Min/Max Boards

Quote from: Agita on March 28, 2017, 09:06:50 AM

My first question would be, why do you need such a natural law? This isn't a rethoric question. Do your setting and game require a specific, hard reason why a digital revolution will and can never happen? Note that this is distinct from a reason for why it hasn't happened yet. Most settings don't need such a specific rule because it's unlikely to ever be relevant. If yours does, nailing down exactly why is the first step to figuring out what the hypothetical rule actually has to accomplish.

Quote from: Nytemare3701 on March 24, 2017, 07:24:50 AM

I'm not well versed enough in physics to know how intrinsically the fundamental forces are tied to electrical resistance.

Very. Not that it has to matter. You are dealing with magic.

Because both I and my players like having a set groundwork to make decisions based on. Invention and creativity are stifled a bit when you have to ask the DM during every downtime "Is lead still 0.41lbs per cubic inch?". I want to prevent a technological revolution, but at the same time I want the players to participate in the Eberron Magitek revolution.

Then my honest advice is to not think too hard about it, say that electronics won't work, and leave the reason vague. Perhaps, recalling that (as other posters have noted) the classical elements are absolutely real things in Eberron, you can decide that the elemental power of electricity just doesn't scale down well enough to enable fine circuitry, but still works fine for things like the levitating lightning rail.

This is my advice because I think if you try to nail down a hard scientific explanation, you are liable to outsmart yourself and end up causing exactly what you're trying to avoid. No such explanation will ultimately hold up under serious scrutiny, and additionally it will be subject to players trying to get around it as real world engineers and scientists try to get around physical limitations all the time.

So, I'd say you're better off not worrying too much about atoms, quantum effects, and all the other small details. Instead, assume there's an underlying set of laws that work out to "as the real world, except where specified otherwise" on the macroscopic scale. The instances where it's specified otherwise are the existence of magic and the impossibility of an electronic revolution. You do probably still want a rough idea of why, such as the example above where elemental lightning just doesn't scale like that, because it tells you something about how your world breaks from the real one and provides a hook, but broad strokes like that will be far more useful than worrying about the details.

Since you want this as an excuse to engage with the magitech revolution without having electronics sitting in the background, my estimate is you weren't that tonally interested in including a lot of quantum-scale technobabble in your game anyway. Perhaps I'm wrong.

