The sun was just rising when the broken and battered ship, the Lessthansix, finally made it to the docks and was tied up. It was unclear what would become of the ship and her remaining crew, but what was clear was that most of its occupants felt it was best if the adventuring team disembarked at this port and never came back aboard.

The dimly lit city was chilly at this hour of the morning. There was a thin fog hanging low over the water, and the brisk sea air was thick with an earthy scent. No doubt from the towering cliffs that surrounded the narrow bay on three sides. The city itself was quite a marvel of craftsmanship in its own right. Narrow streets switchbacked precariously up the cliffs, passing by the buildings that were constructed directly into the stone face of the cliffs. At the rear of the bay, the towering statues of the twin moon goddesses could be seen, with Cliffport's famous divine lighthouse lantern suspended between them on an impossibly thick chain. Behind the lantern, the elaborate masonry of the goddess's temple itself could also be spotted, and was nearly as impressive.

"I can already tell that this is going to be a nice addition to my checklist of places I have adventured!" Westley exclaimed with excessive enthusiasm as the adventuring party took a moment to absorb the scenery. He bounded out excitedly, looking at what was just up the street before returning excitedly. "There is a bakery just up ahead! A donkey too!" His mannerisms were almost akin to those one might expect from an excited dog. He soon ran up the street again.

"Are you sure we still need his help, deary?" Lady Mirrorsheen asked as she sat upon Eryn's shoulder. She fairy was still a little rough around the edges, but was looking much better than the previous day. "With the fire incident yesterday, I think it is clear you still have need of my guidance, but Westley's? Are his contributions... worth it?"

Opal let out a yip in reply from its perch on Marcus's shoulder. It was unclear though if the tiny gargoyle's yip was one of agreement or protest. Silas's opinion was less ambiguous though. "He may be a liability in many cases," the muscular man admitted. His various snakes still wound around his body, obscuring many of his recently acquired scars. "Still, he has his talents." The strongman pointed in Westley's direction.

"Look! The baker gave me a free sample!" Westley was busy chomping down on his newly acquired lemon danish pastry. Lady Mirrorsheen scoffed haughtily, but did not comment further.

Now that you have made it to Cliffport, what do you do?

---

Marcus, Eryn, and Ilura have made it off of the ship and into Cliffport. Westley, Opal, Mirrorsheen, and Silas are present too, and look to be in ok condition, all things considered. If you wanted to part with any of them, let me know. Also, you do have custody of Frost's body, (unless you would rather leave her with the ship after all) and it is with you in the magical preservation bag. How are you dealing with that while in town?

Ilura struggled a bit walking along the pier.  Her inexperience at sea - perhaps combined with a lack of sleep, made her a bit slow to acquire her land legs.  That said, she was happy to be on land again.  Her first sea voyage hadn't left her super-enthused about trying again.  Unfortunately, she had no clue how to achieve her mission without doing so.

She scanned the cliffs, looking for any sign of a temple to the silver lady.  It was going to be hard going to trot the captain's body everywhere they went - and a temple to her Goddess was the safest place she could think to leave one.

She winced a bit at Lady Mirrorsheen's assessment of Westley, but couldn't really fault her assessment.  The young man was an accident waiting to happen (likely multiple times per day).  She wasn't super clear on how to get rid of him though - at least not until they had a route out of town.

Moving closer to Marcus, she queried quietly: "Have you communicated to your pen pal and indicated our need to travel?"

quote:

20:56, Today: Ilura rolled 9 using 2d6+3.  Discern realities.

What here is useful or valuable to me? - specifically looking for a temple to Luciny

The temple described with the twin goddesses suspending the huge lantern is actually a temple of both Lusiny and Cherka. It was described in better detail in Eryn's post, which I pasted below. Ilura may not have known this immediately, but no need to Discern that with a roll. You may ask a different question if you wish.

Eryn:

As the ship floated into Cliffport, Eryn made note of the many alcoves and buildings set into the sides of the tall cliffs overlooking the port. In the center of the rearmost cliff side, there was the famed monument of the two warring goddesses. They were facing each other, with a great big lantern between them. At night the polished back of the lantern would reflect light from a divinely lit fire out over the ocean, thereby guiding ships to shore. Behind the statue was the entrance to an equally famous great temple carved into the rock. From this Temple of Balance, the fire was kept lit by the Communion of Twins. Eryn knew little more of this order than tales of trouble - each member worked with another in their task, and being paired based on a ritual rather than by choice, these "divine twins" did not always agree with each other.

Ah.  My brain didn't pick that up.

"Perhaps we should leave the captain at the temple.  It will be difficult to carry her and I'd trust them to keep her as careful as it's possible to."

Which of the two temples was clear...

"I'm glad to see you are recovering, milady. My hasty action is still gnawing on me."

Eryn was overjoyed to finally be back on land, though due to the danger they had just survived she decided not to express it as enthusiastically as Westley did. Those who knew the warrior would notice a change in her demeanor, however, from vague tension and battle-readiness to a more relaxed posture. So far she had used her strong arms to help carry Captain Frost's body off the ship. Like Ilura, Eryn assumed the party would be getting the attention of many prying eyes unless they headed straight for the temple with grim expressions on their faces. Westley was currently being all too cheerful to keep up appearances.

She considered her allies' words for a moment before replying. "Westley may be likely to stumble into danger, but he also survived the battle with the pirates as well as the rest of us. I think he'll be fine. We could use his cheer in trying times, too. Right now, however, we should deliver the body for safekeeping before drawing any attention to ourselves."

"Hey, Westley," she asked him once he was done eating his tasty treat, "would you mind running an errand for me? We need some supplies such as food for the road, but my hands are tied up in this task. I will join you later."

Eryn moved her grip on the body bag enough to fish out her coin pouch with one hand. It was quite heavy after receiving their payment for the job. She had spent some time this morning meticulously counting out their money to ensure nothing had been nicked by the pirates. She slipped some money to Westley to cover the costs.

---

Now that we are safely back on shore, I am handing off 100 coins each to Marcus and Ilura.
Let's see if we can't find some supplies and perhaps a blacksmith's place around here.

I like the fairy, and Silas has been very useful so far as an extra pair of arms. I don't have any attachment to the gargoyle. Westley is 50/50 for me, but I'd like to give him something to do (stay in town and keep a look out, perhaps?) instead of dumping him entirely, if it comes to that.

Marcus was as glad to leave the ship as he was distraught by the difficult journey they undertook. If he could only understand how things went so wrong, he'd do his best to prevent such disasters from recurring. The frown on his face made it clear he was worried with the situation.

When Ilura reminded him of the journal, he shook his head "Nothing since I asked about handling Frost's bargin." he followed her gaze to the temple "We'll leave her in the temple and I'll write to them then."

Paladin stored the money with a grump before gripping the bag and preparing to haul it to the distant temple. "He will learn to handle himself." he offered regarding the excited Westley "And we're not in a position to turn down any aid." He looked at the remaining three hirelings "But if any of you find our path too difficult, we will understand."

Glad that Eryn had taken on the job of carrying the body, Ilura took on her natural role of scouting ahead.  It was always harder in the confines and chaos of a city - especially one that was unknown.  But the principles were the same.

[Help me keep an eye out for trouble.  We're heading to the big building at the end of the chain up above.]

quote:

20:11, Today: Ilura rolled 9 using 2d6+5.  Discern realities w/ Thomas.

What should I be on the lookout for?

When given his task, Westley gave Eryn a salute and headed off to do his duty. "I'll get everything you need!" he assured her as he hurried off around a corner.

In response to Marcus's comment the other hirelings looked among themselves and seemed to share similar views on his offer. Silas spoke up first. "We knew the path would be difficult when you hired us. That is actually why I offered my services in the first place. Keep giving me opportunities to prove myself in combat and I will be happy."

"And if you continue to uncover and share magical knowledge with me, like how you can postpone a Devil's Bargain," Lady Mirrorsheen added, pointing to the bag that contained Frost, "Then I will be happy to face whatever dangers come our way."

Opal, as always, was difficult to read. But the little gargoyle remained on Marcus's shoulder, vigilant as ever.

As Ilura scouted out ahead of the group, it became apparent that the city was typical in most ways. It was cramped, smelly, and there were always people around. Although fewer at this hour of the morning. The main thing that set it apart from other locations was its nearly vertical construction, and the large temple to the two moon goddesses. A few people gave them scrutinizing looks as they passed by with Captain Frost in tow, but it wasn't such an odd sight that anyone confronted them about it.

When the group climbed the stairs of the cliffside behind the enormous suspended temple lantern, Ilura was surprised to find that there was only a single temple dedicated to both Lusiny and Cherka simultaneously. The murals set into the stone leading up to the temple depicted scenes of Cherka's minions riling up Lusiny's quiet nights, then depictions of Lusiny's forces quelling the chaos. The pattern continued endlessly in the artwork, making it clear that neither goddess held all the power here.

What do you do?

---

The group has made it to the temple and can seek aid there, if that is still what they would like to do. But while this is definitly a temple dedicated to Lusiny, it is simultaneously a temple dedicated to her sister and rival, Cherka.

Eryn
You can have Westley collect any basic gear for you and apply his discount. You will have access to it when the two of you meet up again.

Ilura
What should I be on the lookout for?
You should look out for Cherka's influence in this temple. Lusiny is not the only one worshiped here.

Marcus
What is your reaction to seeing a mixed temple like this? Is it blasphemous, or merely outside the norm?

"Hopefully we won't have combat here in the city, but I'm sure there will be more than enough going forward.

As for magic, I have a few things I'd like you to look at as well"

She turned to Marcus.  "Perhaps one of us should check the workings of this temple before we make our request?"

"I am cautiously optimistic that the priests of this temple will not object when we tell them of the Devil's Bargain. If we are lucky, in their twin faith they may even have more knowledge of it," she said in response to the fairy. Even so, the warrior frowned a little at the sight of the murals. She wondered if the devoted would be entirely trustworthy, if they worshiped a goddess of strife and chaos.

Stuck with carrying the late Captain's body, Eryn kept taking in the sights, studying the artwork and trying to listen to the people they passed. It was a lot to take in at once, however.

---

07:56, Today: Eryn rolled 6 using 2d6+1.  Discern Realities: Current events in the temple.
Marked XP. Questions I was going to ask: What is about to happen? Who’s really in control here? What here is not what it appears to be?

I'd like Westley to get me 2 x Rations, 2 x Bandages, and 1 x Healing potion. 66 coins total. I believe I missed the discount you refer to. What would it be?

"I would be happy to look at whatever items you may have found, my dear Ilura," Lady Mirrorsheen said to the ranger. "I will impart whatever knowledge I possess, but keep in mind I am far from all-knowing." She gave Ilura a playful little wink as she fluttered near Ilura's shoulder, much to Thomas's annoyance.

While that was going on, Eryn made an effort to get a better sense of the temple's current social state. There were not many people around at this time of day, so there was not much to overhear. Alternatively though, the entire city was still rather quiet, so the words that were spoken tended to travel further before being lost in all the background noise. As the party neared the top of the stairway to the temple, Eryn could make out a conversation happening just inside the entrance to the temple.

"I'm telling you, I can smell a dead elemental approaching!" a young female voice said.

"Preposterous. Elementals disintegrate when they die. And there hasn't been one in these parts since the great typhoon three decades ago," an older female voice replied.

"There is a gaggle of live people approaching too. I can hear their hearts pounding from the efforts to climb the slopes."

"Now that I believe. Even I can hear their footsteps. Shall we step out and take a peek?"

"I would really rather not. Not with the sun so high in the sky..."

"You big baby."

"Har, har, har," the younger voice said with sarcasm. "Get ready to greet them. They are quite the odd group. I can taste a hint of fey in the air. And I hear the unmistakable sound of coiling serpents. A ruffle of feathers... Yes, quite the odd group indeed."

The accuracy of the unseen person's observations was quite unnerving. And the sight that met Eryn's eyes as the group crested the top of the steps was even more so. Inside the front entrance to the grand temple to the twin goddesses was a small chamber lined with stone columns. At the far end of the chamber was a stone throne-like chair. And atop the throne sat a person (people) with two heads. One head was that of a woman with long white hair and the wrinkles that suggested she had seen many seasons. The second head was that of a youthful woman with long black hair. Her skin was much paler, her eyes a predatory red, and her canine teeth came to long points. She had a distinct vampiric nature about her. They wore an intricately woven silk robe of black and red, embroidered with silvery patterns.

"Welcome to the temple of the twin goddesses," older-looking of the two said. "I am High Priestess Lenora, and this is my twin sister, High Priestess Urella."

"What brings you here this... bright, morning?"

What do you do?

---

Ilura
Lady Mirrorsheen would be happy to look over whichever items you might have. Just let me know which ones you want to show her.

Eryn
Westley is a Hireling with the Minstrel 3 skill (and Protector 1). You can subtract a Minstrel's skill level from all prices in town if he is present for the purchase. He is buying five items, so subtract 3x5 from the total. It only costs him 51 coins to procure your items for you.

Add XP for your roll if you haven't already.

Ilura nodded her thanks to the fairy.  "Perhaps later when we have a bit more privacy"

Ilura's eyes flicked between the twin faces.  So much for requesting a meeting with just someone from her own order...

She continued to look around a bit, trying to discern some hint as to whether this would actually be a 'safe' place for the captain's body.

quote:

14:12, Today: Ilura rolled 7 using 2d6+3.  Discern realities.

What here is not what it appears to be?

Eryn was taken aback at the sight of the two-headed... she hesitated to call it a monstrosity, though only out of politeness in case the supernatural creature could read minds as well. Regardless of if they could, there was no time left to confer with her party in private.

"We are travelers from Markhain, your... honors," she spoke, trying to seem properly respectful inside the temple despite being laden with the weight of the dead - and apparently smelly - Captain Frost. "Our ship was attacked and the captain slain. Due to the circumstances we find ourselves in, we were hoping someone at your temple could help us."

---

I have subtracted the coin and marked XP. The items were added to Westley's profile for now, since he's the one carrying them.

Marcus struggled with the idea of the temple as they approached it. The goddesses shared the sky, so it shouldn't be strange to find a building honoring them both, but it was easy to dismiss worshipers of Cherka as vile as the monsters she summoned. The construction of the twin temple spoke of harmony between the factions. Shaking his head and frowning he tried to get rid of the feeling that this was the most fitting honor to both deities.

Then they met the priestess(es) that oversaw the worship and he couldn't deny it anymore. This was a place he would have dismissed as impossible and pointless a day ago, yet now he wished to see all of it and learn what he could. "High priestess Lenora. May your nights be bright." Marcus bowed to the aspect of silver before considering her counterpart. His whole face grimaced as he forced himself to offer a similar greeting "And may blood flow for you, hight priestess Urella." but the paladin didn't bow or take his eyes off the danger his body protested against.

Gesturing at Eryn, Marcus reiterated the request "And as my companion said, we would appreciate a sanctuary and guidance." his eyes finally left Urella and roamed across the chamber and the depictions of the night "Although we didn't expect... all of this."

19:53, Today: Marcus rolled 7 using 2d6+1.  Discern Realities.
What should I be on a lookout for?

Lenora bowed graciously at Marcus's greeting to her, and Urella smirked satisfactorily at his discomfort when greeting her. They both seemed pleased in their own sort of way.

"So you need our help?" Urella asked.

"With sanctuary and guidance," Lenora added, making sure Urella was clear on that part.

"Right. Right." Urella pulled gently at her bottom lip with a long pointed fingernail. "And how might we do that? Why should we do that?" That last question was most definitely directed at the adventurers. The vampiric face stared intimidatingly at all three of the group's leaders, but her eyes lingered on Ilura much longer. Especially Ilura's cat-like eyes. It was as if Urella was trying to figure something out.

"Come now," Lenora interjected. "We help everyone if we can. At least a little. Whether they be of Lusiny's silver light, or Cherka's bloody glow. Whether they need a special room to conduct a dream-ritual, or they need information on how to track a vorlag. We can help." Her eyes flickered to Eryn's whip for the briefest moment at the mention of a vorlag. "Just let us know what you need, and we will see what we can do."

What do you do?

---

Ilura
What here is not what it appears to be?
Structurally, the temple seems to be a safe place to leave Captain Frost. The high priest Urella is giving you some weird vibes though. It will mostly be a matter of whether or not you want to trust the people of this temple or not.

Marcus
What should I be on a lookout for?
Since they worship both Lusiny and Cherka here, Marcus should definitely be on the lookout for Cherka's influences in their aid. He gets the sense that their aid will be genuine, but not necessarily entirely wholesome.

Ilura met Urella's gaze with confidence.  "I believe your guidance on locating a vorlag was most helpful.  What made you decide that you should help in that case?"

Her question was non-accusatory.  No point making clear that she was on Marcus's side if the red priestess had doubts.

"We didn't ask for much in return," Lenora said. "Just the promise of a map that has a certain amount of significance to us."

Urella seemed annoyed that Lenora had shared even that much, but before she could protest, the vampiric woman's head turned sharply and stared down a hallway to the right. The adventurers could tell she was listening to something. Faint yelling could be heard coming from that direction. "They are awake," Urella stated matter-of-factly. "And the deal has gone sour..."

Urella's head snapped back toward the group and she stared with her piercing red eyes. "Secure our map and we will aid you accordingly." She pointed down the hall the noise had come from. "Third door on the right."

What do you do?

Ilura glanced down the hallway, but her eyes returned to the pair.  "What does 'aid us accordingly' mean?  You'll provide whatever support we ask?"

The time pressure was on her side, so may as well take advantage...

"I think they mean aid us with the... package I am carrying," Eryn said hesitantly. "Whatever that entails."

"What are we dealing with here, exactly? A squabble between clergymen? I will gladly procure a map in return for your aid, if I am told which map it is you need."
This message was last edited by the player at 20:14, Fri 04 Oct 2019.

It sounds like you guys are Parleying, just like Chance. Your leverage being the time-sensitive nature of their request. It seems like Ilura should be the one to make the roll here, but Eryn (and/or Marcus) can decide to roll Aid if she wishes. Feel free to wait and see what Ilura rolls first though.

quote:

17:28, Today: Ilura rolled 7 using 2d6.  Parley w/ temple.

I don't we can get that up to a 10 even if both of us Aid, so I will pass on the attempt unless you think there is something else I might add.

"Yes, yes, we can babysit the body for you, if that's what you need," Urella said with agitation. "So long as you hand us the map in one piece. It should be the only map in that room. There is a warrior about your size, and two small people. Kill any that you need to." Her voice had tones of urgency.

"I would prefer if none of them died, actually," Lenora chimed in. "But yes, time is of the essence. We will provide you with information, lodging, storage. Anything reasonable. But first do us this task." A scream rang out from the direction of the room. Lenora looked worriedly down the hall, as if she were about to rush down there herself to handle the situation. Her fingers even tapped nervously at an ornate dagger at her side, as if she were itching to draw it and run down the hall. Which might be quite a feat at her age.

What do you do?

---

They aid you, as requested. But only if you successfully retrieve their map. It is implied that they will refuse you aid entirely if you fail to bring them this concrete assurance of your commitment.

Ilura turned to each of her companions, then shrugged and raced off toward the indicated door - the shrieking helping to confirm she was heading the right way.  As she ran, she drew her rapier.  Thomas flew on ahead.  [I hope it's something tasty...]

"Try to stab them non-lethally, Ilura," Eryn joked. She had to pause for a few seconds to set down the captain's wrapped body with due respect. Then she drew her own weapon and followed as quickly as she could.

The adventurers rushed down the temple hall that led deeper into the cliff face it was built upon. The hall was dark and the air was damp, but was still surprisingly inviting. They found the door they needed easily enough. It was a big wooden door with a small rope across it to indicate that nobody should enter, but it was not locked. When the adventurers pushed it open, the sight that greeted them was... unexpected.

There was a magical circle on the floor, all smudged and no longer usable. It was surrounded by burnt out candles and miscellaneous ritualistic items. In the circle was an old gnome struggling to unwrap himself from silk bindings. He had a sinister smile on his face until he saw the new arrivals. At that point his expression quickly turned to one of concern.

But the rest of the room was stranger still. To one side a woman wearing foreign fashion clutched at her eyes and screamed as she cowered against a wall. A dark swirling cloud of vile mist swirled about her head. A similar cloud swirled around the head of a halfling that was curled up in a ball at the feet of two stone frogs, roughly each the size of a pony. The stone frogs were animated and stood over the halfling protectively. Those with sharp eyes notice a roll of map-like paper clutched in his hand.

What do you do?

---

The adventurers have come upon a strange scene. How do they react? Does anyone recognize Chance (or Aguri)?

Chance
You can try to resist the nightmares again if you wish. But be warned, further failures will accrue further complications. Regardless, you can still speak even if you can't act.

Ilura barely paused as she took in the chaotic scene.
- Gnome with evil grin.
- Evil clouds attacking the others in the room who were all cowering in corners.
- Holder of map being attacked by evil cloud

Casting detect evil seemed somewhat redundant.  If she was going to stab someone, the target was clear.  The fact her target was mostly bound and helpless was just a bonus...

She charged into the room and planted one of her boots on the gnome's groin and lined up her rapier with his heart.  For good measure, Thomas planted himself on the poor man's brow, claws digging in and grabbing blood as he leaned over to place his sharp beak mere millimeters from the gnome's eyes.

"Cloud magic ends now or I end you..."

quote:

15:05, Today: Ilura rolled 3 using 2d6.  Parley w/ gnome.

Hmm.  Well, *if* I can use Thomas's 'fight metahumans' training in this situation (worth +2) and *if* there are bonuses due to the gnome's circumstances and *if* someone else is able to aid, then we might be able to bump that to a success, but I suspect I'm going to be earning some XP here :>

Through the haze of nightmares surrounding him, Chance is aware of the frog statues standing protectively over him.

"The gnome..." he whimpers. "Eat the gnome! Q-q-quickly!"

"Are you telling the frogs, or us?" Eryn exclaimed, confused, as she barged into the room just after Ilura already got there. Her spear and shield was at the ready, vary of all the odd sights in the room. She was still not really clear on if they should trust the two-headed priestess or not. Two heads. Two faces. Two tongues.

She shook the doubt from her head. Ilura had taken charge this time, and someone clearly needed aid. Motive didn't matter. She prepared herself to leap to the defense of the fallen halfling with the important map, or her own ally.

---

20:34, Today: Eryn rolled 9 using 2d6+1.  Defend the halfling (Chance).
Hold 1.

The gnome looked up at Ilura, then at the approaching frogs, then back to Ilura again. He had a defeated expression on his face. "Fine. I'll do the nullifying spell. Uglithrilaku moritashi sithrenaru colaka mosh-nir." The gnome's "nullifying spell" was actually the exact same spell he had cast at Chance a few moments earlier. A swirling mist of nightmarish images began to coalesce in front of the ranger's face. Thomas was already beginning to make frightened squawks.

From her defensive stance, Eryn could see that Ilura was being targeted by the gnome's magic. She had only a moment to try and intervene in some way. At the same time, Chance's frogs were moving toward the old gnome, trying to figure out if they should maneuver around the newcomers, or bowl right through them to get to the gnome. Ilura especially was right in their way.

"RIBBIT!" one of them croaked in frustration, letting out a sound that could trigger an avalanche. It looked as if it were about to leap its rocky body into the fray.

What do you do?

---

Ilura
Add your XP. You are being targeted by the same nightmare spell as Chance. You can roll me a Defy Danger with Wis to resist the nightmare effects. However, Eryn has the opportunity to help Defend against the spell too, if she chooses.

On a 10+ you can act normally. On a 6- all you can do is try and flee, sit and shake, or otherwise become ineffective as the nightmares overwhelm you. 7-9, you can act, but take -2 to all your rolls while the nightmares last.

The stone frogs might also hit you on their way to the gnome, but that will depend on how other things go.

Eryn
You see Ilura being targeted by a dark spell. You could use your hold to redirect the attack, or halve its effect. Or you could let Ilura deal with it herself and perform a different action. Up to you.

Chance
Your frogs are heading toward the gnome to do as requested. They are taking your directions quite literally and will attempt to consume the gnome if they get a hold of him. And they will go through whoever is in their way to do so. If you would rather they do something else, you'll need to Defy Danger, probably with Cha. The danger being that they mess up your orders somehow.

Through the nightmarish haze, Chance realized that the new arrivals in the room were there to help him and that he may have put one of them in danger with the order he gave to the frogs. He struggled to fight back the terror that was consuming him and fixed two images in his mind;  constant amid the nightmares that assailed him and threatened to destroy his sanity.

In the first image, he placed the Gnome and the newcomer side by side with one of the frogs sheltering his would-be rescuer as it had sheltered him only moments before. The other frog lashing out at the gnome, its tongue sticking squarely to the gnomes face to prevent him from speaking. In the second image, the frog is holding the gnome in its mouth with its tongue still firmly affixed to the gnomes face.

"Carefully," he whimpers, with his intention held as firmly in mind as he can manage. "Please. Just the gnome... Must... be careful... of the other."


OOC:

Chance won't be terribly disappointed if the gnome doesn't survive. But the loss of a potential ally would be devastating to him.

16:03, Today: Chance rolled 9 using 2d6+1.  Defy danger with Charisma.

quote:

20:32, Today: Ilura rolled 12 using 2d6+3.  Defy danger - wisdom.

The nightmarish images were disturbing, but weren't real.  But it was certainly obvious her message hadn't gotten through.  Time to be clearer.  She shoved her blade through the gnomes elbow, twisted it a bit and then repositioned it over his throat.
"Drop the spells.  The next word you speak I don't recognize, you don't speak ever again."

