Start of #Odal buffer: Wed Aug 26 20:18:41 2009 [17:49:14] * When last we left our heroes, they had entered the shadowfell, lured there by the ghost of the high priest Xan had murdered. Realizing who they were, the ghost assigned them a task to rescue an acolyte of his along with an attendant relic of ioun, in order to prove they were worth his attention, what with cavorting with murderers, and corpses. [17:49:19] [Session start] [17:50:31] * Eve_Kasnora makes her way down to the shadow-Ivorgard's street level. [17:52:03] * Eilenia follows along. "This place is exhausting." [17:54:38] * As you exit the temple, you find yourself facing a trench ringing the temple where the moat stood in the mortal world. It seems like the denizens of the nearby insulae have managed to rig a complex series of pullies to use it as a source of water, and have been draining it over time. Outside of the cobbled together mechanisms, the old district is in shambles, buildings leaning against one another to keep from collapse. [17:54:42] "How are we ever going to be finding a portal back to the world?" [17:55:20] "It is being... almost hopeless." [17:55:52] * An oppressive humidity has settled on the town, and though you can hear music in the distance, cutting through the gloom, though it seems ever so far away. [17:56:14] Eve! Eve! Don't let it get to you, it's not hopeless, you're just letting the plane influence you like in the Feywild! [17:56:38] * Eve_Kasnora looks at Paera. "What?" [17:57:55] ...you're, um, not gonna get all mad again are you? [17:58:05] I can barely see. [17:58:15] I thought the world was dim and lifeless. [17:58:17] * Eve_Kasnora shakes her head sadly. "No.." [17:58:45] "It's just... being very depressing knowing I am so easily influenced...." *Eve sighs... [17:59:12] ...you're...depressed that you're depressed. [17:59:25] * Eve_Kasnora nods, sulkily. [17:59:42] "But let's try to keep going, yes? I hear music..." [17:59:45] * Xan looks to the group, silently moving off towards the music." [18:00:13] The music's a start, I guess. [18:00:18] * Eve_Kasnora follows Xan, traversing the trench. [18:00:20] * From one of the crumbling tenements, you notice a small, cloaked figure begin to shimmy across a scaffold, plucking a wooden bucket from the hook at the end, and begin crawling back, the bucket dangling off the scaffold. [18:00:24] * As you move toew [18:00:28] * Whoops. [18:02:08] * Xan looks to the figure. [18:03:02] * As you move towards the music, you pass out of the old city. There seems to be a tower, not present in the mortal reflection of the city, made from slick black stone. Large hooks hang down from the side but, to some small relief, they seem too large and too blunt to be used on the living [18:03:31] * Paera looks at the tower and swallows nervously. [18:03:52] "Oh... thanks be to Bahamut. I thought there was going to be hanging bodies." [18:04:08] "I would have... really been losing it if there were." [18:04:22] I wonder what they were used for. [18:04:43] * The figure looks down at Xan, and picks up its pace, shimmying faster back to the window it emerged from [18:05:04] "Non-hostile." [18:05:24] * Xan continues to move towards the tower calmly. [18:05:40] Well, there was that bucket back there. [18:05:48] ...not that I have any idea what that could be for. [18:06:41] "Could... could someone really be living here?" [18:07:23] "There is life everywhere." [18:07:40] What do you suppose happens if someone dies in here? Does their body just fall off of them? [18:08:03] "Native species to overtly hostile planes are some of the most beautiful creatures in the multiverse. [18:08:52] And if you could handle staying here, well, it might be a good place to hide out from something. [18:09:16] I don't imagine a lot of people would come looking for you in the Shadowfell. [18:09:36] "We don't want to stay here." [18:09:51] ...though I guess if you were the sort of person who would consider that option, the people after you would probably be the kind of people who'd hunt you there too. [18:10:03] * As you head towards the tower, the music begins to grow louder, until it's an almost deafening din. Played fast and aggressively, as though the harpist had a personal grudge against his instrument, it seems to be amplified by way of simple charms. Finally, you enter a clearing. It seems as though it was made by hand, by tearing down some of the collapsed buildings, since foundations have been filled in with water. [18:10:11] "Hunters should be the least of your concerns." [18:10:29] * Paera looks in confusion at Xan. "I'm just speculating." [18:11:06] * Xan