SR's - Silent Gods (Inactive)

Game Master stormraven

Sorry, just a busy day for me today. I should be able to resume my regular posting tomorrow. Also, that was an awesome end to the fight and I'm looking forward to seeing what lies ahead.

::drool::

My excuse is that I had the last post and I didn't want Lyrica to reply to her own comments. I mean, how would it look if she started talking to herself?!

No excuses, even logical ones! There are no excuses in this dojo!

REF (if I lost you)
based on...
THIS

Sorry, I had a few unexpected appointments yesterday which ate up my day.

Jak turns back at Lyrica's statement wearing an expression of jaded incredulity. "No offense, but this isn't the time or the place for fanciful flights of hope, Lyrica."

He looks down at Zeke. A brief look of confusion brightens his scowl, but then he shakes it off. "We need to get outta here. Anyone who's gonna take a dip in Marcus's pool there… now's the time." He retrieves his whip, recoils it, and then checks to make sure the severed black hand is still wrapped securely in his pack. "That front door may still be rebuilding itself, so time's not on our side."

He gives the walls around him a dark look, "I'd like to be outta here as soon as we can."

"No offense, but this isn't the time or the place for fanciful flights of hope, Lyrica."

"Jak, listen! This is not just some fanciful flight of hope! I'm serious! There is something divine at work here. Look at Marcus. I know he does not look good, but he actually looks better than he did. I mean, there is something miraculous happening here! I think he might still be alive! We've got to get him out of here and try and bring him to consciousness. I think Sarenrae is truly keeping him safe until we can restore the strength of his body. If we give him some time, he may be with us yet! Please don't give up hope! Come on, my friends, we've got to get him out of here."

Lyrica picks up her scimitar and sheathes it and then picks up Ezekiel and prepares to carry him out.

"I do agree that we've got to get out of here and fast, before the wall rebuilds itself!"

FYI - it was pretty apparent that Marcus was healed after touching the water in the fountain. Ez didn't benefit as he was dead at the time he was immersed.

Jak scowls, "Maybe you shold tell your girl Sarenrae that she needs to work on her timing..."

Jak seems ready to leave.

If Jak believed Zeke were alive, he'd dip the man in the water.

I probably should have been more specific in my description before. Ezekiel was glowing (for those in the Fountain Room), you could all hear the songbird, and his worst wounds visibly healed. There is no doubt something happened and that he is alive.

Jak dips the Bonesetter in the Fountain (or pours a handful of the water in his mouth) and more of his wounds - along with Jak's incidental cuts - heal. Ezekiel splutters to consciousness.

Just to speed things along, I will assume everyone drinks from the Fountain. It only works once for each person - so no double-dipping.

A's HPs: 23|24
E's HPs: 2|18 Conscious
J's HPs: 19|19
L's HPs: 22|27
M's HPs: 24|25 -1 DEX

As Ezekiel comes to consciousness, Lyrica rushes up and embraces him. "Thank the Dawnflower you're alive! I was so worried for you! I thought you would not find your way back after that one! I wish we could rest and talk longer, but I fear we must press on and escape out of this place before we become trapped in here ourselves."

Turning to the others, Lyrica asks, "Are you all ready, my friends? Do we have everything we came for? Are we fulfilling the prophecy as we needed to to put an end to this evil?"

Ezekiel suddenly comes back to life, flailing about for a moment. As Lyrica rushes up, he hugs her back. "By Shelyn, I thought I was drowning in the Wahika. Where are we? And the creature, where is it? Escape?"

Jak sits in the water for a second, then he can't help but bark a disbelieving laugh. "Hells, Zeke! You've got more lives than a gods damned mountain cat!" He punches the bone-setter on the shoulder, "You are you, right?"

There is only a little bit of paranoia in his voice as he asks the last. (What? I have 2 horror points... there's bound to be some paranoia that goes along with that, I'd assume.)

'"By Shelyn, I thought I was drowning in the Wahika. Where are we? And the creature, where is it? Escape?"

"Oh my, Zeke! You must have really left your body! We destroyed the guardian. It was a hideous gnoll. We have the black hand of the Forgotten, but now we are trying to get out of the barrows. There was a wall rebuilding itself up and we must get through it before we are trapped in here forever! Come on, my friend! Let's leave!"

