Adventures in Fallcrest - IC - Part III [4E]

[Hzurr]

DM Post

Iain gives a nod. "As best as we can tell, yes. If it is magical, it's a type of magic we've not seen before."

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The Sehainine acolyte give Eltain a knowing smile. "And I assume you do have such an appreciation?"
[THIS PART OF THE SCENE HAS BEEN EDITED FOR CONTENT]

-------Later that evening---------

The last guests of the party are trickling out, and you all find yourselves in the guest room prepared for you. The room is a large, octagonal structure, built near the base of the large tree in the middle of the field, roughly 15 feet off the ground. On the southern side, a large curtain that serves as a door connects to a walkway leading to the rest of the house (Aramil's rooms are just a short ways away), and on each of the other 8 sides of the room are large plush pillows that non-fey can use as beds. Thin curtains separate each bed from one another, giving a small measure of privacy, but the room is fairly open. In the center of the room, a large green and yellow plant grows. Each leaf has some sort of bio-luminescent pattern traced onto it, illuminating that portion of the room.

You hear a soft ringing, and Limara enters the room. She gives all of you a polite nod, but turns to Aramil. "Well, they're all finally gone. We can still have that talk you were hoping." She eyes the others in the room, particularly Zyrr. "Or do we need to find somewhere more private?"

[Mando Knight]

Aramil nods, his eyes closed and one hand pinching the bridge of his nose. "That's what I feared. I've got an idea as to what the cause might be, but I'd have to get my specialist. I'll be back later... possibly tonight, possibly tomorrow morning."

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Aramil gestures slightly dismissively. "They'll likely hear a condensed version of what I'd like to talk to you about, anyway, so if you're fine with talking here, we don't need to go elsewhere."

[Hzurr]

DM Post

Limara shrugs, "As you wish." She sits down, and looks Aramil in the eye. "I'll be brief. While I'm thrilled to see you again, brother, your timing could not be worse. This marriage is critical to our family's future, and from what I saw between you and Certhiel tonight, I'm not sure if your presence here will be managable."

She walks over, and puts a hand on his shoulder. "There is nothing I'd like more than for you to remain here as my knight-errant, but for now, I need you out of the way while I get things in order."

"Now, you can stay here for a few days to re-supply, and I'll provide you with whatever I can, but you and your friends cannot stay."

[Mando Knight]

Aramil nods. "I suspected as much. Tell me, did Certhiel come forward before or after Father fell ill?"

[Hzurr]

DM Post

Limara frowns. "Father met with her and a few other members of the winter court once or twice before the sickness really took hold, but I was never involved in those talks. Certhiel did not approach me til a couple of weeks ago."

She arches an eyebrow. "I know what you're insinuating, brother, and I'd ask you to refrain from mentioning your theory to the rest of the family. I'm trying to hold things together, and it's difficult enough without you undermining my authority."

[Mando Knight]

"I know. At the same time, be careful. Toveliss may be a gentleman and even one of very few worthy of being your groom, but his mother is a snake. She has already tried to poison our relationship, and I am only confident in her not poisoning me because the best poisoner on the estate is probably the one sitting right here with us."

He turns to Zyrr. "Speaking of which, are there any poisons you are aware of that would cause mild insanity? Like, say, confusing one's memory and perception of time?"

[Haberdashery]

The Shepherd scratches his great head, a look of utter puzzlement on his face as he stares helplessly at the floor.

"I am sorry to interrupt," he speaks suddenly, "But I am not sure I understand."

He sits up from his stooped, thoughtful position. "I thought the Winter people were the bad goats. And you are the nice, happy goats, correct? Why would you want to merge the bad goats with the good goats? Don't the bad goats want to kill all the plants and make it snow forever and then everyone will die of starvation? Would not this be a very bad future for your flo--err...family?"

[Mando Knight]

"It's... complicated, and I don't think I have enough experience with goats to provide an explanation in those terms."

[Toric]

Zyrr smiles and nods at the compliment to his talent and listens for a bit before formulating his opinion.