nods. [18:11:08] * Eilenia looks around the clearing. [18:11:16] * Paera winces. "Well, whoever's doing THAT definitely isn't trying to avoid notice." [18:11:46] "Which usually means it's highly dangerous." [18:12:22] * Bright white tiles have been laid down around the pools, and pale humanoids sit around the edges of the pools, talking, their voices sometimes rising to shouts. They look much like humans, though many are heavily tattooed, numerous piercings studding their skin. The standing buildings have been wreathed in silk, and in the center of it all, the slick black tower thrusts into the heavens, a staircase winding up along the sides [18:12:41] * NovaSeaker (novaseaker@c-24-129-21-196.hsd1.fl.comcast.net) has joined #Odal [18:12:44] And probably crazy. [18:12:47] "Maybe.. maybe he's trying to stay... awake?" [18:13:29] * Paera stares. "This..." [18:13:57] * Among the humanoids are, as Paera might have guessed, members of other races. Some are familiar, humans, elves, dragonborn, while others, shambling apes with long, knife-like talons, or a robed man with a long, whispy beard and dangling earlobes, are unfamiliar. From another part of the world? Or another world entirely? [18:14:00] "I will advance and blend in. Eve, I trust you will do what you normally do." [18:14:02] * Eve_Kasnora (novaseaker@c-24-129-21-196.hsd1.fl.comcast.net) Quit (Ping timeout: 180 seconds) [18:14:32] * Xan moves off into the cover of the underbrush. [18:15:24] "Why are.. so many people being here?" [18:16:30] * NovaSeaker is now known as Eve_Kasnora [18:16:38] "Why are.. so many people being here?" [18:16:50] * Eve_Kasnora approaches the mismatched group [18:16:54] * Paera ducks back behind a corner. "The hell is going on?" [18:17:26] I don't know... [18:19:05] * Eve_Kasnora opens her mouth and begins to speak hestiantly, "He..hello... uhm.. what is being done here?" [18:20:17] * Eilenia looks to the others, then starts to find a hiding place [18:22:42] * Nobody seems to give Eve much attention at first, but an older pale humanoid in a robe worn open over trousers looks over at her, then grins. "Hey, girly. Welcome to the Last Resort." His face, tattooed over with a skull design, seems accustomed to the wide, lecherous expression. [18:24:40] * Eve_Kasnora looks him over for a second. Despite the gloom, she arches her brow wryly. "Last Resort?" [18:27:04] * He sweeps his arm to indicate the clearing, and the people inside it. "Just about the only place worth living in this hole, if you're not a Dark One or a necromancer." [18:28:20] "So, you are not dealing in perverse magics?" [18:29:08] * He laughs. "Depends. How much gold you have on you?" [18:29:59] * "Got a ten spot, I'll find you the most perverse magics this side of Gloomwrought. You like illusions?" [18:30:29] * Eve_Kasnora frowns, clearly put off. "That is not being what I meant." [18:30:54] "I am taking it that you are not knowing of a way back to the world." [18:33:58] * He shrugs. "Apparently some shit went down in the world a few months back, but I don't really concern myself with that too much. A bunch of people came through back when it happened, but by now, they've either settled in, found their way back, or been eaten." [18:34:58] "So if I were to be purchasing your services to be finding a way back, are you saying you could not find it?" [18:36:44] * He pauses. "I usually deal more in, ah, party favors. Not that I *can't* find you a way back, it's just that it's not in my catalogue so much." [18:36:57] * Xan (rustangel@ip-118-219.atvci.net) Quit (Quit: I am not ignorant, I am intelligent. I'm not an ape, I am the way, I am the truth. I am religion, I am politics, I am a psychoanalyst, I'm an inkblot shaped like Zeus) [18:38:40] "Thank you for your honesty." [18:38:55] "It's... really rare...." [18:39:25] * Eve_Kasnora begins to mope again. She sighs. "Thanks anyway... We'll be back if we need anything else." [18:41:01] * Paera watches Eve from around the corner. "Well, she doesn't look like she's in any trouble..." [18:41:11] * "Hold on, I didn't say that I *wouldn't*. Just that it's not in my fields of expertise." He smiles again. Does he have gold teeth? "So much as anything are outside my fields of expertise." [18:42:05] * Eilenia appears to have fallen asleep, if anyone can see her. [18:42:14] * Eilenia doesn't normally sleep. [18:42:15] "Oh.. well... I figured we'd be better off just trying for ourselves. No need for you to be risking your life out there with the dark ones and necromancers." [18:43:06] * Eilenia frowns and re-opens her eyes when it doesn't make the plane appear any less dark. [18:44:11] * He