Shakur continues to focus on killing the beast before it seriously hurts Jevar.
And Shield with my last action, just to be safe.
@Kolgradd: When you use a “combat maneuver” using a weapon with that maneuver’s name as one of its traits (e.g. using Shove with a maul, which has the shove trait) then you add the item bonus from that weapon’s potency rune to your check (i.e. since yours is a +1 Striking maul, the Shove check would also gain the +1 item bonus). This isn’t enough to make a difference in the degree of success, I just thought I’d let you know.
Jevar tries twice to escape the creature’s grasp, and on the second attempt he succeeds and moves away.
Kolgradd shoves the creature away and swings at it! With the dwarf’s attack, he smashes the squid-thing into oblivion!
That’s exactly enough.
Jevar agrees to use one of the scrolls on Kolgradd.
Well all benefit from you being as fresh as possible. Now, where next? We were forbidden from going up a particular set of stairs, but weren't there other stairs throughout this level? Perhaps we should try the basement first.
"Thank you once again Shakur, we're lucky you're here. There sure are some weird bloody things in this place. I wonder where they're all coming from..."
Kolgradd rubs his beard and thinks.
"You told me that you questioned someone from here who said that Melisenn had found another Star Stele under Iris Hill. I'd guess that's where we'll find her, and we should go up first so we're best prepared"
Boodiddly raises his hand. "Um, could we at least look up there before going back downstairs?" he asks hesitantly, as if working up the courage finally to speak. "If there's some obvious portal or something, let's wait to go through it - but, ah, I think I'd like to see what's up there."
*
*
This large attic area has a slanted ceiling supported by wooden trusses, beams, and rafters. The ceiling slopes down from the highest beams in the middle to the lowest on the perimeter, where several ugly, fibrous plants sprout from clay pots, barely illuminated by a few dormer windows. The air smells of dust, mold, and decay.
Suddenly, a thump comes from the northeast corner of the attic followed by frantic footsteps. A woman’s voice shouts from that direction.
”Stop right there! Don’t come any closer, any of you! Hazzy, who did you bring with you?!”
“It’s okay, it’s okay!” Boodiddly calls back quickly. Maybe Hazzy was a nickname for me? “Friends, everyone’s a friend! Where are you?”
A permeable silence hangs in the air before it is broken as quickly as it appeared.
”You…You sound familiar…but you’re not my Hazzy. Who are you?”
Jevar looks at Boodiddly, confused. Whispering Hazzy? No, surely that's not you. Haserton Lowls is the more likely full name for that... affectionate moniker. Anyway, be careful, she might be skittish expecting someone else... actually ask her when she expected Lowls back.
Kolgradd is about to speak and bluntly announce who they are and what they are doing here, but some sliver of tact buried in his brain stops him. Instead he freezes, looks more nervous than when they fought the vampire squid, and looks expectantly at Boodiddly.
Boodiddly nods to Jevar, then clears his throat. “You’re quite right - not your Hazzy. But friends. I’m Boodiddly, also a friend of Hazzy. Um, may we come in?”
”Stay right where you are! How dare you talk to me like that after so long of nothing! I was worried sick!”
Shakur stands there awkwardly, simultaneously trying to blend into his surroundings while also turning deeper shades of embarrassed red. "Please tell me you actually remember this one, boodiddly? Something? Anything?"
“Well, it wasn’t our idea to be gone for so long!” Boodiddly’s pretty certain that’s true at least. “We got locked up in the asylum - if you were worried sick, why didn’t you come looking for us? Did something go wrong here too?”
”Oh hush, you! Don’t say such things!” The woman whispers. ”So much. So much has gone wrong. Hazzy hasn’t returned from his playdate, Melisenn has been doing terrible things beneath the floorboards, ThAt MaSkEd WoMaN hAs DeSeCrAtEd My ToMb, and poor Clymes is a beetle now. I’m sorry I was so snide before, Boo; you can come over to speak to me here if you want. BuT nOt ThE oThErS! Don’t pretend like I can’t hear you over there; I can hear everything.”
At the last bit, Jevar freezes in place suddenly self-conscious about what the strange woman might be able to perceive from across the room.
