The Closed Eye (DM: Halford, Judge: garyh)

[covaithe]

ooc: I owe you a long post, but I don't have it in me tonight. I blame work. Sorry, and I'll try to get to it early tomorrow.

 

[KenHood]

OOC: Quick question --> Looks like they juiced up a couple of my character's powers in the Arcane Power book. Do I have to wait for approval before I can apply them? (Grasping Shadows is 'Whoa, Mama!')

 

[covaithe]

ooc: Yes, nothing from AP takes effect until it's approved. Also, you might check for errata; looks like there was a recent change in Grasping Shadows in the compendium. Maybe nerfed already...

 

[Atanatotatos]

[size=-2]sorry for the post here guys, I forgot for a second this wasn't a discussione thread.[/size]

 

[covaithe]

"I think I speak for the others when I say this - if you wish to hire us for protection, or to eliminate this dark cult, we would be willing to do so. I trust you do not want to be returned to your relatives yet - it sounds as if it would be suicide to do so. Indeed, I would be surprised if the four of us were not also marked for death by this Closed Eye cult."

Arnest barks a laugh, despite himself. "Hire you for protection? That would be like a man in a shipwreck clinging to the anchor to stay afloat. And yet... It seems I am out of alternatives. If your destructiveness can be turned upon the bugbear cult, perhaps all is not yet lost."

Tander makes a quick glance at his companions. "Know this, Arnest - I have met many talented healers in Daunton - whether you wish to employ us or not, I will have Tsasha restored as best I can. On this you have my word. From the looks of her, it appears I will have to get help for her sooner rather than later."

Arnest nods. He tries to speak, but chokes up and falls silent again.

[sblock=Tander]A healing word will stabilize her and restore her to consciousness, though it will not mend her foot. For that, stronger magics are needed, such as those practiced at the temple of Apoli

ooc: Hmm, the wiki doesn't say which deity covers healing. I remember Apollo is supposed to be about medicine, but I seem to remember some of the other gods had a healing portfolio, too. I'm happy to edit to a different deity if anyone can fill me in...
[/sblock]

Tander pipes up with another thought. "Perhaps it would be best if we continued the ritual of hiding that we, err, interrupted with our 'visit'. I don't think any of us here have the strength to fight off an attack of any sort."

Arnest looks dubious. "The ritual would surely help, but... I cannot finish it alone." His face turns reluctantly towards Palindrome, showing obvious disgust and fear.

" As Tander says, we would gladly be at service. How much would you pay us to aid you and take out the other cult?

Arnest responds immediately. "I can offer you a purse of 400 gold coins if you can end this threat, and protect my life and Tsasha's."

"Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Whoa!"

"Hey, *****, why does your little group employ evil humanoids? Does your organization engage in murder or theft to achieve its ends? Have you ever performed animal or human sacrifice? What are the purposes of your organization? Is your Unseen Lord evil? Are you evil? If you're not evil, then why are you hanging out with evil creatures and consorting with the undead? Would the local religious authorities approve of your organization? Why or why not? Would your grandmother approve of your activities? Again, why or why not? To what type of domination does your organization subscribe: personal, local, national, or global? Do you perform mind-control, behavior modification, slavery, self-mutilation, and/or animal cruelty? And finally, why do you worship a DARK GOD? Speaking as an expert on the subject, DARK GODS are generally evil--but in a moody, gothic sort of evil sensibility."

Arnest flinches away from Palindrome's agressive interrogation, but answers heatedly. "The Unseen Lord is neither evil nor a deity. He is an enlightened being who has achieved a trans-moral state through perfect self-knowledge. We who follow his path strive to discard or destroy all barriers to self-understanding, including the illusion of so-called good and evil. We seek no worldly power save the freedom to pursue our path. We deny the authority of the gods and their slaves, evil and good alike, to dictate what is permissible to the enlightened. Naturally, the so-called religious authorities disapprove, as no doubt would my grandmother. If you seek further instruction, perhaps you would care to **** off and die?"

[sblock=Insight]Arnest appears to believe all these things, with the fervor of a relatively new convert.