shrugs. "Suit yourself, girly. I'll be here making the magic happen if you need it." [18:44:39] * Eve_Kasnora nods and waves mopily as she turns and walks back to the others' hiding places. [18:47:08] Eve? Are you alright? What happened over there? [18:47:57] "He is a purveyor of pleasure. They are not knowing anything." [18:48:13] "Just trying to make the best of an awful situation." [18:48:48] I'm not even sure what the situation is. Beyond just being in the Shadowfell, which is bad enough, I guess. [18:49:27] Did you hear anything about the acolyte? [18:50:27] "No. Why would I be asking that here?" [18:52:05] That's a very good question. [18:58:04] Which is precisely why you should be asking it. [18:58:43] "But acolyte is being in the world. We are needing to be getting back there first." [18:58:55] Is the acolyte in the World? [18:59:11] All we know is the catacombs under the city. [18:59:45] Under the city in which plane? [19:00:46] "But the priest was saying that she was taken by the cult. That was being before Xan killed him and the planes started mushing together, yes? So cult should be in the world." [19:01:11] Did he say that before he died, or after? [19:02:33] "But... temple was abandoned when he was killed. How would he be knowing that acolyte was kidnapped?" [19:04:01] Oh, okay. So why would the cult be in the world? [19:05:33] "Because... acolyte was being kidnapped before worlds going mush. So they would have to be having powerful planar magic to be taking people from world to shadowfell. Why would they be being in the shadowfell?" [19:05:34] * Xan (rustangel@ip-114-188.atvci.net) has joined #Odal [19:06:05] But parts of the city fell into the shadowfell and feywild. [19:07:09] "Is that really what happened? Like with your tower? I was thinking more doors to feywild and shadowfell were just opening." [19:07:29] Nnno. [19:07:36] That's not how the planes work. [19:07:37] * Paera buries her face in our hands. "This is going nowhere." [19:08:37] How did Ianyss put it... [19:09:13] Oh, yes. [19:09:25] The world, the feywild, and the Shadowfell are linked together. [19:09:40] The Feywild is a reflection of the World in its natural state. [19:09:48] The Shadowfell is a reflection of the world in ruin. [19:10:21] Imagine three balls, on the edge of a cliff. [19:10:41] "Oh... okay.." [19:10:47] They're the same ball. [19:10:53] But splash one with rainbows. [19:11:04] And splash another with black paint. [19:11:11] And splash the other in pure mundanity. [19:12:06] * Eve_Kasnora frowns. [19:12:06] ...what does being on the edge of a cliff have to do with anything? [19:13:17] Oh, the cliff has a morass of chaotic energy at the bottom, and a sky of thought above. [19:13:23] But that's not important to the conversation right now. [19:14:32] In any case, teh acolyte and the cult don't have to go anywhere [19:15:00] Because an entire section of the World has moved into one of the other balls. [19:17:16] There doesn't need to be a door to the feywild or the shadowfell now, any more than there has to be a door between the left side of a field of grass or the right. [19:17:50] I think I get it. So whatever plane we're in, we just need to find the catacombs, right? [19:18:07] Yes. [19:19:06] "But" [19:19:16] "But we were using a door to get to the Feywild." [19:19:38] "And there was no part of Ivorgard in the Feywild being." [19:20:15] Unnatural structures aren't reflected in the Feywild. [19:20:56] "But you were saying that pieces of the world moved there. When they moved, they lost the structures built there?" [19:21:13] "This place is ruin. Their catacombs are probably being collapsed." [19:21:48] "Perhaps we should ask them about the missing men." [19:21:50] It's in ruins because that's what the Shadowfell does. [19:23:01] Just... ask them. I'll give you a better explanation later. [19:26:36] * Eve_Kasnora frowns, thoroughly perplexed. [19:26:50] "I... I am not certain..." [19:26:57] * Eve_Kasnora scratches her head. [19:27:01] Just ask them. [19:31:03] * Eilenia goes to find someone and asks if they've seen anyone matching the description she was given. Or if they've seen Orcus cultists. [19:33:41] * One of the sybarites by the foundation-pools looks up at Eilenia. "Oh, Tabita. She started hanging out at the temple of Ioun once it got haunted. And, hell, if you want orcus cultists, just dig down. Maybe it's because Last Resort's here, but you can pretty much find the bastards anywhere there's a cave or tunnel. Been quiet recently, though." [19:34:42] Thanks. Where is this temple? [19:35:21] * The sybarite points back in the direction from which