Ryonara

The War of the Three

@Flamelord She could join Shizuka in fighting Mephilus. Just say behind Shizuka.

The War of the Three

Sorry if I missed anyone. I tried to take account of all the chaos going on in the battle, please tell me if there's anything major I missed.

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

At least in 5e, the paladin isn't obligated to object to interrogating prisoners because of a loose definition of "Interrogation" and "Torture". In my experience playing D&D, I've only ran into one hardass GM who insisted that any Lawful Good character, paladin's especially, had to reject any form of forced cohesion. That was really the only thing I was worried about when we were told we had to find someone to question.

The War of the Three

Hibiki & Shizuka

Operation Start

Neither Hibiki nor Shizuka wasted time on formalities during this battle. As High Queen Eos herself was participating, both commanders arrived promptly and proceeded to commandeer the exosuits stored at KC-00032. Hibiki took the Alpha Exo-Skeleton while Shizuka manned the Beta Exo-Skeleton. They left the Gamma Suit behind, however Hibiki made sure to secure the Gamma suit with high yield explosives; in the event that it falls into enemy hands, Hibiki would detonate these explosives to destroy the suit and whoever had it. They could be disarmed of course, with Hibiki's permission. Knowing the power these suits had she also kept a monitor on the Gamma suit to ensure that if anyone tampered with it, she would know.

Once geared up the two sisters headed straight to battle. "Sosti ola adora, kantia tasa." Speaking her improved incantation, Shizuka armed herself with wings, continuing her chanting to grant a set for Hibiki as well. Once outside the two sisters split off after Hibiki gave her the plan. "The demons and angels intend to destroy us entirely; attacking each other is not their priority. No prisoners. No mercy." Without breaking her chanting SHizuka nodded. An explosion from within the factory caught Shizuka's attention and the two sisters shared a brief glance. "Go. I'll do my part here." With a nod Shizuka finished her chant and gave Hibiki wings, which she proceeded to use to take flight and aim her biotic rifle towards the oncoming angels.

Hibiki could easily recognize Torag's form leading the army, though there were a few new faces that Hibiki has not seen before, but could recognize their power. The most notable was some sort of snake-like person using magic to shield herself from the fortress's onslaught. There was also another who Hibiki knew as Ceil the Stargazer. Based off what limited information the Machina had on her, she was a powerful sorcerer of some sort. Her motivations and exact powers weren't known, but given the hurricane that just impacted the fortress Hibiki considered her a threat as well. Stabilizing herself admits the roaring winds Hibiki ran a few quick simulations in her mind. Taking account the wind, her bullet, and the power given to her by Eos as well as any that may be augmented by the suit, Hibiki seemingly aimed her gun in the direction of no one in particular. She fired three shots, each of them roughly coordinated to strike Ceil. Among all the chaos from Ceil's hurricane and the rage of battle Hibiki was confident that even she wouldn't notice these three bullets cutting through the air, riding the very same wind she intends to use to tear apart the fortress, heading straight towards Ceil's chest and head.

But just in cast she does, Hibiki moved and sought a better vantage point to snipe from.

Meanwhile Shizuka went back inside the factory to face the demons who had infiltrated. Finding them was easy enough: All she had to do was follow their trail of destruction and the sound of steel against steel. She was getting reports of a crimson knight breaking through the back entrance of the fortress, so Shizuka wasted no time getting there. Once she arrived she saw the hulking figure; an armored demon tearing apart the soldiers and defenses. "Idia santiri asa madia dita!" The red warrior would find his next blow to fail to kill any soldier or break any fortification as a magic barrier of divine origins parried the strike. If he would turn to look at Shizuka, he would see her wielding her new weapon: Azazel. A giant gun enchanted by Shizuka's own magic as it fired a rain of blessed bullets right at him, filling the room with bullets. With the addition of High Queen Eos's performance, Shizuka's shots seem to take on otherworldly attributes, causing bullets that missed to ricochet off the walls behind him and back towards the demon.

No doubt that this demon was made of sterner stuff than most however. But Shizuka was ready for him, whether or dies, runs away, or tries to close the distance.

@KoL@Lmpkio

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

Yeah honestly I doubt that Parum could back up her promise even if the prisoner complies, which I'm almost certain she wouldn't. If the prisoner doesn't tell Parum what she wants to know than she wouldn't mind as much if the prisoner is executed, but Parum will try to keep her word at least. If you guys kill the prisoner even after she tells Parum want she wanted to know, well... Just another traumatic event to file under today, right?