Not sure if I need to roll a hack & slash for that or not, nor if I need to roll damage.  My intention is to inflict pain/wound but not do any mortal damage, though I suppose if I accidentally sever an artery, I may need to patch him up a bit to keep him alive.

I've also rolled another parley.  Not sure if I get a bonus for stabbing him or not

quote:

20:38, Today: Ilura rolled 6 using 2d6+2.  Hack & slash w/ rapier.

I presume I can't miss, but I could perhaps not meet my intention.

quote:

20:41, Today: Ilura rolled 4 using 1d8.  Damage.

If that's relevant

quote:

20:40, Today: Ilura rolled 6 using 2d6.  Parley - again.

Speaking isn't really my thing. :>  That might be a success if stabbing provides a bonus or if someone wants to aid.

"That's about enough out of him," Eryn said, stepping forwards to make sure the gnome was taken out quickly. She didn't wait to hear his response to Ilura's demand. Instead she flipped her spear around and rapped him over the head with the blunt end of it. "Even a single magic word could be dangerous, trust me on that one."

The warrior shot a quick glance over her shoulder to make sure the frog wouldn't stomp past her or Ilura, and to see if the dark spell around the halfling was still in effect.

---

Ilura seems to have it under control, and mental magic is hard to defend against with weapons. I will spend the hold to deal damage equal to my level instead, and hopefully knock the gnome out before he can cast again.

I will Aid Ilura's Parley if my violent presence is enough to be considered helpful.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:28, Thu 17 Oct 2019.

Mr. Wazowitz, the old gnome, screamed in pain as Ilura's blade pierced his elbow. He gave the ranger a cruel sneer and was about to reply to her when the blunt end of Eryn's weapon connected with his skull. The old man's eyes rolled back in his head and he lost consciousness. The nightmarish clouds began to dissipate immediately.

A split second later one of the stone frogs shot out a long pebbly tongue and it connected with Mr. Wazowitz's face. The frog pulled the gnome backward by the face into its gaping maw. There it held him in its mouth with his legs sticking out. The second frog, now without a target, gently grabbed Mr. Wazowitz's protruding foot in its mouth and stood satisfactorily next to the other frog, proud to be "helping."

Chance, no longer plagued by horrifying images, was able to begin piecing back his sanity. Aguri was doing the same over in the corner, but seemed to be having a harder time of it. She would probably need some time to recover before she got back to adventuring.

What do you do?

---

The gnome is wounded, unconscious, and ensnared within the mouth of a stone frog.

Chance
The frogs caught the old gnome, but are also preventing him from being interrogated. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Eryn
I forgot to tell you to go ahead and roll for Aid, so for the sake of saving some time I went ahead and added a +1 to Ilura's roll without an Aid roll, bringing it to 7. You were able to knock the gnome unconscious though.

Ilura
No need for Hack and Slash. He was helpless. I added +1 to your Parley from Eryn's Aid, bringing it up to 7. He can't really Parley anymore though, since he is unconscious.

Marcus
The situation was brought under control almost before you even got in the door.

Ilura wiped the blood off the end of her rapier on the small portion of the gnome's body that was still exposed.

Then she moved up to the halfling and spoke quietly, "It might be best if the priestesses didn't know that the fight was over quite yet.  So lets make noise as we talk."

She bent down and picked up a paint jar of some sort that had been used to make the magical circle and threw it at the wall, letting out a yell of anger

"They want the map - what is it?"

Chance remained frozen when the nightmarish visions stopped assailing him. His hands were clutching a piece of paper and covering his eyes, and he didn't dare to peek out from behind them until he heard a woman's voice close to his ear asking about the map.

She looks like she is alive, he thought as he peeked through his fingers at her. At least that's a good sign.

Still, caution was warranted, and since he hadn't yet taken a look at the map he was able to answer quietly, and truthfully, "I don't know. The gnome wanted it, too, though."

He took a moment to look at his rescuers. Even someone who had only been dead for an hour or two before they were raised had tell-tale signs. They stank for one thing. Their eyeballs began to yellow and dry out almost immediately, and their skin took on a faint bluish tinge. No one in the room showed any sign of being dead. He wouldn't give them the map, but he decided he could trust them enough to have a look at it.

"OW!" he screamed, kicking over a chair. "Why don't we have a look?" He says quietly to his rescuers, then turns to the frog that is about to have gnome's legs for dinner and says, "Dinner is going to have to wait, I'm afraid, he whispered to the frog. "Would you be kind enough to guard the door for us?"

At least this way if they try to grab it and run they'll have to get past him to get away.

Chance walked over to the gnomes desk, it was a little low for the humans, maybe, but was at just the right height for him. With a sweep of his arm and a low (for a halfling) growl, he knocked everything from the desk onto the floor and spread the map out on the desk to examine it.

---

OOC:

Let's see what Chance knows about whatever, or where ever this is a map of.

18:25, Today: Chance rolled 9 using 2d6 with rolls of 3,6.  Spout Lore.

He'd be receptive to putting their heads together to figure this one out.

Eryn extended a strong arm to help the halfling to his feet, but retracted it again when it became clear he could stand on his own. "These are your frogs, I take it. Curious way of defending yourself. Are you hurt?" she asked Chance.

While asking she fished out a cloth rag from her pack and moved to carefully gag the unconscious gnome. It wouldn't do to have him wake up and cast any more curses at them - whether magical or mundane.

---

I'm expending 1 use of Adventuring Gear to obtain a good, solid cloth rag.

Ilura sheathed her blade and drew her bow, then loosed an arrow through the door between the two statues into the stone wall across the hall. Then she leaned forward over the map.  She'd travelled a lot of the land.  Maybe she'd recognize something.
On phone so can't easily paste.  However, rolled a 10 which should push Chance to a 10.  Looks like I recognize something  :)

Chance's spare frog went to guard the door as asked, and Eryn was easily able to gag the gnome. Although the frog that was holding him did resist her attempts a little bit since it didn't want to loosen its grip on its prisoner.

When Chance and Ilura gazed upon the map, they could tell it was extremely old. The writing on it was in the common tongue, but in stylized writing and in an old dialect that made deciphering it difficult. The map seemed to be mostly a blueprint of an extremely complex and maze-like structure. But up in the left-hand corner there was a small image of a coastline, indicating where the structure was located. It took Ilura a moment, but she eventually recognized it as the coastline they had sailed past on their way to Cliffport. And according to the map, the structure depicted is located in Cliffport. In the same location as the temple they were currently in. But glancing around, Ilura and Chance could tell that the stonework of the temple was much younger than the the ancient building shown on the map.

One last thing of note was that at the center of the maze-like blueprints, there was a large circular room labeled with only a symbol. It was a symbol that most any adventurer would recognize. It was the symbol of a famous slayer organization that had faded into myth several hundred years prior. A slayer organization that was said to have a secret hideout filled with priceless lore and artifacts for destroying threats to mankind. A secret hideout that had a transportation system that could deliver its members to locations of great need in almost an instant.

A secret hideout that had been lost to time.

A secret hideout that agents of Lusiny would love to preserve, and agents of Cherka would love to never see used again...

With this new knowledge, what do you do?

---

The map seems to show the way to the hideout of a legendary organization of slayers, probably beneath the very temple the adventurers are standing in. Within, there is likely a transportation system that could take you wherever you might need to go.

What is the name of this slayer organization?
What is their symbol?
What is the reason people say they disappeared about 300 years ago?

Ilura's eyes widened.  The Seal of the Silver Scourge.  She'd heard the songs of course.  A hidden community made up of the most pure of heart it was said.  They had banished demons.  Dethroned tyrants.  Bound and rendered harmless the most foul of spirits - all while keeping their identities hidden behind masks of silver.

They'd been gone now for centuries.  Killed by the Mad King Karron.  A spell that had somehow poisoned the very masks they wore.  Their secrets lost.

To come across something like this now - it had to be a sign.  And she was quite certain that giving it to the priestesses was not a great plan.

She pointed to Eryn, miming that she should make as much noise as she could, then leaned over and whispered quietly in the halfling's ear.
"We can't let the priestesses get their hands on this map.  Do you think you could get your frogs to destroy this table and make them believe that the map has been eaten?  The one has very good ears.  So you can't be loud."

Ilura got ready to scream in the direction of the hallway if the halfling decided to follow her suggestion.

A grin spread across Chance's face from ear to ear and he nodded his agreement as he picked up the map, folded it, and carefully tucked it into his pack.

"Stand back," he whispered, then walked over to the frog who had so reluctantly surrendered the gnome for Eryn to gag.

He reached up and gave it a gentle pat on its flank and quietly says, "You are being such a good helper, thank you! If I could trouble you for something else? I think it'll be a lot of fun. Would you be kind enough to destroy that desk? Just smash it up into a bunch of little pieces, please. I used to love to tear stuff up when I was younger. I don't know if you have ever tried it, but it is exhilarating!"

Chance tips over another piece of nearby furniture, making it look like it is a lot of fun to do so.

"See," he says, beaming the frog.

Breaking stuff happens to be something I am very good at, Eryn thought, and helped Chance's frog kick over some furniture.

Before continuing with on to more noisy large-scale destruction, however, the warrior-mage tapped her forehead in an effort to vaguely describe her intent to cast her telepathic spell. Next she touched Ilura's shoulder, but quickly frowned. Once again the magic was not coming to her as easily as she had hoped.

---

08:49, Today: Eryn rolled 5 using 2d6.  Cast a Spell (Telepathy with Ilura).
Edit: Note just to say I've marked XP.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:54, Fri 25 Oct 2019.

Could one of you roll a Defy Danger to make your destructive ruse convincing? (Probably with Cha) The danger being that the priestesses realize you are trying to trick them. Others can Aid too, if needed.

OOC:

06:37, Today: Chance rolled 11 using 2d6+1 ((6,4)). Defy danger with Charisma.

Chance's frog hopped onto the desk the halfling had asked it to, and the ornate piece of furniture crumpled immediately under its stony weight. The animated statue continued to hop in place, turning the wreckage slowly into splinters. Its face showed little emotion, but it seemed almost as if it were enjoying the mindless destruction.

When Eryn reached out to touch Ilura for her spell, the ranger must have still had some of the gnome's nightmare magic lingering around her head. As their two minds connected, Eryn felt her mind being stuck by a bolt of fear and disorientation. When her vision cleared, Eryn could hear Ilura's thoughts but had a terrible headache at the same time.

What do you do?

---

Ilura and Eryn are connected telepathically, and there is convincing cover noise of a battle going on. What is the next step in the adventurers' plans?

Eryn
Your spell worked, but you took some recoil from lingering nightmare magic in the air. You lose the spell and gain the Confused debility (-1 to wis rolls) until the current casting of this spell ends. The debility is manifesting in the form of a wicked headache.

"That thing!  It's destroying the map!!"  Ilura shouted, trying to be heard above the din.  She glanced quizzically at Erin, not exactly sure what she was up to.  She needed to figure out how best to hide the map - and she wasn't entirely sure the halfling would trust her to do so.  (And she wasn't sure she trusted the halfling to run of with it)

She threw a chair against the wall, then started rummaging through the gnome's pockets while she thought.

A sting of pain shot through Eryn's temple while she tried to focus on what she was doing. Cripes, even your thoughts are loud, she thought to Ilura. I cast a spell so we can think-talk, but got some backlash from the gnome's magic when I did.

Eryn kept finding new opportunities to demonstrate that magic was really not as fantastic as it seemed at first. This new headache was another consequence of the aspiring mage casting spells without having true experience or natural talent for it. A hint of concern: Had the nightmare spell passed completely, or was it now lurking in her head, waiting to erupt?

She gritted her teeth against the faint thumping in her brain. No time to worry. They had to take advantage of the moment.

I've got ink for writing in my spell book, she told Ilura via Telepathy. Let's make a similar but false map and tear it to pieces, while you hide the real map in your quiver. They will be too busy putting the false map back together to notice.

Without speaking a word she reached into her pack and retrieved a roll of parchment from it. Next she found the inkwell. I've got what we need, if you agree.

---

Condition noted. I'll expend another use of Adventuring Gear to draw forth a piece of letter/scroll paper.

With the contents of the room well on their way to being destroyed Chance reckoned that it was time to find a way out. He wasn't sure exactly who these priestesses were, but if they were after the map they were best avoided. So, while his new friends busied themselves smashing the place for good effect, Chance surveyed the now exposed surfaces of the room looking for another way out; A hidden way, perhaps?

OOC:

09:23, Today: Chance rolled 8 using 2d6-1.  Discern Realities.

What here is not what it appears to be?

Ilura's face took on a panicked expression.  YOU CAN HEAR WHAT I THINK!?!  Oh crap.  What if she can even hear this?  DON'T YOU THINK IT WOULD HAVE BEEN POLITE TO ASK FIRST?!  HOW DO I TURN THIS OFF?

She gestured at the halfling.  GO THINK-SPEAK HIM.  HE'S THE ONE WHO HAS THE MAP, AND I DON'T THINK HE's about to give it to me. Her thoughts calmed somewhat as they shifted from the unexpected mental intrusion to their current problem.

She glanced over at Thomas.  [Help me find a place we can hide this map]  The ranger looked around as the stone toad continued to happily stomp.  "TRY TO SAVE THE MAP!"

quote:

13:42, Today: Ilura rolled 11 using 2d6+5.  Discern realities w/ Thomas.

What here is useful or valuable to me?
What here is not what it appears to be?
What should I be on the lookout for?

No armor could protect Eryn from someone yelling inside her head. Ow ow ow.

I would ask him, but I trust you more. I can't hear anything you haven't decided to say, so I don't think the priestesses can either; but I'll get out of your head anyway. Don't think about embarrassing stuff ok byeeee

Eryn let the spell end, but was dismayed to find that her headache was not abating. She considered casting Telepathy again on Chance, but found herself unable to focus on it. It was probably a bad idea anyway, given the lingering magic in the room. Instead the warrior approached Chance and tapped him on the shoulder too, showing him the ink and parchment in the process. "Let's make a decoy map and destroy it for effect," she whispered to him.

---

Telepathy spell dismissed.

The sounds of battle continued to fill the room even as the adventurers tried to figure out what to do. Chance's search of the room didn't reveal anything as useful as a secret exit, but he did spot a grate underneath the wreckage of the demolished desk. It looked to be a drainage area for whatever foul experiments or rituals the gnome might have used this room for in the past. It likely emptied outside along the cliff face somewhere, and appeared big enough for Chance at least to fit in. Assuming they could get the cover off, of course.

Similarly, Ilura spotted a hole in the corner of the ceiling. It was difficult to spot and she probably wouldn't have seen it without her night-vision eyes. The hole was the perfect size for a rat's nest. She definitely wouldn't be able to fit inside as a human, but perhaps a crow, fairy, or tiny gargoyle could. And/or a map...

Within the gnome's pockets she found a wide variety of odds and ends. They seemed magical in nature, but not particularly useful. Claws, feathers, bags of crushed leaves, etc. However, a vial baring a skull and crossbones did catch her attention.

Meanwhile, Eryn had all of the materials prepared for creating a decoy map when the priestess's voices rang out over the ruckus. "WE SUMMONED AID AND ARE SENDING IT YOUR WAY TO SECURE THE MAP!" Lenora said. Slow heavy footsteps could be heard, along with a dragging sound against the walls.

Then Urella spoke. She didn't yell, but her voice somehow carried just as easily. "The winged one is with us. He will help complete your task in our stead. As the gnome's contract forbids our direct presence." It was plainly evident that Urella did not like being kept away due to something as mundane as contractual obligations.

What do you do?

---

If you guys make a decoy map, go ahead and give me a roll to see how convincing it is. Someone can Aid too, if they help.

Chance
What here is not what it appears to be?
You spotted a hidden grate underneath the gnome's desk. It is filthy, but you could probably fit if you needed to.

Ilura
What here is useful or valuable to me?
A vial of some type of poison found within the gnome's pocket.

What here is not what it appears to be?
There is a well-hidden hole in the corner of the ceiling where something small could fit.

What should I be on the lookout for?
The priestess' summoned minion they are sending over to "assist."

Eryn
The spell has ended, and with it, your debility. Your headache is lessened, but still present.

Ilura pocketed the poison.  She'd figure out what it was later.

She gestured to get the halfling's attention then pointed at the real map, then at the hidey-hole she'd discovered and gave a questioning look.

Leaning in close, she whispered directly in his ear.  "They're almost certain to search us.  Best to hide it and come back. Also, you ok if we move the gnome to the door.  If their 'helper' is of a mind to harm us, best to find out with him first."

While waiting for a response, she looked up at Thomas, who had perched himself on top of the head of one of the stone toads.  [Would you be able to carry this map up and stick it in the hole if we rolled it for you?]  The pair had never tried anything like that before and she figured it would be best to check for willingness before committing the bird to a plan he might not agree with.

"I'd rather test my luck against the priestesses than the rats. The map stays with me," Chance says as he holds it out for Eryn to copy. He offers suggestions of minor changes, things that aren't likely to be noticed but that would render it ineffective if someone tried to use it to navigate. While they work, he instructs the frogs not to let anything come into the room.

OOC:

14:55, Today: Chance rolled 9 using 2d6+1 with rolls of 6,2.  Aid Eryn.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:55, Wed 06 Nov 2019.

Ilura shrugged.  The map was his she supposed.  At least for now.

"Best if they don't have all the pieces?"  She looked around for agreement before tearing off a good-sized chunk off the area of the paper where they hadn't yet done much drawing.  Less space to have to fake in the limited time remaining, and less for the priestesses to work with and discover was wrong once they put the pieces back together.

She crumpled the paper up as quietly as she could, then popped it into her mouth to swallow as she moved towards the door to help intercept/delay whatever was coming down the hallway.

"Agreed," Eryn whispered, scribbling lines as best she could to make the copied look roughly the same in terrain, but wrong regarding what it was actually pointing to. She knew little of the city they were in, but Eryn figured if she could make it look detailed yet vague it would make the priestesses devote their time to searching for a red herring.

A vague reference to a hidden tunnel near a building in town, leading to a secret hideout or seaside cavern, plus some form of important relic... the symbol of the organization was the hardest to copy. That, if nothing else, had to be accurate.

She wrote a few letters next to the torn-off edge. Ilura removing a piece would help sell the illusion that there used to be a complete text there.

...

Unfortunately the hasty work led to occasional lines looking like a toddler's scribbles. Certain parts displayed a disproportionate amount of effort put into them, looking extravagant next to the lackluster design of the rest of the piece. Eryn swiftly corked the bottle and put her gloves back on to hide the ink stains on her fingers.

"Don't roll it up too quick," she intently told Chance. "Ink's not dry yet."

---

09:36, Today: Eryn rolled 6 using 2d6+1.  Defy Danger (INT + 1 from Aid) Forge a fake map.
Marked XP.

My impression of the map is that it's a decent enough copy, but not every detail was transcribed convincingly and the ink lines don't look old enough. Instead of the actual location it points to a similar place somewhere outside of town. The geography may be off.

Edit: Typos.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:45, Thu 07 Nov 2019.

"My name is Chance, by the way. My quiet friend over there is called Aguri. That P.O.S," he gestures to the gnome, "hired us to retrieve that map from the recesses of his mind, of all places. That's where I made friends with these two," he gestures toward the frogs.

"Care to fill me in on who you all are and who is waiting out there before we come face to face with them?"

"Certainly. We caught wind of foul people at work around the Sunset Isles and sailed from Markhain on a mission to stop them - something which I may fill you in on in private later. Unfortunately our ship got into a battle with pirates, which forced us to land here for repairs. We sought aid from the priestesses and were urged to help them retrieve the map you carry. They then pointed us in your direction. That is their people arriving -- I do not know them."

The warrior brushed her unkempt hair out of the way look slightly more presentable for a first meeting, then touched her fist gently to the chest-piece of her scale armor in an attempt to formally greet Chance.

"I am Eryn, trained sword-for-hire and apprentice caster. This is Ilura, light on her feet and quite skilled in many ways. Her bird is Thomas in case you were wondering. With us we also have Marcus, a paladin of Lusiny, plus some help we hired. They are keeping watch in the priestesses' chamber. You'll find that they have their quirks, but don't mind the gang."
This message was last edited by the player at 11:05, Thu 07 Nov 2019.

[Of course I could carry a map,] Thomas replied to Ilura, a bit sarcastically. [If I felt like it...] But regardless if Thomas would actually do such a favor for his friend, the point was moot. Chance had decided to keep the map rather than hide it away.

The halfling's stony dream-frogs moved near the doorway as instructed, bringing their old gnome prisoner with them. Marcus was busy tending to Aguri in her fragile mental state as the others prepared everything else. The group had just barely finished their map preparations when the priestess' minion came into view.

It was a tall humanoid creature. Tall enough that it needed to crouch forward to peer under the top of the doorway. It's face was generally human-like, but with gray skin, empty eye sockets, and two horns protruding upward from its skull in a demon-like fashion. But between the two horns, a halo of light hovered. From its back sprouted two enormous wings that sported gray feathers. But the feathers were falling out in clumps here and there, like a dog shedding its winter fur. Its body was muscular, but not bulky. It wore robes of gold and black, and carried a morningstar in one clawed hand.

The creature smacked one of the stone frogs with its weapon, causing the frog to burst into a shower of pebbles as it sprayed against the back wall. The morningstar glowed with a faint light, not unlike that of a morning star. The creature pushed into the room through the opening it had created.

A moment later, the angel-demon's empty eye sockets were no longer empty. One socket had an eye in it that looked to be a normal humanoid eye. The other had an eye the exact same red as the vampiric woman Urella's. "Sorry about that," Lenora's voice said through her minion's mouth. It then promptly switched to Urella's. "We thought it was one of the gnome's minions. I see you have captured him though." The angel-demon pointed its weapon at the other stone frog still holding Mr. Wazowitz.

"May we see the map?" Lenora's voice asked, holding out the creature's empty hand. "It would be nice to finally have access to that vault beneath our temple," Urella commented.

What do you do?

---

Chance
One of your stone frogs got utterly obliterated. How is your other frog reacting, if at all?

Eryn
It turns out the priestesses already know that the vault is beneath their temple, but your forgery will show it being somewhere else nearby.

Ilura moved casually to block the creature's view of Chance as best she could.  "What would you have us do with this one?"  She gestured at the gnome.  As she did so, she examined the creature, and the room around her, trying to figure out what it was and, if push came to shove, what the best way might be to kill/disable it.  Or at lest disarm it...

What happened to the gnome when the frog that was holding half of its body was suddenly pulverized?

quote:

19:38, Today: Ilura rolled 9 using 2d6+3.  Spout Lore about critter.
19:38, Today: Ilura rolled 11 using 2d6+3.  Discern realities.

If anyone wants to help on the 'spout lore', they're welcome to.

What should I be on the lookout for?
What here is useful or valuable to me?
What here is not what it appears to be?

The remaining frog tenses visibly with the destruction of his companion, but is unable to act of its volition.

Chance takes advantage of the cloud of dust from the demolished frog statue and Illura's attempt to further conceal him and attempts to hide amid the wreckage of the room's furnishings.

OOC:
Lore isn't Chance's strong suit. Hiding, on the other hand...

23:04, Today: Chance rolled 12 using 2d6+2 with rolls of 6,4.  Defy danger with dexterity.

It crushed stone without breaking a sweat, Eryn mentally noted. She wished she hadn't ended the Telepathy spell early. Right now would be a good time to discuss a plan with Ilura. Her weapons could likely hurt such a powerful creature, but without a coordinated ambush on all its weak points it wasn't worth the risk.

"I have the map you seek, I think," Eryn told the priestesses, trying to sound unaffected by the sight of their demonic form. She kept the parchment unfolded and facing herself for a few seconds longer, with furrowed brow as if truly interested in reading it. That short delay - hopefully not so long as to arouse suspicion - would help ensure that the ink had time to fully dry.

"The gnome tried to destroy it when we took it from him... but it's mostly intact," she continued. Would the deception work? Eryn wasn't sure. Best to throw some additional doubt on the case, and take the attention off Chance in the process. She carefully rolled the map up and handed it to the creature. "I'm not sure if it's the original; but he tried to keep us from getting it anyway. It certainly points to a chamber somewhere nearby, as you said."

---

08:02, Today: Eryn rolled 14 using 2d6+2.  Defy Danger (CHA). Tell a convincing lie to the priestesses.

Chance had ample time to hide himself as the dust cleared, and he soon found himself out of sight of the angel-demon. The creature would certainly notice he had disappeared eventually, but for the moment it seemed to think Chance was merely outside of its line of sight, behind the others.

As Ilura studied the creature, several things occurred to her almost at once. First of all, the creature that was summoned should not exist. It was clearly a combination of a summoned demon and a summoned angel. The ranger did not know a lot about summoning rituals, but she knew enough that to merge two summonings like this would take expert skill or unique circumstances. Likely the later in this case, considering the nature of the twin priestesses...

Secondly, the priestesses were clearly extending their senses through their summoned minion. Which meant their actual body, wherever it might be, was likely more vulnerable right now. Even if not completely helpless, they would at least be severely distracted.

Thirdly, that weapon that the angel-demon carried packed some seriously potent power. It was a large and clumsy morningstar, but could potentially be used against the creature itself if it could be disarmed. If not, she should definitely do everything she can to avoid being on the receiving end.

She kept all this in mind as the priestesses responded to herself and Eryn's questions.

