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giraine:summary-354 [2024/06/14 21:44] – tim45tenwagiraine:summary-354 [2024/11/08 21:36] (current) – tim45tenwa
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-<- giraine:summary-353|Mystery at St Paschal's [part 3] ^ giraine:summaries-2024|Summaries 2024 ^ giraine:summary-355| -> +<- giraine:summary-353|Mystery at St Paschal's [part 3] ^ giraine:summaries-2024|Summaries 2024 ^ giraine:summary-355|Monastery-Othona-Marsh -> 
-====== Summary 354: Mystery at St Paschal's [finale] ======+====== Summary 354: Mystery at St Paschal's [Finale] (2024-06-07) ======
 ---- ----
 In good news, you get +1 party luck pt! (=3 now?) In good news, you get +1 party luck pt! (=3 now?)
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   - One unsigned letter to “Ydalam”, half-burnt; words visible “Important business with The Wanderer… meet at Othona…” “I do not expect to return to the mines soon…” “I almost have enough Blue Stone…” “Burn this letter…”   - One unsigned letter to “Ydalam”, half-burnt; words visible “Important business with The Wanderer… meet at Othona…” “I do not expect to return to the mines soon…” “I almost have enough Blue Stone…” “Burn this letter…”
- +  - Letter: “To Ydalam, from Rollo Widemouth: We need the monk who knows Boatspeech well. I will send three men for him; make sure they take him. Also, I need my son back before he changes. This cannot be discovered. Don’t fail me this time.” 
-2.      Letter: “To Ydalam, from Rollo Widemouth: We need the monk who knows Boatspeech well. I will send three men for him; make sure they take him. Also, I need my son back before he changes. This cannot be discovered. Don’t fail me this time.” +  - Letter, unsigned: “You know that Pehraln is expecting a detailed progress report. The Wanderer and he don’t always see eye to eye so you should be careful. I’d stay out of Estali if I were you. Well done finding a copy of the Tome of the Third Eye That Opened in your old library.” 
- +  - A picture of a complex symbol with many dots and lines. Fraud knows it as another Arkati cypher. A short note at the bottom, in Seshnegi, reads “Who is the midwife?” He and Kenwill aren’t sure what that means, but Kenwill strokes his beard in consideration.
-3.      Letter, unsigned: “You know that Pehraln is expecting a detailed progress report. The Wanderer and he don’t always see eye to eye so you should be careful. I’d stay out of Estali if I were you. Well done finding a copy of the Tome of the Third Eye That Opened in your old library.” +
- +
-4.      A picture of a complex symbol with many dots and lines. Fraud knows it as another Arkati cypher. A short note at the bottom, in Seshnegi, reads “Who is the midwife?” He and Kenwill aren’t sure what that means, but Kenwill strokes his beard in consideration. +
    
