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Hot. This is hot.
Let us continue, and scour this place for intelligence and ways to turn the people of Korvosa against The Queen. I'm sure we'll learn the location of The Sunken Queen, and we can take the final battle to there... For good or ill, for death or glory.
Let's not draw YET. I'm all for drawing, but we should investigate more here.
one moment, Gaius...
Morkeleb concentrates on the deck, seeing if he can determine any of its secrets.
Detect Magic...
This is a unique deck, unknown in the whole world. A "normal" deck has a variety of cards with specific results. This deck will likely have unique cards with unique effects. It's also an artifact, and leaves with it a massively potent aura.
Morkeleb gasps sharply and presses his temple at the stab of arcane power revealed by his examination. This... he removes the hand, now shaking, from his head and extends it over the deck ...this is an item of great power. It is almost as if it is made for us. He lightly rubs his fingers against his thumb, staring at the cards.
There is potential for great power here. Gaius, I respect your opinion, but I see no reason to hesitate. His hand stays over the deck, unblinking eyes flitting between the cards and his friends.
We restored the ghost's remains, at least in part, to elicit his help. THIS (he opens his hand and pats the air above the deck is his help. We should avail ourselves of it.
Back then, I had started to formulate a plan to stow away in boxes and have those Furies take us to the Sunken Queen.
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Morkeleb gasps sharply and presses his temple at the stab of arcane power revealed by his examination. This... he removes the hand, now shaking, from his head and extends it over the deck ...this is an item of great power. It is almost as if it is made for us. He lightly rubs his fingers against his thumb, staring at the cards.
There is potential for great power here. Gaius, I respect your opinion, but I see no reason to hesitate. His hand stays over the deck, unblinking eyes flitting between the cards and his friends.
We restored the ghost's remains, at least in part, to elicit his help. THIS (he opens his hand and pats the air above the deck is his help. We should avail ourselves of it.
Oh, sure. I was just thinking we may wanna get a nap and prepare some spells in case we summoned some unspeakable horror from beyond and it wasn't in a talky-talk mood.
Morkeleb snaps out of his revere and looks at Gaius for a beat or two. he starts to withdraw his hand. That...is a fair point.
he pauses again. Is there any reason to think that, were we to return tomorrow, we could actually penetrate the castle again, and remain as unknown as we've been so far? His hand, apparently of its own volition, moves once again toward the deck.
Can't we just take the deck with us? I'm content to try our luck now.
Can't we just take the deck with us?
Grym also thinks we should just take it with us.
Lets finish searching the castle. Hopefully we can find some more clues about this Sunken Queen.
The ranger has Odric pull out the quill he keeps hidden in his mullet. Then using a scrap of paper he picked up along the way, they list out the things they have yet to accomplish.
Tying the Queen to Mantis assassins and to collaborating w/ Devils?
Did we do this? Do we have enough evidence from all the dead Mantis bodies and the several devils we slew?
Still have:
Finding the missing Abadarian
Finding the Sunken Queen and destroying her blood ritual
Stopping/Killing the Queen
Right. Just take it with us.
Gaius looks at Morkeleb a little impatiently.
Morkeleb grabs the deck, and tucks it into the sack the erstwhile Harrow Deck was in. he then turns toward the door, and makes the universal "after you" gesture.
"Dinner at the Keg & Eagle, recon the blood collection warehouse, rest and hit the warehouse in the wee hours. It allows us to recover, gets us a chance to do some shopping, and gets us some much needed information hopefully". Odric's primary interest is of course dinner.
So we are on the top floor right? Up in the attic.
Lets go to the stairwell on the far south/west of the map and go down.
I'd like to take those steps all the way down to first floor and clear that area. The room w/ the water pools looks interesting. At least we could give Odric and Bucho a bath.
Or lets go back down to the dungeons and clear the rest of it. Always good stuff in the dungeons...