"What should you do with the gnome?" Lenora responded as their minion reached for the map. "We promised our temple would not interfere so long as he upheld our bargain. We did not, however, promise to protect against interfering third parties." The implication was that Lenora did not care what the party did with the gnome.

But Urella added, "I would like it if he survived though. His aura glows so bright with Cherka's red glow. He could do so many great things."

Then the angel-demon turned its eyes to the map, allowing the priestesses to examine it. "This map... It is not what we seek. It is not what we agreed upon!"

"An obvious forgery!" The angel-demon glared at the party with the fury of both heaven and hell. The rage was nearly palpable!

But then the critter's gaze turned toward the gnome. "How dare he try and betray us!"

"Wake him, sister. We need answers. I will pull them from him." The angel-demon moved toward the unconscious gnome, ready to rip him from the frog if need be.

What do you do?

---

The one that was pulverized had only been holding onto one of his feet, so the gnome received no notable injuries during the frog's destruction.

Chance
The angel-demon does not know where you are right now. Are you going to take advantage of being hidden?

Ilura
19:38, Today: Ilura rolled 9 using 2d6+3.  Spout Lore about critter.
The critter is a result of a merged-summoning. It is both angel and demon simultaneously. Which should be next to impossible.

What should I be on the lookout for?
The huge morningstar. Being hit by it would hurt. A LOT.

What here is useful or valuable to me?
The huge morningstar. It could likely do some real damage if a fight were to break out.

What here is not what it appears to be?
The priestesses are currently very distracted while channeling their senses through their minion.

Take +1 forward when acting on the results.

Eryn
The priestesses believed your lies, but were not fooled by the map. They assume the gnome was the one trying to fool them, and are going to do their best to get answers from him.

Ilura's impulse was to kill the gnome, but was unsure whether it was something her Goddess would approve of.  It most likely wasn't something Marcus would approve of.  On the other hand, based on his magic and his actions, the short man was clearly evil and was putting the true map - and the ability to deal with Nicolai - at serious risk.

She shook her head.  Luciny had chosen her for a reason, and known who Ilura was when she did so.  The ranger could debate morality later...

The ranger glanced at Thomas who was perched atop the head of the remaining stone frog.  [Give me cover]

She moved up to the gnome and took hold of his torso and waited until the demon/angel had hold of the little man's legs and had started to pull.  She waited for just the right moment, making use of the summoned creature's leverage as she stumbled slightly and twisted the gnome's shoulders, doing her best to snap the vile creature's neck.

quote:

06:38, Today: Ilura rolled 5 using 2d6.  Kill the gnome w/ dex.

Provided that I can use dex, that's a 7.  If I can't, I'm assuming either strength or charisma, in which case I can use my +1 to make it a 6 and someone else could help make it into a 7...

I don't know if I need to roll damage or not given that the gnome can't actually resist, though I am trying to make it look like an accident.  Also not sure whether Thomas distracting lets me add his damage or not.  So here's the base roll:

quote:

06:40, Today: Ilura rolled 4 using 1d8.  Damage.

Once again, Chance focuses his will on the frog statue. He fixes an image in his mind of the frog leaping on top of the Gnome and crushing him, just as it had done to the desk.

Crush him. Crush him. Crush him!

With every fiber of his being he projected the command to the frog.

OOC:

23:32, Today: Chance rolled 9 using 2d6+1 with rolls of 5,3.  Defy danger with Charisma.

Right after I rolled this it occurred to me that the roll might should have been made to aid Ilura, rather than as a separate action. Either way, 2d6+1 is the correct roll.

What are they doing? Eryn thought. The gnome's current position did not look comfortable at all. Almost as if... Crap.

The experienced warrior instantly recognized that the situation could turn sour in a moment. She moved carefully aside and somewhat behind the monster to get closer to Chance. Ilura could fend for herself, but the halfling she knew little about.

The monstrosity did not give off the impression that it could be easily defended against, however. Her instincts screamed at her to get out of the chamber and find a safer spot.

---

20:33, Today: Eryn rolled 5 using 2d6+1.  Defend Chance in case of attack.
20:33, Today: Eryn rolled 5 using 2d6+1.  Discern Realities.
What is about to happen?
Who’s really in control here?
What here is useful or valuable to me?

Oh boy. Is this one XP or two? Should I have waited with rolling the second one? :P

As Ilura pulled on the other end of the gnome and made her move to "accidentally" kill Mr. Wazowitz, it happened to line up perfectly with Chance's orders. The frog moved the gnome in just the wrong way at just the right time that it seemed entirely believable that the resulting CRACK of the gnome's neck was wholly accidental.

The angel-demon let out a huff through its nose and let the gnome fall to the floor. "Well..." Lenora said as the gnome's body now lay lifelessbefore the angel-demon. "That certainly seems to be a setback. At least questioning the dead is not that difficult a task."

"I think your friend has to go though," Urella said. The angel-demon's mornigstar came around in a flash and pinned the stone frog's head to the ground under its weight. "He is making grave mistakes."

As Urella said this, Eryn was already moving into a defensive position. From her position she could not see that Urella was talking about the frog until it was too late. Eryn had assumed that because it was painfully obvious to herself that the gnome was killed on purpose, that the priestesses would come to the same conclusion and attack. They had not.

And so now Eryn stood before them with shield and spear raised as the angel-demon stood with its weapon holding down the stone frog. And the person she was intending to Defend, Chance, was not even anywhere in sight. He was still well-hidden from everyone at this point.

The angel-demon turned its priestess-eyes toward the fighter. "Do you really intend to challenge us for the life of a statue?" Urella asked? She sounded all too eager to swing. And Eryn could sense she probably would just as soon as the frog was finished being crushed.

What do you do?

---

Ilura's roll seemed to be more focused on the deception of her actions, so I used Cha as her stat. And I treated Chance's roll as an Aid roll, bringing it up to 7. So for Ilura's Defy Danger, she got a "you stumble, hesitate, or flinch: the GM will offer you a worse outcome, hard bargain, or ugly choice." Chance, For his Aid roll, got a "you also expose yourself to danger, retribution, or cost."

For Eryn, I was only going to have her take the first XP Defending wasn't really necessary in the current situation. But then I realized her failed Discernment made it so she didn't realize her defense was unnecessary, so I counted both rolls. Add 2 XP Eryn.

Ilura
You managed to kill the gnome without drawing suspicion, but it won't stop them from questioning the gnome with a speak with dead spell.

Chance
You Aided Ilura with your frog, but the priestesses aren't pleased that it complicated their plan. The frog is slowly being crushed by the angel-demon's morningstar and will be destroyed if you don't act fast.

Eryn
You misread the room and rushed to the defense of Chance, who wasn't where you thought he was. The angel-demon seems ready to strike at you once the frog is destroyed unless it can be convinced otherwise. Urella seems to want blood for you daring to raise arms against her.

"I wouldn't bother with the frog.  It seemed upset with him, perhaps because he violated his oath.  I doubt it'll be much of a problem now that he's dead.

Questionning the dead may not be hard, but it's unlikely to be much use.  Before the frog got to him, he attacked every time he was questioned, and at that point we had the leverage of his life.  Once dead, we don't have a lot of leverage left.  I doubt he'd believe a promise to bring him back, as you'd have good motivation to kill him again or worse once he provided the real map.

Obviously we didn't succeed in retrieving the map as you requested, though that appears to be more this man's fault than hours.  Is there some way we could help?  The one you sent in, the halfling, maybe he learned something that could help us?"

I'm not sure that's a parley as I'm not really demanding something, more reasoning and trying to argue.  However, I'll throw in a roll just in case.

quote:

23:39, Today: Ilura rolled 5 using 2d6.  Defy danger - CHA?

And really hope it's not needed...  Let me know if I should count XP or breath a sigh of relief...

Because you are trying to convince them to change their course of action in several ways (while also running with their misconception of the gnome's guilt), I would say that this is a Defy Danger +Cha. Go ahead and add XP. ;-)

Still fighting her instincts to stand her ground, Eryn allowed her shoulders to relax and her weapon to point downwards. "Apologies, I do not intend to challenge you or what's yours," she told the priestesses. "I just thought this was a living Rock Toad the halfling owned, not a spell. It is of course not a noteworthy loss, and you will see no more aggression from me. Apologies again."

The warrior made a short, respectful bow - hoping to appease the agitated Urella - and took a step back to let Ilura handle the situation.

Chance remained quiet, barely daring to breathe while he listened as his rescuers sold their ruse to the demon-angel. If both of the frogs were lost in the process, so be it. He hadn't had time to become attached to them, and if they succeeded it would be a small price to pay.

Judging by the performance the two ladies were putting on, he thought their odds were pretty good.

Since nobody physically tried to stop them, despite Ilura's words the angel-demon continued to put pressure on the stone frog until it was thoroughly crushed. Then it turned its eyes on Ilura instead of immediately striking at Eryn. Lenora's voice said to the ranger, "It is obvious you do not understand the underpinnings of speaking to the souls of the departed. You best leave that to the experts."

"Lenora, you fool," Urella retorted. "Even your senses should be able to see that she doesn't want the gnome questioned because she doesn't want us to learn the answer. It has nothing to do with how the spell works. Something is not adding up here. And where is that halfling they keep mentioning? I saw him when we first walked in..." The angel-demon's eyes scanned the room, looking for Chance's location.

Lenora's voice sighed. "You're right. I will fill this area with a Field of Truth. Then we will get the answers we seek."

Urella seemed to have a different take. "Better to just kill the lot and speak to all of their souls."

Reluctantly, Lenora responded, "Only if they refuse to comply."

The angel-demon now stood in the doorway to the room, blocking the exit. One hand continued to wield the enormous magical morningstar menacingly. The other began to glow with Lusiny's silver light. A silvery aura began to expand from the hand as Lenora's Field of Truth began to spread across the room.

What do you do?

---

Both stone frogs have been destroyed, and the angel-demon is barring the exit. Lenora has begun casting a Field of Truth spell into the room, which will compel the adventurers to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. And if anyone shows signs of non-compliance, Urella seems more than happy to kill first and ask questions later. Chance is still hidden, but they have now realized that he is hidden.

Any offensive actions will require a Defy Danger, with the danger being Urella taking a swing at you. And any attempts to resist the spell and lie in some way will require a wis roll. Of course, those are not your only two options.

Ilura growled with frustration.  Talking was highly overrated...  However,f she was reluctant to attack a priestess of her newfound Goddess - even if she was intrinsically bound to an abomination.

She prayed under her breath.  "Silver mother, what is your will here?  Attack, answer, or perhaps something else?"

Where the heck had Marcus gone.  He was a much better talker than she was.  (And his steel would have been welcome too...)

A field of truth?! Son of a...

Chance draws his flicker dagger and peers out from his hiding place. Seeing the creature standing in the doorway he takes aim at the wall of the space beyond the door.

Well, ladies. Its time for action. Is it going to be fight, or flight, he wonders?

Without another moment's hesitation, he throws the dagger and breathes a sigh of relief when it sails past the demonic angel. A moment later he is behind the creature pulling his dagger out of the wall and preparing either to fight or to flee.

OOC:

02:55, Today: Chance rolled 11 using 2d6 with rolls of 6,5.  Defy danger with dexterity.
Note: I failed to add Chance's Dex Mod, so the result is actually 13. Although, I don't think that changes the outcome.

quote:

08:52, Today: Ilura rolled 7 using 2d6+3.

Belated roll to cast Guidance.  I'll forget the spell.

Eryn's heart caught in her throat when Chance blinked past their grotesque adversary. Would it turn to strike him, and if so: Was this the opening they were looking for? She hesitated to act. If the priestesses were sound of mind they would not attack anyone else... but Eryn wasn't keen on answering their questions either.

Her warrior senses told her the situation smelled of violence about to erupt. For that reason it seemed prudent to avoid the enemy's weapon as a purely precautionary measure. Eryn focused her mind and concentrated on casting a recently learned illusion on herself. Even if casting a spell could end up provoking it, it was better than being caught by surprise.

---

07:27, Today: Eryn rolled 10 using 2d6.  Cast a Spell: Mirror Image.
If attacked it allows a 50% chance for the illusion to be destroyed instead of me taking damage.

Ilura and Eryn cast their spells even as Lenora cast her own. Lenora had begun her spell first, but it was more complex than those of the adventurers. Ilura's magic was the first to take effect.

This time her Guidance spell took on the form of a tiny silvery owl. It appeared before her and flew outward. It immediately fluttered in the direction of Chance's hiding spot just as the halfling threw his dagger discretely. Then the owl took a sharp turn toward the doorway and flew through the angel-demon and landed at Chance's feet before disappearing. The twin priestesses hadn't noticed the dagger, but they had noticed the owl flying to them.

"You see? Even your goddess knows you should cooperate with us, even if she is reluctant to admit it," Urella goaded. It was obvious she thought the owl had flown to her and not through her. But Ilura and Eryn could see Chance's feet as he stood behind the angel-demon.

Eryn's own spell took effect shortly after. The fighter stepped to one side while her illusion stepped to the other. "You think that is going to help?" Urella asked. "Dear sister Lenora, go ahead and ask your first question so that I have an excuse to teach these younglings a lesson. Although at this point I have half a mind to drink their blood regardless of their answers." Urella's words stopped abruptly, almost as if she hadn't meant to say the last part aloud.

"Well, it seems my spell is working..." Lenora said, somewhat put off by her sister's honesty. "Now tell me. Do you know where the real map is that we are looking for?"

What do you do?

---

The truth spell has been cast and a question has been asked. Eryn and Ilura are compelled to answer as truthfully as possible (but not Chance since the question was not directed at him). If you want to try and resist, it is a Wis roll. 10+ you can say what you want, 7-9 you can hold your tongue/tell a half-truth, but it is obvious. 6- and you spill your guts and deal with the consequences.

Oh, and it seems Urella is also affected by the truth zone. It is unclear if Lenora is too.

Chance
You successfully teleported behind the angel-demon without them noticing. There is a hall that goes off in both directions. You know that one way leads to the main entrance of the temple and the other way leads further in. (You know which is which.)

Ilura
Your Guidance directed you toward Chance's general location. Urella thinks it was guiding you toward her and Lenora.

Eryn
Your duplicate is in place without any complications. What does it feel like to divide yourself in two and see an illusory duplicate of yourself?

Question - are we compelled to answer the question or only compelled not to lie?

You are compelled to answer their questions (as you understand it) to the best of your knowledge. Staying silent or answering in a purposefully misleading way will require a roll. Unless, of course, you take drastic measures like cutting out your tongue or have someone else physically hold your mouth shut, but that probably won't help much in the long run.

What I was really wondering whether I can ask them questions and/or verbally stal, but I'm gathering that's not an option.  Here goes...

quote:

20:38, Today: Ilura rolled 10 using 2d6+3.  Resist the truth.

Whoot!


Ilura watched the owl fly.  Follow the map? - that was a little hard to do with a demon-angel guarding the door.

In any event, the signal clearly hadn't been to answer the priestesses.  Buoyed by the knowledge that the priestess's spell ran contrary to the desires of the Goddess who had allowed it to be cast, Ilura felt the pressure on her tongue ease somewhat.

"I shall do as the Goddess bids.

In answer to your question, I might."  True.

"Evidently, what we gave to you is not what you seek.  However, more happened during our encounter with the gnome than just the retrieval of that false map."

"When we came into the room, the gnome attacked us with clouds of dark visions.  Most were overcome, but with the Goddess's blessing, I was able to withstand the images."  Still true.

"Through the cloud of images I saw something that could have been your map"  Technically true - specifically, she'd spied it in the hands of the halfling.

"I couldn't draw what I saw on it from memory, but I remember enough that I think, were I to actually see the relevant parts of this temple, I could navigate and find what it is you seek.  I am not an artist, but I am an excellent pathfinder..."  Still totally true.

"You offered assistance if we got you the map.  We did not accomplish this, but we still need your aid.  Perhaps we could find what the map led to?"  Now to see if the duo would buy it.

"What is it you seek?"  May as well put that truth field to good use...

Chance quickly realizes that the creature hadn't noticed him or the dagger. So, rather than engaging the thing in melee, he slips off toward the entrance to find the priestesses who he expected were vulnerable while they were controlling the angel demon.

OOC:

00:04, Today: Chance rolled 6 using 2d6+2.  Defy danger with dexterity.

I'm not sure if that roll is necessary to search from the priestesses, so I won't mark experience until I see if you use it or not.

"I cannot be certain of the original's exact location," Eryn said, giving a sideways glance in amazement as the words silently slipped from her double's mouth as well. They came more easily than expected, for she had hoped to delay the creature further by speaking slowly, to give Chance an opportunity to get far away. The statement was half true now that he had so suddenly left the room, at least... no need to mention specifics.

She wiggled her fingers and moved a limb, watching the double do the same. Its face betrayed the unease and tension Eryn felt, but it felt impossible to relax fully. "Pardon the spell, your duality unsettles me and I sought to ease my worries by becoming double as well, so I may speak more freely," she told the creature. Another half-truth. It was clearly a precaution against being struck.

"I believe the map is no longer in this room. I also believe my friend when she says she has laid eyes upon the true map. I am certain she could lead you close to its destination." This was true. Again, no need to mention that they had both seen the real map.

The vampire half of the priestess duo was making overt threats, setting the warrior's nerves on edge. One wrong answer in this magical room and the secret would be spilled. Eryn hoped her moving illusion image would provide enough of a distraction for Chance to gain some distance.

---

18:16, Today: Eryn rolled 9 using 2d6+1.  Resist telling the truth.
Half-truths it is.

18:31, Today: Eryn rolled 12 using 2d6+1.  Aid chance by using my moving Mirror Image as a distracting eye-catch.

The angel-demon's red eye of Urella squinted at Eryn as she spoke, giving the inaccurate impression that the creature was trying to wink. Although the fighter assumed the vampiress was actually outwardly displaying her disbelief in Eryn's words.

However, true to the spell, the priestesses answered Ilura's question before making any comments about what parts of the stories they believed. "What is it we seek?" Lenora asked, repeating Ilura's question.

"The hidden lair of the Silver Scourge, of course! Surely you noticed their symbol on the map."

"But we don't seek to discover their lair. We already know exactly where it is. We have actually set foot in it before. When we were young apprentice slayers, and both devout disciples of Lusiny. It was just before the organization was destroyed by the Mad King Karron nearly three hundred years ago."

"But then the organization was destroyed. We lived the life of Lusiny's slayers for a while regardless, but then I got bit. Had somewhat of a... religious conversion. We built this dual temple atop the only known entrance to their last know hideout. We know where the door is, but were never told how to open it, or how to survive the halls of defenses in place behind it."

"Which is why we need that map. So that I may properly guard the knowledge the Silver Scourge have accumulated."

"And so that I may see that it is never used against Cherka's children ever again."

Then, having said their piece, the angel-demon took a step toward Eryn and spread its wings wide. A few of its enormous matted grey feathers fell to the floor. Its head loomed close to Eryn and her double, peering from one face to the other. Urella's angel-demon breath smelled of rancid meat and wet paper as she spoke. "Now tell me, spear maiden. What is it that you are still trying to divert my attention from? What is it you hope I don't find out? Your friend's testimony rang true in my ears, but I could hear the strain and hesitation in yours." The angel-demon's nose sniffed at the air in front of Eryn. "And why can I suddenly smell that scrawny little halfling again?"

---

Meanwhile, in the hall, Chance managed to successfully tiptoe away from the angel-demon as the priestesses monologued to Ilura and Eryn. He neared the entrance to the temple and peered around the corner to the main entrance chamber. He could see the dual-headed priestess in the shadows, sitting atop an ornate stone chair at the other end of the columned room. Their eyes were closed and their mouths were shut. They appeared to be in a meditative trance of some sort. Which was not surprising. But what was surprising was that Urella, the vampiric priestess, seemed to be sniffing at the air. The corner of her mouth raised in a snarl as her head slowly began to turn in Chance's direction.

What do you do?

---

Ilura
The priestesses believed your lie and answered your question. They know where the secret lair is. They just can't access it. Which is what the map was supposed to show them how to do.

Eryn
Urella noticed that you sounded like you were resisting the spell's effect and has asked you a followup question. (which would require a new roll to resist again.)

Chance
You managed to sneak near the priestess's real body without getting caught, but Urella seems close to "sniffing out" your current location. If you wanted to make some sort of move, it is now or never. Otherwise you will lose the element of surprise.

Eryn exhaled impatiently. Her composure was wearing thin whilst facing the priestesses' attempts at controlling her actions, and the magic wasn't helping her feelings from shining through either.

"I'm not sure where the halfling went, though my best guess is that he'll try to find some allies or leverage in your room. Go look for him yourself if you're so keen to find him, I only just met him and can't possibly know his thoughts."

The words slipped out of her mouth before she had a chance to phrase the statement better. They were honest, those words, Eryn knew that instinctively. When the magic spell compelled her to answer the next question she found it futile to hold back, and the fighter decided to get some personal satisfaction out of it if nothing else.

"The gnome was in league with the long-dead Overlord we are trying to destroy, and you are a big scary monster who keeps making threats both veiled and direct towards us," she told them. "Given your appalling appearance and way of handling guests, we thought it best to keep the map from you. Have fun with the one you are holding, it's an original piece penned by yours truly. I hope you like my handiwork, for it's all I will give you if I can help it."

Eryn wrinkled her nose in disgust and put her hand on her weapon once more. In the corner of her eye she saw the mirror image do the same.

"I don't trust you farther than I can piss," she practically spat, "and you'll know 'tis the truth I speak when I say that's not very far at all."

Their deception had been revealed, and the fighter's distaste for demons too. Eryn mentally prepared herself to fight, if this angered the fused monster.

---

23:42, Today: Eryn rolled 6 using 2d6+1.  Resist telling the truth.
XP marked...

EDIT: Grammar.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:00, Sat 14 Dec 2019.

So much for that...

As the words were spilling out of Eryn's mouth, Ilura quickly determined that the jig was up and took advantage of the distraction to better examine the creature and reach back through her knowledge of anatomy.  Her mentor had taught her a little about extra-planar creatures, though she'd never seen one - and certainly hadn't heard of something like this.  However, the creature must have some sort of weakness.  She particularly needed to find some way to disable that nasty weapon...

quote:

21:30, Today: Ilura rolled 10 using 2d6+3.  Discern realities.

What is about to happen? (where is it going to move/attack so I can try to not be there :>)
What here is useful or valuable to me? (specifically, any weakness/way to disable the creature's arm)
What here is not what it appears to be? (because what I should watch out for is pretty obvious :>)

quote:

21:30, Today: Ilura rolled 10 using 2d6+3.  Spout Lore about critter.

Upon seeing Urella begin to turn in his direction he knew he didn't have much time. As quickly as he could he closed the distance between them and plunged his dagger into her chest. The momentum of his rush causing it to bury itself all the way to the hilt. Hurriedly, he pulled the blade free and prepared to stab her again.

OOC: 00:27, Today: Chance rolled 7 using 2d6+2 with rolls of 4,1.  Backstab the vampire priestess.

I choose to add 1d6 to the damage roll.

00:29, Today: Chance rolled 8 using 1d8+1d6 with rolls of 7,1.  Backstab damage.

Eryn and Ilura

"I knew it!" Urella screamed at Eryn. Even though she was anticipating it, the angel-demon's mace struck Eryn with more speed and force than she had expected.

"Urella, no!" Lenora cried. But it was too late. Eryn was flung backward toward the back wall of the room. He armor absorbed some of the damage, but she felt as if she had been struck by a falling tree. A tree that was also smoldering. Her skin felt ashy and bruised where the enormous magical morningstar had struck.

"She deserves death. She deserves-"

"AHHHHH!" the two screamed in unison. The cause of their pain was not immediately clear.

"Go," Lenora gasped. "I'll handle things here..."

---

Chance

In the entryway, Chance's dagger plunged deep into the flesh of the two-headed priestess. It was a blow that would have killed most humanoids instantly. But whether it was because of their unusual anatomy, or because they had a half-vampiric nature about them, the priestesses continued to live.

Not only that, but Urella's red eyes snapped open and peered directly into Chance's. Her arm shot out with surprising speed and grabbed Chance around the neck, lifting him clean off the ground at arms length, leaving the blade in her chest as it was wrenched from Chance's shorter arms. Her strength was quite formidable.

"You pierced my heart with your blade!" Urella said accusingly. "For that, you will die. But no sense wasting a good meal. Your own blood will heal the wound you caused." Urella opened her mouth to reveal the fangs extending from her jaws. It was obvious she intended to feast on Chance's blood.

---

Eryn and Ilura

"Go," Lenora gasped. "I'll handle things here..."

Urella's red eye faded from the angel-demon's face and was soon replaced by another one of Lenora's. "I don't want to kill a follower of Lusiny if I don't have to," Lenora said, taking a warning swing at Ilura and taking a step back toward the doorway. "But I will if it becomes necessary."

The angel-demon stood powerfully with its unnatural muscles rippling. It was poised to lash out at any signs of aggression. However, Ilura could tell it was standing with the posture of a mother boar guarding its babies. Lenora didn't want to let the adventurers out of the room. Not when her body was out there, wounded, most likely. Judging by the earlier screams and the weariness in Lenora's voice, Chance had managed to wound the priestess's body. And now he was alone with the vampiress...

As Ilura studied their unnatural foe, she began to realize that it was held together by a precise balance of Lusiny's positive divine energies, and Cherka's negative. Perhaps if they were to disrupt that balance somehow, then herself and Eryn could eek out an advantage.

What do you do?

---

Eryn
You were struck by the powerful morningstar and flung against the wall. Take 1d12+5 damage, ignoring 1 point of armor.

