the leadership.

>>15012303
The inquisitor already doesn't trust Leonard. Leonard keeps using his magic to hide his elven heritage, but the inquisitor has checked him multiple times. Having leonard step in would be drawing too much attention to him.

The first thing you want to determine is where the inquisitor is at this hour. You can't take action without enough information. You remember being told that the inquisitor would be staying in the guard's barracks quarter in the castle so you decide to check there first.
With a flip of the switch to lock the turn gears of time you dart from the room running to take a look into the barrack. You jog across the courtyard and turn into barracks. As you cross the courtyard you get a strange feeling of apprehension that you cannot place, but it quickly dissipates and you continue on your way.
You begin trying the doors of the barracks one by one. They are all without locks so you easily find your way in and out. Most are not occupied, as the night watchmen are out patrolling the parapets and walls of the castle but a few hold the sleeping figures of the day watchmen or those who's shifts have ended. You search every room but there is no sign of the tall, dark and imposing figure of the inquisitor anywhere to be found. Perhaps he is just not here right now.
He could be out patrolling the streets as he was earlier today, searching for any signs of heresy that have gone overlooked for so long. Or perhaps he is down at the military encampment to the south of town, where the majority of the soldiers are stationed.
You wander out into the courtyard again to make for the castle entrance when you pause. You hear the sound of metal clanking against stone. Time is frozen. You can clearly see the burning flames of the torches in front of the chapel are locked in place. And yet, there was just a sound. Clearly, you are not alone.

rolled 50 = 50

>>15012388
This is not the question of trust or no trust.

The fact stays that Leonard is a Baron so he can easily influence the course of action if suddenly Inquisitor meets an unfortunate "accident"

How about we don't spoil or destroy the food?
If we do that, I think that they will decide to take away as much as possible from the population even if that means that civilians will starve so that they can continue their invasion.

rolled 77 = 77

>>15012418
Ask REM if that is possible.
Ask her if she feels any Vestige around.

Hide.

>>15012418
the wrist-gauntlet from Xepoch can answer questions, right? Ask if there are any other vestiges or time-manipulators nearby. If it can't tell, run back to our hidden lair and hide for the moment.

rolled 22 = 22

>>15012456
rolling

rolled 84 = 84

We might consider turning the time back on

You dart back behind the wall just before the courtyard and away from where the sound came.
"Rem, are there any other vestiges nearby?"
~{Indeterminable. Insufficient data available.}~
"Are there other time travelers nearby?"
~{The likelihood of two persons ceasing time in the exact same instant are infinitely small.}~
"Then what could else could be active here besides me?"
~{Potentially a Tindalloovian Hound. They are beings that hunt prey between instants. It is possible they have tracked your scent through your high amount of recent time dilation. Suggested course of action: Reengage time flow for an indeterminate period of time.}~

rolled 45 = 45

>>15012522
Aw shit what?
Ask her for more information on those things

Ask her if they make sounds like metal on stone.
Hmm, maybe they are made out of metal?

Okay, do as she asks.

rolled 97 = 97

>>15012522
Return to hidden lair, restart time.

Crap. That limits the amount of time we can use to enact any plans.

rolled 36 = 36

Okay... that limits things...

go and see Leonard. Go through your secret tunnels but don't enter his basement.

You decide to make your way back to your hidden lair and start the flow of time again. You turn into the residence halls but stop. There in front of you is a beast the likes of which you have never seen. It looks as a jackal but with a shining silvery skin in the moonlight. However, it has far too many legs, you think six but you can't seem to be sure. And it's eye... A single broad stretching across its face eye filled only with the blackness of the void. It is moving about the room, not truly walking but flowing. It turns to a liquid to flow to another place before solidifying again. And then it turns it's single eyed head towards you. It growls a sound like metal grating on stone and begins flowing towards you at high speed.
Finally breaking your hypnotic trance you throw the switch back into place. Instantly the being disappears. You quiet your rapid breathing and again make for your room. Perhaps the fact that the creature only exists in an instant makes it unable to interact with your vital force now? Regardless, that horror won't bother you while you follow the normal course of time.
You enter your room and descend into your tunnels, closing the entrance behind you. What will you do? Will you turn to another vestige for aid? Will you take you new tunnel to go see Leonard and explain the situation? And even if you did, what would he be able to do to help as an exiled noble with barely any ties?

rolled 12 = 12

>And even if you did, what would he be able to do to help as an exiled noble with barely any ties?

He could give us some advice.

Ask REM if the Hounds can attack when we speed up our own time.

rolled 15 = 15

>>15012635
Also ask how they can be defeated, if they even can be defeated.

"Rem, can the Hounds still attack when I'm in normal time?"
~{Negative. The Hounds cannot interact with vital essences in different time streams. They do not need to eat but they alway hunger. It may be skipping moments to track you and wait for your return or it may have moved on to any other time or place. They exist in all time and their origin is a mystery. It is theorized that they are a construct of a future time faring race that will use them as a weapon of war.}~
"Is there any way to stop one of those things?"
~{Their being is a composite of countless nano-machines. To destroy them their internal communication must be completely disrupted. Anything less than total destruction will allow the synthetic organism to phase to a different time and activate self-repair protocols.}~
"Thank you Rem."

rolled 70 = 70

>>15012690
"What's a 'nanomachine', and would fire hurt them?"

"What's a nonmachine?"
~{A construct of incredibly small proportions.}~
"Would fire hurt it?"
~{Possible. However, fire cannot function in its normal manner during stationary time.}~
"What would hurt it then?"
~{Potential answer: electrical shock. Side note: No recorded field data of a successfully destroyed Hound exists.}~
You walk through your tunnels toward's Leonard's lab as you talk to Rem. Though you aren't sure if he'd be able to help he may at least be able to provide some insight into the matter and what would be the best course of action. And it occurs to you that he did mention having spent some time living with the elves, so he might even be able to give you their location if it comes to that.

rolled 67 = 67

>>15012690
>"Rem, can the Hounds still attack when I'm in normal time?"

