Ærde: Lost and Found in the City of Wonders

Game Master Jibril Johan Sameh

Your stamina has been fantastic! You've been in this mirror maze since mid November.

We went in in the fall and may emerge in the spring!

Tymythy - I’m going to wait for others to post before resolving your view of the mirror

No worries, I'll just post reactions to it when I have a moment - time might move in strange ways in dreamscape like that anyway so he might have a while of subjective time even if the others acted immediately in actual time.

Agreed - and it is very dreamlike. You might be in one location in the vision, know you ran to a second, but don't remember the time inbetween.

One note outside of spoilers... you are one mad genius for cooking something seemingly unrelated to anything two years ago only for it to bear fruit now ;^)

I am so very, very pleased you think so.

One of the things I've learned about roleplaying since 1985 ... yup, 39 1/2 years of roleplaying (with a big dry spell in the middle) is that dramatic moments need to be bought and paid for. The more you have to go through to get to a great moment the more powerful it becomes, the more meaningful.

It's a simple lesson but one that I've had confirmed from friends who've led games, and from certain soap-operatic pop-culture series. Critical Role has been a great source of this also (and probably why I didn't like their third series as much).

The down side is that I will plant story lines with long term pay-offs that never happen.

Keeping them a secret from the players is hard and there is an egotistical issue I am often faced with. A player may come very close to figuring out a 'secret' before I want it to happen, mostly because I think the payoff will be weak. Do I steer them away from it? That doesn't seem fair. Smart players deserve to have their gameplay rewarded.

It's touch-and-go at these moments. Reveal for the best payoff I can get at that moment - or - give them a partial reveal - or - steer them away. I admit that I have sometimes choosen to steer people away. It feels like a weak decision and makes the eventual reveal staged and pretentious.

What I love most are the moments when someone leads the story towards a secret when: a) I didn't expect it; and, b) it feels like a great payoff for that secret. Dounia discovering in alHufra that Cyra locked her in the pantry at the beginning of the game was a good example of that. It broke my heart the way that came out. You decided to go to alHufra earlier than I expected. Dounia decided that the sisters had a sign language. It made the moment so much more powerful!

Conditions were right. Payoff was good. Player gave the moment gravity. Time to pull the trigger.

Again, thanks.

You will also heal 1 wisdom point overnight

I think everyone is kind of wondering where my head was at with this one. Some insight into the way I designed the maze:

I wanted four vision areas that progressed in danger level and insight.

First vision: if you looked you saw something that gave you gave information and anything that happened in the reflection could hurt you. Then a save vs trauma.

Second vision: you could provide commands to the reflection. Then a save vs trauma.

Third vision: you had your own mind but were inside the reflection as the object of that reflection. Then a save vs trauma.

Fourth vision: your mind was gone and you believed you were the object of the reflection and needed a will save to get free as it drained your wisdom. I was prepared to drain you entirely. It would, however, provide a final revelation.

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I decided that the two secret prizes were inside your third visions. I made a dice roll that determined the key would be in Tymythy's and the magic haversack would be in Cairee's. If they didn't look at that mirror, if they didn't notice and take them they wouldn't have them in the real world.

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Having a maze in a PbP game is difficult. Much of what we're seeing is described through text so I simplified it.

Each vision would happen in larger sections of the maze that couldn't be avoided.

In between them there would be a simple three choice maze of tunnels:
- choice one would bring you back to the last large room
- choice two would double onto itself
- choice three would lead to the next big room.

The time it would take to get from one room to the next were meant to time out any spell casting.

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Most importantly, you got to choose between looking or closing your eyes (of course as players you chose option 3 - not looking directly). If you closed your eyes you were safe and learned nothing. If you looked you learned something but were in danger. Option 3 meant you had a chance to learn some mumbled information and had an excellent save bonus against the psychic damage.

My apologies. My writing wasn't equal for all of you. Some were more dramatic revelations than others.

I know it’s not eloquent but I just wanted to say, nicely done! I enjoyed that, even if Zahra didn’t :)

Also, are we allowed to read each other’s spoilers now?

What would people like to do? Read each others spoilers or do an in-character recount? Both? I'll go with the vote.

I think an in-character recounting would be better... although Tymythy will struggle to describe all that he saw. Will be good RP, though.

