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Post by Breakingchains on Sept 6, 2019 22:17:29 GMT -5
Wait, what the absolute heck? We've been playing a year?? I'm genuinely shocked.
Happy DnDniversary, guys!
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Post by Liou on Sept 9, 2019 7:43:29 GMT -5
Today in EuroAtlantis:
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Post by Thorn on Sept 10, 2019 7:04:38 GMT -5
A little over two days to go! Now confronted by an undead horror and her attack dogs (well...one attack dog and one sleepy pupper), will the party succumb to the grave, or will they manage to throw their adversary back in hers?!
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Post by Moni on Sept 12, 2019 19:46:09 GMT -5
khamet's oath is finally revealed! it's an oath!
Douse the Flame of Hope... of ever doing evil ever again! It is not enough to merely defeat an enemy in battle. Your victory must be so overwhelming that your enemies' will to do evil is shattered, and they will want to devote the rest of their lives to doing good. Preferably by volunteering at a puppy shelter. Rule with an Iron Fist... but you know, iron is technically very mealleable at high temperatures... and wouldn't you know, my homeland is a high temperature! Once you have conquered, tolerate no wickedness. Kindness is law. Those who obey it shall be favored. Those who defy it shall be punished as an example to all who might follow. Strength Above All... but true strength actually comes from the heart! Kind hearts shall rule the day, and if you're not wise enough, and if your mind is not clear, you must rise to the occasion!
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Post by Thorn on Sept 12, 2019 21:34:37 GMT -5
SESSION 17: A LIGHTHEARTED RECAP *Ragnailt is basically two-face. Maybe two-and-a-half face? *People keep turning invisible?!? *Meallan is scared of being A Nobody. *Basil is 'nobody'. It's not so bad! *Khamet tells Yeet a new story of Mankarah and his goblin friend, Speedy. *Tally! Is! Excited! To see so many pretty centaurs! =D =D =D *Centaur babysitting. *Khamet reveals himself as a conquest-flavored redemption paladin. *Ovinrei may have a crush/squish on Khamet. It’s vague. *Nameless Guard #87 was definitely eyeing him up when they got to Shaan, though! *Meallan has a very healthy relationship! =) *Amani cosplays Inima. *We receive our very first (adorable) group portrait of the party. *Khamet gets his first Mankarah fanart!
NAMES LEARNED!Aquilian- ?- Mystery person?!? Meallan mentioned?? Gasp! (Synetai) Plutonea- she/her- a centaur of some influence; formerly married to Crezonis. Myderion- she/her- younger (~early twenties) centaur; wears a lot of pretty colours, rambles. Mikerios- he/him- Plutonea’s infant son. His name didn’t come up in-game but someone would have mentioned it for sure in the hour Meallan was babysitting him. Usavias- they/them- currently unspecified race; Cai's Master of Trade. Thistle Evinweave- he/him- colorfully dressed halfling merchant, friend of Yeet. Vinsiraala- a friend from Yeet's past. And for the reference of the party: while centaurs do speak Sylvan; Myderion, her uncle and Plutonea would all have spoken Common with the party, except when otherwise specified. They don't expect outsiders to speak Sylvan- and those who are heavily involved with outsiders, including the above three, are usually fluent in Common and/or Elvish besides.
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Post by Thorn on Sept 15, 2019 3:54:14 GMT -5
Heya guys! Next session is currently planned to take place on Saturday 28th September, 7:00pm BST. Please let me know if this becomes an issue at any stage! For this session, hot on the heels of Yeet, we'll have another guest in the form of one of my irl D&D buds. =O
(for those of you who have been uhhhhhh unfortunate enough to stumble across my rambling: in my irl campaigns she plays Aurora, Tsuki, and River!)
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Post by Gelquie on Sept 15, 2019 16:44:08 GMT -5
Because people have asked for it, here's a simple list version of Amani's appearance as of now and of chapter Silver. -Intense silver eyes -Hint of silver hue in cheeks. But may be mitigated by… -A faint silver starlike glow around them. (Don't go all out on this one.) -Star-like freckles have formed and dot their face. (In addition to their already-present tattoo.) -Hint of simple filigree (Celes' suggestion)
Their demeanor is like. Super calm! (In general!) To the point of being a bit absent-minded. (More than usual.)
They're wearing a new cloak that's silver during the day. At night, its colors shift between silver and a midnight blue, depending on whether they're standing in moonlight or in shadow.
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Post by Gelquie on Sept 16, 2019 4:49:42 GMT -5
Session 16, Part 1Achoo!Rain has petered out by morning, although the sky is still overcast. Most of the party spent the night together inside the Tiny Hut, except Khamet who slept outside near the shelter Vai and Meallan constructed.
Meallan and Aytal wake Amani. Aytal tickles Amani’s nose with his tail. Amani sneezes. Amani: “Sorry. Meallan, what?” Meallan: “It’s alright. May I speak to you for a second? There is...something...I’ve been thinking about a lot. I...I want to talk to you. It’s about Malka.” Amani: “Alright. Um, can I stretch first?” Meallan: “How long will this take?” Amani: “Uh, just a minute, I just got up, you know?” Meallan: “Alright. I’ll wait for you by the tree.”
Amani goes outside, stretches for a bit, and waits for Meallan in the trees away from the hut. Meallan comes up to them as soon as he sees they’re ready.
Meallan: “Listen, I’ve been thinking about what you told me back in Ur Zaihar, about...my patron. I don’t- I still don’t know what to think, I’m...scared, and conflicted, and I want to believe her but...she said such things to me, but...the doubt is still there, and I don’t want to ask her. I am nothing without her, she means so much to me, and-” Amani looks on, expression unreadable. Meallan: “I’m going to be honest: what you did hurt, and I wish you had not gone behind my back.” Amani: “I...I don’t know if I...I am sorry if I hurt you, I didn’t- I really didn’t want it to be that way.” Meallan: “My own father did that once. I loved him and he told the elders of my tribe that I was learning magic, or trying to and...that broke our bond. I regret that now. He told the elders of my tribe that I was learning arcane magic, and...I regret being angry at him now.” Amani: “Is arcane magic forbidden?” Meallan: “Yes, it is.” Amani: “That’s...unusual in Varentar.” Meallan: “In firbolg society it is-” Amani: “In the elven cities it’s-” Meallan: “Firbolgs believe that arcane magic interferes with the balance of nature.”
Amani: “Huh. In Elven Varentar societies, nature magic’s... fine, but arcane magic is seen as...wonderful. I mean I didn’t tell anyone about this, just so you know. I- I haven’t told anyone anything you told me to hide.” Meallan: “Thank-you. I’m, I’m glad but I still don’t…” He sighs. Meallan: “I’m angry that you would betray me like this, but I also-” Amani: “I haven’t betrayed you! I haven’t. I’m only thinking of you, I was-” Meallan: “I know, and I don’t want to be angry with you. I like being with you, I like being with this group, and others have betrayed me because they were...disapproving of what I wanted to be, and-” Amani: “I- I’m not- it’s nothing to do with…I don’t disapprove of you, Meallan, it’s nothing to do with that. I’m just… I...” Meallan: “Just… you don’t have to tell me everything, but I just want to know this: will you still allow me to figure out what Malka is for myself? And will you think less of me for following her?”
Amani: “I think it’s good to follow through on this and let you find out, but I know that it’s something that you have to do for yourself.” Meallan: “Yes.” Amani: “I...” They trail off. Meallan: “Alright. I’m glad. That makes me feel better, that you’re not going to try and educate me on what’s best for me, like so many others have tried to do.” Amani: “...I don’t know if a lot of people know what’s best for them.” Meallan: “No. And I want to follow my own path. I have so much I want to do, and I want to figure-” Amani: “I want to be able to help you though.” Meallan: “Well...you can help me by not going behind my back again.” Amani: “I...I don’t know how I did so, but alright.” Meallan: “Thank-you. And I wish I had your gift.” Amani: “I...um...yeah.” They look away. Meallan: “Alright. Let’s go.” They head back to the others.
As this conversation was taking place Ovinrei, who had been awake most of the night, addressed Khamet: Ovinrei: “Um...was this because of the argument with your...companion?” Khamet: “What is ‘this’, exactly?” Ovinrei clarifies that he was referring to Khamet sleeping outside in the mud, rather than inside the tiny hut with the rest of the party. Khamet: “Oh...uh...not really? I mean, actually, you know, if you think about it, my companion, the guy, I told you that he’s creepy and that he follows people into bathrooms, right? He’s kinda gross, so it’s actually cleaner to sleep outside than it is to sleep inside.” Ovinrei: “Okay?” He doesn’t know how to respond to this. Khamet: “Yeah.”
Tally uses some firebending to warm peoples’ bedrolls during the night. <3
Tally comes out of the hut to check out the elves, and asks for their names.
Tally walks in front of Khamet. He looks at her, still kind of sour. "Hi." Tally: "Hi." Cue 90-degree bow. "Khamet, last night, I was terribly unfair to you. I made insolent assumptions about your god, which is unfair. I made hasty assumptions about you and your intentions and ignoring the good you've already done, and being rather thankless and taking you for granted, and I was projecting my own issues onto you, which is terribly unfair, and I am sorry. And I ask you to please forgive me if you can."
Khamet's taken aback. "Oh! Uh, of course I forgive you! Thank you for apologizing to me. It did bother me quite a bit, but I... I appreciate you talking to me like this." He's happy Tally's nice to him now! "Uh, I... I really appreciate the fact that you thought about it a bit. So, uh..." He takes his hand out for a fistbump. "Here you go!" Tally still has her head down, but she does a fistbump. "If there's any way I can make it up to you, please let me know." Khamet: "Oh, it's fine Tally, really. I uh, you just got a bit angry. That's all." Tally: "Yeah, it happens sometimes. I'll work harder to stop it from happening." Khamet: "Uh, well... I like your view towards constant self-improvement! That is very admirable, Tally!" Tally: "Were you okay here all night?" Khamet: "Uh... Yeah! I feel okay!"
Anthony tries to hunt! Meallan tries to help, though only with tracking because blood. Anthony gets a Nat 20!! With his switchblade and tire iron, he manages to get a deer! He leaps from above and bashes it to death! Full special ops!! Meallan, after this, approaches the deer with his eyes closed and says a couple words in Giant. Anthony: "I knew watching all this Bear Grylls was a good idea!" Meallan: "What is Bear Grylls?" Anthony: "Oh, he teaches you to do all this stuff, but some of the things he does is a little weird!" Meallan: "He sounds like a very strange teacher." Anthony: "Yeah." Meallan: "Do you want to cut that up, Anthony?" Anthony: "I'll be honest, I really don't know how. I’m hoping one of the others would know how to do that. It also seems kinda gross…" Turns out Basil can butcher a deer! No one's impressed with his skills, but they do the trick, and now the party has venison. The rest of the deer is not left in very good shape, so sadly no nice new furs.
The three are overseeing the butchering along the trail when someone approaches. That someone sees a seven-and-a-half foot figure in a hooded cloak and a human in a leather jacket standing around while a halfling butchers a deer. This is a hunched figure with a very wet brown cloak just slightly pulled over her head, looking down the road trying to find something. She’s soaked and sniffling. She has green skin and there’s a little puff of black-and-white fur barely visible under the hood of her cloak.
She doesn’t notice the party. But the party notice her.
Aytal darts down from Meallan's shoulders, runs to the figure, and curls around her shoulders. He gives her a little lick and becomes a scarf.
?: "Oh! Oh, oh! I'm sorry, what, what!” She sneezes. “I-I-I'm sorry, is this yours? I didn't mean to steal it!" Meallan: "Yes, this is mine! You're not stealing him, he just ran over to you. Um, I’m sorry, I can get him off you if you want." ?: “Oh, oh no, it’s fine! I’m not in a big hurry! Um, he’s very nice, very soft.” Sneeze. Aytal jumps at her sneezes. Meallan: “He is. What are you doing?” ?: "I-I'm looking for something I dropped on the road! I came from Ur Zaihar yesterday, and along the way, I lost something? Have you seen it?” She sneezes, then describes a metal piece that the party found yesterday!” Basil: “Hmmm….”
Meallan turns slowly to look at Basil- Basil: "Yesss, I have it!” ?: “I-” Basil: “...Don’t look at me like that, I have it!” ?: “I-I-I-” Basil: “DON'T CRY, OH MY GOD!! ...Uh, here you go!" He gives it back.
She takes it very gingerly. “Thank you! Where did you find it?” Basil: “I dunno!” “Thank you! You've just come from Ur Zaihar, then?" Basil: "Um, yeah!" ?: "Uh, I-I think I should warn you. Um, we got attacked by bandits along the road, a bit further up. I don't know where they are now, but thank you for giving this back to me!" Basil: "Oh! Sure, no problem." Meallan: "You got attacked by bandits?" Anthony wonders if it’s the same bandits. ?: "Uh, yes! I was on the way to Cai Shaan! I was with a group of halflings, and we were attacked along the road! And um, you’re not a very big group over here. You might be in a bit of danger if you’re staying on the road if you’re not careful!". Meallan: "We can take care of ourselves." ?: “Oh, I-I that’s good, see. You don’t happen to be going to Cai Shaan as well, are you?" Meallan: “Us and a few others, yes.” ?: "Um… I-I know it’s a bit much to ask, especially since you don’t really know me, but! Would it be okay if I went along with you just for a little while?" She mentions how while she was able to get away from the bandits, she doesn’t like her chances by herself. She goes to stand near Basil because he's not big and scary!
It becomes clear that this is a goblin. Anthony is taken aback. Anthony: *Whispering.* "Hey! Uh... What is that?" Meallan has read about them; the other two don't know. Meallan: "It's a goblin! I've never seen one before! But they are small, green, and..." ?: “You’re heard about goblins, then?” Meallan: “I’ve read books on them.” “Do you know where the goblins are now?” “I don’t know, no.” “Oh, okay… that’s okay…”
Anthony checks how far they are from Cai Shaan, but only knows that it's... North, past some trees.
M: "If you want to come with us, we'll have to get the approval of the rest of our party!” ?: “O-o-oh! Um… Well...” B: "For crying out loud, Meallan, she's a little girl with a sniffle! Are you gonna send her packing??" M: “No! I do not want to! Aytal like her, but I simply want to see if…” ?: “Oh, that’s okay. Um, Meallan? I just, um, I’m Yeet, by the way. What’s everyone else’s names?”
The others introduce themselves. Meanwhile, OOC the group descends into laughter in response to the fact that no, we did not mishear her name; her name is Yeet.
Anthony leans to the others. "Yo, I can't believe goblins are actually real…” Then he straightens up a bit. “Wait a minute, no, I'm dating a dragon, no, that makes sense." Meallan gives Anthony a funny look. Anthony: “I’ve just never seen one before, y’know?”
They return to the rest of the group. Meanwhile, Khamet and Tally are making small talk. Amani is happily staring forward at nothing.
