On the subject of the people outside the door

Valteshi showed no concern on her face. "It has been five hundred years and nobody has breached the door yet. Only those who were worthy of attempting the maze have ever made it past the outer threshold. And of those, only your group has made it to the Sanctum. I would not worry about them. But I can alert you if the outer door is opened if you would like."

---

On the subject of magical weapons

When asked which weapons and armor were magical, Valteshi squinted her eyes at Ilura. The move looked almost hostile, especially when the djinn opened her eyes wide again and they were glowing. But instead of unleashing any sort of attack, Valteshi turned her gaze toward a nearby weapon rack and scanned each weapon carefully. She pulled one sword off the rack and placed it on the central table, describing what it could do as she set it down. She continued around the room in this manner, gazing at weapons and armor on display racks, in drawers, and placed in storage cabinets. By the time she finished (or got bored), there was an impressive collection to sift through.

(See Below)

---

On the subject of using the portal/maps

"The portal brings you to geographical locations. Not to specific individuals (or lack thereof). The location must be known to you, but having only seen a map of the area is enough for you to visualize where you would like to arrive. The more clearly you can visualize your destination, the more you can pinpoint your spot of arrival. If you would like to know where the other entrances to the sanctum are, the maps located in the map room should show their location in relation to the outside world."

---

On the subject of becoming members

"I see no reason why a sponsor would need to be alive, so long as they are present and willing. Although I have never witnessed a dead sponsor initiating a new member..." Valteshi seemed intrigued by the prospect. "But no, I have no protections to offer against the poisoning that took place long ago. It remains a mystery how it was even accomplished. The good news is though, that the poison magic faded from the masks a mere two centuries after it affected them." It was obvious that she thought two hundred years was not a lot of time.

When asked is she even wanted the Silver Scourge to be revived, she did the weird smoke-shrug gesture again. "It makes no difference to me whether the organization is revived. I will be staying here regardless. It is nice to spend time with the non-flames every so often, but it is also nice to be alone sometimes too."

---

On the subject of Chance's dagger

"Other than wishing it away? No. Not really. But I believe there are books bearing purification rituals in the library. The Silver Scourge has certainly purified objects, people, and places in the past. And I have been led to believe that they take good notes."

---

On the subject of helping Eryn

Westley whooped energetically, then moved to retrieve the oversized weapon from Ilura's magical hat. Silas nodded to the fighter, indicating he would be more than happy to help forge some weaponry. "I have never worked a forge, but I will do what I can."

When asked to help Eryn find some information, Lady Mirrorsheen also eagerly agreed. "Seeing that library, I was having a difficult time deciding what I might research first. Thank you for giving me a bit of direction. I will start accumulating a stack of books for you to read through. I'll keep an eye out for your purifications too," she said to Chance, giving him a wink.

---

Reminder that you have at least a week to do whatever you would like before you should definitely start thinking about moving forward. Don't worry about rations. There are enough plants (or turtles while Eryn is still cursed) to keep you guys fed for a week.

Chance
It will take you roughly a day of study to find an appropriate ritual to cleanse your dagger. I will get you the ritual requirements in a little while (as per the wizard move).

For poisons, you can find dozens of new recipes in the alchemy lab, in addition to the standard poisons. You can craft one a day (3 doses) and do it safely. Two a day if you want to Defy Danger. Let me know two names of new poisons you discovered. And let me know what you want to try and make.

Eryn
It will take you roughly a day of study to find an appropriate ritual to cleanse yourself of your curse. I will get you the ritual requirements in a little while (as per the wizard move).

You can use your Blacksmith ability to fuse up to two weapons into your spear each day. Less if you want to do other things too.

Ilura
There are three other sanctum entrance locations located on the maps in the map room. Where are they geographically? Are any of their locations significant?

Found Magical Weapons
(Let me know if you want exact stats on anything in particular.)

Saber of Many Materials
Push a button on its hilt and the blade takes on certain properties of whatever it is touching.

Needle Bow (Near)
A tiny bow that shoots harmless needles instead of arrows (can apply poison to needles).

Indestructible Shield
A simple circular shield that provides standard shield protection. However, the shield is indestructible in every way possible. Every. Way. Possible.

Blast Knuckles (Forceful)
Brass knuckles that add the forceful tag to your punches.

Mail of the Infinite Chain
Chainmail that can produce an infinite amount of basic iron chain.

Stain-point Arrows
A bundle of arrows that notably stain their target a color of the archer's choice.

Fever Flail
Its wielder gains the sickened condition while holding it, but its victims also gain the Sickened condition.

Shatter Hammer (Messy)
Pieces of its victims crystalize and shatter.

Python Glaive
Can constrict to bind someone.

Soul-severing Scythe
It cuts souls instead of flesh. It still hurts when cut by it, but it causes debilities instead of wounds. It keeps victims from coming back as ghosts, and can harm spectral enemies.

Royal Dwarven Battle Pick of the Treasury
Strike something that you can physically hold and roll +Str. 10+ and it turns into its value in coin. 7-9 it turns into fake coins.

Chef's Cleaver (messy)
When used against an appropriate creature, it leaves behind high quality rations in the form of Personal Feasts.

Time-bending Harpoon (thrown)
When you attempt a task with this weapon, you may take a debility you don't have. If you do, reroll.

Solar Platemail (Clumsy)
During the day, in sunlight, a prismatic barrier provides an additional +1 armor.

Force Shield
A weightless shield made of solid light.

Tree Chopper
This axe fells trees in a single swing. Works normally against anything else.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:09, Wed 28 Oct 2020.

"That would be appreciated."

Ilura looked at the weapons with interest, but was a bit disappointed that there didn't seem any that were a terribly good fit for her own skills.

"We are not of the order, but apparently we've been found worthy.  You know of our objectives.  If we believe that some of these may be helpful in achieving our aims, would you object to us taking them from the sanctuary when we go?  My friend may also be able to transfer some of their capabilities to her own weapon.  Doing so would destroy the weapon here.  Is that something you would permit?  We do not want to abuse our welcome, but we also want to leverage all tools available to keep the Overlord from returning"

When the conversation turned to membership, Ilura pressed her question about the masks.  "If we were members, would we need to fuse the masks to our own faces or could we be members without that?  What would the impact be of us becoming members?"


Indestructible Shield Who wants to play Captain America? How would this work with Eryn's Armor Mastery move?

Mail of the infinite Chain This doesn't have the 'clumsy' tag - does that mean it's not clumsy?  Is this thick heavy chain or is this more chain-link size?  Trying to get a sense of weight of what's produced, how strong it is, how easy it is to cut, etc.  Also, is it pretty much impossible to be stealthy when wearing it?

Shatter Hammer Does it just add the Messy tag, or does it have any other effect on the target?

Soul-severing Scythe If it doesn't do damage, how would you kill something with it?  Would it do extra damage to a purely spectral creature?  Also, if merged into a regular weapon, would the damage of the base weapon still apply?

Royal Dwarven Battle Pick of the Treasury Presume that 'hold' means 'physically carry', not just 'hold onto or restrain' - i.e. couldn't turn a humanoid monster into coins?  (Picturing turning a goblin into coins and watching all of the other goblins running to try to collect bits of their friend...)  Can you control whether the transformation happens?  If you hit someone's armor (which in principle you could 'hold'), could you turn it into coin?

Time-bending Harpoon Again, is this something that - if merged - the wielder choose to use or not?

Force Shield Does this emit light?  If so, how bright?  Could I stick it in my hat?




</orange>

Valteshi looked to Ilura with something akin to excessive patience. "As I said before, feel free to claim whatever items you desire. I do not own these... things, and their previous owners will not be back to claim them. I merely look after what exists within the sanctum, but do not exercise possession over any of it. To me, all of these material items are about as useful as a handful of smoke would be to you."

---

When Ilura asked about the masks, the corner of Valteshi's mouth hinted at a smile. "The masks do not fuse to your face. That has always been a myth among people outside of the know. However, they can only be removed willingly by the one who wears it." After letting that information sink in, she continued. "The impact of you becoming a member is not extravagant. The main change is that it will become much easier for you to return here after you leave. Only members can access the Soul-Sear Bypass you entered from. Others must traverse the labyrinth. I believe members are required for opening the vault area the proper way too."

What do you do?

