Undine the Sea

"Well, now we're in a pickle," Corvinus sighs, as they are left alone again. "Tempting as it is, I think it would be a mistake to just cut our way out of here. We still need the Temple's help to find the merfolk and to operate effectively underwater. So we need to convince them they've been hoodwinked. It looks like they're not going to listen to us, so can anyone think of a third party to bring in? Ximix, do you have any way of contacting your temple?"

[sblock=OOC: ]I apologize for my lack of posts. I've felt like Ximix is a rear car in a train wreck for several days now... I am sorry to say so, but I may want to drop out of this game, it has the feel of a no-win no-way-out "unless we do X" and "X" is - quite obviously by other's posting, completely unknown to us.

I have been a DM for over 17 years and have never put my players in such a position of powerlessness without even a hint of a way out. It's not even remotely what I personally consider 'fun'.
I would like to see this through... however I don't see where this is going at all. My character does not have any ability or power or connection or knowledge that is of any use.
When a character is powerless and useless... well then he has to rely on his groupmates -that's what D&D is at it's core - an exercise in Team Building. Lets look at our Team... not one character seems to be able to do any more than Ximix: ie sit and wait.

This is well past deus-ex-machina and quite a ways into stagnant and pointless in my view.
If my bluntness is causing trouble, boot me. Ban me for all I care. I tried to give clear warning of my frustration in my first post and I've seen nothing that indicates that we've got anything even approximating a clue as to what to do next except to wait for the next plot point to roll over us.
Again, I apologize for my harsh words, Frustration and I do not get along well in games, oddly I'm not here to wonder why I'm here.[/sblock]

Ximix has stood in a corner watching the conflict brew and boil over. He knew he had no pull with Krindorf's Dwarven temperment, similiarly he felt his skills of diplomacy were inadequate to reason with someone so convinced of their 'evil'.

In answer to Corvinus' query the slight framed Elf simply shrugs his thin shoulders, "I fear that we of The Arcane are more loosely connected seekers than an organized church... we seek knowledge and magical power, understanding and more efficient uses of the ways of Magic above all else. If we are lawfully imprisoned by a good order then we have no recourse other than to appeal to a higher lawful authority... is anyone here a member of royalty or perhaps a noble order? If so, perhaps we can ask to contact the appropriate emmisaries and try diplomacy... though I understand this is quite unlikely to secure our release in sufficient time to aid our mission... I am at a loss." The feeble shrug of the priests shoulders are his finishing remark.

"I am of minor nobility, but I'm not sure if that can help much. I think we might have had a chance with that priestess, so if we're lucky, maybe she'll come back. Let's wait and look for an opportunity--whenever they come to talk to us, it might be a chance, if we work together to think up a plan. Is there some way one of us can prove we are good? We don't have a paladin or a good-aligned cleric, do we?"

*Later that evening, a meal is brought for the group. Eventually it gets late, and the priests who are guarding the room head off to check in for the night, leaving the party unguarded for now.*

covaithe said:

"Well, now we're in a pickle," Corvinus sighs, as they are left alone again. "Tempting as it is, I think it would be a mistake to just cut our way out of here. We still need the Temple's help to find the merfolk and to operate effectively underwater. So we need to convince them they've been hoodwinked. It looks like they're not going to listen to us, so can anyone think of a third party to bring in? Ximix, do you have any way of contacting your temple?"

Click to expand...

"yea we need to have them see the truth." in a low whisper in case someone is listing at the door Nura adds "now i might have a last resort for that but if it fails i dont think there will be a way out, it is a long shot, it don't work well on elves and someone mighty enough to become a high preist should have an easy time shaking it of. however if it works she will be as an old friend for a time"

Nura looks like she is about to say something but she stops and a thought full expressing crosses her face. A few seconds later she looks at all her party members. "The visions, they might not be wrong, we might have to consider that our action could lead to this poisoning of the Azurine Wyldheart whatever it is. We might not be aware that our actions could cause harm if we were not guided around this hazard. it is just a thought we might have to consider."

It takes the priest scant seconds to consider... "If the priestess is able to control all of us with but a word she is surely elevated in her faith enough to back her words... she was clear that she believed she had received divine communication collaborating the 'trusted allies' that are accusing us.
These trusted allies stated that we are powerfully enchanted or otherwise capable of deceiving their most potent detection abilities. Thus it follows that any of the lower valence spells available to me would be swept aside by the certainty they have shown in not only our guilt, but our very natures as corrupt and evil.
In short, we are beyond their ability to prove as good or bad, yet they absolutely trust the word of their contacts in Rivenblight that we can and will deceive them, trusting that advice over even their divine castings and discernments."


[sblock=OOC: ]If you are trying to see if Ximix can cast a "Good" spell, something requiring an alignment of Good, Ximix is LN, and thus cannot cast them ( and he is only 3rd level so I'm fairly sure nothing qualifies on the available spell list... Other than Zone of Truth, which the above post shows as beyond their ability or even interest to believe, I see nothing that Ximix has available that would be of any help. If someone else sees something I'm missing then by all means just OOC it, the PC has a 16 Wisdom and would likely think of it, the Player is not so familiar as to be secure in his knowledge.

I like how nobody bit on the unguarded door gimick [/sblock]

"Are there spells or prayers that it would be impossible for an evil person to cast, though? I think the priestess said that they didn't trust their divinations because they thought we had magic that could fool them, but if we could do something to prove that we weren't evil, that didn't depend on their divinations, maybe that would carry some weight..." Corvinus trails off uncertainly, suddenly aware that he is arguing theology with a cleric.