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[ThLunarian]

((mmm... sweet sweet hp roll 1D4+2 => [ 4 ] +2 = 6. picked up spell pen so sr is slightly less of a bitch. though I am disappointed to see that i need level 7 spells before i can take acrhmage, or i could have gotten next level... they might as well had made the skill reqs 16 instead of 15 if they were gonna do that.))

((I agree that that's stupid, so I'm going to overrule that. You can take Archmage next level if you want to.))

As Val tries to piece together what happened here, Muun struggles to make sense of this strange new world, and Quitus revels in his newly regained humanity, Tarkus keeps a watchful eye on the surroundings.

It's a good thing, too. "Company," he says, pointing northward.

On a path leading toward the abandoned Southport, five men on horseback approach at a steady pace. They are looking directly at the party. Equipped in green-adorned leather armor and donning sheathed longswords, four are young-ish humans and one is a full-blooded, green-skinned orc, who lingers at the rear of the group.

"Morning," the man in front greets the party. "What brings you folks all the way out here? You're pretty far from home. I'm going to need to see your papers. All of you. Both your identification and your permits to carry the weapons you're holding."

He glances at Muun. "And sir, you'll need to produce your raptor license and registration as well. That's a dangerous bird of prey you have on your shoulder there."

He holds his hand out expectantly.

 

[KittenMaster]

Muun finds himself holding his forehead while slowly orienting himself from his dizziness of seeing colors like some kind of acid-trip. Looking back towards the huge ocean, he says, "I have never seen so much water.. Are you sure we're not in the elemental plane of Water? Why is the sky blue?" Only he would think his questions are legitimate when to the others they seem like something a 3 year old would ask.

He doesn't care if the others answer though. When confronted by strange men in green garments, the young adventurer immediately becomes defensive and protests, "Coriolis doesn't harm anything unless I tell him to. Why should humans and orcs be afraid?"

 

[Mike M]

((Have a concept for Val's cohort now, just need to spec them out. Very much not Val Junior, so mission accomplished. But damned if it isn't a complicated concept...))

Val waves his hand at Muun as he steps forward. "I'll handle this," he says aloud as he strides to the front of the group of mounted horsemen.

Throwing his cloak over his shoulder, he reveals his own green leather armor to match his inquisitor's own. "Actually, I wouldn't mind seeing your own identification papers to confirm your clearance level before I disclose any details as to the reason for our sortie."

 

[ThLunarian]

"Fear has nothing to do with it. It's about compliance with--" the man begins, before he gets cut off.

He gives Val a closer look (in particular the armor) and raises an eyebrow. "Bit of an outdated design, isn't it?" he says skeptically. "Very well, then." He produces a stack of papers and hands them to Val for inspection. "Lieutenant Algus Mackenzie, commanding officer of Patrol Team Kappa. This is our regular route, and we were not informed of any scheduled operations in the area. If you really are conducting a secret exercise out here, I trust you have a written copy of your orders, to account for situations such as this? Surely you were aware that we would be passing through here. Or if not you, then your commanding officer."

The papers he handed to Val restate the information that Algus just spoke outloud, as well as the identities of the rest of the patrol group. Each contains an official stamp of an unfamiliar insignia.

 

[Mike M]

Val accepts Algar's credentials with a look of mild annoyance. "It's not dated, it's classic. This armor has kept me alive and in one piece for this long, I see no reason to trade it in now."

Browsing the paperwork -- taking in every possible detail he can in the time allowed-- he continues. "Actually, in my position I usually have little occasion to wear it. It frequently doesn't do me much good to announce my allegiance when subterfuge is the name of the game."

Seemingly satisfied that everything seems to be in order, he rolls up the form and hands it back. Leaning in, he speaks so that his companions might not overhear him. "Right then, to brass tacks. I am Julius Joubert, Inquisitor in the service of the Office of Special Intelligence out of Ruby Keep. In keeping with the nature of my working under deep cover, I'm afraid I keep no documents to this effect on my person. The risk of exposure is too great, you see. My armor is my only voucher.

"I have been tasked with tracking down a certain set of individuals of great interest to the Keep. I have been on their trail since, following them across the continent to Emerald Bay, where they apparently scattered to the winds. I tracked a pair of them down south, enlisting the help of this lot of mercenaries to take down what I estimate to be a particularly formidable duo.