---

Ilura
I actually forgot to mention a couple magical weapon, including a bow-related one. But I'll just rule that they weren't sitting in the prep area with the rest of the weapons. After all, the entire sanctum is full of all sorts of interesting goodies!

Indestructible Shield - I suppose this would give Eryn unlimited Armor Mastery, but only after all of her other armor is first destroyed. It also only gives +1 armor on its own.

Mail of the infinite Chain - It is 1 armor, and NOT clumsy. The chains are like what you would find on a sturdy playground swing. Nothing spectacular, but still quite strong.

Shatter Hammer - The messy tag is the result of turning portions of their body into crystal and shattering it.

Soul-severing Scythe - It does not deal normal damage (except to ghosts), So it can't kill the living. It merely cuts more and more pieces off of their soul. If merged with a regular weapon, it will only deal this type of damage.

Royal Dwarven Battle Pick of the Treasury - The special ability does not work on animate things. Only items. You can control if the ability happens (except for maybe on a 6-). Yes, you can target a person's armor with it, if you can get in close enough to aim the strike.

Time-bending Harpoon - Yes, you can choose when to use its ability. Even when merged.

Force Shield - It is as bright as a glowstick, so it is visible in the dark but is not a torch substitute. And yes, you can put it in your hat if you wish. You can put almost anything in your hat at least once. :-P

Chance
Chance's blade cleansing ritual: (inspired by previously explored lore in this game, posted below for convenience.)
It’s going to take 1 day. (you need not be present for all of it)
First you must soak the dagger in anointed oil and drown it in clean water from a pure spring. (both available in the sanctum)
You’ll need help from an arcane caster and a divine caster.

Other than that, you can fill in the details and describe the process as you see fit.

quote:

Purifying evil items:

In larger cities, priests and priestesses will usually perform a ritual in which the cursed item is carried by a designated bearer to an altar, whereupon the leader of the sermon will draw a religious mark upon it with blessed oil. Once this is done, the item will be cast into a sacred brazier, where the flames burn away evil but leave the item intact. Come morning, it shall have been purified by their god's holy fire, and only black ash remains of the evil presence.

Hedge wizards, priests in smaller villages, druids, and those who do not believe in material wealth do not have access to the same resources, so they instead rely on a river with clean flowing water. The item is placed in the stream and a similar ritual is performed, where they throw salt and light torches which they wave throughout the night to drive out evil spirits. As with the holy fire, come morning the item shall have been purified, with evil black smoke drifting like ink downstream, vanishing forever.

Eryn
Eryn's curse cleansing ritual:
It’s going to take 2 days.
First you must shed all unnatural articles. (no weapons, armor, metal/magical gear allowed during the ritual)
You and your allies will risk danger from the released demonic essence.
You’ll have to disenchant an item containing holy magic to do it.

Like Chance, you can fill in the finer details and describe the process as you see fit.

After a day spent searching the library with Lady Mirrorsheen's assistance, Chance comes across the instructions for a cleansing ritual that will remove the taint from his dagger if the text can be believed. He marks the page in the book and takes it with him. At dinner, he shows the book to Ilura.

"I don't understand all of this, but it sounds like it might fix my dagger. I think the funny writing must be some kind of magic..." He shrugs helplessly. "Would you mind taking a look at it?", he asks.

After the tour, Ilura opted to remain on the lowest level.  She wanted to pray and, while the 'worship area' on the third and fourth floor was beautiful and certainly a space she wanted to spend time in, right now she felt called to be in the space with those who founded this place.  She walked from vault to vault, tracing her fingers over the masks.  There were no names, but there were dates - all so long ago.  She wondered if the 'founder' was among them.  She also looked at all of the empty vaults and wondered how many would have been filled if all who had been poisoned had been able to make their way back here.  Perhaps, if the events of the world ever allowed, she could strive to find and return the remains of at least some to their 'home'.

She moved on to the remembrance area.  A number of tapers lay in a small cubby.  She removed one, placed it in a holder, alongside many that had burned down long centuries before.  She noticed, absently, the absence of dust.  Either Valteshi spent much of his free time cleaning or there was yet another magical effect percolating through this marvelous place.

She lit the taper, then knelt.

Blessed Mother, thank you for your guidance and for seeing us safely here.  Thank you for my brave companions, both those who are here with me and those who have assisted along the way.  Please bless them all and keep watch over them.  Especially dear Eryn who struggles with the tinge of the Demon she was so instrumental in defeating.

Thank you too, for this time to rest and prepare for the next stage in our mission.  I'm sure it will be challenging, but I will do my best, as always, to do your will.

While you have granted us the boon of time, I fear it will not be enough.  We seek knowledge and any other resources we can that will be helpful to use in all of our missions.  First, to kill Yordikan, both to free Captain Frost from her devil's bargain, but also to interfere in the work of summoning his brother.  Second, to try to find Nikadroy's soul and then Corr's void, that we might cast the former into the latter.

In addition to these, I hope to help to aid Chance and Eryn in purifying themselves of the influence of the Demon we encountered, to have your council on whether it is your will that the Order of the Silver Scourge be reborn, and knowledge of whether there is aught else you would have us do while in this marvelous place that your past worshippers have forged.

I will, as always, do the best I can.  But I welcome your wisdom, guidance and aid, such as you see fit to bestow.

She brought the shaft of her bow to her lips and kissed the small symbol which still glowed faintly.  She waited quietly, gazing at the flame.  She wondered absently where Marcus was now.  She hoped that the good Captain's body was safe and that the paladin was too.  She missed his certainty and steadfastness.  It was so often hard to know what to do.  But it was good too, to have some sort of say over her own destiny.

Exhausted from the trials of the day and only limited rest in the temple garden, she curled up on the floor and rested.

quote:

17:40, Today: Ilura rolled 10 using 2d6+3.  Cast revelation.
17:40, Today: Ilura rolled 7 using 2d6+3.  Cast revelation 2.

I cast it until I needed to forget it to give you a sense of how much insight/inspiration Lusiny would provide in response to my prayer.  I will apply the +1s in relationship to whatever guidance you indicate she gives.

The next morning, the ranger awoke refreshed, despite having slept on the floor.  She encountered Eryn, looking much cleaner and more refreshed, having evidently chosen to follow through on her intended use of the baths.  She resolved to do the same - but first FOOD.  In the gardens were many plants she new by sight and smell and a many others she recognized from books.  A few were not completely familiar, but she could tell enough about to sense whether they were likely dangerous or nutritious.  One, a yellowish berry, turned out to be delightfully tasty.  She prepared a succulent vegetarian salad for herself and her companions, though Eryn demurred.  (Chance had his when he finally wandered down after apparently having thoroughly enjoyed the comforts of his bed.)

Stomach full, she availed herself of the baths, removing several layers of grime, first from her clothing, then from her body.  Thomas supervised the process, apparently in a good mood.  When she finally rose from the water, her clothing was still wet.  She considered going without, but was unsure how Silas or even Chance would react.  She searched one of the guest rooms and found a tunic about her size and pulled it on, wondering absently who had last worn it.

Praying to the Goddess again for wisdom and insight, she set out to explore the facility in more detail, trying to figure out what might be helpful.

quote:

17:56, Today: Ilura rolled 6 using 2d6+3.  Cast True Seeing.

Presume that lounging in the bath will let me refresh my spells.  If the goddess's insight happened to cover what to look for here, then the +1 will turn that into a success and forgotten spell.  If not, then perhaps I look at the wrong thing...

She finished her day in the library looking for and finding the map showing the other locations where the there were entrances to the Order's enclave.  The first was no big surprise.  King Karron had originally ruled from the same fortress where King Gordon now tried to control his dwindling empire - build into one of the broken mountains looming over the great city of Carleanes, though on the map it was Kar'Leenes.  The pictograph beside it was unmistakable though.  As both center of power in this part of the world, and as the site of many horrendous actions by the Mad King, the order would have wanted to keep close tabs on the city and have a safe place to retreat from.  She wondered if the poisoning of the masks had somehow been triggered from that entrance.

The city stood several hundred leagues to the southwest.  The mountain into which the fortress had been built had long been a source of valuable ore.  A sheltered and fertile valley made it immune from enemy sieges.  The river passing below provided an easy four-day route to the sea and trade ships to lands beyond made it a natural capital.  It had been so for nearly two millennia.