Making ourself 10x time faster also constitutes normal time, right?

Ask REM if we can set her to automatically turn off a hound is near us? (for example if we go to sleep and stop time to repay our debt)

rolled 33 = 33

>>15012805
Cant Kuzo do lightning bolts? Plus, we could use the wings to fly to the forest.

rolled 23 = 23

>>15012805
Be very careful when going out through your secret exit so that no one notices you

rolled 47 = 47

>>15012832
We have no idea what Kuzo can do, he cannot speak. Makes shit very irritating...

I wonder if he can write in our language.

Electricity, you think to yourself. Kuzo might have mentioned something about lightning bolts. But his inability or refusal to talk makes negotiations difficult.
You reach the secret entrance to Leonard's study. You push open the hidden door slowly and quietly and peer in. The room is dark, lit only by your lantern. You walk in and close the door behind you.The artifact replica still lies upon the table in the vise but Leonard had disappeared, perhaps off to get some sleep.
You ascend the spiral staircase and reach the hidden door there, but you stop. The door is sealed shut. You've only ever forced the door open or seen it opened by elven magic. Do you want to attempt to force it or find another way up to the manor above?

rolled 17 = 17

>>15012933
see if you can open it from this side

[actually, I wanted Greg to come out of the exit OUTSIDE the manor and approach it normally]

rolled 40 = 40

>>15012979
KNOCK KNOCK!

You push against the door but it does not budge. It seems to be magically sealed and there is little you can do to change that. You turn around and leave the room, heading for your exit into the streets above nearby. You close the hidden door behind you and quickly reach the ladder up to the street. You climb and carefully push open the latch, peering to make sure there is no one around. You spot a town guard at the far end of the street holding a lantern but he soon rounds the corner.
You quickly haul yourself up and out and close the latch behind you. You look at your portal and see it is completely indistinguishable from the road around it. It will be nearly impossible to find and, due to the lack of latches or a handhold on this side, be inaccessible to return to the tunnels.
You walk quickly to Leonard's manor and peer about. There are a few windows on the first floor but you can see no light within. There doesn't appear to be any lights on the second floor from what you can see either. Should you knock and hope you wake him or find another way in?

>>15012979
Knock first. If no response after some time try to get in another way. If no one is home, assume they may have gone to the forest to assist the other elves.

You knock twice on the door as loudly as you can. You wait in the cold air of the night pulling your cloak around you and making certain that your gauntlet is hidden. You knock again but the door opens before your second knock.
"Yes, how can I.. Boy, what the devil are you doing here in the dead of the night?"

>>15013007
"Its important, can I come in and talk?"

rolled 38 = 38

>>15013016
this

Then tell him what we learned and ask him for advice.

Ask him if people are willing to go on through it or if they are unwillingly following Inquisitors orders.

"It's important, can I come in to talk?"
"Come on in, boy. Come in."
You step into the foyer and find the manor to be delightfully warm despite the frigid night.
"I received an urgent message from my brother..." You tell Leonard everything you read and your thoughts and ask him what he thinks could be done to stop them.
"So..." he says after a while. "Tarrant had a boy with her then, eh? How fitting. But as to your other matter, I don't see much of what can be done. If the inquisition has finally found the nearby elf village there is little you can do to dissuade them. You could slow them down with your power, sure, or cut off the head of the serpent. But they'll only return again and in larger numbers with a new man to lead them. It seems like the best course of action is to not get involved."
"How can you say that? How can you be so calloused? Aren't thee your people?"
"The elves are no more my people than the humans are. They would not accept my kind any more than the empire. I am merely Baron Leonard Dross III, neither elf nor man but a philosopher and sorcerer with the resources of both and the prejudices of neither."

rolled 29 = 29

>>15013118
>If the inquisition has finally found the nearby elf village there is little you can do to dissuade them.

"But if we slow them down by "serving the head" wouldn't they elves have time to relocate?"

Hmm...
So the choice is clear.
We need to Tenebrotep again and stalk the night.
Get to the Inquisitor and read his mind. We will search for clues on what he has on Elven village. If we find he has written reports, we will burn them. If he knows someone else in town who knows this, we will eliminate them or alter their memories. We will snip out any mention of Elves in this region from Inquisitors mind.

Also, we need to prepare chlorine or any other substance which will put our foes in deep narcosis. Wouldn't want them waking up when we are at work.
Ask Leonard if he has anything of the sorts.

We must hope that the Inquisitor has not sent reports to outside

rolled 49 = 49

>>15013118
"You may have become jaded to the plight of others, but I am not yet so callous as to ignore my brother's peril. I will slow the siege as much as possible, give the elves time to evacuate, migrate somewhere else, beyond the reach of the Inquisition.

Actually, a thought occurs.... You mentioned my father's "crusade" last night. What was he crusading for?"

"You may have grown cold to the plight of others but I will not stand by and remain idle. If I must I will sever the serpents head and buy the elves as much time as possible to relocate."
"Ha! The elves relocate? They are as rooted to their homes as the trees. They are far too tightly held by their old ways to leave their beloved forest. You sound just like your father and his hopeless crusade."
"And what crusade was that?"
"To unify man and elf as one people, as they once lived in this town. And if the rumors are true than he died for that cause. Are you willing to throw your life away for that too? Look around you boy. The world is not so beholden to your idealistic dreams. I am not saying you do not have the power to help, I am saying the elves will not WANT your help. People never change. Centuries old people even more so."

rolled 1 = 1

>>15013299
You know, I am going to agree with him.
We are not going to throw everything away for full frontal defense. I approve of sneakery, memory extraction and assassination but not going on murder spree.
1 person, even with True Binding cannot stand against entire nation. The more we kill them, the more they will throw at us and later will start pouring in Binders too.

rolled 54 = 54

So we need to do this >>15013171

rolled 53 = 53

>>15013299
"My brother mentioned spies.... you wouldn't know anything about them, would you?"

rolled 33 = 33

Ask him if he can help anyway.

