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  • Locked thread
slydingdoor
Oct 26, 2010

Are you in or are you out?
OOC

You talk for what could be hours, days, or even weeks. There is no way of knowing in the Nexus, for the candles that light it never shrink. Only your breath or fingers could extinguish them, as the one near the gravestone of Ephecalis was blown out when you, Agerios, stepped into it. Or perhaps when you stepped back from it. Determine your bonds based on your conversations with your peers. They represent how you feel about an individual, so you needn't ask them for permission to establish, but resolving them will be less satisfying for both of you if you do not work together to play them out.

During a lull, you notice an open lamp atop a large staff moving like a shark's fin behind the many shattered or otherwise unreadable gravestones between you and the center of the Nexus. It heads towards the unlit candle, and its wielder walks into view--a strange woman with silent, barefoot steps and eyes sealed by still pools of dried wax.

She relights the candle and greets you all in a strained voice whose accent is foreign to everyone. "Welcome to the Nexus, chosen ones. A gift awaits you atop the tower. I will lead you there." She points to a platform at the final convergence of two wall-spanning, crisscrossing stone spiral staircases, and you all see a brighter light, the source of which is occluded by the dais it tops from your low vantage point. It is a long climb but goes by in an instant due to the strange nature of time here.

Atop the dias sits a vessel, heavy but portable, everflowing, overflowing, and shining with warm, bright light. Think about what yours looks like and tell us. If you come up blank and want some inspiration, read the spoiler or use others' forms as inspiration, or steal them outright! : The Hunters of Yharnam had wide syringes with T-shaped plungers, each full of tainted blood that knit the wounds of those transfused with it. The Cursed Chosen Undead found a stone bottle full of liquid flame that stoked the ersatz-life giving embers within them. The Bound Souls found a heavy braid of grass that smoldered when crushed, the thick smoke of which restored mass to fading, damaged manifested spirits. Are you like any of them? The vessels float to each of you, appearing to split into many forms, perhaps each different from the other.

"Another gift awaits you in the Crypt Below." She points to a gravestone lying flat on the ground, but built that way, not fallen. It's bas-relief meant nothing to you before, but from your new vantage point you now see that its pattern of gouges matches exactly that of the candles on the ground floor of the Nexus. Not only that, but now that all the candles are lit again, it glows like the graves of each of your lands does to you who recognize them.

"From now on I can only point your way, my... preference is never to leave the safety of the Nexus. You too are bound to this place, it is the furthest death can take you. If you trust me, jump and see," She pauses, then turns to Agerios. "--but not you. The souls you pillaged would escape you and make their new home where you fell, til you collected them again." Everyone else, do you jump? If so, how is death different than your last, if at all? And rebirth?

When you all pass through the gate to the Crypt Below, you find yourselves all in Spectral form, and still lacking any arms or armor you brought on your journey to this place. Corpses line the walls, some of which house motes of white light that you feel drawn to as you were to the Mist. On the floor at the foot of each of them are dried pools of blood. At the far end of the Crypt, some twenty feet away, there is another dais, and another vessel, the only source of light in this room. This time, the light the cast is pale and cold, and the arrangement is different from before. These vessels are suspended in the air above the dais, inverted, and sucking the contents of the dais upward. What do you do?

At the bottom of your first post, reproduce your character sheet, and link to it in future posts. Strikethrough all your starting equipment except your recovery item for now, you lost them when you died and must find them. Your portrait or other useful images can be included in any post. Beneath your name in superscript write your current/maximum HP, souls, and other relevant and oft changing resources--for now, just your recovery item.

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Deltasquid
Apr 10, 2013

awww...
you guys made me ink!


THUNDERDOME


Agerios Lapheusix
HP: 30/30 Armor: 0 (3 with equipment) Souls: 22 Bag of Obols: 5/5

I follow the strange woman in silence, somewhat comforted by the idea that someone around here isn't cluelessly stumbling around the darkness.

When the vessel splits, a part floats towards me. The shape seems flickering and uncertain, until it forms what appears to be a bag of coins. Obols, but almost unnaturally perfectly shaped, flat, smooth discs with a a notch down the middle. Perhaps it morphed into a familiar form to me, or perhaps the burial rites of the Polis were based on it? I resisted the urge to put one in my mouth and bite it in half. Perhaps simply snapping it in half between my fingers would have the same effect. That would be less of a choking hazard, at least.

When the woman urges the others to jump, I interject: "Let us not trivialize death even further." I do not feel like discussing my views on life and death just yet, but certainly these strangers, as different as our cultures may be, hold some sort of importance for human life and dignity?

Later, when we are in the Crypt Below, I feel uneasy and fragile without my armor and weapon. I tell my companions: "Watch my back," and walk up to a nearby corpse. Perhaps I would get another vision similar to that of Philkronos. I kneel next to a puddle of dried blood, and place my hands in the middle of it, palms down.

Discern Realities?

quote:

Name: Agerios Lapheusix
Look: Hidden eyes, Corinthian helmet, built body, proud chest

Stats:

Class: Warrior lvl. 1
HP: 30
Armor: 0/3
Base Damage: D10
Alignment: Neutral- Defeat a worthy opponent

STR: 13 (+1)
DEX: 16 (+2)
CON: 15 (+1)
WIS: 12 (0)
INT: 9 (0)
CHA: 8 (-1)
LUCK: 7

Moves:
Human
Once per battle you may reroll a single damage roll (yours or someone else's).

Bend Bars, Lift Gates
When you use pure strength to destroy an inanimate obstacle, roll+Str. ✴On a 10+, choose
3. ✴On a 7-9 choose 2.
•  It doesn’t take a very long time
•  Nothing of value is damaged
•  It doesn’t make an inordinate amount of noise
•  You can fix the thing again without a lot of effort

Armored
You ignore the clumsy tag on armor you wear.

Signature Weapon
This is your weapon. There are many like it, but this one is yours. Your weapon is your best
friend. It is your life. You master it as you master your life. Your weapon, without you, is useless.
Without your weapon, you are useless. You must wield your weapon true.
Choose a base description, all are 2 weight:

Spear
Reach
Sharp: +2 piercing
Perfectly Weighted: add precise
Look: Classical

Load: 8/13

Signature weapon (2 weight)
Bronze breastplate (2 armor, 3 weight)
Hoplon(+1 armor, 2 weight)
Bag of Obols (5 uses, 1 weight)
7 souls

bonds:
Ser Dominik Colfax seems like an honorable man. His soul practically shines like Titanium.
Mikaela speaks of absolute truths, but her morals are as fluid as Mercury.
Odessa has a heart of gold. Beautiful and pure, but malleable and no good in a fight.

