DMDM's Strange Aeons

Game Master Douglas Muir 406

1-2-2 -->Unfortunately, the dicebot hates Kyleen and wants her left in a puddle in the rain being killed by strange monsters while still unaware of who, or what, she was.

Let's say that's internal interference from your new passenger. Who is not exactly awake and conscious, but still very much present.

Sense Motive on Winter: 1d20+7

Sense Motive: she's not happy. Perhaps she didn't really think you guys would be able to kill three doppelgangers? She's going to let you in anyway... because a deal's a deal? But she's tense and unfriendly.

Yordan keeps a close eye on Winter, trying not to be obvious about it.

And probably failing miserably.

He waits for the others to identify themselves and for Winter to say something more.

"We overheard there were children here, perhaps these can be of help."

Vitæ gives Winter the large blankets they collected.

Then Vitæ asks,

"How have you come to be here? How long have the people here been in this standoff with the shifter Things?"

Catching the cue Fritz steps forward

As promised we have returned. I am Fritz devotee of the goddess. it is all very official

"We overheard there were children here, perhaps these can be of help."

Vitæ gives Winter the large blankets they collected.

Okay, so: welcome to a new minigame. We'll call it The Trust Game.

At the beginning, EVERYONE in the sanctuary has an attitude of Unfriendly towards you -- all of you. That means they don't want to talk to you, will be reluctant to answer questions, and probably aren't going to offer you help unless you're obviously in serious trouble -- and maybe not even then.

The usual response to this sort of thing is to push the party face forward and roll some diplomacy checks. However, the people in the sanctuary are so suspicious and paranoid that the DCs are going to be crazy high -- and failed checks will count against you. So what can you do? You must FIRST take one or more actions to build trust. Only then can you start making diplomacy checks.

What kind of actions can you take? Well, giving the blankets was a small step in the right direction. Other opportunities may present themselves. Meanwhile...

Catching the cue Fritz steps forward

As promised we have returned. I am Fritz devotee of the goddess. it is all very official

Winter nods at you. "You are responsible for this group, then? Very good." Unless you promptly deny it, from here on Winter will treat you as the speaker for the group -- and the person responsible if anyone screws up.

"I'll need you to hand over your weapons before we let you in," says Winter calmly. "You understand, letting armed strangers in here... besides the obvious risks, it would cause some of the patients unbearable anxiety. Please give your weapons to Captain York."

-- Okay, that sounds reasonable.
-- Ha ha no way.

Yea Fritz will be responsible for the actions of these fools

Yes, I will take responsibility for these. A wise rule. I will happily hand it over as a sow of good will.

The wizard snorts. "As if I have need of something so mundane as weapons."

Fritz Fritzman wrote:

Catching the cue Fritz steps forward

As promised we have returned. I am Fritz devotee of the goddess. it is all very official

Winter nods at you. "You are responsible for this group, then? Very good." Unless you promptly deny it, from here on Winter will treat you as the speaker for the group -- and the person responsible if anyone screws up.

"I'll need you to hand over your weapons before we let you in," says Winter calmly. "You understand, letting armed strangers in here... besides the obvious risks, it would cause some of the patients unbearable anxiety. Please give your weapons to Captain York."

-- Okay, that sounds reasonable.
-- Ha ha no way.

Can we ave' em back if we decide ta leave the sanctuary?

If yes then he will hand over his weapons.

If yes then he will hand over his weapons.

Yes.

Yordan looks at Winter, and then at the others. "I think we have to trust you -- there must be trust sooner or later between men of honor, in the face of foes. So I will give you all my weapons." He proceeds to hand them all over, including the spring-loaded wrist dagger. "May the Lady of Graves watch over the trust between us." He touches his holy symbol, then waits for the others to enter.

How do the other guards seem to be looking at us?

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15

Kyleen shrugs and hands over the dagger she is carrying.

Without any armor, trying to use this would likely only get me hurt.

How do the other guards seem to be looking at us?

