Three Goddesses - IC (Thread #2)

[Debbie_D]

What Lil said makes sense to you all (Diplomacy 49), but as she points out, you are all PCs and have free choice in this matter.

[Kalirren]

"One of six," corrects Melinda. "You won the staff, not me. My opinion about this shouldn't matter unless there is dissension. But I think you've bargained well, Ireth. In the short time you've held that implement you've already done us much good..."

[PSinger]

Atareth nods and says, "I vote yes to this agreement."

[Toliudar]

Dot

"Lil, I believe you've captured the deal with perfect clarity. I'm in."

[Telasi]

Taleira Ulharvyth

I say we should give the man his stick. If he wants it back badly enough, it's more trouble than it's worth, and he's offering something in exchange for now.

[lostsole31]

Lildorrinene nods as each lady gives her telepathic or verbal consent. "That's four ... a majority vote even before all votes are in.

"Starwyn, you have a deal. Ireth, excellent job. Please hand Zanthia the staff; the helmet is yours, should you wish it and it does not interfere with anything else you might wear on your head.

"Otherwise, let's know now so we can figure out who will wear it as well. Neither I (nor my servant) can use it since we both utilize more important 'head-pieces.' I'm sure that Dot, as a wizard, surely has a circlet to sharpen her keen mind ever further. I don't know about anyone else, except Atareth who has mentioned interest. Still, you have first choice on that item.

[Vulaas]

Ireth

"I am quite pleased that you are such a rational man, Starwyn, and I thank you for coming forth and offering aid rather than attempting to destroy to regain the staff," she says as she hands the artifact over to Zanthia.

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(1d20+38)[43] Diplomacy, in hopes that he'll look upon this exchange favorably, rather than as attempted strong-arming.

"Atareth, keep the helm if you so desire it, I am sure I can find better adornment next time I have a chance to go out to the world and purchase such.

[PSinger]

Atareth asks through the necklaces: "Does anyone have a problem with that? May I take the helmet?"

[Debbie_D]

Once the agreement is made, Starwyn stands and faces you all. Despite the fact that you know he is the enemy, you cant help but be just a little impressed with him, he is quite the specimen of the male species. When he speaks, you want to listen to him.

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Hey, his CHA is mid 30s, hes got a presence about him

He asks you each in turn what sort of tome you wish, and when you answer, it appears in his hand. Its almost like he can guess which one you want. And hes right, every time. Once the books are handed out, he starts on his story.

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It was about 12 years ago, I was having a problem with these two followers of Kotep, I was chasing them from one end of Daystor to the other. Those Kotep'ers, they never stand and fight you, its always spells, spells, spells and then run away if that doesnt work. No matter what I did, I couldnt corner them and force the issue to an end. Finally I had some of my wizards with me, and we managed to trap them in a dead end where they were able to drop an anti-magic shell on them. The first one got cut in half with one swing and the other one turned into a total coward. He begged for his life, and to save his own skin, he gave me the location of what he called Kotep's secret hide-a-way, a demi plane that only he and his most trusted priests knew of. Since I was pretty sure Kotep would probably have killed him for revealing the location and end up changing it, I killed him anyway, and stored the information away.
I didnt think much of it, it seemed like an interesting piece of knowledge to know, but not something I could ever put to use, Im not so egotistical to think I would have any sort of chance against Kotep, especially in his refuge of last resort.
Flash forward a couple of years, to the time of the making of the sword and the Cup competition. Those fools were all for making the Sword, I said no but was overruled. I didnt attend the making of the Sword, but I spied on it just the same. When the priestess of Kotep cast the final invocation, she spoke the words, “as their prophet has been trapped, so shall they be trapped.” Those words intrigued me and I resolved to find out what it meant.
I knew it had to be a prophet related to all of your goddesses, so it didnt take long to find out about Cassiopia. As I continued my research, I found that she had died in New Kroy, but when I went to the city, I couldnt find where she had lived while she was there. However, I did find that the priests of Kotep had built a shrine there at around the same time as she had died, and given how few wizards were in the area, I thought that a bit strange. I discovered however that the priestess had been promoted in the meantime and was now the head of that temple, somehow it had managed to survive all those years. I contacted one of the local gangs in the town, and convinced them to try and mug her, giving them an item that could bring up an anti magic shell around them when they did so. I was in disguise of course. Then when they attacked her, I was able to come to her rescue, and dispatch the rabble. She was very grateful to her “white knight” and after I got her drunk, she became very talkative. Thats when I got the last piece of the puzzle.
As I said, the information wasnt useful to me in any way, so Ive never acted on it...but its just further proof that sometimes, information is the best currency you can have.