Deltasquid fucked around with this message at 22:26 on Jan 26, 2016

slydingdoor
Oct 26, 2010

Are you in or are you out?

Agerios Lapheusix posted:

I tell my companions: "Watch my back," and walk up to a nearby corpse. Perhaps I would get another vision similar to that of Philkronos. I kneel next to a puddle of dried blood, and place my hands in the middle of it, palms down.
As soon as your body touches the pool of blood, a shaft of blinding blue light comes from the ceiling. The glare in the blood stings your eyes--what do you do?

The rest of you see two horizontal rows of holes open, one on the floor of the corpseless lower recession, the other on the ceiling of the higher recession, which houses a corpse and a mote of white light. What do you do?


Like this but no sarcophagi, just corpses or nothing in each of the two-tiered recessions. Also the size is such that a 6' tall person could look down on a corpse that lied in the higher recession. One would have to kneel to inspect the lower one.

slydingdoor fucked around with this message at 06:55 on Jan 25, 2016

mistaya
Oct 18, 2006

Cat of Wealth and Taste



Dom
HP: 32/32 Armor: 0 (3 with equipment) Souls: 0 Sinner's Beads: 5/5

I stand at the precipice and look down uncertainly. "If God wills my death, or I find it by my own misfortune, then so be it, but I will not cast it away on a lark- even if it holds no meaning in this place."

I realize it sounds stuffy, but that can't be helped. I do mean it. But I am curious enough to wait and see what happens if anyone chooses to take the Candle-lighter up on her wager.

---

At the altar, I reach into the light and pull forth a string of fired clay beads. Each is the size of a small plum, brown as dried blood, and hollow. Sinner's beads, they're called. The monks wore them about the neck or the wrist, the sound of them clacking together meant to remind them of the Saint's way. They're delicate things, meant to be crushed in hand in times of trial, a small act of meaningless destruction to remind one not to destroy the things that matter in anger or despair. I have not had a set of my own since I was a boy.

I tie them around my shield wrist, where normally they would be hidden from view... but not now, for my shield- as well as my sword and armor- have quit me. I wear only a plain grey tunic and breeches, and the flesh of my hands is strung as tight as hard leather. My hair, vain though it seems to admit, is as vanished as my armor, and my face- though I have not seen it, for there is nothing to see it in- feels... sunken and skeletal. I must look a walking corpse. Would that I had my helmet, but for now it seems I must bear the shame of it.

----

"Watch it we shall, but aught else may be difficult, unarmed," I tell Agrius, as he approaches the stain on the floor. As the holes open I step forward in case he needs help.

"Are you alright?" I ask, kneeling to peer into the empty hole in the lower-crypt recession. The upper is occupied, and though I find the lights fascinating, I'm going to wait until I have greater need to plunder the dead.

Though if I see one with a sword...

Discern Realities: 2d6 = 9. "What is about to happen?"

----

quote:

Name: Ser Dominik Colfax
Look: Fiery Eyes, Bald, Worn Holy Symbol, Fit Body

Stats:
Classes: Knight lvl. 1
HP: 32
Base Damage: D10
Alignment: Lawful- Grant Rest to a Damned Soul

STR: 15 (+1)
DEX: 9 (0)
CON: 16 (+2)
WIS: 12 (0)
INT: 8 (-1)
CHA: 13 (+1)

Moves:
Human- When you Pray for Guidance, even for a moment, and ask, "What here is evil?" the GM will tell you, honestly.

Lay on Hands- When you Touch Someone, skin to skin, and pray for their well-being, roll+CHA. On a 10+ you heal 1d8dmg or remove one disease. On a 7-9 they are healed but the damage or disease is transferred to you.

Armored- You ignore the clumsy tag on armor you wear.

I am the Law- When you give an NPC an order based on your divine Authority, roll +CHA. On a 7+ they choose one:
*Do what you say
*Back away cautiously, then flee
*Attack you
On a 10+ you also take +1 forward against them. On a miss they do as they please and you take -1 forward against them.

Quest:
When you Dedicate yourself to a mission through prayer and ritual cleansing, state what you set out to do:
(See pg 123 for full listings.)
Current quest: "Defend the Human Leader (Agerios)"
Boons: An unwavering sense of direction to the Spiral Sword, Senses that pierce lies.
Vows: Honor (forbidden: cowardly tactics and tricks, Piety (required: observance of daily holy services) and Truth (forbidden: lies)

Completed quests:

Gear
Load is 12+STR. (13)
Clay Beads (5 uses, 1w)
Scale Armor (2arm 3w)
Mark of Faith (0w) A crudely carved wooden figure with no face.
Long Sword (close, +1dmg, 1w)
Shield (1arm, 2w)
Adventuring gear (1w) (4/5)

Bonds:
Mikaela's misguided behavior endangers their very soul!
I respect the beliefs of Odessa, but hope they will someday see the true way.
Agerios is a brave soul, I have much to learn from them.

mistaya fucked around with this message at 09:28 on Jan 30, 2016

StringOfLetters
Apr 2, 2007
What?
Odessa Rahe
HP: 22/22 Luck: 11/11 Armor: 0 Souls: 0 Flask: 5/5

My vessel is a tin canteen, round with a flat bottom, clean but not shining. Past the stopper, it's filled with a glowing silver-bright fluid, like burning starlight cooled down into warm syrup. If this is the raw medium that gods, stars, and souls are made of, drinking it could practically invigorate the dead.

~

The wax-eyed woman is terribly interesting, and I have so many questions for her. But she isn't so talkative, and she has apparently decided to fill us in by sending us on a quest rather than talking. This is some mythological spirit vision poo poo, but like, for real. That's fine. Nobody in any of the legends learned about the world by sitting around and demanding answers from their Oracles. I can't help but feel a thrill.

The wax-eyed woman tells us that we've outpaced death itself. Drowning was the most horrifying and painful experience of my life, and here I stand. My leg was pulverized what feels like hours ago, and now it's fine and healthy as ever. My instincts cry against it, but how could I not believe her?

Alarai's token is in my hand, the skin-warm nickel bar etched with his constellation. That is, three stars in a perfect line. Alarai himself, the brightest, sits in the middle, and remains as the one fixed point in the night sky. His two attendants spin around him as the seasons turn, but always remain in a straight line. The closer one, Barra, always counsels to be brave, to offer others trust and the benefit of the doubt, to seek paths other than conflict, and to travel in groups. The furthest and dimmest, Nasar the Cynic, counsels for skepticism, caution, putting one's own needs first, and traveling alone. I ask for Alarai's guidance by tilting the bar to catch the Nexus's torch light, and Barra's star catches the light first. Trust and courage. I jump.

