[Game Thread] Chapter 1 ♥ Callous Consequences

[Digorig]

ACT III ♥ Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My! Location: Inside the Keep, level 5 Date: 14 Sut 1081 PD ♥ Day 5 Time: 11:30 AM Environment: Inside Party Level: 4

As the day moves onward at least one book is burned, a few stored away and one – a book about portals – is opened and examined. While this happens, the next door is checked as well. Nothing is heard past it, and it is unlocked as well.

[Thorsten]

Ethaniel frowned as he flipped through the pages and pursed his lips in thought as his eyes quickly wandered down each page, only waiting until he was sure Bremmen had caught up before turning to the next. When he had read the last words he tapped end of the quill against his lips as he went over the details. "So, this Desdemona, arrogant creature that she is, created several devices, of which the one in front of us is one of them. The first device allowed her to escape and at the same time unleashed an explosion - the one we heard a few days past, most likely - followed by the creation of the void to prevent the explosion from destroying this place." "That explains why the sword went missing when I threw that through the void. As an inanimate object, it was rendered null and void, while Mardi and Nali just found themselves punted outside." Suddenly Ethaniel was glad he had gone the extra length and carried Tess' body outside himself. Losing her had been bad. Not having a body to bury - as was the case with Aakoni - was a lot worse. At least there would be closure with her. "The second device allows her to travel to some form of settlement to resupply and restock, while at the same time imbuing the user with a spell that allows them to return. That might be useful for us as well." He closed the book (when he was sure Bremmen was done) and tugged it under his arm as he moved around the desk towards the device. "So, the conclusion we can reach from this must be that Desdemona the Grand, exalted Wizard of Renown, second to none in intellect and wisdom - for whatever reason - saw fit to use her first device to escape to her home, thus triggering the explosion and creating 'a magical field the likes of which hath never been seen' that flows through these halls. The void. From what we have seen so far, this field seems uneven and only slowly expanding, so perhaps that part did not go off as flawless as she had suspected. Still, if she managed all that, her boastfulness, while distasteful, is not, I think, completely without merit." "Furthermore, if she states that all her works are 'runed' to be sent directly to some library upon her death, she must still be very much alive. And finally, by her own admission, she plans to take over 'this material plane'. Now, that makes me think she is not from here in the first place, but that is circumstantial at best. What worries me is that she seems to be creating an army of creatures and intends to set them lose on the world at some point, in some deranged scheme to make herself Empress of whatever ashes remain afterward." The bard stopped next to Mardi while continuing to tap the quill against his lip. "So, what remains for us to find out right now is - is this the first or the second device? I guess it's a simple test to take, as long as we refrain from using the first trigger, and simply stick with the second - 'Coppernicus'. If this is the first device it'll, presumably, remain inert. If it's the second it will teleport the user someplace else and provide them with the means of getting back here."

[Sassafrass]

Why is there no fire? Nalí is glad that Bremmen agrees, and he nods to him that burning is a great idea. A fantastic one, indeed. And indeed, that is all there is: burn the books! Nothing like progressive destruction of actual evil texts, because it could be a very serious issue to leave it around. But then comes the text of Desdemona. Lots of things to consider with it. Devices, movement, domination, and fancy words. What words, indeed? An army of creatures... The Dwarf snorts through his nose, his mustache dancing as they read and dissect. "Stones' stones.... "What'ere it means, we need t' find where she went. No indication in th're, is there? Then methinks, short o' destroyin' th's place, we need't' find where else she calls home." Looking around, he growls. "Wha're we t' do next?"   Out of Character Arcana Check: 11

[Cedric]

Bremmen reads through the pages, then re-reads it "Wait! She just....just wrote this all down?" he says, interrupting Ethaniel and Nali with hands outstretched towards the book and a look of disbelief written all over his face "Isn't that a little too convenient? I mean, sure some of us..." he glares at Mardi "..keep a diary and all, but this... I mean besides just being boastful what purpose does this serve exactly?" he shakes his head in disbelief "I mean, really?"