Does he know anything of the situation. Can he get us more information?

"Regardless, I must do something. Is there anything you know that might help me?"
"I could tell you how to find the elves, but they'd likely shoot you down before you came within a thousand yards of their front gates."
"My brother mentioned that the elves have spies watching here. How do they remain undetected?"
"The same as I no doubt. They garb themselves in illusions and walk about the streets unfettered."
"Well, what can you do to help?"
"I'll lend you my magics anyway you ask and provide you with whatever my research yields, but I can do no more than that."
You consider what you must do. You could bind to Tenebrotep right now and stalk invisibly through the night to find the inquisitor, but you have kept his existence a secret from Leonard and might want to continue doing so. And when you found the inquisitor you could extract whatever memories you need to and find hints as to the location of any records.
But still, where to seek out this man? Perhaps in the military encampment south of town?

rolled 21 = 21

>>15013541
Ask Leonard if he knows where Inquisitor stays

>>15013562
"Do you know where the inquisitor stays?"
"As a matter of fact I do. I've been scrying him since he first arrived in town. Can't be too careful with these things."
He waves his hand about, pointing to five corners of a star and mumbles in elven.
"He is in the war tent of the local station for the soldiers, in the center of the encampment. As for what he is doing or if he is alone, I cannot say. He is warded by something. No doubt provided by the order."
"Thank you Leonard. That is very helpful information."
You consider what you will do now. Assassination or infiltration requires finesse and Tenebrotep might be your ace in the hole. But you have plenty of other tools at your disposal too. And where to go to call upon another vestige to begin with? You still have the better part of two hours stored in the gauntlet but the Hound might still be tracking you.

rolled 8 = 8

>>15013600
At least we can use the stored time to speed us up.

Or use the gauntlet in very short bursts.

Anyway, thank Leonard and leave.

I still think the best bet is to call upon Tenebrotep and try to memory manipulate him.

go to outskirts of the military camp to reconnaissance

bump

rolled 24 = 24

Also, Gougmander or whats his name could tranform into a mouse and help us sneak in ... but, I doubt the gauntlet would come with us.

hmm
Ask REM what would happen in such situation.

>No doubt provided by the order.
Well shit. That means there is a chance that there will be a binder near the inquisitor, which would completely ruin our element of surprise.

You take your leave and Leonard sees you to the door, wishing you luck in whatever your are going to attempt. You stroll through the empty streets and come to the town's southern gates. There are more guardsmen than usual posted to watch, but you find your way through the ruined walls in one of the back alleys as you used to do often when you came to gamble.
Out on the darkened hills you keep your distance and walk quietly around to the side of the large encampment, lit by a bonfire that you can faintly make out some silhouettes around. There are watchtowers but they face towards the forest and road so you should be undetected here.
"Rem, if I were to make another binding and shapeshift into something like a mouse, what would happen to the gauntlet?"
~{Indeterminable. Insufficient data available.}~
Well that's helpful, you think to yourself. Calling Gourmander and taking the form of a mouse might be the simplest way to enter undetected. You could also use the power of Tenebrotep, but the fire light might be a nuisance. Or maybe there is another vestige that would be more useful.

>>15013817
Wouldn't we need to have Gourmander devour a mouse first to take it's form?
Can we make out which one the war tent is? If yes, how far is it from the bonfire?

rolled 10 = 10

>>15013817
We COULD dig a tunnel right beneath the tent with Mora

You've been here before but you've alway just gambled around the fire or in one of the residential tents with the soldiers. You aren't sure which tent is the war tent, though you were told it was near the center of the encampment. There are about twenty large tents in rows on two of the sides, and then three tents spread about the bonfire where the soldiers are. It seems likely that the rows of tents are all sleeping quarters and that one of the three centrally located tents is the war tent. One ins smaller than the other two but the other two are both fairly large. You cannot see anything inside any of the tents.
Thinking of Gourmander you do recall Arnold mentioning that the principle of his power was that you could take the form of anything you had consumed. If you wanted to transform into a mouse you would need, first, to catch and devour a mouse while bound. And since you currently have not devoured anything with Gourmander you would have to catch something as a normal human.

rolled 49 = 49

>>15013817
>Or maybe there is another vestige that would be more useful.

I know you are hinting at something but what exactly I cannot place.

Anyway, lets find secluded place away from here and summon Tenebrotep.

rolled 26 = 26

Ask Rem if she can detect the presence of an other vestige.
Summon Tenebrotep and ask if the fires prevent him from infiltrating the camp.

>>15014015
Well, Red Jack could do many things as long as we are lucky and Acheron did say she has the power to "cut short the threads that bind one to the worlds above".

rolled 20 = 20

>>15014097
True

but for now, I want to see if we can extract memories from Inquisitor, even if we are to kill him, we need information.

"Rem, are there any other vestiges about?"
~{Unable to determined. I lack the proper functions to assess such a thing.}~
You fall back to the shadows of the town wall. The moon is quickly setting and the darkest hour of the evening is upon you. You find a good spot where you won't be able to be seen and call upon your first-bound vestige again after a long respite.
"I call upon you Tenebrotep, lurker in the night. Render unto me your counsel and your might. Come hither and stand before me!"
From the shadows the dark and foreboding figure of the traitorous Tenebrotep rises silently.
"It is good to see you again, pact maker. I see you have you finally forgiven me for your foolish offer. What is your bargain this time?"
"I need to infiltrate a military camp just over these hills. But they have a large bonfire burning and casting light all about. Would that prevent the use of your power?"
"Ah, but as you may recall, to my eyes dark is as light and light as dark. Though your nature would quickly be revealed by the light, you will come to no harm so long as you find a shadow to nest within."

rolled 69 = 69

>>15014102
>"It is good to see you again, pact maker. I see you have you finally forgiven me for your foolish offer."
"I have long accepted that the only one to blame for that was me"

"I have this device with me that will allow me to move 10 time faster than normaly. Do you think that combined with it and your own speed we could just waltz past everyone without them noticing us?"