This death is mercifully quick, compared to drowning with a broken leg. My body collapses into the ground, through my legs, but it happens so quick I can barely feel the pain through the shock. My rebirth is much like waking from a 'falling dream' after hitting the ground. I'm suddenly alive, and totally fine, but sitting bolt upright with a pounding heart. Like any startled awakening, I've lost my sense of time and place, and have to be reminded who and where I am. In this case, still me, and not much time has passed at all. Is my body still down there?

The soldier, Agerios, suggested that we not do that. After coming back to life, stretching my limbs, examining my new body and seeing it in as fine a shape as ever, I say to him, "I think we may all need to re-examine what we believed we knew about life and death. This is incredible."

~

Later, in the Crypt, motes of white light hover near old bodies, and I feel drawn to them as I was to the mist. That's very weird and compelling, and I'm very curious. I'll approach one, perhaps the one that Agerios unveiled, and touch the mote of light.

"What in the world are these?"

quote:

Odessa
Cleric
Human, kind eyes, strange hair, common garb, thin body.
STR: 9 (0) CON: 12 (0)
DEX: 8 (-1) INT: 15 (+1)
WIS: 16 (+2) CHA: 13 (+1)

HP: 22
Armor: 1
Damage: d6
Luck: 11/11
Level: 1
Souls: 0

Good
Endanger yourself to heal another.

Deity: Alarai, the North Star, god of travel and travelers, traders and messengers, shepherd to the lost, keeper of lighthouses, ports, and waystations.
✴Knowledge and Hidden Things
✴Your religion has important sacrificial rites, add Petition: Offering. Keep no more than you can carry.

Divine Guidance
When you petition your deity according to the precept of your religion, you are granted some useful knowledge or boon related to your deity’s domain. The GM will tell you what.

Turn Undead
When you hold your holy symbol aloft and call on your deity for protection, roll+Wis.
✴ On a 7+, so long as you continue to pray and brandish your holy symbol, no undead may come within reach of you.
✴ On a 10+, you also momentarily daze intelligent undead and cause mindless undead to flee. Aggression breaks the effects and they are able to act as normal. Intelligent undead may still find ways to harry you from afar. They’re clever like that.

Commune
When you Recover, you:
-Lose any spells already granted to you.
-Are granted new spells of your choice whose total levels don’t exceed your own level+1, and none of which is a higher level than your own level.
-Prepare all of your rotes, which never count against your limit.

Cast a Spell
When you unleash a spell granted to you by your deity, roll+Wis.
✴ On a 10+, the spell is successfully cast and your deity does not revoke the spell, so you may cast it again.
✴ On a 7–9, the spell is cast, but choose one:
-You draw unwelcome attention or put yourself in a spot. The GM will tell you how.
-Your casting distances you from your deity—take -1 ongoing to cast a spell until the next time you Recover.
-After you cast it, the spell is revoked by your deity. You cannot cast the spell again until you Recover and have it granted to you.

Book of Miracles
You have mastered several spells and inscribed them in your book. You start out with three first level spells as well as the rotes. Whenever you gain a level, you add a new spell of your level or lower to your book. The book is 1 weight.
Charm Person, Contact Spirits, Invisibility


Gear (0/10)
Divine Symbol - A small bar of meteoric nickel, etched with Alarai's constellation
Canteen (5/5)

Bonds
Agerios thinks I'm weak and useless, a thing to be protected. Strength takes more forms than skill at arms, and I will prove to him that I have it.
Ser Dominik reminds me of all the stories I heard about my father. I know it's stupid, and probably unhealthy, but I find myself craving his approval.
Mikaela terrifies me, though I try not to show it. I need to tread carefully as I figure out the nature of her connection to the gods. And mine. Are we of a kind, or should I revere her alongside Alarai?

StringOfLetters fucked around with this message at 16:53 on Jan 25, 2016

slydingdoor
Oct 26, 2010

Are you in or are you out?

Dominik posted:

"Watch it we shall, but aught else may be difficult, unarmed," I tell Agrius, as he approaches the stain on the floor. As the holes open I step forward in case he needs help.

"Are you alright?" I ask, kneeling to peer into the empty hole in the lower-crypt recession. The upper is occupied, and though I find the lights fascinating, I'm going to wait until I have greater need to plunder the dead.

Though if I see one with a sword...
From your point of view, the light from above casts no glare in the pool of blood, but instead illuminates the inside each of the holes. They all house what you recognize as the square steel tips of deadly quarrels, aimed 45 degrees upward--straight at you--and twinkling. You also recognize the simultaneous clicks of a line of crossbows wound to their sticking points, and feel the vibration of another click on the ground somewhere. If weight moves from the floor in some fashion, you suspect the triggers of these bows will all be pulled. What do you do?

Odessa posted:

Later, in the Crypt, motes of white light hover near old bodies, and I feel drawn to them as I was to the mist. That's very weird and compelling, and I'm very curious. I'll approach one, perhaps the one that Agerios unveiled, and touch the mote of light.

"What in the world are these?"
The mote grows the closer you get to it, and a tail sprouts from the top of it, giving it a wispy teardrop shape. When you reach out to touch it, the tail flickers towards your hand like a torch in the wind--

You are marching shoulder to shoulder with a line of identical soldiers. Identical helmets, breastplates, circular shields, and spears. They are all thick and heavy, and you notice each soldier's shield does not protect them as much as the soldier to their left. Each of your lives is in the hand of one neighbor, and other's is in yours.

--you return to yourself in an instant, and the mote has vanished. The images hang in the forefront of your thoughts like a dream one never wants to forget. You swear you could feel the spear in your hand, shield on your arm, and the armor covering your chest and back... then they manifest there before your very eyes. The armor is just as heavy as you remember it, and the spear seems unwieldy in your unpracticed hands. Take -1 ongoing and Armor 2 while you are clad in this clumsy armor, if you push it into the back of your mind, it vanishes until you call it forth again. What do you do?

slydingdoor fucked around with this message at 08:03 on Jan 25, 2016

StringOfLetters
Apr 2, 2007
What?
Odessa
HP: 22/22 Luck 11/11 Armor: 0/2 Souls: 0 Flask: 5/5

"What in the world..."

Oblivious to the niches full of traps, I'm going to mess around with mystical forces beyond my current comprehension. How else does one begin to master them?

