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  #121  
Old Aug 19th, 2023, 10:31 AM
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OrenOren listens along with the rest of the group. "And how many of you cultists are out there? Who is your leader and from where do you hail?" He had the sinking feeling that this wouldn't be the last of them by a long shot, and wondered about seeking them out at the source. Might do the world some good in the process.

Looking to his friends he says, "I can try to dispel the lantern's magic." The warlock was more psion than wizard, but he did have a knack for cancelling magic, as happened in the fight at the demon portal. He looks to Kerwin, "...Unless you think there's a way to bend its magic to some more noble purpose?" Not knowing much about magic, Oren couldn't be sure what was possible and didn't want to destroy something that could be of use.

Looking at the potion seller, Oren has a newfound respect. The man did well in the face of stiff odds, and hid a reserve of courage that his appearance would never let on.

Last edited by mountainbound; Aug 19th, 2023 at 10:31 AM.
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  #122  
Old Aug 20th, 2023, 06:07 PM
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Adelaide Darkdraft The young paladin held up a hand and shook her head at Marcus’s offer to further interrogate the prisoners, satisfied with his questions and happy to let Oren continue on. She had finished cleaning her blade while the priest spoke, and slid it home into its scabbard, leaving her hand on the hilt as she continued to watch the captured villains.

Adelaide was particularly curious to see what Oren and Kerwin could do with this ‘Antilantern’. Her own experience with magical items was rather recent, and quite limited, so she had little helpful input to add. Still, she was curious. Every experience she could participate in would help her become better at being a warrior, a protector, a woman of faith and substance. While she had a definite knack for swordplay, she had a great deal of catching up to do with her companions when it came to life experience.




 


 
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  #123  
Old Aug 25th, 2023, 09:55 AM
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Kerwin Powell At Marcus' urging to continue his plan of alchemical exorcism, Kerwin notes that he'll need some time to properly learn the magic that will be required to be utilized. "Also, we'll need a large amount of holy water and we'll need to appropriate the local smith to make us a grate that will be over top of...the boiling holy water. We'll want the young lady within the cloud of divine steam that will be generated." A smile pursed the wizard's lips and he added, "This should be fun. Let's get to work."

 



 


 

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  #124  
Old Sep 2nd, 2023, 09:44 AM
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Questions and AnswersOren continued to ask questions to the two captured Cloak of Aramok knights.

The cultist, under the influence of the Zone of Truth spell, begrudgingly answered, "There are... there are more than a hundred of us across the land. The Cloak of Aramok has spread its influence far and wide." Oren then followed up with a question about their leader. "Our leader, the one who wielded the Antilantern, was Sir Gavric. Our chapter is from Xulhaven, a city far to the east in the depths of the moors."

Marcus listened intentionally and noticed that while the answers were truthful, they were also the most shallow that could be given. "Who leads the Cloak of Aramok, and I don't mean the Devil you worship. Who leads you here?"

The cultists squirmed a bit more, trying to find a loophole to answer the question, but ultimately answered the question. "Thrain. Thrain Granitehorn." Marcus was a little shocked at the answer. Adelaide recognized the name Granitehorn. Hakkouth Granitehorn was Gillindan and Adelaide's early mentor in the Hooded Lantern. But they had never heard him mention Thrain.

"Hakkouth's older brother." Maruc explained to those at the chapel. "They had a falling out decades ago." Marcus then turned back to the prisoner. "Where can we find Thrain?"

"I don't know," he answered truthfully. "The Antilantern can find him."

Marcus, content with what they had found and now knew turned his attention away from the prisoners. "We will have to decide what to do with these two. For now, though, we should focus on that cleansing ritual. Kerwin, I will start making the Holy Water. I'm sure Frath, or someone else in town came help locate a grate." The question now came back to the Antilantern, and what to do with it. "Oren, if you dispel the magic in it, if we destroy it, then we may lose the key to finding Thrain. I don't have any clue though if there is a way to purify it or bend its magic to serve us."

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  #125  
Old Sep 5th, 2023, 10:57 AM
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Kerwin Powell Answers were forthcoming about the magical lantern that had been used to locate them and those answers intrigued the wizard. Oren had wished to dispel the spell upon the artifact but its potential use was exciting to Kerwin. The others seemed loathe to use the things but the alchemist had no such qualms. "If you all are concerned about your eternal souls suffering a blemish of sorts from using such a device, I hold no such worries. If you wish it, I could attempt to use it."

His offer made, Kerwin set off to find Frath and a metal grating that would hold Isabell's weight and allow the holy steam to cleanse her.