(16:05:06) [GM]: ----------
(16:05:16) [GM]: Miriana and Micah are investigating a suspected cult of the fallen stars at the Crane Knights' request.
(16:05:27) [GM]: After meeting with Ulf Starkheim, Ivan, and Rosa to duscuss the situation, four of them went to investigate the murder of Father Konrad while Ulf agreed to interview Konrad's former congregation.
(16:05:34) [GM]: They found several more books missing than expected, indicating that the thief had not known exactly what book to steal - evidence for a third party. A guard assigned to keep watch of the crime scene told Miriana the authorities, too, suspected a hired killer.
(16:05:44) [GM]: Carefully asking around, Micah and Miriana have found the name and ddress of one Tivadar Mehltal, who supposedly sells poisons to the right people for the right money.
(16:05:53) [GM]: Mehltal's pharmacy is an unassuming shop in Ostend, not too far from the Fair Constable. It is located on the great market street leading west from the main road to the inner city, towards the elven quarter and the bridge to the dwarven district.
(16:05:53) [GM]: Inside is the picture of a respectable business. The owner busies himself talking to a small number of customers while occasionally calling for his apprentice to fetch something.
(16:05:57) [GM]: The trickle of customers is modest but steady, and it seems unlikely Miriana and Micah will be alone with Tivadar Mehltal soon. How will they approach?
(16:12:54) Miriana: Miriana pretends to be examining something nearby, speaking to Micah mentally. <So, how are we going to drag a lead out of Mehltal?>
(16:13:48) Micah_Whiterune: <Go up to him and ask about the poison?>
(16:14:22) Miriana: <What, and pretend I just have an academic interest?>
(16:15:14) Micah_Whiterune: <Why not>
(16:16:18) Miriana: <I don't really know too much about it, but I suppose I could try...>
(16:17:06) Miriana: Miriana shrugs slightly before going to stand in line.
(16:20:36) [GM]: The line, such as it is, is rather informal, as Mehltal chats with several, clearly repeat, customers as he and his apprentice go about various orders, and some remain behind even after their medicine is done. He is a portly, older man, with black hair and beard neatly trimmed, and when he looks at Miriana, he wears an easy smile. "Oh, a new face. Welcome, miss. What can I do for you?"
(16:25:29) Miriana: Miriana lets some of her usual background anxiety creep into her voice. "Oh, um, hello. I'm from the college? I'm doing research for a task one of my instructors set me, researching toxins, and I'm a little stuck, so I was wondering if you could advise me? I'll pay you for your time, of course," she adds quickly.
(16:29:58) [GM]: Mehltal raises an eyebrow in mild surprise. "Well, anything for science, no? I can try. What is it you need to know?"
(16:34:42) Miriana: "Well, they've set me a difficult substance to identify and all I know is it's got a kind of acrid scent and it's fairly lethal if ingested. My father - he's the longer-lived side of the family - works in an apothecary, so I know a little bit about some of the more esoteric ones that elves typically use, and I don't think it's any of them."
(16:34:52) Miriana: "I'm sorry, I realize it's not much to go on," she admits.
(16:39:40) [GM]: "Oh dear. That reminds me of some families of beasts in the Mahr with rather nasty properties. Many poisons tend to be bitter more than acrid. It makes sense elven lore wouldn't have as much on the animals I'm thinking of, since they tend to concentrate on herbs. Has someone at the university eaten the wrong thing?"
(16:44:14) Miriana: "Yes," she lies. "One of the less careful boys didn't wash up after their work, and someone mentioned he'd fished a fly out of his drink with a finger after that, and, well...it's not a line of work for incautious people."
(16:47:16) [GM]: "Oh, no." Two of the other customers mutter about the unfortunate. "I have antidotes ready for several things, but I would have to know the right one. Shall I send my apprentice with you?"
(16:48:20) Miriana: "Ah, no, um," Miriana falters. "It's, ah, not necessary. He passed not too long after collapsing during the meal."
(16:54:05) [GM]: "Alas. Stars receive his soul. In that case, the ones who would know best are those that worked with the poor lad. It must've been a very strong poison, from what you said, so I can't imagine he would have been working alone."
(16:57:02) Miriana: "He didn't seem to taste anything, so it seems as though it must have been quite potent to work in such a small dose. That's what our working theory is, anyway - the other option is that one of the poor fellow's companions slipped it into his food."
(17:00:53) [GM]: "Perish the thought. For it to be so strong, it was most certainly processed in some way. Perhaps with the help of magic means - it might have passed through the hands of a wizard, then? Certainly, someone higher up would know about the substance, if it was being handled legitimately."
(17:03:48) Miriana: "Oh, hm, that does make some sense. I wasn't considering the possibility that magic had been introduced to the process...you mentioned that these were likely to be bestial poisons?"
(17:04:54) [GM]: "That's my estimate, based on what little I know."
(17:11:08) Miriana: "Interesting...would you mind telling me what sort of creatures would produce that venom? I'll take this back and see if any of my instructors might know about the refinement process."
(17:11:43) Miriana: <Lying,> Miriana reports to Micah. <I mean, we knew that, but he doesn't seem at all concerned about the person he might have killed.>
(17:13:00) Micah_Whiterune: <Send the kitty to check  his stock out?>
(17:14:39) Miriana: <I don't doubt he's got the stuff, but...what does that get us? We want to know who paid him, right?>
(17:15:09) Micah_Whiterune: <That'd  implicate him in a murder. He'd not do that unless he was a fool>
(17:15:47) [GM]: "I am thinking mainly of certain snakes. I will write you a list of names, the university certainly has literature on them. Some kinds of fish have a similar poison, these are the sort of poisoning that I was first thinking of, but their poison is much weaker and less fast-acting. They're easily distinguishable from edible fish, but some fishers are careless. It always pays to have seen the animal you eat whole."
(17:16:12) [GM]: "With hares as well, for example."
(17:16:49) Miriana: <Then what, we find it in his backroom and accuse him?>
(17:19:17) Micah_Whiterune: <Then we take a sample and figure out who improved it>
(17:20:48) Micah_Whiterune: <Unless someone could steal his  ledgers or something>
(17:22:24) Miriana: Miriana nods, fumbling in her pockets for a scrap of paper.
(17:27:32) Miriana: <Hmmm...how distracting can you be? Preferably well enough so that I can get back there and search without the apprentice.>
(17:28:08) [GM]: Dutifully, Mehltal writes down a list of common and formal names for several species of water snake.
(17:28:18) Micah_Whiterune: <Well, I could go up to them and start preaching...>
(17:28:45) Miriana: "Thank you, sir," Miriana interjects, offering a few silver so as not to seem insulting.
(17:31:43) Miriana: Once she leaves the shop, she ducks out of sight of the passersby, draws up a faint shimmer in the air with a handwave, and steps through it, disappearing as she does. Time to see what's in the stockroom.
(17:34:24) Micah_Whiterune: Micah give Miriana a moment to give him the signal, takes a swig  of some beer from a waterskin and then heads inside, a faintly alcoholic smelling dwarf priest in full missionary mode.
(17:41:11) [GM]: Micah's presence is only tolerated for so long once he starts proselytizing. Claiming his pharmacy as a faithful establishment, and having no place for beer-smelling loud dwarves, Mehltal and his apprentice attempt to remove him, giving Miriana at least some commotion to slip in the back unnoticed.
(17:42:24) Micah_Whiterune: Micah puts up a fairly noisy, if harmless struggle as the two discover just how hard it is to move a dwarf who's loudly preaching at them.
(17:45:18) [GM]: Miriana, meanwhile, has taken to the alleys and circled around to the backsides of the stores. It takes some time to find the right one, but once there, she finds a locked door just begging for application of some new tools she's acquired... only to find that their use still takes some getting used to.
(17:50:47) [GM]: Through combined effort of master and apprentice, Micah finds himself out on the street, with a threat to call law enforcement on him if he continues to disrupt business. He did buy some time, though, so perhaps Miriana has had luck?
(17:51:05) Miriana: Miriana bites her tongue to keep from swearing, wiping sweat off her hand onto her trouser leg before giving it another go.
(17:51:10) [GM]: She has not. The frustratingly simple lock continues to defy her attempts. What now?
(17:54:51) Miriana: Miriana presses her ear close to the keyhole while she works, picturing the soothing image of simply pointing her wand at the door and blasting the lock off.
(17:57:14) [GM]: Though it is best not to dwell on what it says about her psyche, the brief meditation on exploding locks calms Miriana's hands and emotions enough to figure it out quickly and silently. A relatively simple lock, really.
(17:58:56) [GM]: On the other side of the thankfully quietly swinging door is something like a small waiting room, dark for the lack of a window. In the light coming in through the door, she can make out a lamp and chairs around a table.
(17:59:37) Miriana: Miriana opens the door enough to let Soot in. "Find that poison," she whispers to the cat, giving him a brief scratch behind the ear.
(18:06:14) [GM]: Soot struts into the store with tail held high and begins looking around for the laboratory. He almost finds it, too, according to his mental reports, when he is spotted at the door of a suspicious-smelling room by a fellow of unkind emotional description who is presumably Mehltal's apprentice. "How'd you get in?" The apprentice moves to pick up the cat. "That's no place for animals. Out with you, fellow."
(18:07:16) Miriana: <...give him a bit of a chase,> Miri advises the animal, slipping in herself. This has gone phenomenally wrong.
(18:13:19) [GM]: Soot immediately complies, bolting between the apprentice's legs. The apprentice wheels about, calling, "Oh no, not there," which the cat immediately takes as an indication to go exactly there. Alas, Soot does not get far, as the apprentice proves quicker than expected, and manages to grab him by the scruff of his neck.
(18:13:19) [GM]: This does, however, at least give Miriana enough of an opportunity to slip into the room Soot identified as suspicious without the creak of the door being heard.
(18:14:06) Miriana: Miriana takes a moment to let out a silent sigh before setting about the process of investigation.
