Expedition: Earc/Guhra's Tower - 15 July 2021

[Marullus]

Morality is a theme on this whole expedition - what Bianca is doing IS a controversial act under both Issachar's beliefs and those of Winnie/Bianca. Healing the almost-dead is one thing (Stirling is right - she is fully-dead and CLW is insufficient), but they're all part of neutral-God cults that resist the idea of reversing a true death. I think this is good roleplay that has ramifications and character development for everyone. Bianca is playing the ramifications that her character is facing, which I've communicated to her in private. Winnie will have to deal with her unwitting participation in/benefitting from a blasphemous act. I think Olaf's reaction for Moradin (and against the evangelistic nature of clerics) is likewise awesome.

I'm fine handling this narratively. I see Issachar's roll as "I'm willing to take the rod with force." (He didn't state intent to harm Bianca.) His roll missed and Olaf is willing to step in; between them Bianca has freedom to act. Bianca has communicated privately that she's committed to the action.

Edit to add: Being upset at wasting the precious magic of a limited item of Moradin is something to address IC, as the action to use it rashly was IC.

Bianca's unexpected strength is displayed again as she scoops up the remaining parts of her friend Winnie and carries them back into the laboratory, lying Winnie on the third table. She looks crazed, a wild and uncontrolled look in her eyes, grief and determination both on her face, as she takes up the silver tools and demands the heavy engraved rod from Olaf.

Seeing the unholy act about to occur, Issachar tries to strike the rod from her hands. Bianca pulls it away in time and Olaf steps in to keep Issachar away from the table. The priest of Gwanwen pleads with Bianca to stop, to think about what she's doing, to let Winnie go.

Bianca closes her eyes for a moment, gripping the rod over Winnie's half-digested legs, her pale and lifeless corpse. Then her eyes open and she begins chanting in a strident, baritone voice. The words are in a tongue that none of you comprehend, her face is exultant as her words crescendo.

The whole room shakes and rumbles. The rubble on the floor begins to swirl, then fly about dangerously - it is all you can do to take cover. The broken shards of glass, rotted flesh, discarded dry-rotted leather goods, dust, dirt, broken stoneware... it all crumbles into fine dust and swirls faster and faster like a sand storm around your knees. The dirt then rises up over the lip of the stone table. The fine particles of earth and stone cover Winnie's body, filling in the missing portions of her legs, leaving a thin layer over all of her pallid flesh, as if remaking her from raw clay. The dwarven rod flares with light! The clay fades to the color of skin, then grows ruddy with blood and life.

Winnie wakes abruptly, emitting a shrill, blood-curdling cry, then falls back against the table, panting and awake. Bianca collapses on the floor like a rag doll, suddenly released from its owner's hand.

Date: 3:10pm, 19 July 2021
Light: Earc's glowstick, Issachar's lantern (until 6:30pm)
Effects: None
Injuries: Issachar (minor injury), Earc (minor injury), Olaf (superficial injury)

[Zhym]

"If it be Moradin's will..." mutters Olaf quietly when the dust has (literally) settled.

"She be alive?"

[onlyme]

Halfpint just stares at all of them. She does have a bit more fear of the magicians however, as they seem to have power over life and death.

[Alethan]

Earc scowls at Bianca as she commits to her necromancy. "You foolish elf. Wasting such powerful magic like that..." He hopes Winnie didn't hear him, but he suspects she is busy coming back to life for the moment...

OOC: Out of curiosity, how did Bianca know what a rod with dwarven runes on it does? Or immediately how to use it if she'd not touched nor examined it before hand? Or did I just miss some interactions somewhere?

[Marullus]

You saw nothing IC that implied she should have had that knowledge herself. Earc doesn't have a necromantic idiom and didn't recognize its purpose; he's more experienced than Bianca.

OOC:

OOC, anyone could have picked up the rod and, by expressing the proper intent to resurrect, gotten it to work. Her actions were notably more deliberate than exploratory, however.

[Zhym]

OOC:

OOC, anyone could have picked up the rod and, by expressing the proper intent to resurrect, gotten it to work.

Really? I got the impression from when Olaf looked that he was unable to use the rod, even though he's the only (PC) dwarf and follower of Moradin in the group. I admit to being rather shocked that someone else (who wasn't a cleric) was able to use it after that. Had I known that anyone, including Olaf, could have used it, he would not have been so eager to hand it over without a discussion first.