Chance
You dealt a significant blow against the priestesses, but now Urella has you in her grasp. She intends to drink your blood unless you manage to get out of your situation somehow.

Ilura
What is about to happen?
The angel-demon is standing in an aggressive stance, but Ilura can tell it is in a more defensive position than before. Almost as if it is guarding the doorway rather than attacking the adventurers.

What here is useful or valuable to me?
Based on what she knows about the creature (see below) a burst of positive of negative energy could cause a disruption in the creature's capabilities.

What here is not what it appears to be?
It is just Lenora inside the angel-demon now. And she seems weaker than she is letting on. Almost staggered. And the truth spell has dropped.

Take +1 forward when acting on the answers.

21:30, Today: Ilura rolled 10 using 2d6+3.  Spout Lore about critter.
Ilura knows this "impossible" summoned creature must be sustained by carefully balanced energies that are both positive and negative. If she were to somehow tip the scales too far in one direction or the other, it could destabilize the creature. It is unclear what the exact outcome of doing that would be though.

"I mean you no harm."  She lifted her hand from the pommel of her rapier and held it out in benediction.  "May Luciny's light protect you"

quote:

16:13, Today: Ilura rolled 14 using 2d6+3.  Cast blessing.

Is there room to dash through the legs or otherwise get past this creature if it gets suitably distracted by being made out-of-balance? (assuming that my tactic even worked...)

Potentially. Feel free to try. It will definitely be a Defy Danger though.

What exactly is it you are trying to do right now though? Bless Lenora? Overcharge her? Something else?

I'm trying to use the additional 'positive' energy of Luciny's magic on the creature to throw it out of magical whack, tilted a bit on the pro-Luciny side via a blessing.  Should I roll the defy danger now or wait to see what happens?

I think a Defy Danger would be appropriate here to see how well your attempt goes. The danger being that you are trying to purposefully disrupt magic you barely understand yourself. You can use Wis since it involves your magic.

Once we see how things go, it might be a separate roll to get safely past the angel-demon.

So a roll to cast the spell (done with flying colors) and then a defy danger (WIS) to make the spell do bad stuff and then a third defy danger (probably DEX) while she's occupied to get past?

Here goes the second 2 rolls:

quote:

22:02, Today: Ilura rolled 8 using 2d6+3.  Defy danger - use successful spell to unbalance creature.
22:03, Today: Ilura rolled 9 using 2d6+2.  Defy danger DEX - get past creature.

I'll use my +1 on that last one to make it a 10 - assuming that the first two rolls actually do anything useful...

EDIT: corrected color

This message was last edited by the player at 06:22, Wed 18 Dec 2019.

My Mirror Image is active. Is there the typical chance for it to absorb the blow?

quote:

When you are attacked, roll a d6. On a 4, 5, or 6 the attack hits the illusion instead

Dangling in mid-air with his dagger in hand and the vampire gripping his throat tightly, Chance couldn't breathe. And the vampire planned to drink his blood?!

He knew he wouldn't be likely to hit a bull's eye throwing from such a precarious position, but he didn't need a bull's eye. All he needed was to hit something. He brought up the dagger and let it fly toward the couch sitting against the wall behind the priestess. He knew when it left his hand that it wasn't a perfect shot, but he hoped it would strike true and take him along with it. Plan B was to kick the vampires fangs down her throat, but he preferred not to get any closer to those than he was already.


OOC: 00:25, Today: Chance rolled 9 using 2d6+2 with rolls of 4,3.  Defy danger with dexterity.

Eryn's Mirror Image shattered silently against the wall and vanished in a puff of magical sparks. Though she had been lucky enough to avoid being struck by the demon's terrifying weapon, the warrior's past experience made her instinctively feel phantom pain upon witnessing the double being destroyed.

This was not a foe they could take lightly. Whatever Chance had done in the throne room had weakened the beast, but it was clear that it still possessed enough strength to slay them all in short order. Eryn eyed it carefully and kept her shield - a meager defense at this point - between herself and the enemy.

Eryn saw Ilura making her move to get away when the demon got hurt, and had to think quickly. She had no doubt that the group gathered in the throne room would be able to handle the priestesses without her. She was not so certain they could handle the demon without casualties. So she made a tactical decision: Someone had to delay the monster. Someone like herself.

Enable Ilura. Take its weapon. Keep it contained. Put it down. It seemed so easy in her thoughts. She imagined it would not be so easy in practice.

"Hey, ugly," she snarled, approaching it with caution, spear raised and at the ready. "Get out of our way. Ilura! Go without me!"

She took a solid stab at the staggered demon's right arm, hoping to wound it while it was off-guard and keep its weapon-arm unable to strike again. She felt her stance shift a bit too far compared to the demon's unfamiliar size and reach, losing the protection of her shield and narrowily missing. Shit.

---

21:14, Today: Eryn rolled 5 using 1d6.  Mirror Image: Negates attack on a 4+ result.
Attack negated and Mirror Image lost.
21:28, Today: Eryn rolled 5 using 2d6+1.  Defend: Myself and this location.
21:30, Today: Eryn rolled 6 using 2d6+2.  Hack and Slash the demon's weapon arm.
Marked XP. Write the score on my headstone.

Eryn and Ilura

When Ilura calmly stepped forward with her palm raised, Lenora realized too late that the ranger was attempting to imbue her summoned creation with a blessing of Lusiny. Ilura could feel her goddess's divine energies flowing into the angel-demon. She could feel them pushing back the demonic magic within. And she could feel the angelic magics pulling on her spiritually, almost as if it was a drowning person coming up for air. When Ilura withdrew her hand, she could feel that a sliver of herself had been left behind.

Like a ripple, Eryn and Ilura could see the effect Lusiny's magic was having on the creature. From the point Ilura had touched it, the angel-demon's skin glowed healthily and all the sickly grayness faded away. At least on the side Ilura had touched it. It seemed all the demonic magics were being pushed to its opposite side, where its other arm got darker, Its wing became black and leathery, and its claws more sinister.

More violent and chaotic.

This was the side that Eryn had been approaching with her attack. "What have you done!" Lenora shouted. Although her words were not coming as easily as before. "I can't control everything in here anymore!"

Eryn had been unprepared for the sudden shift in chaotic maliciousness and dirty tricks. The leathery wing shot out and swept Eryn's feet out from under her, even as the mace flailed out violently toward her. The fighter ended up on her back, wind knocked out, with the morningstar coming down on top of her from above. CRACK!

It wasn't until the second strike that the angel arm reached out to wrestle with the demon arm, giving Ilura plenty of opportunity to slip past out into the hall. "Urella! I could use your help again!" Lenora shouted.

What do you do?

---

Chance

Back in the entryway, Chance struggled in Urella's grasp, but managed to get out a wild throw with his Flicker Dagger. He reappeared against the wall several feet above the sofa, causing him to tumble gracelessly to the floor. But he was out of Urella's grasp, and he was able to breathe again.

"You slippery little imp!" Urells complained.

As he moved to right himself he could already see Urella gliding toward him across the floor, holding a long thin sword she had drawn from somewhere within her robes. Her sister Lenora's head still had her eyes closed in a trance-like state, but her mouth shouted, "Urella! I could use your help again!"

"Bit busy," the vampiress responded as she lunged toward the little thief with her blade.

What do you do?

---

Ilura
Your spell was successful, but your manipulation of its "purpose" caused a sort of spiritual malfunction. Even if you dismiss the spell, you will continue to take -1 forward to cast a spell so long as the creature is alive/not dismissed by its summoner back to whence it came. (Note: I didn't see Bless on your list of prepared spells, but feel free to either retcon your list, or the spell you chose to cast.)

On the plus side you manged to slip past it into the hallway.

Eryn
You took two hits from the angel-demon. You take 1d12+5 damage, ignoring 1 point of armor.

Then, you can either take that damage again, or you can have your shield and Lockbox destroyed (Including its contents, which might cause other problems. Maybe.). Feel free to make your choice after rolling for the first damage.

Chance
You got away, but ended up tumbling to the floor in the process. Urella was nearly on top of you again by the time you righted yourself. How do you avoid her blade?

The warrior felt the impact of the mace like a cannonball to her rib-cage. With the wind knocked out of her, it was all she could do to roll over on her side and put her shield on top of herself like a turtle shell in an effort to avoid the next blow.

It barely worked. Even this smith's fine and reinforced craftsmanship had to yield to the massive weapon of the demon hybrid. The shield cracked and blew into splinters, but the impact was thankfully lessened. Eryn heard the bag she carried rattle fiercely, but had no time to worry about its contents. Instead she crawled to her feet as fast as possible and hurried to put some distance between herself and the monstrous being. She slipped the ruined shield off her arm and threw the twisted metal frame aside, letting it clatter against the floor. She became aware of an odd smell at the same time, and realized that the odor was coming from her bag. The oil and alchemical vials had broken, then. Hopefully nothing harmful was in them...

Her mind raced. What now? Ilura had seemed to weaken the demon, but they were still no match for its brute strength. Her own breath was labored after the hit she took. Still, she was a warrior. This was what she lived for. What better enemy than one there was meaning in fighting?

Eryn gritted her teeth and pointed her spear forwards with both hands. Her allies had already gotten past the monster. She just needed to keep it at bay for a little longer.

Ancestors, if you have any advice I would gladly hear it, she thought.

With her shield gone and no healing potions in her bag, she felt the need to attempt another Mirror Image spell. To her relief it once more flickered into being next to her.

---

07:24, Today: Eryn rolled 12 using 1d12+5.  Damage taken from demon's first attack.
07:24, Today: Eryn rolled 16 using 1d12+5.  Fighter damage reroll.
That didn't go too well. I'll have my shield and lock-box destroyed rather than suffer damage again.

07:50, Today: Eryn rolled 8 using 2d6+2.  Consulting the Heirloom spirits.
07:53, Today: Eryn rolled 11 using 2d6.  Cast a Spell: Mirror Image.

Ilura was concerned about her companion, but figured the first thing to do was to deal with the 'evil' half of the priestess.  She slipped down the hall and drew a bead on the back of the priestess's head as she searched for the halfling.  The ranger's arrow few true.  Thomas streaked ahead and let out a loud "CAWWW", causing the priestess to turn her head at just the right instant.

quote:

11:31, Today: Ilura rolled 13 using 2d6+2.  Called shot to Urella's head.
11:35, Today: Ilura rolled 8 using 1d8+2.  Damage (regular arrow).

Urella should be drooling - provided she's even alive...

Thanks for allowing me to retcon my spell.  Changed DetectAlignment to Bless

Disoriented from the teleportation and subsequent fall to the floor, it took Chance a moment to get his bearings. It was a moment he could ill afford to lose with the vampiress bearing down on him. At the last second, he realized she was above him and about to strike and he desperately rolled between her legs to avoid her blade.

OOC:

02:08, Today: Chance rolled 7 using 2d6+2 with rolls of 2,3.  Defy danger with dexterity.

Do Eryn's broken vials cause immediate problems? 1-3 = yes, 4-6 = no.
13:37, Today: Game Master rolled 1 using 1d6.  50-50 roll.
1 = yes.

---

Eryn

Eryn stood ready to fight, despite her massive wounds. And her double stood nearby, mirroring her every move. The demon half of angel-demon seemed to want to finish Eryn off, but the angel half was struggling against it, giving Eryn a moment to assess the situation. Her ancestors were quick to offer their opinions the moment they were asked.

"You'll be lucky to get out of this alive," Ramona was quick to point out. "You are outmatched, and on your own now."

"Not entirely on her own," Johnathan pointed out. "Your foe fights against itself! Maybe ally with your enemy against your enemy? I see both priestesses have left now." It was true. Neither of the angel-demon's eyes had the pristesses' spark in them. The angel-demon was currently controlling itself again.

"Not sure that would be wise... But at any rate, mind your footing."

In the end, the duo didn't have any real concrete advice to give. Merely commentary on the current situation. However, when Ramona mentioned Eryn minding her footing, the fighter realized she felt something wet, warm, and heavy running down her leg. She couldn't spare the glance down, but could see on her mirror image that an oily golden liquid was oozing from her sack down her leg toward the floor. It was turning her pant leg into a gold-colored column, and adding the weight and stiffness to match. Her actual leg did not feel affected, but the heavy gold pant leg would certainly make it more difficult to move around.

It was at this moment that one half of the angel-demon finally managed to exert an advantage over the other. The demon swung its mace toward Eryn again even as the angel tried to hold the weapon back. It certainly wasn't nearly as forceful a blow as the first were, but it would still be painful if it were to connect.

What do you do?

---

Chance and Ilura

Chance rolled underneath the priestess just as her sword blade skewered the air where he had been. The was a sharp clanging sound as the sword struck the stone floor. It was followed a split second later by the shattering of glass and the aroma of roasted nuts as Chance realized one of his food pouches had been split open by his foe. Its contents landed all over the floor behind him.

The vampiric priestess turned to face Chance again, only to be distracted by the caw of Ilura's crow friend, Thomas. Before Urella knew what was happening, an arrow pierced her forehead and lodged into her cranium. The priestess's red eyes went dull and lifeless. A split second later, Lenora's eyes sprang open. "What have you done!?"

The words weren't even out of Lenora's mouth yet before the twin priestesses fell over on Urella's side. The vampiress's skin became grey and leathery, and Lenora was already looking more wrinkled than before. "What have you done?" Lenora asked again from her place near the floor, although this time it was barely above a whisper.

What do you do?

---

Eryn
The shattered alchemical components from your lockbox have mixed together and are dripping down your leg, turning portions of your pant leg into solid gold. The heavy "fabric" is making it difficult to move and balance properly though, and you'll have the Shaky condition (-1 to Dex rolls) until you remedy the situation.

The demon is trying to swing at you again even as the angel tries to hold back the weapon. Do you try and avoid the blow?

Ilura
Your arrow struck true. Urella is totally helpless with that arrow through her head. Lenora is unable to move more than one arm and one leg on their dual-body, but could potentially still cast spells. She is in quite a bit of shock at the moment though, because of her sister's condition.

Chance
You avoided the blade, but lost one use of Dungeon Rations in the process.

Ilura wasn't sure if she'd done the right thing or not, but this wasn't the time to worry about it.  She wheeled around, this time drawing an armor-piercing arrow and aimed at the angel-demon's mace-wielding arm.  If she could take the arm out of commission, even briefly, perhaps Eryn could pick up the mace and even the odds a bit...

quote:

16:50, Today: Ilura rolled 5 using 2d6+2.  Called shot on demon's arm.

I've got a +1 I could theoretically apply to that from my previous Discern Realities, but would still need Aid to turn that into a success and make it drop the mace...

"I'm not sure I trust my luck today," Eryn exclaimed, partly to herself and partly to her ancestors, "but at least my pants will pay for my funeral."

A glint from the tip of Ilura's drawn arrow gave away the ranger's intent to shoot, but Eryn had no idea what Ilura would aim for. The warrior considered dropping to the floor to avoid the mace and arrow both, but she knew there was no point in trying to move like that. The monster was bearing down on her already and the heavy gold would make it impossible to avoid feeling off-balance.

There were few options besides forcing her way through. Hopefully the demon would be off-balance too, and aim for the wrong person...

The warrior kept both hands on her lance in an iron grip. She ducked low in her best effort to dodge the incoming strike, hoping desperately that its swing would be slow enough to avoid a fatal hit, and rammed her trusty weapon upwards into the demon side of the hybrid's chest.

---

07:58, Today: Eryn rolled 10 using 2d6+2.  Hack and Slash the demon.
07:59, Today: Eryn rolled 7 using 1d10+1d4.  Damage to demon, signature weapon has +2 piercing.

08:00, Today: Eryn rolled 3 using 1d6.  Mirror Image: Negates attack on a 4+ result.
In case a regular Hack and Slash can't avoid the blow: The mace will hit me.

Chance saw Illura's arrow pierce the Priestess as he rolled beneath them. Coming to his feet to see her fire another one down the hallway, he realized that he had misjudged the situation. The angel-demon had not been banished when the Priestesses dispossessed it and now it was bearing down on his other rescuer.

Again, without hesitation, he hurled the flicker dagger at the creature. He knew he stood little chance of killing the thing, but he could distract it long enough for Eryn to get to safety. Not until after then dagger left his hand did it occur to him that he was about to be directly in Illura's line of fire. He didn't have time to panic.

OOC:

15:59, Today: Chance rolled 11 using 2d6+2 with rolls of 4,5.  Volley, or Backstab? Depends on surprise.

16:02, Today: Chance rolled 5 using 1d8 with rolls of 5.  Damage.

16:02, Today: Chance rolled 3 using 1d6 with rolls of 3.  Backstab damage. If applicable.

The angel-demon struck at Eryn again, but the skilled warrior and her double managed to skirt its huge weapon by millimeters as it crashed into the floor between them and sent pebbles flying. Both her own spear and her illusory double's spear pierced at the same point just under the demon's armpit, taking advantage of their weapon's long reach. The demon's mouth snarled in pain, wile the angel let out a heavenly cheer. The two sounds mixing together was unearthly and extremely unsettling.

But there was no time to celebrate. Chance's dagger seemed to appear from out of nowhere and lodged itself into the demon's neck. Then, truly out of nowhere, Chance appeared hanging from said dagger. His added weight pulled the dagger downward, opening a gash in the demon's neck. Black blood oozed from the wound like tar, scabbing over almost instantly.

A fresh roar of pain erupted from the demon, and a fresh cheer from the angel. But this time their voices did not mix. It seemed their heads were separating and becoming individual entities. They were beginning to resemble the shape of the priestesses that had spawned them. It looked like they would split entirely if left to their own devices, but it would take time.

With the two beings still wrestling against each other for control of the huge morningstar, and Chance dangling off their back, the demon let out a fresh roar. This time laced with diabolical magics. A black aura began to surround its half of the body, slowly sucking the light out of the room in an eerie fashion. It was obviously trying to accomplish something, but it was not immediately clear what. But the more time that passed, the more Chance's extremities began to tingle ominously.

While all this was happening, Ilura was attempting to contribute to the fight as well. She shot her armor-piercing arrows at the demon, but they went wild or hit areas where the damage was negligible. Largely due to the fact that she was distracted by what was happening down the hall. She could see a silvery cloud enveloping the twin priestesses. It lifted them off the ground and floated them out of sight, further into the temple. It was unclear where they were going or what they would do, but chances are that it would not be good...

What do you do?

---

Ilura
Since nobody Aided you, that is a 6-. Add XP!

Reduce your piercing ammo by one. Your shots didn't contribute in any meaningful way toward taking down the angel-demon. Also, it appears the priestess are not dead yet and are making an escape. They have moved out of line of sight, but it might still be possible to catch up to them if you want to try.

Eryn
Since you and the demon both have reach, your Hack and Slash roll was enough to avoid taking damage. You dealt a strong blow to it. It is now attempting some sort of diabolical magic.

Chance
Backstab applies in this situation, since the demon-angel was not expecting you. You inflicted extra damage and can choose a second Backstab bonus to apply.

You are currently hanging from the demon's back with your Flicker Dagger. It knows you are there now, so another Backstab move won't be possible. It is beginning to glow with a dark aura, causing your fingers to tingle more and more as it intensifies. Which probably isn't good...

Ilura was confused about the ineffectiveness of her shots.  From this range, she shouldn't have been able to miss.  Certainly not twice in a row.  Perhaps the creature had some sort of protection from arrows?  Or perhaps her Goddess was displeased.

She looked at the halfling.  With his aid and that of the angel, she hoped that they'd have the demon outmatched.  However for good measure, she decided to take one more shot at the thing before running after the priestesses.  As she ran, she found herself wondering where on earth Marcus disappeared to...

quote:

14:44, Today: Ilura rolled 6 using 2d6+2.  volley - AP 1.

Theoretically someone could choose to help with this one, or I miss yet again.  Taken my first XP and marked off the ammo.  Now chasing after the priestesses.

Do I feel the same tingle from the dark magic as Chance does?

Maybe a hint of it, but you are further away so it isn't as strong. Maybe more like a metallic taste in the air for you.

The roaring noise from the hybrid monster sent chills down the warrior's spine. She saw the darkness coalescing, and knew she wouldn't able to counter whatever spell was coming with any of the magic she had learned. Perhaps Hiran could have done it, if he had come with them. Eryn found herself wishing for the creaky old man to have stayed, even if he had his issues.

Eryn stepped to the side to avoid Ilura's line of fire. They were all beating on the monster now, doing their best to kill it before it could kill them in return. Any doubt Eryn had about destroying an angel or its priestesses vanished when it became clear that the divine being was cheering them on. No reason to hesitate, then.

She withdrew her lance, circled the monster for a few steps to confuse it with her mirror image, and stabbed again.

---

08:33, Today: Eryn rolled 8 using 2d6+2.  Hack and Slash, stab the demon once more.
08:34, Today: Eryn rolled 2 using 1d0+1d4.  Damage dealt to demon. (+2 Piercing).
08:34, Today: Eryn rolled 8 using 1d10+1.  Reroll due to botched formula. I kept the 1 from the original d4.

He didn't know how it was possible, but when Chance appeared beside the creature, his dagger gripped tightly in his hand, its angelic half seemed to be trying to free itself from the demonic. The fiend was weakening.  There was a tingling sensation in his fingers that was spreading down his arms and into his torso. He didn't ponder the implications. He knew that it was gathering power for some sort of fel magic, but it struck him as a desperate move. It was time to finish this thing.

Chance pulled a second dagger from his belt and plunged it into the demon's back alongside the flicker dagger. Then he began to twist both weapons driving them deeper into the creature. Hopefully, he would hit something vital before it unleashed the energy it was gathering.


OOC:

10:16, Today: Chance rolled 9 using 2d6+1 with rolls of 3,5.  Defy danger with Constitution.

I didn't know if you would want a hack and slash roll or not, so I went ahead and rolled one, too, just in case.

10:16, Today: Chance rolled 7 using 2d6 with rolls of 1,6.  Hack and Slash.

10:18, Today: Chance rolled 6 using 1d8 with rolls of 6.  Damage.

Ilura's arrow struck the demon's meaty shoulder and sunk deep, but seemed to be more of an annoyance to the beast than an actual injury. Although the demon's dark magic did appear to flow more fiercely from the wound she had opened. But the ranger didn't have time to stay and observe. She ran off down the hall to see where the priestesses had gone.

On the demon's back, Change held on like a squirrel on a windy branch. Waves of dark magic rolled over him, causing the halfling to feel a pit of discomfort in his stomach. Still, the man's resolve was strong and he managed to resist the magic's effect. Mostly. However, when he plunged his second dagger into the demon, a fresh surge of dark energy overwhelmed his hand. Chance watched his forearm wither and wrinkle before his very eyes, as if it had aged twenty years in only a moment's time.

At roughly the same time, Eryn's spear pierced the demon. But to Eryn's surprise, the demon released its hold on the morningstar and grasped the haft of Eryn's spear. The angel hadn't been expecting it either, and seemed to be momentarily off balance. The demon pulled Eryn's spear deeper into itself and laughed diabolically. "You may have defeated me, but I will ensure you do not claim victory. Feel my wrath ignite!"

It seemed the demon knew it had been bested and was attempting an explosive finale!

Chance and Eryn, what do you do?

---

Ilura

Ilura rounded a corner just as a loud explosion could be heard behind her, coming from the battle she had just left. Down a hallway ahead of her she could see the priestesses rounding another corner. When the ranger ran down the corridor and turned the corner, she was met with a robed man turning a key in a lock on the doors that had just been closed.

He turned to see Ilura and had a frightened look in his eyes. He clutched a holy symbol of Lusiny that dangled around his neck. "S-sorry. Nobody is permitted through, on orders of the high priestess. I i-imagine it has something to do with that large boom just now. And that arrow in miss Urella's skull..."

What do you do?

---

Chance
You suffer no mechanical drawback's from the demon's magic, but one of your arms has been magically aged by the chaotic magics flowing out of the dying demon.

The demon seems like it is about to explode with foul magic in its defeat. How do you try to avoid the retaliatory blast?

Eryn
The demon is about to explode with foul magic in its defeat. How do you try to avoid the retaliatory blast?

Ilura
You know which way the priestesses have gone, but one of their underlings has locked your path.

Eryn snarled when she realized the demon had turned the tables on them. She firmly held on to the pole-arm with both hands and tested her strength against the monster's might. It was surprisingly strong considering its mortal wounds - powered by foul magic, no doubt. Still, she held fast. Any lesser weapon she would have given away without a second thought, but there was no way a true warrior could let go of their ancestor's legacy!

The trained fighter knew then it would take all she had to survive, and perhaps a bit more. Eryn took a deliberate step closer to the wounded demon, planted her gold-clad leg firmly in a stance where she would get the most leverage given their size difference, and let out a furious roar as she tried to throw the demon aside and wrest the weapon from its grip.

---

07:46, Today: Eryn rolled 8 using 2d6+2.  Defy Danger (STR). Wrest the dying demon aside and reclaim my weapon.

That can't be good, Chance thought briefly watching his arm begin to wither with age as he continued to stab at the demon. His sense that the demon was nearly destroyed was confirmed by its own admission of defeat and that was all Chance needed to hear.

Pulling his daggers free he leaped from the demons's back and hit the floor in a roll coming to rest behind a pile of rubble that had once been a giant frog statue.

How am I doing, boss? This seemed like a good time to check in. You're happy with me, right?

Chance huddled amid the ruin of what had been a perfectly nice room just a few minutes earlier and prayed that they would all make it through this in one piece.

