Lucienne's page

From the Kitchen, a narrow set of winding stairs quickly leads to the gnomes office and den and living quaters.

...In the Washroom, smeared in a dark gnarly substance (not blood)
"There is no cake"

Does Lucienne recognize the handwriting? What is the dark, gnarly stuff? Where is it smeared? (Is it too high for the gnome to reach, for example?)

Elsewise, Lucienne will start knotting strips, while still looking around.

Can we tell how much time has elapsed out here since we went through the door? For us, it's been about, what, a minute?

Lucienne's instinct is to keep people focused on the job at hand, but these allies are pretty much on top of things. She has a real admiration for how well these men are taking initative and working together.

"By twilight's first star! Who do you think is responsible for this abbatoir, the Hollow Man, or the invisible ghoulies we left here?"

And yes. Let's leave the legal explanations to the forceful personalities. Lucienne is having a hard time imagining that going well.

From Siberys' lofty realm to Kyber's lands below
Flows there the ancient arcane power, which powers all we know.
Now Aureon's art, the Shadow's lore, and all that lie between,
Revel themselves unto my eyes, their patterns to be seen.

Detect Magic.

Let's see what we can tell, out here and in Pennywise's chamber, using Detect Magic and the lenses.

Search is at +7.

"Gentlemen, I begin to suspect that this Pennywise is a key here. Bring him 'round."

Lucienne matches the hum of the silk strings, and the jewels gently lift off the map, following one another in a tight circle, like pilgrim monks of various colors. Tiny fires ignite over each jewel, matching the colors of their gems,

"Fire of passion, be our servant. Fire of aversion, yield to our wills. Fire of delusion, stand not in our way. We have ended our rebirth in this place. We have fulfilled our lives here. We have completed our tasks. There is nothing further for us in this world."

Lightning flashes in the clouds above, and a cold wind promises a sudden storm.

Hopefully whatever needs to be done to escape this place will be done soon.

Oh, Lucienne quite agrees.

"You can't beat them in a physical battle. Don't just chop them up. Remember where we are! Make them be further away. Make it rain holy water. Make them be friendly, or alive, or simply dead dead dead. Somebody decide on something, and everybody fall in."

Okay, back to the map.

Each stone is in its starting location, acting as a tiny grave marker for those who died in that area; and the spectacles are showing that they should now move to form two lines facing off against one another in the center of the map. And --looking over the top of the glasses to check the "physical" map-- Lucienne notices that there are threads of silk all converging there, like silken ley lines.

She touches six of the twelve stones with her thumbs, index fingers, and ring fingers, and moves them along the silk. At once, the other six move with them, and the threads start thrumming, and moaning as if they were a living instrument.

The jewels are aligned in two rows now, like the start of a board game, and the wind picks up the song.

Thru the glasses, Lucienne can see a rather complicated way of getting back, it involves rearranging the other jewels. You think you can do it before the zombies become too much of a problem.

"The chipped emerald to Wroat. Yellow diamond touches the Seawall Mountains, and then rests in the Eldeen Reaches."

Lucienne begins moving the jewels (there are twelve of them, plus the remnants of the one the Nemesis crushed).

"The ruby to Thronehold. The Storm Sapphire to Valenar."
Before she moves each jewel, she announces the move, as if she were playing chess against herself. That way, if I'm struck down before making a move, my comrades can place that final gem.

"Two pieces of amber, moving as one, to Port Krez. The undamaged emerald to Arcanix."
She steals a glance up at the scene around her. That was a bad idea.

"Onyx to Korranberg, by way of Trolanport. The blue diamond to the Mror Holds."
The jewels are sticking to the map, and Lucienne is beginning to realize that it's not just the spidersilk holding them. As she places more pieces, as the pattern becomes more complete, the missing pieces want to fall into place.

"Almost there, gentlemen. Be on your guards; after all, something unexpected might happen."

Lucienne looks through the lenses and gasps, amazed at what she's seeing. (That is, assuming she sees the same thing...))

"It's like a mirror to the waking world." I scoot them down my nose like granny glasses, so I can see this realm above the lenses.

All right. First things first. To the gnome:
The holy flame shall bring you weal,
It asks your body now to heal.

I'll take the crystal shards, and then I'll be trying to identify my surroundings with the world I see through the glasses.

"Can we just do that, Darkling? Just will ourselves out of here?"

Unless anyone objects, Lucienne will move over to the gnome and try to heal and rouse him. Given a moment's breathing time, she also intends to look at the shards of the crystal that the Hollow Man took the time to shatter.

Lucienne looks around and tries to get her bearings.

1) With the creature gone (gone? really? or is he just hiding?), is the environment changing in any way?

2) How many undead are coming our way?

3) Are we still slowed or Entangled?

4) How's the gnome doing?

Lucienne is slowed, but not Entangled.

Okay. He wants to move to the door. Let's see what we can do here.

