The servant (her name is Mariana, if anyone remembers to ask) helps you to find the library, then goes to the kitchen and comes back with some actual food.  "I'm sorry there isn't much more than this.  The masters were... not always considerate of any mortals here."

The meal is nothing special, but at the very least it's no worse than your dry rations.  A night in the library, however, is much nicer than that.  Lazarus probably enjoys it the most, replenishing his store of useful reference books and even uncovering a tome of necromantic rituals, should that sort of thing be appealing to him.  Istvan, meanwhile, puts in some quality time with his new mace and the Meditations of the Righteous and Groovy.  Through this, he discovers that if he swings the mace in a full circle he can cause it to unleash a strong breeze.

As for Lucius, the library itself may not hold anything especially useful to him, but the quite solitude of guard duty has its benefits.  The paladin's current powers depend on the vow he made to help the slaves of Dreorus; this dealing with vampires and demons was merely a pit stop on the way there, but surely the Sun must approve.  As he contemplates this, he is rewarded with a sudden flash of divine insight.

...

The next morning you wake, fully refreshed (unless you never went to sleep in the first place).  As far as you know the castle is yours to explore.  And hopefully the world outside of the castle is still there as well.

Where to now?

Your night in the library counts as Making Camp, with no expenditure of rations.

Istvan - you have unlocked the breeze power, and you are confident that any further unlocking will require some more serious holiness - in Noric's case, what would that look like?

Lazarus - you restock your books, and you get a magic tome which allows you to perform a Ritual at any burial site, even if it is not a Place of Power or otherwise magical.  A site that is protected or consecrated might be an exception to this; the book isn't clear about that.  What it is clear about, though, is that someone else owned this book before the Seglianis got it.  Lazarus, whose ex libris is in here, and what do you know about that person?
Coming as it does on the border between two sessions, this book will not count as xp-worthy loot for Session 3.

Lucius - the Sun tells you something that will give you an advantage in your ongoing quest, what is it?

Istvan will need to have the Mace blessed by a more advanced cleric of Noric than himself (Level 5, at least, probably), or he could probably do it himself if he lucked into getting his hands on a Scroll of Sacred Stars, but those are on the rare side, enough that it'd probably be easier to go to a temple or shrine of Noric and just find a qualified divinity technician.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:19, Mon 08 Mar 2021.

Lazarus was happy with himself the next morning. Both because he had worked out the final kinks in a few of his in-progress spells, and because he had found an interesting tome in the library. A ritual book formerly owned by none other than Ursula Froglock. A prominent enchanter from a bygone era. She was known for her exceptional skill in creating magical doodads of all types, using numerous unconventional methods. Perhaps reading a book she owned would help Lazarus gain some additional insights of his own. He was almost certain he would.

But at the moment their group had more important matters to attend to. "I suppose we should go check out that trapped hall now, eh?" he asked Istvan and Lucius. To Lucius in particular, he added, "Have you had a chance to... look over all of the servants around here? Divinely? You have weird divine senses for that sort of thing, right?" The mention of senses reminded Lazarus that he had yet to regain his sense of smell via a simple ritual. Perhaps he would get a chance to test out his new book in the near future in order to accomplish that task.

Having his physical needs met by divine means, Lucius spent his night thoroughly checking up on the surviving servants, informing them that any evil lording over the castle has been vanquished, and therefore they are free to go. He inquired among them about the castle, and it's fate now that the Seglianis are dead.

At dawn, while he was strolling outside along the battlements, as the first rays of sunlight climbed over his crest of the blazing sun, divine insight was bestowed upon Lucius. Naturally excited at the news, he came rushing towards his companions, ignorant of whatever else they wanted of him at the moment. "The Sun offers us guidance! There is strife in Dreorus. Whatever they are doing there to these slaves, not all agree with. If we can find the resistance, surely we can fight for a common cause."

GM, what did Lucius find out about the surviving servants? And how does the castle ownership issue look?

I wouldn't mind a castle of my own. Not at all! Just kidding, Lucius would sooner turn it over to his order.

The servants all seem to be in a bit of a daze this morning - not like they've been possessed, but more like whatever mental fog they've been living under has finally lifted and they're still figuring out what these "clarity" and "free will" things are about.  A couple of them flee into the woods as soon as they have the idea that it's safe to do so (not until after dawn though - some habits aren't going anywhere anytime soon).  A few others get together and start debating the merits of taking the castle for themselves.  And one, a middle-aged man by the name of Vittorio, offers his services to Lucius as a squire or acolyte or whatever of that sort he might need.

Lucius is thrilled at the prospect of taking on a squire (a well-established tradition in his Order), eagerly accepting his offer.

He explains to Vittorio the purpose of his Order - "Bring sunlight to the darkest corners of the realm" - and instructs him of what is expected of a squire (dedication to the vaguely-but-not-so-vaguely defined idea of Good, pretty much), in turn asking questions about the man's own skills and abilities.

Hireling! Excited.

As talk turned toward the future ownership of the castle, Lazarus spoke up to the freed servants discussing it. "I don't much care who owns this place in the end, but I do hope that you will allow us to take refuge here in the future. The entire reason we came to liberate this place from the clutches of evil in the first place was so that we might secure a safe place to harbor slaves that we plan to free from Dreorus." He left out the part about making a bet with some bats.

"Also, related to liberating this place from evil... We found a passageway in the lower levels filled with traps. Do any of you happen to know what it is guarding?" It was unclear if his associates were still planning on investigating the hall, but Lazarus figured it wouldn't hurt to ask about it.

Vittorio bows slightly to Lucius and says "I have had to deal with all manner of people... well, I guess I can call them that, no better word at the moment really.  I can't say as I'm much of a fighter, but I know how to talk with people and make them feel comfortable, and I know which people need talking to in which way.  Maybe I can learn how to spread the Word of the Sun to them as needs to hear it."

On the other side of the room (whichever room this is), a couple of the other now ex-servants turn to Lazarus and say "Oh, the treasure room?  No idea what's in there, none of us have ever seen it.  They tell us, sorry, told us it's treasure, but we don't know really.  Ronaldo tried to sneak in there himself, got cut in half for his troubles."

"A silver tongue! Quite impressive. Now, Vittorio, we will be leaving shortly to Dreorus, so grab your belongings, and perhaps organize some extra supplies if the people here have some to spare. Meanwhile, we shall investigate that trapped treasure room!" he gives Lazarus a thumbs up.

Lazarus gave a nod and a smile to Lucius, then went to prepare an excursion into a trapped corridor. "I'll get things ready. You guys meet me there when you are ready." He wanted to reacquaint himself with the hall's layout, as well as collect a few "tools" from around the castle that might come in handy. Things like mirrors for looking around corners, long sticks or brooms to use for pressing pressure-sensitive areas, suits of armor they could use as decoy bodies, and even a sledgehammer in case they needed to break anything open the hard way.

---

Could we get a refresher on what the trapped hallway looks like? What tools is Lazarus able to find? Or maybe he could simply scrounge up a set or two of generic "bulky adventuring gear" or something.

You never actually looked down the trapped hallway - you identified its presence and then went the other way.  You know it's made of stone, that's it.

Lazarus is able to scrounge up various useful tools.  No sledgehammer, and no mirrors either come to think of it, but he does get a few other things together that seem like they could help.

Mechanically, I think that dealing with the traps will require high-stakes DD rolls, since there's no thief in the group who can do it more proficiently.  But preparing tools for it will let you roll +Int rather than +Dex, so that's something at least.

When everyone was ready, Lazarus began nervously prodding the hallways defenses. "Let's... see if we can do this without getting killed." He began by tossing pebbles down the hall, followed by a few larger rocks. He then moved to poking things with poles. He carefully scrutinized every crack and blemish the hall had to offer as he slowly advanced forward.

---

Here is the first Defy Danger roll with Int. Wish me luck!
21:23, Today: Lazarus Steel rolled 14 using 2d6+3.  Defy Danger + Int.
Caution and preparation pay off!

Lazarus's tricks seem to do the job perfectly.  One rock triggers a pressure plate, which is followed by the telltale hiss of poison gas, but the next rock lands in exactly the right place to clog the mechanism and stop its release.  A few yards later, one of those poles sets off the blades that the servants had warned you about earlier.  They cut the pole neatly into two but do no harm to any of you.  And a little further past that, you spring a pit trap without losing anything more valuable than the old, crumbling dictionary you had thrown as a test weight.

One slight problem though - some fiendish designer set the pit trap at a corner, instead of in the middle of the hallway as is traditional.  A trapdoor drops open in front of you, but so does another one to the left, leaving the hallway looking something like this:


_______________________
              XXXXXX  |
              XXXXXX  |
______________XXXXXXXX|
                 |XXXX|
                 |XXXX|
                 |XXXX|


EDIT: The ledge in the corner looks like it's just big enough to hold one person comfortably, or two squeezing together.

How do you plan to get past this one?
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:47, Mon 22 Mar 2021.

Before taking further action, Lucius takes one of the spare books and drops it down the pit to gauge its depth and what lies at the bottom.

"Hmm. Think we can drag one of the bookshelves in here, to act as a temporary bridge? Would at least get us into that corner."

The pit is about 20 feet deep.

A whole bookshelf would probably bridge the gap, but getting it down from the library to the basement would be a difficult undertaking itself, to say the least.

"That is certainly an option," Lazarus conceded. However, he continued to study the hole before them. "A few wooden beams would probably accomplish the same goal though, if we can find some. Or a ladder. That would be better. Oh! Or maybe the stone coffin lids from the next room over!" Lazarus experienced a minor flashback of one of those sturdy things landing on his toes...

The wizard mentally measured the gap to determine which of those items would be best to search for and drag over. "Or we could always try climbing down here, and back up on the far side." He cautiously took a peek at what (if anything) was on the floor of the pit.

---

Would any of the following also be available/practical to use?
Wooden Beams
Wooden Planks
A ladder
Coffin lids
Rope, and a meat hook or small anchor (for a makeshift grappling hook)

"Right, well we do have options to consider. Could probably turn a bookshelf into planks, the stone lid would be sturdy but might be too heavy. You think you could avoid the traps on the way back safely, Lazarus?"

"I would imagine backtracking shouldn't be too much of a problem, now that we know where the traps are and what they do." Whether or not his assumption was correct remained to be seen.

Any of those items would potentially be useful, except for the coffin lids - they're definitely strong enough but a little too short.  You could probably scrounge up any of the supplies you listed, though wood is in short supply except by dismantling furniture.

You can safely backtrack here; you already got through once, I'm not going to make you roll for it again.

"Very well, let's see if the current castle denizens will object to a little... refurnishing. Lead the way, Lazarus."

Lazarus nodded, the led the way as requested. He went with the best option first, if available, and searched out a sturdy ladder. It could help with both crossing the gap, or with getting someone out if they fell in. Aside from that though, he also scavenged some posts from a fancy bed (that looked like it hadn't been slept in in ages) rather than desecrate an innocent bookshelf. With four bedposts bound together so they wouldn't roll apart from eachother, Lazarus laid the piece across the chasm and crawled across to the far side. He was eager to see what might lay down the hall around the corner.

Istvan sticks with his allies... but about 10 feet behind them and what they're doing, in case he has to grab them, pull them back, and heal them really fast...

Lazarus does indeed find a nice bed to dismantle.  It gets him over the pit to the corner platform.  From there he can see that the hallway extends only a short distance further and ends with a heavy oak door.

"Hmm. Let's have a look here. More traps?" Lucius proceeds warily.

12:51, Today: Lucius rolled 4 using 2d6.  Discern Realities.

Nice.

Lazarus winced as Lucius moved to search for more traps. "Don't forget, we gathered a multitude of supplies for testing the way forward. The distance may be short, but that does not mean it is safe!"

If Lucius didn't manage to get himself decapitated first, Lazarus would continue using his gathered resources to test the last stretch to the door for traps. Including the door itself.

---

Checking for more traps.
21:10, Today: Lazarus Steel rolled 11 using 2d6+3.  Defy Danger + Int: more traps?

Neither Lucius nor Lazarus sees anything here that seems dangerous, even on the door itself.  Although it occurs to Lazarus that this probably just means the trap makers were saving up for something even worse on the other side of it.

"This is where that sledgehammer probably would have come in handy," Lazarus commented dryly. But since he had no such tool, it seemed they would need to actually open the door the old fashioned way. "Shields ready everyone," he said, then slowly turned the knob and stood ready to avoid anything that might come their way. Arrows, poison gas, an undead army, etc.

He started by only opening it a crack, however, and then (assuming no catastrophes occurred) attempted to use his makeshift tools to check for more traps again. Slowly nudging the door further and further open as he eliminated the possibility of more and more potential hazards.

---

21:35, Today: Lazarus Steel rolled 14 using 2d6+3.  Defy Danger + Int: more traps? again.
He's go a knack for trap-finding, it seems.

The door opens, and nothing happens.  You all wait a few seconds, and still nothing happens.  Lazarus takes whatever remaining weight he has for this purpose and throws it into the room.  Something happens - magical fire bursts up from the cracks between the floor tiles in about a three-foot radius from where the test weight landed.

And now that the room is illuminated you can see the treasure that it contains.  Two large, ornate coffers that look like they will be unpleasant to carry out of here, and a kite shield mounted on the wall.  The shield is decorated with a green and white checker pattern and an image of the sun rising over a hill, and it looks like it's been polished recently.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:38, Wed 14 Apr 2021.

Istvan is very interested in the shield with the broken chain, but he's not going to be hasty about it, either.

The polished recently bothers him... If this was something the vampires didn't like, like the blessed mace, then they wouldn't take care of it, would they (as indeed they didn't take special care of the blessed mace)?

On the other hand, if none of the servants have been down in this room, then why would the shield look polished? Maybe it always looks like that. Maybe it's got a Lookin' Great enchantment or something on it.

This bears closer inspection... but first Istvan will see what his colleagues do next. He sees his primary role as fast healing in case trap-de-setting goes wrong...

"Lucius, would you be so kind as to retrieve the treasures and bring them outside of this door. I will deal with the magical fire." The wizard rolled up his sleeves, revealing his unsettlingly augmented arms and prepared to cast some magic. It was a new spell he had only recently developed, and he was eager to test its effectiveness.

"Dorikar melrathozz blakendar-rethmiklon!" His arms flailed wildly as he cast his spell until it culminated in a burst of anti-magic directed at the fire trap on the floor. The air crackled with the smell of citrus and burnt hair as magical strands were ripped from their ethereal moorings.

He could tell that he still needed to work on some balancing issues within the spell though, because some of his own mystical threads felt a bit unraveled as well.

---

Casting Dispel Magic on the magical fire trap. "Choose a spell or magic effect in your presence (the fire trap): this spell rips it apart. Lesser spells are ended, powerful magic is just reduced or dampened so long as you are nearby."
14:16, Today: Lazarus Steel rolled 8 using 2d6+3.  Cast Dispel Magic on fire trap.
I will choose: "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." It seems like the proper choice for this exact moment.

"Very handy skill, Lazarus!" The paladin happily walks over the disabled trap (if it indeed seems to be disabled). He first admires the shield for a moment before taking it off the wall, then walks up to the treasure chests. Lucius tests the weight of the chest, already thinking of how to carry them out through the trapped corridoor. Afterwards, he carries them out of the room and into the safe part of the corridoor, to inspect them without any immediate threat.

Lazarus's spell does indeed disable the fire trap.  Nothing else impedes you from taking the treasures out into the hall except for their own weight, which is considerable.

The coffers open safely.  Inside they contain a considerable mix of gold and silver coins and various rough cut gemstones.  At a glance you estimate the total value here to be 1200 coin.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:34, Sun 11 Apr 2021.

Lucius stands with his gaping mouth over the pile of treasure they recovered. "I have not seen such wealth before!" However, he quickly turns his attention to the well polished shield, comparing it to his own.

I just read in the SRD that 100 coins is 1 load. We could take it in a couple trips, I think. Lucius has 5 spare load.

"Yeah, it sure is a welcome sight, isn't it?" the wizard agreed with Lucius. "Let's get it out into a safer area. Slowly. We can take it a bit at a time so that we don't fall down that pit..."

Lazarus emptied his supplies out in the room before the death-trap hall, then returned to help carry a few loads of treasure back with him. He could have conjured an unseen servant to assist, but he wasn't sure how well it would be able to cross the pit's gap. "How do you think we should split this?" he asked his fellow adventurers. "I'm thinking we grab as much as we can carry and leave the rest for the people staying here. The gems will probably give us more value per weight if they are as valuable as they look."

"I can hardly imagine what we would do with this amount of treasure, but it seems reasonable enough. We shall see what the current castle denizens think of our proposal." Lucius agrees with the wizard.

Working together, the three of you eventually manage to retrieve all of the loot and haul it up into the castle proper.  The remaining staff are surprised and thankful for your generosity, though you also get the sense that they don't really know what to do with all of this money.

------

Shield description a couple posts up has been edited.

"Well, you have a full castle to maintain now, should you stay. I'm no expert but I imagine this will cost a lot. Hm, you know what? I could send the word out to my Order. They might have use for a fortified outpost in these treacherous lands, and you would enjoy protection and more efficient organization. You'd have to give up some authority over this castle, though."