 



 


 

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  #126  
Old Sep 6th, 2023, 06:50 PM
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Adelaide Darkdraft ”Hakkouth had a brother? And he’s the one trying to kill us?”

If Adelaide hadn’t already been sitting on the bench near the prisoners, she would have needed to take a seat. As is she slumped back further as she contemplated this new information and what it meant. The old dwarf had brought her into all of this, and while she hadn’t known him for very long, she did remember him fondly. That his own brother was working with the enemy, trying to destroy them, tarnishing Hakkouth’s legacy, it all left a terrible taste in her mouth.

”I’ll go speak with the blacksmith, and see if the villagers can do something about these two,” she said as she got to her feet. Before her induction she’d never been one for matters of local governance, and now she was in a new ‘local’ and starting all over. ”There must be some authority around here we can call on to deal with prisoners, right? Maybe the Knights of Neomosis back in Treblefork could use a couple labourers in their rebuilding efforts?”




 


 
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  #127  
Old Sep 9th, 2023, 10:41 PM
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GallindanAfter spending some much-needed time communing with the woods, Gallindan returned to the others. He opened the door just in time to hear Adelaide mention Thrain. He let her finish, reeling from the news. But then he cleared his throat to announce his return, and added, "How could he never have mentioned a brother? It's one thing to have a falling out, but if his brother were a villain surely he would have told us?" He has always felt disconnected on this plane, his family unimaginably far away. The idea of Hakkouth slipping even further away was disorienting. He looked at Adelaide. Was she now his anchor? Was Oren? He couldn't say.
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  #128  
Old Sep 11th, 2023, 09:59 PM
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OrenAfter all he has heard about Hakkouth, spending so long around Gallindan and Adelaide, he felt as though he knew the dwarf himself. The news was startling and he could tell it shook his friends. Given the zone of truth, there was no question that the knight was being honest about Thrain, and also the lantern.

He agrees with Marcus, "Yes, we should not dispel it. Kerwin, do you really think you could wield it?" Oren puts out of mind any possible reasons why Kerwin might think he could use it and chalks it up to wizardly know-how in all things magical, which as a warlock he was short on.

"I know the local constable. Given the ruckus we made, he and most of the town will come creeping by to see what has happened soon enough. Ah, there's Frath now." He waves to his old friend and gives him a list of items needed. Then he turns to Daybreak, who was doing her part to keep Isabelle occupied with a simple bit of druid magic. The tiefling woman would conjure just the scent of a different flower, and Isabelle would try to guess what it was. Daybreak's eyes shone with a green light -- one of the last outward vestiges of her true nature. Oren loved to see her growing in power. He walks up to her, "What do you make of the lantern? Is there any protection we might afford Kerwin, should he attempt to use it?"
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  #129  
Old Sep 17th, 2023, 04:43 PM
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Volunteers begin to learn the basics of weapons
Over the next couple of days, the small village of Oakcrest rallied together to handle events that had happened between the Cloak of Aramok, and the ragtag group of adventures who had come to recently call the place home. Two prisoners were kept bound, and escorted by one of the local farmers and his two sons north, with the intent of leaving them in the care of the Knights of Neomosis who were setting up basecamp in Tribblefork. A call had gone out to gather recruits to form a local militia, which consisted of mostly teenage boys, and a few older men who wanted to relive their glory days. Meanwhile, the Jaspers worked to nourish Isabella's parents back to health. Isabella spent her time in the care of Daybreak, with the hopes that a different environment would keep the young woman from relapsing, and for the Druid's teachings to help take root.

At the Church, Kerwin, Oren, Gillindan, and Adelaide had their own host of problems to try and resolve. Kerwin was able to get the needed grate to perform his modified version of, 'A Process to Detach Astral Leeches after Traveling the Astral Planes', while Marcus worked on creating enough Holy Water to perform the task. The Antilantern, for now was a mystery they still had to work out. It wasn't known if it would curse anyone who used it, but Kerwin had offered to be the test subject if needed. They also had the mystery of where to find Thrain Granitehorn. There might be clues where these knights had hailed from in Xulhaven, though making use of the lantern might lead to a shorter path to find the dwarf.

Marcus sent out the word one evening that the Holy Water was ready. It was time for Kerwin to do his ritual, and see if they could purify the evil influence that had taken Isabella.

OODMLet's have everyone make a check of a relevant type to see how this cleansing ritual works out. Arcana or Religion are obvious choices, but anything you can make fit will work. DC is 12. 3/4 passes means it is successful. I'll let you write the narrative of how it unfolds, and will handle any loose ends in the next DM update.

