Session 70
General Summary
- The party stabled their oxen in the stables at Overlook, prepaying for a week. Dwardazik noted the transaction in his journal, on the suggestion of the stablemaster; he and Dazki have since made a point of writing important things down in their respective journals.
- The party decided to take a bit of time to get to know more about the town, while they were already waiting for Jim to finish his preparations:
- The people of Overlook are low-energy, but very happy and friendly. They greet one another (and the party alike) very politely as they pass by in the streets.
- Several zombies of seemingly all races and descriptions were seen throughout the town, doing simple tasks like packing up shop or sweeping up the floors.
- Dazki noticed unusual physical symptoms on the mortals, which Grogery confirmed were caused by the smoke. Jim had had none of these symptoms.
- When the party went to check up on Jim's progress, he was just quietly sitting in the teahouse by himself, sipping some tea. Dwardazik ordered some of the same tea and chugged it, to Dazki's dismay. To everyone other than Dwardazik himself, it seemed to make him slow down to a crawl.
- The party left for a while and came back to check up on Jim's preparations. He was still quietly sipping tea by himself. They had a conversation:
- It sounds like Jim is actually just de-attuning from something and re-attuning to something else, which explains the apparent lack of active preparations at this time.
- The primary purpose of the smoke in the town is to calm the undead's urges. It's convenient that it also happens to keep the ants away.
- Jim insists that the party forget Overlook when they leave, not be "clever" about it.
- Partway through, Jim paid special attention to Marvin and started saying some of the same things about his soul that Eyesore and Vicra did.
- Jim's insight is a boon of Altzmyr, a deity associated with the undead. According to Jim, the dogma of Altzmyr says that the undead and the living are more alike than different, and that people should be free to decide what happens to them after they pass on, even if they wish to linger after death to resolve any lingering guilt, etc.
- The party has permission to spend the night in the hostel upstairs in the teahouse, where they received a call from Annu, who is again irritated that they haven't been perfect at making daily reports. The party responded with a status update, leaving out any identifying details of Overlook per Jim's wishes.
- Once Jim's preparations were completed, the party brought the Windbreaking Drill to the field and defeated the enemies in the area: terrifying plants that had been animated by the Turmoil. Grogery got knocked unconscious twice, Marvin got knocked unconscious once.
Full Recap
The session opens with the party in
Overlook, having just agreed to help
Jimson Datura weed out a particularly bad case of
Turmoil that has taken root in the area.
Their priority is to find the stables.
It's really easy to find shops, as everything is very simply labeled, with either "Stables", or "Blacksmith", or "We Repair Wood".
A Stable Situation
Dwardazik: Well, guys, I say we go ahead and get these oxen stabled so we can find a place to chill.
Dazki: Sounds good to me.
At the stables, there are just a couple of draft horses hanging out, no traveling horses. There are also two obviously undead zombies here, one raking out the stalls.
Dwardazik: I don't know about these undead guys, but... looks reasonable enough to me. Hey, stablemaster, can we have a moment of your time?
Stablemaster: Oh, hey! Are you new in town?
Dwardazik: Just passing through. We have some stuff that we need taken care of, but I'm not so good with the business of... uh... Dazki, you think you can take care of it?
Dazki: We've got some oxen and a cart. Would you happen to have some room for us to stable them in? If so, what would the cost be for, we'll say, a week at most?
Stablemaster, looking at a logbook that he has: I can take care of it for 3 copper per animal per day.
Dazki: That sounds like more than a good deal!
Stablemaster: No gold, though. It has to be copper.
Dazki: Would you take silver?
Stablemaster: I want copper.
The party huddles together to pool together the copper that they have on them.
Stablemaster: ...well, I guess I can take 3 silver a day, or 5 gold a day, but I would prefer 3 copper a day.
Dwardazik: The coppers will do fine, we just had to make sure we had it between us. They pay him 43 copper.
Stablemaster: Yeah, I can look after those. Please write down in your logbook that you've left your animals over here with me.
Dazki: Absolutely. He goes to write in the stablemaster's logbook.
Stablemaster: No, your logbook. I got mine.
Dazki: Oh, we weren't given a logbook.
Stablemaster: Well, everybody has a logbook... a day planner.
Dwardazik takes out his personal journal and notes down the exchange.
Dazki: Is there a specific city planner that we need to get, or do we just need to keep our own notes?
Stablemaster: I've been burned too many times by people forgettin' that they left their animals here, so we just kinda make sure we write it all down, you know?
Dazki: I understand. My dwarf friend there has it all written down in his book of notes.
Stablemaster: All right. You have fun out there, travelers!
Dazki: Thank you very much for usage of your stables and for your services.
Dwardazik: Actually, I got a question for you --
Stablemaster: Huh?
Dwardazik: You seem like you deal with a lot of traveling folk. Got a good place to sleep? A tavern, or an inn? Any recommendations?
Stablemaster: Not typically. The teahouse has a hostel.
Dwardazik: That would be... a bit more active company than we're looking for at the moment -- oh wait, hostel, not brothel.
Marvin: Yeah, man, get your mind out of the gutter!
Dwardazik: Any inns or taverns at all?
Marvin: I would guess that this place doesn't really expect travelers.
Dwardazik: Otherwise, the teahouse would be our best bet.