The second was a bit more of a surprise, though more because of its distance than because of its importance.  Jylleria - the Hanging City was over 1500 leagues to the west - a couple of month of sailing, and not a trip made by the faint-hearted.  Much farther than the Jungle of Blossoms.  It was a land of intrigue, warriors and strange customs.  The hanging city was somehow magically suspended above a massive lake.  What business had the Silver Scourge had there?

To be honest, the location of the entrance they'd used to arrive was a bit more of surprise.  Cliffport was a decent-sized place, and certainly a successful trading city.  But it was hardly a key bastion of civilization.  The ranger wondered if perhaps this had once been a training ground, retreat or proving area.  Perhaps this was even the site where the Order had first formed?

The last location was confusing.  It was shown outside the borders of the map entirely, with a pictograph showing only a broken mask.  She went in search of the djinn.

"The map showed the location of two other entrances, but the fourth showed only a broken mask.  Where is it?"

The custodian frowned.  "I do not recall exactly where it lies now.  It moves, you see.  My master knew that the need for the Scourge would change over time and so the final location was mobile.  It can be shifted from place to place, though at a cost.  Three members of the Scourge can summon an entrance to the Sanctum, but only with the mask of one killed at that location by a member of the Dark.  The entrance does not move 'easily'..."

"Could you scry the entrance to the that location as you did the cave yesterday?"

"Come.  I will show you how"

The ancient being gave her some instructions and soon she was looking into a dusty room that appeared to be some sort of basement.  The stone had a reddish hue, but she couldn't make out anything that would help her to discern the location.

"You might check the histories - they might tell you where the entrance was most recently used."  The genie vanished, to resume whatever it was he did there.

At the dinner table, she shared what she had learned with the others.  "I'm going to try to figure out where it is in the library tomorrow."  When Chance offered her his dagger, she accepted it gravely.  "I will do my best."

EDIT: fixed typo
This message was last edited by the player at 02:27, Tue 03 Nov 2020.

"Thank you," Chance said, a little sheepishly. "I know you're going to need oil, and fresh spring water. If there's anything else, let me know and I'll take care of rounding it all up for you. I can do that much, at least. If there is anything else, just tell me. I'll do whatever I can. It's just the..." He wiggled his fingers as if he were casting a spell, "you know?"

The following day, he spent the morning making sure Ilura had everything she would need on hand when she got ready to perform the cleansing. Then he went to the library to look for books on pharmacology.

As Ilura said her prayers in the silent crypt, she could once again feel her goddess's guidance filling her mind. The incense that was burning nearby flared up with silvery light, and the air took on the scent of the forest floor after a rainstorm. Like before, there were no words, but the messages from Luciny were perfectly clear all the same. If the feelings were to be translated into words, it would be written similar to the following:

"Rest easy child. The answers you seek are all at hand. It is merely a matter of tracking your questions to their source. Do not balk at the thought of hunting outside your territory from time to time." At this, Ilura was filled with a feeling that could only be described as "books." That, and a sense that it may be beneficial to sometimes look at the world through a new perspective, literally. (true sight) "It will take patience, hard work, and some luck, but rest assured that your goals are all possible."

The goddess then shifted to thoughts of reviving the Silver Scourge. "My 'silver arrows' were a blessing upon the land. -- In their day. Perhaps they can be a blessing once again. But that will only be so if their heart is still true, and directed by an expert hand. It is not a bowstring that is easily pulled or aimed." Ilura got the sense that Luciny was saying the Silver Scourge should not be revived merely because it can be. But if it is Ilura's will, and she feels like she can handle the responsibility, reviving the scourge could be a great thing. "But do not be afraid of sacrificing the past for the sake of the future. A fox unwilling to gnaw itself free will suffer worse than a missing limb..." As the goddesses words faded, the symbol on Ilura's bow glowed, signifying quite pointedly that the item still contained a bit of Luciny's holy magic.

---

Later, as Ilura explored various areas of the sanctum, she activated the true sight spell she had been blessed with.

It was disorienting at first. The entire sanctum appeared warped and stretched. Squashed and coiled. Inside out and outside in. As if she could literally see how it was connected to multiple locations across the world while simultaneously taking up both more and less space than one would expect. But thanks to Luciny's encouragement, Ilura endured the spell long enough to become accustomed to the brain-bending discomfort. At that point she began to notice other, more comprehensible things.

For instance, the invisible little dust-bunnies that waddled around the place, keeping everything tidy. They would soak up crumbs and dirt on the floor the way a sponge soaks up water. When one noticed Ilura could see it, it got spooked and darted up a wall, across the ceiling. Elsewhere, Ilura spotted portions of the walls heating and cooling themselves as the ranger walked by, making the area keep a constant temperature overall.

There were dozens of little effects like that throughout the sanctum that Ilura could now see, but nothing was overly useful. It wasn't until she entered one of the members' old lodgings that she finally spotted something noteworthy.

It was a painting. A large painting that took up nearly an entire wall. It seemed to depict an attic full of random junk. Crates, old dolls, antique board games, etc. However, with her magical sight, Ilura could see that all of the items in the painting were real. She merely had to reach out and grab it. Not much in the junk-room was particularly worth Ilura's attention, save for the items resting atop a single crate. One of the items was a bowstring, and it exuded magic. She could tell that if she were to string it to a bow, she would be able to shoot anything she could hold as if it were an arrow.

The other item was a pincushion-like belt pouch with throwing stars sticking to it. There were three of the stars. And once thrown at a target, they would attempt to return to the pouch similar to a boomerang.

There was likely a lot more to discover within the sanctum, but it would have to wait until another time.

---

At dinner, after Ilura and Chance discussed their plans for beginning the dagger-cleansing ritual this evening, Valteshi hovered in casually on a wispy cloud of smoke. The djinn woman waited patiently for the conversations to end before mentioning almost as an afterthought, "I noticed the outer doors were breached a few hours ago. There are currently six beings attempting to navigate the labyrinth. You wished to be notified of such an instance, correct?" If she was at all concerned by this revelation, it did not show on her stoic face.

What do you do?

---

We are at the end of Day 1 after arriving at the sanctum, but I posted down below a summary of what it seemed like you are planning to do each day, based on information gathered from all of the threads. Feel free to modify as necessary based on new information and include the updated list in your next post. Additionally, are you having any of the hirelings (Westley, Silas, Opal, and Lady Mirrorsheen) do anything specific during this week?

Ilura found a Throw Anything String, and three Returning Throwing Stars.

Throw Anything String: attach it to a bow and you can shoot nearly any item as if it were an arrow.

Returning Throwing Stars x3: (0 weight) After hitting their target, they attempt to return to their pincushion belt pouch. (Can get lodged in target or intercepted though.)

Chance
Day 0: Research his dagger's cleansing ritual
Day 1: Creating 3 doses of Goldenroot, Purifying his dagger with Ilura
Day 2: Creating 3 doses of Fury's Scorn, keep an eye on Eryn during her ritual
Day 3: Creating 3 doses of Whippleroot Extract, keep an eye on Eryn during her ritual
Day 4: Creating 3 doses of Zombie's Panacea
Day 5: Creating 3 doses of Kosher's Slip
Day 6: Creating 3 doses of Witchbane
Day 7: Creating 3 doses of Godsbane, maybe become members of the Silver Scourge?

Ilura
Day 0: Question Valteshi in-depth, pay respects in the crypt, casting revelations
Day 1: Explore parts of the Sanctum with true-sight, Studying library/maps, Helping to Purify Chance's dagger
Day 2: Research sanctum's fourth entrance current location, keep an eye on Eryn during her ritual
Day 3: keep an eye on Eryn during her ritual
Day 4: Study, study, study, study?
Day 5: Study, study, study, study?
Day 6: Study, study, study, study?
Day 7: Maybe become members of the Silver Scourge?

Eryn
Let me know which weapons you want to combine with your spear. Also, let me know what extra precautions you might make for your curse-break ritual (you can make them up), and what item containing holy magic you plan to disenchant during the process.
Day 0: Research how to break her curse
Day 1: Work the forge, work the forge, prep for ritual
Day 2: Start purifying ritual on self
Day 3: Finish purifying ritual on self
Day 4: Work the forge, work the forge?
Day 5: Study, study, study, study?
Day 6: Work the forge, work the forge?
Day 7: Maybe become members of the Silver Scourge?