(18:16:26) [GM]: She finds herself in the apothecary's lab, where all manner of equipment is arrayed for mixing, boiling, distillation, and even some implements she's sure are for alchemical use. Shelves on two walls of the room are lined with bottles and jars in many shapes and sizes, containing various ingredients and medicines, all neatly labeled. Several cupboards and cabinets hold more sensitive materials.
(18:22:36) Miriana: Miriana moves toward where Soot was looking, scanning around for anything out of the ordinary for an apothecary's use. Most likely, the man does not keep records of his illicit dealings, but something else might suggest suspicion even if she can't find the poison.
(18:26:57) [GM]: A quick glance suggests the open shelves contain only legitimate medicines, and some ingredients that could be toxic if used the wrong way but are unsuspicious as components for medicine. The closed cupboards seem more likely to contain interesting things, and indeed, Miriana finds small, unlabeled clay jars in one of them, several of which smell bitter when opened - and one of which exudes a familiar acrid smell, much more strongly than the traces Soot smelled at the scene of the crime.
(18:28:48) [GM]: much more strongly than the traces Soot smelled at the scene of the crime.
(18:31:05) Miriana: Miriana considers that something to go on. She takes the jar, quietly closes the cupboard, and glances around to see if the way is clear before making her escape.
(18:32:17) [GM]: Soot reports that he's been thrown out the front door, and so the coast is indeed clear for Miriana to make a speedy escape through the back.
(18:35:21) Miriana: Miriana does so, carefully putting the jar in a bag and circling back around to the front. She finds Micah, invisibly giving him a little prod. <Got it! Let's go find somewhere else so they don't see us talking and get suspicious.>
(18:35:49) Micah_Whiterune: Micah ambles off, apparently towards the nearest source of beer
(18:37:00) Miriana: Miriana waits a few streets before finding somewhere to drop her veil and joining the dwarf.
(18:38:31) Micah_Whiterune: Micah quite rapidly becomes a lot less amiably drunk as he looks at the jar, "Think the others might have found something or do we take this to the university to ask what magic can magic this magic?"
(18:39:59) Miriana: "Might want to run it by Ivan and see if he and Rosa have found anything."
(18:40:55) Miriana: "The university would be a good place to check, but it's also possible he refined it himself if he had the complete stuff just sitting around."
(18:45:56) Micah_Whiterune: "Run it by them first then. Not much we can do without raising flags otherwise."
(18:55:11) Micah_Whiterune: "This thing here can't be heated much, is risky to handle, and I think I'll hit the herbalist along the way for something of an antitoxin in case it shows up in another way."
(18:55:21) Micah_Whiterune: "We got enough to start. Lets go."
(18:55:32) Miriana: Miriana nods, gingerly patting the lump in her bag as they head off to find the others. <Really hope we aren't stopped on the way...>
(19:02:03) [GM]: It is evening by the time Micah and Miriana meet the rest of their group again, all five once more congregating in Ulf Starkheim's abode. Rosa and Ivan, who had tried to investigate the vicar general Helena, return with mixed success, while Ulf believes his investigation into the late Father Konrad's congregation has been successful.
(19:02:03) [GM]: "What of your efforts?" Ivan asks.
(19:03:12) Miriana: Miriana produces a jar and sets it on the table. Very, very carefully. "We investigated one Tivadar Mehltal and found this - the same poison the late Father took - in a cabinet in his lab."
(19:03:22) Miriana: "I'd advise against breathing it in."
(19:04:23) Micah_Whiterune: "Unless you're a dwarf or something." Micah grins.
(19:04:37) [GM]: "Very nice. How will it help us find the assassin, or whoever hired them, though? It would certainly help kill them, I suppose."
(19:05:51) Miriana: "It requires a certain level of magical refinement. I'm not certain whether the good alchemist is capable of refining it himself - he certainly would have done so, if he could - but if he isn't, we may have something to go on there."
(19:06:20) Micah_Whiterune: "If you had someone you could ask about this specific poison, then we could arrange a more formal interrogation under compelled truth. Mehltal does not seem innocent, but I imagine you'd have wanted to be consulted before we did something extreme."
(19:07:45) Miriana: "Certainly, he's at least guilty of possessing this poison. So am I, technically, but citizen's aid and all that."
(19:12:00) [GM]: "Hm." Ivan scratches his beard stubble. "Far be it from me to suggest violence, but we could certainly be harsh with the good man. If you know he possesses other poisons, you have a good reason for him not to call the authorities on you."
(19:12:11) [GM]: "And he likely deserves it."
(19:13:17) Micah_Whiterune: "Would need some backup to question him properly."
(19:14:44) [GM]: "That we could certainly provide." Rosa nods gravely.
(19:15:01) Miriana: "Between us, we'd probably be able to manage."
(19:15:03) Micah_Whiterune: "Confront him at home then? I think at his place of business too many would get involved."
(19:17:06) [GM]: Ivan nods. "A good call." Ulf grunts. "I don't condone violence, but do what you must."
(19:17:26) Miriana: "If we're lucky it won't come to that. Just a good scare."
(19:21:12) Micah_Whiterune: "And a bit of divinely enforced honesty."
(19:25:32) [GM]: A decision found, Micah and Miriana now backed up by the other duo go to seek out the apothecary Mehltal in his private home, after sundown. Mehltal answers the insistent knocking on his door dressed in a plain nightgown and holding a small lamp and a book, having clearly been set to turn in for the day.
(19:25:32) [GM]: He regards Miriana and Micah with confusion. "You two are..." Before he can finish his sentence, however, Ivan and Rosa press in, forcing the man to retreat into his house and away from prying eyes with an, "EXcellent evening, mister Mehltal!" from Ivan.
(19:26:47) Miriana: Miriana grins, following them in and closing the door with a snap. "How wonderful to see you again!"
(19:28:18) [GM]: Mehltal's face slowly begins turning red. "What is the meaning of this?"
(19:30:19) Micah_Whiterune: Micah holds up the jar of poison. "That depends on whether you want to tell us who you made this for?"
(19:31:52) [GM]: His eyes narrow with understanding. "I did think it a strange coincidence... I will tell you no such thing. And if you think you can threaten me, you'll regret it should anything happen to me."
(19:34:16) Micah_Whiterune: "Mya, witness the words that pass here, every line set in stone."
(19:35:38) Micah_Whiterune: "Mya, bind the truth, that it may shine through."
(19:39:05) Micah_Whiterune: Micah motions for the others to wait, while he stares down the man, "Now let us wait and see if he has more than empty threats."
(19:41:23) Micah_Whiterune: Once he feels the truth slide into place, binding his speech, Micah motions to continue, "Then I will tell you that we most certainly can threaten you. We can swear under magically binding truth that you were in possession of strong poison, used to slay a priest. Speak, or have your words spoken for  you."
(19:41:45) [GM]: Mehltal's visage darkens, and then keeps darkening when he understands the nature of the spell laid on him. In the same moment, Micah knows Mya's truth is on the room.
(19:42:27) Miriana: Miriana smiles cheerfully.
(19:43:10) [GM]: "There are wiser ways to get me to sell you the material, if that is what you're after. And if you wish revenge, I am only a drop in the bucket."
(19:44:59) Micah_Whiterune_: "The only needs for this poison for me is to learn who is involved in it's creation, transport and it's usage. The dead priest is no acquaintance of mine."
(19:45:01) Miriana: "Much though I'm sure you'll protest, we'd like to know who bought the material from you
(19:47:38) [GM]: "I buy the raw materials from a trusted acquaintance, and from then to its sale I am the only one who lays hands on it. As it ought to be. As for the client, both my own security and my client's depends on me not telling you that."
(19:50:20) Miriana: "I'd imagine your security also depends on the law not knowing you possess a significant quantity of the poison that killed the Father, no? Especially since your client will no doubt notice if you are taken into custody. At best, you could expect imprisonment for many, many years. At worst, well...perhaps you'll recognize the poison that they slip into your gruel?" Miriana shrugs, as though to...
(19:50:24) Miriana: ...say it matters little to her.
(19:56:08) [GM]: The apothecary removes his nightcap to wipe sweat from his brow. "I and my skills are valuable. I am paid very well to keep my silence, and any problems for me are problems for many others. You'll find it difficult and dangerous."
(20:01:37) Miriana: "Then you should have many, many reasons to imagine that your other clients would want you out of prison. Besides, we're not asking you to sell out everyone you've ever sold to, are we? Is this client so dangerous you'd die rather than betray their confidence?"
(20:08:18) [GM]: "You do not understand. You do not understand..." He wipes his brow again, then his face. "I take as much of a risk telling you anything as I take keeping my silence. To my personal safety, and to my reputation. Assure me that this will be the end of the matter, that you'll not just come back with demands when it strikes your fancy, and compensate me for my risk. Then I'll talk."
(20:10:27) Micah_Whiterune_: "You have my word that the source of the information will not come  out without your prior permission, and that the matter of this poison will not be used against you so long as you cooperate."
(20:14:43) [GM]: "And compensation? I was paid fifty golden queens to keep silent as the shadow of a tombstone."
(20:17:21) Miriana_: Miriana gives Rosa an amused look.
(20:22:27) [GM]: Rosa answers Miri's look with a raised eyebrow, then steps forward, places one hand on the apothecary's head, and forces him to turn to look at Miriana directly. It is clear she is not gripping the man's skull lightly. Mehltal makes eye contact, then breaks it. "...The latest purchase, I assume?"
(20:25:07) Miriana_: Miri winks at Rosa. "That sounds correct to me."
(20:26:34) [GM]: "If you go outside the city, to Frederic Menheim's orchard, the client works there as caretaker. Her name is Hristina Balan. She is a repeat customer and well connected."
(20:28:02) Miriana_: "The orchards," Miriana muses. <That does match what the guard suggested.>
(20:28:38) [GM]: "Yes. It produces mostly apples."
(20:34:12) Miriana_: "How charming. Does Miss Balan request the same material each time, or is she discerning?"
(20:34:51) [GM]: "It varies."
(20:40:23) [GM]: ----------

