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Deciding to use the Morrowkins weakness against it you rush into the dining room. The wait staff looks at you peculiar as Toadclobber stares at the door weiling a glowing butcher knife. Vesperscale begins casting spells as the guests begin to ask questions and get a bit upset.
Rui enters the room trying to calm things down and all hell breaks loose as the Morrowking walks in behind him. Looking back Rui shrieks and rushes off. Chairs fall back as the guests give you plenty of room trying to get away from the deadly Morrowkin. "What is that thing!"
The Morrowkin calmly walks towards you. Eager to kill you all once and for all.
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
Morrowkin
➤ Vesperscale
➤ Tenpot
➤ Toadclobber
➤ Aegis
AHHH!
Toad holds his knife and tome in the same hand.
He flaps the lobster at the Morrowkin. Then he flaps it some more.
He flips to the weapon implement, leaving the knife sheathed at his belt.
Vesperscale raises her shield, moves up and attacks.
Tenpot dashes forward as the morrowkin walks in, pressing his back up against the mast as he draws quickly recalls what he learned earlier about the creature. Taking aim, he fires, then quickly ducks back behind the pillar.
Your implement sings out abruptly, disrupting your foe. The piece played depends on whether the trigger was a Strike or Spell, and it applies to the triggering Strike or Spell, except where noted otherwise.
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Vesperscale raises her shield and leaps over the chairs at the Morrowkin, slicing deep into its arm. Tenpots places hs back to the mast. From what he remembers the Morrowkin has no weakness outside of the aversion to food. So he creates his own, slopping bits of loose meat and fruit juices all over his ammunition.
Tenpots fires his gun and it jams. Seems the jelly and fruit juices weren't great for the chamber.
Toadclobber flaps a lobster around and tosses it at the Morrowkin. The creature hisses and recoils in disgust.
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
Morrowkin
Vesperscale
Tenpot
Toadclobber
➤ Aegis
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Aegis flips plate fter plate of tofu at the Morrowkin, covering it in silken goo.
The Morrowkin turns a different shade of color as it looks quite ill. It tries to claw at Vesperscale, though its movements seem slower.
+ Drain Potential
Drain Potential- DC 31 Fort save. Failure you are doomed 1 (Doomed 2 on Crit Fail) and must roll twice and use the worse result on all checks for 1 minute.
The sickened Morrowkin isn't able to tear through vesperscale like it once had.
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
Morrowkin
➤ Vesperscale
➤ Tenpot
➤ Toadclobber
➤ Aegis
Toad chucks the lobster in morrowkin's face.
As he strides throught the tables he flips his Toadslicer into his hand.
Vesperscale's firey shield also burns the Morrowkin.
Vespercale grins as the Morrowkin is covered in seafood and fire. She raises her shield again and unleashes a gouging spellstrike.
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Toadclobber tosses another lobster and this is just enough to inflict soe serious injury into the Morrowkin.
Vesperscales fiery shield scorches the Morrowkin's hands as it pulls back in discomfort. Her own blade nearly severs one of the horrific creatures hands off.
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
Morrowkin
Vesperscale
➤ Tenpot
Toadclobber
➤ Aegis
Tenpot takes aim and fires again, hoping to take advantage of the creature's sickness. While the report of his pistol still echoes across the water, he quickly reloads, glaring at the creature, then fires again.
Your implement sings out abruptly, disrupting your foe. The piece played depends on whether the trigger was a Strike or Spell, and it applies to the triggering Strike or Spell, except where noted otherwise.
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Tenpots first shot misses, but it seems to severely frighten the Morrowkin.
Tenpots second shot pierces through the Morrowkins leg, putting fruit juices all through the wound. Aegis follows it up with several bright waves of magical missles that you hear crunch through bone.
The Morrowkin looks wore down as the knife glows brighter and brighter. It is time to sever the bonds to this time loop.
Angered the Morrowkin tries to swallow the futures of everyone in the room.
Critical Success The creature takes no damage.
Success The creature takes half damage and is doomed 1.
Failure The creature takes full damage and is doomed 2.
Critical Failure The creature takes double damage and becomes doomed 4 (likely causing it to die immediately).
[one-action] (attack, fortune, magical)
Requirements: You are wielding the Knife of Trouble Elimination, the Knife of Trouble Elimination has been temporally empowered, and the morrowkin has 160 or fewer Hit Points;
Effect You focus your eyes to see the tethers of time located around the morrowkin, then slash in a strange, twisting pattern with the Knife of Trouble Elimination to sever the creature’s connection to time. Make a melee attack roll against AC 28. On a success, you sever a tether of time (two tethers on a critical success).
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
Morrowkin
➤ Vesperscale
➤ Tenpot
➤ Toadclobber
➤ Aegis
Toad fights the future!
