Chapter 1: The Black City

[Eric.D]

(if that was +2 hours, am i close to regaining B2 Forte?)

Iirc, you took a Light wound? That should clear up in 4 hours after waking up, so yes, you've almost recovered.

That roll was back here. I got 3 successes on Ob 2; my understanding is that the wound disippated then.

I failed the Forte recovery here. Which meant he woke after 4 hours with B1 forte and will have all B4 Forte after 16 hours. So, the number of, and passage of, four-hour increments is critically important since the group isn't honoring his request to nap it off.

Thank you for the clarification! I believe that puts us at just about 3 hours, so in an hour you will recover your first Forte die.

[hidetzugu]

"[...] Everyone - no visible weapons as we approach. [...]"

Lilly stares at you... glances at the hilt of her massive sword sheathed by her waist... turn behind her to see the line in the sand from where the sheath tip touches it... stares at you again...
"What do you suppose I should shove this?.... aahhh, you know what, don't answer that!"

[Eric.D]

B5 Scavenging + 1D Stuff-Wise + 1D Lost-Treasure-Wise +1D Working Carefully:
(I'll work carefully if it doesn't increase time past what is being spent of rune-reading, otherwise we'll disregard the last die)

Success! if working carefully

I think two hours is long enough to work carefully for a scavenging test. This isn't an enormous building, after all. Tell us what you find, and where!

[hidetzugu]

I think two hours is long enough to work carefully for a scavenging test. This isn't an enormous building, after all. Tell us what you find, and where!

(oh! If I get to choose there's actually a dragon's hoard here!)
As Lilly searches the place, it becomes apparent how vibrant this market was in the past. Placed at entrance to the city to avoid the congestion of its inner avenues, this was stocked every dawn with goods and wares for passing trade caravans. Lilly finds a small hammer hanging from a nail in a wall and a few leatherworking needles on the floor, she removes some of steel wire from one of old stalls, and most important of all: an intact pot of glue! Allowing her to put together a pretty decent Mending Toolkit.

[hidetzugu]

Squinting through the slit of her Barbute, Lilly comments to Finnithir:
"Seems we're tasked with looking after a a full excursion prancing around in the streets... I'm gonna need your Keen Sight peering into shadows to make sure nothing is peering back."
Belief: These people are defenceless children without me! I will keep them safe in and out of the city.
She pauses.
"But I don't want you to stray away from me, understand? Maybe we can recruit you some extra eyes..."
Instinct: Always defend Finnithir

The couple approaches Suen and Sabit, Lilly eyeing the Cult of Black Citadel.
"So, the same message engraved on every all, seems overkill to me... a bit more religious zeal than actually need to communicate no? If I am to understand the minds of your kind correctly."
There is an awkward pause while Lilly strokes her beard.
"Still, human single-mindedness can be put to a good use! Can we assign some duties to your flock? Make sure the brightest amongst them are on the lookout for threats around us instead of glaring at wall graffiti with Nutesh?"

"Are there fighters amongst them? so that we can make sure they form a perimeter around the..." - she glances at Marta - "... less athletic? I'll be taking the lead, but I can't be everywhere at once. If we get hit in the flanks I'll need someone to hold off the attack until I get there with my little dwarven legs."

Intent: Getting some sort of early warning and deterrence for threats.
Task: This might not be a Lilly roll, more a circles roll from Suen and Sabit. Lilly could do an 'organizing the troops' roll after if needed.

[Marullus]

The compromiseless DoW said the cult stays behind, right?

[VVhite-Crow]

The compromiseless DoW said the cult stays behind, right?

Nope, Farouk wanted to do Suen a favour by keeping the cult around.

[hidetzugu]

The compromiseless DoW said the cult stays behind, right?

No compromises, Lilly got crushed

[Enoch]

Suen turns to the lackeys gathered around his sister. "Are any of you...well, warriors? Or at least have experience with fighting?" He clears his throat uncomfortably and runs his hand through his mop of hair. "I'd like a couple of you to stand guard, as Lilly says. Stand strong, for the Cult."


He turns and walks to one of the walls, running his hand lightly over the carvings and says, musingly, "...Perhaps. Not needed for the call, certainly; though Nutesh knows more about the calling of them than I do. But a welcome, perhaps? If you do not fear them, if they are not dangerous to you, you do not need to control them." He rubs his fingers together, as if he'd touched something oily.

Can I use Arcane Knowledge to glean any information about the carvings?

[Eric.D]

Suen turns to the lackeys gathered around his sister. "Are any of you...well, warriors? Or at least have experience with fighting?" He clears his throat uncomfortably and runs his hand through his mop of hair. "I'd like a couple of you to stand guard, as Lilly says. Stand strong, for the Cult."

Go ahead and make a Circles roll, Ob 1. I think "Experience with fighting" is pretty common. If you care that they are actually skilled, you can give them an Exponent 4 skill for Ob 2, or Exponent 5 skill for Ob 3.

He turns and walks to one of the walls, running his hand lightly over the carvings and says, musingly, "...Perhaps. Not needed for the call, certainly; though Nutesh knows more about the calling of them than I do. But a welcome, perhaps? If you do not fear them, if they are not dangerous to you, you do not need to control them." He rubs his fingers together, as if he'd touched something oily.

Can I use Arcane Knowledge to glean any information about the carvings?

Yes, you can. This is an Obscure History check, Ob 3. It's a very old story, but if you know just one of the stories of that era, this is the one you will know.

