<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=208691.msg10943778#msg10943778">Quote from: Autocad on 01-02-2015, 09:59:35</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote"><br/>There was one more thing she could say, but up until now she wasn't sure whether she should. Someone was trying to get between her and al-Samara, probably a jealous concubine who had nothing to do with the assassins, but it had been an overt albeit hard-to-trace attempt on her well-being all the same. So it was only fair that she use whatever means were at her disposal to defend herself, right? or so she justified to herself. "There's one more thinya," Arensha said. "Two days ago, I was walkinya up the stairs to the library when I saw that a <em>grease</em> spell had been cast on the steps. Luckily I saw it before I stepped on it and I cleaned it up before it could hurt anyone else. I didn't know who did it, but if I hadn't spotted it in time, I would have slipped and hurt myself - and then I wouldn't have been able to be with Sultan al-Samara last night," with all the implications for how things might have turned out differently in that case, she left unsaid.</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br/>"Hmm..." Ahriman mused.  "That is too close to be coincidental.  Thank you for your time, Arensha."<br/><br/><hr/><br/><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Arensha was dressed in her harem outfit and looking her best, hoping to catch al-Samara's eye again for another evening, hopefully uninterrupted this time around, when she saw someone moving suspiciously through the courtyard. Her eyes still slightly dry from the lingering effects of the Desiccating Ember, she didn't manage to get a good look at who it was and by the time she had rubbed her eyes, the person had disappeared behind the hedge.<br/><br/>"I saw someone dart behind the hedge," she explained when Alfreldi asked what she was looking at. "I'll go check it out-" she reached down out of habit for a piece of gum, to power the spell needed to turn herself invisible, only to realize that of course she didn't have it. That wouldn't stop her from investigating, regardless... "If it turns out to be more assassins, you run and don't look back until you find a guard, okay?" she would say, in all seriousness, if Alfreldi wanted to tag along.<br/></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br/>Hanifa noticed that Arensha spotted her, but she did not bother to hide further.  By the time the catgirls rounded the bend and laid eyes upon her, she put a finger to her lips and with a nod of her head gestured over to the second floor balcony with Roshul.<br/><br/>"Silent Girl, what are you doing?" Alfreldi asked.  "After all that's happened it's not a good idea to be sneaking about!"<br/><br/>Hanifa walked over to Arensha.  Glancing to a nearby plant she thought<em>that will do</em>as she chopped its stem off with a clean cut from her hand.  At first the plant seemed normal, but then it down, its stem broken.<br/><br/>Alfreldi looked over in shock.  "What did you do that for?!  Oh, that poor plant!"<br/><br/>Hanifa sighed.  She took Arensha by the hand and put herself between her and Alfreldi.  With her hands she made stabbing motions, pointed to Arensha, and then pantomimed falling over and dying.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Sense Motive DC 5</div><div class="spoiler_body">Hanifa's referencing yesterday's assassination attempt.</div></div><br/>"You're acting stranger than usual today, Silent Girl," Alfreldi said with a sigh.<br/><br/>Standing back up, Hanifa walked in front of Arensha.  Turning to Alfreldi, she smiled as she crossed her arms, her back to Arensha and obscuring a fair portion of her from sight.  Then she jumped to one spot, made stabbing motions to Arensha, jumped back to her original spot and turned around, and crossed her arms.  Then she pointed to Arensha, giving the thumbs up.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Sense Motive DC 5</div><div class="spoiler_body">Hanifa wants to be your bodyguard.</div></div><br/>"Hold on, wait, I got it!  This is charades!  What are you saying, Silent Girl?"<br/><br/>Once again Hanifa reenacted the scene, but this time she snapped off the cut plant and gave it to Alfreldi, going behind her and placing it in her hands so that she was wielding it like a sword.  Walking between the two catgirls again, Hanifa held her arm up to Arensha and gave a crooked finger, motioning her to try and hit her.<br/><br/>"Um, okay, I'll give it a shot," Alfreldi said worriedly.  "Alright, here goes nothing!" (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=71652)<br/><br/>Hanifa managed to get hit by the branch, but even then she quickly caught its length between the side of her body and her arm.  