"Well, when I wasn't being accosted by Eladrin wanting a rumble out back or a roll in the hay, I thought about a few ideas. The most obvious one I thank my magic-saturated childhood for. Tell me, are many servants here practiced in the arcane arts?"

[Mando Knight]

Aramil replies dryly. "Do many Drow nobles have assassins on retainer? I inquired about this a while ago, during the party. If the illness is magical, then it's not a kind known on this plane."

[Nai_Calus]

"It's... Not always quite like that, Shep. And not all winter fey are bad. I'm not bad, am I? All the same, Certhiel is a rather... Cold example. Toveliss himself seems to be fine, but his mother..." Eltain makes a face.

"So neither the priests nor the mages have been able to figure anything out... I wonder what it could possibly be? Unfortunately all I can heal is wounds..."

[Toric]

The assassin stifles a chuckle. "As I thought. I wasn't thinking magic, I was thinking more of the amount of arcane components moving about the place. Much like medicine from an apothecary, some of these ingredients have lesser-known functions in addition to their common use. Ratswort added to tea to help with headaches, guano used to make a long-lasting torch in a pinch, and a few that can be mixed into poisonous compounds. They could be brought in the open, combined on the spot, and delivered behind secure walls."

He rises from his seated position and stretches. "...It's odd that you mention warped sense of time. I'll have to see what I can remember, perhaps the lucky gnome could help?"

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I'm not sure what roll to use for this, so I'll just do a flat 1d20 - (1d20)[7] and list the possible modifiers. I can see an Arcana check (+4 modifier, hence asking for Pavick's aid) or possibly a Thievery check since that skill works for making most arcane Alchemy items (+15 modifier).

[Hzurr]

OOC: Give me a nature check, Zyrr gets a +4

[Toric]

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Nature - (1d20+7)[26]

Extra characters to artificially lengthen post since I have nothing further to elaborate on at this moment.

[Hzurr]

DM Post

Zyrr remembers a small mushroom called the Teimann that the Formorians used to grow that would had effects similar to this. They used it to incapacitate enemy leaders without the risk of resurrection after assassination. As far as Zyrr remembers, however, the Formorians haven't been able to grow Teimann since their war with the Mindflayers nearly 500 years ago.

[Toric]

"Unfortunately," the drow continues, "all the reagent-derived poisons I can think of that eventually cause death carry great risk to a novice mixer. Inhaling toxic fumes, causing fires or explosions, becoming permanently blind if they scratch an itchy eye. If this were the case, and the poisoning wasn't done through infiltration by someone like me, we'd have probably heard of some poor servant who scalded her face off while making a spring lord's special stew."

Zyrr paces across the room, following his train of thought on foot. "So the second idea is your more basic ready-made poison, smuggled in and added to food or drink. The only one I can think of that both matches your symptoms and would survive novice hands is the Teimann fungus, a mushroom the Fomorians of old used to erode leaders' minds over time as well as their health. They cherished it as a means of subverting resurrection; enough Teimann to kill the target would also destroy their psyche, so that followers would only be able to revive a mindless husk of a creature.

There's a reason Teimann isn't my prime suspicion, however. In a war 500 years ago the Fomorians lost either their Teimann crop or the knowledge to grow it into its proper, potent form. I wouldn't doubt the latter, they were fighting mind-flayers. So take your pick, either somebody is running an overnight poisoner school that ambitious eladrin can attend discretely, or somebody has dug an old poison out of its grave. I'm sad to say those are my two very best explanations."

[Nai_Calus]

Eltain thinks carefully, trying to recall if he's heard anything at all that might be even remotely useful. He hasn't, and he sighs unhappily.

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Rolls for the hell of it, because I like rolling dice and Eltain would at least try to think of something:

Arcana: (1d20+15)[20]
History: (1d20+5)[11]
Religion: (1d20+10)[11]

[Hzurr]

OOC: Anyone else who wants to try and figure out something useful can make an insight check and a history check

[Haberdashery]

OOC: Gits and shiggles time.

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Insight: (1d20+6)[20]
History: (1d20+3)[10]

[Hzurr]

DM Post

Shep feels that the timing between a Formorian mushroom that could cause this type of illness and the winter fey shutting down all access to the feydark is a bit suspect.

