Session 77

General Summary

• At the very end of a long rest, the cultist from the first room of this floor (who wants to be called "Pigeon") frantically knocked on the door to the Art Studio, asking to be let in.
• As the party debated about what to do, another cultist (later revealed to be a High Cultist called "Crow") started choking him, so Dazki opened the door and stabbed Crow, Kesmet finishing him off with a Fire Bolt.
• They brought Pigeon into the Art Studio, and Pigeon explained some of what's going on down here, over breakfast:
• Pigeon is a drug addict who has a horrible memory and "doesn't understand art", so he uses his cursed journal to make up for it.
• Vicra is reconstituting somewhere to the south. Pigeon mentioned a secretary.
• There are "Fossilized Melodies" around this floor, each protected by a High Cultist. Each is an ornate bird skull, which the High Cultists have incorporated into their "art" in their own ways.
• In order to access Vicra's chamber, a majority of the High Cultists would need to agree, so the party would need to gather at least four of these "Fossilized Melodies".
• Snipe, the cultist with the Scorpion Armor and Pyroconverger, is was one of the six.
• Crow, the one who was choking Pigeon just before, is was another.
• There's something about Canary and Jackdaw, but Pigeon can't remember.
• The elf victim, who has a nasty damaged leg, tried to interrupt the conversation using a meat cleaver, but Dazki intercepted him before he could do anything.
• At a tense part of the discussion with Pigeon, Dwardazik challenged him to a duel, over strong objections from Kesmet, who even offered some drugs to try to placate the cultist. Dwardazik insisted on the duel, and he knocked Pigeon out cold.
• Dwardazik then woke Pigeon back up and offered him a "guest" position in his clan, to give the cultist a chance at redemption. The dwarf insists that he would be a servant, not a slave.
• The sight of sharp sugar brought the elf victim's full attention onto Kesmet. Marvin helped pacify the elf so that Kesmet could interrogate him.
• The elf was convinced that Kesmet was sent from The Hounds Guild to murder him.
• The only thing that would convince him otherwise was the news that Dennis, not his long-dead father, is the leader of the Guild now.
• Once Kesmet believed that the elf had only outdated information, he let him go.
• The party moved on to the "Main Art Gallery", where Dazki found and pocketed Snipe's "Fossilized Melody". They opened the door to the "Gifts of Possibility and Duality" thanks to Grogery's puzzle-solving skills.

Full Recap

Finishing the Watch

As Dwardazik is trying to recover from the effects of the Scorpion Armor, Dazki pulls Grogery aside.

Dazki: Hey, have you noticed Dwardazik being a bit more... aggressive, lately?   Grogery: Yeah. I kind of assumed part of it was just him being a bit more on edge some days, but it is getting kind of consistent.   Dazki: I don't know exactly when, but I started to really notice it ever since we left Ashport. I think we need to keep an eye on him, and I also think we should get Baxton's Ring of Mind Shielding away from him, if possible. I can't imagine that Baxton is being a positive influence at the moment.   Grogery: It does seem entirely in Baxton's character to make Dwardazik act irrationally, for the sake of getting us to interfere...   Dazki: Or for the sake of interfering with us, or getting his revenge, or whatever he might want to do.   Grogery: I agree. If you have any recommendations for how to broach the subject with him, I am all ears.   Dazki: I think I could possibly get the ring from him, but the aggression thing... we might need to keep an eye on him and figure something out. I don't want to have to go to Alfalfa to ask about his history, but that might be a good way to get some information too. If we ever get back to Ashport...   Grogery: His history seems pretty clear-cut.   Dazki: He's been extremely evasive and contradictory about it, at multiple points.   Grogery: That doesn't necessarily mean that it's difficult to figure out what happened, though.   Dazki: I think I know what happened, from his perspective. I think there's more to it than he either knows... or is willing to admit. We did have that conversation with Alfalfa shortly before we left, so he might be feeling threatened by something related to that, too.   Grogery: We're out of Ashport now, though, so if he's feeling threatened about something in the city — maybe part of him is worried about the house?   Dazki: I don't think that's it. Either way, I think we can get the ring from him relatively soon, and then start working on keeping his violent tendencies in check by trying to be his better angels. By the way, thank you for not letting us toss that one guy in the containment zone. I don't know if it was a good idea or not, but thank you, nonetheless.   Grogery: I'd say "you're welcome", but it just felt like the right thing to do.   Dazki: Well, if you see a guy dressed in robes of the church of Pelor, he obviously ascribes to what the church of Pelor is doing. You see someone down here, in cultist robes, he probably also ascribes to (and supports) what they're doing here.   Grogery: It's part of Pelor's teachings. Everyone deserves a chance at redemption, and —   Dazki, indicating to the smoldering corpses of The Surgeon's victims: Even the person that cut these people up? The person that knowingly and willingly mutilated living people for entertainment?   Grogery: If you need to kill someone like that to stop them, then you do. But someone who's just here — you don't know why they're here or what they're doing here, and they don't seem to immediately be presenting any danger to those around them — why make the situation worse?   Dazki: I just... He sighs. If you actively support something like this, then I don't feel you deserve a second chance.   Grogery: On some level, you have to have faith that the gods have given you all the chances that can be given to you. Maybe I just don't have it in me to be able to go through the things that the rest of you are able to go through.   Dazki: It's... He sighs again. Honestly, you're probably better for it. I'm still grappling with all the lives that I've taken since we started, and it's "only" been, what, four? Five? Still way more than I ever saw myself taking.   Grogery: At least you don't have to grapple with all of the people you might have been able to save but couldn't... or wouldn't...   Dazki: As long as I do my best, then I think I could live with it. If they died, but I did my best, then I couldn't have stopped it anyway.