Khamet sees Yeet and squees: “Awwww! Aww, they’re so cute! Aww! Wait.” He stares at her. “Why are you green?” Amani turns to berate Khamet, and then stares, shocked at the sight of her. “What?” Yeet: “Umm, I think it’s normal, um, my parents were green, so-” Amani: “No, I believe you, it’s fine! It’s just, I’ve never seen anything like you before.” Y: “Oh, um, uh, I’m Yeet. I’m a goblin, but I don’t think there’s many around here these days…” Am: “Um... yeah, I’ve never…”
Yeet sneezes. Am: “Are you okay?” Y: Sniffs. “Um. I’ve just been up all night, I’ve just been looking for something--” K: “Are you sick or something?” Y: “I, uh... “ Sneeze. K: “Okay, she’s sick.” He pats Yeet on the shoulder and casts Lay on Hands. “Okay! You don’t have to sneeze anymore. You’re fine.” Am: “You can if you want to.” Y: “Oh! That’s amazing! What did you do?” “Ah! It’s uh, it’s very nebulous! But when I took my oath, Anhur taught this to me. It’s very cool.” “It’s amazing! I’ve never seen something like that before.” “Oh, well, thanks! It’s nothing, really! What is your name, young girl?” “Oh! I-I’m Yeet!” “Hello Yeet; nice to meet you!” Handshake.
Tally: “Wait. ‘Yeet?’” Y: “Um, it’s the goblin word for ‘going away very fast’!” T: “Oh, alright! (overtalk) I’m sorry if I was a little alarmed. See, in drow cultures, you see, ‘yeet’ has another meaning, but it’s uh, quite dire I’m afraid! But I’m really glad to hear it has a better meaning for goblins.” K: “Wait, why did your culture name you ‘to go away very fast’?” Y: “Well, because it’s awfully dangerous being a goblin! And getting away very fast is a very important quality for your survival. I am very fast! I live up to my name!” K: “Oh, uh, I see! So uh, quick question. What is your religion like?” Y: “Um…”
Am: “Uh, before that, what are you looking for? So we can look while-” Y: “Oh! Um, I thought Basil, um found it on the road.” She holds up the metal thing. Am: “Oh, that?” Y: “It’s very precious to me!” Am: “Okay!” B: “What is it exactly?” M: “I wanted to know that too. I checked it with magic, and it used to house a soul inside it.” Y: “You could see it too?” M: “I can identify magic, yes. But-”
But then Anthony and Khamet see lizards trying to slink out towards the trees towards the camp. Khamet: “STOP RIGHT THERE, CRIMINAL SCUM!!” They do not stop. And they’re joined by 6 anthropomorphic trees with flowers. Cue initiative. My Boy!!Six humanoid trees sporting blooming flowers, and three overly large and aggressive lizards, move in to surround the party (in the mean way, not the “about to dance” way.) They're about 10 feet away as the party take note.
Tally hits one of the lizards with her quarterstaff, and then punches it! She does a stunning strike against one of the lizards. It hits, but the lizard manages to shake off the impact, and isn’t stunned.
Yeet runs up beside Tally and strikes the same lizard. She misses, but hits the other one with Flurry of Blows, battering it down to its last! Then she takes cover behind Khamet. Amani casts Mage Armor on themself, then moves towards the elves’ shelter. Khamet strikes the thoroughly punched lizard with the hilt of Osseus Metallicum, knocking it unconscious. Then he injures one of the plant people with the aid of a Divine Smite. The plant person looks alarmed. Aytal stays with Yeet because she is smol and scared. He gives her a lick and fluffs up to keep her warm, getting ready to Help her.
Meallan casts Fireball at the attacking group! One plant person resists, but the rest take a lot of damage. They're not looking great except for the plant person. Then Meallan goes invisible.
The lizard in front of Meallan exhales a mist. The ones who failed their CON save take 21 poison damage. (And not Anthony this time!!-- Oh, he rolled low enough for half damage. Anthony: "Agh, my hubris! Again, again with the poison!!") But they're not actually poisoned, just poison damage. A lizard then tries to bite Tally, but misses.
Hatar kicks a tree-person that Meallan badly hurt. The tree-person crumples, dead. Then Hatar gallops away to the trees.
Basil has had a bad week. He's in a bad mood. And he's been trying to get himself a heckin' cool animal companion this entire time and it has not worked once! He runs up to one of the lizards, jumps on its back, and says: "Be my freakin' FRIEND already!!" Except he puts in too much momentum and rather than jumping on the lizard, he just... sails right over it. He disengages and then backs off, behind the aggressive group.
Anthony bashes Lizard 3! Then gives Bardic Inspiration to Yeet! ("Yayy, thank you!" "Hey, anytime!")
The five tree people all attack Anthony. One points at Anthony, charming him! Anthony: "Hey, yo, everybody hold up! Why are we attacking my boy here?!" Amani: "Why do you think?!" Anthony: “Hey, knock it off, knock it off, guys!” Amani: “They’re trying to kill us! No!” Anthony: “Yo, that’s by boy there! C’mon!!” Amani: “Oh my gosh…”
Vai attacks Lizard 2 with her scimitar and then moves back, but the lizard is still standing.
Tally... believes Anthony! She’s happy he’s making friends!! She just attacks a lizard instead.
(Through all this, Anthony assures everyone that anyone who attacks his boi is going down!!)
Yeet has just seen the elves and is a bit taken aback! She's not very happy to see them, and runs far away from them to whichever direction the attackers are opposite. She attacks a tree person instead. Aytal jumps on and tries to get into the eyes of the tree person. She's ripping up tree branches and punching them! Including moving on to another tree person. Then Flurry of Blows! Then she disengages and Yeet yeets towards Basil! She's a ridiculous blur when she moves. "I'm very fast! That's why they call me Yeet!"
Amani casts Chaos Bolt at one of the tree people Yeet just attacked, singeing them! Amani: “Anthony, I don’t know what’s gone over you, but if nothing else, just fight the lizards, okay?” Anthony: “Just stay off my boy, y’know?!”
Khamet: “Oh yeah, the trees did something to you. So…” Khamet attacks Anthony's boi! Dude!! He knocks it unconscious, and now Anthony no longer sees him as His Boi. Anthony: "...Yo, what's up with all these dead trees?" Khamet then attacks the lizard, but doesn't help him.
Aytal follows Yeet and climbs her shoulders, ready to take the Help action. Meallan uses his circlet to blast Scorching Ray at each of the three trees around Anthony. Then he moves as far away from the trees and lizards as possible. The lizard attacks Anthony. The lizard does its breath attack again. (Anthony: “Boy, this seems familiar….”) It doesn't hit most of the group much. Except Vai, who chokes for a moment.
Hatar attacks the tree Amani attacked with his hooves. As the other trees get out of the way, this one is just... trampled into the mud by Hatar. Dead. Then Hatar moves into the woods again!
Basil attacks one of the lizards with his sword, two-handed, but misses. Anthony bashes the lizard closest to him. Anthony then inspires... Hatar!
A tree whacks Anthony, for a little damage. But he's not doing well. Anthony: "Uuuugh, getting dicey here!" More tree attacks, which miss. Then a lizard bites Anthony, felling him.
One tree-person tries to flee in the direction of Basil, Yeet, and Aytal. Vai tries to attack one of the two not currently fleeing, dealing a fair amount of damage.
Tally casts a Swoosh (fist of unbroken air) at the less battered lizard. Then she disengages, gets away, and hides behind “Meow-Meow” (Meallan). Yeet is very scared and is just hugging Aytal, unless someone tells her to attack someone running away.
Amani casts Chaos Bolt at the lizard that last attacked Anthony...and misses! So they use their Quickened Metamagic to cast Fire Bolt at the lizard...and miss again! They've in general seemed very serene, but at this, there's a tinge of annoyance visible in their expression, and they clasp their hands together and over each other in response.
Khamet uses Lay on Hands to bring Anthony back up! Yay! Anthony still looks bad though. Khamet then moves towards the lizard previously aggressing Tally so that if the lizard tries to move away, then cue Attack of Opportunity.
Aytal remains with Yeet while Meallan scoots protectively in front of Tally. He notices that the lizard Khamet moved near looks worse off than the other creatures, so he flings an Eldritch Blast at it. The lizard falls down dead.
Anthony's kinda crying as a lizard attacks him! Anthony is still standing after this, but barely. Hatar runs in and tramples this lizard Very Dead. Then he positions himself between Anthony and both of the trees attacking the human. Meanwhile, Basil rushes in and slices at a tree with his longsword...and misses. Siiiigh... He can't hit anything... or tame anything… or make friends with a spider demon...
Anthony disengages and runs after Tally and Meallan. Anthony: *Crying* “I don’t want to do this!” The two nearest tree-people look at each other and pursue him. Hatar strikes out as they pass. One of the trees staggers but doesn’t go down. Both proceed to attack Anthony. Fortunately for him, both of them miss.
Vai backs up towards her companions.
Tally flings her dagger into the most injured tree-person, downing it. Then she ducks back behind Meallan. One tree remains, but is still going strong, pretty flowers and all.
Yeet likes Anthony because he gave her bardic inspiration. She rushes back into the clearing and launches herself at their final adversary. The final tree goes down with a wail and she leaps on top of it, ripping it up. Yeet!
The battle is over! The ones remaining standing have fled. There is still one unconscious lizard.
The party decides that a rest would be really nice before they move on. So they spend an hour resting.
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Post by Thorn on Sept 16, 2019 5:07:42 GMT -5
Session 16, Part 2
Gelquie and Moni wrote large chunks of this too. Thanks guys! <3 I divided this up a lot more than Gelquie with Part One, whoops. Contradictory ClaimsThe others check on Anthony. He’s a mess. “I don’t want to do this! I want to go back to Deyn! I don’t wanna be here.” Amani: “We have to keep going. Once we’re ready again.” Yeet: “Um...is he okay?” Amani: “No.”
Yeet and Meallan go aside to talk, away from the group and the elves. Meallan: “Yeet, first of all, are you okay?” Yeet: “Um, I suppose so, Meallan: “You were very quick getting to the tree like that, but you...you ran away from those elves that were with us.” Yeet: “I, I’m sorry for running away.I just got a bit scared is all.” Meallan: “That’s okay. Why are you scared of them? There’s nothing wrong with them.”
The elves in question are sticking together muttering, over by their makeshift hut.
Meallan: “Unless you know something we don’t?” Yeet struggles to speak. After a time: “Are you all travelling together? For a long time?” Meallan: “No. We only met them last night. They claim to have also been attacked by bandits.” Yeet: “I see. Um. I think you’re very, very nice, um, I recognise them from yesterday. Um, perhaps we should move a little bit further away. I don’t know if they recognise me or not, I’m quite conspicuous.”
Vai is now watching the pair suspiciously.
Yeet: “I- I don’t know if I should say anything.” Meallan leads Yeet away. The rest of the party except Amani go with them.
Yeet: “I, um, I’d be a bit, um, I mean...it was getting dark, so I- I might be wrong.” Meallan kneels down. Yeet: “I said, we were attacked last night. I mean it was very dark, it could’ve been, um, I- I could be wrong. I don’t want to be jumping to conclusions, I just got a bit scared when I saw them in the fight and it was all happening very quickly...I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have run away.” Meallan: “It’s okay. Was it them who attacked you?” Yeet: “I- I think maybe, I think so, their clothes look very familiar. I couldn’t see their faces.” Meallan: “Well, the thing is they told me some very conflicting stories when they came into camp last night wounded.” Yeet: “Was it an arrow wound? I think someone managed to shoot one of them.” Meallan: “Yes.” Khamet (thoughtful): “Oh. Hmm.” Yeet: “I mean we were all okay, we were able to...but um, that’s when I realised that I’d lost this. I, I didn’t notice ‘til the fight…” Yeet takes out the metal object Basil gave her.
Yeet: “What are you going to do?” Tally: “Well for one thing, when we get back there we need to be talking about something completely different because Vai was watching us...rather intently, so I’d rather they didn’t realise you were just telling us these things. We need to be talking about something completely different.” Khamet: “Okay, okay. Well listen, I’ve got this. I’ve got this. Okay?”
They notice that Vai has none-too-quietly attempted to sidle closer. Khamet attempts to mislead her!
Khamet yells: “AHA! Amani I know why you’re acting differently. It’s because you ate magic mushrooms after you, quote-unquote, went to the bathroom.” Yeet: “Is that why you’re so shiny? I wasn’t going to ask, but you’re very shiny, um, I don’t think that’s normal.” Amani has been sitting staring at nothing, and then suddenly hears Khamet shout. They move closer to the group. Amani: “Is this another one of your...creative theories? Because it’s not very funny.” Khamet: “No I’m being serious, okay?” Amani: “No I’m being serious too, don’t insult me like that.” Khamet: “I’m not insulting you, okay, I figured out what was going on, okay-?” “You don’t know what’s going on, so forget it-” Khamet: “You accidentally picked some mushrooms okay? You said something about magic being conscious, magic isn’t actually conscious okay, that’s clearly a hallucination, right? And you are very sedate and relaxed, so clearly-”
Vai has heard all this. She shrugs. “Sure, whatever.”
Fighting In Front Of The BabyAmani grabs Khamet by the collar: “Listen. That’s not what’s going on. That was extremely insulting, you don’t even know what’s going on, but I would rather you not try to form some kind of ridiculous theory on it just to bring me down. You know I have so much more power than you. Alright?” Khamet: “Uh-” Amani: “I can tell you with certainty that it’s not that. So don’t insult me again.” Khamet: “So what is it?”
Meallan walks between Khamet and Amani, and gestures subtly to let Amani know that Vai is watching (presumably to indicate that this is why Khamet was making up lies.) Amani doesn’t care. Amani: “It’s not your business. I would say you can think what you want, but I thinking of the theories you do have, I would rather you not think any of it. Everything is fine and I am fine. I am able to do things with you and that’s all. That matters. Alright?” Khamet: “Well, okay, but you just told me that I could think what I want, and then you told me that I can’t, that you would rather I not think, so. I think that you are asking me very contradictory things, and that seems to be a contradiction.” Amani: “I was telling you that you could until I realised you were going to be ridiculous about it, so I corrected myself, alright?”
Basil (whispering): “Guys. Don’t fight in front of the baby.” Yeet goes to hug Amani because they look stressed. Amani is startled and taken aback by the gesture, and they let go of Khamet. Amani: “Oh. I… I-I’m sorry, um...” Khamet: “Okay so in that case I will continue...you can’t control what I think, so I’m just going to think and you can’t really do anything about it.” Meallan: “Perhaps we should...interrogate them, get them to tell us the truth.”
Vai disappears.
Anthony: “Well this is easy.”
Anthony follows her and casts Zone of Truth. At the same time, Meallan casts Hold Person, on both she and Vaan, who it turns out was there with her. Neither of them manage to escape the spells.
Zone of TruthKhamet: “Hey, guys, are you guys bandits?” Vai: “I wouldn’t use that particular word.” Khamet: “You wouldn’t use that particular word? Okay, then what word would you use?” Vai: “I hadn’t thought about it. I am an elf, clearly. Uh-” Khamet: “You are an elf. Okay, but what’s the synonym to ‘bandit’ that you prefer to be called as? What do you self-identify as? What is your profession?” Yeet: “Did- did you steal from our party last night?” Vai: “First, I would identify myself as a zoneless elf, I suppose. Um, as for if I stole from the party- your party- um, well, no. Because-”
Meallan: “Did you...how did you get that arrow wound? How did your companion get the arrow wound?” Vai: “He...was shot...with...an arrow.” Meallan: “By who?” Vai: “A halfling of some description.” Amani: “What was that halfling-?” Yeet: “That was my friend. Meallan: “-what was he trying to do to that halfling?” Vai: “I don’t think he in particular was doing anything to the halfling.” Vaan: “I bloody hate these guys, why are we being evasive?”