I push the armor to the back of my mind. And then try to recall it again. And then push it away again. I ask the other spectre-folk around me, "Am I beholden to some personal illusion, or can you all see a suit of armor appearing on me? If I'm understanding this right, um, I think I've just inherited some of a dead man's memories. And equipment."

I practice willing them in and out of existence a few more times, if I'm able to. I can't imagine standing around in this heap of metal around all day, but if practiced, and I could get the hang of manifesting it around me as a reflex to danger, that could be incredibly useful.

If anybody else takes an interest in the dead man's spear, I'd happily hand it off. Maybe they'd be able to take it, or maybe it'd poof out of existence as soon as it left my grasp. I'd try bringing it out- and back- to mind again, to see if I'm able to conjure up many phantom spears, or if there's only one that's bound to me, or if it's exchangeable.

StringOfLetters fucked around with this message at 16:53 on Jan 25, 2016

slydingdoor
Oct 26, 2010

Are you in or are you out?
The spear you manifest is always the same one. You can dismiss it even from a distance, and manifest it back in either hand. No one else can grasp it, but you can hit them with it. You find there is a way to dismiss the spear even farther from your mind, which makes a spear-shaped small mote of light appear at your feet, and for you to forget how to manifest it again until you absorbed it again. The same with the armor and helmet, and the shield. If you were quick thinking or lucky enough, you imagine you could manifest the armor in response to an attack.

When you, Agerios, hear her speak of the memories that allowed her to create these familiar items, they resonate with you on another level as well: the souls you pillaged before seem willing to be sculpted into a copy of those memories. Alas, you don't have enough. Had you 50, you might be able to spend them and be taught how to manifest the same armor and helm. The shield could be yours for 15 souls.

The spear, however, is unique.

Deltasquid
Apr 10, 2013

awww...
you guys made me ink!


THUNDERDOME
Agerios Lapheusix
HP: 30/30 Armor: 0 (3 with equipment) Souls: 22 Bag of Obols: 5/5 Luck: 7/7

As the light in the blood blinds me, I avert my eyes and raise one arm to cover them. "Okay," I speak to the world in general, "I hope I do not burst into flame now." After a few tense seconds, I look over my shoulder, still crouching near the blood, and see Odessa's... Shenanigans.

"I'll have you know that's a prime hoplon and cuirass you're toying with." There is no animosity in my voice, but rather amusement at seeing such a frail person clad in heavy armor. "Pray tell, do you think you could tell me how you performed that trick?" As I speak these words, I feel something unlock in the back of my mind. I could... I feel I could summon this equipment myself, but I somehow seem to lack the creativity. And there is a nagging feeling that I would have to give something back in equivalent exchange. I'm... Unwilling to part with whatever I'd have to give up.

I turn my attention back outward, and ask Odessa: "You spoke of memories? Can you conjure me any name or specific events? Perhaps I knew him. Or her," I add quickly, remembering that we did indeed have bronzeborn women by our side during some battles.

slydingdoor
Oct 26, 2010

Are you in or are you out?
It takes but one memory relayed for you to realize the corpse--or at least the soul near it--is, or was, yours. What memory was it?

Deltasquid
Apr 10, 2013

awww...
you guys made me ink!


THUNDERDOME
Agerios Lapheusix
HP: 30/30 Armor: 0 (3 with equipment) Souls: 22 Bag of Obols: 5/5 Luck: 7/7

The memory comes to me as a shock. It was, all things considered, a mundane one. But it was mine nonetheless.

I had been walking down the portico with a teacher and some other students. We must have been... Eight or nine, I believe? His name was Aristophanes, a goldborn with a curly white beard, and he had been lecturing us about Socristeles, one of the seven wise founders of the city. It was a hot summer day, and it was a lecture about his words on temperance, I think. A completely normal day, had it not been for a distressed merchant complaining loudly on the side of the road to some soldiers. We overheard the conversation (or rather, his monologue!) and Aristophanes motioned us to stop. The issue the merchant had was that somebody had stolen the kitchen knife he used for the meat in his store, and the compensation the Magistrate had given him had been approximately five coppers. A meager sum, but it should have covered the costs of acquiring another similar knife.

The problem the merchant had was that he did not want another knife, he wanted the one that had been stolen from him back. But with the culprit anonymous and at large, the soldiers said they could not do more. The merchant seemed visibly upset, and explained with an abundance of hand gestures that this knife had been passed down from father to son, and that it had brought his family business good fortune. Aristophanes then loudly resumed class, and used the merchant as an example. "This," he said in a calm matter-of-fact voice, "Is why personal property is forbidden for all but the lowest caste. It only leads to greed, which in turn leads to heartburn and unhappiness." The merchant, hearing Aristophanes' comment, turned and replied: "You are right, I have seen the error of my ways! I will return home and tell my father that my filial piety is rooted in greed and sin." His voice sounded like he was tearing up at those last words, and I am certain his shoulders shook in sobbing when he turned and stormed off. Aristophanes concluded the intermezzo by stating: "Incidentally, this is also why those of metal souls do not have families related by blood. Such favoritism only leads your heart astray from your duty as a citizen."

I had noted and later understood these words. I could not be the soldier I am today if I feared losing a family heirloom in the thick of battle, or if I had to choose between allegiance to the Polis or to my kin.

But I still felt sad for the merchant, that day.

StringOfLetters
Apr 2, 2007
What?
Odessa
HP: 22/22 Luck 11/11 Armor: 0/2 Souls: 0 Flask: 5/5

I say, "Oh! You recognize their make? It's, er, difficult to explain how I'm doing this. I believe," and I speak slowly, still figuring out the concept as I give words to it, "That these balls of light represent memories of belongings. When I focus on the memory of this 'hoplon,' I can recall somebody else wearing it, standing in a sun-baked field along a line of soldiers. I remember that they stood something like this, shoulder to shoulder," and I adopt a stance that Agerios will surely be able to find a flaw or twenty in.

"It's a very disconcerting sensation, but I can also release the memories. Like this." I turn the spear into a small glowing icon on the ground. I add, "Troubles me to think that I might someday be parted from my own memories so easily. Or that I might have already. Here, try touching that little spear, see if you can do the same with it."

Unless someone asks nicely for it, I'm going to keep the armor bound to me. And I'm going to walk a few steps around and touch the next closest mote of light, trying not to look giddy at how cool this is, robbing graves of memories and making them real again.

Deltasquid
Apr 10, 2013

awww...
you guys made me ink!


THUNDERDOME
Agerios Lapheusix
HP: 30/30 Armor: 0 (3 with equipment) Souls: 22 Bag of Obols: 5/5 Luck: 7/7

"Yes, that would be a phalanx formation. Not much good to us in cramped spaces and in such small number, however. Single combat styles will serve us better."