OOC: 01:58, Today: Chance rolled 9 using 2d6+2 with rolls of 1,6.  Defy danger with dexterity.

Ilura nodded in understanding as she looked at the man closely, trying to learn anything that might be useful in convincing him.  Her eyebrows creased in worry.

"I understand your orders, but I believe it's urgent that I speak with Miss Lenora.  We may not have much time."

She held up her bow and rubbed the sigil in a manner clearly visible to the acolyte.

"I too serve the silver mother.  I have knowledge of some of the fell magic that is placing this temple in danger.  Please let me see her!  I don't want anything worse to happen that she might have been able to prevent..."

quote:

18:33, Today: Ilura rolled 11 using 2d6+3.  Discern realities.

What is about to happen?
What here is useful or valuable to me?
What here is not what it appears to be?

Not sure if my argument with him constitutes a Parley with the leverage being the implication of 'something worse happening' or if it's a Defy Danger CHA, but whatever it is, it's almost certainly based on charisma

quote:

18:37, Today: Ilura rolled 3 using 2d6.  Convince accolyte w/ CHA.

And I don't think that's going to be terribly convincing.  Perhaps showing a bow to someone who just mentioned an arrow in the head of one of the head priestesses wasn't a good idea... :(

Marked XP for this failure and the previous one

Eryn and Chance

Eryn was able to manhandle the demon, but not very well. She had the leverage, but it was too bulky. Too muscular. She could see her efforts would not be enough on their own. Not in the limited amount of time she had remaining.

As the demon's flesh shredded before her eyes and erupted with foul magics, Eryn finally was able to throw the demon to the side and pull her spear free. But her clunky gold-encased leg kept her from being able to take proper cover from the blast. Dark energy washed over her, making the warrior's bones feel fuzzy and her thoughts taste like ash. The smell of hot peppers filled her vision, and the sound of the red moon weighed down on her breathing. Her entire body felt as if it was in chaotic disarray. And her illusory double looked as chaotic as she felt, before it disappeared entirely.

As Eryn wrestled with the demon, in one fluid motion, Chance rolled off of the demon's back and behind cover. He avoided the brunt of the explosion that followed, although his entire skull rattled like a loose peg and his hair momentarily felt like it was made of iron chains. It was not pleasant, but he would survive.

His god, Corr, had chosen not to reply to his mental inquiry. Which was typical.

When the dust settled, Chance noticed that the Flicker Dagger he was holding was thoroughly stained with the demon's blood. And it radiated a subtle aura of darkness. Certainly something had changed within it, but it was unclear what effect the demon blood might have on its magics.

Laying against the wall, the two adventurers could see What remained of the angel. It was mostly just a torso at this point, with a tattered wing and silvery cuts from the explosion. The huge morningstar lay near it in the rubble. The angle looked broken and incomplete, but it was smiling. "You were... victorious," it muttered in a ragged yet heavenly voice. What remained of its body began to dissipate from the bottom up. It seemed its summoning spell was finally beginning to unravel.

What do you do?

---

Ilura

The man looked hesitant as Ilura mentioned urgency, but still shook his head and made no move to open the iron-bound doors. He clutched his holy symbol in one hand and fidgeted with the key in his other. "I-i cannot disobey Miss Lenora," he insisted. "It would betray my oath as an acolyte. Acolyte Barrius Frond"

When Ilua pointed to the holy symbol on her bow, she could tell it had been a mistake. It was as if she could see the wheels turning Barrius' head. In only a second's time, his eyes squinted suspiciously, widened in surprise, then darted toward the key in his hand. By the time Ilura realized what the acolyte was about to do, it was too late. He had popped the key into his mouth and swallowed it.

"You will find no passage here. Not while I yet live." There was a distinct level of resolve in his voice that had not been there before. He seemed extremely unlikely to change his mind. Not to mention unable, considering the key to the door was now in his stomach.

What do you do?

---

Chance
You got to safety, but your Flicker Dagger has been tainted with demonic blood. Give it the "Demonic" tag.

The angel is still in the room, but will soon disappear.

Eryn
You saved your weapon, but ended up taking quite a heavy dose of dark magic in the process. Choose one:
-Gain one curse from the demonic magic.
-Take d12 damage, ignoring armor. (Remember you have already used your damage reroll for this fight.) Your illusory double can't take the damage for you either, because it was an area effect.

The angel is still in the room, but will soon disappear.

Ilura
What here is not what it appears to be?
The man, Barrius Frond, started out shaky and nervous, but will not be as easily swayed as one might expect. He is extremely loyal to his priestess.

What here is useful or valuable to me?
The key.

What is about to happen?
The key is about to be swallowed. Or, well, it has been swallowed...

Add your XP if you haven't already.

"I do not doubt your commitment and I will respect your choice.  I only hope it is the right one.  Your life is safe - from me at least.  I suggest you get yourself and the key to safety and urge any you meet to do the same.  The halls are not safe and will only become less so."

She turned and hurried back the way she'd come.  Time to see what had befallen her friends.  They were going to need to make use of that map quickly if they were going to get to a place where the priestesses couldn't find them before they managed to recover.

As she moved, she provided some instructions to Thomas.  [See what he does in the next minute or so, then report back to me.  I'll be by the room where the others are.]

Chance was surprised to find himself in one piece after the explosion. He hastily wiped his daggers on his trousers while he scanned the room, wondering what had become of his rescuers. He found Eryn laying against the wall a few feet away. He sheathed his weapons and forced himself to his feet to go check on her, but he was interrupted by an angelic voice.

"You're free," Cance exclaimed! "I wasn't sure what was going to happen when the scales tipped. I hope the other Priestess has fared as well as you. Please, my friend was badly injured while fighting to free you. Please, help her," he pleaded as he went to check on Eryn.

OOC: 22:20, Today: Chance rolled 7 using 2d6-1 with rolls of 2,6.  Discerning Eryn's Reality.

What is about to happen here?

"Sorry for striking you, but it was a do or die situation," Eryn said to the remains of the angel as she sat down to rekindle her strength. She was glad that they had survived the monster, but her golden pants leg still weighing her down. Now that she had time to take a breather, Eryn tried to see if there was a way to salvage the clothing.

"Thank you for the concern, Chance, but I'll live." The warrior was about to ask about what happened with the priestesses, but stopped herself short when something felt off. Her head had stopped spinning from the dark wave that washed over her, but an unpleasant feeling lingered deep inside her very being. "...Actually, I think that demon did something to me with its magic," Eryn said, concerned and annoyed at this new misery. "Do you feel anything strange in the air, or is it just me?"

---

A d12 has a 1 in 3 chance of putting me near death right now, which is a bit too high for my comfort. I'll take the curse for a ride.

Is it possible to remove the gold from my clothing, or is the fabric itself transmuted into metal?

The feeling of something strange in the air only got worse for Eryn as more time passed. Like a cloud of itchy wool was slowly permeating her body. Shee could feel it especially strongly in her teeth and in the palms of her hands. With a quick run of her tongue over her teeth, she could swear they felt pointier. Especially her canines. And when she took off one of her gloves, she saw a ghastly sight. On the palm of her hand was a round lamprey-like mouth, with rows of jagged teeth. In her stomach, Eryn felt a sudden pang of hunger. A hunger for raw flesh.

As Eryn made her discovery, the angel spoke again, replying to Chance's request for aid. "I am afraid I am unable to aid you directly, as it would circumvent my summoner's desire. But I can halt the demon's curse from getting any worse for the warrior." A soothing hum permeated the air as the angel continued to dissolve into nothingness. The itchy evil in the air around Eryn slowly dissipated and then evaporated altogether. But her hands remained in their grotesque form.

When the last of the angel finally disappeared, its voice rang out one last time. "May Lusiny's light guide you." Then it was gone.

A few moments later, Ilura returned to the room to see the scene of devistation. The room was in shambles, her friends were injured, and the body of Mr. Wazowitz still lay motionless amidst the rubble. But all of the heroes had survived. And they had a moment to catch their breath again.

What do you do?

---

Chance
What is about to happen?
You can see Eryn is alive, but not okay. She was being slowly transformed into a hideous monster until the Angel halted the transformation.

Take +1 forward when acting on the results.

Ilura
You can have Thomas return at any time. He will report that Barrius opted to stand guard over the doors, despite Ilura's urging to seek safety.

Eryn
The fabric of your pant leg has turned into gold, but it starts low enough that you could cut it off without having to run around in your undies. You could essentially craft leg coverings that are half pants, half shorts until you manage to buy a replacement pair. The "Golden Pant Leg" has a weight of 1.

And as for your curse, you can now only eat raw meat (with your lamprey palms or with your mouth) and constantly hunger for it (at a manageable level). Eating cooked meat or non-meat will give you the Sick debility (-1 to Con rolls). Water and potions are fine though.

Additionally, you gain a new attack. When you Hack and Slash with bare hands or teeth against a creature made of living flesh, you deal only 1d4 damage (plus bonus damages), but heal the amount of damage the opponent receives, up to a maximum of the target's max HP.

Let me know if anything about your curse needs clarification.

Ilura hurried into the room.  "Lenora has locked herself away.  Other half of her is dead, or deader than usual.  However, that probably won't last long."

She paused, looking at Eryn's hand.  That didn't look good...

She turned to Chance.

"We've got a paladin named Marcus who seems to have gotten lost and missed all of the fun.  And there are a few other hangers-on running around town shopping.  We're currently trying to stop Qizproteus from being resurrected.  That map you've got could well be the key to helping us do that.

As a side benefit, it could get you (and us) all well away from here - which in the near term seems like it would be a very good thing.  Are you willing to help?"</blue>

She held the gaze of the halfling, but in her peripheral vision, she was keeping an eye on his dagger.  She had a sense now of how the thing worked.  If he planned to throw it past her to escape, she'd be ready...

EDIT: removed introductions - forgot they'd already been made
This message was last edited by the player at 00:21, Tue 28 Jan 2020.

"Qizproteus?! Nikadroy Qizproteus," Chance asked, incredulously?

"Our meeting was not a coincidence then. I suspected as much. Your entrance was far too timely to be coincidental. Yes, I will help you. I would like that one to remain among the dead. So much so, in fact, that I have been searching for his stinking corpse ever since his ghost left it behind."

"That dead gnome over there was in cahoots with him; I do not know what he planned to do with it, but he really wanted to get his hands on that map. I hope that you are right. I mean to go down there now to find out. We may not get another opportunity."

He glances at Eryn as he begins to rummage in his pack. "Do you think you will be able to keep up," he asks?

Chance takes the map out pf his pack and opens it. He studies it for a moment to get his bearings then carefully folds it back up and puts it into his pocket.

"IF so, let's get moving," he says to the ladies as he starts to walk away. Then, abruptly he stops again and turns back to face the pair of them.

"I don't remember if I thanked you for rescuing me, or not. If I didn't, then thank you. I'm not sure if we'd have been able to get ourselves out of that little mess on our own," he says.

"I don't know that we can go far.  Eryn's going to need a chance to heal, though I may be able to accelerate that a bit.  The paladin could do it better.  I'm going to check where he ran off to.  Maybe see if there's a place on the map we could get to that's past the main halls where they could find us, but without undertaking anything too adventurous.  I don't think it's safe to rest where we are..."

She knelt down in front of her injured comrad.  "Thank you.  If not for your skill, that thing would probably have finished all of us."

She tried to avoid looking at the lamprey mouth on the fighter's hands.  The image itself was off-putting, and there was something 'wrong' there.  Perhaps the Goddess could help, but this was probably not the time or place to seek it.  Healing, though, she could try for.  She laid her hands on either side of her friend's head and tried to calm herself to allow the silver mother's love to flow through her hands.

The healing wasn't as effective as she'd hopes, but the wounds did look a little less ragged and the bleeding had stopped.  Hopefully they'd be able to make it somewhere they could rest up a bit.

Then she headed back up the hallway looking for Marcus - and ran straight into Westley...

quote:

21:11, Today: Ilura rolled 10 using 2d6+3.  Cast cure light.
21:12, Today: Ilura rolled 3 using 1d8.

Well, it's some anyhow...

OOC: Looking for a place to hole up inside is a good idea. Does that need a roll to Spout Lore or Discern Realities, GM?

"Fucking overlord, sticks his dead nose into everything," Eryn grumbled angrily, feeling antsy and frustrated at this new turn of events. Besting a demon was no small feat, and she truly wished she could deliver a cocky joke about it, but the victory was soured by the dark magic she had suffered. Lusiny's light seemed to have stopped the mutations, at least. The warrior slipped her gloves back on and tightened them as best she could. She didn't want to look nor acknowledge the horrors that had befallen her, no matter how obvious they may be to others.

"Don't worry about me, I'm not so injured I can't stand," she said with a weak smile, directed at Chance. "Once I'm free of this gold, I will be right behind you." Still sitting down, she pulled the knife she carried and cut off the part of her clothing that had solidified earlier.

"Thanks for the magic, Ilura," she said in a more serious tone as she worked. "I'm not sure I really trust ol' Lusiny after all this, but I'd still like you to put a good word with her in for me. I refuse to go the rest of my life carrying this curse." Her tone implied that if Lusiny would not fix it, the mage-in-training would have to see to the matter herself.

Once the gold-leaf fabric was free, Eryn bent the stiff material into a bundle and placed it in her backpack. Next she went over to the fallen demon's body and inspected it with a wrinkled nose. "Dead and gone... it won't need its weapon anymore, then." She reached out with a strong arm and picked up the heavy mace from where it had fallen. The monster had taken a lot from her... it was only fair that it gave her something in return.

"That is all I need," the warrior said to her companions. "Lead the way."

---

- Curse noted. Since certain parts of it squicks me something fierce, please do not describe it too much. Thanks in advance.
- Healing noted. Thanks, Ilura!
- Golden fabric added to inventory, along with the mace. How much does the weapon weigh?

Ilura's healing magic was not particularly strong at the moment, but Eryn could still feel it sink deep into her skin. And Ilura's spell combined with the angel's blessing seemed to be just enough to push back the worst effects of the demon's curse. She could feel her hands reverting to their normal form. Although the hunger still lingered...

As Chance scanned the map, he realized that the temple they we're currently standing in was not indicated on it at all. Which made sense, since Lenora mentioned they had constructed it over the sealed entrance. But it meant it might be difficult to find the entrance listed on the map in a quick amount of time.

When Ilura ran into Westley in the hallway, he was followed by the other hirelings. "Got her stuff," he said happily, holding an armful of the gear Eryn had requested. "Met Marcus at the bottom of the stairs outside. Everyone was helping him get this one girl, Aguri, safely down the stairway without falling off the side. He said he needed to help her with another important mission, and we shouldn't expect him back any time soon." A quick look to the other hirelings had them confirming Westley's story with a nod.

What do you do?

---

Chance

Chance:

OOC: Looking for a place to hole up inside is a good idea. Does that need a roll to Spout Lore or Discern Realities, GM?

You could try and Discern where the entrance to the hideout is, using the map. The temple was built after the map was created so it isn't super obvious where it would be using the map alone. Otherwise, there are plenty of other rooms around to duck into. If you want to find a particularly good one, I think it is reasonable for Chance to know the temple enough to Spout Lore about it. He has been in the temple longer than the others after all.

Eryn
The visually worst parts of your curse have healed, as we discussed.

I posted the morningstar stats in the OOC thread. It is powerful, but also heavy and clumsy in the hands of a normally-proportioned human.

Westley is also back with your gear you sent him to collect.

Ilura
It seems Marcus won't be back any time soon.

"Lead the way," Chance repeats. "Right," he says with a sigh.

"This temple doesn't appear on the map. We're going to have to find a way to get underneath it for the map to be of much use to us. Ilura is right, though, our first priority is to find a safe place to rest."

Chance looks up and down the hallway a couple of times. He appears to be weighing his options.

---

19:11, Today: Chance rolled 9 using 2d6 with rolls of 5,4.  Spout lore about the temple as a resting place.

Ilura raised her eyebrow at the indication that Marcus had gone off once again.  She hoped he'd figured out a way to help the good captain - or at least would be able to keep her body safe.

She spoke quietly.  "We're currently not the most welcome people here, so keep your voices down."  She led them to the room where the battle had taken place.

"Chance, this is everyone else.  Everyone else, this is Chance.  I'll leave you to make your introductions.  Thomas and I are going to see if we can find our entrance, or at least somewhere we're unlikely to be disturbed."

She took a quick glance over the halfling's shoulder, then sprinted silently down the hall, her raven winging ahead.

quote:

20:28, Today: Ilura rolled 11 using 2d6+5.  Scout for entrance/safe place w/ Thomas.

The rules describe scouting only in the context of undertaking a perilous journey, so maybe this is a discern realities or a defy danger wisdom.  In any case the target should be the same.  If it's discern realities, then my questions would be:
What here is useful or valuable to me? (ideally entrance/safe place)
What here is not what it appears to be? (presumably the entrance is 'hidden')
What happened here recently? (say in the last couple of hundred years... :>)

Eryn was extremely elated to feel parts of the curse slink away and vanish thanks to Ilura's holy magic. She was about to speak her sincere thanks once more, when the magic light inside her body faded and left behind a heavy weariness. The warrior's muscles felt weak without being all too tired, and Eryn had to let go of the enormous weapon she had attempted to carry with her.

What...? she thought, as the first pang of hunger suddenly surged in her stomach. Have I truly not eaten? She fumbled through her bag - heavily shaken up from the fight - only to realize she had no rations left after giving them away while on the ship.

The warrior felt antsy while waiting for Westley to hand her the resources he had brought with him. She asked him to carry the golden piece of fabric (and keep the giant mace upright) while she dug in on one of the rations he had brought for her. As soon as she managed to retrieve a piece, she unwrapped the salted meat and bread and scarfed it down in two bites. Crumbs went everywhere, but Eryn didn't care.

Still, it was no good. A mighty warrior needed more sustenance than a measly ration could provide! Without thinking, and indeed without realizing that she had survived on less food before, Eryn greedily devoured pack after pack of bland and tasteless rations. For some reason this amount was not enough. She was about to ask Ilura if healing magic was supposed to drain your strength this much, but the ranger had already left to search for the rumored entrance.

Eryn picked a string of fat from the meat out of the gaps between her new fangs. It tasted like empty ashes in her mouth. There had to be food of better quality around, certainly? When she felt the urge to rip open a brand new set of five and devour them too... that was when she realized this endless hunger could not be natural. Shite, she muttered, as an urge to feed coursed through her once more.

"On second thought, you carry this one too," she told Westley. The young man looked confused and perhaps a bit concerned about her new appearance, but Eryn tried to pay it no mind. "I need to travel light, just in case I need to fight again," she lied unconvincingly. "Let's follow the others."

---

Traded items with Westley. Immediately devoured an entire package of Rations! ... but the curse does not allow for it to sate me.
EDIT: Salted meat is not cooked, but it's not raw either. Would it trigger feeling Sick?
This message was last edited by the player at 17:14, Thu 06 Feb 2020.

Ilura

After Ilura headed off to scout out their surroundings, she didn't make it far before herself and Thomas ran into a cluster of clergy blocking the only unlocked path deeper into the temple. The ranger and her bird were able to duck out of sight before they were spotted, and could hear their conversation fairly well.

"-and we have to gather them quickly!" a fat orc in Cherka's red robes insisted. His tusks were capped in gold. "Boswin, go collect the elite temple guards. Everyone who is readily available. Then go storm the site of the battle and take them out if they were stupid enough to stick around. Go!"

"Yes master Ugthosh. Right away." A silvery-haired elf in Lusiny robes dashed off to do as told.

Ugthosh continued to give his orders. "Glorinzy, I need you to round up the lesser guards and begin scouring the temple for wherever they may be hiding. Mistress Lenora feels they may have stuck around. Start in the lowest levels and work your way topside. Leave top guards stationed at the entrance to the sub-basement. Make sure to lock off as many areas of the temple as possible. Do not engage if you find them, but instead send for the elite guards."

A gnomish lady in Lusiny robes nodded and started to head off, but paused. "Why the sub-basement? Isn't the only thing down there some dusty crates and the old well?"

Ugthosh seemed annoyed at the delay. "I don't know," he admitted. "Maybe they intend to poison our emergency water supply? Or evoke a powerful earthquake spell down there? It is not our place to second guess our masters' wisdom. Just go! make haste!" The gnomish woman ran off, and Ugthosh turned to the last of the clergy present, who was a gaunt elf wearing Cherka's robes.

"The two of us have the most difficult task, brother Nerthellenaar. We are to call upon members of Cherka's Red Fang, and offer them a bounty for those involved in incapacitating our holy leader."

Nerthellenaar gasped, then quickly shifted his reaction to clearing his throat. "The slight must have truly been great, if they are resorting to calling on assassins..."

Ugthosh nodded. "If they have indeed left the temple, Cherka's Red Fang is probably the best chance at getting justice." The two clergy rushed off together to complete their task.

What do you do?

---

Chance

As the young halfling looked up and down the hall, he mentally reconstructed what he knew of the temple complex he had been spending time in and around the last few days. It was much larger than it looked from the outside. (And it was quite large from the outside!) Besides the enormous statues that spanned the gap of Cliffport's cliffs holding the twin goddesses' light, the temple complex also had twisting tunnels and corridors that filled much of the rear half of cliffport. From the drainage tunnels at its base, all the way up to the garden on its "roof."

The garden was actually quite secluded, now that he thought about it. Thick shrubbery was arranged to provide secluded, open-air areas where you could offer prayers to the moon goddess of your choice in a private setting. As opposed to the main church hall. A section of the garden could be rented for 5 coins an hour. Prayer incense included.

Of course there was also the rest of the city of Cliffport to consider. The young thief had yet to explore all of the wonderful secret nooks and crannies the city had to offer.

What do you do?

---

Eryn

While Ilura went to do her initial scouting, and Chance was contemplating the local architecture, Eryn was busy consuming her rations like a starved vorlag.

When the warrior finally realized that her hunger was not natural, she turned to see the hirelings staring at her with their mouths agape. Westley took all the items offered to him without comment, but Lady Mirrorsheen did offer a comment of concern.

"Are you alright deary? You don't normally act so..." the little fairy searched for the proper word.

"Rabid," Silas offered bluntly. He stood with crossed arms and his snakes coiled slowly around his limbs as usual, but there was genuine concern on his face for Eryn's well-being.

"You really. Have. Been better," Westley commented between breaths. He seemed to be struggling to carry the huge mace as he followed Eryn out of the room. It scraped noisily along the floor until Silas picked up the heavier end with one hand.


What do you do?

---

Was anyone doing anything with Mr. Wazowitz's body?

Ilura
What here is useful or valuable to me? (ideally entrance/safe place)
The private areas of the temple are being searched and sealed off, starting at the lowest levels. Which means the upper public areas are probably the safest areas of the temple to be right now. Outside is even safer.

What here is not what it appears to be? (presumably the entrance is 'hidden')
It sounds like there is more to the well that was mentioned.

What happened here recently? (say in the last couple of hundred years... :>)
Lenora is gathering a bunch of her and her sister's people to search for your party. elite guards will start heading to your last known locations in mere minutes to capture and/or defeat you. Assassins are likely to be sent later...

Chance
Chance knows that the entrance they are seeking is probably in the deepest and oldest part of the temple, whatever that might be. The safest area within the temple is probably in a portion of the prayer garden on the "roof" of the cliff-side temple. A secluded corner can be rented out for a small offering of 5 coins per hour. And you are even given a packet of incense to burn for the moon goddess of your choosing! Of course, outside of the temple entirely is probably even safer. There is the entire city of Cliffport to take refuge in.

Eryn
The hirelings are showing an appropriate amount of concern for your obvious sudden change in behavior. Silas had to help carry the mace because Westley was too wimpy to manage it on his own, but of course Westley would never admit as much.

As for your question, "Salted meat is not cooked, but it's not raw either. Would it trigger feeling Sick?" We'll say it doesn't make you sick, but it doesn't provide sustenance either. I am not going to penalize you with the sickened condition for this first time eating non-raw meat, because your ration-gorging was very flavorful writing and I think the effects might not be as severe the first time. Eryn is probably feeling a little sick right now, but not so much that she is affected by the Sick condition (if that makes sense).
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:54, Tue 11 Feb 2020.

Ilura was tempted to fire at the pair of Cherka's followers, but there was too great a risk of one of them surviving long enough to summon aid.  Her friends were in danger.  They needed to move - now.  She rushed back to her companions as quickly as she could while keeping an eye out for clergy roaming the halls.

"Elite guards on their way here - now.  And other guards heading downstairs.  And assassins will soon be keeping an eye out in the city.  So we'd best go out or up for now."

She glanced at Chance.  "Any ideas?"

How much does Mr. Wasowitz weigh?  (And how much does he weigh if we just drag him... :>) Does renting a garden area expose everyone who goes in and out, or do you essentially get a 'key' that will allow you (and perhaps an un-observed group of others) to occupy the area?

Mr. Wazowitz weighs about as much as Chance does. So, comparable to that of a five year old human. He can easily be carried or dragged, but don't expect to be able to do much else while you are. At least not without dropping him first.

I will let Chance decide exactly how the rental process works.

"The only place in the temple I know of that offers any privacy is the Garden, Chance replies.

"There are private areas that are available for public use on a first-come, first-serve basis. For a donation of course. It's a clever system, really. Each of the private gardens has a single gate that is secured with a lock and key. You place the appropriate donation into a small fountain next to the gate, take the key from the lock, and go in. The gate locks behind you when you close it and you have the only key. It would be perfect except, as far as I know, the gate is the only way in or out."