Sense Motive: 1d20+7

With unease. Except for Captain York, who is looking at you with unease combined with suspicion and dislike.

I'll assume that everyone has handed over their weapons. (Rocksauce gives up her kitchen knife with an odd expression, somewhere between a sneer and a grin.)

WELCOME TO THE SANCTUARY!

The southwest corner of Briarstone Asylum included several rooms which are now a sanctuary for survivors of... whatever happened here. These rooms include the following:

-- The main hall. Four rooms and a side hall open off the hall. The hall itself has been turned into a makeshift common area, with chairs and a couch. Several people turn and stare at you as you are brought in over the barricade.

-- The supply closet. Judging from the smell, this small side closet has been repurposed as a communal toilet.

-- The chaplain's office. Pretty self-explanatory. A nurse has several children in there at the moment. The chaplain's office is used as a makeshift dining room twice a day.

-- The chaplain's private room. Winter has taken over this small room as her headquarters. You can only enter from the chaplain's office. You can't go in there without Winter's permission.

-- The chapel meeting room. Once a small room where the chaplain could sit with troubled patients or inmates. It's now a kitchen and storage area.

-- The chapel. This is a large, multi-denominational chapel. The great stained-glass spiral gives pride of place to Pharasma, but a small side-chapel has a well-executed statue of Desna, and small stations around the chapel are dedicated to a dozen other local gods, including Erastil, Gozreh, Shelyn, and others. There's even a station for Asmodeus, perhaps for visiting Chelaxians. The chapel appears to be a sleeping area: there are blankets and bedrolls all over the floor.

-- The side hall. A hallway heads off to the east, just north of the chapel. A blanket has been hung across it, cutting it off. You can't see what's behind the blanket.

Who's who in the Sanctuary. There are twenty-one survivors in here. They break down as follows:

-- Winter Klaczka has assumed the duty of organizing and leading the refugrees. Winter says she is an Auditor of the Church of Pharasma.

-- Captain York says he was second-in-command of security at the asylum. He's now Winter's right hand and in charge of the guards. He seems competent, weary, and suspicious.

-- There are four guards, though it's unclear to you whether they are all actual guards or people who got recruited in the crisis. There are always two guards at the barricade.

-- There are two surviving nurses. One is in the hall, talking in a low but firm voice to a man in a patient's gown who is turning his head away. The other is in the chaplain's office with the children.

-- There are thirteen patients here. Three are children, two more are teenagers (this includes Rocksauce), and the other eight are adults. The patients break down into the following groups:

-- -- Physically injured. Two patients -- one adult and one child -- are on pallets in the chapel. The woman has bandages around her torso and her arm in a splint. The young boy is covered in bloody bite marks, and he quivers in his sleep.
-- -- Troubled. about half a dozen more patients have obvious mental issues. These include the man who is huddling away from the nurse, the woman curled up in a corner softly rocking back and forth in near catatonia, the young man constantly and frantically searching himself for invisible bugs, and Gwystyn the All-Seeing, who takes a moment to descend from his near-godhood to smile pleasantly and nod at you before returning to the contemplation of his own omniscience. There are a couple of borderline cases who seem eccentric but functional.
-- -- They seem... okay? Four or five of the patients seem okay, in the sense that they're physically hale and you can hold a conversation with them. However, pretty much everyone looks rather haggard -- worried, tired, anxious.

Okay, you can now look around, talk to people, etc. etc. A couple of things to keep in mind.

One, right now everyone is suspicious of you (starting attitude unfriendly). The Diplomacy DC check to change that is high, until and unless you show yourselves trustworthy. So, just rattling off questions isn't likely to give good results.

(Exception: Gwystyn the All-Seeing views you with the same benign indifference he extends towards all other mortals. Unfortunately, Gwystyn is completely insane.)

Two, it's crowded. There are seven areas, but Winter's office is off limits, the closet is a makeshift toilet with a chamberpot and a bucket, and nobody seems to be going down the curtained-off side hall. So, twenty-one people are crammed into two rooms, a short stretch of hall, and the chapel. There's not much privacy. If you really want to have a private conversation, note that the Bluff skill can be used to send private messages -- wink is as good as a nod, type of thing.