(16:18:56) [GM]: ----------
(16:19:02) [GM]: Miriana and Micah have decided to look into the cult Margaretha of the Crane has been trying to investigate. The Crane knight informed them that corruption is suspected to fester in the church's ranks, and showed them a setting-sun symbol supposedly used by the cultists.
(16:19:02) [GM]: They were also asked by Maja, a halfling maidservant of an inner city noble, to expose the supposed dealings of Lady Baehr (née Aur), who the maid believes has bewitched her new husband.
(16:19:02) [GM]: Ulf Starkheim, their contact, is a converted dwarven priest living int he dwarven quarter. On a visit, he decided to arrange a meeting the following night. Thus, with some time to spare, Micah and Miriana are investigating the history of House Aur.
(16:21:19) [GM]: The sun's light is weakened by clouds as the two ask around the inner city. The gossip shares a tenor - speculation on the lady's health, and remarks on her pale skin and quite beautiful figure.A quick glance at records of the church shows that the Aurs are an established lineage native to Sorenwald, going back as far as the records - though these begin only two or three centuries ago.
(16:24:18) [GM]: Additional research reveals patterns: The Aurs are quite happy to intermarry with other families, but don't seem to follow the trend of other houses. Normally, one would marry up as much as possible, or accept large benefits in return for allowing one of lower station to marry into the house.
(16:24:18) [GM]: But House Aur's practices seem haphazard, yet clearly patterned. Miriana and Micah just can't quite put their fingers on the pattern. Many of the family members and relations are quite obscure, in addition.
(16:34:08) [GM]: However much she turns the books, Miriana can't figure out what's wrong. A bit of divine guidance (so claims Micah), however, guides them to someone who reluctantly parts with a bit of gossip they feel many have been withholding.
(16:34:08) [GM]: It is clear why, too - a wild rumor goes that the Aur family descends from the infamous immortal vampire Gulthias, or something similarly sinister. Such an accusation is certainly difficult to utter in polite society.
(16:37:35) MicahWhiterune: "This smells kind of rotten." Micah frowns, "And trees should stay in the ground, not wander around."
(16:37:49) Miriana: Miriana squints. "Was that a pun?"
(16:38:45) MicahWhiterune: "Dead people, dead trees. We should just burn them all."
(16:39:09) Miriana: "It's definitely suspect, agreed, but I think if you burn down the Baehr estate we'll be lucky to just be arrested."
(16:39:48) Miriana: "Although I wouldn't mind taking a look at the lady's home outside the city when we get a chance."
(16:43:07) MicahWhiterune: "Still, what's her agenda. Aside from sucking the good lord dry?"
(16:44:08) Miriana: "I can't figure it out and please never talk about sucking someone dry ever again thank you." Miriana claps her hands over her pointy ears for emphasis.
(16:46:42) MicahWhiterune: "If she doesn't spend much time with him personally, it's most likely  some of his assets. Maybe we could look into what the country home is good for?"
(16:48:18) Miriana: "We could, once things have calmed down with this cult. If that ever happens."
(16:49:38) MicahWhiterune: "Bet you a silver that a cult that has the sun setting is consorting with vampires"
(16:51:27) Miriana: "Done."
(16:54:14) [GM]: At night, the duo finds Ulf Starkheim's church as agreed. The clouds have cleared, revealing the starry sky dominated by an almost-full moon. The church makes a concession to the usual style of architecture in its tall belfry, but is otherwise constructed in a squat dwarven style for the dwarven quarter.
(16:54:14) [GM]: Ulf Starkheim is a dwarf about a decade Micah's junior, his beard kept relatively short and immaculately groomed. He ushers the two heroes into his personal quarters at the back of the church, a simple living space with a bed, table, hearth and little more.
(16:54:25) [GM]: As he is sharing ale with the visitors, two more arrive - those who had already been looking into the case on Margaretha's request. They are Ivan, an unassuming man wearing peasant's clothing and a wry smile, and Rosa, a tall woman with a greatsword at her hip, who lets Ivan introduce her.
(17:00:34) Miriana: Miriana waves hello to the two newcomers.
(17:00:51) [GM]: Ulf serves ale for the two new arrivals, as well, and sits down with a grunt. "So what has Dame Margaretha told you, then? I don't imagine much."
(17:01:23) MicahWhiterune: "Little more than a cult being a problem"
(17:03:06) Miriana: "We heard there had been a poisoning, but not much else."
(17:05:30) [GM]: Ulf nods, as do the two visitors. "Makes sense. Can't be too careful. The walls are thin above ground, after all." Ivan gives an 'if you say so' kind of shrug and continues, "Father Ulf came to the Crane originally based on suspicions, and we tried to confirm those suspicions. He named three individuals, we've started investigating two of them so far. One of those was the poison victim."
(17:08:10) Miriana: "Admittedly I don't know the exact circumstances of the poisoning, but is it possible they might have taken it themselves?"
(17:10:35) [GM]: Ulf nods. "The first one I became suspicious of was Father Konrad. That's the one who died. He was a human priest, leading a church nearby. His sermons were odd. Talking about certain things, shadows, digging up old stories. He started asking people to talk to him in private after mass."
(17:10:35) [GM]: "I happened to notice him messing with an old symbol I didn't recognize and found out it was associated with the Gloaming Star. Not officially forbidden, but deprecated because of that."
(17:11:33) [GM]: "It's the kind of pattern they warn us about in stories." Ulf looks at Micah.
(17:12:32) Miriana: Miriana thinks. "So nothing...overt, but questionable things happening too often to be a coincidence. And then he turns up dead."
(17:13:22) [GM]: Ivan nods. "Yes. However... he only deceased after Rosa and I began investigating him."
(17:13:48) MicahWhiterune: "If they're gone far enough to start sharing it  with their congregation, then have anyone asked their followers?" Micah nods to himself, "Pattern says they're up to something, and he's been cut out."
(17:19:22) [GM]: "I have to admit we've mostly focused on their persons. My friend isn't much of a speaker, and I try to avoid speaking on matters of faith in public. We did shadow Father Konrad and another and searched their homes."
(17:21:03) MicahWhiterune: "Found anything?"
(17:25:39) [GM]: "The other man we looked into, Father Balduin, came into suspicion because he was friends with Father Konrad and has had a number of personal rivals fall sick lately. However, I haven't found anything on him, even after looking twice. I don't believe he's a heretic, only lucky. And an unpleasant person, if you ask me."
(17:26:58) MicahWhiterune: "Hmm, and before recent  events? Did the deceased behave like he  did shortly before death? Something must have happened to change his beliefs or to persuade him to go public with them"
(17:27:06) [GM]: "As for Konrad, I found these." Ivan produces some crumpled papers from his clothes, evidently torn out of a book. "A book forbidden by the church. I can't read it all, but as far as I can tell, it talks about the Gloaming Star Hesperus as well."
(17:27:30) Miriana: "Well, unpleasantness isn't punishable by law, mostly." Miriana perks up as Ivan brings the papers out. "May I take a look?"
(17:29:17) [GM]: "Certainly." The papers contain meticulously neat handwriting, from a time before the printing press. The words on them are written in a language even older than the paper and ink, an archaic form of the common language that would require translation to be fully legible.
(17:30:49) [GM]: Looking at Micah, Ulf grunts. "I'm not sure when I began noticing Konrad's sermons. Certainly, it hasn't been too long. A few months, maybe, less than a year."
(17:32:45) MicahWhiterune: "Did he go anywhere before that?"
(17:34:08) [GM]: "Somewhat over a year ago is when we got a new vicar general in the city, and he'd been in contact with her more often than anyone else I know, as far as I could tell. That's why she was the third on my list of suspects."
(17:35:24) [GM]: Ivan adds, "You might wonder why I tore out a few pages at random. The answer is I didn't want to remove potentially damning from his possession. Or be found with damning evidence on my body. A few pages, I can swallow in a pinch."
(17:35:25) MicahWhiterune: "But you've not investigated her yet, right?
(17:36:03) Miriana: Miriana peers at the pages with great curiosity. "That's...hmm. A very old language indeed."
(17:36:03) [GM]: Ivan shakes his head at that. "We haven't. She's a less public figure and lives in the inner city, so she's harder to gather information on casually or get to privately."
(17:37:06) MicahWhiterune: "Servants?"
(17:38:22) [GM]: "Surprisingly difficult to find."
(17:38:49) MicahWhiterune: "That is unusual."
(17:39:04) [GM]: "I'm sure they're out there, but we concentrated on the low-hanging fruit first. It's been around a week, after all."
(17:39:06) MicahWhiterune: "She'd have a cook, or she'd buy food  at least."
(17:39:35) Miriana: "I can take a look at these and see if I can come up with anything more than your translation has. It might take a little while, though."
(17:40:58) [GM]: "By all means. I know a little something about scripture, but I'm no scholar of language."
(17:41:27) [GM]: "Maybe don't get cuaght with them."
(17:41:37) Miriana: "So you have three main suspects, of whom one's likely just an ass, one's dead, and one's lofty enough to make investigating them difficult," Miri muses while smoothing the papers out.
(17:41:54) Miriana: "Oh, never fear."
(17:46:40) [GM]: "Indeed. Of course, Father Konrad's death is probably being investigated, but it would be by secular authorities. If we assume for a moment that this is conclusive evidence of his guilt and he was involved in a conspiracy, that might be the idea. If he was outed as a heretic, his property would be seized and an inquisition probably called, probably including one of the paladin orders."
(17:46:40) [GM]: "If he is murdered, he dies with his name clean and what happens in Livest stays there. Plus someone can be framed for it, and he can be replaced."
(17:49:24) MicahWhiterune: Micah frowns at this rather questionable way of sorting things out. "Then if anyone bought into his message?"
(17:51:49) Miriana: "That's actually a good point. Do you have the names of anyone he spoke with after services?"
(17:55:14) [GM]: "Good question. I hadn't thought of that." Ivan and Rosa look at Ulf, who grunts in thought. "Let me think. A fair number of them, but if he was trying to recruit, he wouldn't have just talked about heresy the moment they were private. His flock isn't mine, either, so I'd have to ask around."
(17:58:05) MicahWhiterune: "Too  much to hope that none listened to heresy."
(17:59:03) [GM]: Ulf nods. "Likely. The ideal is bright, but the heart is soft."
(17:59:12) Miriana: "Some of them might be able to give us an idea of what he wanted, even if they don't know the exact nature of the teachings."
(18:00:01) [GM]: "True. I will find out starting tomorrow."
(18:05:34) [GM]: "You know," Ivan says with a pensive expression, "I wonder if they've found that book in Father Konrad's dwelling. I'd bet silver they haven't." Rosa rolls her eyes and mimes throwing dice, as if implying he'd bet silver on anything.
(18:08:37) Miriana: "Probably not. I'd offer to look around his dwelling, but I doubt I'd be allowed in."
(18:10:39) [GM]: "Allowed is a strong word. I've been in his living quarters before. I've avoided them the past few days just in case, but I could try again."
(18:11:16) Miriana: "Well, anything incriminating is probably long gone by now, but if you want to take another look tomorrow I'm game."
(18:12:57) [GM]: "I don't relish the opportunity as such, but if you think it might help, certainly."
(18:14:40) Miriana: "It's somewhere to start while the Father here asks around about the flock." Miriana glances at Micah. "We'll meet you tomorrow, then, after I've had a chance to try my hand at translating these?"
(18:15:43) [GM]: "It's a deal."
(18:24:50) [GM]: At night, Micah and Miriana burn the midnight oil at the inn poring over the text. Micah provesperhaps surprisingly helpful, recalling bits and pieces of old dialect from dwarven records.
(18:31:05) [GM]: The text is only two pages out of a book, but it can be inferred that the book as a whole talks about fallen stars. The most complete passage on their fragment is about an obscure divinity known as Spent Cinder Teide, detailing its smoldering soul... and the beginning of rituals to call it, though the full text is cut off.
(18:31:05) [GM]: Certainly, the full text would be damning to possess, but it's doubtful it remains in Father Konrad's place, unless it was hidden well. If he possessed a copy, though, then perhaps other members of the cult do too. And it cannot just have vanished into air.
(18:37:38) MicahWhiterune: "Fallen stars and fires snuffed out. I don't trust this one bit."
(18:39:42) Miriana_: "It does sound pretty bad," Miri agrees.
(18:41:53) MicahWhiterune: "Still, not much we could use to find the culprits. Nothing too hard to get in there."
(18:44:04) Miriana_: "I don't suppose the good Father had a lot of missing blood?"
(18:45:42) MicahWhiterune: "It wasn't said, but if  the ritual was completed, you'd expect a great deal  more fuss to be going on."
(18:47:39) Miriana_: "No sense wasting the blood."
(18:50:41) Miriana_: "It's definitely the kind of thing that no devout man would have, though."
(18:55:22) MicahWhiterune: "Certainly. Can't catch it until they start bleeding someone over a brazier though. Best to start checking  around  for disapperances."
(18:55:48) Miriana_: "And looking into the murder, as best we can."