With a quick push from her free hand she shoved Alfreldi back. (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=71653)<br/><br/>"Yeah, I get what you're trying to say now, Silent Girl, you want to be Arensha's bodyguard.  But why?"<br/><br/>At this Hanifa was at a loss for what to do.  Hesitantly she looked over to Arensha.  Her brown eyes caught her reflection and began to water, and Arensha could see that she was frowning.<br/><br/>"Ah..." she let out a noise before catching herself.<em>Dammit Alfreldi, why do you have to be here?!</em>she thought as she closed her eyes and clenched her teeth.<em>Why can't you let the two of us be, so I can say what I want, how I feel?</em><br/><br/>Without entirely meaning to, Hanifa hugged Arensha.  Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she tightly held her close, not wanting to let go or her be taken away from her again.<br/><br/>"Silent Girl, I didn't know you cared for her that much.  The two of your must have been great friends."<br/><br/><em>We still are.</em><br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Perception DC 15</div><div class="spoiler_body">Arensha hears off in the distance the sound of several feet accompanied by a sliver.</div></div><br/>Hearing the incoming Roshul, Hanifa left her embrace and dove into the nearby hedge. (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=71654)<br/><br/>"Oh, Alfreldi, Arensha, fancy meeting you here!" Roshul said, accompanied by Faliensk and Zelda.  "I seem to have lost sight of Silent Girl.  Have you seen her around?"<br/><br/>Out of the corner of her eye Arensha could see Hanifa shaking her head.<em>Arensha, you need to trust me on this!</em>she thought.<br/><br/>I saw her around the western courtyard, (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=71656) Alfreldi said, technically true.  "Can't say I blame her, the citrus trees this side are some of the tastiest ones!"<br/><br/>If Arensha wishes to lie, roll a 16 or better Bluff check.  Due to Alfreldi's Aid Another, she gets a +2 bonus for a total +10 modifier.  If she manages to somehow distract Roshul via seduction (the naga is bisexual), then you get an additional +2 bonus for the skimpy harem pants! (https://elliquiy.com/forums/dicebot.php?r=71655)<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">If Arensha's successful in her lies</div><div class="spoiler_body">"Oh, well if you see her around, be sure to tell me!"  With a huff of frustration she snakes around and departs with Zelda following.<br/><br/>If Arensha employed some 'revealing gestures,' Roshul will blush and get all flustered.  "Well, um, I thank you for your assistance, Arensha!  I um, duty calls me elsewhere, bye for now!"<br/><br/>Faliensk remains behind, glaring at Arensha.  "I know you're hiding some, catslut!" she hisses.  "You may have fooled the rest of us, but I know that you're no ordinary harem slave!  I don't know what you're planning on doing to my precious Samara-pie, but I won't let you get between him and me!"<br/><br/>And with that she turns around on her heel and storms off.<br/><br/>Cautiously Hanifa creeps out of the bushes, covered in leaves, once Roshul and her entourage are far away.  Alfreldi starts to laugh.<br/><br/>"Oh, that's right!  Faliensk was the Sultan's favorite for quite some time.  Looks like you've managed to upstage her this past week!"<br/><br/>Hanifa did not look amused.<br/><br/>"But back to the main topic, why are you hiding from Roshul, Silent Girl?"<br/><br/>Hanifa makes a snake-like motion with her arm, representing the naga, then holds an outstretched arm out to Arensha and shakes her head.<br/><br/>"What, you mean, Roshul doesn't like Arensha?" she guessed.  "That she's keeping you away from her?"<br/><br/>Hanifa clapped her hands at that last part and nodded her head.<br/><br/>"Hmm, that does seem an odd thing to do," Alfreldi says.  "Anyway, that hedge-dive you took left you dirty and scraped," she said, brushing some leaves off of her.  "Why don't you go take a bath?  We'll even stand guard for you in case Roshul's crew comes around."<br/><br/>Hanifa smiles, clearly liking Alfreldi's idea</div></div><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Arensha fails or tells the truth</div><div class="spoiler_body">"She's hiding something, I can smell it!" Faliensk said.<br/><br/>"Arensha's a good person, she's been nothing but up front with me," Zelda protested.<br/><br/>Spotting a reflection in Arensha's eye, Roshul casually slithered by the hedges.  "Well, it would be terrible if one were to hold secrets, especially given the palace's lockdown...are you sure you're telling the truth, Arensha?"<br/><br/>Suddenly, her rear tail snaps through the hedge, catching Hanifa in her coils.