Rocksauce walks away from you straight into the meeting room, which is being used as a makeshift kitchen. "I'm back. Is there anything to eat?" Whatever else she may be, Rocksauce does seem to be an actual human teenager.

A moment later, "Ugh. You call this stuff soup? Bleaaaah."

FWIW, Rocksauce is an exception. Her attitude towards most of you seems to be Neutral. Her attitude towards Mrakala is an exception to the exception: it's pretty clearly Hostile.

Glancing around the makeshift habitat, Mrakala sighs wearily. He turns to the others with a small shrug.

"I'd like to rest and prepare new spells. I'm sure Nameless would like the same..shall we set up a watch rotation and take turns resting? We have fought together but barely know one another. And we don't know these people at all. I trust each of you enough but...this crew?"

He glances scornfully to the kitchen where Rocksauce's complaints can be found. "I'll gladly take first watch if you desire."

If the others agree, Mrakala will sit sullenly and pore over the Garund Bestiary while he sits his shift. He won't purposefully interact with any of the NPCs.

Nameless hands over her spear, but keeps her armor on for now; she approaches Winter, waiting for a turn to speak with her. Just to let you know, I, uh, have some ... abilities? If needed. She glances over to the two wounded patients, and looks down to her hands. I was able to close wounds and make them disappear by willing them to mend. It was like ... warmth. If that's needed here, I am happy to help. Though I am not sure how much more I can do without some restful sleep.

"Triage?"

Yes. Triage.

I have one more CLW for the day if there are any patients or guards who need it -- and I know we need some healing, too.

Otherwise, Nameless wanders through the sanctuary, taking in all of the new personalities, and occasionally holding conversations -- with self and others. Though technically, they are all with others.

Although she knows that she needs to rest, Kyleen decides that the children, including Rocksauce, need some cheering up. So, while the others make their place to rest, she heads over to where the children are and begins to tell a story. She has no idea how she knows about so many fantastical things, but she nonetheless spins what she knows into a story where shapeshifters and evil creatures are tricked and fooled into defeating themselves while nearly defenseless villagers cheer and celebrate.

Perform(oratory): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (20) + 7 = 27

Yordan sees the wounded patients on pallets and moves over to look at them. If the nurses (or anyone else) asks him what he's doing, he will say "I have some skill in healing. Who are they, and what happened to them?" Meanwhile he will be looking to see what hurt them, how well they have been treated, and if there's anything he can do with a healer's kit.

If Nameless steps in he will defer to her. "No point in bandaging what magic can fix."

Diagnosis on Splinted Woman: Heal 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10

Diagnosis on Bitten Boy: Heal 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21

If anything looks treatable, and no one objects, he will use one of his healer's kits to treat the patients:

Treat Splinted Woman: 1d20 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 6 + 2 = 25

Treat Bitten Boy: 1d20 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 6 + 2 = 10

If the others agree, Mrakala will sit sullenly and pore over the Garund Bestiary while he sits his shift. He won't purposefully interact with any of the NPCs.

In a room full of crazy people, Mrakala fits right in. Gwystyn nods approvingly at you once as he wanders past, but otherwise nobody talks to you or interacts with you.

Nameless hands over her spear, but keeps her armor on for now; she approaches Winter, waiting for a turn to speak with her. Just to let you know, I, uh, have some ... abilities? If needed. She glances over to the two wounded patients, and looks down to her hands. I was able to close wounds and make them disappear by willing them to mend. It was like ... warmth. If that's needed here, I am happy to help. Though I am not sure how much more I can do without some restful sleep.

"You have healing magic?" Winters' eyebrows go up. "We have some injured who might benefit from that."

Otherwise, Nameless wanders through the sanctuary, taking in all of the new personalities, and occasionally holding conversations -- with self and others. Though technically, they are all with others.

