(069) Pilgrims & Practicalities

[waysoftheearth]

• Ulric should examine the potion and see if he can determine what it does. Dorgan is willing to take a sip and suffer any potential ill effects.
• Josiane should examine the scroll and the black book. If Josiane can't figure out either, we should put Ulric to good use here while we can.
• We should have an active character or two hold onto the gems and jewels. We can hide the coins somewhere around the monastery. I am ok with the idea of putting them in the Reliquary but if I remember correctly, there was crap smeared across the secret door entrance. If it remains hidden, I don't want to mess with that just to hide the coins. We should be able to find another suitable hiding place.
• Definitely should send another party, in force, to look for Valorn and Beringar. Not looking too hard though. Let's just grab the coins and head back.
• I am unclear: are there areas of the basement we haven't explored? Are there places the Ring Team may have gone, other than through the portal?

I will take this (and following posts) and the treasure division as your "orders" for the remainder of the day.

---

"Give me those!" says Ulric gruffly, snatching the mysterious potion bottle and scroll and brooding over them for a time. 2d6. He snaps open the dusty scroll and gives the writings therein an extended glance, "These incantations will bear further investigation tomorrow," he mutters, and rolls the scroll up and hides it under his cloak. The potion bottle he taps, swirls, listens to, sniffs, and examines closely, but ultimately surrenders it to Dorgan without offering any further clue.

Josiane, meanwhile, drops the heavy black leather tome upon the refectory table (in a cloud of dust), and begins the laborious process of deciphering the cramped writings therein... to her delight it is an enlightened work entitled The Effulgent Beatification penned in the Empyrean cartography, and in fact contains valuable prayers and lessons | Book of 2nd level Clerical Spells |. The study absorbs her for quite some time...

Discussion of a mission to the Ogre cave (tomorrow) and division of the coin, gems, and jewelry, and where to hide them occupies the remainder of the afternoon.

At some point Dorgan dares a sip of the mysterious potion. The stopper--sealed tight despite its apparent age--comes loose with a solid twist from Dorgan's thick mitts and the antiquity, as well as the mystery, of whatever substance is within is immediately apparent.

Though the outside of the small glass bottle is grubby, the inside is pristine and the sweet vapour of the ether therein carries easily to Dorgan's twitching nose... "Just a sip.." he warns himself and takes one...

| Twice now has Dorgan recovered potions in this game, and twice now have they been poison.

Even a sip is deadly; Dorgan must save versus poison or die!

One Dwarf. One Hero. One Dee Twenty.

1d20=(I am afraid to roll)=(Dorgan saves as an 8th level fighter so needs an 8+)=(with a protection from evil spell he would have gained a +2 adjustment to his saving throw)=... |

3.

Dorgan instantly gags on the poisonous stuff! He tries to spit it out but his mouth--his whole throat--is ash. HE CAN'T BREATH! HIS FACE GREYS AND CONTORTS. And he drops down dead.

[waysoftheearth]

There is then something of a ruckus...

[ehiker133]

=-0

[ehiker133]

Desmond rushes to Dorgan's side and tries shaking the stout dwarf, "Dorgan! No! Josiane, do something!" Desmond looks up at Josiane, a wild look of fear in his eyes.

Even Mondes appears somewhat concerned...

[doctorx]

No.

NO.

NOOOOOOOO!!!

At Desmond's cry Josiane drops the black book she has been absorbed in.

She takes one look at the situation and all colour drains from her face.

"Dorgan."

And she is on her feet, scattering pilgrims, comrades, furniture and anything else unfortunate enough to be in her path like leaves before a hurricane.

"ASIDE! MOVE ASIDE!! THUUL'S NAME, MOVE!!!!"

She is on her knees beside her friend, tearing the Theraic Staff from her back while at the same time, fumbling in her pack for The Seraphic Communion.

As lamentations, commiserations and veiled hints as to possible looting go up, she turns her burning grey gaze on all assembled, her voice as ferocious as it is Unearthly.

"Quiet."

There she kneels, staff and book to hand, her brow fevered with sweat, her face pale, her lips moving in silent but clearly frenzied prayer as she battles to save her dearest friend...

[Merctime]

Silent as limb and bough of tree, and solemn as the weeping willow, yet quick as the industrious ant, Dhren moves to the laundry area and attempts to appropriate lengths of cloth that have the greatest cleanliness to them. These will become bandages of a sort. If he must, he will shred his own cloak for them.

Once there, water from his own waterskin will wet them, and they are brought to Josiane so that the impromptu damp bandages may be of some use to her, and Dorgan in particular, in the rapid episode of battlefield medicine that now unfolds before them all.

He will kneel beside her; Quiet, eyes crying yet no tears, not only for a fallen comrade but also the obvious anguish in the saintly woman's heart... and stern also, as he knows that now is the time for immediate action. He will begin to arrange the wetted cloths, whatever form he can manage them taking, around Dorgan's body so as to promote a 'cooling down' of his inner temperature. These areas are his forehead, his armpits, and the crook of his legs beneath his waistline.

He will break the silence, softly, with only slight speech: "Perhaps we should elevate his feet, that the poison does not rush southerly so easily in his form. These cloths should help to cool him down, and allow his own body to begin to fight back from inside." After this he remains silent; Yet at the side of the Saint Cleric, ready at a moment's notice to assist in any first aid that he may.

[doctorx]

Josiane's lips continue to work silently, her already pale countenance growing a little paler, if possible...

[waysoftheearth]

Josiane utters The Succor of Anathema Demurred most fervently, reading the complicated benediction directly from that weighty tome of prayers The Seraphic Communion. Those standing about with baited breath fancy that they observe a pale white glow as the inked letters float up off the page and vanish as motes of moonlight...

When the reading is done, there is sweat upon Josiane's brow and the pages of her book are blank. But Dorgan breathes steadily, and soon his eyes flick open.

He's weary, and there's a foul taste in his mouth, but he's alive...

| ...for now. The slow poison will keep him from death's clutches for up to four game days (assuming--since we haven't officially cashed in any XP yet--that Josiane was still fourth level when all this went down). |

[Merctime]

"I suggest we immediately get this dwarf bent over a stool, and smite his back like one does a child. If there is something of foul, but harmless taste we can feed him, that may induce vomiting that may in fact get this poison out of his system. We should be about expelling the vile substance from his body, and fast," Dhren says, even as he rises from Josiane's side and rushes to find a suitable stool or chair to place Dorgan over.

"He's not out of the city yet." (Elf's don't mind being in the woods; It's the cities that are perilous!)

[ehiker133]

Desmond looks alarmed at the young elf's words and places a gentle hand on Dhren's shoulder, "Sometimes bringing the poison back up can do more harm than good. It was just a sip, in any case; likely nothing even made it to his stomach. Why don't we wait and see what the Saint has to say before we go bending dwarves over stools, yeah?" He winks at the youth, but does not remove his staying hand.

"She'll tell us if there is something further we can do but pray, I imagine."

Desmond looks at Josiane's large book and asks, "You've lost that blessing from your prayer books now, haven't you? Is there anything in the book we just found that might be useful? Or in the other book we found here that you were reading at the elf camp?"