And a merry slightly-warmed-over-pagan-winter-solstice-festival to you too!
Shilsen's Eberron SH (Finished - The Last Word : 9/20/15)
- Thread starter Rackhir
- Start date
And a merry slightly-warmed-over-pagan-winter-solstice-festival to you too!
shilsen
Adventurer
Here's a quick and short example of why my group is mental...
* * * * *
With their enemies having either fled or been destroyed by the magical storm, which still rages around them, the Angels enter the structure which the twin former devas had occupied. The inside is almost completely empty, except for the vinelike tendrils which grow across the walls. The only other thing in the hemisphere, pushed up against one side, is a rough, uncarved grey stone about two feet across.
“What’s this?” asks Luna, studying the stone with a distasteful expression. “Looks like it has some weird liquid on it.”
“Warpstone*,” says Nameless instantly, realizing as he does so that he has never seen it before. His voice takes on the pedantic tone which it does when he shares information gained not via experience but through his connection with Xoriat, the daelkyr and the Great Old One, Cyäegha – “That ‘sweat’ on it is characteristic and constant. It is a material normally only found on Xoriat, which can affect creatures and terrain in the area in strange ways. Usually it has to be in the same place to affect things around it, and the longer it stays in one area the greater the effect (in intensity and in distance). Where creatures are concerned, it needs to be in close proximity with them for long periods of time to have an effect. Daelkyr and other aberrations specialized in fleshwarping can control the effects, using it to mold creatures as they wish. Warpstone can also affect magical locations and items, though the effect is weaker than on non-magical terrain and on creatures. Some aberrations use it as a component in creating some of their magical items, and especially symbionts (which are often fed/infused with warpstone as part of the process).” He stops and chuckles harshly, “Don’t anyone tell Mordain about this. I think he’d kill us all to get his hands on it.”
“Thank you, professor Nameless,” says Luna sarcastically. “Maybe we can have some fun with it.”
“It sounds like something we should destroy,” says Gareth instantly, but Luna ignores him. She picks up the warpstone in her huge tentacles with minimal effort, and then says, “Hey – check this out!” Lying beneath the warpstone in a hollow is what seems to be an oblong bowl made of blue crystal.
As she reaches for the bowl, Nameless snaps, “Wait!” The alienist steps forward, ignoring what passes for a scowl on the druid’s now-tendriculos face. “It’s highly magical, with strong divination and abjuration auras.” After having ascertained that they do not mark a magical trap but are simply signs of the object’s inherent power, Nameless carefully picks it up. As soon as he touches it, he feels a faint – and inimical – pressure, as if contact with the object had caused it to make some sort of assault on his mind, but Nameless’ mind blank renders him immune to it. “We need to study this later,” he says. “Put it and the stone away.”
“I still saw we should destroy it,” insists Gareth.
“Maybe later,” says Korm, chuckling grimly as he waves a hand to indicate the entire group. “Seriously – what could it do to us that hasn’t already been done?”
Gareth gives in with a poor grace and the Angels step outside. Once Luna has dispelled the storm, the Angels look at what it leaves behind. Hundreds of bodies, torn, burned and battered, now litter the landscape around them, and they stand in the center of a giant circle of blood, flesh and gore. Korm whistles slowly. “Damn – we are nasty!”
The Angels proceed to quickly scan the area for valuables and other interesting items, but little of note shows up among the bodies. Having picked up whatever few things they wish to take, they then head off to clean up the mess, as Luna puts it.
This takes a fair amount of time, since the survivors have fled in terror every which way, and the Angels chase down and destroy as many of them as they can. The fleeing fugitives range from members of the two human clans to the giant aberrations which resemble malformed gelatinous cubes. The latter are found singly or in small clumps fleeing slowly and blindly away from the scene of the one-sided battle, and are blasted with spells and arrows from a distance until they fall apart. The clan-members put up more of a defense, but it is a hopeless one, and the Angels dispose of them brutally and clinically.
The only captive they take is an unlucky dolgaunt, whom Six simply knocks down and out while the others are carving up its allies. When they have revived it, the creature first struggles and then, seeing that it is futile, refuses to respond in any way to the Angels’ questions.
