DMDM's Strange Aeons

Game Master Douglas Muir 406

"Do we tell Winter about this?" Yordan says. "OK, Fritz got his soul half sucked out -- how do people recover from such wounds? But is there anything she or any of the others could do about that? If we tell them they'll just panic, even though it probably could have walked in and killed all of them. Apparently it doesn't want to do that. I think maybe we should keep this to ourselves for now -- it's not like they don't know it's dangerous out there anyway."

As ye said, it doesn't seem to want to outright kill us. Maybe we should talk ta it from a distance, try to find out what it's trin' ta do.

Do we just wait here until Black Hat cools off, then? Who wants to be the messenger for parley? Nameless unconsciously edges slightly away from the entrance to the laundry room as she asks.

"Not me," Yordan says hastily. "And not likely Fritz. Perhaps Kyleen. But dare we speak to it at all?"

If we are to be allies we should tell them what we have learned

Kyle nods in agreement.
Yes, we report back. We do not know why we are here, or who we are, at least for some of us. We are clearly not indestructible. I say we go back and speak with the others and see what type of a plan we have. We also have the area behind the curtain that we have not investigated.

"I suppose we must. I still don't like it. What happens if they panic?"

I assume that by now you've retreated back down the hall towards the barricade. Do you want to talk to the guards? Or just go through and talk to Winter? Or... what?

Approaching the barrier, Mrakal looks at the guards. "We have some important information we'd like to share with Winter. Could you tell her we need to speak?"

Winter comes forward. "What happened? What did you see?"

Yordan hangs around the back, keeping a wary eye on the ceiling (and the rear) and letting the others do the talking.

High Wis, low Cha = self-aware enough to know he's not much good at talking. He's willing to trade in Trust points if he sees a good enough reason, but today is not that day.

Sorry, things have been pretty hectic around here lately.

Winter's interest puts Mrakala on guard. The wizard was experiencing elements of paranoia after all the traps and mishaps that had occurred thus far. He shakes his head, shedding the irrational fears and moves toward Winter. "Horrid things," he begins.

"We went to where Fritz detected strong auras of evil. We sought to slay what we found there and, with that hope, clear the way out for all of us."

The middle-aged man leans against the archway, his face haggard. "Such was our folly. We strode confidently forth and discovered a man...no. A creature, something not covered in any of Plotinus's Planar Evils, Themistius's Original Sins, nor even Scamander's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. It was something wholly unknown to me. it looked to be human but odd. Pale and bloated like a dead corpse. He wore black robes and a wide hat with bright, gleaming yellow eyes. It's face was puffy and it's voice..off. "

It had a companion..but we did not get a good look at the thing. It was angular and tall. I believe it was carving something or performing some sort of surgery but...I am grasping at ideas. It asked us about a Yellow Sign, do you know what it could have meant?"

I attacked it, and it shrugged off several powerful blows.

With a grimace, Mrakala nods toward Fritz. "Yes, with the power of his deity behind the blows as well. He barely left a scratch. He also suffered a grievous blow to his spirit from the creature. We would appreciate it if you would let him rest in the Chapel tonight?"

"I don't think it wants to kill us," Yordan adds from the rear. "It didn't chase us. Maybe it wants to keep us in here. Though I suppose maybe it's guarding something it doesn't wish to leave."

His mouth twists in a wry smile. "Don't panic."

Yes a rest in the chapel would be nice. I think it wants us to join it.

"It's still early in the day," Yordan says, "if there still are days and nights here in all this unnatural weather. Maybe we could check behind that curtain -- Winter, what's wrong with it, that you covered it up and nobody goes there?"

Yordan hangs around the back, keeping a wary eye on the ceiling (and the rear) and letting the others do the talking.

High Wis, low Cha = self-aware enough to know he's not much good at talking. He's willing to trade in Trust points if he sees a good enough reason, but today is not that day.

That makes perfect sense.

Winter's interest puts Mrakala on guard. The wizard was experiencing elements of paranoia after all the traps and mishaps that had occurred thus far. He shakes his head, shedding the irrational fears and moves toward Winter. "Horrid things," he begins.

"We went to where Fritz detected strong auras of evil. We sought to slay what we found there and, with that hope, clear the way out for all of us."

The middle-aged man leans against the archway, his face haggard. "Such was our folly. We strode confidently forth and discovered a man...no. A creature, something not covered in any of Plotinus's Planar Evils, Themistius's Original Sins, nor even Scamander's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. It was something wholly unknown to me. it looked to be human but odd. Pale and bloated like a dead corpse. He wore black robes and a wide hat with bright, gleaming yellow eyes. It's face was puffy and it's voice..off. "

It had a companion..but we did not get a good look at the thing. It was angular and tall. I believe it was carving something or performing some sort of surgery but...I am grasping at ideas. It asked us about a Yellow Sign, do you know what it could have meant?"

