Tales of Faerun

[Deleted6317247User]

Nawen got herself a bit of baked eggs with sausage and some bread. She ate everything quickly. It was surprising how hungry she was.

 

When a bald man entered the tavern and started speaking in a hostile manner, Nawen reached for her blade but then stopped. Did he say that Tannin was a murderer? She could not believe her ears. She liked Tannin and refused to believe that he did what this man accused him of.

 

Nawen watched the bald man suspiciously but could not think of anything to say. "It was better to leave the talking for those better at it." She decided.

Edited April 5, 2013 by Guest

[AurianaValoria1]

Rhaine's eyes narrowed at the eastern man, "Forgive me when I say that I find your words hard to believe. However, I do think that we should...see...whatever proof you may be able to provide - for we may have been deceived all this time. But know that any attempt to deceive us in any way will be detected, by either my Ulitharid friend here or others amongst us."

 

She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, waiting for whatever the man wanted to show them.

[josh900]

Kento nodded. "It is understandable. It is a skill of his to appear less dangerous than he truly is." He took his hand of his word's hilt. "I traveled with him for many years, saved his life countless times, And he repays me.. With the murder of my family, my friends. The destruction of my home, and the burning of my flesh. Your Ulitharid friend would know if I were lying, He will find that I am not. And i know that i was not fooled. He spoke to me... And attacked me and my bodyguards before he moved on to my wife and son. I crawled back to my home, and was too late to save them." As he spoke his anger grew more and more noticeable as the memories came to surface. Tannin's grin as he kicked the head of Kento's wife to him burned in his mind. "I beg you." He said in voice shaking with rage as he dropped to his knees. "Do not let him escape justice again. If you aid me in my quest... Then I will give my life to your own, no matter what it is. This I swear."

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When Tannin finished healing himself he rolled his shoulders. "That's muuuch better. Now we can be off." He said to Gina. "Don't suppose there's room enough up there for me is there?" He asked her knowing full well that she would force him to walk. But he had decided to play the part of the idiot that she took him for. would it be painful? Yes, but he would look back on it and laugh... maybe.

[nethgros]

Othos spoke up, his supernatural voice carrying throughout the room, "I for one think that this deserves our undivided attention at the moment. I know my opinion may not mean much, and I have never actually met this Tannin, but if what this man says is true then we should stay our blades now so that we might draw them on he who is truly guilty."

 

With that he slid his sword back into its place on his back looked to the others for their opinions.

[AurianaValoria1]

Rhaine looked down at Kento, "Then show us your proof, and we will make our decision."

 

She did not believe this man to be a liar, and yet, at the same time, she was reluctant to suspect Tannin of something so atrocious as the murder of a woman and child. On top of that, only the man's memories could be used as evidence...and those could be distorted by time and hatred. It was a difficult thing to be sure.

 

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Ginafae sneered, "In your dreams, jaluk. Now get moving! Trip, fall, or take a wrong turn and you'll wish I'd have killed you. I may do it anyway."

 

She spurred the unicorn forward, the animal snorting and stamping right behind the half-drow.

[GrueMaster]

Kalin looked at the man kneeling before them, pity and disbelief running through his mind. He truly does believe Tannin murdered his family, he thought. Could our wayward friend actually be a cold-blooded betrayer? Putting the disturbing notion aside, the elan spoke to the newcomer. "If what you say is true, then this is disturbing indeed. I would like to hear Tannin's side of this tale as well before making a decision, however."

 

"I'm afraid I personally won't be able to see your proof right now, sir," the soulknife said as he turned to Rhaine. "We are getting ready to leave and there are a few things I just thought of that may become useful in our future endeavors." This was only partly true, as Kalin felt nervous about an unknown psionic touching his mind. I've already told four people my secrets. Don't need to add more to that list.

 

"Rhaine, I will be back in a short while, but I can catch up easily if everyone decides to leave during that time, so don't wait up for me." Giving a slight wave, he left the inn and started running his quick errands.

 

 

Tak'we kept watching the new softskin while turning his medallion in one hand. The possibility of sharing thoughts didn't seem natural to the thri'kreen, which left him nervously clicking softly. Why do softskins have to make themselves so random and strange? he thought distractedly, but continued to listen anyway, curious as to what this 'proof' was.

[josh900]

Kento sighed. "Very well then." He said as he stood up. "I will warn you, those of you that will allow it, will see, feel, smell, and hear everything I did. So that you may judge it yourself." He closed his eyes and a low hum filled the air and suddenly to those that would allow it, their senses would be transported to another Time and place.