Just before Boodiddly walks away Oreb hops over onto his shoulder and nestles into towards his thick hair so as to be less noticeable.
Shakur's eyes go wide as he remains silent, staring at Boodiddly with an obvious "WTF" face.
Boodiddly jumps slightly at the feeling of claws on his shoulder, then smiles awkwardly at Oreb and Jevar. Wordlessly his mouth makes an “O” shape, eyes wide. Carefully he plucks the toad off his head and places it in the wizard’s hands. He looks everyone in the eye and gives each of them a thumbs up. It’ll be okay… And whoever this is knows more about what’s going on than we do.
Turning back to the voice around the corner, the gnome swallows once and calls out, “Thank you for the invitation - I’d love to come over.” He focuses on taking steady steps and keeping his expression neutral as he rounds the corner.
Boodiddly smiles and waves at the woman. “You had me worried you were half-dead with that talk of yours! But see, it’s just me. Oh, and my new friend Oreb - I hope you don’t mind.”
[ooc]No madness for you.
The woman was already slightly uncomfortable with Boodiddly looking at her, but as soon as the gnome mentions Oreb, the woman lunges, one of her arms snaking forward and elongating well past the reach of any human and backhanding the bird!
As soon as Boodiddly mentions Oreb, the other amnesiacs see a human arm rapidly snap from out of view and backhand Oreb from off of the gnome’s head before going back out of view.
”I tOlD yOu No OnE eLsE!!! I’m sorry, I just reacted! No one may look upon my visage.”
Boodiddly flinches as the woman’s hand reaches past his ear. “Hey! That’s very rude of you!” Hands on his hips, the gnome looks disapprovingly at the woman. “There’s been a lot of terrible things happening, and some of them have happened to you, and yes - that’s terrible, but that doesn’t mean we have to stand here and let you lash out and hurt us just because we’re friends. Now apologize, or we’re done - for good this time.”
An awkward silence before a sheepish reply: ”I’m sorry...”
“Thank you. I know this can’t be easy for you.” Boodiddly steps closer and offers is small hand to the strange woman. “I accept your apology, and I am sorry for bringing someone over even after you asked me not to. I hope you will forgive me.”
After a few moments, the bard motions towards the entrance to the room. “May the rest of my friends join us? I promise they won’t try to hurt you, but I understand if you’re more comfortable speaking one-on-one and would rather not put yourself through the stress of meeting new people. Either way, I would love to hear what’s been going on with you and if you want I can tell you what I’ve been up to since we last spoke.”
”ThEy WiLl NoT cOmE! I do not want anyone to see me like this…
“I’ve been so lonely since Hazzy left for his playdate. I’ve been watching the town with my new eyes. BuT tHe PeOpLe ArE sTiLl TeRrIfIeD oF mE! Melisenn, ThAt WiTcH, has moved in and been making changes. The temptress even wormed her way into Haserton’s good graces. ThAt WiTcH’s TwIsTeD wAyS hAvE mAdE a MoCkErY oF mY eStAtE! But even so, after all this time I have been reunited with my dear Clymes,”
”Though he isn’t feeling 100% right now. He’s been saying that Haserton, ThAt WrEtChEd BaStArD, did terrible things to make him like this. Not much has really happened otherwise.”
Haserton? Have I heard that name before… Boodiddly frowns a little before answering. “That’s wonderful to have a friend like Clymes. What changes has Melisenn been making? How would you put things back to how they should be? And if you’re so lonely, why do you keep people away?”
”The temptress used her wiles to get Haserton to fire the staff, ThEn RePlAcEd ThEm WiTh HeR gAnG oF nE’eR-dO-wElLs. Then steals away citizens in the dead of night to never be seen again. I am so lonely, but I do not want people to see what I am now. If ThEy SaW tHeY wOuLd BuRn Me At ThE sTeAk!”
"Well, what exactly happened to you?" Boodiddly slowly gestures towards his companions in the doorway, careful not to make any sudden movements. "If you can tell us, my friends might be able to come up with a way to reverse what happened to you, and then you could see people without worry. Maybe we could find a way to help Clymes feel more like himself too. Would you like that?"
