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Summaries of the following sessions of Ander's Hope, Arc IV, to archive key locations, NPCs, and rp.
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Session 100, Untitled
- This session takes place 14 (night) Mirtul, 15 Mirtul, 1494
- The group talks down the re-risen armor of Gremmin Teldarahk and a tense truce is reached. Lighting pummels City of the Dead in a way no one has seen before. Gremmin wants to get back to his post as guardian of the chapel. At dawn, there is a massive shudder through the city, shaking even the tavern and this awakes the group. It then sounds like something large crashes outside of The Yawning Portal. Maran Blackwood is with Renaer Neverember and Meloon and is intensely agitated about something, and the group realizes he wants to go to the City of the Dead. There is the sound of a second explosion and it reminds Renaer and Durnan of the sound of the attack that "killed" Ander Blackwood. As the group makes their way to the graveyard, they see that monsters litter the street, dead, blasted, eviscerated. It also appears that undead are fleeing from the direction of the graveyard, paying no attention to anyone else in the streets. As if they are afraid of, and running from something. Gremmin says that there is no rest for them in the city, which is strange. In the City of the Dead, there is a massive crevasse, 300' wide at its widest, a quarter of a mile long, a few hundred feet deep, and focused on the chapel of Waukeen. The chapel is gone entirely. Z is unable to see into it with the Robe of Eyes. Maran heads down into the crevasse and the group follows. Ely polymorphs into a giant eagle to help ferry people down. The bottom of the crevasse is a smooth, solid, opaque barrier. Spending some time focusing, Dhann realizes the barrier is his Forbiddance spell, mutated to an immense size, and and informs the group. It extends for an unknown distance in all directions away from the group, where it was originally cast. Barrett uses Detect Magic and while it is indeed Dhann's spell, it's almost an evolution - it is a floor of a magic that no one has seen or is truly familiar with, almost seeming ancient. It seems that for the time being, the City of the Dead is broken, unable to have dead buried in it or any portals there, accessed. The sky above the group is also clearing, as if the storm is dissipating. The sun is becoming more visible.
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Session 101, Untitled
- This session takes place 15 Mirtul, 1494
- The group decides to find Khelben Arunsun's tomb to work on the Blackstaff ascension while they wait to see what happens when the Forbiddance is supposed to fade. They repair some statues, gather some scattered owl-winged medallions, and continue to work on the jumbled words that are supposed to be a clue as to what needs to be done for the ceremony to be initiated. Everyone's weapons seem restored and magic no longer feels inhibited. Undead continue to flee the graveyard. Ely keeps an eye on Maran. Unsure if Forbiddance should be cast again, Dhann uses Commune to try and get answers from Helm.
- "Is the Forbiddance spell in the City of the Dead now permanent?" "No." (definitive)
- "Will the spell fade at the time I expect it to?" "Yes." (however, there is a large amount of uncertainty with this answer, conveyed by Helm)
- "Is casting Forbiddance again, today, a good idea?" (There is no clear answer. It's as if the question is so far beyond the realm of Helm's knowledge, he opts to not answer.)
- Dhann casts again, trying for more information:
- "Are you involved in the expansion of the spell?" "No."
- "Do you know who is?" "Yes." (Helm's answer is definitive, but also sounds like he doesn't know why who is involved, decided to be involved)
- "Was it Cyric?" "No."
- Z casts Tiny Hut and the group settles down to wait for moonlight, and Forbiddance to fade.
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Dhann sits in deep reflection for a few moments after finishing recounting to the others the answers he'd received. When he had first sat to ritually cast a communication with Helm, there was a small part of him that prepared, pragmatically, to feel that wicked jolt through his chest again, the spell falling flat. Other spells in the past couple of hours had been successful, yes, but - well, Dhann felt himself mentally prepare for that sensation again, all the same. And thank Lord Helm, who answered.
The ritual cast having established a connection, the others could see lines of tension dissipate from the Cleric's shoulders they hadn't really noticed until the harsh angles were gone. Dhann knows Helm is with him, has been by his side since awakening in that buried crate, but to feel the support of one's god and to "hear" them in direct response to one's query are two entirely different things. Relief was obvious on Dhann's face, in his posture, even though he held a respectful, austere kneel during the ritual. An unrelated kind of stiffness, though, soon took relief's place as the information Dhann was receiving, or definitively not receiving, pulled his face into a sharply focused stare. Three muttered questions later, Dhann had relit the strip of incense and a uncorked new vial of holy water atop his overturned shield, manually casting the spell a second time before anyone had a chance to say anything.
His friends had heard the questions he'd asked, and then, once they'd settled into the Hut and Sanctum, Dhann had relayed what back and forth had transpired. None of it very reassuring, even if some of the answers were seemingly confident. Most of them weren't. Dhann has never heard Helm so unsure of any answer, ever. Do I block the portal again? Do I risk a second wave of that sort of destruction, if the same...being? Person? Is able to manipulate my spell that way, a second time? If I...how could a spell be so warped like that?
What is going on?
Frustrating how direct, and yet open ended, that question is.
Dhann flips open the top of his components pouch, pushing the neatly organized contents around, knowing he won't find what he needs, but checks anyway out of pure muscle habit. I can ask three more questions, there's time for that. There's a greater risk I won't get any answers, but better to chance receiving some information rather than none. Now I just need...
"Holy water," He says looking up to Barrett. "Would you have a vial, by any chance? The incantations to consecrate more would take me an hour we don't have. I don't think any of my queries will be answered, but I want to attempt a third questioning. Maybe...maybe I'll be given something to help guide me." Dhann bites his lip in contemplation before glancing at each of his companions. "It is Lord Helm, I assure you," He affirms. "There's no doubt. He just doesn't seem to..." A pause, a moment of indecision, of selecting words. "The knowledge I seek doesn't seem to be available, at present."
Barrett quickly fishes through his backpack and retrieves a palm-sized flask, which is visibly full. The leather is in good shape and it's clear he hasn't used it that often. "There's probably half a dozen vials worth in here, so Commune all you want." He gently tosses it to the cleric.
"You know, it is possible that Lord Helm simply doesn't have every answer." He raises a hand to ward off an immediate response. "I truly mean no disrespect to you or to Lord Helm. It's just that we know that while the gods are powerful, especially in their specific domains, they aren't omniscient." Barrett's calm, even voice betrays no hidden meanings or condescension as he continues. "Even Valkur, gracious and powerful as he is, has his own agenda. I follow him because of the kindness he's shown me, and as a part of following I've adopted his worldviews. But I don't believe that he knows everything that is going to happen, nor could he foresee every outcome to every choice or decision."
"So in a very real way, I admire Lord Helm's honesty in admitting he doesn't know the answer to some of your questions."
Dhann's eyes gleam as he catches the flask with both hands - so much! He opens his mouth to express his gratitude but is brought up short by Barrett continuing to speak. Wouldn't do to interrupt...or disregard the Monk's words, seeing as some of them align, uncomfortably, with Dhann's less starstruck acceptances. He runs a gauntleted thumb across the front of the well-tended leather of the flask, studying the grain and stitching. "I know," Dhann responds quietly. "But sometimes I don't want to believe it."
After a pause, he meets Barrett's gaze. "Lord Helm's always been sure, before, when he's told me he doesn't know the answer to something. Stated his lack of information, with confidence. This is the first...I've never heard what sounded like true uncertainty, like this." Dhann frowns with a hardening of his jaw, then standing, slings his shield over his back. "I'll have to cast this outside the Hut." He moves towards the entry fabric, and when he passes where Barrett is seated, Dhann pauses, for a fraction of a second, before reaching to lay his hand the Monk's shoulder. "Thanks." The Cleric gives Barrett a serious look along with his soft words. "And not just for the flask."
Dhann ends the contact with a small squeeze before slipping outside. Visible through the lavender tint of the Hut's walls, he moves to the left of the entryway. Igniting a strip of incense, adjusting the holy water, Dhann kneels to place his right hand upon his shield to begin the ritual cast.
During the squeeze, Barrett uses the physical contact to whisper a prayer to Valkur, asking him to Guide Dhann's efforts. Then, seeing Dhann settle into the familiar but vulnerable stance, he silently slips out of the hut and takes up a sentry position a discrete distance behind him. No sense in letting their cleric be munched by a fleeing but hungry ghoul.
A restive span later, Dhann breaks his stillness to reach out and snuff the incense. Once that's stowed back with the rest of his components, he stoppers the flask of holy water and gets to his feet, left arm slipped through the bands of his shield to bring it back inside the Hut. He turns to rejoin his companions and, seeing Barrett, shakes his head. "I don't think I should cast for answers again today." From the glimmer of disquiet in the human's eyes, it's visible to the Monk that Dhann's questions were met with silence.
"I hope it wasn't too boring out here," Dhann then says with a tiny bounce on his toes, his tone less somber. Disappointment is pushed back with practiced ease, with a softening expression. "But thank you for being so in case something a little...less boring tried to kick up. And I appreciate the use of this." Checking that the leather is clean of any dirt or scented ash, Dhann holds the flask out to return. "That's some handsome leatherwork. Did you do it?"
“It wasn’t boring at all. I think I saw a wight crawl up out of that smashed tomb over there and flee to the east. I’ve never seen one of those before.” He follows Dhan through the barrier of the hut. Bouncing the small flask in his hand a bit, he says, “I picked this up in The Market when I was resupplying after I returned. It reminded me of one I had when I first arrived in Watedeep from the Roaming Isle.”
“There was half-elf of drow descent named Jalad who arrived at the Monastery about the same time I did. We were in the same classes and became close friends. He completed his training in about four years – the normal amount of time – and went to work in the Order’s small merchant fleet. Over the next six years, while I was still struggling through cleric classes, Jalad became the captain of one of our vessels, making runs to and from all points of the Sword Coast. It was fun hearing about his adventures when we he was back in port.”
“Anyway, he grew up with his father, a leather merchant, and was very skilled at it himself. He and I, during our down time, had put together a side hustle where he created leather flasks from dinosaur skins and I made holy water for them, which was about the only spell I could reliably cast for a long time.”
