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Post by venger on Jun 30, 2015 10:26:26 GMT -5
20 feet wide, 15 feet long and 13 feet tall, with a peaked, arched ceiling; the vault is clad in black marble, cut and placed by expert hands. Twelve pedestals, also of black marble and standing about 4 feet tall, line the walls of the room. On each (except one!) there rests a perfectly preserved human head. All of the heads are those of beautiful women, no two quite alike, but all seemingly related. Around each of the head’s necks there is a silver gorget set with three fire opals. The fire opals glow with a pale, flickering red light, which becomes fiercer when near a living body.
In the center of the room there is a statue of a once-headless woman carved from alabaster with a many-colored robe thrown over her shoulders.
She says she is the Alabaster Princess - she and her sisters ruled a powerful kingdom in this land beyond the Black Water, before being deposed by a union of the petty deaths.
She requires your help to restore her sisters and reclaim her lost throne.
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Post by Wolfgar on Jun 30, 2015 10:38:47 GMT -5
How would we go about restoring her and her sisters and reclaiming their thrones?
What does she offer in return for doing this?
How would their reigns be better than the Petty Deaths?
Does she know anything about the mood that is affecting some of our party members?
Any idea on how to get out of here?
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Post by Ginger on Jun 30, 2015 10:40:49 GMT -5
Show her the painting and see if she can identity the dwarf of the blue skinned giant.
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Post by venger on Jun 30, 2015 11:39:25 GMT -5
How would we go about restoring her and her sisters and reclaiming their thrones? They will need bodies of course. Beautiful bodies. And souls, many souls, if they are to challenge the petty deaths... What does she offer in return for doing this? Her undying gratitude... royal favor. How would their reigns be better than the Petty Deaths? She and her sisters are the rightful rulers of this realm! What an impudent question. Does she know anything about the mood that is affecting some of our party members? Mortals caught between the living world and the realm of the dead often go mad... Any idea on how to get out of here? Out of where, specifically? She doesn't know where she is exactly. Show her the painting and see if she can identity the dwarf of the blue skinned giant. The painting is all the way upstairs. Is someone going to retrieve it?
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Post by Wolfgar on Jun 30, 2015 21:06:46 GMT -5
Does she know how to alleviate the madness?
We will explain about the house. How we sought refuge here from the storm. How we can't leave. How the house is opposing us. Controlling our emotions. How it can repair itself. We are currently under the house looking for an alternative way out.
We also explain about the painting found in the house. How we were depicted in it along with two other unknown individuals.
Any of this sound familiar?
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Post by venger on Jul 1, 2015 8:59:24 GMT -5
Does she know how to alleviate the madness? During her reign, there was an asylum where they would be taken for rehabilitation. We will explain about the house. How we sought refuge here from the storm. How we can't leave. How the house is opposing us. Controlling our emotions. How it can repair itself. We are currently under the house looking for an alternative way out. OK, so not how to leave the plane. She does not know about anything about the house, but if it brought the party to her rescue then perhaps it is not entirely bad. We also explain about the painting found in the house. How we were depicted in it along with two other unknown individuals. She looks like she needs a reaction roll to that. The description of the weird looking giant with the plum-colored eyes and long arms definitely sets her on edge. She identifies it as Lewl, one of the petty deaths.
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Post by Wolfgar on Jul 1, 2015 10:08:21 GMT -5
If the intent of the house is to help rescue the Princesses then why is it trying so hard to keep us out of the basement. Maybe it was all a test of our worthiness. Now that we are here it shouldn't be opposing us anymore. Maybe it can give us a sign we are on the right path. (Pause to let the house give us a sign.)
Does the description of the altar and Colby drinking from the chalice sound familiar?
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Post by Ginger on Jul 1, 2015 16:36:03 GMT -5
I think the house is trying to funnel us into the basement, because the basement will kill us.
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Post by Wolfgar on Jul 1, 2015 21:05:06 GMT -5
I agree totally. I was just giving her the benefit of the doubt. I wasn't expecting the house to actually start playing nice.
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Post by Wolfgar on Jul 1, 2015 21:13:53 GMT -5
She mentioned Maro. Who is that?
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Post by venger on Jul 2, 2015 8:59:11 GMT -5
Does the description of the altar and Colby drinking from the chalice sound familiar? Obviously those portrayed are sealing a death-pact with the petty death, which would make them her enemies.... She mentioned Maro. Who is that? The necromancer Marrow is her prince-consort.
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Post by Ginger on Jul 2, 2015 9:23:13 GMT -5
I will assure her that we are avowed enemies of the Petty Deaths, having slain many of their servitors and desecrated one of their altars back where we're from. Can she tell us any more about Lewl? Is it possible he's the malign force controlling this dungeon?
Was Grover Cincinnatus too disfigured for us to offer a description to the princess?
Offline question, not to be verbalized to the Princess: I wonder if Marrow is either a) Grover upstairs or b) betrayed her to gain more power and is the evil spirit animating the cabin?