"So you will have to forgive me, but no, I was not aware you'd be passing through here, because I am allowed to operate with extreme latitude and deference to my judgements in the field. I have not been in touch with my superior officer because I have not yet accomplished my mission."

Stepping back a pace, he raises his voice back to audible levels for everyone. "But if you happen to have seen a cleric and paladin of Pelor or heard of their whereabouts, my companions here would dearly love to earn their pay."

Bluff check:  1d20+31=42

((Dat Bluff modifier!))

 

[ThLunarian]

"I wasn't aware of any Office of Special Intelligence in Ruby Keep," he says, but he no longer seems entirely sure that he holds the highest authority here. "I had been under the impression that any traces of Pelor worship had been stamped out, but if they're still out there then I suppose it's entirely plausible that the top brass would want to take care of it quietly."

Algus looks over the rest of the party. "I will let you proceed with your mission, but be aware that in the absence of paperwork confirming the top-secret nature of your charge, I have no choice but to file a report when I return to my post. I also would highly recommend procuring the necessary paperwork for your.... associates at the first opportunity.

"Until we meet again, Inquisitor Joubert. Best of luck in finding the heretics." Algus nods at Val, and the five horses trot westward down another path.

 

[ThLunarian]

As the foreign group approaches in military formation, Tarkus prepares himself. Standing at attention in anticipation of a Ruby Keep brigade, he quickly slips into a less formal stance as he recognizes the color of the armored figures. Tensing his muscles, he remains silent as Val takes charge in using his tested methods to allay the band. He studies the departing troops with a measured caution as Val's familiar gambit pays off once more.

He turns to the others with a look of confusion in his eyes, seeking answers to a desperate question. "Something change for worse..." he looks around at the wreckage of the town in stark contrast to the bustling and thriving port described in Quintus scrying of Rubio. He picks up a burnt rag which may have once been a towel, before letting it fall to the ground.

"God of secrets mention usurper but...how long have we been gone?"

 

[KittenMaster]

After the horsemen leave the heroes to their own devices, Muun is forced to admit, "Okay, I can see why you would need to lie now. What was their problem? We are living beings just like they are, but still didn't trust us."

((I just realized I need to sheet my owl as having learned some tricks within the infinite amount of time Muun wasn't around, because right now I want to have it Seek in the area we're exploring in case something nasty is around.))

 

[ThLunarian]

Muun sends his faithful companion, Coriolis, on a routine survey of the area from high up in the sky as the rest of the party discusses the next step.

Apart from the team of green-clad soldiers currently riding away, there doesn't seem to be anything dangerous nearby.

 

[DeadPhoenix]

Quintus should really remember he has a raven around here... somewhere... And the damn thing can talk to. Anyways...

Quintus sighs "Apparently we can't leave the plane for a few weeks without everything going to hell... As much as I'd like to find Rubio, I have the feeling other matters are far more pressing at the moment so we should probably go look into that. By the way, can I get my Arm back? May need it if we get into anymore trouble." then holds out his hand expecting-ly.

 

[Mike M]

Val tries to answer Muun's question. "Hoo boy, where to even start... Those fine fellows were the followers of a cult called the Arm of Vecna. Originally they were given the same task as we, only with vastly more resources at their disposal. They seem to have lately succumbed to scope creep and expanded their ambitions to world domination."

Fishing around in his haversack, he adds, "We don't have much in the way if the living dead in this world, certainly not enough to subjugate the living. As such, the living find their own reasons to fall upon one another."

Pulling out the Hand, wrapped on linen and bound by rope by Tarkus, he hands it over to Quintus. "I hope whatever trick you were using before that incident in the tower is still functional. We're all out if miracles here."

((Pretty sure Tarkus already gave Quintus the arm, but whatevs.))

 

[KittenMaster]

Muun crosses his arms and thinks over what Val just said about the cult.. He decides, "For us in Ravenloft, dark creatures dominate the world. I think I can agree to try to stop that from happening again."

Soon the Owl returns and Muun lifts his arm to give a place to land. The Owl doesn't seem to have budged much in its personality, which suggests to Muun that it hasn't found much to be alarmed about. "Coriolis has not observed anything from the sky, it should be safe to travel but we should still be careful in case something could hide from his view."