Barrett is quiet for a moment then suddenly, and uncharacteristically, he laughs aloud. “We had a booth, down in CliffHarbor at the farmer’s market, where we sold our holy water. Whenever we made a sale, Jalad would start counting down from twenty as the customer walked away. Inevitably, they would get out of sight right about at five seconds and as he reached zero we would hear the sound of water being poured out on the cobblestones.” He laughs again at the memory until a small tear squeezes it's way out of his scrunched eyes. The sound rings out in stark contrast to the damage and destruction outside the magical lavender walls. “No one wanted my stupid water…they just wanted Jalad’s exotic flasks.”
“Anyway,” he says, stowing the flask back in his pack and regaining his resting stoic face, “this one isn’t nearly as nice as his were, and it’s not even made from a t-rex hide, but it reminded me of him.”
Settling back down next to his belongings, Dhann finds himself grinning along with Barrett's remembrance. Even for the circumstances, tales of his companions' lives and their friends tend to make things a little brighter. Especially if it makes the teller smile. But Dhann finds his own smile dropping for a moment for a more incredulous expression, because - "They poured it out?" He shakes his head, dumbfounded. "I've never - Why didn't they..." The very thought of tossing away holy water is terrible. Dhann runs a hand through his hair, aghast at the waste, but the smirk comes back nonetheless. "Well...if we ever find ourselves on that side of the sky again, I'd buy a flask from you two. And I wouldn't dump it. The way it sounds, that must be one blessed cobblestone."
Barrett crosses his arms and closes his eyes for a moment, finishing his internal replay of that happy time. After a minute or so, he opens them again and catches Dhann's eye. "So, your father was a cleric of Waukeen," he says. "That fact, together with the one about your family definitely not raising horses, makes exactly two things that I know about you before the moment I met you. Is he why you became a cleric?"
A perplexed look flashes briefly across Dhann's face before...ah - he had said that, hadn't he.
"No..." Dhann slowly removes the gauntlets of ogre power and lays them on top of his shield. "He'd be...surprised, I think. I wasn't a faithful child - more of a holy terror when I felt like it." He carefully doffs the Glove of Radiance next, wanting to use the Eye to monitor for any surges in Shadow outside of the Hut. No longer blocked, the sigil glows faintly on the back of the Cleric's hand. Enough of that black magic to be sensed, but nothing to cause alarm at present. "My parents didn't want to press any sort of future, trusting that to the gods' hands. I spent the better part of my life dismissing the religious roots of my ancestry."
Dhann stares at the Eye, considering, before interlacing his hands and resting elbows on knees. "Pursuing the Clerical path isn't one I ever considered, but when I was...there, it...Somehow, I knew I wouldn't be leaving this path. A rightness I'd never felt before, even if horses would have made more sense." A small laugh punctuates this admission. Dhann glances up at Barrett with a quirked brow. "I did have a pony, though, when I was very small. Funny..." His face grows a little wistful, looking back. "I can't even remember its name."
As the clerics do their cleric things, Ely remains quiet sitting between the base of Khelben's statue and the pedestal. When Barrett rose to become a sentry for Dhann, Ely faltered for a moment, unsure of what to do with herself. She decided to finish cleaning up the statue of Kelbhen as best she could with the basic magic she had. One ear to the surroundings outside and one on Maran nearby, she spends some time removing the grime and moss that had accumulated over the years. Since it seemed to be important, at least to Maran, and the several Blackstaffs that occupied his body, she thought it a good use of her abilities while waiting for Dhann's communications with Helm to come to an end. By the time he and Barrett eventually return, the statue looks, not new, but passable, consider the trauma it had experienced.
The two clerics' conversation fades in and out of her notice. Something about flasks. But it slips further into the background, though their voices are closer, as Ely's eyes search the dirt and rubble for at least a singular sprouting blade of grass, lost in her own thoughts. Occasionally, she picks up on their topic of conversation, smirks at an stray comment or joke, but doesn't say a word about it.
Once she locates a lone sprig surviving at the edge of the hut, Elyana takes a moment to focus on it. She can feel it's potential for growth and exploring that potential, she attempts to pull on the magic to make it come forth and enhance it. She concentrates, working at it for a several long moments. And so it's as Dhann's reflection on the name of his old pony comes to a soft pause, that a gradually expanding carpet of young, soft grass emerges from the ground beneath the group and their belongings. It coats the floor of the hut like an indoor garden. Ely let's out a breath, sitting up straight to take in the results of her efforts.
Barrett, still sitting comfortably with arms crossed and an open expression on his face, tries not to change his demeanor as Dhann speaks. He never dreamed that the young cleric would actually answer his question. Rather, he expected one of Dhann’s signature pivots to some benign topic. His prior attempts to penetrate the Enigma Of Dhann have always been like skipping stones on a lake. You can make a perfect toss, but you know your best effort is only going to last for a half dozen hops at most before it disappears below the surface. But this time, for no apparent reason, the stone skipped all the way across the lake and landed on the far shore.
He’s truly stunned by what just happened.
He quickly reviews what he heard and what it might mean. Dhann had parents whom he knew for some portion of his life. Okay, so not an orphan at an early age. That was something he had always assumed about Dhann, but apparently it wasn’t true. Those parents were together, because he spoke about them as a pair. Okay, so not raised by a single parent after one tragically died. Another (apparently incorrect) theory he had about Dhann. It probably meant they were married, but it might not. He almost chuckles at the “better part of my life” comment. While he supposes it can be technically true, he is amused that someone so young can think they’ve seen enough life to have already had a “better part.”
And Dhann said “ancestry.” It’s an interesting word choice, and one which implies he comes from people who keep track of such things. That implies nobility or wealth…or the desire to be seen as noble or wealthy. But since Dhann doesn’t seem the type to claim a title that isn’t his, it’s probably real nobility or wealth. Besides, common kids don’t talk about having “ponies” when they were young. Even a rural kid who owns a horse wouldn’t call it a “pony”…that’s a phrase reserved for kids who either want them and can’t afford them, or have them and don’t use them for plowing fields and hauling hay.
But the word that most has him puzzled is “there” which Dhann emphasized. Does he mean a physical place – like Helm’s Hall – or a figurative place? If the former, how did he end up there? If the latter…well, again, how did he end up there? Barrett mentally reaches down and selects the next round, smooth, skipping stone question, preparing to try his luck with another toss. Just then, he notices the floor of the hut, composed of chewed up earth and small bits of debris from the storm, has sprouted tiny tendrils of…
“Tendrils!” he exclaims, leaping to his feet in a perfect kip-up. But even as his hand instinctively reaches towards the mouth of his quiver to draw a weapon, he realizes these tendrils are green. Instead of the deadly black shadow ones they saw germinating in the Feywild, these are almost like… “Is that…grass?”
"I... uh. Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I just thought it would look nice. Give the area around Khelben's statue a little more dignity if you will." She runs her fingers through the soft thin blades, appreciating the feel of them.
Barrett relaxes and returns to his seat. A part of him is embarrassed at his overreaction. But since it's the same part that keeps him alive in a world where shadow comes up out of the ground and makes death dragons, destroying entire planes of existence, he ignores the blossom of shame and sets it aside. "When I first arrived on the island, there was a halfling and a fawn in the Order who could do similar things with nature. So...in addition to warlock and ranger, you're part druid now?"
Dhann holds a hand over the seedlings, letting them brush his palm as they industriously sprouts upward. "Beautiful," He murmurs with a quiet smile, watching the green fill the calm space. "After transforming into a giant eagle, earlier, I can't help but ask the same as Barrett. Remarkable abilities, both." He turns his gaze up to Khelben's stone countenance, before looking across the cemetery to where the massive split in the earth lies, and his expression grows more serious as he thinks. There's perhaps twenty minutes before he needs to start casting again, if he does go that route.
It's Ely's turn to look confused. "What? Oh no." She turns away for a moment thinking... had it only been three days since... "When we returned, I decided to take Cereonis on as my new patron, which is not something I thought I would have wanted. Um... but either way, her magic is very different from what I'm use to." She shakes her hand into grass again. "This was not difficult to do. Pulling the magic feels the same as when I clean something or make a illusory object appear." She looks a bit confused again looking at Dhann. "I'm... not sure about the... giant eagle, you said?"
Barrett looks at Ely, then to Dhann and Z, then back to Ely.
Turning to face Ely fully, Dhann squints slightly. "In getting into the crevasse, you...transformed into a giant eagle, picked up both Z and myself, and flew us to the bottom." He points to his own brow. "The pearl was still visible, looking back. Did - did you not realize what you did, or how we got down there so quickly?"
She closes her eyes, brow furrowing deeply. She knows that she did something. They got down there somehow. But for some reason, she didn't question the circumstances. It just happened. A surge of magic and problem solved. Like with finding Aiden. A hand on her chin, Elyana looks at the group, trying to make sense of her memories, "Maran was flying away, with Barrett attached. I remember feeling panicked as they started going into the crevasse. And then we were up in the air, and then we were down on the ground. Safe. Together. I don't... recall how, but knowing how didn't feel necessary at the time."
Barrett looks at Ely, then to Dhann and Z, then back to Ely.
Ely looks back at Barrett, confusion falling into concern and then shock. "Wait, did I turn into a giant eagle?"
"I didn't witness the actual turning - I was clinging to Maran like a backpack at the time - but when we landed and I looked back to see where you guys where, you were a giant eagle. With the pearl, as Dhann described. You landed and transformed back. We were busy at the time, so I didn't think to question it...thought maybe it was a new spell you had accessed."
"I saw it," Dhann adds, leaning back on his hands and tilting his head. "It was pretty spectacular...reminded me a lot of Alectos, actually - the way she morphed into her dragon form. You picked us up like we weighed nothing." And then he leans forward for a better inspection from his seated position, ready to help if Ely needs something. "You feel alright? Headache, dizziness, anything of that sort?"
Amber eyes stare, unblinking. She... did what?! Ely's face breaks into a beaming smile. "You guys are..." She wants to say they were joking, teasing her, but...the smile drops instantly. "I feel mostly fine. Fine for what all has been going on anyways."
"I think it's happened before though." She inspects her hands, as if looking for residual feathers to confirm her suspicions. "When we first came back. One second I was running to the window at Helm's Hall, the next I was going to Aiden, and then I found him. I don't remember much besides feeling that I needed to get to him no matter what."
