KC's Age of Worms

Game Master Kobold Catgirl

"Ayna is dead. I am Krekie." The kenku tilts her head slightly. "Ayna died when he left the Ebon Triad behind. You see?"

She seems to study Eben for a moment before addressing the group. "I have no grudges, to be clear. Clear? Not my way. Way I see it, we're square, even. Even so... What do you want?"

[b]"Well, it'd be helpful if you stopped working with the guys who want to destroy the world."{/b] Farrukh offers up.

She blinks. "Why would they be doing that? That isn't why they're here. Hear? I said I'm not in the Ebon Triad anymore."

"Well, we're here because the Library holds information about saving the world. We just kind of assumed that a group made up of ex-enemies like Zyrxog (and, honestly, we weren't sure if you were on that list too) was here to keep us from finding it. So if that's not the case, what is Darl looking for?"

"The Library holds information about a lot of things." Krekie's eyes glitter. "Things that history lost, yes? Yes, Darl does not tell me much, but much of what he does tell is about the value of knowledge. Knowledge no one else knows? No Vecnan can resist that. That's thanks to your cuttlefish friend telling him of it. It is not easy to read either of them, and that thing does not speak much of what he wants from this place."

"The 'cuttlefish' is not our friend. I'm sure you know that, but just to restate the obvious. Not our friend, anymore than, I think, the xill you've been spending time with are yours." He looks down at the ground and frowns. "Of course, you don't always have to be friends to work together, just that sometimes the not-friend you work with go on to kill other people and then scry on your and ask intrusive questions-" He pauses, then clears his throat. "Sorry. going off topic. Our not-friendness with Zyrxog makes it very unlikely that we're going to leave this island without one of us trying to kill the other. But Darl isn't our enemy, necessarily. What are the chances he'd be fine with us getting what we need out of the library if we let him get what he needs and the two of use don't otherwise deal with each other? And more importantly, Krekie... what do you want? If Darl insists on being our enemy, where do you stand?"

Astraden offers a hand to the mostly unfamiliar kenku. "Hey, if you wanna join our party, as long as you're not summoning any undead or anything, that's cool with me. Doesn't seem like the Hierophant really cares a ton about underlings, with the way he and Zyrxog treated those pirates. And we're just as intent on getting into the library as they are. You'd be better off hanging with a crew that raises their dead. But not to undead, I mean. We raise our dead to not dead. You like reincarnation?"

Krekie's head tilts to the side. "I do not think Darl will wish to share what he finds here. Here, the Library of Last Resort, are secrets buried very deep, but a secret held by many is no secret at all. Already he and the cuttlefish not-friend trust each other like two cats hunting the same rabbit." She flicks her beak back towards the beach. "You saw how he treated the pirate. And he actually likes the pirate."

The kenku stares at Astraden's hand for a moment. "I... it is complicated. Complicated. Complex." She shifts slightly. "I said I do not hold a grudge. It is true. But I do not forget. I do not..." She seems to struggle briefly to find the words, claws tapping against the stone. "I do not know why I am here. I cannot escape it. It is like being tugged by strings, dancing to a rhythm without knowing why. Why should I dance to yours instead of theirs? There's no winning either way."

At Krekie's words, Carina starts to scrutinize her for signs of being controlled.

Sense Motive?: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (10) + 17 = 27

"Hey, it's not always about winning. Sometimes it's just fun to play the game. Hang out with some friends, work towards a common goal. But you talking about the whole Age of Worms thing? Nothing's sure until it's happened. And even then, I wouldn't count on it."

Astraden looks around the battlefield. "Hey though, y'all kill the grisgols? Any chance you got an eye you're willing to let us borrow?"

"So don't dance at all. Being a neutral party is an option. If we have to fight Darl and win, no loss to you. If we fight him and lose, you can just deny ever having seen us."

"That is what I was doing for a time. Sort of." Krekie's avian eyes glitter, difficult to make much of. "But that brings no... ending. No closure. No meaning to any of it—my flock's deaths, your mercy, my survival. Everything was for nothing, and the story goes on without Krekie."

She gives a low hiss under her breath. "... no. No, I... do not think I would like that. Foolish as it might be, better a puppet on strings than dead wood."

"Hey though, y'all kill the grisgols? Any chance you got an eye you're willing to let us borrow?"

"The paper golems? Yes, we killed them." She cocks her head, first to one side, then the other. "You... want my eye? Is that for a spell? Perhaps you should give one of your own first. I am saving my eyes for the Archlich, thank you very much."

Alright, Diplomacy/Bluff/Intimidate checks would be good around now. Obvious options are you can try to persuade Krekie to join your team (she's a NE rogue-focused Stygian Slayer with a couple variant abilities, like her corvid control), to flee/not engage, to lend a hand (not fully tagging along, just giving some help for the time being, such as with the xills or with information), or to take a message to Darl.