Is Lyrica still enlarged, or has the duration ended?

I assume you can voluntarily end your Enlarged state... otherwise things could get very interesting for you in here. >:)

Marcus moves quickly, stooping to retrieve all of his axes as the others tend to the fallen Ezekiel. Then: By Shelyn, I thought I was drowning in the Wahika. Where are we? And the creature, where is it? Escape?"

The voice hits Marcus like a slap to the face on a cold day. He spins around to see the doctor and runs toward him, lifting him in a bear hug and then, when seeing he's still quite wounded, awkwardly setting him down.

I don't believe it! You were gone--it was my fault, I--you're back! , he continues, quieter, : When we get out of here and have the time, some day, you have to tell me what you saw. Who you saw, if anyone...

He lets the implication hang for a moment before striding to the Fallen with purpose. The lumberjack raises his axe, the tool of his trade, and brings it crashing down on the remaining attached wrist.

Prophecy didn't say which hand we need, and I damn sure ain't coming back here, Marcus states matter-of-factly, stripping some cloth of his cloak. He wraps the hand, careful not to touch it, before setting it in his backpack.

Let's get out of here. Zeke, stay in the middle. Miss Strom, up front with me.

If we walk out past the armor without getting attacked by anything (which I realize is a big IF), can we pause at that room? I'd like to examine it quickly again and possibly take it. Good iron/steel is hard to find 'round here, you know?

"Let's get out of here. Zeke, stay in the middle. Miss Strom, up front with me."

Jak snorts, "Death can't stop the man… I say let him lead." He claps Ezekiel on the back good-naturedly. "But seriously… "

Yes, you can stop at the armor in the Boneyard without getting attacked. :) I feel confident about that.

As for rolling out of here... *ahem* "are you sure you wanna do that?"
I believe Lyrica mentioned something about fulfilling the prophecy.

Ooh, good point

Wisdom check to remember the prophecy? ;-) 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (13) + 3 = 16

After Marcus puts the hand in his bag, he remembers something, from Angarak's teeth:

North from the dark shroud - the Mourning Vale
Come the vengeful, bound by hate.
Snatch the black hand from the Pale;
Anoint the tools that sever Fate.

He considers for a moment before approaching the fountain, holding the cloth high and dropping the hand unceremoniously into the holy water.

Here's the part from Zarzanna, for reference:

When Angarak's scream mounts the heights
His burning tongue splits wide the sky.
Then blood will stain the face of night
As the Undying learn what it is to die.
To shadow's breath, will the lowly fall...
While the long interred shall rise unbound.
As the wrathful weep beneath the pyre's pall,
In loss’ crucible, a cause is found.
The Gods, in silence, watch and wait
As Angarak’s fangs bleed deep the night.
Breaking teeth, the vengeful sunder fate
Setting crimson wrong to stainless right.

I was so focused on getting the hand from the Pale that I forgot the last line.

"It's...more complicated thant that, Jak. I had help to rejoin you all. I...I feel changed somehow, but I can assure you, it's still me." He smiles at Jak as he says it. "I'll relate more when we have time, but first we must do what we can for our loved ones in Dies Drear. We have the hand, correct? Is there more we must accomplish?"

On cue, Marcus drops the Hand... and watches it boil away as if plunged into a vat of acid. Upon hitting the sacred water of the Fountain, in mere moments, it is eaten down to the bone and then the bones fragment and dissolve. The water quickly returns to normal.

Good thing he had two hands, eh? :) Right line... wrong interpretation. But I like how you think.

"Perhaps we are to anoint our weapons instead?" Ezekiel carefully dips the end of his staff into the fountain.

Crikey, sorry guys. SR, is that insignia on the floor (on the map of the fountain room) surrounding the fountain? Like it's a design etched into the floor and the fountain is in the middle of it? I tried to go back and find a description, but couldn't.

Ezekiel dips then submerges the staff in the Fountain. It comes out wet... gleaming... and of masterwork quality. Its imperfections are gone.

Ding! Ding! We have a winner... NOW, before you go hog-wild... You each may dip one and only one item in the Fountain and make it Masterwork. I'd recommend a weapon, but you could dip armor or a tool. It is up to you.

It's a magical pattern carved into the floor which is actually part of the Fountain's base.