Dazki: And by the sounds of it, it sounds like this is a dry town.
Dwardazik: *dwarf grunts*
Grogery: Well, it's a good thing that you brought --
Dwardazik, interrupting him and taking a big finger to his beard: SHUSH!!
Dwardazik: Right, OK. The teahouse! Perfect. Great! Let's go.
He then
cracks a joyful smile, starts
humming a tune (since he can't whistle), and walks out.
Free Explore: The Town, The Myth, The Legend
There are still a few hours before dusk, but Jim had also said that he needs a few hours to prepare, before going to the teahouse.
Dwardazik: So, we're going to rendezvous with Jim before we do this?
Grogery: We'll probably have to talk with him to get the Windbreaking Drill.
Dwardazik: So, that means we're free to do whatever, or should we be prepping for something? ...outside of the normal smash-and-bash?
Dazki: I think it means that we're free to explore the city as we will.
Dwardazik: I don't know if we should wander too much in a new place, but then again, I don't like being surprised.
In the center of town, there is a fountain featuring a statue of a winged fellow on top. There are people lazily mulling about. Low energy, but very friendly and easygoing. As they pass the party, they acknowledge and give a smile and wave. They do the same with one another, as well.
A lot of places at the moment are cleaning up their shop. You notice, as the shadows grow within the city, so does the population of zombies. The zombies take the time to help pack up unsold fruits and vegetables, things like that. The zombies have nicer clothes on; clearly, not the clothes that they died in. One even has a necklace of dried flowers.
Grogery: I'm surprised that zombies are smart enough to do... work.
Dazki: They've probably been given very specific tasks that they knew how to do in life, or something.
Kesmet: "Water the flowers!" "Till the soil!" "Do... tasks!"
Dwardazik: It just seems so weird to me. I mean, they're... mindless, I thought? Right?
Marvin: Unless someone's given them commands.
Kesmet: Then whose command was it to kill us?
Dwardazik: But to have the ability to pack up a store? It's kind of impressive. Not that I particularly like this.
Dwardazik: I'd rather have a clan of dwarves, honestly.
Marvin pulls out his mandolin to start playing a song, setting up its case for accepting donations. Kesmet does some acrobatics alongside. The people are easily distracted, wandering over, saying things like, "oh hey, look, that guy's playing music!". The zombies don't care, of course. They earn 14 copper, four simple iron carpentry nails, and a piece of dried fruit.
While that's going on, Dazki listens in on what the people are murmuring among one another, listening specifically for any chatter about Turmoil or events related to
the Flesh Artist. Through all the mundane chatter (most significant among which being, "oh hey, did you see? the birds came back"), he can't help but notice that all the people in the area seem to have heavily dilated pupils.
Dazki: Hey, Grogery, you saw all those plants that they were harvesting and probably burning in the parapets as we were coming in?
Grogery: Yeah, I thought that was to keep the ants off.
Dazki: I'm sure it is, but do you know if they have any kind of narcotic, hallucinogenic, or mellowing abilities on humans during exposure?
Grogery: The people are definitely in some sort of drug-like state, although it's fairly minor. It's possible that they've built up a tolerance from living near it. I suspect that it has something to do with the fog in the city. I would also be concerned to excite a resident who's under the effects of such a thing, because if this is hallucinogenic, then we could spark something bad in them.
Grogery (cont'd): Their eyes are dilated, they easily forget what they're doing. Overly calm and curious. It's not too bad, but it's from the fog... does that mean that we're eventually going to come down with it too?
Dazki: I would assume so.
Marvin and Grogery: Or we could use the mask...
Dwardazik: Yes, the mask that's known for the enemy. I'm sure walking around with that won't draw any suspicious glances.
Grogery: It might be how people forget how to get here.
Dazki starts to put some of the cloth from his clothing over his nose and mouth.
Grogery: I also noticed that Jim doesn't seem to have some of the symptoms that these people have. He seems more together, so he might have an antidote, or some sort of effect that's helping him against it.
Dazki: It would make sense.
Grogery: The real question is, why is one person immune to this? Why is everyone else not doing the same thing?
Kesmet: He's the designated immune guy! Somebody needs to run the zombies.
Dwardazik: Hmm. You think that mask is going to work?
Marvin: No... well, it might, temporarily, but by the fourth day, you're fucked!
Dwardazik: No, I'm talking about the mask Dazki's using.
Dazki: I don't know. It might help a little bit, it might not.
Grogery: Usually, stuff like that doesn't help unless it's wet, right?
Dazki: You know more about medicine and things like that than I do, so I'll take your word on it.
Grogery: Kesmet, does the cloth need to be wet in order to protect from smoke?
Kesmet: All I know is that if it's wet with kerosene, it'll make a much nicer fire. Other than that, I'm not exactly an expert in wetness.
Dwardazik: I would say that yes, but the problem is that smoke's a little different than fine particles. When mining, and you're dealing with fine dust, a mask will usually cover it. But if we're dealing with something as fine as smoke, or a mist, I don't know if there's going to be any easy solution. Maybe that stablemaster had the right idea: maybe we should be writing down the things we learn.
Dazki: Yeah, that seems like a good idea.
Dwardazik: By the way, did you notice what Marvin and Kesmet got in their little reward pile over there? Notice the nails? That's kind of interesting.