[Stirling]

let me first express an apology to the group player's
if they felt my character or actions were out of order or not in the spirit of good game play. It is not in my intention to do either. I tend to play characters who wear their hearts on their sleeves and roleplay hopefully with a good team spirit and characterisation.

I have absolutely no issue with Olaf jumping in to parry or block Issachar in any way or chide him over his presumptive actions.

Issachar

Covered in dust and splinters of glass, the cleric is in awe (and a little fear) of the divine summoning. "Moradin's will? She lives."

Issachar checks on the prone Bianca. Does she live? His experience is only of substitutional sacrifice.

[Zhym]

Olaf holds out a hand, now that he knows what the rod of his god does. "I'll be having that back now, lassie."

[Marullus]

OOC:

OOC, anyone could have picked up the rod and, by expressing the proper intent to resurrect, gotten it to work.

Really? I got the impression from when Olaf looked that he was unable to use the rod, even though he's the only (PC) dwarf and follower of Moradin in the group. I admit to being rather shocked that someone else (who wasn't a cleric) was able to use it after that. Had I known that anyone, including Olaf, could have used it, he would not have been so eager to hand it over without a discussion first.

You don't know IC that anyone can use it. I think Olaf's actions were fine IC; I'm sharing OOC knowledge since I am deviating from the book for story purposes.

[Marullus]

Issachar checks on the prone Bianca. Does she live? His experience is only of substitutional sacrifice.

Issachar checks on Bianca. She appears uninjured, just perhaps shaken by the experience.

Date: 3:20pm, 19 July 2021
Light: Earc's glowstick, Issachar's lantern (until 6:30pm)
Effects: None
Injuries: Issachar (minor injury), Earc (minor injury), Olaf (superficial injury)

[Zhym]

OOC:

OOC, anyone could have picked up the rod and, by expressing the proper intent to resurrect, gotten it to work.

Really? I got the impression from when Olaf looked that he was unable to use the rod, even though he's the only (PC) dwarf and follower of Moradin in the group. I admit to being rather shocked that someone else (who wasn't a cleric) was able to use it after that. Had I known that anyone, including Olaf, could have used it, he would not have been so eager to hand it over without a discussion first.

You don't know IC that anyone can use it. I think Olaf's actions were fine IC; I'm sharing OOC knowledge since I am deviating from the book for story purposes.

This whole thing seems to be getting very meta and OOC. And it's hard to know how much OOC knowledge Bluehorse got in a private forum. Frankly, I think how this has been handled is something of a mess.

[Marullus]

OOC:

I think this is very simple. Olaf knows jack shit about magic items. He's never seen nor heard of a dwarven item like this. Act accordingly.

I was being transparent OOC because I'm assuming a layer of player-trust and ability to differentiate between IC and OOC. Earc knows some things as a magic user, and as he deliberately tried to examine the item as such, so I clarified that. Issachar, Bianca, and Winnie all have beliefs that play to the scene as they're oriented to religious cults. Bianca is dealing with issues I am giving her as a GM; it isn't your job to know how much I'm telling her OOC. I told you enough that you can question things IC if you wish.

Please return to IC posting.

[onlyme]

Halfpint asks, seeing how everyone is alive still, whether they are ready to proceed, and if so, should they go back into the room where the pudding was?

[Rusty Tincanne]

Winnie shivers violently with her hand over her face. No, no, no... she mutters. This isn't right. Finally she rolls to her side and reaches out to Bianca, seeking her sister's hand. What did you let it do to me? To you? This is bad, Bianca. Winnie slides to the floor, wrapping her thin arms around her friend's now-fragile form. She looks at the others with tear-filled eyes. The two of us need to get back to our family. Sooner is better than later.

I think what is missing OOC here is that Bianca had something happen to her when she looked in Casper's book. The diary of a necromancer, if you recall.

I think you all are great roleplayers, by the way. Really great stuff in the last page and a half, despite anyone's issues about the game. Really inspiring!
I agree that PVP is something to be avoided, but considering that Beith's view on the cycle of life and death, and that Gwanwen is sometimes seem as an alert of Beith (or vice-versa), I love Issachar's action. And then Olaf's. And Halfpint watching dumbstruck and Eric chiding Bianca for wasting the rod... All because two characters are like sister's and one died! Whew!