I gingerly get up to touch the spear icon and another mote, if possible.

OOC: Whoops, I thought only Dom was trapped. Assume Dom interrupts that thought of mine? :v:

Deltasquid fucked around with this message at 22:14 on Jan 25, 2016

mistaya
Oct 18, 2006

Cat of Wealth and Taste

Dom
HP: 32/32 Armor: 0 (3 with equipment) Souls: 0 Sinner's Beads: 5/5

"Oh, bother," I mutter, staring at the quarrels.

While Odessa and Agerios are happily discussing the merits of the shining lights, which apparently contain the memories of the dead and their belongings, I am standing on a deadly trap. On one hand, Odessa proved earlier that death is no great difficulty here. On the other, having been struck once in the shoulder by a crossbowman I don't want a repeat experience, especially not ten times over.

"Have a care where you step," I say to the others. "There are traps in the floor panels. I do believe I've sprung one. Odessa, can I borrow that shield a moment? Else I will make a fine hedgehog when these arrows let fly..."

mistaya fucked around with this message at 22:01 on Jan 25, 2016

slydingdoor
Oct 26, 2010

Are you in or are you out?
To clarify, if any of you walk away they fire. At all 3 of you.

StringOfLetters
Apr 2, 2007
What?
Odessa
HP: 22/22 Luck 11/11 Armor: 0/2 Souls: 0 Flask: 5/5

I blink at Ser Dominik. "Oh. Goodness. I'm afraid I didn't notice."

I start towards him, then catch myself and halt. I say, "Er, I would love to, but is it safe for me to step over there and hand it to you..? Should I try, um, throwing it to you? Or, does it look like you can duck under the arrows? I feel I should warn you, while we may have passed beyond death, the hard landing after that jump did hurt. Rather intensely."

mistaya
Oct 18, 2006

Cat of Wealth and Taste

Dom
HP: 32/32 Armor: 0 (3 with equipment) Souls:0 LCK: 11/11 Sinner's Beads: 5/5

"Perhaps slide it along the floor?" I suggest, crouching and reaching towards her. The sparkle skids in my direction, and as I pick it up it becomes the strangely shaped shield once more.

"Alright, I'll do my best to block what I can but- well, on three you might want to jump clear."

I don't bother holding the shield as you're meant to, instead two-handing it before me and covering as much as I can with the bulk of it.

"One... Two... THREE!"

I step forward, not back, making the shield a larger target and saying a quick prayer.

Defying Danger with CON, 2d6+2 = 11!

slydingdoor
Oct 26, 2010

Are you in or are you out?
It seems that souls are absorbed by any touch, even with a kicking foot, and have no mass, and no inertia: it cannot be slid along the floor. However, you two are just able to reach a common spot such that you can exchange the shield.

The quarrels that hit the circle of bronze all embed themselves in it, puncturing all the way through but not in such a way as to injure anyone. Adding iron to bronze makes the shield even heavier: +1 weight, +clumsy. The rest of the quarrels crisscross, The upper row fires at a downward angle and the lower at an upward angle. They stick fast in the stone floor and ceiling, but the latter cracks from the impact. The gash travels in a jagged path from bolt to wall, and drops a clod of dirt near Agerios. It splashes in the blood, then an entire brick follows, sure to crush him. What do you do?

Bacon In A Wok
Jan 27, 2014
Mikaela

HP: 20/20 Luck: 17/17 Armor: 0 (1 with equipment) Souls: 0 Verses: 5/5)

Mikaela has been strangely silent since the arrival in the Nexus, unwilling to meet even the sightless gaze of her hostess and prone to breaking out in short, sharp fits of uncontrollable trembling. The Vessel granted to her appeared as a slim book with a cover of grey leather, most of its pages blank but a few inscribed with letters of pure radiance - Mikaela glanced at the first written page barely long enough to take in a few words, then snapped it sharply shut and refused to look at it again.

As Odessa experiments in the Crypt, though, Mikaela is startled into speech. "That - those things you are shaping - it... can't be."

As soon as anyone inquires into Mikaela's outburst, she continues, "I have only heard, ever, of one thing that can shape itself in the way I see now - essentia, that which comes from the wellsprings placed by God to let life into the world. But it acts only by its own will, or the Divine, never anything else now bound to the cycle. To change it, even so narrowly... what are you, starspeaker?"

quote:

Thief lvl. 1
HP: 20
Base Damage: D8
Alignment: Chaotic - Leap into danger without a plan.

STR: 8 (-1)
DEX: 16 (+2)
CON: 12 (0)
INT: 13 (+1)
WIS: 9 (0)
CHA: 15 (+1)

Angel- When you Spout Lore or Discern Realities about religious matters, demons or devils take +1.

Trap Expert Angelic Grace -
When you spend a moment to survey a dangerous area, roll+DEX.

✴ On a 10+, hold 3.

✴ On a 7–9, hold 1. Spend your hold as you walk through the area to ask these questions:

Is there a trap here and if so, what activates it?
What does the trap do when activated?
What else is hidden here?

Tricks of the Trade Opening The True Path -

When you pick locks or pockets or disable traps, roll+DEX.

✴ On a 10+, you do it, no problem.

✴ On a 7–9, you still do it, but the GM will offer you two options between suspicion, danger, or cost.


Backstab Wrath of the Righteous -

When you attack a surprised or defenseless enemy in melee, you can choose to deal your damage or roll+DEX.

✴ On a 10+ choose two.

✴ On a 7–9 choose one.

You don’t get into melee with them
You deal your damage+1d6
You create an advantage, +1 forward to you or an ally acting on it
Reduce their armor by 1 until they repair it

Flexible Morals Beyond Mortal Judgement -

When someone tries to detect your alignment you can tell them any alignment or Covenant you like.

Poisoner Tender of the Divine Garden -

You’ve mastered the care and use of a poison. Choose a poison from the list below; that poison is no longer dangerous for you to use. You also start with three uses of the poison you choose. Whenever you have time to gather materials and a safe place to brew you can make three uses of the poison you choose for free. Note that some poisons are applied, meaning you have to carefully apply it to the target or something they eat or drink. Touch poisons just need to touch the target, they can even be used on the blade of a weapon.

* Bloodweed Peacemaker (touch): The target deals -1d4 damage ongoing until cured

Gear
Load is 9+STR. (8)
Book of Verses (5 uses, 1w)
Leather Armor (1arm, 1w)
Rapier (close, precise, 1w)
3 Throwing Daggers (thrown, near, 0w)
Healing Potion (1 use, 0w)

Bonds
Whether or not she admits it, Odessa speaks with the voice of God.
Dominik is open to the Faith, and needs only the proper example to find the path for himself.
A devil has marked Ageiros; I must be ready to act to prevent further damage to his soul.

