Chapter 1: The Black City

[Eric.D]

Now that "we" lost a hefty chunk of our water supplies, Farouk thinks about alternatives. Unless you (Eric) have something else in mind, I would like to roll a City of Telkomel-wise test, to establish that the Sipe River runs through the city. I bet it's corrupted like the rest of the city, but nevertheless it's a start. ^^ That should be common knowledge, right?

The river itself won't run through the city, but a stream of some kind in the city, or at least nearby? Definitely possible. Go ahead, Ob 3. This is a desert, so it seems unlikely that there's easy water here.

[Enoch]

Suen:

As the creature retreats and your magic fades, Sabit embraces you, arms around your neck, melting into you, far too familiar for a sister. "That was incredible," she exclaims, "I knew you could do it."

Without warning, before you can even answer, she squeezes tightly, her fingernails digging into your neck, and her voice drops down to a husky, menacing, vicious whisper meant for your ears only, "Don't ever, ever let yourself slip up like that again."

She lets go, and draws back, smiling, beaming, a proud sister for all the world to see. She turns to the other members of the Church, black robed, ambling, watching the interaction as though nothing else matters. "See? Have I not said that Suen is the keystone of our Church? He answers my call, as you do, and we are protected. Do not forget that I have protected us tonight."

Marta, an old crone, one of the Church's first followers, prostrates herself before you, "Hail Suen, our savior. Hail Sabit, our matriarch, who speaks with the voices of the god!"

Sabit turns back to you and grins wryly, and in a low whisper as the rest of the cult follows Marta's lead, whispers, "See? Listen to me, and they will worship you. It is all going as intended."

Suen swallows hard as he responds to his sister, sotto voce. "I'm sorry, Sabit. I'll be better, I promise. I'll make you proud. But look how they honor you!", he whispers, his voice a little desperate.

Tearing his downturned eyes away from Sabit and toward Nutesh, he lets out a strangled gasp and rushes toward the shifting sands. "Did the demon kill Nutesh? Quick, someone get some rope!" He pauses, collecting himself, before he half-splashes in the sand as he wades toward the prostrate man, chanting in the cult tongue:

"By earth and stone, by root and vine,
Release this soul from nature's twine.
Let firm ground rise, and quicksand part,
Guide this one with gentle heart.

By ancient power and mystic thread,
From sinking depths, let life be led.
As I chant, the earth shall mend,
Rescue now, this spell I send."

For a moment the sand seems to settle and lift Nutesh, even as Suen wades through it like the waters of a long-forgotten lake. But even as the words of the spell fade, so do its effects. "Oh no. No, no, no!" Strangely, his fearful glances are toward his sister, not the sorcerer.

He's looking for a 1D Advantage to a test to pull Nutesh out, which starts at Ob2, increased by +2Ob for Schools of Magic. (No increase for Breadth (self) or Duration (one test).) He has a B4 Sorcery and gets +1D for Incantation.
He's casting Carefully; the risk of leaving Nutesh face-down in the sand for a few seconds longer isn't nearly as important as the risk of failing and upsetting his sister! Total: 6D vs. Ob4.
Sorcery (Advantage): [_6d6s4]=(5, 3, 3, 1, 4, 1)=2=2
Oh no! I'll spend a Fate to re-roll a traitor; the re-roll isn't open-ended, but if it comes up a 6 I can spend another Fate to open-end it.
Sorcery (Advantage): [_1d6s4]=(5)=1=1
So close, and yet...so far.

[VVhite-Crow]

Tearing his downturned eyes away from Sabit and toward Nutesh, he lets out a strangled gasp and rushes toward the shifting sands. "Did the demon kill Nutesh? Quick, someone get some rope!"

When Suen approaches, Farouk greets him with an ungraceful bow: "Suen-Magir," This is the first time he refers to Suen by his real, or even full name, "I'm glad you are unharmed. No, Nutesh is alive. But he is the center of the flowing sand. It surrounds him like a aura." He points to the unconscious sorcerer in the middle of the sand lake, "There is no way we can pull him out. The sand will just shift with him... I have the feeling that only he can make it stop..." At this point Suen starts casting "Or even greater magic can do the trick..."

the risk of leaving Nutesh face-down in the sand for a few seconds longer isn't nearly as important as the risk of failing and upsetting his sister!

I like to think, that Farouk didn't abandoned Nutesh face down in the sand... I imagined Nutesh doing the starfish on his back. ^^ Farouk definitely would have stayed with Nutesh when he could have done more to help him.

When Suen wades into the shifting mass of sand, Farouk first hesitates but then adds: "And thank you, Suen-Magir. Thank you for saving my life. I owe you a lot."
It is clear to sea that speaking these words out loud to one who deals with the shayatin, costs him quite an effort.
If Suen even takes note of this, or if he is occupied by concentrating on the spell, is up to you, Enoch.

