It'Dupree MonStropidious's page

The entourage clustered around It’Dupree is slowly making its way out through the double doors of this room and as It’Dupree herself is just about to leave, with her back to you, she hears Ballar’s question.

She stops suddenly, and this makes all those around her give out an audible, but restrained, gasp.

You watch her back as It’Dupree’s shoulders rise, as if she were taking a deep breath, though you know she does not need to breath and no sound of inhalation can be heard, and then her shoulders relax, her head turns just a tiny amount until only her left eye comes into view and she says, with a monotone authority that is unmistakable, ”I am counting on you to make her understand how important it is to me that she comes home, where she belongs.”

Anyone want to jump in here and tell me what they want to do next?

"I can't tell you how much is pleases me that you are willing to try. There is no rush. Take time to prepare yourselves. I don't have any information about the castle where she may be being held, and it is possible she might have escaped on her own, or been moved. I'm not watching the place continuously, though I am working on a plan to set something like that up. The land is cold, mountainous, bleak, and the castle is old but seems to be maintained in good condition. It is isolated, but there is a village nearby. I've only learned a little about this world. The local population of the empire of Alodoa look upon this country, Barvakovia, as a hostile but pacified enemy nation, wile the population of Barvakovia seem xenophobic, and suspicious of everything around them. There is a strange, almost, timeless sort of magic surrounding the castle, not entirely unlike the sort of magic that created the shroud over this city."

"When you are prepared, return here and I will be sure to have everyone standing by to assist you on your journey through the mirror."

”No, the man known as Skarda, who was in possession of the mirror you recovered, is dead. He had been trying to create a small kingdom within a pocket dimension he found access to through the mirror, and retreated there in hopes of catching you, but his kingdom was in collapse. A few adventurers, friends of the woman you met, Hannah, were able to start a revolution, and he was overthrown, captured, and was killed by his own soldiers when he tried to escape. He never really understood the power of the mirror, and perhaps that is a good thing, for the people of Alodoa, otherwise he may have unleashed terrors beyond his control. I believe the vampire who has taken Jacquelyn is a Count and was or is part of the Barvakovian royal family.”

It’Dupree turns to Zae, smiles, and says, spreading her arms wide, ”I can spend time telling you what we now know about where each of my old friends may be. I think it would not be as helpful as telling you only what you need to know once you have decided on a place. Each of the seven mirrors will take you to a place that is initially safe or was safe the last time we checked. I am trying to send scouts through, but I have warned them not to stray too far from the mirrors, least they become lost and cannot return. Your group has demonstrated greater skills, and I have more confidence in people like you than I do simple scouts. Four of the mirrors go to places on this world, on Riom, while three go to different worlds. I believe three of my friends are still in book form, but one of those books has been taken to another world. The other four, may or may not be in the forms that I made for them, should there ever be a need to abandon the book forms. Some adventurer in the past must have been able to talk three books into revealing their secrets, otherwise it is unlikely the forms would have been activated. I myself released book four, into the form I think she now has, and that form is on a peculiar world. Jacquelyn has been free for about half as long as Oscar has been and was originally here in the city. She is now trapped on the world you returned from and is held in a castle in a country called Baravkovia.”

She turns to Ballar, drops her arms, and continues, ”Barvakovia is a dark and dreary land, and the locals are not welcoming to strangers. In addition to this, there are rumors the lord of the castle where Jacqulyn is being held is a near indestructible vampire. The previous group had no stomach for taking on such a foe. If you can convince Jacqulyn to return, I will give her the option of becoming a being of flesh, mortal, with the body she now possesses, or return to the form she previously had, and in this way give her all her memories back and a second chance at a mortal life. I have collected what remains of the original bodies my friends once had, and I need these things to complete the spells that will restore them to life.”