Oh, or you can attack, just to keep the streak going.

"Okay, let's maybe clarify: what are you supposed to be doing right now? Not meeting with us, I assume, but the xills saw through our disguise yesterday and didn't attack, so I assume you're not here as a hit squad?" Eben starts pacing back and forth, as tough he's thinking it all through himself. "So are you just here keeping an eye out? Where are the xills? Actually, where are Darl and the others? Is that relevant? Are they likely to come across us talking at any moment?" He stops, looks down at this fingers where he's been ticking off questions, then realizes he's out of fingers on his hand. "And why are you supposed to be doing anything? Is it just because Darl has the Hand, so he's the boss of all things Vecna? Or are you here because you actually believe in... whatever he's here for?"

Don't know if anything I've just said calls for Diplomacy, since it's just further questions to get her thinking/give us info, but I'll roll and we can use it later, if needed.

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 24 ⇒ (14) + 24 = 38

"I was caught." She gives a short laugh. "Or... I suppose he always knew where I was. He called me in. Darl, that is. Being an apostate of an already heretical order, I had not many options. A pardon for my business with the Triad, money and power as reward for service, protection from a cuttlefish who had noticed me spying on him... not a bad deal."

She kicks her feet idly. "As for why I was left here, and why we didn't attack yet... the wasp-things are stupid. The cuttlefish cuttled them up somehow. I think they will strike if you detect them, or if you try to enter the portal. Until then, they follow you or guard the gate."

She does not answer Eben's questions about Darl.

"So... there's a portal? Under guard? And if you already beat the paper golem... did you also manage to get the eyes- gemstones- from the ropers and the tree?"

Eben schrunches up his brows, as if thinking. EVeryone else hears Forzamale's voice in their minds.

OK, going with the rules I proposed but we never actually discussed further- Eben uses a round of performance to activate Forzamele's groupthink for a round. Anyone who wants to reply gets one thoughts worth of response. KC, we can change this more if you like.

Eben thinks Darl and the others may have already entered this portal, presumably to the library. He also- oh, that's a terrible idea- sigh. He also thinks we might be able to convince her further assistance if we were to offer the Hand of Vecna to her, off of Darl's dead body. And apparently he's serious about that, not just as a bluff.

"So are you just here keeping an eye out?"

Phrasing . . .

Astraden also furrows her brow and scrunches up her nose, thinking intently at Forzamele. That's fine by me. I don't like the whole undead hand thing, of course, but the Hand is probably in better hand with Krekie than the Hierophant.

"Yeah, I mean the eye for the portal. Or if you've got any other spare eyes? Can be a fun conversation piece."

Knowledge (religion) for Fish Out of Water bonus against Krekie: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (8) + 21 = 29
Diplomacy aid to Eben (Fish Out of Water): 1d20 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 4 + 2 = 15

I guess that's okay. She doesn't seem that threatening. Maybe we can tell her we're going to give it to her, but then actually destroy it? I don't really feel comfortable passing on an evil artifact thingy...I'd rather have a kenku mad at me.

"So... there's a portal? Under guard?"

She blinks. "Oops."

"And if you already beat the paper golem... did you also manage to get the eyes- gemstones- from the ropers and the tree?"

"We stayed well away from those things. We would have avoided the golems, too, if we could have. I do not know the 'eyes' you speak of."

Right, yes, my bad, Eben—those changes sounded fine to me.

Eben looks puzzled. "If what you're talking about as the portal is the same thing we're talking about as the portal, there are three keys you need to open it. Little gems, the old druids called them eyes. How did your people get through it without them?"

[b]"Oh, yes, we just tricked that old spell. The magic here is like any old magic - for all its blister and fancy, there's always a loophole. [/Ooc]

Cuetzpalli's mind is blown by the revelation that ancient magic can be tricked. His eyes go wide as he tries and fails to consider the implications. That's so...tricky!

"How did you manage that?" he asks.

"The same way I use my wands. Just a lot harder." Krekie is clearly a little annoyed she's given the use of the portal away, but doesn't seem to regards these details as anything important, by contrast.

Eben slumps down to the ground, holding his head in despair, only now realizing that he could have used his maxed out UMD skill for something genuinely impressive.

"OK, for what it's worth, we already knew there was a portal or something, we've just been going around it the hard way. You didn't exactly tell us anything we didn't already know, so, y'know, don't feel bad about that. Except that the xill are watching it, so, I guess that's something." He licks his lips, looks around at the rest of Spiny' Six, and then makes his pitch. "I get that you don't want to just be an impartial observer, and there's no incentive for you to turn on the others. What if there was? By my count, there's going to be an extra hand floating around once we go through Darl."

The kenku's head snaps up at this. "Oh, which one did you want?"