He is also sincere in offering payment.
[/sblock]

[sblock=Religion]The "Unseen Lord" doesn't ring any bells specifically, though cults reverencing shadowy or invisible figures are hardly rare.
[/sblock]

[sblock=Palidrome's Arcana]Your eye expertly scans the sigils and materials around the room. There are the usual binding agents, rock salt and sulfur and white lime mixed with yew ash, and a bit of cinnabar imparting the reddish color. At the four cardinal points of the diagram are runes drawn in what smells like a solution of gold in aqua regia, still smoking slightly where it has eaten into the floor. The runes are not writing as such, but ideograms depicting concepts: concealment, sacrifice, vision, and truth. In the center of the diagram are four small medallions similar to the one you found on the dead elf girl at the Golden Snowflake, though lacking any magical aura.

Based on the layout, the runes, and your experience of arcane rituals, you are fairly confident that the ritual consists of channeling a significant amount of power into the ritual's structural elements over a period of time, then releasing it into the medallions. Based on the dagger you found on the altar, the release probably involves someone's blood. The ritual diagram currently holds almost no stored power, probably because of its accidental discharge into Woe's weapon.

ooc: Given that knowledge, are you still going outside for more blood?
[/sblock]


[sblock=ooc all]What with all the talking, a short rest has passed. [/sblock]

 

[nerdytenor]

A bit of his strength recovered, Tander turns to Tsasha and lets some of his power flow to her (OOC: Healing word). "She'll need better help than I can provide to fix her foot," Tander says, glaring none-too-subtly at Palindrome, "but she should be well enough. For now."

Tander motions to his companions to come closer, shooing Arnest away for a moment so they can have a bit of privacy.

"What do you say? This isn't exactly the mission we agreed to complete, but it appears Arnest doesn't want to be reunited with his family anyway. At any rate, we are in no position for further hostilities. We must rest! If this place cannot be made safe, we must find another, and quickly..."

"What of this ritual, Palindrome? Can it be made to work?"

 

[KenHood]

"He is an enlightened being who has achieved a trans-moral state through perfect self-knowledge."

"Ah," Palindrome says, nodding, "Basically, you worship me."

"We should kill these guys. Right now."

"We who follow his path strive to discard or destroy all barriers to self-understanding, including the illusion of so-called good and evil. We seek no worldly power save the freedom to pursue our path. We deny the authority of the gods and their slaves, evil and good alike, to dictate what is permissible to the enlightened. Naturally, the so-called religious authorities disapprove, as no doubt would my grandmother."

"Blah, blah, blah. Yadda yadda. EVIL!"

"If you seek further instruction, perhaps you would care to **** off and die?"

Palindrome walks over and kicks Arnest in the head.

"I like the way you didn't answer my question about murder, theft, and human or animal sacrifice. I also like the way you omitted any explanation about your monstrous companions. Furthermore, I like that you did not directly address my question about your purposes, instead giving me some nebulous claptrap about 'pursuing our own path'. And I REALLY like how your little ritual is powered by blood."

"Yes, Tander. That's 'powered by blood.'"

"So..."

"I'm going to show you the true capabilities an enlightened post-morality individual, Mr. Wannabe."

"In my book," Palindrome produces his spellbook, "I have an AMAAAAZING little ritual. It's one I got from my homeland, the Isle of O. You know the place with all those crazy wizards and warlocks casting ritual curses on one another? Swell place."

"Anyway, this ritual allows me to connect an individual's life-force to whether or not they are telling the truth."

Palindrome starts drawing a chalk circle around Arnest and the Snake Lady.

"If they lie, their internal organs slowly degenerate. A long process, ending in death."

[sblock=Note]This is not a lie. It is absolute truth. Everyone's organs slowly degenerate, and it is a long process ending in death. Takes about 70 to 80 years. [/sblock]
"You need a sample of the target's blood."

Palindrome pricks both Arnest and Tsasha with his dagger.

"A bit of hair."

He snips some hair from both Arnest's and Tsasha's heads.

"And some fingernails."

Which he clips from both of them.

"Now, I'm going to perform a variation of this ritual, in which you might be interested. I'm going to tie Snake Lady's life-force to your veracity. If you lie, she dies."

Palindrome initiates the ritual, using his arcane knowledge to structure it in a believable manner. (OOC: Arcana (1d20+10=12)--intended to 'Aid' his Bluff)

He casts Prestidigitation, causing the elements of the 'ritual' to glow and hum. A 'spirit' rises and kisses Arnest on the forehead, then the Snake Lady. It devolves into a serpent, wrapping its tail around Arnest's throat and poising its fangs above the Snake Lady's neck. It vanishes.