"So you didn't teleport from Helm's to Trollskull? I always assumed you had in some way." Barrett asks.
"I can't teleport that far, without the aid of a circle, at least not to my knowledge. But I don't know why I'd not remember teleporting at all if I did. But I didn't plan to leave. If anything I just wanted to get out of the sanctum, sense his presence. Get some fresh air."
Barrett looks at Ely, then to Dhann and Z, then back to Ely.
“So it’s happened…twice.” Dhann purses his lips in thought over the most recent scenario, Ely’s description of seeing Barrett and Maran dipping into the crevasse. And then Aiden, of course she’d want to get to him as soon as possible… “It seems to be triggered by high stress, at the very least. A moment of higher emotion when you think someone close to you might be in trouble?” He meets Ely’s eyes after the moment of a shared look with Barrett. “It might be the Fey connections each of you have. But it taps into some incredibly instinctive level for you, making you act on protective impulse?”
“That could explain why memory of it seems to be sparse…in the moment, instinct knows what to do and so logic isn’t needed. I don’t mean to make it sound so uncivilized, but it’s almost like a sort of animalistic instinct.” Dhann runs a hand across his chin, considering the scope of everyone’s repertoire. “That’s…it’s a clever ability, that’s for certain. It fits.”
"If that's true," Barrett adds, "if the part about it being a Fey connection is true, then we probably haven't seen all the ways your powers might manifest. And as far as that's concerned, you'll probably drag me into this as well." He pauses, half smiles, then continues. "Remember, we know that your pearl was instrumental in my return. And since we've been back from Miridia, we know I have some creepy connection to you, some ability to sense your presence and mood. And we know that when you tried to contact Aiden last night, my scar lit up and your connection got stronger; like I was acting as a...a spell focus or something."
He pauses again, thinking deeply. "Dhann? Z? Did either of you notice my scar when Ely transformed into an eagle? I know that I was facing away from you while holding on to Maran for the ride down. But when I dismounted and turned around at the floor, to signal for you to land, did you see if I was lit up?"
"If that happened, I missed it. It all happened rather quickly."
"Let's see if it comes back to you or Z."
Transforming into random animals without knowing it's happening doesn't sit right with Ely. Not only are there more people in her life to worry about but she now has to make sure she's not worrying about to them too much. She lets out an Infernal swear, "I just wanted to help fix the Feywild...I didn't mean to drag you into this."
"It's something new - it makes sense you might need some time to get used to how it works and what you can do with it. And as a group, we can help with that, if you need it, you know?" Dhann's tone is serious but reassuring. "I'd say a lot is going on that we don't know much about. But we can figure it out together. That's what friends are for, anyway."
Barrett nods.
"Right." At Dhann's words, she gives him a long, fixed gaze. And though she nods, there's a definite frown on Ely's dark face. She'd been just happy enough to make grass grow but learning this new information is unnerving. Her gaze shifts to Z. She wonders how the Tabaxi does it. How he just strides headlong into new magical territory without hesitation. Or is he just really good at not showing it. She'll have to ask him sometime. "Speaking of strange magic, what are we doing next? Did you get a response from Helm?"
"Silence is all the response I received, even though I know my prayer was heard." Dhann pinches the bridge of his nose for a beat before interlacing his fingers once again. "I don't feel that I should cast Forbiddance again. At least not yet..."
"I have no inkling as to who made my initial spell react like that. If it happens again, one of my concerns is the damage would be even more significant, and spread further through the cemetery. And if where we need to bring Maran includes a tomb or a portal - the tomb, or access to it, might be destroyed. Or said potential portal is blocked. That barrier, that split, manifested under my first cast. We don't know how deep it truly is." Dhann's brow furrows as his reasoning is laid out for the rest of his companions. "Lord Helm sent an affirmative the spell would fade when we expect it to, but he sounded hesitant on that. It may last longer. What I pray for now is that the clear weather holds, even if...even if the portal to the Shadowfell opens again. As soon as we know if the tiniest amount of moonlight works, or doesn't, we have the options of trying to block Shadowfell again, or getting indoors again for the night, as the city has been for over a year now."
"On the specific topic of casting Forbiddance...Lord Helm's hesitation brought me up short. I've never, in all the years I've been blessed with his presence, heard him so unsure. While that alone would bring me pause...and I hate to say it, I don't think I should cast it again tonight. Something is telling me not to."
The Cleric runs both his hands through his hair, regarding what both his god, and his gut are aligning with. "It pains me but I sense there will be unavoidable damage and danger, whether I cast or not. I weigh that there may be less of both, if I don't cast. And based on the mutation of the Forbiddance, I'm not even sure where I should cast it again. I'd need to see." He unconsciously twists the Blackwood ring around his finger, estimating where they stand on their timeline. "We have about ten minutes until the spell is supposed to fade."
"How...weird. Why does this keep happening? These weird interferences. And you said before that Helm knew who was doing it," she wonders out loud. Elyana flexes her hands, still staring at them, though trying to think on other more pressing matters. "So if the spell does end, you won't recast?"
Dhann looks out across the cemetery to where the original spell had been set, mouth set in a grim line. “No. I want to, but…casting it might delay Maran’s ascendancy as Blackstaff. The city needs him there.” It’s clear that Dhann is thinking intensely about the situation. The consideration of variables and the weighing of theoretical greaters and lessers is churning full force in his mind.
"While not casting it might cause an equal or greater delay...and destruction. Which I'm sure you've also considered." She winces at the convoluted circumstances they have found themselves in. "They don't mention this part in the hero stories you hear in taverns."
"Back home, legends of Elminster don't talk about the destruction he's caused to also save people in the Dalelands. I wonder if he ever questioned the power of his position before making a move." The thought of Ander handing her back the mythal seed flashes in her mind, as it sometimes does.
Barrett rises, gathering his pack and slinging it on to his back. "Okay then, if Dhann is not recasting Forbiddance, then that gives us about twenty minutes to clear the area. I believe to the east is the shortest way out of the cemetery, but I don't know if we'll find a quick exit at the city's wall. Probably best to head back the way we came, since we know the terrain." He checks the area around them for any loose items. "I think we agreed to leave those medallion-coins in the urn, and we can't take the axes with us, so I guess we just need to gather our personal things. Probably best to get Maran on Z's carpet. The three of us can hoof it."
"If we see Gremmin on the way out, we can try to convince him to follow us, but I don't think he will." Barrett steps forward, extending an arm to Dhann and Ely to help pull them from the ground where they sit. "At least any undead we meet will be going in the same direction and not interested in a fight...until the spell fades. If it fades."
Glancing at Maran, then back to Barrett, Ely isn't sure how easy the monk's plan would be to execute. "Maran seems pretty planted. And unless you plan to..." She punches her fist into the palm of her other hand several times, signaling that Barrett might have to resort to knocking out the future Blackstaff, "I'm sure he won't be easily convinced to move."
Barrett can't help but smile at the suggestion, shaking his head. "I'm sure the Blackstaff has many ways to shake off a punch or two from a simple monk. But luckily, we have you and Dhann and your winning personalities to convince him to move. Just, you know, please do it quickly?"
Dhann keeps his eyes in the direction of the split even as he nods a thanks at Barrett's standing assist, and dons the Glove of Radiance, followed by his gauntlets. He then takes in just how much clearer it is than he thought. Without further study he doesn't know just how much of the Shadow above the city has dispersed, but the clarity that the sunshine reveals tells him it's much more than he originally thought. "I want to see if the spell fades," He says. "I don't have to cast Forbiddance now - as long as I do it before a proper rest, that should begin the accumulation of the thirty days for permanence..." Dhann looks back up at the absolutely untainted patch of sky above them. "We know that the portal doesn't open during the day. I'm going to pray that stays the case, and we have a window of time."
He pauses. Maybe the uncertainty from Helm about casting was in regard to when he casts it. And if it's cast, and the spell doesn't fade in the next ten minutes, it would be a waste anyway. "I want to see if the spell fades," Dhann repeats. "I know where I cast it the first time. Where to cast it a second time might have moved. And as for moving - " A glance at Maran, "I really don't think he plans to any time soon."
Looking between the two clerics, Elyana runs through the options again in her brain. In the end, like Barrett said, they need a quick escape if the situation becomes tricky. Once Z leaves the hut, their protection is gone. But if tradition holds, the shadow creatures don't come out during the day. Unfortunately, tradition wasn't much to go on with the way magic was shifting and changing lately. Now as for zombies, ghosts and ghouls, she, Barrett, Z and Maran would have to fight them off if creatures should decide to attack like before. That's much less help than they had before.
Ely scratches her hair intensely. She's was actually inclined to agree with Barrett, until Dhann voiced these new opinions and now she struggles a little longer to come up with a proper reason to leave the hut. "If we stay in the hut, magic can't penetrate it right? And same with any creatures we don't designate. So if we stay within it, we should be safe enough. And Dhann can get his better view of the portal opening, or not, and where it appears." She looks at Z for confirmation and then the other two. "We have its protection for several more hours as well."
"Alright." Dhann looks around at the lavender walls and nods. "I think we should stay here. See if the spell fades. I'm...I'm going to lean on the notion that whoever....whatever mutated the spell, is good. The Shadow around us has lessened significantly. And Shadowfell was blocked... I think that first shockwave that we felt - I think it was a burst of something that killed the creatures in the streets. Perhaps it did damage on the other side, too. Not just stopping darkness from coming through, but destroying anything trying to get near the portal."
The Cleric crosses his arms and nods again. "I say we stay here, see what happens next. If the Forbiddance fades, we wait and see if the undead begin to return, or we have a span of relative calm, based on how large the area of effect has proven to be. We then try to gauge where to cast a second Forbiddance later tonight. Regardless of whether or not the portal is blocked a second time, the sky above the tomb is clear, so we know moonlight - as little as there may be - can still shine down where we need it to."
Z, the eyes sparkle a bit as he imagines a sunroof/moonroof addition to the flying carpet-apartment. He shakes off this image as ‘the plan’ for their current circumstance registers. Agitated, “this cupcake hut is no match for the kind of magic we’re talking about. All of Shadowfell is the chicken and we, wee egg. crushing may occur and so much yoke everywhere. We need more protection than this purply hut!”