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

Parum kept her demeanor solid and stoic as the woman answered a few of their questions. The raider was part of a group known as the Cult of the Dragon, apparently lead by the Queen of Dragon's. As Torus had noticed, that could only mean one entity: Tiamat, sister of Bahamut. Parum only has heard a few tales about the Dregonfall War, knowing the name Bahamut simply because he is considered the king of all dragons. Tiamat of course was also mentioned however... Wasn't she dead? While many stories tell it differently, from being killed by her brother, banished, or simply forced to retreat, the fact was that Tiamat has been long gone. At least until now.

Parum was sure that there were plenty of cults of Tiamat scattered across the world, mostly worshiped by kobolds or a small band of fanatics. But seeing what they had to face today, Parum couldn't believe that a mere cult could muster a force this strong. While by no means a proper army, this was no mere bandit clan seeking to raid and plunder for their own survival. Too organized, too many, and certainly, no mere clan would have the strength of a dragon on their side. Either these fools were being manipulated by a more cunning, resourceful foe... Or the coming of Tiamat was very much real, and has inspired hundreds to prepare for her awakening.

The fact that Greenest was merely one of many villages these cultists intended to attack was also unsettling. Bandits are who they are due to being unable to support a regular life style, without the skills for a job or the opportunity for honest work. Those who become bandits for simply slating a bloodlust are actually rare and few. With that in mind, one could always believe that once beaten, a bandit clan will be forced to disperse and try to live honestly, or die in villainy. But a cult... A cult was much more determined. They would do what they do not out of desperation, but enlightenment. No matter how deranged it really is. Of all the wars that Parum had learned of, many started due to a religious cause, a god giving a powerful vision to powerful people. And if that's what has happened here, than the odds suddenly became much more grim.

But there was still one more question the woman hadn't answered. "If death is what you want, there are plenty of those here who'll give it to you. But you still haven't answered all my questions. Tiamat may be your queen but this attack was lead by someone else. And that blue dragon was with you as well. Tell us their names, and you may find yourself among their company again. Alive."

Rolls

Persuasion = 23

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

Oh for fuck's sake. It's even on my computer.

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

Kyra Shepard/Parum
Collaboration

With that surprised skirmish over, everyone moved quickly. It was rather startling to see how fast they all just… Cleaned up. Dragging bodies inside, taking prisoners away, all with the same mechanical efficiency of a clockwork object. It unnerved Parum; was this an adventurer’s life? The fighting, the killing, the death, she knew it was all there but witnessing it first hand was an eye opener. Parum was still trying to figure out what this all meant to her. She wanted adventure but… She supposed she had a more romantic view of it. While their actions were suitably heroic on the surface, digging deeper revealed the sort of vile work heroes had to do. It made the halfling feel a bit sick.

Parum followed the others inside and spotted Kyra walking away with their new prisoner. No doubt the cleric wanted to get answers from the bandit, but Parum followed quickly on her heels. Of all the people Parum was working with, something just didn’t sit right between her and Kyra. Parum and this time, it wasn’t because Parum was scared. It wasn’t because she knew she was a coward. But she felt like Kyra was about to do something horrible, and Parum has to do something. Even though she was scared for her life, even though she can’t fend for herself, if there was anyone Parum could save, it had to be Kyra.

Entering the dungeon Parum could see that the prisoner was already strung up. Kyra waited patiently for the prisoner to awaken as Torus did something strange with magic water. In the meantime Parum went over to Kyra. ”Kyra… Could I ask you something?”

Kyra didn’t take her eyes off the prisoner and spoke. ”That depends. Are you going to try to stop me from interrogating this scum?”

Parum shook her head. ”No, no… Actually I wanted to speak to her first.”

This surprised Kyra. She didn’t think the halfling would have the stomach for interrogations. This made Kyra turn and looked to Parum. ”Oh? And why would you want to do that?”

When Kyra looked at Parum, Parum looked right back at her. She gripped her hands together and steeled herself. ”Because…Because I believe I can get her to tell us the truth. We don’t need to hurt her aimlessly. No matter how much we want to.”

