hidetzugu wrote: ↑Fri Apr 26, 2024 3:37 pmOCC:
1) Cool, what would be the Ob for the instinct link-test to have the correct dye?
2) Since this is a "knowledge test" and I'll be rolling unskilled Perception, I'd like to pool quite a few Help dice from the other PCs, do you have a limit for number of helpers under these conditions?
Instincts cannot help tests, though they can trigger them. If you meet your Folklore Ob, that would establish that your dye is effective.
I do not have a limit for number of helpers. I would also say it's necessary for them to be present in the scene, or be brought in somehow, which in this case means you probably need to wait until you return with the goat.
Eric.D wrote: ↑Fri Apr 26, 2024 1:43 pmSo damn cool. I nominate Marullus for a Beliefs Fate point for the way he's interacted with the locals. It's not quite high enough for Embodiment just yet, but you're on the way!
"The appearance of power is power itself" was the first lesson of Alagash. I will use the power of his name to secure what I need to go find the Red Diamond.
Thanks! If my Belief is not yet fulfilled (his actions in the duel of wits got the guide who knows the rituals, which is a thing he needed), what is it that Nutesh still needs? I am hesitant to make something up just to try and acquire it because I expect the GM already has an idea of what the city contains. I can still pursue my original idea, which is to use Circles (and his Infamous Reputation a la Alagash for +1D/+1 Ob) and find someone else in the camp who can provide what I need, if I can get input on what that might be and I don't want to belabor this unnecessarily if we don't need anything and my belief is poorly conceived...
Eric.D wrote: ↑Fri Apr 26, 2024 2:20 pm
Moving toward his tent, a squat structure of linen and animal hide, he picks up a small goat, throws it over his shoulder, and steps out into the desert, the moonlight and stars barely bright enough to see by. "These wards you speak of, tell me about them."
I am calling for that Folklore roll to establish if your wards are effective. By my count, the Ob is 3, doubled to 6. Mekertu is not familiar with your particular ward, but will help with his Religious History skill, as that covers knowledge of the creatures in the city and the desert.
I think a failure will indicate that you have a ward that you believe is effective, and of course will find out at the most inopportune time that it just isn't.
Not reading the social cues, Nutesh keeps ending up where Mekertu is trying to go. The beduin tries to find a place in the desert to slaughter the goat, but he's right there, uncomfortably close, watching intensely to see how the butchering is done.
So, he overhears the conversation begin about the drawing of inked wards upon the dwarf's skin. As Lilly begins describing various marks, Nutesh assists her, filling in blanks in her understanding, advising on the order of standard symbols for better effect.
Trait "Always in the Way."
He offers +2D for help with Circination, which should apply to you drawing wards.
hidetzugu wrote: ↑Fri Apr 26, 2024 3:37 pm1) Cool, what would be the Ob for the instinct link-test to have the correct dye?
With the clarification on Discord, I will offer two Obs for this: for cheap, bad indigo equivalent to woad, Ob 3. This will work for creating Charms, but not a Ward or Remedy. For high quality, valuable, colorfast indigo, Ob4. This can be used for Wards and Remedies as well as Charms.
Failure means that you thought you had it (and maybe you did, at one point), but can't find it anymore. Very awkward when you go to all the trouble of coming up with some Folklore solution and then realize it's impossible for you to carry it out, regardless. (And that means artha, baaaby)
Marullus wrote: ↑Fri Apr 26, 2024 8:50 pm If my Belief is not yet fulfilled (his actions in the duel of wits got the guide who knows the rituals, which is a thing he needed), what is it that Nutesh still needs? I am hesitant to make something up just to try and acquire it because I expect the GM already has an idea of what the city contains. I can still pursue my original idea, which is to use Circles (and his Infamous Reputation a la Alagash for +1D/+1 Ob) and find someone else in the camp who can provide what I need, if I can get input on what that might be and I don't want to belabor this unnecessarily if we don't need anything and my belief is poorly conceived...
Perhaps I misread your intent with the Belief:
Algash's first lesson: You have the power that people believe you do. I will embrace the fear of his legacy to secure what I need and hide his disappearance.
I thought this was a more broad Belief intended to be triggered frequently throughout the campaign as a sort of guiding light. If you feel like it's completed and should be replaced, then perhaps there's room for a Personal Goals Persona point, though I would argue that the last sentence implies more work to be done before it's truly done. Also, personally, I think this is too juicy a Belief to one-and-done with it.