Ask him if he has any extra powers which are only unlocked if we make special deal

>>15014102
Twenty tents should give us enough shadows to slip into. Combined with the gauntlet we should be able to get in, now all that remains is striking a good bargain for his services.
An hour should be more than enough to do the deed and get to a safe distance, what would his price be for that long?

"About our last bargain... I have long accepted that the only one to blame was me. I knew of your nature and agreed to what I did not understand. I will not make so careless a mistake again."
"I am glad to hear it, pact maker."
"I have a device with me, entrusted from another vestige, that will allow me to move at ten time my normals peed. Would we be able to enter unnoticed?"
"We will move as the night wind. Unnoticed by any but for the warmth it draws from your skin."
"Excellent. Tenebrotep, do you have any special powers that I have not yet seen? Anything beyond the normal terms of your bargains?"
"...how very directed of you. And yes, I do indeed have more than what I have granted you. I can also grant you mastery over the shadows of others. To control a man's shadow is to control his action. But it would require more freedom from you for more power from me. And lastly I could grant you passage into the shadow world where nightmares are born and many may be made to serve man, though I could afford you no protection from it's denizens. But that would require a great sacrifice indeed. Something... beautiful."

rolled 69 = 69

"I think the shadow world is too much. And for now, I don't think I need to control the shadows.... though knowing these options is useful"

"Anyway, I need to get inside the central tent. it has been said that it is protected against scrying and maybe something else... Would that be a problem?"

"So lets make a pact then? How about 2 hours?"

>>15014195
"What do you mean by controlling nightmares? As in, nightmares taken some kind of form or the dreams of an other person?"

Wile both extra powers sound like they have potential uses for now I'd say go with the usual package.
>But that would require a great sacrifice indeed. Something... beautiful.
Yepp, definitely just the usual.

"What exactly do you mean by the realm of nightmares? Can they be controlled?"
"The void within the minds of man creates currents of a collective subconscious. With some of my power you could redirect those currents to your liking. Or even draw them forth into the real world, the most horrible fears of man."
"While those are useful to know about I think I will pass for now. I may have need of them in the future. Anyways, I have been warned that the tent is warded against scrying and possibly other kinds of magics. Could this pose a problem?"
"Unlikely. I have no need for scrying or magics. There is nothing that they can accomplish that a little subtlety can't accomplish better."
"Well then, let us bind together in a pact again. Will you share your power with me for two hours time?"
"I will, pact maker. You have a deal."
The shadow flows back into the darkness and you feel it coursing back into your heart, that inky blackness. You don't need to check to see that your face has become unrecognizable. You flex your long claws and look at your darkening skin to see yourself melding into the shadows as your vision sharpens. The night is now yours.
<Let us be on our way, then.>
You turn towards the camp. There are several ways you could make your entrance but the shadows will afford you plenty of protection. You could use the gauntlet still upon your arm if needed, having plenty of time still stored. The three central tents still remain a mystery, with two large ones on the north and south and a small one in between.

rolled 27 = 27

>>15014312
Put away your robe, but keep a bit of cloth to conceal the gauntlet

Use the shadows as much as possible to get near the tents. If we can't use shadows, use 10x ability of the gauntlet to quickly run over the bright area and then turn it off.
When near the entrance of the central tent, stop time and very quickly (no more than one second) enter it, and hide in a shadowy spot and release time again.


[aw man, OP, I just remembered. I had said in this post >>15013171 to get a substance which can knock out people, like chlorine from Leonard. Then I promptly forgot. Why didna you use it in the update?]

>>15014356
[[Sorry, I must have missed that detail.]]

rolled 89 = 89

>>15014365
Is cool.
I'm sure Tenebrotep can knock them out if need be

>>15014389
Most definately. Shadow arms are quite effective at that sort of thing.

inb4 somebody starts singing while we sneak in and Tenebrotep goes apeshit

You remove your robe and leave it hidden in the grass to recover later. You take the bindings from your head, now that your scar is gone into your vanished face, and wrap them in a coil about the gauntlet until it is completely covered with only the switches and buttons exposed.
You quickly run into the camp, vaulting over the fence with a leap, and landing silently in the shadows. You'd forgotten how nice this form was for travelling through the night. You dart from tent to tent to make your way to the fire at the center. A soldier walks by and you stop suddenly, pressed against a tent and holding still, but he walks by without even glancing in your direction and enters one of the sleeping tents.
You get to the central area and see that in order to progress you'll need to stop time. You do so, clicking time off and on and running from one long shadow to the next. You keep an eye out but there doesn't seem to be any sign of the hound about. You stop just shy of the first of the tents and dart into it with time stopped, running to a corner with shadows before starting time again. The tent appears to be the war room, but the lights are extinguished. There is a large table with what looks to be a map of the countryside laid out upon it. On it are several markings and a dagger is stabbed through the map at one point in the middle of the forest half a day's march away. You look about the room but there doesn't seem to be anyone here. Perhaps the inquisitor has gone off to one of the other tents? Perhaps there is a Staff Sergeant's tent here? But maybe there are some things you should take from this tent first.

rolled 68 = 68

oh great.
A map.
Take it with you.

look around in the tent to see if you can find more reports and documents. Letters maybe.
We need to take everything we can.

>>15014444
Stop time and look around.

rolled 4 = 4

>>15014444
Look for any out of place items that could be the source of the warding. Also, memorize where the elf settlement is (I assume where the dagger is thrust into the map):

rolled 53 = 53

>>15014510
Nuh-uh

we are taking away all of their intel. The less they have, the better.

