Strange Aeons: In Search of Sanity II [IC - Group #1]

[Blackhawk101]

BJ wakes feeling better and prays for help from his god.

Spoiler: prayer session

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Orisons:
guidance
Detect magic
Light
Purify food and water

1st:
Remove sickness x2
shield of faith

2nd:
lesser restoration x2

[lostsole31]

Brother Jaume, do you burn any of those lesser restoration spells on Lord Hanley (his DEX and CON are both down)?

[Blackhawk101]

Bj will use his spells to help the others (javert included). Guidance to help with the saves, lesser restoration and remove disease if needed. He is Ok with healing the rest of the way on his own. He will use his healer’s kit on Lord H.

[pfm1995]

Jean clutches his sickened bird in both hands, feeding him whatever scraps of their food he can stomach. He forsakes any trances or martial exercises until Javert is fed, only slipping into his daily routine after he's been fed, watered, and is sleeping fitfully. If Brother Jaume has the spells remaining and uses them on Javert, he thanks the man profusely.

[lostsole31]

Winter will take over direction of the healing efforts regarding the sickened heroes.

First, Brother Jaume, Lord Hanley, and the bird Javert will be segregated from the healthy members of the survivors and the adventuring group. This brings a strong reaction from Jean, who balks at being separated from his bird. Winter tells Jean that she won't stop him from joining the sick group, but Javert may not join Jean in the healthy group. Jean is just fine with this, even though he is, in the words of Winter, needlessly exposed.

Second, all sickened persons are put on complete bedrest. Brother Jaume can go on rest as soon as he has used his healing spells and aided Winter with healing checks.

Third, Winter says she can give a little bit of attention with a spell to the raven magically, but that Brother Jaume should focus on the sapient members of the group first. Brother Jaume defers to her wisdom as a senior physician, and he casts lesser restoration on Lord Hanley twice. The first time helps Lord Hanley's body, and the second brings his health back up to fighting trim to better fight off the disease. (He still fully feels the stiffness in his little joints, however.) Winter casts the same on Asarale to heal his enfeebled condition. It does help, but only a little bit. Javert thanks the woman profusely.

Next, Brother Jaume mentions his intention to cast remove sickness to attempt to abate the symptoms and fight the disease. Winter stops him. "That would be useful if you were to go into the field," she says, "but right now a half-hour per application of the spell isn't enough in the long-run to help. Classic healing practices given to Lord Hanley, as well as Ademizah and Asarale, will help them fight off disease."

Spoiler: Gamespeak

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You don't have remove disease. You have remove sickness. Not the same, amd only worth half-hour overall help in a 24-hour day ... not enough to matter. Even back-to-back.

Likewise, guidance cannot help (useful within one minute, and only against a specific save-stimulus as directed by the recipient).

The best thing Brother Jaume can do? Aid Winter's Heal check to fight disease.

Obviously, what this means, then, is that the party is on hold for the day while folks are recovering. Brother Jaume, who inexplicably kicked filth fever very quickly himself, will be nearly out of his best spells (and therefore healing), and Jean seems a bit demoralized by Javert's illness. So, the rest of the party will give itself to training and other similar tasks. Brother Jaume spends the morning learning under Winter as she ministers to him and the others, both for fighting off filth fever and recovering from its ravages. Saint Dorn observes from a respectufl distance (so as not to become infected). After folks make a "library run," Jean will be researching what he can about possibly making a warding seal. Akbar will meditate on an arcane discovery he is trying to make, then switches over to general psychic meditation in the afternoon.

In the evening, as a final check, Brother Jaume uses his healing kit as he aids Winter in tending to the sickened Lord Hanley. Saint Dorn pounds his hammer on Toragdan shrine-anvil while reciting prayers loudly for about 10 minutes before retiring to tend to the wellness of the commnity. Lord Hanley, not amused, tries to hide under his blanket, candle wax stuck in his ears, for those 10 minutes. Jean has "light reading," as some of his library load has been a fascination of his - probably given his current surroundings - and that is the subject of the mind's reaction to mental traumas, particular fear and grief and despairing anger.

Day ends ...

[Swami Monsoon]

Akbar works through some of his magic and comedy routines as much to cheer himself up as to entertain the other survivors...

[lostsole31]

Akbar's tricks are a particular delight to the three people who are segregated during the day during in the Chaplain's Office - Nurse Tolman Leolies, and his two charges, children named Brenton Lieklan and Maeve Kostenbau. Brenton holds onto a shadow lantern that used to belong to his brother Debis, who was separated from Brenton when the asylum revolted and everything went topsy-turvy.

[lostsole31]

Day 12


The next day ... though Lord Hanley and Jean are feeling a little better, they are technically both ill. That said, neither one are showing an necessarilyi undue effects, so they could feasibly help with the day's events.

Jean and Brother Jaume, roll Fort saves to keep from (re-)contracting filth fever.

[Blackhawk101]

Spoiler: fort save

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(1d20+5)[6]
has BJ’s dex returned to normal today? Sheet still shows negative affect.

“Aawchooo! ...sniff. Merde.”

[pfm1995]

Spoiler: Rolls

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Fort Save - (1d20+7)[15]

Jean sits idly stroking Javert, trying to keep his own constitution intact.

[lostsole31]

Brother Jaume was able to work out the stiffness from before, but has otherwise relapsed and is feeling a general poopiness. Not enough to limit him today, but still. Lord Hanley and Javert (Asarale) both show symptoms of still having filth fever, but it hasn't progressed further than base contagion/ carrier ... so everyone in the group is able to adventure today.