Random: 1d3 - 1 ⇒ (3) - 1 = 2 1d100 ⇒ 20 1d100 ⇒ 65 You notice:

-- A young woman with blonde hair and a marked elven cast to her features is sitting on the couch. As Rocksauce walks past, her eyes suddenly go wide and she recoils, face twisting into a mask of horror.

Rocksauce pauses. Then: "Hey, Birdy," she says flatly. There's silence for a moment. Then Rocksauce turns away and moves on.

-- A pale, pudgy man has a pile of papers on which he is endlessly drawing versions of the same images. These include a tall, emaciated hooded figure who looks disturbingly familiar, and... is that a cityscape? Is that *that* cityscape?

Although she knows that she needs to rest, Kyleen decides that the children, including Rocksauce, need some cheering up. So, while the others make their place to rest, she heads over to where the children are and begins to tell a story. She has no idea how she knows about so many fantastical things, but she nonetheless spins what she knows into a story where shapeshifters and evil creatures are tricked and fooled into defeating themselves while nearly defenseless villagers cheer and celebrate.

Perform(oratory): 1d20+7

Woo nat 20!

Your stories are a hit! The children and the nurse viewed you with suspicion at first, but an hour later they -- and half a dozen other patients -- are sitting around you, absolutely enthralled. When you finally stop, there will be wails of dismay.

If Nameless steps in he will defer to her. "No point in bandaging what magic can fix."

I think Nameless is out of magic right now? So you get first dibs.

Splinted Woman: Um, something hit her hard? Or fell on her?

Bitten Boy: Rats. Lots of them. The bites are infected, too -- he has a nasty flush and a fever. No wonder he's sleeping restlessly.

If anything looks treatable, and no one objects, he will use one of his healer's kits to treat the patients:

Treat Splinted Woman: 1d20+6+2

Treat Bitten Boy: 1d20+6+2

Splinted Woman: you are able to help. The bones were set, but the splints are crude and fragile. You give her better splints and a sling made of dressings that significantly eases her pain.

Bitten Boy: Umm, infection. You're not sure what to do here.

Trust Point scratchpad: Yordan 5, Kyleen 5, Vitae 2, everyone else 1. When you're ready to try a Diplomacy roll, trust points are added -- or to an Aid Another roll, if you're not a diplomat yourself.

Actions taken by Vitæ

Vitæ will give his trusty Crossbow that is still loaded, and unused dagger to the guards, but unless challenged will keep his walking stick.

He will introduce himself politely to those he crosses his path and listen to anything they may have to say.

When he sees Yordan with the patients, he casts Lullaby for some time to help ease their slumber. Particularly on the younger ones.

Vitæ walks over to the pale man making pictures and watches for a little then introduces himsef, asks the man's name, then watch some more before he will very gently asks about what the images mean to the man.

I believe the Oracle has 1 more heal, and Yordan may be the most hurt.

After treating the wounded, Yordan checks out the kitchen, just to make sure everything is well-stored -- and also to evaluate how long the supplies will last for the more than two dozen people using them.

Survival check : 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9

It's a kitchen. Who cares as long as the food is hot?

Perception to notice anything else about the kitchen: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14

Probably not. But both the above rolls are +2 if dealing with humans -- favored enemy bonus.

Also he will engage anyone there in small talk, and ask what the meal schedule is.

Then: bandage his own wounds (which will take an hour or so): Heal check to treat deadly wounds1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26 -- successfully! Beat the DC by 5, get to add my Wis modifier to healing.

And then he looks around to see what else is going on.

I.e., wait for other players to post.

After completing her story for the assembled crowd, Kyleen thanks them for listening, and then wanders off to find a more or less quiet place to sit and rest.

While resting, she attempts to commune with the Doctor in her head.

Probably not. But both the above rolls are +2 if dealing with humans -- favored enemy bonus.

Also he will engage anyone there in small talk, and ask what the meal schedule is.

You're still viewed with suspicion, so nobody much wants to talk to you.