/*This was quite a lot to untangle. Original: I mean, as long as you do your best, then, I think you can, I can live with the people that, died even, 'cause if I did my best, I couldn't have stopped it anyway.*/

  Grogery: At the same time, I don't want to get complacent. Maybe this really is the best I can do, but it might be possible to do better.   Dazki: Absolutely. No one can always be their best self. We just need to keep on trying. And that's what we have friends and companions for, right? To hold us to a higher standard.   Grogery: Yup.   Dazki: So you keep pushing me to be better, and I'll keep pushing you to be better.   Grogery: Thanks! And we can also push Dwardazik to be better, and to save him from himself.   Dazki: If "himself" is really the cause of all this...   Grogery: Typically, when you have that sort of destructive behavior towards other people, it's not directed at them. A lot of times, it's directed at yourself.

Dazki resumes his part of the watch, staring intently at the door to the Living Quarters while Grogery keeps an eye on the others.

A New "Day"

A pleading knock comes on the "Main Art Gallery" door.

Voice: Come on guys, you have to let me back in! You have to forgive me and let me in this time, for sure! I don't remember how to open this door! Listen, man, I fucked up, but I'm not gonna fuck up anymore, and, um...   Voice (cont'd): Listen, man, something's gone wrong out here, and if you're still alive in there, like... Snipe, like, left her treasure unguarded! And that's not like her, right? So...

Dazki quietly wakes up the others, pre-emptively shushing them and letting them know that there's someone outside the door. Marvin instinctively points his new Pyroconverger towards the door.

Dazki (whispering): I think it's that same guy that you and Dwardazik knocked out earlier.   Marvin (whispering): Oh, the guy we made think he's drunk?   Dazki (whispering): Yeah.   Marvin (whispering): Ohhhhhh...   Kesmet (whispering): What does he want?!   Marvin (whispering): We might give him PTSD, at this point...   Dwardazik (not whispering at all): Hmm? What's goin' on?   Kesmet (whispering): Dazki, I have an idea. So, we need to get rid of him, right? Without letting him in here?   Dazki (whispering): I think letting him in here might be a good idea. We can question him.   Marvin (whispering): And then what? Just tie him up or something?   Dazki (whispering): Yeah, and lock him in here.   Marvin (whispering and motioning to the victims the room): These three might have something to say about that.

Two of the victims (the half-orc and another) clearly didn't want anything to do with the third. It looked like the half-orc intended to keep watch but has fallen asleep by the other. The third is not sleeping.

Dwardazik (a little quietly): I completely agree.   Kesmet (whispering): I kind-of don't want to let him in here, but at the same time... Dazki, what if I impersonate the doctor's voice to tell him to leave? "Everything's fine here, go back to your post"?   Dazki (whispering): What if he knows that the doctor won't have reconstituted yet?

The man's pleading has stopped, as if he's being choked. There is a large thud against the door.

Dwardazik (not really all that quiet anymore): If he's a cultist, there's an easy solution: just cut 'im up!   Marvin (mostly forgetting to whisper): "CUT" 'IM UP?!   Dwardazik (not terribly quiet, but not yelling): Like I said, if he's a cultist...   Dazki (not whispering much either): NO.   Kesmet (whispering): Look, we're not here to just slaughter every single cultist we see. We're here to slaughter the dude! With the beak!   Marvin (not whispering): Yeah! The dude, with the face!

Dazki heads right up to the door.

Marvin (whispering): Hey, Dwardazik! Why aren't you wearing that armor?   Dwardazik (a little quietly): You want to try putting it on...?   Marvin (whispering): Nah, I'm good.   Dwardazik (a little quietly): Didn't exactly work out. Turns out it's cursed, and it's quite painful.   Marvin (whispering): Oh!   Dwardazik (a little quietly): I now understand why someone wouldn't want to take it off that often.

Dazki listens intently to the conversation on the other side of the door. The pleading individual definitely did not have his cultist mask on, but he is being choked out by another entity who does.

Other Voice: Your body isn't worth keeping around for this soul, goddamn drug addict. The only person vouching for you is probably on the other side of that door, fucking dead, and it's all your fault. I'm going to make it right, right now.

Dazki unjams the door and opens it.   A cultist in full uniform has our slightly familiar cultist by the neck, thrust hard against the wall.   Dazki pulls out his rapier and stabs the assailant, who immediately loses his hold on the "drunkard". The "drunkard" falls prone and begins chanting a mantra to himself ("Every breath I take is a gift. Every breath I take is a gift."), trying to recenter. Kesmet finishes off the assailant with a Fire Bolt.

Dwardazik (to Dazki and Kesmet): Hah! Nicely done!   Dwardazik (to the other cultist): You, there. If you value your life, you won't take any aggressive actions.   Dazki: Dwardazik, pull him into the room. I'll get the dead body in here too.   Dwardazik: All right, lad, get the hell in here!   The cultist whines about it the whole way he's being dragged.   Dwardazik: Stop your whining, you're going to alert more cultists! Do you want to live?

Dazki drags the corpse over to the mounting pile of other corpses in the room. Dwardazik reminds him to check the body for valuables. Other than the common vials of smoke-based poison, the only item of interest is a set of keys, which Dazki takes. Editor's note: you already knew that this cultist's name was probably "Stool Pigeon", because it's written on the cover of the journal that you lifted from him. He tells you that his name is just "Pigeon", so that's the name I'll use here.

