Quest for the Holy Relics: A NeoGAF DnD Play by Post Campaign

Muun taps on Quintis' shoulder quickly with the back of his fingers, and whispers back, "Wait.. Let's go this way..." and would tilt his head towards an obscure alleyway that he saw, "We will be hidden in there. At least it would make our path different from Val's."
 
Just a quick note from one of your loyal lurkers

Hey all:

Thanks again for such awesome RP and for letting us all in on it. It's been a great ride so far. Big props to your DM, too.

To be honest, I HATED when the Rod was stolen, and I HATED the whole trip to Ravenloft. But man, was I proven wrong in the end.

I've had DMs do that "oh check out this wrinkle!" shit to me in the past, and most of the time it's just an aimless clusterfuck to artificially lengthen a quest. Despite a truly awesome quest up to that point, honestly, that's what I thought this was at first, even past the portal, and even though getting to the portal was pretty fucking fun. I was still an unhappy camper. Shoulda had more trust in ThLunarian and you guys that this wasn't just a time-waster. But it is what it is, and I can't imagine I'm the only one who had been burned like that in games before and was having doubts. Sooooo glad I was completely wrong.

Boy, did you guys turn it around. The vampire hunting stories were great, and the way ThLunarian put a bow on the whole storyline, with the resolution of Sarm's personal quest and sacrifice...well, that pushes this P-b-P into the truly epic category.

Great fun all around. Thanks again for everything you guys do. It's been a blast so far.

And again, my sincerest apologies for ever doubting you...Can't wait to follow your journey to the end.
 
((I only hope Val can get a suitably epic send off, I have trouble envisioning what it might be when his greatest motivation as he understands it is to just put this shit behind him and go home. He's like... A snobbish hobbit or something...))
 
((Ha, so far his romantic interests are his sister (who may or may not be dead at this point) and a prostitute, I think he's a ways away from being marriage material.))
 
((Thanks for the kind words, Pristine, and I'm glad you soldiered on and didn't give up. I can see why you thought the whole plane-jumping quest could be a waste of time, mainly because I think I made a few mistakes on its initial implementation. The players more than picked up the slack though, and I think all of the reasons I did it managed to pan out in the end.))

Muun and Quintus decide they have a minute to scope out a potential hiding spot, and after bypassing some debris and squeezing through a few tight places, they find an abandoned alley that could easily serve as a private spot to regroup. They make note of it as they depart toward the Golden Griffin.

Behind the building, the four heroes converge in a spot that is probably not being watched, but it is definitely less secure than would be preferable. At the exact ten minute mark, Arianna shimmers into view directly beside them. "Quintus, Tarkus," she nods to each of them in acknowledgment. "Relax, your disguise is fine," she reassures Tarkus after he begins to panic at being recognized.

"Not everyone will be happy to see you," she continues, "But there's no time to debate it right now. Come, before we're spotted." She pushes a panel of wood under a window sill on the building, and an old crate nearby slides discreetly to the side. Arianna produces a wand from within her cloak and waves it over the ground under where the crate was. She then walks directly into the wall next to that window, passing directly through it.

The party follows, and a staircase is there to greet them. Together the five of them descend a short distance, and at the bottom of the stairs is a thick metal door. "Mindflayers don't have skulls?" she says to the door, and it opens outward.

On the other side of the door is a long hallway with various doors that people are filtering in and out of. These people are not wearing the standard black and green, and seem to be moving with purpose.

"Welcome to the Resistance," she says. "I'm sure we have plenty of questions for each other, but I think it best to wait until we see the captain. He's just at the end of the hall, come on."

This place is very cramped, and in walking down the hallway each party member has to go to some lengths to avoid bumping straight into a passerby. The rooms on either side are all somewhat small, save for what appears to be everyone's sleeping quarters.

At the end of the hallway, Arianna opens the door. It opens into another room only slightly bigger than average for down here. In the back corner, there is a very tall man whose movements are slightly off-kilter, organizing a book shelf. Directly in front of the party is a desk with a small man seated behind it, staring intently at them.

That man is Ivor Fireheart.

Apart from an eyepatch covering his left eye, he seems none the worse for wear, other than one or two extra wrinkles on his face. Without saying a word, he rises from his desk and walks calmly to Val. He raises his hand as though he were about to shake Val's.

Then he punches Val square in the stomach as hard as his dwarven body can muster.