[Enoch]

I'm OK with them getting slaughtered if it comes to that. I'm sure that would make future Circles rolls harder if there are fewer of them, but it's also a cool story. But Exponent 4 is good.
I've got a B1 Circles, with a B1 Rep and a B1 Affiliation, so B3 vs Ob2.
[1d6]=6,[1d6]=1,[1d6]=5
That would be a Routine test; IIRC those don't count toward advancing Attributes.

Arcane Knowledge is a test with +1Ob over the initial Ob, so it's an Ob4 Sorcery test. I'd like to FoRK in Cult Doctrine and Obscure History, if I can. I'm also open to helping dice! I'll assume Farouk is willing to help with City of Telkomel-wise, as he explains the things that are whispered in Suen's ear.

[1d6]=3,[1d6]=1,[1d6]=4,[1d6]=1,[1d6]=1,[1d6]=6,[1d6]=3
2 successes, with one a 6.
[1d6]=1
No luck. The demons may be whispering to him, but they're not telling him what he wants to hear!


Suen nods to the handful of volunteers and gestures toward the entrance of the qanat. "Guard us, then, and know that this is what the Cult of the Black Citadel has prepared for. This is bigger than all of us.
Know that if you die, you die in service of our great cause."

He turns back to the carvings, bowing his head and whispering in the Secret Language of the demons. A hideous susurration whispers around him, somehow roaring and yet almost below the level of hearing. It's clear, however, that whatever the whispers tell Suen, however, they are not what he hoped to hear--or words that would protect his sanity.

[Eric.D]

The words Suen hears are:

Find me, child. I am here, and I can help you. I know what you are. Find me.

There is no explanation.

[Enoch]

Suen turns from the wall, his eyes glassy. "Sabit, good news. The one we are looking for is here. I must find Them.

"You said something about Lilly's eyes? I can help with that, perhaps. Orcs are said to be able to see well in the dark. Or maybe a wolf..." Suen seems distracted as he stops in front of the dwarf, stooping a little to look directly into her eyes, his own slightly glowing now, pulsing with a hypnotic rhythm. "I'm sorry, Lilly. I don't want to take too long with this. We need to find Them." He begins to chant in the tongue the cult uses during its rituals. He doesn't blink during the process, which takes an unnervingly long time.

I'll be Working Carefully for +1D, but it increases the time taken. He has Sorcery B4, and the Ob is 3 (Ob1 for character trait, +1Ob for applying a beneficial trait, +1Ob for applying it to another. No cost for a single test, which hopefully gets us to our destination. So 5D vs. Ob3.
[1d6]=3,[1d6]=3,[1d6]=3,[1d6]=3,[1d6]=2
Even this minor thing is too much. GM, if you don't have any failure ideas, you could always apply a negative sight-based trait for the duration--say, Blind or Myopic. Or apply that to Suen, since it doesn't seem fair to inflict that on Lilly for Suen's failure!

EDIT: Updated.

[Eric.D]

As the magic works, Suen's eyes begin to burn, focused entirely on Lilly for a long, searing minute. As you look away, the magic done, the image seems to blur with the new sights entering your eyes, a meshing of colors light, almost impossible to see through. You blink, and the image fades, but everything around you is blurry and almost impossible to make out.

EDIT: This is the Myopic Trait. This will last for two hours.

[VVhite-Crow]

Farouk's jaw clenches when Suen attempts to enchant Lilly. "As long as Lilly wants to be influenced by your magic I won't intervene, but don't even think about working your shaytan-magic on me. You might think you are in charge but sooner or later the shayatin will claim what you owe them."
During the enchanting, he watches every move that Suen makes and Lilliy's reactions. When it becomes obvious that something went wrong, Farouk observes the two of them to make sure nothing is serious awry (does Suen cover up his new condition?).
"Well, I take that as a good sign, that the natural resistance to magic, inherent to al'aqzam (another superstition towards dwarfs), seems to work. As long as we are in and out of the city before the sun sets again, we should be well served with the eyes that the gods above and below gave us, anyway."

[Enoch]

It doesn't occur to Suen to try to cover it up.

He blinks rapidly, then swivels his head about as he tries to focus on distant objects. "Something went...wrong. I think they took from my sight to give to Lilly. Nothing is without a cost." He looks down at his own hands, turning them over several times to inspect both the palms and the backs of his hands. His shoulders slump in a bit of relief as he does so.

[hidetzugu]

It doesn't occur to Suen to try to cover it up.

He blinks rapidly, then swivels his head about as he tries to focus on distant objects. "Something went...wrong. I think they took from my sight to give to Lilly. Nothing is without a cost." He looks down at his own hands, turning them over several times to inspect both the palms and the backs of his hands. His shoulders slump in a bit of relief as he does so.

Lilly missunderstand the situation.

"So now I'm like almost invisible ?!"

She does a little dance and crabwalks to the side of Farouk to poke him in the ribs.

"Aha! Bet you didn't see that coming!!"

[VVhite-Crow]

With suspicion Farouk watches Lilly approaching (Paranoid trait ), and tries to sidestep and "protect" himself by tugging in a knee and an elbow. "Ouch!" he gives Lilly a half-hearted shove to get her out of his space, "Stop that nonsense. Keep the pestering for the shayatin and let's get moving.

[Marullus]

"A needless cost," Nutesh provides an arm to guide Suen, then leads him forward and away from Sabit. He speaks quietly to Suen to offer Alagash's lessons. "When you have power Suen, you don't need to prove it."

Belief:
Summoning is the folly of the mad. I will keep Sabit and her misguided cult from pushing Suen into dangerous action.

[Eric.D]

Awesome. No way this can cause trouble.

I believe we are on to exploring the city. What goal do we have inside the city? Let's state some Intents so we can test on some Tasks!