Dazki: Like we said, I think metal's particularly valuable to them for things like iron or steel. Especially pre-formed.
Dwardazik: I wonder what the exchange rate is...
Dazki: We could always go to the market and see what we could by with it?
Dwardazik: Perhaps.
Marvin: Seems like the market's kinda packing up for the day. I've been curious if we can ask these people where the happenin' places around here are... oh wait, it's a dry town. Shit.
Dwardazik: *dwarf grunts*
Dazki: Teahouse.
Marvin: Teahouse. Sure.
Kesmet: It's been a little bit of time since the bald necromancer dude said he needed a couple of hours. We can go bother him, see if he's got The Windripper so that we can do the thing.
Dwardazik: Yeah, let's go do that. Maybe we can ask about some rooms, so that when we come back, completely fresh and unharmed, we have a place to sleep.
Dazki: I love the optimism.
On their way to the teahouse, Kesmet makes a remark about death in this town, which triggers a side conversation:
Dwardazik: Well, I mean... (He points over to the nearest zombie)... is that alive, or is it dead?
Dazki: It's dead.
Grogery: That's a very complicated question, religiously speaking.
Dwardazik: Ugh. I don't know. Corpses shouldn't be moving. Dwarves are supposed to be under the ground with their clans, becoming one with their clan once they die.
Dazki: It is a great source of free labor, though.
Dwardazik: Everything has a price.
Dazki: I'm not saying I agree with it, but economically, it makes sense. Especially with the incense, or whatever it is, that they have to burn to protect from the ants.
Dwardazik: It might be, but I think I understand now why this town isn't so... popular, and why the people try to remain hidden. As long as they ain't causin' no trouble, and they're respectful enough, I can overlook it, but... (He looks at some of the undead dwarves around)... *dwarf grunts*. Undead dwarves... it ain't right! ... ...well, no sense worrying over that!
Is it an A-House? Is it a B-House? Is it a C-House? ...
The teahouse is a simple establishment. The interiors of all these buildings look incredibly similar: off-white ash-colored brick, all the furniture made out of a darker not-quite-mahogany wood, clearly built by a different individual than who did the masonry, because it doesn't match. There are zombie workers here, as well: one is mopping the floor, another has an organ grinder with a little record in it, which he uses to play a little tune.
Jim is sitting at a table by himself, still just sipping tea. Dwardazik approaches him.
Dwardazik: Hey, Jim!
Jim: Oh, hello again.
Dwardazik: I figured, some time had passed, and you're ready to rock and roll?
Jim: I am not yet ready to rock or roll.
Dwardazik: All right, then whatcha drinkin'?
Jim: I've got a lovely cup of tea.
Dwardazik: What kind of tea?
Jim: Mushroom-based.
Dwardazik: What kind of mushroom?
Jim: Something to calm the mind and ease the joints.
Marvin, sarcastically: Yeah, man, you look super high-strung. You really need to lay back a little bit.
Dwardazik: What's it called, so I can order it? (No immediate response) This is a teahouse, right? You can order tea here, right?
Jim: You can order tea here.
Dwardazik: Waitress!
A waitress approaches: Oh, well, huh, wait, ... hi!
Dwardazik: I want one of what Jim's got over here!
Waitress: Um...
The waitress consults a book that she has, then leaves and comes back with an earthy-smelling tea, with some sort of mushroom in it.
Dwardazik: All right, lads. Want to take any bets?
Dazki and Marvin: Bet on... what? What do you mean?
Dwardazik: Too late! He chugs the entire cup of tea.
Dazki, indignant: That's not how you enjoy tea! Would you chug a...
Grogery: He's a dwarf. Yes he would.
Dazki: Well, I'm just going to order a cup of normal tea. A green tea, if you have it.
Kesmet: I'll have water.
Waitress: Water? We definitely have water.
Kesmet: Warm water.
Waitress: What makes tea green, do you think?
Grogery: Probably the leaves.
Dazki: Yeah, it's the leaves used to steep it.
Waitress: Oh, we have leaves!
Dazki: Great! Could you put some leaves in some warm water for me?
Waitress: OK!
Dazki: ...and then bring it to the table?
Waitress: Yeah, I... I know how to do my job.
Dwardazik: Be a good boy, now, Dazki! She's really good at making it... nice and warm.
Marvin: I shall also have one!
Waitress: One of what?
Marvin: I don't know. Whatever you think is best?
Waitress: Well, are you thirsty? If so, you know, this is a teahouse.
Marvin: Oh, it is? Oh! Yeah, I'll have one of those. Whatever tea you think is best!
Waitress: OK, well, I've already got some leaves here, so I'll just make some more of that.
Marvin: Yeah!
Waitress: Yeah!
The waitress leaves, and the party has an aside.
Dazki: So, guys, I think I've figured out a way to get a message out, but I don't know if I want to. Jim's been very honest and forthcoming with us so far, and I don't really want to betray his trust.
Marvin: Yeah, he seems all right.
Dazki: So I'd like your thoughts, feelings, and opinions.
Kesmet: I don't know, he seems like a good guy. What's the plan, what's going on?
Grogery: Would this message be just a, "hey, we found it, we're fine", or...?