Amani: “Yeet, do you know any halfings?” Yeet: “I was travelling with them- with a halfling troupe- um, on the way to Cai Shaan. That’s, um when these guys attacked. I- I’m quite sure it was these guys. Um, there was about eight of us.” Amani: “Was. What happened to the rest?” Yeet: “I suppose there’s still eight, but I...I left. I had to find it. I hope they’re still okay. Nobody got very injured, we were able to fight ‘em off.” Amani: “Well, I’m glad for that. Maybe we can find them later. For now though...you said they were the bandits?” Yeet: “I- I now I’m having a chance to look, I’m quite sure yes.” Amani: “Alright.”
Yeet: “I don’t know why...why were you trying to steal our things? We don’t have much, just a little bit of pipe ale- of uh, pipeweed and a bit of ale. I didn’t even have much money-” Vai: “Well we didn’t know what you had, did we?” Anthony: “Did somebody say pipeweed?” Amani: “You didn’t care, did you?” Khamet: “So why don’t you...actually contribute to society, and get a job, instead of frolicking in the woods?” Vai: “Oh I’m sorry, do you actually have a job? Seems to me like you’re just wandering along these tracks killing things.” Khamet: “Well actually, I’m on leave. I’m on paid leave.” Vai (sarcastically): “Ohh, okay.” Khamet: “Because you know, when you have a job, you can get paid leave. You can go on vacations.” Meallan: “Someone tie these people up. I can’t hold this spell much longer.”
Amani (starting to tie them up): “Maybe we should get away from the job thing, and stick to ‘we don’t attack random people on the streets for no reason’?” Vai: “Right...I can see you’ve lived a very sheltered life.” ...Amani just starts to tie them up. Khamet: “I mean look at Basil, right? Basil hasn’t lived a sheltered life, he’s had a very hard life, and he doesn’t attack people randomly. Isn’t that right, Basil?” Basil: “Hmmm...uhh…” Amani: “You don’t have to make excuses for us; they’re bandits.” Bringing JusticeBetween them, the party successfully tie up Vai and Vaan. They can tell Amani is struggling a bit with the knot, so Yeet helps out. The pair are no longer bound by Hold Person but, fortunately, some nice strong knots are keeping them out of the way!
Amani: “So Yeet, I suppose you should know the story. How they approached us.” Yeet: “I..if that’s okay?” The party recount the story to Yeet. While this is happening, Tally approaches the prisoners.
Tally: “Is this goblin telling the truth?” Vai: “Yes.” Tally: “There we go. And, second question, um: so how many times have such things occurred? That you had a hand in.” Vai: “I don’t count.” Tally: “Give me an estimate.” Vai: “Personally? Me personally, at least...ten.” Amani: “So, a lot.” Vai: “A lot.” Meallan: “It sounds like you’ve been a lot of trouble for these roads.”
Tally: “Do you know the name ‘Crezonis’?” Vai: “Yes.” Tally: “Oooh. Do you know the name ‘Volan’?” Vaan: “Yes.” Tally: “Do you know the name ‘Juniper’?” Vai: “It rings a bell.” Meallan (leaning down to Vai): “You know I killed Volan, right? He’s dead.” Khamet: “Oh yeah yeah, he killed Volan, but Crezonis and Juniper, you know, they’re still alive.”
Vaan tries to headbutt Meallan but, on account of the party’s incredible knot-tying skills, just falls forward. Meallan lifts him back up.
Meallan: “Yes, I did. So don’t try anything funny with us. What was Volan to you?” Vai: “To me, or to him...?” Meallan: “To both, to either of you. What was your relationship?” Vai: “Coworker, definitely.” Tally: “That’s unnecessary Meallan.” Vaan: “Well he was my brother, so...you bloody lunatics left him dead in a cave for about a week and then we had to deal with that, so-” Amani: “He literally murdered people. And they attacked us.” Vaan: “You literally murder people.” Amani: “Well they attacked us first, so- Vaan: “Sure.” Amani: “And they were going to kill more people, so I really don’t-”
Vaan: “You don’t seem to be dead.” Amani: “No we’re not, because we took care of everything that could kill us.” Meallan: “Listen my point is, I can do the same thing that I did to Volan to you. Behave.” Tally: “To be truthful, I am feeling very uncomfortable by the idea that some of you might be considering killing these people right in front of me and I have no control over it, and that this is bringing up very uncomfortable feelings from my past when I felt very powerless in very similar situations can- can somebody please stop this spell?” Vaan: “Oh it’s bringing up uncomfortable feelings for you, is it?” Amani: “Okay, alright. I think we could just...turn them in. We’re near to the centaur camp, and we were going to take them there anyway.” Tally: “I love the idea of turning them in!” Meallan: “Yes.”
Khamet: “Okay, guys, Meallan, okay, that’s over the line. Okay? Sit back down.” Yeet: “I didn’t want them to be killed, I just didn’t want my friends to be hurt.” Meallan: “I’m not going to kill them.” Khamet. “Okay. Great. Awesome. Well you know what, Meallan? Just do- like whatever firbolgy things you do, like pooping in the woods. Okay? Tally, Tally, we are just going to take them with us and drop them off at the centaur camp. We are not going to kill them, they’re just going to face the law, or whatever. We are not going to threaten them, but you three- four, five, whatever- you’re going to face justice, and if that scares you then, well, that probably means you deserve justice.”
Tally blurts out under Zone of Truth: “Khamet, you are so handsome when you bring justice.” Meallan (leaning in to Tally): “I’m glad it’s not just me who thinks that he is handsome.” Half Comforting the Small MortalsVai tells the four others over at the hut to flee. Hatar steps in front of them and, at the sight of this terrifying red-eyed warhorse, they stay put.
Amani: (calls) “You know this horse killed three of those beings attacking us, right? Do you think he won’t do the same to you?” Unnamed Elf: (calls back) “Yeah, we saw that.”
Meallan attempts to use Hold Person on two of them. He succeeds in trapping only one of them, and proceeds to tie this person up. The rest of the party get to work on the remaining three.
Meallan (to Tally): “I was not going to kill any of them, you know. I wanted to make sure they behaved.” Tally: “I’m glad to know that.” Meallan: “I wouldn’t do it with you here. Or in front of Yeet, she seems like she shouldn’t see that, and Aytal likes her.” Tally: “That was...half comforting?”
Meallan approaches the lizard, hoping to convince it to carry some of their prisoners with his special ability to talk to plants and animals. Meallan: “Listen. I would like to ask a favour of you. We have several people who we require transportation for. If you are strong enough, please help us, and in return...we killed a deer today. We will happily give you a leg, or two, if you desire.” Lizard (in Sylvan): “I don’t know why you’re talking to me like this. I don’t know what you’re saying. Please leave me alone.”
Meallan (in Sylvan): “I- I apologise. I did not know you spoke Sylvan.” Amani joins them. Meallan: “You are a fey? I did not realise. I’m sorry.” Lizard: “Good.” Meallan: “Why were you attacking us?” Lizard: “We are much more afraid of him than we are of you.” Meallan: “By ‘him’-?” Amani: “Arcaito?” Meallan: “You…” Amani: “Are you talking about Arcaito?”
The lizard nods.
Meallan: “Is he sending...?” Basil: “I am so confused.” Amani (to Basil): “So that group that attacked us came from Arcaito.” Basil: “My...my pet lizard…” Basil sighs. Amani: “Uh, I don’t think you could tame them. This is...a fey, this is...far beyond...” Basil: “This day sucks.” Amani: “Yeah a little, but-”
Amani turns back to the lizard: “You say Arcaito’s angry?” Lizard: “Angry with you.” Amani: “I figured. That’s...what will he do to you if he finds out you failed?” Lizard: “I don’t know.” Meallan: “Do you want to come with us?” Amani: “Is there a way for you to...are you able to leave Arcaito’s influence? Or are you too well bonded?”
During that moment of silence, they both realize that fey can choose what element they’re aligned to, and that he chose to serve Arcaito. He could find another fey, but it would be difficult if he just tried to leave.
Amani: “So what do you think would be easier for you: staying with Arcaito knowing you’ve lost, or finding another archfey to follow?” Meallan: “I strongly suggest finding another archfey.” Lizard: “I would prefer to stay with Arcaito.” Meallan: “Alright then.” Amani: “Even knowing of your failure?” Lizard: “Mmm. You have a point.” Meallan: “I think you would be much safer finding someone else. I know- I might know someone.” Lizard: “Mmm. Perhaps.” Meallan: “Please come help us.” Lizard: “What can I do for you?” Meallan: “Please carry these people to the centaur outpost. We will feed you, and help you get away from Arcaito if we can.” Lizard: “Mmm. If he finds out you cannot, you cannot. You are small. Small mortals.” Amani: “I mean, we took care of the rest of you.” Lizard: “Mmm. But you cannot help against my master.” Amani: “Is your master going to physically come here?”
Lizard: “I will come with you for now.” Meallan: “Thank-you.” Amani: “Alright.” Meallan: “Would you like some food?” Lizard: “Mm...what food?” Meallan: “Like I said, we have deer.” On The Edibility Of FeyThey feed the lizard a deer leg, and in return it agrees to carry two prisoners. Hatar carries two more, and the party untie the legs of the remaining two so they can walk. However, as a precaution, they tie a rope between one and Hatar and another between the second and the lizard. Meallan notices that the two dead lizards are bleeding a clear liquid, and quickly glances away to address Anthony and Basil.
Meallan: “Perhaps we could cut some of these up to use as food as well?” Basil: “ON IT!”
Eating the fey, that’s definitely not going to go well with Arcaito! But hey, for Basil, that’s worth the fey nuggets! Basil cuts some of the lizards and he and Meallan take it in their inventories as “suspicious meat.” How nice.
Amani looks and sounds horrified at this, and Khamet is… confused…
Khamet: “Meallan, do your people practice cannibalism?” Meallan: “We do not practice cannibalism; what are you talking about?” Khamet: “I don’t know, you seem to try to eat everything, so...you know… I was just wondering...” Meallan: “In my culture, it is respectful, it is a sign of respect.” Khamet: “Okay, if you eat the lizards as a sign of respect, why don’t you eat people as a sign of respect?” Meallan: “We killed the lizards, and--well, since you so like learning about other cultures, in firbolg culture, if we kill something, usually for hunting, but if we kill any animal, we must use every part of it.” Khamet: “Okay, but if you kill a person, do you also have to use any part of it?” Meallan: “What? No, of course not.” Khamet: “Why not?” Meallan: “Because people are usually killed for other reasons, or self-defense… and it’s also disgusting to eat a person.” Khamet: “Yeah but why?” (insert thinkmoji here) Meallan: “Because it is.” Khamet: “Why is it disgusting to eat a person but not an animal?” Basil: “Yeah why?” Amani: “This isn’t a lizard, it’s a fey. You want to eat a fey?” Meallan: “We killed it, it would be disrespectful to just leave it.” Khamet: “Why wouldn’t it be disrespectful to just leave a person?” Meallan: “Because a person will go back to the forest.” Khamet: “And the animals and fey do not go back into the forest?” Meallan: “They will go back to the forest through us.” Khamet: “Why can’t a person go back to the forest through you?”
Lizard (to Amani): “What are they arguing about? Amani: “They argue a lot about nothing, don’t worry about it.”
Yeet: “I’ve never met people who think about eating other people before, I don’t think I like that very much.”
Meallan: “Khamet, you like learning about other cultures, and you’ve learned about mine. Every animal that we kill we must use in some way. I do not want to argue with you; you are not worth my time.” Khamet: “Okay, got it! Firbolgs do not practice cannibalism… check!” Good BerriesYeet takes a berry out from her little pouch and eats it. Her pupils dilate a lot and she seems to relax. Aytal digs into the pouch, eats a berry, and wow, look, he’s familiar-ing under the influence! Meallan becomes quite distracted by Aytal’s hallucinations since he’s telepathically linked with him.
(During this, they are traveling. Khamet is in the front. Anthony is sulking in the back.)
Amani: “Let’s put the pouch away, please? We have prisoners?”
Yeet: “I think there’s something wrong with your ferr--with your Aytal! He’s acting very funny…” (Yeet doesn’t know that her goblin berries have this effect on non-goblins, whoops.) Meallan: “I’ll just…” He clicks his fingers and has Aytal disappear for a short while. Yeet: “Ah! What did I do?” Meallan: “Oh, I just desummoned him--” Yeet: (panicking) “Oh! I didn’t mean to--I didn’t know it would have this effect on him! I just wanted to, I- I’m so sorry, I didn’t think-” Meallan: “I only dismissed him to a pocket dimension, he can come right back.” He clicks his fingers again and Aytal sprawls out.
The party reaches the treeline. There’s a path that goes into the trees, and past that is the plains that you need to cross to get to Cai Shaan.
Amani: “Right, um, thank you. We were thinking of stopping by the centaur settlement. Did you manage to see them?” Yeet: “We’ve come this way before, they said it was in that direction to Cai Shaan!” Amani: “We were thinking of stopping by the centaur settlement. Do you know it?” Yeet relays what she knows about the centaurs. They live off the beaten path, but there’s an ‘outpost’ of a couple centaurs beside the road. Here people can pass messages through, or be taken to meet with the others.
Amani: “Alright. I guess we’ll try and find an outpost, then.” Tally: “Umm. These are bandits who are linked to Crezonis’ gang. We are taking them to the centaurs of the clan from which Crezonis came, and if there’s a second Arcaito-controlled centaur somewhere in there, what if we’re just bringing them back to the root of the gang?” Amani: “I don’t think there’s another one possessed by Arcaito, especially not with Arcaito technically still bonded to Crezonis. It would take more power than that.” Meallan: “There is not a second one, Tally. It’s alright.” Tally: “And...even if there isn’t a second, even if there isn’t a second warlock there couldn’t be, like, it’s not their style to just have a...a network? Without any pacts?” Amani: “Remember, Tally, the centaurs wanted us to turn in Crezonis to them at first. They may be interested in this as well.” Meallan: “Yes.” Tally: “Alright. Well you’re the experts, it’s fine.” What Do You Want?As they enter the last patch of trees, Khamet is leading. He notices several things at once: a wire suspended three inches off the ground across the path, and a dog-like creature either side of the path. He recognises these as the dogs previously seen with Ragnailt.
Khamet: “Hey, uh you guys should go the complete opposite direction!” Tally does this. Amani doesn’t. Khamet: “Yeah especially Meallan, Meallan just needs to...get out of dodge.” Basil *sighs*: “Alright, let’s do this.” Khamet: “Hide him, hide ‘im, hide ‘im.” He starts to take his shirt off over his chain mail, intending to dunk it over Meallan’s head, but Meallan is already running. Khamet: “Great.” A voice calls out in Giant, and the two dogs take off after Meallan.
Anthony and Khamet cast Sleep on the two dogs. Anthony’s target manages to shake off the spell and keep running, but Khamet’s target falls down unconscious. The party can see someone moving between the trees. Amani looks a little closer and can make out a tall cloaked figure, similar in height to Meallan. The figure is following Meallan, more slowly than the dog. Amani (in Common): “What do you want?” Meallan (in Giant): “What do you want from me?” The figure replies in Giant. The only word the rest of the party can make out is a name, ‘Meallan.’
As it passes him, Basil seizes hold of the running dog and sails past the others. Tally peers through the trees and can see about the same amount of detail as Amani. Yeet and Aytal catch up with Meallan.
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Post by Thorn on Sept 19, 2019 1:41:41 GMT -5
Not AT ALL canon, but came out of a silly remark last session. Ovinrei turned away quickly. "He's looking at me."