Marullus wrote: ↑Fri Apr 26, 2024 8:50 pm He offers +2D for help with Circination, which should apply to you drawing wards.
This help can apply to creating a Ward, if that's what you want to do. But remember a Ward will require high-quality indigo dye.
And be aware that a singular roll of Folklore can create only a single Charm, Ward or Remedy. More require more successful rolls. So it will be up to Lilly whether or not she wants to create a Ward in particular.
Ob 3 Folklore:
- Unskilled (double the Ob to 6)
- B5 Perception
- 1D Help from Mekertu's Religious History
- 2D Help from Nutesh's Circination
- 1D Help from Suen's Perception (subject to veto)
- 2D Help from Farouk's Perception (subject to veto)
Even though it's a "free" test I don't think Farouk would have participated/helped. Especially after choosing to leaf Mekertu alone for a while. Maybe he uses the time to score a deal with Akhom as mentioned before.
"So... only cheap indigo, then?"Mekertu shrugs as he cuts the kid's throat in a swift, clean stroke. Blood spews from the dying creature, splashing all over the sand. A few drops patter on Nutesh's fine leather boots.
He holds the kid still, stroking it and murmuring gently as it dies rapidly. "Unfortunate," he says once the animal has ceased moving. He lays it on the sand and begins efficiently skinning it.
"She Who Understands the Signs say blood is sacred. Perhaps we add blood to it? What," turning his eyes toward Nutesh, "What say you gharib? Perhaps you and the small lady can use some local wisdom to come up with a proper plan?"
He offers a few insights as the conversation continues throughout the butchering process. A few moments later, you have come up with a theory: blood symbols painted on the body. Nutesh is confident they will be of some use, given that they contain the proper fortress sigils. Mekertu is confident because of the blood used to make them. And Lilly is confident because all of the signs she mentioned earlier are propitious for warding against demons. Unfortunately, time will prove them all wrong.
When Mekertu is done butchering, he returns to the fire to make dinner for the group. Someone has prepared a few vegetables and begun a stew, which he adds the bones to. He sets the meat on a flat stone placed over embers, where it begins to sizzle. Dinner tonight is excellent.
Farouk:
As Farouk approaches Akhom, he smiles and spreads his arms wide. "Farouk! Finally you have come back to me. What have you brought to sell? I made off with a woman last month, one of those they call Venerable in the flat deserts. Her brothers paid well for her return, and I am ready to buy what you have brought me."
Nutesh:
The circle is still powerful when Nutesh finishes his meal and departs from the gathering, where the bandits continue to make merry. Their laughs resound against the walls of the cliffs, and one of them has begun dancing, much to the amusement of the rest, especially once he removes his robes and dances naked around the fire.
As you lay down, your mind circling the camp with Carrock, you see a mirage laying next to you, just outside of the circle. Returning to your own senses, you can see her, waxing and waning, a reflection of moonlight on water, the scent of dried flowers kept for decades in an earthen jar wafting on a distant breeze. Her voice is a whisper, barely audible over the whisper of the desert.
"I have been to the city, dear. It is not a place of the living. Nor is it a place of the dead. I felt... I do not know what I felt when I was there. But I am afraid of you entering it. There is something alive there. Something malefic. I felt it watching me as soon as I entered, and it watched until I left. Not the creatures that bend themselves like worms crawling around wooden toys, something much more baleful."
The strange cry from earlier cuts through the night, distant, humanly inhuman.
Lilly:
Lilly sees Finnithir as soon as she returns to the fire. He is sitting next to Urkazzar, the man from earlier, engaged in a deep conversation that seems to interest only the two of them. Catching your eye, his face lights up, and he gestures you over. "Lilly, my love, our friend Urkazzar has returned, and he has brought something for you."
Urkazzar nods solemnly, his eyes on the sand, but he holds a stone out to you. A black stone. "It's from the city," he says, still looking at the sand, his head rocking in the same motion as earlier. "I thought you would like it. It's very pretty, and shiny."
Seeing it closely, he is correct. It is pretty. And shiny. Very shiny. It scintillates in the firelight, alight with amber and coral red. A gemstone. A black gemstone aglimmer with an internal fire.
"For your joke," he explains, "Nobody makes jokes with me. It's my favorite. But you can have it."
Finnithir places a hand on his shoulder, gently. Urkazzar flinches slightly under his touch.
"You must hear the story he told me about your kind my dear. And my kind, for that matter!" His laugh is seraphic, a tintinnabulation pealing through the night.