After a quick discussion with the others, Korm suddenly turns to face it, his visage very different than it was a few moments ago. His chin has elongated greatly and has grown into four short tentacles, while his mouth seems to have descended below them, as evidenced by his slightly muffled tones. “I am a mindflayer and your boss!” he says confidently.
“What?!” says the dolgaunt, confusion clear on its eyeless face.
“Oh, wait!” Korm concentrates and then winks at the creature, calling on his druidic powers to focus magical energy through his eyes, beguiling the dolgaunt into considering him its best friend. The aberration fails to resist the Gatekeeper’s power and is even more confused now. “My … master,” it finally says, looking first at Korm and then at the others, “Why have you captured me? Why are you with these creatures from Khorvaire?”
“Khorvaire?” asks Nameless, speaking impeccable daelkyr, as he steps into view. He has manifested his aspect and dropped his habitual disguise, and the myriad eyes which cover his face, body and arms stare at the dolgaunt. The alienist reaches up with his tentacle to scratch his chin. “Is that what you think of us – fool?”
As the dolgaunt stares back and forth, Korm says, “Tell me – why did you survive? Didn’t you know the real plan?”
“Plan? What plan?” asks the dolgaunt, almost whimpering with its lack of comprehension.
Korm cuffs it lightly across the face, a blow which snaps its head back and almost dislocates its head. “Fool! Answer me!”
“Please – master!” This time the dolgaunt is actually whimpering. “I knew of no plan. I am a faithful servant of the masters. I hear and obey.”
Korm exchanges a glance with Gareth, sitting behind the dolgaunt. The paladin’s eyes glow silver, the argent light indicating that he is detecting the hapless aberrations’s thoughts. He nods to indicate that it is telling the truth.
“All right. You are a fool, but a loyal one. Tell me of … um, the twins.”
The dolgaunt looks blank for a moment and then says, “The lords Baran and Narab? Do you not know them?”
“Fool!” roars Korm to hide the fact that he has little idea what he’s saying. “That’s part of the plan! Which you don’t know about! Clearly! So just tell me what you know about them!”
“Where did they come from?” adds Six helpfully. “And how long ago?”
“Yes!” says Korm quickly. “What the metal monster said!”
Still thoroughly confused, the dolgaunt hurriedly complies, “I know little of them, master. I only saw them days ago, before we came up to the surface. The other masters said that they had the favor of the high lord Kyrzin.” Korm and Nameless note the reference to the daelkyr lord – and supposed creator – of oozes, whose realm supposedly lies beneath the Shadow Marches. The dolgaunt continues, “I was told that they can travel between the worlds. They were sent here when the gates to Xoriat were opened. Truly, master, I know nothing more!”
Korm nods, attempting to keep a stern expression on his face even though the creature’s responses are making him laugh inwardly. “Do you know why this army was formed? Huh?”
“To raid the upper world?” asks the dolgaunt in return.
Korm exchanges another glance with Gareth, who says, “He really doesn’t know anything else.”
“All right,” says Korm, before turning back to the dolgaunt. He leans forward and places a hand on its shoulders. “You have done well. Thank you.”
And then, as the dolgaunt begins to smile, Korm’s head snaps forward and the tentacles burrow into the dolgaunt’s skull. It screams in agony, thrashes around for a few seconds, and then goes limp in the Gatekeeper’s grasp, as Korm continues to dig deeper. There is a cracking sound, followed by a nauseating squishing and then an even worse slurping, as Korm reaches into and begins to devour the creature’s brain.
“Ahem!”
Korm looks up at the faces around him, his tentacles still buried in the creature’s skull and his face attached to its head, gray matter trickling slowly from under his tentacles where his mouth is. “What? We were done with him. And I’m hungry. Don’t look at me like that! It’s just a snack! I can quit eating aberrations anytime. Really!”
Despite his lack of breath, Six manages to sigh and turns away. “I’m never quite sure,” he says quietly, mostly to himself, “Why I travel with you people.”
* Thank you, Warhammer!