 

[DeadPhoenix]

((oh you're right, I though he threw it in his back pack or something... i need to learn reading comprehension or something))

"Thanks, everything should be fine though." says Quintus, though he does take a quick look at his vest to make sure its still working properly before equipping the arm.

 

[ThLunarian]

((Psst... I could use an indication of where you guys plan to go next, and how you plan to get there. I don't want to railroad you, and you have a number of options. I can't easily link you to the world map from my phone, but Alydar is north; Ruby Keep is across the river and east; Emerald Bay is west. There's also Teleport, which I'm guessing Quintus always has at least 1 casting of prepared each day))

The vest seems to be in working order, and when Quintus slips the gauntlet back on, the enchantment successfully keeps it from melting his skin away again.

 

[Mike M]

((I was just planning on finding out what happened to South Port, but if it's totally destitute of clues... Back to Emerald Bay and wrap up the loose thread with the missing Axe?))

 

[KittenMaster]

((We can also check up on Alydar, and probably learn more about the surrounding areas all at once. then decide where to go from there.))

 

[ThLunarian]

(My bad; I guess I didn't do enough description. The place really does look like people moved out of there gradually until eventually there was just no one left. There didn't seem to be any kind of disaster. There are no signs of anyone leaving anything of value behind)

 

[Mike M]

((I like that, Valerie would doubtlessly be able to tell us everything that we need to know, presuming she's still in charge and we weren't all stuck in some sort of time dialation thing during our excursion to Sigil and Ravenloft.))

 

[ThLunarian]

"Alydar sound good," Tarkus says uneasily, "Think we need to check in home first. Something not right around here."

The party elects to walk the less-than-a-day's trip northward to Alydar rather than expend one of Quintus's valuable Teleport spells, and perhaps it's a good thing that they did.

Alydar comes into view far sooner than anyone expected it to. Whereas before, the entire town was placed firmly on the other side of the Lightbridge by a wide margin, now the city walls seem to extend over the river itself; the little mining town seems to have spread out into a full-blown city.

The walls are taller now than they were before (and were obviously rebuilt, since they're enclosing a great deal more space now), and there are insignias carved into it at regular intervals - the same insignias that were stamped onto the papers presented to Val by Algus.

The western bridge access is now a gate that leads directly into the city; it seems that Alydar is using the river as a moat and the bridge as a choke point. There is a trickle of people coming in and out. The gate is being guarded by men in green armor; two are stationed on the ground, and more are on top of the wall itself, armed with a variety of ranged weapons.

The party can ascertain all of this while still keeping a safe, inconspicuous distance, but getting any closer could potentially get you noticed by the guards ((so if you want to try and approach without being noticed, a Stealth roll, a dose of Invisibility, or a Disguise check will be required, depending on how you want to go about it)).

 

[KittenMaster]

The elongated trip gives Muun a chance to finally get used to what this new world is like, and get a feel for what a trip up river looks like.

Knelt behind a dip in the ground, the young newcomer says while eyeing the city from afar, "I thought this is supposed to be your home city. Why is it surrounded by the same kind of men we saw earlier?"

Without waiting for an answer, he continues by asking, "Any of you have any idea on where we can sneak in?"

 

[Mike M]

((Going to just assume Muun's is fully brought to to speed re:Val's past et. al. since KittenMaster's not a new player. Gonna be interesting to see how the plot threads have changed after the time jump...))

Val lays prone on the ground from the tree line and studies Alydar's fortifications and access points from afar. "Well Muun, either my dear sister has done a fair bit of renovation in our absence, or our little jaunt across the multiverse did not take an equitable amount of time from all frames of reference. I'm afraid our home base is several years gone by this point."

Biting his lower lip, Val tries not to consider that it would appear that far more than "several" years have gone by. Bones, Ivor, Valerie, Valance, Arianna... Gods only know what happened to them. To everyone Val ever knew...

Regrets are for later, he reminds himself. Save the world, then weep like a blubbering little girl over what you lost in the process, but for now, focus. Taking his spyglass to eye again, he patiently watches the comings and goings of the people of the town, making note of whom the guards stop, whether they ask for papers, that sort of thing.

Perception check:  1d20+9=29

((Ooh, hope that was worth the effort. We've lost Sarm's cart at this point, but we transferred everything to the haversack, right?))