<br/><br/>"Silent Girl!" Alfreldi screams.<br/><br/>"You are very nice, <em>for a liar!</em>" Roshul exclaims to Arensha.<br/><br/>Hanifa attempts to struggle at first, but the sight of a nearby eunuch approaching discourages her from continuing.<br/><br/>"And what were you doing, sneaking about like a thief in the night, hmm?" the naga asked, taking her down so that the white-haired Garundi was eye-level.<br/><br/>"She just wanted to protect Arensha!" Alfreldi protested.<br/><br/>"Perhaps, although having someone trying to evade my watch so soon after the assassination attempt is quite suspicious.  I'll be keeping a close watch on her from now on."  With that, she releases Hanifa to the ground, who is now rubbing the sore spots where Roshul squeezed her.<br/><br/>"And Arensha here covering for her does not look too good, either!" Faliensk said with a wicked grin.<br/><br/>"Enough," Zelda rebuked her.<br/><br/>"That will be for me to decide," Roshul said to the wood elf.  "And as for you, Arensha, you're not off the hook!  I'll be keeping my eye on you as well for that little like you pulled!"<br/><br/>Alfreldi and Zelda watched morosely as Roshul beckoned for several guards to escort her and Hanifa across the courtyard.  Faliensk was beaming.<br/><br/>"So the brave furball who <em>saved</em> our Sultan's life," she said, putting emphasis on saved, "is helping a potential spy elude fair Roshul's gaze.  Tut tut tut, that's not going to look very good."<br/><br/>"No offense, Faliensk," Alfreldi said, "but you weren't there.  You did not see the genuine tears in her eyes as she pledged an oath of protection to Arensha.  You were not there when she took a sword wound to save Sultan al-Samara."<br/><br/>Zelda did not speak, but by her position and stern gaze on Faliensk it was clear that she was on Arensha's side.<br/><br/>"A blow I would have just as eagerly taken.  No offense, catslut, but you Alfreldi here haven't been in this palace as long as I have, you don't know al-Samara as well as I do, in more ways than one."<br/><br/>She walked up to Arensha and began poking her.  "And as for your rescue, it was nothing more than an animal-like fight or flight instinct compelling you into a primal rage.  Your so-called 'love' for al-Samara is nothing more than your feline ancestry mixing with your hormones.<br/><br/>"Don't take the bait," Zelda said.  "She's trying to provoke you."<br/><br/><em>If Arensha takes the bait, roll for initiative.</em></div></div><br/><hr/><br/><div align="center"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 18pt;">That night</span></div><br/>Al-Samara invites nobody to his bedchambers.  Instead of his typical quarters he lies awake in the guest bedroom, no woman at his side for companionship.  For the first time in months he is not in the mood for sex, his mind swimming about last night's attack.  Tracing a line across his stomach, he thinks about Arensha's sacrifice, of how just before she left her eyes had...something in them, more than genuine worry.  He felt guilty about subjecting her to the memory loss serum, thinking of how confused she must be now, a mere concubine being able to slay a professional killer in mere seconds.  Clearly she was no ordinary slave-girl.  Where did the gnolls find her?  And what of the white-haired Garundi?<br/><br/>Turning over, he grabbed a nearby book to read.  Possessing darkvision he had no need for light, although the human and some catgirl slaves appreciated such when they were in bed reading a story together.  He recalled the last time he did this, with a nude Arensha cuddled up in his arms as they read a book together about ancient Azlant (apparently for some research project), said to be the last greatest human empire before Aroden's reign.  A lot of his slave-girls her lusted for, that was true.  A few he even grew to love in time, such as his favorite Faliensk.  But in a mere week he felt something more towards the woman who had saved his life so eagerly.<br/><br/><div align="center"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 18pt;">Ninth Day in the Gilded Cage</span></div><br/>The altercation between Arensha and Faliensk had spread throughout the palace's harem, albeit in more whispered tones when either of them came within earshot (DC 18 Arensha hears that the rumor's spreading, too).  Amvi, a Vudrani woman who had taken to going about the palace naked on all occasions, (http://i.imgur.com/ff7sPwg.jpg?1) decided to approach Arensha during her early morning breakfast and laid down beside her, fanning herself.<br/><br/>"So, my little catgirl, it's looks like you've made your first enemy here at the palace," she said.  "Don't be surprised, Faliensk is a jealous creature.  