She then moves to the center of the gazebo, ”I am sure by now you are beginning to see where it may be difficult to complete the mission. What I want to do is restore my friends to the lives they once had, give them the chance to decide their own fates. I do not know if this is the thing I need to do, but it was suggested to me, by another who has lived an undead life far longer than I have, that it may be the key to my future being a future of peaceful rest in the afterlife. But, these people have been immortal for a long time, and have most likely forgotten who they were at all and might not think being turned into a mortal again is in their best interest. I hope you can help them see that I am sorry for what I did to them and want only to undo a wrong that I never had the right to do.”

After Keryth points out an obvious problem, she turns to him and points at him with vigor, ”Yes, but Jacquelyn will most likely want to return to the city, of this I am confident. If we can restore her memories, and if she understands why I am doing this, she can help you with another. None of the groups I have sent have this connection, and now that I know that you know her, in her current form, I believe she is the one you should go after. Oscar might also want to return to the city, but right now we only know where she was last seen and finding her might be harder than finding any of the others. I have three groups looking for two books and one construct, leaving four choices available, Oscar, Jacqulyn, and Fonidea, as far as I can tell are all in construct form, and each is on another world, one team is searching for Fonidea. Two teams are looking on this world for two books, Brijel and Ronald, while Timothy, who is in construct form, may be far to the north, in a place I used to know well, which has been overrun by giants. Finally, Lathcoln, who may or may not be in book form, is somewhere in the dungeons below this city.”

”I’m sorry, Ballar, is it. I meant it not in that way. I have a tendency to see things differently than most people. I did not mean she has no value, to you or to her fans, which I hear she has a lot of, a large following. I meant, as a construct, a living, self-aware construct, she is not particularly unique, or comprised of materials that would be valuable to a wizard or sorcerer, and since she is self-aware, would not be well suited in the more common types of roles that construct are built for. In fact, what I meant was…”

She stops when Keryth asks about Margory. She stands suddenly, and an intense fleeting emotion flashes across her eyes. As suddenly as she rises, she regains her composure, straightens her dress, and clears her throat.

”That was a mistake. I should not have mentioned her. It was just that I was caught up in the moment, memories from so long ago can take me away. Margory was not a friend. She may have been a part of our little group, early on, but we did not get along, at all. And unfortunately, she, she um, left the group before I had learned the spells that I used to make the others immortal. We won’t talk about her again.”

She steps one small step closer to Keryth, and says again, this time her voice taking on a rasp and growl that carries more meaning, ”We won’t talk about her again.”

As you approach the small, indoor gazebo, you see the lady of D’Orbna wiping away tears from her face with a large white cloth.

She places the cloth to one side when you ask about the others who have come and gone before you, ”Only one team has returned, and they returned with disturbing news. We were not able to convince them to try again, once the mirror had been recalibrated, but for their efforts they were rewarded, not as handsomely as they had hoped, but I’m sure they were grateful for what they did receive given they were only able to return with information and could not rescue Jacquelyn. They were gone barely a day when they learned she had been captured and taken into a dangerous castle. This group seemed to feel that the castle, and its surroundings were too much for them. I expect that the others are doing well, but it has only been three days since we were able to set up the mirrors and be ready to send the first group out.”

She shifts a few large sheets of paper on the small, white, wooden desk beside her as she turns in the chair to face Zaehyra, ”I would love to tell you about my friends, all of them, but I don’t think that is a good use of our time, right now. I don’t mean to say there is any rush, or to imply that I am in any way under some sort of clock, as they say. Still, I was hoping to get started on the plan I have now, before anything else gets in the way. The people of the city have changed a great deal since I’ve been away, and I understand that since the shroud has been taken down it has had a negative impact on more than half the different beings who call this place home.”