When others start deliberating, Lucius takes a moment to consider the emblem on the shield. He's fairly sure he recognizes it...

18:04, Today: Lucius rolled 7 using 2d6-1. Spout Lore on the newly acquired shield.

Let us make a proper tally of the loot.

Lucius has 6 spare load, meaning 600 gold coins. He can ditch rations as he's currently not subject to hunger for additional 200. Though he would not mind leaving some behind as the amount is overwhelming as is.

I'm going to swap my old shield for the new one, they probably take up the same load.

"That sounds like a good idea, Lucius, if your order is up for it. I imagine they will be interested once we inform them of what is going on nearby." He was referring to the destination their party was headed to, with the slaves they intended to free.

While the paladin studied his new shield, Lazarus conjured a helper to assist with carrying the treasures. Well, actually, it assisted with Lazarus's books and dagger while the wizard carried the valuables himself. He stuffed his pockets full of coins, and grabbed as many jewels as he could handle.

---

Casting Unseen Servant:
15:06, Today: Lazarus Steel rolled 10 using 2d6+2.  Cast Unseen Servant.

I will grab 300 coins for 3 weight, plus any 0 weight gems that might be there. Are there any 0 weight gems? If so, how much are they worth?

The staff are generally agreeable to Lucius' suggestion at first, until Mariana raises the important question of "What would it mean for us to relinquish control to your order?  After all the time we have already spent under someone else's control?"

Vittorio tries to be helpful here, but he doesn't actually know anything about the Order besides the one or two paragraphs worth of introduction that Lucius gave him a couple hours ago.

As far as the shield, Lucius recognizes the symbols as representing the Sun overcoming any barriers that try to block it.

Right, encumbrance details.  800 worth of actual coins (8 Load), and then 400 worth of gems (1 Load total, or negligible per person if you share).

"Ah, I understand. Worry not, you'll not be serving the Order, we have people for menial labor. Usually initiates..." Lucius snickers, clearly reminiscing. "The Order of the Sun, though composed mostly of wandering knight-errants like myself who seek out darkness to vanquish, is ran military-style. We have very few permanent outposts - most notably, the one in the Great Holy City of Haspia serves as our headquarters." He gave an honest answer. "I assure you we are only interested in serving the realm best we can, and bringing sunlight to the darkest corners. I only meant that we follow strict organization rules."

Lazarus excused himself as Lucius began explaining the details of his order's outpost policies. "While you guys figure out all of the nitty gritty details, I am going to go find a quiet spot to re-center my mind before we proceed. I will readjust which spells I have at the ready as well. Spells better suited for the journey ahead. I will come find you in about an hour or so, and hopefully we will be ready to leave then."

---

Lazarus is preparing spells again before we leave. Dispell probably won't be as useful on the road, and he wants to erase his negative modifier as well. He has prepared Light, Unseen Servant, Prestidigitation, Detect Magic, Magic Missile, Cure Light Wounds, Charm Person.

Mariana responds "And as staff in the castle, would we be expected to follow these rules as well?  Or would we have some say in the matter?"

"But you're no mere staff, are you? You own this castle now! So of course, you will have a say in the matter, but my Order can refuse if your demands are unreasonable. We're not going to take over the castle if we can't reach an agreement. All I ask of you is to consider it, and discuss it with my Order's representative." Lucius clears his throat, adding awkwardly. "This might... take a while. I'm in the middle of a quest now. Oh, I suppose I could write a letter, but one of you would have to deliver it to Vorbrud and further, if you're interested in what I'm proposing?"

Lucius's words seem to reassure everyone well enough.  With a little more reassurance about how safe it is (or isn't) to travel, they begin planning amongst themselves for someone to head down to Vorbrud and hire a messenger.

Lucius asks for ink and parchment and composes a letter:

Brothers and Sisters!

May The Sun shine ever so Bright! I bring news of Victory over Foe Most Foul, whose Darkness has been Illuminated! A Vampyre Couple, Segliani their name, and their Demon Slave will Plague the land no more.

Thanks be to the Sun for Many Blessings of Valor bestowed upon me and my Companions, who by their Decisive Action proved themselves to be True Heroes. Let it be known that Istvan the Faithful of Noric was Steadfast in the face of Undead Menace and kept the Minions of the Vampyre Couple at bay. And let it be known that Lazarus the Mage has banished the Demon Slave from the Mortal Realm, releasing the Castle Servants from An Enthralling Spell.

The Castle stands full of Castle Servants whose Freedom has been restored. They are no Warriors, and Darkness threatens to creep into the Stone again! Many more threats Plague the land: Violent Goblins, Cursed Plants and Strange Cults. It is why I was Struck by Inspiration to write this Message. An Outpost of the Order could be established in the Castle! The Castle Servants are now Castle Owners, and they are Agreeable to this Idea. As they had no Freedom under the Demon Slave's Enthralling Spell, they value their Freedom very highly. An Agreement must be made for Mutual Coexistence in the Castle. I Believe a Satisfying Outcome can be reached. Go to Vorbrud and use the Provided Map to find the Castle.

I could not Deliver this Message, for My Holy Quest takes me to Dreorus, and I will Bring the Sun to its Darkest Corners.

May the Sun shine ever so Bright!

Brother Lucius.
This message was lightly edited by the player at 08:51, Mon 26 Apr 2021.

Lucius leaves his letter with one of the servants, and then the three of you (plus Vittorio) set out for Dreorus.  The slavers you captured before told you two days by wagon; wagons may not be known for their speed but they're still at least a little bit faster than walking.  Plus you're walking through this forest part of the way, rather than sticking to the roads, so that costs a little more time as well.  Long story short, the rest of the journey takes the better part of two days on top of the time it already took you to get from Vorbrud to the castle.  But at least nothing tries to kill you during that time, so that's nice.

On the second day of travel (or third day, depending on when you started counting), as the sun approaches the western horizon, you come to the edge of a wheat field.  At least, it looks like wheat, but taller than you've ever seen before, and with big enough heads that you could probably get a loaf of bread out of just three or four stalks.  As you take in the sights, you hear a voice shout "Hey, you ain't supposed to be there!  You raidin' my farm?!"  Looking to your right, you see that the speaker is a farmer, human, brandishing a rake.  He appears to be alone.

"Not raiding at all," says Istvan. "Just passing through, and admiring the size of your crop. Never seen wheat like this before."

(I had Istvan speak up because he's got a +1 to CHR rolls, if needed...)
This message was last edited by the player at 17:12, Sat 01 May 2021.

"Greetings! We mean no harm. What's your name, stranger? I'm Lucius." the paladin introduces himself politely.

"And I am Lazarus," the wizard added. "I had heard things were bigger near Dreorus, but I never dreamed it was to this extent!" He made a show of being amazed by the size of the wheat. "Marvelous. Just marvelous!" Perhaps his acting was a bit over the top, but there was still some truth behind it too. He really did find the gigantism to be quite interesting from a wizarding perspective.

The farmer is immediately mollified by your kind words.  He is still walking toward you, but not in the same tense way as a moment ago, and he is just carrying the rake now rather than brandishing it.  When he is close enough to respond without having to shout he says "Well, it's all thanks to some hard work and the blessings of Matyokol, may He guide us safely through the night.  So where are y'all passing through to?"

"Ah, you mention Matyokol? We've heard of this deity." Lucius reassures the farmer, though he grows tense. "May I ask, how do you receive such wondrous blessing?"

"Prayer and offerings.  By moonlight, of course."  His tone of voice as he answers you sounds like this should have been obvious, and the sidelong glance suggests that whatever trust you might have built up so far has just fallen a bit.

"Yes, of course." Lucius nods. He seems flustered, doubly so because of his sacred Vow of Truth. He chooses his next words carefully, or so he thinks. What comes out is rather blunt, though. "Could we observe these rituals of yours? We've heard a lot about them."

"I would also be very interested in seeing these rituals," Lazarus said in earnest. "Rituals are of a particular interest to me. I've had a few go awry on me in the past though..." he indicated his strange-looking forearms. "It would be nice to see some rituals that are tried and true for a change. Because obviously yours work!" He brushed a hand against one of the oversized wheat stalks again.

"Well, the full moon ain't for another week yet," the farmer replies. "But I can take you to meet with Master Vorn, I'm sure he can teach you something before then."

Assuming you follow, the farmer leads you through his fields until he comes to an ox cart parked by a large barn.  He tells you to wait while he gets it ready; although it is almost nightfall he seems perfectly willing to take a little trip at this time.  While you weigh your options he goes into the barn and then comes back out, leading one of the largest oxen you have ever seen in your lives.  Not the largest, mind you - it's about equal to the ones the slavers had.

Lucius looks to his companions with slight concern, but accepts the offer regardless. "Thank you. Master Vorn, sounds like a wise man. What can you tell us about him?"

While Lucius talked, Lazarus gawked at the ox to really sell the group's interest. Sure, they had seen a huge ox before, but it was still pretty easy to drum up the appropriate amount of awe. After all, it was a giant ox! He could probably encounter 100 of them and the 101st would still be magnificent to behold up close.

"Can I... Can I pet it?" he asked meekly as Lucius and the farmer discussed going to see Master Vorn.

"Oh, aye, very wise indeed.  He is Matyokol's voice down here on earth.  Passes on His blessings and His teachings, and leads in the offerings.  I'm sure he will teach you everything."

The farmer is pulled from his soliloquy by Lazarus's subsequent question, and responds "Sure, he's gentle, just don't spook him."

Lazarus pat the beast's side as he walked next to it. "I look forward to learning what Master Vorn is willing to teach," the wizard commented as they made their way toward town.

The cart doesn't move quickly, and by the time you reach your destination the last hint of daylight has faded.  The moon is starting to climb in the sky, and the stars provide just enough light besides that.

The place where the farmer delivers you is a large, well, farmhouse.  The field around does not have the gigantic crops you saw elsewhere, but you do see a cluster of tall structures way in the back.  The farmer climbs down from the cart and knocks on the door.  It opens just a bit, and the farmer says "Master Vorn, I have some visitors here, they'd like to learn from you."

The door opens wider now, and from the firelight inside you can see the silhouette of an older-looking man.  He faces you all and says, loud enough for it to clearly be directed at you, "Is that so?  Well come on inside then.  I've just put on some tea."

"Greetings, my name is Lucius." The paladin bows slightly, accepting the invitation and trying his best to remain calm. He thinks he does it well enough.

"And I am Lazarus," the wizard added, matching Lucius as best he could. "I hope we aren't interrupting your bedtime routine." Lazarus suspected they were not actually interrupting any such bedtime routine, but he wanted to hear it in the villagers' own words why they didn't seem to be getting ready for sleep after the sun had already set.

"Istvan," Istvan nodded. He'd put his holy symbol under his clothing for the immediate future...

"Master Vorn, he says in a gruff voice, nodding at you.  "Come on inside, make yourselves comfortable."

As you come closer you can make out more of Vorn's features.  He is tall and wiry, with a ring of white hair around an otherwise bald head.  He holds a weathered pipe in his mouth, and his eyes seem to almost glow in the moonlight as he looks you up and down.

The house is warm and comfortably furnished.  Vorn shows you into the living room where a fire burns brightly, with a kettle hanging over it.  He sits in the largest chair, takes a puff of his pipe, and says "So you're interested in Matyokol, are you?  We're always glad to spread the good word.  Where do you hail from, by the way?  We've had interest from a number of important people.  The Duchess of Nadolga, for instance."

"The Duchess of Nodalga?" Lazarus asked in genuine surprise. "I am actually the Duchess of Nodalga's cousin's nephew! Perhaps I could put in a good word."

The relation to the duchess was true, but it wasn't exactly a relative he had contact with. But they didn't know that. Unfortunately it wasn't until after he had mentioned his relation that he realized the "interest from a number of important people" wasn't necessarily good attention. But the wizard crossed his fingers and hoped that it was good attention in this case.

Lazarus - what have you always suspected about the Duchess's ambitions?

Lucius - your Order has some presence in Nadolga; what is their opinion of the Duchess?

"I hail from Haspia, master Vorn." The Great Holy City of Haspia was home to the Order of the Sun's headquarters as well as numerous other religious institutions.

Lucius was afraid to speak, given his vows of honesty, and he suspected a Moon cultist would not take kindly to a Sun Paladin.

The Order considers the Duchess a fickle woman whose amicable demeanor conceals inscrutable motives. She has helped with many a quest in the area... By possessing a suspicious amount of information.

Lazarus had always suspected that the duchess was more interested in following the popular trends rather than interested in doing what was best for her people. (Thankfully, doing what was best for her people tended to be popular among, well, her people.) Lazarus suspected that if she was considering converting to this new religion, it would be more because it was gaining popularity rather than because she had any true religious revelations about it. He also heard rumor that she had numerous spies throughout the land. Their main purpose was to help her stay ahead of the current trends, but of course they often reported other important information to her as well.

Lazarus did not share this with present company though. He figured it probably wouldn't help. Instead he plopped himself gently onto the sofa and made himself comfortable. "I haven't truly hailed from anywhere specific if quite some time, but most of my family originates from the general Nadolga area."

To Lazarus, the old man says Yes, that would be most helpful.  If you are indeed here to study our teachings, then perhaps you can identify whichever aspects she would likely find most appealing.  Personally, I find that doubling the amount of food our farms produce is a pretty strong selling point, but some folks have different ideas.

When Lucius mentions Haspia, Vorn raises an eyebrow in concern.  In a cooler tone of voice, he replies We've had a few visitors from there as well.  Which part of Haspia are you from exactly?

"I will certainly try and do my best to identify the appealing parts," Lazarus assured the old man. He then furrowed his brow inquisitively as Vorn questioned Lucius about Haspia. "Why would the specific part of Haspia matter? Are there certain parts of the city more intrigued with your teachings than others? Surley any city would be interested in doubling food production, right?"

Of course Lazarus's question was meant to lead Vorn away from interrogating his friend Lucius. Lazarus knew Lucius wouldn't want to lie, and he knew Lucius probably wouldn't want to tell the truth about his home city either. Not in this particular circumstance anyway. And so Lazarus did his best to lead the conversation in a new direction without Vorn even really noticing.

---

Trying to redirect the conversation to help save Lucius from a bit of interrogation. I'm thinking Defy Danger +Cha? At the very least, here is a +Cha roll.

21:46, Today: Lazarus Steel rolled 5 using 2d6+1.  Cha roll - redirect conversation.
Aaaaand I probably made it worse. But +1 XP!

While Lazarus tried to (unsuccessfully) divert the conversation elsewhere, Lucius appeared detached. His mind was racing, figuring out the next omission and non-answer, until he reminded himself who he was and what was his purpose. The few seconds of focus were all that was needed, and a quick prayer to the Sun only strengthened his conviction. He now knew what to do.

Lucius put his armored hand on Lazarus' shoulder. "It's alright, we have nothing to hide."

Turning to their host with a focused expression, he explained. "I am a member of the Order of the Sun, Master Vorn. I am here to investigate troubling rumours that we uncovered, regarding Matyokol and his worship." He leaned forward, now on the edge of his seat, and eagerly awaited a response.

GM, Lucius asks the Sun for guidance: what here is evil?

Master Vorn looks around the room, looking each of you in the eye, and says sternly "The Order of the Sun certainly would have concerns about a moon god gaining in power.  Sun and Moon must remain in balance, right?"  He takes a long drag on his pipe, then says "The tea should be ready now.  Why don't we save the theology debates for tomorrow.  You're all tired, have a drink and stay the night, and we can resume after you've rested."

Lucius is certain that Vorn means to harm you all, though he doesn't know more than that just yet.

"We're not here to discuss matters of theology!" Lucius raised his voice as the Sun began to unveil the depths of Vorn's depraved nature.

He raised an accusatory finger at Vorn.

"You stand accused of partaking in slavery. What are you doing with these poor people?"

What does Lucius know about the theological aspect of Sun vs. Moon? No doubt it was covered during his Paladin training, whether he was awake during that particular lecture is a different matter entirely.

16:57, Today: Lucius rolled 7 using 2d6-1. Spout Lore

Being as educated in theological matters as he is, Lucius is aware that different mythologies suggest different relationships between Sun and Moon.  Some cultures believe them to be friends taking turns at holding power, others believe them to be bitter rivals.  However, there does seem to be one common thread, which is that the Moon is always envious of the Sun to some extent.  Though, again, they all differ on what their version of the Moon actually does about this.

But here in the present moment, Master Vorn stares at you from his seat.  His body tenses.  His voice remains firm but not harsh, and he says "Slaves?  No, you're mistaken there.  All we do is bring people into the light.  Everyone gets there in a different way, mind you, but that's alls there is to it."

This may or may not be believable to the rest of the party, but Lucius can tell immediately that the "they're not slaves" statement is only true in the most technical sense, and that even Vorn only half-believes his claim of universal benevolence.

"Everyone, whether they like it or not? And how exactly would that differ from slavery if you're giving these people no choice?" Lucius countered Vorn's claim. "We know you've been trading with goblin slavers." The paladin sits upright with crossed arms, divine inspiration fueling his words that cut through the deception and omission.

