Nemnosti session 36
Summary
Session
- Session date: December 7, 2025
- Negili Reckoning date: IE 768, Jinush
Prologue
[Nemnosti-GM] Hello, wee ones! Now, it has been a long time since I was a girl, but I do remember what it was like. So I will not berate you overmuch, for this bit of mischief. Yes, I know, there are many strangers here, and yes, some of them have some wealth. And I won't pretend to understand Jingle Japes, but I do know that in these stressful times, children need to find something to entertain themselves. But: you CANNOT go about ringing bells in front of strangers until they give you money. Even if they have wealth to spare. Even if they are here only to see the saint. Why, I heard from one person today that they were accosted by four different groups of you! In years to come, when people reminisce about meeting Her for the first time, do you want that to be soiled by this nonsense? And for you to have asked Hand Ifa to send her bubunne out, bells in hand, to accompany you in your efforts? I am embarrassed for all of us. I know that our trip to see Her was very emotional for many of you. I can only imagine. And this is a strange time for all of us. But let me make one thing clear. NO. MORE. JINGLE. JAPES.
Recent events in Zhustir
[Nemnosti-GM] You've been staying at the Izmoghir estate for the last day or so, enjoying the hospitality of your noble hosts, with varying degrees of success.
[Nemnosti-GM] Of all of you, only Ifa is really familiar with the sort of entitled manner in which the nobility behaves in its own element. Nemnosti has many nobles, of course, but their behaviour is always tempered by respect for Nemnu and the Nemni. Here, there is no doubt who is in charge.
[Nemnosti-GM] Marga, since returning from the Bone Eyrie, you've mostly been keeping to yourself, exploring the environs but trying not to get caught in any strange conversations. You have this pitcher that you need to give to the saint, without revealing the location of the Eyrie, following Achoreza's instructions.
[Nemnosti-GM] Jevai, you've been thinking about the Hearty Hedge glyph that Dalbi Gaigen showed you, reflecting on its origin and looking forward hopefully to reading the book that supposedly is within the library here.
[Nemnosti-GM] Kuspir, your hosts have been beyond obsequious towards you. While all of the group is treated well, you (along with Irdomila and Rembes) have been honoured more than any of the rest of you. You are beginning to suspect that they have other motives.
[Nemnosti-GM] Alai, despite there not being any suitable male entertainment here, you have found the hospitality of the Izmoghirs to suit you quite well, although it has grown tiresome. You are looking forward to the opportunity to do something more exciting.
Ifa consults with Nemnu telepathically regarding Her hopes and plans for Sanar Ula
[Nemnosti-GM] Ifa, you are sure that Hand Sejin has matters at the temple of Ususam back in town well under control, and the children are definitely not getting up to any more undue mischief.
[Nemnosti-GM] Ifa, you are settling in for the evening when you hear a familiar voice in your head, that of your Lady.
[Nemnu] Ramarima, my child.
[Ifa] My Lady?
[Nemnu] How is Zhustir? How is the new saint?
[Ifa] It is quite crowded, and very busy, as I'm sure you can imagaine.
[Nemnu] Naturally.
[Nemnu] You are well-treated?
[Ifa] Very much so. In town, I have been staying at the Hand temple, but for the moment we are on the Izmoghir estate. They have been more than gracious.
[Nemnu] I will not keep you long from your tasks.
[Ifa] I serve as required, my Lady.
[Nemnu] But I wished to speak with you regarding what you think comes next.
[Nemnu] The saint, and Her new cult, will surely need protection.
[Ifa] Of that I have no doubt.
[Nemnu] What are Her people saying?
[Ifa] I meant more that there are numerous groups looking to use this situation, and the new saint, to their advantage. I can't pretend we're uniterested observers, but I believe we have the least ulterior motives in our seeking to aid Sanar Ula.
[Nemnu] I am sure they all believe the same. Not least of which is the Emperor Himself.
[Ifa] As You say.
[Ifa] I'm not sure how aware of the more immediate danger Her people may be.
[Nemnu] Has there been any sign of Hulti?
[Ifa] (Just to verify, I didn't think there had been any yet, but am I missing/not remembering something?)
[Nemnosti-GM] (none so far)
[Ifa] Not to my knowledge, my Lady, but we remain vigillant.
[Nemnu] They would be foolish to act when so many saints have sent delegations.
[Ifa] But they have been nothing if not brazen so far.
[Nemnu] More likely, they will seek to infiltrate the new Sanari lineage, just as it is forming.
[Ifa] That would make sense.
[Nemnu] A new saintly lineage often seems made up of one's family along with grifters, toadies, and the like.
[Nemnu] From my own recollection, it is quite difficult to figure out who is earnest.
[Nemnu] What has brought you to the Izmoghir estate?
[Ifa] We were invited, and the Vabaseli hengi asked that we go. I believe he is seeking support for the future ulajeta.
[Nemnu] I see.
[Nemnu] What are your thoughts on that?
[Ifa] Among other considerations. They have been *very* considerate of Kuspir and the kids.
[Nemnu] I see.
[Nemnu] This new ulajeta they are thinking about - where would it be?
[Ifa] I believe they hope to build at Gil Pirtu.
[Nemnu] I see.
* Nemnu pauses for a time.
[Nemnu] What do you think of that plan?
[Ifa] It seems sensible enough, though Gil Pirtu seems more remote than Nemnosti. I would have concerns about support.
* Nemnu seems amused by that.
[Nemnu] They always told me that Nemnosti's disadvantage was its remoteness.
[Nemnu] But I take your point - it is about protection of the new saint.
[Nemnu] It is my will that you and the others visit the ruins, examine their condition, evaluate matters, see if this is even sensible.
[Ifa] Of course, my Lady.
[Nemnu] Izu is with the new saint, back in Zhustir, as I understand from talking to him. Will you manage it well enough without him?
[Ifa] His support would have been helpful, of course, but I understand it's quite busy at the Voice temple for the moment. I'm sure he's needed where he is.
[Nemnu] Of course.
[Nemnu] So, if not Gil Pirtu, what other options are available?
[Ifa] (Have others been put forth? Presumably just in town is an option.)
[Nemnosti-GM] (yeah, for the permanent ulajeta, they could build one in town from scratch. And then presumably there are the options that involve sending Her to Nemnosti, Fedifre Osti, or one of the other ulajette temporarily.