Bacon In A Wok
Jan 27, 2014

slydingdoor posted:

It seems that souls are absorbed by any touch, even with a kicking foot, and have no mass, and no inertia: it cannot be slid along the floor. However, you two are just able to reach a common spot such that you can exchange the shield.

The quarrels that hit the circle of bronze all embed themselves in it, puncturing all the way through but not in such a way as to injure anyone. Adding iron to bronze makes the shield even heavier: +1 weight, +clumsy. The rest of the quarrels crisscross, The upper row fires at a downward angle and the lower at an upward angle. They stick fast in the stone floor and ceiling, but the latter cracks from the impact. The gash travels in a jagged path from bolt to wall, and drops a clod of dirt near Agerios. It splashes in the blood, then an entire brick follows, sure to crush him. What do you do?

Mikaela
HP: 20/20 Luck: 17/17 Armor: 0 (1 with equipment) Souls: 0 Verses: 5/5)

Mikaela's eyes go wide with shock, and she takes the only action -- other than a futile dive at the larger man -- that could possibly do any good.

She sticks one hand in the nearest soul alcove, forcing her mind away from any kind of distracting memories it may conjure up, and thrusts the other in the direction of Agerios and the plummeting plinth. Whatever may take shape, she wants it not in her own hands, but hurtling swiftly towards the block to try and deflect it. Her aim and control may be far less than perfect, however...

Guess this is Defy Danger, with Int - 2d6+1 = 9

slydingdoor
Oct 26, 2010

Are you in or are you out?
The soul you touch is all too familiar, for it is your own. The throwable items you remember in an instant are your throwing daggers, all three of which fly up into the brick and cause it to slowly rotate such that it falls on its end next to Agrius instead of flat on top of him. It tips away from him, towards Dominik in fact, but then wobbles, and tips toward him again. Who of the two do you each prefer it not to fall on? What do you do?

You can vote against yourself if you wish.

StringOfLetters
Apr 2, 2007
What?
Odessa
HP: 22/22 Luck 11/11 Armor: 0/2 Souls: 0 Flask: 5/5

To Mikaela's question, I probably looked sheepish. I said, "I thought I was a fairly ordinary person, earlier today. Whatever I am now.. I think maybe we all are, too. Touch a thing of light, see if you can do it, too."

I flinch at the thwap sound of bolts firing. A rock falls, wobbles, and threatens to tip.

When the Clerics of old looked to the sky, or consulted one of Alarai's guide-stones, to see which of his two attendants they should listen to on whatever matter, they often forgot the simple fact of nature that no dilemma has only two answers. Even a flipped coin can land on its edge. I shout, "Push it! Up high, both of you! Steady it!"

Aid Mikaela: 2d6+1 8
o/| |\o

slydingdoor
Oct 26, 2010

Are you in or are you out?
Many hands make light work. It is nothing for you all to hold steady the unstable slate until everyone is safely out of the way. Everyone's eyes adjusts to the light streaming down where it used to be, since it is no longer just a ray of white light in the pale dimness of these catacombs.

On the opposite wall, two more souls lie by the corpses in two more sets of corpse shelves. With respect to the entrance, the far higher and near lower recessions hold the loot. At the far end of the room, the foreboding dais still sits. What do you do?

No roll necessary.

Deltasquid
Apr 10, 2013

awww...
you guys made me ink!


THUNDERDOME
Agerios Lapheusix
HP: 30/30 Armor: 1 (3 with cuirass) Souls: 7 Bag of Obols: 5/5 Luck: 7/7

The immediate danger being out of the way, I walk to the spear icon Odessa had made for me earlier, and touch it. Then I say: "I assume the frailer of the two remaining corpses will be yours, and the bulkier one the paladin's." as I stride towards the two remaining motes. "I think I understand now. Whoever wants to hold onto the shield Odessa conjured may do so. I think I could..."

I imagine my shield as best as I can. Or, well, it wasn't "my" shield. It was a shield manufactured by and for the Polis that I simply happened to carry that day. But I still remember seeing the image of a horse painted on its front, front hooves kicking victoriously in the air, the scratches and imperfections on the iron, its comforting and reassuring weight and sturdiness...

"Recreate it."

And then I had a shield.

"Odessa, do you think you could return my cuirass and helm to me? You should be able to get your own equipment back when you touch your own mote here."

The idea of venturing forth with a cleric's equipment instead of my own is not a very comfortable one, and I refuse to snatch Dom's equipment from under his nose.

mistaya
Oct 18, 2006

Cat of Wealth and Taste

Dom
HP: 32/32 Armor: 0 (3 with equipment) Souls:0 LCK: 11/11 Beads: 5/5

I pull a few quarrels from the borrowed shield before giving it up as a loss and offering it back to Odessa. "A bit worse for wear, I'm afraid, but thank you," I say, bowing to Mikaela as well. "And thank you for the timely intervention with the boulder, that could have gone badly otherwise."

What Agerios says makes sense, though I cannot understand why my body should be here. "I suppose there is only one way to find out," I say, approaching the higher of the two recessions this time and reaching for the light. I find myself in better spirits now that we've all faced something perilous together and survived. "Can one rob one's own tomb, do you think? And who brought us here? The Candle-lighter said she doesn't leave the Nexus, so it can't have been she."

StringOfLetters
Apr 2, 2007
What?
Odessa
HP: 22/22 Luck 11/11 Armor: 1 Souls: 0 Flask: 5/5

"Certainly, of course." drat, I was hoping he wouldn't ask. I will the armor out of existence, separate myself from its memory, and reduce it to an icon for Agerios to retrieve. The damaged bronze shield, I try to poof back to memories, and then back to my arm, to see if I can reconstitute it in good condition again.

Then I look over the corpse-nooks to find what might be my own desiccated body, and retrieve her belongings. That brings a weird, heavy feeling to my gut. Seeing my own corpse is far beyond what I ever expected to have to emotionally process. I feel like it should be profound somehow, but I'm mostly just uncomfortable. My skin crawls, but I can't look away from 'her.'

I say, "A fine question. To add to it, gods, how long have we been dead? Years at the least. If time has passed without being able to mark it, maybe decades or more. We're not going to be able to go... I mean, there might not be anything left of our homes by now."

