Session 43: "Every decision has a consequence"
General Summary
- Q19 - “do you believe in destiny?”
- Tari is at the Scribe
- there’s two people sticking out a little bit: one guy on his own at one of the table, papers spread around it, writing some things, every now and again ripping up papers and throwing htem away, calculating stuff, etc
- late afternoon a gnome with a cherry tree tattoo comes in
- seems impatient, kinda on edge. Wearing clothing that is much more practical than other patrons of the tavern
- sb else joins her. Young human male, maybe early 20s, late teens. Heated but hushed debate between them
- Tari eavesdrops (with a whopping 25!)
- catches name ‘Aranmarir’ (red tiefling, ‘face’ of the CoD in at least Portcall)
- Aranmarir seems to be pretty pleased with the networiking of the CoD has been progressing
- seems to be optimistic about how they’re settling in - likely - Thaeden.
- networking is in portcall, Thaeden(their HQ) and some other places, they’re ‘throwing a net out’
- Aranmarir is not pleased with how Cherry is coming along with her task, he’s still waiting on some shipments she is responsible for
- Cherry is defensive. There’s much less ships coming in currently (which she#s pretty pissed about). Puts quite a bit of blame on the CoD cause the sea is much more unsafe now
- the more upset/defensive the guy gets, the higher his voice goes, at times almost a falsetto
- at some point they leave
- Tari reconvenes with the rest of the gang & lets them know what she's learned
- Mama Mudcradle tells the group what she needs. Says the task of helping Laleh would be long and arderous & she's not sure Laleh will last that long. There would be a 'shortcut' though. For that she'd need an artefact called 'Blight's Favour'. It's in a temple in Triham in Ushein. Its a joined temple of Sehvi & Eyar.
- Says they won't want to part with it willingly
- Long version would be just her trying her best basically
- M.M. could help them get back to her tower via item
- Yuki says they don't really have the time to travel there
- "Every decision has a consequence" - Mama Mudcradle
- She can still try, but that would cost them as well - even though she likes them, she can't/won't do it for free
- Also can't promise them that she'll succeed, as she's not done anything like this before
- Yuki has the idea of maybe hiring other people to rob the temple (especially people from the temple of the horizon walker xD)
- There's a spell high magic users can sometimes do that can break curses of this magnitude (no actual dnd spell - sth akin to true resurrection, or widowgasts transmogrification). Either MM can't do it, doesn't think it'll help or is lying to the group, but she's not offering it up as an option, just her trial and error version or the artefact. Trial and error could fix it in a day or a few months, or kill her outright.
- Says its not her type of magic. Says high priests might be able to do it. Says she doesn't know if it would work. (because Laleh isn't actually cursed per se, her being has been corrupted & changed)
- shows the group a ring that would take them back her tower. (can be used once every new moon cycle, working like Word of Recall, but only for people that would have MMs trust)
- Blight's Favour (according to MM): neither holy relic nor cursed. Under lock and key, cause they might not want just anyone to be able to use it. Probably wouldn't want her to use it either, cause they've got 'opinions' on her. Its one of a kind.
- Info on it that the group figures out through checks:
- Essa/History: knows vaguely of an item that's called that. Read about it in connection to a continent called Ossyava. There was something that 'broke' the continent. Wars of titans of immense powers, that spread the 'blight' accross the continent, which kinda destroyed the continent. Sth happened to 'end' this blight. Thinks that maybe 'Blight's Favour' is what it was called that the blight went away, some say it might have been a pact. Wouldn't have pegged it as an item, isn't entirely sure how/why she made the connection, but that's what comes to her mind & memory. Seems to be not widely known in history.
- Yuki/Religion: some similar stuff to what Essa remembers. He also knows that there were 'placeholder wars' fought on what is now Ossyava by deities. Doesn't know though, what the reason for it was and how serious it actually was. As a favour of good will one of the parties in these wars gave an item to symbolize this good will. He knows of some stories of this item genuinely being used for good things, but also stories of it being more of a treacherous item. Despite its innocent appearance the Blight might be more intense than the Favour.
- group decides on the 'long way', that they cant afford the time it would take and are not comfortable to steal from a temple
- MM tells them it will take 'something'. Says its not money she'll need.