Winter doesn't seem overly demonstrative, but she goes perhaps the slightest bit paler. "This is... alarming. We had hoped that most of the more dangerous creatures were dealt with, that things were getting better... but now..."

With a grimace, Mrakala nods toward Fritz. "Yes, with the power of his deity behind the blows as well. He barely left a scratch. He also suffered a grievous blow to his spirit from the creature. We would appreciate it if you would let him rest in the Chapel tonight?"

Winter hesitates visibly, then nods. "Of course. Of course he may."

"It's still early in the day," Yordan says, "if there still are days and nights here in all this unnatural weather. Maybe we could check behind that curtain -- Winter, what's wrong with it, that you covered it up and nobody goes there?"

"What's behind it might be... disturbing, to some of the more sensitive souls here. We curtained it off to prevent anyone from being upset by it." Winter grimaces. "You can look at it if you truly want to. Perhaps you can... do something with it."

"We should try, at any rate."

Yordan waits to see if anyone else has something to say, then asks "Who will dare the curtain with me?"

Rocksauce leans over Winter's shoulder. (She's come up quietly behind Winter and the two guards.) She squints at you through her curtain of lank, stringy hair.

"You guys met Doctor O.? I said." There's silence for a moment. Then, "Wait, you guys attacked Doctor O.? That was pretty stupid." She wrinkles her nose. "Was it the wizard's idea? No, different kind of stupid. Oh well." She turns and wanders off.

Rocksauce leans over Winter's shoulder. (She's come up quietly behind Winter and the two guards.) She squints at you through her curtain of lank, stringy hair.

"You guys met Doctor O.? I said." There's silence for a moment. Then, "Wait, you guys attacked Doctor O.? That was pretty stupid." She wrinkles her nose. "Was it the wizard's idea? No, different kind of stupid. Oh well." She turns and wanders off.

[b]"I really dislike that girl."

Rocksauce leans over Winter's shoulder. (She's come up quietly behind Winter and the two guards.) She squints at you through her curtain of lank, stringy hair.

"You guys met Doctor O.? I said." There's silence for a moment. Then, "Wait, you guys attacked Doctor O.? That was pretty stupid." She wrinkles her nose. "Was it the wizard's idea? No, different kind of stupid. Oh well." She turns and wanders off.

"I really dislike that girl."

The Dr is a great evil. More powerful than I imagined. What do you know about him?

The Dr is a great evil. More powerful than I imagined. What do you know about him?

Rocksauce shoots you a sidelong glance through her hair.

"You know I'm crazy, right? And I lie a lot. All the time. So... why ask questions?"

"Because, unlike Gwion the All-Knowing, you actually give answers."

"Look, guy, you want help? I don't do help. I solve problems. Different thing." There's a pause, then Rocksauce actually makes eye contact with you for a few moments. (This is unusual.)

"After they let me out of Red Ward, they put me in with Birdy. Her name is Elaine but everyone calls her Birdy because she had all these birds in her room. A jackdaw, bunch of parakeets, a big old cockatoo. Animal therapy, yeah? Birdy couldn't hardly talk except to the birds. She loved those birds.

"The cockatoo, his name was Boris. Big white bird, kinda dumb, very sweet. Birdy, she loved all those birds, but Boris loved her back.

"So after the earthquake, I got back to our room, and... Well, feathers everywhere, right? Feathers and blood. Boris had gone after the other birds, one by one, and he'd pecked their eyes out and then broken their little necks. And when I came in I heard this knocking noise: tock, tock, tock, like that. It was Boris. He was sitting on the end of Birdy's bed and he was slamming his head against the bed post, hard. Tock, tock, tock. And Birdy, she was curled up on the bed in a little ball, staring at him...

"See, he mostly wasn't Boris any more. But a little part of him still was. So the Boris part was trying to bash out his little bird brains before he could hurt Birdy. But cockatoos, you know, they have hard little heads. So, tock, tock, tock, and blood spraying everywhere, and you could see he couldn't keep it up much longer.

"Well, I solve problems. And this was easy. So before not-Boris could do anything, I walked in and grabbed him and --" Rocksauce makes a sharp twisting gesture with both hands. " -- snap! Problem solved."

"But Birdy, now she hates me. Hates me and is scared of me. Because I killed pretty Boris."