He then gives you a series of numbers, to everyone else they are meaningless but to Dot, they serve to tell her where to open her gate to transfer to that demi plane.

[Toliudar]

Dot

When it comes to the handing out of tomes, Dot smiles.

"Given how foolish I have been from time to time over the past weeks, I think it's only appropriate that I ask for common sense and understanding."

She takes the proferred book with a nod, handing it off to Tasha for the moment. When Starwyn begins rattling off the planar coordinates, she quickly extricates a pencil and notepad from her pack and jots the numbers down. When he finishes, she quietly reads the sequence back to him to confirm that she has it correctly. After this, the deal completed, her voice is subdued, polite.

"My apologies, sir. I think I'm misunderstanding somewhere. You got these coordinates from the, ah, Koteper that you killed. So what was the final piece of information that you got from the priestess?"

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What do the numbers tell me about the location of this demiplane. Is it in the ethereal, like my Creche? Floating in the astral? Perhaps connected to one of the elemental planes? In the plane of shadow? Next door to Sigil? Knowledge (the planes): (1d20+27)[32].

[Ason]

Tallesin appears more agreeable once the deal has been struck, but he always was a bit of a flatterer. "Good form, good form- your offer does much to enhance my opinion of you. For now, I will at least say you are a gentleman and a scholar, a lover of fine wines (and a chaser of finer women, heheh). Our faiths may quarrel, but still, I always appreciate a man of fine business sense like yourself. For myself, a tome of clear thought would be delightful, thank you kindly. As for your story, you are quite the resourceful one, but I must echo my comrade's question. What final information?"

Telepathic reply: "The helm is not for me, but may it serve its new owner beautifully."

[Debbie_D]

She was the one who told me that the soul was being held on the demi plane. When I had gotten her drunk, I asked her about the invocation and the line "as their prophet has been trapped, so shall they be trapped." She told me about Kotep had sent two of his agents from the new temple in New Kroy to kill her, and when she was dying, they trapped her soul in special magic jar. She didnt know why they had done it, but she knew that the jar had been placed for safe keeping in that demi plane.

By the co-ordinates given, Dot can tell the demi plane is connected to Gehenna, as close as is possible to the Nine Hells. Kotep would dearly love to get his hands on the Hells, but that will never come to pass.

[Toliudar]

Dot

After all of the tomes have been distributed, Dot sends mentally to her colleagues.

"Ah. Lovely. This demiplane is in the vicinity of Gehenna. Ever been. Lovely place. The light from a thousand volcanoes cast a cheerful glow across a million tormented souls on a lifeless grey plain. You could sell postcards. In light of this, I will definitely wait until tomorrow to be ready to go. We're going to want to be able to go...and come back."

[Kalirren]

"Stamina," requests the bardess. "I'm sure that a man of Your Excellency's caliber can appreciate its virtues." Upon receiving it from the pontiff's hands she gives him a suspicious glance. Could they have bargained for even more...? They'd never know. It paled in comparison to the other reasons to have second thoughts anyhow. [Sense Motive Skill Mastery for 41.]

Fate certainly worked in strange and hilarious ways, thought Melinda. If she'd instead gone and done the missionary work in New Kroy she'd been kicking around the thought of with Lystara, she might already have happened upon this knowledge already.

So the Fellowship was a few magical tomes the stronger and Starwyn would shortly be repossessed of a staff. A pity, for he was still the enemy.

[lostsole31]

Lildorrine receives her Manual of Quickness of Action, and in doing so, ever so faintly has her wrists slighly upwards the way she holds it, and frames her neck ever so slightly ... animal signs for the wary. "Thank you, Starwyn. Shall you be staying and waiting in New Kroy, or will you be leaving straightaway for your camp again?"

