Out of the Shadows, Part 16


"I think that Belan and Relis are right," you say. "There's still just too much we don't know. We need to learn as much as we can about the situation, before we start making moves we can't take back. I'll see what I can get out of the Oracle. Khaytala, Relis and Belan, you should be more than enough to free the prisoner held in Eselvar Manor—whoever they are. And Verika..."

You pause, meeting her wary gaze head-on, the tension between you hanging thick in the air. Then you continue, your voice quiet. "I really think that investigating the war room at Cendiath Fortress is our best bet. We need to know what Lady Pheshera has planned if we want to make the best choice on how to play the nobles against each other."

A muscle works in her jaw. Then she glances over at Khaytala, who is looking at her hopefully. Seeing that the others are clearly on board as well, she exhales and her shoulders slump. "All right," she says, though it's clear she still has strong reservations. "I'll look into it, see what I can learn."

It is unfortunate, passing up a chance to interact with Verika on a mission... but you feel that it's worth it, given the circumstances. And you'll still have the chance to talk with her back at camp afterward, hopefully with a tale of success to offer. For her part, she at least seems relieved that she isn't sending you with any of the others either.

Even so... you'll need to hash things out between you eventually. That promises to be quite the confrontation, one way or another.

The five of you spend the rest of the night hammering out the details of your respective tasks. You ask Relis about the layout of the shrine, about what she remembers of how the Oracle's chambers can be accessed, about the schedule of Lady Eshosi's visits for consultation. And as you listen to her answers, an idea starts to form. If you time it right, you might be able to accomplish even more than just getting information from your primary target.

Much is still uncertain, however. Especially since Relis wasn't able to get a good look at the Oracle. Her attempt to get closer was one of the times she was nearly spotted, and would have been caught save for Belan's magic.

Everyone is tense, contemplating what tomorrow will bring. But in the end weariness overwhelms worry, and you all turn in for some sleep. Verika is the last of them to fall into slumber, and you can feel her gaze on you even in the darkness. As though trying—by sheer force of will—to discern how she ought to deal with the threat you might pose. Someone who might be a demon from hell, resting in their very midst. His vile claws already latched into her dear friend.

And perhaps... into herself as well.

Upon waking, your group eats a quick meal and then sets out in silence. Khaytala looks with increasing worry between you and Verika, the tension clearly not escaping her notice. You walk through the darkness of the narrow tunnel, then infiltrate the city as you did before. The only difference is that this time, you sense that Verika still follows the group from hiding until you separate from them.

Slipping through the cramped, winding streets, you soon reach your destination and get your first look at the shrine. It's an ancient building, notably older than the ones surrounding it, the black stone of its outer walls far more weathered and faded. The architecture is twisted, asymmetrical, strange spines of rock jutting out in uneven places along its surface, shaped according to some unnatural design. Already you can hear faint, muffled cries coming from deep inside the structure, and you recall what Relis told you about the rituals of flagellation that she saw.

Not that you're opposed to whips in principle, of course. Far from it! With the right sort of whip, you know exactly how to bring someone to that ephemeral balance point, where pleasure and pain blend together into an even greater euphoria.

But from the screams you're hearing now... you very much doubt the drow inside this sanctum of Melca's have any interest in that sort of artistry.

You make your entry in your usual way, watching from hiding until you see an important-looking shrine official leave. You follow her for a while, observing her carefully, and then "return" wearing both her form and voluminous robes. Your feet echo on the flagstones as you enter their place of worship, walking past wall after wall adorned with huge, garishly-colored tapestries, each one depicting a scene of history or myth. A record of their goddess' dealings with this world.

And on each tapestry, you see one epithet repeated again and again. A command to bow before Dread Melca, the Goddess of Suffering and Thorns.

Soon you step out into the main sanctuary. Your gaze sweeps across the many curved pews that fill the large room, all of them arranged in quarter-circles surrounding a central dais. There, in the center of the chamber, four pillories have been erected, each one restraining a slave. Two are human women, another is a human man, and the final one is a male dwarf. All of them are shirtless, their backs exposed and marked with countless lashes.

As you watch, the surrounding drow worshipers periodically walk down the aisles to the dais. They first abase themselves, reciting what sounds like scripture with varying degrees of reverence. Then they pick up whips left in the area and deliver three strike to the sobbing captives. Never any more, never any less. One drow after another.