That came out more whiny than he expected, and his embarrassment shows in a droopy face, tail and shoulders. “Not that I have a better idea…than waiting …here.” Z tries to fake a perk, but can’t sustain it. “I’ll have..well…after the moon…more light. Lots, colors, flashes, strobes, pulses, threads, lashes, tendrils…”. Kind of trails off into something incoherent from there. Yes, Z’s nervous about Shadowfell, not about facing deadly abominations or other icky creatures but more about being swallowed whole by it. The portal opens and so goes Z, rushing like water down the throat of the giant shadow chicken.
The group waits mostly in silence. The weather, while still strangely dark, remains peaceful. There is no breeze and a silence seems to fall. The air itself seems thick with anticipation as the minutes tick by.
In the darkness of the silence, the grass Ely created seems a small bright spot as they each glance at it in turn. Maran's eyes, still shifting through the spectrum of colors belonging to former Blackstaffs, glance about at each member of the team. They don't seem to be asking any specific questions or looking for anything specific. It is almost as if those eyes are memorizing the image of each of the trollmates. Almost as if seeing them for the first time.
A cry rings out and startles everyone at once. A quick glance shows it to be one of the myriad undead damaged and fleeing. This one dragging a massive stone slab of some kind behind her. Unable to flee fast enough to avoid further damage, she falls to the ground. Perhaps finally at peace. The weight of the implications of the expanded spell, either good or bad, is not lost on the group.
Silence falls again as the time approaches.
...
Maran's gaze returns to the staff in his hands. He picks at a small blemish in the wood. Senses heighten. Anticipation builds.
Moments remain. The gravity and intensity of the moment is lost on no one as the team recognizes the possibility that there was no "right" decision. Quick glances at each other precede the collective inhalation of a held breath that will last the remaining thirty seconds until the spell fades.
Seconds remain...then...a loud crack in the distance, like the sound of lightning hitting a tree but so much louder, draws everyone's attention. They all look, staring toward the chasm where the sound seems to have originated. A voice breaks their focus from echos of the crack. It is Maran. Quietly, with two words, the Trollmates are brought to one outcome they had not anticipated.
"He fell."
Barrett, Z, and Ely turn to Maran, recognizing a cohesive and meaningful sentence, only then to notice, Dhann's eyes are closed. He is slumped down on the ground, unmoving, and apparently, unconscious. Maran stares at Dhann's limp body with color-shifting eyes. The staff lights with a dim glow, a golden light of sorts flares from the staff. The light passes to Dhann, settles around the still body and then...suddenly dissipates. "Damn."
Elyana holds her hand gingerly, pain reverberating through it from where it rested on Dhann's shoulder. "I..." she swallows her surprise and continues, "I think either he's in pain and I felt it when I touched him or... my touching him caused the pain? I don't know but, it was very intense." She flexes her fingers absentmindedly, thinking deeply.
As Ely utters words about the intensity of the pain, the pearl in her forehead continues to brighten and pulse.
Barrett pulls away from Dhann’s form after attempting a Ki touch, which he’s done countless times. “That’s…that’s nothing like I’ve felt before. He’s alive, but…well, I don’t exactly know what.”
As Barrett moves, Ely begins to cast Dream on Dhann, hoping to communicate with him, without touching him again. She goes into a silent trance for several minutes.
Barrett looks from Ely and Dhann, to Z, to Maran. Whatever Ely is doing looks like it is going to take a moment or two. Cocking an ear, he can hear a crumbling sound coming from the chasm, but otherwise there doesn’t appear to be many changes around them. Even the sky seems to continue to clear. It's only 300 feet to the edge of the chasm. He could be there and back in under 20 seconds…However, before starting his recon dash, Barrett gently touches Maran's shoulder and asks, "Who fell?"
Looking up Barrett, his eyes are a deep brown. The look grave for a moment. "Your companion.... I must go." His eyes that seemed to connect with Barrett for a brief instant, shift to green, then a light golden color, and finally return to the phasing they had been doing. His moment of lucidity seems to have passed.
After a few minutes of utter stillness, Dhann lets out a small breath, as if settling more into proper sleep rather than what seems to have been absolute unconsciousness. Other than that, however, he shows no present sign of waking.
Barrett, hearing Dhann's proof of life, is greatly relieved. It helps him make up his mind about what to do next, because the continuing crumbling sound from the chasm concerns him.
"Z, I'm going to make a quick recon run to the chasm to see what that sound is all about. I'm worried that if this place is slowly falling into some portal or something, we may need to get out of here quickly. I don't know how we could warn the whole city about it, but we'll figure that out if we need to, I guess." He looks out towards the sound again, picking his initial path through the rubble, as well as an alternate one.
"Please be ready to toss Dhann on to the carpet and head out. And keep an eye on Maran. I should be in iBone range the whole time, now that they are working again. I'm not planning on getting close enough for anything bad to happen, but if you have to bug out without me, then we'll plan to meet back at the Hall." Hearing no arguments, Barrett slips out, parkouring and freerunning through the ruins in the direction of the chasm. He moves well for a 200 year old elf. Two minutes later, Barrett slips quietly back into the hut.
Several more minutes later, Elyana drops out of the trance with a gasp. Losing her balance slightly, she falls backwards only to catch herself by planting her hands into the soft grass around them. The pain from the pearl lingers though she hopes it will eventually fade now that the magical contact is broken.
She slowly rights herself and dusts off her palms before meeting Barrett and Z's eyes. "Dhann's seems okay. He's sleeping now. He had some kind of headache though." She pauses to gather her thoughts, "Dhann says he met Khelben and that we're on the right track and Maran is where he's supposed to be." She rubs her eyes to stem the irritation behind them, "But first we should wake him up." As she says this, she reaches a hand out and spectral, blue lizard-like claws fade into existence ahead of her own. She uses it to touch Dhann's shoulder and gently shake him from his sleep.
As Ely makes efforts to wake Dhann, she and the rest of her companions look on.
The cleric does not wake.
"Uh... he was sleeping. He should be able to just wake up." She leans in a little closer, tempted to shake him with her own hands but is entirely still apprehensive about the most. She beacons her mage hand to shake him more vigorously. "I... don't know what would keep him sleeping."
“I’ve already tried a Ki touch and that didn’t work,” Barrett says, removing his backpack and setting it in the fresh grass. “But I’ve got another idea…although it might be a little drastic.”
He rummages around for a few moments, digging deep into the worn leather pack. From the very bottom, he pulls a fist-sized, disk-shaped bundle. It is wrapped in a periwinkle silk handkerchief, sporting a paisley design, which at one point was probably valuable but is now snagged and slightly frayed. As he begins to unwrap the object within, he explains, “This, along with a number of other seemingly random items, was given to me by Elminster when I returned. I had no idea how it might be useful, but…well, maybe it will do the trick.” The handkerchief falls away, revealing a truckle of cheese, completely sealed in thick red wax. “Z, be ready with Mending, please.” He kneels next to Dhann. “I suggest holding your breath, everyone. And Ely, sorry if this kills your grass.” With one swift motion, he extends both arms, holding the cheese under Dhann’s nose and as far away from himself as possible, then breaks it in half.
The odor that hits them is like a wall of force. Even with breaths held, the stink is almost more than anyone’s constitution can handle. As he gives it a few waves under Dhann’s nose, the though occurs to him that in order to smell something, minute particles of that substance must be entering his nose. It makes his stomach turn. Swinging the halves in Z’s direction and pressing them together, he squeaks out “Mend!” between clenched lips. Z, with whiskers drawn back in disgust, extends a radiant paw and performs the cantrip. The truckle is sealed, but it’s still a few minutes before the noxious odor is replaced by Z’s hut’s refreshing lavender scent. He looks at Dhann.
Dhann doesn't stir. His friends have seen him react badly to lesser stenches, yet even with the ghastly reek, literally, in front of his face, Dhann's features remain relaxed and undisturbed.
Watching Dhann closely, Ely can tell the pain in her head isn't fading. And as hard as she tries to shield her senses from the horrifically potent stench of the cheese, the mixture of its scent and her already compromised constitution becomes too much to handle and she bolts for the exit, trying not to ruin the newly grassed and lavendered hut interior. She might have made it out of the hut, but unfortunately not out of view, before a minute of retching ensue.
"Sorry," Barrett calls, with total sincerity.
Bent over in dirt and rubble, trying to breath in as much fresh air as her lungs can manage between heaves, Ely somehow finds the words to swear loudly and ask, "Is there something we can do that's less... aggressive?"
"Well, I had one other idea, but I don't know the best way to...um, that is to say I'm not sure who or even if we should attempt to, um..." Barrett trails off, looking at Dhann's unconscious face. "Never mind. He'll be fine."
Still crouching several feet away, Ely's face contorts in suspicion at Barrett's suggestion, or lack there of. "What are you- blech!" She spits in a most un-ladylike fashion and chases the action by gurgling the liquor in her flask and spitting that out as well. What a waste. "Ugh! Nevermind."
-
Session 102, Have You Been Visited By the Blue Lady?
- This session takes place 15 Mirtul, 1494
- Barrett lets the group know the barrier has faded to be clear and he can see straight down into a raging river below, in the Shadowfell. Ely explains what Dhann described to her while she was inside his dream. She also explains that for some reason, she cannot approach Dhann without severe headache pain. Right as the sun dips below the horizon, Dhann wakes up. To Dhann, his companions all have a red aura about them while his is blue and matches the The Blue Lady. As he describes seeing this, this aura fades to a matching red that flickers to the blue every little while.