Marvin: Are you sending that to the W.E.I.R.D. group?
Dazki: Yeah, to them.
Marvin: I don't see a problem with that.
Dazki: My thought was, we have this (He takes out the bronze hummingbird), and their base would be probably just within range. If we can give them Jim's name and a description, they can send him a message with it and then follow the bird to find their way here if they needed to.
Grogery: I would like to know more of Jim's opinion on W.E.I.R.D. before doing that sort of thing.
Dazki: That's kind of my thought too. I don't want to betray his trust, because he seems to be willing to work with us and be honest with us.
Dwardazik: I agree.
Grogery: If he sees them as friends, then he might be open to us doing that. ...also, he has Dazki's blood.
Dazki: That's fair.
Dwardazik: I don't see anything wrong -- he hasn't mistreated me yet, and I've been treated worse by others. As far as I'm concerned, I don't know if I fully trust W.E.I.R.D., even if they've been treating us well. I say we just keep it in the back burner.
Dazki: Fair enough.
Dwardazik: We don't know what... "motives"... (He motions to Baxton's Embroidered Mantle of Spell Resistance, which Dazki is still wearing)... everyone might have.
Dazki, picking up the hint and glancing down at the cloak as well: Some would be particularly easy to guess.
Grogery: Jim seemed pretty standoffish with us until we offered to do something about Vicra and was a little more welcoming after that point. So I think he's on our side.
Dazki: At the very least, he didn't seem hostile to us either way.
Grogery: I'm actually really surprised I was even allowed in here, considering all of the zombies...
Dazki: He did also make me promise to keep you away from them.
Grogery: I've just been trying this whole time not to attract too much attention...
Dwardazik: I don't see what the problem is. It's not like Grogery doesn't have any kind of self-control.
Dazki: Of course not, but he's a threat to their way of life.
Dwardazik: Well, why don't we get Grogery's opinion on this? What do you think, Grogery? Do these undead rile you up? It looks like they're farmers and helpers.
Grogery, trying to sound "like a grown-up": It would not be very... conducive... to what we're trying to do here... for me to... voice opinions... on this matter.
Dwardazik: I see you picked up more from the elves than we thought. Ugh. Elven nobility and their mincing of words. Frankly, --
Grogery: We are after a much, much worse person than anything I've seen here.
Dwardazik: That's understandable, and I commend you for your ability to distance yourself from this minor inconvenience.
Grogery: Honestly, I'm a little bit nervous about the cloud stuff. I can be reasonable and rational and compartmentalize and all that right now, but we don't know if that's necessarily going to be true tomorrow.
Dazki: I figured we would take care of that stuff tonight.
Dwardazik: Yeah. We can take care of it... t o n i g h t.
Dazki: And then tomorrow morning, we can head to our next destination.
Dwardazik, after a pause: That destination, ... ... we found out where that is yet?
Dazki: We are taking care of the thing for Jim in exchange for that destination.
Dwardazik, after another pause: ...which destination is that?
Dazki: The Flesh Artist's home.
Dwardazik: Oh, yeah, yeah. ... ... ... yeah.
Dwardazik pulls out a flask and starts filling his tea cup with it, pouring it very slowly.
Dazki: Dwarven tea, huh?
Dwardazik doesn't respond, and he just continues to slowly pour the flask.
Grogery: I'd be careful to make sure there aren't any mix effects between the two things you're trying to drink.
Marvin: Bah, Grogery, what's the worst that could happen?
Grogery: You don't want to mix medicines that aren't supposed to be mixed!
Dwardazik: There we go. He proceeds to slowly cap the flask back up. Now this will hit the spot. He grabs the cup and slowly brings it to his mouth.
Dazki: Just be careful not to imbibe too much. We do have work to do later.
Dwardazik takes an incredibly slow sip of his ale.
Dazki: Are you feeling all right, Dwardazik?
V E R Y... S L O W L Y...
Dazki: Grogery, would you mind taking a look at him?
Grogery: Hey, Dwardazik?
Dwardazik, slowly turning to look at Grogery: W h a t?
Grogery: You're looking a bit... more serene than usual. Is everything going on OK?
Dwardazik: Y E S. He takes another SLOW sip of his drink.
Grogery takes his pulse.
Grogery: I really don't think it's a good idea for you to be drinking right now. Save that for --
Dwardazik, slowly: W H Y?
Dazki: It seems like the tea is causing some... issues. You slowed down a little bit.
Dwardazik, slowly: Why are you talking S O... F A S T? ... ... D A M N... E L V E S.
Dwardazik slowly raises his hand into a fist and brings it down slowly onto the table, lightly tapping it.
Dazki: Grogery, do you think you could maybe...
Grogery: Yeah, I think so. I'm nervous to be casting cleric magic in front of all these people here, though!
Kesmet: Hang on, hang on, hang on. Kesmet casts Greater Invisibility on Grogery. There. Fixed.
Grogery: You think this is going to make them any less suspicious of me?!
Kesmet just shrugs his shoulders.
Grogery: Well, at least...
Kesmet: 60 seconds. Er, 40 now.
Grogery: Fine, fine.
Dwardazik: W H E R E... I S... ... G R O G E R Y?
As Dwardazik slowly tries to bring up his hand to look around to find Grogery, the cleric casts Lesser Restoration on him. As the slowness effect wears off, Dwardazik just blinks.