- tells them the way her magic works is that she needs something of them. what it is worth to them, what they're willing to give up for it
- Essa realizes she has nothing of personal/sentimental value
- "It need not be material" - Mama Mudcradle. "I give you my cooking" - Yuki
- Its going to disappear and she will not be able to give it back
- Yuki takes the hand accepting the deal
- the memories remain, from her childhood and the learning and itself, but nothing 'sticks' - he's lost his ability to cook
- if Yuki opens up his recipe book he finds the paper empty. the sketches are visible, but the words are gone ((-> if somebody else were to look at it, they will still be able to see the recipes)
- Mama Mudcradle doesn't seem to be taking any pleasure in doing this
- promises to do her very best to make it worth it
- as MM lets go of Yuki's hand she leaves the 'teleportation ring' in his hand (for cookies or whatever else he wants)
- Yuki leaves the tower & goes outside
- Yuki goes back to the beach. Goes to the beach, sits on a cliff, plays around with a little flame. Then goes to Tari and they return to bed
- Mama Mudcradle creates a room off from the entranceway for laleh, creating it the way Laleh would lilke it (feylike pond, very unfancy).
- Laleh seems to blame both MM and herself for the outcome
- Dufes stays back because he has a question for MM
- Mama Mudcradle gives them a bundle with food and cookies and things to give to Yuki
- Dufes takes out the book with the sketch of him, asks her if she can make sense of it
- Mama Mudcradle reads some of it, but Dufes asks if she can make him be able to read it (always). Just wants to be able to read the book not anything else necessary.
- MM offers the deal to take away his ability to understand elvish and instead make him be able to read halfling.
- at first glance Dufes still doesn't understand what its saying, but its not because of the language, but because it is very technical and full of jargon, so it'll take some time to parse through it
- Essa drops in to The Scribe on the way back to the Drunken Squid, Dufes waits outside
- heads to the bar (bartop looks almost like its made of amber. it is made of wood, but through its pattern and the way it is polished it almost looks like amber)
- bar: male dwarf, ornately braided beard and hair. clothing is not fancy like his clientel's, but very well made. good quality material, good quality dye, very fine tone in tone stitching around the hemlines of plants and flowers and stuff
- gruff voice, shouts to people what theyre supposed to be doing
- Essa asks for the letter her father has written her (possibly to this inn)
- person working in the scribe: fine features, psbl some elvish ancestry
- Essa gets a letter and a small package. she goes to read the letter in a quiet corner.
- Everyone rejoins at the Squid.
- Tari made Yuki some tea, but he doesn't drink it.
- Essa checks the parcel from her father: 10 platinum pieces & variation of the family seal. cant be used for official business, but to give a certain amount of proof of heritage/right to the name. Also a set of good quality lockpicks (not gonna break as quickly, also +2 to lockpicking checks until they break)
- Essa writes a new letter to her father (glossing over the Yuan-ti stuff) & send some of the items she found -> one of the dragon horns, box of turquois figurines. the bell?
- Group goes through all the item the group has gathered over their time together
- Engraved bone dice, a set of engraved turquoise figurines. Very old mask from Knemal made from wood so dark it almost appears black, very finely detailed, almost lacey inlay of silver.
- also: 1200GP, 729 SP, several gemstones (a few hundred goldpieces worth), golden ring with set in bloodstone, two finely crafted earings with pearls in them.
- Also: two lanterns found in the ruins. and magical cloak.
- Also (back from in the grave): shield, dagger, staff with orange stuff, a strange key, ring with skull visage on it, glass-staff, die from brightington
- also: some potions from the 'lab'
- also: skull with crystals wrapped in tarp, two dragon horns
- also: a deck of cards, an ornate comb, a holy symbol essa can't place
- Yuki gives Essa the yellow owl feather for her spell
- Essa casts identify on the skull with the crystals they got from the shipwreck with the skeletons. Learns: not a magic item per se. wasnt created per se. the crystals are like the ones from the Wastes. A very, very old devil's skull. Was created upon a violent, very magic death, which is why its so imbued with magic, especially very skewed (cause wastes) death magic. can't be actively used. but has a very corrupting & corroding nature. seems whatever happened to it in the moment of death seems to be so embedded in the skull that if its kept somewhere for an amount of time its influence can also corrupt other things. how quick or slow that might happen depends on strength, level of live, etc. Very magically corrosive item.
- How could it be neutralise or make it safer: Essa knows there are some magics that can be neutralized by being kept in lead boxes. Might be helpful here. There are also spells that can disable (at least temporarily) magical items. Prooobably a leadbox would be enough since while its very corrosive its not super powerful magic.
- group goes to sleep
Rewards Granted
Mama Mudcradle's Ring of Recall
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