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Message: <blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 9776035" data-attributes="member: 42582">When the PCs entered the Forgotten Temple Complex, I rolled a 13 for the town event:Dimly lit portal. You pass an open shrine and see the Immortal within looking down upon you with impassive eyes. Leave a humble offering and ask the Immortal to forgive your transgressions. Appropriate offerings: a personal effect (from character creation), worthless coins, rusty keys, an idol of an unknown religion or a tool of unknown use. Roll 1d6 after leaving the offering to determine the Immortal’s response: 1-3 You are granted +1D to your next test. 4-6 Remove angry, afraid or exhausted (if no conditions, you are made fresh).Golin left his recently-acquired idol as an offering. Fea-bella left her 1D of looted copper coins, which I deemed sufficient, and Telemere a lit candle, which I also thought was fair enough. Golin's player rolled a 6 (I think it was) and so Golin recovered from Afraid; the others got a +1D on their next test. Golin also advanced to 6th level, and took the Great Endurance level benefit. (He was tempted by the mithril coat of Special Destiny, but in the end his player said "I'll only lose it.")In a Forgotten Temple Complex there are no streets, and no other accommodations: so you have to join a temple to have somewhere to stay. In the Forgotten Temple Complex - which some (ie the Pholtus worshippers in The Pale) say is a Forgotten Temple Complex of Elemental Evil - there are five open cults, and one secret one (a kult):Temples: able to provide mentoring in Scholar, Theologian, and skills associated with the cult:<table style='width: 100%'><tr><td style='width: 151px'>Cult </td><td style='width: 95px'>Elements </td><td style='width: 189px'>Elemental Evil </td><td style='width: 189px'>Skills </td></tr><tr><td style='width: 151px'>Explosives </td><td style='width: 95px'>Air, Fire </td><td style='width: 189px'>explosions </td><td style='width: 189px'>Alchemist, Cook </td></tr><tr><td style='width: 151px'>Sky </td><td style='width: 95px'>Air, Water </td><td style='width: 189px'>waves, wind, tempest </td><td style='width: 189px'>Survivalist, Sailor </td></tr><tr><td style='width: 151px'>Forges </td><td style='width: 95px'>Earth, Fire </td><td style='width: 189px'>volcanoes, greed </td><td style='width: 189px'>Armourer, Jeweller, Smith </td></tr><tr><td style='width: 151px'>Herbalism </td><td style='width: 95px'>Earth, Water </td><td style='width: 189px'>wilderness, miasma, atavism </td><td style='width: 189px'>Healer, Peasant </td></tr><tr><td style='width: 151px'>Potions and Vapours </td><td style='width: 95px'>Fire, Water </td><td style='width: 189px'>poison </td><td style='width: 189px'>Alchemist, Enchanter </td></tr><tr><td style='width: 151px'> </td><td style='width: 95px'> </td><td style='width: 189px'> </td><td style='width: 189px'> </td></tr><tr><td style='width: 151px'>Void </td><td style='width: 95px'>Air, Earth </td><td style='width: 189px'>darkness, suffocation </td><td style='width: 189px'>Lore Master, Ritualist, Summoner </td></tr></table>Fea-bella is a member of the Potions and Vapours cult, and went off to rest with her fellow cultists.Golin is a member of the Explosives cult. But he didn't want to spend Lifestyle on accommodations, having no conditions to recover (you can't recover from Sickness in a flophouse, which is the quality of accommodation a temple provides) and being a soft GM I allowed this - he worked in his temple instead.Telemere had no money to pay the Ob 3 Resources test for temple membership, so Golin decided to Circles up a friendly priest to admit Telemere as a member. Golin is a member of the Kult also, but given his goal of keeping the Elves safe, he thought he should link Telemere into the relatively mild Explosives cult rather than the rather dangerous Kult cult. The Circles test failed, and so Grantham - Golin's mentor - allowed Telemere to stay in the temple, but explained to Golin that he had arrived just in time to perform a difficult task that no one else was suited to undertake.Before we could get clarity on this task, Telemere and Fea-bella's players started on their recovery rolls. Fea-bella succeeded vs Afraid, and took another test (for +1 Lifestyle) and recovered from Exhaustion also. So she was only Injured and Sick. Telemere, unfortunately, failed vs Exhausted. And was also Injured and Sick. They then used their healing on one another (costing another Lifestyle each for personal business), Telemere channelling his Singing Nature (as he has the Song of Soothing), and each cured the other's Sickness.Golin, meanwhile, tried the free Haggler test he gets in town, but failed and became Angry as the monks of the Potions and Vapours cult would give him only 1D of gold or his captured bats. But Fea-bella sang the Song of Serenity, which allowed him to recover without costing any Lifestyle.Golin then decided to try more Circles, to find a priest who would heal his Sickness. And was willing to pay (reducing the Ob). But failed again - and so this time, as he headed to the Herbalism temple, he encountered <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/torchbearer-2e-actual-play-of-this-awesome-system.691233/post-9438809" target="_blank">Fori the Beardless</a>, sans helmet and so beardless for the world to see. Fori was there to remind him of the task he had to perform: he had to come to the Temple of Forging, where Lareth the Beautiful - <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/torchbearer-2e-actual-play-of-this-awesome-system.691233/post-9492640" target="_blank">last heard of being pursued by Bugbears</a> - was waiting.Golin went to the temple, where his enemy Golin was attending Lareth. I described Lareth strapped to a bench, as if to prevent writhing. And no longer beautiful, at least on one half of his face: he had a scar, as if he had been bitten by a Bugbear's fangs. Golin - with his Armour 3, and aided by his cousin Aldric - was needed to complete the forging and fitting of the Iron Mask of the Beautiful Half-Elf:*This mask of polished iron covers the right side of Lareth’s face, concealing a scar caused by a Bugbear’s fangs *The mask grants +1D to Manipulator tests made to cow or impress *The mask may also be equipped as a weapon against an opponent with a gaze attack: it grants +1D to Manoeuvre.I reviewed the obstacles for forging a helmet, and decided that this was an Ob 4 Armourer test. I also explained that Lareth was wearing leather gloves inscribed with the sigils of the Lord of Forges, a relic to aid in invoking the Cloak of the Lord of Forges, which was protecting him from heat and flame; but he was strapped down nevertheless, given that the process was anticipated to be painful despite that protection.Golin mustered his 3 dice, +1D from Aldric, -1D from being sick, and a helping die from each of Golin and Fori. Curious why he had to do this, I explained that Fori - “Ever low he sat, always abiding by greed: oaths are broken, vows refused, or solemn agreements” (I cribbed this from a different Middle Earth: Dark Minions card, for another evil Dwarf) - was not willing or perhaps even able to take on the responsibility of this task. Golin rolled, and succeeded! The mask was forged and fitted.I told the Elven PCs that they could hear Lareth's scream of pain even in their own temples; and told Golin to add Fori to his enemies list, as he now hated Golin not just for what his parents and Vaxen had done, but for succeeding where he, Fori, lacked the courage even to make the attempt. I also told the Elves to add Lareth to their enemies lists, now that he was returned: as he had left them to help defend the Moathouse against the pirates, and instead they had joined the Bugbears and had allowed not only the Moathouse but Nulb to be taken over by the pirates.To cheer themselves up, the Elves went shopping. They helped one another to buy food from the Herbalism cult.. Some rolls succeeded, taking both of their Resources 1 to Resources 2. Then a roll failed, and taxed them both back down to Resources 1.Golin joined them once his forging work was finished. His Resources were 5 in his home town, but he still couldn't buy much, as generally only items with availability 0 can be found in a Forgotten Temple Complex. He bought some food too, and wine. And some candles from his own Explosives cult, and some rope from the Sky cult.The PCs then filled their waterskins from the well, and left town. Golin's Lifestyle was 3 (2x Circles, plus his forging and fitting of Lareth's mask); with his 5 dice, he succeeded.Telemere's lifestlye was 2 (staying in the temple, and his healing of Fea-bella): with the 1D of coin from selling the bats, and his Resources 1, he failed by 1, and his coin soaked the tax. So he was OK.Fea-bella's lifestyle was 3 (staying in the temple, plus an additional recovery, plus her healing of Telemere). She had sold her map of the Yol river region to the Herbalism cult for 1D of copper. She added that to her Resources 1, and spent her last Persona point, but got only one success. Rather than tax her Resources to zero, I consulted my other options, and decided that she was Exhausted, her stay not having really been a restful one.That was the end of the session, and so we allocated rewards:*Golin had acted on his Belief (he lost count of the ways!, though I thought fixing a half-Doom mask to Lareth's face might be the stand-out) and so got a Fate point; had pursued his Goal, though not achieved it given the state the Elves ended up in, and so got another Fate point; had stood up for his creed that Elves are lost in dreams, and need grounding in reality, and so got a Persona point; and got the MVP Persona also, for his might opening Attack against the troll bats. *Telemere had acted on his Belief (he didn't persist in anything all session), and had pursued his Goal (early on in the stay in the Forgotten Temple Complex; but had not persisted), and so got two Fate there. He had stood up for his Creed, that This world of humans needs guidance away from the follies and struggling (when he thought he was dealing with a foolish human ghost). And was the Teamworker, and so got Persona for that. *Fea-bella has used her Instinct to find the idol, and had acted on her Belief (by taking the loot), and so got two Fate points. And she had achieved her Goal of escaping the cavern, and had stood up for her Creed, that These are dark times - the Free peoples must stand together. So got two Persona.I felt obliged to note that Fea-bella was still Injured and Exhausted; that Telemere was now Injured and Exhausted also; and that Golin was now Sick; but that in all other respects their decision to explore the cavern had paid off. I also made sure to show Fea-bella's player the write-up that revealed the PCs' failure to find and loot the Ring of Levitation. My players thanked me for sharing that information with them. (Or something like that.)Our current plan is for another session in two weeks. Fingers crossed!</blockquote>

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