 

[KittenMaster]

((The wagon as it was last seen contained AFAIK)

Wagon pulled by Two Light Horses containing:
* A Tent
* a Chest that holds:
--- Bedroll
--- 3 Sunrods (3 lbs.)
--- Three Leather Armors, AC 2, No penalty
* Bushel of enchanted apples

((And even then we probably brought the apples with us.))

 

[ThLunarian]

Val seems to have found an exceptional vantage point. Immediately he notices that the guards on top of the wall aren't paying much, if any, attention to those passing through the gate; their gaze is affixed outward, looking for approaching threats.

On the ground, most of the people passing in and out are doing so unmolested. They are all wearing either black or green clothing.

There is one woman who attempts to enter wearing a purple dress. She is stopped immediately and searched thoroughly by both guards. During the search, her papers are extracted and examined closely. After the search is completed, she is allowed to enter the city.

Some time later, a man in orange traveling clothes attempts to enter and is also stopped and searched. He appears to be verbally protesting, but does not resist. His papers are also pulled from his things and examined. He is ultimately turned away after the guards find a few books in his backpack.

There don't appear to be any secret or hidden entrances into town. Currently, it seems that the only ways to get inside are either through the gate, under the wall that crosses over the river (there is some space between the bottom of the wall and the water), over the wall by way of climbing or flying, or possibly teleportation; there don't appear to be any magical wards that would prevent it. Teleporting in would require a very specific destination within the city, based on what the party remembers about how Alydar used to be arranged.

 

[Mike M]

Val collapses his spyglass and backs away from his vantage point on his stomach. Once safely concealed by the tree line, he stands up, brushes himself off, and delivers his findings.

"They've got archers on the wall, though I doubt they'd compelled to care about much short of an armed raiding party storming the gates.

"Guards at the gates too, and there definitely seems to be an 'in-crowd' they hold in good favor. People wearing the Vecna green are let right through, as are people in black. Not sure what the black's about... Everyone else is being searched and forced to produce papers.

"I'm relatively certain I can stroll in as I please, given that from all available knowledge I would appear to meet their criteria as a desirable. It's getting everyone else in that's the trick. Aside from the gate, their wall doesn't seem to go all the way to the waterline, let alone beneath it, so that's a possibility. Or maybe over, if Quintus has that flying spell on tap. Either would obviously best be accomplished under cover of night with the hopes they don't have anyone with augment vision looking in your direction.

"Alternately, I can scout ahead, maybe procure the requisite clothing and documents we'd need to freely operate. Or see if I can find a familiar location for Quintus to teleport to. Perhaps both."

 

[ThLunarian]

Tarkus says:

Tarkus nods in approval of Val's assessment. "Dangerous as is, hit gate in large group too suspicious." He shifts slightly in attempt to find a comfortable position to kneel in the brush. Though mainly unsuccessful he manages to pick a twig out of the joints in his armour.

"Still...not keen that you should go lone wolf. If must scout new Alydar City, take one with you and rest may regroup after." He looks over at Muun and scratches his chin in contemplation. "Maybe ranger since he seem dextrous like Val and less chance to be recognised."

 

[Mike M]

((The following isn't me, it's actually Tarkus. For some reason I can't get the quote function to work right on my phone))

((You can't just post something consists only of a quote, you have to have something outside the quote tags. At least that's the problem I was always doing and forgetting about whenever I can't get quotes to work.))

 

[KittenMaster]

"I can. Val, do you think you can get me inside? I would rather not become an example why you shouldn't play in the river if I don't have to."

 

[ThLunarian]

((A disguise check would be appropriate for that, but if you choose to do it, just let me know and I'll roll it in secret. It's fine to use it on someone else))

 

[DeadPhoenix]

"Hmm... or perhaps we could speak to one of our companions inside. I could scry one of them and speak directly with them using message. Even if they aren't in there now, we could hopefully find out what exactly is going on here."

 

[Mike M]

Val nods at Quintus' suggestion. "I doubt we'll find anyone we know, but any information's better than going in blind. Would you be able to gain enough surety to teleport us in?"

 

[ThLunarian]

((You can teleport in right now actually. Quintus would only have to think of a place that existed in Alydar as he knew it, and you'd go to that same geographic location - though obviously things may have changed since then.