Suen-Magir:
As the revelry continues around the fire, Sabit, sitting next to Suen-Magir, looks around. "You should conjure some of those magic whistles, little brother. They will like it, and you need to practice."
She strokes your neck, gently but firmly, "Your magic is very important to us. And you haven't found out who would benefit the church most when subjected to your particular gift, so this is at least a small thing you could do?"
She frames it as a question, but it is a familiar wheedling. If she doesn't get her way, she will be cold and callous for days. She might even have the other members of the Black Citadel express her displeasure on her behalf. They're usually afraid to do much, but their fists can hurt. You know.
Eric.D wrote: ↑Sun Apr 28, 2024 5:20 am"So... no indigo, then?"Mekertu shrugs as he cuts the kid's throat in a swift, clean stroke. Blood spews from the dying creature, splashing all over the sand. A few drops patter on Nutesh's fine leather boots.
He holds the kid still, stroking it and murmuring gently as it dies rapidly. "Unfortunate," he says once the animal has ceased moving. He lays it on the sand and begins efficiently skinning it.
"She Who Understands the Signs say blood is sacred. Perhaps we use blood instead? What," turning his eyes toward Nutesh, "What say you gharib? Perhaps you and the small lady can use some local wisdom to come up with a proper plan?"
He offers a few insights as the conversation continues throughout the butchering process. A few moments later, you have come up with a theory: blood symbols painted on the body. Nutesh is confident they will be of some use, given that they contain the proper fortress sigils. Mekertu is confident because of the blood used to make them. And Lilly is confident because all of the signs she mentioned earlier are propitious for warding against demons. Unfortunately, time will prove them all wrong.
well technically the indigo-finding roll was a success, only the folklore failed. So perhaps it makes more sense that the error is somewhere else in the folklore requirement chain.
As Farouk approaches Akhom, he smiles and spreads his arms wide. "Farouk! Finally you have come back to me. What have you brought to sell? I made off with a woman last month, one of those they call Venerable in the flat deserts. Her brothers paid well for her return, and I am ready to buy what you have brought me."
Farouk exhibits a small amount of tools, small potts with healing salves and other bits and bobs, on a patterned cloth on the floor of the dimly lit tent. Hearing Akhom talk about the extortion, he closes his eyes, "I really don't want to know about your illicit ways of passing time. The money you pay is good and you somehow managed to make me like your ugly faces... but for me it's always been about the city in the first place... This time it's not any different. On the contrary, I don't think I can make good use of money behind these walls." he nods in the direction of where he knows the black bulwark awaits them "With Mekertu we have all the information you could have given us I assume, but I was hoping to restock our rations and see if you salvaged anything out of the ordinary for me. By the way," he smirks sheepishly, "you can thank me later for releasing you of the burden to feed this old mouth of Mekertu."
My intent here, is to trade for anything interesting that only the outlaws could have come by. (previously he bought pieces of the black rock and sold it to the "venerables" in the surrounding cities as the magical trinket of everlasting youth from the black city of Telkomel) If there is nothing special he'll just trade all of his goods for food and water. Of course he is interested about the recent events around Telkomel as well but I think the DoW should have that covered.
Last edited by VVhite-Crow on Sun Apr 28, 2024 8:12 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Eric.D wrote: ↑Sun Apr 28, 2024 5:20 am"So... no indigo, then?"Mekertu shrugs as he cuts the kid's throat in a swift, clean stroke. Blood spews from the dying creature, splashing all over the sand. A few drops patter on Nutesh's fine leather boots.
He holds the kid still, stroking it and murmuring gently as it dies rapidly. "Unfortunate," he says once the animal has ceased moving. He lays it on the sand and begins efficiently skinning it.
"She Who Understands the Signs say blood is sacred. Perhaps we use blood instead? What," turning his eyes toward Nutesh, "What say you gharib? Perhaps you and the small lady can use some local wisdom to come up with a proper plan?"
He offers a few insights as the conversation continues throughout the butchering process. A few moments later, you have come up with a theory: blood symbols painted on the body. Nutesh is confident they will be of some use, given that they contain the proper fortress sigils. Mekertu is confident because of the blood used to make them. And Lilly is confident because all of the signs she mentioned earlier are propitious for warding against demons. Unfortunately, time will prove them all wrong.
well technically the indigo-finding roll was a success, only the folklore failed. So perhaps it makes more sense that the error is somewhere else in the folklore requirement chain.