[Ifa] They could also build there in Zhustir. I believe they are at least considering the offers to house Sanar Ula in the meantime while Her new home is being built.
[Nemnu] She should know that She is welcome here at Nemnosti, if She and Her people desire it.
[Ifa] We have made them aware, but will continue to make our case.
[Nemnu] Be careful in Gil Pirtu. Those old Imperial sites have many surprises.
[Ifa] We will take every precaution, my Lady.
* Ifa will head to go find/inform the others, though presumably Nemnu can keep talking in her head as necessary.
* Nemnu will be quiet and let you do your thing.
* Ifa will gather folks, I presume, letting them know what Nemnu's newest directive is.
The team prepares for the trip to Gil Pirtu to see if it could be a suitable ulajeta
[Nemnosti-GM] All right, you spend the evening getting organized and preparing to travel to Gil Pirtu.
[Nemnosti-GM] Other than the five of you, are you bringing anyone else? Ifa, are you bringing any bubunne?
[Kuspir] (I don't feel the need to bring anyone else, unless others feel differently?)
[Ifa] (Do I have any with me, or are they all back in Zhustir?)
[Nemnosti-GM] (Good question, I don't recall)
[Ifa] (While in general I'd prefer to have some, I don't think realistically I do have them in this instance, and we're not specifically expecting danger, so... :/ )
[Nemnosti-GM] (OK, sounds good)
[Nemnosti-GM] Anyone who needs to do any prep / spellcasting / etc. can do so.
[Alai] (mage armor then GFL)
[Alai] !roll 1d20+15
* lan-werk2 rolls for Alai: [ 1d20+15 ] getting [ 5 ] which, after the modifier [ 15 ] totals [ 20 ].
[Alai] !roll 1d20+15
* lan-werk2 rolls for Alai: [ 1d20+15 ] getting [ 16 ] which, after the modifier [ 15 ] totals [ 31 ].
[Alai] !roll 2d10+8
* lan-werk2 rolls for Alai: [ 2d10+8 ] getting [ 4 7 ] for a total of [ 11 ] which, after the modifier [ 8 ] totals [ 19 ].
[Nemnosti-GM] The walk to Gil Pirtu is about a mile, or a little more - so not super long from here, although there's no road. So spells with sufficient duration should be fine to cast before you leave.
[Alai] (ok so some 10 min spells too.. I'll extend a couple with my Rod)
[Alai] (extended barkskin on Kuspir and Marga)
[Alai] !roll 1d20+15
* lan-werk2 rolls for Alai: [ 1d20+15 ] getting [ 8 ] which, after the modifier [ 15 ] totals [ 23 ].
[Alai] !roll 1d20+15
* lan-werk2 rolls for Alai: [ 1d20+15 ] getting [ 17 ] which, after the modifier [ 15 ] totals [ 32 ].
[Alai] (so +3 Nat armor for both of you)
[Kuspir] (nice, thanks)
[Alai] (you have magic weapons and armor?)
[Alai] (either of you?)
[Kuspir] (I have magic armor, I ... actually cannot tell if I have a magic weapon. I think yes? I'd have to do math.)
[Marga] (I uh... no. well I have a +1 shield)
[Kuspir] (no on magic weapon)
[Marga] (I have the same hammer I've had since the start)
[Alai] (GMW for both of you... its +2 enhancement)
[Kuspir] (cool)
[Alai] !roll 1d20+15
* lan-werk2 rolls for Alai: [ 1d20+15 ] getting [ 2 ] which, after the modifier [ 15 ] totals [ 17 ].
[Marga] (yayyy)
[Alai] !roll 1d20+15
* lan-werk2 rolls for Alai: [ 1d20+15 ] getting [ 9 ] which, after the modifier [ 15 ] totals [ 24 ].
[Alai] (finaly Magic Aura, greater on myself to hid all my effects)
[Alai] !roll 1d20+15
* lan-werk2 rolls for Alai: [ 1d20+15 ] getting [ 13 ] which, after the modifier [ 15 ] totals [ 28 ].
* Alai takes a bow
[Alai] (I'll keep 4 fos as a reserve in me)
[Jevai] (Investigative mind dc 16)
* Jevai rolls [ 1d20+14 ] getting [ 15 ] which, after the modifier [ 14 ] totals [ 29 ]
[Jevai] (napstack dc 18)
* Jevai rolls [ 1d20+14 ] getting [ 3 ] which, after the modifier [ 14 ] totals [ 17 ]
[Jevai] (-_-)
* Jevai rolls [ 1d100 ] getting [ 50 ]
[Jevai] (stunned for 1 rounds, whatever)
[Nemnosti-GM] (yeah, no problem and the spell still goes off)
[Jevai] (arcane sight dc 18)
* Jevai rolls [ 1d20+14 ] getting [ 4 ] which, after the modifier [ 14 ] totals [ 18 ]
[Jevai] (pfft)
[Jevai] (hold monster Dc 20)
* Jevai rolls [ 1d20+14 ] getting [ 5 ] which, after the modifier [ 14 ] totals [ 19 ]
[Jevai] (---____----)
* Jevai rolls [ 1d100 ] getting [ 24 ]
[Jevai] (Uncomfortably cold for 10 min. gimme a blankie:p)
[Nemnosti-GM] (all right, any more?)
[Jevai] (adding an echoiing fourish to that DC 21)
* Jevai rolls [ 1d20+14 ] getting [ 4 ] which, after the modifier [ 14 ] totals [ 18 ]
[Jevai] (Fails but no backlash)
The team heads over to the ruins of Gil Pirtu and inspects it from the outside
[Nemnosti-GM] All right, you have made your preparations and set out on your journey.
[Nemnosti-GM] You walk overland, over to the old Vabaseli landholdings where Kuspir's ancestors once farmed, and sometimes still do. This lowland area is, you believe, the territory that would support the new ulajeta's community, once it is formed.
[Nemnosti-GM] From there, to the north and west, you can already see the great Gil Pirtu embedded in the hills that mark the beginning of the Turtu and the end of the lowlands.
[Nemnosti-GM] 
[Nemnosti-GM] Gil Pirtu was a great Imperial town and fortress, centuries ago, at a time when the uplands were only nominally part of the Empire at all. And during the various purges and incursions into the hills, it was a central base of operations.
