Adventure: Echoes of O

[JoeNotCharles]

As Allip continues, 7 Rabbit waves a hand at Les's question, as if to say, "Not now." He concentrates closely on the halfling's words.

"Are you SURE that these could not be echoes from before her death? How exact are the calculations involved?"

 

[Don Incognito]

"This is far from an exact science, but people that have been saved from such rituals only ever spawned one (or in rare cases, two) Echoes. To have spawned six Echoes...and especially considering how long she has been missing? To find her alive would be unheard of, and would spurn a reexamination of everything we know about sanguiduum extraction and Echo physiology."

 

[Lord Sessadore]

Raiyek seems to have been deep in thought, but he starts to share his thoughts now. "You said the Oan would have been smarter to send parties to eliminate the Echoes ... perhaps he did. We found some fur under the bridge and on one of the Echoes itself, we think it came from some kind of furry humanoid. Bugbear, shifter, minotaur, those types."

"Would you know some ritual to see who the fur belonged to? Also, does anything special happen to creatures who are killed by an Echo? We didn't find any evidence of blood or bodies under the bridge, just this fur. I'm unsure what that could mean ..."

Raiyek pauses for a moment, collecting his thoughts before continuing. "And these rituals that use sanguiduum ... I suspect they are rather powerful, correct? If there is an Oan in Daunton planning to use such a ritual, is there cause for concern in general? I mean, other than the fact that he needs to distill people to power it, could the ritual itself be a threat to the city?"

 

[JoeNotCharles]

7 Rabbit says, excitedly, "If he IS sending people back to eliminate the echoes, maybe he'll try again! We could wait for them and follow them back to him!" He visibly reigns himself in. "I mean, YOU can. It would be smarter for me to do more research and learn more about the magic involved." He seems torn.

 

[Dawn Raven]

Raiyek's comments cut to the point. Les nods. "Either way, we need to find this mage. Even if Borius is not willing to pay for a revenge mission, this Oan is a danger to the city. I refuse to let others be subjected to the sort of torture that Rebekkah had to experience. Doubly so if the mage plans something dangerous for the city as a whole."

 

[Lord Sessadore]

Raiyek raises an eyebrow at Rabbit. "That does remind me of another question though. Do the echoes continue appearing? Will there be any more echoes of Rebekkah?"

 

[Lord Sessadore]

With a fierce nod, Raiyek voices his agreement with Les. "Yes, this mage's justice will be certain. He must pay for the atrocities he's committed, and be prevented from committing further ones." His eyes flash with resolve, almost glowing as they do in combat, before melting back to the normal, vivid green orbs.

 

[Don Incognito]

"Once the Echoes are eliminated, they stop spawning. Ripples cannot continue once they are interrupted. As for the fur, I'll see what I can do, but depending on how old it is there may not be much to glean. As for your payment...Borius is a stingy sort, even in his grief. Assuming you can bring back the head of the one responsible, he may be persuaded to give you the reward he promised/"

"Things killed by Echoes are dead. I really can't say why you didn't find bodies."

 

[PierceSG]

Ashurn twirls his blade in his hand while pacing back and forth. "So we have a rogue mage running amok in out city? And Marley didn't even know about it or he chose not to tell us. As long as there isn't solid evidence pointing towards Rebekkah's death, I will follow any evidence we have uncovered so far then." says Ash, changing his attitude once after the mage had explained everything.

 

[JoeNotCharles]

"Well, it sounds like there is no hurry now," says 7 Rabbit. "The echoes appear at a certain time, but it is only roughly related to the time of death, and it does not mean that whatever ritual is planned will be finishing soon. So we can afford to get some rest." He turns to the halfling. "Is there anything more you can tell me about this magic? Tomorrow I plan to go to the library to research - do you know the names of any reference books that could help me? In fact, could I borrow that one to study for the evening?"