>>15014444
I presume this is one of the two larger central tents. After we're done with what ever we decide to do here, proceed tho the smaller one.

You remove the dagger and roll up the map, placing it in your pocket after memorizing the marked location. You search the unlit room for anything: letters of correspondence, reports, documents. But there is nothing to find but lists of names of people in town checked off one by one. There seems to be nothing that would reveal the source of the inquisitor's information.
And then you spot it in a pile of papers. A tiny scrawled note labelled 'Confessions of Interrogated Subject #31'. You read over it and find that it is in fact a written transcript of the inquisitor torturing a local man into revealing his elven roots. Apparently the man had only come to look after his orphaned grandson, but didn't want to take him back to the village of the elves. Within minutes he revealed the location to the inquisitor and was promptly executed for his cooperation. By the sound of it all of this happened just earlier this afternoon in the inquisitor's tower within the castle.
You take the note and slip it into your pocket turning to look about the room. There doesn't seem to be anything else here that you think is significant.
You pause time and turn to leave the tent. But as you peek your head out of the tent you see it. The hound has found you again, if it is even the same hound. You dart back into the tent and restart time. You can't keep relying on the gauntlet. You'll have to sneak out some other way. You could go out the front of the tent and stumble blindly around the fire from shadow to shadow. Or you could cut through the thick tent wall and exit from the side. Or you could use one of the gauntlet's other functions to speedily run by the assembled group of soldiers unnoticed.

rolled 48 = 48

>>15014563
Hearken for a bit and if no one seems to be behind the tent cut it open with a claw or the dagger and exit that way.

rolled 93 = 93

>>15014563
Tents "walls" are made out of cloth, right?
Can we just lift them and go under them?

If we are to cut the wall, cut it very low, behind the table, horizontally and crawl out of the tent rather than making a new obvious entrance

You return to the back of the tent and try to lift the weave up, but the tent is expertly assembled and there is no slack to speak of. You can lift it, but there is not nearly enough space to crawl out. You kneel down beneath the table and cut a small strip near the seam where no one is likely to notice it with your claws. You crawl out and into the freedom of the night again. You make your way to the small tent, making extra sure that there are no eyes upon you as you dart between shadows without the gauntlet's aid. You reach the back of the small tent and cut a small seam in one corner. You carefully peer in and see there is, in fact, a bed and there upon it lies the inquisitor, asleep and with his sword at his side.
You pull yourself through the narrow flap and silently stand in the dark room. But you hear a sound behind you.
The table you just crawled under was actually another bed. Ranta is asleep there, tossing about in a fitful rest. You might be able to pick the thoughts of the inquisitor in his sleep, but what if Ranta were to awaken?
You look about. The front flap of the tent is closed tightly and you aren't likely to be disturbed from without. There are only the two beds and a table between them within the tent. Normally this would probably be the quarters of the head of the night watch as well as Ranta, the head of the day watch. But it seems like the inquisitor has made himself a guest here.
What should you do? Should you start picking at the mind of the inquisitor? Or should you kill him by his own blade and frame someone or make it look like an accident?

rolled 91 = 91

>>15014657
Ask Tenebrotep if he can kill him without leaving a trace on his body and make it seem like a accident.

Eitherway. We need to search hi memories. We need to know how many people know about the location of the Elves, if Inquisitor has sent a report outside to another city, if there are any more incriminating documents lying around.

Keep an eye on Ranta, if he starts to awaken use your gauntlet for extra speed to knock him out and then snipping that small bit of memory.

>>15014693
This. But I hope to Zarus we don't get attacked by the hound while knocking out Ranta if it comes to that.

rolled 37 = 37

>>15014718
they can't get us when we speed up the time
only when we stop it

"Tenebrotep," you say without words. "Would we be able to kill this man without leaving a trace?"
<How very unsatisfying a way to take a life. But, were you to pick his mind, you could in theory, cut out parts of him that are vital to his survival. However, most minds are too resilient to such interference and will simply regrown the extracted part. The only way I can think of to be certain would be to enter the shadow world and destroy him utterly through psychic duress.>
"I'll keep that in mind."
You lean over the figure of the inquisitor and stick your twin claws into his temples to begin to pick his memories out. But just as you do so the inquisitor's eyes fly open and he reaches a hand to his sword. Startled, you pull your hands back and the flow of memories begins to coil out of his head. Seemingly dazed by this, the inquisitor falls back onto the bed, dropping his sword back to his side, but his eyes are still open.
<Curious. It seems he was not truly asleep. But now his mind is open before us.>
You see the coiling Halo of the stream of memories. You recall how much precision this art requires and that you never did truly master it. But now you will have to if you want to be sure you are thorough. You look backwards along the string, seeing the inquisitor awaking to your presence but not seeing you, him writing a letter to Surdrime for reinforcements and sending it by bird, him sitting and studying the map in the war room, him telling Ranta that he will gather his forces at noon tomorrow for briefing, and seeing him sitting alone and interrogating the poor elven man in his tower. There is plenty more behind that but those are the most recent visible nodes. But do you want to cut somewhere here, look in closer detail, or look back further?

rolled 98 = 98

>>15014790
Cut the memory of him just him waking up.
>him writing a letter to Surdrime for reinforcements and sending it by bird
Look at what exactly he wrote.

