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Message: <blockquote data-quote="darkbard" data-source="post: 9438783" data-attributes="member: 1282">The Voice. It has been Ibhea's lodestone for longer than he can recollect. Shortly after his venture to Itirilmish and the recovery of the sacred text, at least. He has always thought of it as Delban speaking to him directly, an instantiation of miracle. But it could just as easily be some intermediary working on behalf of the Black Flame, some exarch or angel. Regardless, he is certain of its aim: to lead him true.And yet.These conjurations of freeze, of hoary frost. Surely, the black flames freeze the blood. The darkness devours with cold and energies antithetical to the sometimes overwrought exuberance of life, of life gone extravagant and wasteful, needing correction. But Delban's flames burn more than freeze. And who is "Us"? The Mother and Son? The Triune?No. Ibhea shakes his head. This is Delban, speaking to him directly. Warning him that Arunny, though prescient, does not see all. The Golden General is not infallible."Hold!" Ibhea calls out. "The God has spoken to me directly. I receive the words. I am His Vessel. We need to correct our course, Arunny. Though you see much, you do not see all. And the current path leads but to destruction, bitterness, forsaken hope. We heed now His Voice, to a new vision."[HR][/HR]Elsewhere, we ([USER=20459]@Nephis[/USER] , [USER=6696971]@Manbearcat[/USER] , and I) have had extensive conversation about what is at stake here, how this obstacle either inflects the current challenge or offers the possibility of a new, separate obstacle to be overcome. In resolving this discussion, I believe Ibhea sees this voice as truly that of Delban, warning him away from placing too much faith in Arunny's prophetic vision. Thus, Ibhea's actions here are leaning into the current challenge, not veering from it. At stake is very much (1) whether the Voice speaks true, (2) if the Voice is Delban's or one of his servant's, and (3) whether the Voice seeks to further the group's aim in finding a path (via consultation with Stoneroot and beseeching his aid) in traveling to Itirilmish of the past. Success answers these stakes in the postitive.To this end, Ibhea makes a Secondary skill Insight check to discern whether this Voice is consistent with the one he associates with his patron (ie, Delban or his servants): r12+9=21 vs 15 Easy DC. Success for +2 forward to hisPrimary Skill Religion check to distinguish doctrinal signs, keywords, and orthodoxy from the eisegesis of Arunny's prophetic vision, r11+21+2=34 vs 31 Hard DC. Success.I think we may have just established some very bad things about Delban, in that His Voice has directed (or allowed) Ibhea to take some rather questionable actions (eg, raise Gan as a skeletal servant, endanger the lives of children (The Blessed), all kinds of crazy megalomaniac talk about burnination, and so on). Maybe it is Arunny who is mistaken about the relationship between Ibhea and his patron, about Delban's "true" nature?</blockquote>

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