It's not often that a woman comes along and manages to upset her place as the Sultan's favorite as quickly as you have."<br/><br/>Amvi reached over to take a little of whatever Arensha was having before continuing her conversation.  "The heavenly part of me wishes to take you under her wing, to shield the starling from the viper," she says putting a hand over her breast in mock worry.  She leans closer to whisper into Arensha's ear.  "But the mischievous part of me enjoys seeing that haughty bitch taken down a peg or two.  If you so desire, I can help you find her weaknesses, exploit her, humiliate her, take revenge for wounding your pride."<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">OOC</div><div class="spoiler_body">I assume that Arensha is interested in her proposal, so the rest of the event is geared this way.</div></div><br/>"See, I knew you'd say that.  Ol' Amvi's rarely wrong.  Faliensk does not work alone, she has three trusted concubines on her side.  One's a Cheliaxian mage, (http://i.imgur.com/npVYY0W.jpg) capable of subtle magic; as she is Faliensk's grateful apprentice, she's the one with the closest thing to a friendship with the wood elf.  The second one's a high elf  (http://i.imgur.com/VHCX51m.jpg?1) who's only a reluctant ally, for she relies upon Faliensk to deliver her some herbs.  For what purpose I cannot say, but clearly this is used as leverage against her.  And the third woman's a Taldorian scholar (http://i.imgur.com/kl88a9O.jpg?1) whose relationship I do not know, but she seems the most loyal of the three, perhaps repaying a debt of gratitude."<br/><br/>Amvi takes a drink of palm wine.  "This meal's quite delicious, wouldn't you agree?" she said as a eunuch passed by them.  "Now, if anything, the high elf's the weakest link.  Find out how Faliensk is blackmailing her, take care of that little itty bitty problem, and you have an advantage over her."<br/><br/>She switched over to small talk for the rest of the meal.  "It was very fun talking with you, Arensha.  If you need to find me, my bedroom's the third door to the left on the east wing.  I look forward to hearing about your progress."<br/><br/><div align="center"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 18pt;">Not That Kind of Party...</span></div><br/>Arensha, along with Zelda, Alfreldi, Hanifa, Faliensk and her minions, and half a dozen other concubines, got a message from a eunuch to follow them up to one of the guest bedrooms.  They did not respond to any questions until they got into the room proper.  It housed a huge bed and many pillows on the floor, along with copious amounts of lotion, wine, and scented candles.  A single letter sat on a table with a heart design, and Hanifa was the first to grab it with her swiftness.  Handing it over Arensha to read out loud:<br/><br/><em>To my lovely ladies,<br/><br/>Greetings, this is your beloved Sultan.  Due to personal reasons I am currently in correspondence with Ahriman, and I won't be back to the harem for quite some time.  But I can see you from here, beyond the mirror on the wall.  If you're curious, it's a receptacle for a scrying spell.<br/><br/>It's been a long time since we've had a proper orgy, and the future days do not look kindly for hosting another one.  But just because I'm not here doesn't mean you can't enjoy yourselves, or that you can't bring pleasure to me.  Relax, let down your hair, explore each other's bodies and leave your inhibitions at the door.  Doing this for me will make me very happy, something we can all use in these trying times.<br/><br/>Love,<br/><br/>Hasan ibn Akilah al-Samara</em><br/><br/><br/>"Ooooh," Amvi cooed.  "This sounds like fun!"<br/><br/>In no time at all the concubines were removing their own and each other's clothes.  Zelda playfully threw a pillow in Hanifa's direction, and two catgirls were already making out in a passionate embrace on the bed. (http://i.imgur.com/eI9HlPu.png?1)<br/><br/>"As they say in Cheliax, if you've got 'em, flaunt 'em!" Alfreldi said as she unbuttoned her shirt.<br/><br/>"I'm not sure they say that in Cheliax," Valerie replied.<br/><br/>"Well, with all that infernal repression you know they've got to have some dirty minds!"<br/><br/>Naturally Faliensk and her three minions were positioned close by the mirror, touching, caressing, and making out with each other.  Their position can easily block out Arensha's form as well as slave-girls far enough away.  If Arensha doesn't do something soon she'll get the lion's share of the Sultan's gaze!<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">OOC</div><div class="spoiler_body">Roll a Perform Sex check.  Alternatively, Arensha can try using her Slave Girl perk on Faliensk or another woman present, to exhaust them dry and potentially hog more spotlight for al-Samara.</div></div>