Also look at at the memories in the War Room to see who else was with him at the time.

rolled 86 = 86

>>15014860

I agree with this.

rolled 39 = 39

You snip off the memory of him awakening and it quickly dissipates into nothingness. His open eyes glaze over and shut again and you feel relieved and more relaxed. A new stream of dreams begins growing and you pinch it to his old ones, closing the gap.
Turning back to the rest of his memories you look closer at his memory of writing the letter, pulling it open. You see that it is addressed to the local head of the day watch and asks for him to send all troops available that he can spare to Nordrime immediately by order of the inquisitor and the letter bears his wax seal.
You pull open the full memory link of what happened in the war room and you see the inquisitor discussing with Ranta the plan of attack, leading three forces from three different angles. You scan over the entire duration but Ranta seems to be the only one he has informed so far about his plan, aside from the messenger bird sent within the last twenty minutes.
You aren't sure what else there is to gain from these memories that you haven't already seen. Perhaps there is another memory you should examine or try to doctor?

rolled 56 = 56

We need to go back to origin of him learning that elves are here at all.

Also cut the whole memory of interrogating the elf
And sending the letter.

If that was done 20 min ago, we might intercept it.
Ask tenebrotep if he could do it

rolled 11 = 11

Or maybe we will have to summon Kuzo to catch up with the Bird.

Also, cut the memory of the war room too.

"Do you think we would be able to intercept a messenger bird?"
<If you caught up to it you could certainly pluck it from the skies, but I cannot move as swiftly as a bird flies. I am made for stealth, not speed.>
You lean down and carefully snip the war room conversation, the interrogation of the elf, and the writing of the letter from the inquisitor's mind, putting the remaining pieces back together.
You worry a bit that the inquisitor may notice the absence of his memories or wonder what happened during the later part of the day. And then of course there is the problem of what Ranta remember's too.

rolled 95 = 95

>>15015117
Dig deeper to see of any more mentions of elves.
We need to remove all traces that remind him of Elves in the forest.

We can deal with Ranta later.

"Remember, we have the gauntlet with [amount of time left] to make us 10 time faster. Would you be able to track it?"

>>15015189
We could try Kuzo as well.. Just throwing that out there.

"Well, I have the power to give us the speed we need. Would you be able to track it down?"
<That might still prove difficult, though not impossible. I am not some dog that follows a scent. I am merely a precision surgical instrument. I use information to enact my goals, I do not gather it.>
You prod further into the inquisitor's mind. It looks like he didn't care much about elves until he was reassigned up here and read about the infrequent border skirmishes and the town's history of mixed bloods in reports stored in the annals in the monastery library. You could try to remove it, as the memories are superficial and have barely any connections left to older memories, but the documents would still exist and he may just redevelop these thoughts on his own.

rolled 75 = 75

>>15015263
Yes, remove the documents which could link anything to this.

Then go to work with Ranta.

"I could also bind Kuzo... I admit, I don't really understand his powers but he seemed to be one of the earth/nature types, you understand? [explain everything you know about Kuzo and his mark]. Would that inconvenience you?"

You carefully and cleanly begin to work at the memories of the inquisitor to erase the entire trail of memories that lead to this. You make a mental note to go to the library and to remove all of the texts regarding the history of the blood purge there. It's the only way to be sure the inquisitor won't go down this path again. Then you close his mind back up and step away as the tiny drops of blood dry on his temples. The tall black man turns over in his sleep, but does not stir any further
"I may need to bind another vestige, Kuzo, to help us hunt down that bird. Would you have any problems with this?"
<No, I would not. But you seem to be forgetting something. How do you intend to call him with no mouth or voice?>
You curse yourself for the oversight as you open up Ranta's mind. You pull up the most recent thread and see him coming straight to bed after the discussion in the war room. You snip the memory clean off and close the gap before reseting his memories and returning to the empty room, facing your slit in the floor. What will you do now? Will you speed up your own time to pursue the bird? You know the general direction of Surdrime is south along the river but the bird might fly by a different route.

rolled 46 = 46

>>15015418
"I distinctly remember saying something to Arnold before knocking him out, remember?"

[Hmm... maybe we can call on Vestiges mentally. we certainly have never tried]

did we remove all the mentions of attack against elves from Rantas mind too? We should dig deeper.
did we search for memories where he might have disclosed the information to someone else? [we did do that with Inquisitor too, right?]

Also, quietly search the tent, maybe there are more reports lying around here.

rolled 16 = 16

Do the regular soldiers even know anything?

Also, I wonder how Ranta & Inquisitor will react when they realize they have been sleeping in same tent but can't remember why

You search the room for any notes or reports and, to your surprise, you find the annal detailing the town registry. You take the book in hand to carry with you when you egress.
You reopen the memory of Ranta. Perhaps you were not thorough enough. You peer into the past at his connections to the elves. Surprisingly, he's known about the most of the people living in town with elven blood for a long time. It seems he's always been somewhat of a sympathizer and has used his position to ensure they remain unharassed. Perhaps Ranta truly is as decent and friendly a man as you've always thought his to be.
You continue to pour back through his memories when you come across a curious thing. Many of Ranta's dreams seem connected to one core and central memory, including the dream he is having right now. You follow the threads backwards and are surprised to see your father in the very central memory, one with many ties to Ranta's choices and personality.
In horror, you watch the events that play out. Ranta as a soldier leads a brigade through the town slaying one defender after another, eventually coming to your childhood home. Your father stands there in the doorway, unarmed and stares at all of the destruction around him as Ranta cuts him down, stabbing him through the heart. But your father does not fall. He turns to Ranta and whispers something that gives him pause, speaking even as he falls to one knee. Ranta stands in awe as your father falls. Whatever he said, you cannot hear. Ranta runs forward where he sees you sleeping there in the room your father stood before. He gives pause and throws down his weapon, taking you up in his arms and fleeing that place. He turns you over to the monastery for safe keeping and swears an oath never to take another life, be it man or elf.
You are horrified at what you are watching play out over and over in the tiny node before you.

rolled 60 = 60

>>15015710
How can't we hear what he said? Aren't we looking through his memories...
Well anyway.

That's a cool bit information. We can't kill him in the name of vengeance here and since he has been sympathizer ever since, I guess we could leave him be.