Ah, my mistake, I misread the luck roll. I'll edit it to fit!
As Farouk approaches Akhom, he smiles and spreads his arms wide. "Farouk! Finally you have come back to me. What have you brought to sell? I made off with a woman last month, one of those they call Venerable in the flat deserts. Her brothers paid well for her return, and I am ready to buy what you have brought me."
Farouk exhibits a small amount of tools, small potts with healing salves and other bits and bobs, on a patterned cloth on the floor of the dimly lit tent. Hearing Akhom talk about the extortion, he closes his eyes, "I really don't want to know about your illicit ways of passing time. The money you pay is good and you somehow managed to make me like your ugly faces... but for me it's always been about the city in the first place... This time it's not any different. On the contrary, I don't think I can make good use of money behind these walls." he nods in the direction of where he knows the black bulwark awaits them "With Mekertu we have all the information you could have given us I assume, but I was hoping to restock our rations and see if you salvaged anything out of the ordinary for me. By the way," he smirks sheepishly, "you can thank me later for releasing you of the burden to feed this old mouth of Mekertu." My intent here, is to trade for anything interesting that only the outlaws could have come by. (previously he bought pieces of the black rock and sold it to the "venerables" in the surrounding cities as the magical trinket of everlasting youth from the black city of Telkomel) If there is nothing special he'll just trade all of his goods for food and water. Of course he is interested about the recent events around Telkomel as well but I think the DoW should have that covered.
The DoW only covers Mekertu, so if you want more from Akhom, you can certainly pry a bit. He's a talker.
"Don't condemn those who make you rich, Farouk," he leers, his teeth glinting in the dim moonlight, "The gods above disfavor hypocrisy. And do not worry, we treated her well. She even slept in my bed! And no, you sly crow, she only slept. Do not think that I would dishonor a woman! I needed her brothers to pay, after all."
He looks through what you have laid out, eyeing the tools in particular, then the salves.
"You are looking to rid yourself of the burden? I can trade you several amphora of water, it should be enough for ten days if you are sparing to Bassam. We have some cheese from the goats, and ground barley we can spare. Plus the vegetables, we have more than we can eat. If you come back, we can give you more water, but I cannot guarantee we will have more food."
This is a fairly stingy offer, given what you have on hand. A perfect chance to haggle!
Lilly sees Finnithir as soon as she returns to the fire. He is sitting next to Urkazzar, the man from earlier, engaged in a deep conversation that seems to interest only the two of them. Catching your eye, his face lights up, and he gestures you over. "Lilly, my love, our friend Urkazzar has returned, and he has brought something for you."
Urkazzar nods solemnly, his eyes on the sand, but he holds a stone out to you. A black stone. "It's from the city," he says, still looking at the sand, his head rocking in the same motion as earlier. "I thought you would like it. It's very pretty, and shiny."
Seeing it closely, he is correct. It is pretty. And shiny. Very shiny. It scintillates in the firelight, alight with amber and coral red. A gemstone. A black gemstone aglimmer with an internal fire.
"For your joke," he explains, "Nobody makes jokes with me. It's my favorite. But you can have it."
Finnithir places a hand on his shoulder, gently. Urkazzar flinches slightly under his touch.
"You must hear the story he told me about your kind my dear. And my kind, for that matter!" His laugh is seraphic, a tintinnabulation pealing through the night.
Lilly looks ecstatic! Completely failing to notice the undertones: "A gift? For me? Well thank you! you are so kind! You didn't have to do that! Let me see!"
Intent: I'd like to know what it is, if it is special in any way... Stuff-Wise maybe or something like Unskilled Gem-Wise or Stone-Wise or Mineral-Wise if having a more specific Wise can sufficiently lower the Ob
"This came from the city? How did you get it? You know ever since I saw a map of the region I've been wondering about the mineral composition of the valley. It local topology is very unorthodox!" "Tell you what, if you help me find some more I'll bring you back a larger chunk! Gift for Gift, like the ancient ways."
Intent: Ideally, if he knows where to find more, I'd like to get some information from him (Interrogation perhaps?)
hidetzugu wrote: ↑Sun Apr 28, 2024 4:17 pmIntent: I'd like to know what it is, if it is special in any way... Stuff-Wise maybe or something like Unskilled Gem-Wise or Stone-Wise or Mineral-Wise if having a more specific Wise can sufficiently lower the Ob
There isn't a default wise, we could of course make one, e.g. Gemstone-wise. In that case, I would offer a graduated Test—you will know what definitely it isn't at Ob 1, what it is at Ob 2, and more at Ob 3. Alternatively, I would rule that it would be an Ob 1 Gem Artifice Test, which would tell you exactly what it is.