As if to further punctuate Lucius's point, the teakettle suddenly lets out a shrill whistle.  Vorn stands up and walks slowly to the fireplace.  As he goes he says "Is that so?  Well what do you plan to do then, great warrior of daylight?"  Once there he dons a heavy mitt with which to safely remove the kettle from its hook.  He stares Lucius directly in the eyes and says "The moon will follow wherever you go.  You think you can pull it down from the sky?"  With that, he walks out of the room, calling back to you "Sorry, I wasn't expecting guests, and I forgot to bring the cups out as I was caught up in conversation.  I'll be back in just a minute.  Anyone for milk or honey?"

When it became clear their ruse was no longer such, Lazarus sighed. It was probably better that their cards were mostly on the table now, but it certainly complicated things.

Or... Maybe it didn't have to complicate things after all.

"I admire your continued civility after finding out we are at odds," Lazarus commented to Vorn. It would be the honest truth too, if Lazarus wasn't so increasingly suspicious of the extreme civility. Was he going to try and poison their party? Brainwash them? Drug them? "My friend here certainly has... strong, opinions when it comes to the celestial bodies of the heavens above. But that doesn't mean we can't still discuss these issues in a civilized manner, right? Here, let me show my thanks by being a good guest and help you with those cups."

As Lazarus rushed to assist Vorn, he brushed against the man and muttered a magical incantation. A spell of charming. And by the feel of it, it should have done the trick too.

---

Attempting to cast Charm Person on Vorn. Discretely if possible. Especially if other non-party members are still able to observe the attempt.
21:31, Today: Lazarus Steel rolled 10 using 2d6+3.  Cast Charm Person on Vorn.

"Oh, thank you," Vorn says with what sounds like genuine appreciation.  He leads you through an open doorway from the sitting room to the kitchen.  Placing the kettle down on a wooden counter with years' worth of matching rings burned into it, he points to a cabinet with cups and saucers, then goes to the larder to retrieve a jar of honey and a loaf of bread.  As he does so he says "So your friend's got this bug up his arse about spreading my religion.  And what's your interest here?"

"...no milk, no tea." Lucius sits back, slightly deflated. Sacred laws of hospitality must be upheld after all, even if you're in the house of a literal antithesis of your own religion.

After grabbing the cups and saucers and spreading them out to fill, Lazarus replied to Vorn after a moment of consideration. "Yeah, he really does, to be honest. But he truly just wants what is best for everyone. And if you truly believe in your religion, I ask you, friend to friend, to do your best to convince him without resorting to any... "tricks." You know what I mean?"

"I myself am truly interested in learning all that you are willing to teach. I know little about the intricacies of your faith, and would love to broaden my knowledge base. My friends probably would too, even if they look to be much less enthusiastic about it. So please, I ask that you help us learn the old-fashioned way before trying any "alternative conversion methods." And if you do feel the need to use an alternative method, please let me know beforehand. I can probably help lessen the risks considerably."

Lazarus conveniently left out the reason why he was so interested in learning all about Vorn's religion. That reason being so that they could properly dismantle it. At least the more evil bits.

The wizard grabbed the cups and saucers after they were filled so that he could help carry them out to the others. He did not particularly enjoy being alone with Vorn, spell or not.

"Yes, of course, of course..." Vorn mumbles in response to Lazarus.  When you return to the sitting room he passes out he holds out the tea on a tray for everyone to take their own cup.  He takes a sip of his own, sits down, and turns back to Lucius.  "Alright, so let's get to the point.  Matyokol gives us bountiful crops and healthy livestock, as I'm sure you've noticed.  Our people eat better now than ever before.  You object to some of the rituals that help make this possible.  So if you are going to deprive us of the Moon's blessings, then how will you make up for it?"

Lucius freezes at the sudden change in demeanor, his confused eyes looking between Lazarus and Vorn, righteous zeal all gone for now. Hesistantly, he speaks:

"I... would need to... know more about these... rituals? Before I can give you a definitive answer."

"Oh, you know, same as any other religion.  We come together as a group say some prayers to our God, ask for His blessing, make a sacred offering, and then have a good drink.  Matyokol has led us to cider, in case you were wondering, though if I'm being honest we might have already come to that conclusion even without His guidance.  Though our apple orchards have certainly been more bountiful since His power has grown."

"Sacred... offering...? Surely you don't mean human sacrifices?!" Lucius exclaims in disbelief.

"Please, be honest with us," Lazarus requested of Vorn. "Trying to put a layer of sugar atop things right now will not be doing anyone any favors. We are all rational adults here." Lazarus sipped his tea while giving meaningful glances to his fellow party members, silently urging them not to overreact if Vorn admitted something abhorrent.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:07, Sun 11 July 2021.

Vorn nods at Lazarus's words and responds sagely "Reasonable, yes, but emotional also.  Those who adhere strongly to one set of teachings are often shocked to encounter different teachings, no matter how clear their truth.  It's nothing personal, of course, it's just how people are."  He then turns back to Lucius and says "So yes, I do mean that a person's blood must fertilize the soil.  I know how that sounds to someone who isn't already a believer, but you've seen some of the results.  It works a lot better than cow dung, eh?"

At this point Vittorio chokes on his tea, the sudden spluttering interrupting the awkward silence or whatever else was about to follow Vorn's explanation.

Lucius was this close to punching Vorn in his smug face. Fortunately, the sudden interruption by Vittorio let him cool down somewhat, now he was merely glaring at the cult leader with unabashed disgust, hands curled into fists.

"Sacrificing people to grow your crops and animals? Do you truly believe that killing for temporal gains is in any way justifiable?!" The last part was basically shouted out.

Lazarus tried not to react too much to the revelation that humanoid blood sacrifices were being conducted. After all, they had already expected as much. Instead Lazarus focused his attention on monitoring the behavior of those involved in the conversation. Keeping an eye out for any signs of danger or discomfort. Or any signs that there was more going on than met the eye.

For instance, had Vittorio choked on his tea because of Vorn's unexpected honesty, or was there something in the tea? The wizard licked his lips, tasting his own sip of tea again. He also wanted to make sure Vorn still seemed to be under the Charm spell. If he managed to break free (or had some form of divine protection), Lazarus would want to know.

In general, he was just doing his best to keep an eye on things while Lucius and Vorn debated whether evil acts could ever be justified.

---

Discerning Realities on the conversation (both the people and the area):
14:57, Today: Lazarus Steel rolled 12 using 2d6.  Discern Realities - group conversation.
Much better than I had dared hoped for. I will take +1 forward and ask:

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

As far as Lazarus can tell, Vorn is still under his spell.  He seems relaxed as he sips his tea; Vittorio's interruption had startled him for just a moment, but now that Vittorio has caught his breath and calmed down a bit, so has Vorn.  He seems confident too, more so than someone should be when they are in a room with several potential hostiles, and no one else on their side (but maybe that's just a side effect of the Charm spell?).  He also occasionally glances to the large window in the front of the room; the seating is arranged such that he is on the other side, with your party between him and it, but Lazarus is starting to feel a little suspicious of this now.

As for what might be about to happen, it seems that the most likely risk is Lucius losing his temper.  In fact, it almost seems like Vorn is goading him as he says "Of course I do!  If Matyokol tells me it is right, then of course it is right!  He has guided us well so far, and will continue to do so as long as we remain faithful and obedient.  And we reap the rewards for our faith right here on earth!  How long do your gods expect you to wait before you receive their rewards?"

Lazarus's eyes narrowed as he observed all of the details of the conversation. There was definitely more here than met the eye. Why were they trying to goad Lucius? And why did they keep glancing out the window? Did they mean for someone to witness Lucius losing his temper on Vorn? Something else?

Regardless of the answer, Lazarus knew he had to act before it was too late. As Vorn finished his goading words, Lazarus got to his feet and held up a hand to pause Lucius's reaction (hopefully), for at least a moment.

Sternly, to Vorn, Lazarus asked, "Are you purposefully trying to provoke my friend here? To what end?" He glanced back at the window Vorn kept glancing out, then leaned over and pressed a hand against it. "And let's have a bit more privacy from here on out..." He channeled some of his magical energies into a simple cantrip, causing the window's color to change from transparent to an opaque black.

He then lowered his hand, signaling that he had no intention of halting Lucius from reacting however the man saw fit.

---

Casting Prestidigitation on the window, changing its color to opaque black. (Lazarus didn't see anything obvious outside of it, did he?) I will use the +1 from my Discern Realities to add to my spellcasting.

20:30, Today: Lazarus Steel rolled 13 using 2d6+4.  Cast Prestidigitation on window, with bonus.

Lazarus doesn't see anything in particular through the window, just the moonlit field.  Vorn seems to deflate just a bit when you block it out, and in a more subdued voice he replies "I invited you all into my home, and your friend here wants to accuse me of doing wrong.  Alls I do is follow what my god teaches me, just like he does with his.  He don't like it, maybe he should take it up with Matyokol Himself."

"Your hospitality is the only reason I haven't already...! Wait, what did you say?" Lucius blinks in surprise. "And how am I to converse with Matyokol exactly?"

"Potion.  You drink it, it takes your spirit up to His plane.  Knocks your body out for a few hours, of course, but you should come back alright.  Takes three nights to brew.  Of course, if I'm making any I might as well make enough for all four of you.  What do you say, man of the gods?"

"… Huh." Once again, Lucius' righteous zeal is gone, replaced with utter confusion. "Well... three nights? I'm not sure we have this much time..." he looks between the charmed man and Lazarus with concern.

"I admit, I am at least interested in seeing the recipe," Lazarus said tentatively. Like Lucius, Lazarus felt a certain amount of concern. Three days was a long time, and he definitely did not want to be left unconscious among their enemies either. But if the recipe looked like it might truly do what Vorn claimed, it might be at least worth considering.

Istvan steps up to Lazarus and Lucius. "I'm not sure I'd want to travel to the world in question, even if the potion in question works as it's supposed to," he whispers to them...

This whole thing is increasingly making Istvan itch... figuratively speaking. Literally speaking, it was increasingly giving him the creeps. "Can we maybe just get a tour of the operation first, as it were?"

Istvan's preferred plan would be something more like:

ONE find any prisoners
TWO free any prisoners
THREE apply heavy blunt objects to people's heads for taking and keeping prisoners,

in that order, and he's starting to get anxious about how the current direction of the adventure seems to be threatening to edge away from his ideal plan...

Vorn does not seem to notice Istvan's whispering, and instead responds to Lazarus's comment.  "I'm afraid I can't share the recipe with the uninitiated.  Divine secrets, you ken.  But you're a nice enough fellow, I might could find a bit of leeway if you could make a genuine show of faith to Matyokol."

"We must consider it! This is a chance to solve the issue at its core!" Lucius objects to Istvan in a hushed tone.

I think you're the tiebreaker Lazarus

Lazarus contemplated for several moments, carefully considering the pros and cons. Especially since it seemed he was the deciding vote among his party members.

The pros were that brewing the potion would buy them three more days of time. Which would give them a better chance to see what needed to be done here before things got ugly. Additionally, there was also the potential pro that they could have a chance to try and sway Matyokol on his own plane. Not to mention learning how to brew a potion to send them all there.

The cons were that any "swaying" seemed unlikely. And their bodies would be vulnerable in the meantime. Not to mention Vorn could even be lying about the potion's effect. Lazarus believed Vorn was still charmed and saw Lazarus as a friend, but friends could still lie to friends if they truly thought it was in their best interest. And Vorn was fanatical enough that it didn't seem like much of a stretch. So he definitely wouldn't want to drink the potion without knowing what was in it.

In the end, Lazarus decided that buying more time was the right way to go. But that still left one last detail to get sorted out. "Alright Vorn, my friend. How do I  make a 'genuine show of faith to Matyokol?' I think it would be smart of us to get acquainted with your community over the next few days while you brew that potion, so I am ready to learn what you are willing to teach."

"I have two condotions. One, you shall come with us. Two, during these three days, absolutely no... human... sacrifice." Lucius laid down his terms.

Vorn laughs gently and says "The full moon isn't for another week.  We don't do the serious sacrifices until then.  Now for you," he turns to Lazarus and looks him up and down, "there will need to be a small sacrifice.  Bit of your own blood, nothing too bad but enough to seal the deal.  Come with me, I'll take you to the place.  Your friends can come too if they like, no obligation but of course they're welcome to make the same sacrifice as you if they mean it.  Or they can stay here, if you can vouch they won't go snooping around.  We won't be gone that long."
This message was lightly edited by the GM at 19:52, Wed 04 Aug 2021.

"I would prefer you all come along with, if you wouldn't mind," Lazarus said to his friends. Then turning to Vorn, he added, "Nothing personal. I just want them to be there to see what all happens. And even though I trust you, my friend, I am not necessarily as trusting of everyone else in your community. Hope you understand." The wizard then prepared to follow Vorn to wherever the blood was to be spilled. It would not be the first (and hopefully not the last) time he had bled for the sake of accumulating knowledge.

"Yes, of course," Vorn responds.  He waits a moment to see if the other are following before he leads Lazarus (and possibly the rest of you) out the door...

Lucius is still too shocked by the whole development to really protest... Though he knows this to be a bad idea. He hesitantly nods and moves along with Vorn and Lucius.

What is Istvan to do? He goes along, his new mace ready to grab at any moment...

Glad to have his companions joining him, Lazarus followed Vorn to where the blood sacrifice was to take place. In the back of his mind the wizard quietly wondered if the blood sample he had given to the demons back at the castle to banish them from the premises would affect anything here. Only time would tell. He felt no reason to mention it to Vorn at this time though.

---

As a refresher, when Lazarus was performing the banishment ritual on the demon-cauldron back at the vampire castle, the following choice was made:

Lazarus - dark magic is versatile, so you get a couple of options here.  If you proceed with the ritual, pick one:
-put some of your own blood into the ritual - 2hp worth should do it, but it means that The Other Side now has a blood sample from you

Lazarus - thanks for the reminder, much appreciated!

Vorn leads you out through the farmland and into the adjoining woods.  Though you all know how to deal with the light of moon and stars, Vorn is clearly more comfortable with this limited illumination than you are (especially once there is tree cover blocking out most of it).  Before long you come to a clearing about 15 yards across.  In the center is a narrow standing stone, about as tall as two adult humans.  Vorn beckons you to come close to the stone, on a certain side of it.  As you approach you can tell that there are carvings all around it.  It is too dark to tell what they are though.  However, Lazarus can tell right away that this is a Place of Power.

Once you are more or less in the right spot, Vorn bows his head and begins muttering a prayer - "Exalted Matyokol, who lights the darkness and gives us life when others hide in shadow, please accept this offering as a sign of faith from these travelers as they come to know Your power and glory."  With that done, he looks up at all of you again and says "Right then, in your own time."

As they came upon the clearing, Lazarus's mind was already analyzing the situation from a dozen different directions at once, keeping an eye out for signs of danger of any kind. He would have loved to use his Light cantrip to get a better view of everything, but he assumed it would be severely frowned upon to do so.

Looking at the standing stone, he made his best guess at what he could expect to happen in the next few moments. He looked at the current alignment of the moon and stars, since astrology seemed significant to this religion. He estimated their current geographical position, cross-referencing his memory for any notable ruins in the area. He smelled the air for the scent of blood to see if there was any old or fresh smells (then promptly remembered he had yet to restore his sense of smell from a botched spell several days prior.) He looked for signs of how trampled the grass was, indicating how often this place was used. Was any of the wildlife as gargantuan as the local crops? And he listened, both for the sounds of other people and local wildlife.

Every detail analyzed painted a more vivid picture of what was really going on here, and if it was safe for him to spill a bit of blood. But unless something serious cropped up in his investigation, the wizard pulled out his dagger to do what needed to be done.

---

Using Lazarus's Logical ability to discern realities using Int. He will perform the ritual if nothing major is revealed as a threat. (And if there is a way to restore his sense of smell from way back when as well, that would be one less thing for me to keep track of. A botched spell meant he lost his sense of smell until he could perform a minor ritual to restore it. Never got around to doing so though.)

Logical
When you use strict deduction to analyze your surroundings, you can discern realities with INT instead of WIS.

04:31, Today: Lazarus Steel rolled 12 using 2d6+3.  Logical Discern Realities.

I'll ask:
What happened here recently?
What is about to happen?
What here is not what it appears to be?

Putting the pieces together, Lazarus quickly determines that the standing stone predates Matyokol by centuries - not even just this new cult, but even earlier mentions of him in the literature as a normal local moon deity.  But stones like this have always served to link people in some way to their gods, whichever gods those might be at the moment.

The physical signs that you can make out tell you that no one has been through this clearing recently except for one human.  Not even any signs of animals, just one human.  You're pretty sure you can guess who that is.  And given what you've already sensed about this location, it seems like a reasonable guess that he's been performing other magical rituals here too.  The ones that don't require a human sacrifice, and maybe that do require a bit more privacy?