To the group she tepes, "Not so much. I've been there a very few times, but I try to stay away from there. The landscape is all the same, and the denizens are just as interesting and creative.

"Dot, I'll have Lok working rightaway on researching Gehenna. From what I've seen, he is only a hair behind you on planar knowledge. His connection to the Lower Planes might actually be better than your own. That way you won't feel like you have to choose between reading your manual or conducting research until you're ready."

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In D&D, a modifier is a modifier, and his K: Planes is +26 to your +27. That, and he doesn't have moment of prescience or anything like that. However, if one looks at overall background and makes adjustment, you would be the better scholar overall, but he might actually be the 'expert' on the Lower Planes given his nature. In the end, in this game, it still comes down to a flat modifier unless the DM adjusts something.

Sense Motive checks
* Lildorrinene (1d20+20)[39]
* Lok-Too-Loo-Baz (1d20+26)[46]

[PSinger]

Atareth takes the manual (of brute smashiness) Starwyn offers and nods uneasily. She doesn't say thank you. This isn't a gift or a favor. It's a transaction. She steps back to Sword and Ireth.

[Telasi]

Taleira Ulharvyth

Taleira accepts a Manual of Physical Might from Starwyn with a polite nod, then back to the omnipresent smirk.

In response to the next little slice of paradise we're visiting:Gehenna, hmm? Lovely. At least it should be a short visit.

Sense Motive check...

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...pitiful as it may be: (1d20+4)[22]

[Kalirren]

"Another private pocket-plane? This sounds like big trouble," laments a wary Melinda. "I've never traveled across the planes before. What precautions does one take before visiting such a place?"

***

Among the various things that Melinda will do in the intervening week is write up her will. She asks Dot and Tallesin to witness, and she deposits a copy in the archives at Varstok.

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She explicitly sets aside the requisite sum of money for a true resurrection, and charges the reader with the duty of informing Zanthia.

In case for some reason a true resurrection isn't possible, it is likely that her soul has been trapped, destroyed, or consumed. In this case the bulk of her wealth shall be entrusted to the Church of Sabrina or its successor institution to be invested responsibly, and the proceeds used to advance public health, education, and other interests that the Triune Fellowship may undertake on behalf of women and children, especially in South Enicom and other destabilized regions of the world.

Her ruby necklace to her Holiness Katarina of Tishtina and Sabrina, as long as she so remains - else to her Holiness Zanthia Bindar.

If her other belongings are somehow recovered:
Her own holy symbols and ruby earrings to her daughter.

All other relics she leaves to the various congregations she has built.

[Toliudar]

Dot

Dot is honoured to witness the forging of Melinda's will. She speaks quietly about planar travel, and it becomes clear that she is, if not an expert, certainly someone who has bought the t-shirt.

"It's not so bad, if you're prepared. There are spells that you can cast, arriving in a new place, that help take care of minor differences. Gravitational pull, gastrointestinal distress, that kind of thing. We'll lay in a stock before we go, but you might be able to help yourself as well.

"Gehenna is not a friendly place. I was only there once, a meeting on behalf of a client, took less than an hour. I'd hoped never to have to go back. You'd be amazed how a place can be both spectacularly unpleasant AND astonishingly boring, all at the same time.

"Of course, there's no guarantee that this pocket plane will be like Gehenna. It might be full of flowers. Well, probably not. It might be set so that arcane spells, Kotep's stock in trade, are supercharged in power. If they've hiddent this so well, so far, it'lll be difficult for us to learn more before we go.

"Difficult, but still worth the effort. After you're finished your business here, would you like to come shopping with me in Sigil?"

[PSinger]

I'm confused if Dot mentions the planar biz to everyone or just to Melinda and Tallesin. If she says all that in front of us, Atareth will perk up at the very end. "Shopping?! Was that an open invitation? I've got the outfit. I've got the hat. Now I just need some fantastic shoes!"

[Toliudar]

Dot shrugged and smiled.