- "I know now that, for whatever reason, I blacked out when the Forbiddance faded. But it didn't seem like that to me. I could still see all of you, and my body, like I'd only stepped to the side. The City of the Dead was utterly pristine. Flowers at headstones, birdsong...no sign of damage of any kind and as if the place was in full spring. Khelben's statue almost seemed brand new and his tomb was spectularly maintainted. Or new. I don't know. I have no idea if I was in a different time but it also felt like it was just a state of the place, not a time. But I couldn't read what any of you were saying, and you sounded very far away. I knew you were talking but it was nothing I could understand. And you had this reddish glow about you. I tried touching your arm, Barrett, but my hand passed right through. Maran, though...he was looking right at me, and then spoke to me but it was Khelben. I told him as much as I could of the current situation with Waterdeep and Maran, and he couldn't say much for what we'd encountered so far - the tokens, the map, the gems in the axes...but he wasn't surprised by any of it and once he knew Blackstaff Tower was alright, that seemed to confirm for him that Maran was where he needed to be and we'd done our part." (edited)
- "He asked how I came to be "here" and when I said I didn't know, he pointed out that I was...glowing, but blue. That blue, the one I keep seeing. Or feeling. It's difficult to describe. But I knew immediately it was the same blue I'd seen in the crate, and then the blue I felt when I'd prayed for help when Maran wasn't speaking. Khelben said it had a Dunamantic quality and very few people could do whatever it was that was happening to me. I hadn't done it to myself, though, and when I expressed this, Khelben redirected my attention to the chasm and asked if that might be what, or why, I was there."
- "Gods...even now it's hard to fathom just what it was I saw. Or was being shown. But the chasm was covered, like a...like a net, really, by a shimmering, monstrous bubble and it was full of the most warping, completed Shadow creations. Creatures, constructs, even structures were being crushed inside. Faces and monsters. It makes me sick just thinking back on it. But...I saw the blue again - I mean, I saw her, whoever it is that I've been contacted by. I couldn't make out any details. She was...dark and blurry, but her hands were raised to the bubbled mass and she was holding all that Shadow back...the thing was at least a hundred feet tall...big and full enough to cast its own shadow across the ground...if I hadn't seen it for myself I wouldn't be able to properly imagine what it is I'm trying to describe...but power like that...that's no caster. It's the power a god holds and one that holds power to a degree my mortal brain is struggling to wrap around. Even for all we've encountered so far."
- "She looked at me, then, I could make that out - and then a terrible pain in my head, I blacked out again. Then, just a normal dream. Ely was there. I told her as much as I could but I don't know how much sense I made. At least, thanks to her spell, I'd be able to remember anything I saw or told Elyana while she was in my head. Being there, in my dream, seemed to hurt Elyana's head, though, and I got upset by that. Mine was horrible - the pain had stayed from my second collapse, so...thinking around that headache was difficult. But this seemed to be normal sleep, so Ely said she'd wake me up and left the dream, then...I was just stuck for a time. There was a damnable reek though...and that told me something was wrong because I didn't wake up. Please, never open that wheel again. As far as I'm concerned, that wax has proved to be a holy seal and not to be tampered with."
- "Then I was in another dream, I guess...A normal one, you know, where things make sense when you're there but when you wake up, you see the nonsense. I'm in my study, then I open the door and the dining room is a grassy field with horses and a set table, that...sort of thing. But...there was a hearth, and chairs around it and I saw...she was there, and everything about her is beautiful, and kind, and...I know I've seen her before but I don't recognize her at all. She's supposed to be there but I have no idea who she is. And - she's in focus, and that blue, and I know her but I can't hold any details about her outside of what I've seen in my head. But she sits in front of the fire, with w- warmth and kindness and then she looked at me, and smiled, and I can't explain properly, either, how safe and comforted I suddenly felt. I tried to step across the field, to join her, but...but I remembered something I needed to do. Papers I had to finish. So I turned around, and went back into my room, or a cave...I don't think it matters, just that it was dark. And then I was waking up to see all of you, and that you were still glowing...and I can't remember anything of her face. I'd be...distraught if every time I saw her I didn't feel so...reassured. But if I saw a portrait or an illusion, or I passed her in the street I don't know if I'd realize it was her. It's like I know I know her, but when I'm conscious, there's a blurred part of my memory. I can't even tell you the color of her hair, or her eyes, and I was right there, seeing her. Her voice, though, I know it's one of the softest and kindest voices I've ever heard. And I can't even recall that properly."
-
On the way to the Hall, Barrett glances a few times at his companions, specifically at Dhann. He can tell it must be...disorienting? distracting? debilitating? to see everyone with an aura. Especially one that can't be explained.
Ever since leaving Jonas Benedict, the one blue aura Dhann has seen besides his own, Barrett has been thinking about nothing but what the reds (and blues) might mean. Even with the Headband, he doesn't believe he has the intelligence or experience to "solve" this puzzle, but he does have one idea that he thinks might be worth trying. "Hey everyone," he says, side stepping a group of revelers who weren't paying attention to their surroundings, "Can we hold up a moment?"
"Dhann, I've been thinking about my experience of trying to touch your Ki and how, well, how strange it was. If it's okay with you, I would like to cast Detect Magic. I know it's a simple spell, but it might let me see any schools of magic that are coming off you, or are associated with you, or whatever. I've never seen an aura around anyone, red or otherwise, with this spell, but if you are..."infected" or "imbued" with some new magic, I might be able to see something. Are you okay with me trying?"
"I--" Ely shifts on her feet to avoid a few more walkers, trying to stick close with the party but not too close. "I'm sorry but can we do this inside the Hall? It's just ahead." She pauses just short of a few feet from the group to point towards the Temple of Helm where they'd found sanctuary many times before. "It'll be easier to manage what you're trying, I think."
The rising sea of red that floods the streets of Waterdeep is disorienting, but somewhat navigable because of the novelty of it. The varying intensities of the auras were easy enough to disregard when the Trollmates were moving through the crowd and Dhann was focused on the one beacon of blue. Now, though, approaching the doors of the Hall, red on red on red, the only way Dhann wouldn't notice, wouldn't understand the strengths of people's true, visible, Gods-this-is-actually-real, crimson auras would be for him to shut his eyes and lie that he couldn't see. But he can't stop gazing about, head swiveling, every person or movement catching his already stretched attention.
Dhann's eyes flick over the growing celebration in the street, glows ranging from robust, hearty, strong, to ones the Cleric can easily see are fainter, duller - he scrunches his eyes shut, hard, then stares around again. The swelling crowd appears to double in size each time he blinks. And that's not even including the seeming dozens of rats in the past minute.
Why can I see this? How can I see this?
Barrett's familiar baritone, grounding, cuts through the shouts and calls, and Dhann turns, brow furrowed, eyes wide, searching, having to rely for a moment on his hearing alone as the ruddy swarm, for just a moment, becomes a single entity. There's the Monk, and Ely and Z and Aiden and their reds. "I am, yes - If we could do it inside, it's difficult to focus here - " A particularly vibrant person shoves past and Dhann feels as if a glaring lantern was just flung into his face.
Barrett looks ahead to the Hall and understands the sentiment of wanting to get inside, but doesn't really think it will be any better in there. If anything, the density of people will probably be higher...but perhaps there won't be as much motion and commotion. And probably fewer rats.
They enter the building and look around. It's still crowded and the mood is lighter than the last time time they visited, but still guarded and cautious. A few of the braver refugees are glancing out of open doors and windows, some at the sky and some at the bustle in the streets. Most are having trouble remembering the last time the stars were visible and the streets weren't filled with shadow monsters at night. For a moment, Barrett imagines what would happen if the barrier holding back the Shadowfell were to fall...then shoves the thought away with a visible shutter. There's nothing they can do about it and if it happens, it happens.
While looking around for a quiet place, he remembers a peculiar space near the room where Bran's body was lain out almost...gods! Was that really over two years ago? Motioning for everyone to follow, he leads them down a few corridors to the remembered spot. He defeats the simple lock on the door (not even needing his picks) and opens it, revealing the space he remembered. It's an odd shape, about 15 feet deep and 6 feet wide with one high window and tall ceilings. Clearly, this space was the happy accident of the construction of the rooms to either side; the kind of space that gets turned into a storage and maintenance closet.
As Barrett had hoped, the extra cots, bedding, furniture and supplies that were normally stored here are long gone, being used by the overflow of refugees. All that remains are three dusty chairs, a few mops and buckets, a worn push broom, a box of rags and a small keg that probably contained soap at one point. He lights his Lantern of Revealing and trims it to a comfortable, warm glow, then hangs it on one of the many empty hooks on the wall. Turning to his companions, he says, "I think this will do nicely. It's about as private a space as we're likely to find, and we can keep Ely and Dhann at opposite ends of the room."
A mixture of relief flashes across Ely's face as she nods to Barrett for his consideration. "I'll just..." She settles herself by the door, a faint blush of embarrassment colors her cheeks. Spotting her brother idling confused by the cleaning supplies, Ely grabs the cloth of Aiden's sleeve to place him next to her.
Being in the Hall is certainly quieter. A momentary relief. Because sight is only made worse for it. At least in the street, without focusing too much, the reds blended the crowd into a living being of its own. But the Hall...the reds split back into individuals and it's sickeningly obvious, the varying degrees of lifelight that Dhann begins to sort and categorize, without meaning to. For a moment, his breath catches in his throat like he's forgotten how to breathe. He's standing in the middle of a ruby and is struck dumb by the variances in the facets.
It shouldn't be a surprise, given the Hall and its purpose. Yet...Auras all around are glowing in far too large a range for him to want to linger on. Earlier in the commotion it didn't occur to him...but now, to be able to ascertain the distance someone may have to winking fully out - it's a sickeningly private knowledge to suddenly learn about so many strangers. Chilled, Dhann hurriedly drops his gaze to the floor in an attempt for their privacy. He stares down at the stone, not wanting to know more than these people might want anyone to see without their permission. Some glows are warm and comforting. Others are far too muted. Dhann is utterly silent, grave, and follows his friends. But he can't help stealing glances. It's fascinating in a horrifying way. And the more rounds his eyes rake across the people, the more ominously realization and comprehension of what he may carry begin to form as a hard, vibrating knot deep in his chest. It makes the air entirely too thick and hot.
In the small room, Dhann slips quietly to the corner opposite Elyana and furthest into the room, moving as quickly past her as possible. He's thankful for the location of where they are in the Hall and that it's a part of the temple that tends to be empty this time of night, even with the larger number of residents. He's reassured by the full warmth of his companions' auras. They're fine.
"So," Barrett begins, returning Ely's nod and then addressing Dhann softly, "I assume you didn't see any other colors on our way here?"
Dhann shakes his head, meeting Barrett's gaze squarely. It's easier to focus. "No...just reds, and my own, with the flickering blue." He doffs his gauntlets and clips them to his belt. The Cleric can't help but study his own hands again for a moment, pondering. "The lantern shows you nothing?" He gestures briefly towards the item on the hook.