So the question becomes if you want to chance getting more information, or to start opening a skill that is more broadly useful to your Beliefs in the future.
hidetzugu wrote: ↑Sun Apr 28, 2024 4:17 pmIntent: Ideally, if he knows where to find more, I'd like to get some information from him (Interrogation perhaps?)
Interrogation is only necessary when the target is unwilling, and he'll happily just converse with you, so no need for a Test.
"Yes, my brother Essam brought it from the city when I was little. So I know it's from there. I don't know about the city, I've never been there,"Urkazzar looks sideways, head bobbing still, a small smile on his face, "I'd like to go see it, I'm not afraid. I can help you find more! I like shiny rocks. And Farouk will take Bassam. I like camels."
This is a fairly stingy offer, given what you have on hand. A perfect chance to haggle!
"You got me wrong, Akhom. I'm not judging you at all. I just had to learn, that even knowing about things that will get you in trouble, can get you in trouble. So I try to avoid that. But you know what else the Alalha disfavour?" Farouk shows a row of tea stained teeth himself while making a quick gesture to the gods to apologize for having them involved. "Your puny offer for these excellent goods I brought you. The tools are sturdy and forged in the city. Not made by a bungler in one of the villages. And the salves, here have a look -" he opens one of the small pots and holds it under Akhoms nose, filling the tent with a strong odor of mint, "I bought it from one of the pale merchants, that my friends arrived with, from Terracielo. Up in the north all the wounds are treated with it."
Intent: I'd like to know what it is, if it is special in any way... Stuff-Wise maybe or something like Unskilled Gem-Wise or Stone-Wise or Mineral-Wise if having a more specific Wise can sufficiently lower the Ob
There isn't a default wise, we could of course make one, e.g. Gemstone-wise. In that case, I would offer a graduated Test—you will know what definitely it isn't at Ob 1, what it is at Ob 2, and more at Ob 3. Alternatively, I would rule that it would be an Ob 1 Gem Artifice Test, which would tell you exactly what it is.
So the question becomes if you want to chance getting more information, or to start opening a skill that is more broadly useful to your Beliefs in the future.
hidetzugu wrote: ↑Sun Apr 28, 2024 4:17 pmIntent: Ideally, if he knows where to find more, I'd like to get some information from him (Interrogation perhaps?)
Interrogation is only necessary when the target is unwilling, and he'll happily just converse with you, so no need for a Test.
"Yes, my brother Essam brought it from the city when I was little. So I know it's from there. I don't know about the city, I've never been there,"Urkazzar looks sideways, head bobbing still, a small smile on his face, "I'd like to go see it, I'm not afraid. I can help you find more! I like shiny rocks. And Farouk will take Bassam. I like camels."[/spoiler]
OOC: I'll roll Gem Artifice (since you are giving me options I think I should declare before I roll, roll incoming)
Unskilled Ob 1 Gem Artifice:
- Doubled to 2
- Will/Agility root (both B4)
- +1D Working Carefully (subject to veto if there isn't a time-related consequence)
This is a fairly stingy offer, given what you have on hand. A perfect chance to haggle!
"You got me wrong, Akhom. I'm not judging you at all. I just had to learn, that even knowing about things that will get you in trouble, can get you in trouble. So I try to avoid that. But you know what else the Alalha disfavour?" Farouk shows a row of tea stained teeth himself while making a quick gesture to the gods to apologize for having them involved. "Your puny offer for these excellent goods I brought you. The tools are sturdy and forged in the city. Not made by a bungler in one of the villages. And the salves, here have a look -" he opens one of the small pots and holds it under Akhoms nose, filling the tent with a strong odor of mint, "I bought it from one of the pale merchants, that my friends arrived with, from Terracielo. Up in the north all the wounds are treated with it."
"Don't invoke the gods against me, Farouk! My fortunes run dry as the sands already. I simply forgot to mention my old armor. See!" He spreads his robes, grinning, revealing a beautifully made hauberk that glints in the firelight, "They paid so well for her. This armor is worth more than anything in my village. My own father would be jealous to see me now."
He puffs out his chest in self-admiration, looking down at it proudly. He picks at some of the mint and smells it, then smells it again. Putting it back, he accedes.