If one of you's willing to take on the server hosting and Meg wants to part with it (I'm assuming here that the gameologists already know of the idea through altpersona or someone else, or it would be rather rude to start laying plans) (EDIT: And then I saw Meg's own sticky), I'm in support, for all that's worth, having no IT knowledge that would be useful here. I could volunteer my services to actually write out the concrete plan that gets put together for Meg and everyone to be on the same page.

I'd like to nominate SorO as a mod.  Just because it would be a big "fuck you" to certain other sites with overly zealous moderators.

Speaking in my appointed role as The No Fun Guy, I don't think this is a good reason to appoint someone moderator.

Regarding someone with the trustworthiness and the know-how to grab the files, there's veekie and Prime, who are both computer people and longstanding mods. In veekie's case, I even talk to him regularly still.

Should a more real-time platform to discuss the issue on seem useful, the #mmxgeneral IRC channel still exists.

Haven't managed to get in touch since, so I took the liberty of setting astralInferno's post count to 2. See if that fixes the issue. If not, the problem is somewhere else and I'll need to bug Prime harder.

Trying to get a hold of Prime to confirm whether there's a problem or the poster skipped making one of their first posts (and authorize them in any case). Looking at astralInferno's profile, they only have one of the requisite first two posts; have they tried posting in the "I agree" thread as well and found the post button missing there too?