”LiAr! You contradict yourself. Y-you told me t-that…that…ThAt ThIs WaS iRrEvErSiBlE! ’Such a corruption of the Dark Tapestry cannot be undone.’ That’s what you said…
”How I got this way…Have I told you? I don’t know. Clymes and I were performing a ritual, but things went awry. W-we were trying to rid ourselves of H-Haserton, because…”
“tHaT bAsTaRd DeSeRvEd To DiE fOr AlL hE dId! A contagion called from between the stars spelled his demise. BuT iT sPrEaD tO mE! aNd ThAt BaStArD gRaBbEd ClYmEs AnD mUrDeReD hIm! ThAt WrEtChEd BaStArD dEsErVeD tO dIe! He DeSeRvEd To DiE!!!”
“Deep breathes - nobody is saying Haserton didn’t deserve to die. And I could have been mistaken before. I’ve learned things since then, so it could very well have been possible and I was merely arrogant in assuming that since I didn’t know how, it must be impossible.”
If we were sent to the asylum right after losing our memories, then this ritual she’s speaking about must have happened before that. But she says it killed Haserton, so perhaps it was slow to take effect? Or is her memory of things as damaged as ours?
”No...It can’t be undone...It’s impossible...”
”It’S iMpOsSiBlE...It’s impossible...It’s impossible...”
Slowly Boodiddly makes his way out of his companions' sight. "If you want a shoulder to cry on, I can offer mine. It's a bit small, but it's all I've got." He chuckles softly, an invitation to lighten the mood. "We could talk through what happened if you want - skipping over the awful parts that are too painful if you want. Look at the ritual again and see if there's something we missed the first time. Or if you want some quiet and time to rest, we'll let you be as long as you promise to let me come up and see you again sometime."
The woman continues muttering to herself. ”It’S iMpOsSiBlE...It’s impossible...It’s impossible...”
The woman continues muttering to herself. ”It’S iMpOsSiBlE...It’s impossible...It’s impossible...”
"Alright then, we'll let you be." Boodiddly starts to move towards the woman to pat her shoulder reassuringly, then thinks better of it and turns his outstretched hand into a slow wave farewell. "We'll come back to see you after we talk with Melisenn in the basement. If you need us sooner, I suppose you could always send Clymes." Slowly the gnome backs away and sidles back around the corner before wordlessly waving his companions back down the stairs.
The door at the bottom of the stairs is locked.
Success
Success
Success
And Boodiddly eventually manages to open it.
The shelves in this cellar are neatly stacked with glass and clay bottles, tiny kegs, decanters, mugs, and crystal goblets.
The door to the north is locked.
Success
Crit Success
This dank, subterranean cell is empty aside from two heavy wooden pallets with manacles to restrain prisoners.
This room is clad in tapestries. Most notably, the tapestry at the eastern end has been defaced with graffiti of the Yellow Sign. A lit lantern sits on the ground in the center of the room.
Visible from the next room over is an old man wearing all black. When the amnesiacs come into view, the old man glares at them with glowing, sickly yellow eyes. He points and yells.
”Have you seen the Yellow Sign!”
The old man moves unnaturally quickly as he approaches Kolgradd. He then lunges at the dwarf with an open palm!
The old man slaps his hand on Kolgradd’s chest, leaving behind a sickly yellow handprint. The handprint quickly swirls and morphs into the sigil of Hastur: the Yellow Sign.
The old man then clenches his hand and punches at Kolgradd!
Round 1
==============
Old Man
Shakur
Jevar
Kolgradd {Marked}
Boodiddly
==============
"No, and we don't want to!" Boodiddly yelps. "Out, damned spot - sign! Sigil! Whatever! Out I say!" A sudden greyness in the air and dullness of sound surround both the gnome and the dwarf for an infinite moment before the world returns to normal.
Kolgradd looked incredibly relieved to be leaving the attic without seeing whatever it was that Boodiddly was talking to, but the sense of dread continued to grow until the strange man approached.
He looks horrified about being marked, and he can't help but worry about what it means.