If we decide to to go now, let's check those crates first.

[Alethan]

Earc looks at the new levels of chaos surrounding his party and tries to assess it all and take back control.

He grabs the dwarven rod and passes it to Olaf for safe keeping. He acknowledges Issachar's attempts to prevent the young elf from trying to resurrect her... lover? Maybe that explains some things better? But he's no one to judge them.

"Funil and Drunil, can you keep watch at that door while Issachar checks on Bianca and Winnie?", he points to the door opposite the one to the altar room.

"Halfpint, Olaf, let's go check on the chest that black ooze was guarding. Once we get that, we'll return the two women to Gaul so they can deal with their issues. Then we'll return after provisioning up."

Once everyone moves to action, Earc cautiously enters the room where the ooze was. First he checks ceilings and behind the door for any further sign of one, then he approaches the chest and examines (without touching) it and the goblin more carefully...

OOC: Sorry, I'll have to go back and read the other description. I skimmed over it when the ooze came out of hiding.

[Bluehorse]

Bianca

Lays in a crumpled mess of limbs on the floor, the silver tools scattered about. Her eyes are wide... not alert, but truely terrified. She stares off into nothing but still breathes. When Winnie slides off the table and moves to pick her up, she is limp and unresponsive. Then... so very very slowly... her face contorts and she begins to weep openly.

hey all. Sorry, Friday's are exceptionally hard for me to post. Let me say this. I promise there are perfectly legit things at work ic but behind the curtain for all this. I am not sure when or how this will all come to light, nor what the real consequences will be for Bianca, but I am asking those of you that know me from other games to lean on the trust we have build over the past year and a half or so I have been playing here. Those thst i have only recently met, i know this seems like a tall order, but i promise there will be an awesome revelation when it all comes to be. I'm not 100% sure myself, but knowing what i know, i know i would be disappointed by s spoiler.

[onlyme]

Halfpint follows Earc. She asks whether it is wise to offload the mentally unstable wizardesses and leave the group exposed to dying without their powerful resurrection abilities.

[Zhym]

Olaf takes the rod, staring at it with awe. "Ye be telling me how to use this relic of Moradin, yes?" he says. "We be needing the silver tools, too?" he asks.

He goes with Earc to check on the chest.

[Marullus]

Funil and Drunil are stunned and silent by the activity witnessed. They move and guard the doors as Earc requests. Pony the Mule, likewise, seems past his limit for strange activities.

Earc, Halfpint, and Olaf checks the storage room carefully where the pudding was waiting. The goblin is naught but bones and dried skin at this point, indeterminate in age. The chest with the poisoned lock sits open against the wall, the contents already taken. The chest itself is in good condition, however, and it looks like the lock and trap could be reset.

Many of the crates and parcels stacked on either end of the room were filled with perishable components and foodstuffs which are long since ruined. It looks like there was once significantly more parcels, but they have been digested by the pudding. In their place, only the undigestable remains - a handful of gemstones that might once have been set in metal jewelry.

Gems: (Appraisals provided by Olaf)

brilliant-cut black gem - (Not natural stone)
muddy deep blue lapis lazuli (25 GP)
blue quartz (40 GP)
violet garnet (100 GP)
black obsidian (40 GP)
flawed pale blue-green aquamarine (80 GP)
dull clear rock crystal (50 GP)
large muddy red zircon (50 GP)
pink rhodochrosite (17 GP)
small blue azurite (45 GP)

On the right side f the room, which appears to be less digested, you find five small wooden boxes with reinforced latches amongst the other goods. Earc opens them and finds carefully-preserved vials of magical inks, all meticulously labeled. Each box contains enough inks for several scrolls and weighs about 20 lbs. (total of 1,000gp in inks, or 20 spell-levels worth, 100lbs for transport.)

Date: 3:40pm, 19 July 2021
Light: Earc's glowstick, Issachar's lantern (until 6:30pm)
Effects: None
Injuries: Issachar (minor injury), Earc (minor injury), Olaf (superficial injury)

[Zhym]

Olaf inspects the gems with a shrug. None are particularly awe-inspiring, but each has its own individual qualities of interest. The gem that is not natural stone, however—that's unusual. He takes a closer look at it.