(16:16:34) [GM]: ----------
(16:16:39) [GM]: A festering evil lurks in the sewers of Livest, and Micah and Miriana have agreed to slay it.
(16:16:50) [GM]: After stumbling into a nest of snakes and being forced to retreat, the two caught a glimpse of the basilisk on their second expedition when they were forced to fight off its mutated minions in the middle of a tollstation-trap laid by the mysterious Turtleback sisters.
(16:16:54) [GM]: After escaping wounded, but with their lives, they found a crack opening into an unknown subterranean library, and a band of small, reptilian kobolds preparing to make a sacrifice to the basilisk.
(16:17:04) [GM]: Apparently, the kobolds' presence is quietly tolerated by the city's government so long as they stay out of sight and help in the sewer canals' maintenance. But after the basilisk appeared, they gave in to fatalism, believing it to be sent by their dark bound god, and thought to placate it rather than ask for help in the belief it would eventually devour the city and rule over them whatever they did.
(16:18:20) [GM]: However, the kobolds have been persuaded to show Miriana and Micah to what they believe to be the basilisk's lair. Somewhere the beast lurks, but perhaps they can gain the advantage on it. The two statues they saw, likely victims of the beast, also remain where they are, frozen in their last moments. What will Micah and Miriana do?
(16:21:18) Miriana: Miriana clicks her tongue thoughtfully. "Well. How many ways in and out of the lair are there?"
(16:22:38) [GM]: "Just one. Hollowed out end of branch tunnel."
(16:24:48) MicahWhiterune: "Secure, but also difficult to escape if you are in there." Micah grins, "Especially if it gets nice and hot while you're trapped inside."
(16:30:24) Miriana: "This is why you're clanking even more than usual, huh?"
(16:31:16) MicahWhiterune: "It's a time honored cure for vermin."
(16:37:36) [GM]: Begrudgingly and with their share of second thoughts about the fire, the kobolds guide Micah and Miriana in the wake of their sacrifice, a pig carcass they must have stolen somewhere and dragged all the way down here.
(16:39:49) [GM]: Their route takes them down a main tunnel, then up another and takes a sharp turn back down a third where the basilisk's stench is especially bad. All the while slithering sounds accompany them, coming down every other tunnel along with splashes and scratching.
(16:40:41) [GM]: A sound like a sharp intake of breath sounds through the tunnel, then a splash, and the basilisk's smell abruptly recedes in intensity.
(16:41:31) MicahWhiterune: Micah gives the kobolds a questioning look.
(16:43:03) Miriana: <Keep an eye on the water, I suppose?> Miri shifts uneasily.
(16:43:46) MicahWhiterune: <Keep an eye away from the water more like. Basilisk.>
(16:46:07) [GM]: "God's beast knows we are here." The blind kobold's statement carries less a tone of understanding and more of pessimism.
(16:46:49) MicahWhiterune: "Lead on." Micah toys with the sack of fuel. "Doesn't change a thing."
(16:48:26) Miriana: Miriana nods, drawing her wand to keep it ready in the hand that isn't holding her staff.
(16:50:29) [GM]: Splashing and scratching follows the group as they make their way down the corridors for minutes, the basilisk's smell fading and growing periodically. Snakes become more common the farther they go, and the kobolds placate them with bits of meat or fish thrown at them.
(16:50:29) [GM]: At last, Micah and Miriana are guided in the wake of the pig, past turns and branches, to a corridor where discarded snake eggs outnumber grains of dust, and the blindfolded one points down at a particular passage. "There."
(16:52:37) MicahWhiterune: Micah meanwhile, takes a moment to shove a bag of fuel up the pig, glances at Miriana, then advances, shield raised, ears perked. <Get the poison cure ready. You'll need it>
(16:54:40) Miriana: <No need to tell me twice. We're close enough now to make use of it.> Miriana digs out the little leaf flask Blumstein gave her and tips the contents back.
(16:55:27) [GM]: The water here is properly infested, and the snakes stir, as if reacting to something, but they do not seem intent on attacking the group. Yet?
(16:57:16) MicahWhiterune: Micah meanwhile, drops a packet of fuel as he walks from here, spaced evenly to where the burning oil  would reach the next sack if it burst.
(17:04:17) [GM]: As Micah begins his own preparations, the kobolds leave the pig carcass where it is at the entrance to the lair and then strike a retreat. The blinded one hesitates, perhaps considering whether to stick around or not.
(17:05:17) MicahWhiterune: "Go, no need for you to die here."
(17:06:38) [GM]: The blinded one does not need to be told twice, and immediately follows behind the other kobolds without taking off the blindfold. It seems he can literally navigate the tunnels blindly.
(17:08:58) [GM]: The tunnel leading to the basilisk's lair branches off the main canal at an angle, then bends at a right angle towards itself, only to bend again before reaching a crudely hollowed-out basin at the end of some thirty more feet of tunnel. water dribbles from holes all along the tunnel, carrying waste into the sewer.
(17:11:36) [GM]: The lair at the end of the tunnel is a dismal, half-submerged room littered with filth, discarded snake eggs of strange sizes and shapes, and limestone statues of animals and several kobolds. The way it's been hollowed out is clearly not good for the stone's structural integrity, but it ought to hold for a good while. In the middle of the filthy water, a small glittering pile sticks out above the liquid's surface.
(17:15:26) Miriana: Miriana squints at the pile of treasures. <That looks suspicious, no?>
(17:15:39) [GM]: It's a sight Micah's dwarven eyes would recognize anywhere: Gold. Though filthy, several coins and miscellaneous objects, presumably scrounged together far and wide, lie crudely hoarded together in one spot, tipped by a lost gem and what looks like a golden lantern.
(17:16:03) MicahWhiterune: <Definitely real gold.>
(17:19:18) Miriana: <And maybe part of a real trap, if this thing is smart enough to mess with us like it has.>
(17:19:50) MicahWhiterune: <But. Gold>
(17:20:56) Miriana: <If you freeze into a statue with your hand outstretched toward the treasure pile, I'm not dragging you back through a mile of sewer tunnels.>
(17:22:45) [GM]: As if on cue, the snakes outside the tunnel - the lair itself, and the last feet of tunnel, were notably free of them - stir and hiss in unison again, and a heavy breathing sound can be heard briefly.
(17:23:20) MicahWhiterune: <Very well> Micah glances at the water, then starts scattering oil bags to float on the water, keeping a space free near themselves and the gold.
(17:24:19) MicahWhiterune: "Mya, Earthmother. Let your voice be heard." Micah prays softly under his breath as divine power sinks into the ground and begins churning the water.
(17:26:34) [GM]: Tremors fill the cavern, echoing loudly within and outside, and shaking the water's surface, which splashes against their shins.
(17:27:05) Miriana: Miriana drifts behind Micah and his mirrored shield, eyes flickering back toward the tunnel.
(17:28:24) [GM]: The coins rattle and slide deeper into the filthy water as the pile loses cohesion, but nothing else stirs within the beast's lair. Outside, there is a splashing sound, followed by another and scratching and dragging. Soon after, the stench coming down the tunnel intensifies to barely tolerable levels, but the basilisk does not appear.
(17:28:53) [GM]: When the tremors stop, heavy breathing can be heard down the tunnel. It lurks.
(17:30:05) Miriana: Miri breathes shallowly. <It feels like it's toying with us.>
(17:31:20) MicahWhiterune: Micah raises his shield, and stands ready, listening intently with torch in his other hand  and a bag of fuel hidden behind the shield.
(17:33:17) Miriana: Miriana considers, then taps her lips with her wand and flicks it toward the tunnel bend. Her mouth opens but no words come out; instead, the sound of sloshing footsteps comes from nearby.
(17:33:24) [GM]: The duo wait, but even still the king of serpents fails to appear. In the king's place, however, the sound of dozens of bodies scraping along the ground echoes down the tunnel, and a mass of smaller snakes comes into view turning around the bend, slithering towards Miriana and Micah.
(17:38:14) MicahWhiterune: "More of the same old." Micah simply maintains his orientation, and then "Lady Mya, please sear this filth from the world."
(17:51:10) [GM]: Several snakes burn under Mya's sacred flame, and many of the smaller ones scatter. The reptiles here are all misshappen in some way, some oddly fat, some flat entirely, many having vestigial legs or wings. The largest, however, has pitch-black scales and two heads, one broad and flaring and the other long and thin like an arrow, and rears up, hissing with twin voices as it splashes into the water of the lair. Directly behind it follows a wave of foul air.
(17:51:21) [GM]: The basilisk itself lurks at the edge of vision, around the corner.
(17:58:09) [GM]: The lesser snakes hiss in a chorus as if singing praises while the twin-headed snake swims and slithers around the duo, rearing its heads up and hissing as a threat, before lunging without warning at Micah!
(18:01:52) MicahWhiterune: Micah, shield focused on keeping the reflection of the basilisk in place, takes a nasty bite.
(18:03:33) Miriana: Miriana waves her wand to seemingly no visible effect, unless one were looking at the two-headed snake's reflection in the mirrored shield tie itself into knots briefly. Her next spell, however, is quite visible: A blast of white energy aimed at the head that just bit Micah.
(18:08:46) [GM]: The blast goes wide and impacts the broken wall just above the entrance to the lair, but the twin-headed snake takes notice. As the narrow head's fangs sink into Micah's gauntlet, his shield arm distracted by attempting to keep the shield aimed at the tunnel while also defending himself, the creature's body continues to wind and slither, and its broad head twists to bite at Miriana.
(18:24:57) MicahWhiterune: "Mother of Life, restore thy vitality to this weak flesh." Micah  keeps his shield steadfastly directed forward, the torch kept ready to light the firebomb as he awaits the king of serpents, <Miriana, get back, you're too difficult to heal>
(18:31:20) [GM]: Mya's gentle care heals the stinging wound in Micah's hand just in time for both to see the king itself appear past the corner. A foul wind precedes it, filling the lair with yet unprecedented stench as its head appears in the flickering light of the torch, a beaked face with skin pulled taut against the skull, crowned with horns around a white spot on its top.