[Nemnosti-GM] Like Nemnosti, the construction is all of local stone, but is at least two hundred years older than the ulajeta, and its lifecourse ended when it was abandoned, over three hundred years ago, whereas Nemnosti has continued to evolve and grow.
[Nemnosti-GM] In the early days after its construction, the rivers were plentiful flowing east out of the Turtu. It served the needs of Empire when the Empire still was led by humans, from the city of Omba.
[Nemnosti-GM] Now most of the old rivers are dried up, leaving little remnants like the Chivenanga to feed the lowlands around Zhustir. And with the waters leaving, so too did the people. At least, that is what they say.
[Nemnosti-GM] At the very top of the highest hill around here, once there was a great fortress, the Gil itself. Most of that is now long gone, and up there, the waters definitely do not reach.
[Nemnosti-GM] But what remains, embedded into the hillsides, are homes, outbuildings, plazas, and temples, where once the people used to reside.
[Nemnosti-GM] The buildings are in various states of repair, and certainly some of the stone has been repurposed for buildings such as the Izmoghir iftibal where you are staying.
[Nemnosti-GM] But enough is still intact that the ruins are somewhat navigable, although several of the buildings are only accessible from above. Marga, one of these was where Achoreza showed you the Bone Eyrie.
[Nemnosti-GM] All right, you find yourself at the base of the hill.
[Nemnosti-GM] What is your plan?
[Kuspir] (I'm quite familiar with this place, right? does it seem still basically the way I remember it from when I was a kid, or are there noticable differences?)
[Nemnosti-GM] Kuspir, yes, it's basically the same. It's definitely where all the kids from Zhustir go to get away from adults for ... reasons.
[Nemnosti-GM] But it is also dangerous, and mostly the advice from your elders was always to stay clear.
[Kuspir] (I'd like to look for some of the more intact structures - places with solid floors and roofs and walls, if possible. someplace that could be a safe location to go to if we need one.)
[Nemnosti-GM] All right, you can make a Knowledge:engineering check
[Kuspir] !roll 1d20+5
* lan-werk2 rolls for Kuspir: [ 1d20+5 ] getting [ 10 ] which, after the modifier [ 5 ] totals [ 15 ].
* Alai will consume some fos and cast arcane sight as we survey the area
[Nemnosti-GM] All right, Kuspir, with a decent memory of your past visits, along with a careful inspection (though from a distance), you think that the low-lying buildings that have intact columns are all safe.
* Kuspir will point those out to folks
[Nemnosti-GM] Higher up, or deeper in, you couldn't say.
[Alai] !roll 1d20+15
* lan-werk2 rolls for Alai: [ 1d20+15 ] getting [ 16 ] which, after the modifier [ 15 ] totals [ 31 ].
[Kuspir] If we have to take shelter for any reason, or if we get separated and need to rejoin one another, those areas should be safe.
* Alai takes the cue and will inspect those areas first
[Nemnosti-GM] The lowest-lying building has definitely been occupied recently. There definitely have been small fires set in the hearth here, within the past month.
[Nemnosti-GM] It's a small outbuilding, probably used to be a warehouse.
[Ifa] (to Kuspir) Is this normal?
[Kuspir] Which part of it?
[Jevai] (How far away are we from the town? in Travel time)
[Ifa] The fires and all.
[Nemnosti-GM] (an hour maybe?)
[Kuspir] that people would come out here? If kids are like they were when I was younger, yes. It's a common destination for young folks to go for escape or privacy.
* Ifa nods.
[Ifa] As good a place as any, I suppose. :)
[Kuspir] I don't think it means anything unusual, at any rate.
[Kuspir] But people should be careful as we explore, just in case. Even if there aren't any people here, the ruins themselves can be dangerous. When I was a child, a boy I knew got lost in here and never was found.
* Ifa will keep an eye out for haunts, just in case.
[Kuspir] Everyone assumed he probably got stuck somewhere that he couldn't get out, or that maybe he fell and was killed, something like that.
[Ifa] Poor kid.
[Jevai] poor family
[Nemnosti-GM] All right, everything above the first few low-lying buildings requires clambering up the rocky face, occasionally supported by a few stairs.
* Jevai looks like she mightv regret her spell choices, or maybe not, the source was flowing against her...
[Alai] Hold... I can help us maneouver for a little while
* Alai will get out the extend rod, consum fos and cast a air walk communal
[Alai] !roll 1d20+15
* lan-werk2 rolls for Alai: [ 1d20+15 ] getting [ 14 ] which, after the modifier [ 15 ] totals [ 29 ].
[Alai] (so 40 mins of air walk... I didnt get Marga... she can fly on her own... props to you girl)
[Nemnosti-GM] (yeah Marga can also just climb up even if she doesn't want to go vulture form)
[Nemnosti-GM] All right, are you staying together or splitting up? What is your plan here?
[Jevai] what is our goal here, exactly?
[Jevai] to assess the site? To look for dangers?
[Kuspir] (I would probably suggest staying at least within earshot of each other? if someone yells I want to be able to get to them quickly)
* Ifa nods.
[Ifa] Nemnu Ula said to assess the site, to see if it is safe and their plan to build the new ulajeta here is sensible.
[Jevai] hmm.
[Jevai] well. Considering the size of the place and its general condition. No?
[Marga] it doesn't seem very practical.
[Jevai] not without much more extensive exploration than we can manage ion a short time
[Kuspir] It would take a lot of time and expense to rebuild.
* Jevai nods
[Jevai] if they have built into any natural caves... more so to get to know them
[Kuspir] Maybe there is some part that could serve, though? Even if not to refashion the entire thing the way it once was, maybe some section of it could be repaired.
[Ifa] Well, in theory, the one thing Sanar Ula will have in abundance is time. As to expense, I imagine there are plenty looking to court her favor.
[Ifa] (Her*, rather)
[Alai] (I'll cast message so I can at least relay communications with everyone)
[Ifa] This place does seem defensible, as well as impressive in its way, able to the made moreso with repairs and additions. I agree with Marga that it's not the most practical, but I'm not sure that's their main consideration.
* Ifa shrugs.
[Ifa] It won't be our decision, so I think we just need to off our assessments.
[Ifa] (offer*)
[Jevai] I would advise against a Saint living some place They don't now all the ins and outs of
* Ifa nods.
[Alai] Is there even a well?
[Ifa] That was one of my main concerns.
[Jevai] yes, that's my other concern as well
[Nemnosti-GM] Marga, you surely still have the decanter with you - you haven't been back to town to give it away to Sanar Ula.