Barrett is confused for a moment, then looks at the lantern. Despite the seriousness of the situation and the intensity of the day they've had, he chuckles. "It's, ah, it's just showing me this room," he says with an inviting smile. "I just thought it would be weird to stand in a dark closet without any light at all, so I lit it."
"I - yes. Foolish question." Dhann returns Barrett's kind smile with a minuscule grin. "I admit this is a tad overwhelming." He frowns slightly, eyeing his hands again. "I don't remember if I said...the auras are very bright, in the dark. I can't see at night, like the rest of you, but I have no...no trouble seeing this. Light, though, would probably make them harder for me to discern at a glance. Like seeing torchlight in a well lit room."
"Well, feel free to adjust the lantern's hood to add more light if you like. I mean, if it helps mask the auras and makes you more comfortable. Now, if there are no objections, I'm just going to cast a simple Detect Magic to see what I can see," Barrett announces, touching the holy symbol of Valkur on his gi and closing his eyes. Then, with practiced movements of his arms and hands which look more like tai chi than magic casting, he focuses and whispers a few words. When he opens his eyes, he gazes at each of his companions, starting with Aiden and ending with Dhann. He describes what he sees...
"Well, I'm seeing all our magic items lit up the way they usually are with their usual schools, so that's good. And the best part is there is no flickering, so I think we can trust them. Both my scar and Ely's pearl are giving off a powerful magic but there's not particular school of magic there...just inherent magic, you might say. I recall the mythal seed was giving off the same general vibe. As for Dhann," he says, looking him up and down for a few long moments, "He's got a faint glow about him. It is subtle, but definitely there." Barrett quickly walks around the young cleric, confirming what he's seeing. "No, I've never see this glow on him before. It's definitely something new. It seems to be from the enchantment school."
Sorry, what - Dhann stares at his palms again, then up at Barrett. "I beg your pardon."
"A faint glow of enchantment magic..." Ely repeats aloud even as she simultaneously tries to understand what that would even mean. "That's... so strange." Her eyes turn to slits as she squints at Dhann, as if trying to see what auras she might pick up without the help of magic. "And a bit concerning."
"Maybe...maybe it's residual, from when I collapsed? Khelben said magic pulled me to wherever it was we spoke." Dhann grimaces, thinking back on the headache and piercing light. "It's not blue, is it? Or red?" He asks Barrett. Dhann realizes he grossly dislikes the idea - and now proven possibility - of being detected by a spell like this. It makes his skin crawl.
Ely cycles through spells she's familiar with muttering, "Most enchantments do involve taking outright control of a person's actions, but some focus solely on emotions and some only enhance abilities, like the one I use to boost your accuracy and resilience. Um... You mentioned feeling calm or safe when you look at her. Maybe that could be apart of an enchantment? Or what if she's protecting you in someway? Or..." She pinches a spot below the pearl at the bridge of her nose. What else could it be? Who else cast magic that could last this long? Her hand splats against her forehead and... "Maran! Maran also cast a spell on you after you collapsed. Right after I touched you. Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to--. You asked Barrett a question."
Dhann begins to look somewhat disquiet as Ely describes more commonly displayed aspects of enchantments. “Yes, but - it doesn’t feel like I’m being swayed. I…It’s like…” The Cleric tries to find how best to describe…whatever that mantle is. “I feel the gifts from Lord Helm within me. What gaze he spares for me, it’s…it’s an inner strength. When it’s gone, it’s almost like a pain in my chest. The reassurance I’ve felt from whoever this is, it’s an…outer sense of protection. And if it was an enchantment, Barrett would have seen it, days ago, when checking our equipment.” At Elyana’s apology, he looks genuinely confused and even more concerned. “You’ve done nothing wrong. Are you alright?” Dhann takes a half step back a bit further into the corner.
She frowns slightly at the movement, "It's nothing. I promise, I'm fine. You don't have to do that."
Dhann only nods and looks away for a beat, thinking, before saying quietly, "I don't believe that calm, that...mantle...is an enchantment. It's too...divine. But for whatever Maran did, was it recognizable?"
"There was some kind of golden light. But he seemed to be unsuccessful in his casting. Or the spell didn't do what he expected."
Barrett has been looking at the wall for the last few moments, pointing at unseen images and humming something barely audible. "Sorry, I was just going through the mnemonic that I learned back in the monastery regarding schools of magic. There was a chart in Stardust's study that had the colors and symbols associated with the different schools and...and she taught me a song to help me remember them all. I was just trying to remember them all..." He looks a little embarrassed at his lack of instant arcane recall. But it's never been his strong suit, and this is too important to mess up. "Anyway, enchantment, is sort of a fiery pink...somewhere between magenta and fuchsia. That's what I'm seeing around Dhann."
"That's not what I'm seeing, at all," Dhann laments almost to himself, but still speaking to the others. "But enchantments aren't a magic I've utilized much. Thank you both, for what you know. So perhaps...I was exposed to some spell, or some power like a spell is enabling me to see everyone's life aura. And most enchantments fade after a day or so, so I'll just...wait." The Cleric's expression reflects his inner working towards a plan of some sort.
"Oh, one...one other thing." Looking at everyone in turn, and taking in each of their lifelights, intense seriousness colors Dhann's somber words. "I can see the intensities of the auras. The steadiness of the light. How...vibrant with life you are. And how - " His voice grows a little reluctant. "How weak it can be, before -" Dhann runs a hand through his hair to give himself a moment to regather his thoughts. "You're all bright, thank the gods. But I saw more than I can think on, out in the Hall."
"You can..." Ely pauses to scratch her chin, "Are you saying you can see if people are near death?"
“I…” Dhann looks a little sick. “Yes.”
Barrett looks genuinely confused, but concerned. "Well let's be specific...you can see people who are near death because they are unhealthy, correct? I mean, it's not like you are seeing people's fate or predicting their futures, is it?" As he asks this, he begins rolling up the left sleeve of his gi.
"Not foresight, no..." Dhann is now watching Barrett's hands intensely, cold with apprehension, suddenly.
Barrett extends his forearm over an empty mop bucket and with blinding speed, draws his dagger and slashes deeply across his exposed skin three times. The wounds are deep, deep enough that he still winces in pain, even though he knew they were coming. Through gritted teeth and the sound dripping blood hitting the metal pail, he asks, "Is my aura dimmer now?"
"n̸̫̓ḙ̷̡̛ȓ̵̠͈g̴̭̚h̶͇̞ṛ̸͊̃ä̴͖̭ṋ̷͈̺ ! Barrett!" Dhann's hands shoot like guiding bolts to clamp down hard on his friend's forearm, blood welling between his fingers. "Yes, damn it, immediately - " Healing warmth from the Cleric's palms pushes into the wounds; Dhann can feel Barrett's wounds curing as the spell does its work.
"You grew dimmer. Yes." Dhann can't keep his voice from catching a bit with the sight of one of his friends' auras lessening right in front of him with the clinical understanding of why Barrett did what he did. "At least a quarter dimmer, if I had to - had to estimate." He swipes his left forearm across his suddenly clammy brow, that hand shaking slightly while his right still hasn't released Barrett's own wrist.
Dhann looks at the blood on Barrett, himself, and in the bucket and the Monk feels the Cleric's grip become a bit more vicelike as Dhann leans slightly forward, shutting his eyes. Dhann wonders if his vision is like this, forever now, or all he needs is some actual sleep. He realizes just how incredible an ability this could be but the implications of the knowledge one could gain with it are daunting. Impactive. "I don't feel so good," He mutters a little shakily. Once more, healing envelops Barrett's diminishing slashes under his grasp.
Dhann was faster. Closer. Ely watches him heal Barrett's self inflicted wounds. Her heart settles and she breathes a sigh of relief as the shock of it slowly fades. Only to be replaced by a slight ache that grows above her eyes. The Pearl. She quickly moves back from where she must have jumped away from the door. "Point made." She shakes her head a bit and turns to Aiden, "Can you grab him a chair? Please." Aiden jerks to attention. His mouth snapping shut. He's seen the monk do some crazy things but this was... "Wicked," he murmurs in utter fascination and awe. Even while carrying one of the leftover chairs, dusting it off with his hand and then dusting his hand off on his dark clothes, he looks at Barrett with new eyes. "Here you go Dhann." The legs this on the cold floor when he's realized he's placed the seat behind Barrett and he rushes to move it again to it's requested position. "Oh! I mean... here."
“Thanks, Aiden,” Barrett says, lowering Dhann to the chair and making sure it will take his armored weight. “And thank you, Dhann, for the healing, but I do wish you would save your magic. I could have recovered with a short meditation.” He flexes his arm, feeling the freshly healed skin stretch and pull a bit. "But really, I do appreciate it.” Returning his sleeve to its normal position, and secretly proud not to have gotten blood on it, he says, “Sorry for the theatrics, but though I asking for forgiveness rather than permission was the better course.” His smile shifts from mischievous to warm. “But at least we know a little bit more about what you are seeing, if not how or why. So, what’s stopping us from getting some real rest now?”
Dhann doesn't protest the assistance in being seated, and simply focuses on a few steadying breaths to keep from adding his own contribution to the bucket. Thankfully, once he's gotten a bit of air into him, the nausea passes. Dhann releases Barrett's arm, aware of the blood becoming sticky as it begins to dry. Both his hands are slathered with it and so he keeps from resting his head in their grip. "Sorry - I know, I just...I can't help it." He squints up at Barrett, the Monk reassuringly back to his full vibrance. "That was insane, but yes...we know a bit more. Thank you." He says, with utmost sincerity.
"As for rest...I have just enough energy to attempt a waymarker here. I'd like to do that." Another measured inhale, mindful exhale, and a nodded thanks at Aiden for the chair. "If this room isn't too cramped for anyone, I think you'd be fine to keep here for the remainder of the night." He can't help a glance at Elyana, saying, "I'll find a separate space if you prefer. I would understand."
Pushing off the wall and straightening up again, Ely shakes her head. "Thank you, but that's not necessary at all. If I need to, I'll step away or leave." There's a breath of hesitation before she continues, "Anyways, I think this room will work just fine. You really should focus on yourself and rest... eventually. It's extremely late." Her own tired eyes take in the size of the room before settling on Dhann again. "Are you making the waymaker in here?"
