That resolved, she pinches Phaed by the ear with her skeletal arm. ”You have a great deal of explaining to do, dear sister. Especially now that you are finally lucid.”
OW!
Phaed talks as she helps inter the brains.
One must strive for the proper moment to raise the curtain upon these truths, sister! It can take years!
I believe we were separated at birth. Unwanted triflings, given up for adoption. I felt awful that I landed in a fine home and attended Chelaxian finishing school whereas you ended up in some awful necromancer's cult. All that fresh dirt. It made me feel terrible to have been born so talented and given the gifts to flourish at a fine arts program!
She grumbles. Of course, my understudy in theater class, Salicina, sabotaged me with fleshwarping magic and twisted my form into what it is today. So, perhpa flourish is the wrong word.
In fact, Salcina is a famous actress now. I intend to invite her to a special party here at the manor once it's repaired to my liking. I shall reveal some DRAMATIC TRUTHS to her at that time as well. What do you think, sister? These tombs might make a nice necromancer's la-bore-atory. We could throw interesting dinner parties here at the manor, and we wouldn't have to pay the help.
NOOOOOO!! The Nosoi get to just waltz in here and steal the show like it was nothing!?
—
As Ioseff fades along with her malevolence condition, Phaed's shoulders slump as if she were being released from a heavy burden. I feel like I’ve been acting in a bad play for days now. Not only have I been a hamming it up about my manor, prone to long and dramatic monologues, positively narcissistic about my involvement in this place’s history, but I was also wrong about a couple things.
Such as, naming this place "Forever Friendship manor." Clearly that sobriquet needs to be workshopped. Also, wanting to impress my ancestor Ioseff. What a selfish man, spoiling a dramatic reveal for Abella. Among other things. I had been waiting for the perfect moment after all these years to bring it up, and this manor was the perfect opportunity for a masque of revelations. What an egomaniac! I am so very glad he is gone.
The face behind the mask is finally revealed… identical to Abella's own!
Ioseff — or perhaps Phaed in her madness — grins. You can never get rid of FAMILY, twin sister! We'll all be together forever here in XARWIN MANOR. She turns and looks meaningfully at the brain jars.
You add a flourish to your composition to extend its benefits. If your next action is to cast a cantrip composition with a duration of 1 round, attempt a Performance check. The DC is usually a standard-difficulty DC of a level equal to the highest-level target of your composition, but the GM can assign a different DC based on the circumstances. The effect depends on the result of your check.
Critical Success The composition lasts 4 rounds.
Success The composition lasts 3 rounds.
Failure The composition lasts 1 round, but you don't spend the Focus Point for casting this spell.
Once again Phaed can't help but feel jealous the ghost is trying to murder Abella and not her. She hands her friend the ring with what might be considered poor grace.
Hmmh. What does she have that I don't… nevermind. I'm ready. I'll show Ioseff why he can't ignore me!
Phaed dreams that night of how she will decorate her house. She'll host so many fundraising galas for the theater, and regale her guests with interesting tales of her manor! The tragedy of Fulvia might make for a good stage production, in fact…
Phaed looks at Abella, and almost asks whether there is a difference between one's consciousness and their body… whether the "I" of personhood resides in their brain or their body, or if a brain separated from a body is even the same person as they were with a brain inside the body.
Then she decides asking these the garrulous necromancer such questions would be a terrible idea and it would just give everyone a headache.
You are in Xarwin Manor. We believe something terrible happened to you, but we are trying to help.
She introduces the party. "I am Phaedria, thespian and diva and inheritor of Xarwin Manor. I am here with my friends Shade, a worshiper of Desna; Pavo, also a desnite and a clever scoundrel; Tuco, a monk who sought an artifact here for personal reasons; and Abella, a necromancer who specializes in scientific studies of thanergy.
Diplomacy (T):1d20 + 11 ⇒ (8) + 11 = 19
If this is not enough I will use my precious hero point:
Phased is thrilled to have her grandfather clock in working order. Perhaps the brain is literally her grandfather. Shall we repair the singular timepiece above?