[Marga] Well... I have this thing
[Marga] I'm supposed to bring it to Sanar Ula but...
[Marga] I haven't had the chance yet,
[Marga] .
[Marga] It's a jug that pours water like... forever
[Jevai] a portable spring?
[Alai] where did you find such a jug?
[Marga] I guess you could call it that, yeah!
[Jevai] very powerful for a place like this....
[Marga] It was a gift..
[Marga] from Mother.
[Kuspir] huh
* Jevai nods
[Marga] They would probably still want to look for a well but, this would be good right?
[Jevai] I'd still be wary of having a watersource for a whole community that is so vulnerable
[Alai] If they choose here, yes.
[Ifa] It's a fine gift regardless.
[Jevai] yes, absolutely
[Ifa] But if they *can* build a well, or even cisterns to fill from that, it makes this place much more feasible.
[Alai] maybe we get gifts some time? Eh no... always weary of unexpected gifts.
[Jevai] well, lets look around, and see if we can at least tell if there are any more concrete dangers.
* Kuspir nods
[Nemnosti-GM] All right, you spend the next hour or so checking out the lower levels of the fortress. Kuspir, these are the areas you know best from when you were a kid. Higher up, well, there were always those foolhardy enough to try to go up there, but you don't know those well, having been a good, rule-following young boy.
[Nemnosti-GM] The structure is in good shape, overall. Nothing you've been in is in imminent danger of collapse.
[Nemnosti-GM] The old Hand temple is definitely still largely intact, though of course no longer hallowed. Its four columns at the front are all still quite solid.
* Ifa smiles to see that, and will definitely take a look around in there.
[Nemnosti-GM] Nothing that has survived this long (well over 600 years, maybe 700 for some of it) is in any real danger at this point. If it was going to collapse, it would have already. There are earthquakes here, after all (as throughout the region), and whatever else this place has seen, it's surely seen its share of those.
[Nemnosti-GM] Moving a little higher, things get a little trickier, though still not giving any real concern of collapse.
The team inspects the central courtyard with circular element like a fountain with a hole in the middle of it
[Nemnosti-GM] Kuspir, you find yourself in a small but well-built plaza, with thick walls around the sides, and a central courtyard where, perhaps, there was a fountain and maybe formerly a statue? It's hard to say for sure.
* Kuspir will look around a bit more
[Jevai] (I am going to keep an eye out for anything like glyphs or other signs of sigillant magic)
[Nemnosti-GM] The towers to the northwest and northeast are stout, two-story constructions, seemingly sound. The archway is also still intact, although some of the top ornamentation has fallen down over the intervening years.
[Nemnosti-GM] This central courtyard feature is quite strange. The circular element in the middle does look like it once had something in the center of it, but perhaps not a statue, but some sort of rod or pole, maybe four inches thick. It could have been a fountain once, and the stone floor is carved in a sort of spiral shape. You haven't seen anything quite like it in Nemnosti.
[Kuspir] (like a flagpole or something?)
[Marga] Uhhh Jevai?
[Kuspir] I wonder what this used to be.
[Marga] There's a... spiral thing here
[Ifa] That certainly hasn't been auspicious lately.
[Marga] Yeah.
[Nemnosti-GM] A flagpole, it could be, although it's strange, if so.
[Nemnosti-GM] You can assemble everyone in the courtyard area.
* Alai will detect magic on the area first
[Kuspir] (does it seem like this place was always open to the sky? or did it used to have a roof/covering of some sort?)
[Nemnosti-GM] This place was open, like a plaza/courtyard.
[Nemnosti-GM] Jevai, I will have you make a Perception check.
[Jevai] !roll 1d20+14
* lan-werk2 rolls for Jevai: [ 1d20+14 ] getting [ 18 ] which, after the modifier [ 14 ] totals [ 32 ].
* Jevai had nodded to marga and is considering the spiral
[Nemnosti-GM] Whatever this spiral thing is, it is not a sigillant glyph.
[Jevai] its not a glyph, at least
[Nemnosti-GM] But you do see, along the wall to the southeast, a fragment of something that catches your eye.
[Jevai] But I dn't thik its a coincidence...
* Jevai trails off, and will go to look at it
[Jevai] (is it that black feathery looking thing?)
[Nemnosti-GM] (no, it's on the other side. The black feathery thing is, I don't know what it is. More where there is a fallen stone, on the southeast)
[Jevai] (kk. yes, I definitely know my directions well ;)
[Nemnosti-GM] Jevai, on the wall there, you see a carving into the wall, with traces of red ochre having filled in the grooves, once.
[Jevai] this, though....
* Jevai will crouch and examine it, to see if she can read wat it was or woudld have been
[Nemnosti-GM] The thing it looks like the most is the round disc / slate that you found in that strange stepped hill / temple near Gil Hargush.
[Nemnosti-GM] Again, it's not something really familiar to you. Just as the disk was not comprehensible. Alai, it is not magical.
[Jevai] This may have been a Hulti place...
* Jevai looks up at the sky
[Alai] there is no enchantment on it that I sense.
[Jevai] Well, it certainly would have been, I should say, it is so old
* Jevai will try to memorize the drawing, at least
[Jevai] I could retrace it more clearly....
[Jevai] But in terms of safety, tyhere are things here that miht make more sense, or be more accessible, to the Hulti, which is certainly somethign else to be wary of
[Nemnosti-GM] Ifa, I'd like you to make a Knowledge:Arcana check.
[Ifa] !roll 1d20+7
* lan-werk2 rolls for Ifa: [ 1d20+7 ] getting [ 13 ] which, after the modifier [ 7 ] totals [ 20 ].
[Nemnosti-GM] You sense something here, using your strange sight. Something below your feet, below the flagstones.
[Ifa] (Does it look like anything to my sight, or I'm just getting a weird feeling?)
[Nemnosti-GM] It's shimmering, though only when you stare at it closely, and it comes and goes.
[Nemnosti-GM] It's more of an intuition than anything else.
[Ifa] There's...something strange here.
[Kuspir] oh?
[Ifa] Almost like a heat haze, but not quite.
[Jevai] hmmm
[Marga] Don't like that
[Kuspir] Where do you see it?
[Ifa] (to Jevai, with a significant look) Something *I'm* seeing.
[Jevai] I understand
[Ifa] It's coming from beneath the flagstones, I think.