I manifest my over-sized chain mail shirt and coif, and my spiked iron rod, just to make sure they're in good shape. I originally found all of my equipment by 'robbing' the dead (a sentimental and antiquated notion, but it's not worth getting into with Dominik) and I suppose that cycle continues.

slydingdoor
Oct 26, 2010

Are you in or are you out?
The shield, even if forgotten and exchanged, still has the holes and bolts stuck in it. When you walk over to your corpse, a row of holes open just as before, no different. What do you do?

StringOfLetters
Apr 2, 2007
What?
Odessa
HP: 22/22 Luck 11/11 Armor: 1 Souls: 0 Flask: 5/5

I peek in the holes to see if they're filled with bolts like the last ones, or if this trap might fire something different at me.

If it's quite the same, and I can tell their lines of fire from the last one being triggered, can't I just duck under their predictable path and crawl away?

Defy Danger: Wisdom: Stand between the things that hurt, don't flinch: 2d6+2 6

slydingdoor
Oct 26, 2010

Are you in or are you out?
That would be Dex: getting out of the way best fits the description.

You duck, but the quarrels fire incredibly quickly at such short range, and your weight shifts such that they trigger long before you are out of the way. All four of the bolts slam into you at once, each between any bones that might have deflected them. Strangely enough, you do not bleed. But you do feel it. When is the last time you were shot, if ever?
damage of a row of crossbows: 1d10+4 14 -1 from armor is 13 total.

The memory of your tin canteen and its contents pushes its way into the forefront of your mind. What do you do?

Each use of a recovery item restores half of your maximum hitpoints, rounded up. Uses cannot be split.

Deltasquid
Apr 10, 2013

awww...
you guys made me ink!


THUNDERDOME
Agerios Lapheusix
HP: 30/30 Armor: 1 (3 with cuirass) Souls: 7 Bag of Obols: 5/5 Luck: 7/7

I see Odessa is suddenly struck by some more bolts, and run up to her. I kneel and put my hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay, little one?" I feel some regret as I had just asked her to surrender the armor that could have dampened the impact somewhat. "I promise you, as soon as I figure out a way to conjure an extra cuirass from my memory, I am passing one to you."

StringOfLetters
Apr 2, 2007
What?
Odessa
HP: 9/22 -> 20/22 Luck 11/11 Armor: 1 Souls: 0(10) Flask: 4/5

The last time I was shot, I would've been about fifteen. I was being hunted by a couple of men from a rival gang, they were shouting, taunting, and cat-calling me. I acted like they had gotten to me and shouted back, trying to lure them into a pit trap I set up - a hole to a collapsed basement, covered by a big rug, nails and knives and jagged things at the bottom. I still feel like an idiot for not noticing that one man had a bow. I was very lucky to only be hit in the shoulder-blade running away, since he used a splintering arrowhead. Got a gnarly scar from it.

This hurts worse. If I didn't scream, it's because I'm stunned, not stoic. "Ow."

I bristle at 'little one,' but it wouldn't be right to speak out at someone who means to be kind. Once I'm sure that I can still breathe, ... actually, do I even need to breathe, or is that now just an old habit? I get off the floor and say, "I'll live."

Then I realize the irony of saying that after discovering my ancient corpse, and put my face into my hand for a little chuckle/sob. "I mean, I'll be okay. This hurts like you wouldn't believe, but look - no blood!"

I grab an arrow and yank it out with a strangled yelp, past whatever passes for my flesh and a few broken links of chain. Were I alive, that would call for some careful cutting and tugging to not exacerbate the wound, but I'm freaking out a little about the nature of our new trans-mortal existence, and the presumed loss of everyone and everything I knew.

"Not a drop! Ha! What the hell are we!?"

Having come this far, I'm not about to stop trusting mystical compulsions now. I take a gulp from the canteen.

slydingdoor
Oct 26, 2010

Are you in or are you out?
It is anodyne, and more: your pain leaves you, that much could be expected, but wounds and quarrels alike fade away, the latter leaving only holes in your chainmail as evidence they even existed. One soul and the dias's artifact await, What do you do?

Deltasquid
Apr 10, 2013

awww...
you guys made me ink!


THUNDERDOME
Agerios Lapheusix
HP: 30/30 Armor: 3 Souls: 7 Bag of Obols: 5/5 Luck: 7/7

I fully summon my equipment for the first time now I have retrieved all of my armor and my spear, and feel a lot more comfortable. I was feeling a little bit exposed wearing just my chiton.

"Okay, everyone. Stick behind me for now. Dominik, ready when you are."

And with those words, I cautiously approach the dais, my hoplon raised and trusty spear at the ready for an overhand thrust. Let's see what this artifact looks like, eh?

mistaya
Oct 18, 2006

Cat of Wealth and Taste

Backing up just a bit...

Dom
HP: 32/32 Armor: 3 Souls:0 LCK: 11/11 Beads: 5/5

The weight of my father's armor settles uncomfortably around my shoulders. Steel, with a brassy finish. Meant for formal occasions- such as meeting one's own death- but still fully functional when it comes to defense. My sword is more familiar, and my heavy kite shield with the rearing lion painted on it that's taken many a blow for me in the past...

*click*

"Well, we should have seen this coming-" I manage to get out before Odessa springs the trap. I brace myself behind the shield again, hoping that Laitram-forged metal is a bit sturdier than Agerios' hoplon, even if it's tapering shape is far less suited as an arrow-blocking device.

Defy Danger, CON. 2d6+2 = 8, +1 forward from previous DR = 9.

slydingdoor
Oct 26, 2010

Are you in or are you out?
A harder shield can deflect bolts much better, and can do nothing else against them when fired at such angles. Their simultaneous impact makes you slide back. You are forced to do a reverse lunge, because one of them pinned your dominant foot to the ground.

damage of single arrow to extremity: 1d6 3 no damage after armor.

Unlike with Odessa, it is pinned only through your footwear, not through your flesh.

Agerios, as you approach the dais, its artifact takes a unique form in the same manner as the one at the top of the Nexus. But this one's nature is far more sinister than its sibling: rather than give life, this one extracts it from its user as a price for granting them greater power. Truth be told, it reminds you all of the Mist itself: it tempts you and exhorts you to sacrifice your petty worldly concerns and to fulfill your destiny.

Just as the Souls glow brighter and sprout a tail that seeks out your hands, this item seeks you out to be absorbed, leaving the dais and chasing you if it has to. What form does each of yours take? What do you think of it? Examples are in the spoiler: The Hunters had a syringe with a ringed plunger that housed a catalyst. When their blood was donated to this ghastly thing, the catalyst turned it into a lethal quicksilver that allowed mundane weapons to challenge even the most vicious monster. The Chosen Undead had a blue estus flask that cooled their cinders but restored their tolerance but sharpened their minds. The Bound Souls snuffed a maddening, addictive spice that destabilized their forms but brought them closer to that of rarefied souls they channeled and shaped to cast their spells.