Her response is clearly a little reflexive, a blurted comment that gives away her surprise. She is now very focused on Eben.

Not wanting to risk ruining the negotiations so far, Carina opts to keep quiet and let Eben do his work.

She's waiting for someone to clarify the offer, and what you're asking in return, to be clear. I also want the whole party to confirm this idea - it's a pretty big offer.

Apologies if I'm slow in posting, I just don't want to be the dominating voice in this parlay.

We want... the one that's not an evil remnant of a god of undeath. We're already dealing with one of those guys." He looks around to make sure nobody is objecting, then continues, "Normally, a group like us finds something like that, we'd wind up being some kind of weird guardians- it's not any use to us, we really don't have any need to go throwing blasphemies around, and I don't think any of us is looking to cut our hands off... so we'd just be stuck with it, fending off inevitable attacks from people that do want it, and probably have to go on an epic quest to destroy it in a positive energy volcano or something. But we're on an epic quest already, we're too busy to deal with another distraction. I don't know that there's any good option for a long-term custodian of the hand that actually wants it, but... your uncertainty about the path you're on makes me think you're at least not likely to immediately found a apocalyptic cult out to destroy the sun or something."

"Yeah, I was kinda disappointed when I found out what the hand actually did. Doesn't really compliment my fighting style at all."

Astraden considers and nods, feigning having just understood Eben's proposal and coming around to the idea. "We've already found one ancient artifact that we couldn't possibly defend against the forces looking to take it from us - we certainly don't need one as infamous as the Hand of Vecna. So sure, you help us kill the mind flayer and the Hierophant, you get the Hand, shared access to the library, and a parting on good terms. Contingent on not treading the same path as Darl, of course. Zombifying those pirates was just cruel."

Tanith?

Tanith shrugs. "Just don't double cross us", the big man offers.

Krekie considers this a moment, then hops down from the ledge and lands before the party. She offers a talon-like hand to shake. "That sounds alright to me. I will not strike Darl direct while he bears the Hand—the Archlich would rip my soul into pillow stuffing—but I will help as I can."

As the party has been talking, Clunk has been investigating the area. With negotiations seemingly concluded, he calls over, "I believe I have found something, but I am not certain I should touch it. The eye appears... damaged."

He points to a glowing blue light coming from the eye socket of one of the statues, half-covered by sodden scrolls.

Does anyone move to uncover it?

Eben shakes Krekie's hand, doing his best to avoid accidental scratching from sharp claws. "That sounds like a reasonable condition. Are any minions he might have fair game at the time? Or summoned demons, or undead, all those kinda things?"

He wanders over at Clunk's call, peering down at the blue light. "OK, one second before anyone goes poking at that thing..." He pauses before spellcasting, "Krekie, I assume the no-buffs rule is a moot point now, right?" After confirming, he gestures and surround himself in a vivid aura of blue light. Arcane concordance, oriented towards Extend Spell. He then proceeds to go through his standard list of personal and group buffs. In order: cat's grace, mirror image, shield, good hope, and moment of greatness. "Hey, anyone have a weapon they want to have boosted a bit for the next day or so?" Eben can cast greater magic weapon once on anyone who could benefit from a +3 magic weapon. If anyone accepts the offer, he digs out a scroll and attempts to cast the spell from it onto the weapon in question. Use Magic Device: 1d20 + 24 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 24 + 2 = 29 He succeeds, and the spell doesn't disappear from the scroll, rather his leather vest turns parchment colored for a moment and the arcane words of the scroll are mirrored upon it before fading away and the vest reurns to normal. He rerolls the scroll and tucks it back into a tube. "Okay, now someone can go poke at the magic eye of brain tramua. Farrukh and Carina have already taken one for the team, should the other four of us draw straws?" Before anyone goes to pick up the eye, Eben begins an inspire courage performance, with the intent of ending it to cast saving finale if things go wrong when they pick it up.

Greater magic weapon on Eben's bow lasts for, oh, about another 16 hours or so, greater magic weapon on someone else's weapon lasts 28 hours, cat's grace lasts 275 rounds, mirror image lasts 276 rounds, shield lasts 277 rounds, good hope lasts 278 rounds, and moment of greatness lasts 279 rounds.

"He won't be alone, I will tell you that much." Krekie nods at the talk of buffing spells, though she watches warily, clearly studying to see just what spells he casts.

"Let me take a look at it." Farrukh says, moving to uncover the busted Eye.

Does anyone else move towards it?

"If you say so, Farrukh. You have my moral support." Astraden goes and stands exaggeratedly far away. She then comes back, now having cast a repellent barrier against law that now envelops Farrukh in a feeling of unwelcomeness and corruption.

Magic circle against law just in case these things are Order-aligned.

"Oh, hey, you don't need to do that, one of us could have taken a turn..." Eben says, likewise moving away very quickly. "But if your heart's set on it,..."

