DMDM's Strange Aeons

Game Master Douglas Muir 406

Wine stirred with an owl feather is the material component for identify.

Yordan moves over towards the mirror, close enough to see the person trapped in it and let him see me. "How did you come to be on the other side of the mirror, then? What's going on?"

Sense Motive on the Deputy Director's answer: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8

By the way, are we hearing his voice mentally or audibly? Not that Yordan is likely to notice. I think there's still clotted blood in his ears or something.

Is the wine stirred with an owl feather a way to use the mirror?

It's the material component for the Identify spell. Some very organized person had it ready in the desk.

And how would we let you out?

Staying silent, Nameless listens closely to the man in the mirror. She likewise watches Rocksauce for her reactions to his statements and requests.

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 5 = 19

What is our field of view into the mirror? Are there any other differences in the reflection (other than the fact he's a soul/spirit/phantasm)?

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22

Also, what's she doing with the mammoth? Do we have to hand it over to the mirror-man to let him out? Maybe he smashes it from the inside?

Kzrira nods at Fritz's last inquiry:
Yes. It is hard to let you out until we know why are are in the mirror, and what the secret is to letting you free.

Yordan moves over towards the mirror, close enough to see the person trapped in it and let him see me. "How did you come to be on the other side of the mirror, then? What's going on?"

"I... I don't remember exactly what happened. There was the earthquake. I was trying to organize some survivors. We heard screaming, and a..." He shakes his head. "Then it gets all... hazy..."

As he shakes his head you can see that there's an enormous wound in the back of his head. About a third of his skull is violently concave.

By the way, are we hearing his voice mentally or audibly?

Audibly, if a bit faint.

Sense Motive on the Deputy Director's answer: 1d20+7

He seems nice.

And how would we let you out?

The little man brightens. "Oh! That's easy! You just touch the mirror and say, 'I accept you and allow you in'." Then he frowns. "Wait, how do I know that...?"

Staying silent, Nameless listens closely to the man in the mirror. She likewise watches Rocksauce for her reactions to his statements and requests.

[dice=Sense Motive]1d20+5

He's confused. He's frightened of something. He's looking at you guys with a mixture of fascination and revulsion. He definitely wants out.

What is our field of view into the mirror? Are there any other differences in the reflection (other than the fact he's a soul/spirit/phantasm)?

And the book and wand on the desk. Nope, otherwise nothing.

Also, what's she doing with the mammoth?

Nothing. Just holding it.

A battle of curiosity occurs inside Mrakala's head. What a peculiar spell! Is this fellow alive? What happens if you hold the Mammoth and offer it to him? Is there a way to get to that wand and book without letting the ghost...or whatever...out?

The old man steps away from the mirror. "I've seen enough. We have what we need." He walks over to Rocksauce and bends down so he's eye to eye with her.

"Winter warned us about the mirror, sort of. We are going to go back to him and the others. Will you join us?"

"He sounds nice, but I don't like the sound of this 'allow you in'," Yordan says in a low voice, trying not to be heard by the man in the mirror. "I wish we could help him."

He looks out over the room. "There might still be something in these papers worth finding... but how many people are running around these halls? They'd likely have found anything obvious. If they want the same things we would. It'd take days find anything in them now."

After all, Grandma sounded nice too, right till she tried to eat my face.

Yordan is thinking about taking the feat Improved Paranoia.

The old man steps away from the mirror. "I've seen enough. We have what we need." He walks over to Rocksauce and bends down so he's eye to eye with her.

"Wait!" The man in the mirror knocks frantically. "Please! You can't just leave me in here! This place... it's terrible! Anything is better! Please!"

SO the plan is to take the 3 bodies and go back to the guarded area right?

SEARCH the rooms first

Kyleen looks at the man, and then turns to her companions:
Perhaps we should take the mirror with us. Assuredly the men behind the barrier will know more of who is trapped in this device.

She turns back to the man:
It is not that we do not trust you. However, with so many dopplegangers trying to stab us in the back, we must be exceedingly cautious.

In crazed land of Briarstone, the Girl of Strings is Queen.

"Perhaps we should ask our resident expert. What do you think we should do here Offspring?"

Finish searching these two rooms, then head back.

"If we don't trust the guy in the mirror, we probably shouldn't take the mirror with us," Yordan says.

Kyleen looks at the man, and then turns to her companions:

Perhaps we should take the mirror with us. Assuredly the men behind the barrier will know more of who is trapped in this device.

The mirror is both massive and fragile. I won't say impossible, but you'd need some checks.

It is not that we do not trust you. However, with so many dopplegangers trying to stab us in the back, we must be exceedingly cautious.

"The things that change? Yes, I suppose that could be --" He looks over his shoulder. When he looks back, his face is twisted in fear. "I -- I think it's coming again. Soon. Please! I trust you, even with the... the things. There's not much time! Please let me out!"

on the Deputy Director
Sense Motive: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 20

any reply from Offspring?