You add a flourish to your composition to extend its benefits. If your next action is to cast a cantrip composition with a duration of 1 round, attempt a Performance check. The DC is usually a standard-difficulty DC of a level equal to the highest-level target of your composition, but the GM can assign a different DC based on the circumstances. The effect depends on the result of your check.
Critical Success The composition lasts 4 rounds.
Success The composition lasts 3 rounds.
Failure The composition lasts 1 round, but you don't spend the Focus Point for casting this spell.
Phaed's voice warbles and echoes, as if she has two throats.
Phaed looks at the apparatuses and decides it's not worth her time. However she is put out by the fact she isn't being given her due.
Well. I am the master of this pace now. I have already begun my new life here, and shall never leave. Is this some kind of fleshwarping procedure you propose?
The woman in the mask toys with the tower of butter trays upon which Ezramalkun perches. So, my favorite murder of fiends. Here we sit, with a fine meal. However I must say, I am at somewhat of a loss as to what's going on in my home. It seems as if I am having memory problems. She flutters a gloved hand. Well, it hardly matters: I am perfectly content to stay here forever. In fact, I am considering renaming the place forever friendship manor. What do you think? It's so nice here, except for the ghost. I know how to exorcise him, but why do you think he keeps pestering us? And what's going on with the dreadful decor downstairs? The strange patterns and ectoplasm are simply tacky.
Per slack we wanted to discuss theories about what's going on.
I cannot help but feel there is some connection there, Abella… What do you have that he wants? I don't think the ghost is a pervert… he seemed angry. The woman in the mask slides into a chair. Clearly, she is unhappy someone else has something the ghost wants. Surely whatever it is is amazing and special. And she hates not having it.
She sighs and turns to Erazmalkun. Well, it's good to know we're making some progress here. This house is so lovely. It has good bones. It deserves better. Tell me dear, what was my name again?
Critical Success: The creature is unaffected and becomes temporarily immune to unnerving presence for 24 hours.
Success: The creature’s attack rolls take a –1 status penalty for 1 round.
Failure: The creature feels Yianyin’s eyeless gaze upon them but knows that something far more dangerous and monstrous watches them through those empty sockets. The overwhelming presence of this alien intelligence causes the creature to become slowed 1 for 1 round as they shake and tremble with fear.
Critical Failure: As failure, but the creature is instead stunned 1 and knows the name of what watches from those empty eyes: Tchekuth.
The lingering performance fades. The woman in the mask performs again. Be brave!
You add a flourish to your composition to extend its benefits. If your next action is to cast a cantrip composition with a duration of 1 round, attempt a Performance check. The DC is usually a standard-difficulty DC of a level equal to the highest-level target of your composition, but the GM can assign a different DC based on the circumstances. The effect depends on the result of your check.
Critical Success The composition lasts 4 rounds.
Success The composition lasts 3 rounds.
Failure The composition lasts 1 round, but you don't spend the Focus Point for casting this spell.
The woman in the mask sings! How unlike her, normally she acts. remember Inspire gives you a +1 status vs fear effects
She points at the carvings. These represent a strange variant of a common theme. You see, the Moths of Desna stand watch in the night sky to protect it from the Dark Tapestry far above. These are reversed. They watch over a danger below.
The woman in the mask staggers as she is pummeled with more extoplasm.
Hold on. She actually was at 35 because she got medicined for 9. She crit failed for 28, putting her at 7 HP. She then Soothed for 22, so she is back at 29+15=44.
You add a flourish to your composition to extend its benefits. If your next action is to cast a cantrip composition with a duration of 1 round, attempt a Performance check. The DC is usually a standard-difficulty DC of a level equal to the highest-level target of your composition, but the GM can assign a different DC based on the circumstances. The effect depends on the result of your check.
Critical Success The composition lasts 4 rounds.
Success The composition lasts 3 rounds.
Failure The composition lasts 1 round, but you don't spend the Focus Point for casting this spell.
The masked actress performs; it comes naturally to her. Sha Hurry. She casts haste on Pavo.