The sorcerer snorts in disgust as he waves the bard and the dwarf to continue, clearly this Desdemona was a fool, if nothing else. Though he has to admit these portals seem to be fine work and, arguably, the experiments are - if nothing else - curious, to say the least.

"I guess this would be the portal she uses in case of emergencies, as this might be her workshop she talks about, the other one should then be below somewhere?" he shrugs and steps towards the portal "Do we want to follow her to her home? We don't even know where that is and what awaits us there."

He looks at the group, brows furrowed "Perhaps we should try and figure out why she left in the first place?"

[CaptainJohnHawk]

Still concentrating on his notes, Mardi was blindly copying everything that was said in the room about the portal. The gnome could feel Bremmens glare towards him, and he instinctively covered his page and leaned away from the man. "eeeeeeh don't look at my journal. " Mardi began reading his notes to Bremmen, doing his best Ethaniel voice. "Desdemona the Grand, exalted Wizard of Renown, second to none in intellect and wisdom - for whatever reason - saw fit to use her first device to escape to her home, thus triggering the explosion and creating 'a magical field the likes of which hath never been seen' that flows through these halls. The void." "Maybe she knew she messed it up, and that's why she fled and hasn't come back? If this is the time to vote, I say lets go through the portal." Delphic,Delphic,Delphic In the excitement of the situation, Mardi accidentally said his thoughts aloud again. "Delphic!" His face goes whiter than normal, as he secretly hopes the portal activates.

[Neqq]

The Slap Koli was still reeling from the Bard's rebuke, it was like a slap across his face. For a moment he had considered firing back with a comment about Ethaniel's parentage but then he realised the Bard was right. The verbal slap had brought him back to his senses. Listening intently to the reading of Desdemona's work, Koli thanked the Gods that inanimate bjects went through the void when touching animate being. The sight of Nali naked was one Koli avoided at all costs and Mardi became even more mischievous and impulsive when in his birthday suit As the portal conversation continued Koli moved to the closed door and listened for any sounds of movement in the adjacent room.   Rolls Perception: 12

[Digorig]

ACT III ♥ Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My! Location: Inside the Keep, level 5 Date: 14 Sut 1081 PD ♥ Day 5 Time: Noon Environment: Inside Party Level: 4

After reading through the significant parts of the tome, Ethaniel was the first to comment. The Bard summarized what he read for the others, offering his own insights as well. In the end Ethaniel proposed testing it. In classic form the Dwarf Nali got right to the point; what was next?

Not satisfied with the Bard's sumation, Bremmen read the book as well and had his own questions, namely why. At the same time, Koli listened to the conversation before he listened to the next door. All was quiet there.

And then came Mardi. Was it even possible for the Gnome to sty out of trouble? That may have been the others thoughts as he approached the portal and spoke...

Originally Posted by Mardi

"Delphic!"

However, nothing happened.

PC/NPC Status INIT mkr Name AC HP Status xx Nali (Sass) 18 26/33 Hurt xx Koli (Neqq) 18 33/33 Normal xx Mardi (Capt) 16 26/30 Hurt xx Ethaniel (Thor) 18 27/27 Normal xx Bremmen (Ced) 13 27/27 Normal

[Thorsten]

Ethaniel made wide eyes as the gnome jumped on to the device and uttered the command words that - according to the journal - would set of explosions and transport the user to some unknown location. When nothing happened, he exhaled slowly, before he turned to face Mardi. "Enough!" the bard snapped, as he threw down the book and turned to look at Mardi. "I am sick and tired of your errant behaviour! Sick and tired of trying to babysit you and keep you out of trouble. You wander off on your own, unleash monsters that almost gets all of us killed, jump headfirst into anomalies without a care for the consequences and meddle with magic you don't know the first thing about. If you want to get yourself killed, do it somewhere where it doesn't jeopardize the rest of us!" Ethaniel was furious and it showed as he leaned forward to poke his finger into the gnome's chest. "Mardi, you either get your act together, or I am leaving. Because I am through with this blithe approach to everything down here you are exhibiting. Two people are dead. Dead! But does that stop you? No! If anything it just spurs you on to even greater acts of idiocy!" Ethaniel huffed as he finished scolding the gnome. "So which is it? Will you get your act together, or should we just leave it here, and go our seperate ways? Decide."