Yordan's right, there's not much else we can do here. Let's take the bodies and return to Winter. We know nothing about this individual and taking the mirror with us could be a security issue. What if it allows things to come out of it? Let's leave it."

Mrakala leaves the room and waits outside, he'll keep an eye on the door hoping no one does anything foolish.

on the Deputy Director

[dice=Sense Motive] d20 +4

He DEFINITELY wants out of there. And he's scared. Terrified, actually.

any reply from Offspring?

Depends. Would you count an eye-roll as a reply?

What happens if we break the mirror?

"The spell could be released causing him to get out. Or whatever "it" is might be released with him, or instead of him. Or perhaps he's just a dead soul that will then possess whoever broke the mirror. It's also possible that it would do nothing to the spell at all but eliminate a way to see the Director."

Mrakala throws his hands up. "I don't think there is a good answer."

"We do need to continue to search the records in these rooms Saruman."

Nameless puts her hand on Mrakala's shoulder. I know you want to sate your curiosity, but the book and wand -"... AnD tHe PoOr, TrApPeD sOd ..."- yes, and the trapped sod ... er, man - will have to wait. Maybe ... maybe someone behind the barricade will know more. Turning to the rest of the group now, the oracle implores: And since we have our three Rippler corpses, which was the price of our admittance to the chapel, let's go to where we know it is relatively safe.

Looking to the mirror and the phantom within, Nameless says: Tell us your name, and we'll do our best to help you as soon as we can. After the man answers, or if he stalls again, the woman will grab a sheet or blanket and toss it over the mirror to cover it.

I would very much like to get some rest behind the barricade if they are going to allow us in. Only one healing spell remaining here, and we're all (or most) worse for wear.

Looking to the mirror and the phantom within, Nameless says: Tell us your name, and we'll do our best to help you as soon as we can.

"I'm Doctor Lomar! I've been the Deputy Director for years! I'm responsible! I'm responsible for... for..." He shakes his injured head."It's terrible on this side. That thing... I have to keep moving. But I check back, I keep coming back, because my office... because that side... that's reality, right? Even if... bad things have happened?"

He looks over his shoulder again, then looks at you with a strange combination of terror, pleading, and... bedside manner? "You people... you're patients, aren't you? Yes. You must be. You're with her," he points to Rocksauce (who is staring off into space, her head cocked). "And she's, she's... she shouldn't be running around loose. And you, yes, I believe I heard when your group came in. So unusual. The Director said... you're patients... you need help. You, you can't just wander. The Auditor said she would help. Did she? Is anyone," he's babbling now, hands flat against the glass, "is anyone in charge?"

After the man answers, or if he stalls again, the woman will grab a sheet or blanket and toss it over the mirror to cover it.

You could heave up the carpet, or there's a smaller rug in the other room -- water soaked, but still intact -- that would probably do the trick. It looks like nobody wants to follow his instructions on letting him out. So, are there any other questions, or do you want to just cover him now and go?

Vitæ Somnium wrote:

on the Deputy Director [dice=Sense Motive]

He DEFINITELY wants out of there. And he's scared. Terrified, actually.

Heed DMs words? What if whatever is hunting him gets to him and we can only get information now?

Lomar? DANGER, WILL ROBINSON. DANGER.

With a frown, the oracle pauses her efforts to gather a cover. Doctor? The only other doctors we've encountered have been Ripplers, shapechangers, and have tried to skin us. Standing up from a crouch, she crosses her arms. We were captives, I'm not sure about patients. We .. we can't remember anything from before the quake. What was unusual about our arrival?

With a quieter voice, and putting a hand to the back of her own head, Nameless asks: And what happened to your head? Some of it is ... missing.

[/b] Standing up from a crouch, she crosses her arms. We were captives, I'm not sure about patients. We .. we can't remember anything from before the quake. What was unusual about our arrival?

The bedside manner becomes stronger. "Captives? No, no. You're patients. We're here to help you. Help you get better again!" He pauses, then mutters to himself, "I don't remember you being in Red Wing. Surely I would remember...?" He shakes his head again. "It's unusual enough to have such a large group arrive together..."

And what happened to your head? Some of it is ... missing.

"Wh-what? What do you --" He puts his hand up to the back of his head.

1d20 ⇒ 4

"AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!"

1d100 ⇒ 79
1d6 ⇒ 6

I was rather hoping we would not mention that bit of peculiarity to him.

Yes, now he's going to turn into a monster.

Kyleen is confused, and rather surprised that the others do not want to let the director in.
He may be the only one who knows who I am. We are six and he is but one, and unarmed. The rest of you are welcome to leave, but I feel that we need to get him out of there. It is possible that he will die instantly with that head injury, but it may also be an illusion.

Unless someone stops here, Kyleen will move over to the mirror, touch it, and speak the words. However, she will slightly modify what she says:
I accept Dr. Lomar and allow him in.