"That's for leaving us out to dry for twenty years," he says matter-of-factly. "Mind, I still haven't made up my mind if I trust you. My gut says no, but Arianna seems to think you're innocent, so you have the benefit of the doubt.... for now."

He looks at Tarkus. "Get that damned disguise off. I can't see through it like she can, and my gut reaction to seeing a stranger in that cursed uniform is to kill on sight."

He returns to the elevated seat behind the desk. "I don't care where you've been unless it was on the Legion's tit, and if it was you wouldn't tell me anyway. I want to know two things. One, did you gather any useful intel from outside the city, and two, are you gonna join the resistance or not?"

From the back of the room, the tall man makes some unfamiliar sounds and turns its head. On closer examination, his entire body is either covered with, or made of metal.

"Captain," he says in a curious monotone voice that sounds like it's being spoken into a suit of armor, "I am detecting elevated levels of chroniton radiation on our visitors. Analysis suggests that they may have recently encountered a temporal anomaly. I recommend --"

"Gods damnit, Jack, what did I tell you?! Keep that nonsense to yourself! No one understands it but you! Just be quiet and organize my book shelf like I told you!"

Jack tilts his head. "Captain, I have organized this book shelf thirty seven times today, each employing an alternate method of classification. At this pace, I will have exhausted all of the methods of classification in my memory banks in three hours, forty seven minutes, and twenty four seconds. Would you like me to program additional sub routines so that I may continue to obey your commands?"

Ivor deliberately ignores Jack's question and merely waits for a reply from the party.
 
It seems his trained eyesight allowed Muun to learn something that the occupants of the city weren't able to know about. Not even a day in the material plane and already he has found a small advantage over them.

At the exact ten minute mark, Arianna shimmers into view directly beside them. "Quintus, Tarkus," she nods to each of them in acknowledgment.
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"And Muun." he adds after stepping in front of the woman to face her and meet her with his chilled expression before stepping away again.

The stranger that is accompanying the actual known heroes welcomes himself into the resistance hole, regardless of what they might think of him. He studies the occupancy with curiosity and in particular the.. construct? that seems to be made of metal, before what seems to be the resistance's leader demands attention of them, and Val in particular.

The slug to Val's stomach was somewhat unexpected, but still rather impressive. Muun himself doesn't react much, not being the one to take the full of it.

Crossing his arms, and while waiting for Val to recover from the massive whirl, he directs his gaze to the Captain and interjects by asking yet another question that seems like only a toddler could come up with, "Twenty years.. I am just going to ask.. How long is 'twenty years' exactly?"
 
Ivor turns his attention to Muun and narrows his eyes. "Nope, definitely not Sarm in disguise. Lysa owes me an ale." He inspects the lanky foreigner suspiciously. "Where in the Nine Hells are you from boy, that you don't know what a year is? It's three hundred fifty days. You know what a day is? A day's twenty four hours. You know how to tell time, right boy?"

"Actually, Captain," Jack interjects, "I believe I can provide you with more accurate measurements. Since arriving on this planet, I have observed its orbit around your star and have calculated the exact length of your years and days. One full rotation of this planet around its axis takes approximately twenty three hours, fifteen minutes, and seven seconds. By that measurement, a full orbit around the sun takes approximately three hundred sixty nine days and seven hours. I have not yet been able to ascertain the length of orbit down to the minute, but --"

"JACK, I SWEAR IF YOU SAY ANOTHER WORD I WILL MELT YOU DOWN INTO SCRAP METAL AND FORGE YOU INTO A PISS POT!"

Jack's head tilts. "Captain, you do not currently possess the necessary technology to create sufficient heat to melt the alloys of which my body is composed. May I suggest--"

"No you may not," Ivor says quickly and impatiently. "I order you not to say another word until I leave the room!"

That seems to do the trick, and Jack stops talking. "Lousy bucket of bolts..."
 
Val can't help but erupt into a genuine smile when he sees who the commander of the Resistance is. "Ivor!" he exclaims jovially, "You're aw--"

The rest of the sentence sounds something like the sudden and unexpected heaving of emesis as Ivor's blow causes a forcible contraction of the diaphragm and solar plexus. Caught off guard and never the sort to relish physical combat to start with, Val readily crumples to his knees. "Fuck me..." he says weakly after a moment. "Did anyone see where my glasses went?"

Eventually he finds strength enough to use Ivor's desk to pull himself up again. "Sorry Ivor, I'm afraid I'm still catching up to current events due to the... chronologytrons and their temporary analogies, or whatever the blue fuck your friend here was going on about. Gods, and here I thought I was wont for verbosity... 20 years?"
 