You an also make similar checks to try and figure out what to do with the Antilantern, or determine how to use it.
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  #130  
Old Sep 17th, 2023, 10:14 PM
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Once more unto the breach
 
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  #131  
Old Sep 18th, 2023, 08:55 AM
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Kerwin Powell
 


Well, time to put up or shut, Kerwin, the mage thought to himself as he witnessed the final touches on the apparatus that would support Isabella over a pot of boiling holy water. The grating was sturdy enough to hold him, Isabella would have no issues and would be quite safe. The steam shouldn't be scalding by the time it got to her above the pot but her clothing would certainly become damp in the process, like walking through a foggy meadow on a spring morning. Hmph, maybe I should have been a writer.

He had spent the better part of last night going over the modified magic circle spell and was convinced he would be able to insert the 'furia' where the 'sanguisuga' had been in the original casting. Standing back from his handiwork...well, it had quite literally taken a village to get this contraption to a useable state, he went to find the others and Isabella to begin the ritual. That was where the real problem began. Setting up magic circles and scorching holy water and potentially unleashing astrally projected demons into the chapel were all well and good but for some reason now that Kerwin had to instruct the young woman on what was actually being asked of her, he found himself lacking in verbiage.

"Uh, well, yes, you see...you'll stand here upon the grating," Kerwin pointed to the metal construct situated above a bed of stoked coals and a cauldron of steaming water. The whole thing looked like a witch preparing a meal of the woman. Sweat began to trickle down the wizard's neck as he began to grasp the magnitude of what he was asking of Isabella, trust. For her to trust that this charlatan had her best interests in mind. For her to trust that this insane experiment, being conducted on behalf of a total stranger was somehow going to improve her current situation. That the man who had until just a few days ago had been shilling false promises and fraudulent brews had had a change of heart and was now some manner of expert of demonic possession and exorcism. If Kerwin couldn't convince himself of this whole scenario, how was he expected to talk Isabella up onto the grating.

He fumbled for his words, tapping the ends of his fingers together in a nervous tick while he used the shoulder of his robe to wipe the sweat beading on his forehead. He turned to the others, hoping one of them might be able to manage the persuasion portion of the ritual for him. His pleading eyes roved over Adelaide, Daybreak, Oren, Gallindan, even Marcus, pleading for one of them to place Isabella into the path of potential catastrophe. And that was the crux of it all wasn't it? Kerwin cared. Before when he had sold a genital cream or a balding tincture, he had little concern for the individual who was receiving his insufficient potion. By the time they realized, he'd be long gone to the next town. Now he was committed to something. There was no running away when he failed, no grand escape to a new name a new city. If this all went sideways, he'd have to stand before the town and explain how he'd let it happen.

oocPassed arcana failed persuasion. Maybe someone else can talk her into the ritual and then Kerwin can do the magic.



 



 


 

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  #132  
Old Sep 18th, 2023, 02:31 PM
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OODMIf it wasn't clear, I only need one check from each player towards the ritual goal, which will be counted for the group check. Other rolls can be made towards other objectives though.
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Old Sep 18th, 2023, 10:20 PM
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OOC:Ah! I obviously misunderstood. Does the Persuasion count as the "ritual goal"? Or is that a separate idea? I'm not sure which is more important... getting it to work or getting her to sit where she's supposed to. I'll hold off on an IC post until I know which result(s) I'm pimping.

Obviously failed on the antilantern.

Last edited by zebedee; Sep 18th, 2023 at 10:22 PM.
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  #134  
Old Sep 19th, 2023, 09:33 AM
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oocCan't expect us players to actually follow the instructions as given!! jk of course
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Old Sep 19th, 2023, 01:42 PM
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Adelaide Darkdraft Watching the wizard fumble around at such a simple thing as talking to a teenage girl made Adelaide shake her head in disbelief. She was glad she wasn’t the brains of this operation, but given that Daybreak was the only other woman in their ‘group’, the options weren’t exactly inspiring. Knowing that Isabella’s participation was important, she stepped up beside the wizard, and gave him a slight shove to push him out of the way, before addressing the young woman.

”I’ll be nearby through the whole thing, keeping you safe,” she said,
Dice Persuasion:
1d20+6sch12 (14)+6 Total = 20
offering the girl a reassuring smile that she hoped would also say that everything was going to work out. The paladin turned her head towards the flustered wizard, ”You too. By the end of the night the only thing we’ll have to worry about is frizzy hair, not that that isn’t its own kind of nightmare.”




 


 
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