I'm good with doing it in-character but Zahra won't be as willing to immediately share her experience as she did in previous challenges.

It was very thoughtful and fun! And I'm happy to share in game if that's what folks want.

I'm happy to do either/both.

The mirror maze wasn't at all what I was expecting, and it raises so many questions. How much is true? If true, where did that information come from? Just how scary is this djinn? He seems god-like. We have a lot to unpack!

*Groan*

Will be busy for a few days - they are renovating all the piping in my apartment house this coming summer, and I'm moving to family farm to escape. So I'm up to my shoulders in packing all my stuff for the movers.

It's funny how much stuff accumulates over years of living in one place... I liked to think I don't really have that many physical things, but over 300kg of books alone seems to disagree... and I have been trashing a recycling armloads of stuff that I really had no reason to have around for years...

Anyway, assuming things work out, I should be reunited with all my stuff this coming Thursday and back to usual schedule. Until then, a lot of my free time is going to be spent packing.

What do lovers of fiction and library architects have in common? They measure books in kgs.

Best wishes for a smooth transition!

Right, move day tomorrow. Surrounded by boxes on all sides this night. Wish me luck my computer survives the ordeal!

Good luck!

Tymythy, good luck

Thank you - move completed successfully, computer survived. Finally I can breath again ;^) And then start dreading for the move back in the autumn once the renovations are done...

3000g? Damn... wonder if Tymythy can even quite accept that there might be that much money in the world, let alone for them to use ;^)

I'll leave it up to everyone where Zahra meets up with the team. Is it out in the arena or in your suite? She'll have to RP her way through the conversation with Ourmeela first. Running the two segments simultaneously will be difficult if you are info sharing.

Shall we wait until Zahra is done her conversation and then meet up in our rooms?

Sahara will go back to their suite when she’s finished. Regardless of what she learns, she won’t be in the right headspace for crowds until she can process in solitude

We also have the escuchened door, which we don't know much about, otherthan it killed one of the sisters of the silicone scroll. That's the one we need the multi-part key for.

Much appreciated. Now... the sisters went there last round, yes? So they had fewer key parts than we do now and still managed to enter it... wonder if it will get easier the more complete your key is?

The scoreboard shows they went through it on day 2. Corey shared what the key bits did a while back - I think reduced the lock picking difficulty roll with each bit added.

A reminder of how the silver key works (I've put in some additions and I've edited some of the difficulty):

The Escutcheoned Door lock has a DC40 (trained only)

If you have one piece of the key you get +2 on your attempt
2 pieces: +5
3 pieces: +9
4 pieces: +14
5 pieces: +20
You can substitute thieve's tools for any missing key part at a -2
If the tools are MW then no penalty
No key parts and no thieves tools -20 (for a DC60)
- if you have 4 key pieces and a set of masterwork thieves tools you function as if you had 5 key parts, or a final DC20
- if you have 3 key parts and regular thieves tools for (+14-2) +12, or final DC28

Or …

Try something else. Give me something to work with and I'll change the DC according to how smart cool it is.

I'm going to add …

Beware of 'natty 1s' and know that it may not be a single roll.

Also …

When the Sisters of the Silken Scroll attempted the escutcheoned door on day 2 Zahra was watching them. She had a particularly good perception roll and could see they had a 'complex' (but not full) key. I'd say she could guess at them having three or possibly four key parts (despite only having had the chance to find one).

You were also told it took the Sisters nearly an hour to get through.

Who is down Wisdom? I wanna try out my psychic surgery gloves!!!

I am!

I'm down a point, assuming regular night's sleep gives back the other.

"Did we have any idea what actually happened inside the mystery challenge? Was there any picture shown, or did we just witness the painful aftermath?"

There was no reflection in the lake for the Sisters of the Silken Scroll. When asked about the challenge the Sisters found they could only speak in gibberish.

COOL!!!

I'm not sure which conversations Zahra is present for and which she isn't so that's why she's not really adding anything to the conversation.