(18:31:20) [GM]: A long neck trails behind the basilisk's head, and it crawls forward around the corner like a snake as broad as a man and twice as long, six legs dragging it further forward. The beast beholds the scene in its lair and hisses.
(18:32:08) [GM]: Though within range of the fire-trap now, its eyes are not yet close enough to see their whites. But even from here, the weight of its gaze can be felt.
(18:33:25) MicahWhiterune: Micah lights the fuel blob and then slings it at the beast. Whatever happens it's going to BURN.
(18:33:33) MicahWhiterune: "MYA BLESS THIS FURNACE!"
(18:37:53) [GM]: The ball of fire falls short of the basilisk, but it is no matter. It splashes onto the floor of the tunnel and ignites a bag of fuel lying there, causing it to burst and ignite the next, and so on, and soon the entire stretch of tunnel from the lair to the bend is in flames, with the basilisk in it and the two heroes on the far end.
(18:38:13) MicahWhiterune: Micah waves cheerily at the snake.
(18:39:48) [GM]: The twin-headed snake takes advantage of Micah's throw to lunge and bite at him again before it has realized what just happened.
(18:41:13) [GM]: The fire's blazing light, however, soon catches up to it, and it rears and slithers around Micah as the dwarf swats its attack away, placing him between itself and the burning corridor.
(18:41:27) Miriana: Miriana winces at the bright flash of light, sloshing back deeper into the lair while the snake is getting itself tangled in Micah's armor and isn't focusing on her.
(18:43:06) [GM]: Miriana's retreat goes almost unnoticed by the snake, which redoubles its focus on the dwarf and turns its second head on him as well, biting in a mad frenzy.
(18:47:50) MicahWhiterune: Micah pulls out his hammer, grimaces and sets to work clobbering the double headed snake while the fire distracts the basilisk.
(18:52:10) [GM]: The basilisk hisses and screams, drowning out the clamor of battle and echoing through the lair, as it splashes water and retreats. The water only succeeds in spreading more of the burning oil, some of it flowing into the lair, and the beast retreats again awaqy from the corner.
(18:55:10) Miriana: Safely away from the fray, Miriana stabs forward with the wand and sends another spear of light streaking at the thinner of the serpent heads.
(18:55:15) [GM]: The twin-headed snake is still on Micah, but the chaos and fire distract it from biting him meaningfully. The chorus of lesser snakes hiss in pain and confusion as the fire leaks into the lair, scattering like a panicked crowd.
(18:58:29) [GM]: The broader head, however, finds purchase on a chink in Micah's armor even as Miriana's renewed blast sails past it, biting deep.
(19:03:03) MicahWhiterune: Micah doggedly holds to his defense as a warm red glow surrounds him, the seeming heat of a forgefire even as the fire spreads through the lair.
(19:08:56) [GM]: The twin-snake is undeterred in its attempts to kill Micah faster than he can heal, its efforts spurred by the frenzy of a beast that sees fire, as the lesser snakes are cooked alive around it.
(19:10:43) Miriana: Swearing, Miriana tries her shot a third time as she splashes through the water away from the approaching flames. Damn dwarves and their fire.
(19:13:06) [GM]: The blast strikes the narrow head squarely just as the other head lunges and bites at Micah!
(19:15:33) MicahWhiterune: Micah, figuring  the flames were getting too hot for him, retreated to the space he left in the fuel, where the gold is, "Fire is life!"
(19:18:31) [GM]: The twin-headed snake is burned by the floating flames as Micah and Miriana retreat and succumbs to reptilian panic, fleeing away from the fire towards the deepest end of the lair, where there is nowhere else to run.
(19:25:00) Miriana: Miriana covers her mouth with her sleeve, blasting at the burning creature again as it slithers away.
(19:26:51) MicahWhiterune: Close to his gold and surrounded by flame, Micah is particularly motivated, "BURN SERPENTS! BURN IN MYA'S NAME!"
(19:27:57) [GM]: With more room and time to aim, Miriana's blast strikes the serpent where its narrow head meets the neck and blasts it apart with a bloom of crimson flame, leaving the narrow head hanging from its neck by a flap of skin and muscle.
(19:28:40) Miriana: A little giddy from inhaling smoke and adrenaline, Miriana giggles at the sight.
(19:30:26) [GM]: Mya's fire burns the other head as the earthly flames blaze around the lair. Their fuel should be spent soon enough, but for now they burn.
(19:33:20) Miriana: Still laughing, Miriana turns her wand on the remaining head and conjures another lance of light, flames lapping at her feet.
(19:35:32) MicahWhiterune: "Blaze  bright, burn hot, in the forge be remade!" The flames simply flare up as Micah channels more divine light through them.
(19:36:26) [GM]: Her aim is thrown off by the swimming of the air above the flames and the swimming of her head in the heat and smoke, but the now one-headed snake whips around with a mad hiss like a demonpossessed beast, or like one that wishes only to not die alone, and charges again at the duo.
(19:40:37) Miriana: Miriana waits until it bounces off Micah's armor again, draws her arm back, and lunges forward like a fencer, casting her spell as she does so.
(19:43:08) [GM]: Even still, the flames have blurred her thoughts and vision, and her blast once again goes wide.
(19:44:24) MicahWhiterune: Micah grimaces, as he raises the shield, burning black as he chants. "Lady of life, revoke thy gift to this beast. Give it the mercy of an ending."
(19:44:26) MicahWhiterune: Then he strikes.
(19:48:13) [GM]: His hand strikes the serpent's snout just as it is throws open its maw to bite at him again, with the world in flames around them, and ignites the foul beast's scales. The black fire peels back the snake's same-colored flesh and burns its head to a skull in moments, before continuing its work with the rest of its body.
(19:48:13) [GM]: A moment of silence permeates the lair once the flames finally spend their fuel and gutter out at the same time as Mya's fire finishes its work.
(19:48:40) [GM]: Then, the basilisk's hissing breath can be heard again from the darkness of the tunnel.
(19:49:30) Miriana: Miriana watches the snake burn to death, panting, before hearing the basilisk approaching. She wearily turns to Micah. <Not too late to run. I can keep it from seeing you, at least.>
(19:50:47) MicahWhiterune: <It's on the way out. We have more room to blast it in this chamber before it reaches us.>
(19:51:36) Miriana: Miriana nods, stepping behind Micah to give him a quick hug. "It's been nice knowing you."
(19:51:44) Miriana: She levels her wand at the mouth of the tunnel.
(19:52:07) MicahWhiterune: Micah orients his shield at the entrance "At least  we'll be rich"
(19:55:56) [GM]: The sound of the basilisk dragging itself along the ground and through the water comes closer, as do its breath and stench. The sounds stop for a tense moment, stretching on for a second heartbeat, and in the last second Miriana realizes - the beast is just around the corner, poised to startle them, draw their eyes, and cover the distance quickly.
(19:56:38) Miriana: A thought of alarm and warning wings its way toward Micah.
(19:58:05) MicahWhiterune: Micah reflexively raises the shield, giving it a perfect image of itself.
(19:59:08) Miriana: Miriana flinches away but has the presence of mind to point the wand in its general direction, cursing it.
(20:00:20) [GM]: In the time it takes the thought to reach Micah and the dwarf to raise his shield, the basilisk lunges, appearing on the tunnel wall opposite the lair's entrance and leaping forward like a coiled spring, while hissing with the volume of a death scream, its maw open wide and misshappen feathers flaring.
(20:03:11) [GM]: In a single leap, it stands at the lair's mouth, a threat impossible to ignore. And then, it catches its reflection in Micah's shield. It stops where it is, as if mesmerized, staring at the shield with intensity enough to make one fear it might burn a hole in it.
(20:04:28) MicahWhiterune: "Mya burn my foe!" Micah locks his eyes on the back of his shield. The gods need no not see to strike.
(20:07:15) [GM]: The king of serpents bristles, feathers and spines standing up as the holy flame burns them. It rears up to a man's height, half its body still on the ground, and raises two of its stubby legs as if to shield its face from a terrible view, but they do not reach.
(20:08:05) Miriana: Miriana, eyes screwed shut, fires her killing spell indiscriminately in the direction of the hissing, praying inwardly that the hex and the mirrored shield will do their jobs.
(20:12:41) [GM]: The spell, this time, hits home. A flower of pale flame blossoms on the white spot between its horns, and the basilisk's head rocks back from its mirror image, screaming. It rears up further, and then its scream dies as it goes rigid, mismatched patches of feather and scale becoming brittle and petrified.
(20:12:46) [GM]: After an agonizingly long yet short time, what remains is a tall statue of an unnatural monster, its six legs clawing motionlessly at air as if clutching for purchase or release.
(20:13:57) [GM]: The rest is silence. Even the distant hissing of snakes dies.
(20:14:36) Miriana: Miriana holds stock-still, still pointing the wand at the basilisk. Ever so slowly, she opens her eyes and peeks at the thing.
(20:14:54) MicahWhiterune: Micah very slowly lifts the shield, paying close attention to the gold
(20:16:33) Miriana: Upon seeing the statue of the basilisk, Miriana laughs in relief. Her legs abruptly give out from under her and she collapses onto the pile of treasures, wiping smoke and sweat off her face.
(20:17:05) MicahWhiterune: "Guess it worked."
(20:17:25) [GM]: The basilisk's true form, now seen for the first time up close in peace rather than the chaos of battle at a distance, is of a misshappen serpent covered in irregular patches of scales, feathers, and spines, its crown of horns shattered around what is now a hole in its head. Six short, irregular legs hang in the air, frozen in agonized spasms, most of its bulk reared up.
(20:18:49) MicahWhiterune: "Man, no wonder it turned to stone. Who could see that ugly mug and  live with itself?"
(20:18:54) Miriana: "Wasn't so tough, huh? That knight probably just couldn't be bothered to lug the mirror down here." Miri's hands are nevertheless shaking as she calls Soot out, cradling the cat in her lap and stroking its head.
(20:20:53) [GM]: The otherworldly cat offers no comment and allows the petting with nary a response, openly displaying its supreme lack of concern for the petrified monster.
(20:20:53) MicahWhiterune: "The fire helped."
(20:21:08) [GM]: ----------