He draws the Knife of Trouble Elimination in his free hand, making sure to keep his beloved Taoaslicer (hos other implement) in his other hand.
Vesperscale breaks their talisman and attacks with a shielding strike and a vampiric touch.
Tenpot clenches his beak and bears through the pain. Quickly reloading, he tries to fool the creature by deking to the right before popping out from behind the mast on the left, then firing and quickly reloading again.
Your implement sings out abruptly, disrupting your foe. The piece played depends on whether the trigger was a Strike or Spell, and it applies to the triggering Strike or Spell, except where noted otherwise.
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Vesperscales talisman shatters, turning black as it nearly burns her body from the foul energy. The hobgoblin goes all out as she absorbs some of the Morrowkins life force.
Tenpots shots out the side of the creatures jaw, nearly killing it. Toadclobbler finds the trio of strands securing the Morrowkin to this world and severs through two of them. The Morrowkin will need to remain for just a bit longer to cut through the final strand.
Vespercales lowers her defenses as the bell doesn't even save her from the Morrowkins claws.
+ Drain Potential
+ Drain Potential
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
Morrowkin
➤ Vesperscale
➤ Tenpot
➤ Toadclobber
➤ Aegis
Not wanting to destroy the creature before Toadclobber can sever it from this world, Tenpot waits for his fellow thaumaturge to act.
Toad slices as much as he can against the flanked morrowkin. Uhhh… Time… to die!
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Toadclobber is able to sever the final tether of tie holding the Morrowkin to this world. The morrowkin is pulled through a black hole in the fabric of reality, hissing about all the fates it wanted to devour as it goes. The tear heals as quickly as it formed.
A few breaths later, the Knife of Trouble Elimination shudders for a moment before letting raw temporal energy spiral forth. Reality is rewritten as scenery goes back into place, people return to their positions, and damage is reversed. The knife fades away into nothing. Everything is as it once was... except for Rui Longlai, who has aged at least thirty years.
The Knife of Trouble Elimination used Rui Longlai’s life to hold the loops open. Rui is aware of this and doesn’t complain, since he wanted to save the people who were suffering from his mistake. "There are no shortcuts in life I am afraid." His voice shakes slightly. "I think I can finally run the restaurant the right way. I hope that you will come and visit it."
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The knife of Trouble Elimination exposes one final flash of magic as it shatters in Toadclobbers hands. Once more you find yourselves traveling the somnambulist’s bridge. One of the pages from your book flits out floating before you. The words on the page glow as a voice is heard in the void.
"For as many mysteries as there are covering our world, the spaces within the self can hold even stranger revelations. In Nantambu, guided by the professor with the armadillo mask that matches this bead, I once had the opportunity to peer into my own self. I saw something there, in that space within my memories... one day, I hope to return to it. —K.H.W."
You easily note that a single flat, turquoise bead is affixed to the page with a dab of adhesive, matching the mask the Archivist’s note describes. The bead glows slightly, visible through satchels or clothing, as you make your transit through the somnambulist’s bridge. On the other side, you're welcomed by the sounds of a bustling market, burbling canals, and glass chimes tinkling in the warm breeze of Nantambu.
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Aegis turns up rumors that there once was a scholar with an armadillo mask, an anadi, who specialized in the study of dreams and memory at the Magaambya, but he passed away a few years ago. Luckily, his grandson Kedari yet resides in Nantambu, and is likewise a student at the Magaambya.
Vesperscale and Toadclobber recognize that the mask matching the bead was likely made by a Magaambyan scholar of attendant rank, who likely then kept the mask throughout their academic career. The mask has a strong divination aura.
Locating Kedari is simple enough as he is found in one of the Magaambya’s libraries, perusing scrolls with his classmate and fiancé, Ieme. The stranger-shy Kedari adopts his humanoid form quickly at the sight of unexpected visitors. "Oh hello! Are you looking for a book?"
Vesperscale grumbles and complains to Kedari.
"I could use a good meal as I haven't eaten since that first loop, but actually, assuimng you're Kedari we're hoping you could tell us about your grandfather and his armadillo mask."
Toad looks in his Coloring Tome and sees a scribble of a big-brained baldie stabbing her enemies to death with crayons. While he would never lend anyone any of his precious writing implements maybe he can do something similar. It's worth a shot!
He hands Vesperscale a desiccated frog leg with some old melted crayon wax squished between the toes. Clearly, it's been in the goblin's pocket for years. This is a piece of the first toad I clobbered. Back when I was in King Zusgut's house getting yelled at all day. Hold onto it, it's special. Maybe it will help you clobber these horrors from beyond all understanding.
Toad is very uncomfortable in the library, with all these art books full of nonsense scribbles around. White knuckles clutch his Coloring Tome.