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Post by Wolfgar on Jul 2, 2015 14:23:21 GMT -5
I assume each of the Princesses has a consort. It seems unlikely that the LG princess's consort is the one upstairs.
I think Grover is there to provide some explanation about the house. I don't think he is intended to be a major plot point.
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Post by Wolfgar on Jul 2, 2015 14:26:17 GMT -5
We could offer to let her "talk" to her sisters. We would alternate heads on the statue and apprise each of them of the situation and convey messages between them. Does she think that would be useful?
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Post by venger on Jul 4, 2015 19:29:22 GMT -5
Can she tell us any more about Lewl? Is it possible he's the malign force controlling this dungeon? The petty death of nobles and aristocrats, this question starts her on a tirade about lying, scheming, treacherous servants. We could offer to let her "talk" to her sisters. We would alternate heads on the statue and apprise each of them of the situation and convey messages between them. Does she think that would be useful? She seems not to trust the party completely and is pretty much against any plan that involves removing her head from the statue, insisting on the need to find separate bodies for each of her sisters.
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Post by Wolfgar on Jul 5, 2015 8:22:06 GMT -5
Have we noticed any parts of the statue moving? Or is it just the head which is animate?
It seems kind of odd not to trust us. Are we sure she is LG?
I don't know what we have to gain from lying about what they say to each other. All we want to do is get out of this crazy house and rescue our dead friend. We have no interest in the politics of the Land of the Dead.
Not sure if this would help. She can dictate what she wants to say to her sisters, we can write it down and then she can look at what it says.
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Post by venger on Jul 7, 2015 11:32:45 GMT -5
Have we noticed any parts of the statue moving? Or is it just the head which is animate? It seems kind of odd not to trust us. Are we sure she is LG? I don't know what we have to gain from lying about what they say to each other. All we want to do is get out of this crazy house and rescue our dead friend. We have no interest in the politics of the Land of the Dead. Not sure if this would help. She can dictate what she wants to say to her sisters, we can write it down and then she can look at what it says. The statue seemed to fully animate once the head was attached. If she were to allow the party to remove her head, she has no guarantee it would be replaced by another. She absolutely can't risk that, no matter how nice & good the party seems. She offers to do everything possible to help rescue your friend once she and her sisters are restored to power.
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Post by Wolfgar on Jul 7, 2015 13:00:38 GMT -5
Here is what we need in rough order of priority: -rest so we can recover spells -healing -escape from house -restoring/healing the minds of our party members -rescue our friend -have the soul items destroyed
Since this is her land/kingdom how would she suggest we proceed?
What does she want done with the heads of her sisters?
BTW, has she ever heard of Grover Cincinnati?
We'll ask the Astral Guide to explain the space/dimension we are in. Can it detect an exit?
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Post by venger on Jul 7, 2015 22:25:22 GMT -5
Here is what we need in rough order of priority: -rest so we can recover spells Resting she cannot help with, she has rested enough. Healing the living is not within her skill set. She is all for escaping this place, with her sisters, as soon as possible. -restoring/healing the minds of our party members You must return them to the land of the living or they can be committed to the asylum for treatment. All in due time. -have the soul items destroyed Her prince-consort-necromancer is an expert on such matters. Surely he would know a means. Since this is her land/kingdom how would she suggest we proceed? Restoring her sisters is the first priority, then seeking out any of her allies who might still be loyal. What does she want done with the heads of her sisters? They need to be attached to bodies immediately, can you help her remove them from this place? BTW, has she ever heard of Grover Cincinnati? No, that name sounds made up. We'll ask the Astral Guide to explain the space/dimension we are in. Can it detect an exit? The local area is under the effects of a powerful Distance Distortion spell. There are several exits from this plane that it can detect, one is in fairly close proximity to the party.
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Post by Wolfgar on Jul 8, 2015 13:39:21 GMT -5
Can she do anything for Poro?
We can offer her some sacks for her sisters' heads. But otherwise we don't have a nice way to carry them. (Purposefully not mentioning the q-box or the secret chest.)
If the Astral Guide can lead us to an exit, that would be nice.
Any thought on how to disrupt the Distance Distortion? Dan could use the Earthquake function of the Mud Ring but I don't think that would do anything to the earth elemental. He could try to abjure the elemental but it is probably a pretty strong one with a name to support this effect.
Can we see where the exit to the room leads?
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Post by venger on Jul 13, 2015 11:07:22 GMT -5
Can she do anything for Poro? She can work "some juju" on him, if the party wishes. We can offer her some sacks for her sisters' heads. But otherwise we don't have a nice way to carry them. She is not really OK with stuffing her sisters' heads in the party's dirty old sacks. If the Astral Guide can lead us to an exit, that would be nice. Unfortunately the Astral Guide can only guide on the Astral Plane. It can sense transplanar pathways exiting this particular plane but it has no concept of direction or distance here. Also it does note the continuous, powerful Distance Distortion effect on the immediate area. Can we see where the exit to the room leads? It's a set of stone doors (not trapped, or locked) leading to a passage 12' wide x 30' long. Every couple feet, on either side of the corridor, are small bronze doors stacked atop one another and covered in bizarre pictograms - 28 doors in all. At the far end of the hall is another set of stone doors.