Marvin: Not like that's useful to Dazki at all. Locks don't mean shit to him!   Kesmet: What if it's a unique door?   Dwardazik: So what are we gonna do with this guy, eh?   Marvin: OK, so. Nobody's choking you anymore! What's your name? My name's Marvin.   Kesmet: Can we call you Fred? You look like a Fred.   Marvin: No one's choking you.   Dwardazik: Come on, lad, answer. Time is important.   Pigeon: What do you mean, "Time is important"? ...wait, why can I talk in here?   Marvin: We turned it off, OK?   Pigeon: Oh god, there's a LOT of dead bodies over there!   Marvin: Yeah, ignore that.   Kesmet: Don't worry, they can't hurt you.   Marvin: Are you here by choice? What's your name?   Pigeon: Well, I mean, they call me — we all have bird names, having foregone our previous identities in worship of the doctor and stuff — I thought it was cool to be called "Pigeon".   Marvin: OK. Do you want us to call you "Pigeon"?   Dwardazik: OK, Pigeon!   Grogery: What do you want us to call you? If you want to take a different name besides "Pigeon", now's the time to do it.   Pigeon: Um... hey, everybody, go and look at the corpses! In the corner!   Dazki does.   Marvin: ...no, Pigeon. No.   Kesmet: We have Dazki for that. He's taking a look at them now.   Pigeon: Dude, I'm not gonna tell you shit, all right?   Marvin: Why not?   Pigeon: Just get out of here before we all get killed, because that's what's gonna happen, and you guys are just making a huge mistake, and you'll see!   Marvin: We just saved your life, Pigeon!   Dwardazik: And we could easily take it away, cultist!   Marvin: Why are you acting so hostile?   Pigeon: Why are YOU acting hostile?! This is where WE live! WE live here! We live... not you! You don't live here. You DEFINITELY don't live here!   Marvin: I think we have a misunderstanding. We dragged you in here to prevent anything out there from hurting you.   Pigeon: ... ... ... I was fine out there...   Marvin: Really?! You looked like you were getting choked out, out there.   Grogery: Yeah. You were getting choked by a guy. That doesn't sound like "fine"!   Kesmet (calmly): Hang on, hang on, hang on. Look. Mr. Pigeon. I don't think we were properly introduced. I'm a weirdo, like these guys. Have you had breakfast yet? You sound cranky. We haven't had breakfast, ourselves! I think we're all just a little bit cranky. Let's sit down and have a nice calm meal. ...preferably, away from those bodies. We've got several tables in here!   Dwardazik: Uh... I'm not eating on the corpse tables.   Kesmet: Fair, but we can always eat on the ground. We've done it before, camping and stuff.   Grogery: I have just the spell for this.

Grogery does the thing, brings some of the food over to the three victims, and comes back to the rest of the party.

Marvin: Grogery, thank you so much!   Grogery: You're welcome!   Kesmet pulls out his spice box to add flavor to it.   Dwardazik, patting Grogery on the back: Oh man, I could use some of this. I'm not even gonna complain about the water, after what happened a couple of hours ago!   Pigeon: What do you guys even want?   Marvin: We want to help you.   Dwardazik: UGH. We want information. If your information's good, we will let you go.   Grogery: You say that the people down here worship the doctor.   Pigeon: WE do.   Grogery: WE don't think he deserves to be worshipped, because he's hurting a bunch of people that don't —   Dwardazik, pulling him aside: GROGERY! You can't convince someone to stop worshipping someone like that!   Grogery: I understand this, I'm just saying —   Marvin, pulling him aside: GROGERY! I've got an idea! Just follow my lead on this one.   Grogery: But it was fiiiiiiine...   Kesmet, joining the aside: Guys, food. They probably don't have the best food to eat down here. Maybe if we give him food, we'll have a better time persuading him. Let's sit down and calmly have a conversation around breakfast.   Kesmet, back to the entire group: Would you like some seasoning on your food, Mr. Pigeon?   Pigeon: ...you got spice?   Kesmet: I've got spice. What would you like?   Pigeon: Just... bro, just give me some spice.   Kesmet: What kind, though? It's, like, a thing...   Pigeon: Bro, whatever's on the house, dude, just give me the spice!

Kesmet has the spice box fill itself with salt, but before he can offer any of it, Pigeon lunges for it, grabs the box, and stuffs his face into it to huff up a lot of it. Of course, he immediately keels over and starts to cough and sputter. Kesmet gives him a "Dude!", takes back the spice box, and goes back to calmly salting the rest of the party's food.

Marvin, motioning to the pile of burning corpses: So, Pigeon, don't worry about what's going on at the other side of this room over there. They were an obstacle that we had to overcome, just like everything else that's happened on our little trip to this place.   Pigeon: Why won't you tell me what you want? Why won't you? Why won't you tell me?   Kesmet: We want to have breakfast with you. Look, our little goblin cleric has made all this food, and I have spiced it because it's a little bland.   Marvin: Listen, Pigeon. We think that you should tell us where Vicra is regenerating.   Pigeon: Downstairs.   Marvin: Oh. Great! Thank you! ...uh, how do we get there? Because we'd really like to see it.   Pigeon looks around for something, only to remember that he doesn't have it.   Pigeon: Um... listen, my memory ain't so great, OK?   Marvin: It's fine, that's been happening to a lot of us lately. What's the fastest way to get downstairs? Maybe through the "Living Quarters" over there?   Pigeon: Um...   Marvin: Or can we get to it through the "Main Art Gallery"?   Pigeon: Uh...   Dwardazik: Shouldn't be that hard! You worship the lad, right? You should know how to go find him?   Pigeon: I mean, I do, I totally know where to find him! But, I don't...   Dwardazik cracks his knuckles.   Dwardazik: You wouldn't be lying to us, right?   Pigeon: Look, man, I don't know about all this "art" and shit! I don't... guys, I might... I might have an addiction.   Marvin: That's all right, man, we all have our vices.   Pigeon: Listen, it's really messed with my mind a bit, and... can you guys just give me back the journal, and we can figure this out?   Marvin: What's so special about this journal?   Dwardazik: It was his cheat codes, remember?   Dazki tosses him the journal.   Pigeon: I need a writing utensil. It doesn't work unless I have a writing utensil.   Marvin: What doesn't work?   Pigeon: The journal! The book!   Grogery rummages around and finds a writing utensil that he gives to Pigeon.   Marvin: So, Pigeon. We've given you something. Now if you could really point us in the direction of Vicra, where he's reconstituting, that would be awesome, man!