I'm imagining the door on a spiral, gyring away from us. This is a dream. Distance is fluid. The door is a mile away. This is a dream. Distance is fluid. The door is a mile away.

"That creature is called a Nemesis, and it's nature is to key against any one person and adapt to attacking him or her. There's a fascinating story about how the damned things were first discovered, but that's for another time.

"It's clothing suggests that it's responsible for the morning, but that may just be an idle boast. I don't know.

"Right now, we have a chance to influence this arena, in some simple ways. Getting him back into the circle is apparently not a simple way. Does anyone have any suggestions for how we can turn the environment to our advantage?"

And we all have +1 bonus to attack the thing.

All right, then.

This is all starting to feel familiar, and Lucienne thinks she understands why. She readjusts her perspective here. It's as if everyone is in a dream, and she's good with dreams.

Lucienne tries to manipulate the environment, the way she can in dreams. If that works, she's going to try to move the circle, so that it flows under the Hollow Man again.

And she's spending an action point on that.

"Akallabeth, we prefer men who take the lead in the dance. Waltz 'er back home."

See also the Discussion thread.

"There may be some life left in 'im, though. Be any of ye a healer?"

"Aye. I'll be right over." So much for splitting his attention.

Lucienne makes her way over to the wounded. Ten feet before she gets there, she deliberately drops her weapon to the ground.

Let me know when I can cast a healing spell on him.

Color: a glistening, milky white.

Lucienne drops her morningstar as an aberrant dragonmark appears on her right palm. (Ray of Enfeeblement, yes?) She picks it up in her left hand.

Okay, well, a dragonmark means we are part of the dragon prophesy, somehow, that we have roles to play in that. And so, I guess, we've gotten some of what we came for.

Lucienne addresses the Hollow Man, looking him straight in what-would-be-his-eyes. "We are the living, come here to find work. Who be thou, Hollow Man, and what dost thou say to us?"

Lucienne moves off to the left, not trying to flank the thing, but hoping to divide its attention.

Lucienne shivrs as she remembers the verse, and completes it. She gestures towards Akallabeth and recites, "Let me also wear such deliberate disguises:"
She gestures at Kegi, "...rat's coat, crowskin...."
To Romulus, "...crossed staves."
Looking at Maddok: "In a field, behaving as the wind behaves, no nearer."

"Romulus, was this what you'd encountered before?"

I try to make whichever knowledge roll you feel appropriate, Logos. Probably knowledge (the planes) or perhaps (nature). Again, you should probably make that roll.

"Can anyone tell if there's anything still alive in there?" She guesses not. Not here, and not now. "Not that final meeting in the twilight kingdom."

I told them what I had seen.

"Friend Gatekeeper, the Darkling sees enchantment riding on your cloak. Best you leave it here before you venture with us."

Lucienne turns towards Kegi, and says authoritatively:

May Dol Dorn's hand upon your own drive home your deadly blade.
Or may Olladra's Luck upon your shoulders bring you aid.
Or may your tasks be simpler with the Traveler by your side.
These gifts of gods increase your odds; receive one as your guide.

That's Guidance, by the way.

"All right, boys. Let's start a legend."

And we walk to meet our host.

"Call me Maddock" he says, in a deep gravelly voice, "and yes, I am one of the Gatekeepers. ... Who is the boss who's doing the hiring here? "

I laugh, more to buck up my own spirits than anything else. "My name is Lucienne, and we're about to find out. Feel free to give your name to the lass there and wait your turn amid the wild magic, or, if you believe in the hand of fate, you've come at the right time to join us as we meet him en ensemble. Goodman Kegi seems to like the looks of you, at any rate."

I looked up at Kegi. "We have a situation." I told them what I had seen.

"If you have access to enduring defensive magics, you might want to use them now." I interjected more urgently. "Something that protects you from summoned creatures or charms would probably be best."

Agreed.

As an Archivist, Lucienne can call on the power of a variety of deities, without establishing a worship relationship with any of them. I see her casting spells which implore their power, just as Dr. Strange does with entities like Ikonn and Raggador.

Alone amidst the midnight vaults a single candle flares,
Its steady glows illumine those who seek it in their prayers.
May Flamekeep's holy silver fire come warm me in its spark.
Please keep at bay all fiends, I pray, and gird me 'gainst the dark.

That's Protection from Evil.

Lucienne looks at you each in turn.

"Gentlemen, remember your history, the legends which inspire us. Individuals don't make history. Our strength is in our company. From the Company of Ghall'dar Reborn, to Lady Marryn's Knights, to the Hearty Souls of Droaam, it has always the band of allies which prove true to victory.

"We have been allies for, what, two minutes? But allies all the same. We have peril before us, and adventure, too.

"I am going through that door. Who goes with me?"

"I don't suppose you happen to have some means of dispelling active enchantments handy, do you?" I asked as I concentrated my vision, picking out the tell-tale glows of active mystic auras.