"The other option is to hole up in Cliffport somewhere. Getting back into the temple could be a problem, but it's possible that the town and the temple share the same drainage tunnels. If so we ought to be able to come and go as we please, more or less. That might be the better option, honestly."

"We should expect assassins hunting for us in town within a few hours.  And the folks in the deep dark areas of Cliffport are the ones most likely to turn us in - unless you have good friends you trust who could get us somewhere hidden?  In any case, we need to get out the door before the soldiers come."  She grabbed the shoulders of the gnome and waited to see if someone else would grab the feet.

The notion of a garden was appealing to her.  It had been far too long since she'd been among plant life.  A city was never a pleasant place.  Too crowded and full of smells and noise to be able to detect danger or something amiss - and something was almost always amiss...

"I'm fine, I'm just really hungry for some reason," Eryn explained to the group. "I think the demon's curse stole all my energy." She neglected to mention the lack of taste from the food she had eaten.

The warrior turned to Chance and Ilura.

"I agree that the city could be risky to stay in, but it's far from the temple and they can't have people everywhere. The garden is a good shelter, but like Chance alludes to we may open the gate and find someone waiting for whoever is inside."

"Regardless of what we do, in the meantime the temple exits will be closed, and we must get past at least one on our way in or out. I offer the suggestion that we take control and bust right through! ...Unless you think the goddess would be mad about that, Ilura."

While saying this, Eryn grabbed the dead gnome's feet to help her ally. She wasn't too keen on lugging another corpse around so soon, but it was better than letting the enemy turn him into an undead monstrosity. She shuddered when she thought of what had been done to Ilura's former mentor back in the caverns near Markhain.

"I'd rather stay close.  We're a rather distinct group and it's going to be hard for our comings and goings to be unnoticed.  They expect us to go down.  The gardens would be the last place they'd think to look - so long as we're not spotted arriving.

We could bust through to the basement, but they'd have elite guards on us immediately.  We don't know what we're looking for down there and we're not going to have time to look if we're fighting - plus we don't want them chasing after us - or learning how to enter themselves.  Sneaking back in later is better.  Perhaps we'll have to disable a couple of guards.  Ideally not even that.  And we'll certainly have more time to do the searching we need before someone else is after us.

The entryway was clear just a couple of minutes ago when we arrived, but you're right that it might be watched.  Lets head out through the drainage hole.  If Marcus and Aguri could get out, then we should too - and it'll make it more likely for them to believe we stayed inside."

She moved from the door back to the great and dropped the front end of the gnome on the floor while she moved to lift the gate.

.Everyone come down and pull the gate closed behind.  I'll scout ahead and make sure the entrance is unguarded."

quote:

13:57, Today: Ilura rolled 16 using 2d6+5.  Discern realities w/ Thomas.

What happened here recently? (Specifically, how did Marcus and Aguri get out?)
What should I be on the lookout for?
What here is useful or valuable to me? (ways back in that would get us close to where we wanted to go would be helpful :>)

A separate question - what time of day is it now?

When Ilura got the grate open and dropped down into the drainage tunnel, her boots landed in a thick layer of gunk that had built up over the years. Unsurprisingly, disturbing it caused a rancid stench to waft up. The tunnels themselves were barely large enough for a human to crawl in, but the party would certainly be able to fit if they traveled in single file. The tunnels were dark and damp, but occasional light did pour in from other grates further ahead, meaning they would not be in utter darkness for their entire journey.

"The things I do for knowledge," Lady Mirrosheen muttered as she flitted into the tunnel along with everyone else.

What do you do?

---

Everyone
It sounds like the group is trying to make its way discretely to the rooftop gardens, mainly by way of the drainage tunnels. Rather than roleplay out the entire process, we will Undertake a Perilous Journey: https://www.dungeonworldsrd.co...e_a_Perilous_Journey

Everyone make a Wis roll and decide if you are taking the role of the Quartermaster, Trailblazer, or Scout. The starting distance (measured in rations) is 0, but may still go up or down depending on rolls. None of your current hirelings have the Tracker skill, so they will be unable to assist with this in any meaningful way.

Ilura
What happened here recently? (Specifically, how did Marcus and Aguri get out?)
They walked right out the front door. Although they had left before your group shot Lenora's sister in the head...

What should I be on the lookout for?
The drainage tunnels are cramped, slick with miscellaneous goop, and often sloped. Be on the lookout for pools of hazardous materials, slippery falls, and getting stuck.

What here is useful or valuable to me?
The drainage tunnels are certainly intricate enough that there is a good chance some lead to rooms near wherever you hope to go. It may be difficult locating the correct path though.

Take +1 forward when acting on the answers.

The time of day is late morning.

Ilura took the front position, scouting ahead.  She was open to a few options.  Most preferred would be finding a way directly to the basement room so that they could enter it as soon as it had been searched.  Second would be a hidey hole they could rest in relative safety without being seen or heard.  Third was finding a timely way out that would allow them to safely reach the gardens.  (An opportunity to eavesdrop and learn more about how to get one of those places would be helpful too.)

Thomas flitted ahead as Ilura's nimble feet and keen eyesight avoided most of the muck.  She led the group far enough from the grate that they were unlikely to be seen or heard, then sprinted ahead.

My primary objective is to get us to a good place, so I think that's probably trail-blazer.  It seems like scouting would still be an appropriate animal skill, so I'm going to roll assuming that Thomas can assist.

quote:

20:46, Today: Ilura rolled 10 using 2d6+5.  Trailblaze w/ Thomas.

"Think of the secrets deep in the temple," Eryn offered their fairy companion. "We have seen enough strange sights already that the basement must certainly hold even greater mysteries."

The warrior gripped the edge of the grate to steady herself as she climbed into the drain, then turned to drag the gnome's body with her through the opening. She was sick of the sea from before, but found herself wishing for more saltwater the moment she hunched down to crawl through the disgusting pipe ahead. With no space to lift the gnome properly, Eryn grabbed his legs once more and dragged him carelessly through the gunk on her own.

During the trip she found time to collect her thoughts and start thinking ahead. She was cursed now. Perhaps her ancestors could help with that? She tried focusing on her weapon, but the dark and smelly environment made it really hard to do so.

---

07:25, Today: Eryn rolled 8 using 2d6+1.  Undertake a Perilous Journey: Quartermaster.

I'll stick in the back and drag the gnome along for now, since I don't think I'm much cut out for scouting in such a narrow passage. Perhaps it would have been best for someone else to handle the rations, but they are tasteless anyway...

07:26, Today: Eryn rolled 6 using 2d6+2.  Heirloom.

Chance is the last to enter the tunnel. He closes the grate behind himself and whispers, "Excuse me," as he slips ahead of Eryn. He pulls a torch from his pack and lights it once he is where the light won't be seen through the grate they entered. He claims to be scouting ahead for danger, but every few feet he stops to check on Eryn, complain about the stench, or proselytize about the untrustworthiness of gnomes.

OOC: 03:57, Today: Chance rolled 1 using 2d6-1.  Perilous journey scout.

Marked XP.

Marked off 1 use of adventuring gear.

This message was last edited by the player at 10:10, Fri 14 Feb 2020.

With Ilura's ability to see in total darkness, and her bird companion's ability to recognize airflow within the tunnels, it did not take Ilura long at all to find a path that led up and out to the gardens above. She found a good path so quickly, in fact, that she hadn't had much chance to pursue her side-objectives.

Which was probably for the best, considering what happened next.

As Ilure climbed up an access chute to make sure they were truly headed for the gardens, Chance remained vigilant at the bottom of the ladder, scouting out trouble that may be approaching. Or, at least, that is what he was supposed to be doing. But he was rather distracted by the rest of the group behind him.

As he complained about the stench for the umpteenth time, a dark shadow loomed up behind him. A furry critter with the blackest black hair, the size of a large dog or small gorilla. As it creeped up behind the unsuspecting halfling, its mouth slowly opened to reveal several rows of glowing teeth.

At the back of the group, where Eryn dragged the body, a second critter approached from the opposite direction. The warrior probably would have noticed the low rumbling growl if she hadn't been busy trying to conjure up the spirits within her weapon. "What is a spear-maiden doing in such confined-" Johnathan began, but he was cut off as the prowling beast sunk its glowing teeth into the gnomish corpse and tried to drag it away.

Silas's snakes hissed menacingly from the man's position near the middle of the group when the creature struck at Eryn's cargo. Then they hissed again, as the other beast bit into Chance's backpack and began to drag the halfling in the opposite direction.

What do you do?

---

Here is a simplified recap of the situation. Everyone is in a line, crawling through the sewer tunnels. Chance is at the front, but a sewer beast it trying to drag him away. Eryn is at the back of the line, pulling the gnome's body, which a second sewer beast is now attempting to drag away. Ilura is more or less two stories directly above Chance, climbing up an access chute to make sure it connects to the gardens. (It does. Ilura is right next to the exit they were seeking.) She just saw him pulled away from the bottom of the chute unexpectedly.

Chance yelps in surprise as he is pulled off of his feet, unaware of what has grabbed him.

"NO, no, no, no, no..," he mutters over and over again as he wriggles free of his pack. As he is sliding out of the straps he flips over and leaps to his feet to give chase.

"Hey! THat's mine ya big ape," he exclaims pulling a throwing dagger from his belt and deftly hurling it at the creature.

OOC:
17:27, Today: Chance rolled 11 using 2d6+2 with rolls of 6,3.  Defy danger with Dexterity.

17:30, Today: Chance rolled 8 using 2d6+2 with rolls of 1,5.  Volley.
I'll take what I can get -1d6 damage.

17:32, Today: Chance rolled 5 using 1d8+2 with rolls of 3.  Damage.

17:32, Today: Chance rolled 2 using 1d6 with rolls of 2.  I'll take what I can get.

Net damage: 3

Seriously...?

Ilura slid down the ladder into the empty spot where Chance had been only moments before.  There wasn't much room to string her bow and even less room to fire without hitting the poor halfling.  The good news was that he seemed to be wiggling himself free.  She moved backwards a little bit to give him access to the ladder and drew her rapier and dagger.  "Climb up - I'll deal with this thing".  She could hear a commotion down at the other end of the line, but she trusted in Eryn to deal with whatever it was - though she wished she'd been able to heal her friend first.

As she waited for access to something to hit, she scanned ahead to get a better sense of just how big this threat was.

quote:

17:04, Today: Ilura rolled 9 using 2d6+3.  Discern realities.

What should I be on the lookout for?

"Silas, help the halfling!" Eryn shouted, "I'll stop this one on my own!"

When the furred creature pulled on the dead gnome, the warrior waited for just the right moment to purposefully let go of the corpse's limbs, causing the monster to stumble for a second thanks to the unexpected lack of resistance. Eryn was on it in a flash, throwing herself towards it to subdue the beast and lock it into an iron grip.

17:47, Today: Eryn rolled 9 using 2d6+2.  Defy Danger: Strength. Grapple the creature.

Silas nodded to Eryn and moved to forward to try and wiggle past Westley. But before he managed to get past the young man, Silas paused and reported, "The beast seems to be retreating already..."

And his assessment was accurate. When Chance threw his dagger, the sewer-beast yipped loudly and began lopping off on the direction it had come. It dripped blood as it went, but still clutched its "prey" in its teeth. The prey being Chance's backpack. It quickly disappeared into the shadows, but Ilura's ability to see in the dark let her know that it was heavily wounded by Chance's knife, and wouldn't make it far before it had to stop and deal with its injury.

At the back of the line, Eryn managed to get a hold of the other beast and it was soon firmly in her grip. The critter let our a piecing bellow and bucked wildly. It was stronger than its size suggested, and it nipped at Eryn while flailing her against the walls of the tunnel. She hadn't gotten more than a few dings or bruises thus far, but that could change at any moment.

What do you do?

---

Eryn
You have the creature in your grip, but it could be dangerous to continue holding on for much longer. It is flailing about wildly.

Ilura
What should I be on the lookout for?
The creature is going to need to stop and deal with its wound soon, so maybe you can be on the lookout for a way to take advantage of that?

Chance
The critter disappeared into the darkness carrying your pack and the knife you tossed into it. It is wounded though. Do you want to go retrieve your belongings? If you let it all go, mark off whatever was in your pack and one throwing dagger, and gain one bonus XP.

Ilura gestured at the halfling.  "Climb up.  I'll see if I can get your pack back."  She started to string her bow, waiting for the thief to move out of the way.  "Westley, follow Chance.  Silas, feel free to help Eryn if you can.  Silver mother, keep my sister safe"  As soon as her line of sight was clear, she took her shot at the furry creature, then hurried forward on silent feet as Thomas winged ahead, watching for any signs of additional trouble.  If there were two of these things decent odds there could be more...

quote:

13:42, Today: Ilura rolled 8 using 2d6+3.  Cast 'bless' on Eryn.

I'll forget the spell.  Eryn, you've got +1 so long as you're in the fight.

quote:

13:42, Today: Ilura rolled 12 using 2d6+3.  Volley at creature (regular arrow).
13:43, Today: Ilura rolled 7 using 1d8.  damage.

If it was unhappy after only 3, I'm assuming it's no longer retreating now

quote:

13:44, Today: Ilura rolled 10 using 2d6+5.  Discern realities w/ Thomas.

What is about to happen?
What should I be on the lookout for?
What here is not what it appears to be?

Eryn locked the struggling beast down as best she could to keep it from harassing them any further. Despite its strength it didn't feel supernaturally so - it was a living thing, certainly, not any demon or undead.

Then, just as quickly as that thought had hit her, the warrior subconsciously abandoned her plan to pull a knife to finish her quarry - instead, some feral instinct rose in her, and she bit down on its neck with her newfound fangs...

---

07:48, Today: Eryn rolled 12 using 2d6+3.  Cursed Bite (as Hack & Slash, +1 from Bless).
07:49, Today: Eryn rolled 7 using 1d4+1d4.  Damage to creature (+1d4 from Merciless).
I heal 3 HP from this.

Edit: Grammar.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:51, Mon 24 Feb 2020.

Ilura's arrow flew through the tunnel with a sharp whoosh and pinned her target to the wall at the end of the tunnel. It twitched once, then its body sagged limply. Chance's bag still hung from its glowing maw. As the ranger approached her fallen foe, she did manage to catch a glimpse or two of other sewer-beasts lurking down the side passages, watching with their eyeless faces. They seemed curious, but cautious. They probably wouldn't attack any time soon with the scent of their fallen brethren in the air, but it still didn't seem safe to dawdle.

Back where Eryn was attempting to subdue the other sewer-beast, the critter flailed and growled wildly. Its glowing teeth snapped dangerously close to Eryn's ears and its hot breath tickled the side of her head. But then Eryn's teeth clamped down on its neck and the empty feeling in the pit of her being finally subsided. She could feel her strength returning even as the sewer beast in her arms fell limp.

Silas, who had only just gotten turned back around, looked at Eryn with alarm in his eyes. "Are you... alright?"

Westley popped his head up from behind Silas and added, "Of course she's alright. She just took down a monster with her teeth! Quite the ambitious feat. Amazing!"

What do you do?

---

Eryn
Your Merciless damage also counts toward what you can heal, so you actually heal 6 damage. (Normally it would be the full 7, but your target only had 6 HP to give.)

Ilura
What should I be on the lookout for?
There are other sewer-beasts around.

What is about to happen?
The other sewer-beasts are watching, but don't seem eager to approach just yet.

What here is not what it appears to be?
Everything seems to be what it appears to be, as far as you can tell.

Everyone
Feel free to describe exiting the tunnels and renting your garden area whenever it fits the narrative.

Thomas flew up and sat atop the now-dead creature, pecking a glowing eyeball, ignoring Ilura's grimace.  [Everyone's gotta eat.  And I agree with your friend - fresh is best]

The ranger wasn't exactly sure what he meant, but this wasn't the time for an in-depth conversation.  She inspected the creature and the area around it before dragging Chance's backpack back to the ladder.  If they came back down this way, she wanted to have a sense of where their lair was and how best to defeat them.  She waited below, scanning the darkness, until her party was safely above-ground before scampering up herself.  Once within the confines of the locked garden, she again turned her healing attention to Eryn.

quote:

14:58, Today: Ilura rolled 11 using 2d6+4.  Discern realities on creature/area (use previous +1).

What here is useful or valuable to me?
Who's really in control here? (e.g. where are they coming from)
What should I be on the lookout for? (continuing to keep my eyes open)

quote:

14:59, Today: Ilura rolled 8 using 2d6+3.  Cure light wound on Eryn.
14:59, Today: Ilura rolled 8 using 1d8.

Forget the spell and Eryn should now be feeling much better :)

As Chance is preparing to take off after his pack, an arrow flies over his head to pin the creature against the wall.

"Thanks," he tells Ilura. "I'd be careful, though. I'm pretty sure that those things can turn invisible. That must be how they got the jump on me."

Chance straps his pack back on and starts up the ladder to the garden.

"I'm going to make sure the coast is clear. If I'm not back in a minute or two, come on up."

Silas' words distracted Eryn from her transfixion of the slain beast. Her eyes shifted to him, their quizzical look like that of a person who was truly confused at the reaction she was getting. As soon as she realized, the cursed warrior stopped biting down on the delicious meal and let the remainder slip from her grip. "I'm fine now," she said while standing up, for once not minding the grime that was covering her. "The fight earlier just left me oh so hungry."

Eryn breathed in deeply before slowly exhaling again. Stretching her muscles and moving her ribs felt much less painful now that she had fed. Either the goddess or the demon was aiding her in this quest - probably both. The fact that feeding like this came instinctively and was so effective was concerning, however... She quietly resolved to discuss it with the group later, once they were in a safer place.

She grabbed hold of the gnome's dead body once more and trudged on through the sewer, having a still concerned-looking Silas help her push and pull it up the ladder. Westley was more enthusiastic about the whole journey than the rest, especially once they reached the safety of the temple's garden.

Eryn herself couldn't deny that a rest would be very welcome.

---

I am fully healed, thanks!

I will apply the effects of my level up now.

Chance quickly found that the coast was clear and the rest of the party was able to make their way up to the rooftop garden. The noon-day sun beat down on the filthy adventurers and they would certainly catch the attention of anyone who saw them. Thankfully, the colorful stone paths that wound through the garden were lined with tall thick hedges.

It wasn't long before the group came upon a small fountain next to a gate and were able to toss in a couple coins. The gate swung open and the party walked in. When everyone was inside, the gate closed itself and became magically secured. A part of the fountain from outside could be accessed from this side as well, in case more time needed to be added later.

Within the secluded enclosure was a circle of stone surrounding a shallow pool. There was a stone bench on either side, a brazier for a small cook fire on the far side, and a well-trimmed lawn beyond that. Colorful flowers bloomed around the outskirts of the enclosure where the thick hedges reached skyward. Despite having no formal walls, the party got the sense that nobody would be able to peer in through the branches, or even hear what was going on inside. In fact, Lady Mirrorsheen even tried to fly up and peek over the tops of the hedges, but found herself unable to. She flew higher and higher off of the ground, but somehow never managed to get past the top of the hedges.

Magic was weird.

What do you do?

---

Everyone
You have made it safely to the garden. Everyone mark off a ration. Everyone who spends at least one hour resting and relaxing can heal one half of their total HP and level up if they have enough XP. Anyone who also spends an hour to prepare their spells can do so.

The end of the second hour is coming up. What would the party like to do next?

Ilura
What here is useful or valuable to me?
The beast seems edible. Probably on par with opossum or raccoon meat. The fur is the blackest black you have ever seen, and its teeth glow in the dark, so either of those could have some use and/or value.

Who's really in control here? (e.g. where are they coming from)
You are, for the moment. The other beasts are sticking to the side tunnels and are warry to approach. You can't see where they are coming from without actually venturing down the tunnels.

What should I be on the lookout for? (continuing to keep my eyes open)
These beasts seem to be opportunistic, and wander the tunnels in search of easy meals.

Eryn hunched down by the pool, and tried to wash her face and hands without spilling too much grime back into the clean water. Having done so, she waited for the ripples to still with some trepidation. The face that looked back at her from the pond was her own, at least, though the fangs were unpleasant to behold now that she could see them for the first time.

The warrior scooped up a palm's worth of water and rubbed it vigorously around in her mouth, trying to clean away whatever hints of blood remained there. She felt her stomach churn strangely. Was she hungry, or sick? Perhaps a bit of both, she decided. Eryn knew she had taken new diet all to quickly. Something was terribly wrong inside of her.

"Ilura," she said quietly, walking over to slump down on the first flat surface she could find near the ranger, while appearing to the others that she was just poring over her spellbook. "I'll be straight with you. Food tastes like dust to me now, and I crave living prey." She tried to smile jokingly and shrugged disarmingly despite the grim subject matter. "How much of a problem will that be, going forward?"

Eryn tried to avoid meeting Ilura's gaze by watching their fairy companion flit around the garden, but couldn't find it in herself to be fascinated with the enchanting view right now. Her eyes returned to her magic scribbles.

---

I am already at full health, and have now applied my Level Up from earlier. I have a question regarding Rations in my new cursed state; please see the OOC topic.
Spells prepared: Mirror Image (Lvl 3), Alarm (Lvl 1), Telepathy (Lvl 1), Contact Spirits (Lvl 1).

When the gate swung shut behind them, chance nearly swooned with relief. He hadn't realized how tense he had been. Now, though, in the safety of the garden that all washed away from him. After pausing for a minute to gather himself he moved on into the fell asleep almost immediately.

Ilura followed Eryn's lead.  Most of her fighting had been with her bow, which had kept her free of most of the gore, but she'd been helping to pull the dead gnome, tended Eryn's wounds and the sewers hadn't exactly been 'clean'.

She'd hoped that the garden would feel better than the sewers, but, despite the greenery, it felt even more confining.  It did however, hold out the hope of better connection with her Goddess - provided she was even on speaking terms after what she'd done with one half of the priestess...  Thomas, on the other hand was content.  He hopped onto a perch where he could survey everyone in the garden, then dipped his head in rest.

She was focused on her own thoughts and only tuned in part-way through Eryn's disclosure.
 She looked over with a grin, assuming she'd missed the first part of a joke, but the Eryn's face made it obvious this wasn't a laughing matter.  It was at that point too that she noticed the changes to Eryn's teeth.  In the previous chaos, she'd been busy focusing on the bleeding parts, rather than what else had happened.

She reached out and touched the fighter's arm.  "When did this happen?"

quote:

Magic was weird

Truer words... :>

Question: Is this still considered to be 'in a dungeon or city' from the perspective of whether I need to mark off a ration?

Going through our hirelings to see if we've satisfied their costs:
Westley - Fame and Glory - I think that's been more than satisfied since our last rest
Smokewisp - Uncovered Knowledge - Map to special magic room counts
Silas - Thrill of Victory - He missed out on the demon, but got to help a little with the sewer creatures
Opal - Good accomplished - Took out a demon, trying to take out the Overlord's brother

So I think we're good there.

Leveled up, still at full health  Spells prepared: Revelation (Lvl 5)

EDIT: removed reference to spellbook Eryn doesn't actually have
This message was last edited by the player at 06:58, Thu 05 Mar 2020.

"It was the last thing that hybrid monster did before it expired," Eryn explained. "The halfling - Chance, was it? - got some dark magic thrown after him too, but I was the one it truly affected. Your healing stopped the worst of the curse, I think, but it left me a little strange still." She paged through her notebook, soon locating a paragraph written a few days past, on the other side of the ocean. A text on how to summon spirits. Eryn was uncertain if she should tell Ilura her plan. Hopefully it wouldn't be necessary, but if her ancestor spirits had nothing to say, and the goddess kept silent on the matter, there was one source of otherworldly knowledge left to seek out...

"I need to rest a bit, but when I've slept, I will pray to the Goddess and see if she can help."

The ranger left her concern that Luciny might not have been super thrilled at the disruption of what was, at least nominally, half her temple.  Life had been so much simpler before gods, goddesses and magic had entered her life...  Yet another reason to deal with this Overlord's soul as quickly as possible.

Ilura rested like the dead.  It had been a very eventful day.  When she awoke, she found a quiet spot on their little nook, knelt and gazed up at the silvery moon.

Blessed mother, I'm sorry if our actions have profaned your temple.  I know in my heart that the work we have set out to do is Good, even essential.  But the path to get there is so confusing.  If I have displeased you, please know that I am truly sorry.

I worry most about Eryn.  The change in her since fighting the demon scares me - and I believe it scares her too.  Is there any way for her to be healed?

Also, entering the ancient travel room seems the fastest way to interfere in the Overlord's plan and the only to save our former ship's captain.  But I do not know the best way to get there without possibly further disrupting your temple, or bringing harm to those who serve you.  I would value your guidance.

quote:

09:26, Today: Ilura rolled 12 using 2d6+3.  Cast revelation.

How to help Eryn

quote:

09:27, Today: Ilura rolled 5 using 2d6+3.  Cast revelation (how to get to room).

Oops...  XP taken

Chance quickly fell into a deep sleep. Although he hadn't been awake for long, the last time he had been 'asleep' he was, ostensibly, searching through a gnome's mind for a map that had been hidden there. Since he returned to consciousness he had been in three separate battles, two of which were against foes the likes of which would have given him pause if there had been time for him to notice that the odds really weren't in his favor.

Providence had smiled on him, though. Ilura and Eryn's timely arrival had saved his life and he was thankful to have met other people with goals that were similar to his. Sometime later the sounds of his new friends speaking softly or moving around the garden awakened him. He felt remarkably well rested from the brief respite and turned his mind toward what lay ahead.