-----------------------

 

 

Escorted by his guards, Kento walked into a large open room. The design of which was like nothing that could be found in the west. In the center An old friend stood. The sight of the white hair and violet eyes put a broad smile on Kento's face. "Tannin!" He greeted his old friend. "I imagined you would have stayed behind in Sigil. Not return to this place." He said as he approached.

Tannin shrugged. "Needed a change of scenery, what can I say?"

"Thank you?" Kento answered with a laugh. "The moment I heard you were here I arranged for you the finest room available. Come on! Let me show you it, you must be tired from your journey. I suppose you have come from saving your mother eh? Must have been quite a shock to see her son all grown up yes?"

Tannin gave a sad sort of smirk and shook his head. "No.. No, different time Kenny. I don't exist here. She's uhh... She's already dead."

Kento nodded. "I see." He said in a disappointed way. "I'm sorry my friend. I myself was dead in this time. I'm sorry that your reunion with your family was not as pleasant as my own. It is strange. I was married within a month. The daughter of an exceptionally powerful warlord. Thankfully she is nothing like him." He laughed.

Tannin nodded his head as he laughed along. "Yeah, yeah, so I guess everything's going well for you. I wonder what the others would think." He said with no mirth in his voice.

The feel in the air quickly shifted to an ominous one.

The smile on Kento's face disappeared. "Tannin..... They were wrong.... Murderers, Thieves, Defilers, Anarchist, They strayed from the path Tannin. They spat in the face of the very essence of the universe. They were of evil intent and were bringing you down with them. I do not regret what I did... Nor will I regret saving you from them. Monsters like them... Do not deserve to live."

Tannin scoffed as his face turned to a scowl. "Yeah..... Shame you didn't kill the worst of em."

 

As a Psionic, Kento should have known what was about to happen. But with Tannin it was always hard to tell. Due to his heritage acts of violence never registered in his mind. He never seemed to think about what he was doing, simply acting on instinct. And so when the knives flew out at his bodyguards Kento barely knew what was happening until the others rushed forward with their blades drawn.

The fools dropped within seconds. Tannin's knives ended their lives in a painful fashion, their cries of pain and anguish as they bled out would last for far too long. Wearing only the robes of his clans royalty, Kento was at an extreme disadvantage. His blade clashed with one of Tannin's blood soaked knives but he was left open to his other. The blade dug into Kento's thigh and was dragged down his leg, dropping Kento to his knees. It was then he could see that Tannin was hasted, and Kento never stood a chance. He could feel his skin being torn open in numerous places, mostly in his legs and arms. And when his arms and legs were nothing but patches of skin and muscle keeping the bones in place the hilt of a knife found his temple and Kento's world darkened.

 

When he came to the air around him was filled with smoke and the screams of the villagers. Above him sat the master healer, His face was covered by one of his clans war mask which were enchanted so that the wearer was unaffected by smoke. Highly usefully during sieges and the like. The master healer had place one onto Kento as well when he was still unconscious.

"Thought we had lost you there my lord. You're lucky. That man's killed all the others." The healer said before Kento shoved him away and tried to stand up. "Where is he?"

The Master healer bowed. "I'm sorry my lord. He was last seen headed towards your-"

Kento didn't let him finish, He grabbed his sword and ran off as fast as his legs could go. The pain would have left most men crawling by now, but he couldn't stop, not with what was at stake.

 

But despite his speed, Kento was too late to save them. The sight that met him as he ran through the front entrance made him drop to his knees, He screamed out in anguish at the sight their bodies, and Tannin's grin standing over them.

"Oh I'm sorry." Tannin laughed in a mad way. "What kinda monster doesn't let a woman welcome her husband home?" He said as reached down and pulled the dismembered head of Kento's wife by her hair. He grabbed her jaw and moved it up and down, opening and closing her mouth as he spoke in a falsetto voice. "Welcome home sweetie."

The crazed smile left Tannin's face and was replaced with a look of absolute hatred. "Here, I'll be nice. Let you give her a little kiss even." He said before dropping her head and kicking it straight into Kento's chest.

It hit against him with a wet thud, spraying him in her blood.

Nothing mattered anymore, nothing was real. Kento lifted her head up so he could see. Her eyes bulging out in horror, face distorted.. It wasn't his wife, it couldn't have been. He had saved Tannin's life over and over, Why would he do this to him. And so he asked. And Tannin answered with a scoff.

"You know why I came after you Kenny." He said reaching into his coat pocket. "But all this?" He said looking around and motioning to the bodies. He looked straight into Kento's eyes. "This was just twisting the knife."