”I created the shroud, originally, as a protection, a field of energy which would prevent large numbers of creatures from other realities from entering our world, but as can often happen with ancient spells and books not well understood, the spell was more powerful than I anticipated. It shut me out of the world, physically, and shut down almost all magic that could be used to move across different planes of existence. It took me almost two hundred years to discover even the smallest ways to open holes I the shroud, and I tested these spells in the dungeon I created below the city. After two hundred more years I had discovered how to open every plane and reality to the city but could not remove the shroud and the binding it held on me. The mirror universe was the key, and for that I am already in your debt.”

”I will tell you who my friends were, what their names were in life, but I won’t go into much detail until you are ready to try and make an attempt to rescue one of them, they are Jacquelyn Ophelia Vilaku, a dwarven war maid from the province of Adurau, she was volume one of the books I created, and we were not close, though we respected each other. Brijell Dawnsinger was a half-elven druid. We were as close as sisters at one time, she was volume two. Fonidea Toavana, a goblin witch, she was once a foe who I was finally able to take into my confidence, she was volume three. Oscar Corrine, hmmm, what can I say about him that you will not take the wrong way. He, or she I suppose, was my most critical friend, always finding reasons to call me out in front of the others, always finding the flaw in every one of my plans. He was born a halfling male, but, well, his life was complicated, and difficult at times and I took pity on him for all the pain he endured. He was volume four. Ronald Hythlodale, a human cleric, and already old when he foolishly fell in love with the wrong person. He was volume five. Timothy Woppet, a gnome scoundrel, and a man who ran his mouth far more than anyone ever should. He was volume six. Lathcoln Agilar, another dwarf, a talented spy. He was cunning, and careful, often too careful. He was book number seven. And then there was Marjory, um I mean that was all of them. Seven friends, and each of them was turned into a book. I believe four of them have been changed into another form.”

” I understand Jacquelyn was lose in the A dungeon for a while, causing her own bit of mischief. She does not remember her past life, and has established a new life, with new memories. I believed she would be the easiest to convince to return here, as she has a bit of fame of her own making but learning she has been captured gave me pause. She, in her new form, is certainly fetching, if limited in physical, um, abilities, but other than that she has no particular value to anyone unless they are intending to take her apart to find out what spells give her life, and a will of her own. This upsets me. She will be difficult to break. There is also the possibility that she was captured by someone who knows who she is, and her connection to me. Over the centuries I have made my name known on other worlds, through the agents I employ, and if she is going to be used as bait to try and capture me, well, that individual or individuals have no idea who they are dealing with.”

”Please, enjoy the garden, take some time to talk amongst yourselves. I will wait here for a few hours while you make your decision.”

She turns, slowly, about to walk away when Bud mentions pie and she stops, stands still as a statue for a moment, and then raises her hands to her face, just as Ballar asks if any of the others have returned.

With her gloved hands hiding her eyes, she speaks, answering Bud first, ”I believe there is pie. I had made that request this morning to the kitchen. I hope you enjoy it,” she pauses for another moment and seems as if she has pressed her hands hard enough against her eyes in order to make them harder against the memories she must be experiencing, but it is not enough apparently, and then her words come out in a rush as she suddenly hurries away before she can answer Ballar or hear Zae’s or Niversal's comments, ”it was my own recipe.”

Zae, Ballar, and Niversal– it is unlikely she will hear your questions, unless you decide to follow her and ask again once she reaches the gazebo.

She turns her face toward all of you, smiles, lowers her eyes for a moment and then lifts her head.

”Thank you for coming to see me,” she says Her voice is soft and clear. She removes the working gloves she is wearing, and you cannot help but notice the flesh is not there on the ends of her fingers. The bones end in long unnatural points as if, somehow, her fingernails have been preserved. With a casual grace she puts on another pair of gloves, these are dark brown leather, and dainty in design.

As she moves around the cart coming toward you her hands drop to her sides for a moment. She crosses in front of you and turns her back toward you facing the fountain.