Palindrome's eyes open. For a moment, they glow.

He speaks with an unearthly voice, "SPEAK THE TRUTH! WHERE CAN WE FIND THESE BUGBEARS?"

Palindrome collapses, as if all the essential energy was drained from his body.

[sblock=Bluff Check]Bluff. (1d20+7=11)

This is ridiculous. How do I constantly end up with such low rolls for this character?[/sblock]
[sblock=Going for More Blood]Yeah. Palindrome will still drain the elf.

This sucks. The roleplaying was good. The rolls sucked. I'm getting very frustrated with dependence on these crappy rolls.[/sblock]

 

[covaithe]

Arnest's head rocks back from Palindrome's kick. "Of course the ritual needs blood. Just a few drops. Much like your little 'ritual'. I don't know where the bugbears are. They neglected to leave their calling card. That's what we've been trying to figure out, these last few days. Oh, and that's 350 gold now. I'm docking your pay for failure to protect me from kicks in the head." He laughs shrilly, the sound of a man very close to the edge of sanity.

When Tander restores Tsasha to consciousness, she opens her eyes to slits, hissing slightly in pain. Arnest brings her up to speed on the situation while Tander confers with the party.

[sblock=ooc]I'm having trouble keeping track of the sequence of events here. I'd really like this scene to be driven by your actions, but a few times I've come back to my computer after a day where I can't find time to post, and find that there are more than one contradictory action to be resolved. Sometimes from the same person: for instance, I'm scratching my head trying to figure out how Palindrome is going to go outside and exsanguinate an elf while staying inside, tormenting Arnest, performing a lengthy ritual, and waiting for his answer.

In other words, I'm asking you-the-players for some help in keeping the narrative flow somewhat linear. I guess it basically boils down to trying to pay attention to the flow of time in the game. Try to respect the actions that have been posted before yours. If you want to do something in-character that takes a long time, announce your intention, so that other characters have a chance to interrupt you if they're doing something more immediate. I know you guys have cool things that you want to do, and that's great, but it makes things much harder for me -- and that means slower posting -- if I have to untangle multiple contradictory timelines.
[/sblock]

 

[KenHood]

"Oh, and that's 350 gold now. I'm docking your pay for failure to protect me from kicks in the head."

Palindrome nods sagely. "Okay. Figure out how much this will cost, too."

He kicks Tsasha in the head, then joins the party.

"Yeah, I can probably make the ritual work, but I'm not going to do it. I obviously can't run away from you guys, so if you figure out how to do it yourselves, I'm stuck with the consequences. If you do manage to cast it, your 'benefactor' will slip on one of those amulets. All of a sudden, you won't be able to remember who he is and where he's at. He runs away, and we're in the same spot as if we killed him anyway--except he's able to get some buddies and attack us."

"Do whatever the hell you want. If it involves serving that ****, I'm stuck with you, because of my damned hand, but I'm going to do everything in my power to undermine or subvert his purposes. I don't know what's happened between now and twenty minutes ago, but apparently you've all suffered brain injuries, because you're making monumentally stupid decisions."

Palindrome walks off.

[sblock=To DM]I apologize for the contradictory actions.

Going upstairs to bleed the elf, now.[/sblock]

 

[Atriden]

Atreus watches Palindrome leave for the elf's blood. " You never know what may be hidden out there Palindrome, so be quick and make sure to end his life "

What do you say? This isn't exactly the mission we agreed to complete, but it appears Arnest doesn't want to be reunited with his family anyway.

His attention turns to the others in his group and he whispers: " I urge you see the importance of undertaking this extra assignment. I cannot turn away from this opportunity and let these wretched things do as they intend to " and he takes a quick glance at Arnest and Tsasha " I will try to stop that other cult, are you with me Tander and Woe? If yes, then we shall make it part of our agreement with Arnest that he will return to his mother with us when we have taking care of the other pestilence. After that he is not our problem "

At any rate, we are in no position for further hostilities. We must rest! If this place cannot be made safe, we must find another, and quickly...

He continues to whisper " True, we can retire here for the night or we can retire at Doddoddod's tower "