Muun's voice spikes slightly with agitation, "I'm pretty sure where I come from can be considered a tenth Hell. Of course I don't know how long a year is when I haven't even been here long enough to grow weary enough to sleep."

While the calculating humanoid begins rattling off his measurements, Muun tries to shift everyone towards a direction that might be more helpful to him, "Just tell me in terms of how much of a person's life it is, and then I'll have a much better understanding."
 
Arianna speaks up this time, first to Muun. "Forgive us for our rudeness, Muun," she says amiably. "We... don't get out much. At least not for socializing. I'm going to assume you're a human; twenty years is anywhere from a third to a quarter of an average human's lifespan. Most humans live between sixty to eighty years.

"I am an elf, and elves live for a few hundred years, so comparatively speaking, twenty years isn't as much to me. Dwarves such as Ivor don't quite live that long, but they do live two to three times as long as humans. I hope that helps."

She then addresses Val. "It has been twenty years for us, yes. You all don't look like you've aged twenty years, though, considering that most of you are human. In fact you all hardly look like you've aged a day. Though it does sadden me to see that Sarm and Suvne are no longer with you. We're no strangers to loss around here; I will include them both in my prayers tonight.

"Anyway, yes, a lot has happened since you last set foot in Alydar. What you used to know as the Arm of Vecna has expanded into the Orzhov Legion, and about fifteen years ago they achieved complete dominance of the continent. The Kingdom of Ruby Keep no longer exists -- though the city is still around --, and you are now standing in the capitol of the Orzhov Republic. Except they're not a republic at all; they're much closer to a military dictatorship.

"We are one cell of the resistance. There's one in each major city on the continent, as well as a few spread out here and there in the wild. We've been fighting the good fight since soon after the king was forcibly deposed, but unfortunately we haven't made nearly as much progress as we'd like."

The whole time that Arianna was explaining things, Ivor was noticeably tense, but once she finishes, he relaxes significantly. Clearly he had been worried that she would give up more information than he was comfortable with the party knowing.
 
After listening to the explanation given to him, Muun himself figures he's only a fraction of a full aged human. He can't help but feel a bit astonished when he realizes and asks rhetorically, "So you mean to tell me that all of this happened practically during my whole lifetime?"
 
"It was damn near more then mine... And here I was hoping going back to our own plane would give us at least a short moment to breath. As for joining the resistance, will still have other things we need to take care of and as tempting as it is to just drop all that bullshit right now, I don't think we can and I don't think Sarm would appreciate that either. By the way, he's not really dead... I think. He just turned himself into light. And Suave decided to stay behind with him. So Suave is still alive, but in another plane that is nearly impossibly to leave and Sarm is... not really human anymore, but not really dead either. And I should know, I spent quite a bit of time being dead myself."

Quintus takes a breath after that tangent and then tries to get back on point "Anyways, we still need to find these relics, however I suspect the Arm either has them, or is still looking for them, so our goals are still aligned. So, yeah, I think we can work this out."
 
Having recovered from Ivor's sucker punch, Val peruses the collection of volumes that have apparently been reordered by Ivor's mechanical companion while Arianna fills everyone in on the current state of things. After a moment, he deduces that the books have been categorized by some sort of scheme involving the author's name, the subject of the book, and the color of the spine. Exceedingly complicated and thoroughly useless to most anyone except the organizer himself.

Val cast a sideways glance at Jack, currently focused on ordering the tomes in some fresh new scheme. Val had seen some impressive clockwork devices before, even some constructed with the facade of humanity. There was a coin-operated "automaton" that was purported to play a game of chess with you that would make appearances at fairs in Ruby Keep, for instance, but Jack was orders of magnitude more advanced. Indistinguishable from any other sapient being, Val couldn't recall seeing anything this advanced even during their brief time in Sigil.

Arianna's explanation having concluded, Val asks the question he cannot stand to ask yet cannot bare to not know the answer to. "Valerie. What happened to Valerie?"
 
Tarkus says:

((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?))
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((Suvne is the one who ended up getting that and even still she would have worn away and recolored all marks of Vecna to change it into a suit of armor appropriate for a paladin of Pelor))

Tarkus walks with as measured a pace though his confidence in disguise is shaky at best. Having never been successful at blending in with others elsewhere in his life he is pleased to find that the magick mask appears to be doing its job until he is recognized by an old friend. Once it is clear Ivor is still alive, Tarkus quietly removes the glasses in compliance, simultaneously pleased and disheartened that the dwarf is alive yet in such a state as to embody his old habits of paranoia.