 Disorder spirals across the Monastery grounds. As you meet up in the ?Refectory/Scriptorium/outside the cellar?, there is a scream from the South Tower, and a thud of an impact. And soon another from outside the Monastery, by the front doors. You go toward the doors, and see a immobile, hooded, robed figure, head bowed with face down, which seems like a statue. You approach, and it moves horribly. it wafts a stink of sweet and sour excrement and rotting flesh. Remnants of grey robes cling to it, but what is left of the head is now, unfortunately, visible: half is gone; half is clinging together by strings of tissue. In places, the body’s skin is replaced by patches of leathery hide. Its left hand is abnormally long, almost reaching the ground, and swollen black. It groans and lurches forward, muttering in Safelstran “The worm, the six-armed worm she rises!” You cast magics as you close in; Fraud hanging back to cast a Curse Chaos (which turns out to have no effect). Shrett slashes the remainder of its head off and it is not bothered, but it smashes at him with its bloated left arm; bloodying his face; but he manages to avoid its further blows as it keeps swinging. Meanwhile Boamund hacks at its chest with his sword, and Bog comes in, using Seal Wound as you see that its wounds begin to knit themselves back together. With a big swipe of his maul, Bog splatters its chest to bits, hurling now-dried, scorched pieces of rotten Rokari around. You’re not sure, but it might have once been Reader Jensos. Shrett does a quick look around the gates for Aedil and does not find him, so you enter the Monastery with great caution. It has become dark therein; all sources of light to chase away any shadows in the daytime have been snuffed. [Bog may wonder about that undead thing; if it wasn’t Chaos, was it re-animated from power like Zorak Zoran’s?] Disorder spirals across the Monastery grounds. As you meet up in the ?Refectory/Scriptorium/outside the cellar?, there is a scream from the South Tower, and a thud of an impact. And soon another from outside the Monastery, by the front doors. You go toward the doors, and see a immobile, hooded, robed figure, head bowed with face down, which seems like a statue. You approach, and it moves horribly. it wafts a stink of sweet and sour excrement and rotting flesh. Remnants of grey robes cling to it, but what is left of the head is now, unfortunately, visible: half is gone; half is clinging together by strings of tissue. In places, the body’s skin is replaced by patches of leathery hide. Its left hand is abnormally long, almost reaching the ground, and swollen black. It groans and lurches forward, muttering in Safelstran “The worm, the six-armed worm she rises!” You cast magics as you close in; Fraud hanging back to cast a Curse Chaos (which turns out to have no effect). Shrett slashes the remainder of its head off and it is not bothered, but it smashes at him with its bloated left arm; bloodying his face; but he manages to avoid its further blows as it keeps swinging. Meanwhile Boamund hacks at its chest with his sword, and Bog comes in, using Seal Wound as you see that its wounds begin to knit themselves back together. With a big swipe of his maul, Bog splatters its chest to bits, hurling now-dried, scorched pieces of rotten Rokari around. You’re not sure, but it might have once been Reader Jensos. Shrett does a quick look around the gates for Aedil and does not find him, so you enter the Monastery with great caution. It has become dark therein; all sources of light to chase away any shadows in the daytime have been snuffed. [Bog may wonder about that undead thing; if it wasn’t Chaos, was it re-animated from power like Zorak Zoran’s?]
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 Fraud already has hurled the water flask onto the altar by now and that is bubbling and hissing away, dissolving the top of the altar. You retreat, fearing the vile vapours produced, but soon feel it might be safe to return. Discussing a plan, you opt for one in which Fraud, who still feels he has ample mana in his sorb, returns to dial and thereby the cellar to get Bog’s maul for smashing the statue. And so you do; the Temple of Mallia seems disabled, as much as you can do so. You think over how to leave this place. Fraud goes back to the dial and vanishes. Boamund does too, then Shrett. And Shrett arrives back in the cell, which is stuffed with the two unconscious bodies of his comrades, who have been drained of mana in crossing the portal. He rests with Kenwill and they awaken in an hour or so, drowsy and very spiritually weak. But victorious! Barely. Fraud already has hurled the water flask onto the altar by now and that is bubbling and hissing away, dissolving the top of the altar. You retreat, fearing the vile vapours produced, but soon feel it might be safe to return. Discussing a plan, you opt for one in which Fraud, who still feels he has ample mana in his sorb, returns to dial and thereby the cellar to get Bog’s maul for smashing the statue. And so you do; the Temple of Mallia seems disabled, as much as you can do so. You think over how to leave this place. Fraud goes back to the dial and vanishes. Boamund does too, then Shrett. And Shrett arrives back in the cell, which is stuffed with the two unconscious bodies of his comrades, who have been drained of mana in crossing the portal. He rests with Kenwill and they awaken in an hour or so, drowsy and very spiritually weak. But victorious! Barely.
    
