Morph3us

I don't think we need a second perform check mid-conversation, if you'd rather not have Ynessa suddenly develop two left feet. 😁 The perform skill says "Trying to earn money by playing in public requires anywhere from an evening’s work to a full day’s performance." Ynessa isn't actually doing that but it still shows that one check can cover a much longer period of time.

"Nonsense." Galen dismisses Ynessa's demonstrably false modesty. She more than keeps pace with him; their refined performance draws attention from many, some of them stopping to admire the sight. The shadowdancer prods him for local information as they step and spin. Galen begins with shallow gossip but is more blunt about sharing that than a full elf in this community might be. He opens up more over time, eager to impress and impressed himself by Ynessa's vibrant dance. His stories progress from humdrum to scandalous and then to clandestine. "The Sea Dogs are beginning to outmaneuver the Alley Rats." he explains after confirming she knows of the existence of both thieving operations. "I think magic is involved. But all the upstanding mages here would never..." Something crosses his mind and he starts thinking out loud. "Could it be the halfling I saw?" Referring, no doubt, to Nasri/Milo. "He seems new as well, and brash enough to take risks. Oh, no, but you mustn't tell anyone! It would be wrong to imply such without any real reason."

Two sessions later and we are increasingly on track for this! In the short term my availability is getting crushed by a surge at work. But later in the summer I will get an indefinite improvement. Looking forward to no longer having to alternate between preparing for the live game and writing posts for MW.

Two sessions later and we are increasingly on track for this! In the short term my availability is getting crushed by a surge at work. But later in the summer I will get an indefinite improvement. Looking forward to no longer having to alternate between preparing for the live game and writing posts for MW.

Also, I'm not clear on whether Kutaeg went down there also?

The gray elf is just as put off by Nasri's unpredictable outbursts as the others in this circle of mingling scholars. At least his question about her travels finds some purchase. That's a good sign she probably hasn't made him for who he actually is yet. "Not very much," she replies with carefully practiced modesty. "Of the non-transitive planes, Arborea, the Outlands, and Air. I may return to each someday; for example, to see Arvandor again or finally visit the Citadel of Ice and Steel." As far as planar excursions go, those are among the safer options. Arborea, of course, holds the realms of elven deities in the Seldarine, such as Corellon Larethian and Sehanine Moonbow. And the Elemental Plane of Air is one of the more benign places in existence. "Non-transitive" may be doing some interesting work here. There is much to see in the Ethereal, Astral, and even Shadow if one is a dedicated planar traveler. And she was noticeably less specific about them. Nasri's magical scholarship serves him well in the ensuing conversation. There are even more specific trivia he could mention, some riskier than others. For example, the party did have contact with the noble Abdule, the lord of a freehold in the Elemental Plane of Air. Unfortunately, that involved fighting with him against Hargreave. Selissa is roped into discussing Arvandor a great deal by the other elves in attendance. To have visited the realms of the Elven pantheon wearing a false faith--this woman is capable! The party finds themselves moving in high social circles these days. That topic exhausted, her attention returns to Nasri as a few others drift off. "Your knowledge must be broad if you can sustain discussion of planar travel with little personal experience. What are your other specialties?" She asks. OOC: Ran out of time tonight to write up Ynessa's part but I will come back for that soon. As posted in the OOC thread my years-long gaming schedule problems are nearing their end. MW will have my undivided D&D attention sometime this year. 🙂