Alternately, attempting a Scry is another possibility that could yield more up to date info.))

 

[KittenMaster]

Muun looks to the wizard and the liar, and suggests, "Instead of taking chances on whether your loved ones are still around, why don't you just use your magic to watch one of the people walking in? That should give us a decent view of the city as a whole."

 

[DeadPhoenix]

"Could do that, but what if they get inside the town then just stand around in front of the wall for the next ten minutes? Sure we'd get a look inside, but we probably wouldn't learn much. Really, I could just turn myself into a small animal and have a look myself, figure out what to do from there. But scrying someone, assuming they are still alive, could prove far more informative. Question is who do we talk to? Val's 'Sister'? The teifling pretending to be a human, the human pretending to be a tiefling? ...Do we know anyone else we could trust that might still be in there?"

 

[ThLunarian]

((You may be thinking of Sending here, not Scrying. There is an outside chance of being able to send a message through a Scry, but it's not very reliable for communication; it's mostly just for spying and seeing where someone is and what they're doing.))

 

[ThLunarian]

Tarkus says:

((I think the best way to go about it would be to just all go in at this point. Muun & Val can probably make it in no problems, Quintus can morph into a mouse or something and with the right disguise perhaps even Tarkus as well.))

Tarkus grows more and more agitated as the group continues to discuss the next step. Ripping out a tuft of grass with his hand he finally speaks up. "Let us decide soon...desire to know fate of Alydar too great to go witout action." Turning to Val, he asks "What plan we go for?"

 

[Mike M]

((Is the Disguise Kit even applicable to changing the color of clothes? That's the chief hang up.

If it's not, possible solution:

Val: Good as is
Quintus: Polymorph into something small enough to hide in a pocket or slip by unnoticed
Muun: Borrows Mask of Lies for a few minutes.
Tarkus: Ummmm... Do we have an invisibility potion left over from the tower job?))

 

[KittenMaster]

EDIT 2: ((I forget what the limitations are on the Mask of Lies besides the time limit, but I think it would be harder to hide Tarkus than to hide Muun.))

 

[DeadPhoenix]

((Only problem is i don't actually have the sending spell... and right now getting access to it may not be the easiest thing. If needed I could actually polymorph us all, I just need a day to prepare the spell... can alter self change clothes? probably not, and I don't have it prepared anyways.
As for how many invis potions we have left... I kinda stopped tracking at some point so i assumed we just used them all for the job.))

 

[ThLunarian]

((You have 3 invis potions left. I kept track.

Alter Self lets you change your appearance however you want, clothing included.

Disguise Kit will suffice to change clothing color.

Mask of Lies would be fine to disguise any medium-size creature, and all of you including Tarkus are medium sized))

 

[Mike M]

((Okay then, Val uses the disguise kit on Muun and Quintus, Tarkus borrows Mask of Lies, split into pairs to cross the bridge some number of minutes apart?))

 

[KittenMaster]

((Sounds fine to me.))

 

[ThLunarian]

((Now that I know what you guys are planning, I'll take care of rolling disguise checks and narrating the operation when I have time tomorrow (Sunday). I don't know yet what time that will be though, and I didn't want you to think I was waiting for someone else to add something. You can if you want to though. Either way, I'll be back here later))

 

[ThLunarian]

Once a general plan is in place, the party spends some time ironing out the finer details. Once they're confident that most contingencies are accounted for, they get to work.

Val uses a combination of dyes in his disguise kit and a little creativity to make some believable black and green peasant outfits for Quintus and Muun; as he does this, he coaches Tarkus in how to properly utilize the Mask of Lies. After a bit of intense concentration, Tarkus manages to activate the mysterious pair of glasses. He now looks lik a nondescript human soldier, dressed in armor identical to that worn by the men encountered in Southport.

Before splitting up, Quintus establishes a Telepathic Link with Val, and then Quintus and Muun move for the gate.

The guards don't even seem to notice the pair, and they slink through unimpeded. Inside, Muun gets a sinking feeling that perhaps this place isn't so different from Immol after all.

There seems to be a soldier on every block, watching the populace vigilantly as they go about their days. The people in the streets are an ocean of green and black, collectively moving in an overly orderly fashion, as though they know they're being watched. Randomly, a soldier will stop a citizen and inspect their identification papers for no reason that Quintus or Muun can see.