“The waters of this fountain are brought here from the land where I was born. A new supply is brought every month to keep it filled and always flowing,” she begins speaking with her back to you, but raises her hands suggesting that you should come closer and take notice of the fountain as she talks about it, “when I was alive I would take such pleasure at the sounds the falling water makes. It reminded me of the Tumble of the White, a waterfall I knew well. My hearing has suffered over the years, not only as I grew older in life, but as I have been dead for a very long time I have also neglected it. The water of the Tumble of the White was seen as sacred and pure by the goblin tribes I grew up near. In the deep chasm below the falls many strange, some dangerous plants flourished. I grew to love the wild things in the gorge, and it was there that I first discovered the tomb of the great goblin queen, and the tombs protector. It was from him that I learned the secret of how to become what I am today. Sometimes I feel as though not being able to hear the water anymore is a good thing. It might make me more sad than I already feel, if I could hear the water again.”

She turns around, putting her hands together at her waist and continues, "I spent my life, as an adult refusing to be sad, when things changed, when things went in ways I did not like, ways I thought I should have been able to control. I always blamed others for the challenges that I should have known were my creation all along, but enough of that for the moment. Let me try to get to the point.”

”When I chose the path that made me what I am today, I was still young, by many measures, and I had seven dear friends. We had many adventures together. We did not always agree, all of us, but we respected each other’s talents and abilities. Our goals, for many long years, were the same. We all, all of us, wanted to protect the city from harm. I did not grow up here, but I felt it was my second home. I found acceptance for my peculiar tastes and hobbies here.”

”Long before the city, as it used to be, fell to the invasion of armies from another world, and another time, I began the final steps in the process to become this thing that I am. In my mind it was a logical next step in my existence. I knew that to someday achieve all the things I ever dreamed, I would need to be this. I did not see it as evil. All seven of my friends disagreed. At first, they tried to talk to me as a friend. They tried, each of them in their own way, to change my mind. But my mind was fixed on the future, and they could not change it. So, as is expected of the types of heroes they were they set themselves against me. They failed, individually, and together, to end my life, and as much as I hated having to do it, I ended theirs. But I had become powerful, even while I was still alive, and what I did next is what I now regret more than anything.”

”I prevented all of them from passing out of this plane to the planes beyond. I trapped their souls in seven separate books. These books were all known as The Book of It’Dupree. The books were under my control and allowed me to have a way of watching the city from seven different locations at the same time. I communicated with the books through a link between my mind and theirs.”

”Not all of my friends were able to survive, emotionally, mentally, the experience, and those two that did originally stay fully aware of who they were, and what they had become, in time also lost their delicate hold on their individuality until, after just a hundred years of enslavement, they had become nearly mindless automatons. When I originally created the books, I had planned, someday, to release my friends, once they came to understand the mistake they had almost made. To prepare for that day I created seven golems, of the most precious materials, ivory, gold, silver, and the finest woods from every part of the known world. I intended to return my friends to these bodies of my creation as a gift to them.”

”I do not, will not recount all of the mistakes I have made. This is only one of them. Before I could realize what I had done was wrong, the city was attacked by the Goblin Queen and the Necromechadon army. In my effort to save the city I created the shroud, to lock the gates that allowed these armies to enter our world, but at the same time the magic locked me away from city as well. Imprisoned for four hundred years I have had much time to dwell on my mistakes, and even though I was physically contained, my will, my mind, were free to travel to other worlds where I spent time learning from others, others like me, of the terrible price eternity can extract.”

”It was from one such being, the Eye of the Lakoradak, located on another world within this plane of existence that I first learned that, for those like us, the Eye and I, there is a path to redemption. That path is difficult, and often results in failure, but it is worth treading. To begin my journey toward a meaningful death, a finality I deserve, I must undo the wrong I did to the ones who cared about me in life so much that they were willing to sacrifice everything to stop me.”