[Alai] hmm
The team discovers a tiny entryway to the lower levels beneath the plaza, which Alai uses a magic eye to enter and inspect, and she is inhabited by her Abyssal half
[Jevai] do you think that there is actually somethign beneath them, on a lower level, or is this more of a point of connection to somewhere else?
[Ifa] (Would I have any way of intuiting or finding that out?)
[Kuspir] (is there any way I can tell to get beneath here? like if we were to go down those stairs and around the side of the 'platform' kind of area, is there any opening down there?)
[Nemnosti-GM] You can't see any obvious way to get down but can look around.
[Kuspir] (I'll try that, cautiously)
* Ifa will walk around to see if other angles change what I'm seeing/sensing, to see if maybe I can triangulate and see if it's actually coming from lower down.
[Jevai] (i know the hulti used red ochre for some kinds of burial rites, right? Did I ever fine anything more about their uses of it? Or is it just a bangin red :V)
[Nemnosti-GM] You look around, and along the southwest wall, on the outside, there is indeed a small hole that leads into some sort of space. However, it's too small for you or really any ordinary-sized person.
[Nemnosti-GM] Jevai, you didn't specifically find anything, it's a pretty common material for ornamentation.
[Kuspir] There's a hole over here but it's too small to fit a person through.
[Kuspir] (could it fit... a vulture?)
[Jevai] what about a two headed snake ].]
[Jevai] be careful
[Nemnosti-GM] Yes, a vulture could definitely fit in there.
[Kuspir] Marga could try to go in it, as a vulture. But maybe people can look at it first before we try that.
[Kuspir] (does it seem like a deliberate hole, part of the original construction, or like a hole someone made later, or like an accidental hole that just happened due to erosion or damage or whatever?)
[Nemnosti-GM] Definitely made later.
[Kuspir] (but deliberately? like someone took a hammer and knocked a hole into the wall?)
[Alai] I can create a magic eye I can expore with
[Marga] I'm not super keen on being a bird in a place I can't turn around easily, let alone open my wings.
[Marga] so magic eye would be great!
[Nemnosti-GM] No, you think this is mostly natural.
[Kuspir] I don't know if it opens up further inside.
[Alai] My way is safter
* Jevai nods to Alai
* Kuspir nods
* Alai will cast Arcane Eye
[Alai] !roll 1d20+15
* lan-werk2 rolls for Alai: [ 1d20+15 ] getting [ 5 ] which, after the modifier [ 15 ] totals [ 20 ].
* Alai will concentrate and send the eye through the hole
[Nemnosti-GM] (am I correct that Arcane Eye does not let you see in darkness? It doesn't seem to say anything about darkvision or anything like that)
[Alai] (I could cast Darkvision too)
[Nemnosti-GM] Once you're past about five feet in, it gets pretty damn dark. You can't see much of anything.
[Alai] (or just cast light on it... so much for the invisibility.. then we done have to worry about other spell interaction)
* Alai cast light on her sensor.
[Alai] (problem solved)
[Nemnosti-GM] All right, Alai, you send it in.
* Alai will describe what she sees as it explores
[Nemnosti-GM] The eye goes through a narrow tunnel of rock, then down slightly, to a hallway which heads north, then at the end of the hallway, there's a hole in the floor going straight down.
[Alai] Down?
* Alai looks to the others
[Jevai] is there a hole above as well?
[Alai] (is there?)
[Nemnosti-GM] (nope)
[Nemnosti-GM] The hole does not look to have been originally part of the construction, but perhaps a bit of floor that caved in.
[Alai] Down we go...
[Jevai] hmm
* Jevai is trying to mentally map where the eye would bebelow us based on what Alai is saying
[Nemnosti-GM] All right, you send your eye down further, and eventually come out onto a flat landing that overlooks an enormous chamber lined with columns. The floor beneath you is littlered with objects that are too hard to discern exactly at this range.
[Nemnosti-GM] (I've put another map up, with Alai used as the icon for where the eye is located)
[Nemnosti-GM] (obviously the rest of you can't see this)
* Alai floats the eye down closer to the objects
* Alai describes what she sees as she does so
[Nemnosti-GM] Alai, make a Will saving throw, please.
[Alai] !roll 1d20+8
* lan-werk2 rolls for Alai: [ 1d20+8 ] getting [ 18 ] which, after the modifier [ 8 ] totals [ 26 ].
[Nemnosti-GM] All right, the good news is that you are able to continue doing what you were doing. The bad news is that your Dark Half has just taken over.
[Alai] (Do I have any idea what brought that on?)
[Nemnosti-GM] This place feels infused with Abyssal power. You couldn't feel it earlier, but you wonder whether that's what Ifa was perceiving up above.
[Alai] !roll 1d100
* lan-werk2 rolls for Alai: [ 1d100 ] getting [ 68 ].
[Alai] (DR5/magic)
[Alai] I feel the Abyss here
[Marga_] Huh?
[Nemnosti-GM] Looking around, you see that in the ceiling, there is a spiral that is the same size and shape as the one in the courtyard.
[Jevai] a...nest? a thin place?
[Jevai] (it is giving me a bit of the Vibes from the place where we were in the Abyss, minus the 'water'
[Alai] The same marking on the ceiling as in the courtyard.
[Nemnosti-GM] (hang on one sec)
[Nemnosti-GM] It feels to you so much like that strange watery realm where you and Jevai spent those few happy minutes, in warmth and communion with the Abyss.
[Alai] its as if the water has bled into this one world.
[Jevai] How are you feeling?
* Alai will try and bring herself under control before it overpowers her, loosing concentration on her sensor for now.
[Nemnosti-GM] It's hard, being suffused with all of this information and sensation, to know where to look, but you do see that some of the stones on the floor appear to be things like weapons, pieces of armor, turned to stone, and there are what look like bones made of stone, in at least a couple of places. To the northwest, there is a great statue, not quite as big as the statue of Fezef Takovenga at Nemnosti, but far beyond life-sized, made of pure marble, but with a sword made of black stone of some kind.
[Jevai] the abyss is... a place of Unkindness, in a way
[Nemnosti-GM] Alai, I'm going to have you make a Concentration check.
* Jevai explains for Marga and the others
[Jevai] very dangerous
[Alai] !roll 1d20+13
* lan-werk2 rolls for Alai: [ 1d20+13 ] getting [ 10 ] which, after the modifier [ 13 ] totals [ 23 ].