But you also notice an owl hooting.  It's close by, probably in the branches at the edge of the clearing.  Owls are nocturnal, so it might be a sign from Matyokol.  Perhaps a messenger, or a spy (or just "observer" if you're being generous).  Not that the moon itself is obscured at all right now, but you know how these deities are, always looking for ways to manifest their power in the mortal plane in a way that is simultaneously cryptic and obvious.  It's a nice change of pace from bats, in any case.

Sensing no obvious danger, Lazarus proceeds to shed a little blood (cosmetic damage only, no loss of hp).  The owl hoots again, louder this time, and flies across the clearing and then up into the dark sky.  Suddenly Lazarus's sense of smell returns.  Vorn smiles warmly, nods his head for a moment, and says "Anyone else?"  If there are no takers then he will lead you back to his house.

Istvan simply shakes his head to indicate no.

"I feel... renewed," Lazarus said honestly. He was referring to his returned sense of smell, but figured Vorn could interpret his words however he liked.

The presence of the owl worried Lazarus a little, but there wasn't really anything he could do about it, so he tried to ignore his feeling of unease. He then followed Vorn back to his home.

Everyone walks back in tense silence after the ritual.  About halfway back to Vorn's house, he turns to face the rest of you, continuing to walk backward without the slightest hesitation, and says "I've been thinking, we got off to rather a bad start, and it seems to me you'd probably still have some trouble trusting me, even as the wizard and I have become better friends.  There's a tavern in the village, I could arrange for you to stay there instead if you like."  His voice sounds genuine enough as he says this.

Lucius bit his tongue. He wasn't eager to divulge his freedom of sleep and hunger, nor did he think it was the best idea - or any of it, for that matter.

"I shall take you up on your offer. Thank you." he responds curtly.

"I think a more private place for us to stay might be nice," Lazarus agreed. "Especially if we are going to be here a few days while the potion is made. I do plan on spending the majority of my time observing the potion process though, so I might not be there very much myself." Lazarus was extremely interested in finding out how to create a potion that supposedly allowed you to see a god.

Vorn leads you to the center of the village.  The place is small enough that the tavern doesn't even appear to have a name.  That said, the building certainly looks big enough.  Besides that, you notice right away that there are two doors at the front of the building - one about eight feet tall, and the other only five feet.  Both are made from the same heavy wood.  Vorn opens the taller one and beckons you all inside.

The main room of the tavern is dim, with the warm glow of a dying fire emanating from the center of the room.  The only inhabitants you see when you come in are two humans and a dwarf sitting at a table near the fire.  You notice a pair of shields leaning nearby, with the royal crest of Dreorus painted on them and just barely visible in the light.  They were apparently in the middle of a conversation, but as soon as you all walk in the dwarf excuses himself, hops off the chair, and says "Master Vorn, wasson eh?"

Vorn nods affably and replies "Jago, I have some friends here who will be visiting us for a few days.  D'you mind putting them up?"

"Oh, aye," the dwarf responds.  "Common room'll afta do for now, but there ain't no one else in there right now so shouldn't be a problem."

"Sounds fine to me," Lazarus replied to the dwarf. He was finally beginning to feel just how late it was. Perhaps these townsfolk were mostly nocturnal, but Lazarus sure wasn't.

"When should I meet you to observe the potion brewing, Vorn? I would love a nap, but certainly don't want to miss out on any important steps in the process."

"Thank you." Lucius replies curtly, dashing towards the common room before he says something he would regret, and sighs deeply.

Even if he was not free of the need to sleep, he d not bat an eye that night.

"Not to worry, I'll probably need most of tomorrow to gather things together and make sure I've got the formula right.  I will let you know when I'm ready to begin."

With the three of them gathered together in the common room, Lucius' calm demeanor gives way to mild panic.

"What was that?" he whispers to Lazarus. "How long until Vorn realizes who we are? I was this close to striking him down on the spot, the morally corrupt fiend!"

"You can't solve every problem by lopping off someone's head, Lucius," Lazarus whispered back. "It sounds like that is how the townsfolk are trying to solve all of their problems though." He was referring to the townsfolk's sacrifices. Lazarus knew it wasn't the same as what Lucius wanted to do, but let the comparison be made anyway.

"Besides, what would we do after he was dead? Wander around town and just assume people would help us find the slaves? After they find their leader struck down or missing, I doubt anyone would be very trusting of outsiders. And I do not want to have to battle an entire town's-worth of people if we can help it. Especially when some of them probably need to use that big door out front."

"I would rather spend the next day or two gathering intel while the potion is being made. Figure out where we need to strike before we take any offensive actions." Lazarus wobbled his head indecisively, then admitted, "And yeah, I was also definitely curious about the god-potion. I don't deny that. But want to know something curious I noticed? Those standing stones where we did the ritual? They are older than Matyokol, by quite a bit. Thus, I believe they could be used to connect anyone to their god, whomever that god might be." The wizard gestured slyly to Lucius's fancy tabard bearing the crest of a burning sun.

Istvan frowned. He almost growled. He hated how much sense Lazarus was making... but he was. Istvan sighed and supposed he'd have to play along for now... If Lucius would do so. If he wouldn't... well, Istvan wouldn't mind that either, really. Istvan almost smiled to himself. It was almost win-win, if looked at from certain points of view...

It takes Lucius a few seconds to fully realize the implications of Lazarus' discovery... And then his jaw drops with a loud gasp.

He gawks in that manner for a good while, utterly amazed.

"Lazarus, you cunning fox! I have confidence in your plan."
This message was last edited by the player at 09:02, Tue 14 Sept 2021.

Lazarus bobbed his head, pleased that his friends seemed to be seeing the value of reason. "I am sure there is some form of beneficial ritual we could do at those standing stones when we take the potion. It is a Place of Power, which means potent rituals of various types can be performed there. It will probably take me a while to figure out what exactly to do though. I will need to see which ingredients and processes Vorn is using to make the potions if I want to be able to change its effects."

"In the meantime, maybe the two of you could return there during the day. Vorn was the only person (or creature, really) that has been going anywhere near there lately. And Vorn seems to be a very nocturnal person. If you two can manage to establish a connection to one or both of your deities, I have a hunch it will help us later."

"Very well, we'll see about that. Do not forget about the slaves, however: we need to locate the place they're holding them."

You all get some sleep, and wake up the next morning to a simple but satisfactory breakfast.  As you are finishing up you hear some commotion in the street outside.  When you go to look, two burly guards are dragging a young man by the arms, while he protests "...but I'm not a thief, I swear!"

Not one to shy away from confrontation (even despite himself, sometimes) Lucius steps forward. "What's the matter here? Why are you dragging this man away?" He speaks up, slightly agitated.

"He was caught stealing," one of the guards replies.

The young prisoner cries out "You can't prove I done-" but is interrupted as the other guard smacks him on the back of the head and adds "And being an infernal smartass.  The elders don't take kindly to that."

The prisoner responds to this second charge by flashing you a bigger grin then seems warranted under the circumstances.

Lazarus stood in the shade at the side of the street, watching the events unfold. He planned to let Lucius handle this his own way, but was still ready to hop in and assist if things turned rough.

---

Not much to add at the moment. I am keeping my spell selection the same as the previous day.

Lucius was unsure how to handle the situation, but hoped the Sun would reveal the truth before him.

"Did you do it? What did you steal?" he questions the young man.

hoping to make use of my 'senses that pierce lies'

"They didn't see me take anything," he answers.  With your divine senses you can see that his words are technically true, but obviously false underneath.  In that moment you notice some dark smudges on his hands, like ink.

Visibly frowning at the lie of omission, Lucius decides to address the guards instead.

"Forgive my curiosity, I've just arrived. What did this man steal, and how do you people punish thieves around these parts?"

The guards give you the kind of look that makes it clear they're not fond of outsiders, though they aren't outright hostile either.  One of them does tell you "He was caught trying to take supplies from the temple.  What happens next is up to the priests."

Lucius ponders the situation, remembering the Sun's propethic vision - someone in Dreorus wasn't happy with the current situation. Could that be the temple thief? For a moment the paladin hesitated, for why would the Sun send a criminal to aid him? He decided to see what would happen.

"I see. My name is Lucius, I'm an... acquaintance of Master Vorn. If you don't mind, I would follow you and see how justice is done here. Vittorio, would you come with me?"

The two guards look at each other and shrug, then with a "come along then" they resume dragging their prisoner through the street.

Lazarus, Istvan, are you going with them or somewhere else?

As cleric of the god of Freedom, Istvan's gonna stick with this prisoner guy and observe what happens next...

"While you two do that, I should probably go and observe the potion being made." Despite his words, the wizard seemed hesitant to split with his friends. However, it was impractical for them to all stay together 100% of the time, even if they were in a somewhat dangerous town. "Just... be careful. We should make sure to check in with eachother regularly." He nodded at his own words, as if trying to convince himself he need not feel uneasy, then headed toward where he was to meet Vorn again.

The guards lead you (and their prisoner) to a medium-sized wooden building on the edge of town.  It is on the slope of a hill, but standing straight in such a way that it looks like it was cut into the hillside.  They enter without knocking and leave the door open behind them to that you can follow them in.

Inside, there is what looks like a small reception area, with a couple of benches and a few doors leading out in different directions.  There is a bell hanging on the wall, and one of the guards rings it while the other shoves the prisoner down onto a bench.  A minute later the door next to the bell opens and a man emerges.  He looks to be on in years, though not quite as old as Vorn.  He wears a black shirt and pants and thick leather boots.  He has a pendant shaped like a sword with a hooked crossguard, hanging on a chain of steel mail links.  You also notice that his right hand is a little paler than his left.

As soon as he comes into the room he asks the guards "What do you have here?"  The one who is still standing says "We caught a thief sir.  Trying to steal from the temple."  The prisoner looks like he is about to speak but the other guard claps him on the back of the head and cuts him off.  The older man takes a ring of keys from off of a belt loop and picks out a particular one, while responding "We've got a cell open, no problem.  Should hold him until Meeting Night, and then the priests can pass judgment.  And who are these three?," he adds, gesturing toward Istvan, Lucius, and Vittorio.

Lucius - you recognize that sword pendant; what does it mean?

Istvan - what is Noric's general belief on the treatment of accused criminals?  How does that fit (or not) with what you see here?

                           *                                    *                                 *

Lazarus arrives at Vorn's house and knocks on the door.  He lets you in a minute later, looking like he has just recently woken up.  He leads you to the sitting room where you had spoken the night before.  A few books and scrolls are scattered around, with a half-full cup of tea in between them.  He goes over the list of ingredients, which ones he has available and which ones the two of you will need to gather.  Mother of the things he names make sense to you - a cobblestone, a few owl feathers, and so forth.  But there is one ingredient that surprises you.

Lazarus, tell me what that ingredient is, then roll+Int.
10+ Over the next couple hours you can figure out the magical significance of that ingredient, and declare what it is (not necessarily out loud, though you can if you want to)
7-9 You're not sure right now, but you have an idea of where you could get that information when Vorn isn't looking
6-  You think you've figured it out, with more confidence than your idea deserves

Lucius immediately recognizes the Holy Symbol of Supplicax, the Minor God of Punishment Due. It is the patron deity of the lawmen and executioners, though by the nature of its domain, more unsavory folk - with their own idea of what deserves punishment - flock under the sword. Thankfully, the fellow before him did seem like the former group of worshippers, which was somewhat reassuring.

"Greetings, I'm Lucius, acquaintance of Master Vorn. We're new to Dreorus, here to observe the law in action, Executor." Lucius greeted the man with the common honorific for the followers of Supplicax holding official positions.

Noric doesn't like imprisoning people in general, but the priesthood does acknowledge that sometimes you gotta keep people in one spot until a trial can be held. These guys are pushing the envelope a little, but not sending Istvan into a rage YET.

As Lazarus looked over the ingredients, the one that surprised him most was the one described as "a piece of a being that won't be conquered by time." Which Lazarus took to mean a part of a creature that won't die of old age. Like an angel, or an elemental, or one of the vampires they had fought recently. It would certainly be a potent addition to a powerful potion, but Lazarus was having a difficult time discerning its exact purpose within the concoction.

However, Lazarus had a hunch the answer might lie within one of the oldest scrolls laying on the table. One that Vorn seemed reluctant to let Lazarus get too good of a look at, despite it being written in a strange otherworldly tongue. A language that Lazarus happened to know how to read.

---

03:22, Today: Lazarus Steel rolled 8 using 2d6+3.  Surprise Ingredient.

Here is a Discern Realities roll as well:
03:33, Today: Lazarus Steel rolled 9 using 2d6.  Discern Realities - secret ingredient.

"What here is useful or valuable to me?" seems to make the most sense.

"Where do you hail from, petitioners?," he asks, using Supplicax's formal term for a person seeking their guidance or services.  As he waits for your answer he unlocks one of the doors, opening up to a modestly sized cell with a pile of straw on the floor, no window, and light coming down from the ceiling.  No implements of torture or anything like that, as far as you can see.

The guards shove the young man into the cell.  He stumbles forward, and then turns to wink at the three of you before the door closes behind him.

what do you do next?

                           *                                    *                                 *

"What is most useful or valuable" really depends on what Lazarus wants to use it for.  There's the ancient scroll, of course, if you want to learn more about the mechanics of this potion.  If you want to learn more about Vorn's religion as a whole you would be better served by one of the journals on the shelf.  If, on the other hand, you want to disrupt the potion then the most useful item around is probably a cup of tea.  And if you just mean "valuable" in terms of money, there's the sickle Vorn has been using to slice up some of the ingredients - once you're paying attention you realize that blade is shining like silver, not just plain old steel.

Lucius looks at the man in bewilderment. Why would he be winking at us, in such dire predicament?

"I hail from Haspia, mister...?" he inquires for the Executor's name. But his attention kept coming back to the young thief...

08:59, Today: Lucius rolled 7 using 2d6.  Discern Realities

What is about to happen?

Lazarus continued to help Vorn make preparations and do general brewing tasks for the time being, keeping things casual. He did, however keep an eye out for a good opportunity to peek at Vorn's scroll at some point. He wanted to understand this potion inside and out before even considering tampering with it. And that meant also learning the bits Vorn wanted to keep hidden.

---

Lazarus was looking for something valuable in the sense of figuring out what the magical significance of the secret ingredient ("a piece of a being that won't be conquered by time.") is in regards to the potion. His ultimate goal is probably to find a way to alter the potion/potion-ritual so that it can help the party visit Istvan and Lucius's deities at the same time we meet Vorn's. A group meeting seems like it would be much more productive than one on one. ;-)

The jailer tells you that his name is Heidmir Ulrissen, but you're barely listening to him at that point.  You are more focused on the prisoner.  You feel like you have a pretty good read on his body language, and what it's telling you is that for the moment all that's going to happen is that he's going to relax in his cell for a while, but also that he has some plans for later on, when everyone else has safely forgotten about him.  Escape plans, most likely.

                                           *                               *                                           *

At some point during the morning Vorn excuses himself to use the privy and asks Lazarus to keep an eye on the cauldron for him.  This is of course a perfect opportunity for the wizard to put his eye to that scroll instead.  You go quickly, not knowing how much time you have, but you are able to pick up all of the important bits as far as you can tell.  The gist of it is that the gods view immortality as an affront to their power - mostly uppity mortals not knowing their place, but even in cases where one god bestows immortality as a gift, the rest of them tend to take this as a threat.

How this pertains to your potion is that the "being that won't be conquered by time" is meant to get the attention of the deity who you target, by way of their ire and envy.  The idea is that once you've drawn them in this way you have a chance to present whatever it is that you want with them.  Preferably with a suitable gift.

As for changing the potion, nothing strikes you immediately, but you are confident that with this information you could figure something out before it's too late in the process...
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:26, Thu 21 Oct 2021.

As he continued to help Vorn with the potion, Lazarus contemplated how he could safely alter the concoction to also reach out to Istvan and Lucius's deities. His mind was doing numerous magical computations and equations even as he collected more details about the potion making process while he and Vorn worked.

Eventually, Lazarus realized what would do the trick. He needed a hair from each of his friends' heads. A "hair of a true devotee." Of course the hair from Istvan would need to be from the very top of his head, freely given. And the hair from Lucius would need to be scorched by the sun.

As for appropriate gifts for when they actually met their deities... Well, he would need to get the cleric and paladin's inputs on that. Perhaps at mealtime? He could hopefully collect the necessary hairs at that time as well.

The thief was very comfortable in the cell, it seemed. It ticked off Lucius in a strange way, and the dots connected. The man's biding his time.

Lucius would love to have a private chat with the thief, but he wasn't sure how the Executor would respond to that... For now, he decided to engage in polite conversation, so as to not be rude.

"I must say, Dreorus is nothing like I imagined. It is reassuring that religious tolerance is common among Matyokol's faithful." He nodded at Heidmir.

Heidmir gives a hard laugh and says "Tolerant while we wait for them to see the truth, I suppose.  I have been one of Matyokol's faithful ever since I experienced His power in action.  This," he indicates the sword pendant, "is a reminder of my old life.  It's still a part of me in a way, but no longer a sign of faith."

"Oh, haha... I see..." The paladin gives an awkward, half-hearted laugh. "Well, I can imagine some people don't take kindly to that. Is there a large demand for your services lately?" He prods Heidmir to speak his mind some more, and continues to do so, politely. He tries to maneuver Vittorio into the conversation, as well.