[Cedric]

Bremmen winced at the words spoken by Mardi, about to open his mouth to scold the little rascal he instead listens in as Ethaniel unleashes his fury upon him. Crossing his arms over his chest he takes a stand next to the bard, making it perfectly clear that he's with him in this matter. He stares at the gnome with one eyebrow raised "Well?"

[Sassafrass]

The outburst does not earn his ire, as he expects it, but it seems that it has worn down on Ethaniel. It makes sense. Today and yesterday have been stressful. Much loss, much pain, and a reckoning the likes of which none of them rightly understand. The Dwarf, crossing his arms, the Dwarf is curious to Mardi's answer. "Best ye answer, lad. We be waitin' fer yer answer."

[Neqq]

Awkward Awkwardness and a strong need not to agree with Ethaniel right now kept Koli silent. The fabric of the group had been worn thin by the trials of past few days and the ranger feared one word out of place could form an irreparable rent between its members. Looking at the gnome with mournful eyes, Koli prayed the gnome would reply sensibly.

[CaptainJohnHawk]

Mardi sat back stunned at the tongue lashing he was receiving. He had never been spoken to like this before. Once the room feel silent, and he realized it was clear it was four against one, Mardi calmly put his notebook away and stood up. It was clear Mardi was thinking hard about how to phrase his response. "Well, that was not very nice. I don't believe I deserve to be spoken to that way. I am aware of my occasional outbursts of immaturity, but discovery excites me. I find new things interesting, and after what has happened in this dungeon, I would like to focus on the next thing, instead of the last. I never asked to be babysat, I never asked for my friends to die......" tears begin to swell in the gnomes eyes "At this point I am fighting every instinct I have in me to run....but I'm not running, I have lost too much to run. I am sorry that the way I handle fear is different then how you handle it......I'm also sorry that.....I'm sorry." The tears start to roll down the little ones face, as he sits back down in the corner of the room. The little creature has never felt so small.

[Thorsten]

Ethaniel sighed and moved over to sit down next to the gnome before placing his hand on Mardi's shoulder. "Perhaps you do not deserve it, Mardi. And perhaps discovery excites you. But you have *got* to consider the rest of us. I know you did not ask for a babysitter, but you'd be dead without one." Ethaniel moved his hand and patted the gnome's back where the unicorn horn had entered Mardi's body. Bremmen and himself where the only ones who hadn't suffered due to the gnome's little stint to free a maddened unicorn - and that was only because they had been at the back behind the others. "And although I am sorry I snapped, my point still stands. We've been on the road together for more than a year now... you need to learn how to function in a group, because otherwise, we might not survive this. That means working on your communcation skills, not running off on your own - especially not running off on your own without telling the rest of us where you are going - and no half-headed attempts to activate explosive death magic. I mean really, why, when there was a safer option, would you jump onto this thing and say the command word that allegedly causes everything to explode?"

[Cedric]

"We are sorry too my friend, but this is the most dangerous place we've been together and we've no way to know the extent of the danger we are in by delving deeper. Already we have lost too many and at one point we thought we'd lost you. That is unacceptable and even though I know you have a hard time dealing with it you either have to slow down and try to conquer your fear or this expedition goes on without you." the tall sorcerer stood over Ethaniel and Mardi, a stern look on his face that didn't quite reach his eyes "Look, you are our friend. You are one of the group,
but if your actions threaten the security of the group it is our duty to take action to prevent that. Surely you understand, right?"

He offered the sobbing gnome a soft smile "Ethaniel is right, communication is the key so if you feel the need to do anything rash or act on a whim, hold that thought and run it by one of us before you do anything. Agreed?"

[Neqq]

Making A Point Koli walked up to the crying gnome and placed his hand on the rogue’s shoulder as he said, “Bremmen has a point and so did the unicorn’s horn. We need you to stay alive and you need to be cautious in this place to achieve that. I want to see you have fun. I want you to fill up that notebook. And I want you to buy me a drink when this all finished, so listen to them and listen to me… please.”