* * * * *
With their enemies having either fled or been destroyed by the magical storm, which still rages around them, the Angels enter the structure which the twin former devas had occupied. The inside is almost completely empty, except for the vinelike tendrils which grow across the walls. The only other thing in the hemisphere, pushed up against one side, is a rough, uncarved grey stone about two feet across.
“What’s this?” asks Luna, studying the stone with a distasteful expression. “Looks like it has some weird liquid on it.”
“Warpstone*,” says Nameless instantly, realizing as he does so that he has never seen it before. His voice takes on the pedantic tone which it does when he shares information gained not via experience but through his connection with Xoriat, the daelkyr and the Great Old One, Cyäegha – “That ‘sweat’ on it is characteristic and constant. It is a material normally only found on Xoriat, which can affect creatures and terrain in the area in strange ways. Usually it has to be in the same place to affect things around it, and the longer it stays in one area the greater the effect (in intensity and in distance). Where creatures are concerned, it needs to be in close proximity with them for long periods of time to have an effect. Daelkyr and other aberrations specialized in fleshwarping can control the effects, using it to mold creatures as they wish. Warpstone can also affect magical locations and items, though the effect is weaker than on non-magical terrain and on creatures. Some aberrations use it as a component in creating some of their magical items, and especially symbionts (which are often fed/infused with warpstone as part of the process).” He stops and chuckles harshly, “Don’t anyone tell Mordain about this. I think he’d kill us all to get his hands on it.”
“Thank you, professor Nameless,” says Luna sarcastically. “Maybe we can have some fun with it.”
“It sounds like something we should destroy,” says Gareth instantly, but Luna ignores him. She picks up the warpstone in her huge tentacles with minimal effort, and then says, “Hey – check this out!” Lying beneath the warpstone in a hollow is what seems to be an oblong bowl made of blue crystal.
As she reaches for the bowl, Nameless snaps, “Wait!” The alienist steps forward, ignoring what passes for a scowl on the druid’s now-tendriculos face. “It’s highly magical, with strong divination and abjuration auras.” After having ascertained that they do not mark a magical trap but are simply signs of the object’s inherent power, Nameless carefully picks it up. As soon as he touches it, he feels a faint – and inimical – pressure, as if contact with the object had caused it to make some sort of assault on his mind, but Nameless’ mind blank renders him immune to it. “We need to study this later,” he says. “Put it and the stone away.”
“I still saw we should destroy it,” insists Gareth.
“Maybe later,” says Korm, chuckling grimly as he waves a hand to indicate the entire group. “Seriously – what could it do to us that hasn’t already been done?”
Gareth gives in with a poor grace and the Angels step outside. Once Luna has dispelled the storm, the Angels look at what it leaves behind. Hundreds of bodies, torn, burned and battered, now litter the landscape around them, and they stand in the center of a giant circle of blood, flesh and gore. Korm whistles slowly. “Damn – we are nasty!”
The Angels proceed to quickly scan the area for valuables and other interesting items, but little of note shows up among the bodies. Having picked up whatever few things they wish to take, they then head off to clean up the mess, as Luna puts it.
This takes a fair amount of time, since the survivors have fled in terror every which way, and the Angels chase down and destroy as many of them as they can. The fleeing fugitives range from members of the two human clans to the giant aberrations which resemble malformed gelatinous cubes. The latter are found singly or in small clumps fleeing slowly and blindly away from the scene of the one-sided battle, and are blasted with spells and arrows from a distance until they fall apart. The clan-members put up more of a defense, but it is a hopeless one, and the Angels dispose of them brutally and clinically.
The only captive they take is an unlucky dolgaunt, whom Six simply knocks down and out while the others are carving up its allies. When they have revived it, the creature first struggles and then, seeing that it is futile, refuses to respond in any way to the Angels’ questions.
After a quick discussion with the others, Korm suddenly turns to face it, his visage very different than it was a few moments ago. His chin has elongated greatly and has grown into four short tentacles, while his mouth seems to have descended below them, as evidenced by his slightly muffled tones. “I am a mindflayer and your boss!” he says confidently.
“What?!” says the dolgaunt, confusion clear on its eyeless face.