Dwardazik: DAMN, you guys are fast. Oh, wait... I'M fast? I can move! He goes for his cup and starts drinking it normally.
Grogery: OK, did we learn anything today?
Kesmet firebolts the cup out of Dwardazik's hand.
Dwardazik: Aww, why? That was good ale!
Kesmet: Dwardazik, I know it was good ale, but listen to me. He looks him in the eye. You have to be strong, until we get out of this town, OK? Something in the air is affecting you, and you can't... do what you usually do, if you know what I mean.
Dwardazik leans his head on the table, in a very "sad dwarf" kind of manner.
Kesmet: Come on, Dwardazik. You've got to be strong. You're the strongest of us.
Dwardazik, reluctantly: I'll do it for you, Kesmet...
Dazki: Hey, guys, why don't we see if we can get a room? They said that there might be rooms here to rent.
Grogery: Sure.
Dwardazik: Oh yeah, one of the reasons we came here.
Dazki heads up to the waitress.
Dazki: Hey, do you have rooms for rent here?
Waitress: I mean, we don't... hello!
Dazki: Hi!
Waitress: We don't really rent spaces, but if anyone's feeling a little unwell, we have a hostel upstairs.
Dazki: We're probably going to need to stay the night. Would it be OK if we stay the night at the hostel?
Waitress: Yeah, we have a hostel upstairs.
Dazki: Yeah, is there a charge? Do we need to pay?
Waitress: ...yes. Yes, you need to pay to stay at the hostel.
Dazki: How much?
Waitress: What do you have?
Dazki, with a laugh: I see you're negotiating hardball already! He starts taking out his coin purse.
Marvin, joining in: Hang on just a second, Dazki. He turns to the waitress. Hey, can we rent rooms here?
Waitress: Oh, hi!
Marvin: Hi! That was really good tea.
Waitress: This is a teahouse, I'm glad you like the tea here.
Marvin: Hey, yeah. Me and my friends here aren't feeling very well. We're gonna just go ahead and stay the night in the hostel.
Waitress: Oh, yeah, we have a hostel upstairs, for if people are feeling unwell!
Marvin: So we're just gonna go up there now, if that's all right. OK, bye!
Waitress, convinced by Marvin's persuasiveness: OK!
Dwardazik: Might as well go up there...
The party goes upstairs to check out the hostel, though not before Dwardazik is able to sneak a piece of silver onto the counter. On the way:
Marvin: Yeah, you're not feeling good, man. You slowed down.
Dwardazik: I know when Grogery's stuff has happened. I feel unusually sober. I'll bet you water would get me there!
Marvin: Man, you really aren't feeling good! You've gotten crazy!
Dwardazik: Well, I wanted to take a look at the space anyway.
The party takes a short rest in the hostel, which is just one big space that's been converted. The party are the only people up here. During the short rest:
- Dwardazik notes in his journal about what he's noticed about the situation: prices and exchange rates, as well as the interesting effects he experienced with the tea.
- Dazki notes the symptoms that the smoke causes after long-term exposure, then makes progress on reading The Book of the Mirage.
- Grogery also spends the time writing stuff down.
- Kesmet spends the time practicing voices, improving his impression of Baxton's voice and trying to do Jim's voice. He's now perfectly capable of doing Baxton's voice, but Jim remains an enigma.
After the short rest, the party heads downstairs, ready to go out and find Jim. It seems that he hasn't moved from his spot the entire time, which is somewhat surprising for someone who said that he had a lot of preparations to do.
Marvin: Maybe he's... preparing his mind?
Grogery: Sometimes people say they need to "get something ready", but that's sometimes code for "I don't want to do it right now", right?
Marvin: Yeah...
Dazki moves to Jim's table and takes a seat. Marvin follows, while Dwardazik stands awkwardly nearby. Throughout this conversation, two things happen (that I won't call out individually when they happen):
- Kesmet quietly mimics some of the words that Jim says, trying to get the subtleties of his speech.
- Jim makes concerned / scared / irritated glances over at Grogery.
Dazki: So, Jim, are you about ready for us to go take care of the little problem outside in the fields yet?
Jim: I require one more hour of preparation, minimally.
Dazki: OK, then we can meet you back here after an hour?
Jim: If you so wish.
Dazki: Don't we need to get the Windbreaking Drill from you so that we can cleanse the Turmoil?
Jim: This is correct, but there's no reason to be in such a hurry. I am merely re-attuning.
Dazki: OK.
Jim: It's not very often we get reasonable conversation here, for obvious reasons.
Dazki: Yeah, we kind-of noticed.
Grogery: Is there a reason why everybody is... like this? The mechanism is somewhat obvious, but is there a reason why?
Jim: Little cleric, I would be more comfortable if you were to keep a more reasonable distance from me.
Grogery: OK, is that "get another table" reasonable distance, or "get out of the teahouse" reasonable distance?
Jim: I don't care for the searing light in your eyes. It unsettles me.
Grogery: I'm sorry that you find me unsettling. I wish I could say that those sorts of attitudes were only present here.
Jim: You misunderstand me, little cleric. I care not for your monstrous smile or your green skin.
Marvin: Hey, now!