"He's looking at you because you were staring at him, Ovi."
"Maybe. Maybe not. Look I am looking at you and talking to you and laughing- haha!- and...is he looking at me now?"
"He's talking to the drow."
"Aww," Ovinrei risked a peek. "Darn."
"Are we sure these people are bandits?" one centaur whispered to her companion.
"I have my doubts," he whispered back.
Ovinrei ignored them and switched to Elvish.
"Okay. Okay, I'm going to call him over."
Vai rolled her eyes. "Stop embarrassing yourself."
"No really! I'm going to call him over, and I'm going to say something. Three- two- one- HEY!"
He beckoned, and then quickly looked away.
"Vai, is he coming over?"
"Yeah."
"What do I say?"
"It was your stupid idea."
"Nonono uhh-"
He forced a smile and whirled, just as the human reached him. Khamet looked a little stressed, or maybe confused. Maybe he just needed a hug? Or for somebody to twine their fingers into his thick wavy hair...no elf Ovinrei had ever met had hair quite that luscious. Or a beard. The beard was a pretty strong point in his favour.
"Yeah?" Khamet said.
Thinkofsomethingthinkofsomething...
"I know you get this, but, be careful with Meallan. He's dangerous and, uh, you deserve better."
Nailed it!
"Oh yeah, I will," the human nodded, and he was gone.
Vaan clapped him on the shoulder. "Get what you want?"
"Kinda? He spoke to me, that was pretty cool."
"Good. Now let's get back to acting like prisoners because I think you are the least convincing prisoner I have ever met."
Even Ragnailt supports his efforts, thanks to the shipping generator!
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Post by Thorn on Sept 21, 2019 7:57:29 GMT -5
One week to go, fellow adventurers! =D Our next session is at 7:00pm BST (=GMT+1) on September 28th. Will the party have a nice tranquil time in Shaan, or will they manage to offend someone or steal something? We'll have to wait and see!
(The party has had multiple long rests since Ragnailt, so you can regain all your HP and hit dice and all those lovely long rest doohickies, as well as the short rest ones of course.)
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Post by Thorn on Sept 26, 2019 5:56:16 GMT -5
Under two and a half days to session 18! =D In the meantime...here's the collaborative group recap for session 17, part one!!!! Usually 'part one' of the recap would finish at the break but, since there was so much less to recap before the break, I'll divide it a bit differently this time. =) EuroAtlantis Session 17, part one: Fight or Flight… Or just talk about it??Ragnailt is still in the trees, approaching. One dog is asleep, and the other has Basil hanging off it as it runs towards Meallan.
Amani can’t quite see Ragnailt from where they’re standing. Thinking fast, they raise one hand. A ball of darkness appears some way in front of Meallan, rapidly expanding to engulf him. A thirty-foot orb of impenetrable darkness to the right of Tally, Yeet and Aytal, who can no longer see their friend. Amani calls out to Ragnailt in every language they know, giving a brief pause between each: “wait!”
Hatar disengages from the dog, dumps the elf prisoners on the ground (including Ovinrei… in the darkness… he hisses in pain), and runs 15ft (~4.5m) ahead of Meallan (level with the darkness but not in it). He indicates with his feet: “hey, get on, nerd!”.
Yeet attacks the dog, hitting him three times! Then she disengages and runs to just a bit further than where Hatar is. Meallan looks at Hatar, able to see in the magical darkness just fine because of his ability. Meallan: “I’ll stay here for now, but thank you. If I need you, I’ll climb on.” He dashes over to Tally. His hand reaches from the darkness to touch her and give her Guidance. Then he returns to the darkness.
Tally: “Thank you, floating hand of darkness!” Lizard lies down and chills. Basil is clinging to the dog, who is right in front of Aytal. Basil tries to steer them out of the combat zone, but the dog is not having it. They’ve just been beat up by a goblin and now someone is telling them to do what they don’t want to do; no!
Aytal disengages and runs up to Yeet’s shoulders, curling around her shoulders. Yeet is very happy with this. The dog snaps at Basil, but can’t manage to bite him. Tally readies an action; if Tally sees somebody about to shoot a projectile in Meallan’s direction (into the darkness), to move in front of his direction and catch the arrow. One of the bandits not tied up to a creature takes shelter behind a tree. Anthony casts invisibility on himself! Then he casts bardic inspiration on Yeet.
(Khamet can tell that Ragnailt has a battleaxe and a longbow.) Ragnailt is 10ft into the trees, and turns to Amani when they say “wait” in Elvish. Of course, she doesn’t. Instead, she fires an arrow into the darkness. Tally moves to step in the way, but Ragnailt misses anyway, by a long shot. Khamet has been quiet, waiting all this time. And finally, he acts! He uses Channel Divinity, moves closer until he’s about 5ft away from her. He talks in Elvish to Ragnailt.
Khamet: “Hey! Listen! Meallan already knew about you because of his familiar. He turned Aytal into a hawk, right? He knows about you, you’re in danger, this isn’t going to work. Why don’t you tell us what he did to you?” ((Persuasion roll… for 29?? This may be the highest roll we’ve had so far!)) Ragnailt takes a step back. “I don’t care.” She pulls her scarf away. She’s already had burn scars visible. She has a rotting zombie-like look on one side of her face, and doesn’t have a nose. “Fire.” Khamet frowns. “Oh… Ohh, no…”
Amani casts Suggestion on Ragnailt, saying something to her. She briefly turns her attention to Amani, but otherwise, nothing happens. The darkness drops. Amani then moves up by Khamet. Hatar is still near where the darkness was, still with Yeet next to him. He taps his foot repeatedly at Meallan impatiently, and gives a look to Yeet going “this guy, I don’t believe this guy…”
He prepares for Meallan to mount, and then for Hatar to go in the direction of Ur Zaihar. Yeet parkours over and punches the dog capoeira style! But with more hitting. The dog falls unconscious. Then she runs back to Hatar, encouraging everyone else to run away!! Meallan gets on the horse and urges him to run! Hatar runs 60ft. Meallan: “She wants me instead! Run!” Then he grabs Yeet as they go and turns invisible. Lizard looks up after the others. No rush. Basil is a little sick of watching people run away from their problems. (“He’s hypocritical like that.”) Basil joins Khamet and Amani.
Basil tries to talk to Ragnailt. “...You need to talk to us here because no one is giving me any information and you’re the only one who has all of it. And I’m not going to fight you.” ...Except he spoke in Common. There are a couple Elvish-based words in it, but he doesn’t do well. Aytal jumps off of Yeet because she’s on a horse now. He dashes towards the firbolg-negotiation-trio, about 20ft away after the dash.
(Tally: “Why are people just disappearing on uuuus?”)
Tally has noticed that Ragnailt understood when Khamet spoke Elvish. So. “Oh, so you speak Elvish! That’s great!” After yelling that, she approaches. “Alright! Well I’m sure if there’s a misunderstanding here, we can work something out! How can we help you here?” Tally signs her pronouns. Ragnailt: “No misunderstanding.” Tally: “...Even better!”
Ragnailt sees the others running off and is sizing up the situation. Anthony partway sneaks closer to Ragnailt while invisible. He tries to determine if Ragnailt can be charmed. He doesn’t know much about undead, but he doesn’t see why she couldn’t be... The bandit elves are still by the trees, hoping this weird undead thing will go awaaaay. Ragnailt sees that things aren’t going her way, and she can’t catch a horse, c’mon. So she swears in Giant and tries to run away.
Khamet call out. “Wait! Before you go, you should know that the halfling,” points to Basil-- “I know you didn’t understand you, but he said he wasn’t going to fight you.” Ragnailt: “Oh.” (As in “oh, that’s nice.”) Khamet: “Hey! If you ever wanna tell us what happened, we’d be willing to listen to you, you know! Just food for thought! I know he did something very bad to you! We just want to know what happened!” Amani tries to work out if there’s any magical effects on Ragnailt besides being dead and all, but they can’t determine any.
They call after her in Elvish: “I don’t wanna hurt you, but I don’t want you attacking the rest of us either! Alright? If you wanna explain, I’ll listen!” Ragnailt doesn’t return, but she turns and responds: “Won’t hurt. Only Meallan [Giant]. Fire. Killed me. Killed us. He has to die.”
There’s a brief silence. Amani: *Taken aback.* “Us…? Fire? Wh-what?” Ragnailt refers to herself with her arms. Khamet: “Uh, who? Your tribe?” Ragnailt nods. Aytal reaches the group. Meallan checks via Aytal what’s going on. Meallan tries to turn Hatar back, but Hatar does not listen. So Meallan tries to get off Hatar, grabbing Yeet on the way down. Hatar swerves to try to stop him from getting off, or at the very least ensuring Meallan has a rough landing. He lands prone, elbowing Yeet in the face.
Yeet: “Oh!” M: “I’m sorry! I’m sorry, I-I didn’t mean to do that-” “Oh! Oh! Why aren’t those guys running?” “Are you alright?” “What if she’s still there? We have to get away, why aren’t you guys running?!” “I just want to see what’s going on.” “But you said it was dangerous!” “It is.” “They haven’t caught up! Do you think they’re dead?” “I just want to check with the others.”
Hatar looks really mad, and lets out a sound a horse makes when he’s ornery with someone.
M: “I’m sorry Hatar. I would go, but one, I don’t know where you’re taking me, and two, I am worried about the others. I know she wouldn’t do anything to them, but I still want to see how they’re doing.” Tally: “I am so sorry.” She moves a little closer, to which Ragnailt moves back. “Hey, by the way, um, you might want to be more careful about where you leave your, uh, wire things? Laying around? Could be dangerous! Like, you could trip on them? I think it’d be much nicer if we could all just sit together, without any broken ankles? And I could brew us some ginger tea! And we could discuss all these problems and how to resolve them, y’know, like adults? And have a pleasant time! Like, today or another day, if you find us!”
One of Ragnailt’s dogs is now awake, and the firbolg calls them to her.
Anthony drops out of stealth. “Yo, what’s up guys? I’m back!” And casts Charm Person on Ragnailt! Ragnailt looks at him. “Do not do that.” “Hey man, you should just chill out!” She’s just confused. Basil is just dumbfounded and wants to know what’s going on??
Ragnailt repeats. “He must die.” She leaves with her dog, leaving the other unconscious on the ground. Meallan, Yeet, and Hatar are returning. He sees the others through Aytal and can tell that something’s up. (The others don’t see Aytal.) So he hangs back, unsure. Yeet is just not sure what’s going on and she’s not familiar with the idea of Meallan looking through Aytal’s eyes so she gives him a confused shake to try to bring him back.
Meallan: “Oh, I’m sorry Yeet, I should’ve warned you. I was looking through my familiar’s eyes to see what was going on…” He sinks down at the edge of the road. Yeet: “Oh! Are they okay?” Meallan: “They’re fine.” Yeet: “So we can go back to them then?” Meallan: “You go.” Yeet: “No. I-I’m sure they’re worried about you..” Meallan’s shaking and holding his head in his hands.
(Meanwhile, the bandits lurking behind the trees are muttering “hypocrites…”)
Tally notices Amani looking speechless. She tries to reassure… “Well! Y’know, I didn’t know he’d done that, but Meallan did seem like the type to burn a village in the past. I mean, y’know, make some mistake sometimes, we’re young, and sometimes they’re very big mistakes, but that happens!” Khamet: *Unimpressed.* “Burning an entire village is a mistake.” “It definitely is a mistake!” “Uh-huh! Uh-huh, and how does one accidentally burn down an entire village?” B: “That sounds kinda easy, actually.” T: “Very easy!” K: “Ah yes, okay, mm-hmm.” “I had a few narrow escapes when I was starting to learn firebending!” Ant: “Hey man, I don’t think we should be burning down any villages, uhh…” T: “Great idea!” K: “Yeah, yeah, that is not a mistake. This is is really big…” B: “Have you never accidentally set something on fire?” K: “No, well, no Basil, but burning down an entire village and killing everyone in it is not something that happens by accident. In order for an undead to go and pursue you for it, you would have had to do it on purpose.” Khamet, Tally, and Anthony look for Aytal. (Anthony does not find any cool rocks, but he finds a cool leaf with some nice colors.)
Tally finds Aytal curled in a tree hole. When Tally spots him, Aytal approaches her. Aytal and Meallan speak mentally for a bit, and finally, Meallan tells Aytal: “...Bring them to me.” Before they go, Tally drags the bandit elves out of hiding. “Hey! It’s safe! You can come out now! By which I mean, get your butts over here!” Amani nods to themself, as if deciding something. And then… the group reunites. Burning Bridges Yeet: “I think there’s something wrong with Meallan, he’s- he’s zoning out and acting a bit funny. Are you okay?” Meallan shakes his head. His ears are drooped, he’s seated on the ground hugging his knees to his chest. Anthony casts Zone of Truth, which Meallan willingly submits to. As the group gather around him, Meallan looks up.
Meallan. “I suppose you know.” Amani: “Not everything.” Meallan: “Are you going-” he looks at Khamet directly. “Are you going to kill me now?” Khamet is clearly not happy. “You lied about everything, right? Like, you wanted to kill Ragnailt not because you were afraid, but because you wanted to hide the truth from us. You lied about being banished because of Malka’s connection. You were banished because you killed an entire village.”
Meallan: “No. I was banished because of her.” Khamet. “Aha. Yeah, okay, and what punishment did they prescribe you for...burning down an entire village?” Meallan: “Nothing.” Khamet: “Nothing?” Meallan: “Because they were gone.” Khamet: “Oh, oh you burned down your own village? And you banished yourself?” Meallan: “Yes.” Khamet: “Oh, so you banished yourself from the village? Oh, how nice. Oh, you know, what a punishment-” Meallan: “No.” Khamet: “What a punishment for you, banishing yourself and unleashing yourself upon the world.” Meallan: “They banished me because-” Khamet: “Okay-” Meallan: “My clan banished me because I was connected with Malka- and they thought she was dangerous. Then, that is, and then, I went to her, I told her what happened, I was devastated for being banished. You don’t...being banished is the worst thing that could happen to a firbolg, it is death, essentially.” Khamet is unsympathetic to this. “Oh, okay, and so you killed your village so they would die with you?” Meallan: “I didn’t mean to kill them.”
Khamet: “Oh, you didn’t mean to kill them? Then what did you ‘mean’ to do? Lightly set them on fire?” Meallan: “No.” Amani: “Khamet. Let him talk.” Khamet: “Okay, Amani, I will let him talk.” Meallan: “After I was banished Malka, my lady, she offered me the contract. I took her on the offer, because that’s what I wanted. And then...then I wanted to show them what I could do, how strong I was, but...I wanted to show them I was capable of something, of more than they thought of me. As she offered-” Amani: “Wait. Was it your idea, or her idea, to do that?” Meallan: “I don’t know.”
Basil is listening attentively. Anthony: “Hey yo, ah yeah, burning down- burning down villages isn’t cool man. Like, uh it kinda happened to Tyzol and everyone she knew in Deyn.” Anthony draws breath sharply.
Meallan: “I didn’t...I didn’t mean...to do that.” Khamet: “Okay, so you cast a spell and you burnt down the entire village-” Meallan: “No-” Khamet: “-how do you think-?” Meallan: “No. It’s...well, yes, it’s...I did burn that using magic, but there’s more to it than that.” Khamet: “What’s the ‘more to it’? If it happened in the past, it can happen again.” Meallan: “I don’t want it to happen again.” Khamet: “Okay, then how did it happen? If you don’t want it to happen, that’s not good enough. If you really didn’t mean it, then you need to tell us everything.” Meallan: “I am trying to tell you everything, Khamet.” Khamet: “Okay. Then what happened, how did you burn that village down? How did all these people die?” Meallan: “I...did not go there wanting to burn it. But I-” Khamet: “I- I don’t care about your intentions.” Amani: “I care about his intentions.”