At that last sentence Kyra stood up over Parum, looking down right at her. ”All those monsters out there deserve a fate ten times worse than what they did to Greenest. Death would be too merciful for her. Why do you think she deserves any better?” Kyra glared at the halfling.

”Do you think that brutalizing her will make things better? To fix all the damage done, to heal everyone who’s suffered today? There has already been enough bloodshed. The moment you forget this and you will become the very same monsters you’re fighting!”

”Don’t compare me to those savages! They came to my home, my village, burned it to the ground, and slaughtered it’s people! You think I should just forgive them for what they’ve done!? To show them mercy!?”

Parum looked directly at Kyra. She could see the fire in her eyes. Reaching out, Parum held Kyra’s hand. ”Everything dies within time Kyra. People die, nature itself dies. Homes will fall apart. The only thing that remains are the memories. I know it’s going to be hard for you to forget this Kyra. But if you keep up the way you are now, even after this is all over, the only thing you’ll remember is that hatred. For you, you’ll never stop living this hell. So please Kyra… Let us take care of this. We’ll come find you when we’re done.”

Kyra stepped back and pulled her hand out of Parum’s grip. But despite her small, petite form, Parum didn’t let go. It was hard for Kyra to think with Parum bothering her. Let go of me Parum.” Despite saying that, Kyra didn’t try very hard to get out. She knew deep down that Parum was right, but she wanted to be angry. She wanted to be able to be strong. If she showed these people mercy… She wasn’t sure what was going to happen. She was scared. Her peaceful life, thrown into chaos from this act of terror. She didn’t know how else to react but with equal force. To meet their ferocity. It wasn’t something she knew how to do but she thought it was what she had to do.

"Go tend to your people. Get some rest. Let us take care of this.” Parum let go of Kyra and went to Torus. The prisoner was starting to wake up.

"Wait." Kyra reached out and grabbed Parum's shoulder. "Parum... I... I'm trusting you." Faint holy energy would resonate in Parum as Kyra offered her a spell of guidance. Letting her go, Kyra sat back down just as Brannor came by and put a hand on her shoulder. He was quiet, but after the conversation with Parum, Kyra had a good idea of what he wanted. It really made Kyra wonder if these outsiders understood her, or if maybe Kyra was really edging towards a road she can’t turn back. She just didn't know. Kyra stood up and left the dungeon and left the prisoner in the hands of the others. She needed to go talk to Falconmoon.

With Kyra leaving Parum took a sign of relief. The last thing the tilted cleric needed was the tension of interrogation to tempt her into doing something stupid. As the prisoner was coming to, Torus spoke some words to her. Parum walked up beside him looking very stern. Unlike a dragon, Parum was not scared of regular people. Least of all one bound in chains in a rocky prison. "Someone like you... Deserves a fate ten times worse than what has happened to Greenest. In a just world you would've died. But you have a rare opportunity very, very few people ever get. A second chance. So tell us, why are you here? Why attack Greenest? And who leads you?"

Kyra's Actions

Kyra cast Guidance on Parum. She leaves the dungeon to find her teacher Falconmoon.

Parum's Actions

Parum interrogate's the prisoner, offering a second chance at life instead of an execution. Persuasion = 18

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

I'm currently working on a short collab with Norshtalen between Kyra and Parum. Hopefully we'll have it done by today.

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

With their prisoner captured Parum hoped that they could leave this wretched place as soon as possible. She kept her guard up considering the danger simply being outside was, but she was happy to know that they aren’t going to run into any more trouble. Of course, considering her luck, Parum spoke too soon. The party ran into a small band of scouts near the tunnel entrance; whether they knew the way in or not, Parum knew that had to deal with these brigands quickly. And quickly they did; Brannor and Kyra eliminated two of the three brigands with their first attack. Torag lowered the prisoner he was carrying to attack the brigand, leaving only Parum and Orchid behind. She figured that the orc would soon engage in battle, so Parum looked towards him. “I’ll stay behind in case more show up, get going!” And so Parum readied another spell of Vicious Mockery, thinking of quips in her head as she kept an eye peeled for more enemies to come. She also stayed near the body in case anyone intended to come by and grab her, or if she was awake enough to run off on her own.

Actions

Karyn readies Vicious Mockery on any opponent who may show up or get near Parum and the prisoner. Just in case, she'll also be ready I. Case the prisoner is awake and tries to escape.

Perception = 17