Tarkus turns a pale shade of green as they are informed of the time that has passed and the new tyranny of the Legion. Turning to speak with his comrades he confirms what Arianna has said of the Arm of Vecna. "Gone so long arm is now...Orzhov? Maybe this what Vecna spoke of power hungry follower. But who lead them? Headmaster? And why setting base in Alydar?"

Careful to keep his questions quiet he lets them hang unanswered and finally clears his throat to agree with Quintus. "Legion will answer for all. Mission of both align." Pulling out the group's  (now very outdated) map of the region, he is about to ask for updates when Val confronts the elephant in the room by asking what became of Valarie.
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Muun speaks up towards the Captain after hearing the others speak, remaining apathetic towards the state of Val's sister since he doesn't know her at all, "Even if we decide to go it alone for our own goals, we still need to agree to remain allies. We have enough enemies as it is."
 
"So Sarm has... ascended?" Arianna says thoughtfully, and a smile spreads over her face. "A fitting fate. That's much better news than I was expecting, thank you Quintus."

Though Tarkus intended to keep his questions within the group, Arianna's elven ears have exceptional hearing and she answers some of them unbidden. "This is the ideal capitol city for them for a few reasons. Number one, in order to cross from one side of the continent to the other, you have to go through here. That was instrumental in their conquest of the continent; this is the first city they took, you see. Number two, obviously there is the enormous gold mine right inside city limits.

"Their leader is known only as the Praetor, and he has seen fit to keep his real identity a mystery. I've only seen him once, and it was from a distance; all I can tell you is that he looks like a normal human. I'm not sure which headmaster you're referring to, but the Emerald Bay Academy is being overseen by a wicked fellow who goes by the name of Rand. From what I understand, he is completely and totally in the Praetor's pocket."

When Val asks that dreaded question, Arianna grows quiet and looks down at the floor.

"Dead," Ivor says as bluntly as he possibly can. "After the town was taken, she wouldn't play ball with the Legion, so they took her out to the town square and chopped her head clean off her body in a very public and very bloody execution."

Ivor once again steps out from behind his desk and gets into Val's personal space. "That woman was an angel sent here by the gods," he says venomously. "After the initial attack that we fought off, I was in a coma for nearly a year, and that woman, gods rest her soul, made it her personal mission to care for me and make me comfortable until and after I recovered. If it weren't for her, I might've died before ever waking up.

"And you abandoned her. Just like you abandoned everyone else. The way I see it, you're just as responsible for her death as the Legion itself. Only reason you're still alive is because we happen to be fighting for the same cause. So let's get one thing straight, Kaff Reyneel, or Valgar Fierno, or whatever other bloody alias you've cooked up lately. You don't get to say her name, least of all in my presence. You lost that right when you decided to up and go for twenty years and left her and the rest of us to fend for ourselves. Understand?"

Having said his piece, Ivor backs up a few steps and breathes. "I need to get some air," he says bitterly, and pushes his way out of the room.
 
Though he tries to apply his trade and maintain an even expression, Val does a poor job of disguising his true emotions. Jaw clenched, teeth grinding, veins throbbing, he is clearly livid with rage at Ivor's accusations.

"I grow tired," he says icily as he snatches the Mask of Lies from Tarkus' hand and dons it once more, "of this recent trend of ill-informed, know-nothing jagoffs presuming to lecture me about who abandoned whom."

Turning in turn to Quintus, Arianna, and Jack, he asks, "This can be undone, can't it? If we came forward, it stands to reason there's a way back, doesn't it? Some spell, or ritual, or absentee god's pocket watch. We can fix this. We have to fix this."

Slumping down into Ivor's elevated chair, Val looks like a school child at a desk long since outgrown. "I have to save her," he whispers almost inaudibly.
 
Expressionless and watching for a short moment, Muun promptly walks outside as well, feeling as though he has no business among those that know the broken man more personally. He may or may not find Ivor outside, which the short sighted fate will decide.
 
"There are spells that could bring her back... But that is more Sarm's area of expertise and such magics were probably beyond him. There is perhaps one spell I could use, but it is far beyond me as well." Quintus stops speaking for a moment and sighs, "As for actually going back ourselves... I know of no such spell and even if I did, actually doing so brings up a lot of questions I'm not sure we will like the answers too."
 
