The Celestial Bureaucracy |
Koya bends over Ameiko, looking at Sorin as if to check with him: "None I'm afraid Raith. But she did collapse as we got to this place. It's likely that some spirit would want to prevent her from reaching the place or something similar, though this possession is not like what I've heard told on them..."
Raith Shadar |
"What is harming her is this place? Perhaps we should leave it for now. Let the five of us return to find what secret is inside. We will return with what is hidden and lay it at Ameiko's feet. At the very least let us five venture in while the rest guard Ameiko until we return. If the cause of her condition is inside, we will find it and settle affairs with what is inside. And if we do not return, at the least you shall be here with Ameiko to take her to a place where she might recover. I cannot bear to see her fallen like this. I feel I must do something. Yet I am no healer and no wielder of the arcane or divine. But if inside this Brinewall there is an enemy to kill, I shall kill it. Or a treasure to heal her, I shall find it. I shall do whatever must be done to save her." Raith places both hands over Ameiko's hand in a tender gesture.
Garand Stone-of-the-Moon |
Walking in late to the discussion, Garand remains silent for a moment, until he's slowly-but-steadily discarded several hasty reactions.
"We come this way to seek clues as to Ameiko's heritage, and perhaps too, her destiny. Perhaps whatever spirit has laid her low seeks only to prevent her from passing closer to this place, the spirit of an ancestor using the only tools at it's disposal to protect her from a greater danger, waiting for her in Brinewall?"
"Can any here divine if what ails her is of evil aspect, or is indeed a restless spirit?"
Being a druid, Garand sure doesn't have detect evil or detect undead prepared...
Sorin Saldward |
"Honestly, at this point, I have no idea. Tomorrow, I will be able to cast a spell to see..." Sorin smacks his forehead. "I can always detect magic and see if there is an aura, if there is or is not, it will give us some information."
Sorin makes a few quick passes with his hands, utters a gutteral word in Draconic, then peers through his fingers at Ameiko.
"Yes, I know it looks ridiculous, but it works."
Do I see anything after looking for a few rounds?
The Celestial Bureaucracy |
Sandru ackowledges Pavel's point and Raiths: "A'ight then. I stay here with the caravan, with Koya tending to Ameiko. Shalelu will protect us and the caravan. You go find what her grand-daddy has left hidden here for her."
As if on cue, Ameiko says softly, as she would if she were speaking in her sleep: “One treasure beyond two seals in the third vault...”
Raith Shadar |
Raith is distraught and silent as he watches Ameiko. "I'm ready." He bends down and gives Ameiko a kiss on the forehead and caresses her hair. He can barely pull his fraught eyes from her, yet eventually he turns. A look of grim determination replacing the deep concern.
Sorin Saldward |
"Well if there was any doubt that she under some sort of possession, I guess that dispelled it. Sandru, you might want to consider restraining her, just in case whatever is going on gets worse."
"Pavel, let me grab my bag out of the wagon and I will be right with you. You never know what you will need..."
Sorin runs over to the last wagon, grabs his bag and crossbow and walks back over to the group.
"I am ready Pavel."
Izumi Chosokate |
Izumi tries to pay no attention to the attention Raith is paying to the possessed Ameiko, but it's clear that it bothers him. No respect. Every since Ameiko had been brought to the caravan, Izumi had been itching for something to do. Something so he didn't feel so useless. He had been pacing around the caravan with his hand on his sword.
With Pavel and Garand's return, Izumi is even more eager to do something, and when the consensus reached that they should proceed into Brinewall, Izumi is ready to leave immediately. He doesn't say anything, but the tightness in his face and the tension apparent says all that needs to be said.
The Celestial Bureaucracy |
The group departs from the caravan and follows the trail to Brinewall. The trail seems to more or less follow the Steam River. After about half a mile, it reaches a densely wooded area. Light turns to shadow as you move ahead, with the occasional patch of sunlight punching through the leaves of the small nut bushy trees.