"Hah. I've begun those studies, my friend, but these days I counterspell with a sharp blow under the caster's chin with a spiked ball."

Not moving, calling out over the bizarre display, "Darkling, can you still see the magic patterns in the room?"

Lucienne will position herself near Romulus, in front of him but to the side, intending to give him an unimpeded view of the room, but more shadows and some actual cover.

She readies Protection from Evil in case a fight erupts.

Lucienne is keeping her eyes on the room at large. She indicates to whom she's speaking by the tilt of her head, rather than eye-contact.

To Romulus: "Minor magical mischief: coins are vanishing from one person's purse and apprearing in another's; I was, ah, pinched. And Akallabeth says he sees several small invisible mischief-makers in the room."

Then, turning to the group: "I'm not convinced this chaos is our host's doing; it works against what we believe his intentions are. But I haven't noticed anyone visibly in the room who seems likely to be the instigator, either.

"Good gentles, we should either annouce what we know to the room at large, directing everyone's hostilities to their proper targets, or else we should leave promptly.

Turning back to Romulus: "You've had a good interview. Walking out is most perilous for you. What say ye, men?"

"I am Kegi. Be ye a wizard, then? Th' fire is clever, but this place is built of stone. Y'll need more fire than that ta burn it down."

"The score be twenty to us three, and those be the ones we can see. I see little worth fightin' for.

"Hark, the cripple emerges, shall we try to even the odds and perchance learn somewhat of our host?"

Lucienne, trying to give Akallabeth some breathing room: "Darkfellow fired up his vision, the better to see what's causing the hauntings. And yes, I think we could use some information about our erstwhile patron's attitudes."

She turns and holds up her empty hand, trying to catch Romulus' eye from across the room.

"Well, Neighbor," I addressed the shifter. "My senses are not as keen as yours. But I do smell something. Tho I think tis more likely to be a rat than a genuine source of evil."

"Now let's see what we can see." I said aloud as I turned to examine the area of the room where the most commotion seemed to be coming from. "By the way," I added as I felt the burning power in my eyes increase, "the names Akallabeth."

Lucienne keeps her eyes on the room. Quietly, then, for both men: "Well met, Dark One. Please, call me Lucienne. Whether we have a rat who simply wants to knock out the competition, or something more sinister, we have a roomful of violent people who do not know what's going on. Should we calm these folk down, or leave this place to find mischief of our own, or just wait for the place to erupt and plan to be the last ones standing when the dust settles?"

Lucienne is pretty certain that someone's using cantrips here. She's looking around the room, trying to discern who's concentrating on maintaining those effects.

"You're not the only one. I just felt something, too."

Logos:
Lucienne suspects that either there's something invisible, still nearby; or else someone is creating some sort of tactile illusion.

Well, that was certainly a sudden change.

Lucienne stops and looks at her companion, her brows raised in silent inquiry.

Did Lucienne hear that? Did she see who said that?

"Well met, Lucienne. I go by Kegi. What book be you reading now?"

Though I'm talking to Lucienne, I don't make eye contact, leaving the meaning of my question ambiguous.

"Alas, we ha' begun and they call the cripple. Gods help us if they be that desperate."

Lucienne doesn't look at Kegi, either. (If Kegi steals a glance, he'll notice that the text in front of her is written in an academic form of common, with carefully drawn diagrams and several passages in other languages, by the way.) She turns the page, idly looking the room over as Romulus responds to his name. (For example, does anyone else react to his name?)

Under her breath, she says, "What am I reading? Oh, just an old story about a self-confident young man who gets his butt handed to him by a cripple.

"And I don't think they're desperate. I think they're being particular. Have you been noticing the folks like Rupert, who haven't been quite what they're looking for?"

Kegi wrote: "Reading, eh? This ain't a library."

"You sure about that?" the young woman asks quietly. "Everybody in this room is a book, if you know how to read them. Come, sit down. So far as I can tell, nobody here is planning on starting trouble. My name's Lucienne, by the way."

When the fellow with the broad-drimmed hat wanders over to my area of the room, I look up from the book I'm half-reading, toss him a glance, and, turning back to the book, say with a smile:

"You look like you're on the prowl, scoping out prey. See any likely lambs?"

I'm used to hanging back, being as quiet and unobtrusive as I can, and sizing people up.

Do I recognize anyone?

Lucienne's stats are all figured.

Except I need to pick a feat. Some I was considering:
From Player's Handbook: Blind-fight, Improved Counterspell
From Eberron sourcebook: Heroic Spirit, Investigate, Research
From Heroes of Horror: Dreamtelling, Master of Knowledge

Anyone have an opinion?

What was she doing during the Mourning? Desperately trying to (a) find people to help, (b) help people where needed, and (c) pick up any cool scraps of obscure lore she happened to come across.