"Val..." Arianna reaches out to touch his shoulder, but she gets cut off by the metal man in the corner, who took Ivor's orders about when he was allowed to talk again seriously.


"That may be possible," Jack says in Val's direction in a curious tone. "I have formulated a hypothesis predicated upon Captain Ivor's assertion that the current state of affairs can be attributed to your encounter with the temporal anomaly. If the Captain is correct, it stands to reason that your return to your own time period should cause the current timeline to cease to exist.

"Furthermore, although time travel into the past is ordinarily impossible, the theory of temporal conservation postulates that matter from a given time period may, under the proper conditions, be returned to its original time period. Under the assumption that you have been here for less than a week, I estimate that approximately 99.79% of the matter in your bodies is from your era of origin. My analysis indicates that this is sufficient to bring you back to your home era, assuming that you are able to find a suitable conduit."


Jack walks forward from the bookshelf. "I would like to accompany your group," he says. "I have never been presented an opportunity to observe beings from another era, and I believe that Captain Ivor grows impatient with my presence here. Is this acceptable?"

-----------

Muun quickly spots Ivor pacing back and forth in the hallway. His face seems wet; he is clearly trying to keep himself from crying. "What do you want?" he says when he notices Muun. "I... I have important business out here!" His voice is shaky.
 
Jack walks forward from the bookshelf. "I would like to accompany your group," he says. "I have never been presented an opportunity to observe beings from another era, and I believe that Captain Ivor grows impatient with my presence here. Is this acceptable?"
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((I KNEW IT))
 
Muun stays silent for a few moments, trying not to become a bother for the emotional toiled Dwarf, but eventually he is unable to ignore it for much longer, and feels compelled to say something about what he thinks of the death, "From where I come from, there is a saying that has recently been popular to pass around. It is a sort of wisdom.. 'In Ravenloft, expect your kin to die before you will.'"

Muun steps forward but not exactly approaching Ivor directly as he continues bluntly, "That saying proved to be exceptionally cruel and twisted today."

((The two things I love most in this world are robots and unicorns, and I couldn't make a unicorn))
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((It became obvious when I was in the shower today doing my meditative thinking. "I wonder who Val Jr. is going to be............ He did say he didn't want him to be like-.. OH!"))
 
Val doesn't quite know what to make of Jack's offer. "I can't expect beings from 20 years ago are terribly different from their modern contemporaries. A bit behind on the popular culture perhaps, but somehow I doubt that's where your analytical interests lay. But at this juncture I think we'd be willing to accept any help offered, especially any that might lend aid to returning us to our point of origin."

Extending his hand to shake that of the mechanical man, he adds, "Pardon my bluntness, but what the hell are you, exactly? And do you have a cloak? I suspect you're prone to standing out in a crowd..."
 
Jack accepts the handshake very carefully. "My interests are of a more scientific nature," he says. "Specifically, the particulate differences in chroniton signature as it changes over time. Ordinarily, the differences are so miniscule as to be undetectable, but your signatures are far enough removed that observable phenomena can be documented.

"I am an android," he continues. ((His race is Warforged and his class is Factotum, for those wondering about the mechanics of it)) "An artificial lifeform with a positronic brain. I was constructed by Doctor Randus Duthane, in a plane different than this one. I do not know how I arrived here. I believe there is a supply of inconspicuous traveling cloaks available; I will don one upon our departure."

"Wait a second," Arianna says. "Val, if you want to take Jack with you then that's fine - his presence can be unsettling to me at times, after all - but you're not seriously entertaining this notion of traveling back of time, are you? It's madness! Even if it were possible, you wouldn't have the slightest idea of what you're doing! Who knows what unforeseen consequences there could be? Quintus is right - this is an avenue best left unexplored.

"And besides," she continues after a beat, "You have everything you need right here, in the present. Those holy relics you're searching for? None of them went anywhere. They're all still right here for you to find and complete your mission, without risking irreparable damage to the timeline."

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

Ivor scoffs at Muun. "Weren't you paying attention in there? Valerie died fifteen years ago. It's not MY fault that swindler in there decided to dredge up the past. I was... I was completely over it before he decided to go and ask about her! It's not like she was my big sister or anything! I mean, she just..." He trails off, scoffs again, and ducks into a nearby room, closing the door behind him.