Rocksauce shrugs. "See, that's what Child doesn't get. There's no point in helping people. Most people are stupid and everyone dies anyway. Helping doesn't always help and even when it does, nobody really appreciates it. Better to just solve problems and move on."

Sometimes deeds done out of mercy are not appreciated. We cannot do them without risk of causing pain, and those that are caused pain rarely can see the mercy behind it. IF your story is true that is a kind thing that you did. The goddess knows what is in your heart I am certain of it.

The wizard claps a hand on Yordan's shoulder. He shakes his head, glaring at Rocksauce. "Let's see what we find, Yordan. Fritz, the young one needs counsel but I do not think we can bring it to her today. As Winter says, this discovery is very concerning. We need to find a way out of this place for ourselves and these poor people."

Mrakala will move toward the curtained off area but will wait there until the others join him.

The woman who does not know who she is looks over at Rocksauce.
So you say you solve problems. Two questions.

First, where is Birdy. It would be interesting talking with her.

Second, and more importantly. How would you solve the problem that is Doctor O? If we do not solve the Doctor O problem, I think that there is going to be a lot more blood than was caused by Boris.

I ain't scrrd o much, though tha doctor was pretty scurry. Lets see whuts behind tha curtin. as he moves up and in front of the old man.

Sometimes deeds done out of mercy are not appreciated. We cannot do them without risk of causing pain, and those that are caused pain rarely can see the mercy behind it. IF your story is true that is a kind thing that you did. The goddess knows what is in your heart I am certain of it.

1d20 ⇒ 15 Huh.

Rocksauce's face twists, though behind the curtain of hair it's hard to tell into what expression. After a moment she says, "Mercy's just a word. And you're not going to last long here, if you think being nice will get you anything."

Despite her words, you made a DC 20 Diplomacy check, meaning that Rocksauce is briefly moved by the paladin's calm sincerity! You can ask her 1d3 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3 three questions and -- if you ask politely, and they're not stupid questions -- get straight-ish answers .

First, where is Birdy. It would be interesting talking with her.

"Eh, you want to talk to Birdy? She hardly talks, and she doesn't know anything about anything. You shouldn't... bother her." There's a distinct edge to her voice, though whether it's because she's protective of Birdy or for some other reason, you can't tell.

Second, and more importantly. How would you solve the problem that is Doctor O? If we do not solve the Doctor O problem, I think that there is going to be a lot more blood than was caused by Boris.

"Always with the questions." Rocksauce screws up her face. "He's actually pretty interesting to talk to. He didn't bother me. Partly he wasn't hungry, and partly... I wouldn't taste good, let's say.

"This Yellow Sign, see, it's about madness... real crazy-crazy stuff... but it's also about art. Art that comes from madness, or brings it. Decadent creation. He serves the Yellow Sign, and he likes to talk about art. If he's not hungry." Her hands come up and make an odd wiggling gesture. "How you'd solve him... distract him, if you couldn't avoid him... bait him with someone who's involved with the Yellow Sign... or," she frowns, then speaks as if reciting out loud, " 'these outward forms may have significance, shewing the ideal or conceptus that is the thing in itself of the horror's inwardness.' Right? He's all fat and bloated. So, overfeeding him could work."

and one question left.

Good, good. You're fine! You're fine.

Yordan stops by a sitting figure in the middle of the floor, bending down and whispering in a low voice, "Hey, All-Knowing Gwion -- what do you know about what's behind the curtain over there?" He points toward it.

1d20 ⇒ 2

Gwydion turns slowly towards you and gives you a gaze of infinite weariness. You -- a degraded, infinitesimal speck -- have disturbed his contemplation of the Cosmic All. With a sigh that combines profound contempt, boundless pity, and infinite compassion, he closes his eyes and consigns you to the outer darkness that is, in truth, no more than you deserve.

After a few moments, he begins to snore.

-- Okay, let's check out what's behind the curtain

-- Wait, we have one last question for Rocksauce!

-- Something else.

Fritz frowns at Rocksauces statement. Is there anything we can do to taste "not good"? That would be a useful thing should we face him again.

Fritz frowns at Rocksauces statement. Is there anything we can do to taste "not good"? That would be a useful thing should we face him again.

Rocksauce cocks her head. "Well, maybe you could, but it would take a while. You'd have to lock your Mom up in a little dungeon cell for years, for starters." Her voice is flat and neutral, and it's impossible to see her expression. "Basically you'd have to be me, and have my life. I don't think that would work so well for you." She turns and walks away.

So, do I hear a consensus for going behind the curtain...?

Yes. Lets see what behind curtain #1 please.

Curtain, curtain, curtain...

I was going to choose Curtain #2.

Just a reminder, if you not first...your last...