"More the merrier! We'll rent a suite."

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The shopping invitation is, I suppose open to all. My plan was to spend a few days at some equivalent of a fine hotel in Sigil, spending splitting my time between shopping, reading the tome and a little sight-seeing. Everybody's welcome to come along.

Debbie, I should check with you first. I've seen different DM's interpret Sigil's restrictions on powerful Outsiders to mean everything from "half-fiends beware" to "just don't launch an invasion." Any thoughts on where you land on that scale? It'll help me decide whether I'm bringing the menagerie along...and whether I can safely extend the invitation to Lil.

[Vulaas]

Ireth

Accepting a Tome of Leadership from Starwyn with a wink and a abbreviated bow, she walks back to the other gathered ladies. "That sounds like quite a plan; I have to say I have never had an extra-planar vacation."

[Ason]

Melinda and Dot:

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Tallesin speaks quietly, as with a trusted confidant in a tender moment, and his usual jokes and bluster are gone, sobered up by the reality of what may lie ahead. "Milady... thank you for this honor. I do so witness. Should the worst happen, you have my word as a gentleman that I will see to this document's fulfillment. No deceptions, no equivocations: I promise."

"All those warriors and crooks up 'til now, that was one thing; this... this we might not come back from. Melinda, Peridot: I do not have much of my own, most of my possessions will simply return to our church. But, if I die and cannot be resurrected, please, have a servant deliver the letter I've left with Zanthia's clerks to my family: they deserve to know. ...And if in your travels, either of you find an actress going by 'Nesta', give her a rose from Tallesin. If you do neither, I shall harbor no ill will, but the closure would make my spirit lie easier. Perhaps hers too." He smiles weakly and bows his thanks.

Among the group, discussing the shopping trip:
"Capital idea, Peridot, capital! My spellbook could use some updating, especially given your take on our destination. Plus, an unofficial voyage would be a lovely relief from adventuring's obligations. Ahh, and a vacation in such splendid and beauteous company? I accept!"

[Kalirren]

Melinda's eagerness about the idea of Sigil filters through the necklaces to the rest of the group, but she remains overtly reserved. Starwyn was still in the room; the less he knew about the internal dynamics of this group, the better.

*** (I'm assuming the will stuff occurs some short but unspecified time later than this meeting; that was the function of ***, a scene separator.)

Dot + Tallesin

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"Tallesin, you are one of very few men in this world I can imagine sitting on the same side of a bargaining table with," responds the bardess. "And I've evangelized in some places where a woman's word is inadmissible in court against a man's. My sisters there will need you to be on their side. I'm glad I can count on you." She kisses him to seal him to his word, as is her canon privilege.

Lust might be the key to mens' wallets, but more often than not, a person is the key to someone's heart. "If you really wanted to find this Nesta, you know, you could just ask Elise in Erandol. I'm sure she'd be willing to perform a personal divination for a champion in such good graces with the Fellowship. She'd still charge you for it, of course." Melinda tilts her head the other way. "Or is this one of those things that you don't really want to admit you don't want to know?"

"Dot, I'd love to travel with you," she accepts verbally. "But Tallesin, would you be willing to accompany me to Kroy first? I do need a tiny amount of help to get set up there, and it would be as good a place as any for you to look for your friend, or someone who knows her. We could meet up with the others in a day or two, maybe even less."

[lostsole31]

Lildorrinene will spend the week reading the manual and doing the exercises. On off-hours, she will be in changed/disguised form 'hunting.' It's been awhile, and she wants to enjoy the double-whammy of lust-feeding. Targets will be insipid, yet attractive morons of means that her Sense Motive determines to be little threat and without enough power to have an entourage.

Lok-Too-Loo-Baz will assist Dot with any planar studies concerning Gehenna ... Knowledge: Planes (1d20+26)[41]

[Ason]

Melinda & Dot

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"You are too kind, Melinda. I will certainly travel with you to Kroy, if that is your wish. However, afterwards we should rejoin the others with all haste. If Gehenna is as bad as our party supposes, I would like to acquire as many wards as possible to protect our sisters from the plane's effects. Such things," he says with a flourish, "are my specialty after all. However, my magics cannot currently deliver us to Sigil: would you be able to ferry the two of us?"