---

Note: Each unrolled Spout Lore takes a quarter-day of research/study.

It was more than a little odd walking around the place with the altered eyesight that gave her a sense of the dimensional warping that was intrinsic to the operation of the wonderous place.

Lady Mirrorsheen had spent much of the day wandering as she had been, looking at everything she could find, commenting on everything.  The fairy was obviously in her seventh heaven.  Perhaps the following day, she'd see if the fairy could 'boost' her spell and perhaps allow the exploration of the space more efficiently.

Westley and Silas were another matter.  The former was getting into everything.  Opal had summoned her when the gargoyle noticed the young man waving around a sword in his room, cutting bedding, paintings and the wall itself into tatters.  A cut on his leg showed the he wasn't only a danger to the furnishings.  Silas, on the other hand, sat looking bored and on-edge.  There was nothing here to fight and, while he was interested in the armory, he seemed to have little interest in exploring the magic of the place or reading.  She decided to kill two birds with one stone.

She took the performer aside.  "We will be here for a while.  There is simply too much to gain from the knowledge of this place.  But, until Eryn's ritual, it's not clear there will be much fighting to do.  And so, I come to you to ask a tremendous favor.

Young Westley's got his heart in the right place, but he knows too little of the skills that will keep him safe and alive in the battles to come.  He needs someone to teach him, rather than just laugh at him.  I know this task will be a daunting one, but I think you have the strength to make it happen.  The entry-way floor can serve as a fighting arena.  You can be firm with him - he needs to learn the dangers of overconfidence, but don't crush his spirit.  His energy will be needed, I think.

There are no battles to be had here, but there will be great battles to come.  Forge him into a man you are proud to have at your side.  Take whatever you need from the armory"

quote:

19:40, Today: Ilura rolled 9 using 2d6+1.  Get Silas to teach Westley.

  There may be a price.  If so, Ilura will do her best to pay it.

With Silas' agreement, she then went to talk to the minstrel.  "Westley, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but with swordsmanship like that, we can't afford to trust you with a weapon.  Silas has agreed to teach you.  There are many battles to come and I would love to have you with us, but to do that, you must show that you can keep yourself and us safe.  Silas will help you to know your limits and extend them.  He will help to ensure you have the strength to back up your boasts.  He will beat you down and build you up.  Are you up for the challenge?"

She had only covered about a third of the building in her explorations, but it had still been fruitful.  She re-strung her bow with the new string.  The throwing stars she passed to Chance when she saw him at supper.  They were more his style, and with his poisons, probably more effective in his hands.


The ritual Chance had found seemed straight-forward enough.  She was about to switch the topic of conversation to the possibility of re-forming the Order when Valteshi shared the news about the breaching of the outer walls.

"How did they do that?  You said the doors had stood for centuries?"  She stood up from the table.  "We'd better go see where they're at"

She headed up to the scrying floor with the djinn (and presumably the others) and, with some instruction, focused to see exactly who was in the maze and what they were doing.

"What are the rules of the maze?  Are you or we allowed to interfere?  Is someone who makes it through automatically presumed to be worthy?  Also, are you able to repair the doors and prevent that from happening again?"

She studied the six carefully through the scrying lens, trying to get a sense of exactly what was going on, including how they'd managed to bypass the doors.

quote:

20:06, Today: Ilura rolled 8 using 2d6+3.  Discern realities through diviner's hub.

What should I be on the lookout for?

The positive thing about the news is that it gave an obvious task for Opal to assist with.  While he hadn't complained, there was little protection required in this place.  "Opal, can you stay here and monitor their progress.  It would be best if we knew how they were doing and how close they are, as well as what's happened along the way..."

When Ilura asked Silas to help train Westley, the ranger was correct in assuming Silas had little interest in taking on the role of teacher. He gave Ilura a look of annoyance, but knew that what she asked was somewhat necessary. Eventually he sighed and agreed to attempt to instruct Westley. But not without a qualifier. "I will teach him what I can, so long as Westley allows it. However, in exchange, I insist you take me out into the maze to slay a beast before we leave this place. Something noteworthy. I wish to learn a battle skill or two from you, and what better place to learn than in the heat of combat?"

---

When she went to inform Westley that Silas would be instructing him, the young minstrel smirked knowingly. "Am I up for the challenge? Need you even ask? I haven't failed a challenge yet, and I don't expect to start now. Although I imagine Silas will be learning more from me than I learn from him. Did you see me with that whip when we fought the kraken?" He seemed fully unaware that he had been wiggling his whip like a wet noodle when he used it against the kraken. Regardless, Westley had agreed to the training.

---

When Ilura asked Valteshi how anyone managed to breach the outer doors and if the doors could be repaired, at first the djinn woman appeared confused. Then realization dawned on her. "Ah. I should clarify. When I said the doors had been breached, I meant people had gained entrance. They had breached the threshold, but nothing was broken. All of the Sanctum's wards are still intact."

"And as you can see, the group gained entrance near the outskirts of the maze. It will take them several days, or even weeks, before they should be able to navigate to the labyrinth's center. If they survive at all."

From the Diviner's Hub, Ilura could see the group of people working together to cross a slippery ice bridge over a deep ravine. She was able to recognize them as the people who had been involved with their journey down the well. There was Vance, Samantha, and Dunly, the top guards who had been guarding the lower levels of the temple. There were also the elite fighters who had been stopped by Mira's crew. The orc crossbowman named Gruglut, the elvish mage named Mizzy, and the human monk named Ronny. They looked like they had been healed from the initial encounter where they met the party, but had since been in a couple of new scuffles. They carried additional gear as well, as if they had expected to be away from civilization for an extended period.

Valteshi continued answering Ilura's maze questions even as Opal gladly took on the role of a protective pair of watchful eyes. The djinn said, "The 'rules' of the maze are quite simple. If your intentions are sufficiently free of malice, and you your heart is not saturated in evil, the outer doors will open for you. The 'purer' you are, the closer to the sanctum you will start. From there, the maze will test and assess your abilities. The clever, the skilled, and the lucky might even make it all the way to the sanctum. Those that do have usually been greeted with cautious optimism in the past." However, Valteshi very clearly did not imply that cautious optimism was the required greeting. It would be up to you.

---

Assuming Ilura agrees with Silas's demands, all of your Hirelings will have ability increases by the time you guys leave. I will post them in the OOC thread.

Ilura
What should I be on the lookout for?
The familiar faces mentioned above.

Silas also wants you to help him slay a "noteworthy beast" in the maze before the party moves on. He will consider that his payment for teaching Westley.

Ilura nodded in response to Silas's.  "I will speak with Valteshi and confirm that exploring the maze to fight something and then returning will not be a problem.  If it is a problem, you have my commitment that the two of us will find a worthy foe to fight as soon as we've dealt with Yordakin - though I expect we'll have more than worthy opponents there too.

As some added incentive for you, we'll take Westley with us.  If you can teach him to be useful, or at least not be in the way, it'll make our hunt that much easier."

She did go off to find the Djin and posed the question as to whether it was possible to explore the nearby portions of the maze and return.  She also asked whether there was any issue with removing any of the treasure found.  "Does the shape of the maze change?  Is there a chance that our way back would be different than our way out?"

-----

Looking out at the individuals, she felt a bit bad that the guards had been forced into this expedition.  Less so for the three elites.

As per usual, her mind was full of questions.  "Are we able to hear them, or just watch them?  If they change their mind and want to retreat, is there an easy way back out?  If we were not here when they arrived, how would you have responded to them? - or does that depend on their actions within the maze?  Based on where they've started, how 'pure' would have they been evaluated?  Also, you didn't answer my question about whether we can interfere?"

-----

That evening, she took Chance's dagger down to the chapel area.  She invited Chance to come along if he wished.  Somehow in this odd place there was a window that allowed the light of Luciny to enter.  She held the dagger up, allowing the moonlight to reflect off the dagger as she slowly turned it, allowing the silvery light to touch every part of the blade.  She prayed all the while for the good mother's blessing.  Then she gently placed the dagger down in the stream, ensuring her hand was 'up-river'.  As the water burbled over the metal, she continued to pray.

