In reply to McNealy (msg # 305):

Christine: Leader, she is an elemental mage seeking to learn divining. Frigid...
  Emma: recent ally joined, Priestess of Helios
Frog Sisters: Priestesses of a frog god (of some description)
Masugatan: Playboy mercenary swordsman.
   Valerie: Assistant of Masugatan...barmaid?
Jednessa: Heavy handed Ogress
and of course
McNealy: Alchemist

Think that is everyone...

Masugatan asks Alchemist McNealy if he could make a poisoned dagger lethal enough to kill something BIG.  Preferably a blade he could have ready well in advance, requiring no last minute preparations.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:06, Tue 19 May 2020.

McNealy responds discretely to the request.  "Depends on what you're looking for.  I can make a poison that would hurt.  But you wouldn't kill anyone outright with it.  However, we could blind him so he can't defend against attacks, or strip a mage of their ability to cast spells.  Some of my alchemical preparations could make you stronger, or faster, or resistant to magic.  There will never be an alchemical fix for every situation.  But, we can adjust to almost anything with time to react.  There are many ways to get the work done."

[Private to GM: Now someone with whom he could make the top of the line stuff, that person could kill someone with the good stuff.  But he can't give Masagutan the good stuff.  ]

In reply to McNealy (msg # 308):

As they walk along, Emma mentions that she is not a big fan or poisons, since they are indiscriminate if a mishap occurs. She would prefer something that would make the person exhausted, so they could not cast spells, but could be recovered from relatively quickly, say a matter of hours rather than days...

McNealy will acknowledge what Emma says.  "I prefer not to use heavy poisons myself.  Usually they require application from up close.  I try to avoid the front lines when it becomes necessary to defend ourselves.  Gnomes aren't usually the ones to wear heavy armor and dish out a beating.  We're usually quick and hard to hit, if anything.  I prefer something lighter when I do use it.  And given my skills, alchemical brews are usually more effective."

Her Holiness frowns at the discussion of poisons.

"I know something of poisons.  Many of nature's smaller creatures carry venom, but they generally use it to kill their prey, or rarely in self-defense.  Since they generally have no need to kill something much larger than themselves, they seldom have enough venom within them to do so.  Some serpents are exceptions to this, of course, but even the deadliest asp would be hard pressed to slay a great beast.

"No, if you want to slay something truly large, you should look to either dose its food, or cause it to inhale something noxious.  Castor beans in such a creature's meat might work, or hemlock root.  Perhaps Alchemist McNealy knows a way to concentrate the poisons from plants like these, or to reliably administer them?"

“But if you run into something out here, you won’t have time to dose its food.  You’ll be its food, unless you have the right weapon prepared.”

The older sister gives Masugatan a little smirk.

"That depends very much on whether you spot the thing first, or it spots you.  If the latter, it's likely to be a bad day regardless, but if the former, you might be able to arrange a special snack..."

In reply to Evelina Grattan (msg # 313):

"Hypothetically speaking, you might be able to arrange for a snack, but the intelligent creatures that pose the biggest danger will be the least likely to take such a snack. That is why I was wondering if there was some kind of contact poison that would drain someone, so a mage or evil cleric would be too exhausted to cast spells, and yet if it were to effect one of us, we would recover soon enough without special healing. Does such a poison exist, either in nature or manufactured by our Alchemist friend? Kind of like a negative paut..."

"Bah.  Jednesa find best way deal with enemy is rip off head.  No cast spells if no head.  No bite with venom either."

In reply to Jednesa (msg # 315):

"That is true, Jednessa. I have never had that as an option though..."

"I think in this case, Jednesa may be right, though.  We were talking about something big, like a dragon or these, um, slorn? that they have around Northport, or the great worms I've heard tales of.  Things that would normally be beyond killing with weapons.

"For creatures like that, leaving some bait, like a dead horse or something, with poison in it is a much better idea than just launching into it with half a dozen swords or whips or slings or bows or what have you.  If a thing like that even notices, you're likely to make it angry."

In reply to Elaina Grattan (msg # 317):

Emma looks at her with a questioning glance.

"Jednessa suggested that? I must have missed that bit.

But for really big things like that, one probably needs magic, or an army. I suspect big critters will be much less susceptible to poison as well as physical damage...or maybe mind magic?"

"If I hit'em with some Despell then they won't be chucking any spells.  But, it only lasts an hour.  And for people of the cloth, meaning those people connected to the divine, it would not stop them."

OOC That's a nickname.  For the drivers, that would be Magebane from in the book.

In reply to McNealy (msg # 319):

"That sounds like a good start. Do you have any of them handy? With several priests here, that could be a very useful thing to have. How is it administered?"

McNealy starts rummaging around in the Delver's Webbing on his mini-horse.  "It's lobbed via sling or thrown as a grenade bottle.  They are made of glass, and usually shatter on impact.  I think there should be at least one stashed away here, somewhere..."

OOC  McNealy has an outstanding item to finish buying all his potions and brews for the trip.  He has a "crap ton", so to speak, so he'll be able to produce an example Magebane for you.  Just need to finish up the detail.  Probably Monday at the latest (in theory), as I'm covering the holiday.  Hoping for a nice slow day.

In reply to McNealy (msg # 321):

"What ingredients are needed to make more?"

“Wouldn’t a dragon be too smart to eat a poisoned horse carcass?  I thought they had a really good sense of smell.”

"Well, I suppose it depends on which stories about dragons you believe.

"We've heard tales of dragons being wiser than men -- but why would such a creature feel the need to prey on men's flocks and herds, or men themselves?  I would think it smart enough to know better.

"There are also tales that would make a dragon a mere beast.  Even if they can scent as well as a tracking hound, if the poison simply smells like food, how would they know not to eat?"

"Like I have said before, the ingredients are a bit flexible.  Usually I can find a combination of what is on hand that I can make work.  Plus, I can't give away too much of my trade."

Bored with the conversation, Masugatan tries to pry some gunk out from beneath his thumbnail.

In reply to Masugatan (msg # 326):

Now that you have broken camp you can proceed.

In reply to Narrator (msg # 327):

I thought we were talking while walking? Messages 300 to 303 indicate breaking camp back then...

In reply to Emma Wilson (msg # 328):

Carrying on then through the woods, you see a southward turning of the main road,  which should be your preferred direction.

In reply to Narrator (msg # 329):

Christine will lead them on the southern branch, according to her map.