Meallan: “I...once I made the pact, I knew that even in my current state I would not be strong enough. So my lady offered to give me more power. For a short while. She said that it would hurt, but I was so desperate to not be humiliated that I took it. And I went to the elders, showing off what I could do with all this power. And I told them that they should either accept me back and give me a seat on the council, and let me learn magic and let me keep my patron, or I will kill them.”
Amani: “You really-” Khamet: “Wait. You said this?” Amani: “You really promised that?” Meallan: “Or that I would hurt them, or I would...do something, and they said no, and then I just...I felt this insane amount of anger and rage and all the memories of...how much humiliation they subjected me to and everything just came flashing back and I...couldn’t control myself. Khamet: “Okay wait: so you threatened to kill them, and then you killed them.” Meallan: “Essentially, but I...to this day I don’t know why I felt this anger, why I felt this…hatred towards them, this rage, and it scares me to think that I would be capable of such a thing. I don’t know-” Khamet: “Okay.”
Meallan: “I don’t know why I did it! I don’t-” Khamet: “Well, clearly you did it because you threatened them, and then got angry that they said no, and then-” Meallan: “But I’ve been angry at them before. I’ve been angry at them before and I never wanted to- to do that.” Amani: “Wait.” Khamet: “But if you didn’t want to do that, why’d you threaten them?” Amani: “Meallan, um...you’ve said you never felt anything like it before. Do you think...there could have been...some kind of outside influence?” Meallan considers this. Meallan: “I was sharing my lady’s power, but that’s all that happened.” Amani: “I think…” Amani sighs. “I...I hate to say this, but I wonder if it could be more-” Basil: “Archfey suck!” Amani: “More...than that. They…” Amani trails off.
Meallan: “More than what?” They don’t respond. Tally: “Got a little question.” Meallan: “Hmm?” Tally: “Uh, Meallan have you ever felt anything like it since that time?” Meallan: “No. But...I’m scared that I will. I don’t want to.” Meallan is shaking. His voice cracks as he speaks. Meallan: “I don’t want to be that full of rage and anger and- I killed everyone I know and I didn’t want to do that. I was angry at them but I didn’t want that much. And now she’s after me and she’s going to kill me. And she would be justified.”
Tally: “Well if she’s coming after you, does that mean that some of them might have survived?” Meallan: “That would be good, but I don’t think so.” Meallan buries his head in his hands, sobbing. Yeet is hugging Basil’s arm and hiding behind him a little, away from Meallan. Meallan: “Are you all going to leave me? I wouldn’t blame you if you did, but...please don’t leave me.” Khamet: “Hey, Amani, you suspect Malka had something to do with this, right?” Amani: “I- yes. I...I still do.” Khamet: “Oh, okay then, uhh why don’t we do to Meallan what we did to Crezonis? And just sever the connection between him and Malka.”
Amani: “Wait, wait, wait a minute. Wait a minute. You can’t just do that and expect him to not-” Meallan: “Please don’t.” Amani: “-we can’t just leave him with nothing.” Meallan: “Please don’t, she’s all I have.” Khamet: “What? No, no, yeah I’m sorry. Meallan, how old are you?” Meallan: “Seventy-three.” Khamet: “How long do firbolgs live?” Meallan: “Around five centuries.” Khamet: “Okay, listen, you have lived an entire human lifetime. Even if Malka goes away, you still have a very long time to learn literally anything else.”
Meallan: “But then I’ll just go back to being nothing like I was before her.” Khamet: “Oh what? What do you mean ‘nothing’?” Meallan: “I had no abilities, no skills, I-” Khamet: “You can gain new understanding-” Amani: “Khamet, it’s not that easy!” Khamet: “Yes it is! He has so many centuries ahead of him.” Amani: “Khamet, you don’t understand. How did you gain your paladin powers? How did you become skilled?” Khamet: “How? Well, before I was a paladin, I was training to be, I guess, a blacksmith in my village. The reason I became a paladin was because I was blessed by a god. But certainly, if I did something, I would accept the consequences.”
Amani: “I’m not arguing he shouldn’t, I’m just saying...my point is that you had something else to go to. Meallan doesn’t. It’s not that easy!” Khamet: “It’s not that easy?” Amani: “Not everyone is so lucky to have something else to go to.” Meallan: “I have nothing.” Khamet: “Well, maybe if he were more social with people, and he didn’t act like a cad, he would have other people with him? Maybe if he wasn’t the type of person to demand power, or kill people, in the first place, this would have never- this is all his doing. He needs to accept it.” Meallan: “It is all my doing. And I accept it, but I still don’t want to be alone.” Khamet: “Yes, it is.” Meallan: “I don’t want to be nothing.” Khamet: “Then...what are you talking about? Having no skills doesn’t mean you are nothing, every person is innately valuable.”
Amani: “Khamet-” Meallan: “Then what do I do, Khamet?” Amani: “He needs something.” Khamet: “I don’t know, get a job somewhere? Or go help other people? Volunteer at an orphanage? Do something for anyone else, instead of constantly thinking of yourself. Look at you- you killed your entire tribe, and you don’t even care about anyone but yourself.” Meallan: “I care about-” Anthony: “Uhhh actually he does have a job Khamet, actually. He’s uh, he’s been delivering my letters to Tyzol, ‘cause I can’t send them myself.” Meallan: “I care about all of you.” Khamet: “Okay!” Basil: “I mean I’m nothing, it’s not that bad.”
Meallan: “It’s...it’s different.” Amani: “It’s not...it’s not something that you can just... brush off.” Meallan: “I was looked down upon all my life for not having any skills, any abilities, and not...being able to do anything. And then when I managed something, I was denied it. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. All I have left is Malka. Especially because you are going to all abandon me now that you know.” Basil: “I bet Malka darn well knows that. She took advantage of the whole situation.” Amani: “That’s what I’m wondering, yeah.” Meallan: “Whether she did or not-”
Khamet: “Well, listen, if all you have is Malka, then that’s pretty crap. I say you are better off ditching Malka- because whatever she gives you, right...Meallan, let me tell you about something I saw. It should be very interesting information to you, um, so I do know that recently Amani told you that they checked Malka’s magical signature, and she’s not a fey.” Meallan: “Mm-hm.” Khamet: “And, it’s a fact that she’s not a fey.” Meallan: “Yes.” Khamet: “Um by the way, sorry I eavesdropped. Sorry Amani.” Amani: “I...okay, I’m not concerned about that right now.” Meallan: “At this point I do not care.”
Khamet: “Here’s another thing: do you know that when you walk, you have, like, kinda emanating out of you, two ribbons of desecration? That feel like desecration. And I think that’s because of Malka. Now if you put the pieces together: you have desecration, you flew into this rage, umm, you know, when Malka gave her power to you. Have you ever stopped to consider that Malka is a drain on you? And she didn’t give you anything- she lied to you. Someone who really cared about you wouldn’t lie to you.”
Meallan: “I...threads? I don’t- what, what, what are you talking about, Khamet? What….ribbons, what...I don’t understand. What do you mean?” Khamet: “Ribbons of desecration. They feel wrong, Meallan. Malka- okay, let’s assume you were a perfectly nice guy, and not a crazy person who would kill his entire village. Like you wanted to. Like you stated you wanted to.” Meallan: “I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to kill my entire family.” Khamet: “You threatened them, you threatened them with death with an ultimatum, and then you acted upon it.” Meallan: “Because I wanted-” Khamet: “That is like, first degree murder right there.” Meallan: “I wanted...I just wanted to go back.” Khamet: “You just want...uh, and, have you ever thought about not acting like a crazy person?” Amani: “Wait, Khamet. Uh, talk about the ribbons.”
Khamet: “Oh, right. So the ribbons, they feel like desecration and they’re emanating out of you. Now, I’m not an expert on magic, but that’s not really good.” Meallan pats himself down. Khamet casts ‘detect good and evil’, and doesn’t make an effort to hide this, which would be difficult anyway given that the spell requires both gestures and an incantation. He can see that Aytal and the lizard are fey and that Hatar is a celestial, but also senses as before that something about Meallan has been magically desecrated. He can see those golden ribbons hanging in the air behind the firbolg.
Khamet: “Yeah you’re desecrated pal. You know, you have um- yeah, you’re still desecrated! And that’s probably Malka, and listen, you should really get rid of your attachment to her because whatever happened to you? It’s not good.” Meallan: “But...what if I get rid of her and...it isn’t her, and it’s- it’s me? Then I’ll...then I’ll push away the only person I ever loved. Loved in...as in, romantically loved.”
Amani: “The past tense?” Khamet: “Oh okay, so let me get this, so...it’s either you that’s a cad, or it’s Malka that’s a cad, but Malka isn’t helping you not be a cad. I think that if you wanted-- um, honestly? I’m not sure, I have no guarantee. I’ve never ever seen you attempt to be a good person. I have like zero things--” He makes a gesture with a closed fist, indicating ‘zero.’
“Zero good things to say about you right now. What’s just stopping us from just turning you in to the nearest city because you’re a mass murderer? And I think people deserve to know about this. If you can kill-” Meallan: “Please.” Khamet: “-people like that, why shouldn’t everyone know about this? People deserve to know.” Meallan: “Because I- because I don’t, I don’t-” Basil: “Because we’re not going to let you do that, Khamet.” Khamet sighs.
Relationship Advice Meallan: “I don’t want to kill people, I don’t want to be this way. I want to be better. And if you just give me a chance…please. I beg you, you…you let Crezonis redeem himself, why not me?” Amani: “Meallan, I really hate to say it but...I’m not sure if that can happen while Malka’s here.” Anthony: “Okay Meallan, I only know one bit of relationship advice. Just one. Uhh...but uhh, have you tried poisoning her yet?”
Meallan’s crying, but for a moment looks up at Anthony as if you say ‘are you insane? Anthony shrugs. Anthony: “I gave it a shot, I tried.” Amani: “If you’re talking about Ragnailt I don’t think that’d work, and if you’re talking about Malka I don’t that’d work either. She’s some sort of...what? Undead? Fiend? Fallen angel?” Meallan: “I don’t think that’ll work Anthony. She is an actual...she’s not like Tyzol.”
Meanwhile, Lizard is getting restless. Lizard: “Mmmm...can I go?” Amani: “No.” Lizard: “This is boring.” Tally: “Meallan, the thing about becoming a better person, when you’re in a relationship, ahh...you might need your partner to be willing to also improve alongside you, and to be ready to bring out the best in you, while also being able to change themself. Do you think Malka would be up for that?” Meallan: “I hope so.” Tally: “Well, have you asked her?” Meallan: “She’s...I can ask her, I suppose.” Tally: “Yeah.” Meallan: “I don’t know what’s up with these ‘threads’, or what is it, but I don’t...I’m scared of letting her go.” Amani: “If we can find something else for you, then would you consider it?” Meallan: “I would.” Amani: “Alright. We’ll have to think of something.”
Tally: “I suggest you do listen to Khamet. I think humans are very inspiring to us people who live for several centuries, you know? Because they’re so intent on...living. Like, just look how he does it.” Amani: “I think most people are intent on living.” Tally: “You know, humans.” Meallan looks at Khamet. “I know we’ve had our disagreements, but I’m not going to argue with you here. You can do whatever you want with me.” Khamet thinks about this. “Hmm.” Meallan: “Please don’t kill me though, I don’t want to die.”
Khamet: “Okay Meallan. Well, you say you want to be a better person. Um, and you said Crezonis as an example, right?” Meallan: “Yes.” Khamet: “You have to remember that Crezonis was our captive.” Meallan: “Do you want to take me prisoner?” Khamet: “Uh, he was defanged. You are different. You can still stay, if you do not do anything like: telling Amani to torture Crezonis with that mind-spike, like taunting Vaan, right?” Amani: “Wait, wait torture? What?” Khamet: “Yeah, with that mind-spike.” Amani: “I wasn’t trying to torture him, I was trying to kill him.”
Khamet: “Yeah well that was the end result. You said ‘if I defeat you, I will defeat Arcaito', then caused him needless damage because he was already subdued. So I think maybe you should really think about what you’re doing to people. Okay; taunting Vaan, um, anything like that? You will not do that anymore.” Meallan: “If you insist. I don’t-” Khamet: “I do insist, actually.” Meallan: “Alright. I just- I don’t really know how...I can not do that. That’s, that’s fine but…” Lizard: “Mmm. You are a silly mortal. Silly mortal!” Meallan looks at the lizard. The lizard has two people tied to it, it’s burdened and bored. Amani gives it some of their rations. Amani: “Can you give us a little bit?” Lizard: “Do you think I’m a pet?” Amani: “No I’m just trying to make you, like, a little less bored while we handle this, and then we’ll be on our way.” Tally: “Hey, hey Lizard, look at this!” Lizard: “Hmm?” Tally conjures some little bubbles of air and spins them really fast. Lizard is captivated by this, as is Yeet. Meallan faintly smiles.
Meallan: “How can I be a better person Khamet? Please just tell me how to be.” Khamet: “Okay, well...in order to be a better person, one: you have to actually think about the wellbeing of people around you. You have to respect them. So that means if Tally, for example, is uncomfortable doing something with you, the problem with doing that thing is that it’s wrong. Not that you don’t want her to see it and be upset with you, okay? You have to do something for people even if it doesn’t benefit you. You have to be altruistic.”
Meallan: “I can try that, I suppose.” Khamet: “And also: please don’t do things like demand people accept you, or kill them? That doesn’t endear them to you. Like, zero percent. That’s really stupid.” Meallan: “I’m not going to, but...are you all going to leave me? Please don’t. You can, but-” Khamet looks at everyone. Lizard: “I’m going to leave you! Hopefully.” Meallan’s ears flip down. He looks at the lizard, but says nothing. Amani: “You can leave us eventually.”
Meallan: “For better or worse, you are the first friends I’ve had since...for a very long time. Since...perhaps since Aquilian. Since I met Lady Malka. And I don’t want to lose you.” Khamet’s still looking around at the others, waiting for them to respond to ‘are you going to leave me?’ He is not feeling particularly favorable towards Meallan. Amani: “Meallan, I’ve been...the adventures we’ve had together. I have enjoyed your company, I didn’t think I’d find anyone else that I could actually maybe talk-” Meallan: “Neither did I.” Amani: “-to for months now. I don’t know if this is...I don’t know yet, but I think there’s a problem.” Meallan: “Please don’t leave.” Amani: “I don’t know what to say, honestly. I’m not gonna suggest anything because I don’t know right now.” Meallan: “I don’t know anything either. With everything Khamet has said and...I don’t, I don’t want to think that she was the one who did this.” Amani: “I don’t know how it could be anyone else.” Meallan: “I love her. I don’t...want it to be her. I depend so much on her.”