The buildings themselves are mostly residential, though there are shops and other service-related businesses interspersed occasionally. At first glance, there does not seem to be a place free from the prying eyes of soldiers ((skill checks and/or magic spells would be needed to find refuge)).

-------------

Val and Tarkus are well aware of the situation thanks to Quintus's live feed, but they have little choice other than to follow their friends into town. The soldier disguises seem to work pretty well; one of the gate guards actually gives Val a respectful salute on the way in.

Lacking any better ideas and unable to reunite for the time being, the two teams agree to separately make their way to the older section of town in the hopes that they might find a familiar landmark. Nor long after arriving, a woman in a heavy cloak bumps into Val.

"Oh! Excuse me," she says, and takes the opportunity to make eye contact with him.

Val immediately recognizes the elven features of Trixie, also known as Arianna: bar wench and combat-priestess who he chanced to bed on the very first night of meeting Bones, Ivor, Sarm, and Quintus so many months ago (relative to him, anyway).

There is only the faintest trace of recognition in her eyes before she pulls her gaze away and begins hustling in the other direction.

It's only a moment later that Val realizes that a note has been slipped into his palm. It reads: "Behind the Golden Griffin. Ten minutes."

 

[KittenMaster]

While the colored hood is being made for him, Muun instructs his owl to stay behind while he enters the city, knowing that he was already questioned about it once and would only make him recognizable later.

Once inside the city, it becomes more apparent how extreme the lock down on the city is. He makes a passive comment towards Quintis in whisper about the state of the social ecology he knows of so far, "So far I'm not impressed with your world.. I would despise living under this constant watch."

He gazes up towards where the guards are watching over everyone, and tries to think of where their gaze might be blind if it were him watching over from the vantage points.

Perception - 1d20 + 15, rolled 19 = 34​

 

[ThLunarian]

Around the same time that Val is approached by Arianna, Muun spots an out of the way, hard-to-access alleyway that seems fairly isolated, and is more importantly out of view of any soldiers.

 

[Mike M]

((Am I misremembering, or did one of the orcs on the bridge in the mine have armor drop as loot after the fight? Is Tarkus wearing that, or am I just making the whole thing up?))

Confident that he needs no disguise to enter Alydar, Val walks toward the gate with the mystically disguised Tarkus at his side. He doesn't fail to notice the additional respect afforded to him by the guardsmen either. Though his armor was plundered from the corpse of some nameless foot soldier, apparently enough time has passed that its vintage design has come to mark him as some sort of decorated veteran. He doubts he'll be accosted for papers if this is the case, but Quintus and Muun could be challenged at any moment. It is vital that they reunite as quickly as possible.

Val's heart skips a beat in momentary recognition as he makes eye contact with what appears to be Arianna, but otherwise affords her no more reaction than he would any other accidental collision with a stranger. Her planting of the note is so deftly done, Val nearly drops it before he realizes he's holding it.

Passing the note to Tarkus, he contacts Quintus to inform him of this development. Just ran into a familiar face who wants to meet us behind the Golden Griffin in 10 minutes. We're en route.

 

[KittenMaster]

Muun spots an out of the way, hard-to-access alleyway that seems fairly isolated, and is more importantly out of view of any soldiers.

((I think I should be perceptive of the wording here... What consequences to "out of the way" and "hard-to-access" have in terms of getting over there?))

 

[DeadPhoenix]

Alright we'll meet you there.

"Alright we're gonna go meet with Val and Tarkus, as well as an old friend... I hope. Follow me."

((Just thought I should note that I can use telepathic bond on four people at once now, not including myself. Of course if other people don't like having someone else talking inside there head that's fine too.))

 

[KittenMaster]

((I know we're not going to be heading into the alleyway unless it somehow leads to our destination, but I'm still curious as to what difficulties it brings, because there HAS to be a reason why nobody is using it to hide. ))

 

[ThLunarian]

((It would be hard for an average person to find and access. You guys are level 12. You are way way WAY more competent than the vast majority of random townspeople and soldiers, so you're able to easily pull off feats that would be impossible for most people.

In other words I didn't mean to hint at anything by using those adjectives))