JIC
1d100: [41] = 41
1d20: [13] = 13
Perc 68% /
1d100: [54] = 54
”Mox” wrote: Mox turns at the last comment and makes a spitting sound over his left shoulder twice, "I saw a changeling two years back. I did. It killed an Orc kid and took its place ... " In response Mohe growls and nods "I member that ... twas a human lookin bandit we chased into town. Killed the kid in a Barn ... whole community fought to 'save' it from the Mercs, but the real kid was already dead. They was just defending the killer. Sick twisted creature ... I member the Mom dies and then the Dad went crazy after the first kid's body was found ... sad sad shit." The mood is darkly quiet for several moments before the rattle of dice settles and the pips show Mox winning a small pile of silver and copper.
Silhouette looks up at Mox and knowingly shakes her head as she thinks for a time as she considers how to speak her thoughts,"
The story has problems, it was being made up on the spot. Mox left out how they figured out it was the changeling before the kid’s body was found. The story seems to be told in reverse." Activating Telepathy, Superior the changeling Silhouette reaches out to the Red Brigade man’s mind. Silhouette thinks,
”Changelings can only partially change size, not from a full grown human to child, even an orc child would be stretching it."
Telepathic probe:
(1)Silhouette probes Mox for if he was there through the entire ordeal, (2)did he see the changeling proven in death, (3) did he see the child body or only saw part of what transpired?
Rather than questioning him presently Silhouette adds her own story to the ones being told. After all it was the politeness of travelers to entertain one another. Silhouette says,
”Yin-Sloth being a barbaric place crawls with such creatures.” Nodding at Mox she says,
”Like your story, a child was involved, I didn't see it myself.” Not true, not a lie, she had a different perspective than an outsider to events as she tells,
”There was a mother to one of these creatures living in a human village where they discovered the babe. You see the child hadn’t mastered its ability to mimic the good races, not even the orcs, which like your story Mox we can agree they being brutes are far in-between on the scale higher of monsters than changelings.” Silhouette holds up a weighing hand and says,
”But the village had some knowledge and practiced the revealing ways on the mother to force her true face, but to no avail. They knew she was strange for having the complexion and ears of an elf, but this changeling had mastered its ways you see, by being strange among strangers to conceal her oddity even after having lived there for half a dozen years." Silhouette breaths,
"They did not know she could endure any pain so long as she was not taken from her child. Though they were confident in a proof alone as the changeling cried out in pain in their effort to reveal the true face, it still did not shed water as only angry eyes met theirs. It was known to them that changeling's can’t cry lest the tears burn and smoke upon their face.”
Silhouette takes a breath,
”So they found this child out and the mother’s duplicity. The villagers though had to restrain their rage, because normally such creatures are, however they are killed, burned immediately lest they rise from the grave as revenants to seek revenge. Their restraint was required because it was this year’s time of the Flame, where kindled lamp, candle, and cooking fire was carefully guarded lest wild fire be sparked. Even the dry storms filled with lightning cracks stirred the fear of these people. As an aside, I have known some regions to practice this restraint the closer to the Baalgor wastes, which makes this accounting I have well detailed, I think. As most in the swamps and by the sea don’t concern themselves for open flame or dry lightning.”
Silhouette shrugs to move on from the detail as she says,
”So they held this strong willed changeling mother and child in a pen carved out of the side of a drought river bed, walled in by sticks and branches and cracked mud for a prison until they could dispose of them properly in fire. The threat that breaking the bounds of their prison would see them handled brutally starting with the child. This arrangement lasted weeks before a rain finally came.” Holding out a hand Silhouette taps all her pointed fingers vehemently into her palm,
”The villagers were so happy to see the drought breaking that festivities broke out they forgot their prisoners location until the next day. The mother having been washed away in the river’s sudden flooding from the rains was found trapped, exhausted, shivering, and holding the child above the water to keep it alive as they were trapped in roots of a bank-side tree. There exhausted, she held up the boy yet alive who diligently bringing food had also been washed away with them.”
Silhouette wraps her arms at her sides as she continues,
”You see, the people had been taking care of the changelings and unable to resist talking with the mother who had been pleading for their mercy, to just let her leave and never return. They had grown to feel for the monster and especially the child even in its constant state of ugliness. With the rain’s oncoming it was not yet past the prescribed time of Flame, but also the prison was destroyed so it was deemed that the changelings had indeed tried their escape. However they recanted their promise to make the child suffer first on account of the boy’s saved life. With this they drew a rope across a large tree’s bow stating the mother will be hung until death brings on the change.” Laughing sardonically Silhouette adds,
”Doubly so…in a changeling's death.”
Silhouette nods her head and says,
”But the monster had escaped the pen for it so even as the rains continued to fall and the rope was drawn around the changeling woman’s neck she looked on at her child as the rain drizzled down to matte blond hair revealing those pointed elven ears. Sharply the rope was made taught as the woman gasped and heaved pitiful sobs as rain trickled and dripped down her face. While she looks on her babe to give it a last memory of love she implores the village a last request before the rope was to cut off her breath, raise her child under their protection.”
Mime -- 42% /
1d100: [23] = 23
Silhouette makes a hand over hand gesture occasionally shaking as if the weight of the struggle at the other end was real she continues,
"As they hauled on the rope and the changeling’s gasps, her struggle quieted, and her writhing soon stilled to but a light swinging of the body’s weight in the wind, the villagers waited for the change. Soon their feet turned to shuffling, and of nervous coughs, and yet soon whispers as their confusion rose with the minutes that passed.” Silhouette looks around the present listeners,
”Before they could not see her through their wrath and in the rain they could not see still again as they took the child from her...” Silhouette leans back
,"For it is known that a changeling cannot shed tears lest they burn their face."
”Ivy” wrote: I wish a powerful hero might have brought the boy back from the underworld to be again among the living.
Silhouette smiles sadly,
”And as all heroic stories begin with a tragedy, we dream that the doing of a good rights the wrong that can never be.” Silhouette nods as a questioning brow raises,”
What happened to the wizard in your tale? He must have gone mad turning that many little boys wanting the last word into his torment of crickets!”
”Ivy” wrote: He asks the pair, "Have you seen anything suspicious? Has anyone seemed to linger?
Silhouette looks around,
”Oy!” Slapping her knee she says in a mismatch of accents and speaking styles,
”Aye, there is something suspicious seen! An elf has been asking query unlike himself being a helping hand and remains to stand if not linger with eyes too attentive for our guarded transport!” Smiling Silhouette says,
”Did you drink the fairy tea to have you ajitter already? I know the rest of US are just human, but discounting that fact, the packages are well attended by Priest Ivy here, after all she isn’t a gnombody in the eyes of the gods.” Silhouette looks over at Ivy and gives a wink hoping the Priest didn't mind the pun.