At first, nothing happened.  Then - slowly - a thin trickle of darkness began to drift away from the point of the dagger.  The trickle became thicker, the darkness swirling as the water ran over the dagger before thinning out again and finally fading to nothing.  She reached into the water and pulled the dagger out.  She held it up again to the silvery light.  The dark stain had been removed.

She held it out to the little halfling, hilt-first.  "Hopefully there won't be a need to stab any more demons in the next little while..."

------

That night she opted for a real bed rather than the lower level.  She felt a little bit guilty for her comfort when the temple guards were needing to sleep in the maze - if they were sleeping at all.  But not that guilty...

The next morning she ate a quick breakfast of fruit, checked in with Opal to see how those in the maze were doing, then sought out Valteshi to ask after more magic items.  "Do you have anything that would allow concealment or alteration of appearance?"

Then she hit the library.  She sought the aid of Lady Mirrorsheen, who'd already scoped out the place thoroughly and had a good sense of what was there.  In exchange for her aid in finding the books she was most interested in, she helped out the petite fairy by lifting a couple of the larger books off the shelves and placing them on reading stands.  Her objectives for the day were:
- Figure out where the 4th portal was currently located in the world (without having to go through it)
- Learn what was contained within the vault
- Learn how to open said vault
- See if she could learn anything more about when the birthday of Lusiny and Cherka would be.

At supper that night she raised the question of the possibility of re-starting the order of the Silver Scorge.  She needed to know the will of her companions.  Westley, she new, would be up for anything.  The issue was more a question of what the others wanted - and were willing to commit.

Day 0

The baths were truly wonderful. The entire stronghold was old and abandoned, but Valteshi had kept it in order, and the ability to kick back and relax once in a while could not be tarnished even if there was some dust in the water.

The warrior pored over her pale reflection in the waters. If all went well, she would be rid of this new look in just a few days.

***

Everyone seemed to have their plans in order, so while Chance and Lady Mirrorsheen searched diligently for a cleansing ritual, Eryn paged through tome after tome looking for a similar ritual which would work for living beings. She had to cross-reference what she found with them both - as well as Ilura and the genie - several times to make sure that she had found the right steps of the process.

The warrior smacked her lips at the final instructions which had been jotted down on parchment in front of her.

"I have to light myself on fire?" she asked, wary eyes shifting towards the ones who would assist her.

"Absolutely," responded the fairy flittering in the air. "Flowing water is well and good for minor curses, but even a blessed river would not guarantee your safety were you to try bathing in one to rid yourself of your dreadful transformation. But not to worry, your body will not burn! Well, at least not from the outside."

"It hurts a lot, I take it?" Eryn rubbed her temple. She had been reading all day and was eager to be done with it. Some new battle scars seemed preferable to suffering a headache.

"It will be worth it. A demon has gripped your flesh. It must be forced to let go - only fire will do that. Plus, the spiritual wounds it caused must be purified and sealed - a sacred fire is required."

"I see. Well, if we all agree this is our best chance of curing me, I have no choice but to do it." Eryn rose from her chair, gently pushing a stack of books aside as she did so. "Give me a day to steel myself, and I shall have the ritual prepared by tomorrow evening."

***

Day 1

Despite the looming threat of temple guards figuring out a way into the Silver Scourge's stronghold, Eryn slept peacefully with the knowledge that her future was now looking brighter.

As soon as breakfast was done in the morning, she made her way to the forge room and had Valteshi show her where the required equipment was stored. With the fire blazing, Eryn laid out her spellbook next to the magical items she had been allowed to destroy. For many hours, the clinking and clanging of the blacksmith's tools echoed throughout the halls outside. During this time Eryn kept her mind entirely focused on the job, and made sure to stand as close to the heat as possible. She knew she would need to endure even greater heat than this once the cleansing ritual began.

***

Come evening, Eryn's trusty spear had been reforged and enhanced beyond anything her ancestor had wielded. She could not stop herself from drawing an admiring finger across the flat portion of the now-glowing speartip.

She forced herself to lay the weapon aside and begin to pack ritualistic items into a bag instead. Candles, holy oil, a small sack of coal and lamp oil for the fire, charcoal for inscriptions, parchments to write counter-curse mantras on in case of a demonic release, and so on. There was a large amphora of water too. Hopefully this would be enough.

Ancestors, she called out in her mind, I hope you are pleased with the path I've chosen.

***

Having been lost in her own thoughts and plans all day - and the looming ritual in particular - Eryn was just finishing up her food when she heard Valteshi warn of intruders in the halls.

"Wait, what was that?" she asked, swallowing one last mouthful. "They've already gotten past the door?"

---

Ritual: I will use fire to cleanse myself rather than blessed water. This process will be more painful, but should ensure that the demon within is wholly destroyed. I'll also wear only a linen robe while standing in the fire, in case shoes and such count as unnatural or armor.

I could possibly cast a spell to defend myself if something goes wrong, but I'll abstain in fear of interrupting the ritual. Instead I will ask my ancestors for guidance before we begin.

I'm not sure which holy item I will disenchant yet.

Loot items:
* I can't say no to an Indestructible Shield. :)
* The Solar Platemail sounds useful, as it's a step up from what I currently have (as a Fighter I don't have to worry about the clumsy tag) and my scale armor got damaged earlier anyway.
Tell me if this conflicts with anyone else's choices so far.

Schedule:
Day 0: Tour the area and familiarize myself with it. Research how to break a curse.
Day 1: Weave the Blue Longsword into my weapon, making it able to stab shadows. Work in Blast Knuckles, granting +Forceful.  Prepare the ritual in the evening.
Day 2 & 3: Conduct the purifying ritual. If there is a holy item around here I will use it, otherwise I must ask Ilura (?) on day 0 to help me find one.
Day 4: Once I am certain that the ritual has taken, I may indulge myself and work more on my weapon.
Day 5: Study x4 (I'll detail what I'm looking for later)
Day 6: Work the forge x2, if any weapons remain, otherwise study, practice, prepare.
Day 7: I'm not sure if I will become a member of the Silver Scourge. I will get back to this.

Blacksmithing:
If no one wants the Blast Knuckles, Shatter Hammer, Chef's Cleaver, or Tree Chopper, I will work their effects into my weapon.
If allowed I'd love to incorporate the extra blade bits and have the spear take on a halberd shape when finished.

Finished signature weapon would then be as follows:
* Close, reach, +1 piercing, +forceful, +messy
* Can cut shadows and roll DEX to pin a creature's shadow
* Crystallizes parts of target on hit
* Chops trees in one swing
* Can turn appropriate beasts into rations

But before we get to that part, we appear to have intruders to deal with!

Silas seemed satisfied with Ilura's assurances, at least for the time being, and began to train Westley during the next few days.

When Ilura asked Valteshi more questions about the maze, the djinn answered them with apparent disinterest, but honestly. Ilura found out that they could enter the maze from the sanctum's lower levels and return again without too much trouble. The structure was designed to test those who had entered from the outer world, not from the sanctum. But Valteshi also warned that the maze could change shape on occasion, so it was wise not to stray far. However, those who entered from the outer world would not have the luxury of retreating to safety. Once they decided to enter the maze, they would either need to reach the sanctum or wander the maze until they eventually perished.

As for what Valteshi would have done if the party wasn't present... "I would do the same as I am doing now. Watch them if the mood suits me, but refrain from interfering. Interfering was seen as "inappropriate" by the members who lived here, but I suppose it is possible. It most definitely defeats the maze's purpose though." The djinn gave a shrugless shrug, then continued. "But no, we cannot hear them. Only watch. Unless you have the talent of a gifted seer. (You don't) And based on where they started, their "purity" must have been just a scratch better than coal. Any dirtier and they would be fused to the outer door, their faces stuck in the silver masks there."

---

Thankfully, cleansing Chance's dagger went well. There were no issues that arose from the process.

The next time the group checked on the group in the maze, the enemy group was resting at the end of a dead-end hall. One of the elite guards had a bandaged foot, and the elven mage had a nasty bruise all along her left arm. They had apparently had a run-in with something ferocious. But they were all still alive thus far. They were still less than a quarter of the distance toward the sanctum though.