But! The kitchen is a mess. Nobody actually knows how to cook, and their food preparation methods are wasteful, and they're going to lose some food to spoilage. You can try to make a Survival check (Profession [cook] would have a much lower DC, but you don't have that) to show them what to do. Alternately, you can spend half a day in the kitchen showing them by example -- this would count as taking 20.

Vitæ walks over to the pale man making pictures and watches for a little then introduces himsef, asks the man's name, then watch some more before he will very gently asks about what the images mean to the man.

"Hhhhhhh," says the fat man. Then, a few moments later, more emphatically, "Nnnn... Hhhhhhhh!"

"Newt isn't verbal." You jump a little: the male nurse came up behind you rather quietly. The nurse is a tall, mournful looking man, but he moves with unexpected grace. "Talking tends to upset him. Don't upset him."

Newt turns away from both of you and starts sketching something new: a woman who is exhaling -- or vomiting? -- some sort of poorly defined cloudy substance. The expression on the woman's face is either agony or ecstasy -- it's hard to be sure which.

After completing her story for the assembled crowd, Kyleen thanks them for listening, and then wanders off to find a more or less quiet place to sit and rest.

While resting, she attempts to commune with the Doctor in her head.

Either this just doesn't work, or you haven't figured out how to do it. You can feel the Doctor's presence, but you can't communicate with him without actually calling him forth.

Note that you've all had a rather stressful time. Lying down for eight hours of rest is certainly an option. Everyone seems to be sleeping in the Chapel. However,

"The Chapel is getting crowded," says Captain York. "It's probably better if your group dosses down out here in the hallway." where we can keep an eye on you is unspoken but clearly implied.

-- Fine, we'll sleep in the hallway.
-- I want to sleep in the chapel, and I'm willing to make a fuss about it.

Vitæ introduces himself to the Rogue nurse, and asks for his name.

Looking at the drawings, he quietly asks the Rogue nurse,

"What is he been drawing? Do you know what any of it means?"

After a pause, "How do you communicate with him? Perhaps I may be of help."

Vitæ introduces himself to the Rogue nurse, and asks for his name.

Looking at the drawings, he quietly asks the Rogue nurse,

Remember that everyone is Unfriendly to you right now, so it's quite hard to get people to answer questions. In this case, a DC 20 Cha check: 1d20 ⇒ 15. Nope, not quite.

"Please don't disturb the inmates. They have been through a very difficult time."

Fritz, we seem ta be some of the better fighters here. We should see if Winter will share what she knows in exchange for us helpin' ta clear this place or make a better safe area.
What da ya think?

Ghelik doesn't see much use for talking at this point with people that aren't in charge, but that could change if he sees an opportunity to help or influence.

"This is just wrong,", Yordan exclaims to no one in particular, as he begins setting the kitchen to rights. "Look at this! Flour sacks close to a puddle. Rat holes not stopped up. No one is washing the pots properly!"

He digs in and proceeds to start fixing things, organizing shelves, and generally showing by example. Eight hours later, he crawls out to the hallway and slumps into his bedroll for whatever's left of the night, too tired even to consider sleeping anywhere else.

Sleep when the men are seen to.

Proper camp discipline is IMPORTANT.

And a moment later ... How do I know this? What happened, to grave it into my bones?

"This is just wrong,", Yordan exclaims to no one in particular, as he begins setting the kitchen to rights. "Look at this! Flour sacks close to a puddle. Rat holes not stopped up. No one is washing the pots properly!"

He digs in and proceeds to start fixing things, organizing shelves, and generally cleaning up. Eight hours later, he crawls out to the hallway and slumps into his bedroll for whatever's left of the night, too tired even to consider sleeping anywhere else.

Despite their suspicion, the kitchen workers move aside once it's clear that you know what you're doing. Taking 20 means a 26 roll on Survival, which is autosuccess and then some. Good news: +5 Trust Points for you once everyone has their first decent meal in a while! (Unfortunately, you're not the party face. Still, you can use them on an Aid Another roll.) Less good news: if you don't get a good night's sleep tonight, you'll be Fatigued tomorrow.