Dazki notices that one of the three victims (a ragged elf, the outcast, with "a messed-up leg, below the knee") has become particularly interested in this conversation. He's not watching it directly, but he's holding a large meat cleaver and watches the conversation reflected on the blade. Dazki heads over.

Dazki: Hearing anything interesting that you want to share with the class?   Elf Victim: You should bring 'im here. Bring 'im over here!   Dazki: Why?   Elf Victim: You speak of redemption, right? Bring 'im over here!   Dazki: Not without knowing what's going on. Especially with that big cleaver in your hands.   Elf Victim, loudly: ALL RIGHT!   Elf Victim starts hobbling up towards the rest of the group, but Dazki moves to intercept.   Dazki: Just tell me what you want. Redemption? Are you talking about redemption for him, or for you? You were pretty unclear there, buddy.   Elf Victim: Look. I ain't gonna kill the lad, he ain't killed nobody, all right?   Dazki: What are you planning, then?   Elf Victim: I know, from living as long as I have and seeing the things I have, that redemption don't come easy. So my plans are to make it easier for 'im.   Dazki: Hand me the cleaver and I'll let you walk over there.   Elf Victim does not. Dazki feigns allowing him to pass anyway, but snatches the cleaver out of his hands as he tries to pass.   Dazki: If we want redemption, we have to be better than them. With this, you are no better.   Elf Victim: I wasn't going to kill the lad. We've been over this.   Dazki: No, but torturing, cutting him, that's not acceptable.   Elf Victim: Then he is lost! You might as well kill him now, because you're going to kill him later.   Dwardazik: HMMPH. He brings up a point. That I think we need to address. As usual.

Elf Victim returns to the other two with a huff and continues to eat his breakfast, and Dwardazik moves to a position where he can intercept if this happens again.