(16:19:01) [GM]: A festering evil lurks in the sewers of Livest, and Micah and Miriana have agreed to slay it.
(16:19:07) [GM]: In seeking out Thamior Nowak the constable to learn more about the weeping bride's properties, they met also Margaretha of the Crane Knights, who told them of the basilisk lurking beneath the city. On their first expedition, they were surprised and nearly overwhelmed by a massive nest of poisonous snakes. Though they did manage to eradicate the beasts, they were forced to retreat, recover, and resupply.
(16:19:30) [GM]: The weather has, if anything, gotten worse overnight, and the morning clouds threaten rain, the sun unseen somewhere beyond them. The day begins with a small commotion in the district of Ostend. It seems that in the early morning, the day's first fishers caught and killed a snake in the river.
(16:19:39) [GM]: River snakes are rare enough, but what made this beast the immediate talk of the town was its unusual size, as long as one of the fishers, and its possession of two strange, vestigial legs.
(16:19:49) [GM]: Surely, the basilisk does not sleep, but the past day still sits sore in Miriana and Micah's bones. What will they do?
(16:22:05) MicahWhiterune: Micah knows very well what he does, for the  bulging sack of fuel is soon divided into smaller bulging sacks of fuel, for when some serpents need to be reforged into more useful ashes.
(16:23:47) Miriana: Miriana's preparations aren't so volatile, but she does make a point of acquiring a sturdy yew walking stick, the memory of what felt like scores of missed curses still fresh in her head.
(16:30:03) MicahWhiterune: Finally, Micah acquires a torch, the better to light fires with, and  to draw attacks onto  himself than Miriana.
(16:37:10) [GM]: Later in the day, the clouds have made good on their promise of rain. As if to wash away the filth of mortal souls, water pours on the streets and roofs of Livest. When Micah and Miriana once again arrive at their entrance to the sewers in the late afternoon, they find the flow of water has intensified , and so has the stench. Both the smell of waste and the basilisk's foreign reeks seem stronger under the rain.
(16:38:21) MicahWhiterune: "I look forward to burning all of this shit."
(16:38:47) Miriana: Miriana trudges glumly along, hood pulled up over her head. "Not much will burn in this weather."
(16:39:37) [GM]: Discarded eggs still float downstream, but they seem fewer in number than yesterday. Several among them, however, are of worrying size once identified as single eggs and not clusters thereof.
(16:39:56) MicahWhiterune: "Oh Mya. More of those."
(16:40:58) Miriana: "I was hoping a day or so wouldn't be such a long time to wait...ugh."
(16:41:58) [GM]: Retracing their steps from yesterday proves easy enough, as the canal they followed only branched near where they found the nest of snakes. After exploring the vicinity of their run-in, thankfully bereft of snakes this time, they find a large gathering of shapes in the darkness, near a T-intersection.
(16:42:38) [GM]: The shapes turn out to be objects of art, lining the tunnel in no small number on both sides, going either way perpendicular to the canal they came from. Without exception, they appear beautiful and valuable, art that lifts the spirit, but they lie discarded in the damp sewer. Statues are covered in mold and refuse, paintings rotten, metal objects tarnished. Some appear to have been deliberately defaced.
(16:43:00) [GM]: Among the collection, however, are a select few pristine pieces. They appear new, and beautiful even in this dismal resting place. Writing on the wall catches Micah and Miriana's attention, just before the grotesque gallery. It is a poem carved into the masonry as if by a knife on wood, irregular letters spelling out,
(16:43:00) [GM]: "Odious beauty, odious hope/Hope and beauty are the toll/Be it yours or be it theirs"
(16:43:00) [GM]: Beneath it, in the same hand, is carved, "The Turtlebacks' toll."
(16:45:12) MicahWhiterune: "Who are these Turtlebacks and why didn''t they get eaten by snakes?"
(16:45:58) Miriana: "What's all this? 'Hope and beauty'...? It sounds like someone wants us to bring art in order to pass."
(16:50:47) MicahWhiterune: Micah pokes at the metalwork, "Depends on their standards then."
(16:53:57) [GM]: On a quick look around, the statues appear to be just statues; they pose in ways that are to be expected of fine art, where poses are still recognizable. All of the pieces gathered down here must have once been fine indeed; a small fortune is rotting in oblivion. Those pieces that have been defaced seem to have been treated in the most deliberately cruel manner; beautiful
(16:53:57) [GM]: faces and forms slashed, smiles crudely redrawn into snarls, filigree brutally smashed.
(16:54:36) [GM]: Among all them, those few pristine ones stand out like beacons, two one way and one the other.
(16:55:46) Miriana: "Someone's been down here recently. Leaving new offerings for these people to wreck, it seems..."
(16:56:41) MicahWhiterune: "Criminal waste of good craftsmanship." Micah nudges the ones in better condition to consider how portable they might be.
(16:57:58) Miriana: Miriana glances up and down the tunnel, a little nervously. "Someone thought it was wiser than risking the alternative, at least."
(16:59:32) [GM]: One of them is a beautiful marble statue of a man in motion, poised to turn around and face some unseen entity, likely to be too unwieldy to take home. The others are a painting of a happy wedding scene and an intricate armillary sphere of metal and colored glass, as much art as instrument. As he inspects the closest one, the painting, however, Micah suddenly hears a wild, malicious hiss very nearby.
(17:00:20) MicahWhiterune: Micah swivels his mirror shield to face it as he grabs for one of the firebags.
(17:03:19) [GM]: The hiss came from right in front of him, and his reflexive raising of the shield stops a sudden stream of acid from hitting his face, much of it splashing off his shield. Some stray liquid splashes past, hitting the skin of his brow and arms to produce smoke and a sensation like burning coals on his skin.
(17:03:48) [GM]: Was it just his imagination, or did the happy wedding scene on the painting seem to twist into rage and snarls for a split second?
(17:07:03) MicahWhiterune: "What shot THAT? Stung a bit." Micah juggles the bag of incendiary as he exchanges a glance with Miriana.
(17:07:36) Miriana: Miriana looks around warily. "Did you touch anything? Maybe they're rigged up to traps..."
(17:08:13) MicahWhiterune: "Painting went ugly for a moment."
(17:09:46) Miriana: "Probably not a trap, then. I wonder if that happens if we try to pass without leaving any art..."
(17:11:13) MicahWhiterune: "Well, it's either set it on fire or..." He walks over and tips the painting over with his shield facing downwards.
(17:12:56) Miriana: "Well, mm. I don't know where we'd get anything this fancy on short notice."
(17:14:31) [GM]: The painting tips and falls over face first, its wooden frame banging against the stone floor inches from the water canal flowing in the middle of the tunnel. Nothing seems to happen.
(17:14:48) [GM]: As Miriana and Micah ponder the eerie collection, the stench in the background intensifies gradually, and rapid splashes, scratching and rasping come down the left-hand path, the one with the intact painting and statue.
(17:17:37) MicahWhiterune: Micah interposes himself between the noise and Miriana, then approaches, having left the sack of oil on the floor near the painting earlier and drawn his hammer.
(17:17:47) Miriana: Miriana glances down at Micah. "Um. We could run...?"
(17:19:12) [GM]: And then, loud, raspy breathing, far down the same direction. Red points like glowing embers appear in the distance, moving erratically, as Micah approaches, past the painting, when he hears another sudden hiss right in his vicinity!
(17:19:38) MicahWhiterune: Micah pivots his shield towards the noise again, "Next time we come down the walls would be snakes"
(17:21:28) [GM]: Acid again splashes against his shield. This time, the hiss and stream seemed to come from the other wall, and he finds his shield facing the intact statue, looking into the space above his head with an expression of steady determination.
(17:24:24) [GM]: Miriana, having been looking down the tunnel, caught a glimpse of the youth's expression twisted into craven brutality for a fraction of a heartbeat as a stream of acid materialized out of thin air and shot towards Micah's face from the statue.
(17:24:33) [GM]: The distant embers seem to approach in the darkness as the breathing continues, and a soft, unpleasantly warm and wet cloud of overwhelming stench hits Micah and soon after Miriana.
(17:25:37) Miriana: "This seems like the time to r-!" is all she manages to get out before the stench hits and she gags horribly.
(17:27:25) [GM]: As the distant embers approach, they resolve in the duo's vision as strange hybrids of snake, lizard, and glowing coal, elongated beasts the thickness and length of Miriana's arms, crawling on four oddly-placed and malformed freet, patches of their hides glowing red. Still the breathing and scratching continues, and it does not seem to come from them.
(17:29:04) [GM]: Their strange appendages and misplaced forms remind of the story Micah and Miriana heard that morning about the strangely mutated snake caught by fishers.
(17:30:03) MicahWhiterune: Micah faces the creatures, "Miri, if ya can't aim, just set the packet on fire and throw it in their general direction"
(17:30:27) Miriana: "With what?" she chokes, but she reluctantly stands her ground well behind Micah.
(17:32:12) MicahWhiterune: "Just yank the tinderbox, it's sticking out of my pack."
(17:36:00) [GM]: For several eternal heartbeats, Micah and Miriana feel a baleful stare upon them, and imagine they can see the beast's eye down the canal where the sound of breathing comes from. But after those moments, the sound of breathing, scratching, and splashing steps resume and draw farther away.
(17:36:00) [GM]: The two glowing serpents, however, hiss and crawl along the floor of the tunnel on either side of the filth water. Steam rises with a hiss where their legs touch water, and they stop several paces from Micah and belch gobs of fire at the dwarf in unison, briefly lighting the tunnel and giving the duo a glimpse of mismatched feathers and scales in the distance.
(17:38:44) [GM]: <MicahWhiterune> "Or, ya know, them bastards are already on fire..."
(17:41:00) [GM]: One of the globs splashes harmlessly against his shield, but the other flies above and scorches him where the acid already caused damage, multiplying the burning sensation to the point of agony.
(17:42:45) MicahWhiterune: Micah grunts as he takes the hit, but evinces no other reaction to the burns
(17:43:55) Miriana: Miriana, of the belief that if it's already on fire more fire won't make its life that much more miserable, instead draws her wand and points a wavering hand in the direction of a serpent, light gathering at the wandtip before spearing out.
(17:46:46) [GM]: The magic blast strikes the ember-serpent's belly as it rears up, rocking its head backwards with a start. It hisses angrily in Miriana's direction.
(17:55:17) MicahWhiterune: "Mya, I beseech thy forge-hammer. Pound the  cinders to ash!"
(17:56:03) MicahWhiterune: Micah advances and swings his hammer at the wounded serpent even as a massive spectral hammer descends.
(17:59:18) [GM]: Another stream of acid grazes Micah as he moves past the statue, but it is insignificant compared to the burns he already has. Mya's hammer, a mirror of Micah's own, appears shining in mid-air and pummels the serpent Miriana shot, though the physical hammer's swing goes wide.
(18:00:02) [GM]: With the dwarf advancing on them, the ember-snakes hiss and turn on Micah, lunging and biting at his arms and face.
(18:02:13) [GM]: One catches only the chains around his forearm, but the other manages to bite through the gauntlet of his hammer-arm, inflicting searing pain that leaves smoke rising from the gauntlet's leather.
(18:04:57) Miriana: Miriana squints through the chaos - steam and smoke alongside the bile rising in her throat - and shoots another blast at the same creature while it is assaulted by Mya's hammer.
(18:09:20) Miriana: She moves backwards quickly, remembering the last time she was attacked by snakes in these tunnels, but she gives the intact art as wide a berth as she can manage.
(18:15:35) [GM]: Sure enough, a thick squirt of acid springs out of thin air in the vicinity of the sphere, which appears for a moment to be tarnished and broken, showing foreign constellations opposing the true ones, aimed straight for Miriana's face. For her distance and caution, only a droplet falls on her skin, stinging like a hot needle. Skin-melting acid, the kind one might torture people with.
(18:15:53) MicahWhiterune: Micah meanwhile, pauses in his swinging to refocus upon his accumulating wounds, "Mya, lend me the light of life, to burn this wounds from my flesh."
(18:19:54) [GM]: The snakes weave warily around the spectral hammer that moves of its own volition, buying Micah time to heal his own wounds with a touch. Soon after, however, they are again on him, and bite with their red-hot fangs.
(18:20:54) MicahWhiterune: Micah wedges shield and hammer into open maws, halting their  assault.
(18:24:15) Miriana: Scrubbing the acid off her face with her sleeve, Miriana sends another burst of light somewhat haphazardly over Micah's shoulder.
(18:30:28) MicahWhiterune: Micah, wounds dealt with, keeps on swinging and swinging, mortal and divine hammer alike.
(18:35:41) [GM]: The blow of Mya's hammer rocks the serpent, putting its head right in the path of Micah's own blow. The mortal hammer connects with a spray of blood, and the snake falls limp into the water with a hiss of steam. Even as its twin falls, the other bites again and again at the threatening dwarf.
(18:38:12) Miriana: Encouraged by the sight, Miriana jabs her wand forward at the remaining serpent, another flash lighting the tunnel ever so briefly.
(18:41:00) MicahWhiterune: Micah, enlivened by the previous success, hammers it hard from opposite directions.
(18:42:22) [GM]: A blast of light hits the burning serpent, followed by Mya's and Micah's hammers pummeling it every which way. Hissing, the beast turns to flee.
(18:44:08) Miriana: Miriana spits to clear her mouth out and fires a parting shot in the fleeing monster's direction.
(18:46:16) [GM]: Although her stomach has stopped pushing for revolution against its owner, A trace of sickness and the beast's movement work to make her shot miss anyway.
(18:47:23) MicahWhiterune: Micah rushes forward, pressing the attack.
(18:48:55) MicahWhiterune: It takes some brutal pounding, but the serpent had no chance in the end, of getting away.
(18:50:19) MicahWhiterune: "What was those things?" Micah rubs the sore spots the lingering acid and fire burns itched at.
(18:51:38) Miriana: "Dead, now, but I hate the thought of those things popping out into the river."
(18:58:07) Miriana: Experimentally, Miriana hefts her staff and brings it down onto the armillary sphere a few times. Once the delicate orbits are bent and ruined, she experimentally walks by, one arm in front of her face.
(18:59:36) [GM]: The metal bends and glass shatters, spilling shards onto the floor and in the water. The armillary sphere, undoubtedly once beautiful in the light of the sun, lies miserably ruined and broken, but when Miriana walks past it once again, no acid assaults her.
(18:59:50) MicahWhiterune is now known as veekie
(19:01:50) Miriana: Miriana peeks over her sleeve, smiling at having solved the puzzle. "There we are. Looks like your kind of problem solving is what we need here!"
(19:02:07) Miriana: "Though I dearly wish I'd thought of that earlier." She rubs at the small acid burn on her face.
(19:05:33) veekie: "Pity. That was some fine metalwork." Micah rights the painting. "This is just paint, on the other hand."
(19:06:37) Miriana: "Well, let's worry about the basilisk first. ...Was that it before, watching us?"
(19:06:40) [GM]: The painting's face is smeared in dirt from contact with the floor, some of the paint scratched. Perhaps it could be restored?
(19:07:21) Miriana: Idly, Miriana reaches into the armillary sphere and breaks one of the smaller, shinier pieces off to tuck away into a pocket.
(19:08:56) veekie: "It retreated before I saw anything. Must have been two of its bigger snakes there."
(19:09:29) veekie is now known as MicahWhiterune
(19:09:57) Miriana: "Let's hope there's not much more of those." Miriana inspects Micah's face. "Alright to keep going, or do we need to double back?"
(19:11:40) MicahWhiterune: "No more than a scratch, though my stronger miracles are exhausted. It would have found even uglier snakes next time."
(19:19:45) [GM]: And so Micah says, but as he moves again, the statue releaces another stream of acid, that this time hits him full on, without the chance to raise his shield, almost as if the enchantment itself had a sense of humor.
(19:21:03) MicahWhiterune: "Aaghbll"
(19:22:37) MicahWhiterune: Micah, no longer giving  a damn about the quality of the stonework, grabs his hammer in a two handed swing straight into it's hip area.
(19:22:42) Miriana: Miriana jumps back in alarm. "Oh!"
(19:24:33) [GM]: Stone cracks under Micah's hammer and shatters under a second blow, leaving the sculpted youth in motion with a sad broken hip to jar his dynamic.
(19:26:48) MicahWhiterune: "Maybe just a bit of time to catch my breath before we go after that again." Micah kicks at  some of the rubble.
(19:27:40) Miriana: Miriana nods. "That sounds wise."
(19:28:25) Miriana: "I'm not gonna try to fix the painting until we're in a little better shape, though."
(19:30:55) MicahWhiterune: Micah more or less dumps it on her, "Take it then."
(19:31:46) Miriana: "Not with me! You want me to carry this thing through the sewers?"
(19:32:51) MicahWhiterune: "Could just roll it up."
(19:33:58) Miriana: "I guess," Miriana grouses, turning the painting around and pulling out a dagger. "Stupid sensible suggestions..."
(19:39:09) [GM]: With a damaged painting rolled up and stowed, Micah and Miriana stop to catch their breaths before moving further on. They already glimpsed the basilisk, presumably, in the distant darkness of the canal ahead, but the sewers are a maze that riddles the ground beneath the inner city, and once in the maze the path is no longer so straight and without branches.
(19:40:32) [GM]: After wandering through seemingly identical passages, guided mostly by Micah's sense for the stone construction, they find a crossed intersection unlike the others. If the dwarf's stone-cunning does not mislead him, they must be somewhere beneath the eastern inner city. Ahead, the two see a pair of unmoving humanoid figures standing in the darkness. The basilisk's stench seems strongest down this canal.
(19:40:32) [GM]: The passage to the left, however, has a warm glow, as of fire, breaking through the floor a good distance down, and Miriana spies what appear to be red flowers growing near that light, in a sewer of all places. To the right, meanwhile, they hear scratching claws and raspy murmurs.
(19:46:54) Miriana: Miriana frowns deeply, tapping Micah's shoulder and pointing toward the left passage.
(19:49:57) MicahWhiterune: Micah nods, leading  the way.
(19:50:59) [GM]: The flowers are bright orange-red like the morning sun, in five individual petals surrounding the stem, surrounded by vibrant green, round leaves. Why such flowers would be growing in a lightless sewer is anyone's guess. They surround a crack in the ground, where wall meets stone floor, through which the light of chandeliers spills upwards.
(19:52:44) [GM]: The crack seems partly natural, but intentionally widened. Peering through, Miriana and Micah see a large, dimly lit room, lined with, as far as they can tell, bookshelves. Was not the university situated in the east of the inner city?
(19:53:11) [GM]: ----------

Keoghtom's ointment

A darkly shimmering, honey-like panacea, to be applied topically or swallowed. It is a theriac, a poison that kills other poisons, being composed of a myriad dangerous substances in minute amounts bound together by the nectar of a weeping bride. For this reason and because if its scarcity, elven herbalists guard its secret recipe closely. If not everyone in need can receive, after all, it must be carefully considered who will.

As there is no poison that causes aging, this tonic is incapable of helping Camelia. But perhaps its purpose can be adapted; after all, to rage against age and death is in the human nature. All one need do is distill the ravages of time itself.

Mariya Blinsky, the innkeep

Owner of the Fair Constable inn in the Ostend district. Formerly a wandering hunter and archer, retired due to a debilitating injury. A longstanding friend of the former constable's family, she stepped up in the face of mutual tragedy and settled down where he could not bear to stay.

It is precisely when smiles are hard to come by that a smile is most valuable, and should therefore be given freely. So believes Mariya Blinsky.