Jim: He's likely to take it as a compliment, having a necromancer worried for his survival.
Marvin: Ooh, you got him scared!
Jim: But, back to polite conversation. The smoke here, secondarily, may keep the ants away. It has an effect on the mortal body, yes, but it helps keep the undead in line. Calms their urges.
Dazki: Ahh. I wouldn't think that creatures, who didn't need to breathe, would be affected by something like that?
Jim: Interesting, isn't it?
Kesmet: Maybe they just kinda absorb it through their skin. Like a frog.
Dwardazik: That is kinda weird...
Jim: I do not fully understand why it works. The technique is merely passed down through generations.
Dazki: I take it that this town has been here for a long time?
Jim: Nobody is quite sure how old the town is, but it must be quite a while, as multiple generations of people have lived and bred here. Founded, primarily, by exiles. Now a happy, burgeoning town.
Dazki: Don't people here ever wish to have contact outside?
Jim: Those who wish to have contact outside freely leave and forget their existence here. It doesn't happen often.
Kesmet: Wait, they forget everything? What if they've been here for years?
Jim: People are here to forget the outside world.
Dwardazik: Don't ya need any kind of trade, though? With the outside world? Supplies?
Jim: Life here can be difficult, but it's home to many.
Dwardazik: What about a chosen few? If you find us amenable, I'm a merchant myself. I can set up some kind of trade route. Personal, of course. You could get some supplies from the outside, just for you.
Jim: Take no offense, but I prefer you forget about me and Overlook as soon as you leave.
Dwardazik: Well, if that's what you want...
Kesmet: All right, sure, we'll totally do that. By the way, can I ask a slight favor?
Jim: As long as it does not interrupt my de-attunement.
Kesmet: Of course not, of course not. Could you repeat the following sentence for me?
Jim, after some time passes: You did not say a sentence.
Kesmet: I was waiting for you to... OK, here's the sentence: The quick bald necromancer jumped over the burgeoning cleric.
Jim: The quick bald necromancer jumped over the burgeoning cleric.
Kesmet listens intently and tries to mimic it.
Jim: I do have a query.
Dazki: Of course!
Jim: There may be unfortunate timing with the quest you see yourself on.
Dwardazik: Uh... why?
Jim: Though the night is nothing to be afraid of here, some of your compatriots may prefer not to travel into uncharted territory in the dark. I fear that it will turn dark if you wish to fulfill your obligations before rest.
Dwardazik: Do we mind doing it in the dark? I've got my lantern.
Kesmet: I'm starting to be a bit more uncomfortable with this mind-affecting aerial drug thing. I'm remembering what happened last time, so I kinda want to leave as soon as possible.
Grogery: I'm fine with the dark.
Kesmet: Dark, light, whatever. We can cast Light.
Jim: I assure you that the smog amongst this town isn't dangerous.
Dazki: We can tell it's not dangerous, it is just new to us, and it's got us a bit concerned.
Dwardazik: Gotta stay in fighting shape. That drink you've got there is pretty strong. I don't know if I'd be able to throw a punch if I had to work through it.
Jim: Like I said, it helps calm my nerves. Now, you mentioned my name before you knew me?
Dazki: Yes.
Jim: I do not like this.
Dwardazik: It's all the attention that the Flesh Artist is bringin'. If you help us get rid of him, all this publicity goes away.
Dazki: Someone searching for him came across this town, a woman who... (He gives a description of Callista Perry). She had fleeting memories that were fading very rapidly, and she could just barely remember the name Jim.
Jim: She is unfortunately clever, that spy.
Marvin: Spy, you say?
Dazki: Why would you call her a spy?
Jim: A spy. An individual gathering information for dissemination where it doesn't belong. Spy.
Marvin: Who's to say where information belongs? Information is great!
Jim: It is the will of those that live here to not be disturbed by the outside world.
Dazki: The information was not intended to spy on, or to harm, you or any of your people. It was intended so that she could find her way back and stop the Flesh Artist. Having encountered complications since leaving this town, she sent us in her stead.
Jim: Such disseminators of information about us are not typically welcomed here. I do humbly ask that you try not to be "clever" about anything. You will be doing more harm than good.
Dwardazik: Just help us take care of the Flesh Artist, and we'll be out of your way.
Jim: As you no doubt have seen, a lot of what we do here is not exactly "legal" in other systems.
Dwardazik: Look, I think it's pretty strange that you've got undead here, especially undead dwarves. But we came here as guests, and you've been a decent host so far. So I ain't gonna be causin' no trouble. I'm sure all the rest of my lads feel the same way, aye? (The other non-Kesmet party members signal their support.) We may not agree about this, but let's face it, we've got a bigger problem to deal with, and this bigger problem is that Flesh Artist.
Jim: Interesting. A bard that does not wish to move information.
Dwardazik: What, Marvin over there? He's gonna be writing all about my legendary destruction of the Flesh Artist when I run into his dungeon and slap him silly with my fists! I don't think he needs to talk too much about Overlook!
Marvin: Speaking of that...
Dwardazik was a fan of Kraghunter,
He sipped so hard. What a wonder!
They discussed digging up pits,
He's a hero... who gives a shit?!
Can't we all just move past this blunder?
Dwardazik claps, yet Jim just looks curiously at Marvin.