Marvin: So, Pigeon. I'd like you to meet Dazki here. Dazki walked into this room and pretty much just steamrolled all of these guys. You see all this? That pile of corpses? That's pretty much his doing. He's pretty cool! So you can either show us how to get downstairs —   Pigeon: I'm doing it! I'm doing it!   Pigeon does some more nondescript stuff with his journal.   Pigeon: OK, OK! What direction are we facing now?   Dwardazik: The door you just came from, make that the top of your page.   Pigeon: So, south, then. All the way south. But you can't get in there.   Dazki: Why not? How do you get in?   Pigeon: There's a secretary. And then, and then — wait, wait — you need a "Fossilized Melody". Like, four of 'em.   Dwardazik: ...a what?   Grogery: "Fossilized Melody".   Dazki: And where would we get them?   Pigeon: OK, I know this bit, I know this bit! I remember. So, there's six of 'em, right? Like the bird heads. Real fancy!   Dwardazik: ...OK?   Pigeon: And in order to get into the chamber, the six High Cultists would have to agree, right? Well, you would need a majority, so you would need four.   Dwardazik: OK...?   Pigeon: But I don't know what each person did with theirs, to protect it. I know Snipe had one, in the art gallery. She's not guarding it right now...   Dazki: Who else had them?   Marvin: Who is "Snipe"?   Grogery: I think that was the armored cultist. She looked like a snipe.   Dwardazik: Was she the one wearing the Scorpion Armor?   Pigeon: The big tough lady with the rusty armor. Doesn't talk much.   Marvin: Yeah, was she carrying this weapon here? He shows the Pyroconverger.   Pigeon: Oh, yeah! Good times. That's the one.   Dwardazik: OK! So that's one of 'em accounted for. Where would we get the other three?   Pigeon: That's a little tough. First of all, I'd have to go through a lot of pages of the book. I know who had them, but that doesn't mean that they still have them. They kind of, like, incorporate it into their art, and stuff, y'know? 'cause it's kind-of a really important thing for the doctor to, like, trust you with this stuff!   Dwardazik: All right, well, give us a list of names and last known locations?   Grogery: Yeah, like, who are the other High Cultists?   Pigeon: There's Crow (you met him just a second ago).   Marvin: Oh. Shit.   Pigeon: We had Canary, but something kinda... happened... so I think Jackdaw had his melody? He scratches his head in confusion. Guys, this is really hard.   Dazki: Listen, I know this is hard, but you can do this, my man!   Pigeon: I don't understand art, OK? I don't. I'm not in this for the art, man!   Grogery: Then why are you in this? Just curious...   Pigeon: I mean, he heals people! He brings hope, right?   Marvin: No.   Kesmet: No.   Pigeon, ignoring them: And he doesn't care if you're, like, a loser, or a drug addict, or a murderer, it doesn't matter, all right? He sees all bodies equally!   Kesmet: And he hurts you just the same.   Dwardazik: If yer lookin' for redemption with the Flesh Artist, then I'm sorry lad, but you're jumping down the wrong hole.   Pigeon: I'm starting to get that, yeah.   Grogery: Anyway, so where were we? Jackdaw? Who's Jackdaw?   Pigeon: Usually, he's running the surgeries in here.   Marvin: Oh, big spindly dude?   Pigeon: No! No? No!   Marvin: Lots of arms?   Pigeon: No, you're not supposed to keep it on you, you're supposed to protect it. Just give me some time with this book, I'll figure it out. OK?   Grogery: OK!   Pigeon: And until I tell you, you can't kill me, right?   Dazki: We're not going to kill you either way.   Dwardazik: Agreed.   Pigeon: OK, but if you think you should, over what else you think you want to do, then that's fine. Because I certainly don't want to end up like Canary.   Marvin: No, none of us want that.   Grogery: What happened to Canary?   Dazki: Canary...   Grogery: ...did what canaries usually do in coal mines?   Dwardazik investigates the Art Studio, looking for a bird head, finding nothing.   Dazki: So, "Pigeon", right?   Pigeon: I don't like it when you say it, but... yeah.   Dazki: What would you like me to call you, then?   Pigeon: I want you to never speak my name again, and leave!   Dazki: ...we aren't going to do that. We have to deal with the Flesh Artist, because he's going to bring something even worse upon this world. So, you want healing? You want redemption? You want to be accepted?   Pigeon: I don't really want any of those things.   Dazki: Well what do you want, then?   Kesmet: Drugs?   Pigeon: That's my man!   Dazki: Other than that.   Pigeon: I just want to forget. Life sucks, and I'm too much of a coward to die. So, drugs it is.   Dazki: So, here's what you do. Once you give us the information you need, you take those three people (He points to the three victims) and you lead 'em about three hours northeast of here. There should be a town.   Pigeon: Yeah, we all know there's a town there.   Dazki: There, it will help you forget, and these folks will be able to get the supplies they need to go to another city.   Pigeon: I'm not allowed in the town anymore!   Marvin: How do they remember to keep you out? To keep anyone out?!   Grogery: If they wrote it down in their books...   Kesmet: Why are you not allowed in the town?   Pigeon: Took a bunch of stuff...   Marvin: Ahh, you stole food.   Dwardazik You're a thief!   Marvin: Well, we can't really help you there. Hopefully, they'll just forget about you. Eventually.   Grogery: I'm not sure it's in their best interests to go to Overlook.   Pigeon: Look, man. Dude. You've already got us all murdered, so, like, here's an idea. Just... kill me in a nice way?   Dazki: No.   Marvin: You... you have problems.   Dwardazik: Hmm.   Marvin: Who hurt you? Did the Flesh Artist hurt you?   Dwardazik: You're absolutely sure that's what you want? You know, there's no coming back from that.   Kesmet, grabbing Pigeon: Wait, you're not seeing the opportunity here! If life is so hopeless that you're asking us to mercy kill you, that's kind of grim...   Pigeon: Dying peacefully here is gonna be better than whatever else is going to happen to me when they find out that I'm really not worth anybody's time.   Marvin: Well, guess what Pigeon? They can't do anything about it if the Flesh Artist is dead!   Kesmet: But this is a great opportunity! Just go to the town! If you're ready to die, then what's the matter? What do you have to lose? At least you'll die where there's fresh air. It stinks in here! It smells like burnt flesh!   Marvin: I figured you'd be used to that by now, Kesmet...   Kesmet: Listen here, you. Yes. But it still smells bad!   Dwardazik, in a stern tone: What is your name?   Pigeon: It's... it's still Pigeon.   Dwardazik: Give me your real name!   Pigeon: Uhh... ... Pigeon?   Dazki: Who were you before you were Pigeon?   Pigeon: It's been so long since I've had to think!   Marvin: It shows...   Pigeon: I don't know, what does the book say? The book says Pigeon.   Kesmet: You know what, Pigeon? You're so ready to end your life (/ begin your life anew), you should have a new name. How about this: I hereby promote you to "Turtledove"! It's got more syllables in it. It's better.   Pigeon: What's the significance of "Turtledove"?   Kesmet: I dunno. It has more letters and syllables, so it's better. It's a big, important name!   Pigeon: Listen, do you have drugs, or not? 'cause you said you were gonna give me some spice.   Kesmet: Literal spice. Like salt.   Dwardazik: He's not talking about the drug. He's talking about food spices that you use to flavor your food. Do you understand that?   Pigeon, winking overtly: Yeah, I get ya. Yeah, like food spices! Like that!   Grogery: We're being honest.   Dazki: Like oregano and parsley.   Pigeon: We don't have time for this! We are enemies, and you're gonna get us all killed!   Kesmet: What do you care? You were prepared to die anyway, so you have nothing to lose!   Pigeon: En garde!   Kesmet, trying to hug him: Look, it's fine, it's fine!   Dwardazik: I shall challenge you to a duel!   Grogery: Dwardazik, please, we're not doing this...   Dwardazik: And if I win, I get to do what I want with you.   Marvin: OK, OK, no, that's — hmm...   Dwardazik: Do you guys not trust me?   Pigeon: Well, what do I get if I win?   Dwardazik: Freedom. I guarantee it.   Pigeon: Fuck, I like those odds, though.   Kesmet: But you already have freedom! We were gonna let you go over to, like, the city, or whatever.   Pigeon: All right, well, I thought we were gonna go do some other stuff anyway, so let's do that, and then we don't have to worry about any of that! So let's go.   Marvin: Did you ever finish that map there, Pigeon? Or, sorry, "Turtledove"?   Pigeon: I wasn't making a map! It's south. There are a lot of security doors, and it makes it very hard to get any work done.   Marvin: We've got a Dazki for that.   Dazki, aggravated: Yeah, I can't actually open a lot of the doors in this place. In case you haven't realized.   Marvin: You've done a pretty good job at figuring it out, though!   Kesmet: Well, we've got the keys now.   Pigeon: That's why I have the book! I don't understand art either! That's why... the book!   Dwardazik: Let us complete our task, then. Pigeon, take a step over here with me. Everyone else, I want you to observe and make sure that there is no foul play.   Kesmet: Wait, Dwardazik, remember when —   Dwardazik gives him a subtle thumbs-up.   Kesmet: But don't —   Pigeon: Wait wait wait, we can't duel, because I don't have my magic symbol! Give me back my magic symbol!   Dwardazik: What is your magic symbol?   Pigeon: The thing that allows me to cast spells, dummy!   Dwardazik: What is your magic symbol?   Kesmet: What does it look like, specifically?   Pigeon: Uh, it's a sick-ass amulet, thank you!   Dwardazik finds it and gives it back to him.   Marvin: That seems like a mistake, but... all right.   Kesmet, quickly and briefly showing Pigeon a pouch of sharp sugar: All right, here's the drugs. No need for any of this weird dueling, 'cause Dwardazik's probably gonna kick your ass and maybe decapitate you.   Dwardazik: Get out of my duel, Kesmet, or you'll be next!   Kesmet: Whoa. Whoa, there! Whoa! Whoa. So, anyway, help us out and you can have some of that. None of this weird dueling nonsense, none of this spellcasting, just help us find the what's-his-face beak-face. Because right now, many obstacles are getting in the way of me and Dennis. And you are becoming one of them, very quickly.   Dazki: Ugh, not this fucking Dennis thing again...   Marvin: Yeah, man. You don't want to be in the way of him getting to Dennis. I've seen what happens to people who get between him and Dennis.   Kesmet: So lead us to beak-face, let us kill him, and then we'll be one step closer to Dennis.   Dwardazik attacks Pigeon twice with his warhammer.   Dwardazik: Now are you paying attention?!   Pigeon: Dude, what the hell, man? That's not... that's not how duels work!