It's madness. Incomprehensible madness that grates at the fundamental essence of your being. Even at the best of times, the appeal of the gods and their endless rules is incomprehensible to you, save for the occasional few deities that do agree with the Second Circle on the primacy of raw, uninhibited sexual pleasure. But a goddess like this...

Why? Why do the mortals do this to themselves, when instead they could so easily lose themselves in ecstasy, on the path you and your kin offer?

Madness.

Despite what you see playing out before you, however, you don't allow your outward expression to waver, projecting the very image of a cold, contemptuous servant of Melca who has seen all this countless times before. You move along the path Relis described, turning into a hallway to the right. Soon you see the door leading to the Oracle's chamber up ahead, with two guards standing in front of it.

This is as far as Relis could get. Fortunately, you have methods that she doesn't. "The High Priestess has instructed me to consult the Oracle on a matter of great import," you say imperiously, as you stride up to them. "If any other supplicants arrive, turn them away... except for Lady Eshosi. Give her no trouble when she arrives. We have matters to discuss."

The guards offer no contest, only nod dutifully. Perfect. If Lady Eshosi arrives on the schedule Relis observed, she should be here for her usual consultation in less than an hour. Just as you planned it. The guards deferentially open the door for you, revealing a short hallway. You walk down its length, past another door leading off to the left, until you reach a third door at the far end. This one you open yourself.

And with that, you catch your first glimpse of the Oracle, right there in the center of this small, stone room.

She is a drow girl, midway through adolescence, her wrists bound with iron manacles, attached to chains that run down from the ceiling. She hangs limp from them, her arms outstretched. The Melcan fondness for whips can be seen here too... but with a particularly cruel edge. The whips for the slaves outside were intended to hurt... but their design was chosen with at least some token effort toward ensuring they didn't go through their victims too fast.

Not so here. The whip they use here is a thing of hooks and blades, designed to rend flesh. It has already lashed the girl's back bleeding and raw. She is also completely naked, but even for you this sight arouses no lust at all. Step by step, you circle around her trembling form... until you see her face.

The association of blindness with oracles is a long and ancient one, tying the loss of one earthly sense with the gift of the divine connection. Some gods specifically seek out the blind as their messengers, perhaps aiming to bestow a dignity on their oft-humble state. For other gods, becoming an oracle naturally results in blindness, their servants' vision gradually fading upon being chosen.

The servants of Melca, however, clearly take a more... proactive approach.

Her face is covered with dirty bandages, obscuring where her eyes would be, but you can still see the two iron spikes that protrude from the area. For a long moment you stand there, silent, taking in each detail. It's clear that this is no revered figure. The Oracle is a disposable mouthpiece, an interchangeable component to this ritual, soon to be replaced by another once they've wrung the last bit of use from her.

You'd planned to convince her to give up the secrets she knows by fucking her into submission. And technically, that still is an option. You could give her a brief, shining moment of pleasure set against the torment of the rest of her existence. You'd have to be much more careful than you'd originally anticipated... but it's still a possibility.

For something a bit less fleeting, though, you could offer her a Corruptive Boon in exchange for the information. Its sexual nature could be used to conflate the sensations of pain and pleasure altogether, providing as much relief as you can from her torment... for however many more days she lasts.

Finally... you could simply offer to get her out of here. It's not what you were planning, and it would require some bold improvisation. But you do have the beginnings of an idea that could accomplish it. The drawback is that such an incident will doubtless place the shrine on high alert, increasing security and making any subsequent tasks at this location more difficult.

Whatever you choose, though, the complication to that question is nothing compared to how it complicates your other goal. You'd hoped to impersonate the Oracle when Lady Eshosi arrives, in an attempt to manipulate her. That is also still possible... but in order to put on a convincing performance, you'll need to see for yourself what it actually looks like when the Oracle speaks with the voice of the goddess.

You would need to convince the girl not just to betray her secrets, but to perform a real consultation with you first. You don't know the exact steps, but you know it will involve the wicked whip that even now lies on a pedestal not far from where the Oracle is chained.

Are you willing to do it? And what's more... are you ready to speak with the goddess whose influence has shaped so much of the trouble that you and your mistress have found yourselves in?

If you succeed, the ability to manipulate Lady Eshosi's actions through her trust in the Oracle's answers could be an enormous asset to your efforts. Likely, it would allow you to foil or redirect actions that could be deadly for your group, as well as for perhaps many others. But the unknown costs and dangers in that course may be formidable as well...