Planes to Shape, Secrets to Keep... (Dromus)

[Kelleris]

Cagthail reaches down and attempts to pull back Ilmordan's hood to get a better look, and is surprised to find that his hand passes through the dark, shredded cloak as though it were completely insubstantial. Patting Ilmordan down, he gets an impression of some kind of "normal" clothing under the concealing shroud, but it's hard to tell exactly what is in there without a more thorough (blind) search of pockets, which could turn out to be dangerous. Make a Search check if you want to be really thorough.

Some things regarding Ilmordan have come to your attention lately, though. He's been badly injured, and his breathing was quite erratic for some time, but a couple of hours ago he seemed to stabilize. At that point, he began to whisper something quietly, constantly, too low for even the most careful observation to discern the words. The sounds, however, set your teeth on edge, and always seem to be just barely covered by the susurrus of the city.

OOC - Re: Illira's question. Anyone who likes can feel free to define a contact now, if you don't already have one who might be of assistance. Not that you need to call in any favors, but the option's there.

Illira: [sblock] The only other option that occurs to you is finding your way into the Tangle somehow, though without a native guide and the careful mapping from the area through the Tangle portal, the logistics of such an enterprise are daunting. OOC though, don't get discouraged unless that's your character's reaction. There are a couple of more-or-less reliable ways to slip through that I can think of, and my players have never failed to surprise me with an alternative I haven't thought of, either. [/sblock]

Narine: [sblock] Whenever you look out toward the raised dais on which the six great portals rest, the slimy spot on your forehead throbs slickly, and more intensely when you focus on the Kellunan gate. [/sblock]

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

"You know... I rather think my comb is more than capable of taking care of itself. I think we need to head to the Kellunan gate though. I think what we're looking for is very nearby..." Narine says, sounding a bit distracted.

 

[Jolmo]

Cagthail tries to go through Ilmordans pockets by feel, taking out anything he can find through the illusionary cloak to see what it is.

DM:

Spoiler

Search 21

 

[Kelleris]

Cagthail, feeling around in Ilmordan's pockets, runs his hands over the man's chest, and his hand catches on something unseen. Tugging at it gently, it comes loose, and pulling it from the misty cloak reveals it to be a metallic badge, dark green with a stylized blue dagger depicted on it. Further exploration reveals a small sheathe at Ilmordan's side, holding what feels - to Cagthail's probing fingers - to be a dagger, its hilt tightly wrapped in some kind of hide. When Cagthail places his hand on the weapon to try to draw it free, he gasps and recoils, revealing painful greenish welts on that hand.

Cagthail: [sblock] When you grasp the dagger, you get a sudden feeling of nauseous weightlessness, along with a vertiginous shift of perspective that twists your surroundings into menacing shadows. The cold burn in your hand snaps you out of it, and the vomit-inducing sensation fades after a moment, leaving a ringing in your ears. Do you want to continue to feel around? Oh, and make a Perception check to try to get a feel for how the dagger affected you. [/sblock]

The rest of you, while Cagthail searches, face a decision - how to get through that portal, or what to do if you fail to do so.

 

[Jolmo]

After some cursing at the sudden pain, Cagthail reaches back in, attempting to remove the entire sheathe without touching the hilt again.

DM:

Spoiler

Perception: 18

 

[Kelleris]

Cagthail: [sblock] The feeling you got when you touched the dagger was a strange one, skewing your perceptions and remaking certain thoughts and whole sections of knowledge and skill into an undifferentiated warm red mass, painful to mentally "touch" or access. Fortunately, the damage seems to have been decidedly transient, and even the painful greenish welts are fading rapidly. [/sblock]

Ever so carefully, Cagthail manages to cut through the unseen leather belt Ilmordan wears and remove the dagger, which is seen to have a simple iron hilt wrapped tightly in strips of a pale hide to improve the grip.

Further searching reveals a full coin-purse, gold and silver with some platinum pieces mixed in. You find nothing else of interest - anything further is too well-hidden to be discerned from clothing and flesh when feeling blind. Of course, you do always have the option to strip "Ilmordan" entirely.

 

[Zerth]

"Um, excuse me, but are you planning just walking through the gate?" Illira asks Narine worriedly. "The 'comb' has proven it can stay hidden, but how do we know it wants to? Isn't that risking all too much?" she adds looking at the others one at a time. "Not that I have any better ideas. We could try leaving through the Tangle, but without Kestral or anybody else to guide us it would be just as dangerous, if not more so. This is my first time here and I'm a little intimidated by this place to say the least," Illira confesses frustration on her face.

OOC: Illira's desperation is purely in character. I'm sure there are many ways to continue, but Illira's not likely the person, who can solve this problem.

 

[Jolmo]

Cagthail stands and moves closer to the others. "Talking the artifact into hiding itself seems a good idea, if you think it's possible." After saying that, he holds up the badge and asks, "does this symbol mean anything?"

While waiting for an answer he shows the dagger and coin-purse, commenting only that, "the dagger is warded in some way."

 

[Zerth]

"Let me see it," Illira says and looks at the badge Cagthail is holding.

She casts also Detect Magic and tries to find out, if Ilmordan has any magical defenses or items on him.

DM: [sblock]Knowledge (arcana) +8, Knowledge (planes) +7 to identify the badge. Spellcraft +7.[/sblock]

 

[Kelleris]

OOC - Sorry about the lull. My grandfather's been very sick recently, and I took advantage of a place where there was nothing obvious for me to do as DM to drop out for a bit. I'll get back on it, especially since Isida's been yellin' at me in her PbP game.

Illira: [sblock] You don't remember anything about the badge... and it's not itself magical, though it does appear to bear an invisible arcane mark that's illegible without more focused magic. It's most likely simply a badge of office or some kind of civic or military honor. The dagger, though, gives you a more impressive result - a blackened haze hovers around it, seeming to scorch the air with its aura. It's obviously an evil weapon, though of what kind or caliber you cannot determine. [/sblock]