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Cyrus Assan - the Physician
This guy is super uncooperative, and he didn't want to answer our questions so:
Skill Use
Casts uses Charm on him to make him a bit more pliable. And Kihra uses Speech on him.
Eventually he tells us that the Prince was weak and frail and he tried to heal him but "failed to do so".
We don't get much more information out of him. We spend a fair amount of time determining what we should do but ultimately go to the population to learn about rumors of "princeling murder".
Challenge
SPEECH Casts: Fails Kihra: Fails Terfir: Success Leanne: Fails
Turns out the prince never had a royal funeral, and there's a rumor going around that the Underking took him in the night and used him for a dark ritual.
We also learn a rumor that the Underking used to be a member of the courts of Cyrodiil years and years ago.
That night we decide to sneak into the castle to see what we can find out, and we've got some cats with us to help out - but only if everyone goes. So naturally everyone goes!
Challenge
First, we break into the place - Casts uses Security, Terfir uses destruction to freeze the lock. Then everyone does stealth: Casts: Success Terfir: Success Leanne: Success, -1 health -2 stamina Kihra: Success, -1 health Kihra must then break open another lock with Security: Success Free Perception check for everyone: Casts and Leanne succeed and find interesting notes.
Leanne finds a book, called "The fundamentals of Medicine". Casts finds his notes, but it takes a while to find notes on the Prince. We learn that Prince Cyrus Assan was brought in continually for "illness", but he wasn't sick - just not strong. "He was cursed with the body of a Breton". One day the prince stopped showing up, and was told the Prince died - but never saw a body.
We eventually come to the conclusion that the King took the prince to the underking to make him strong and failed. So we decided to summon the underking.
After some debate, we decide to do this ritual that Terfir Lif inexplicably knows to summon him, under the sewers.
(Alex was away for this part, someone can help fill this section out)
Apparently Medora has been hidden by some sort of powerful magic.
We tell the prince that his brother might still be alive and is being held in a fortress which we know the name of, but not how to get there. He asks us how we know, and we say "divination magic".
He gives us some traveler's kits to help us get there, but crossing the desert to get there is difficult.
Challenge
Survive the desert! Casts: Success, -4 Traveler's kits Terfir: Success, -4 Traveler's kits Kihra 2x: Success
Once we get in Casts does a whole bunch of Illusion checks.
Challenge
Sneak past the living things Casts: Success, -2 Stamina Kihra: Success, -2 Stamina
The two of the group make it past the scorpions, but they've managed to see the other two.
Fight
Giant Scorpions Casts: [Sneak][Backstab] Success Kihra: [Brawl] Success Terfir: Soul Trap Leanne: Spirit Bear
After the combat everyone makes Perception checks. Casts fails.
A Mummy creeps up on the group and slams Casts up against the wall. (Dodge failure, -5 health)
Fight
It's a Mummy! Kihra: Hand-to-Hand the mummy Casts: Heals self with Restoration Terfir: Summons a Fire Atranoch Leanne: BEAR Mummy: Attack Kihra: Hand-to-hand mummy
After beating the mummy we head down into the dungeons and all make Perception checks again.
Turns out there was a trap, which catches Terfir and Leanne.
Then Casts makes a Security check to get one of the cells open, to find the body of the Prince's brother. He had several parchments next to his body:
23 Morning Star 3E 400 Two days I was sealed within this crypt without food or water. I do not know whether hunger or poor health or one of the creatures who share this dank hole with me will kill me first -- I only know that I will soon be dead, and not even my bones with remain. My hope is that in the years that come, this letter will be read and the sad story of Cyrus Assan, Prince of Sentinel will be told. I am fifteen years old at the time of this writing, and have been plagued with bad health for most of my life, to the frustration of my hearty parents. The finest healers and apothecaries in western Tamriel have labored over my every cough and fever, but while they could save my life time and time again, they could not improve my sickly constitution. In retrospect, I received little real affection from the king and queen, embarrassed as they were about begetting such a cripple as the heir of the kingdom. I cannot say I missed the love; I received much attention from the doctors, priests, and herbalists constantly at court. Certainly I was not to be the sort of warrior that King Cameron was, but one of my dearest friends, a priest of Stendarr said that I might be the first scholar-king in the history of Sentinel.
My younger sister Aubk-i was the true favorite of my parents: athletic, beautiful, and charming. It is hard to think of an uncomplimentary word for her. I am resigned to my imminent death, and yet, I would like to see her once again. For six years, Aubk-i and I were the only children of Sentinel. Eight years ago, the queen had a boy child and named him Greklith, after the ancient Redguard word for Strong King. Few speak that tongue any longer, but all the scholars and nobles of Hammerfell understood. And Greklith is a strong boy indeed -- I have never so much as seen him cough. The Queen's next child, born only a year after Greklith, had an even more ominous birthname -- Lhotun. Second Boy. Perhaps had I been less sheltered, more suspicious by nature, I might have read into these nominations. Lhotun and Greklith are common enough names in our family, I reasoned. Now I know that even then, I was disinherited -- even if it was not official yet. For several months before Lhotun's birth and over three years afterward, I was in the throes of a very serious fever. The doctors despaired of me, but somehow and very, very gradually, I recovered. For the first time, and the last, I read an expression on my father, the King's face that was not indifference. It was disgust. That was a fortnight ago. Three nights ago, I was seized by men I had never seen while I was having a walk. My nursemaid stood by watching placidly as I was gagged and tied and thrown roughly into a sack. I do not know how long they rode with me, but I was eventually left here. When I finally freed myself from my bonds, I found that I was alone. My wanders have gotten me nowhere. This place is filled with undead creatures that prevent me from finding any exit.
I have no hope left, but no fear either. A few regrets. Perhaps had I studied magic instead of history and science I could free myself of this place. One of my tutors told the story of the Underking, how he had placed his lifeforce in the body of a powerful being and had thus conquered all Tamriel long, long ago. Had I only had the strength of a more powerful body like that. But I did not study magic. I studied history, so I leave this letter -- not to revenge myself, but as an historic document.