Fey peeks around the room carefully as this is going on, reading over any plaques that might accompany anything resting on display. She makes a point not to touch anything lest she disturb the ritual as it goes on.
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For the good of the group then, I proposed this in my last post: I propose we grab a mirror (whether it be the big one or a different one on this floor) and set up in the gallery room with the cannon. Do the "incapacitate" ritual (I might need some handholding through that) and get the two to touch and then see what happens from there. If anyone has other suggestions or ways to modify the proposed plan, I'm definitely open to thoughts.
What do we need to do or who do we need to hear from to move forward?
"I can't find a damn thing," Fey complains, rejoining the others. "At this point, I think we need to get a mirror into that display room so we can get real-Ghaf in the right spot, and then I use the ritual that can paralyze not-Ghaf to trap them and make them touch." She flips through the book and sighs. "This is going to be hard, but we'll see...Is there a more accessible mirror than the one we left, or do we need to go grab that?"
"This room is sucking the life out of me," Fey complains, unwilling to re-enter the space. "Let me go check that room Rem heard the bird in. I was going to look, but the book distracted me." If there are no objections, Fey will quickly head to that space and search for anything that might belong to whatever Not-Ghaf is.
Fey sucks in a difficult breath and retreats out of the room, feeling drained by the cold. "Unfortunately, this isn't part of a demon. It's from some sort of hawk," She frowns, tossing it back into the destroyed room. "I'm at a loss. Do we want to even save Ghaf right now, or get the hell out and inform folks what's going on and let other people handle this mess?" She glances sidelong at Jassim and Tiqi to gauge their reactions. "We already fulfilled our duty here."
"Well, we do need something of the demon's..." Fey leans over to inspect it.
I have been sick but should be able to post tomorrow afternoon. USA thanksgiving break starts Wednesday. Same goes for AoA.
"Sorry, a little distracted!" Fey calls back to Rem, dodging a few of the pseudopod attacks before she feels the heat drain away from her skin. She hisses with pain, flinching away. "Stabbing, slashing, and fire don't do very much against these things...my dagger is worthless." Fey grumbles with frustration and then reaches out a hand to cast Grim Tendrils on the monster.
Grim Tendrils Details:
Area 30-foot line
Defense Fortitude Tendrils of darkness curl out from your fingertips and race through the air. You deal 2d4 void damage and 1 persistent bleed damage to living creatures in the line. Each living creature in the line must attempt a Fortitude save. Critical Success The creature is unaffected.
Heightened (+1) The void damage increases by 2d4, and the persistent bleed damage increases by 1. Fey then readies her Shield spell.
"They don't like my dagger, either--or some of my magic? It looks like a yeast ooze," Fey calls out.
"This thing is cold," Fey mutters, narrowing her eyes at it to try to identify the weird, fuzzy creature.
Fey's amber-colored eyes scan the creature briefly then chuckles "Ah, so that's what you are..." Fey reaches for the dagger in her belt and lunges forward quickly, taking advantage of her knowledge.
"Oh, sweet Pharasma!" Fey flinches away from the creature and yelps. "I made it mad! Come help!" She shouts before ◆taking a few steps back. Fey raises a hand and casts ◆◆daze.
Fey is updated with the rogue concept. There are some new things I'll need to update in the macro sheet & a couple of modified bullet points for her backstory that I want to run by DM. I tried not to make anything super dramatically changed. Not sure how we want to retcon her from being a bard with the others. Maybe she just dabbled in music but is leaving it to Rem because he's the more talented musician, lol.
Fey flips through the book, mostly ignoring Endoin's pacing, although she does look up and raise her eyebrows at the kobold for a moment. "A few options. All of them would be easier if we had something of the Not-Ghaf's. Like if he left something in the bedroom? I assume all the claw marks and the weird fur are from Not-Ghaf. It'll be easier if we have a name for the creature, too...maybe we can peek into a mirror and see if real-Ghaf can tell us a name..." Fey sighs, snapping the book shut. "Or maybe there's something in that trophy room that could give us a hint? Ugh, this is a headache." "I'd prefer to banish him, but that's a rough one. I'm going to check the bedroom and see if I can snag a bit of fur or something."
"The bird was probably whoever is in here, but I'll check it out..." Fey says, poking around the room a bit before she overhears Rem talking to Endoin about the book. "You found it? Where?" She holds up the fake book. "Let's at least follow through and put this fake one in there. Regardless of the outcome of all of this, at least we've done what they asked us."
"Can I see the real one?" She asks Endoin, peering over his shoulder--or rather, looming a bit, given the height difference.
I will be able to get a post in once school is over at 2:33 my time (EST) - I am stuck here until 8pm for parent-teacher conferences and can finally engage with stuff. After this week, things should be MUCH calmer. Tossed around the idea of molding Fey into a sorc/mastermind thief/arcane trickster archetype and will be playing with that idea after work too. Anytime I want to procrastinate on grading LOL
Fey, having been rather distracted, doesn't quite process Rem's initial whisper; however, she does pay attention to Endoin. "Alright, time to back him up!" and the sorceress rushes out and stops short of the catfolk's aura. "And we will!" She says loudly, nodding at Rem.
