Chapter 2: Shock to the System
Plot points/Scenes
Having incapacitated and restrained both Viko & Nyrus, Kiara heads back to town with her warhorse & carriage (same as the one from the Soju campaign), turning in for the night. To get Nyrus to not keep trying to kill Viko, the three devise & execute a heist on Baris to recoup the contract amount that Nyrus would’ve gotten for killing Viko.
Afterwords, she & Viko meet Gar'falk & Aelsor at the Governor’s Hall, while Nyrus stealths outside the building and uses Vibraspeak to do so. They discuss the situation and potentially preparing their moves. Aelsor reveals (through Kiara’s attempted Mind Probe and his subsequent blocking & acknowledgement of her trick) that he has a history with the Warians, but did not elaborate on how he is so well trained in their skills. Gar'falk reveals that additional troops from several orc gangs will be arriving tomorrow to support the official Danarim Rebel Alliance, keeping Garen at bay by holding this strategic access point to Dalterran trade. Kiara does not agree with open aggression, as it goes against everything the Warian Collective publicly stands for. However, Aelsor again reiterates that he is not a Warian Monk.
Lady Zaeta & the Skyraiders attack the town at night, shrouding the sky in storm clouds. Kenyuzu, a recent recruit, also shows up in the force of 30 Skyraiders. Zaeta arrives on the back of a Storm Wyvern, a close cousin of the legendary Storm Dragons, while the rest fly through the sky with their wing suits & powers. Lady Zaeta dueled with Nyrus, who stalled her advance on the Governor's Keep. Meanwhile, Kiara & Viko battled the various Skyraider Thugs who were causing destruction, successfully defeating all of them. After a tough duel, Nyrus kills Lady Zaeta with a critical Speed Slam, claiming her Lightning Hilt for himself. While all this occurred, the remaining Skyraider forces had been driven towards the Western outpost by Aelsor's troops.
While these fights occurred across the town, the Skyraider's airship bombarded the buildings & populace with lightning cannons. After regrouping, the power trio reaches the airship through a teamwork enhanced leap; Nyrus used his cables on the tallest building near the airship to launch the trio into the air (clinging from his back), then used Goultani-enhanced strength to toss Viko (holding Kiara) the rest of the way to the airship. Viko used his Rouzhai firepower to launch close to the airships surface, allowing Kiara to grab on with Spider Climb while he drove his sword into the hull for friction. The two successfully raided the ship and defeated the support staff. After interrogating the airship captain, they learn that the Skyraiders were hired by an Agent Gallius to destroy Danarim shortly after it was taken by the Danarim Rebel Alliance. Angry that the gang was willing to slaughter so many innocent lives, including townsfolk he knew personally, Viko beheads the captain and goes on a murderous rampage, much to Kiara's shock and protest. Noticeably, Viko's eyes glow red and an aura of demonic magic emanates from his body during the rampage.
Kiara brings the airship down to the outpost while Viko continues slaughtering the crew, where Aelsor is coordinating the search and rescue of survivors. Kiara compares notes with Aelsor and determine that Garen is up to something, at which point Aelsor seems to fall into a brief trance. Having caught on to Aelsor's abilities, Kiara telepathically hacks in and discovers an information feed from an unknown telepath speaking directly with Aelsor; Garen has staged a military coup in the capital of Grettania, executing the Councilmembers and High Marshall of the military, and declared reorganization into the Grettanian Empire, with him leading it as the Knightlord. After this intrusive discover, Aelsor admits to Kiara that he is a Warian Whisper; off-the-books agents of the Warian Collective that act as informants & undercover agents, who occasionally carry out missions that defy the Collective's code. While Kiara obviously has more questions, Aelsor states that there isn't time for these revelations and that he needs to evacuate the town immediately, before Garen's troops arrive. Agreeing, but not entirely satisfied, Kiara lends him the airship that they recovered from the Skyraiders for refugee transport, wishing him luck on his evacuation efforts, fetching a mentally disassociated Viko from the scene of his massacre.
Kiara explains to Viko that she needs to report back to the Collective for next steps. Viko, while attempting to act aloof to what he just did, is clearly bothered by the night's events, as he believes that violence should be consensual between all combatants (clearly picked up from his gladiatorial lifestyle). Kiara, sensing his pain and anger towards the culprits of this massacre, invites him to travel with her to Dalterra so that she can telepathically reach out to HQ, as Hythenos is slightly out of range for her powers. Seeing this as an opportunity to explore life outside the growing nonfulfillment of his gladiatorial life, Viko agrees, and Kiara doesn't forget the violence she witnessed from him. The two are interrupted by Nyrus, who took the time to locate & guide their warhorse/carriage back to them. He expresses a surprising hint of gratitude, as getting mixed up with the two provided him with some good kills and a "new toy" (referencing the Lightning Hilt). Appreciating the gesture, the two invite Nyrus to join their escort mission, who agrees on the condition that they find "good work" along the way. Unbeknownst to the others, the senseles destruction of Danarim trigged painful memories from Nyrus's history, giving him a reason to get revenge against the instigator.
Relations
Protagonists
Viko, Kiara, Nyrus, Aelsor
Allies
Aelsor, Gar'falk, Danarim Rebel Militia
Adversaries
Skyraider Gang
Backdrops
Encounters
Earns 6,000 XP for the session
Date of Events
- 5/3/987 (intro scene after subduing Viko, night)
- 6/3/987, daytime (subsequent scene)
- 6/3/987, night (Skyraider invasion, ending scene)
Plot type
Chapter
Related Organizations
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