Or through him. It's hard to tell with Jim. He squints his eyes at Marvin in confusion.
Jim: What have you done to be so unfortunate, Marv?
Marvin: Man, I haven't been called "Marv" in a while. Um, I don't know. I'm just trying to write a good story, OK? Who knows, I probably won't remember shit about this place, but all the people I'm with typically wind up getting eaten by a giant monster or something. These guys have been pretty lucky so far, though. I'm hoping that good luck rubs off on me.
Jim: Curious.
Dwardazik: Just drink some ale, and you'll get some luck! It's always gotten me out of a bind.
Jim: The grains are put to much better use as a food source than as recreation.
Marvin: Ahh, that's why they're dry.
Dwardazik: Well, you've got yourself a... perpetual... well, I wouldn't call it a "drunk mist", but...
Jim: Apologies, dwarf. I must ask Marv more.
Marvin: Why is everyone so interested in how lucky I may or may not be?
Dwardazik: I'm also getting kinda interested in why Marvin has this... yeah.
Jim: I'm not much of a mystic, but I can probably guess to your past. A series of friendships made and friendships lost? About good situations gone bad?
Marvin, squinting at him: You don't know me, man! You don't know me!
Jim: My apologies for prying.
Marvin: Do you know something that I don't? Because I'm all ears!
Jim: Altzmyr's generosity allows me to pierce the body and witness the soul directly (many souls that wind up here are troubled by something) and, subtly, steer their bodies here. Like an elephant to an elephant graveyard. Most of the time it's remorse or guilt, but I don't see any of that in your soul.
Marvin: I feel like you just undressed me. I feel dirty.
Jim: I sense that I am making you uncomfortable. I can stop prying. (He takes a sip of his tea.)
Dazki: That brought up a question I had for you, if you don't mind? Who is this "Altzmyr"? I don't recall ever having heard that name before.
Jim: Well, there's no reason for deception here. Altzmyr is... (a homebrew deity, but not original, so he doesn't get his own page on our wiki). He is a lesser-known god, for good reason. Much like Overlook, it's better that he be forgotten. He is, indeed, a god of undead, but not one so cruel as the others. For each body once had a soul, and each soul once had a body. There should be no reason that changing of forms would cause one to be inherently good or evil. They simply are what they were.
Dwardazik: I'm afraid I don't necessarily understand. Is that sayin' if my soul was somehow put into an elf body, I'm somehow still... me?
Jim: I take issue with that thought process. If you truly wished to have your soul in the body of an elf, you should be allowed to.
Dwardazik hugs himself tightly: No touchie!
Jim: And if you wish to linger on this plane as a ghost or other entity, one should not force the peace of death upon you, making decisions on your behalf as if they are giving you "mercy".
Dwardazik: Just don't turn me into an elf!
Dazki: That is an interesting philosophy.
Dwardazik: All dwarves from Amber Falls are buried underneath the mountain so they can return to the Maker!
Jim: I'm sure this is what they would like, yes. It is their will. But sometimes, a soul is so full of regret, remorse, anxiety, anger, that it lingers here, attempting desperately to fix what it could not in life, does it not? Ghouls, specters?
Dwardazik: I dunno. Living here, it feels like you'd be living some kind of curse, then? A ghoul or specter doesn't seem like a happy existence.
Jim: It is not.
Dwardazik: Isn't it mercy to put 'em out of their misery and send 'em to death?
Jim: So often, it is done without their permission. Without any other option given to them.
Dwardazik: And this is what your god can provide? An "option"?
Jim: Altzmyr merely wishes that people give undeath a chance at redemption.
Dwardazik: Hmm.
Dazki: That is interesting. It does sort-of run... counter... to much of what the elven people are taught. At least among the wood elves, we are taught that we are all made of the same elements: earth, fire, water, air, darkness, and light. And that, as we die, to continue the cycle of life on the planet, our souls escape into the air and light, and our bodies must return to the earth, the water, and the fire.
Jim: And this is the will of the person, then.
Dazki: I suppose that's a fair way to put it...
Dwardazik: I can't argue with that. I'm not necessarily sure how I feel about the undead, but --
Jim: The undead here are not --
Dwardazik: Now just wait a minute there, Jim. I'm sayin' somethin', and I wanna get it to ya. I understand your position a little bit better now, and I can respect that. It's... very free, in essence. Doesn't seem like you're enslaving people. So, for now, I'm fine with this.
Jim: Overlook provides an opportunity for a soul, who would normally be damned to anger or hatred, to instead have a chance to pass on peacefully. Redemption for evil deeds, here, need not be the burden solely for the living. Redemption is hard. It takes time. Sometimes a person simply does not live long enough to ease their guilt and right their wrongs.
Kesmet mentally nudges Baxton.
Jim: Tortured souls, not redeemed, are cursed to wander, and may turn to evil acts. But here, you can allow your body to be used for good, even after your death, giving the soul one last chance to have a more peaceful afterlife knowing that even in death, they can still help their friends, their family, and the home that they left behind.
Dazki: I do suppose that if it is consented to beforehand, then... that's that!
Jim: The sentence was circular, but I appreciate the sentiment of it.
Kesmet: You're kinda into some freaky shit. I doubt even Dennis would, you know, do this.