The trail keeps getting worse, and it is now more than clear that you've made the right choice.
Pavel suddenly stops. He points and you can make what once was the entrance gate to Brinewall village. It's all in ruin and abandoned.
Please describe how you will proceed next and roll Perception.
Pavel |
Pavel nods.
"Suh'sit tight. Ain't seen no truh'tracks comin' in or out, but..."
With an exceptional grace for his size, Pavel keeps to the shadows, getting close to the walls around Brinewall and slipping into the village.
Stealth: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23
Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21
Raith Shadar |
Raith listens to Pavel and trusts him. Feel free to have Pavel give Raith reasonable instructions as he'll coordinate with Pavel or take his advice like a young warrior would a veteran. I'll roll and follow up accordingly. Raith for the most part looks to Pavel as the leader.
Perception:1d20 + 11 ⇒ (19) + 11 = 30
Sorin Saldward |
As Sorin moves to stand next to Garand he watches Izumi pacing like a wild animal in an overly small cage.
I think that he is going to wear a rut in the road.
"Did something change between Ameiko and Raith? I don't think that I have seen them kiss before. I think it might have been a surprise to Izumi too." Sorin whispers to Garand.
The Celestial Bureaucracy |
You reach the gate of Brinewall village and get a chance to get your bearings. You quickly find a good vantage point to get a view of the whole village. It basically surrounds a small "lagoon" formed by the Steam River as it joins the Bunyip Bay. An old and ruined pier as a ship moored to it. The ship looks recent. Further away from the lagoon, you identify a cemetery.
On a hill looking over the village, the river and the bay stands a castle of great size. But for a tower of three floors, it stands squat and wide with only two levels. Something about it makes it quite intimidating though...
You can investigate the ship, the lagoon, the houses, the cemetery. The castle seems like a more extended thing to look at. Please roll Stealth if you wish to remain unseen by possible observers...
Garand Stone-of-the-Moon |
"Did something change between Ameiko and Raith? I don't think that I have seen them kiss before. I think it might have been a surprise to Izumi too." Sorin whispers to Garand.
Garand looks surprised by this information, and replies, also in a low tone, "They kissed? Hm. I was with Pavel, slightly ahead of the group, when Ameiko was afflicted. If she had some interaction with Raith, it might be not of her own doing, but the actions of a possessing entity, of uncertain motives."
"Izumi clearly is upset by the situation, as the two of them have been strutting about her like pheasants, vying for the attention of the same hen." Garand's features show clear disapproval, quite out of place, given his lack of interaction with Ameiko, to this point.
"For the sake of our ability to work together, and my sanity, I hope that these Tien are polygamous..."
Pavel |
While scouting
Pavel leans closer to Raith and whispers.
"Luh'let's do a little recon in the houses first. When we suh'see what's there, we bring the others in to cluh'clear it. Rinse and ruh'repeat, 'till we reach the castle."
Stealth: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10
Sorin Saldward |
Sorin lets out a muffled snort of restrained laughter at Garand's words and fights with every ounce of self control to keep a straight face.
Raith Shadar |
Raith nods once to Pavel.
Stealth:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10
Raith kissed Ameiko on the forehead, not the lips. He's known Ameiko for most of his life from boyhood to manhood. After his parents died, she was one of the kindly town people that looked after him, making sure he was fed, and had enough to get by. So though he does have a childhood crush, even if she doesn't return his affection he would have reacted the same way. She's his dear friend and he has a deep affection for her as such. So just to make sure the wrong message wasn't sent, he looked more like a worried friend than a worried lover. He in no way copped any cheap feels or took any liberties with the unconcious Ameiko. His actions were all proper. He would never disrespect Ameiko in public by taking advantage of her in a vulnerable situation. I was unsure why Izumi was so unhappy considering he knows that Ameiko and Raith have been friends for over a decade given that he is from the town as well.