"Tenebrotep, I need to know what he's saying. Why can't I hear what he's saying?"
<I cannot say. Most memories that old are only impressions anyways. It is quite extraordinary that it has maintained as much detail as it has. Perhaps he has forgotten...>
You desperately want to know why Ranta, a man you've known and trusted all your life, killed your unarmed father and what his last words were. But there is too much you still need to do.
You turn and leave the tent as you came, crawling out through the slit and into the shadows. You quickly make a run for the fence through the darkness and away from the campfire and vault over the fence with only a little help from your extended arms.
Landing in the soft untrodden grass you make for the river and activate your time dilation, pressing the first button. You feel it take effect, different from your other functions. Instead of everything becoming ten times slower you consciously feel ten time faster. Running with all your might you try to keep your breathing even as your blaze a trail beside the river. You risk a glance at your arm and see the clock spinning at ten times it's normal speed. You've only been running for a minute but it has already ticked down ten leaving you with an hour and a half.
You scan the skies, your strange lack of eyes able to discern the sharpest detail in the black void above. You see bats everywhere about and a couple birds but no birds carrying anything resembling the letter the inquisitor wrote.
<You realize how foolish this endeavor is. The bird may already be half way to the city by now.> Tenebroteps words flow slowly into your mind. It seems the speed you have has not been granted to him as well, though you hear him clearly. You continue to scan the sky as you run, feeling your hope and energy fading quickly.
Should you just give up? Or should you press on?

rolled 79 = 79

>>15016023
"Perhaps. But don't really have anything to lose. If there is a chance that we will get the bird I will take it... hmm, I'm going to try something. How long much time do you think the bird needs to travel there?"

Ask REM:
"Can the hounds get me while I am repaying the debt?" (when we stand still, while the time moves normally around us)

rolled 30 = 30

>>15016096
>.. hmm, I'm going to try something

Eh, remove that part. I was trying to write another plan but half-way realized it is not feasible.

While we are running:
"..Hey, Tenebrotep, why'd you use your total control to play around with that girl? Is that the only thing you wish?"
just some small talk while we are trying to find the bird

rolled 64 = 64

"Besides, Tenebrotep,
if we don't get the bird before it delivers its message, we still can get the recipient and erase his memories before he spreads it."

You continue to run as your heart pounds silently in your chest. Unable to think of anything but stopping the last link to tonight's events you hunt the bird with all of your will.
"Even if we cannot reach the bird in time, we will reach its recipient. We will just have to mediate the damage there."
A thought occurs to you. "Rem, will the Hounds be able to hunt me while repaying my debt?"
You wait but no reply comes. You recall that Rem is voice activated. This form is becoming more and more troublesome.
"Tenebrotep, how did I speak in this form before? When I confronted Arnold?"
<You cannot. He was a binder and linked to the void, so he was able to hear your words through the shadows. You never spoke aloud, the words were purely in your minds.>

"By the way, when you had your complete release... Why did you hunt that girl?"
<For many reasons. There is a strange ecstasy in defacing beautiful incorruptible things. Also I like the thrill of the hunt, a luxury I have been denied for too long. I would never have harmed her, merely left a mar on her pure untouched skin. If only she had not screamed. I could not stop myself from lashing out at her to make the noise stop before it drove me to madness.>
You feel your legs beginning to fail you. You won't be able to keep up this pace much longer.
But then you see it. Flying in the black of night, a white bird flies with a letter tied to its leg. You sprint with all that is left of your strength and extend your mutated arm as far as it will stretch. With the bird snatched in your hand you retract it and finally slow down, deactivation the secondary function of the gauntlet. You untie the note from the bird and check, finding it is indeed the exact note the inquisitor wrote.
You look to the bird. If you release it, it will likely continue to its destination without the letter. That could raise questions but it might not be entirely uncommon for birds to return with no messages. What should you do with the innocent carrier of the letter?

bump

When we bound Seno and Eno the other night, were we supposed to do anything involving animals and plants like we did the time before?

rolled 99 = 99

>>15016642
I don't think so. I think that was an extra cost they charged us for answers that one time.

I say we make the bird forget where its home is.

>>15016718
why not just kill the bird? it wouldn't be out of the ordinary, as the inquisitor wouldn't remember he sent the bird, and the expected recipient would not know whether of not he sent one, and if there's still suspicion, it would be blamed on a hawk or some other bird of prey...

You try to pick into the mind of the bird but your claw pierces it's head and the bird drops dead.
"I... I just wanted to erase it's memories."
<It doesn't work like that. Only sentient beings have a memory web that can be tampered with. Animals are far simpler.>
Although you would have preferred not to, killing the bird will accomplish your goals just as well as no one will even remember that it was missing. You drop the bird to the ground and look around.
It's still the dead of the night and you have more than an hour of time left with Tenebrotep. You are a good distance away from Nordrime and almost half way to its sister city. You have about twenty minutes left of stored time in the gauntlet. What will you do with your remaining time?

rolled 4 = 4

Do you like hunting sentient preys or anything would do?


Oh, also question concerning the nightmare world:
Would that place be dangerous to me? And if so, how much?
And when you said the price would be something beautiful, did you mean what I think you meant or something else? Please elaborate.

Ah and about controlling shadows:
would the affected person be able to tell that they are being manipulated? Would they scream? And if not, could I make them say what I want to?
And will they remember?


I say we go home now.
Remember we need to pay for the secondary function of Xepoc, so when the pact with Tenebrotep is done, we should summon Mora. We could give him a challenge: tell him what Xepoc said about the time lagging and maybe Mora will try to outdo himself to make even better clock

rolled 32 = 32

>>15016835
Find out if the Inquisitor has told anyone else the plans. Lieutenants, sergeants, etc. Make sure none of the assembled soldiers know why they've been assembled. Maybe plant some new memories in the Inquisitor's head about garrisoning the western border (or whichever is farthest from the elves)? Write a letter to our brother, let him know to pull back the elven soldiers, double their patrols three to five miles inside their border but to steer clear of Nordrime and other human settlements for a while. tell him we've deflected the Inquisitor's attention, and all the elves should be laying low. Also, ask him to send some elven sheet music so we can learn to play the flute we have (might want to use it to impress/woo Rose one day, or torture Tenebrotep). Also, ask if his mother is still alive. I think greg would like to know more about his father, and the best one to ask is one who knew him.