“Oh, wait!” Korm concentrates and then winks at the creature, calling on his druidic powers to focus magical energy through his eyes, beguiling the dolgaunt into considering him its best friend. The aberration fails to resist the Gatekeeper’s power and is even more confused now. “My … master,” it finally says, looking first at Korm and then at the others, “Why have you captured me? Why are you with these creatures from Khorvaire?”
“Khorvaire?” asks Nameless, speaking impeccable daelkyr, as he steps into view. He has manifested his aspect and dropped his habitual disguise, and the myriad eyes which cover his face, body and arms stare at the dolgaunt. The alienist reaches up with his tentacle to scratch his chin. “Is that what you think of us – fool?”
As the dolgaunt stares back and forth, Korm says, “Tell me – why did you survive? Didn’t you know the real plan?”
“Plan? What plan?” asks the dolgaunt, almost whimpering with its lack of comprehension.
Korm cuffs it lightly across the face, a blow which snaps its head back and almost dislocates its head. “Fool! Answer me!”
“Please – master!” This time the dolgaunt is actually whimpering. “I knew of no plan. I am a faithful servant of the masters. I hear and obey.”
Korm exchanges a glance with Gareth, sitting behind the dolgaunt. The paladin’s eyes glow silver, the argent light indicating that he is detecting the hapless aberrations’s thoughts. He nods to indicate that it is telling the truth.
“All right. You are a fool, but a loyal one. Tell me of … um, the twins.”
The dolgaunt looks blank for a moment and then says, “The lords Baran and Narab? Do you not know them?”
“Fool!” roars Korm to hide the fact that he has little idea what he’s saying. “That’s part of the plan! Which you don’t know about! Clearly! So just tell me what you know about them!”
“Where did they come from?” adds Six helpfully. “And how long ago?”
“Yes!” says Korm quickly. “What the metal monster said!”
Still thoroughly confused, the dolgaunt hurriedly complies, “I know little of them, master. I only saw them days ago, before we came up to the surface. The other masters said that they had the favor of the high lord Kyrzin.” Korm and Nameless note the reference to the daelkyr lord – and supposed creator – of oozes, whose realm supposedly lies beneath the Shadow Marches. The dolgaunt continues, “I was told that they can travel between the worlds. They were sent here when the gates to Xoriat were opened. Truly, master, I know nothing more!”
Korm nods, attempting to keep a stern expression on his face even though the creature’s responses are making him laugh inwardly. “Do you know why this army was formed? Huh?”
“To raid the upper world?” asks the dolgaunt in return.
Korm exchanges another glance with Gareth, who says, “He really doesn’t know anything else.”
“All right,” says Korm, before turning back to the dolgaunt. He leans forward and places a hand on its shoulders. “You have done well. Thank you.”
And then, as the dolgaunt begins to smile, Korm’s head snaps forward and the tentacles burrow into the dolgaunt’s skull. It screams in agony, thrashes around for a few seconds, and then goes limp in the Gatekeeper’s grasp, as Korm continues to dig deeper. There is a cracking sound, followed by a nauseating squishing and then an even worse slurping, as Korm reaches into and begins to devour the creature’s brain.
“Ahem!”
Korm looks up at the faces around him, his tentacles still buried in the creature’s skull and his face attached to its head, gray matter trickling slowly from under his tentacles where his mouth is. “What? We were done with him. And I’m hungry. Don’t look at me like that! It’s just a snack! I can quit eating aberrations anytime. Really!”
Despite his lack of breath, Six manages to sigh and turns away. “I’m never quite sure,” he says quietly, mostly to himself, “Why I travel with you people.”
* Thank you, Warhammer!
carborundum
Adventurer
Wow, an update slipped past my radar. An update! Whoopdidoo!
Cheers Sil - hope you had a great Xmas, and congratulations for getting Korm addicted to aberration brains. Quite an achievement!
Cheers Sil - hope you had a great Xmas, and congratulations for getting Korm addicted to aberration brains. Quite an achievement!
shilsen
Adventurer
Thanks. Actually it wasn't that difficult. Give a PC mechanical benefits with flavor/roleplaying problems and a lot of the time they'll totally go for it. Plus Korm's player likes having weird stuff happen with/to his PCs.