you came. [19:35:59] Alright. And what about caves or tunnels? [19:37:18] * The sybarite shrugs. "I dunno, Back when they were building the pools, though, we had to fill them up double-quick, because there were some cultists in the tunnels off the basements and they tried to get out once The Raven had their buildings levelled [19:37:48] * "I hear this city's been built and wrecked a hundred times over the years. Maybe you just need to look down." [19:39:56] * Eilenia nods. "Thanks." She looks down. [19:40:38] * You see, through the clear water, what looks like the low remains of walls, and a tunnel leading down. [19:41:39] "We have our path." [19:42:26] Well, we don't have time to waste. I guess we go in. [19:42:48] * Xan moves forward. [19:43:54] I, um, can't really swim though. [19:43:59] * Paera laughs nervously. [19:44:12] "I don't have arms." [19:44:22] "Let's go." [19:44:42] * Eve_Kasnora nods. [19:44:59] * Eve_Kasnora holds her breath and jumps in. [19:45:13] * Xan does the same, sinking silently. [19:45:53] * The people around the pool, watch bemused, and begin clapping as a woman in scalemail and a main with no arms leap into the pool. How novel! [19:47:37] * Paera takes a deep breath and jumps in. And almost immediately begins desperately flailing. [19:48:50] * Eilenia thinks. She lowers herself in, and gracefully swims through. Stupid eladrin. [19:50:19] * Plow (mattyqwill@75.69.172.97) Quit (Quit: Client Exited) [19:50:48] * The water is cold and refreshing, a welcome break from the plane's oppressive atmosphere. Still, though, that's of a secondary concern as you force your way through the narrow tunnels, which go deeper and deeper. Just as you think you might have to turn around, you notice a break in the water up ahead. Eilenia manages to tow Paera up behind her, and they emerge inside the non-flooded part of the catacombs. [19:51:28] "Haaah!" [19:51:34] * Eve_Kasnora breaths in deeply. [19:51:41] "You being okay, PaePae?" [19:52:33] * Xan emerges from the water gracefully, silver pooling about the water as he exits. [19:52:38] * Paera gasps as she clambers onto dry(ish) ground, coughing up water. "I...really hope that's...the last of the swimming." [19:54:26] "We have to swim back out. [19:54:28] * The ceiling is low above you, but the cavern itself is rather wide. YOu can make out the foundations of other buildings, half-buried by earth and time. The smell of decay hangs in the air, and in the distance, you hear moaning. [19:55:12] "Xan, how is your quicksilver being? Were you losing any?" [19:55:46] * Xan nods. "It is hard to maintain focus while trying to swim with just your legs." [19:56:03] See what a dreadful plane this is? [19:56:19] "It was just water." [19:56:31] It's so terrible people are moaning just standing around. [19:57:04] Maybe they had to swim here too. [19:58:08] * Eve_Kasnora unsheaths her swords and calls forth the sunlight from her grandfather's blade. [19:58:13] Let us go. [19:58:20] Good idea. [19:58:24] * Eve_Kasnora stalks down the corridor toward the moaning. [19:58:25] * Eilenia follows Eve. [19:58:53] * Paera pulls herself to her feet and stumbles after Eve. [19:59:41] * Xan proceeds, looking to Eve with what seems like a brief smile before continuing on. [20:01:48] * As you follow the sound of moaning, the stench of decay becomes stronger than before, but so does a sensation that all is not right. Or, in fact, that all is wrong. The moaning seems to be coming from inside a foundatio, with what... might have been a secret door, except it's been left open, footsteps in the muck on the ground seeming to head away [20:03:19] Eve, go into that door. [20:03:34] * Xan already walks through. [20:03:40] "Was planing on it, Elena." [20:04:14] * Eve_Kasnora waits for Xan to head in stealthily first, then heads in with her giant glowing fuck-off sword. [20:04:57] * A long corridor leads to a well-lit room, where a bunch of Orcus cultists seem to be milling around, moaning to each other, not particularly concerned about your presence. Curious. [20:05:36] * Eve_Kasnora looks to those behind her, then back at the cultists. "You there! Where is the Iounite!?" [20:08:11] * One of the cultists turns towards Eve. It seems to be secreting necrotic energy from its pores, its mouth hangs open in sheer blind hunger. As it moans, more zombies of the zombies, each seemingly stuffed to bursting with necrotic energy, turn on Eve. [20:08:34] "Oh shi-" [20:08:35] * The shuffle towards her, grasping blindly with gnarled hands. [20:08:37] * Eilenia draws her sword and orb. [20:08:41] [Session end] End of #Odal buffer Wed Aug 26 20:18:41 2009