Don't forget that we have to find Ishanti the Abadarian priest
and don't forget Odric is Hangry
How are our spell casters doing? Can we continue one?
We don't have too much more to go.
Ooc- I thought we were not drawing from the deck in case something truly awful popped out and we weren't at 100%... I really want to try out our new toy. Does anything crazy happen if you put a deck of many things and a rod of wonder in a portable hole and shake it? Like pop rocks and coke or something?
In particular, I know that Ileosa plans on using potent magic found in a place called the “Sunken Queen” to achieve eternal youth. Although I doesn’t know exactly what this entails, I do know that the ritual is based on ancient magic that requires the lifeblood of an army of unknowing sacrifices. I fear that Ileosa has been grooming the citizens of Korvosa to be those sacrifices she needs to achieve immortality. I beg of you to seek her her out at the Sunken Queen and stop her before she can complete the ritual. I warn you that even now I can feel strange and potent forces gathering in the spirit world as she makes ready to take the final step."
The temple of Calistria is quiet. Typical clientele traffic has dried up. Even the rich clients have stopped coming for the most part. The faithful give a bit of an update pertinent to them, the new Queen's pogrom, "The Blooding". This sinister program is overseen by the Temple of Asmodeus. Archbishop Ornher Reebs has been tasked by Queen Ileosa with collecting a single vial of blood from as many of Korvosa’s citizens as he can. His priests are still collecting blood from the citizens of the Heights, meticulously cataloging each “donor” and storing the vials in the largest storeroom under Kendall Amphitheater, as per Ileosa’s direction, where they are regularly collected by her erinyes minions and brought back to the Sunken Queen to further the ritual she is performing there.
Ferox flits from shadow to shadow, making his way first to the Temple of Abadar, one of the few places to be doing well under the new queen. Most of the faithful have been hired to help with civic projects. The largest of which is dismantling the Great Tower to supply material for new statues.
Numerous laborers and engineers are picking apart this tower from the top down, harvesting the stone that composes this famous Korvosan landmark for the four statues Ileosa has requisitioned. Many have perished at this task already, and the steadily diminishing tower is a depressing symbol of the city’s drastic decline to all who watch. Still, money flows into the coffers..
Lads I be thinkin that we need ta finish findin what's in dis castle first. Then lets regroup and rest fer a day or so. Then before we leave tha city we need ta assault tha warehouse 'n stop the collection of blood. If it is fer a spell, then we can slow the timer of completion down a bit.
Morkelb, this magic will it require other items of focus, or just the blood. I know she's vain, but why make statue's out of a symbol of power and wealth? It doesn't make sense, unless there is some other motive.
Quite an astute observation, my friend. I've never heard of magic on this particular scale before, but my best guess is that such a spell would probably require some sort of focus as "grand" as the material component she is collecing
I have used much potent magic, but I still have a goodly few spells left. I say, let's continue. What say the rest?
Morkeleb knows that in ages long past, in the time of the Thassilonian Runelords, there were magical rituals that brought forth power unlike anything the modern world has ever seen. These rituals were.... grand.
Let's just finish exploring the castle level by level. We've mostly explored this top floor. There's just a bit more on the floor below us. Let's just descend and explore each floor in turn, instead of heading all the way back down to the bottom floor just to work our way back up to where we are now.
Did we explore that southern most room on the top floor? I don't see a direct way on this floor to access it. There's a room below it on the third floor that we haven't explored yet. I think it's worth checking out.
Ferox is also very keen to draw from the deck, but will let cooler heads prevail and will wait to draw until everyone is ready.
There also exists the possibility that drawing from the deck will allow us to easily proceed to Ileosa without needing to explore every nook and cranny of the castle, which is tedious.
Ferox reconsiders his last thought and asks Morkeleb to take the deck out so he can draw.
Venster, do you know how to get into that room?
"Indeed, though there is little there. These days it's storage for vinegar. It's a good place to hide though if you seek succor within these tainted walls. You can enter by a ladder from below. It's in the ceiling."