These are your Spell Recovery items. They extract half your maximum hitpoints, but never take you lower than 1, in exchange for restoring all of either all your spent spells, or all your poisons, ammo, and any broken equipment. Whenever you could upgrade your recovery item, you can instead upgrade your spell recovery item instead. It starts out at 2 uses.

slydingdoor fucked around with this message at 03:16 on Jan 27, 2016

Bacon In A Wok
Jan 27, 2014

Deltasquid posted:

"Okay, everyone. Stick behind me for now. Dominik, ready when you are."

And with those words, I cautiously approach the dais, my hoplon raised and trusty spear at the ready for an overhand thrust. Let's see what this artifact looks like, eh?
Mikaela looks upwards for a brief, frustrated second, then firmly steps in front of Agerios. "Wait, please."

She then seems to stand motionless for a second, eyes shut tight but head shifting back and forth slightly as if carefully examining everything around the dais. At last she opens them again and smiles, slightly. "The grace of God can sometimes see what mortal eyes cannot."

Using Angelic Grace to survey the altar - 2d6+2=8. Will spend the hold as soon as possible to ask "Is there a trap here and if so, what activates it?" and pass the information on to everyone. I am not going to be able to check the thread as often as other players, so if feasible I am interested in allowing other players to declare that Mikaela has used Angelic Grace reflexively in situations where one of them is about to jump into a new unexplored area.

slydingdoor
Oct 26, 2010

Are you in or are you out?
You link the light coming from above the bloodstain Agerios checked to that of the dais. Considering how it punched through the crack in the ceiling, it seemed as though it had mass. Furthermore, you notice that the more spell recovery items that are absorbed by your fellows, the more the cold, pale light seems to flow elsewhere than the vessels. It starts to look unsustainable by the dais, which cracks under the strain. You think that when the last spell recovery item finds its mark, the dais might break like a drat, and overflow with the "hard" light that seems to want to crush the Crypt Below. What do you do?

edited my last post to make room.

Bacon In A Wok
Jan 27, 2014
Mikaela
(HP: 20/20 Luck: 17/17 Armor: 0 (1 with equipment) Souls: 0 Verses: 5/5 Stirge 2/2)

slydingdoor posted:

Agerios, as you approach the dais, its artifact takes a unique form in the same manner as the one at the top of the Nexus. But this one's nature is far more sinister than its sibling: rather than give life, this one extracts it from its user as a price for granting them greater power. Truth be told, it reminds you all of the Mist itself: it tempts you and exhorts you to sacrifice your petty worldly concerns and to fulfill your destiny.

Just as the Souls glow brighter and sprout a tail that seeks out your hands, this item seeks you out to be absorbed, leaving the dais and chasing you if it has to. What form does each of yours take? What do you think of it?
Mikaela's artifact is a living(?) thing - a repulsive fusion of enormous mosquito and skeletally-thin bird, which darts towards her on faintly buzzing gossamer wings. She makes a halfhearted attempt to slap it away, but it lazily dodges her backhand, perches on her left shoulder and begins to croon atonally into her ear, and she cannot find the will to swat it away. Soon after, it apparently finds some fold within her attire and burrows out of sight.

quote:

You link the light coming from above the bloodstain Agerios checked to that of the dais. Considering how it punched through the crack in the ceiling, it seemed as though it had mass. Furthermore, you notice that the more spell recovery items that are absorbed by your fellows, the more the cold, pale light seems to flow elsewhere than the vessels. It starts to look unsustainable by the dais, which cracks under the strain. You think that when the last spell recovery item finds its mark, the dais might break like a drat, and overflow with the "hard" light that seems to want to crush the Crypt Below. What do you do?

Mikaela looks at the others, gesturing for them to come closer. "This place does not want us to tarry -- it means to collapse beneath us. I think the only way to safety is up. I judge Odessa to be the lightest among us - can the rest of us boost her higher, so she can secure some rope or ballast to aid our ascent?"

StringOfLetters
Apr 2, 2007
What?
Odessa
HP: 20/22 Luck 11/11 Armor: 1 Souls: 0(10) Flask: 4/5 Spice: 2/2

The mystical vessel is a long, thin, silver pipe, loaded with a very fine clot-red powder that smells the way an electric shock feels. Mother always warned me about those things, though everything worth smoking was consumed in a frenzy in the days shortly after the mist rolled in. Things that heighten the senses and open one's mind to new realms of possibility, but the spirits within claim ownership of one's heart and soul in the process. I always assumed that, in the hands of a strong-willed individual smoking it for a purpose rather than for an escape, with the sense to use it in moderation, it could be far more of a boon than a bane.

I'm certainly intrigued.

To Mikaela, I say, "I'll certainly try, though I'm not sure what you have in mind for me to tie anything to. I have some, um, here..." I close my eyes and rub my forehead for a second, juggling around memories of all the crap I brought in my skiff when I went into the mist. I manifest a coil of good rope (-1 adventuring supply) and poof my chainmail back to the corners of my mind, so as to be lighter. "What has the grace of god shown you? Point the way, please."

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mistaya
Oct 18, 2006

Cat of Wealth and Taste

Dom
HP: 32/32 Armor: 3 Souls: 0 LCK: 11/11 Beads: 5/5 Salts: 2/2

I let out a sigh of relief and pull the arrow from my boot. Could have lost a toe there, but I was lucky. Odessa's cry of pain is a sharp reminder that I have more than myself to be aware of here and I wince as I watch her dealing with the bolts... She had the shield, after all, I'd thought she'd use it!

The lack of blood from her wounds is unnerving.

"What, indeed?" I echo Odessa. "And even more important, what is our purpose? Someone brought our bodies here, to this tomb. Our spirits came as well, drawn to the candles, perhaps? But why did our arms and armor need to come separately? And why the gifts... Surely there IS a purpose to all of this... There must be."

It would be too cruel if there wasn't.

---

A short glass vial on a silver chain manifests in my hand. There's a cork for a stopper, and white salt inside. We used to carry salts like this into battle, the scent being powerful enough to bring a man stricken back to consciousness. The grains glitter like crystals, and I wonder if it's quite the same sort of thing as I remember, though I have no real need to test it now. I slip the chain over my head and tuck the vial under my shirt, where it will be safe.

Mikaela has wonderful news for us.

"I don't suppose we could just run out the door we came in?" I ask, glancing backwards.

  • Locked thread