What is the plan?

[Blackhawk101]

BJ suggests exploring North from the chapel,

[pfm1995]

Jean agrees, there's much more to see up there.

[lostsole31]

As good an idea as any, the party moves north, crossing over the rubble field (B12) and down the other side, back to the NW section of the Asylum.

The party has the following options from here (E6-E8 were already cleared) ...
Looking left (west) as you get out of the smaller corridor into the northwest corridor, there are three doors along the south wall. A closer set of double doors, and a single door 10' from the western wall.
At the far north end of the 15'-wide corridor is a single door.
Looking right (east), the 10'-wide corridor goes 25' before ending. Either you can...
Turn north along a slender passageway, or
Open the north-facing exterior door at the end of the passageway, or
Open the south-facing exterior door at the end of the passageway.

"The smart money," says Lord Hanley, "would be to check those doors to the west, since they obviously turn back south."

[Blackhawk101]

BJ rolls his shoulders is an expressive shrug.“Who wants point?”

[lostsole31]

Since it is a wide hallway going to the double-doors, this is your standard marching order...

Spoiler: Standard Marching Order

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Standard Marching Order
10-foot-wide or wider ...
Jean + Brother Jaume
Dorn + Lord Hanley
(5' gap)
Akbar
[[Javert + Nadya]]

5-foot-wide
Jean
Brother Jaume
Dorn
Lord Hanley
(5' gap)
Akbar
[[Javert]]
[[Nadya]]

Javert listens at the door, then gets back into position while he looks to his master.

Spoiler: Javert >>> Jean (Tepe)

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"I think I hear something scrabbling around in there softly."

[Blackhawk101]

BJ holds up a hand to Jean, palm towards him. He then points at himself and then points at the single door to the right down the hall. BJ will move to the door quietly and listen.

[pfm1995]

Jean nods towards Brother Jaume, cupping his own ear and gesturing at the door in front of him before readying his sword. There's something in there.

He then focuses inwards for a moment, a feels a forceful fire blossom around him.

Spoiler: Actions

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Casting Shield; no verbal or somatic components.

[Swami Monsoon]

Akbar pauses, nods and then conjures similar magic for himself...

Spoiler

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Casting Mage Armor

[Blackhawk101]

BJ nods to the others and prepares to open the door on their signal.

[lostsole31]

Pre-Round One ... Jean casts shield on himself. Lord Hanley picks up several small stones in his hand.

Pre-Round Two ... Akbar casts mage armor on himself. With the noise he makes verbally casting that spell, Nadya shrugs and then casts shield on herself (which likewise has a verbal component ... which is not quiet). Seeing that whatever is on the other side of the door has likely heard the party, Dorn shrugs and casts expeditious retreat on himself.

Spoiler: Jean

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Nadya cast heightened awareness on herself. Since she did so without a coffee bean (the normal arcane material component) or a divine focus, and given a certain way she did so, you would be willing to bet that she is a sorcerer. I don't know if this was implicitly made clear before, but with Jean seeing her casting, it is clear now. In addition, there is something .... dark ... about her casting. All sorcerers have bloodlines of some sort, so you would say she has some sorcerous bloodline that is otherwise seen as "icky" ... but you don't have enough data.

Pre-Round Three .... BJ nods to the others and prepares to open the door on their signal.

(To Be Continued ...)

[lostsole31]

The door is opened.

Cracked, river-green tiles cover the walls and floors of this communal shower in wavering patterns. Dry metal spouts jut from several walls, overlooking grates in the tile floor. A sizable portion of the floor drops into a shallow pool, filled with something other than water: a vile stew of corpses and blood. The smell of rot and copper fills the air in this room. Three alcoves, providing minimal privacy, run along the south wall. In the center, a simple chair has been transformed into a gruesome throne covered with draped viscera and gnawed bones.

The sound of the skittering is seen ... as several rats scurry into bolt halls in the wall. In addition to some gore outside in the halls, deposited unceremoniously in this room are the corpses of two Tribals and another Tribal that seems different from the others. He has a stump where his right arm should be, and on a thong around his neck is a hand (that makes a good match for his own left, to be honest).

Akbar remembers .... this is exactly how he and his "former" compatriots piled the corpses. He even remembers the others referring to the one-handed one as their leader, Klades. Brother Jaume, in discussion with Lord Hanley, recognizes from the particular stench (they are all pretty ripe) that this "Klades" was a more powerful type of ghoul known as a "ghast," but at this point that is more academic than anything.

What now?

[Swami Monsoon]

"OK, I'm officially freaked out. This room looks exactly like it did after we... uh, the other we, the people who aren't here anymore... cleared it out. Including the bodies. You'll want to be careful with those, by the way. They're like some kind of zombies. You have to be extra special sure they're really dead. Like we did when... oh goddamnit..."

[Blackhawk101]

“Bloody Hell! So that confirms we are in your reality, Akbar. What can you tell us about this area as a whole? What rooms have you not explored? What did happen to your group right before we switched?”

[pfm1995]

"And will these bodies begin to move again?" Jean adds.

[lostsole31]

Brother Jaume can confirm that they are "destroyed" as far as being vessels of undeath.

[Blackhawk101]

BJ pronounces :“These will rise no more.”

[lostsole31]

And now what does the party do?

[Blackhawk101]

“Akbar, why don’t you take point or at least tell us where you have been?”

[pfm1995]

"Indeed. If this is indeed where you came from, we may be able to sweep through these rooms more quickly."