Gundin shadows Bhalgurn until the barbarian decides to abscond back to the ground floor. Unfortunately the dutiful metal servant also proves susceptible to the haze of necromancy gathered in the cellar. The effects are understated so far: tiny spots of rust that will come off with the right spell or even a thorough polish. Still, these are early signs that the environment down there is hazardous to all who visit. Upon their return, Bhalgurn deposits assorted small tools and papers collected from the workbench. Grommash inspects them first. The writing is alien to him but the hardware is more familiar. Some of the tools resemble those he uses for the finer aspects of work on his contraptions. One could also mistake them for a jeweler's: there are calipers, slender pliers, magnifying glasses, and the like. That's not all, though. There is also a mortar and pestle and other items one might find an alchemist puttering about with in his lab. The artificer assesses that, while this equipment could probably be put to other uses, the main reason for it was to maintain the magic powering the lighthouse over the years. If there are any supplies left for that purpose, they are probably to be found in the cellar. Bhalgurn's investigation of the storage down there was (understandably!) distracted. OOC: Neither constructs in general nor Steel Defenders in particular seem immune to Necrotic damage. I think Gundin has to make the same save. Also, the equipment collectively counts as Alchemist's and Jeweler's tools. They would cost around 75 GP so it's a neat little find.

Hope both are fun! And, thank you! I have been running one game or another almost continuously the whole time I have been doing this play by post. No longer having one will make me more available for this.

Projected finish: August 3rd after accounting for some skipped meetings due to my calendar. Probably with some epilogue meeting after, but the time+energy sink will have ended.

Projected finish: August 3rd due to some skipped meetings based on my calendar. Probably with some epilogue meeting after, but the time+energy sink will have ended.

Kutaeg's mind is still reeling. Given time, he may piece together more of what he saw before the dream was shattered when Gundin roused him. Bhalgurn expands the investigation while waiting for the him to recover. The warrior climbs down into the gloomy cellar, prepared to check out its contents. The necromantic wisps down here are drawn to the living like monochrome moths to a flame. Of course, fire is hazardous to moths--while here the danger is reversed! Bhalgurn paces among the storage containers but finds himself distracted by the gathering necrotic presence. It feels metaphysically cold, a chill to the soul instead of the body. And it's getting worse. That distraction foils his investigation. He finds himself rushing, opening sacks and lifting lids but barely checking inside before moving on. All the while he feels a slight but mounting pressure on his life force. He could stick around to try again but it would be more hazardous. Alternatively, he could head for the workbench and just grab everything he can to look at with the others. OOC: DC 10 Con save for half of 2d6 Necrotic damage. He could try investigating again with the danger this time being DC 12; it's getting worse the longer he's down here.

The sun soars into the sky as mid-morning gives way to mid-day. Scattered clouds occasionally roam across and obscure it. Down below, and in much the same way, attendees drift in and out. The temple grounds aren't huge but the gardens flanking its paths sometimes prevent everyone in the party from being in sight of each other. A new course is served, including blackbark soup (it's heartier and tastier than it sounds) and delicious elven seedcakes. Abrecan and Black presumably hone in on them. Ynessa, meanwhile, is waylaid by a half-elf named Galen who asks her for a dance to Varrik's music. He has inherited the piercing green eyes and dark hair of his elven heritage but dances with the energy of one raised by humans. Nasri--er, "Milo"--comes across Vestrenna first. "Selissa" is drawn in by the spectacle of a brash halfling commanding grudging intellectual respect from the surrounding elves. She wears a dusty blue dress that matches the airy, gently festive mood of the temple grounds. The grim stare she had when scrying is replaced by refined, placid grace. Some of Nasri's points spin off side conversations; he overhears her participating in one about the different alloys of tuning forks needed for a plane shift to reach specific regions of the Inner Planes. For example, copper (Elemental Plane of Fire) alloyed with zinc (Elemental Plane of Earth) makes brass. A properly tuned fork of it brings one to the Para-Elemental Plane of Magma at the intersection of the aforementioned planes. Alloying with tin (Air) makes bronze suitable for reaching the Para-Elemental Plane of Ash, and so on.

I think a courtier's outfit is closer to the refined sensibilities of this crowd rather than a noble's outfit, which is described as visibly, intentionally expensive. It's been a few weeks since I posted so I will try to update this weekend.

That sounds like fun! I hope you get a chance to pull it off!