While this was happening, Elf Victim has moved closer and is now within scalpel-throwing range of Kesmet. Dazki shoots an arrow near him to let him know that he's been spotted. Elf Victim picks up some scalpels from a nearby operating table and throws them at Kesmet.

Dazki: The fuck did I say? Put those down.   Elf Victim: I don't have 'em anymore. You run with a bad crowd. You know that, right?   Dazki: Sigh. Yeah. Some of 'em are a bit rough, yes.   Elf Victim: Nah, you don't understand. I've gone far too long without dealing with this shit, and the past always comes back to get you in the end. It always comes back!   Dazki: And which one of them is the past going to come back to get?   Elf Victim: I tried to run from it, but it always comes back. You'll see. You'll live plenty long enough.   Marvin: Hey, Kesmet! I think that guy knows something about Dennis!   Elf Victim: That's it. They all gotta go now. They all gotta go!   Dazki: So, you know Kesmet and Dennis and all that stuff, huh? Is that what you're saying?   Elf Victim: I don't know this Kesmet fellow. I've been out of the game a while, you see.   Dazki: You heard of The Baker?   Elf Victim: The Baker? What a dumb name. It's gonna feel good writin' that one off the list!

Elf Victim starts to hobble more towards Kesmet, as the duel between Pigeon and Dwardazik continues:

Pigeon, holding his bloody nose: Droppit. Drop it. Drop it right now.   Dwardazik drops his weapon, but it's attached to his arm by a leather strap, so it dangles. Pigeon takes it.   Marvin: You know, friend, he doesn't need a weapon to hurt you.   Dazki, to Elf Victim: Sit down, shut the fuck up. All right? We'll get to this in a minute. We're down here, we've got nothing but time. Calm the fuck down, and we'll deal with it.   Elf Victim shoves Dazki out of the way.   Elf Victim: You'll never take me alive or dead, Hound!   Dazki: Dude's not a Hound anymore! He escaped!   Grogery: Also, I think he maybe wasn't even really a Hound to begin with? He was just undercover?   Kesmet, walking right up to the Elf Victim: What did you call me???   Elf Victim: Yeah, and the fact that I ain't dead yet means you're a shit Hound, too!   Kesmet: I am not a Hound! Sit your ass down, stumpy!   Dwardazik punches Pigeon, causing him to drop the warhammer, and then picks up the warhammer and hits him again, knocking him out cold.   Marvin makes some strange gestures, and then Elf Victim falls to the ground, unresponsive.   Marvin: There, you happy now? Take a minute, dude. This guy needs to chill. Guys, do whatever you want with him. He's a nuisance. Kesmet, he clearly knows something about your obsession with this Dennis guy.   Kesmet: Yeah, we gotta question him. He knows something about the Hounds Guild.   Marvin: Tie him up, or something.   Kesmet does.   Grogery: So, Dwardazik, you succeeded in... punching this guy's lights out.   Dwardazik: Yes. The duel is done! I have confirmed witnesses.   Grogery: Yeah, so let us question him for more information on how to get through — oh wait, he's unconscious.   Dazki exits to the Main Art Gallery while this is going on.   Dwardazik drags Pigeon up towards another wall, away from Elf Victim, takes his weapons and amulet away, and gives him a healing potion.   Pigeon: What the f... who are you guys?   Dwardazik: Pigeon. As winner of the duel, I can now command you. I am giving you an option. As you no longer wish to live your life, I am going to provide you a path to redemption. Become my servant. Follow me and assist me, otherwise your life is forfeit.   Pigeon: Wait. Wait, though. What... what would I do?   Dwardazik: You will come with me. You will learn. You will assist me in my chores. I will provide you living, lodging. Food, as required of a leader. You will willingly follow my orders, and you will be punished if you disobey them.   Pigeon: So, like, a slave, then?   Dwardazik: Incorrect. A slave has no rights. You do. I will not mindlessly punish you. I cannot just kill you outright. If you enter into this, I will essentially be taking you on as a guest of my clan.   Grogery: Dwardazik, this seems a little extreme.   Kesmet, from the distance: Also, if you get out of here, you'll be able to get more drugs!   Pigeon: Can I be that guy's slave? He has drugs.   Grogery: Trust me, it's a lot safer this way.   Marvin: Yeah, you'd just wind up being a burn victim.   Grogery: His way of "healing wounds" is to cauterize them.   Dwardazik: If you call being part of my clan a "slave", one more time...   Pigeon: ...yes, master?   Dwardazik: I refuse to have that. You will call me by my full name: Dwardazik Stoneturner Boulderhearth.   Pigeon: Ack! So many syllables!   Marvin: You got a journal. Write it down!   Marvin: Wait, why am I encouraging this? I don't want to encourage this!   Kesmet: Marvin, come help me over here with this dude.   Marvin: All right.   Grogery, looking towards the next room: Kesmet, we should probably... make sure that the area is secured before talking to this guy. You don't... uh... want something to come along and interrupt whatever interrogation sequence you have planned for him! You need to have the opportunity to do... your full, uninterrupted performance! So, let's look around, make sure that we have a path to the Flesh Artist, and then we'll come back to deal with this guy, OK?   Kesmet: Grogery. Fuck this place. This guy knows about Dennis, and I need to find out what he knows. Just give me, like five hours with him. That's all I need.   Grogery: We don't have time for that! How do you know this guy... isn't... just a distraction?