[DSCrankshaw]

Lucan - Half-elf bard

Lucan sits down, leans his chin on a fist, and thinks deeply and hard.

It hurts, though, and he soon gives up.

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Insight - (1d20+13)[17]
History - (1d20+7)[10]

[dariathalon]

Pavick - Gnome Wizard

Pavick has been listening with a quiet interest to all of this. He had decided it was best to keep quiet unless he had anything important to add. If he started talking, he knew it was possible that he might accidentally reveal his snooping earlier, and he didn't know exactly how Aramil would react. Still carefully considered the situation, testing his mind for anything of use.

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Sorry I've been a bit quiet lately. Holidays are a busy time and all.

History - (1d20+14)[28]
Insight - (1d20+6)[23]

[Toric]

Zyrr's brain continues chugging down its tracks. With all the intrigue, suspicion, and political maneuvering to ponder, he's starting to feel quite at home at the Printempest estate.

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Insight - (1d20+8)[13]
History - (1d20+4)[12]

[Hzurr]

DM Post

Aramil and Pavick have little difficulty coming to the same suspicions that Shep does. The coincidence seems even more suspicious when the two recall that during the last war waged by the Winter Court, they employed a similar tactic to shut down all access to the adamantine mines. Since they used adamantine in their weapons, they attempted to insure that no one else had access to it.

[Mando Knight]

Aramil shoots Zyrr a troubled look. "Formorians, you said? As in, the vile overlords of the Feydark Formorians? That's... fairly suspicious. Are you aware of any antidotes?"

[Hzurr]

DM Post

In order to create an antidote, Zyrr would need to have a sample of the Teimann mushroom to work with.

[DSCrankshaw]

Lucan - Half-elf bard

Without any explanation, Lucan takes his boot off and turns it upside down. Silvery coins fall to the ground, rolling and spinning. He hits the heel with the palm of his hand and another coin falls out. "There," he says. "That's been bothering me all day." He counts out the coins. There are ten of them. "Did anyone lose some platinum? I don't think they're mine. If not, we could split them."

Spoiler

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OOC: I recommend the 10 pp (1000 gp) goes into the party's funds, or split between us.

[dariathalon]

Pavick - Gnome Wizard

Pavick stares incredulously as the large amount of wealth falls out of Lucan's boot. "Not mine." Pavick says with a shrug. "Not sure how any of my money would end up in your boot anyway. Or anyone else's money for that matter."

He turns toward Aramil and back to the matter at hand. "This does have the Formorian's filth all over it, I think. And I'm sure they aren't in this alone." He does not go further into the details of his suspicions to avoid offending Limara, but let's the statement hang meaningfully before any who might already suspect the winter court's involvement.

[Nai_Calus]

"Nor mine," Eltain says, frowning. By the gods, everything good happened to that ignorant man without him even trying! Women threw themselves at him, he found random money, meanwhile anything Eltain wanted he had to work for and go after, and even then often as not he still didn't get it, or anything else for that matter. It wasn't fair. Ah well, Corellon still provided, and he had few true needs. Besides, he'd succeeded earlier that night where Lucan had failed by dint of his own superior intelligence and ability to actually read people.

"It's fairly obvious that they aren't in this alone. And I think we all know who's in there with them." He frowns. "I just hope he's not in there. I liked him."

[Toric]

About to speak, Zyrr stares dumbstruck at the coins that tumble out of the bard's boot. He waits several seconds, expecting roast quails to begin marching out of the half-elf's ears or for him to reach into his pocket and pull out a priceless relic he just picked up because it was shiny.

"I... I think that's mine." These words are inevitable. Holding unclaimed money in front of a drow, or even claimed money, is like dangling a rat in front of a snake. He'll reach for it if only because the laws of the universe deem it so. The abruptness and sheer absurdity of the situation throw off his normally controlled voice. Bluff - (1d20+12)[22]

"...Anyway the recipe for the antidote still exists. And a poisoner without a large list of antidotes is, well, suicidal. There's just one snag: just as with cobra antivenom, a Tiemann antidote requires Tiemann mushroom. The mushroom that supposedly doesn't exist anymore."