I know one of the paranoid ones here may stop her, but my view is that with Wisdom as her dump stat (ok, it is 10, but that is dump for me), that Kyleen is a little impulsive, and sometimes acts before she thinks.

"Lady Rat Whisperer, perhaps we should not be hasty ..."

Vitæ calls out a warning from behind the room and raises a hand and may cast Daze on the Bard if the rest of the party decides this is not the best course of action.

TPK in 3 ... 2 ... 1

Ghelik is in the other room and can only hear part of the conversation...

"Think it throug -- oh, Lady of Graves!"

Yordan is still mostly searching through stuff and too far away to intervene. (Also he wants to help the guy, just doesn't know how, but is very sure that any sentence which includes the phrase "I allow you in" needs to be considered very carefully.)

Vitæ may need to roll Initiative to beat Kyleen to throw a Daze, he does not want her to harm herself or the others.

"AAAAAAA!!!"Doctor Lomar suddenly stumbles right through the mirror and into the room with you.

"AAAAAAAAAAA!!!"As if drawn by some unseen forces, he rushes forward towards Kyleen. When he reaches her, his translucent form simply disappears into her, like water falling on dry ground.

"Lady Rat Whisperer, perhaps we should not be hasty ..."

Vitæ calls out a warning from behind the room and raises a hand and may cast Daze on the Bard if the rest of the party decides this is not the best course of action.

TPK in 3 ... 2 ... 1

DM it may be too late now but I did want to stop her with a Daze before she did that, I understand in this type of play we may have to skip some actions for dramatic effect though.

Kyleen opens her mouth.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"

DM it may be too late now but I did want to stop her with a Daze before she did that, I understand in this type of play we may have to skip some actions for dramatic effect though.

I'm not reading "if" and "may" statements as clear intentions of action.

And as for Kyleen...

...and only Kyleen...

LEVEL UP

You have gained a level of Spiritualist. You are now a Bard 1 / Spiritualist 1. Give yourself an extra Hit Die, adjust your saves, add skill ranks, and so on and so forth.

It is unclear how long this will last. Or what will happen when it ends. But for now, you're second level.

Your Phantom, Doctor Lomar, is a unique Dedication phantom. He has all the usual powers, with the following modifications:

-- His skill is Heal. Obviously his ability to actually heal is limited when he's incorporeal, but he can still make helpful suggestions (Aid Another).

-- He has more free will and autonomy than a normal phantom. His alignment is Lawful Neutral and his motivations are to guard the asylum, fix whatever is wrong with it, and help the patients. You can command him like a normal phantom, but if you instruct him to do something that goes against his alignment or motivations, he'll resist, and you'll have to win a contested Cha check. You don't know what will happen if you fail the Cha check.

He also has a personality: he's a bit fussy and pedantic, and a bit bossy and superior. He's a doctor, young lady. Pushing him around in ways that are not consistent with his personality may get his back up and force a Cha check.

-- You can ask him questions about the asylum, patients, etc., but his memories have been damaged. Not as severely damaged as yours, but something crushed in his skull. (This is also why he has a working Int of 7.) You notice how his speech was becoming confused towards the end? He doesn't like to admit it, but he's missing a few pips on his dice. So, his ability to answer questions may be limited.

-- Spiritualists are not a common class, at all; most people would have no idea that such a thing even is possible. Also, you're in Ustalav, where pretty much everyone has excellent reasons for being paranoid about the occult.

-- If you don't like this, you can (at this point) cast him out. You know that you can say, "I revoke my invitation!" or words to that effect. This means rejecting the Spiritualist level. It may not always be an option, but it is right now.

I want Bref to be my spirit. That would be comedy

Yay, spirit-company! Delayed this post to not break up DMDM's pacing.

"Wh-what? What do you --" He puts his hand up to the back of his head. ... "AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!"

"Oh fie, girl. Where are your manners? He was obviously blissfully unaware. Selfish, unthinking ..."

Wait. No ... I'm sorry ... Nameless holds up her hands and stumbles backwards, running into the desk. She watches the panicked spirit rush towards and meld into Kyleen, speechless.

"Unconscionable!"

"WhAt An AsS, yEaH? i MeAn - GeT a GrIp."

"He tried to grip the back of his head. That's what started this whole thing."

"'ey, she asked 'im in. Don' go blamin' 'im!"

"ironywarningironywarning"

And hey, Kyleen -- at least you now have SOME sense of identity. Even if it is only 50% ...

Ghelik runs to the doorway to this room, Wha in the hells is goin' on here! What's alls the yellin' about!

Looking around for the source of all of the noise...

Gaining a level in a new class, all at once, is stressful! Kyleen is Stunned for 1d3 ⇒ 2 rounds.

Meanwhile, it seems that all the fuss has attracted some attention. Everyone except Mrakala (who I believe is stepped outside the room), please roll initiative. Anyone who does not beat a 1d20 ⇒ 15 19 on init must roll a Will save.