Dhann simply nods, respecting Elyana's boundary, even if the compromise is favorable to no one. Then he shakes his head. "No...outside the room once used for Bran. I was given permission to designate that space, and it won't be used as storage in the future. So there will be a proper space for us to land." He stands, and picks up the bloodied bucket. "I might take some time to reattune to the Sun Blade, as well...and pray. Even for just a moment. I'll be quiet when I come back in, so I don't disturb anyone sleeping."
"Sounds good." With a smile and a nod, Ely moves aside, picking a corner in the room away from the door to give him ample guilt-free room to walk about. She plops the Bag of Holding on the ground, letting her mind fall back into the routine of "setting up camp." "Aiden, did you bring your bedroll?" When he eventually clambers over, they slip into their usually quiet conversation as she directs him to stack things against walls or out of the way, so there would be ample space for the group of them to sleep comfortably.
Barrett leans in close to Dhann as he passes, tapping him on the shoulder and whispering, “Valkur’s blessing on you. Do you want me to come along to help?”
“Thank you.” Dhann nods gratefully at the blessing. “…and if you’d like to, I won’t say no. Hopefully this attempt goes better than the last, with the storm clearing.” He adds quietly. “But if you’d rather sling your hammock and meditate before it’s much later, I’d understand.” It’s clear in Dhann’s tone he’s not trying to spurn Barrett’s offer. As always, Dhann has the wellbeing of everyone else as one of his top concerns.
"Hey... wait." Ely rises from her crouched position, rubbing her hands on her black tights. "I need to talk to you, Dhann, just for a second."
Dhann turns at Ely's voice. "Sure...there's a washing alcove at the corner." He lifts the pail slightly to imply his intent, then turns to Barrett. "I'll speak with Ely, then wait for you if you'd like to come with me to the next room. If not then I'll be back later tonight." In a move that speaks to having assisted during messy cases at the Hall, many times, Dhann uses his elbow to depress the door handle and swing the door open, keeping his bloodied hands and cargo away. He moves into the hall and several steps away to give Elyana sufficient room to exit.
"I'll be back, this will only take a second." And she slides past Barrett to step carefully out into the hallway.
Dhann has moved down the hall a ways to the right, to a stone basin carved to project slightly from the wall around it. A modest spout continuously pours clean water into the bowl below, where it pools and drains down a pipe to a lower room to be magicked clean. The level of water in the basin is lower than Dhann has ever seen it, but thankfully the Hall still has a useable amount of this resource. He plunges the bucket and his hands into the water, watching the red swirl away into the drain with a low gurgling.
Following the sound of running water, Ely spots Dhann and approaches as close as she dares. The glistening of torchlight on the water reflects on Dhann's pale face. He looks drained. "What Barrett did... that was crazy and unsettling. I'm glad you were able to heal him so quickly, but are you okay?"
Now clean, Dhann places the pail on the floor beneath the basin where it can be used by someone else. He busies himself for another moment to run his hands one more time under the spout's water. "I understand why he did it. I might not approve of it, but...I see the logic, from his perspective. It was a very Barrett thing to do." Dhann splashes a bit of water against his eyes. The coolness feels relieving before he pulls a sleeved forearm across his face. There are no drying cloths; they have been repurposed elsewhere in the Hall. "I'm alright," He says, meeting Elyana's gaze. Then, his look sweeps around her, and the Warlock knows he's studying her lifelight. But quickly enough, their eyes meet again. "I need some reflection and proper rest. But I'm fine."
She picks up on the scan, nods and continues. His look only confirms her need to do this. Sooner rather than later, to avoid any accidents. "The thing is... I know, we all know, that you'll never hesitate to heal us when we're down. And with the aura's you're seeing, and how they diminish, I imagine it'll be even harder for you not to step in."
"I have to ask you not to step in... for me. Or at least consider a healing spell that doesn't require touch. Feys, I honestly don't even know if that's safe. This is all so... ill timed. I'm coming to the understanding that this pain only gets worse with proximity or a magic connection." She flexes her hand, remembering the feeling that pulsed through it only hours ago. "I know you would hate to learn that by trying to heal or guide me, you inflicted pain as well or instead, so I want to be up front. Withholding that knowledge wouldn't have done either of us any favors." She lets the last few words sink in, nervous for what the cleric might feel more than say. How many times can she be this person in three days.
Dhann's face falls slightly, before growing tense, listening. His mouth thins into a hard line, and he folds his arms in front of him. He can't help but look away. But then, he finally nods, still tracing the stones of the wall with his eyes.
"Alright." Dhann then meets her gaze and there's a pained understanding, absent of any blame or argument. "I see your logic. But this goes both ways." He gestures to his brow. "You can't use your talent to lessen any injuries that may come upon me. We have no idea what that will do. Even trying to check why I passed out, with no wounds, hurt both you and Barrett." He sighs, frustrated and thoughtful and recognizing. Gods damn it. "Thank you for telling me. Maybe we can...figure something out. But Barrett needs to know." Dhann shakes his head with another rough exhalation, this one seeming to deflate him somewhat. There is no defensiveness in anything about him. "I understand."
At his request for her not to do the same, she ducks her head. She expected this. "I didn't plan on it." She replies quickly before he says more. It is blatantly obvious that admitting all this to Dhann is disheartening. She'd prefer not to add to his list of worries, but if the roles were reversed, she'd want him to trust her to do the same. "I planned to tell him as well, I just... One on one was easier to do." She gulps a lung full of air, holding it for a pause before letting it loose. She looks at him steadily. "I don't blame you for any of this, or this new deity involved. Not even Helm. It's just something we'll take in stride."
Dhann looks away again with another bob of his head, twisting the Blackwood ring on his finger for the sake of doing something with his hands. "I know you don't," He reassures, meeting her amber gaze. "I knew you wouldn't." And then he feels a one-sided grin tug on the corner of his mouth. "Well, right now, I don't need to worry about you following through on your threat to punch me one of these days." It's such a stupid joke. It's so bad that it actually makes him laugh a little. But maybe a stupid joke is the one thing that might help right now. Might help alleviate how badly this entire exchange is making Ely feel. "So like you suggested, maybe I am being protected. Must be one hell of a swing, if this is a deity is stepping in."
Ely nods, letting a small smile make its own appearance. "I should have hit you when I had the chance." Her hands, that had been clasped behind her back for most of their conversation, drop to her sides and sway limply. "I'll take off then. Seriously, though, rest if you can. You look like--." She smirks, letting the elven word for crap, hang in the air between them, and then turns to leave. "Goodnight."
Dhann scoffs, a hand to his chest. "Language!" He responds in accented Elvish. "This is a holy place! But...what's the Infernal word? And...if you want to talk to Barrett..." He takes a slight step back. "You might sleep better having the conversation now. But I'll wait here for a minute or two for him, if you decide to wait." He gives a little smile. "You get some rest, too."
"I'll tell you another time." She finds the door of the storage room and steps inside. It hadn't been more than ten minutes since they left.
Barrett takes Ely’s return as his cue to go help Dhann. He moves out of the room and quickly finds the young cleric. “Other than asking Valkur for his blessing, how can I help?”
The moment passes quickly as Barrett exits soon after she's reentered the room. Ely'll try to talk to him later, she guesses.
Hearing Barrett approach, Dhann straightens and the two make the short walk to the small foyer in which Dhann was previously given permission to create a waymarker. “The final spell I cast for this takes the same energy as Forbiddance…so I suppose if anything odd happens, you might see it before I do.” He pauses, then gives a weak laugh. “And if I faint again, you can catch me before I hit my head on the floor.” The Cleric looks about for a moment, eyeing the walls, before selecting a spot to shape into the little shrine.
Dhann chooses a stone that’s eye level, on the wall to the right of the viewing room’s door. Tracing a small square with his index fingers, he takes a breath and uses Stone Shape to push a little shelf into existence, just like the one now behind the chimney of Trollskull. A second casting embeds one of the onyx gemstones into the back of this, a modest yet functional opulence. The gem, one of the ones from Bran’s belongings…Dhann muses on the fact that he chose this stone without thinking on the source, but now it feels oddly fitting.
The Hall itself is entirely devoted to Helm, but Dhann burns the silver for a Ceremony anyway, to make this exact place where Word of Recall will settle. He steps back to inspect his handiwork, running a hand down his tired face. He has the exact amount of energy left to be able to cast Word of Recall and he can feel the toll of the heavy magic expenditure. “Alright…” Dhann presses his hands together, and looks about on the floor for where to stand. “Any blessing you and Valkur deem fitting would be most generous.” Dhann prays this cast works. It’s clear he’s a little nervous, based on what happened the last time he tried this. He tried not to think on it. This will work. The storm’s clearing and the connection is there. Ceremony didn’t feel as empty as the last time he cast, either. He doesn’t think. Maybe just being in the Hall helps. The onyx eye of Helm seems to wink a little in the torchlight, from its alcove.
Better than last time, so far… “The shrine’s dedicated properly,” He confirms quietly with a nod. “I’ll admit it felt a little strange from my own tiredness, but not hollow like when I cast at Trollskull, with the storm present. But I know the spell worked.” He glances about the floor again, to double check spacing in the small room. “Would you mind standing there?” He points to the entryway. “There’s more space here than at the tavern for me to mark Word of Recall’s perimeter, which is good.”
“Of course. And you are doing great.”
Dhann grins a little. "Are my nerves so obvious?" His voice is a little embarrassed. He clears his throat, and turns back to the shrine, face growing more serious. Feeling the guiding magic from Barrett and Valkur, he sends a small prayer to Helm in thanks for his own magic and begins the process for the last spell. He traces the sigils, denotes the pattern of landing, moving quickly and efficiently through the motions before, like the last time, he kneels in the middle of the space and presses his right hand to the floor. Dhann summons the spell to conclude under his palm, feeling the energy culminate, humming, feels it begin to settle, and...
Drops his head with a heavy breath of profound relief. “It’s marked,” He says, eyes shining and he sits back, looking up at the little alcove. “The waymarker is placed.” Heart full of thanks, he sends further gratitude to his deity, and another small prayer follows, for Valkur. Standing, he gives Barrett a nod. “Thank you, too.”
