Jack Mister's page

I've not given up hope yet.

Depends on the physics we're talking about here. Cold is an energy type in Golarion.

So: how can we test our theories, and make use of the information?
Could we duck in, then duck out?

As regards the final attack, Jack is very keen to keep that timing fixed as far in advance as possible. He has a theory that this is alternate timelines and introducing 'random variables' is good, but that the timing should not be random, or the iterations may be scattered over probability space.

Primary goal needs to be to find the heart and remove it.

Jack is looking to use incendiary devices that are primers that trigger a lot of coal. All up he's looking to ignite tons of coal. Multiplied by the number of Jacks that go in. The idea is to convert existing structures into more fuel by raising the core temperature of the Schultenbrak to the point where even in its arctic conditions the buildings start to burn.

tThat's the distraction. Setting it will attract antibodies. AT the moment the hope would be they get harpooned and ideally dragged out into the 'real world' and dismantled in a magic-existing zone.

Orcs had it as a deadly nuisance. That's about where it was. Remember it took one person and moved on... we are the ones who forced ourselves down its throat.

Chemical weapons may or may not work.

Fire has the advantage of being contagious. Big worry is
(A) it can feed on fire - but in this case it must be making a loss or could simply live by 'growing' a tree structure and burning it.
(B) this much fire will deplete oxygen
(C) if water has been seeping in from the ocean then there may be submerged areas that are harder to burn. Not the volume of fire we are talking about means we may be able to turn the water into steam anyway.

Shawe seems to think that we might be able to use the fragment of heart he's got for something - possibly something to hurt it as an additional distraction.

Is that an alchemical possibility in this world? If so, how much is it likely to cost?

"I have things to pick up. And time to wait after that. The faster I get them, the faster I can be many making."
if this looks like a longish talk, Jack will duck out and get his special bombs and harpoon.

I'm happy not to be given "kill it this way". We're being given "this did not work" and maybe some hints.

At some point we have to make a choice, pick a path and hope it will work.

That said,Jack has the bombs and the harpoon lining up.

Jack is stunned by these revelations into speechlessness, simply acting as a translator for Miria.
sense motive: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25
He considers - he wishes to discuss his plans for incendiary devices, ask about the entropic effect on arcane energy... but this seems more personal.

We know that Shawe would murder Shawe. That says much about his character, if the one who knows him best would kill him.

Jack slams his hand down on the furniture

"If dT=linear" he stops, starts again
"If time always goes so fast, He is already dead. He was dead within a minute of us getting out. But if ways... split over time, and Schultenbrak ties all those ways, we need time for ways to change."

"I need my bombs now, so time can pass and I have more bombs."

"There were bodies in antibodies not us. We were only ones who went through. Time in antibody must be slower or Schultenbrak slows time when not eating."

Shawe's term antibody seems to have latched into Jack's vocabulary.

If he allows we are not simply templates then Shawe must realise the number of people he killed is hundreds of times larger than he thought. I doubt he can let himself accept that.

"Energy reduced inside creature. Hypothesis: Increased entropy in demi-plane. Research Question: Fire at very high temperatures still burns." Jack adds encouragingly.

Jack translates for Miria.

"Poison. Things that eat anything are hard to poison, because they are grown resistant. They are easy to poison if you find a thing that still affects them."

"These laws you talk of. How does the Schultenbrak... Aarh!" Jack gives up, freely interspersing his conversation with gearish in the hopes Shawe can follow it.

"Define: Schultenbrak = S. Define: Conventional Digestion = Extraction of Energy and Matter. Define: Poison=Co-option of Digestion process to introduce toxins into vulnerable organs. Hypothesis: S Digestion can be co-opted. Research Question: Mechanisms behind S Digestion. Cite: Shawe. Quote: 'demi-plane, with an ecosystem and set of natural laws all to itself'. Research Question: Current state of extracted S heart fragment."

"Better to die fighting than as food." Jack nods slowly as he speaks. His 'quiet' tone and hesitancy suggests he is not sure he believes this maxim applies to the situation.

There is a horror in his eyes; eyes that have not shown horror at amputation, wounds, nightmare creatures or the Schultenbrak itself. Not since the time a world away that he thought his own kin might have been turned against their gods by Hawcroft.

Jack has stayed silent, but his gaze is now rooted on Shawe as he listens, barely breathing.

Nope. I'd tell him everything.

Jack looks troubled, and not well skilled at covering it. He walks in silence for a little, then rumbles back in what passes for quietly for him.
"Jeg forstår, bror, at du ønsker å gå tilbake til pårørende. Jeg har ikke noe ønske om å felle deg her i denne byen som er så fremmed for deg, omgitt av menn. Jeg sympatiserer ... men jeg tror ikke vi kan la denne tingen i live. Hvor mange andre ville bli spist av den? Hvor mange orker? Jeg tror vårt eneste håp er at når vi er der inne kan vi finne en gateway.
Jeg tror dette et hjelpeløst håp, skjønt. Jeg tror at Maw har stengt.
Kanskje veiviseren kanskje vet hvordan de skal returnere deg ... men han kan godt trenge et anker."