Fey hums with curiosity while studying the barrel and its inscription, crouching down to study it further. "'To break the walls hindering one's potential, one must first face their demons,'" She reads aloud, pensively. Then, a thought: "Oh no..." She stands up and looks around at the rest of the group in the room. "Ghaf faced his demons, alright...Not-Ghaf is some kind of demon, I'm betting. Maybe that's what destroyed the bedroom?" She huffs thoughtfully. Without waiting for any more answers, Fey goes to stand in front of the mirrors and quirks an eyebrow, waiting to see if Ghaf shows up in the reflections again.
"What the heck even was that?" Fey says incredulously before turning her attention to the other room. "Hm..." Fey very carefully steps into the room, and looks around at some of the items.
Fey passes by a few of the things, her eyes immediately drawn to the beautiful lute...and the tentacle that sat next to it. The sorceress reaches and hand out to touch the tip of the tentacle, but forces herself to stop short of actually making contact. "Huh...I want to spend some time with these, but..." She sighs, tearing herself away, and turns her attention to the mirrors. She approaches the mirrors carefully, on the watch for anything strange reacting to her movements.
Fey follows Endoin and peeks in after him.
Her eyes are immediately drawn to the gray hairs suddenly moving, detaching from the wall. "Endoin," Fey calls out a warning, raising a hand. "Get out of the room," She says, voice tinged with worry. "The hair is...floating."
"We got our signal. Not-Ghaf is heading back from Delain. We can't dilly-dally anymore. Where is the damn study?" Fey says, pushing open the door that Endoin had inspected to peek inside.
"Hm, hunting trophies..." Fey frowns, shoving down her distaste for the practice. "Oy, Marcus? If we get into a scuffle..." She gestures widely at the armory setup. "May as well put these to better use than collecting dust, eh? You, too, Tiqi, if you're so inclined." She peeks around at all of it, but finds that most of these things aren't well-suited for her dainty, magic user ways. "I don't see much of anything other than this...next room?" Without waiting for an affirmative, Fey wanders back into the hallway and down to the next door. She does not, however, open it just yet, and pokes her head back into the armory. "Think we should be worried about traps? I about grabbed the door handle and just opened it, but...you never know with these rich types and their paranoia."
well level up when, GM? :P (kidding, kidding)
I know Detect Magic isn't a radar to point exactly, for the record - but it is good to know that magic is in the vicinity & that's helpful knowledge. No worries about that.
"Smells like magic," Fey comments, stepping in behind Rem with a grin. "Lots more extensive, you're right, Rem. Should we lock the doors behind us...for safety?" If there's no protest from anyone, Fey will go ahead and lock the door behind them to make an obstacle for anyone who could be looking for intruders. She peeks around and casts Detect Magic, seeking a direction where the most magic might be present.
Fey shuffles closer to where Marcus was looking at the mirror, pulling a face. "Maybe Fake Ghaf actually has claws?" She posits. "Couldn't find any gold thread, though." She frowns and looks around more, twirling some of her blonde hair around her fingers thoughtfully. "Unless we can use some of my hair," She says, chuckling. "Or if anyone had some spare threads in general. I could make it look golden," She wiggles her fingers and demonstrates, casting Prestidigitation on her hair to give it a golden, metallic sheen. "Only works as long as I hold it, though."
"Well, we can change the time on the regular clock to match the one in the mirror. But I'd have to look around for thread..."
I'm super behind at work and won't be able to post until this evening! Sorry for holding things up! I promise I'm paying attention!
[smaller]"Pretty sure the bird said that when we were coming up. Which means someone else is, too. Either Not-Ghaf is returning or that's our signal that Not-Ghaf is heading back from the speech." Fey taps her fingers on her thigh impatiently, trying to think on her feet. "The study is our priority. Jassim, which way? I don't want to waste time exploring the whole place." She sighs heavily. "You have no idea how much that pains me to say."
My spouse just had dental surgery and the recovery really sucks. I will likely be able to post tomorrow. If there's anything pressing, you can @ me on discord and I can get something quickly typed up. I'll post this in Age of Ashes too just in case.
does ghaf have any amontillado?
"Eh, maybe just lean it against the wall with the mirror side facing the wall? I'd rather just get moving on getting things done in the study. We're on a time limit." Fey seems antsy, but is doing her best to be understanding of Jassim's position. Fey makes thoughtful noises after Marcus has his say. "I take it the real Ghaf, before the change, was a decent boss?" She clicks her tongue and then shrugs. "Well, as for the lock, we can take a look at it. Despite our struggles with the locks below, we're a relatively handy bunch..." She glances around at the others. "Shall we?"
Fey looks at the fake book in her hand again and shrugs. "Honestly, Mirror-Ghaf said they need to touch. He didn't elaborate. I can look at the book when I get the real copy, and maybe it'll give us some insight." She nods along with Tamhar and Rem. "Yeah, good idea. I'd rather not get ambushed or cut off from any of you. The mirror will be fine, and we can all head to the study. Maybe put the mirrored side against the wall, behind a curtain or something? Just in case?" She aims the last suggestion at Jassim and Fabian, making an entreating gesture.