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Post by Wolfgar on Jul 13, 2015 14:54:46 GMT -5
No "juju". Thanks for the offer.
The only other option is to carry the heads. And that is not something we prefer to do. It makes it difficult to cast spells, hold swords and shields, etc.
Can the Astral Guide give a shout if we get really close to the exits? I wonder if they could be the small brass doors? I'll ask Finn to take look at the corridor using True Seeing.
What are the dimensions of the small brass doors? If there are 28 doors, that means 14 on each wall. One atop another means at least 2 per stack, so say 7 stacks. I guess they could be 2 feet wide, 4 feet tall.
I'll ask our residence super geniuses if they can take heads or tails of the pictograms.
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Post by Wolfgar on Jul 13, 2015 17:52:14 GMT -5
OOC: The rows of stacked doors sound like a coroner's morgue. Maybe we can get bodies for the princesses there.
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Post by venger on Jul 15, 2015 13:03:59 GMT -5
The only other option is to carry the heads. And that is not something we prefer to do. It makes it difficult to cast spells, hold swords and shields, etc. She is unhappy. Can the Astral Guide give a shout if we get really close to the exits? I wonder if they could be the small brass doors? I'll ask Finn to take look at the corridor using True Seeing. If the party is in the physical presence of a portal, the Astral Guide will indicate as such. The doors are unremarkable when viewed with True Seeing. What are the dimensions of the small brass doors? If there are 28 doors, that means 14 on each wall. One atop another means at least 2 per stack, so say 7 stacks. I guess they could be 2 feet wide, 4 feet tall. That is fairly accurate. 14 stacks on 2 - 7 stacks on each wall. The doors are probably dwarf-sized. I'll ask our residence super geniuses if they can take heads or tails of the pictograms.
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Post by Wolfgar on Jul 16, 2015 8:24:11 GMT -5
Hah! Those are bizarre pictograms.
Well since it is relatively calm here at the moment I say we try to get some rest. Shall we try for 4 hours so the spell casters can get back 1st and 2nd level spells? Or shall we take as long as the house will give us? I guess 8 hours if we can stay interrupted. Dan and Vashalla will use up their 1st and 2nd level spells on healing before they go to sleep.
While they are sleeping we will set up guards on the two exits to the room. We can also continue our conversation with the Princess if there is anything else she has to add. Otherwise she might as well get comfortable.
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Post by Ginger on Jul 16, 2015 8:51:31 GMT -5
I think we should rest as long as the house will let us.
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Post by venger on Jul 21, 2015 12:31:08 GMT -5
While the party settles in to rest and heal in this creepy underground vault, the princess will shrewdly interrogate them as to their history, origins, past adventures, how they came to be in this land, hopes/dreams, etc.
What, if anything, will you share with her about yourselves?
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Post by Ginger on Jul 22, 2015 9:42:21 GMT -5
We will not bring up Arawn until she does. We do not want to alert her to our ultimate plan to steal something from him until we are confident that she is not in league with him. Does Paavo still have a mark of Arawn? Is it visible? I'm curious if she seems to react to it if so.
Colby will ask her more about the hierarchy down here before her overthrow. She ruled a kingdom down here that was usurped by the Petty Deaths. Who else ruled other kingdoms? Was/Is there a ruler of the entire land beyond the black water? Assuming she says Arawn, was she a vassal to him?
Otherwise, I don't have too much concern about what we conceal. We can tell her about our adventure in the bottle universe, the war in the Forest Kingdom, and other stuff that is unlikely to give away anything that can be used against us. Let's not name He Who Must Not Be Named, obviously.
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Post by Wolfgar on Jul 22, 2015 9:57:33 GMT -5
Paavo got the mark of Arawn removed at the Pool of Hapy.
I don't think we should mention anything about which of us have previously died. Just a precaution in case she has the ability to control the dead.
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Post by venger on Jul 27, 2015 19:04:03 GMT -5
Colby will ask her more about the hierarchy down here before her overthrow. She ruled a kingdom down here that was usurped by the Petty Deaths. Who else ruled other kingdoms? She seems amused at the directional "down here". She warns you to beware the Beyonders and their sinister city, Yondo. Yondo lies nearest of all to the world's rim; and strange winds, blowing from a pit no astronomer may hope to fathom, have sown its ruinous fields with the gray dust of corroding planets, the black ashes of extinguished suns. Things have crept in from nether space, whose incursion is forbid by the gods of all proper and well-ordered lands; but there are no such gods in Yondo, where live the hoary genii of stars abolished and decrepit demons left homeless by the destruction of antiquated hells.The savage necrophage-ghouls have their own tribal undead-chieftains. Was/Is there a ruler of the entire land beyond the black water? Assuming she says Arawn, was she a vassal to him? No. Only Death itself...
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