"My other companions must have a lot more questions, as well. May I speak with the prisoner in the meantime?" He tries to excuse himself.

Trying to accelerate the scene.

Vittorio catches on right away.  He immediately brings up some obscure point of law supporting the contention that Lucius should be permitted one meeting with the prisoner, to which Heidmir shrugs and then opens the cell for you.  Vittorio starts with a string of further questions to distract him while you step inside.

The young prisoner is sitting in a corner on the floor.  He looks up, rolls his eyes when he sees the paladin come in, and says What now?

Lucius first looked over his shoulder, ensuring Heidmir is distracted."While the... fanatic is occupied, I hoped you could answer a few questions. Don't lie to me, I will be able to tell."

"Is there a resistance against this religious insanity? We can help."

The (alleged) thief watches Lucius warily and responds "I don't know about no 'resistance,' but I might know some people who wouldn't mind seeing some other people get out of the way.  And what's your interest here, mister truthmaster?  What have you got for me if I share more?"

Though the man is annoyingly nonspecific, nothing he says registers with falsehood.

Lucius looks over his shoulder to ensure Vittorio occupies Heidmir's attention.

"We knew about the slaves, but now we've learned... they're sacrificed. And it seems like everyone is fine with it, as if temporal gain could justify it! This has to stop."

"Oh, yeah, the sacrifices, that's terrible." (it's clear he doesn't care - you probably didn't even need your paladin powers to tell you that) "So, sure, we put a stop to that, all is good and sunny in the world, lovely.  What else you got for me?"

Lucius' expression is akin to that of a fish out of the water - opening and closing his mouth, blankly staring at the man. Lucius has been accustomed to the Order's idea of evil: blood-sucking vampires, wicked cultists, vile goblins...

This was a different kind of evil, the kind that a sword would not solve. The evil of greed and indifference.

Whatever the Sun's plan was, THAT could not have been it.

And so, restraining the urge to yell (he was still undercover, after all), Lucius stood up and hissed. "Heartless bastard."

He turned to Heidmir, thanked him for his time and beckoned the others to leave.

---

When he met up with the others for lunch, Lazarus shared his findings and his plan with Lucius and Istvan (discreetly). He then continued, "So, if I could get a hair from each of you, I can add them to the mix at the soonest opportunity. Have you two had an opportunity to establish a connection to your deities at the standing stone? And do you have any ideas what a suitable gift would be to present to your deities when we meet them?"

"We've confirmed that religious fanaticism is rampant in Dreorus. There is some resistance, but no luck in contacting them." The paladin is a bit cagey about the details.

Confirming the plan gives Lucius ambivalent feelings, being equal parts excited and anxious.

"Uhm... A gift to the Sun? We worship through diligent service, not ritual and offerings. Let me think..."

"Maybe... Well there is this custom. 'Weapons against darkness'... when a paladin dies or retires, they give up their used weapons to the Order. They are displayed in a prominent crypt to inspire the new generation. Also works as an emergency armory, in case the Order gets attacked. Heh." Lucius chuckles dryly. "Like that would ever happen."

He glances at his sword, recalling his first true test - the vampires and the demon. "It might just work... I'd better procure a backup weapon in that case."

"Um, not as such, actually..."



"Er, Noric likes flowers, feathers, honey... semi-precious gems... but... I dunno, I'm sorry, but I've gotta say this whole thing seems a little blasphemous to me." Istvan glances around. "Especially given the, uh, setting, and the circumstances. If I was gonna do anything like this, and I'm not saying I would, I'd be way more comfortable trying it at home in a good solid temple to Noric. ...Solid in the spiritual sense, I mean..." Istvan sighs. "I'm still for blessing our weapons and then trying to free all prisoners and hit anyone who tries to stop us and see how far we get. It's unlike me to want to solve problems with violence, but... I want to solve this problem with good old-fashioned violence."

"We should strike at the root of the problem, I say. The plan is almost ready, we are too committed to back out!" Lucius speaks in a moment of surprising decisiveness. "With just the three of us violence might end unfavorably. Besides, I'm still hoping some of these people can be redeemed as unwilling or reluctant participants in a scheme of the moon cultists."

Lazarus had to admit, he was at a bit of a loss when Istvan mentioned the plan as being blasphemous. Largely because Lazarus was not very religion-oriented himself, so he had difficulty grasping all of subtle nuance that a full-fledged cleric of a god surely had to consider. Still, he had trouble seeing how Istvan could pass up the opportunity to literally meet your deity to try and convince another, less upstanding god, to stop being so "less upstanding." However, he conceded that Istvan surely knew better than himself when it came to the views of Noric.

"I will certainly not force you to participate," Lazarus assured his cleric friend. "In fact, I could not force you to even if I wanted to. Your hair would need to be freely given in order to work in the potion. I do ask you to reconsider though. I imagine having both the god of freedom and the god of the sun at our backs when we speak with the moon god will be much more effective than going 1 v 1. Sun versus Moon."

"Noric's been watching over us all this time. He usually responds when I pray. I feel confident that he's aware of this situation. If he wants to help, and feels it's the best thing for all involved... then he will. I don't want to rush his process by sort-of-literally getting up in his face about it. ...Freedom is a two-way street."
This message was last edited by the player at 15:50, Sat 20 Nov 2021.

"Fair enough," he conceeded reluctantly. Then it seemed a new thought occurred to Lazarus. "Would you at least do us the honor of watching over Lucius and my own bodies as we take the potion? I admit I would feel much safer if both you and Vittorio were keeping an eye on us while we were unconscious here in the 'real' world." He looked to his cleric friend, hopeful.

"Certainly. I'm not saying we can't trust Vittorio, but what if he's outnumbered? If one guard is good, two will be even better..."
This message was last edited by the player at 16:32, Sat 20 Nov 2021.

Soon, Istvan takes a little walk. He tries to size up the people with power-- how many were they? How well-armed? Did any seem like spell-casters or anything like that?

He also tries to guess where prisoners are being held, and how many there might be, and how hard it might be to get to them...

(13:21, Today: Istvan Vanoson rolled 10 using 2d6+2 ((5,3)).

noice)

Nice indeed.  Do you want to ask questions off the list or ignore that and let me just fill in some things?

Heh. I guess I didn't immediately choose the questions in case that would interfere with you giving info.

My answer is: However you wanna do it.

IF you would prefer to work with the questions, I would choose:

--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?

IF you would prefer to just freestyle give me/us info, then by all means ignore the questions aspect and just go for it.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:17, Tue 23 Nov 2021.

While Istvan an Lucius continued with their observations of the town, Lazarus went back to helping Vorn concoct the potion. It turned out it wasn't too difficult to sneak in an ingredient as small as a single scorched hair. He simply placed it in while Vorn took a bathroom break. There was some bubbling and a puff of orange vapor, but those effects dissipated long before Vorn returned to the room.

Now they just had to finish the brewing process and the potion should work as desired!

---

Planting the hair stealthily with Defy Danger +Dex.
04:59, Today: Lazarus Steel rolled 10 using 2d6+1.  Plant Lucius's hair in the potion.

Any kind of "guards" that Istvan notices are infrequent, in twos or threes, and only lightly armed - leather armor, steel helms, short swords or hatchets.  A healthy stroll around town, trying to memorize faces so as not to count the same men twice, produces an estimate of maybe 20-25 guards currently on duty.  Of course that's still more of them than there are of you, but at least it's not like the place is crawling with them.  Plus they're scattered, so as long as they stay that way you're doing alright.

No spellcasters of any kind, or at least no one who is overtly marked as such.

In his exploration, Istvan is drawn back to the jailhouse.  The design seems curious, built on the slope the way it is, and it occurs to the cleric now to walk around the hill and see what is on the other side.  The immediate answer appears to be "light woods," but when Istvan looks back at the hill itself he sees that it is much steeper on this side, almost (but not quite) vertical.  And, on closer examination, that there are some narrow holes in the hillside, at about eye level, reinforced with metal to keep them open.  Glancing inside one of these holes, he sees that it slopes downward a little bit, and that on the other side of it is a room.  With a couple of prisoners in it, sitting against a wall, muttering to each other.  With Istvan peering in there is a noticeable shadow in the cell, and one of the prisoners slowly turns to give him a sad look, then turns back to their companion.

                          *                                  *                                            *

Lazarus makes his change to the potion, and Vorn is none the wiser as far as you can tell.  You continue the day's work, with the old man mostly focusing on the potion and on his prayers, but occasionally asking you about your own magic when there are breaks in the work.

Lucius and Vittorio do some exploring around town themselves.  They are able to find a blacksmith near the edge of town (not too far from the jailhouse, as it turns out), and Lucius negotiates with him to have a simple sword ready tomorrow.

When you turn around to resume your exploration, you spot the thief from earlier.  The one who was supposed to be in a jail cell, but currently is out in the street.  You know it's him, because as soon as he spots you he turns to walk a different way.

"... That ruffian is out already?" Lucius says to Vittorio in a hushed tone.

Even though he was not particularly adept at tracking, tailing, or other activities of this sort, Lucius nonetheless decided to give it a shot. Even though he already made up his mind about the thief, perhaps the others would be less inscrupulous?

Roll Defy Danger +Dex.  The "danger" is that you get spotted - on a 6- he definitely knows you're there, on a 7-9 you might be able to avoid that but with something else instead.  If you roll 7-9 you're welcome to suggest a complication, but I have some ideas in case you don't.

19:01, Today: Lucius rolled 9 using 2d6.  DD dex.

Surprise me

Lucius and Vittorio follow the thief through the streets, winding around in different directions such that it's hard to keep track of where you are in this unfamiliar town.  Eventually he ends up at a house with a few stacks of cobblestones arranged in front of it at various distances.  The thief knocks on the door and mutters something.  A moment later the door opens.  Before he goes in, the thief looks around to make sure no one is following him, and you duck behind cover just in time.  Once you hear the door shut you move out to do whatever you plan to do next.  You would be in the clear, except that one of those cobblestone stacks is close by, so as you turn and step you crash into it, and the pile collapses with a loud clattering sound.

Not one to prefer stealth, nor with experience in dealing with criminals, Lucius walks out in plain view - in hopes to confront whoever investigates the commotion. Foolish as he may be, he hopes the thief's colleagues will have a shred of compassion for the sacrificial lambs.

Nothing happens for a while.  A surprisingly long while, in fact.  Well, maybe not so long compared to the sun's movement across the sky, but certainly long enough for Lucius to begin wondering if anyone is actually going to do anything.

And then just before he gives up waiting, the door opens.  You don't see anyone there who would have opened it, just the door itself being open.  And from somewhere inside the house, a voice like a baritone stage whisper calls out "Enter, he who would stop innocent blood from spilling!"

Well, that certainly was in line with Lucius' agenda. He stepped inside the mansion warily, keeping in mind he was dealing with criminals - he still considered it abhorrent, but he's gone too far. He would give it a fair shot - perhaps not all of them are purely profit motivated?

Giving honesty a shot, he speaks back at the whisper. "My name is Lucius, and I'm a Paladin of the Sun. I seek allies against the cult of Matyokol, to help me stop their abhorrent ways. Who am I speaking to?"

As Lucius steps inside, it occurs to him that this entryway is too dark, as though light from outside is not being permitted to cross the threshold.  The paladin takes another cautious step forward, and then suddenly
"Boo!"

A light tap on your head, and there's the thief from before, leaning forward with his hands on his knees, laughing gleefully.  Then the darkness drops, and you see a comfortable sitting room, with a young and somewhat portly man sitting in an overstuffed chair, laughing just as hard.  As he starts to calm down he manages to say "Oh man, we got you so good."  A bit more chuckling, and then "But seriously though, hi, paladin, good to meet you.  I'm Lör, make sure you're pronouncing that ö right.  So what's your beef with Matyokol?"

Wide eyed, Lucius spins towards the spook, hand on the pommel. "Do not do this!" he gasps with a mortified face.

In truth, this was hardly what Lucius expected...

"Greetings, Lo- Lu- Lour? You ask what, um, beef I have with Matyokol. It is quite simple, they conduct human sacrifice, a horrific practice that must be stopped!" His fists curl up on their own as he speaks out.

The young man nods sagely and replies "Oh yeah, totally not cool.  I'm glad that's reason enough for you to fight them.  So, uh, when do you think you might strike?"

With your divinely enhanced intuition you can tell that Lör is not saying anything untrue here, although he clearly has his own agenda that he isn't sharing just yet.

Lucius looks at the youth inquisitively. He decided to probe him a bit further.

"Before I answer that, let me ask you what you asked me in return - what is your beef with Matyokol?"

"He's harshing my good time, man," Lör replies.  Again, you sense that this statement itself is true but is not the entire truth.

Lucius crossed his arms. Was no one but him concerned about people being slaughtered in dark rituals? The harsh disconnect between his upstanding moral code as a paladin and the reality of the common man was becoming more evident by the minute.

"I sense you're not very concerned with the fate of the people being slaughtered." He stated that as if it was fact - which he felt was close enough to truth. "It is becoming difficult to trust you. So I'll ask again, why do you want to help me? What selfish motivation drives you?" He let his repressed disdain out with the last sentence.

Lör looks just as annoyed, gesticulating as he says "Hey man, I don't make such a big deal about what floats your boat, you don't need to to worry about mine.  I'll work my magic, you'll work yours, we put Matyokol in his place, no innocents get hurt, and we can move on with our lives, alright?"  He ends with an exasperated sign and then turns to the thief, who has been watching everything calmly, and says "Hey Degwyth, you mind going to the back and getting one of my mushrooms?"  The thief nods and leaves the room, while Lör turns back to face Lucius and wait for his response.
This message was lightly edited by the GM at 21:37, Fri 24 Dec 2021.

Lucius takes a deep breath and reconsiders his position again. If this is how the Sun wants to test him, so be it.

"Alright. A common goal will have to suffice. We will make our move in three days. Do you know where the slaves are held?"

"Yeah, you know where the jail is?"  From the back, Degwyth calls "Trust me, he knows where it is."  Lör raises an eyebrow and chuckles "Alright, paladin.  Anyway, yeah, they keep them in there.  Separate section from the regular cells.  Only one way in or out, or something like that.  You gonna let them out?"

"... Of course?" Lucius blinks and looks at them weirdly for even asking the question.

"Well listen, I know the people of this town a little better than you, I can tell you they're not gonna be too fond of that.  Big scary moon god rewards them for their sacrifices, you feel me, so maybe he punishes them if they don't meet quota.  But you, mister Paladin of the Sun, you probably like to do everything out in the open, in the light so to speak, right?  So what do you plan to do when everyone else tries to stop you from ushering their prisoners right out of the town?"

Horror creeps onto Lucius' face. "I... Would... Defend them...?" he stammers out, trying not to think of the implications.

He takes a deep breath and considers it for a second more. "Truthfully, we didn't consider how evil holds sway over Dreorus' common folk. But if we show them Matyokol can be defeated, surely they would see the light?" he asks a hopeful question.

Degwyth comes back into the room just in time to hear your last comment, carrying a pair of bright violet mushrooms.  He and Lör both respond to Lucius with raucous laughter.  Once they settle down, Lör manages to say "My man, Matyokol has been keeping the people fat and happy.  That blood magic or whatever means lots more food for everyone, with a lot less work involved.  If you're gonna take that away from them you better have something good to take it's place.  And I do mean good, not just Good."

Lucius frowns at the outbursts of laughter, but he cannot deny the truth in their words. "Such perverted hearts..." he laments, then straightens himself again.

"Very well, my goal is to save the slaves first, I will worry about saving the souls of the townsfolk later. Do you have any solutions to the slaves' predicament?"

"I could probably find some way to help," Lör says.  As he speaks he extends his arms and slowly lowers them.  In time with his motion, the room is gradually shrouded in darkness, even though sunlight still enters through the windows.  A couple seconds later he raises his arms and the light returns.

As the light comes back into the room, Lucius is seen with his hand on the grip of his sword, alarmed yet again. "What black magic is this..." He stares directly at Lör, expecting an answer.

"It's not 'black magic' my man, it's fae magic.  Runs in the blood.  Nothing you need to worry about, trust me."

Shockingly, your paladin senses say that you can indeed trust him, at least on this one point.

"Well then." He nodded, though it was uncertain whether it addressed the origin of Lör's magic, or the issue of trust.

Regardless, the paladin continued his line of questioning.

"Let me guess, you plan to conceal the slaves' escape with your darkness? It should help, I guess. Thank you for willingness to assist us." He paused. "Um... anything else we should discuss?"

The young sorcerer thinks for a moment and then says "Nah, I think we're good.  Just let me know when you want to strike."

Lucius bows his head and leaves, thinking about what just happened.

He rejoins Lazarus and Istvan, relaying bis findings.

"That is all very interesting. You sure we can trust them. Or at least not distrust them?" the mage asked after Lucius explained what had happened. "And assuming they don't turn us in, what is the current iteration of our grand plan? What should happen in which order?" Lazarus was unsure if the prisoners should be freed during or after the time he and Lucius imbibed their potions.