With a frenzied yell Kento charged, all discipline and training forgotten. The only thing that was real now was Tannin's face and the urge to break it. A vial smashed against him as he got within arms reach, Tannin stepped to the side, and Kento was burning. The flames quickly wrapped around his entire body, his mask keeping his face protected from the flames. But it did nothing for the rest of his body. As he dropped to the ground and tried to roll out the flames that would not be quelled, Tannin calmly walked out of the building, leaving who was once one of his most trusted friends to burn.

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The memory ended and those that allowed to be shown were now back at the inn in their own bodies.

Kento looked to each of them. "Tannin has taken... Everything from me. So what say you? Is my pain enough or do you still doubt my words?"

---------------

 

 

Tannin gave Gina a mock bow. "Of course my lady, have no fear. I only ever trip when it's convenient." He said with a wink before he turned and started down the road to Shadowdale.

[mythicdawnmaster]

"Well that was... vivid." Xallistine remarked in a rather bored tone as the vision faded and his eyes re-adjusted to the room around him. He looked upon the wronged man and couldn't help but feel a little pity, still, he wondered why it is Tannin had set out to murder this Kento. He wondered what it was that these 'Murderers, thieves, defilers and anarchists' were to Kento and Tannin before this apparent split.

 

"Based on these memories and the patterns of his brain, It is clear that what he has shown us is true from his end- That was not a lie or a spun set of events, i cannot say if it has been exaggerated or heightened due to the... all consuming lust for revenge this man has, but until we extract the truth from Tannin, this is to be seen as a reliable source." Xallstine commented sagely to Rhaine, wishing to help her make an informed decision- the state of ones companions is no easy thing to meddle in.

Edited April 6, 2013 by mythicdawnmaster

[AurianaValoria1]

Rhaine's normally golden complexion was ashen. She still could not believe that the man she had been traveling with - the seemingly lighthearted, ever-witty Tannin - was the murderer of this man's family...yet there was the evidence before her, and she could not deny that the murderer's appearance and voice matched Tannin's perfectly. A rage filled her heart at the sight of the wife's decapitated body and the nearby corpse of her child.

 

Now, everything that she thought she knew about Tannin was suspect. Even if or when they could hear Tannin's side of the story...even if he could somehow justify his wrath against Kento...in the end, he would never be able to wipe away the sin of murdering so many. The Doomguide would never see the half-drow in the same light again - if he lived after their next meeting.

 

Maydiira was shaking, silent tears streaming down her cheeks. Though she had felt pity for Kento and understood his words back in Shadowdale, she had not truly realized the scale of the tragedy until she had seen his memories for herself. She could not bring herself to speak, but she met his eyes with her own and shook her head quietly, sorry that she had ever criticized his hard heart.

 

Rhaine listened to Xallistine's words and nodded, her lips pressed together tightly. She finally spoke, addressing Kento in a low voice.

 

"You may come with us. We have sent Tannin ahead to scout out the headquarters of the Cult of the Dragon, and we were going to follow him shortly. If he does not meet his end in those caverns, I ask that you stay your blade - however hard and difficult it may be - so that we may see both sides of the argument, here. I want to know more about the situation before the slaughter - and I want to hear Tannin's version of the story. Justice cannot be served without hearing all sides first."

 

The Doomguide then fastened her eyes on her companions, "Nawen, Tak'we...I want you both to go ahead and scout the road to Shadowdale. See if you can track Tannin...and make sure he's gone where he said he would go."

 

Turning to Xallistine, she added, "Go inform the stablehand that we need our horses ready in an hour's time. The rest of you - fetch whatever last minute supplies you need. Weyland, get your armor from the smith. All of you are to meet me at the gates in one hour."

 

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It was well into the night when they finally reached the outskirts of Shadowdale. Ginafae dismounted the unicorn and unsummoned it in a flash of red light.

 

"So, where to now, jaluk?"

[nethgros]

As the vision faded, Kowolj woke from his sleep with a disgusting mix of hate, sorrow, rage, and confusion as the vision had pervaded his dream he had been having of the open plains. He had awoken just in time to hear Rhaine's words, to which he responded in a loud half-growling voice full of hate, "I too wish to hunt this man. It has been all too long since I have put my skills to use, and never in my life has there been a better time than now."

 

Othos could feel a deep, stinging bitterness upon regaining his senses and was now absolutely certain that helping this man would be the right thing to do. He also felt relieved that he could 'meet' Tannin under such circumstances, with his true nature revealed; it seemed as though those in the group who knew him already had been duped by this monster.

 

Hearing Kowolj's words Othos turned to him so he might see his conviction, and seeing this he spoke up for him, "I agree with Kowolj. He may not be formally trained, but his natural ability in tracking rivals that of your average ranger. That and... I'm not sure we could stop him from doing it anyway if we tried."