”This is why I need your help. Some of my friends have been released. Their souls set free from the books they were bound to, and transferred into the golem bodies I created, while others are still trapped in the books, which have been lost. I could try to track down all of them myself, but as you can clearly see,” she raises her arms out to her sides, ”this form raises a certain suspicion. I could mask myself in illusions, an easy task, but the real possibility exists that my friends are being held by people with powers and abilities to see through illusions, and once they saw that it was me, I would need to destroy them as well, just to free my friends. I do not want anymore of this sort of confrontational struggle on my hands. I know my limitations. I know my nature. I am not good, nor am I truly evil. I follow certain rules, and will always follow them, this is my curse. This is who I was, and who I always will be.”

”I’m not sure that I can ever be made pure again, as these waters of this fountain. I can never be the girl, Penny, that I was, but I can be on a path that ends in my harmony and acceptance into the ends of all things. I am asking people like yourselves, people who can function together with diverse skills and problem-solving methods, to search out my friends, be they the books I bound them to or the golems they might now be. I have been able to narrow down the location of all seven of them to at least the world they are on, and possibly to within a few miles of the current location, as long as they do not transport themselves or are transported by someone else, great distances before they can be found. I have set up seven mirrors, using the magic I learned from the mirror you brought to me, in a protected room, below the city. These mirrors could take you, or anyone, to the world where one of my friends can be found. Four groups like yours have already agreed to help me and have passed through the mirror of their choice to rescue one of my friends. If you are willing to take this quest, and will try to rescue one of my friends I will show you the three remaining mirror worlds and you can select the world that appeals to you the most.”

”In order to keep my enemies from knowing you are doing this for me, I will not be able to supply you with the bracelets which enable you to return whenever you want. Instead, the mirrors have been set up to connect to well protected, and obscure mirrors in these other places. You must find my old friend in the world you travel to, convince them that you want to help them return to their former selves, and return to the mirror in that world in order to come back here. You do not need to, nor should you, mention that you are doing this for me. Should my friends suddenly remember who they were, I imagine they will be angry to know I am interfering in their existence yet again.”

”If you succeed the reward I will give you will be one of your own to choose. Anything your heart desires. Nothing is beyond my power, and I will not do anything to pervert or escape the agreement we make. Name your reward, and if you succeed, it will be yours.”

”Please take a few moments, here, in the garden, walk among the paths and enjoy the sights, sounds, and scents, of what is here. Talk among yourselves. I will be sitting just over there, just behind those small trees there is a gazebo. I have some letters to write and I do not mind waiting for you to take as long as you need to decide.”

”Thank you for being patient, and listening to my story. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask.”

It becomes clear to Lilly, rather quickly, that she is overwhelming this hobgoblin with information, but the woman does react favorable, when Caitriann is mentioned

Yes, I know this Maetaur woman of whom you speak, she is regarthed as an ally by our queen. She is fair, and knows the nature of our laws. The last I hear, she was searching for the black fortress, to the west. My scouts gave her information on the perils of the area aroundth that place. If you seek to go there, as she, I wouldth warn you, strange creatures are seen there, and many who venture too close to the black fortress are never seen again.

When the Kobolds are mentioned, the woman, spits to the side, Vagrants and squatters, a vile race of thog-like creatures with no ability to follow the law. They have no rights to these landths, because they will not pay the rents owedthe to the queen. While we are stuck here, with this matter, we have no time to be botheredth with the Limecraker Kobolths, or their allies. I think the queen may even sendthe another unit of troops, with a different Waas, and they will treat with the Kobolths. It is not in my control to have any more to tho with them, but if you think for one moment the queen will allow them to remain in the kingdthom if they will not pay their rents, you are mistaken. The resolution will only be peaceful if they leave when they are toldth to leave.