"Although their motives are vague to me, we do have a common enemy. I would say we can trust them in that regard.

I believe we should do the ritual first."

"I hate to say it, because I'm usually all for freeing prisoners as soon as possible, but I agree-- it just seems like it make sense to do the ritual first." Istvan didn't feel like he needed to go into detail about why, since Lucius already agreed...

Lazarus nodded. "It's agreed then. Lucius and I will go meet the gods, then we will recover the prisoners. By force if necessary." Lazarus hoped the petition to the gods would somehow result in a peaceful parting of ways, but was truly uncertain how likely that outcome might be.

"Istvan, if things go disastrously while we are out, the fate of this town will rest in your hands. Be vigilant." Lazarus gave the holy man a look of faith. Faith in Istvan rather than any sort of divine force.

"Absolutely. I'm confident about my part in the plan: I stick with you two until you're done with what you're doing, then we go do the part to which I'm looking forward most eagerly..."

You all spend the next couple of days keeping your heads down, quietly gathering information and setting things up to your advantage as you are able.

And, at last, it is time for the ritual.  Vorn leads you to a small pond in an open field.  The water reflects the light of the moon more strongly than you would expect - surely this must be a place of deep power.  He walks in a slow circle around the pond (he doesn't say anything about whether or not you should walk with him), though this still doesn't take more than ten minutes.  He then points out three different spots around the pond, almost equidistant from each other but not quite, one where he will lay and the others for Lucius and Lazarus.  He pours the potion from its flask into three wooden cups, and once you are all in position he calls out "Bottoms up!"  Without waiting to see what you do, he drinks his and then lays down in his designated spot.

----------
We're skipping ahead in time but I assume that you've all been doing something useful, so to set that up, describe what you've been doing to prepare for your two big plans and then roll + whichever stat you choose that makes sense for it.
10+ Hold 3.  When you find yourself in a situation where your preparations were relevant, you may spend 1 to get +1 on a roll.
7-9 Hold 1, same conditions as above.
6-  Hold 1, and also the GM will introduce a complication when the time comes.

Lazarus and Lucius - what did you end up bringing with you as gifts?  This can be separate from your preparation roll, unless the gift would have been difficult to obtain.

Istvan - You are standing guard as planned (maybe along with Vittorio?).  Mostly things are okay but there is one lone tree in the field that keeps pulling your attention away from your job.  What is so distracting about it?

There was not a lot that Lazarus could do to prepare for the big day other than keep a close eye on the potion making process. He was nearly certain it would work as promised, but he still handed an antitoxin to each Istvan and Vittorio in case the potion ended up poisoning himself and Lucius. "See you on the other side," he said to Lucius across the pond before quaffing his potion.

As he lay in the grass waiting for the potion to take effect, he mentally tabulated all of the resources he had put into place around town. As stated, he had not had a lot of ability to make preparations, but he had still made a few. He had located several burial sites around town and stashed some ritual components nearby, in case of emergency. Nothing overly conspicuous. River rocks cleaved in two, blackened bones, insect husks, powdered oak bark, a length of twisted iron, etc. Basic components most would easily overlook. If things went poorly, he liked knowing that he could use his magical book from the vampire castle to perform some impromptu rituals if need be.

---

I will give 1 antitoxin to Istvan, and one to Vittorio. Just in case the are needed. I still have 1 as well. As for the gifts myself and Lucius prepared, I believe Lucius was planning to gift his weapon or something? I will leave the details up to him.

Spells I will have prepared for the day: Light, Unseen Servant, Prestidigitation, Detect Magic, Magic Missile, Cure Light Wounds, Charm Person.

Preparations: Locating as many burial sites around town and stashing various ritual supplies nearby in case I need to create some emergency magical effects. (I have a magical tome that allows me to perform Rituals at burial sites.)

21:31, Today: Lazarus Steel rolled 14 using 2d6+3.  Int roll: prepare burial sites around town for ritual use.
Hold 3. Woohoo!

There's a light breeze... but the tree's branches never move with it. Is it an illusion? Is something else magical happening over there? Is it someone transformed into a tree and they're too tense to go with the flow?

Is it a sign from Noric? Noric's holy symbol is a tree, after all... usually a pine tree, which this one isn't, but still...

Lazarus and Lucius have the sensation of being stretched and twisted beyond what their bodies should be able to handle, and then suddenly they are standing in a strange world that is not the one where they were a moment ago.  The ground is silvery-white rock, covered in a fine dust of the same color, and the sky is pitch black with a scattering of white dots that don't twinkle like they should.  Vorn is there as well, looking pleased, and he says "Just a moment now, and He will make His presence known to us."

And then there is an incredibly bright light coming from one side, like dawn breaking at 10x speed.  It is so intense you can practically hear the light.  Vorn covers his eyes with his arm and says loudly "Wait, this isn't right!"

What do you do?

------------------------

Back on the mortal plane, the wind picks up, and yet the tree remains still.  The surface of the pond moves, the grass moves, Istvan and Vittorio even feel themselves start to move, and yet the tree holds firm.  It is clear to Istvan that this is a sign of encouragement from Noric, and it bolsters the cleric's spirit.

Istvan - take 1 Divine Hold (to differentiate from any other hold you might have).  You can spend it to get +1 to a roll to protect yourself or someone else, or to resist some demoralizing effect you might encounter later, whether or not there is a die roll involved.

Lucius' preparation consisted of prayer and meditation, mentally steeling himself not only for the confrontation with the moon god, but the Sun itself. He hoped his brothers in arms would not consider such a thing heretical...

Suffice to say, the young paladin had a lot of doubts.
_________________________

Lucius was, at first, overwhelmed by the lights and movement. Grateful he did not have to eat, for it would surely not hold inside his stomach.

As the light illuminated the dark skies, the paladin was surprised by himself. Doubt and fear were replaced by confidence and courage.

"Quite the opposite. Isn't that right, Lazarus?" he smirked and faced the rising sun, dropping to a knee. He offered his sword, the slayer of darkness, and waited.

22:40, Today: Lucius rolled 7 using 2d6+3.  Prayer.

Lazarus wished he shared Lucius's courage as the sun came closer. However, since he was not a devout follower of either the sun or moon, he couldn't help feel like he might end up as an overlooked fly squished between two proverbial rhinoceroses. Still, he couldn't help but grin with a bit of pride at the sight of his adjustments to the potion working exactly as he had hoped they would.

"I think it only fair that both the sun and moon be present to hear us make our case, don't you?" was all he said to Vorn.

A nimbus of warm orange light extends to the sword that Lucius has offered, and lifts it up from his hands.  The sword then turns to point toward Vorn.  The old man is muttering in panic.  He draws the silver sickle that Lazarus had previously noticed while working on the potion with him, and he slashes at his hand.  His blood hits the dusty surface, and immediately a dull gray shield rises up to float in the air in front of him.

What do you do as this scene unfolds?

Lazarus was mildly worried that the sword could turn on him, since he was not a devout follower of the sun, but he doubted that scenario enough that he managed to keep his calm. Well, as calm as one could hope to be in their current situation.

Lazarus stood firm in his spot and crossed his arms as he watched Vorn hide behind his shield. "Are we not here to have a rational discussion, Vorn? You bring Lucius to stand before the moon, yet you can't bring yourself to stand before the sun?" There was no judgement or chastising in Lazarus's question. He was literally pointing out the contradictions of Vorn's expectations and allowing the man to judge himself instead.

Lucius points his finger at Vorn, his arm lined up with the sword. He speaks, and the force behind his voice makes it sound almost like the Sun itself speaks through him.

"You've laid bare the darkness in your heart, trying to justify unimaginable atrocities though your ruthless logic! People's lives are not crops or livestock, to be traded away to sate the Moon God! If there is a shred of empathy left in your empty soul, repent now, wake up from this madness!"

A wave of relief washes over the paladin - letting go of bottled feelings is quite cathartic. He began to take steps towards Vorn, forcing an answer from the moon cultist.

The sword of light darts around to strike at Vorn from another angle.  The moon shield stays in place, but another one pops up to protect him from that side.

Vorn himself, meanwhile, turns to the two of you and says "You thought to make a fool of me, in front of my own Master?  Then you shall be my greatest sacrifices!"  He leaps, higher and father than should be possible, as if he only weighed as much as a feather.  The silver blade flashes as he comes down.

Lucius, take 1d6 damage minus armor.

Vorn's zeal was not unexpected. Lucius, fully expecting retailation, blocked the strike with little effort. Trying to seize the moment, he unsheathed his new sword wjd swung wide...

00:43, Today: Lucius rolled 6 using 2d6.  Hack and Slash.

00:43, Today: Lucius rolled 2 using 1d6.  Damage.

Vorn easily dodges Lucius's counterattack.  As the two of them square off, another sheet of dull gray rock shoots up from the ground, separating Lucius and Lazarus, and blocking the wizard's view of the melee.

                         *                                 *                                                *

Meanwhile, back on the material plane, Istvan sees Vorn's and Lucius's bodies convulsing suddenly.  They're mostly staying in place, but occasionally bounce an inch or two one way or another, or slide the slightest bit closer to the pond.

Lazarus was almost glad that the stone barrier had been erected between himself and the fight. It gave him a moment to take stock of their current predicament without worrying that his head would be cut off while he did so.

The wizard scanned the landscape, checking for any signs of a presence other than any he had already seen. He scooped up a handful of dust and tested how quickly it fell (because Vorn's jump had made him wonder if he might be able to do the same here). And he also cross-referenced everything he was seeing against everything he knew about the potion they drank, so that he might gauge exactly how "real" this place was. As in, did it follow the same rules as the reality they had come from?

---

Trying to Discern Realities on this place, using "strict deduction to analyze your surroundings." (Using my "Logical" move.)
22:42, Today: Lazarus Steel rolled 10 using 2d6+3.  Discern Realities, with Int.

In order of importance, I will ask:

What here is not what it appears to be?
What should I be on the lookout for?
Who’s really in control here?

"Uh-oh." Istvan makes sure that no one's body flops into the pond. Well, Lucius, particularly. Istvan's certainly not going to take his eyes off scanning the area for possible dangers...

Separated from his wizard friend, Lucius was briefly worried. However, he shook off his doubts and focused solely on ending Vorn as quickly as possible, no longer having to concern himself with protecting Lazarus.

17:43, Today: Lucius rolled 11 using 1d10+1.  Damage.

17:43, Today: Lucius rolled 7 using 2d6+1.  Hack and slash.

I am a dumdum, last post I forgot to add +1 to my Hack and Slash. Would've been a partial success.

Oh well, let's keep rolling.

Lazarus's scientific curiosity is rewarded with the observation that the fine gray dust falls to the ground much more slowly than he would have expected.  Whatever this place is, it does seem to operate differently than the real world, or the prime plane, or whatever you call the place you live.  A few more quick tests show that everything here is at least internally consistent, obeying this reduced gravity in the same way, no illusions or any of that nonsense.

It also occurs to Lazarus that the fine dust could be a serious choking hazard were it to get close to someone's face.  So try not to let it do that.

Who is in charge?  Well, given the evidence at hand it would seem that that would be Matyokol, except that the sounds from the other side of the stone barrier suggest otherwise...

Those sounds.  Specifically, the sounds of Lucius furiously thrusting his sword through Vorn's chest, while at the same moment the blazing sword of the Sun pierces him from behind.  The old man freezes in the middle of his own attack and looks down at the two equally mortal injuries.  There's something odd though - instead of blood, it is more of the same gray dust that flows out of the wounds, a trickle at first and then it speeds up until his whole body disintegrates into a cloud of the stuff.  A cloud which floats right into Lucius's face.

Lucius, roll Defy Danger +Con

                           *                              *                                *

Back on the mortal plane, Istvan sees Vorn and Lucius both stop their shaking, almost at the same moment.  Two wounds suddenly appear on Vorn's chest, oozing blood, and then Lucius's face starts turning gray.

The paladin has very little time to consider how his blow has affected Vorn, closing his eyes and mouth and taking a step backwards to avoid the strange grey dust. With the shield hand raised to physically block more dust coming in, his sword hand is already poised to strike again.

10:01, Today: Lucius rolled 10 using 2d6+1.  DD con.

Istvan starts to get ready to heal Lucius... but wait, looks like Vorn is actually wounded, whereas... Lucius is... poisoned, maybe? Well damn, Cure Light Wounds wouldn't help with that...

Istvan waits to see if it looks like Lucius is going to start actually taking damage, as such, before attempting to heal...

With his observations made, Lazarus decided to test out the place's gravity himself and leapt skyward in an attempt to get past the stone wall. When he eventually saw what was transpiring on the other side, his eyes widened. "Lucius, are you okay!?" He rushed to his friend's side, then quickly cast a spell upon himself to scan for any new threats. Particularly the magic kind in the vicinity of Vorn. The mage's eyes swirled in rainbow colors as his magical detection spell took hold and augmented his vision.

---

Casting Detect Magic on myself and scanning Vorn for magics.
19:56, Today: Lazarus Steel rolled 13 using 2d6+3.  Cast Detect Magic.

Lucius coughs a few times, expelling most of the dust that had tried to get into his lungs.  Lazarus gently leaps over the wall and lands nearby, kicking up some more of the dust but not enough to be hazardous.  He sees no sign of Vorn, just a crumpled robe on the ground, and the silver sickle that glows in the wizard's augmented sight.

                            *                                      *                                             *

Istvan sees that Lucius coughs and then quickly returns to his normal color.  His breathing slows to a normal pace as well.

Vorn, on the other hand, doesn't seem to be breathing at all anymore.

"Well, that's good... for Lucius. As for Vorn, if he's dead, may Noric make sure he gets whatever he deserves in the next world. I have some ideas about what he deserves, but I imagine Noric knows more about it than I do."

Istvan continues to stand by...

Lazarus stepped curiously and cautiously toward the silver sickle in order to examine it properly. "You... vanquished Vorn?" he asked Lucius? He wasn't surprised that it had happened, but a little surprised it had happened so quickly. "His weapon is absolutely glowing with magic..." The wizard's tone suggested he did not yet fully comprehend what that meant for the two of them.

---

I am trying to closely examine the sickle and it's magical auras to see what I can learn about it. I'm not sure if this is Spout Lore or Discern Realities, but both use Int thanks to my "Logical" move.
23:40, Today: Lazarus Steel rolled 7 using 2d6+3.  Examine sickle.

If it is a Discern roll, I'll ask, "What should I be on the lookout for?"

Now unhindered by the dust, Lucius stands over Vorn's dusty body, thoughtful.

"I tried to make him see the error of his ways, but this man's heart was black as night. By Sun's grace we prevailed."

His gaze moves to the skies, and he raises his sword triumphant. "MATYOKOL! YOU WILL FEAST ON THE BLOOD OF INNOCENTS NO MORE! THE PEOPLE OF DREORUS WILL BE FREE FROM YOUR INFLUENCE!"

As insane as it seemed, Lucius felt emboldened by the Sun to taunt a deity!

In response to Lucius' taunt, the gray dust swirls up into a large cloud in front of you.  It is just beginning to take the vague form of an angry face when a bright sunbeam suddenly shoots through it, dispersing the dust.

While you register what is happening, the beam of light widens and sweeps toward both of you.  Lucius is a couple paces further forward, and as the light hits him he is overcome with a mix of feelings - calmness, pride, approval, reassurance.  There is no spoken voice, but the message is as clear as, well, daylight.

Lazarus might not have quite the same experience.  The sickle itself is enchanted, and in the name of the god who has just been defeated, and whose dusty incarnation is floating all around you.  That by itself might not mean much, except for the oncoming light of the victorious rival god, and the very reflective surface of the blade.  Lazarus glances at the sickle in one hand, and at his oft-mutated arm on the other side, and notes that he has just a second or two to decide what he wants to do here.

As the scene played out before him, it was almost as if Lazarus were seeing things move in slow motion. Instinctively, the wizard sensed there were puzzle pieces before him. No, not puzzle pieces. Threads. Threads of fate. Threads that if he managed to weave them just right, something powerful could happen. Threads that would move beyond his grasp in mere moments.

His mind raced at breakneck speed trying to figure out what exactly it was, if anything, that he should do in this moment of divine convergence.

There was the the sun beam moving toward him, which was presumably full of potent "good" magicks. And there was the dusty surface he stood upon, which was much the opposite. Then there was the sickle in his hand, which seemed ripe with powerful enchantment. And his own hands, which had seen their fair share of consequences of "miss-woven threads." Not only his hands, but his blood too, now that he thought about it. He knew "The Other Side" had a blood sample from the ritual he performed at the vampire castle a few days back...

So many factors and so little time to consider all the angles. In the end Lazarus forewent logic and followed his gut instead.

In a flash, Lazarus poked one mutated forearm with the sickle, then the other. Crystal and gold. Not deep enough to maim himself, but enough to wet the blade. The wizard then held the silver sickle aloft and proclaimed:

"Blood of crystal, blood of gold.
May fortune shine upon the bold.
This tainted blood I hereby spill.
To rend this moon in twain to heal."

Lazarus then channeled his arcane curative magic into the sickle and struck down at the ground as the sun's light bathed him, plunging the weapon deep into its creator's soil.