Jack pauses, thinking, then nods.
"Yes."
turning to his companions
"Does anyone need lifting?"

perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24
wisdom: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (3) + 0 = 3

Jack scratches at his chin thoughtfully.

"If it was not Schultenbrak, would you have come so fast?"

"Your Schultenbrak sounds like our Schultenbrak. Might be more than one. We might need to cut out the heart of this one. Might help to hear how you killed the last one."

His eyes narrow

"There is a thing you have thought. A dark thing. What is it?"

"The dead do not grow." Jack points out calmly, embracing his orcish companions.

He then turns to Hern with a strange intensity
"You know of schultenbrak? Tell us. Help us to help you."

Jack's anger seems to have faded, and he casually tosses the now empty gibbet far away.

into the water if possible

"Too much. Not enough. It hunts people. Hunts through the worlds. Stays hidden. Mouth, tentacles... and a belly as big as a city. Is a city. Tried to eat him." Jack waves at the orcs "We chased it. Into the maw we went. Most of us died, or still there. We got out though. Came here. Have to get weapons, go in, kill it. Save those still inside."

"It eats people. Lots of people. Eats as many people as in your city every year, I reckon. Can't run now. Can't hide. Now we can kill it."

"You want to be field mice to be eaten by wolf? Or do you want to try to kill the wolf?"

I thought the gibbet was built into the stage... was just treating it all as one object. I guess if it is more than about 16000 lbs Jack'll have trouble though... but if not attached I guess he'll throw it...

Jack speaks, pointing at the distant
"Is Schultenbrak. Hunts people. People go away. No-one sees. Like shark that hunts shore. We and they hurt it. Near killed it. Now it lies dying on shore. Hooked and gutted. It thrashes as it dies. Those too close can be hurt. Need men to go kill it."
"Men not hurt you. Men save you. It was here already. They made it not hidden."

He then picks up the Gibbet, complete with people, and starts to walk back.

Jack walks implacably towards the gibbet, club in one hand as he swills from a flask held in the other.

Gatsby; Just wanted to say, love your work. This bozo as just a representation of smug corporate greed to me, and he just became a 3D person who I can see Jack might actually - and against his will - start to admire.
Beautiful Scene.

Has Jack got a tree, or a post or something? Roughly how far from the edge of the crowd where the group is to the gibbet?i'm assuming terrain is at best crowds.

Jack looks mad. Very mad, but he nods to Sallrana. As he walks down the street he keeps an eye out for a tree or post he can use as a weapon.
He also injects himself. Three times.
Mutagen, ant haul, and shield again

As he walks he grows, once again becoming the monstrosity from last night.

"They do."

Jack grits his teeth
"Let's go."

"Execution?... Killing? Who is being killed?"

I believe Jack prepped last night
Jack wakes, looks and shakes his head. Dressing he joins the others for breakfast.
"This is a bad thing. End of the world bad. Rick: I hope those things will be available today. I think I should go and light a fire under them."

He pauses, and looks sideways at Roger for a moment, then continues.

"Not a real fire. A fire in their heart. A real fire would be very bad."

"May be we must go to the door very fast."

"Also, those from last night may come back with more friends now that the door is so big. They know we know about the door. If they told their boss about us, their boss may send very many friends to ask us things."

"We should prep and rest. One-on-one-off watches and shared rooms."

Jack thinks in Gearish, reflexively translating his words into common as he goes.

"My Sallrana said fire would hurt it. " Jack's slow, thoughtful, simple voice booms out, echoed by HexQin's translation

"The version of Sallrana that accompanied me into that damnable place hypothesised that sufficient fire could injure - perhaps kill - the beast."

"If it is a... hole... a black sun... then we might fill it. Or not. Rick can't eat a turkey. Fire eats, too, though."

"If we assume that Rick's theory is correct, then that suggests this creature somehow derives nourishment from increasing the entropic gradient. Metaphorically a sort of anti-sun, black where the sun is bright. If this is true then it is possible there are limits to its ability to derive nourishment in that way which in turn suggests that providing sufficient energy in a short enough period might cause damage similarly to attempting to cram an entire turkey down Rick's throat might kill him. Of course even should that prove impossible, if there is in fact no limit to the amount of energy that the creature can consume at any given time there remains the fact that Fire consumes matter to produce energy and in that way is entropic itself."

"Orcs called it Schultenbrak. No sound Oricsh. Look for it. What is bell?"