Sleep when the men are seen to.

Proper camp discipline is IMPORTANT.

And a moment later ... How do I know this? What happened, to grave it into my bones?

What indeed. What indeed.

Ghelik has no concerns sleeping in the hallway...at this point he doesn't care where he sleeps but does ask nameless to look at his leg. With it still bothering him he is a little worried about what is wrong with it...

Vitæ Somnium wrote:

Vitæ introduces himself to the Rogue nurse, and asks for his name.

Looking at the drawings, he quietly asks the Rogue nurse,

Remember that everyone is Unfriendly to you right now, so it's quite hard to get people to answer questions. In this case, a DC 20 Cha check: d20 ⇒ 15. Nope, not quite.

"Please don't disturb the inmates. They have been through a very difficult time."

DM with high CHA, Aasimar bonus, Class Skill, your +2 circumstance bonus, Vitæ has a +11 Diplomacy, so that would be a 26 for the roll, please.

Frustrated that she cannot communicate with the Doctor, Kyleen attempts to use some of the new abilities that she seems to have acquired with the interloper. First, she works on repairing the rips and tears in her hospital gowns, which she is still wearing. If this works, she will wander around and talk with those that listened to her tale and see if any need help fixing thins such as torn clothing and blankets and pillows. It is a slow process, but once she gets into the swing, is able to get through a number of the most damaged items before exhaustion takes over and she finds a (relatively) comfortable place to get some rest.

She is using the Mending cantrip. - 10 minutes casting time

--> My vote is in the hall since that is where they seem to want us.

Fritz, we seem ta be some of the better fighters here. We should see if Winter will share what she knows in exchange for us helpin' ta clear this place or make a better safe area.

What da ya think?

Ghelik doesn't see much use for talking at this point with people that aren't in charge, but that could change if he sees an opportunity to help or influence.

"We're running short on some supplies. We have enough food for a few more days, but we need drinking water and firewood," says Winter. "Some more blankets would be good too... not as essential, but it gets cold sometimes, and we don't have enough to go around right now. And, while I'm dreaming, some changes of clothes."

Drinking water: This should be the easiest! Go to the heating rooms (where you encountered the zoog and its rats) and fill a few buckets from the tanks there. Since this is fairly close to the barricade, Captain York will send a guard to accompany you. +2 Trust Points for up to two PCs.

Firewood: This will require either going into the courtyard (there was firewood in the shattered shed) or back downstairs to the cell block (burnable furniture and whatnot from the Pile of Stuff). +4 Trust Points for up to three PCs. Nobody will go with you.

Blankets and clean clothing: In the Laundry Room, of course. You haven't been there yet, but it's right across the hall from the Deputy Director's Office. +6 Trust Points for up to three PCs. Nobody will go with you.

DM with high CHA, Aasimar bonus, Class Skill, your +2 circumstance bonus, Vitæ has a +11 Diplomacy, so that would be a 26 for the roll, please.

Straight Cha check, not Diplomacy.

She is using the Mending cantrip. - 10 minutes casting time

A lot of things need mending. +2 Trust! Count is Yordan 10, Kyleen 7, Vitae 2, everyone else 1.

Is there anyone who doesn't want to sleep in the hall, then?

Would still be 20, CHA +3, your circumstance bonus +2, possibly. But if that's not applicable here, no soup for Vitæ.

Also, you may have missed it, earlier Vitæ cast Lullaby for the injured patients and any who have trouble sleeping.

Yordan works for four hours in the kitchen, then collapses into sleep. He'll finish showing the cooks how to do things in the morning.

How can anyone not know how to cook oatmeal properly?

If anyone needs him for a brief trip to the boiler room or the laundry room, he'll go along. Downstairs ... is a different matter.

The shears! The horrible shears! He fingers his pocket again, not entirely trusting that the blades won't come back to life and attack him again.

sooo many posts! Going to make an action then go back and read