I know, the "I owe you my life" thing is a big cliché, but it fits Farouks superstitiousness. Maybe his kin believes that the desert won't welcome your body after death, when you owe your life to someone else. So you have to honour your saviour as long as you live or safe his life in return.

[hidetzugu]

"And thank you, Suen-Magir. Thank you for saving my life. I owe you a lot."

"Hey! What am I? Too short to notice?"

[VVhite-Crow]

"And thank you, Suen-Magir. Thank you for saving my life. I owe you a lot."

"Hey! What am I? Too short to notice?"

Hehe. I thought Lilly was still fighting her ear plugs and hasn't joined Suen, Mekertu and Farouk yet. Aside from that I didn't wan't to veer off from Nuteshs situation too much.

When Lilly, Finnithir, Urkazzar and the cultists (gosh, I can't stand Sabit ) step to the edge of the lake, Farouk thanks them as well. "Lilly, is it true? Mekertu said you opposed the beast and slew it with mere two blows of your sword?"
But I don't wan't to extend the life-debt to all participants... From Farouks point of view, Suen saved him by pulling the shaytans attention away from him. On the one hand this makes for a better conflict with his BITs and on the other hand I don't want Farouk to be everyones handy-man.

[VVhite-Crow]

Now that "we" lost a hefty chunk of our water supplies, Farouk thinks about alternatives. Unless you (Eric) have something else in mind, I would like to roll a City of Telkomel-wise test, to establish that the Sipe River runs through the city. I bet it's corrupted like the rest of the city, but nevertheless it's a start. ^^ That should be common knowledge, right?

The river itself won't run through the city, but a stream of some kind in the city, or at least nearby? Definitely possible. Go ahead, Ob 3. This is a desert, so it seems unlikely that there's easy water here.

City of Telkomel-wise B2, Ob?; [_2d6s4]=(1, 5)=1=1
Just one success.

[hidetzugu]

"Lilly, is it true? Mekertu said you opposed the beast and slew it with mere two blows of your sword?"

Lilly pulls her sword up to her face, examining the sharpness of the blade.

"Not a drop of blood. If anything it is polished by the sand. Slew might be a strong word"

[Enoch]

"Drove off, at least. Farouk, I don't know if I even did anything...but I hope you realize you can trust me." His voice is distracted, and his eyes dart back and forth between the sorcerer floating peacefully in the sand and his sister.

[Eric.D]

City of Telkomel-wise B2, Ob?; [_2d6s4]=(1, 5)=1=1
Just one success.

I might have been willing to come down to Ob 2, but not Ob 1.

I should have stated the consequence. The consequence is that you know of a spring near the city, but it's a ways away and will cost half a day of travel. And of course, when you get there, it will be dry.

[Eric.D]

As you watch, the undulations in the sand begin to fade, Nutesh's body, limp on the sand, ceases to move. Whatever his magic wrought, it is done working now.

The chill of the night, exacerbated by adrenaline, returns to your senses. The stirring of sand and the distant animal calls ring loud, threatening. Everyone may be alive, but this encounter was disastrous. Nutesh is still out, perhaps injured, and you have lost the majority of your supplies. As the party considers this, Sabit steps forward.

"I know the loss of supplies is troubling. And I know you are not of the church," she says, her voice dulcet, her face kind, "But we are willing to share. We are happy to help those who help us. Right, Suen-Magir?"

She smiles at Farouk, "You have already seen our willingness to aid, after all!"

Lilly:

"She is masterful," Finnithir murmurs to you, almost admiringly, but his voice is distantly tinged with... something hard to identify, especially conveyed in his sweet, musical voice. Envy? Hate? "We must keep an eye on her."

[Marullus]

Following the logic here:
Ob 4 Health Test [1d6]=1[1d6]=1[1d6]=4[1d6]=3 (help from Ku-Aya who sent him back) [1d6]=2
1 success is a fail.
He is unconscious for 16 hours.
When he wakes, he will have 1 Forte.

I will hold the Ob 2 test in case someone wants to apply treatment.

The sand solidifies beneath Nutesh, but he remains unmoving, his breathing ragged.

[VVhite-Crow]

He is unconscious for 16 hours.
When he wakes, he will have 1 Forte.

After 4 hours he is at B1 Forte and gets conscious again. After 16 h in total he is back at his starting B4 Forte.

[hidetzugu]

He is unconscious for 16 hours.
When he wakes, he will have 1 Forte.
[/ooc][/spoiler]

After 4 hours he is at B1 Forte and gets conscious again. After 16 h in total he is back at is starting B4 Forte.

