The Forgotten God (Table 5)

Game Master Rednal

"Who the f*ck is Eleanor!?" the guard asked as he tried again to smack you with his baton.

1d20 ⇒ 8

This time, his baton went a lot wider than before.

"Tall woman. Brown hair. Dislikes wererats," Astoroth replied as he once again avoided the guard's panicked blow.

If he swings at me again, I'll expend focus to parry (at +16) as an AoO, expend the newly-gained focus (assuming parry succeeded) to trip (at +14) as an immediate action, and attempt a disarm (at +14, provokes an AoO from the guard). Maybe then he'll calm down. XD

"You're nuts!" the guard said as he continued his attempt to knock you into submission.

Did You Roll A Nat 1 For This?: 1d20 ⇒ 11 ...I mean, kind of, yes. XD

You slammed him into the ground and kicked his weapon away a moment later.

"Help! HELP! CRAZY PRISONER LOOSE!" the guard bellowed, and you heard thumping footsteps from down the hallway.

Rolling two ones with a single die? That must be twice as bad! XD I'm enjoying learning the limits of Astoroth's patience, by the way. XD

Astoroth almost sighed, but such reactions were unbecoming. It was possible the guard didn't remember him or was simply putting on an extremely-convincing act. Perhaps one of these new arrivals would be able to clear this up. If not ... there were numerous alternative ways to fulfill his end of the bargain with Eleanor.
I'll ready an action to telekinetic catch the first thing thrown/shot at me but otherwise stay where I am - assuming it's somewhere I can't be instantly surrounded.

I should note it's pretty obvious this isn't one of the probably-not-real-guards you saw before. As far as he knows, you just boarded a prison ship and began spouting off nonsense.

Half a dozen guards stampeded into the room a few moments after the call went out, and just as many crossbows leveled at you. "STAY WHERE YOU ARE!" the apparent leader bellowed. "Who the f*ck are you and what the f*ck are you doing here!?"

I'd hoped that I'd appear before one of the probably-not-real guards to prevent this whole thing. Looks like none of them were present. The plot thickens.... XD

"Looking for someone," Astoroth calmly replied. This wasn't the first time he'd had crossbows aimed his way, after all. "As it appears she's no longer here, I'll cease interrupting your day."
1d4 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5
It's been 4rds since I became visible, so it looks like I just have to hang out for another six seconds or so before invisibility is good to go again.

The response was a flurry of crossbow bolts-

Ranged Attack: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17
Ranged Attack: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20
Ranged Attack: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23
Ranged Attack: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13
Ranged Attack: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17

-of which one actually came rather close. The rest were distorted by the winds your form possessed, and a few moments later, you were invisible.

"F*cking magic! Get the wizards on this!" the head of the guards called down the hall. "I want that man found wherever he tries to run!"

Time to leave. Astoroth headed back the way he'd come in. Being a wanted man didn't particularly bother him - he'd had a target on his back almost since the moment he'd stepped foot in this city. His ability to change his appearance should keep him out of danger for a little while at least.

Time to check in on Kozuri and then go sign up for the next trip heading into Between.

"So, uh, this town's pretty messed up." Kozuri said in-between mouthfuls of what looked like a painfully spicy fish dish as you came back. "What I wanna know is how they're raising all those undead. Wizards can usually only control a few, right? But they're taking, like, every dang body from the commoners..."

"It is, indeed," Astoroth replied. "I'd suggest altering your appearance, by the way. Apparently there's an order of 'Paladins' who don't take kindly to outsiders like us, and I don't feel like being constantly hassled by the city guards." His companion had made an interesting observation. Perhaps there were a great many necromancers here. Although Castorhage didn't seem like a Geb-esque society, it was still theoretically possible. Alternately, the royals had an artifact. Or perhaps it was simply a native feature of this world. He made a mental note to revisit the matter later. "In the meantime, I'm going to explore Between. Would you like to come?"

Kozuri just blinked. "Between what?" she asked. "Wait, I think I saw some posters recruiting for that... some kind of colony operation they've got going? Doesn't sound like someplace either of us wants to settle down in, but I suppose it'd be fine to take a look around."

"More pertinently, the area has displayed several interesting effects. Time seems to function differently there, and it may be somewhat sentient."

"So you... want to go... to a time-dilating sentient demiplane? That's probably hungry?" Kozuri asked. "Oh yeah, I am IN. Hey, what do you think will happen when it starts noticing godstuff is hanging around? Think you'll be affecting it at all?" she considered that for a moment. "I wonder if we could turn it into some kind of new Akashic Record... that would be cool."

"From what I've gathered, it's at least somewhat influenced by belief, so there's definitely potential for changes. Perhaps we'll be able to speak to it." In all honesty, he didn't have much of a plan besides 'go inside and see what happens.' After all, 'poke the weird thing with a stick' method was often a very enlightening form of scientific inquiry.

Ready when you are. XD

After gathering what things you had - and by now you knew how to pack - you and Kozuri threw on some disguises and began heading through the crowded streets towards what you were pretty sure was something resembling docks. Eventually, you found one of the recruitment centers, along with a sorry-looking lot of folks there to sign up. You were pretty sure you could talk your way onto any crew, but sneaking onboard a ship and trying to avoid notice or commitments was also a possibility.

Secrecy and subtlety was an excellent way to learn things that others didn't wish you to find out. Open inquiry, on the other hand, was the best way to learn things that others wished to tell you. In this case, as there was an ongoing active recruitment for ships to Between, there was no reason to overcomplicate matters.