When Ilura asked Valteshi about any items that would allow concealment or alteration of appearance, the djinn replied, "Of course. There is an entire area of the sanctum filled with plants. Poisons cause many humanoids to- Oh, I suppose you mean a specific type of appearance change. For instance," the djinn spun in place and took on a smoke-like consistency, then flew through Ilura, leaving the ranger coughing from the smoke. "I can turn you into smoke or flame for a while. Maybe even lightning. Or I am sure the sanctum members have left various disguise kits and war paints in the supplies areas of the sanctum. Other than that, I am unsure. I could search around, but nothing is coming to mind."

---

During Ilura's studies, the ranger managed to find out quite a bit of information.

4th portal location:

When Ilura searched for information about where the fourth maze entrance was currently located, all she was able to uncover was a journal entry dated shortly before the Silver Scourge had been eliminated. In it, the author said, "We had to shift entrance four today. Joglan from our infiltration squad was dealt a fatal blow by a lunar serpent in the bowls of the Red Stronghold. THE Red Stronghold. I am amazed the group made it as far as they did before one of their ranks fell. The only reason they survived was because they managed to escape into the Soul-Sear Bypass. I recommended we should move the entrance again at the next available opportunity, as the Red Stronghold is just about the worst location for one of our entrances to be..."

The journal entry made no mention of what the Red Stronghold was, or who owned it. And It was not readily known by anyone from the adventuring party.

Vault contents:

Ilura was unable to uncover any actual lists of what was inside the sanctum's large vault, but several sources confirmed that it contained the bulk of the Scourge's funds, and a list of its members' true identities. Additionally, it is widely known that it also housed the sanctum's most powerful magical items they had come across. Both the good and the bad.

Vault opening:

As for unlocking the vault, it was said that it could only be done by the true leader of the Silver Scourge, or by someone purposefully and willingly appointed by them. Thereafter, the vault door would be opened in much the same way as the outer doors to the maze. The person who wanted to open the door would need to place their masked face onto a special spot on the door and ask it to open. Although there was no mention of peoples' faces getting stuck to the vault door if they failed.

Lusiny and Cherka's birthday:

Ilura knew from Marcus that it took the efforts of skilled astronomers and astrologers to pinpoint when specific events like the birthdays of deities take place within the mundane calendars of mortals. Luckily, the Scourge had one or two individuals with such skills among their ranks at one time or another. The ranger found a chart with the birthdays of the gods that encompassed the next few millennia. Some deities had a birthday once every few centuries. Others had one several times a month. Others still had sporadic birthdays that might happen once a decade, but last for a week. It didn't make a whole lot of sense to be honest.

But after a lot of study, Ilura eventually figured out that the goddesses would have their birthday within the next two to three months. There was not an exact date, but a range of days was given. It said their birthday would start when The Mother's Comet flew past Luciny's moon, and would end when it reached Cherka's moon. The event was known to last anywhere from a few minutes, to several days. It depended upon the moons' exact celestial locations at the time of the comet's appearance. And the birthday was also said to involve "tears of the goddesses" falling from the sky in the form of shooting stars.

---

At the forge, Eryn found her new arcane abilities coming in handy as she reworked her weapon. She could almost feel the magic being pounded from one of the spare weapons into her own as she worked. The warrior also found her spear taking on a new shape as she worked, to better incorporate the new magics it was now housing. With every strike of the forge's hammer, Eryn could almost hear a chorus of her ancestors singing encouragingly to the beat. It was like a sound at the periphery of her hearing. One she couldn't quite be certain was actually there, but was still comforting nonetheless.


Ilura and Eryn, what do you do?

---

Some of the hireling seem like they might be interested in joining the scourge if you restart it, but nobody gave a definite yes yet. Not even Westley, since he wasn't sure if he could also remain a member of the Order of the Ambitious. It didn't seem worth writing out IC since there was already so much going on.

Ilura
You found out quite a bit of info from your studies, but perhaps not as detailed as you might have hoped.

Eryn
All of your loot claims and blacksmithing results seem accurate to me. Having your spear take on a halberd shape is fine with me!

Items that you know of that could be considered holy for the purposes of your ritual include: Soul-severing Scythe, Solar Platemail, and the huge morningstar from the demon/angel battle.

I'll let you go ahead and roll to see if anything goes wrong during your cleansing ritual. With all of your preparations, I'll say there is a 1 in 10 chance something goes seriously wrong. Roll 1d10. 1-5 and everything goes perfectly. 6-9 and a snag occurs, but nothing you can't readily manage. Go ahead and describe what it is and how you deal with it. Roll a 10 and there is a serious complication we will need to roleplay out.

Ilura probed the Djinn's responses a bit further.  "What I really meant is - if the group made it through the maze, is your default assumption that their souls must have been redeemed and you grant them access to this place?  Is there any possibility that people could make it here with ill-intent and still be granted access?"

The next morning, she decided to try out a new spell.  She cast Divination.  Dearest Lady, in a few days we must depart this precious place to confront and hopefully defeat Yordakin Qizproteus.  This place will see us safely there, but where to arrive - discretely, safely and in most effective proximity to complete our mission is as yet unclear to me.  The Sunset Isles consist of many islands and the Jungle of Blossoms is even larger.  I have no name to identify somewhere more specific, nor the insight as to where would be best for us to arrive.  You know all and see all that your silver light touches.  I could ask you to show me Yordakin directly, but I fear he may be able to detect or interfere with scrying magic.  So I merely ask you to show me the area where, in your wisdom, you think it would be best to arrive and a bit around it so that we might best prepare ourselves and transport ourselves there when the time comes.

quote:

22:37, Today: Ilura rolled 7 using 2d6+3.  Cast divination.

Will take a +1 to future castings.

For her second use of the spell, she simply said "Show me the Red Stronghold"

quote:

23:49, Today: Ilura rolled 5 using 2d6+2.  Cast divination - red stronghold.

Oops...

I'll leave things there as what else I can do for the day will sort of depend on what happens as a result of the failed spell...

Upon first hearing of the intruders, Eryn's warrior spirit was keen to venture forth into the labyrinth and stop them in their tracks, but there were enough tactical drawbacks for this to be unfeasible. Firstly, the group needed all the preparation time they could get, meaning it would be a waste of time to search for them. Secondly, their enemy would be weakened by the journey, and allowing them to defeat themselves was much better than risking danger to meet them halfway. Finally, it was not certain that the party could find their way back to the center in time, given Valteshi's statements.

For now, they had to proceed with their own work as if no one was coming.

***

On the morning of the cleansing ritual, Eryn left her equipment in her quarters. Though she was still allowed to wear simple clothing for the ceremony, she felt almost naked without the familiar weight of all her usual combat gear.

"If these useless clothes catch on fire, all of you have to avert your eyes before dousing me, ok?" she joked. The gallows humor only served to underline the potentially fatal danger looming ahead, should anything go wrong.

***

Following instructions from the parchment in front of her, the warrior built a small fire on the stone floor and covered a circular area around it with copied inscriptions. Next she gently poured holy oil over the firewood, handed the relic to be sacrificed to her ally, and stepped inside the ring.

"I feel like a witch on the pyre," she remarked, and made an uneasy grimace. "I suppose that's not far from the truth right now. Let's do this before I regret ever starting."

Eryn watched in tense silence as a torch was lit and brought forth. Nodding once in recognition, she straightened up and began reciting the ritual prayer, while the flame was stuck to the oil-soaked wood. The warrior did her best to ignore the rising heat, stopping once to stifle a pang of fear when the fire first tickled her leg.

Still, she had gotten accidental burns before, and knew this pain was nothing compared to what searing pain the flame would normally inflict were it to burn the flesh. Since no one else cried out in alarm either, Eryn concluded that she was not truly on fire.

If all went well, the holy flame would find the demon inside and burn it instead. It would not be pleasant, but it would be good.

---

I've left my equipment behind and will be wearing linen clothing only. I have destroyed the Soul-severing Scythe as a sacrifice to conduct the ritual.

16:49, Today: Eryn rolled 5 using 1d10.  Conducting the cleansing ritual.
Phew!

Changes to my initial forging plan: In the days after the ritual, add the morningstar's good & evil planar magic to my weapon instead of the Chef's Cleaver.

The 'useless' clothes actually looked pretty good on Eryn.  Ilura wasn't sure she'd ever seen the warrior/wizard without armor on.  Eryn looked good.  Good enough that the ranger flushed a bit at her joke...