Dwardazik: Does that mean you're ready?
Jim: Almost. Attunement takes time and concentration.
Dazki: All right. Well, thank you for the conversation. It was enlightening.
Annu There'd Be Trouble
The cellstone rings. It's
Annu. They go upstairs.
Annu: Appropriate forces have been directed to the infected area successfully and have acquired the material for elimination. Delays in reports from you prompted me to log your location prior to sending this message for the purposes of determining further locations of contamination, should you have been careless enough to spread the infection. I cannot determine your location at this time. You are in violation of our agreed-upon terms. You will explain.
After much deliberation about how much information to give Annu, without either exposing Overlook or sandbagging too much, the party settles on a reply:
Grogery: We believe there is an effect blocking Divination magic near the Flesh Artist's lair, hence the difficulty in determining our exact location. The entrance to his lair moves based on the tunneling of the indigenous ant fauna. We are currently engaged in an operation to determine the exact entrypoint, and we will provide further information in tomorrow's report.
Jim's acolytes have delivered a fantastically arcane-looking object, shaped like a big cone. It looks like diamond, even though it can't possibly be. A variety of bronzed and silvered adornments anchor it at a very specific point with various joints. The contraption itself has three little legs, and it's the size of three baguettes tied together. Apparently, you can plunge the cone into a particular spot on one of the runes in a crop circle. It's definitely elven, that's for sure
Dwardazik: Do we want to do it tonight? I say, the sooner we do it, the sooner we can insult the Flesh Artist, the better.
Dazki: Yeah. I think this might be more difficult tonight, but that would make tomorrow's job easier. I would suggest that I carry the drill, since I'm the fastest.
The group reminds themselves what the plan is, and it must be done in this order:
- Eliminate hostiles in the area.
- Plant the Windbreaking Drill on the main runestone.
- Hit the Windbreaking Drill with a sufficiently powerful elemental magic.
- Run away.
Assuming all of the stones activate to provide additional power, it should be more than enough to clean the area of its current tumultuous energy.
Power Plants
The party heads to the fields that Jim indicated were having problems.
Unlike the fields where you entered, these fields are clearly not very well upkept. There are no undead over here tending them. A lot of the other fields in this area have been harvested and then never replanted. As you approach the field that Jim pointed out, the area is incredibly neglected and overgrown with weeds. Despite what Jim warned about, the party does not yet notice any creatures creeping around this field. Just a bunch of overgrown plants, which (for their part) look very out of place.
The various boulders you see, which have been very neatly cleared out except for the obvious overgrowth of weeds, occasionally crackle with a whitish-blue energy that lights the field. Obviously malfunctioning: this is not supposed to make that noise. After the crackling noise, there is a massive energy surge between all of the stones, briefly, before going dim again. Some of the plants are, indeed, rooted into these rocks, which may explain this malfunction.
Dazki: Hmm, it looks like the plants are the Turmoil-related... uh... stuff.
Marvin: Was that your technical appraisal, there, Dazki?
Dazki, slightly aggravated: Do you have a more technical appraisal?
Marvin: I think you're right, Dazki!
Dazki, spotting a plant that's a bit more "active" than the others: So, here's a question, folks. Um... what do you think about setting a field on fire?
Marvin: I thought we talked about this --
Kesmet: I'm for it.
Dwardazik: I can't think of a faster, more efficient way of dealing with all this than burning all this crap off these rocks. Rock don't burn™, that's why it's superior.
Marvin: Are you sure that's a fact, Dwardazik? What's lava, then?
Dwardazik: It's not burning, just liquid.
Grogery: What about coal?
Dazki points out some plants that are looking more suspicious. While the rest of the party fumbles about, deliberating about what to do, Dwardazik gets impatient, quips something anachronistic, and just walks over to a rock to start ripping the plants off of it.
Kesmet: Dwardazik! Those rocks tend to spark every now and then!
Dwardazik: Yeah? Well, so do you!
As Dwardazik plucks away at the plants, a loud noise comes out from an unknown location. Bursting from the crops as if they were a sea, a massive dragon-like entity breaches forth, returning under the ground as if nothing had happened.
This disturbs some of the plant life in the area as well.
Combat Summary
- The dandi-lions (smaller plants) extended out their vines to grapple and restrain targets at a distance. Additionally, as the vine would stay attached, it would start to grow more plants on its target, causing the dandi-lion to regenerate a little health.
- The snapdragon (large dragon-like plant monster) would surface and then disappear below ground, making quick attacks.
- Whenever the snapdragon would successfully devour someone, it would be stuck above the ground a while, leaving it vulnerable. This happened to Grogery once and Dwardazik once.
- The snapdragon would spit up its devoured target after taking some threshold of damage on one turn, but the target would be left prone with a sticky substance on it that attracted the dandi-lions. The extra attention caused Grogery to get knocked unconscious immediately after getting ejected once.
- Grogery was raised by a healing potion from Kesmet, but got knocked back down again before he could do anything.
- Marvin was knocked down by damage from one dandi-lion that was made worse by another dandi-lion grappling him.
- Kesmet flew REALLY high up in the air, which made it awkward to go back on the offensive and to get healing potions to people who needed them.
- Dazki made the killing blow with an arrow that whizzed by the head of a devoured Dwardazik.