After getting in line and waiting for about forty minutes, you finally managed to get into the small recruitment office where a faintly fish-like man (still human, just... well, he looked like one of his ancestors had gills) was sitting behind the desk. He eyed you for a few moments, then grunted slightly. "Don't look like a sailor. What work're you good for?"

"My associate and I have extensive experience with planar travel and surviving in unsafe environments. As I've heard Between can be quite dangerous, having us on the crew will increase the likelihood that everyone stays alive."

From the expression you got, you were pretty sure the man behind the counter wasn't used to claims like those. The limits on magic in the city had seen to that. "And what's a fancy fellow like you doing here, then, 'stead of signing on as a scholar and gettin' all the comforts?" he asked, clearly confused. "Being a sailor in Between isn't exactly a leisurely research trip."

"It is, however, the most effective way to learn about Between. Firsthand observation is better than reading another person's experiences, after all."

The hiring manager(?) didn't seem convinced, but shrugged. "As long as you understand you'll only be treated as valuable as you make yourself. Past that door." he said, gesturing to a curtained passage behind his desk. "Oh, and don't feel the need to put up with any nonsense from the sailors, but the officers will be your bosses."

With an appreciative nod, Astoroth heads toward the passage.

Past the curtain, you head through a small hallway, then out a door onto the docks. Ahead of you is a large ship, similar to the one you recently practiced salvaging on - but definitely newer. Much newer. It looks like it has at least three levels, plus multiple masts. A dull-looking man with eyes just a little too far apart looks at you as you come out and shrugs. "Hope you brought something to wear you don't mind getting dirty. Ladies have a separate cabin. Don't make trouble." he said. "We sail when the captain's ready. Any prior experience on a ship?"

"It's been quite a while, I'm afraid, but I'm sure it will come back to me quickly."

Kozuri smirked slightly. "We'll pull our weight just fine. Question, though... how exactly do we get to this Between place on a ship?"

"Hah! You are new! There are two large, more-or-less stable portals in the great warehouses, and that's where we're headed. Most of the portals to Between show up around there, but not all of them are big enough for practical work, and they tend to come and go with no regard for what anyone thinks about them. You best not be relying too much on leaving the same way you enter... but it is nice that we don't have to sale more than a bit to get through. No one's ever found a mirror-portal outside Castorhage proper."

"That's very interesting," Astoroth remarked. "Has anyone been able to determine a pattern to the portals' coming and going? What makes the two stable portals different from the others that pop up?"

Shrugs all around. "Far as we can tell, they do pretty much whatever they want. I hear there's a few thieves who know how to find the portals when they appear, but anyone who really could would be snatched up for sure. Might as well ask why dreams are weird - they just are."

I can't think of anything else to ask about at the moment, so we can move on. XD

With your curiosity sated - only for the moment, most likely, given that you were you - you headed onboard the ship. There was some time left until all the crew was aboard and assignments were handed out. If you wanted to convince the rest of the crew to avoid causing trouble for you, now was probably a good time... though it was also good to remember the city's opinions on magic.

With his appearance concealed, Astoroth wasn't particularly concerned about trouble for the moment. In his experience, cities with a strong anti-magic philosophy were paranoid about theoretical spellcasters but didn't expect random people to actually be mages unless they did something to attract attention.

As a reminder, I have a hat of disguise, so I don't look the same as when I initially entered Castorhage. Astoroth's a wanted man, after all. XD

*Glances at Kozuri* Indeed you do. 8D

It took another day or so before the ship was fully ready to go, and in that time, you were fairly thorough in convincing others to not cause too much trouble.

And then... how did one describe the feeling of sailing through an enormous mirror and emerging into a stormy sea? It wasn't just the weather, though. You could feel a will in the twenty-foot waves that rocked the ship, in the winds blowing various directions, even in the flashes of lightning. In that first moment, you knew: Between was not merely a place. It was somehow alive, and you could feel it reaching out for your thoughts and reacting to what you believed. And what were you thinking...?

Astoroth was immediately fascinated by this place. A living Plane? He had to know more about it. And he would learn more about it. NOT doing so wasn't even a possibility. He just needed to determine how to communicate with it....

Beliefs: despite the dangerous conditions, there's nothing to fear here; Between can be communicated with in some fashion; Astoroth is capable of doing so; Astoroth's will is stronger.

The more you focused on Between, the more you felt that it, in turn, was focusing on you. A few moments passed before the storm suddenly began to calm, and in just five minutes, the sea was tranquil and a breeze began to blow. At least half the crew looked deeply disturbed by this, and you could feel the air around you responding to them as well... you weren't the only one that Between was paying attention to.

"Calm yourselves," Astoroth remarked to the crew. "There's nothing to fear here. If you believe you're safe, it will become so."

Gimme a... Diplomacy check, for some Indifferent NPCs. You haven't really made any friends on the ship yet, and they're not sure how much trust they should put in you just yet, particularly when you and Kozuri stick out a bit. XD

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (14) + 20 = 34

Being 'other' had its benefits when trying to convince the common folk. Especially when you actually had a wealth of experience traveling the planes. Sharing a few pertinent anecdotes that highlighted similarities with the current situation should go a long way to diffusing their tension.

The crew eyed each other, but slowly started to settle down. As they did so, the weather itself calmed, and the ship began to pick up speed.

"Don't let your guards down!" the captain called from the helm. "Entire settlements here in Between have vanished, and it'd be just like this place to try and trick us."

Meanwhile, Kozuri was idly using magic to clean the deck, occasionally frowning and glancing at her handiwork as she did so.