Amani has a realisation. Amani: “Wait, wait. You told me once that Malka would not be able to hear us unless you made a direct connection. But if Malka’s not a fey, what if she lied? What if she’s hearing all this right now?” Meallan goes very, very quiet. He looks terrified. Khamet: “Well, you guys can reach a decision by yourselves. I’m going to go and put Ovinrei and his little friend back on Hatar, we are going to go to the centaur thing. I am going to go take a walk, and Meallan? I hate you.” Meallan: “I messed up, and I’m sorry.” Khamet leaves with Hatar, the two captives tied across the horse’s back. The pair move around the trap while Basil and Yeet work to disarm it. The latter succeed without any issues arising. Life is ComplicatedTally: “Meallan, I was going to keep going to the centaurs as well because I have this letter to deliver to them. That’s why I’m going there for sure, and well, if you keep going that way you can be sure you won’t be alone. Huh? Hey? That’s nice, right?” Meallan: “I...would like that, yes.” Tally: “Okay.” Meallan: “You are someone I don’t want to lose, Tally, and I’m sorry about this. I’m sorry.” Tally: “I’m sorry too.”
Tally gets a little closer to Meallan. “I’ve had...some people humiliate me, yeah, a lot of them. And I loved a lot of them too, and I guess I never really stopped loving them- or stopped being hurt by them. Or stopped wanting to, I don’t know, blast holes through them? It doesn’t really stop but hey, here I am. You know there’s stuff I did with the monks, and it took several years. I was forbidden from firebending for a while, but hey. There’s some stuff we can do.”
Meallan: “Can you teach me? Not the- not your powers, or anything, just...how do you be like you are? You’re what I think of when I hear ‘a good person’.” Tally: “Ah...not really, just uh...have to be well, angry all the time I suppose? Just accept that you’re gonna be angry all the time. Well that’s how I do it, at least.” Meallan: “But what if I get angry like I did back there?” Tally: “Na. There’s a way to prevent that. I mean if, uh...if you can foresee the things that will make you angry, and just find other outlets for it, you know anger is just something that moves you forward. As long as it has the right outlet. If there’s too many things that stop you from moving forward, that’s when you explode.” Meallan: “I know that far too well.” Tally: “Yup.” Meallan: “I’ll try.” Tally: “I don’t think I can turn you in to be jailed or anything, by the way, because then if it’s for very ancient murders I know I’d have to turn myself in as well.”
The group heads north, Meallan hanging back hugging Aytal. Meallan: “Have you also killed people, Tally?” Tally (laughs nervously): “Oops! Better check on that wire over there.” Meallan: “I’ll take that as a yes and honestly, that’s a little bit comforting to know that someone can do such terrible things and still be like you.” Tally: “Um, that’s nice.” Meallan: “I admire you a lot.”
Khamet, ahead of the group, is alternating between thinking and muttering to himself, and talking to Ovinrei. “Hi Ovinrei, how are you? Are you okay right now?” Ovinrei: “I’ve been better.” Then Khamet goes back to being grumpy. Back with the rest of the party: Amani is off to one side, not really responding to anyone. They’re just walking very quietly. Meallan is at the back of the group, hanging his head. Meallan (to Amani): “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before. I was scared. I didn’t know how you’d react.” Amani: “I don’t blame you for not telling me. It’s just...I need to think, okay?” Meallan: “I’m sorry if...and I understand if you don’t want anything to do with me again.” Amani: “I don’t know what to think right now, but don’t worry about me, alright? I can find my peace.”
Yeet (to Basil): “What just happened?” Basil: “Well...overall, lots of scary magic crap, and Meallan has a horrible guilt complex, and nobody has their head screwed on straight, and also we’re being stalked by an undead zombie.” Yeet: “Is everyone going to be okay? I’ve not really seen this kind of mess before, is- is um, is the undead thing trying to kill you? I still- I still don’t quite understand, and I’m sorry.” Basil: “No, you’re good. I don’t think she wants to kill…us, just big guy in the back there.” Yeet: “I...he’s, he seemed nice before. But he said he killed lots of people. Um.” Yeet sighs, and fiddles with the metal object. Basil: “Life is complicated.” Part Two, coming soon!
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Post by Breakingchains on Sept 26, 2019 12:12:07 GMT -5
Just want to throw out there that I love Amazingly Insensitive Lizard. Whole party is having a breakdown and it's just like :T I'm so boooorrrred
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Post by Thorn on Sept 26, 2019 18:50:55 GMT -5
Thanks Chains! Lizard was a lot of fun for me, too. =P Part two of 17's collaborative recap! Thanks to everyone who helped! <3 Session 17, Part Two:Imagining DragonsMeallan approaches Yeet and Basil.
Meallan: “Listen, Yeet. What is that thing?” Yeet: “Oh? I, um…” Meallan: “I need a distraction, please. Just...something. What is it?” Yeet: “Um, it’s um, I think you talked about people doing things they didn’t want- being made to do things they didn’t want?” Meallan: “Yes.” Yeet: “Well, I had a friend who was made to do things that they didn’t want.” Meallan: “Oh?” Yeet: “Um. This is what’s left.” Meallan: “I’m- I’m sorry.” Yeet: “I can show you if you like?” Meallan: “If you could? You don’t have to, but-”
Yeet holds up the metal object. Meallan takes a moment to concentrate on it, and it’s a little bit warmer than one might expect an ordinary piece of copper to be. There’s a gentle thrum to it. Meallan gets the impression of mountains, of cold wind underneath his wings as he flies, and of a landscape passing below him. There’s a feeling of freedom in this. It only lasts a moment, and then it repeats.
Yeet: “My...my friend, she was- she was once a dragon. Um. And. Did you see?” Meallan: “I saw it, how...amazing.” Yeet: “She was my friend, but...but we were both-” Meallan: “A real dragon?” Yeet: “At one time. But, um, she was being used.” Meallan: “I’m sorry.” Yeet: “I don’t know how exactly they met her, but um, I think she was...they took her…I was taken. Um, and so I was made to work, and...she was there too, she wasn’t a dragon at that time. Not, like, a real dragon. She was made of metal and gears and…she wasn’t free anymore, they wanted her to do things: to fight, I think maybe to kill people, I don’t know. But this is all that’s left of her now.” Meallan: “That’s amazing.”
Yeet: “I...she was very nice. She was my friend. Um. And the people who took us, they were making other things that they...they wanted to use her. I’m like you, I’m nothing special, but um...but I saw, they made a lot of things. I...this...some people came, she...it’s a bit weird, um. I said I was very surprised when you said you knew the goblins, because I don’t know where they are.” Meallan: “I only read about goblins. I’m sorry.”
Yeet: “Well, we used to live down where it’s called Sureshelter at the moment. That’s what it’s called now, but it wasn’t called that when I was there. I don’t know... A lot of time-...When they took me to the mountain when I was working there, um, some people came to try and destroy Vinsiraala and her allies and I hid. And um, then a lot of time had passed...I know that sounds weird.”
Meallan: “No it doesn’t, I...I understand. Is there anything that I can do to help you? I’m trying to.” Yeet: “You’re...you’re trying to be a good person but, um...you said..if you know where the gob...I was going to Cai Shaan to find the goblins. I heard there might be some there. But you don’t know, if you…” Meallan: “I’ll try and find them for you and send you word.” Meallan uses ‘mending’ to make the metal object a little less battered. Tally goes to talk to Anthony.
Tally: “Hey Anthony, are you okay now?” Anthony: “Ahh...yeah, no I just think it’s uh...really weird. It’s uh, like that, you know, of all the people I choose to send messages back to Tyzol who had her village burned down it’s the...dude that burned down a village.” Tally: “Mmm.” Anthony: “It’s like honestly the most ironic thing I’ve ever experienced in my entire life.” Tally: “Oh. Huh, I hadn’t thought about that. Now that you mention it, it is. Just, I was worried though ‘cause earlier you mentioned that you didn’t want to do this, and that you wanted to go back to Deyn. Do you still want to go back?”
Anthony asserts that yeah, he does. Tally: “Ah, okay, ‘cause I know we’re sticking with Meallan for the moment. If you want to go back to Deyn, I mean, as soon as I’ve delivered the letter I think I need to return with you, to keep you safe on the road. I mean, I wouldn’t want you to feel forced to come along with us…” Anthony: “I mean sure yeah, I definitely can’t be travelling alone. I would definitely get poisoned. One-hundred percent.” Tally: “Yeah.” Anthony: “I mean yeah, it’s unavoidable.” Basil: “It’s unavoidable.” Tally: “I don’t know why those trees were targeting you more than everybody else, though.” Anthony: “Yeah! That’s like, that’s what’s so weird! It can’t be him. At least, I really hope not.” Tally: “That’s why I really don’t think you should, you know, go back to Deyn on your own. I mean, not that I can tell you what to do, but it would be much safer with somebody else.”
Anthony: “Yeah. Yeah, I...stuff’s gonna go down though. Oh man, ugh. And it’s not going to be pretty.” Tally: “In any case, I don’t want you to feel like you’re stuck with us, so if at any point you want out you can just tell me and I’ll, you know, clear you a way out.” Anthony: “Honestly I might even need your guys’ help with this, ‘cause it’s...it’s a bit of a big problem.” Tally: “Okay.” Meallan’s ears prick up at this.
Anthony: “Yeah. Like um, the time might come pretty soon I’mma need like help from all you guys with something.” Meallan: “Is this to do with the conversation you had the other day?” Anthony: “Uh...yeah.” Meallan: “Then I’ll help out if I can.” Tally: “There’s another undead following you, or something?” Anthony: “No, no, he’s not an undead. Well. He’s immortal, but I don’t think he’s undead. Tally offers Meallan back pats, and lets him snuggle up to her a bit as they walk. Later she approaches Amani, who notices that she’s moved closer but doesn’t say anything. Tally tiptoes right up to them and says: “Hey Amani, are you up to talk?”
Amani: “I don’t know. Did you want to say something?” Tally: “Yeah. How’s your inner peace at the moment?” Amani: “That’s a good point. I think I, well, it’s there but I think maybe I just...maybe this is my own fault. I knew there was something, but I didn’t want to listen to myself about it. With Meallan. So I’m just kind of...thinking. I’ll be alright because of my inner peace, but I still have to deal with this, but...don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.” Tally: “Okay. You know, Amani, the first time you turned up back at the camp all silvery and peaceful? I felt so, well...y’know, when you got extra silver?” Amani (sighs wistfully): “That lovely night…” Tally: “After that night. Yeah, that night. I was so jealous of you, I am so envious of you. See-” Amani: “I wish I could share it!” Tally: “-I have been working for over forty years to achieve my inner peace; working pretty much every day, relapsing every now and then, bursting out every now and then, still working. And to me it appeared that you had...gleefully frolicked into inner peace overnight! And I felt very jealous.”
Amani: “I really...I wish I could share with you! I just don’t know if I can yet.” Tally: “It’s an incredible gift.” Amani: “I- it is an incredible gift, and I love it so much. I don’t know how well you’re doing with your attempts, I know mine in the past before have not been...have not always worked. But I think...I dunno, I’m just happy about this.” Tally: “It just felt good to get this off my chest. Thanks. I’ll come to work with you on it some day, if you’d like?” Amani: “Maybe...perhaps.” Amani seems a bit uncertain.
Super Sensitive QuestionsKhamet… is the first to get to the centaurs! With him is…still Hatar, still the two bandits. As he approaches, there’s a little shelter of hide and poles. There are two centaurs: a shorter, older one one guarding and another one lying in the grass.
An older centaur approaches. He’s got cool centaur beads all through his hair. Centaur: “What’s all this, this looks very suspicious?” Khamet: “Hi! Um… ah… um… so… these people… we were traveling in the woods, we were traveling with, actually an ambassador from Ur… Ambassador Talsindra? She wanted to deliver a letter to somebody close to Crezonis. And, uh, these people approached us with an injury; turns out later that they were bandits who--” Centaur: “So this is--slow down there, this is a lot. Okay, so, something about Crezonis that’s a whole other thing I’ll need you to talk to her about. Then there’s a whole other thing about bandits?"
Khamet says that they’re injured, and that he wants them not to be injured. He wants someone to take the arrow out of Ovinrei’s leg, even if they are bandits.
The centaur looks over Khamet’s shoulder and asks, “Are those people following you bandits as well?” “Uh, some of them,” replies Khamet, “not the ones who are tied up. You wanna be careful with that tall guy, he’s, uh, not very good at interacting with people. He follows them into bathrooms a lot, so, just be careful.” (Centaur Dude: “Okay… okay!”) “And the drow is the ambassador.”
The centaur, who undoubtedly thinks that the party is weird enough to be trusted: “Okay! I’m going to get my niece, please be patient with her, she will take you through the camp… if that’s what you want.”
He gives Khamet a very funny look. He turns and beckons the other centaur, who is wearing very cute clothes! She’s got a flower chain over her head, for one, a ribbon in her hair, and a wavy sleeve around her shoulders. She hops up to Khamet, saying, “Hello!”
“You must be a human!” she exclaims, “I’ve seen a few humans in my time, none quite as handsome as you… hello! Who are these people?” Khamet: “My name is Khamet. Just Khamet.” Cute niece centaur: “Hi Khamet!” “Hi! I serve the god Anhur. The drow is Ambassador Talsindra, from Ur.” Tally interjects: “Hi, I’m Tally!” She pulls out her Ur pass. “Hey!” says the young centaur, “I’ve never met a drow before!” Tally squees.
Khamet continues: “The green one… I’m not sure what she is, but she’s green. She’s short and she cries a lot. Uh, the other human is some guy that we met, he’s the hero of Riverside, the half-elf is… also cries a lot. And the tall guy is a pervert.”
“Hello everyone!” the centaur greets the entire party. They have, surprisingly, not broken her cheery resolve. “I don’t know what’s happening here, but I think I’m supposed to take you somewhere? Who has the… I assume you have a message?”
Anthony: “Is the place you’re taking us jail? ‘Cause I hope it’s not…” “I don’t think we even have a jail, Mr. Human! I didn’t get your names, it’s fine…Ant-something…Ms. Talsindra, ambassador?” Tally: “I have a letter for Synetai Plutonea.” “Ooh, okay, she will probably be very glad! Who is the letter from? Is it from Ur, we just spoke to them…” Tally: “It’s from Crezonis.” “Ah, oh. Okay.” She goes a bit quiet for a moment. Tally: “Yeah.”
“That’s fine! That’s fine! I’ll take you through, I’ll have to ask that you leave your weapons though, with my uncle, he’ll take very good care of them! Amani: “Okay.” The party agrees to this… well, moooooost of them… Basil conceals his daggers on the way in, because of course he does. They also leave the bandits’ weapons at the metaphorical door. Tally looks very uneasy, though, and was tempted to sneak a weapon in, and just decides “you know what, I’m a kung-fu master boys, I can shoot things out of my hands.” She kisses her fist on her way: her fists are her guns, after all! Both in the “wow, these are my guns-aka-muscles sense and also my guns-aka-they-also-shoot-projectiles sense!”
After dropping off their weapons, Amani waves their hand with the ring on it, because that’s their casting hand, and they go, “okay!” The centaur girl is perplexed by this gesture. After all that’s said and done with, the older centaur finally indirectly informs us of his niece’s name! “Yes, Myderion, will helpfully take you.”
Khamet asks, “Oh, yeah, hey, I know Crezonis had a wife, and, um, I need to ask her a few questions, because they’re very important. Myderion: “... I hope they will be sensitive questions.” Khamet: “Uh, yeah! Absolutely they will be sensitive questions!” OOC, Moni is struggling not to laugh as she says this. Throughout all this, Lizard stays quiet, and Myderion just assumes that he’s just some weird lizard. The party leaves the bandits with the appropriate people; Ovinrei thanks Khamet, while the rest of the bandits are rather sullen. So this collection of weirdos waltzes through the centaur camp with the fey lizard, hitherto unnamed. Tally seems a bit too excited to see the centaurs. Khamet asks Amani to ask the lizard why the fey seemed to hate Anthony.