After another moment of reflective silence, Dhann stands and runs his hands over his face. It wasn't until the spell had completed that he realized how anxious he was about it failing again. Being struck by that emptiness again. "I'm going to pray, here, for a small while." He glances at the door to the next room. "I hate to admit it but I might not be able to stay awake for reattunement tonight. But I have to pray, even if for a few minutes." Dhann gives Barrett's arm a gentle grasp of gratitude, looking as if to say one thing but then his expression perks up, even with his fatigue. "Ah!" He laughs, "That reminds me. Bucket. That pony I used to have, I named the poor thing Bucket. I suddenly remembered, earlier, and meant to tell you. Why I chose that name, though, I don't think I'll ever recall."
"Anyway..." He grows a bit more somber but Dhann's expression is lighter than it's been for most of the day. "I'll be along in a bit. I think Ely wants to talk to you. But..." Dhann releases Barrett's arm with one last nod of significant respect. "Thank you, again, for being here, Barrett."
Barrett, seeing Dhann's relief and exhaustion, is suddenly aware of his own. "You are most welcome. And congratulations. What you just did here," he says, indicating the waymarker, "is no small feat. Yes, I know you will say it was Helm, but you are a worthy conduit." He steps silently to the closet door and slips it open, not knowing if he'll find his companions awake or asleep. If the latter, he doesn't want to disturb them. Luckily, he's already picked out a few stout pegs on the wall from which to sling his hammock.
Aiden spends the late evening arranging the two chairs left in the room and his sister's blanket into a small fort. It takes up a portion of the far corner where Ely instructed him to put their belongings. He strongly refuses her help with this, insisting she not pay attention to him as "It's a surprise." The redhead had done this plenty of times before and feels confident the tent will last the night while making their sleep in the storage room a little bit cozier. Occasionally, he remembers a joke from the riddle section of "Smell This! Practical Jokes for Trying Times" and bursts into laughter. "Hey Ely! Why are a rouge's farts so dangerous? They're silent but deadly!"
"Z! Z! What did one eye say to the other? Between us something smells!" Popping off his boots, Aiden slips beneath the blanket and spreads out Ely and his bedrolls before curling up in a spot by the entrance. He spends a few minutes showing Z and Ely things he's found and stored in the pockets of the vest Z made him. But eventually, and not for lack of trying to stay awake, Aiden slips into a deep sleep.
Z is not in the mood for fart jokes and gives very feeble, barely polite laughter to Aiden’s banter. “Not now.” Remains silent for a full minute. Mumbles, “Mama Thatch is infected with shadow.” Longer pause. “She gave me something useful, but I can’t concentrate on it. I’m not sure.” Pause. “I’d better go to sleep, find my geniuses there. Enough coffins for today, enough guessing, enough tensions pulling everyone’s strings. the whole tapestry stinks of foul smelling darkness to me tonight. It’s late.“ Pause. “Sorry, Aiden.” Z mimics the casting of a sleep spell on himself and pretends it works.
Barrett slips back out the room, heading back to Dhann.
Waiting outside the fort, sitting on the floor next to one of the chairs, Ely listens to Z's breathing, unsure if he's sleeping, but with no desire to disturb him. The news of Mama Thatch's infection has left a dark cloud over both their heads. Aiden seems unfazed. Z's tone won't bother him, she doesn't think, but Ely hopes it'll teach him to read the room a little better. Kids. At the slight creek of the door opening, gold eyes snap up in attention to see who's entered. It's Barrett. And then it's not. He must have just heard...
The logical side of Barrett knows that Dhann is probably tapped out at this point, but it’s not in his nature to let a situation go if there’s anything that can be done about it. He thinks - hopes - Dhann will agree. He finds the young cleric almost where he left him. His first thought is to call out “Code Shadow!” but he’s already shocked Dhann once tonight. Instead, he says softly but firmly, “Dhann, we have a situation.”
Barrett's voice, and its quiet urgency, immediately have Dhann blinking eyes open in response. "What's happened?" He asks, straightening. Barrett fills him in, repeating Z’s words as accurately as he can.
Oh, no. He knows there are people stricken with the infection, many of whom are finding shelter at the Hall. But for the first patient to be mentioned by name, to be a beloved member of the clergy, and one Z has an artistic camaraderie with, brings the state of things rushing back.
"Alright..." Dhann presses a hand to his mouth, thinking, and moving to walk down the corridor. "I'll see if I can find one of the attending Clerics for more answers." Barrett falls in behind. A brief stop to see what the others want to do with themselves, and then answers. Dhann's hatred for that sick magic hotly banishes all fatigue from him, and grows all the more concentrated.
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Session 103, Hiding a Zombie Bite
- This session takes place 16 Mirtul, 1494
- Momma Thatch will be checked on by the Maybesitters today. Everyone got in a long rest. Dhann pitches a potential way to treat people with heavy Shadow infection. Barrett wonders how the mercantile district of Waterdeep is faring (not well). Dhann and Z check on Momma Thatch and she reluctantly agrees to letting the two of them try to extract the Shadow from her, but they tell her she doesn't have to decide now. It's her left arm and the Shadow is slowly stiffening the joint up to the point of crippled mobility. Mirt, Renaer, Durnan, and Meloon wrack their brains but have no idea who this Blue Lady is that Dhann's seen. They talk more about how Ander was spiraling into a dark place the longer he experimented with Shadow and bore the weight of being the chosen one. He was becoming obsessed with Shadow magic, either how to use it, make it, or control it. The group plans to investigate Ander's warehouse in which he was conducting experiments. Renaer gives a key to the place. After a while, Ander's main focus simply was to defend Waterdeep. He leaned heavily on Renaer for help with family name research. Durnan gives his own account of Ander's Fall and the mysteriousness of what happened, alongside the heroism of Ander, sacrificing himself in such a tragic way to ensure Drezlin was taken along with.
-
During the portion of the conversation pertaining to books and documents, Dhann asks, "None of you would, by any chance, have access to or be willing to lend any books in Primordial or Abyssal? Considering that both Dunamancy and Creation Stones are crucial for our success, I have this...feeling, some understanding of these languages may be helpful." He then turns to Renaer. "I don't know if this would be possible, but is there a chance of getting the status of what of my holdings I may have access to, if any? Any information would be appreciated." With their current resources limited, Dhann wonders if there's anything left that may be split between outfitting himself and his companions as well as still assisting the Hall if the order needs it.
-
- Mirt gave Ander the sword and dagger mentioned in his notes, but the sword is not the hilt of the one left behind of Ander's remains. But the dagger looks slightly different too, so potentially, Ander's magically changed how they looked. Dhann mentions lifelights and asks if they know Jonas Benedict. He has lived in town for a while, but moved to Waterdeep. No one knows where he's from. He's a merchant of some sort, perhaps textiles. Has a couple of warehouses by the wharf. Renaer says he will do some informational digging. The group receives some basic blueprints to Ander's warehouse, and they head there next.
- Outside the doors of the warehouse, there is Shadow sensed inside. The group slips in the door, and shuts it behind them to keep people in the street from coming in. Coating the entire ceiling is a mini version of the storm that was once above Waterdeep. Nebulous, Shadowy cloud "blobs" also float within the room. Barrett uses the Lantern of Revealing and the entire place is covered in frantic, crazed writing from Ander. The group investigates a wooden staircase in the center of the first floor. The Shadowy clouds attack, and battle ensues. Barrett and Aiden are overcome by one of the clouds of mist and the Shadow feels like a stinging rain, but incredibly, both of them are able to escape unscathed. Z is using Anti-Z to explore upstairs and can sense some emotion or sensation coming from the Shadows as well as his companions being attacked by it. Z finds a control panel and is able to trigger a trapdoor underneath the stairs to open, and Dhann runs to hold it from closing, as it seems to be on a timer. Ely uses Wall of Light to blast some of the clouds.
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Session 104, We're Really Good with Bad Ideas
- This session takes place 16 Mirtul, 1494
- One of the clouds envelops Dhann and he is unable to resist the damage that his companions were able to. Shadow forces its way into his mouth and nose and he loses his balance, falling down into the basement. On the first floor, the rest of the clouds are destroyed and the group makes its way to the basement to find Dhann infected with Shadow magic. Chaos ensues as he seems to be unable to speak coherently and is unable to control his own movements as the infection works to keep itself safe by avoiding any attempts the group makes to get close. Z can sense with Anti-Z that the Shadow is trying to become something organized within Dhann, and Ely uses Protection from Evil and Good which helps Dhann regain some of his faculty control. Z also uses his drum to help with concentration and focus. This spell also causes his Lifesight ability to flicker for a moment. Through a joined use of Anti-Z and the Glove, a good portion of the infection is drawn out and Dhann casts Greater Restoration on himself, which causes him to vomit Shadow as well as it to leak from his eyes and nose. He is left with scarring but the infection overall seems to have been purged. The group takes a short rest, Dhann flopped against one wall, and Z decides to play some calming music. Barrett and Ely investigate the basement and find a small slot in the wall that looks like it could fit the Blackwood Signet Ring. He borrows it from Dhann and it does indeed turn out to be a key. There is a small staircase leading downwards and the Lantern of Revealing lights the way. Aiden has rejoined the group at this time. Everyone decides to go down. It is single file. The room has two large columns on either side of another staircase. The entire place shimmers slightly with magic as if it's an illusion, but it's obviously not. The columns were one ornate and are of old Dwarvish origin, it seems. Very old and worn. They do not seem to match the style of architecture in the rest of the room. They seem out of place. The left column isn't even holding up the ceiling. It feels placed in. The right one is in better condition. Dhann cannot sense Stout which clues the group into the idea that potentially they are on another plane or in between planes. Ely's pearl and Barrett's scar are both definitively glowing, telling the group that Ander must have cast magic to build this place. The little crystals from the Crystalline Way are chiming again when Barrett looks at them. The hallway up the second set of stairs (the stairs are elven) holds a series of images, like a painted mural hallway. The paint shimmers slightly off the wall and the imagery is of things that were important to Ander. The Maybesitters see themselves, Westra (née Rommel) Blackwood, Bran Blackwood, even Iris Braeton. Scenes from Waterdeep are also present.