Ya. We'd appreciate it. Boy this ancient lieberry place gives you the willies, right? Maybe we should talk outside.
Somehow, perhaps, Toad's confused nonsense is weirdly endearing.
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Kedari’s jaw goes slack as his eyes are drawn towards the bead at the mention of the Armadillo mask. “I don’t believe it! I thought Grandpa was covering my eyes with Grandmother Spider’s web the entire time.” Looking at the bead, Kedari pulls a turquoise armadillo mask from his pack. “The magic still pulses, how amazing... may I?” He reaches out for the bead, which fits perfectly into a notch on the mask’s ear.
What did your grandpa study?
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Vesperscale takes the crayon encrusted frog, and despite her hunger manages to pocket it rather than try and eat it.
Ignoring her grumbling tummy for now Vesperscale pays attention to Toad's line of questioning.
Vesperscale asks "Do the initials K.H.W. mean anything to you by chance?"
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Kedari shakes his head. "Doesn't sound familiar, though my Grandfather did mentor to a young Archivist in Nantambu. He served as a mentor and magical consultant for the archivist on several cases of note, using his burgeoning research into dreamscapes to help the archivist return to his memories of past cases and examine them for new angles or details." Kedari holds his hand out. "Might I see the bead, it looks to fit perfectly into the notch on this mask."
Here. We wanna go into that dream. Toad hands him the bead.
"...We do?"
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“According to Grandpa, he used to work with some detective or hunter or something like that, this Avistani-Tian man. He never spoke much about the man, but he’d always tell stories about scouring his research to help with a cursed tree or demonic animal or what have you... honestly, the stories would change a bit every time he told them. Anyway, after the last job they did—something about haunted rain, where he nearly lost his neck—he and the man went out drinking around Nantambu to celebrate. He said he gave the man that bead as a thanks for saving his neck all those times over the years.”
Kedari becomes extremely excited at the idea of continuing his grandfather’s research. “Actually, with this bead, I can help! It’s been a while since I read Grandpa’s research, but that bead is almost certainly what he used to access the man’s memory realm in the first place. I’ll need to modify the ritual a bit, though...” Kedari looks to Ieme, who nods supportively. With confidence, the scholar snaps his fingers. “Let’s get started! I’ll write up a list of books we’ll need to retrieve.”
Within minutes the books are all laid out on the table as Kedari spends several hours cross referencing everything possible.
By cross-referencing the theories in his grandfather’s research with magical runes etched within the bead itself, Kedari and Ieme extrapolate the ritual that Elaro likely used to help the Lone Archivist access his own personal memory realm. Given the close association of dreams and memory. "The entrance to the memory realm can be found in the Dimension of Dreams. So long as we have sufficient emotional guidance, provided at the moment of casting. There are a few extra steps I will need help with."
Vesperscale looks around for a less reputable seller, perhaps some sort od Desna dream cult.
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Tenpot leaves the research to his allies and heads out into the marketplace in search of dream spider silk.
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The research takes until midnight, after which point Kedari is ready. "To reduce variables during the experimental ritual, I have arranged for the casting to take place in a private laboratory under layers of the Magaambya’s finest magical wards." The scholar spins a web of magic, connecting each of you to the armadillo mask, which flares in dreamlike colors. "Once this next part completes you will all fall into a dream-like state. Are you ready?"
Let's go.
Vesperscale thinks about asking for lunch first but nods as well.
"Ready."
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Kedari’s ritual feels similar to the transits through the somnambulist’s bridge, but somehow more complete—as natural as falling asleep after a long day. When the shift is complete, the party stands in a dreamlike, temperate forest before the rotting walls of a two-story library. Books pile at the foot of collapsed bookcases and shelves, their covers marred by rain and mildew. Only a pair of darkwood doors stand, frameless, among the trees and ruin.
Vesperscale looks around but doesn't recognize their surroundings.
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The doors swing forward easily with a creak. The forest grows cold and dark behind you, storm winds rising to buffet you inside even as the library’s interior blurs and shifts. Though you’ve never been here, you can’t shake how familiar it all feels.
Cold, muggy mist drifts on the shores of the Lake of Mists and Veils, though pieces of Yllaldo Castle are strewn through the forest. The jawbone of Nolimarthos protrudes from the water, and a deafening drone fills the air. When it ends, the Birchfrost Beast emerges from the lake, growing in size with each terrible blast of sound until it blots out the sun and the ground shudders.
"What in the world are those doing here? Those are the doors to the vault in the Grand Lodge."
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"GO ON, GIT! GIT! GET OUT OF HERE, YA SCURVY LAND WHALE!" Tenpot shouts, hoping to scare off the immense beast.