She would be reluctant to quit now but that's all

Zahra wouldn't be there for discussions concerning healing. Let's post those under the heading Amateur Psychic Surgery

Zahra would be present for the discussion on what challenge to do next. Let's post that under the heading The Team Begins to Gather … and Gather

I assume Zahra will stick around for that until you post her finding an exit to sneak off to her room for think-time. If you post an IC alone time please do that under the heading Zahra vs the World

Should I be concerned that Yoy'ya doesn't feel the need to have Zahra present? ;)

Above the table: No, she feels that she doesn’t have any real information and she sees you all as being on the edge of burning out. She wants you to do well tomorrow so isn’t interested in disturbing your rest.

With the teams that have finished day 4, are we still at the top of the scoreboard?

The Black Birds are out in front at the moment.

In relation to the Black Birds:
Twins 3pnts behind
- neck and neck

Adherents 69pnts behind
- they've been moving up fast but it doesn't look like they will make it

Bonds Of Gruumsh 73pnts behind
- already surpassed by The Adherents

Perdition's Cavaliers 103pnts behind
- if they get a score better than 103 this round they take the lead

Black Birds scores each round:
1st day - 95
2nd day - 106
3rd day - 132
4th day - 101 (the weakest challenge since their first)

Day 1 challenge (the manticore): missed the item
Day 2 challenge (traps): Blinkback Belt and traveler's money pouch
Day 3 challenge (monster arena): psychic surgery gloves (works like a Vest of Surgery)
Day 4 challenge (mirror maze): Handy Haversack

4 key parts

The Song Hours of the West:

The Mournful song of none (midnight or zero-hour)
The Pensive song of one
The Solemn song of two
The Hazy song of three
The Earnest song of four
The Eager song of five
The Sober song of six
The Gentle song of seven
The Congenial song of eight
The Practical song of nine
The Determined song of ten
The Energetic song of eleven
The Serene song of twelve
The Awkward song of thirteen (or late-one)
The Indifferent song of fourteen (or late-two)
The Impatient song of fifteen (or late-three)
The Wary song of sixteen (or late-four)
The Weary song of seventeen (or late-five)
The Listless song of eighteen (or late-six)
The Devoted song of nineteen (or late-seven)
The Grateful song of twenty (or late-eight)
The Anxious song of twenty-one (or late-nine)
The Forthright song of twenty-three (or late-ten)
The Penatent song of twenty-four (or late-eleven)

Last ones should be the song of twenty-two and twenty-three

Very cool time system.

Mom, I'm hungry! It's already ten past Devoted!
Dinner will be a little late, kids, should be ready by quarter to Grateful.
Remember, you have early Chanting at school tomorrow, so set your alarm for Eager thirty.

I just started reading a book I'm really enjoying so far, The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, about a middle-aged muslim mom pirate in the 12th Century who has to go save a kidnapped noble girl called Dunya. :)

OK, that book sounds very cool.

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There are three basic time systems in this world:

- Liturgical time or eastern prayer hour time much like Christian Liturgical hours
- The 24 Song hours of the west
and
- Rustic time of day (farmers in most lands would use the very general times of: witching, smallhours, dawn, morning, midmorn, noon, afternoon, brillig, dusk, night)

In this section of the world you only have to worry about song hours

I don't like saying four o'clock. It takes me out of the game but I like the song hours. They are an easy translation.

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I'm trying to complete a reference pdf for time.

There are four seasons (Pani or ice; Malai or rain; Ti or fire; Karru or wind) and some break them up into 30day periods (i.e. early-pani, middle-pani, late-pani).

There are also four months (months and seasons are synonymous in all cultures but traditional Halfling)

There are nine weeks to a season

There are ten days to a week (Firisdae, Tuysday, Threesdae, Forsdae, Fyvsdae, Midisdae, Sevynsdae, Eytsdae, Nynesdae, Finisdae)

That means there are 360 weekdays to a year but there are also five feast days (Crystalbough, Todankum or elven newyear, Beddingday, Harvestide, Day of the Dead) on a regular year, and six on a leap year (+ Iruteel).

Sweet, gotta bookmark that post so I can find it later.

Also, we are running a major disaster recovery drill at work, so I'm rather busy with it today and tomorrow.

Sweet, gotta bookmark that post so I can find it later.

Cool - when I'm finished it will be a section in the 'Campaign Info' tab above.

Also, we are running a major disaster recovery drill at work,

Cool!

so I'm rather busy with it today and tomorrow.

cool