"As for that actress..." Tallesin says, studying Melinda's face with a calculating look [and Dot's, if she's in this secondary conversation], "I will speak, if you swear the same oath that this stays between us. Such knowledge is dangerous in the wrong hands, and male that I am, there are plenty among the faithful who would delight in my fall. Do you swear by our Lady of Love?"

Assuming her promise: "Finding my Nesta is not the problem, though I do not know her present location. Her intentions, however, I have known for years," Tallesin says this last bit with an angry growl. "Though she disdains our goddess, my wife taught me Sabrina's motto well: running off with another man requires little clarification. I'm done with Nesta; 'My Mistress'," he says patting his sword, and then nodding towards the women, "and my mistresses of the church are all I desire now. Still... etiquette would dictate that I formally issue my divorce to the woman... Yes, I see clearly now, time permitting, I will end this business once and for all. Thank you for the suggestions."

Regaining his usual chipper attitude, Tallesin adds with a wink, "Any further help in this matter would be *ahem* 'suitably thanked', of course."

At the end of this conversation with Melinda, Tallesin will ping the rest of the group explaining that he will join them in Sigil later on.

[Toliudar]

Melinda and Tallesin:

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Dot swears the oath Tallesin requests, and remains respectfully silent as he speaks. smiles up at Tallesin and Melinda, her iridescent eyes as hard to read as ever.

"Clearly, this Nesta is a fool to have thrown you over. I wish you joy and success in your travels."

In a moment her tone and face lift.

"I'll book us a few rooms at the Five Doves, on Gull Way. There's a doorway to Sigil formed in the crotch of a lightning-split tree, on the Boulevard of Millers in Erandol. Hold four iron nails joined together tip to head, and it should activate to bring you to Sigil. Don't wait too long to join us!"

Magically, Dot monitors Starwyn's departure. Only once she is convinced of his absence does she continue telepathically with the others.

"Right then. Next coach to Sigil, by way of Erandol, leaving in five minutes. Who's coming, and who needs to pee first?"

[Telasi]

Taleira Ulharvyth

"Can't say I've ever been to Sigil. Sounds fun, so I'll come along. Might be able to find some things there, too."

[lostsole31]

Lildorrinene sees Starwyn leave and says, "Well, there goes the former leader of Shandar ... I wonder, exactly, how he lost power. More importantly, to whom did he lose power?

"No matter. Come, Lok-too-loo-baz, we shall delay ourselves to Sigil. You may find some rare morsel of lore to assist your studies of Gehenna here."

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All this, of course, assumes that we've taken the week to study our manuals and conduct business in town?

[Kalirren]

"Great question, Lil. I'm glad I'm not the only one who got that impression." Melinda's tone carried a streak of pride for having come to the same conclusion. "We should follow up on that after - if - we get back from Kotep's demiplane redoubt. Your Holiness, with your leave?"

***

Dot+Tallesin

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"Tallesin, I don't know if you -can- planeshift, or just aren't prepared to do so today. If you don't know it, it might be a good idea for you to learn the spell in case the group gets separated. I personally have no way of getting the two of us to Sigil without anyone else there, but I -think- the mirror can take us there if Dot, you let us scry you and get a bead on you while you're there. It's worth a try. If it doesn't work, we'll send and let you know. Will that be alright?"

Melinda turns to Tallesin and gives him the plan. "We move the mirror to Kroy. It can't stay in Varstok forever. I'll check in with Terry, let him know I'm bringing some girls over, and proceed with some of that business, while you can ask around after Nesta if you like. Watch for the Nocticulans," she cautions. "They own a few establishments there, and I'm sure they have spies everywhere looking for men of just your type. Once we have the mirror in Kroy, I can operate with everyone out of there indefinitely, but I really have to make that place my headquarters because I have an operation to oversee."

"If you're having second thoughts like I am, just take me and the mirror to Kroy, please? You can go with the others to Sigil when they leave, and pick me up later if it turns out I can't join you on my own. I'm sure your time's better spent making preparations for our foray."