[VVhite-Crow]

Lilly:

"Not a drop of blood. If anything it is polished by the sand. Slew might be a strong word"

and Suen:

"Drove off, at least. Farouk, I don't know if I even did anything...but I hope you realize you can trust me."

""Drove off" is enough for the moment. I do not dare to think about what the shaytan would have done, if you didn't intervened." Farouk gives another uncomfortable bow towards Suen, but is relieved to not having to elaborate on his debt towards him.

She smiles at Farouk

Oooh, don't do this to a 18 year old Farouk!

"I know the loss of supplies is troubling. And I know you are not of the church," she says, her voice dulcet, her face kind, "But we are willing to share. We are happy to help those who help us. Right, Suen-Magir?"

"You have already seen our willingness to aid, after all!"

Farouk is a little startled, getting directly addressed by the cult leader. Confused and taken by surprise he just nods and says: "Hm-m, that's a generous offer. Thank you.".
Only seconds later his fists clench as he realises the dependency on the shaytan-cult, he just agreed to. After all, aside from Suen, non of the cult members aided at all.

As soon as the ripples on the sand start to die down Farouk raises his head and mentions: "Everyone, look! The gods above and below show mercy on us! It seems like the desert remembers her true nature!"
Along with the others (I assume), he carefully test the reliability of the ground and then closes the distance to Nutesh with long strides through the slowly solidifying sand. Relieved to find Nutesh actually alive, he sighs a little cloud into the cold desert air toward the star-studded void above them.

[Enoch]

Suen moves amongst the members of the cult, his sister's followers, pleading quietly for anyone to try to heal the fallen sorcerer.

What would the Ob be to find someone who has Field Dressing or some other medical skill?

[Eric.D]

Suen moves amongst the members of the cult, his sister's followers, pleading quietly for anyone to try to heal the fallen sorcerer.

What would the Ob be to find someone who has Field Dressing or some other medical skill?

I apologize for my delay! So, as was pointed out in the Discord, Suen failed his Sorcery test. However, Art Magic is far more forgiving in some ways, so I will apply an Ob penalty to your tests through the night. +1 Ob, I believe.


You make your way through the Church, trying to find someone who might be helpful, but you are drained, and there is something gnawing in the back of your mind. A presence that demands it be seen, that it be allowed to look through your eyes. It feels as if you are watching yourself through your own eyes. Or its eyes, given how inhuman they are.

You find your thoughts fluttering away, as if they belonged to someone else.

The Ob, using the base rules, would be Ob 3 to find someone with some healing ability. If you'd like them to be a skilled healer, I think that's a specific, rare occupation and would be Ob 4. Adding your +1 Ob from the failed test, and we arrive at Ob 4 and Ob 5 respectively.

If you fail, there is no healer present in the group.

[VVhite-Crow]

While Suen searches for a healer, Farouk builds a makeshift bed, to get Farouk of the ground. Beeing born and raised in the desert, he knows how dangerous it is to lay in the sand. "When the sun is up, the sand gets even hotter than the air, and by night it cools down much faster. In addition, you never know what crawls through the dunes."
When it comes to a treatment roll, I would like to offer help with Farouks survival skill, or offer a linked test.

[hidetzugu]

While Suen searches for a healer, Farouk builds a makeshift bed, to get Farouk of the ground. Beeing born and raised in the desert, he knows how dangerous it is to lay in the sand. When the sun is up, the sand gets even hotter than the air, and by night it cools down much faster. In addition, you never know what crawls through the dunes.
When it comes to a treatment roll, I would like to offer help with Farouks survival skill, or offer a linked test.

Lilly donates a Survival die if needed...

[hidetzugu]

Lilly:

"She is masterful," Finnithir murmurs to you, almost admiringly, but his voice is distantly tinged with... something hard to identify, especially conveyed in his sweet, musical voice. Envy? Hate? "We must keep an eye on her."

"Our agreement has always been to divide prize of the diamond with the Sorcerer alone. If he thinks he can squeeze a bigger cut out of bringing his fan-club along he is up for a surprise."

[Eric.D]

Lilly:

"She is masterful," Finnithir murmurs to you, almost admiringly, but his voice is distantly tinged with... something hard to identify, especially conveyed in his sweet, musical voice. Envy? Hate? "We must keep an eye on her."

"Our agreement has always been to divide prize of the diamond with the Sorcerer alone. If he thinks he can squeeze a bigger cut out of bringing his fan-club along he is up for a surprise."

His eyes follow as Suen-Magir makes his way through the Church. He scoffs, "I don't think he's the one to worry about. He seems to be in her shadow."

He turns, and his smile is radiant even in the dark, "And some might think the magic of men impressive, but I am not so easily impressed."