Lizard laughs. “Hah! We do not hate Anthony, we were to go for some of the weakest, and then, we would leave!” As nice as it would be to assume, for dramatic effect, that the language barrier between Anthony and Lizard broke down, Anthony only hears the translation from Amani.
“Who is he callin’ the weakest?” says Anthony with a bit of a whine. He’s outraged at being roasted. “I don’t understand it, actually,” replies Amani, “I don’t think you’re the weakest.” (RIP Bard) “Well, I killed a bird... a few weeks ago.” “Oh, okay.”
Meallan gives Anthony a look, because he’s got plenty to spare, but doesn’t say anything. He asks the lizard, “Is it something to do with Arcaito? He did put Arcaito to sleep…” Lizard: “We didn’t know that, we were just told to attack the weakest, like the strange human, who didn’t have a lot of armour and magic!” Meallan: “It was the wrong choice, he does have some power. That strange box of his does magic.”
You heard it from here, folks: smartphones are indeed magical! For any problem might thou have, within this box’s circuitous metallic arrangements are the appropriate “application” of a spell. In other words, there’s an app for that.
Amani: “Well, thank you for telling us.” Alas…the centaurs…speak Sylvan, just like the fey! Myderion has been listening to this whole conversation the entire time. She notes: “Well… that was a strange conversation--discussion--right there. I mean, is it awkward if I tell you that I know who Arcaito is, and this is very weird…?” Meallan “No, that won’t be awkward.” “Cool!” replies Myderion awkwardly. “I will take you to your destination. Ah. Yes!”
Amani and Meallan also release the lizard. It’s a very unceremonious affair; they thank him and say goodbye. Along with a bunch of other centaurs and dogs that look like mini-dachshunds, some centaurs are gathered around a fire, having a Very Important meeting or something. Myderion takes the party through, says for them to wait a moment while she gets Plutonea, then comes back with Plutonea and two other (male) centaurs. The centaurs have very different fashions between the genders!
Plutonea is a few inches taller than Meallan, her skin tone is darker than Crezonis’s, and her horse-half is a chestnut! When she’s back, she’s carrying a spear in her left hand, much like a lefty. Myderion says her farewell: “Well, it was really nice to meet you guys! I’ll be off!” Tally: “Nice to meet you too!” Amani: “Bye!”
Plutonea is questioning her life decisions, which is a fair feat on the party’s end. “So… this is the weird bunch I was told to speak with? You have a letter for me, I think?” Tally: “Yes!” She bows to Plutonea and hands her the letter. Plutonea thanks her and reads the letter. Taking a deep breath, she comments: “This does give some additional context I suppose might have been welcome… two days ago. Thank you.” The party go all “wait, what?? Two days ago???” Plutonea: “Oh, two days ago we had a meeting with a few delegates from Ur, very confusing conversations about fey and creatures I don’t know much about. Um...I did the best I could, I feel this letter could have helped matters, but thank you, Tally.” Meallan: “What happened? What did they say?”
Plutonea: “I mean, what do you expect them to say? They told us that there was a strange group--I assume by the fact that you’re bringing me this letter, that you’re the strange group--that was highly involved in the situation. They were kind enough to tell us what was going on, I suppose.” “Did they say anything about Crezonis?” She rolls her eyes and says, “yes. What else could I be talking about here?” Meallan: “What did they say?” Plutonea: “Why does it matter?” Tally: “What they told you might have been very different from what we know.”
Plutonea: “Hm...well, they didn’t…I don’t even understand half this letter…but they told us that there was this bandit, and that he was leading some bandits, and that he’s the reason one of the elf villages burned down…” She’s confused as to what she’s being asked. Meallan: “Have they said what they’ve done with him since we left?” Plutonea: “I assume that’s a given; they usually hold an execution. We believe, in this situation, that is not certain because of an archfey called Arcaito.” Meallan: “That’s good to know.” Amani: “Sounds about right.”
Tally: “That was the last letter he could write and he was quite worried, I think”--Plutonea kind of chuckles--“about what would happen to him and he quite desperately wanted this delivered to you when he was, in his mind, doomed.” Plutonea: “How cute. Well, thank you for bringing this to me, Tally.” Tally: “You’re welcome. It’s really a pleasure to come here. I hope you, uh, haven’t been too, uh, lonely? Uh, nooo--you haven’t been lonely since, have you?” Khamet turns and says, “Really? Really?”
Plutonea: “I doubt she meant it quite like that, human person.” Tally: “No, not yet…” YET. Before anything else can happen, Khamet butts in: “Actually, can I ask you a few questions?” I bet you think that this is a nice save on his part, but it’s not. Even Basil sees the writing on the wall as he whispers “no!” to this question.
Khamet continues on because he don’t care about what anybody has to say! “So Crezonis was concerned about your safety. As a matter of fact, he kept the fact that he even had a wife a secret because he was afraid that the elves or anyone who knew would try to kill you as revenge.” Plutonea: “Of course. Yep.” “Yeah, so I have a question: can I ask you about the geopolitics of this island?” “Okay,” she says, “I do have a meeting to get back to, what exactly are you trying to find out from me?” Khamet: “Well, Crezonis told me that forests were for the elves, the plains were for the centaurs, and that he was upset because Ur Deyn was built in the plains. He said that there wasn’t a treaty or anything, but… do you know anything about that?” Plutonea: “First off, you could have just said that instead of just using broad terms. Yes, I do know about this, we spoke about it in the past. One of the several points on which we disagreed. Most of the time, it’s not worth arguing with the elves about, and it’s not even our plain. It’s the Southern Centaurs’, so that’s their problem to deal with. It’s such a small portion of the plain, I just didn’t think it was worth arguing about, pretty much.”
Khamet, who hasn’t asked a Sensitive Question in a very long time, and his bones are just itching to make one: “Ah, I see. Well, uh, thank you for giving me your input.” He writes something down really quick. “And another thing: if you ever see Crezonis again, I would encourage you two to seek marriage counseling!” Plutonea laughs. “Ha! I don’t think that’ll be necessary.” It is here that Khamet notices that she doesn’t have the band around her wrist that signifies she’s married. “Oh. Well, I guess you two had a nasty divorce. That’s unfortunate.” Plutonea: “I suppose we did.”
Khamet is awkwardsauce. “Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. Uhhh, well, I wish you luck in your other relationships. You should know that the guy that Crezonis decided to run off with was really bad, he was Arcaito, kind of a jerk, but thankfully, he’s not in that relationship anymore, so if you wanted an update, here it is.” Plutonea: “Khamet! I appreciate this but you have entirely lost me. He did not run off romantically with an archfey, okay?”
Khamet (indicating Meallan): “Well I mean, that guy over there is bonded to someone, and he describes it as a romantic relationship.” Plutonea is clearly slowly going mad… like, “mad” as in “angry,” not “mad” as in “insane.” “Well I don’t know that guy and that guy is not a centaur.” “--That’s true--” “I don’t know that guy as well as I knew him, so…” Khamet presses on unamiably: “Well, he did say that Arcaito was really hot, I don’t know if that’s true, but…” This time, Tally comes in with the save: “That can’t have been a factor; just look at this lady!”
Plutonea: “Thank you, Tally!” Basil, along with Amani and Meallan, is hiding in space. Yeet is away, drawing and stuff near the fire. Plutonea: “I do have things to get back to, thank you sincerely for the letter.” Tally: “One last thing: the lords of Ur gave me a reward in gold for taking part in the capture of Crezonis and the bandits, and I was wondering if gold is the kind of thing you could need or use? I thought it might be more rightful to have it in your hands?” Plutonea: “Thank you, Tally, but I think you’ve earned it much more than I have.” Tally: “Ah. Okay.” Plutonea: “But thanks.”
Meallan steps forward and asks, “Is there anything I can do to help, either you or him or…?” Plutonea just makes him babysit a kid near an older centaur. Plutonea: “You can watch him. Let my mother do something else.”
Shenanigans and Short RestsMeallan awkwardly goes and watches this child. He sends Aytal to play with the child, who is too busy eating dirt… and Meallan picks him up awkwardly, telling him to… not eat mud. After seeing this travesty, Amani helps out! They will have a very productive hour!
Khamet approaches Basil! To say something Very Important! Khamet: “Hi Basil!” Basil: “Hey” Khamet: “How are you doing?” Basil: “Ugh, I’ve had less bat-crap insane days” Khamet: “Yeah, yeah. Well, judging by Aytal’s composition, I assume we’ve had lots of crappy days.” Basil: “Not quite with you.” Khamet laughs. “Well, I just wanted to tell you that I’m sorry for calling you a rat. First of all, that is untrue; you are not a rat, you are a halfling. Um, and you are used to being treated like complete garbage, and I respect that. So I am sorry I yelled at you. I should have been more considerate of the fact that you are used to being pushed around by other people and not have gotten angry on behalf of you.”
Basil doesn’t even know what’s going on anymore. Perhaps he’s stunned by the sheer passive-aggressive artistry of this apology. “Basil?” “Yes?”
Khamet: “You’re all right.” Then he just leaves. Yep. That’s the entire interaction. What a deep, soul-searching conversation. The Baby-sitters ClubThe party spend some time resting in the centaur camp. Amani has conjured some little sparkles to entertain the centaur kid, Mikerios. He tracks the shinies with his eyes, and Amani uses ‘prestidigitation’ to produce more lights! So pretty! Mikerios flails at the lights and laughs, as suitably distracted as Yeet and Lizard were earlier. Yeet is presumably still preoccupied with her drawing at this stage!
Meallan uses mage-hand to keep the young flaily child from flailing over into the mud. He and Amani are approached by one of the centaurs they earlier left their prisoners with.
Centaur: “Just so you know, we’re going to check with uh the elves- to see if they’re gonna claim any of these guys, uh otherwise we’ll deal with them as we see fit. But thank-you for bringing them to us. It is...most appreciated.” Amani: “Alright.” Meallan: “You’re welcome.”
Speedy and Mankarah’s Excellent Adventure Khamet spends some time jotting things in his notebook. Yeet asks him what he’s been writing in there. Khamet: “Oh, yeah. It’s just uh, it’s just my journal. I write things in it sometimes- observations, stuff like that.” Yeet seems intrigued. “Oh, that’s very nice! Keeping a journal...that’s a good idea! Um. It must have a lot of interesting things in it? About your travels.” Khamet: “Oh, yes! I love travelling. I definitely detail a lot about my travels in here because I really like to savour the memories, you know?” Yeet enthusiastically agrees!
Khamet: “By the way, do you want to be a ‘beta listener’ to something?” Yeet: “What’s a ‘beta listener’?” Khamet: “Ah, well, see, I’ve been working on something. And all these people? They’re not cool enough to listen to it- but I think you might be cool enough.” Yeet: “You really think so?” Khamet: “Yeah!” Yeet: “I’d...I’d love to be a ‘beta-listener’, what do I have to do?”
Khamet is clearly excited for this. “Oh, you just sit down and listen!” Yeet sits down cross-legged, waiting for Khamet to begin the story. Khamet: “Once upon a time, there was a little green girl named Speedy, and she met a very magical fey named Sandy. Sandy was stuck with the worst guy ever- Weylin- who never showered, ever, in his life. Right?” Yeet: “Why would Sandy want to stay with Weylin? I thought the fey was nice and sensible?” Khamet: “Oh well, yeah, fey are sensible. But you see, Weylin really needs help. He can’t really function without Sandy, um, he would be a hobo. He would like, be homeless.”
Yeet: “Oh, this is a nice fey.” Khamet: “Yeah you know, Sandy’s very nice.” Yeet: “Oh okay that makes sense.” Khamet tells Yeet of the time Yeet Speedy found like a little brass rod in the sand, and she went to rescue a dragon, and did lots of cool things. She even got help from Mankarah, who gave her a special necklace that helped her talk to dragons! And Yeet found the dragon’s lair...and found out that the princess that was trapped had married the dragon! The princess and the dragon were having a very nice domestic life. Speedy returned the brass rod...which had been an engagement gift to the princess! After that, everything ended happily ever after for Speedy.
Yeet loves this. “And you wrote all that down?” Khamet: “Yes!” Yeet: “Are you writing to...to be a famous author?” Khamet: “I uh, certainly enjoy writing a fair bit. I hope that people like these.” Yeet can’t see how they wouldn’t, because that story was amazing! She admits that she’s never heard a story with goblins in it before…or dragons! She seems a little overwhelmed. Khamet, on the other hand, has just had a realisation.
Khamet: “Yeah...a goblin, that’s what Speedy is! Mm-hmm.” He quickly jots this down, having not previously known that Yeet is a goblin. Elsewhere, Meallan and Amani are being scolded for holding the child wrong. Recognising that he looks a little like Crezonis, Meallan slips three gold to Mikerios’ grandmother when she returns and then he walks away very quickly, before the party resume their journey towards Shaan. Better Than That As the party make their way back to the road, they pass the bandits grouped together, watched over by some of the centaurs. Ovinrei beckons and Khamet goes to see what’s up.
Ovinrei: “I know you understand this, but be careful with Meallan. You deserve better than that.” Khamet: “Oh, well, thank-you.” The arrow has been removed from his leg and it’s been bandaged over the past hour of the party being here. Khamet tells Ovinrei to take care of himself, have a nice life, and to make sure he sleeps well! Khamet: “I believe in you.”
He tries to fistbump Ovinrei, but the latter is confused by the gesture and kind of just...closes his hand over Khamet’s own.
Khamet: “I know you’re better than the bandit life if you, you know. If you really try to be good.” Ovinrei smiles sadly and nods in response. Khamet returns to the party and they continue onward to retrieve their weapons from Myderion and her uncle. Tally squees one last time at Myderion and her choice in attire. She has such nice clothes and they suit her so well! Myderion is extremely flattered to hear this. “Thank-you! Some people think it doesn’t suit meeee, but I think it does!”
The party continue onward towards Shaan. As night approaches, they find a place to make camp for the night without too much trouble.
Clarifications and Explanations That night, Meallan doesn’t sleep in the hut. He stays outside on his own when the party settle in for the night. Khamet is a little way off, writing in his journal and attempting rather unsuccessfully to seem dark and brooding. He doesn’t really know how to, he’s being a total n00b about it. He still looks gorgeous though, so Tally pauses to bask in his radiance for a moment before sidling closer.
Tally: “Hey. Can I come over?” Khamet: “Oh. Yeah. Sure.” Tally: “Okay.” She tiptoes over to him.
Tally: “Ah. So hi, I’m sure you heard me saying things that sound quite like…defending Meallan? And I just want you to know that; yeah, I’m aware that he’s done some things in the past that are very, very bad. And that, you know, he’s quite ready to do some things in the present that are also very bad. I am aware of that, and I’m not totally ignoring it. Uh, I just really want to encourage him to be better if possible, but I’m...y’know, I look really stupid and I am a bit stupid. Just so you know I’m not totally being stupid about that.”
Khamet: “Oh. Uh, I think you can miss things sometimes, but I wouldn’t say you’re stupid, and um...it’s nice to have that reassurance that I’m not the only one who thinks that there’s something wrong, or the only one that had a problem with him. Thank-you Tally for telling me this, um, I just don’t want others to be hurt. You know? I can’t let people be hurt if I can do something about it.”