You think back to your time in that room, and nothing stood out, but no one looked about for a trap door in the ceiling.
As Morkeleb puts the deck into the Harrow Deck sack, Ferox puts his hand out to stay his storing of the deck.
Hold on, Morkeleb. I know it might not be the most ideal time to do this, but with an artifact this powerful and unique, I think we'd be remiss if we did not take advantage of it now. I don't think we can ever be fully prepared for what the deck may spring on us. If we pull from the deck now, we may gain some much needed help in our quest to stop Ileosa, help that might end this chase sooner rather than later. I would like to draw now.
Morkeleb hesitates a moment, looking at the others. When no further objection arises and his own curiosity getting the better of him too, he shrugs and pulls the deck back out and presents it to Ferox.
The spirits of both Zellara and Venster look down at Ferox, both hopeful and despairing at the same time. When the Inquisitor draws from the deck, his first card is:
Ferox begins to fade away as Zellara pushes against the Fates. The Harrow bends, but only slightly.
The Fates realign, and the card returns.
Ick.
The spirits of both Zellara and Venster look down at Ferox, both hopeful and despairing at the same time. When the Inquisitor draws from the deck, his first card is:
The image on the card leaps forth from the deck. Before you stands a horse-sized insect with a brilliant red carapace, and its monstrous face reflects great intelligence and confidence.
In the Taldane tongue, accented with a heavy staccato it speaks thus, "Lord Inquisitor Ferox, I pledge myself and my skills to you until you either dismiss me or I die broken at your feet."
Oh hell yeah.
If we're doing this, we're doing it with a purpose gents. Odric reaches for a card.
"Greetings. Thank you for your service. I promise to not misuse your loyalty. How may I address you?
"My lord, call me Cricktik."
Ferox draws a second time.
The spirits of both Zellara and Venster look down at Ferox, both hopeful and despairing at the same time. When the Inquisitor draws from the deck, his first card is:
As directed:
Yes I am physically cringing right now. This is the sh!t D&D is made of!
The spirits of both Zellara and Venster look down at Odric, both hopeful and despairing at the same time. When the fighting man draws from the deck, his first card is:
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He asks the only sane question he can think of, Is she hot?
Ooc- really just for comic relief. No, redraw. There is no way he's falling for THAT one.
Grym's mind spins at the implications of choosing a card from the deck.
He first thinks it foolish to try. He already wields Serethial, the most powerful blade he has seen (or even heard of). He already has Bucho, the most loyal dog one could ask for, bravely at his side. Grym has far more gold than he needs already.
Yet, the wonder and excitement! The sheer ADVENTURE of it catches hold of him.
Grym wishes to choose a single card...
The Fates realign, and the card returns.
The spirits of both Zellara and Venster look down at Odric, both hopeful and despairing at the same time. When the Inquisitor draws from the deck, his first card is:
Ferox tempts and pushes against Fate for a second time. Zellara frowns, unable to help him after this.
Man, this is not going well for us so far.
The spirits of both Zellara and Venster look down at Ferox, both hopeful and despairing at the same time. When the Inquisitor draws from the deck, his first card is:
Ferox has no way to fight Fate itself, and must accept the card.
His bow is instantaneously transformed into a +5 Holy Adaptive bow...
Ferox reflexively reaches for the next card and he marvels at his bow: the handle of the bow now fashioned into the Key of Abadar, the limbs also gold with silver inlay through each length resembling hippogriff feathers. Ferox knows he has been blessed and his hope is further bolstered that their path is righteous.
The spirits of both Zellara and Venster look down at Ferox, both hopeful and despairing at the same time. When the Inquisitor draws from the deck, his third card is:
The Inquisitor's elation at the bow steals his concentration as the Idiot is drawn. The Inquisitor's muscles flex, but his eyes glaze over just a bit....
Ferox, the following ability scores are all reduced by the following amounts. These are not penalties, these are not curses. These are your new scores.