Farrukh screams as he rips apart from the inside out due to the repellent force of the Magic Circle

Farrukh shrugs.

"I figure me and Tanith are probably the best to send in in case one of these things decides to do something weird one of these times."

Carina braces herself for the worst to happen...

Farrukh screams as he rips apart from the inside out due to the repellent force of the Magic Circle

You think that's bad, you should see what it's doing to poor Clunk. Astraden is a monster.

Oh no! Farrukh was a summoned monster this whole time! So /that's/ why none of the bosses detected destiny in him.

Astraden glances back at the clearly wincing undine. "That last one that Carina dealt with sounded pretty weird. We don't know what happens yet if you don't resist the visions. Though, it occurs to me, they might not affect an inevitable. You wanna give it a shot Clunk?"

The cloaked figure nods, drawing back his hood in what is perhaps Krekie's first glimpse of his true form. He reaches down to pull the crystal out of the scroll golem's eye socket.

Note, Astraden is still within radius to provide the "benefit" of magic circle against law.

Clunk seems to hesitate, and the party can see gears turning in his head. Literally. Then he reaches down and pulls away the sodden and scorched vellum, uncovering what appears to be a broken gemstone inhabiting the "eye socket" of the destroyed grisgol.

However, the second the old scroll is no longer covering what was perhaps once a grisgol's eye, brilliant, piercing blue light floods the area, pulsing with an irregular rhythm, a discordant symphony of painful light.

Clunk Save: 1d20 + 11 - 2 ⇒ (9) + 11 - 2 = 18

Everyone sees Farrukh and Clunk, who are closest to the effect, freeze up. Their eyes flood with the blue light, followed shortly by the rest of their bodies as the glow suffuses them completely. It is obvious to any who saw the previous two crystals in action that something is terribly wrong with this one.

Anyone who moves within 10 feet of the Eye can read the spoiler.

One save won't be enough to shut it down this time—in fact, as this encounter progresses, you'll be looking to achieve a certain number of successful saves total, so I would not recommend letting just one or two PCs solo it here. Not least because it may get a little boring.

"Oh, that doesn't look good..." Eben says, moving in closer once the psychic bomb of the gem has gone off on Farrukh and Clunk.

Just a reminder, both of the affected have both good hope and, ,if this is another fear-based effect, Inspire Courage affecting them, though I think neither affect Clunk, so, just Farrukh, really. If either of them biff that first save, Eben ends his performance to give them a reroll via saving finale.

Also, to clarify: does just moving in within 10 feet allow me to read the spoiler, or do I still need to make a Knowledge check to do so? I'm within 10 feet now in any case.

"Yeah, that's weird. Why is it still glowing?"

"Hey guys, snap out of it." Astraden casts a minor orison and steps into the pulsating light, hand outstretched to transfer the spell to Clunk.

Will (good hope): 1d20 + 16 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 16 + 2 = 27 +3 morale if fear
Holding the charge for resistance.

She pauses, frozen in place, compelled to concentrate on visions of the past and blending them with her own childhood. She was one of those children scampering along the ledges, daring each other to go swimming in Diamond Lake. The shouts of rowdy, exhausted miners heading to the taverns after 12-hour shifts syncopates with the clinking of chisels and picks against rocks. She remembers the time her mother winked when she saw Astraden and Svenser pocket sweets from a market stall, that time before Rillikandren left when he took her, Marinn, and Svenser on long walks outside the city to tire them out before their parents got home. The dusty sunsets over the lake, her first night out on the town with Rindi. Why couldn't things have stayed like that? And then, her own recollections coming unbidden, uncontrolled by the pulsing vision, she remembers the dust after the mine collapse, and then the horrible years among the bandits, and then escaping and finally meeting Cuetzpalli, Farrukh, Tanith, Carina, Robin, Eben, and Rodrigo. Seeing Marinn, Rillikandren, even her godfather, again. Finding a connection to a power that helps her shape the world, change fate, and save the people she cares about. Quietly, she mutters, "Not worse. Not better. Just different."

A question: Will Forzamele be subject to the effect if Eben steps into the radius? Can Forzamele activate telepathy on his own?

"Guys!?" Cuetzpalli rushes forward unthinkingly to make sure his friends are okay.

Will save: 1d20 + 13 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 13 + 2 = 31 (+2 versus mind effecting, +3 versus fear)

Oh, OK, I get it now: look under the Farrukh spoiler if within 10 feet. Sorry for being obstuse.

Will+good hope: 1d20 + 12 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 12 + 2 = 22 +3 bonus if it's a charm or fear effect.

Also, given the successes and failures to date, I'll end my performance to give Clunk a reroll.

Seeing the flash of light, Tanith rushes forward to support his friends.

Will: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (17) + 20 = 37