Tally: “Yeah I noticed. You seem so, uh...intense, about stopping damage. Is it a part of your oath?” Khamet looks at her a bit strangely, but he says no.
Tally: “I have been quite curious about your...oath. But it’s okay if you prefer to keep it private.” Khamet: “It’s not private, it’s just...not part of my oath. Not...most other people in my order are not like me, and uh, it’s just a bit weird, that’s all. But if you want to know it, I can tell it to you?” Tally: “I’d be glad to know it.”
Khamet starts to explain. The tenets of his oath are: (1) Douse the flame of hope, (2) Rule with an iron fist, and (3) Strength above all. He goes on to elaborate.
Khamet: “Yeah, you know, technically I am following my oath because: ‘dousing the flame of hope.’ Now, it’s not very specific. It’s not merely enough to defeat an enemy in battle, okay? Your victory must be so overwhelming that your enemies do not want to do evil, ever again. You know, you need to douse the flame of hope of doing evil.” Tally: “Yes!”
Khamet: “Now, ‘rule with an iron fist’. Once you have, like, told someone to be nice, you should not tolerate them not being nice, right? People who are nice, you will be nice to them, and people who are mean, you will not be so nice to them. And iron is very malleable so, you know, iron is obviously one of the most useful materials ever. So I think that I’m perfectly...I’m ruling with an iron fist. And now, ‘strength above all’. Now, um, obviously, kind hearts shall rule the day! And if you are not wise enough you must be wiser, and meet the challenge. Yeah. That’s my oath.” Tally: “Very interesting. I do agree with the part about being nice to people who are nice to you, and not being nice to people who are not nice to you, but I have my little loophole on it. Which is that I like to be nice to myself, and being nice to myself means allowing me to be nice to others for my own sake...or, y’know, out of pure spite.” Khamet: “That is an interpretation. Yes.”
Tally: “I like the part about iron, it’s inspiring.” Khamet: “Yes. I find that iron is the most malleable material of all. It’s very flexible, so. I feel like one should be flexible.”
Tally: “Khamet, I didn’t have the courage to ask you earlier, but...Anhur gives you the power to see the influence of spiritual beings over people, right?” Khamet: “Uh, well, some of them, yes.” Tally: “Is there a way you could check whether anything is influencing me?”
Khamet hesitates. “I’ll try.” He looks at Tally and opens up his senses. Tally shuts her eyes tight, but Khamet sees nothing. He can see no supernatural entity influencing Tally. Khamet: “Well, I don’t see anything necessarily, um, you just look like you’re you!” Tally: “Thank-you, Khamet.”
She springs to her feet and relieves the tension by skipping. Khamet: “Oh. Um, okay. Bye Tally, have a good night!” Tally: “Ahh. You too, thanks!” Doubt Meallan sits staring into space, patting Aytal. He’s not sure what to do next when he hears Malka’s voice in his mind. Lady Malka: “You doubt me, darling?” Meallan: “No.” Malka: “I didn’t think you would be so ungrateful?” Malka had previously assured Meallan that she cannot contact him unless he reaches for her first, but he doesn’t recall contacting her this time.
Meallan: “No. No, I don’t doubt you, it’s...my lady, you mean the world to me.” As Khamet glances over, with ‘detect evil and good’ active he sees the ribbons of golden light once more stretching out behind Meallan. This time they are pulsing, towards Meallan. For a moment, the energy Meallan always feels- his arcane potential conferred by Malka- flares. He has almost as much power as he did when that anger overcame him. His nerves tingle and then she takes that power away again.
Malka: “If you don’t want it, I can easily take all this away. They kept you down. They rejected you. They deserved this- you wanted this.” Meallan (softly): “I did. I did. Not all of them deserved it. But I still-” Malka: “You delude yourself.” Meallan: “I still want it. I don’t know what I’d do without it, you...no. Don’t leave me.” Malka: “I’m glad to hear it, darling.” Meallan: “Please don’t leave me.” Malka: “I won’t.”
Meallan: “Thank-you. I’m just...I’m scared. Now they know about...about it, and I don’t know what they’re going to do next. Especially Khamet.” Malka: “Why should it concern you? You’ve never needed anyone before- never anyone but me.” Meallan: “I want them to stay.”
Malka does not reply. Meallan has the lingering feeling he said something wrong. Khamet approaches, having earlier seen the strange glowing pulsing threads. Meallan flinches away from him.
Khamet: “Meallan, what were you doing?” Meallan: “I heard her voice...I heard her.” Khamet: “What did she say?” Meallan: “Just...she tried to reassure me.” Khamet: “Reassure you of what? Exactly...like, what exactly did she say?” Meallan: “That what I...that what happened today was going to be alright, and she asked me if I still wanted my power, and for now I said yes. But this was the first time that I was scared of her. Maybe not the first time, but the first one I remember.”
Khamet: “The first that you remembered? Do you not remember her other times?” Meallan: “No I remember, it’s just...this is the first time I felt...I actively felt scared of her. Sometimes there’s been discomfort, like I said something that displeased her. But this is the first time that I was scared. She asked me if I doubted her.” Khamet: “Ah.” Meallan: “I lied. I said no.” Khamet: “Well…” Meallan: “I don’t know why I’m telling you this, Khamet. I don’t know.”
For a second Khamet seems a bit offput. Khamet: “I have a question. Um. Did you feel anything?” Meallan: “Yes.” Khamet: “What exactly did you feel?” Meallan: “Power.” Khamet: “Okay.”
Meallan: “Just I suddenly felt...strong, much stronger, and...it was like that night for a second, and it was horrifying, and terrifying, I thought...I thought maybe those emotions would come back again. I didn’t want that.” Khamet: “You know that Malka’s not helping you, right? If you want to be a better person, Malka’s probably not helping that. But just so you know: the ribbons of desecration? Something happened while she was talking to you and they were pumping something into you. Whatever energy you’re using? It’s not good and, from how you describe Malka, she’s not good either. Just so you know, I will never trust you, so long as you are indebted to Malka. Sorry.” Meallan: “Is there anything I can do to at least have you hate me less? Aside from ‘get rid of her’?”
Khamet: “Just don’t do the mean and cruel stuff that you do. Don’t be cruel.” Meallan: “I am trying not to, I don’t-” Khamet: “Well, it takes more than a day.” Meallan: “Just give me-” Khamet: “It takes effort.” Meallan: “It’s hard.” Khamet: “Yes. So, we’ll see.” Meallan: “I don’t want to abandon her. Not yet. But I am keeping what you and Amani- and Tally- are saying, in my mind.” Sparkles and Celebrity The long rest concludes, and Amani does not come back from what we can safely assume is their second “bathroom break” until morning. The next two days are quite uneventful, and that’s good thing too, because they were probably filled with more screeching from the party.
Then, when they finally get out of the plains and see some trees again, they realize that they have stepped into the rather large territory of Cai. At one point, they spot two humans and four wood elves in similar garb to the guards of Ur, except with Cai’s colors.
Anyways, nobody gets attacked by fey, but Amani has been busy… disguising themselves! Tally helps out because Tally is a performer and likes makeup a bunch! After much fiddling with performance and makeup, Amani changes how they look completely, while still keeping their weird star makeup.
They do such a good job with their makeup and mannerisms that an unspecified party member that wasn’t paying attention is startled when they realize somebody has infiltrated their ranks… then they relax when they see that it’s just Amani.
Amani: “Thanks Tally, this looks really great!” Tally: “Yes, you look fantastic!” Amani: “Thank you! I’m glad!” And now, they are ready! Huzzah!
Cai Shaan the city is not itself in a forest, because forests are generally poor places for urban growth. They thought ahead. Anyway, Tally just makes super duper sure that Anthony doesn’t immediately have to go to Deyn, and that going to Shaan is okay.
Anthony: “Well, I’d like to get back to Deyn as soon as possible. There’s things there I need to take care of that are very important.” Tally: “Yes she is!” Anthony: “Yes, absolutely! And I’ve got something very big to do there, so let’s get this done.” Tally: “Okay, but there’s no need to run away from Shaan and go back to Deyn right now?” Anthony: “No, no, not just now.” Tally: “Okay.”
Meallan helpfully offers help. “Would you like me to… send her a message?” Anthony: “Yeah, sure, yeah, and I guess I’ll ask her to get back to me; I’ll--I’ll give you a letter.” Meallan: “Okay, I’ll try to find a hawk or something similar to deliver it.” Anthony didn’t have anything prepared, but that’s okay! Meallan can find city hawks! Maybe he can find a falconer… once they get to those pesky gates…
… which are guarded! And require some sort of pass! Meallan puts on his high elf disguise, and he doesn’t look at all like Volan anymore, right after Celes drew the Volan-flavored Meallan disguise, too. How unfortunate. The guards are wearing black-and-green clothes with the emblem of Cai on them--which is a seven-pointed star on a diamond background. There’s also a very colorful halfling in very bright yellows, purples, and blues, who Yeet knows! Yeet smiles and decides to say hi to this weird non-Basil, non-Juniper halfling. She waves to him. “Hey!” she exclaims, “I made it! I made it!”
Thistle runs to hug her. She hugs him back with the biggest of smol hugs because she’s been worried. He pulls away. “Gosh, you’re so cold, Yeet!” “I--I--it’s fine, I’m fine, just--uh--I’m glad everyone’s okay! It’s so dangerous on the road,” says Yeet. “I saw, like, tree people attacking, l--lizards, and--and--there’s an undead thing, and--is everyone okay?” “Everyone’s fine. We’re fine, Yeet. Let’s get you inside.” “I want to say goodbye to my friends first.” Thistle nods, backs off.
Yeet turns to everyone and stumbles over her words “I--um--I--suppose this is goodbye? I suppose--thank you very much for all your help. I don’t know if it was just me, and it was all scary stuff, but--” Basil: “Don’t think about it too much. It’s all good.” Yeet: “Okay. I, um, I think, um, Amani, I think your sparkles are very pretty!” Amani is flattered! “Thank you, they are! And it was nice traveling with you.” Yeet: “And I have some, um…”
Yeet gives Khamet some fanart of Speedy, Mankarah, and their friend dragon. She really was drawing the whole time. (cue OOC awws; Yeet’s RPer literally drew this during the session.) “I really like your stories,” she says, “and I hope I can hear more stories; they were the best stories ever!” Khamet… is also very flattered! “Oh thank you, I love your art! I really like how happy the dragon is, and I love how you drew Speedy. Speedy is, like, exactly how I imagined her--” “--She is?--” “--And I’m so glad you love the stories, I think you’re a great artist and should keep drawing!” “Think so?” Yeet asks. Khamet: “Yeah!” Yeet: “I will! I will! And if I hear more stories, I’ll draw them for you, too!” Khamet: “Thank you! I would love more art; you are great, Yeet.”
And for the party, Yeet takes out… one more picture that’s she’d been drawing for the group! It’s a group portrait in her amazing childly artstyle! It’s extremely adorable; this is unanimous. “Thank you… for everything.” Amani: “Thank you.” Meallan: “That’s really nice.” Meallan kneels down and says, “I’m sorry about everything. But you made friends with Aytal, and he likes you a lot.”
Aytal climbs up on Yeet and wraps around her like a scarf. Yeet hugs Aytal because he’s the best. “I know--I think--I think you’ve been saying that you’ve been made to do bad things, like my friend, and you’d rather not do bad things,” she says, “and you have friends now, and I think you can be better, I think you can…” Meallan: “I hope so. I’ll find out about what we talked about with the goblins, and if I find anything, I’ll send you a message.”
“I--if you find the halflings, please get the message to me…” “Okay, I’ll find the halflings…” Yeet: “Thank you, thank you! Okay…” The halfling troupe, by Yeet’s description, is very, very colorful, they sell pipeweed and beers and things. There are eight members of the troupe, all with interesting names. One of the members has a name that is not safe for the NTWF but is nonetheless related to the group drama. It involves dung and poultry. Another one is an accidental reference to Azzie!
Amani leans down to Yeet and whisper: “Can I just ask one favor?” Yeet: “Of course.” Amani: “While you’re in Cai Shaan, could you not mention that I’m here?” Yeet: “I won’t say a word. Not a thing. Not a problem.” Amani: “Thank you.” Yeet: “Okay.” Amani: “And thank you for traveling with us. It was good.”
Yeet gives Amani a hug! Amani awkwardly hugs back because they have no idea what hugs are, presumably their inner peace took care of that awkward gesture. Thistle beckons Yeet to join him in the city, which she does, and the guards let them pass. Then the guards look at this bizarre group expectantly. “Passes?”
Amani strides forward and shows them a Cai city pass. It’s valid, and would let Amani in, not so much the rest of the party… but Amani pulls a Toph Beifong and is like, “They’re with me.” (Tally also shows them her Ur pass, to let them know she’s trusted elsewhere.) Guard: “Hmm.” Amani: “They’re here to help with the sea monster here. My name’s Inima.” The guards seem uncertain of “Inima’s” claim, but they did say that they’re here to help with the sea monster, which is killing a bunch of people. “Right. Go right ahead.”
Khamet… helps! “Yes, our friend, Inima! They’re, um, they are a really, really--they’re nice, and uhhhhhhh they believe in people! Too much!” Meallan gently pushes Khamet along and whispers, “You’re not helping.” Khamet: “Oh, well, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, you’re right, I’m sorry for saying that Inima was better than you. My bad. I know you’re upset because of that.”
Meallan: “That’s not what I meant. Just... you’re acting suspiciously.” A few guards are suspicious, but one of them is “appreciating” Khamet’s handsomeness. That fine specimen of a human. Khamet waves at the guard that’s checking him out and says, “hi! Can I help you with anything?” The guard looks away very quickly, and the other three roll their eyes and say, “Just go.”
“Inima”: “Khamet, come on.” Khamet: “Okay.” Tally does the smart person thing and asks the guards about the sea monster. “Lowest INT character” yeah right, she’s probably the smartest, to be honest.
Tally: “So… the sea monster!” Guard: “Yes, it’s attacked us twice now; what do you know about it?” Tally: “What do you know about it?” Guard: “I know that it’s huge, and terrifying, and--that one over there saw it”--he indicates another guard--“actually saw it up close, I just heard stories!”
His nondescript (literally nondescript: he isn’t given description) friend adds to the conversation: “I just ran away very fast.” He was misnamed as a child, you see; his True Name is “Yeet.” He continues: “It’s got lots of tentacles, and a beak, and I don’t know if it ate people, but it killed a lot of people. Basically, stay away from the shore and you’ll be fine, unless you’re fighting it, which you said you would, so… yeah. Go do that thing. Fight it, and then we don’t have to deal with it anymore, and that’s good.”
“Do you know if it’s active during the day or at night?” asks Tally. “It’s only attacked us twice, and that happened during the day, both times.” Tally: “Okay!” “Inima”: “Don’t worry, we’ll handle it.” Guard: “You might want to talk to Usavias about it, I think they wanted someone to-- because obviously, when you’re the master of trade, and you can’t get any trade through the monster attacking things, it’s a bit of a problem!” “Inima”: “Yeah, for sure.” Meallan: “Yes. Where can I find this person?”
The guards give them some directions to a place near the lord of Cai’s residence. And now, there’s an infinite world of possibilities, and whatever we choose…it’s probably going to not be the sensible option.
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Post by Celestial on Sept 27, 2019 19:15:24 GMT -5
I finished Meallan's journal entries for session 16 and 17. The latter is especially a doozy, given what happened that session with all the reveals. Go get them here!
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