I know it has been a difficult game to participate in, I am sorry. For the record, Clifton Caldwell was rescued by the group before you (which Isaiah was a member of, but Wylla seems to have disappeared, as well as Wolfgang). The prisoners, as far as everyone knows, were all rescued and returned to Pawkatukit

When Isaiah mentions a “gang” of slavers, and “human mages” the Hobgoblin’s eyes grow wide, and the set of her jaw tightens

There is a bandth of men, from Pienalan, in the city states, calling themselves the green handth. We know of them. The Queen has placedth a price on their headths. The selling of slaves is ulucana, not to be, she waves her left hand around by the side of her head and says, What is the word, in the common language, allowedth, permittetheth, no I cannot remember. But, a slave cannot be madthe free, nor soldth without the Queen’s consent. And you say these men are sorcerers, magic users? Are they powerful? Do you know the spells to block their magic?

The hobgoblin crosses her arms across her chest, her right hand rests on the pommel of the long knife attached to her belt. She frowns, and says, So, you are not here as representatives of your nation, I see. Well, you will not give you permission to be here, anyway. The orcs* inside this fort have barricatheth the entrance, and we intenth to break it open with our catapult soon. Then we will attack,

As she says this she opens her arms, and brings one of her fists down in the palm of her other hand.

You can move back, back now from where you came, or, if you insist on travelling west or east, I tell you, stay close to the river. My scout teams will not hesitate to attack your party if you venture far from the river.

It is only now that it seems she understands what you are suggesting

No, she shakes her head, Unless, yes. I see now what help you might be. We scouteth this fort yesterthay and there is a breach in the wall on the northeast wall. I sent a small team in through the breach, to try and dthisrupt the enemy from within, but they have a monster there. Only one of my goblin sappers came out alive and he saidth the monster is fierce, has many tentacles, and a huge toothy maw. The creature, whatever it is, is chained to a block of stone and cannot escape, but blocks anyone from going into the fort through that break in the wall.

She moves to her right, turns slightly, and points. I will post a scout in the tall grass by the tower there, and you and your followers can move to the breach in the wall. Wait for a signal. Once the gate is open we will attack in force, but tell me this. Why you seek to push the orcs from this fort? It is ours to claim. The Queen has claimedth all lands under the goblin tribes from the coast she points to the east, and then to the west, to the black fortress at the Merandth River to the west

Here you all know that she means to say Maranda River, a small river to the west, well to the west of Deer Creek Falls, which feeds into the Main River that flows west to east here, but you now suspect she cannot pronounce the letted “d” correctly (probably why she says “people of the Aload”, with a sort of “th” attached to the “d” sound, instead of Alodoa)

I request that you halt, and go no further, the hobgoblin says, loud and clear. I am Waas Elhaad, commander of this unit, under Queen Tanmani Uan Adhoide, and you are trespassing. If you are emissaries from the Peoples of the Aload, state your message and return across the river, or if you must, stay close to the southern riverbank and continue on your travels, but press no further southward. We are not at war with the Peoples of Aload, but your presence on our lands will not be tolerated. We are taking back this fortress in the name of the Queen, and our country. State your intentions, be quick.

character 2: 3d6 ⇒ (4, 5, 1) = 10
character 2: 3d6 ⇒ (2, 4, 1) = 7
character 2: 3d6 ⇒ (6, 3, 3) = 12
character 2: 3d6 ⇒ (2, 4, 3) = 9
character 2: 3d6 ⇒ (5, 6, 4) = 15
character 2: 3d6 ⇒ (6, 2, 6) = 14
character 2: 3d6 ⇒ (4, 6, 5) = 15
character 2: 3d6 ⇒ (4, 4, 4) = 12

Triples add and roll again
TARA: 3d6 ⇒ (6, 6, 5) = 17

Second Character, will try one of the other races for this one

Talking about hamburgers always brings me down

These are the sorts of things that must, MUST be resolved, here in this discussion. We need to focus our energy on addressing these travesties, today gentlemen

This statistical inquiry is of the utmost importance and should not be so lightly dismissed, Lives, literally! lives hang in the balance, woe that the pallor of death should embrace us before we are enlightened to these monumental revelations, harrumph