"Given the Orcs used the world Schultenbrak to describe it, which is not an Oricsh word, it is possible others may have studied it previously and survived to leave notes. Notes that could help us could someone find them. Possibly even notes describing the bell tone that we heard."

"Peoplemonsters may not be Schulternbrak."

"It is possible that the 'people monsters' that Roger refers to are not in fact intrinsic to the place as a whole but may living in parasitic or symbiotic existence with it."

"If fire hurts it, I have fire. I have... big bombs... to hurt it. Being made. Barrels fire with fire and oil and coal and fire-steel."

"Working on the theory that fire can indeed injure the creature I have been working on truly terrible incendiary weapons. Rather than simple vials these are carefully built barrels. When triggered the barrels use easily ignitable materials to ignite progressively longer burning materials, ending with coal and certain flammable metals."

"Two tricks. One is may not buy them because afraid burning city. Two is seawater."

"The two major issues that can be foreseen is that the barrels will be denied me as they are an ingenious incendiary siege device I could use to cause serious damage to this city. Secondly if the Schultenbrak is underwater then the fire may not work."

"Also, Something disrupted power there. Fire was less. Time... Time moves strange there. Not sure always slower. Baldwin may be dead. Might be alive. Even if we cannot get him, we can get revenge. If multiple places are connected, and places are like paths, and paths are being made all the time as we walk, then time spent in this place means more paths, more portals, more us to attack creature. Good chance if we go in and go out portal we will not come out in this place."

"I made a deal with my Hawcroft. I honour that, or with similar Hawcroft. Hawcroft we saw in other place before stomach... this is a bad Hawcroft. I will kill them. might be have to kill Hawcroft in place we come out."

"We need to know how the grafts work. If we get out there is a chance place we go in to will not have grafts. Our grafts will fail. Then we have nothing."

Jack obviously starts struggling with the language, trying to convey concepts for which he has no words.

"My... playing... with my... graft has shown... big... alchemy... Training? Oozes. Do... thing."

Giving in Jack cuts himself with a claw. A few seconds later a slimy residue forms over it, then changes colour to match Jack's skin.

"Rick, I will show you Gearish. Good to have way to talk about these things with real words."

He turns to Sallrana
"Unless you have a way to make words into common?"

"That's why we are so keen on new doctors."

"Hmmm. Had not thought on contract with Hawcroft being like contract with night market. Good thought Sallrana."

Jack turns to Rick, trying to work out how to explain the leash Hawcroft has upon them.

Jack shrugs
"Sure"

perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14
Jack turns around, talking
"Next time we talk we look for ears first." .

Suddenly seeing Sallrana's "shadow" as he was facing the other way he starts and throws his mug at it.

There is no way that Auken can lose this much face. His tribe would judge him forever. Eventually he will realise this.

Auken can only be hoping for a better option. This stalemate needs to be resolved now, while his group is swayed against him. An individual challenge, not a group fight.

Jack steps into Auken's line of fire.

"My mug is empty" he says sadly.

Okay, I think we need a GM decision on whether Auken is going to shoot John, shoot Jack, bolt, or other. Trusting that people with social skills have talked the mooks into holding off if they are not threatened.

I've just got this image of everything going on and Roger just sitting there eating, unconcerned, as if he's not worried.

"You know how good John is. Look at me. Shoot me if you like. Think about how many of you would die before I went down. Think about me and John. Then understand that when we, even we, run in fear from danger He" Jack points at Roger "Is the one who fights it. All the losses you will take fighting us are nothing compared to what He will cost you."

"Now, back down."

"You bought me an Ale, so I will give you till I'm done. Talk to me. Make me happy. If not I will kill you with the mug when it is empty."

Jack winces at the translation of the famous phrase from Orcish.
intimidate + bigger bonus: 1d20 - 1 + 4 ⇒ (19) - 1 + 4 = 22

How long since Jack powered up for the night market?

perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15

"A place to talk with no overhearing us." Jack answers when Sallrana finishes, answering Rick's question.

spellcraft: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15
"That was our Sallrana, John." Jack 'whispers'

"We should not talk of this here. Too many ears." jack looks meaningfully around

"Sallrana's suspiciousness can run people the wrong way, but she is very sharp, and very tricky. She thinks other people are sharp and tricky too."

Jack waves 4 gold to the innkeep

"So. Now she's gone do you want to talk? I remember what it was like before I was fixed. I would have sold pasts in an heartbeat to be able to walk again. Do you need help, Rick? Have you sold too much? Roger has been looking more at how his work. I am an Alchemist and... do you speak Gearish? It is hard to explain in small words."

that sounds like what a GM would say if there was a trap...

"If not want to trade, we should go?"

Sorry guys, if Jack was a reasonable man he wouldn't have experimented on himself to the point he destroyed his legs

I'm here

Jack is still curious to talk to the paper sellers