Jak's eyes light up, and he pulls out his whip, "Don't have to ask me twice..."

He dips his whip into the water.

Sweet! I'll put in my lumberjack axe. It took some damage at the Teeth. Does the fountain repair that?

When the black hand is dissolved away like acid, Lyrica comments, "This pool appears to have a strong force for good. Do we need to take one of the Forgotten's black hands out of this place. Perhaps we need to retrieve the other hand and bring it back with us. Snatching it from the pale does not sound like we should destroy. However, perhaps the good power of this fountain can be used to fulfill the line of the prophecy that says, 'Anoint the tools that sever Fate'. My scimitar is my most useful tool I have on this quest. Perhaps I should anoint that. How did it work for your whip, Jak? I think I will try it too, but first a little prayer."

"May this fountain anoint my beloved blade and give it the strength and the edge needed to do the tasks that the Everlight would ask of me to perform."

Lyrica takes the scimitar that her father gave her on her eighteenth birthday and carefully places it in the fountain.

Guess your idea was better than mine, huh Doc?

Marcus chuckles softly, spirits raised after Zeke's miraculous return.

Marcus' and Lyrica's weapons emerge from the Fountain pristine and immeasurably sharp.

Yep, any damage to your weapons is repaired.

Jak dips the whip and when it emerges, it comes out as flawless as the other weapons, but also more changed. The texture is nubbed and sharp-edged, like overlaid scales. Any twist of the whip reveals the scales' bite. It's like Dragon Skin.

It's a Scorpion Whip now.

Jak clears the water from the whip by giving it two slow circles then snapping it loudly in the air. "Yep... that's bad ass."

That comment was first spoken by Jak's player. :D

He reluctantly coils it at his hip before re-checking the rest of his gear. ".. and with that, it may be time for us to go, folks. Those teeth won't break themselves."

Jak clears the water from the whip by giving it two slow circles then snapping it loudly in the air. "Yep... that's bad ass."

That comment was first spoken by Jak's player. :D

And, lo, history was made. :)

FYI - you can take the armor from the Boneyard. I envisioned you guys selling it to fund the town a bit and/or equip yourselves a little better. But that is up to you.

Lyrica pulls her blade from the fountain and gazes upon it with wonder. "This fountain is remarkable. Look what it has done to the sharpness of this blade. It is like it has been reforged in a stronger steel with a sharper edge. I will certainly use this in my need. Anyone else wish to try the pool? This is your chance to fulfill the prophecy and anoint your tools that will sever the fate!"

Lyrica is strong. She will take the armor from the boneyard. Remind me again, what kind of armor was it?

Eesh. I'd have to look it up but I believe it was a full suit of Banded mail perhaps?

EDIT - yup, Banded Mail.

Going to my daughters talent show. Super busy week. Aerik will dunk his trusty shield in the water, and I'll post more in-character stuff later tonight

Aerik sputters in disbelief when he sees Zeke recover.

"He was...I've never seen anything like that..."

After dipping his shield in the water, he puts his arm around Zeke's shoulder.

"Good to have you back. Let's get out of here. I think we've all had enough of this place."

"Agreed. The sooner we escape this place, the better. Hopefully we've done all we need to here."

"Then let us be gone, my friends. Are you ok to walk, Zeke. Just let me know if you need a hand."

Jak grins, "Or me." He touches his pack, "I currently have an extra."

I'm assuming marcus is leading the way back outta here.

As they walk, Jak thinks out loud (well, in a whisper, anyway), "When we get outta here, I say we head back towards the Drear, if we can. Touching base with them might be smart before we head back up to the Teeth. Ya know, make sure everyone is alright."

I don't know if anything bad can happen if we take the severed hand into town, but we've been gone from town for a while, and it would be smart to make sure everything is fine there.

"I should be fine, Lyrica. Thank you for your concern though. And that's a fine idea Jak. While I wish this task to be done, who knows what else may come of it. Best to check on our loved ones first."

I won't say no to seeing my family and sleeping under a roof tonight, but I think we should hurry--who knows how long we have left to free the people trapped in the Teeth.

Jak--yep, I'll lead the way, with shield and shiny new axe drawn.