And here's another update for the new year...
* * * * *
When the Guardian Angels return to Patrahk’n, they are met by first questions about the giant storm that they had seen o the south, then disbelief, and finally jubilation as the people of the town and the orcish tribes which fled to it realize that they are safe. As the town breaks into wild revelry, their saviors make their way to meet Saala, having to pause constantly to accept gleeful or tearful thanks from the people around them. When they eventually meet the leader of the Gatekeepers, she greets them with a broad smile, having heard the news already, and then takes each of them by the hand.
“No problem,” says Korm, grinning broadly. “But do you have somewhere private? Nameless wants to ask you something.”
Once they are alone with Saala and a couple of her most trusted Gatekeepers, Nameless displays the bowl and the stone. “The divination we used earlier indicated that we should focus on learning the reason for the army’s existence. I doubt that it was created only to destroy Patrahk’n or the other settlements in the area. And I believe this bowl can provide some information. But it will be risky for me to use it, since I have ascertained that I need to remove my mind blank and mentally contact it. Can you provide any protection for me? Also, do you have any idea of anything particularly important in this area?”
Saala scratches her chin as she considers the question. Then she and the older of the other Gatekeepers discuss it for a few moments, and then she shakes her head. “Nothing comes to mind. There are some old ruins from the Daelkyr War here and there, as well as a couple of openings to Khyber, but such things can be found throughout the Marches, and none are of particular power or importance. Certainly nothing like the location with the ziggurat you discovered, for example.”
“Yes, the ziggurat,” says Nameless meditatively, “I have been thinking of that for a while, but that is a matter for another time. Thank you. It seems I shall have to attempt to use this bowl after all. Now – about the protection…?”
Saala nods. “I am not certain how much aid out magic can give you, especially at such short notice, but we will perform a ritual for you which we use when sending our warriors against the minions of Xoriat and the daelkyr. It should strengthen your mind.”
A little over an hour later, Nameless sits in the same chamber, with the bowl on the table before him, small dots of color on his face and hands indicating the bestowal of ritual protection on him by the Gatekeepers. Saala and the other Angels watch expectantly.
After dismissing his mind blank, Nameless takes a deep breath and touches the bowl. Instantly, his arcane sight reveals a surge of magic flow up his arms and he feels a mental jolt as the object attacks his mind. The alienist realizes that anyone else, even among his companions, would likely have been driven insane at the contact, but his mind has seen and dealt with things far beyond their comprehension. He resists it with an effort, and then, focuses on bending the bowl to his will.
Instantly, a translucent gray mist appears within the bowl, lit with myriad pulsing lights. The mist solidifies slightly, forming a rough, undulating surface, and the lights rise to float just above it.
“What’s that?” asks Gareth.
“A map of Khorvaire,” says Nameless confidently, gleaning the information both from the bowl and his ability to see patterns that nobody else in the room can.
“You sure?” asks Korm skeptically. “Then what are those lights?”
Nameless focuses a little more, his forehead beginning to bead with sweat. “Armies. The aberration armies moving across the Shadow Marches.”
“Really? Past, present or future?” asks Luna.
Nameless almost breaks off contact in surprise. “By the gods – that’s actually a good suggestion!” As Luna snorts, he focuses further, feeling a growing pressure inside his head, attempting to see if he can discern the future of these armies. Sure enough, the dots elongate slowly into glowing lines, flowing and curving over the surface of the gray mist. “Yes!” says Nameless with satisfaction, “I can see their future movements.” His voice wavers slightly. “I’ll have to break contact soon. This is harder than I hoped, and I think it takes regular practice...”
As his voice trails off, Gareth hurriedly casts a prayer and then a protection from evil on Nameless, just in case, but they seem to have no evident effect, and the alienist finally has to let go the bowl. He pulls back, gasping slightly, and says, “That was instructive, and I learned one last thing before I had to stop – the attacks radiate out from a central point.”
Six, who had quickly attempted to sketch the movement of the lights, holds up a squiggle of lines silently, his posture betokening the curiosity that his metal face cannot.