((Edit: It just occurred to me that you guys are able to increase one of your stats by 1 since you hit Level 12. You may have already done it, but I wanted to post a reminder just in case))
 
Muun doesn't respond, not out of contempt or conviction or any other thought, but more because he doesn't bother to give himself a chance to before Ivor flees from him.

He huffs a breath, thinking to himself that death doesn't seem to be a normal occurrence for a lot of the people in these lands. He silently reminds himself that he had meant Val's kin, but supposes that he accidentally struck a nerve with that comment.
 
"While true that it could be dangerous... I would be lying if I didn't say I am interested in some experimenting. Jack, you seem to be knowledgeable in this area, do you know the risks associated with doing something like this?"
 
Jack tilts his head. "Extrapolating...."

A few moments later, "Risk is a relative term. Acquiring the necessary materials would be a risk unto itself, considering the substantial amount of surveillance present around the continent. Performing the necessary steps to create a temporal access would also carry with it certain risks.

"Additionally, under the assumption that your efforts were successful, the "risk" to the current timeline approaches one hundred percent, as it would almost certainly cease to exist. However, provided that all four of you pass through the temporal access, I do not believe that any potential changes to the timeline would affect you in any meaningful ways, as you are simply returning home. You may experience some limited memory loss associated with your time in this timeline, which would technically never have come to pass, but I do not project anything more serious."

As Jack talks about the risks to the current timeline, Arianna's face grows troubled. "Well then," she says sarcastically after the android finishes, "Sounds like a walk in the park, if you ask me. I don't know why we didn't think of this sooner." She looks pleadingly at Val, as if to non-verbally ask him to reconsider.
 
"Hmm... I think its worth a shot. Really, it isn't even the first time we've messed with time. That actually turned out for the better... for the most part. As for the dangers to ourselves, that's just part of our job. So, if this 'android' thinks he can help get us back to our proper time, then I say its worth a try. And don't worry Arianna, you'll still exist, just not in this current hell hole of a timeline or whatever. You'll also be 20 years younger again, that's gotta count for something right?"
 
Val turns his back to the room and considers the books in Ivor's collection, as though the answer to their dilemma might be easily found upon the shelves if one just knew where Jack had filed it. Unsurprisingly, Ivor's tastes in literature vary drastically from Val's own, but the fact that they are books is enough to jostle loose a long forgotten memory.

"You know," he says, idly taking down one of the books at random and flipping through the pages, "I did a lot of reading during my formative years. Mostly academia, but Val--that is to say the previous generation of Val Fierno, the man I knew as my father-- would permit me to read whatever I pleased during what leisure time he allowed us. I remember one fanciful tale about an eccentric artificer named DeLorean who developed a device that when affixed to his carriage, permitted him to travel at will into the past or future when the vehicle reached some predetermined speed.

"At one point, some antagonist surreptitiously gains control of the carriage and uses it to alter the past, thus changing the present. DeLorean hypothesized that they needed to travel to before the point of alteration to correct the course of history. All fanciful fluff and nonsense, but still amusing to see how close the author was to having the right of it, if I understand what Jack is saying correctly."

Tossing the book on the table, Val takes Arianna's hands in his own and looks her in the eyes. "Arianna--Arianna, look at me--We have to do this. For all we know, this timeline only exists because the past has already been altered. How do we know our presence here is not the result of some fell magic designed to take us off the game board 20 years ago? It can't possibly any more dangerous than remaining and trying to obtain the relics under the watch of the Legion, and if we're successful we may return to our proper point in history armed with the foreknowledge of what is to come and prevent this from ever happening."

Val breaks his gaze and starts preoccupying himself with the contents on the surface of Ivor's desk. "That said, I don't suppose anyone can get me access to a copy of the requisite form we need to operate freely under the watchful Legion? Or at least a basic form and instructions on what differences would need to be made? Apparently we'll be needing identity forms and weapon permits for one Julius Joubert and his roaming band of mercenaries."

Turning once more to Jack, he asks, "So how aware is the Legion that you even exist? Any hope we could pass you off as a cutthroat killer, or are you more one of those 'if they see us with you, they'll instantly attempt to kill us' attention getters?"

((God, what if we're in the future to prevent us from beating the Legion in the past, which we only did because we had knowledge of what they were going to do in the future and *blood shoots out nose*))
 
((I now imagine that some guy from earth somehow ended up on this planet/plane and wrote a bunch of books based on earth movies to make himself rich...))
 