---

Not sure what to roll, but +1 from Discern Realities. Maybe it is a Ritual? Being in the presence of two deities could surely be argued to be a Place of Power.

Edit: Here is my spellcasting roll.
20:36, Today: Lazarus Steel rolled 11 using 2d6+3.  Casting Cure Light Wounds.

Edit 2: Defy Danger roll.
09:04, Today: Lazarus Steel rolled 8 using 2d6+2.  Defy Danger + Dex, with Discern Realities bonus.
"You stumble, hesitate, or flinch: the GM will offer you a worse outcome, hard bargain, or ugly choice."
This message was last edited by the player at 15:07, Mon 14 Mar 2022.

Oh, I've got a "worse outcome" for you... But I'll give Lucius a chance to act before it kicks in

Lucius is overwhelmed by Sun's gracious presence, filled with positive emotions. Only at the very last moment he registers what the mad wizard is doing, not really understanding much of it and staring at him bewildered.

Go go!

Under the dust is solid rock, and the sickle turns at a sharp angle before biting into it.  Light begins to pour forth from the crack, which rapidly spreads, longer and wider as it rends the surface.  For a brief moment, you think you see something moving, down inside the crack, as if emerging from within the rock itself.  Then you are overcome by an immense roar, followed by the feeling of flying backward at unfathomable speed.

                            *                                      *                                             *

Back on the ground, Lucius and Lazarus both wake with a startled gasp.  Istvan is there as well, and Vittorio.  Looking to the sky, you see that there are now two moons - one a jagged crescent, and the other an oval which would fit it like halves of a locket if they weren't a quarter of a sky apart from each other.  And between them you see a silvery-white dot that gradually grows larger, and then begins to take shape as some sort of bird.  And you realize that it is flying toward you.

"Oooooooh crap... What are the chances that that silvery thing is a benevolent god that was imprisoned in the moon coming to thank us? Noric maybe? He's a bird-guy, right? Was the moon his egg?" He was clearly grasping at straws in his panicked state. "Lucius, Istvan, either of you have any way to call upon your gods for a bit of... literal divine intervention? Because I believe we have made an enemy of the moon..." The look on Lazarus's face would confirm to Istvan and Vittorio that the events taking place up in the sky were the direct results of their potion-expedition.

Then a thought occurred to him. "Aha! My ritual preparations! Maybe they can help. Maybe not. Worth a try though. Gotta get to the nearest one." Lazarus bolted toward the nearest grave sight, hoping against hope he knew a ritual that could help them survive a deity's wrath.

---

I would like to use my Ritual move. The effect I am trying to achieve is: Protection from divine wrath!

quote:

Ritual
When you draw on a place of power to create a magical effect, tell the GM what you’re trying to achieve. Ritual effects are
always possible, but the GM will give you one to four of the following conditions:

It’s going to take days/weeks/months.
First you must ___.
You’ll need help from ___.
It will require a lot of money.
The best you can do is a lesser version, unreliable and limited.
You and your allies will risk danger from ___.
You’ll have to disenchant ___ to do it.

"What did you-- what did you do?!" Istvan gasps between glancing back and forth from his two allies and the sky over and over in just a couple of seconds.

He hadn't wanted to go on the strange trip because the very idea had seemed blasphemous. It occurred to Istvan, very belatedly, that maybe if he'd gone along, perhaps he could have served in an important diplomatic role...? That maybe allowing his comrades to commit blasphemy wasn't the best idea if he was (and apparently he was) going to technically keep standing right next to them during and after...?

Well, he was, so... Istvan stopped looking horizontally, and studied only the sky. What was about to happen?

(12:41, Today: Istvan Vanoson rolled 11 using 2d6+2 ((5,4)). Discern Realities...

On a 10+, ask the GM 3 questions from the list below.
Either way, take +1 forward when acting on the answers.

What is about to happen?
--because whatever it is, Istvan wants an advantage in coping with it
Who’s really in control here?
--because Istvan is praying it's Noric and not someone else
What here is not what it appears to be?
--because Istvan is praying this isn't as bad as it looks)
This message was last edited by the player at 21:31, Thu 17 Mar 2022.

Lucius takes one look to the skies, and despite the dire situation, he roars with laughter. "Now, when I provoked Matyokol, I thought myself bold. But this? This is something else, friend! While I cannot call on the Sun directly, I shall do my best to protect you with the powers I've been granted."

The paladin checks his possessions, dons the shield with the emblem of a sun raising above a hill, and prepares to defend Lazarus while the mad wizard does his magic.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:43, Thu 17 Mar 2022.

The nearest graveyard is still some distance away.  Since Istvan had taken a moment to collect his thoughts and observations, he knows you won't make it there before the thing is on top of you.  And sure enough, with a loud screech it is suddenly very close, and swooping ever closer.  It is a gigantic owl, probably 20 feet tall, with dull silver-gray feathers, dark red eyes that glow in the moonlight, red-tipped horns protruding from its head, and a beak that looks sharp enough to pierce metal.

Istvan recognizes that no one really "in control" at this moment - not Noric, unfortunately, but not Matyokol either.  And he also quickly realizes that if this thing is indeed a servitor or avatar of Matyokol then it cannot be as invincible as it would have you think, but must have the same vulnerabilities that any moon beast would.  Though you might need a bit longer to determine what those vulnerabilities actually are...

"It's coming! Run, I'll cover you!" Lucius moves alongside Lazarus, trying to keep himself between the wizard and the monster.

19:16, Today: Lucius rolled 4 using 2d6+1.  Defend Lazarus.

I still get 1 hold from Stalwart Defender.

The nearest graveyard isn't particularly near at all... is something Istvan does not say, because why would he? No one has mentioned graveyards.


"We don't have time to go anywhere," says Istvan, since Lazarus had said something about going somewhere. "That giant owl-thing will be here very soon... but while it's not controlled by Noric, it's not controlled by Matyokol, either.  And if it is indeed a servitor or avatar of Matyokol, then it can't be as invincible as Matyokol would want us to think-- it's just, y'know, a moon beast. Anyone know anything about what sort of vulnerabilities moon beasts might have?"

While he's talking, Istvan tries prayercasting Magic Weapon on Lucius...

(11:06, Today: Istvan Vanoson rolled 10 using 2d6+2.  Magic weapon, Lucius...?

It works!

So yeah, if Lazarus or somebody would like to Spout Lore about Moon Beast vulnerabilities, that would be great... if successful...)

Lazarus paused in his running when it became clear they wouldn't be able to make it in time. And when Istvan pointed out this beast was not the moon god himself, Lazarus dared to feel at least a tiny shred of hope that they might not immediately die. "A moon beast you say? Let me think for half a second here." The wizard scanned his vast knowledge base to provide their group with any known weaknesses he could think of. "If you two have any ideas, don't be afraid to share them too!" He figured a paladin of the sun or a cleric of the sky might have additional insights into defending against this moon-creature. Even tiny tidbits of knowledge could jog larger bits of info loose.

---

Spouting Lore. Feel free to Aid to boost my roll to a 10.
13:24, Today: Lazarus Steel rolled 9 using 2d6+3.  Spout Lore - moon beast weaknesses

Lazarus does his best to dig through his memory for something useful, but he comes up lacking where divine messengers and infernal avatars are concerned.  Although he does recall that in some cultures, the rooster is considered to be the owl's rival, so maybe there's something there.

At least one of Istvan's prayers is answered, and Lucius's sword begins to glow with divine energy.

As for Lucius himself, things don't go quite as well.  His valiant effort to protect his friends is perhaps a little too valiant, and he practically throws himself at the owl as it swoops down to attack.  There are two simultaneous screeching noises - one from the monster's beak, and the other from its claws as they tear through Lucius's armor and into his shoulders.  Though at least he manages to wrest himself free before it heads back up into the sky to begin circling around for its next attack.

Moon Owl, rolled 12 using 1d10+2.  damage.  And it ignores 1 point of armor, since the claws are that nasty.  But you do still have that 1 hold.

"Lucius!" cried Lazarus as the paladin took a hit. Mr. Steel steeled himself and glared at the humongous circling bird. He yelled up at it, "Fine! Let's do this! Cock-a-doodle-doo!" The called upon his reserves of arcane energy and launched a blast of magical might in its direction. At the very least, his spell would be an important experiment to determine just how susceptible this beast was to his damaging spells.

---

Casting Magic Missile at the owl.
21:04, Today: Lazarus Steel rolled 7 using 2d6+3.  Cast Magic Missile at owl.
21:05, Today: Lazarus Steel rolled 6 using 2d4.  Magic Missile Damage.

I will "draw unwelcome attention or put yourself in a spot. The GM will tell you how."

Lucius suffered a nasty gash as the claws of the moonbeast got through his armor. Realising how difficult it was to fight a flying opponent, the paladin had a daring idea...

Sheathing his sword, he braced himself for the next swoop and prepared to catch the beast by one of its talons.

19:26, Today: Lucius rolled 4 using 2d6.  DD Dex.
Womp Womp.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:26, Mon 28 Mar 2022.

The giant owl swoops down again, but doesn't fit in with anyone's plans for how to deal with it.  By the time you realize that it is aiming for Lazarus rather than Lucius it is a bit too late to course correct.  Lucius turns to run, hoping to intercept it, but he didn't see Istvan approaching and crashes into him.  The two of them go sprawling, and while they try to untangle and get back to their feet, the owl grabs Lazarus by the arms and begins its next ascent.

Lazarus - you now get to make your own DD+Dex roll to try to squirm free before the owl is too high up.

Lucius and Istvan - you both take -1 to your next action
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:41, Wed 30 Mar 2022.

"I don't think so, big guy," Lazarus said as the owl grabbed his arms. The wizard twisted his body at just the right angle and his limbs slipped free almost as soon as they were grasped. He fell hard on his back, but seemed to be otherwise in good health. Even as he landed though, he was blasting the bird with another magical salvo as it flew away. "Maybe this will teach you to leave us alone!" He figured retaliation would be unlikely from this angle.

---

Defy Danger with Dex:
08:01, Today: Lazarus Steel rolled 10 using 2d6+1.  Defy Danger + Dex, escape giant owl monster.

Casting Magic Missile again:
08:10, Today: Lazarus Steel rolled 12 using 2d6+3.  Cast Magic Missile.

Damage:
08:11, Today: Lazarus Steel rolled 6 using 2d4.  Damage.

Lazarus's spell strikes the owl in the wing as it is turning to attack again.  It screeches in pain but keeps on coming...

Lucius, Istvan, you're up!

Seeing as Lazarus' magic strikes true again, Lucius scrambles to his feet to protect him, seeing as he might be the target of the moonbeast's ire.

4:06, Today: Lucius rolled 6 using 2d6.  Defend.

Welp, I got that 1 hold again...

(Istvan rolls to prayercast Magic Weapon on his own weapon, and gets an 8. Istvan chooses to forget the prayerspell for now, but at least it works.

Having done that, Istvan decides to try just taking a swing at this thing...

15:27, Today: Istvan Vanoson rolled 12 using 2d6+1 ((5,6)).

15:27, Today: Istvan Vanoson rolled 12 using 2d6+1.  attack.

nice.

15:27, Today: Istvan Vanoson rolled 1 using 1d6.  dam.
15:27, Today: Istvan Vanoson rolled 3 using 1d4.  more damage.

Ugh, good thing I did Magic Weapon first...

Istvan does 4 points of dam minus whatever armor this thing has...)

Istvan blesses his own weapon, and then attacks the enemy. It is of some benefit (he hopes...)

(Any extra benefit from smackin' it with my Blessed Mace I got from the vampire castle, I don't suppose...?)

Lazarus's missile might have injured the owl, but it is still coming back for another attack.  Lucius tries to intercept it and succeeds in shoving Lazarus aside, maybe a little too forcefully, but neither of them is able to do anything to the owl itself right at this moment.  Istvan, however, is ready with his mace.  He doesn't hit as hard as he would have liked, but there's enough physical connection there for a blast of holy light to shoot from the mace and wrap around the owl like a net.  It only lasts for a few seconds, but that's enough time for all of you to breathe and make your next move before the monster can take wing again.

"Let's all focus on the same wing!" Lazarus suggested. He began getting to his feet after experiencing a rough tackle. He would definitely have bruises later. "Maybe we can keep it from flying." Following his own advice, the wizard began casting yet another Magic Missile at the huge bird in front of them.

"Solokara nothius bomari frotrosuthock!" With the magical words spoken, Lazarus threw his arcane bolt at the nearest wing.

---

Cast Magic Missile again:
19:55, Today: Lazarus Steel rolled 12 using 2d6+3.  Cast Magic Missile at wing.

Damage:
19:55, Today: Lazarus Steel rolled 6 using 2d4.  Damage.

Istvan feels inspired by seeing the brief net around the moon-owl-thing. "Y'know what? Fine! Fine! You wanna get birdy? Let's get birdy! Flap this off, birdy! Noric says he's tired of you flying in his sky!"


(Hack and Slash:

13:35, Today: Istvan Vanoson rolled 9 using 2d6+1.  Hit the damn thing.

13:35, Today: Istvan Vanoson rolled 4 using 1d6.  dam 1.

13:35, Today: Istvan Vanoson rolled 4 using 1d4.  extra dam.

8 damage, minus moon-owl armor if applicable)

Istvan hits the beast as hard as he can. It feels good. He wants to do it again.

"Alright! I'm with you!" the paladin scrambles to his feet and swings at the moonbeast.

It doesn't go quite as planned...

00:29, Today: Lucius rolled 3 using 2d6+1 ((1,1)).

Lazarus and Istvan continue their brutal assault.  Judging from the dark cracks that begin to form around the owl's body (especially that one wing) it seems to be working.  But the beast still finds the strength to right itself.  As it rises it slaps Istvan with a powerful wing (8 damage, minus armor).  But that's nothing compared to Lucius's luck - he was approaching from just the right angle so that, when the owl gets back to its feet, the paladin is pinned under one of them.

And then it screeches to the heavens.  It... well, it seems like it should be incredibly loud, looking at the size and posture of the creature making the sound, but instead it is a faint and echoey sound.  And when it ends, the area around you is bathed in an eerie darkness that is distinctly darker than the regular night, and is outlined by a thin orange ring that dances like flame, though there is only light there and no heat.  But it is a very intense light (and yet still unable to dispel the darkness).

-----
GM, for the NPC Moon Owl, rolled 8 using 1d8.  damage.

Wait, what? Istvan tries to figure out what that's all about...

(10:32, Today: Istvan Vanoson rolled 9 using 2d6+2.  What's with this darkness ring.

It seems stupid to ask

What happened here recently?

when Istvan was right there just now when it happened, so I guess I'll ask

What here is useful or valuable to me?

What Istvan really wants to figure out is: how bad is it that we're in this ring, what does it mean, and if the answer/s is/are "something pretty bad," then he'll hope to figure out what he might do to stop the ring happening...)

As the landscape dimmed, Lazarus's worry dimmed. He had read about this type of effect before. Although he had never witnessed it in person and he couldn't recall all the details, he still hurriedly explained what he knew to his companions.

---

08:39, Today: Lazarus Steel rolled 8 using 2d6+3.  Spout Lore - mysterious darkness effect.

Pinned under the beak of the beast, Lucius nevertheless doesn't yield to panic. Seeing the advantage in keeping the beast grounded, he grips the talons tightly with one hand. He doesn't have the right perspective to appreciate the change of scenery.

Lazarus launches into a rapid ramble about different mystical interpretations of solar eclipses.  The one that stands out is that an eclipse is the moon trying to take over the sun's domain, and the fiery halo that remains is the sun's attempt to fend it off.

Istvan, with his focus on the immediate situation rather than the realm of ivory towers, takes this to mean that the most useful thing around is that same fiery halo that currently surrounds their battlefield.

And as far as Lucius's efforts go, roll DD+Str to keep the owl where you want it, without getting too hurt yourself

What bits of information Lazarus could recall were not particularly reassuring. He was unsure what effect the darkness might have on their party, but logically speaking, it seemed best if they didn't remain within it.

"I'm heading for the ring of light!" he announced to his friends even as he cast another magical missile at the owl. He then bolted for the circle of apparent sunlight at the edge of the darkness.

---

Casting Magic Missile again as I run toward the ring of light. I don't suppose any of the eclipsed area counts as a Place of Power, does it?

22:18, Today: Lazarus Steel rolled 8 using 2d6+3.  Cast Magic Missile.
I'll choose, "You draw unwelcome attention or put yourself in a spot. The GM will tell you how."

22:18, Today: Lazarus Steel rolled 4 using 2d4.  Damage.

"...Lucius! I think maybe you've got the right idea maybe sort of-- except let's try to move it! I think maybe we should try to get it outside the ring of moon-influence-- that ring of fire! Maybe we can get it to chase us there?"

So saying, Istvan hurriedly followed Lazarus to the edge of the ring-- but he was definitely going to let Lazarus try running through first. (If Lazarus took no damage, Istvan would follow.)

Confused and crushed under the weight of the owl, Lucius barely registers what Istvan is saying. He can only focus on the beast, and tries to force it roughly in the direction of the others.