[I'm glad we managed to handle this subtly. I had an idea to bind, in this order, Kuzo, Narcosis, and Ascheron. Set our bony self on fire, so a flaming skeleton with horns and angelic wings walks into the war camp with 'a message from zarus'. That was an incredibly risky plan, and I didn't want to suggest it (couldn't earlier because of work keeping me too busy to set up my laptop) as it would probably lead to exposure/torture/death.]

rolled 11 = 11

Oh Shit
dont forget to take your robe back!!!

>>15016894
His price would probably be mutilating an attractive person. We know he's got a mad-on against Rose. I say we avoid dealing with Teneb any more than 100% necessary.

rolled 98 = 98

>>15016998
Agreed.

rolled 58 = 58

The library!

Forgot about the texts in the library!!!

>>15017031
That's right! We need to use Teneb's power to sneak into the library and destroy or alter any and all texts that might get the Inquisitor thinking about elves again.

rolled 91 = 91

I dont think we need to let our brother know that we had something to do with the invasion stopping

rolled 34 = 34

Use the gauntlets left over time as you see fit:
when getting back our robe
or in the library

Where's XII?

>>15017251
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15002071/
Should be it.

rolled 28 = 28

>>15017251
In the archive

it is, like, ninth thread from below...

You make your way back to town as quickly as you can manage, spending the last twenty saved minutes in the gauntlet to make your trip a little shorter and even your balances. You reach the town wall as the night begins to grow short and retrieve your robe.
"I think we have tied up all the loose ends but we will have to watch closely to see how things play out tomorrow."
<Our time grows short. If you have anything left to accomplish we should make haste.>
You make your way quickly through the town and back into the monastery, making quickly for the library. All the lights are out and the first bell will not be for a few more hours still so you meet no resistance. However, you shiver as you walk through the spot where the hound stood earlier this evening.
You search the library with expert ease and draw out all of the books concerning the war against elf kind, the town's history, and the town registry that already is in your hands. With the small collection of books in hand you turn and head back to your room.
Just as you close the door you hear a whisper.
<Our time is up. Until next time pact maker. Do not fear the shadows.>
You feel your warm familiar form return to you as you open the passage down into your workshop. You place all the books on a table there to be dealt with another time.
Your fatigue is mounting but you still have the gauntlet upon your arm and a debt to repay. What will you do now with your remaining night?

rolled 92 = 92

How much time do we still have till we need to summon Acheron again, 2 days?

as to what do, we need to make a sundial on our own or summon Mora again refer to >>15016894

rolled 68 = 68

Ask the question to REM which we were unable to ask before

rolled 66 = 66

We have to summon acheron again (I think we're down to 2 days). I say we go into some of the tunnels under town, call her up for a deal until sunrise, no powers, just her mark and presence, then spend the 2 hours before dawn chatting with her. She leaves at dawn, we should be refreshed from skele-form. We bind to Mora for ten inutes, whip up another clock (maybe challenge him a little to make it smaller. Also ask him if he can change one type of stone to another. I have an idea for a solid amethyst mantle-clock). When he's gone, wait for first bell and start our morning routine.

You figure it's time to call up your favorite dwarf once again for some clockwork.
"Great and ancient Asam'Ano Mora, the Architect of Misery. Raise you again your crafted works, engraved and carved for all to see. Come hither and stand before me!"
"What can I do for you lad?"
"Pact. Same rules."
"Done."
Without even turning to see which corner Mora stepped from his presence enters you and your large stone-shoveling dwarf arm returns.
"Can I get the more compact version again?"
#Course lad,# says Mora, though the transformation is complete before he finished speaking. #Now, what did you need?#
"Another clock Mora to pay off another debt. And I just thought I'd let you know that Xepoc told me the last clock you made was excellent but its cycles were about two and a half seconds two slow. Now I need to make another timepiece for my most recent contract."
#Alright, no pussyfootin' around this time. We're goin' ter need a new room fer this one. Give me a wall to work with lad. Just keep walkin' 'til I tell you to stop.#
You place your stone fist on a wall and walk forward, the stone shaping itself before you.
#Stop.#
You stop moving and see a huge room has been carved out before you with an elaborate conic shape emerging both above and below you. You realize finely pulverized sand is pouring out of the top cone and into the bottom one. You look down and realize beneath you are the hands of an enormous clock, calibrated by the falling granules from above.
#If the pendulum isn't reliable enough I'll use somethin' that is. This hourglass ought ter do the trick.#
~{Mission accomplished. Outstanding debt repaid.}~
"Thank's again Mora. Don't know what I'd do without you."

"Rem, now I have a question for you. If I have outstanding time when I terminate the pact will the Hounds still be able to hunt me?"
~{Affirmative. The refunded time dilation is identical to the effect you would gain from the primary function.}~
Thankfully you don't have any excess time stored up so you won't need to risk the presence of the hounds. The night is nearly done and the clock only reminds you of that. There is not much you can do but you still have one outstanding debt... To the judge of the damned.

rolled 63 = 63

It's been three days already?

>>15017626
[[It's actually only been a little more than one.]]

[[Well, I'm tuning in early for the night. It's been fun guys. Quest will continue some time in the next couple of days.]]

[[Archived:
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/15012249/
Have a good night everyone.]]

>>15017790

I've been here since the third thread, OP, and I just want to thank you for an awesome quest so far.

I just wish I was actually able to participate more, but I'm just happy the threads are being archived now. Looking forward to the next one.