However, this was not the time to pursue such thoughts.  She cast a blessing on the cursed woman, anointing her palms with water.  Then she took out her rapier and dagger, prepared to do battle if some entity escaped Eryn's body and needed to be dispatched.

"Good luck."  She smiled at her friend.  She was confident that Luciny would help cure whatever taint the demon had created.

Valteshi considered Ilura's follow-up question for a few moments, but it was not long before she gave her response. "I, personally, would consider their souls redeemed. Or, at least, I would consider them worthy of entrance to the sanctum. But the maze is not infallible. Probably. Hence the reason there are numerous wards and such hanging on the walls of the sanctum's entry points. In the end, I will leave the decision up to you. I am merely a steward of this place and have little interest in non-obvious threats." Apparently she had considered the party an "obvious threat" when they had arrived, since she had met them at the soul-sear bypass with her magic readied.

---

The next morning, when Ilura cast her new Divination spell, the ranger was first gifted with a bird's-eye-view of the Sunset Isles. It was a quaint little village along a tropical coastline. Piers jutted out into a tranquil bay on one side, and jungled cliffs towered up on the other side as a tall waterfall splashed over its slope. To either side of the town, flowery jungles covered the land. As Ilura watched, the spell began to zoom in closer to a particular building within the village. It was a square building with a little courtyard in its center. The courtyard, not visible from outside the building, had a pattern made with paving stones. A pattern depicting a person holding up a mountain. The symbol of Westley's order, the Order of the Ambitious...

When Ilura's first vision blurred, she began casting for a second one. She tried for a vision of the Red Stronghold. At first, the only thing that Ilura could see in her vision was a red sphere that was out of focus. Her head hurt just looking at it. It was almost as if this red orb had an opposite polarity to Ilura's very essence. Her divination vision began to zoom in closer to the red orb, but as it did, the ranger's head was bombarded with pain and she quickly blacked out.

When she awoke on the bearskin rug of her room, Thomas lightly tugging at her ear in concern, the ranger felt cold and alone. Not just because there was nobody else in the room either. Even her goddess felt distant. As if whatever vision she had glimpsed had momentarily placed a wedge between them. Iura knew she would need to reaffirm her connection to Luciny before she would be able to cast even a rote's-worth of magic again.

---

Having made careful preparations after extensive studies, Eryn's ritual went relatively smoothly. She could feel the holy flames burning the demonic forces within her, but the flames managed to leave the fighter's own flesh intact. Every so often she could feel the forces within her try and break out to escape to safety, but the warrior-wizard's will was strong. Eryn managed to keep everything contained within her until it could be burned to holy ash. It took the better part of two day, but eventually Ery rose to her feet, purified. A thin circle of golden cinders surrounded her on the floor, looking like a crude halo. The warrior felt a great pang of hunger in her gut, but it was a hunger for normal foods rather than raw meat.

It seemed the ritual had been a complete and utter success! Not only that, but Eryn even found herself noticing the underpinnings of what made the ritual work. They were similar to the underpinnings of how she could forge magics into her ancestral weapon. The warrior-wizard was pretty sure that she could design rituals of her own now, now that she had a bit of firsthand experience with such things.

What do you do?

---

I think we should now be at Day 4 of the group's stay at the sanctum. I copied and pasted the prospective schedules here for easy reference. Don't feel obligated to stick to them.

Ilura
+1 XP! When you tried to view the Red Stronghold, some kind of cosmic force placed a wedge between you and Luciny, temporarily distancing you from your goddess's divine power. You can't cast any spells until you have time to prepare spells again.

Possible Schedule:
Day 0: Question Valteshi in-depth, pay respects in the crypt, casting revelations
Day 1: Explore parts of the Sanctum with true-sight, Studying library/maps, Helping to Purify Chance's dagger
Day 2: Research sanctum's fourth entrance current location, keep an eye on Eryn during her ritual
Day 3: keep an eye on Eryn during her ritual
Day 4: Study, study, study, study?
Day 5: Study, study, study, study?
Day 6: Study, study, study, study?
Day 7: Maybe become members of the Silver Scourge?

Eryn
You are cured! You can eat regular food again! You also lose your health-leeching bite ability.

However, due to your careful studies and successful execution of an arcane ritual, you also gain the Ritual ability as per the wizard move.

Possible Schedule:
Day 0: Tour the area and familiarize myself with it. Research how to break a curse.
Day 1: Weave the Blue Longsword into my weapon, making it able to stab shadows. Work in Blast Knuckles, granting +Forceful.  Prepare the ritual in the evening.
Day 2 & 3: Conduct the purifying ritual. If there is a holy item around here I will use it, otherwise I must ask Ilura (?) on day 0 to help me find one.
Day 4: Once I am certain that the ritual has taken, I may indulge myself and work more on my weapon.
Day 5: Study x4 (I'll detail what I'm looking for later)
Day 6: Work the forge x2, if any weapons remain, otherwise study, practice, prepare.
Day 7: I'm not sure if I will become a member of the Silver Scourge. I will get back to this.

Ilura absently gave Thomas a pet as she pulled herself into a sitting position on the rug, wincing at the ache in her head.  Evidently that was a spell to use with some degree of caution...

She made her way downstairs to the chapel and spent a good two hours in prayer before the sense distance seemed to fade.  One thing was pretty clear - she definitely *didn't* want to go visit where-ever that entry point happened to be.  Perhaps at some point she might be strong enough - and the order strong enough - to face whatever it was that occupied that area.  But there were other things to tackle first.

----------

She returned to check on Eryn shortly before the ritual completed.  When the warrior stood, Ilura could tell just from looking at the woman's face that the demon's influence had faded.  She embraced her friend.  "I'm proud of you.  That was a hard thing to face and you did it anyhow.  If you're up for it, I can make you a nice meal to celebrate!"

Ilura had gained enough familiarity with the materials available from the garden by this point that she new how best to put it together in a satisfying meal.  "It's fully vegetarian, but I figure at this point, that probably feels like a plus for you..."

When the new wizard shared that she thought she had picked up some insights on how to perform a magic ritual, the wheels started turning.  "Would you be able to make a weapon that had no magic at all attain some sort of magic capabilities?  I know some creatures are immune to normal weapons, such as that demon was.  I would like to be prepared to help if that comes to pass.  I'm happy to assist in the ritual if Luciny's blessing or spells could be helpful."

----------

After dinner she went to join Opal to check in on the progress of the other party.  She was interested in where they were, but also how things had gone for them thus far - how were they operating, how were they cooperating, what unusual skills or capabilities had they shown - and also whether Opal was able to glean a sense of how the dungeon was actually trying to 'cleanse their souls'.  Most importantly, from what Opal had seen of their behavior so far, how much would the gargoyle trust any of them?

When it was obvious their opponents weren't doing anything terribly exciting, she briefly switched the view to scout some of the rooms closest to the central hub to see if she could spy a 'challenge' that would be sufficient to meet Silas's desires but wasn't too hard to get to and didn't seem likely to put him or Westley at too much risk.

She also found a quiet moment to share the recommended arrival site at the Sunset Isles with Eryn.  "Westley will be thrilled, no doubt..."

----------

The next day in the library, she decided to assuage her curiosity by seeing if the books and scrolls would help her where her spells did not, trying to figure out both what the Red Stronghold was and where it was located.  Then she transitioned to trying to learn more about Corr and the void.  With whatever time she had left, she investigated to see what she could learn about magic rituals that might help enchant a weapon - provided that Eryn had expressed any willingness.

When Ilura checked in with Opal, the gargoyle of few words was quick to show Ilura where the enemy group currently was, and what challenge they had just faced. And what they were about to face...

It seemed the group had just finished traversing a bog full of poison-gas pockets. A few of their ranks had suffered from the effects of the poison and could hardly move. Judging by the marks left in the dirt, they had faced off against a large creature at one point and the group got split in two. The mage, monk, and two guards were currently hunkered down in a dirt-burrow, caring for the two of their group who had been affected by poison. They seemed worried that the big creature would come back, but the unpoisoned two refused to leave the poisoned ones behind.  The orc archer and another of the guards seemed to be eager to go on ahead, leaving those that were poisoned behind. Those two were currently climbing a cliff toward a small cave entrance where they would be safe from whatever creature might be stalking them.