Now that the eclipse has fully set in, the owl seems mostly unfazed by Lazarus's spell.  Not completely unfazed, but mostly.

Lucius grapples with the beast with all he can muster, but it fights back just as hard, especially once it notices which way you are trying to push it.  It lunges as hard as it can, with its one good wing to add a little more force.  Lucius realizes that if he continues to move it toward the ring of fire it will crash into Lazarus or Istvan along the way.  He can direct it toward one or the other of them, or he can pull back to keep it in the shadow instead.  Or let go altogether.

"You think?!" Lucius cries out to Istvan between heavy breaths as he struggles with the beast."Get ready to be chased, then!"

The paladin directs the owl at Istvan and lets it go, allowing the momentum to carry it to the ring of light.

Lazarus was unsure what he could do to help Lucius or Istvan, so when the wizard reached the edge of the eclipse, he continued to do what he had been doing before. Casting Magic Missile at the big owl. "Sodrithal yekekkreka ilmozius preklecrikaal!" With his spell cast, Lazarus unleashed its magic at the intended target.

---

Casting Magic Missile again.
13:40, Today: Lazarus Steel rolled 5 using 2d4.  Damage.
13:39, Today: Lazarus Steel rolled 12 using 2d6+3.  Cast Magic Missile at owl.

As fast as he can, Istvan tries, through the power of dodging/running, to not let the owl anywhere near him.

(09:46, Today: Istvan Vanoson rolled 9 using 2d6+1 with rolls of 6,2.  Dodge the owl.)

Standing in the corona, Lazarus is briefly engulfed in a thin orange flame himself.  But his wizardry takes that energy and weaves it into the spell he is casting.  The missile he releases burns like none he has cast before, and strikes the owl with dazzling force as it flies.

Its "flight," of course, is the one that leads to it nearly crashing into Istvan.  The cleric avoids direct impact, but one wing does push him over and send him tumbling.  When he stops moving he is right on the edge between deep shadow and bright fire.  There is a very uncomfortable tingling as the two sides both do... whatever they are trying to do with him, which is definitely something.

As for the owl, it has landed firmly in the corona.  Its dark body is already starting to disintegrate, cold white light shooting from cracks centered around where Lazarus's last missile made impact.  The solar fire around it seems to be accelerating the process.

If anyone is going to do anything with this, you have only the briefest instant to do so...

As the owl began to disintegrate, Lazarus studied the situation carefully, analyzing all of the angles. "This is an unexpected turn of events," he commented. He cross-referenced what he knew of the eclipse effect, what had happened with his magic missile, what was happening to the owl, and the events that had happened on the "moon." He tried to see if there was any reason to do anything other than let the owl dissolve.

He shared any insights he had with his teammates. Quickly, if possible.

---

Using my Logical skill to Discern Realities with Int.
20:43, Today: Lazarus Steel rolled 9 using 2d6+3.  Discern Realities with Int - dissolving owl situation.

I will ask, "What should I be on the lookout for?"

If I happen to get Aid somehow, I would also ask:
What is about to happen?
What here is useful or valuable to me?

(I thought of that, of course, but

quote:

"If anyone is going to do anything with this, you have only the briefest instant to do so..."

seemed to me to be a clear signal that there was zero time to do that AND to act on anything gleaned.)

Istvan runs to get outside the eclipsed area, back in the normal daylight.

(GM, let me know if it's necessary and I'll roll Dex if you want.)

Unafraid of the light, Lucius leaps into the blazing fire and pins the owl down, with only his faith in the Sun to protect him.

Lazarus realizes that what he should be on the lookout for is exploding fragments of lunar owl monster.  He doesn't know if they will be rock-solid or, um, less solid than that, but he does know that the safe time to study that is after any explosion and not during it.

Istvan scrambles to his feet and out of the circle.  There is a burning sensation for just a moment as he crosses through the corona, but that passes once he is fully outside.  Lazarus could also leave easily enough if he chooses to (or he could roll DD+Dex if he wants to stay put for any reason).

Valiant Lucius holds the owl in place, and the flames wrap around both of them.  To the paladin it feels warm, like concentrated essence of the first day of spring.  To the owl it presumably feels much worse, though not for very much longer...

"Evidence suggests the owl is going to explode!" warned Lazarus. "Brace yourselves!" The wizard himself ducked behind whatever trees were available and prepared for the inevitable blast.

Istvan also runs for the nearest decent cover (that one tree, I guess? Unless it's inside the eclipse ring, in which case other trees?)

The explosion is not as loud as you expected.  The owl burst apart with more of a "pop" than a "boom," and the bits turn to dull gray stone as they go flying all around.  There is also what looks at first to be a puff of pale smoke, although Lucius is keenly aware that it is in fact moon dust, and Lazarus and Istvan figure this out soon enough as well.

And then the eclipse shadow quickly vanishes, and the solar fire with it, and you are back to what looks like a normal night.  Well, except for the moon still being split in two, and the dead body of Master Vorn on the ground nearby.  But other than that it's back to normal.

Gah! Moon still split in two! That's not right...!?! Istvan stares at it worriedly...

(17:10, Today: Istvan Vanoson rolled 6 using 2d6+2 with rolls of 2,2.  Discern realities omg it's like thundarr the barbarian.

FAIL unless someone aids me.

If someone aids me: uhhhh I'll go with:

What here is not what it appears to be?

Because Istvan really hopes that he's just seeing things right now...)

Lazarus exhaled. "We survived," he stated, almost not believing his own words. He then saw Istvan looking up at the shattered moon. "Ah, I see you noticed my, uh... handiwork? Let's just say I am at least partially responsible for," he waved his hand in a general matter at the moon, "that." Lazarus then went into more detail about what exactly had transpired after he and Lucius drank their potions. His story ended with the powerful magical conflux that resulted in the moon's split. But... perhaps his story was of the "you had to be there" sorts.

---

I am attempting to Aid Istvan by giving him more details about what exactly led to what he is currently looking at.

19:13, Today: Lazarus Steel rolled 5 using 2d6+1.  Aid Istvan.
Oops. +1 XP!

Lucius steps back from the remains of the owl and inhales deeply, then looks up to the skies. And roars with laughter again at the ridiculousness of the situation. "You mad maverick! Whatever possessed you to do that?!"

After the fit of laughter, the paladin composes himself and grunts. "Ahem. The slaves still need their freedom. Let us not tarry!"

He looks at Vorn's dead body for proof of his demise. Hopefully, with their master dead, those wayward souls can be set back on a path of redemption.

Vorn is definitely dead, no question about it.  If you want to take something off of him there's nothing he can do to stop you.

So, straight to the jail, or any clever plans first?

Istvan checks to see if Vorn has any pockets or anything like that, and if so, if he's got anything interesting in there.

"What can I say? I saw a once in a lifetime opportunity and decided to act on it. I did NOT know it would destroy the moon though. Or summon a giant owl..."

He helped deal with Vorn with the others. "You know, we could probably use the fractured moon and Vorn's death as proof that it is time for the village to rethink their ways. After all, moons don't break because they are doing the right thing. Do we need to take a few minutes to recover before going to help the slaves though? We won't do anyone any good if we are about to drop from exhaustion." Lazarus looked Lucius up and down. The paladin looked particularly disheveled after their skirmish with the owl.

"What? No. I'm fine." The paladin pats his armor down, getting rid of some of the moon dust. It did not help much, but at least he didn't seem seriously wounded.

He picks up the sickle as proof of Vorn's demise, though he had to admit the split moon was more... evocative.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:43, Fri 13 May 2022.

There are only two other items in Vorn's pockets right now - the empty vial that previously held his potion, and a small block of plain beeswax.

Istvan examines the beeswax... holding it up to the light... is there something in it, maybe...?

(19:49, Today: Istvan Vanoson rolled 10 using 2d6+2.  Discern realities: none of your beeswax.

Great, THIS, i roll well on...

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 wax is too thick to see through it, but Istvan suspects that there is indeed something inside, something that might have a magical effect if released.  No idea what it is or what that effect might be, though it seems that there might be cause to experiment with it in the very near future.

Istvan hurriedly tells his colleagues about his thoughts about the wax, asking for their thoughts. "Could it be a magical... antidote for something? I just figure it's got to be important if it's one of three things the guy was carrying on him..."

Meanwhile, Istvan asks Noric for some healing...

(09:16, Today: Istvan Vanoson rolled 9 using 2d6+2 with rolls of 1,6.  Heal self.

UGH. will choose:
--After you cast it, the spell is revoked by your deity. You cannot cast the spell again until you commune and have it granted to you.

09:17, Today: Istvan Vanoson rolled 2 using 1d8.  heal me.

Istvan gets two measly hp back.)
This message was last edited by the player at 14:18, Sun 15 May 2022.

"Can I take a look? I may be able to determine what it is with my magic-detecting magic." The wizard made some arcane gestures, ending them by touching his ears. He could suddenly hear the different magics present around them. It was like each magic was a different instrument playing a soft song. He held the wax up to his ear to see what type of magic melody it might possess, then cross-referenced his findings with his own knowledge of magical objects and substances. Or non-magical substances if there was no sound coming from within the wax.

He shared his findings with the others.

---

Casting Detect Magic, keying it to Lazarus's sense of hearing.
13:13, Today: Lazarus Steel rolled 11 using 2d6+3.  Cast Detect Magic.

13:13, Today: Lazarus Steel rolled 10 using 2d6+3.  Spout Lore - wax magic.

"Oh, sure, good idea."

Lazarus is quite certain that, within the wax, is a magical liquid that nullifies any magics or toxins that affect the mind.  There is a very good reason that the liquid is kept in wax rather than a flask or vial like any other potion, which Lazarus is able to explain to the group if he wants to...

Lazarus handed the wax item back to Istvan after his examination. "I believe the liquid inside nullifies any magics or toxins that affect the mind. It is stored in the wax because it needs a container made of material produced from something with a mind. Bee's wax counts. As would bone or leather, but those are more difficult to work with. An inorganic or plant-based material would spoil the mind magics involved."

With his knowledge dispensed, Lazarus then asked, "So, what is the first step for our prisoner-freeing plan?"

"Well if he's carrying this around, then either he was AFRAID of that sort of mind control, or he's been USING that sort of mind control. Orrrrr both-- he's been using it, so he's afraid someone will turn the tables some day and so he's got an antidote.

So... it feels like we, maybe... just need to figure out who needs this mind-control antidote, and how to best administer it to them. That's how it seems to me, anyway..."

"Hmm, now that you mention it. I found it very surprising that a follower of Supplicax would turn to moon worship. Perhaps the jailer was affected?" Lucius wonders aloud.

"In any case, the, uh, thieves guild offered to help us get the people out safely, discreetly. I think that's our best course of action."

"It sounds like we should meet up with the thieves guild then. Strike while the iron is hot. Lead the way, Lucius."

You make your way back toward the town.  When you are close you see a lot of movement, and the sounds of unhappy commotion reach you.  A little closer and you can hear more clearly the wailing and panicking.  It's hard to make out specifics, but when you do catch things more clearly they are about questioning this ill omen in the sky and wondering where the hell Master Vorn is at a time like this.

Lazarus did not like the looks of what was going on up ahead. The townspeople were understandably distressed. To his companions, he asked, "So, do we want to confront the mob? Or avoid it entirely? Either way, I'll follow your lead."

Istvan waited to see what Lucius would say. He might pull off a big paladin-y speech that would defuse the mob, or even turn it into something useful.

Failing that, Istvan could try his own hand at delivering an impromptu sermon about Noric that might get some converts and/or screw these people's heads on straight.

But just trying to avoid the mob might be good, too... He'd let Lucius decide. His companions were the ones who actually broke the moon, after all (as far as he could tell)...

"As much as it would please me, the captives are top priority. We shall worry about the townsfolk once they are freed!" Lucius takes them to the thieves' den, in the house on the outskirts of town. There, he hoped his new friends were waiting on him already.

The townsfolk are sufficiently preoccupied with their panicking that you can avoid them without difficulty.  You are within sight of the house when you hear an ominous whisper from the shadows: "What up my dudes?"

Lör steps out now, chuckling.  But it's not just like he was hiding in the darkness; it seems as though he had physically blended with it, and is only now retaking his amply corporeal form.  As he does he adds "Serious shenanigans happening, amirite?"

Emerging from another shadow, in the more typical, nonmagical sense, is Degwyth the thief.  He gives you all a nod of greeting but does not say anything.

"A perfect time to shatter the bonds that bind us, I think," said Lazarus, gesturing to the shattered moon above, and referencing the fact that they were preparing to break some prisoners free. However, the wizard opted to leave the majority of the speaking to Lucius, since these were his contacts.

"Well, a lot of things are 'up'. Lazarus, Istvan, meet Lör and... uh... sorry, I forgot." The paladin stammered awkwardly, but quickly collected himself. "Right! Hopefully, we can convince the mob to calm down, but only after the prisoners are safe. Now, can you and your fae magicks help us with that, as we previously discussed?" he addressed the sorcerer.

"Right, right..." Lör trails off with an unexpectedly thoughtful look on his face.  After a moment he turns to the thief and says "Degwyth, you got that special ink, right?"  The thief nods, and Lör continues.  "Alright, I'm going to need some royal green to set the mood, and you're going to need to put out some runes."  He goes on to give Degwyth the specific instructions about which runes and which locations, naming various spots around town.  When he finishes that he turns back to the three of you and says "It'll take us about half an hour to put all that together.  Nice enchantment, should mellow out most of the town.  Not everyone, there's always a few who don't get hit quite the same, but most folks should be pretty chill once this goes off.  Might hit you too though, so I guess you'll want to get to work on freeing those prisoners?  I don't want to wait too long with the spell though, in case things go the other way."

Lucius blinks twice in surprise. A city wide enchantment? "I expected, well, not this. Regardless, thank you for your help. Naught else for us but to storm the jailhouse and free the prisoners."

Istvan smiles. This sort of thing is his god's wheelhouse.

"Let's do this," said Lazarus with determination in his voice.

By some miracle, you make it to the jailhouse unimpeded.  You are now within sight of the front door, where you had previously entered - what next?

"As far as I am concerned, you are the leader on this one, Lucius. What shall I do? Charm someone? Detect magical auras? Stand behind you and look pretty? Just let me know and I will do what I can." The wizard's magic, skills, knowledge, and resources were all at Lucius's disposal.

While Lucius naturally assumed the leadership role, having heard Lazarus declare it out loud filled him with a mix of pride and anxiety.

"Right! I was thinking about the magical concoction sealed in wax. Lazarus, I will try to engage the jailer in conversation. See if his mind is mired by magic, could you do that? Any other suggestions?"

"I should be able to do that. Let me cast the necessary spell now, before we enter." Lazarus concentrated and cast his detection spell for the second time that night. Instead of attuning his ears to magic this time though, he attuned his eyes.

"It is done. I can see magic. But we best hurry before my spell fades, because I don't think I will be able to cast it again this night."

---

05:01, Today: Lazarus Steel rolled 8 using 2d6+3.  Cast a Spell: Detect Magic (eyes).
I will forget the spell.

Turns out the front door is locked.  Some heavy knocking does the job though, and eventually Heidmir the jailer does open it.  He looks grumpy and suspicious at first, but then his face lights up with recognition.  In a friendly tone he says "Ah, Mr. Lusorius was it?  Come in, come in."

Lazarus can see the magical tendrils around his head.  As he focuses he understands that they indicate a subtle effect which has taken hold over a long period of time, as opposed to the sudden burst of someone casting a mind control spell intended for immediate use.

Lazarus was glad the jailer answered the door, and even more glad that he didn't seem upset by their presence. Even so, the magical tendrils Lazarus was seeing were concerning. "Istvan, perhaps you can make some of your honey tea as a way to thank this man for seeing us so late? At the very least, it will help us keep a clear head while discussing what needs to be discussed." He gestured up at the broken moon hanging in the sky.

"Greetings, Executor. I hope we are not intruding at this late hour, there are some urgent things to discuss." Lucius greets the man and steps inside. He shoots a quick questioning glance at the wizard before continuing. "Grave news. Have you seen the night sky?"

"I have," he responds in a dour tone.  "Surely Master Vorn must have something to say about it.  Do you know where he is?"

In response to Lazarus's suggestion of tea, Heidmir says "Brilliant idea that, the kettle should still be warm from earlier.  Come on inside, I'll fetch it for you and then we can talk."  He leaves the front door open for the three of you (or four, if you brought Vittorio along) to follow, and then he heads to another door off to the side.  That one is currently closed.

Lucius hastily interjects: "My squire and Istvan can handle it. Please, it is urgent. Vorn is dead!" he tells the jailer a piece of the truth - which ought to grab his attention. Not bright enough to catch on to Lazarus's clever message, he at least follows the plan.

"WHAT???"  His face is twisted with shock and rage.  He stops suddenly, holding his hands out in a "pause" sort of gesture, and takes a deep breath.  When he speaks again his voice is only slightly louder than usual, and his voice is strained with the effort of keeping himself under control.  "Tell me what happened.  Tell me who did it.  And tell me what punishment they've already received so's I know what punishment is still due to them."