"I can give you my leather armor as well as the rest. I made it myself, and it has saved my life many times. Maybe it will save yours in that strange place."
Tie. I am ruling that Farouk is defender, as he is the one who was given an unreasonable price.
The offer now includes a set of run-of-the-mill leather armor, as well as fresh rations and water for 10 days. Akhom is larger than Farouk and the armor will be ill-fitting, but given the situation, this is a generous payment for your goods.
hidetzugu wrote: ↑Mon Apr 29, 2024 10:12 amOOC: I'll roll Gem Artifice (since you are giving me options I think I should declare before I roll, roll incoming)
Unskilled Ob 1 Gem Artifice:
- Doubled to 2
- Will/Agility root (both B4)
- +1D Working Carefully (subject to veto if there isn't a time-related consequence)
Success!
Turning the stone over in your hand, feeling the natural shape and hardness as you were taught to do long ago by a distant uncle who worked as an artificer in the hold of King Bathrin, you can tell immediately that the stone is unusual. It isn't just multi-hued, the color seems to shift between black, amber and red. It is hard, though you aren't sure quite how hard, and it would be unwise to test it in the dark. Several different possibilities run through your mind: bloodstone, an unusual silverstone, a very dark ruby with unusual impurities.
"He says it is only red in the daylight," Finnithir comments as you continue to turn it over, and with that you are instantly certain: emberstone.
A rare and very unusual gemstone, emberstone is strongly pleochroic. In sunlight, it shines the color of fresh blood. But in firelight, the red dulls to black and some of it shines amber. It is remarkably difficult to work, even for a dwarf, as it tends to break in unpredictable ways. It is said (by dwarves) that only dwarves can work it, and it is therefore highly valued by master artificers, who use it to display their prowess.
This emberstone, from what you can see in the firelight, is not only large, but conspicuously clear, with beautiful color. In the hands of a master, it could be made into a piece of jewelry even a king would be proud of. In the hands of anyone else, it might be worth only slightly more than the sand you stand on once they finished working it.
"I can give you my leather armor as well as the rest. I made it myself, and it has saved my life many times. Maybe it will save yours in that strange place."
that went better than expected! Nice. ^^
The two men seal the deal and Farouk starts reorganising his gear and supplies, for a swift departure in the morning. He spends some time inspecting the new armour but doesn't don it. When the meal for the evening is prepared he returns to the fire, with anticipation. Seeing Mekertu accompanied by Lilly and Nutesh in a non hostile manner even further lifts his mood. His doubts about confronting the outlaws with the Telkomel expedition seem to have been unsubstantiated.
Sorry, didn't get here over the weekend. You guys are amazing - you did a lot!
"I have been to the city, dear. It is not a place of the living. Nor is it a place of the dead. I felt... I do not know what I felt when I was there. But I am afraid of you entering it. There is something alive there. Something malefic. I felt it watching me as soon as I entered, and it watched until I left. Not the creatures that bend themselves like worms crawling around wooden toys, something much more baleful."
The strange cry from earlier cuts through the night, distant, humanly inhuman.
She says "Not the creatures that bend themselves like worms crawling around wooden toys" like that's a NORMAL thing!
I still need to know what we need to do to prepare. Maybe its Eldritch Horror-wise or Horrifying Evil-wise with helping dice from Ku-Aya? I'll take it to the group so they can throw in Help... let me know what the test would be? Does flying around and looking at it provide any insight? Even if we get an inkling, do we have any mechanism to further prepare at this point? ...maybe this allows an objective location seen from the sky where Nutesh things he'll acquire the sorcerous power to face the creature? (Belief #3)
Nutesh sits for a long time on her words, unsettled. "If it is beyond your experience, my love, what can we know?" He decides that ruminating on his own hands and navel avail him nothing and looks again through Carrock. He ponders the creature she describes as his eyes scan the sites below.
Nutesh walks again into the firelight with the others, the empheral outline of Ku-Aya visible behind him where the firelight fails. He looks to Mekertu, then the others. "I am certain something lives in the dead city... it is attentive, even to the unseen, and will not miss our coming. What do we know of that-which-lives-within? What do your elders pass down? What do those in the outskirts say they find when it emerges and communities disappear?"
I can still pursue my original idea, which is to use Circles (and his Infamous Reputation a la Alagash for +1D/+1 Ob) and find someone else in the camp who can provide what I need, if I can get input on what that might be and I don't want to belabor this unnecessarily if we don't need anything and my belief is poorly conceived... 