[Nemnosti-GM] You manage to hold on for now, but you feel almost drawn into this place, attracted by it.
[Ifa] Why would it manifest *here*?
* Ifa frowns.
[Alai] I know not... its so close...
[Alai] (do I figure the spirals correspond in location... one above one below?)
[Nemnosti-GM] Yes, you're no great architect, but that makes sense to you, based on your eye's travels.
* Alai will go towards the symbol in the courtyard
The team returns to the courtyard, where they determine that markings on the wall reflect a sort of dance to be done in the plaza
[Nemnosti-GM] OK, the rest of you see Alai go up from the hole, back up to the courtyard.
[Kuspir] Where are you going?
[Alai] Its right under here...
* Alai points while she walks
[Kuspir] be careful...
* Jevai goes with
[Jevai] I wondered...
[Nemnosti-GM] All right, are you standing on the spiral or next to it?
[Jevai] I don't knwob what this place is, ecatly but. No place for a neew Saint
[Jevai] (I'll stand on it like a clever bgirl)
[Alai] (on it considering)
[Nemnosti-GM] All right, make a Perception check, both of you.
* Ifa follows along, looking for anything in her weird sight.
[Alai] !roll 1d20+10
* lan-werk2 rolls for Alai: [ 1d20+10 ] getting [ 19 ] which, after the modifier [ 10 ] totals [ 29 ].
* Jevai rolls [ 1d20+14 ] getting [ 11 ] which, after the modifier [ 14 ] totals [ 25 ]
[Nemnosti-GM] All right, from where you are, you realize that looking out at the markings on the wall that Jevai saw earlier, they look different from this angle.
[Jevai] oh I see...
* Jevai will travel along the spiral a little
[Nemnosti-GM] It is as if the shadows fall differently on the curves of the carving, and it is as if they depict ... a dance? A set of footwork?
[Jevai] 9and see if they change... yeah)
[Nemnosti-GM] Marga and Kuspir, where are you and what are you doing?
[Jevai] And it would be different with different light, at different time of year...
[Kuspir] (I'll go where Ifa goes, so if she's going back up to the platform, I'll go there)
[Kuspir] (but mostly just watching because this is out of my expertise. I'm just ready to move quickly if something weird[er] happens.)
[Marga_] {I'll go with jevai)
[Nemnosti-GM] (so am I understanding correctly, that Jevai, you are following the instructions of the 'map'?)
[Alai] A ritual
[Jevai] ...Do we want to see what it does?
[Alai] yes
* Jevai looks at Alai, then at Marga
* Alai will grab her hand and start
[Jevai] Ahh...
[Ifa] Is this wise?
[Nemnosti-GM] You trace the dance across the spiral, towards the rim, then widdershins, then in, then spinning about. It makes no sense at first, then it makes nothing but sense.
[Nemnosti-GM] There is a noise from below, and shortly, a stone pillar rises from the center of the spiral.
[Kuspir] uhh...
[Jevai] watch for us
The platform descends, taking the team into a long-forgotten great hall within Gil Pirtu with a great sword-wielding statue
[Nemnosti-GM] Then, it begins to descend, taking any of you down with it who are standing upon it.
[Nemnosti-GM] (who I think is just Alai and Jevai, though if anyone wants to jump on the flying disk, you're welcome)
[Ifa] (How fast is it?)
[Nemnosti-GM] Jevai, you don't know what this is, but it is NOT Hulti magic, nor really sigillant magic in the way you'd understand it. But whatever it is, is very old.
[Kuspir] (how fast is this moving? like if I delay to talk to Ifa for a sec will it be gone?)
[Nemnosti-GM] (it's slow, like, say, a couple feet a second)
[Nemnosti-GM] (but yeah you can't dally)
[Kuspir] We can't let them be separated from us.
* Kuspir says to Ifa and Marga.
* Ifa nods and steps/jumps onto the platform.
[Jevai] (Margas with us)
[Kuspir] (oh ok)
* Kuspir will go as well.
[Nemnosti-GM] The disc descends, and you find yourself in a well-built ancient great hall.
[Nemnosti-GM] (I've put you on the map about where you are)
[Ifa] I take it this is where you were seeing before, Alai?
[Alai] yes
[Kuspir] (is there light for us to see by?)
[Alai] (still the floating eye with light on it)
[Nemnosti-GM] Alai still has her eye which has a light on it. But also, there's a disc-sized hole in the ceiling.
[Nemnosti-GM] The disc, with a six-foot-or-so stone rod through it, is now right where you are standing in the center of the courtyard.
[Nemnosti-GM] Ifa, you can now clearly see that the black stone sword held by the great marble statue in the northwest is shimmering, using your special sight. There's also something else over there.
* Kuspir will look around for any dangers/threats in the area.
[Ifa] Oh, wow.
[Nemnosti-GM] All of you can see fragments of stone everywhere on the floor, but they are not (mainly) parts of this building. You also see what look like skeletons, one to the southwest, one to the northwest.
[Nemnosti-GM] (again this is all on the map)
[Ifa] The sword is ...shining, I suppose? More of that shimmering haze.
* Jevai will dislodge arcane sight
[Nemnosti-GM] All right, Jevai, there is very very powerful transformation magic to the northwest. The statue, but also something else, behind (?) it.
[Jevai] Theres something behind the statue
* Jevai will concentrate on that
[Marga] Something?
[Nemnosti-GM] Will save, Jevai.
[Jevai] !roll 1d20+11
* lan-werk2 rolls for Jevai: [ 1d20+11 ] getting [ 3 ] which, after the modifier [ 11 ] totals [ 14 ].
[Jevai] (....destiny?)
[Nemnosti-GM] (if you like)
[Jevai] (No lets's fail this actually :V)
[Nemnosti-GM] Jevai, you find yourself overwhelmed, as you were the first time you saw the Crack in the Crevice. It is actually almost the same feeling.
[Jevai] ohhhhh....
* Jevai staggers slightly
[Nemnosti-GM] You are unable to break your gaze with the statue, and find yourself drawn towards it.
* Ifa goes to support Jevai.
[Nemnosti-GM] (not physically dragged, mentally compelled to walk that way)
* Jevai staggers towards it, and will leverage herself on Ifa to try and approach
[Ifa] I can't imagine this is safe...