◆ Recall knowledge on being marked by the sign
Boodiddly jumps to his defence though and it snaps him out of his reverie. He turns his maul onto the weird old cultist, taking out his frustrations at the situation as much as he can.
◆ Strike
◆ Strike
I'm sorry whoever you are. I can't help you
Jevar was likewise relieved to be exiting the attic.
You... dealt with her before? I can't imagine how that was on a daily basis...
----------------
The wizard dances through the crowd to get a closer look at the old man in black.
He calls up to Kolgradd Is this old guy tough at all? as he shoots a wad of good past the dwarf as a first test.
Success The target takes a –10-foot circumstance penalty to its Speeds for 1 round. It can attempt to Escape against your spell DC to remove the penalty.
Failure The target is unaffected.
-------------
Heightened (2nd) The effects last for 2 rounds.
Boodiddly uses his magic on the strange mark and manages to dispel something, but the mark itself still remains.
Kolgradd swings and hits the old man twice.
Jevar moves forward and tries to tangle the old man, failing in the meantime.
Shakur Steps back and sends a dagger at the old man.
Shakur hits the old man, and the dagger cuts easily through the old man’s skin, though the man does not bleed.
The old man stumbles and swings a fist at Kolgradd!
Suddenly, smokey yellow tendrils emerge from the old man’s fingers that wrap and bind Kolgradd!
Suddenly, the man pulls Kolgradd closer and whispers in the dwarf’s ear.
”H̼̺̣͈̖ͅa̪v̶e̷͍͇ ̫̦̟̀ͅy̮͙̺̟̘ͅo̷̱ͅu͠ ̗͈̣̖͎̥̦s̬̤͙̗̩̭͙e͔̻̯en̷̞ ͟t͉̬̖̙̤h̪̱̘̟̫͉e̶̪ ̺̱͔͖͇Y̖̯e̺̼̗͜ͅl͔͎̝̫͙̮̯l̴̞̺̹̬̺͎̝o͈̱̹̖̳̲̯w̦͚̝̺̫͝ ͇̟͈̙̕S̰̙̹̠̫̬͡i͖̗̺̜̕g̡n̸͎̟?̮“
Something about the old man’s words begin infusing themselves in Kolgradd’s mind.
Failure
Round 2
==============
Old Man (-56)
Shakur
Jevar
Kolgradd (-17) {grabbed; sickened 2}
Boodiddly
==============
Jevar takes a moment to focus on the sign that others haven't (yet) been able to figure out.
Seeing that this old guy really is trouble, he switches to one of his more potent spells.
Let's see if that melts him a bit.
Boodiddly stands motionless, though the jaw-harp against his mouth continues to vibrate from the force of the pluck.
The gnome springs into action. “Kolgradd, get out of there! Everyone, keep your guard up!” He too tries to wrack his brain for something useful.
↻ Escape
Kolgradd bursts out of the grip of the weird old man , and immediately attempts to dissuade him from further creepy behaviour.
◆ Strike
He's more affected by the sign than he thought, and he retreats and retches.
◆ Strike
◆ Retch
"I swear. These guys are more devoted to this yellow sign than I am to Pharasma."
Shakur continues his slashing, seeing how it worked last time!
Shakur then puts up a cautionary Shield.
Jevar launches an arrow of acid which strikes true.
Boodiddly assists in freeing Kolgradd and continues singing.
Kolgradd swings twice at the old man, but misses both times.
Shakur launches a dagger, but misses.
The old man glares at Jevar and steps over, completely ignoring Kolgradd as he swings at the wizard!
The yellow tendrils then emerge from the man’s fingers and wrap around Jevar!
Round 3
==============
Old Man (-74) {1d6 persistent acid}
Shakur
Jevar (-20) {grabbed}
Kolgradd (-17)
Boodiddly
==============
Once the creature gets up close to him, he begins to recognize it. He grunts through the grab, and calls out to the party in pained speech.
He is a being of pure chaos, and is susceptible to law... order...
He attempts to slip out of the tentacles.
Jevar quickly backs away to the wall behind him and throws up and arcane shield.