Eryn let the others rest and pray to their own ends. She was grateful for Ilura's aid, but she left it go unspoken for now, while they were both concentrated on their tasks. The warrior planned on resting herself, once her spells were ready.

While silently reciting the rote that would let the magic flow through her, she found herself vaguely distracted from the incantations by an unnatural pull inside. I'm not hungry, she reminded herself. I just ate.

But the faint hunger stayed, despite her body's needs being well sated for now.

As Ilura sat in silent prayer within the garden a subtle moonbeam came down from the overcast sky. It was mid-afternoon, but the moon was already rising and could just barely be seen poking over the leafy shrubs that circled the garden, peeking out in a small gap in the clouds. Ilura, the bow-maiden, could feel her goddess's guidance filling her mind. There were no words, but the messages were perfectly clear all the same. If the feelings were to be translated into words, it would be written similar to the following:

"Your friend can be healed. By your own hand, no less. Continue the path of the calm night, the pure moon, and the wholesome hunt. If you remain true to the trail, and endure your path forward, you will gain the power to Repair others when the situation warrants it."

As Ilura continued to pray, the clouds began to obscure the moon once again. The subtle moonbeam washing over Ilura's form wavered and struggled to stay on the ranger. The goddess's words were much less comforting this time.

"The moon is my place of worship. This temple is merely a location. A den for my followers. Wolf packs vie for territory and drive each other out. It is only natural. Do what is right for your pack, and they will do what is right for theirs. But know a single den cannot sustain two packs for long. Even now the rabies-infested pack comes knocking-"

Ilura's spell stopped abruptly as a knock on the gate resonated throughout the campsite. "By order of the high priestesses, we are authorized to clear the private gardens of worshipers. Extenuating circumstances. You will be refunded for your time if you exit willingly. All identities and activities will remain confidential."

Ilura could recognize the voice as belonging to Boswin, the silvery-haired elf in Lusiny robes she had spotted during her little scouting mission. She was supposed to be the one leading the elite temple guards.

What do you do?

---

Ilura
Your Revelation for how to help Eryn basically surmounts to "continue to faithfully worship Lusiny until you can cast Repair." When acting on the information, you take +1 forward.

Your revelation for how to get to the room was not very helpful, actually. Lusiny's advice was basically, "deal with it like wolves fighting vying territory. Except your opposing pack is contaminated with rabies (Cherka)." You do not get +1 forward for this info.

None of the Goddess's guidance was terribly useful at the moment and she had no spells prepared that were going to much help.  However, knowing that she was free to deal with Cherka's followers as rabid wolves eased her heart somewhat.  She had worried that her arrow in the head of the one priestess might have offended Luciny, but the way to deal with a rabid dog was clear.  Dealing with a pack when you were highly outnumbered was another matter entirely though...

She grabbed Westley and whispered quietly and intently.  "Don't ask questions.  I want you to yell 'We will as soon as our pants are on' - and yes I know you're already wearing pants.  If you want to be a hero, here's your chance to shine!"  She gave a tug on his tunic, causing it to be partially untucked.  As she talked, her eyes scanned the area trying to figure out how to hide the other two wanted companions.

quote:

17:31, Today: Ilura rolled 6 using 2d6+3.  Discern realities.

If anyone wants to aid in trying to find something useful to breath through or something, that'd be awesome.  (I didn't use Thomas because searching for something to help people hide didn't seem like 'scout'.  If you disagree, his keen senses would be helpful.)

Chance was still thinking about their next move when the guards arrived outside the garden forcing them to act. He could see several possible ways forward, none of which were particularly appealing. He surveyed his surroundings one last time hoping to find something to tip the balance in favor of one plan of action or another.

OOC:

15:42, Today: Chance rolled 6 using 2d6+1.  Aid Ilura with discern realities.

Fie!

I'm so sorry.

Mark xp?

Eryn knew when to keep her mouth shut. Though they had recovered from the earlier fight and could very well take on a group of temple warriors, she knew they were outnumbered in the grander scheme. Therefore she swiftly swept her belongings into her bag and gestured urgently at the bushes in the far back of the garden, where they would be at least partially hidden.

She already knew it would not be a perfect spot - their companions could have been spotted in the throne room, and they were not exactly inconspicuous themselves - but perhaps if they hid they could buy at least a few seconds of surprise.

An ambush felt uncouth, but Eryn knew a head-on challenge would be foolhardy.

---

15:16, Today: Eryn rolled 8 using 2d6+2.  Aid Chance in aiding Ilura in finding a hiding place.

The moment Ilura told Westley what to say, the young man's face broke out into a huge grin. "We'll come out as soon as our pants are on!" he yelled, paraphrasing Ilura's words. Unfortunately he felt the need to continue. "Me and my secret lover just need a moment or two."

"You have exactly one minute," Boswin replied. "Sixty. Fifty-nine. Fifty-eight..."

As the woman began her countdown, Eryn directed Chance's attention toward an area where the shrubbery was a bit thicker. And Chance, in turn, directed Ilura's attention to it. Ilura, being the experienced ranger that she was, noticed some small bamboo sprouting amidst the shrubbery that could be used to breathe through if someone wanted to hide in the small pond.

As everyone was scrambling to find a suitable hiding spot, it seemed to don on Silas that he and Westley would be the only two not hidden when the troops came into the garden. Which meant that Silas would be playing the role of Westley's "secret lover." He did not seem to like having that role thrust upon him. He confided this in Eryn quietly even as everyone got into place, although others would certainly be close enough to overhear. "When they open that gate, they will think me and Westley are a couple! How degrading! I would never date a man with such puny muscles and who is so untethered from his own capabilities." It was obvious that Silas really did not like the thought of having to pretend to be interested in Westley romantically.

"...Thirty-four. Thirty-three. Thirty-two..."

Opal hid behind the stone bench near the pool, her stony hide blending in nicely with its masonry. Lady Mirrorsheen tucked under a large leaf of an exotic flower. Thomas flew upward and perched in the higher branches of the shrubs, out of sight. After chance picked his own hiding spot and started settling in, he noticed there was something growing there too. Something he was allergic to. But it was too late now. He was already exposed.

What do you do?

---

Eryn's Aid roll boosted everyone to a 7-9, so no XP for anyone. Chance and Eryn also expose themselves to danger, retribution, or cost. Ilura sounds like she is asking "What here is useful or valuable to me?"

Thomas, Lady Mirrorsheen, and Opal are all small enough that they can easily hide among the flowers and benches without any serious risk. Unless a thorough search is conducted. Eryn, Chance, and Ilura, tell me how you are hiding and make an appropriate roll. You can try and hide in the shrubbery, or under the water using bamboo to breathe, or something else.

It seems Westley and Silas will be the only two not hiding. And because of what Westley said, Boswin will surely assume that Silas is Westley's mentioned "secret lover." Silas finds this degrading. (Because Westley is not anything close to his type. Not because Westley is a guy.) Someone will need to make the Order Hirelings move in order to get him to cooperate. Silas currently has a Loyalty of 1.

quote:

Order Hirelings move
The move uses the loyalty of the hireling that triggered the move: Hirelings do what you tell them to, so long as it isn’t obviously dangerous, degrading, or stupid, and their cost is met. When a hireling find themselves in a dangerous, degrading, or just flat-out crazy situation due to your orders roll+loyalty. On a 10+ they stand firm and carry out the order. On a 7–9 they do it for now, but come back with serious demands later. Meet them or the hireling quits on the worst terms.

Ilura
What here is useful or valuable to me?
It may be possible to hide someone in an extra-leafy area of the shrubbery. And there is also a bit of bamboo there that could be used for breathing if someone hides under the water.

Take +1 forward when acting on the answers.

Chance
You found something you are allergic to that is growing in your hiding place. What is it, and what allergic reaction does it give you?

Ilura handed Eryn a piece of bamboo she'd quickly sliced with her dagger, gesturing toward the pool.  Overhearing, Silas' concerns, she nodded understandingly.  "I'm sorry for putting you in this position.  But right now there's no choice.  Good luck.  You don't have to look pleased with him.  In fact, it might be best if you weren't."  With that, she made a quick prayer to Lusiny and activated her bracelet

quote:

16:52, Today: Ilura rolled 10 using 2d6+1.  Order hireling.
16:58, Today: Ilura rolled 6 using 2d6+3.  Activate bracelet -> rat.

I don't know that I can use my perception +1 on that roll, so I think I'm getting XP after all? :(

Your transformation works as expected. For now. Add XP.

Chance burrows down into the leaves underneath a large Azalea bush. In his haste, he fails to notice that there is a patch of poison ivy growing in the shade at the edge of the bush and carelessly brushes against it as he is tucking in. Moments later red, itchy patches begin appearing on the exposed skin on the right side of his body. Unfortunately, the count down is too close to zero for him to do anything about it so he grits his teeth and wallows down into the leaves in the shadow of the bush.

OOC: I think I'm defying danger with con for the reaction to the poison ivy. Not sure about the hiding, but my knee-jerk reaction from years of D&D is a dex roll. Please, go ahead and roll on my behalf whatever you need for hiding. Going into the water was not an option with the map in my pocket.

19:18, Today: Chance rolled 9 using 2d6+1 with rolls of 5,3.  Defy danger with Constitution.

Eryn was sick and tired of getting her outfit all wet and mushy, but she took the makeshift breathing tube from Ilura without complaint, quickly stashed her items in the bushes nearby, and slipped beneath the surface of the pool as silently as she could. The waters were somewhat clear but overgrown with decorative leaves floating on the surface. With the bamboo shoot blending into the environment, she hoped this would help conceal her body fully.

Now mostly blind and deaf to what was happening in the rest of the garden, the warrior would stay still beneath the water until one of her companions roused her.

12:45, Today: Eryn rolled 11 using 2d6.  Move swiftly and silently to hide in the water. (DEX).

Relieved that the bracelet had behaved properly, Ilura scampered along the edge of the hedge towards the gate, staying concealed by the leaves - and benefiting from Westley's innate (and unavoidable) ability to attract attention.  She wanted to see what was going on and scout the best path for the group to get back to the basement.

quote:

09:16, Today: Ilura rolled 11 using 2d6+3.  Defy danger dex - stay hidden.

What should I roll to scout the safest way out of the garden - assuming I get that far?

Dex works for trying to hide, Chance.
13:43, Today: Game Master, on behalf of Chance, rolled 13 using 2d6+2.  Hiding.

---

Silas huffed and crossed his arms at Ilura's insistence, but he agreed to play his part. Even the snakes coiling around his arms somehow looked peeved. Westley, on the other hand, seemed to really be getting into his part. "Okay Silas, we need a backstory. You're the tough guy with the gentle soul, and I'm the handsome up and coming minstrel who woed you with his music at the local festival. And the a whirlwind romance swept us up before we even-"

"Five. Four. Three."

"You know what? Just follow my lead."

There was a sound like glass cracking slowly, and the air in front of the gate wavered like a mirage. Then it swung slowly open. "Zero," the elven woman said as she stepped into the clearing, flanked on either side by two people in full armor. Two bore the crests of Lusiny, and two the crest of Cherka. All looked formidable. "Just the two of you?" Boswin asked as she began to pace around, glancing at the scenery.

"Yeah," Westley replied. "The two of us came here after I played music at a festival and-"

"Yes," Silas said, crossing his arms and glaring at Westley. "Just the two of us."

"Snakes?" Boswin asked as she began circling the pond. She pointed at the one currently slithering across Silas's shoulders. "That's an interesting choice to bring on a... rendezvous."

"And?" Silas asked, almost threateningly. Boswin had stopped directly in front of Chance's hiding spot, close enough that he could probably hamstring her if he wanted too. Unfortunately the poison ivy was causing quite an issue for the halfling. It would definitely leave a notable rash if he didn't move soon.

Eryn could see Boswin too, through the shimmering surface of the pond. The words were difficult to make out, but she could understand enough of what was going on.

"No comment," Boswin finally replied. "You don't happen to have anything else to share with me, do you? We are looking for a group of suspicious individuals. Any information you could give will be handsomely rewarded."

Ilura, in rat form, was hiding close to the exit. She could easily escape without being noticed, but it would mean leaving her companions behind as she went scouting.

What do you do?

---

Chance
You can remain hidden, but the spread of the poison ivy is only going to get worse the longer you stay. You can either move from your spot immediately, or you can get really itchy and gain the Scarred debility (-1 to Cha rolls) from the unsightly rash that appears.

Ilura
I forgot to give you your Warf Rat moves!
-Chew through
-Avoid drowning

You have 3 Hold. And because of your 6- you can only spend them one at a time, even if you wish to change back to your normal form. And the first two times you use a Hold for any reason, your shape randomly changes to one of the other creatures on your Bracelet Forms list. (I would suggest rolling 1d8 when you use a Hold.)

If you want to scout the safest way out of the garden, you would need to leave your enclosure, which means leaving everyone else behind. If that is what you want to do, roll Discern Realities. If you just want to know the best way out of your enclosure, the only real way is through the gate you came in. That, or bust (or chew?) your way through the magical barrier that surrounds the enclosure.

Eryn
You are well hidden in the pond, now that you have churned up the muddy bottom. You can see the people around the pond, but they have yet to notice you.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:37, Fri 27 Mar 2020.

I will leave the enclosure, but I won't travel out of earshot until the soldiers leave our area - and I see where they go and what happens to Westley/Silas.

Ilura waited in the shadows under the hedge as Boswin and the guards stomped past, her nose twitching nervously.  As soon as they'd moved past her she skittered out of the now-open gate and glanced left and right, sniffing and listening to discern whether there were other guards to have to worry about.  She glanced up to where Thomas was perched on a high branch, observing the proceedings with amusement.  Her dark gray head jerked toward the entrance and she flicked her whiskers.  [Help me see if there are others]

Continuing to use the hedge as cover she scouted to the nearest corner as Thomas winged his way ahead.  She needed to know if there were other guards, whether the gates on the way to the entrance and whether she could figure out a way to get her party safely out of the gardens - or at least find somewhere where they'd be safe from the guards...

As soon as she had a decent sense of what the situation was, she made her way back to the entrance of their enclosure, silently willing the soldiers to leave...

quote:

16:06, Today: Ilura rolled 12 using 2d6+5.  Discern realities w/ Thomas.

What happened here recently?
What should I be on the lookout for?
What here is useful or valuable to me?

As he lies near Boswin's heels, Chance can almost feel the painful rash from the poison ivy raising welts upon his skin. There wasn't anything he could do about it, though. It was obvious that the guards expected to find the group together. Even if he could tolerate being captured here, it would expose the rest of the group and place them all into even further danger. So, he bites down on his lip and tries to convince himself that the rash is soothing his skin rather than irritating it.

OOC: Chance is scarred from the Poison Ivy until further notice, taking -1 ongoing to charisma related rolls.

Waiting silently in the pool, the hidden warrior tried to think of herself as a lurking leviathan of the deep. If anything was to happen, she was confident she could at least give the people in the garden a scare when she emerged.

Eryn wished she had pulled her weapon into the pool instead of stashing it in the bushes. If she had, she might have skewered a threat, or tried to communicate with her ancestors. Similarly, if she had thought to cast Telepathy upon one of her allies, she would know exactly what was going on up above.

Breathing slowly and steadily, she tried her best to focus through the water and discern what was going on.

17:26, Today: Eryn rolled 9 using 2d6+1.  Discern Realities.
What is about to happen?

Boswin poked around the site a bit more, asking questions of Silas and Westley. Surprisingly, the two of them were able to weave quite a convincing lie. Specific enough that it sounded like they actually knew what they were talking about, but vague enough that it was realistic. Below the water, Eryn could see that Boswin's elite guards were looking rather bored, indicating that they probably were not expecting trouble after all.

Which proved to be true when Boswin tossed two coins toward Westley and said, "Here is your refund for the grove. If you remember any information, notify a guard immediately. Feel free to stay as long as you like, but gates in the garden will remain unlocked until at least morning's first light." And with that, Boswin gave a silent signal and she led the guards toward the exit. The tense situation quickly dissolved without so much as a drawn weapon.

Outside the gate, Ilura saw another patrol of elites checking other gates. And other occupants wandering about now that their time of quiet reflection had been interrupted. It wasn't exactly crowded, but there were definitely people around now. And it seemed a guard (regular, not elite) had been stationed at each exit to the gardens. Leaving now would certainly be risky.

What do you do?

---

The guards have left, but the gate remains unlocked. Your cash has been refunded.

Eryn
What is about to happen?
The guards are about to leave, without incident. But they are leaving your grove unlocked until morning.

Take +1 forward when acting on your answer.

Ilura
What happened here recently?
Regular guards have been posted at the garden's exits.

What should I be on the lookout for?
Random people wandering around the garden, now that they have been interrogated. There is also a second group of elite guards checking gates.

What here is useful or valuable to me?
You can see which direction the elite guards will be heading, based on which garden gates have yet to be opened.

Take +1 forward when acting on the answers.

Ilura stayed tucked under the leaves at the edge of the garden, her nose quivering as the guards left.  She murmured a quiet prayer of thanks.  Westley hadn't blown it!  She would try to give him a bit more credit going forward.  Some, anyhow.  As soon as the officials had left and she'd verified which way they were headed, she scampered into the garden and returned to her true form.

or tried to return to her true form...

First she found herself taking the shape of a queen sea-buzzard - which was a rather significant shock for poor Westley.  When she tried again, she found herself flopping around on the grass as a massive tuna - her gills twitching as she gasped for breath.  Finally she was able to resume her true human form, though it took her a few moments to catch her breath as she glared at her wrist.

She reached in to extend her hand to Eryn to help her from the water, then turned and smiled at the two human hirelings.

"That was amazing!  It was thrust on you at the last moment, but you pulled it off and probably saved our lives.  Thank you."

Once everyone had extracted themselves from their hiding position, she shared what she'd learned.  "There's a guard at each of the entrances.  I wouldn't be surprised if they come back and check the private gardens occasionally too.  There's also random people wandering the maze now that they've been kicked out of their rooms that could report us.  Ideas?"

"Also, Lady Mirrorsheen, there's something not quite working right with my form-changing bracelet.  I can't take it off, but would you be able to take a look at it and see if there's something obviously wrong?"

She glanced up at Thomas.  [Do the hedges still go so high, or can you fly over them now?]

If my changing shape had any more severe consequences, let me know and I'll adjust my post accordingly.

Chance emerged from underneath the bushes scratching at several angry red welts that had sprung up on the exposed skin of his face and hands.

"A splendid performance, gentlemen. We are in your debt," he quietly told Silas and Westley.

Listening to Ilura relate to them what she had seen outside of the garden enclosure, Chance began to feel his frustration building. They had gained the rest that they needed, but now they were trapped farther away from both the basement and the exit.

"What about the drainage tunnels? Do you think we could go back down the way we came up without attracting the guards' attention," he asked?

"Yes, but I haven't noticed a grate up here.  I could try transforming and looking for one, but I'm not sure how I'd communicate with you.

I do have an idea for the mace.  That hat I found on the boat might be able to contain it.  Would the two of you be able to help lift it?"

Eryn crawled out of the pool and rose to her feet with Ilura's aid, splashing water all around her.

"I've got a spell for it," she said to the ranger. "Telepathy. You can scout ahead and tell me everything you see. It will be completely silent to boot."

"I'll lift whatever you need me to - got a spell to help with that too, actually, though I've never cast it - but can you truly fit that entire hunk of metal all in one go?"

"I think so.  Though magic isn't my strong point..."  She looked to the fairy for some sort of confirmation/affirmation as she dug in her pack to extract the hat.

When Ilura asked Lady Mirrorsheen about fitting the huge morningstar into the hat, the little fairy shrugged. "The only way to know for sure is to try. But as long as you can fit the biggest part of the weapon in the rim of the hat, I don't see why its length should be a problem. As for the bracelet..." The little fairy tapped Ilura's jewelry as she hovered by her wrist. "As far as I can tell, it is merely getting scratched up as a part of normal wear and tear. Every scratch weakens the magical etchings ever so slightly, which can occasionally cause it to work improperly. Especially if its wearer is not someone who could make a transformation without the bracelet. I'm sure its original creator would not be having such issues." She shrugged again. "Not much we can do about it unless one of you are skilled with magical jewelry-making of the sea. Just try not to let it get more scratched up if you can."

By the time Lady Mirrorsheen finished her explanation, Thomas had returned. Curiously, he returned by flying in through the main gate. [Made it over! The wall grew about twice its height, then stopped. Sixty feet or so? It still has some magic, but not as much as when we were locked in I guess.]

What do you do?

---

Going over the wall will require a 60 foot fly/climb. There isn't really anything that can be done about the bracelet. It is just getting naturally old and worn out. The morningstar will fit in the tophat. It stretches a little to accommodate larger items. Here is a reminder about the hat:

quote:

Weight 1.
The hat is essentially a bag of holding, but in hat form. There are some items in it already that are unknown to you. It is difficult to retrieve things from it that you don't know are in there. But if you know what you are reaching for, follow the standard bag of holding rules:

A hat of holding is larger on the inside than the outside, it can contain an infinite number of items, and its weight never increases. When you try to retrieve an item from a hat of holding, roll+WIS. ✴On a 10+, it’s right there. ✴On a 7-9, choose one:
-You get the exact item, but it takes a while
-You get a similar item of the GM’s choice, but it only takes a moment

Feel free to cast and roll for your spells whenever you are ready.

Still aggravated at getting the group trapped in here on Chance scratches at the rash on his face while looking up at the wall and says quietly, "Sixty feet? Save your spell, Eryn. I'll have a look."

Then he dashes over to a corner on the exterior wall and begins to climb taking care to keep himself concealed as he nears the top.

OOC: My apologies, ladies. Chance is feeling pretty helpless and planning really isn't his strong suit. Besides, who can resist climbing what is essentially a 60' tree with plenty of hand and footholds?

05:02, Today: Chance rolled 10 using 2d6+2 with rolls of 5,3.  Defy danger with Dexterity.

Chance had no trouble scaling the sixty feet of vertical wall. When he looked back though, he was surprised to see the ground only thirty feet below. From his vantage point he could see out into the walkways that crisscrossed the rooftop garden, and it seemed there were quite a few displaced patrons of the temple wandering about and discussing what could be the cause of the sudden evictions. There were a couple of guards here and there as well, but no sign of the elites. They must have gone to another portion of the garden by now.

What do you do?

There must be a drainage grate up here somewhere; several of them, in fact.

With that thought in mind, Chance begins moving along the exterior wall of the garden looking for access to the drainage tunnels and tracking the movement of the guards.

OOC:

18:57, Today: Chance rolled 6 using 2d6-1 with rolls of 6,1.  Discern Realities.

XP marked.

Ilura hadn't thought to climb the hedges.  She'd consider trying to fly, but over-taxing her bracelet didn't seem over-wise right now.  Before the thief had gotten too far, she shared what she'd seen of the maze as a rat and also her sense of where they were positioned now with respect to the tunnels they'd been in earlier.  Hopefully that would help him in searching for a way out...

quote:

17:06, Today: Ilura rolled 10 using 2d6+1.  Aid Chance.

Guess you'll have to un-mark that XP :)

OOC: I'm happy to do so, thank you!

I suppose the question has to be: What here is useful or valuable to me?

"Before we stray too far from this place, let me join minds," Eryn said. "If another skirmish happens and we get separated, it would be useful to stay in touch. The spell lets us transmit thoughts - and don't worry, only the thoughts you wish to reveal," she was quick to add, remembering the reaction she got last time.

"Lady Mirrorsheen, will you assist me in stabilizing the spell?"

Eryn hoped the fairy could help augment her magic so as to not suffer any embarrassing failures.

---

Taking this as written, I'm targeting both Ilura and Chance.
11:17, Today: Eryn rolled 6 using 2d6.  Cast a Spell (INT): Telepathy.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Marked XP.

Ilura wasn't so sure about this notion of linked minds, but could easily see how beneficial it would be in their current circumstances.  She could see Eryn and the fairy struggling to make whatever magic they were trying to accomplish.  She willed her mind to open and prayed silently to Luciny.  Please help us!

quote:

10:21, Today: Ilura rolled 10 using 2d6+1.  Aid Eryn.

So I guess you have to give back your XP yet again :>

Splitting the spell in two directions proved to be too complicated for Eryn, even with Lady Mirrorsheen's assistance. The warrior could feel her mind being overexerted nearly to its breaking point, but thankfully Ilura manually lowered her subconscious mental defenses just in time. Eryn's mental magic flowed to Ilura's mind and made a connection. And with half her spell-load lightened, Eryn was able to finish the half that connected to Chance without much extra effort. The process had left Eryn mentally taxed in some fashion, but she had managed to avert disaster.

From atop the wall, Chance was able to relay what he saw via the group's mental link. With Ilura's reminder, he soon spotted a sewer grate that would not be difficult to get to. There were guards patrolling nearby though, along with pedestrians strolling about. However, the thief estimated that in about two minutes the path would be mostly clear of prying eyes for a thirty-second span. The only one who would likely still see them was a little girl drawing on the paving stones with some colorful chalks.

What do you do?

---

Eryn
With Ilura's Aid, your spell succeeded, but barely. Which 7-9 drawback do you choose? Keep in mind that any negative effects of the casting are focused on the adept (Mirrorsheen) first, if applicable.
-You draw unwelcome attention or put yourself in a spot. The GM will tell you how.
-The spell disturbs the fabric of reality as it is cast—take -1 ongoing to cast a spell until the next time you Prepare Spells.
-After it is cast, the spell is forgotten. You cannot cast the spell again until you prepare spells.