  Dazki explores the Main Art Gallery. He finds what must be one of the "Fossilized Melodies" that Pigeon was talking about: a gemmed crow's skull with musical notes engraved across its forehead. It rests on a pedestal near a small empty stool. Everything else in the room is disgusting, some of it not even quite dead yet.   With some investigation, Dazki sees that the pedestal is trapped: it needs to be weighed down. He fetches some material from around the room of roughly equal weight and makes the swap. One down, three to go.   The others leave Kesmet to interrogate Elf Victim and follow after Dazki into the Main Art Gallery.

Dennis Can Have Lore?

Kesmet slaps Elf Victim awake.

Kesmet: Hey, One-Leg-Wonder, let's go.   Elf Victim: You'll have to fucking kill me first, fucking dog.   Kesmet: Before that, though: what do you know about the Hounds Guild?   Elf Victim: What do you mean, "what do I know about the Hounds Guild"? Goddamnit.   Kkesmet takes out some paper and writing sticks.   Kesmet: OK, first of all, who are you?   Elf Victim: You don't... you don't know, then? Who sends a man to kill someone without giving his name?!   Kesmet: I don't know... this is a weird time for... please, the rest of those yahoos are up there... I just... help me out here. Who are you? How do you know about the Hounds Guild? Where can I find Dennis?   Elf Victim: Why would I tell you fucking anything? Anything?! You'll have to kill me. I'm not dealing with this.   Kesmet: That's a very weird request, but if you die, I won't get any information. Look, what do you want? Do you want money? Do you want drugs? Do you want money and drugs?   Elf Victim: I want you to leave me alone. Stop hounding me!   Kesmet: Yes, yes, you're very clever.   Elf Victim: I want out of this game! Why don't you understand that?   Kesmet: You're kind-of in a very shit place right now. Tell you what. Help me out, and I'll help you — He glances at the leg — hobble out of here.   Elf Victim: You won't. The past always comes back for us.   Kesmet: OK, fine, we'll fashion you a peg leg or something and you can walk yourself, but help me out here!   Elf Victim: Why should I help you?   Kesmet: Why wouldn't you? I don't know what else to bribe you with! Also, why are you mad at me? I didn't do that to your leg!   Elf Victim: You work for the Hounds Guild. You have sharp sugar. You speak of his son, Dennis, and I'm not having it. You'll have to kill me, or I will kill you, or I will die while seriously maiming you for the rest of your goddamn life, so you can sit there and remember every time it rains, that pain in your thigh from the mistakes you have made.   Kesmet: I don't work for the Hounds Guild! We have sharp sugar because we shut down one of their operations by accident, and I'm looking for Dennis to try to fucking kill him!   Elf Victim: Well, that's definitely going to make him upset.   Kesmet: Are you with the Hounds Guild? Are you on his side? Why are you protecting him?!   Elf Victim: I am not protecting that damn mutt. I want out! I came here to hide from my past misdeeds.   Kesmet: Fine, then! Sit here and hide! Or walk out with a peg leg! I don't care! Just tell me, what's the last you've heard of Dennis? How can I get to him?   Elf Victim: Why are you so concerned about Dennis?   Kesmet: Did you also hurt your head? I said, just five seconds ago, I want to find him and brutally and viciously murder him.   Elf Victim: That's gonna make the father very mad.   Kesmet: I don't know what father you're talking about. Dennis's pops is dead.   Elf Victim: And they gave the guild to him?!   Kesmet: Apparently... wait, how long have you been away from the guild?! Do you even have any current information?   Elf Victim: ...I don't think you understand how long elves suffer the burden of life. He's dead, though? Mr. Donahue is dead? It's Dennis now?   Kesmet: ...yes.   Elf Victim: Then I'm probably free.   Kesmet: I mean, you're tied up, but...   Kesmet: So you have no current information? Your dealings with them were back from when his dad was alive? That's what you're telling me?   Elf Victim: Correct.   Kesmet: Oh, fuck you, then.   Kesmet unties Elf Victim's ropes, takes the rope back, and starts leaving towards the Main Art Gallery.   Elf Victim: One sec, lad...   Kesmet: Nope. Grab something out of here, you're welcome to join us, but goddamnit! Waste of my time. Doesn't even know shit about Dennis.

Main Art Gallery

Some artwork representative of the theme in here, for reference: link.