As Ilura watched, she could see parts of the labrynth rearranging out of sight of the people within it. Not far from those hunkered down in the burrow, a stream of water was slowly winding across the bog in an area they hadn't yet explored, but still nearby. A small raft washed up on shore in a spot where the group would surely find it.

Meanwhile, the two climbing the cliff to the cave would be in for a big surprise. Ilura could see that the tunnel was elongating and leading off toward a treacherous lava-filled passage.

The ranger got the sense that the group showing more goodwill and kindness was being rewarded, while the group showing selfishness and rashness was being given a more difficult challenge.

---

When Ilura shifted her view toward the area nearer to the sanctum, it did not take her long to find what she was looking for. It was the perfect challenge to test Silas and Westley's new skills. It was a beast she had only heard of before, but also one she had always wanted to see in person.

What do you do?

---

Ilura
You see a creature nearby that would be perfect to challenge with Silas and Westley. Tell me what it is, and what sort of terrain it is in.

Free Spout Lore answers:

1. Red Stronghold - What is it?
The Red Stronghold is a massive fortress of red stone inhabited by Cherka's most devout followers and most powerful minions. It is well-warded. Some say directly by Cherka herself.

2. Red Stronghold - Where is it?
It is located on Cherka's red moon. Some even claim it is her moon. In that her moon is a massive fortress that floats across the sky.

3. Corr and The Void - general
Every account Ilura can find that mentions Corr and The Void suggests that Corr is more willing to activate an opening to his void if something truly unique is offered to him. Nothing has ever left his void (as far as anyone knows), but Corr is greedy and fears that someone may try to take his things if he opens his void frivolously. Examples of truly unique items that had been offered to him in the past include: Wine made from the tears of a grief-stricken angel, a cube with no corners, and a burning candle that was ignited at the bottom of the sea.

4. Weapon enchantments
You found an interesting enchantment that can be placed on a weapon. What is the enchantment supposed to be able to do?

<orange>Who's going with the fighter, who's gassed and who's looking after them?  Trying to get a sense of each of their temperaments<orange>

Gruglut the orc crossbowman and Samantha the temple guard are off on their own, headed toward the lava area.

Ronny the human monk and Vance the temple guard look to be poisoned. Mizzy the elvish mage and Dunly the temple guard are doing their best to keep them from dying.

Ilura scanned the nearby rooms.  She considered going after the minotaur, but - despite their poor reputation - she wasn't thrilled with the notion of killing a living thing just for sport.  While it was part bull, she also couldn't imagine eating it.  So she continued her search.  After considering a few possibilities she found what she thought was a good choice - a flesh golem.  That would be perfect.  It was a construct, so nothing she had any particular concern with dispatching.  It should be vulnerable to the trio's weapons.  And, while it would likely be formidable and could certainly hurt or even kill them, it wouldn't be attacking with acid, fire, magic or anything else that would stop this from being a straight up-and-down fight.

The creature looked to be about 8 feet tall and was currently standing motionless in a large stone room, with doors on all four sides.  There were no obvious traps, though she had no insight as to whether there might be non-visible ones  She shared her idea Silas and Westly her proposal at dinner, to see if they agreed.

The enchantment she found in one of the books was an interesting one.  With the appropriate ritual, in an appropriate space and with the necessary holy ointments and the aid of a willing mage, it was possible to imbue a weapons with a god or goddess's blessing.  Unlike the spell, this blessing would hold more or less permanently.  However, the trick was that the owner of the weapon had to remain in their deity's favor.  The deity could choose to recall the blessing at any time, and if they did so, the integrity of the weapon would fail and it would likely shatter when next used.  She knew she could count on Luciny.  The question she needed to answer for herself was - would Luciny trust in her?

The ritual dragged on seemingly forever, every moment as tense as the last. After a while standing in the heat of the fire ceased to be the main concern, rather the wriggling sensation of something agitating every cell in the warrior's body forced all other thoughts away. The demonic spirit trapped within could not escape the ritual circle nor possess its host, however, for the holy oil burning weakened its power.

In the end, the flames went out at the same moment the shadow's presence tore and gave. Eryn coughed a cloud of ashen smoke, and then it was gone. Eryn's elation was immediate. She felt her face - it was warm and covered in sweat - and drew her thumb across her teeth. No fangs!

She had no time to contemplate this further before Ilura hugged her and dragged her away to get food. Cleaning up the chamber could always be put off till later...

***

After being served a delicious meal by Ilura, Eryn mumbled between mouthfuls about rituals and smithing and all the possibilities the Silver Scourge and offered them.

While passionately going on about, Ilura interrupted her to ask about another sort of weapon. "Truth be told, I haven't really tried my hand at other weapons yet," she admitted. "Working on my ancestor's weapon comes naturally to me, almost as if it draws in the enchantment on its own. Can't imagine it will be too different to work my craft if a goddess directs the magic, however. Let's give it a try!"

"And before I forget: Thanks a lot for the meal!"

---

I will remove the Cursed Bite/leech move and add Ritual.

Items:
* Equipping Indestructible Shield and Solar Platemail, replacing my damaged scale armor.
* Signature Weapon upgraded with: shadow pin (from longsword), crystallize (from Shatter Hammer), +forceful and +messy (from Blast Knuckles), chop tree (from Tree Chopper) and finally the good/evil aura from the giant demonic mace.

Schedule:
I had a day of studying sessions listed, and now I think I'll use that time to research + work on Ilura's proposed weapon. If there is time left over, I will spend it looking for something unique to offer Corr so he will open the Void for us.

Level up:
Spend the XP I have to reach level 7.
* Increase Charisma to 17.
* New spell: Invisibility (Lvl 1)
* Advanced move: See discussion thread.

Prepare spells:
Cantrips, Mirror Image (3), Telepathy (1), Magic Missile (1), Detect Magic (1).

When Ilura spoke to Silas and Westley about the target she had found for their training test, they both seemed excited by the prospect. Westley wanted to head out and fight it right away to show off his new skills, but Silas insisted that he and Westley should still train for another day or two first.

Later, when Eryn and Ilura looked further into what would be necessary to perform the ritual Ilura requested, the found that they would "need help from a cleric of the deity granting the weapon's blessing." (Ilura qualifies) Additionally, it would require a lot of money. Specifically, gold and silver to be infused into the weapon during the ritual. Luciny would surly prefer silver. Roughly 200 coins-worth. The weapon itself would need to be provided as well.

In her spare time, Eryn even managed to find a lead on something unique enough to possibly satisfy Corr's requirements! Something noted as being locked in the sanctum's vault for safe-keeping.

What do you do?

---

We are currently at the end of Day 5.

Eryn
What is the unique item locked in the sanctum's vault? Why does it need to be kept safely sequestered?

Ritual - create a blessed weapon
You’ll need help from a cleric of the deity granting the weapon's blessing.
It will require a lot of money. 200 coins-worth of silver/gold, plus the weapon itself.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:25, Sat 13 Feb 2021.

After dinner, Ilura sought out Valteshi and explained her need for silver.  "Is there something here I could use?  How would the maze react if I were to take some from there?  We're also going to need some silver to make more masks..."

She continued. "Also, I noticed that no one has yet died in the maze.  Those who do not succeed in traversing it - do they just stay there forever?"

The next morning was spent in the library trying to learn what she could about locating (and transporting) someone's soul.  She reached out to her deity for any insights as to where Nikadroi's soul might be located.  The afternoon was spent researching the process to become a member of the order, what its strictures were and how its leader was selected.

That evening, she dug through the contents of her hat, making sure there was nothing else unexpected hidden in it.  While doing so, she found both the gnome's body and the vial of poison from back at the temple.  She'd investigate the poison tomorrow.  However, tonight they could at least lay the gnome to rest.  With the aid of Valteshi, she helped to build a pyre.  The Djinn seemed to have a way of dealing with the smoke.

"You may not wish it gnome, but I offer Luciny's blessing.  May her silver light hold and guide your soul and may you find the peace and love in the next life that you did not find in this one."

quote:

14:14, Today: Ilura rolled 13 using 2d6+3.  Cast revelation.

Revelation roll to learn where Nikadroi's soul might be.

EDIT: fixed formatting

This message was last edited by the player at 14:18, Sun 21 Feb 2021.