"I too would like to get home to see how my sisters and father are doing. I also want to see the open sky as soon as I can. I can only take being under the ground for so long. Lead us onward, Marcus."

More than ready to leave (a few more so than others) our band of heroes gathers up the spoils of their victory and heads for the entrance. With relief they find it unblocked. Tasting the sweet, albeit cold, air of the mountains once again comes as something of a relief.

It is shy of noon by a good measure as the sun crests the jagged peaks and shines down into the steep valley. The Drearians head down the slope to the hot stream that winds along the valley's floor. They are ready to be home but brace themselves for the journey of days that it will take.

OK, I've got to do a whole slew of rolls for your journey so I'll spool that up as quickly as I can. In the meantime, you can chat while you hike back towards the village.

"Thank Sarenrae we escaped from that oppressive cave. I was worried that we would never have gotten out. So now that we have acquired the blackened hand and we have anointed our tools in the pool, do you think we have released the fate that has come to our people?"

I will post more later, but our first day of travel, Aerik is going to use Goodberry (and also create water) so we don't have to stop to hunt or forage. He will also use the spell pass without trace twice (2 targets per casting), ignoring himself because he never leaves tracks. That will buy us 2 hours of travel time from the barrow without whatever that screamer thing was being able to track us.

Goodberry: 2d4 ⇒ (4, 4) = 8

Everyone can eat a berry to heal 1 hp and be nourished, and the other 3 berries can be divvyed up or whatever yall wanna do.

I'll handle the healing off-camera for the most part. No need to slow down the narrative for that.

Though the waters of the hot stream called to them, it is with some relief that our heroes stealthily crest the far ridge and leave the valley of the White Barrow behind. If the Barrow is a measure of the challenge inherent in all of the strange Monuments that dot Mylhaven... the world is far more dangerous than any of them anticipated.

As they cross the washboard that is the mountains' heights, the weather shifts. The persistent winds die off to a mere whisper and the sky is unremittingly clear and cold - just a few degrees above freezing. Our heroes bundle up and press on, wary for any possible danger. Thankfully, none comes and the first day passes without incident.

Our heroes bed down for the night and - perhaps auspicious of their change in fortunes - Mr. Grey doesn't come to visit. No fog at all mars their vision of the rocky slopes and sparse gnarled plants that call this area home. Only the red Horn-stamped moon is an unwelcome caller.

------------------------------------------

The next day sees the cold, clear, and nigh on windless weather continue as the Drearians slowly make their way down from the mountain reaches. In the far distance they see the treeline. Again, the day passes without incident and the companions are quiet - each man and woman lost in their own thoughts of hearth, home, family, or the horrors they have witnessed. Finding a highly sheltered and defensible cove in the rocks, the comrades by silent agreement call their march to an early halt and set up camp. A respite from the constant toil is a welcome relief. They stretch their legs around a modest but cheering fire hidden in the grotto and cook a hot meal.

If you guys want a break for RP, have at it. Otherwise, I'll press on.

As the group digs in after a second day on the trail since the Barrow, Jak sits down to take a short rest, massaging his calves. His face is set in a surprisingly grim expression. it's an expression you've seen him slip into from time to time as they marched through the mountains.

Finally, he seems to put words to his dark thoughts, his eyes searching yours in a fashion that you wouldn't call frightened… but it wouldn't be a stretch. "So, anyone else hear or see anything on their watch last night?" He rushes on in a slightly-defensive manner, "I would have said something earlier but didn't ever actually see or hear anything. Just.. I don't know… just felt like someone was watching us." His voice drops, "Just wondering if anyone else felt it."

Sorry for the slow posting over the last couple of days... work is busy busy.

As they travel back to Dies Drear, thoughts weigh heavily upon the bonesetter, a quiet overtaking him. Attempts to break his silence are shrugged off as he contemplates the past, present and future of things. On the second day, huddled around the campfire with the others, his reverie is finally broken by Jak's words. "I can't say I did, Jak. Any ideas?" He looks from where he sits, searching for any eyes staring upon their camp.

It's clearly not the response Jak was hoping for. "I don't know… probably nothing."

Jak wipes his face, then his tone changes. In frank curiosity, he looks back at Ezekiel. "Zeke, I gotta ask. What happened back there." He pauses, unsure exactly how to proceed. "I mean… we saw you die."