The Celestial Bureaucracy |
You move from house to house, but the circuit you chose forces you to cross stretches of exposed terrain.
You find a number of buildings: barracks, a smithy, several homes, a glassworks, a
trading post, and a stable. The two largest ruins are located in the eastern part of town, and consist of a town hall to the north and an almost completely collapsed temple of Desna to the south. Beside it lies the entrance to the cemetery.
Most of the buildings were empty, but you found an old that contained a rusty key. The key is in bad shape though and could easily break if used.
Izumi Chosokate |
Izumi knows all that Raith. His relationship with Ameiko isn't nearly as close (mostly because of the fact that they both went away at seperate times). When Izumi returned to Sandpoint, it had been 4 years or so since he had seen Ameiko. In essence, Izumi is jealous of Raith for being so close, and justifying his anger through his sense of propriety. If he felt Raith was actually taking advantage of Ameiko, he would've said something. That being said, he's already not a patient person and feels like he failed somehow to protect Ameiko. He's having trouble justifying being stealthy and taking it slow when Ameiko might be suffering, but also knows he has caused damage in the past by recklessly charging in, hence the pacing.
Perception: 1d20 ⇒ 15
Izumi hears the snort from Sorin and turns to glare at the pair standing together. He shakes his head, and instead joins his allies, standing next to Sorin. When he speaks, there's a tightness in his voice, "Ameiko... if we free her from this possesion... she will recover, right?"
Sorin Saldward |
Hey man, we see what we see. Besides, anytime there are relationships forming/breaking, you have gossip.
Sorin thinks for a moment, his brow furrowed.
"She should. Most references that I remember have no mention of residual effects. I would expect her to have some trauma from not being in control of her own actions though. I would expect that the amount of trauma is directly related to how aware of the possession she is. If she is "asleep", then it will not be an issue. If she is "awake" then there could be problems. I have been under a mind altering compulsion from a spell that one of my brothers tested on me. I just remember that I was very happy to do whatever my brother suggested. Intellectually, I know I was under control, but emotionally it wasn't an issue. Besides, I beat the tar out of him for it, so we were even."
Pavel |
After the search of the town, Pavel leads Raith back to the gates, Garand, Sorin and Izumi.
"Most of the huh...houses are empty. Clear avenue fuh'for escape if we need it. East side o' town has a tuh'town hall and a temple with a cemetery. Wuh'we can start there, then move down to the lagoon and the shuh'ship before moving up to the castle to fuh'finish the sweep."
He points a thumb to Raith.
"Ruh'Raith found a rusty key. Maybe one o'you smart guys can fuh'fix it up with magic or somethin'."
Raith Shadar |
Glad you guys clarified. I looked at what I wrote and was wondering if I wrote something indicating he was too forward with Ameiko.
Raith tosses the key to Sorin. "Looks like no one has lived in Brinewall in ages."
Izumi Chosokate |
Izumi is eager to greet the pair returning from scouting. He listens to Pavel and Raith's reports and then immediately starts for Brinewall. "Well then, what are we wating for?" When Izumi enters the town, he looks about for the town hall and temple, and make immediately for them, according to Pavel's suggestion.
Sorin Saldward |
"There is a ship?", Sorin says, nearly interupting Pavel's report.
Sorin catches the key from Raith and examines it, performing the same cantrip as he did on Ameiko, peering through his fingers at the key.
Detect Magic, also take a quick paranoid look at Raith and Pavel through the spell
Anything else noticible about the key?
"Well unfortunately, I have to agree with Pavel. We should do a good sweep of the town before we move on to the castle. Whatever is affecting Ameiko begun when we got close to this region. Whereas the town and castle were in sequence on our line of approach, rather than at the perpendicular to our approach, it is not possible to eliminate either as the source without a full investigation."
"Furthermore, there may be significant clues as to the unfortunate history of Brinewall in the town, that we may need to adequately respond to potential threats...."