Arianna frowns uncertainly. "Of course I won't stop you," she says resignedly, "And I can at least find you a template form; my gut tells me that your forgeries are likely to be better than what our scribes can come up with, but of course if I'm wrong about that then you can have access to them. All I ask is that you temper your enthusiasm for this plan of yours with some pragmatism. Okay?"

Arianna delves into a drawer in a filing cabinet in the office and eventually produces the aforementioned documents. "If you'll excuse me for now, I was on a scouting mission when I noticed you wandering through town. I need to get back to work. In case I don't get back in time... good luck, whatever you decide to do." She kisses Val on the cheek and gives him a warm hug, then also gives hugs to Quintus and Tarkus before departing, stopping briefly to shake Muun's hand and nod to him respectfully as she passes him in the hallway.

Jack stares blankly at Val. "I do not believe the Legion is aware of my existence, as I have never encountered them personally. Can you please rephrase your second question? I do not understand."

((You can go ahead and do Forgery here. You will net a +3 bonus after taking all relevant modifiers into account (that doesn't count a forgery kit, so if you have one of those then it'll improve even more).

Since you are not currently threatened or in a hurry, you have the option of taking a 10 for this check. That means you don't have to roll, and merely treat your check as though you rolled a 10 on the die. You still add your Forgery skill modifier to that 10 in this case. This will make the whole process take about two days, though, as opposed to one day by just rolling it to see what happens.

I'm letting you roll it yourself because you actually have access to other forgeries to compare them to, and you can pick the best set after you finish.))
 
Code: 
Forgery Check:  1d20+23+3=46
((Man, what's with the 20's lately? I am probably incurring some karmic penalty for the next battle. Val doesn't have a forgery kit, I wasn't aware such gear even existed. He may have to pick one up later, but for now it's a moot point.))

Val watches Arianna depart before he unceremoniously slides the items on Ivor's desk off over the edge with a sweep of his arm. "Well Jack," he says as he sets up a work space, "what I mean is that if they don't know you exist, then you are a literal blank slate upon which we can paint any persona we please. At the moment, we were posing as a highly ranked member of the legion and his band of merry mercenaries, which in your case I would imagine is playing against type. Just let me do the talking, and we should do fine. Now let's see here..."

Val carefully examines the original documents Arianna has produced, holding them to the light, running bare fingers across their surface, and examining the ink. After his analysis, he announces the results. "These have practically nothing in the way of document security. Making our own set should be a simple enough task, though it will take me a bit." Looking at the group, he says, "Muun and Jack are unknowns to the Legion, so no need to get especially creative with that. The rest of us will need aliases. I've already got mine, so that leaves Quintus and Tarkus. So tell me, gentlemen; have you ever dreamed of being someone else?"
 
Tarkus says:

The half-orc warrior remains silent for most of the encounter with the rebel forces. His eyes remain downcast with a faraway look that belies deep thought. "Twice ten years..." He squeezes his fists in frustration. Though his greatest connection to the past remains still with him in the crew of relic hunters, he cannot help but feel additional loss worse than any mortal wound. As the fate of Alydar and Valarie begins to be revealed, Ivor's accusations of guilt are almost too much for him bear. "Sarm would know what to do..." he whispers to no one in particular.

Tarkus listens and goes through the motions of hollow acceptance in regards to the time travelling idea, putting his own interpretation of the situation without thinking too much about it. "Any portal back to world where Alydar not this, good." Looking upon the android Jack with skepticism, he simply nods at his introduction. Heartened a bit by Arianna's hug he finally clears his throat to speak to Jack. "Many new face of late. Not sure motive of metal man, but if Val find use for you, will not object."
Click to expand...

Jack seems to have no emotional reaction to Tarkus's apparent mistrust. "Tarkus. I assure you that I have no hidden motives. I have been programmed to have a subservient disposition toward humanoid creatures. I am not capable of deception. My only personal motive is curiosity."

He then turns to Quintus. "My analysis of your radiation patterns shows that you possess considerable magical ability. As such, I estimate that you are the most likely among us to know how to find the items required to create a temporal access.

"First, we will require a power source capable of outputting substantial amounts of energy. Second, we will require a significant source of chroniton radiation; ordinarily this would be the most difficult item to come across, but if I am not mistaken, you mentioned dealing with time travel before, so perhaps you have some unique insights on this matter.