“It makes sense if you consider it at a seventh-dimensional level,” explains Nameless with a knowing smirk. “They clearly move away from a specific location – where the ziggurat is located.”
“Really?” frowns Saala. “That can’t be good.” Then she studies Nameless critically and says, “But we can discuss the meaning of these matters later. I will discuss what you have told me with some others. All of you get some rest. You have done much for the Marches today, and I don’t want to kill you with over-exertion.”
“No,” mutters Luna as Saala leaves, “We’re going to die when some aberration eats us.”
“Not,” grins back Korm, “If I can eat it first!”
* * * * * * * * * *
The next morning, the Angels use a number of divinations to gain as much information as they can about their current situation and the unusual objects that they have obtained.
Nameless uses a legend lore on the crystal bowl, and receives the reply, “The bowl of knowledge reveals the reach of the daelkyr. It sees where the spawn of Xoriat were, where they are and perhaps where they will be. But to read it is to be open to the touch of the lords of madness. Use it, beware of it, learn from it, and discard it, for its value passes soon.”
“Hmm,” Nameless says thoughtfully, “I’m fairly sure it is part of a network of such items which allow the aberrations to share information about the movements of their force. Presumably once they know what we’re doing, they’ll shut it down.”
“Or,” says Luna, “Feed us false information.”
“True. We will have to weigh the utility against the risk, and be wary of the information.” The alienist turns to Gareth. “Your turn.”
The paladin begins by casting a divination, asking for advice regarding an attack by the twin aberrant celestials by the end of the next day. The answer he receives is – “Battle you will soon, whether on their terms or yours. Xoriat seeks you now, more than it ever has, and the twins desire to be its blades.”
“Soon? That could mean anything,” says Six. “That ‘advice’ wasn’t much help.”
“Sorry,” says Gareth, shrugging, “I just ask the questions. So, I have one more divination. What do I ask?”
“I’d like to know more about the ziggurat,” says Nameless. “I had already been thinking that we need to return to the ziggurat sooner or later. If the armies are spreading out from it, we definitely need to investigate it soon. But we need allies. Last time, we barely got out alive. If the aberrations have retaken the site, which seems likely, who knows what is there?”
“Is that what I should ask?” queries Gareth. “Divinations are not that good for pure information, but better for advice about some action.”
“How about simply asking what we will accomplish if we can destroy the ziggurat?” suggests Korm. After some discussion, the Angels decide to go with that question. Gareth casts the spell and then recites the answer as he hears it in his head – “You will close the great gate that you opened, with your blood and your magic. And the greatest weapon of the daelkyr will not be unleashed in Khorvaire. For now. If you succeed. But choose your time and gather your weapons well. To haste much, and to go unprepared, will likely ….” He pauses, staggers slightly and then pitches on his face, out cold.
“Ah, sh*t!” Korm revives Gareth by the simple expedient of smacking him till he wakes up. The paladin groans and sits up, rubbing his head. “What happened?”
“We don’t know,” says Luna. “You just went over suddenly. What did you see?”
“Nothing,” says Gareth, “It just suddenly went black. I…” He rubs his forehead. “Ah! I remember. I felt just like this when I tried to detect thoughts on the ziggurat. That does it! I’m never letting you guys talk me into using any divinations on that damn ziggurat!”
“Stop whining,” says Nameless curtly, “We’re all taking risks on a regular basis, as I did with the bowl.”
Gareth scowls, the expression even darker because he has realized the effects of the pain and general fuzziness in his head. “Easy for you to say! I can’t cast any spells*. Not even an orison!”
“All right, all right!” says Six wearily, popping open his magical scroll-case and extracting one. “You’re lucky I still have some of the scrolls Jaela gave us.”
Once he has used a restoration on Gareth, the paladin looks a little happier. “What do we do next?”
“We need to learn more about the ziggurat,” says Nameless, “And weigh our options. But for now, first Sharn and then Argonnessen.”