[Nemnosti-GM] Alai, you feel this same impetus, but are able - at least for now - to hold it back. It is as if your Dark Half has trained you how to manage this compulsion.
[Jevai] No...but I've been there before
[Nemnosti-GM] So Ifa, you're coming with Jevai, is that right? Towards the statue?
[Ifa] (Seems that way, yes :P )
* Jevai glances back at Alai
[Jevai] (I don't think I'm capable of dragging her if she doens't want to go :V)
* Jevai can let ifa go once she has better control of herself, but is still moving towards the. Whatever
* Ifa will try to gently restrain Ifa for the moment.
[Jevai] (Jevai's on Crack)
[Ifa] Maybe we take a second to observe a bit more.
[Ifa] Alai?
* Kuspir will follow but at a slight remove, like I don't want to let them get all the way across the room from me but I also don't want to be immediately next to them if something explodes/collapses/attacks.
[Jevai] Yes, I'd like to go see
[Nemnosti-GM] (sorry, Ifa, explain? are you restraining Jevai?)
[Jevai] (I assumed yes)
[Nemnosti-GM] All right, you can position yourself where you would like to be.
[Ifa] (Yeah, but just like stepping in front of her or grabbing her arm)
[Jevai] (I can't move myself)
[Ifa] (Same)
[Alai] There is danger there... power. Caution is needed.
[Nemnosti-GM] (ok try now?)
After determining that the sword is Unkind, Jevai sings Gunuremai’s fable to it, causing a connection to arise with her Unkind friend from the Fingerprint
[Alai] (is the sword anything I could recognize... cultural or arcane history?)
[Kuspir] (is the sword a literal real sword that someone could pick up, or is it part of the statue?)
[Nemnosti-GM] From here, the sword appears to be made of some kind of dark stone. Jevai, you have stone skills, you can make a check.
[Jevai] (I have moved my me)
[Jevai] (What kind of check?)
[Jevai] (stone carving?)
[Jevai] (I also have like. engineerin and dungeoneering)
[Nemnosti-GM] (yes please)
[Nemnosti-GM] (no, carving is better)
[Jevai] !roll 1d20+12
* lan-werk2 rolls for Jevai: [ 1d20+12 ] getting [ 20 ] which, after the modifier [ 12 ] totals [ 32 ].
[Jevai] (okay :V)
[Nemnosti-GM] Jevai, you know to a certainty that this is a manufactured object, but not of any ordinary stone. Rather, it is made of Unkindness shaped into stone. You can see that while it is held in the hand of the statue, it is not part of the statue.
[Jevai] It's Unkind stone
[Nemnosti-GM] Please approach closer, Jevai.
[Nemnosti-GM] As you approach, the statue begins to move.
[Marga] GEt away from there!
* Marga tries to grab Jevai back
[Kuspir] (I'd like to move to interpose myself btw them if I can)
[Nemnosti-GM] Kuspir, you can definitely do that.
[Ifa] It's an Unkind sword?
[Jevai] yes - don't let it touch you
* Jevai will see what happens if she sings at it a little
[Ifa] That's normally good advice for swords in general, isn't it?
[Jevai] (probably just some kind of nonsense lullaby or something, she does not have an amazinf voice)
[Nemnosti-GM] All right, give me a Perform check
* Jevai rolls [ 1d20+1 ] getting [ 3 ] which, after the modifier [ 1 ] totals [ 4 ]
[Jevai] (I *will* destiny that. Not that I think I can c=succeedd but that's embarassing ;)
* Jevai rolls [ 1d20+1 ] getting [ 12 ] which, after the modifier [ 1 ] totals [ 13 ]
[Jevai] (better :p)
[Nemnosti-GM] You sing a song: In ancient times, when hills were Kinds, We marked the stone with spiral signs; Our corpses, cast in widdershins, Asleep until the crack begins; Then slip between the rocky crease, Until unfolding shadows cease.
[Nemnosti-GM] You didn't even know you remembered the words, that Gunuremai sang to you. You certainly had no conscious intention to sing *that* particular song.
[Nemnosti-GM] But there it is. The statue pauses.
[Marga] I don't like that song...
[Ifa] Well, it *did* stop.
[Ifa] That seems good at least.
[Nemnosti-GM] Jevai, you hear a voice in your head: "Mother?"
* Jevai thinks back at it "yes, its me."
[Nemnosti-GM] The statue advances one more step, but the sword is not pointed at you, but rather, held by the pommel, pointing downwards.
[Nemnosti-GM] It extends the sword out for you to take it.
[Jevai] (Is the whole sword unkind?)
[Nemnosti-GM] (appears to be)
[Jevai] someone give me a cloth, or... something
* Jevai does not watch to touch it with her bare hand, but if she can cover or wrapthe handle, will take it
[Nemnosti-GM] OK, you can do that.
* Ifa will hand Jevai her mebel.
* Jevai will wrape that around the handle, then, and take it
[Jevai] thank you
[Nemnosti-GM] Are you here to relieve me?
[Nemnosti-GM] (in your head)
[Marga] [w] what is happening...??
[Jevai] :It has been a long time - what is your duty?:
[Jevai] it's asking me if I'm here to relieve it
[Nemnosti-GM] Alai and Ifa, you definitely perceive that whatever is going on here, it looks strange to your vision. But other than that, you can't hear whatever Jevai is hearing.
[Marga] Relieve it?
[Nemnosti-GM] Marga and Kuspir, obviously you see a moving statue but it's not speaking with a 'mouth'.
[Statue] To guard my heart below my feet, to serve Him.
* Kuspir is way out of his depth but this thing doesn't seem to be attacking so he won't intervene YET
[Jevai] Him?
* Jevai says aloud and in her head
[Statue] My creator.
[Jevai] A Stone Guard.
* Jevai says, glancing at Kuspir
[Jevai] Guarding his heart below his feet
[Kuspir] (does that mean anything to me in a stoneguard sense?)
[Jevai] :Guard him from what? For what?
[Statue] Not to guard Him. To guard my heart, against the day when He needs it.
[Statue] To serve Him.
[Jevai] (again outloud and in my head
[Jevai] What does He need? It has been...so so long.
* Marga watches nervously
[Statue] I do not know. His intentions are shadowy to me.
[Jevai] I would like to know... more about Him.
[Jevai] if He persists to this time
[Statue] I do not know.
[Jevai] Can you tell me what He was called?