-EPILOGUE:+== EPILOGUE: ==
 The surviving staff (well, 3 people total!) gather under Kenwill’s guidance to thank you and pray for your safe travels. They ensure you have what you need for your journey but welcome you to stay longer. There is the matter of Bog, and that of Shrett, who is unwell. Indeed, you notice that Bog’s chest rash has returned rather furiously. With him possessed, Healing skill won’t help him. You need magic. Somehow. Balancing that vs. your need to recover mana looks tricky. The surviving staff (well, 3 people total!) gather under Kenwill’s guidance to thank you and pray for your safe travels. They ensure you have what you need for your journey but welcome you to stay longer. There is the matter of Bog, and that of Shrett, who is unwell. Indeed, you notice that Bog’s chest rash has returned rather furiously. With him possessed, Healing skill won’t help him. You need magic. Somehow. Balancing that vs. your need to recover mana looks tricky.
    
 Knower Kenwill takes stock of survivors. There’s just him, Reader Windeam, and Servant Defral (the stableboy). Defral pipes up that a strange woman named Arelena had visited the area and Defral was worried she was a witch, as were the local peasants, so she was driven away by them but some say she spoke with High Watcher Mondac before she left. Kenwill had no idea of that. There has been no mention of this “Arelena” to this point in anything. Knower Kenwill takes stock of survivors. There’s just him, Reader Windeam, and Servant Defral (the stableboy). Defral pipes up that a strange woman named Arelena had visited the area and Defral was worried she was a witch, as were the local peasants, so she was driven away by them but some say she spoke with High Watcher Mondac before she left. Kenwill had no idea of that. There has been no mention of this “Arelena” to this point in anything.
---Mondac, Immon, Petros, Elgar, Aedil, and now Makris all are very dead. +  * Mondac, Immon, Petros, Elgar, Aedil, and now Makris all are very dead. 
---Knower seems to have been kidnapped by those three riders. +  * Knower seems to have been kidnapped by those three riders. 
---Knower Jensos apparently returned to his clan at Othona; father Rollo Widemouth, who seems villainous.+  * Knower Jensos apparently returned to his clan at Othona; father Rollo Widemouth, who seems villainous.
    