"Third, we will require a modulator capable of controlling the transfer of energy between the power source and the chroniton radiation. Finally, we will require a means of channeling the energy in in such a way as to "shift" you to the proper era. I believe you are capable of casting a magical spell which should be sufficient for that purpose, if not from your own spellbook then perhaps from a scroll."

He stops and looks at Quintus, as if expecting a response.
 
After Arianna passes through the hall, Muun decides that whatever mourning might have happened must have been a short and quiet manner, and turns around and enters back into the briefing room, presumably to be caught up on the plans that are being made.

Once he is caught up on the plans to attempt to go back in time, Muun asks, "So where are we going to get this 'source of power' our iron golem keeps mentioning?"
 
Quintus answers Jack's questions first "Hmm... power source huh? Perhaps one of our relics could do. As for a source of chrono radiation, I do have a place in mind, but we will have to go underwater for that... not sure if the radiation will still be there 20 years later though, but I guess we will find out. As for a modulator I think I'll have to do some research on that, same for the spell." Then proceeds to answer Val's question "Ever want to be someone else? That's what I majored in. Hmm... how about Bran? I think I could pull off being a Bran."
 
"Then, in the absence of additional leads, the most logical course of action is to proceed to the probable location of the chroniton particles. Fortunately, my systems are waterproof and I do not require oxygen, though my movement will be somewhat impeded underwater. I suggest we begin making preparations immediately, so that we can leave as soon as Val has completed his forgeries, unless a better option presents itself."
 
((Thanks for filling in thLunarian, I appreciate it. You're a great DM))

Tarkus shrugs his shoulders in response to picking an alias. "Val can choose name." Slightly lost in regards to the academic and magickal mumbo jumbo he is nonetheless eager to get back into action. However he has one last question. "We disappear with relic 20 years ago...where is relic we not recover likely to be in bad future? Should we even try to find them or try to go back to original time first?"

Turning to the android he asks if it is possible for a more modern map of the future to help them understand how things have since changed. "Also any way we help resistance in travels...we not know outcome in going out of world, but...owe something to peoples left behind who suffer in bad future."
 
Val holds is finger up and briefly rummages through the haversack to pull out the Fangs if Set. "What about these? If we need to use a relic to return to our own time, I can't imagine we're like to find one more useless than this."

Laying quill to parchment, Val starts the meticulous task of forging the paperwork. "Quintus shall be Bran... Oh, let's say Bran Krats. And Tarkus, you strike me as a... Lautrec. How does Lautrec Carim suit you?"
 
((Clever complimentary references))

Tarkus eyebrows scrunch and he closes his eyes briefly before clearing his throat. He speaks the name aloud to himself several times before stating it fully to the room. "Name is Latrek...Latrek Carim. Good eve." As he does so he gives an elaborate bow while attempting to enunciate syllables where he normally would not.

He looks about the room before scratching his temple embarrassingly. "Too much?"
 
((Thanks Jackben! Glad to have you back in the land of the living))

As the bare skin of Val's hand touches the boney set of fangs, he is caught unprepared as an exceedingly loud and obnoxious voice fills his skull.

"The Great and Powerful Set DEMANDS that his fangs be donned IMMEDIATELY! He will not tolerate---

And then Val lets go, and the voice is silenced once more.

Jack cocks his head and stares at the fangs. "A moment while I adjust my visual parameters." He takes a moment, and then his eyes change in a way that is extremely similar to the way Quintus's do whenever he's using Detect Magic ((Jack actually does have the power to mimic magic spells from his class abilities because he's a Factotum)).

"While the level of energy contained within this item is impressive, as is that of a number of items that your group appears to be carrying, I am afraid it is not quite potent enough to satisfy our needs. We would require something with a substantially higher output." Having already activated his magical vision, Jack uses this opportunity to look at the party under a different lens. He stops at Quintus. "Quintus, I believe there is an item in your traveling pack that is emanating excessive amounts of magical power: far more than any of the relics that you as a group have in your possession. If I were able to examine it, I may be able to perform a more thorough requirements analysis."
 
"I know I'm an unknown here but I prefer to keep it that way, so call me... I dunno- David Somerset. I'm not going to give much thought to a name when I'm not even going to keep it for long."

When Val drops the set of fangs in what seems to be a jolt and after Jack explains how it won't help them, Muun muses, "Useless sounds right if that's the case. At least it's not a heavy item."

((BTW Invisible Castle is back up. I know for sure because I used it to fail a Stealth Check today.))
 
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