Sorin trails off as Izumi stalks off down the road.
Garand Stone-of-the-Moon |
"Izumi is either possessed or has already made the choice for us, unless we allow him to march to his death." Garand says baldly, urging his companion forward and hoisting his bow as he moves forward in the same direction as Izumi.
He doesn't run to catch up. If the man is possessed, and leading them into a trap, he has no intention of being right next to him when it is sprung.
The Celestial Bureaucracy |
The town hall and temple are but rubbles and rust inside. From the look of it, whatever happened here happened not years, but decades ago.
Pavel |
In the temple, Pavel clears off Desna's altar a little bit and takes a moment to kneel. He touches his mother's scarf to his forehead and says a brief prayer.
"Wuh'Walker on the Spheres, bluh'bless our journeys and aid our cuh'companions. May our hearts sing with joy at new horizons and our steps grow ever lighter, despite our buh'burdens."
He clears his throat and rises, dusting off his knees. He spares a quick glance for any religious icons to bring back to the caravan, something to take from the fallen temple and carry on the road.
Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16
That done, he turns to the others.
"Cemetery?"
Sorin Saldward |
Perception town1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19
Perception temple1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21
Sorin keeps his eyes open as the group walks through the town, looking for any signs of what had occurred. Once in the temple, he searched for any hidden doors, passages or panels while Pavel prayed at the altar.
The Celestial Bureaucracy |
The temple holds no secret that you can't find.
Izumi notices that the castle's external structure is still in a good shape and doesn't see any place where the wall would have collapsed, thus allowing for an easier way in.
You can investigate the ship, the lagoon, the cemetery. The castle seems like a more extended thing to look at.
Garand Stone-of-the-Moon |
Garand follows in turn, attempting to remain alert for signs of occupation or recent disturbance.
Survival (for tracks or spoor) 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (13) + 10 = 23
Perception (for anything else) 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (4) + 9 = 13
Bear-spirit sees Garand minutely checking the ground, at points and snuffles about, attempting to 'help' by pawing at and 'pointing out' completely normal things he smells or sees, and proving to be no help at all.
Izumi Chosokate |
Izumi walks in stride with Pavel, now also with his katana and shield at the ready. His voice still displays some of the tightness of earlier, but he shares a concern of his with his friends. "While a good portion of the town is in rubble, the castle seems to be relatively untouched by whatever knocked all these other buildings down - be it time or something more sinister. No collapses in the outer walls whatsoever. If something is maintaining the castle, we should do a good deal to conceal any approach we make."
Sorin Saldward |
"Interesting Izumi," Sorin says as he joins Izumi and Pavel as they exit the small temple and walk into the cemetery. "I honestly hadn't noticed that until you mentioned it. Do you think that we are under observation from the castle right now?"
Sorin takes his time reading what inscriptions remain on the grave markers as he moves carefully between the plots.
Perception 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26
The Celestial Bureaucracy |
You don't see anyone on the battlements.
You all proceed through the cemetery. A sculpture of a smiling lady with butterfly wings, located after the entrance on your left, shows the land to be consecrated not to Pharasma, but instead to the Goddess of Stars. As much as the rest of the town is in ruin, the cemetery seems to have been maintained. Fresh flowers are growing everywhere, though it is still quite early in the season.
Garand Stone-of-the-Moon |
Seeing the offering bowl to Desna, Garand wracks his brain for what sort of offering she might find appropriate, and settles on something from far away, to honor the goddess of travellers, a smooth beach-pebble from Sandpoint that he'd tucked away in his spell component pouch to use with the magic stone incantation.
"There is an offering bowl to Desna, if any wish to pay respects." he says, as he places the stone gently in the bowl (assuming it is empty) and bows to the goddess of dreams and journeys.
The Celestial Bureaucracy |
Just as you make sense of it, you feel a light brush on your shoulder, but no one is there...