 Reader Windeam confides through Kenwill two things: Reader Windeam confides through Kenwill two things:
---First, he presents an enchanted bronze broadsword that he has made and kept private. He has old Horali talents that he has put to use. The sword, when wielded by a Malkioni in Ralios, does maximal damage (8 pts) to Darkness-rune beings (includes Uz etc.). Maybe it’s good that Bog isn’t awake to see this award… +  * First, he presents an enchanted bronze broadsword that he has made and kept private. He has old Horali talents that he has put to use. The sword, when wielded by a Malkioni in Ralios, does maximal damage (8 pts) to Darkness-rune beings (includes Uz etc.). Maybe it’s good that Bog isn’t awake to see this award… 
---Second, he says “About 2 weeks ago, just before sunset, just outside the monastery I heard, but could not see, a man with a strong lisp speaking to someone else in Tradetalk. He said, “Hide the boy in your secret place, and do it unseen. Try to return him back to his clan as soon as possible, but if the boy dies, it won’t be a great loss. If the old man gets in the way, use the bowls I gave you; just punch a hole in them and run!” Well Makris didn’t have a lisp, so this other person is…? +  * Second, he says “About 2 weeks ago, just before sunset, just outside the monastery I heard, but could not see, a man with a strong lisp speaking to someone else in Tradetalk. He said, “Hide the boy in your secret place, and do it unseen. Try to return him back to his clan as soon as possible, but if the boy dies, it won’t be a great loss. If the old man gets in the way, use the bowls I gave you; just punch a hole in them and run!” Well Makris didn’t have a lisp, so this other person is…? 
-  + 
-[GM exposition to players; things that PCs won’t learn but may be of interest; and if you wonder about other things I might answer them but some things are best left mysterious: There was a “bad thing” that St Paschal did with a woman (a priestess of Mallia!) long ago, and its curse has lingered at the Monastery. The Helldark manifested; the Nimils came; and events at the Monastery in recent years – especially once Makris arrived—worsened, because the power of the Temple of Mallia had been reawakened. The Nimils could move between certain darkness patches, had limited Darkwalk abilities, and nasty Chaos Features, and the ability to take on spirit forms (the Women in Red) -- which Bog faced in the Spirit World, you may find out (hopefully). Makris learned to use the darkness transportation, including via the chest in his office as a last resort, but learned too late that the latter usage turned the Nimils against him. And yes, the chest closed and locked once he used it. Nifty sorcery.] +> GM exposition to players; things that PCs won’t learn but may be of interest; and if you wonder about other things I might answer them but some things are best left mysterious: There was a “bad thing” that St Paschal did with a woman (a priestess of Mallia!) long ago, and its curse has lingered at the Monastery. The Helldark manifested; the Nimils came; and events at the Monastery in recent years – especially once Makris arrived—worsened, because the power of the Temple of Mallia had been reawakened. The Nimils could move between certain darkness patches, had limited Darkwalk abilities, and nasty Chaos Features, and the ability to take on spirit forms (the Women in Red) -- which Bog faced in the Spirit World, you may find out (hopefully). Makris learned to use the darkness transportation, including via the chest in his office as a last resort, but learned too late that the latter usage turned the Nimils against him. And yes, the chest closed and locked once he used it. Nifty sorcery. 
-  + 
-[You didn’t fall for it, but the thing about St. Paschal and the elves was a red herring, in terms of any cause of the curse on the Monastery. Note that the peasants dropped speculation of the Burning Malady maybe being an elf curse, when you first arrived here. You didn’t take that bait. Anyway, St. Paschal did have Arkati affiliations – he not only fought the elves, he won peace with them locally. Arkat did similarly; as Arkat Peacemaker, after the Gbaji Wars, across Ralios.]+> You didn’t fall for it, but the thing about St. Paschal and the elves was a red herring, in terms of any cause of the curse on the Monastery. Note that the peasants dropped speculation of the Burning Malady maybe being an elf curse, when you first arrived here. You didn’t take that bait. Anyway, St. Paschal did have Arkati affiliations – he not only fought the elves, he won peace with them locally. Arkat did similarly; as Arkat Peacemaker, after the Gbaji Wars, across Ralios.
    
 You’ve heard a bunch of names/places at the Monastery: You’ve heard a bunch of names/places at the Monastery:
-Rollo +  * Rollo 
-Wanderer +  * Wanderer 
-Pehraln (you’ve heard that name before, and Kenwill sees it in the documents from Makris and soon says that, ahh, that is the name of the nice visitor from some weeks ago, who was like Fraud in that he was covered up a lot, swaddled in bandages and such. He did not have a lisp, no. Kenwill didn’t talk to him very much; those that did are dead) +  * Pehraln (you’ve heard that name before, and Kenwill sees it in the documents from Makris and soon says that, ahh, that is the name of the nice visitor from some weeks ago, who was like Fraud in that he was covered up a lot, swaddled in bandages and such. He did not have a lisp, no. Kenwill didn’t talk to him very much; those that did are dead) 
-Quintus +  * Quintus 
-Othona +  * Othona 
-Blue Stone +  * Blue Stone 
-Absent Island +  * Absent Island 
-Tower That Never Was+  * Tower That Never Was
 And Makris seems to have been involved in some conspiracy, spreading Disorder (The Destroyer) and Chaos (he did mention the Deceiver, and he used Chaos from Mallia). The code that Fraud has, with the Arkati map and this spot noted with 2 others (Dolios, Elfchild) and The Wanderer superimposed, reinforces this. And Makris seems to have been involved in some conspiracy, spreading Disorder (The Destroyer) and Chaos (he did mention the Deceiver, and he used Chaos from Mallia). The code that Fraud has, with the Arkati map and this spot noted with 2 others (Dolios, Elfchild) and The Wanderer superimposed, reinforces this.
    
giraine/summary-354.1718401451.txt.gz · Last modified: 2024/06/14 21:44 by tim45tenwa

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