Chance
The info you were looking for seemed to fit best with "What should I be on the lookout for?"
You spotted a sewer grate that your team should be able to get to fairly quickly. In roughly two minutes, the guards will be clear of the area and only a single kid playing with sidewalk chalk will be around to witness anything. Your window of opportunity will last roughly thirty seconds.

Take +1 forward when acting on your answer.

Ilura tentatively tried out the new means of communication.  Hello?

Then she decided things would work better if their whole party could hear her.

"We've got a window in about 2 minutes.  There's a little girl who might comment on our passing.  I'm going to turn into a rat, scout ahead and see if I can distract her.  Eryn can communicate with Chance and I, so when she tells you to move - move as quickly and quietly as you can..."

She stood on the edge of the fountain.  Given her recent experience, being near water seemed like a good idea.  She inspected the bracelet carefully, then concentrated.

Keeping to the shadows under the edge of the hedge, the ranger headed to where Chance had reported the little girl coloring.  Thomas flew above, joking that she'd move faster if he picked her up and carried her.  She studied the tot for a few minutes, trying to figure out how best to distract her.  [See anything that might help distract this little one?]

quote:

14:39, Today: Ilura rolled 9 using 2d6+3.  Become a rat (I hope...).

quote:

14:58, Today: Ilura rolled 16 using 2d6+5.  Discern realities w/ Thomas.

"I suppose scaring the girl away is inconspicuous enough; no one will care about a rat while intruders are in the temple," Eryn said.

Try not to give her a life-long phobia of the creature, Ilura, she added.


7-9 result: It's perhaps a bit too early to risk other setbacks, so I'll forget the spell.

Chance reaches out to Ilura and Eryn, tentatively, with his mind.

H-hello? Is this working? Am I the only one who thinks it odd that there is an unattended child here?

Suspecting a trap, Chance re-evaluates the situation in a slightly different light.

OOC: 04:01, Today: Chance rolled 9 using 2d6+2 with rolls of 4,3.  Trap Expert.

Is there a trap here and if so, what activates it?
This message was last edited by the player at 08:05, Wed 06 May 2020.

I was actually hoping she'd find me cute and chase me when I stole some of her chalk.

It's not totally impossible that a kid might be left in the garden to entertain themselves while their parent prayed, though if they don't grab her and leave at this point, that would be odd.  I'll be careful.

Realized I'd forgotten to ask my questions:
What should I be on the lookout for?
What here is useful or valuable to me?
What here is not what it appears to be?

As Chance watched from up above, he went over all of the worst-possible-scenarios that could arise if this was a trap. Was she an assassin wrapped in illusion? Was the girl a shapeshifter waiting to capture prey unaware? Or maybe a child-vampire who was sniffing them out for her mistress?

Chance looked for all the signs that any of those unlikely scenarios could be true, but in the end he determined she was probably just a girl playing with chalk. A poorly supervised girl, sure, but still merely a halfling child doodling on the walkway.

As Ilura scouted ahead in her rat form, she also noticed the girl was a halfling. Which meant she wasn't quite as young as she looked. But still probably younger than ten by human standards. Ilura also noticed the girl was treating her bag of colored chalks as a prized possession. She would surely chase after it if it was taken, or try to protect it if she saw it was threatened.

Lastly, Ilura noticed the sewer grate they would be trying to enter was not as well cared for as the one they had emerged from. It was off to the side and rusted and poorly maintained. It might prove difficult and noisy to open quickly, unless someone was particularly skilled at bending bars/lifting grates.

What do you do?

---

How is everyone planning on getting to the grate? Are any sort of preparations being taken? Your opening is less than a minute away at this point.

Ilura
Warf Rat moves:
-Chew through
-Avoid drowning

What should I be on the lookout for?
The grate you will be headed toward looks more rusted and worn than the one your group entered through. It may be noisy or difficult to open quickly.

What here is useful or valuable to me?
The girl's bag of chalk. She is taking great care of it like it is her prized posession, and would likely chase it if it was taken, or retreat in order to protect it.

What here is not what it appears to be?
The girl with the chalk a halfling girl, and is a little older than she first appeared. She is still younger than the human equivalent of ten though.

Chance
Is there a trap here and if so, what activates it?
You determine that there is no trap here. The girl is really just a kid playing with chalk, with less supervision than she should probably have.

Ilura moved into a position where she could remain hidden but approach the young halfling rapidly.  As soon as Chance indicated that they were approaching the time when it would be safe to move, she dashed forward to grab the chalk bag - or at least a piece of chalk to distract the girl into chasing her.

quote:

16:22, Today: Ilura rolled 5 using 2d6+3.  Defy danger dex - steal chalk.

Forgot to include my +1 for discerning realities, but even with that, that's a failure unless someone (presumably Chance) is able to 'aid' me.

Satisfied that there is no trap, Chance scampers down the wall signaling for action as soon as his feet hit the floor. As he is dashing for the grate, he sees Ilura going for the chalk but he doesn't think the child will notice. So, as he is passing on his way to the grate he points at Ilura to draw the girl's attention to her and whispers, "That rat has your chalk. Better catch it!"

OOC: 05:29, Today: Chance rolled 11 using 2d6+1 with rolls of 6,4.  Aid Ilura.

Seeing Chance giving the signal, Eryn led the remainder of the party out the gate towards the grate. Entirely silent they were not, but sometimes being swift was more important than being entirely undetectable.

Let me get that for you. She caught up with her companion and bent down to pry the rusted grate open.

13:14, Today: Eryn rolled 14 using 2d6+3.  Bend Bars, Lift Gates.
Choices: Quickly, silently, can fix it again without effort. I don't care if it gets damaged in other ways.

The little girl seemed totally oblivious to Ilura's presence until Chance mentioned it to her. At which point she turned to look with a gasp. "Naughty rat! That's mine!" The little girl got up and ran after Ilura with surprising agility. But instead of trying to grab Ilura with her hands, she began stomping on the walkway, nearly crushing the transformed ranger. "You're naughty! Stop being so naughty!" It would only be a matter of time before one of the girl's quick little stomps connected with Ilura.

Meanwhile, Eryn was able to expertly remove the grate without anyone noticing and the hirelings all quickly slid into the dark hole below. Soon it was just Eryn, Chance, and Ilura still up top.

What do you do?

---

Eryn and Chance, you can easily slip into the sewer without being noticed if you would like to. Or you can try and assist Ilura in some way.

Ilura
You distracted the girl, but now she is trying to stomp you as punishment (even if you drop the chalk). She is surprisingly agile. You'll need to Defy danger or something similar if you wish to avoid injury.

Or you can take 1d8 damage, ignoring armor. If you do, take 1 XP.

Chance looks back at Ilura.

"Come on, she can handle the girl. We have to get ourselves out of sight," he says to Eryn before dropping through the grate.

"I agree," the warrior responded, and followed Chance's lead. Eryn cast a glance at the rat scurrying around before pulling the sewer grid back into place from inside the passage.

Ilura, we're in the clear, she communicated to the ranger via telepathy.


Are the gaps between bars large enough for a rat to slip through without me opening the grate again?
Edit: Formatting.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:38, Mon 11 May 2020.

Ilura dodged and wove.  She dropped the chalk as the girl seemed far more interested in stomping her than she was in retrieving her precious chalk, and she couldn't really afford having her movement slowed as she dodged first one foot and then another.  The good news is that rats were meant for dodging, and so was she.

She circled the girl a few times trying to get her dizzy or trip herself and, once she was sure her companions had enough time to get well clear of the grate, she charged for it, pausing momentarily to turn and stick out her tiny rat tongue before slipping through the bars and clambering down the wall to her friends.

I'll stay a rat - probably easier to scout in this form.  Thomas and I will try to find a way to the well room - or at least close to it.  Keep your eyes open for more of those furry things.

She headed on ahead, her tiny feet skittering noiselessly over the drainage tunnel floor as her avian friend winged equally quietly above.

quote:

13:32, Today: Ilura rolled 11 using 2d6+3.  Defy danger - dex.

13:37, Today: Ilura rolled 12 using 2d6+5.  Scouting w/ Thomas.

If they come, I'll be ready for them.

Eryn communicated Ilura's message verbally to the rest of the group.

With her hands now free of the grate, she returned to carrying her trusty polearm. The warrior intended to stay on guard whilst moving through the tunnel, hoping the trip would be a quiet one so as to not alert any of the guards up above. If the monsters showed themselves, however... well, based on the earlier scuffle, a stab or two would put them down swiftly.

"Should I take point?" she asked.

Chance breathed a sigh of relief when Ilura scrambled through the grate with nothing else pursuing her. He thanked her for the reminder about the creatures they had encountered in these tunnels earlier and assured her that he wouldn't soon forget about them.

When they had their gear situated and were ready to proceed, Eryn offered to take point. Chance's face paled as he remembered being grabbed from behind by that creature. He swallowed the lump that had just formed in his throat and replied, "If it's all the same to you, I'd appreciate you watching my back. I'll be more careful this time. Really careful."

OOC:

11:26, Today: Chance rolled 6 using 2d6-1 with rolls of 3,4. Perilous Journey Quartermaster.

About what I expected. Marked xps.

As she tried to navigate the tunnels, Ilura's nose started twitching excitedly.  Chance, I think the grate just ahead of you leads to a food store of some sort.  If you wanted to grab a few supplies, that wouldn't be a horrible idea...  Her rat nose actually thought it would be a pretty wonderful idea.

quote:

11:38, Today: Ilura rolled 12 using 2d6+1.  Aid Chance.

I just keep stopping people from counting XP... :>

That's quite a nose you have! We'll grab what we can. Thanks!

At the next grate, Chance climbs up and pauses at the top of the ladder to listen and look for movement in the room above.

OOC:

Unmarked xps. Thanks, Ilura.

15:47, Today: Chance rolled 7 using 2d6-1 with rolls of 6,2.  Discern Realities.

What should I be on the lookout for?

The party was a larger and more varied group than the last time they delved into a cavern and cramped tunnels, but Eryn had led caravans to their destination before, and was used to dealing with all sorts of people of different gait and ability to focus. Drawing from past experience, she listened to any intel Ilura had to give, walked just far enough ahead to look around corners, then moved among members of the group to ensure that no one tripped over debris, stepped in a hole, alerted creatures with excessive talking, or fell behind the rest of the group.

They proceeded on foot for a while, traveling in as efficient a manner as possible. The warrior felt some satisfaction knowing she could make use of her more mundane skills every now and then.

08:54, Today: Eryn rolled 11 using 2d6+1.  Perilous Journey: Trailblazer.
On a 10+ the trailblazer reduces the amount of time it takes to reach your destination.

As the group traversed the tunnels, Ilura was able to make fantastic use of her ability to see in pitch blackness. And now that she knew what to look for, she could spot the fuzzy black critters from far enough away that they were easily avoided. And for the couple of critters who did decide to come closer, they were promptly dissuaded when Ilura used her ability to talk with animals to remind them what happened to the last ones who came too close. Plus, they were a bit freaked out that Ilura could see them in the dark at all, rat or not.

Eryn quickly fell into a cadence that led the group quietly and efficiently through the sewer tunnels. This time they managed to take routs that required less crawling, which significantly sped up their progress. Not to mention they were no longer slowed down from dragging a huge weapon or gnome body around. They were both in the magic hat.

The only real issue was with their rations. Chance found himself nibbling from a bag of dried fruits, almost without realizing it. An unexpected noise startled him and a bunch of the food fell into the tiny stream of sewage beneath their feet. Thankfully, the lost rations were quickly replaced by the food Ilura had sniffed. It wasn't much. Probably just some steward's lunch they left in the broom closet for later, but it was enough to replace what had been lost.

Chance made up for the error though when his keen ears caught the tail end of a conversation up above.

"So they have extended the search out to the surrounding city now? That seems like a futile effort."

"Well, I'm not about to suggest giving up. Not when our High priest's sister is in such dire condition at their hand. But worry not. If we don't find them, Cherka's Red Fang certainly will."

"Mmn. Good point. I hear those assassins can track down anyone, even if they have traveled to the ends of the earth. Or further."

"Indeed."

At that point, the two people speaking left the room and ceased speaking about anything relevant.

It wasn't long afterward that the group had made their way to the lowest level of the temple, where the entrance to the well-room was supposed to be. There was not a direct connection to the room from the sewers, so the crew had to exit the tunnels in a dark and dusty storage room full of moldy crates and thick cobwebs.

What do you do?

---

Everyone has made it to the lowest level of the temple quickly and safely, and with a net use of 0 rations. You all know this level is supposed to be watched over by "top guards," whatever that means. So keep that in mind going forward.

Chance
What should I be on the lookout for?
Assassins. It seems they could show up at nearly any time, and nearly anywhere. Probably not soon, but the more time that passes, the more likely their arrival becomes.

Take +1 forward when acting on your answers.

This thought-communication thing is handy Eryn.  I'll scout ahead with Thomas and see what the situation is

Ilura crept out the room, her whiskers quivering and nose sniffing.  She kept to the walls in the shadows as Thomas drifted quietly from rafter to rafter.

[Being a rat suits you...]

[Stay focused.  Those watching here are more likely to raise their eyebrows at a crow in the basement than a rat...]

quote:

14:58, Today: Ilura rolled 14 using 2d6+5.  Discern realities w/ Thomas.

What should I be on the lookout for?
What here is useful or valuable to me?
What here is not what it appears to be?

In case I need it:

quote:

15:05, Today: Ilura rolled 11 using 2d6+3.  Defy danger - dex.

Be careful. Ilura. I just overheard a conversation between... Actually, I don't know who they were, but apparently the Temple has already hired assassins to track us down; a group that goes by the name 'Cherka's Red Hand'.

With luck, the room will teleport us halfway across the world, which should make us a bit harder to find.  The trick will be making sure we don't lead them to the hidden room...

Ilura, with her small body and expert agility, managed to squeeze out from the dark old storage room and out into the hall of the lower basement. The single hallway was extremely damp, the walls were made of old and weathered stone, and there was a thin layer of gravely mud on the floor. The hallway curved back and forth, leading to a handful of other doors such as the one the ranger had just exited. But only one such door was guarded.

A muscular woman stood guard outside the door, wearing full platemail, holding a shield up, and brandishing a curved sickle for her weapon of choice. Along with a few pouches of what Ilura could only assume was personal gear and items. She appeared to be on high alert despite the only other person in site being a similarly equipped guard walking up and down the halls. (Although his weapon was a serrated hatchet.) These were most definitely the "top guards" that the group knew would be down here. And the door that was being guarded was certainly their intended destination.

But were there really only two guards? Judging by the smells in the hall, no. There were at least two more that came through here regularly. Probably guarding the entrance to this entire level at the moment. And judging by the footprints in the hall, the guards switched posts regularly to break up the monotony of their current assignment.

What do you do?

---

Ilura
I was going to ask for a Defy danger, so it was good that you rolled it already. You can easily make it back to the others or remain in the hall unnoticed for as long as you remain a rat. If you try anything tricky though, it may require a new roll.

What should I be on the lookout for?
You can smell that there are a few guards nearby that are not currently within view. Likely within earshot. You know there are four top guards total that are currently in the area.

What here is useful or valuable to me?
The guards all carry an assortment of personal items and gear. Some of which is bound to be useful and/or valuable.

What here is not what it appears to be?
Not only are the guards in full armor, but they also seem to be "on guard." Meaning they will likely be even more difficult to harm than their armor alone suggests. They have a very high defense.

Ilura relayed everything she saw as she saw it, thinking again that the mental link was incredibly helpful.  However, the current situation was not.  Getting the team into position wouldn't be that hard with her rat form, Thomas's assistance and the mental link to guide the group.  It was possible they could even take out the guard.  But it would be extremely difficult to take her out quietly enough to avoid attracting the attention of the other guards.  And even if they pulled that off, it wasn't clear how long they'd need in the 'well room' undisturbed to find a passage-way into the area covered by the map.

Chance, can you recognize anything on your map from my description.

She relayed the layout of the hallway around the well room as precisely as she could, though Eryn's spell would have been a whole lot more useful if she'd been able to relay images...

Deciding it was best to have an idea of exactly where everyone was positioned, she continued to scout, trying to get as complete a sense as she could about what was going on so they could come up with a plan that was reasonably likely to succeed.  She just wished she knew what that was...

quote:

21:01, Today: Ilura rolled 8 using 2d6+5.  Discern realities w/ Thomas (again).

What here is useful or valuable to me? - specifically a way I might be able to get through the guarded door in rat form without the guard noticing or - alternatively - a way to get the guard to momentarily leave the door unguarded.

You do notice a way! What is it? Take +1 forward when acting on the results.

Also, Chance, even with Ilura's description, your map won't help much. Even this area, the oldest part of the temple, was constructed after your map was made.

Like most of the other doors in this space, it'd been here for quite a while - at least 100 years, maybe more.  And the moisture that inevitably formed on the cold floors as the moist sea air descended to the lower levels and touched the cold stone had caused the wood to start to rot and decay, particularly at the bottom.  While it would have been hard to see in the flickering torch-light, Ilura's enhanced eyesight could see an area where her rat-sized body could slip through.

The trick would be finding a way to approach when the guard wouldn't notice.  However, the guard doing rounds might provide the necessary distraction.  When  he was approaching the corner about to enter the hallway, the guard at the door would inevitably look in his direction - if nothing else to make sure it was who she expected and not an attacker.  At the same time, the guard on patrol would be too far away to see a tiny rat scampering along in the shadows, largely obstructed from view by the door guard.  The trick was to time things correctly.  The good news was that the approaching patrol guard with his clanky armor wasn't exactly 'stealthy'.

She approached as close as she could while staying in the shadows and made ready to bolt as soon as the woman at the door turned her head at the approach of her companion

quote:

22:26, Today: Ilura rolled 8 using 2d6+4.  Defy .

That was supposed to be a defy danger dex, using my +1

Ilura made a mad dash when she saw her opening and squeezed inside the well room without anyone so much as hearing a squeak. Unfortunately, her animal companion Thomas was unable to accompany her without risking being spotted. The crow remained in the hallway, unseen, but also cut off from any sort of contact with the rest of the group.

Inside the well room was dark as night. The only light came from the cracks around the half-rotted door she had squeezed under. But darkness was no obstacle for Ilura, thanks to the blessing she had received from her goddess during a previous adventure. Her cat-like eyes perceived every detail of the room.

And there were not many to perceive.

The room was round and had the same stone walls as the hall. If possible though, it was even damper in this room, and the walls slimier. The floor was made of stone and dirt/mud. There was a stack of rotten old rafter beams stacked to the side of the room, growing mushrooms. And a busted crate full of what used to be rope was spilling against the wall near the door.

In the center of the well room was, true to its name, a well. Its stone walls came up about shin-high on a human, and it was covered over with a round wooden lid. Rotten as everything else in the room. Atop the rotten lid was an old bucket tipped on its side. It appeared that a tiny salamander had made it its home.

What do you do?

Ilura was cautious.  If she'd been worried about intruders entering this room, she'd have done more than merely put guards outside.  She took her time, sniffing for any hint of a presence other than the salamander and studied floor to try to determine if anyone had been here recently and, if so, what they'd been up to.  She missed having her friend to assist, but the flapping crow would have been too noticable.  She trusted him to keep himself hidden.  Self-preservation was a wonderful instinct...

She relayed what she saw to Eryn and Chance as she saw it.

quote:

20:32, Today: Ilura rolled 7 using 2d6+3.  Discern realities.
20:32, Today: Ilura rolled 11 using 2d6+3.  Discern realities - again.

What happened here recently?
What should I be on the lookout for?
What here is useful or valuable to me?
What here is not what it appears to be?

Even without Thomas to help her, Ilura proved to be a skilled investigator. She quickly noticed the dried mud on the edge of the well cover, as if someone had rolled it to the side within the last few days. She also found a couple footprints here and there, but they did not follow any sort of logical walking pattern. It was as if someone would stand in one spot, do something, then suddenly be standing in another spot to do something else. Almost as if they were teleporting. Or more likely, flying. It seemed probable the conjoined half-vampire twin priestesses had been down here recently. Which made sense if they were expecting to have Chance's map in their possession by now.

But it also meant the entrance shown on the map was down the well. Ilura sniffed at the air coming from within the well and noticed three things. The first was the scent of grease. The kind that kept moving parts working well. There was likely some sort of mechanical trap down there. But since she was not the trap expert of the group, she couldn't really tell what kind.

The second thing she noticed was a sort of hum. The kind someone could only feel in the whiskers on their nose. It would be imperceptible to a human, but it was unmistakably magical in nature. And it was coming from deep below.

The third thing she noticed was the sound of sloshing. It was very faint, and again, she likely would have missed it if she was human, but it was there. Something stirred at the bottom of the well. Something much larger than a rat or salamander.

What do you do?

---

What happened here recently?
Someone came and disturbed the well within the last few days. Likely the priestesses.

What should I be on the lookout for?
One or more traps, and whatever is stirring at the bottom of the well.

What here is useful or valuable to me?
Nothing really, besides knowledge. You could always drop a rotten beam down the well and see what happens, but it would certainly be noisy.

What here is not what it appears to be?
The well. There is a faint and constant magical hum coming from within it. Imperceptible to humans.

The presence of the salamander concerned her.  If the priestesses had chosen to examine the well, why put a bucket on top.  And why would a salamander have decided to make its home there.  She considered exploring the room further.  Any traps would likely not be activated by the light weight of her rat form, but there was no point taking that chance.

She reached out to her companions.  Is there anything else you'd like me to do while I'm here?  I'm afraid we need our halfling's talents.  Past that, we might be able to shoot whatever it is that's down at the bottom of the well from the top, but whatever it is is likely to make some noise.  Any thoughts on how we can convince that guard at the door to let us in and ignore us while we're making noise?

I'm afraid the map isn't going to be helpful until we can find our way into the original site. None of this temple ha been built when the map was made. I never told you exactly how I got the map, though, did I?

It was sitting on an altar and flanked by those two giant frog statues that were in the room with me when you found me...

Chance goes on to tell the story of how he came to 'befriend' the frogs.

If we could get any of the guards to ingest even a small amount of the poison, it will be loyal to the first person it sees after it has done so. If we knew the exact route of the patrolling guard, we might be able to leave some little treat along the route with a note from the lady guard as if she had left it as a surprise for him. If the note were a little flirty, I think it would sell.

Ilura, have you shadowed, or can you shadow the guard long enough to see if there is someplace on his route that one of us could get to without being seen, but still make sure they were the first thing the guard saw after he ate the treat?

If a dream hid the map, do you think the gnome may have kept other things similarly concealed?

Using your poison sounds like a good plan. Based on what Ilura has seen, the entrance is disguised and holds both a trap as well as a living creature for a guardian. I would like to stay rested for when we face those trials - but of course, if it comes down to it I will fight.

Running through the details in her head, Eryn tried to form a mental picture of the situation and arrive at a tactically sound conclusion. The guards were obviously on the defensive given their work and the active threat they expected, but as a warrior Eryn also knew that there was a level of force against which no defense could stand. One person could not defend against many for long before being overwhelmed.

I'd say we try the poison first, then we strike a second guard in a pincer attack. Even if they hold their ground, me and Chance together should be able to stick one before the patrol can join the scuffle, she communicated. Then Ilura may flank the new arrivals and strike unexpectedly from the shadows while I keep them occupied with spear and shield.


10:40, Today: Eryn rolled 4 using 2d6+1.  Discern Realities (analyze the tactical situation).
What should I be on the lookout for?
What here is useful or valuable to me?
Who’s really in control here?

Eryn had barely begun to piece together her strategy when they could hear the familiar sound of the guard pacing the halls, his armor clanking noisily with each step. Nothing out of the ordinary there. But then the footsteps stopped, and the crew could hear the sound of someone grabbing the doorknob into the room.

A voice on the other side of the door called down the hall. "Nell, I'm going to start the hourly room check. Then we can switch spots." The door began to open, revealing a well-armored guard holding a lantern in his shield hand.

A distant voice replied with, "Okay Vance."

What do you do?

---

Everyone still in the storage room, the door is being opened for the hourly room check. You have a split second to act before you are spotted. The three larger individuals (Eryn, Silas, and Westley) may find it difficult to find a suitable hiding spots for all of them, but feel free to try. Chance would have an easier time, but would still need a roll. Opal and Mirrorsheen can automatically hide, if that is the strategy you go with. Or go ahead and try whatever other moves you might want to try.

Eryn
Don't forget to add your XP.

One of the guards is starting to check the rooms!

This wasn't good.  She prayed urgently, hoping against hope that there was a way to avert unnecessary bloodshed.  Mother, you know our situation and you know how we seek to serve you and this land.  What can I do to best further your will and avoid unnecessary suffering and death?

quote:

21:37, Today: Ilura rolled 7 using 2d6+3.  Cast Revelation.

I'll take attention/danger, because it may just provide a distraction...

When he heard the guard approaching Chance unslung his pack and pulled a small, folded up piece of paper out of one of its pockets. Then, as he was reaching into it to pull out one of his rations to prepare a little treat. It wouldn't be ready until the next patrol passed, but he didn't see any reason to wait.

Then from outside of the door he heard the guard say, "Nell, I'm going to start the hourly room check..."

There was more to it than that, but he didn't catch the rest.

He stopped reaching for the ration and began unfolding the piece of paper as he turned to step in front of the door. He hoped Eryn would trust him because there was no time to explain.

Quick, lift me up!

OOC:

17:47, Today: Chance rolled 9 using 2d6+2 with rolls of 6,1.  Defy danger with dex.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:48, Wed 20 May 2020.