Dazki: So, Grogery, I noticed how you were very against dealing with anyone who controlled Undead?   Grogery: Yes.   Dazki: Up to the point where you said we almost couldn't work with them because of that?   Grogery: Yes.   Dazki: Then why are you still willing to deal with Annu? Isn't that kind of hypocritical?   Grogery: The relationship with Annu is very complex. Even if I wanted to do something about him, I'm not powerful enough to do so. He's an undead himself, rather than taking someone else's body and riding it around like a puppet. It's complicated.   Dazki: So, if someone chooses to become undead, it's OK?   Grogery: There's nuance to these things. If someone chooses to become undead and then is used for — the problem is, the philosophy is —   Dazki: So choosing to become undead, as a zombie performing menial labor or farming or things like that, is different from someone becoming undead and then becoming a government official?   Grogery: Yes. It also greatly deals with the philosophies involved with... ...   Dazki: Those are some great mental gymnastics you're doing, Grogery. I'm sure Pelor would be very happy.   Grogery: Listen. What's going on with Overlook is a completely different story than what's going on with Annu.   Dazki: OK, I don't disagree —   Grogery: There's a difference between building an entire society because you refuse to accept death and let things die naturally, and being a wizard that was raised from the dead as an undying controlled thing for the purposes of running a city.   Dazki: OK, that's fair.   Kesmet: Hey guys, I'm back. That guy didn't know nothin'.   Dwardazik: Hey, Kesmet, take a look at this art and see if you can find one of those skulls.   Dazki: I already found the one that was in here.   Dwardazik: Oh, really? Huh. You're pretty quick with that.   Grogery: I thought it would be better protected than just being out in the open.   Dazki: Keep in mind that he did say these are treasured art pieces. People don't tend to like to hide their art.   Pigeon: Mr. Boulderhearth, sir? Can I say some things?   Dwardazik: Yes, we need your expertise in here.   Pigeon: That was Snipe's skull. There's other areas, right? And they've set up their own unique art pieces. She was a curator, so that's why hers was here.   Dwardazik: So where did Crow usually stay?   Pigeon: Well, we all stay in the living quarters, but his art piece should be over to the left. NO, the right!   Marvin: My right or your right?   Pigeon: Um... He turns around a little bit.   Dazki: Point to the door?   Pigeon points to the door to the east.   Dwardazik: That's as good a choice as any, if everyone is done here.   Dazki: I think we have what we need.   Marvin: Man, say what you want about these folk, but they have some metal shit in here.   Grogery: This is a bit too gooey to be made out of metal.   Dwardazik: I find this entire room incredibly disturbing.   Kesmet, mad about getting no information about Dennis, lights various "art pieces" on fire as he passes by.

The door to the east is labeled "Gifts of Possibility and Duality", which sounds familiar. Three small cubbies are riveted into the metal, each with a skeleton hand nailed to the bottom, outstretched as if waiting to receive something. To the left is scrawled the word "HEAL". To the right, the word "HARM". Inscribed on the door:

The difference of opposing forces is not so clear when observed in a transitionary state.

Dwardazik: So, my first thought is... healing magic and damaging magic, and... Pigeon, do you know of any way to get through?   Pigeon: I could check the book, uh, sir?   Dwardazik: Yes, please.

He reads from the book successfully, but it seems to take a toll on him: he has a level of exhaustion now.

Pigeon: Ahh shit, I never finished this one. OK, it says:   Good thing I can spell and that I have so many random trinkets on — (well, I don't anymore, but that's what it says in the book) — I gotta write down the order of the words so I can know which letter to change. Until then, I'm just gonna keep losing things to the hand when I guess wrong.   Pigeon: That's what the book says. Sorry, it's not very helpful. I've lost so many trinkets to this door!   Kesmet: "HEAL"? "HARM"? Maybe we need to both heal and harm at the same time. OR, maybe we need to do one thing that both heals and harms at the same time! Such as cauterization!   Grogery: THAT DOESN'T HEAL!   Dwardazik: I'm gonna have to agree with Grogery on this one.

After some trial and error, and with some slight nudges from Pigeon, Grogery works out that the solution is going to be trying to place trinkets that form a word ladder from "HEAL" to "HARM". With some thinking, Grogery comes up with "HEAL", "HEAD", "HERD", "HARD", "HARM". Placing relevant trinkets in the slots, the door opens.

Tease: Next Time on Mirage...

There is a large stone pedestal containing six wooden coffins. Atop a glowing stand in the middle sits a strange glass sculpture. The sculpture looks like a complex alchemical stand in the shape of a person. Various flasks and vials of liquid are lined up on the stand with bent metal and supporting rods that make a humanoid shape, vaguely.   Dazki investigates just beyond the door and sees the telltale sign of a wizard's Alarm spell. He alerts the rest of the party.

Dwardazik: Well, we wouldn't want that "secretary" to find out about this! Can we disable it?   Dazki: I can't do anything about this, this is magic.   Grogery: We can probably dispel the alarm.

Dazki uses a charge of the Wand of Detect Magic so that they will be able to see when the alarm is gone. As expected, the area glows with Abjuration magic. There is also faint magic around the entire structure, a mix of magic including transmutation and others.   Kesmet casts a Dispel Magic spell on the area, and the Abjuration magic signature disappears.

Dazki: OK, looks like you got it, Kesmet.   Dazki takes a tentative step into the room. Nothing immediately bad happens, so he proceeds further in.   Dwardazik: Pigeon. Remain quiet as we enter this room, unless you notice something that you need to warn us about. There could be enemies around, and you are under our protection now.   Everyone enters in.   Pigeon: Oh, it's this — He remembers that he's supposed to be quiet, and covers his mouth.   Dazki: Hey, Dwardazik. Entirely unrelated, but once we have a minute, outside of all this, would it be possible for me to get the ring? I need to have a conversation.   Dwardazik: Sure! Sure.   Dazki: Great. Thank you! Like I said, not important enough to do now, just once we get out of here.   Dwardazik: Yeah. Gotta tell you, Baxton's not very talkative. He's basically called me a dumbass. I want to ask him about what's going on with this (He points to his tooth), and all he says is "you're too stupid, and I do not wish to talk to you anymore".   Dazki, glancing meaningfully at Pigeon: I was hoping we could keep the name quiet for now, but too late for that.   Dwardazik: Oh.   Kesmet: Dazki, after you talk to him, could I also talk to him afterwards? He's the only person who would listen to my weird novel idea.   Dazki: Yeah, of course!