[Statue] I know that those around Him called Him Prime.
* Jevai mouths the words 'the emperor' for those around her
[Marga] [w] ... wha?
[Jevai] I think.... you can rest your heart
[Ifa] [w] How long has this poor thing been here?
[Statue] Thank you, Mother.
[Jevai] Thank you for your service
* Statue walks bac kto the stone pedestal where it began.
[Jevai] (But I still have the sword, right?)
[Nemnosti-GM] You still have the sword.
* Jevai will go back to the pedestal
* Jevai looks a bit wild eyed and stresssed, go figure
[Nemnosti-GM] (All right, is your Arcane Sight still active or done now?)
[Jevai] (It lasts 8 minutes*
[Jevai] (so deoends how long that atually took)
[Nemnosti-GM] (oh, definitely done then, I think)
[Marga] is it... it's just gonna stay there?
At the base of the statue, they identify a locking mechanism which reveals an alabaster vessel with Unkind power
[Nemnosti-GM] OK, you are over by the pedestal. Make another stone carving check, or K:engineering, your choice.
[Jevai] !roll 1d20+12
* lan-werk2 rolls for Jevai: [ 1d20+12 ] getting [ 20 ] which, after the modifier [ 12 ] totals [ 32 ].
[Nemnosti-GM] Kuspir, you can make a K:history
[Jevai] (Carving ftr)
[Kuspir] !roll 1d20+9
* lan-werk2 rolls for Kuspir: [ 1d20+9 ] getting [ 14 ] which, after the modifier [ 9 ] totals [ 23 ].
[Nemnosti-GM] Jevai, you easily spot a locking mechanism in the side of the pedestal. There's some sort of door or hatch here.
[Nemnosti-GM] Kuspir, this is definitely reminiscent of the language and form of Stoneguard practice. Definitely feels very Corps-adjacent. This entity is not a stoneguard, but could be a ... stone guard?
* Jevai will point that out, but has her hands full with the scary sword
* Kuspir will open the hatch if Jevai points it out
* Jevai is being *Very* careful with it
[Nemnosti-GM] The hatch is locked.
[Kuspir] It doesn't open... it's locked I guess.
[Ifa] (Is there a visible lock?)
[Nemnosti-GM] Jevai, you can easily see that there is a kind of hole, practically hidden away, into which something could be inserted, presumably to open it.
[Jevai] o, I see
[Jevai] (Something. sword shaped, perhaps?)
[Nemnosti-GM] (no, much smaller than that)
[Nemnosti-GM] (like perhaps the width of a finger, at most)
[Jevai] (whew)
[Jevai] thee's a key hole of some kind - there
* Jevai will point it out
[Kuspir] no key though?
[Jevai] search around?
[Jevai] or Ala - can you open it?
[Jevai] (Alai. Knock tome!0
[Nemnosti-GM] (Alai can just cast knock)
[Jevai] (time)
* Kuspir will look. I'll also take a moment while looking to check out those bones, to see if there's anything notable about them (any signs of clothing, possessions, etc. that might be recognizable.)
[Nemnosti-GM] All right, the lock opens. Inside, you see a vessel made of what looks like thin white stone, like alabaster.
[Marga] (a vessel?)
[Nemnosti-GM] It is stoppered at the top with a stone cork.
[Nemnosti-GM] Jevai, Alai, and Ifa, you all sense real power from inside this vessel. Ifa, it's almost too much to look at.
* Ifa turns her head away.
[Ifa] Ah!
[Jevai] oh....
[Ifa] I don't know what that is, but...it's a *lot*.
[Jevai] (Is it Unkind power?)
[Nemnosti-GM] (yes definitely)
[Kuspir] Are you okay?
[Jevai] (but it is contained? is it much liek the unkind stone?)
* Kuspir asks, coming over to check on Ifa when she calls out
* Ifa nods.
[Ifa] I'm okay, it's just...bright? Or the equivalent.
[Nemnosti-GM] Yes, it appears to be contained within this vessel.
[Jevai] It's also Unkind
[Ifa] The vessel itself, or whatever is in it?
[Jevai] take it, and we shoudl go. home. Immediately
[Jevai] the contents
[Marga] why is all this stuff here??
[Ifa] Curiously, why is it *still* here?
[Jevai] I don't know
* Jevai glances at the statue
[Ifa] Jevai's right. We should take it and go.
[Jevai] We can discuss it later, i promise
[Marga] Yeah, I don't wanna be here.
[Jevai] Kuspir, can you take it?
[Kuspir] the sword?
[Jevai] the jar
[Kuspir] oh, the jar... yes, I can.
[Jevai] thank you
* Kuspir will go gather it up.
* Jevai can see if she and Alai can dancd the pillar back up (carefully, with the sword)
They retrieve two skeletons from the great chamber, and Alai, Marga and Jevai plan to teleport to Nemnosti with the Unkind treasures
[Nemnosti-GM] Kuspir, you go over and see that the two skeletons are both very small people. One appears to have been there much longer than the other. The larger one (nearest the statue) doesn't have any possessions of note. The smaller one (shorter, but perhaps more heavyset?) to the south has a belt buckle and a dagger. But both have been here long enough that any clothing, etc. has rotted away.
* Kuspir will take the belt buckle and dagger in case they are significant to anyone, then get ready to go
[Nemnosti-GM] Are you taking the skeletons? They are Ancestors, after all.
[Kuspir] (actually scratch that. I'll take the entire bodies if I can, if we can carry them safely.)
[Nemnosti-GM] Assuming you can figure out how to get out of here, it should be no problem. After all, you have a professional body-carrier with you.
[Kuspir] (Heh)
[Nemnosti-GM] With some effort, you realize that there is a carving along one wall of this lower building, akin to the one above. It provides instructions for your dance to cause the spiral to rise.
[Nemnosti-GM] You are all back at the plaza, sword, vessel of Unkindness, and two skeletons in tow.
[Jevai] (From there I like Julie's plan of Alai and marga and I go bakc to Nemnosti liaving Ifa adn Kuspir here, and then rejoin them maybe in the am, and they can make out like the local teens all night and be glad her brother isn't here ;)
[Kuspir] (I too like this plan ;)
[Nemnosti-GM] (all right, hearing no objections then, we'll have that go ahead!)
[Jevai] (whew - thanks Steve!)
[Nemnosti-GM] All right, wee ones, time for bed!