"Well, that was fruitful!" Fey chirps cheerfully, beaming at the whole group. She pauses on Tiqi and Marcus, offering them a rather overenthusiastic wave. "Sorry for not saying hello sooner--I get a little single-minded. Pleased to meet you both. I'm Fey." The sorceress turns back to the mirrors and gestures around the room. "We can keep the mirror here. Lots of space. Jassim, can you show us or me or however many to the study? I need a book to make this work." She pauses, suddenly grimfaced. "We're going to have to confront fake Ghaf. The real and the fake have to touch through the mirror."
I hope it's for a good time!
Fey listens carefully, paying more attention to the others than she had been this entire time--focusing more on the mirrors and Ghaf's trapped reflection than anything else--and nods along with the plan. "Fabian, think you may be able to lift the big one?" She gestures to the large frame. "We could help, of course. One person on each side. Easier to maneuver it to hide these two," She gestures at Tiqi and Marcus.
Cross posting - I will be able to post after school today. Sorry for the delays. Sickness hasn't really left the household.
Fey taps her fingers on the wrapped-up book absently while she thinks of a way to deal with the binding dilemma, a sense of urgency tight in her chest. "Oh," She breathes out, looking at the book again. She unwraps the replica, turning it over in her hand, and then holds it up to the mirror. "Where is the real one? We need that, right?" She holds ready to breathe on the mirror again to help him reply, if need be.
I would bet it is some kind of messed up TikTok thing. It's all messages sent via Snapchat, they all say similar things. We've had bomb threats nearby too--I live very close to the currently infamous Springfield, OH--and they've received some threats... It's just been rough emotionally. I'm gonna get a post in soon, actually.
The past day or two have been really really nuts for me. My school received a threat last night that turned out to be a fake threat, but it was a very tense time while the school worked with authorities to figure it out. Turns out a lot of schools across the USA are under similar threats. All that is to say, I might not be able to post until the evening. It's been stressful.
"Also, the others were supposed to try to send us a message when Fake Ghaf was on the move. We never established how that would go. Ugh, this is a lot."
"Hmm." Fey approaches one of the more person-sized mirrors and asks, "What now?" to the reflection, ready to breath on the mirror to allow the man an answer.
"We probably are. We are on a time limit. Fake Ghaf could show up anytime. We should grab a mirror and get going." Fey looks at the fake book in her hand and huffs with annoyance. "I never checked the salon for the book. I got distracted by that reflection."
Fabian playfully rolls his eyes at Fey's joke. "Sure can. Where to?" "Back up to the Salon, but we'll need to wait for them to free those two," Fey replies, gesturing at their crew attempting to pick the locks.
"Locks mystify me. The fact that you can even attempt is impressive, Rem." Fey pats Rem reassuringly on the shoulder while she investigates the potential for magic in the cells. "Well, there's magical stuff around, but I can't really tell from where..." Fey states, shrugging nonchalantly. She felt it was better to let things roll off of her back at the moment--everything was weird in this situation and she might as well embrace it. "Lovely work, Tamhar," She murmurs, grinning toothily at the alchemist before shuffling into the cell to pick a large, but potentially easy to carry mirror to take back up to the trapped Ghaf. "Fabian, think you could spare us your big, strong muscles to carry a mirror?" She asks, toothy grin still stretched across her face.
I always forget Detect Magic works a little differently than in 5e D&D, haha.
As they make their way down, Fey feels more and more unnerved by the sudden turn of events. This was supposed to be a simple switch, and now...this. She wonders if their handlers at the Caia Outfit had any idea what they were sending them into...and what the point of sending them so uninformed would be, if so. A question for later, she supposes. At Jassim's exclamation about the prisoners, Fey's golden-blonde brows shoot up into her hairline. She listens to the back and forth briefly before sighing and looking at the closed cell. "Ghaf's not right because it isn't Ghaf," The sorceress says blithely, peering closer at the bars as she extends a hand and sends out a wave of detection magic. "I'm no good with a lock, but maybe one of these is enchanted or something. Or maybe we just need a big mirror."
"When we were walking through, I noticed there weren't any mirrors. I imagine whoever is pretending to be Ghaf hid then away. Mirrors are likely the key to his imprisonment. Jassim, we can explain everything to you soon, but time is of the essence. We aren't here to hurt anyone. Can you take us to the holding cells?"
"Well, this just got a lot more complicated," Fey mumbles, crossing her arms over her chest before fogging up the mirror again and writing: "do guards know about you?" in similar smaller lettering. "Maybe if they aren't aware that the Ghaf out giving a speech isn't their real employer, they'll help us?" Fey says hesitantly, chewing on her lower lip.
"Would that work from our side?" Fey asks, cocking her head to the side before shrugging and taking a deep breath to breath all over the window in the area where Niraj gestured. |