“Once we tell Saala we’re leaving,” says Korm, and the alienist nods. “We need the Gatekeepers to take as much advantage of the information about the armies in the Marches as they can. And later we’ll have to see what I can find out regarding other parts of Khorvaire.”
When they have done so, the Guardian Angels teleport to Sharn. There, they find the city still slowly rebuilding after the attacks, and they split up to deal with whatever they think needs to be done before they can leave again. Nameless remains behind in the Gray House to speak with Trillia, who is still living there, and then accompanies her to the mage guild to pick up arcane supplies. Gareth proceeds to the Cathedral to pray and then to meet Lalia. The Sentinel Marshal, as always, is overjoyed to see her fiancé, until he explains that he plans to return to Argonnessen and hunt the dragon which killed him once. This earns Gareth some smacking, lots of yelling, and a number of hugs and kisses. And a final smack when he leaves.
Six has a less exciting time, making his way to the Wayfinder’s Foundation after having made sure to collect a Zil lawyer from House Sivis whom he had spoken to earlier. When he arrives at the Foundation, he finds two of their members, a man named Tiem and a female half-elf named Fanil, ready to accompany them. Before they leave, he signs a contract with the Foundation (which the gnome lawyer had brought with him) which covers exactly what their relationship with the Angels in this matter will be, especially that the Angels will not be liable for any loss the Foundation accrues. Having made the agreement that they will bring the two Wayfinders back from Argonnessen in a week’s time, Six takes them back to the Gray House with him.
Luna and Korm, meanwhile, visit the Korranberg Chronicle office. Evidently the scribes there have learned enough of the Angels, since they hear a yell as they approach and Flim is waiting outside for them when they arrive. “Hello,” he says quickly. “I have asked the main office about your columns and they have agreed. Now…”
“Excellent,” says Korm, pulling out a parchment covered in badly scrawled writing. “I brought this for you. Directions for fighting dolgaunts. And a recipe for them too!”
“Truly excellent,” says Flim, but Luna interrupts, “Hey! What about mine?”
“We will have a list of questions sent to the Gray House,” says Flim smoothly, before hazarding, “People might be a little more interested in Korm’s, you know. You have noticed the things going on in Khorvaire, right?”
“But this is important too!” insists Luna. “People need relationship advice!”
“Yes, yes,” agrees Flim and changes the subject. “Will you be here long? Or are you going somewhere again?”
Immediately distracted, Luna says, “We’re going to Argonnessen and we’re going to kill dragons because one took our stuff and it’s like when they come into your house and take your furnishings and mess up your bathroom. And that’s just wrong!”
Flim sighs and decides to quit while ahead. “Is there anything else?”
Korm looks around, looks at Flim, looks around again, and then rolls his eyes. The gnome stares at him in puzzlement for a few seconds, till Korm whispers, “I’m trying to be discreet!”
Flim sighs again and steps closer. Korm leans down and says – “There are these bad, evil, fallen angels. We killed their army and banished them.”
“Um, yes? And?”
Luna and Korm promptly begin to explain all about the angels, speaking at once. Finally, they end simultaneously, with a chorus of, “Don’t tell anyone.”
“You have no fear of …,” begins Flim, when Luna says, “Oh yeah – we’re also going to the ziggurat soon!” The two then proceed to mention the ziggurat and discuss it in various ways. Only when Flim is quite confused do they relent and leave. The gnome watches them go, clutches Korm’s parchment tightly and walks back into the building behind him, rubbing his head and stumbling slightly.
* 8 pts of Wisdom drain will do that to you
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If only that was true... Having Korm and Luna feeding their inane blather directly to them, Xoriat would quickly go insane and leave us alone. The plane of madness is peanuts compared to dealing with the Angels.
We did have a rare, quick and clean cut victory tonight though.
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carborundum
Adventurer
Wonderful - two updates in a week!
Everything's nicely set up for the next stupendous battle - can't wait!
Everything's nicely set up for the next stupendous battle - can't wait!
carborundum
Adventurer
Oh dear oh dear oh dear. Nameless with Gate - the mind boggles. Then bursts into tears.
The_Warlock
Explorer
No, no. You're mind then bursts into a halo of glowing worms that form countless portals to madness.
