Strange Aeons 2: The Thrushmoor Terror [IC]

[Blackhawk101]

“Dorn, I will try to restrain him without harming him.”
BJ begins to pray a spell, keeping clear of the madman.

Spoiler

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cast hold person

[BuckGodot]

Dorn sighs inwardly and casts a glance at Flair then back at the raving man... He softly speaks the words of a prayer and makes a few gestures with his hands before speaking to the man again.

"Elgrior, you are helping no one with your raving. Please consider coming with us?"

Spoiler: OOC

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Charm Person

[lostsole31]

To Brother Jaume's surprise, the doomsayer (barely) resists the paralyzing spell. Elgrior focuses on Brother Jaume, "Help, help! They are trying to silence me with fell magics!"

Then Dorn casts his spell, says the above, and Elgrior becomes much more tractable. He doesn't follow Dorn's commands directly, but after another minute or two of soothing speech and attempting to calm the man, Elgrior agrees to tone down his speeches and not loiter outside of businesses.

What now?

[digiman619]

Flair decides to give the man a bit of a wide berth; just because Dorn's magic made the man more friendly to him doesn't mean that he'd be any more likely to accept him. Still, once he had left, he turned to the rest of the party. "Well, here's hoping that that one sticks more than the last one. Let's hit the second stop now and be done with it. If we have time, I'd like to make a quick run back to the Asylum afterwards; there are some books there that I need for research that wouldn't fit on the ride over."

[lostsole31]

So, that is the spoken, what is the action? And anyone else's input?

[BuckGodot]

Dorn turns to the others... "That will only last for a few hours. We need to find a more permanent solution."

[Blackhawk101]

“Perhaps we can as Winter to look into his diagnosis and treatment and keep him detained at the new chapel for a time?”

[BuckGodot]

"I think that would be a good solution. Temporary but good. Let's put that plan in action."

[silphael]

Seemingly reluctant to reach this conclusion, Maeni says :

"I don't like it, but that looks like the best solution, yes. Even if his ideas are probably based on true facts."

[lostsole31]

Dorn has to "push" on his charm to command him to come with the group to the New Chapel. Then again, they don't know where that is.

[digiman619]

"Small problem with this plan" Flair pointed out. "We don't know where Winter and this 'New Chapel' is." He then tasked himself to see if he could get directions to said chapel.

Spoiler: OOC

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Roll me a Diplo to gather info

[Blackhawk101]

BJ flags down a random citizen.
”Excuse me. Which way to the new chapel?”

[lostsole31]

So, Flair and Dorn together attempt to get an idea of what happened. Unfortunately, while everything was going on, as soon as a member of the bunch of people identified as thugs of Lowls begin casting magic, people started to clear out. It still takes the two of them an hour before they are able to wave down someone who - with news spreading of their casting spells on citizens - a terrified citizen tells the pair and you can start heading off to New Chapel.

The party continues heading along the eastern road, which actually is south, across a wooden bridge and onto an islet with many buildings on it. They head west now, and just before getting to another bridge connecting to another islet, they will see the New Chapel.

A relatively recent addition to Thrushmoor’s landscape, New Chapel is the center of Pharasma’s worship in the town. The two-story wooden building features a sanctuary, an infirmary providing healing, palliative care, and other services. Newly commissioned frescoes adorn its interior. These works by artist-in-residence Lelwyn Hasok were inspired by Pharasma’s holy book, The Bones Land in a Spiral, and depict the Lady of Graves pronouncing prophecies, judging the dead in the Boneyard, and overseeing births like a divine midwife.

Though only one priestess is assigned for staff, temporarily, there are several more staff members - Winter, Wren, and the few Briarstone staff members that were in Winter's camp that survived. The infirmary is overflowing, however, and the church itself has pews pushed to the sides and bedrolls and cots half-filling the sanctuary itself as well. Of note, two people that are in the infirmary in beds of their own are Corbin and Krisztina.

Winter introduces you to Priestess Trillis Mavaine, who was the driving force behind the temple's recent revitalization.

[BuckGodot]

Dorn will nod to the Priestess and introduce himself. He will then gesture to Elgrior and explain the circumstances of his presence. "Is it possible that he could remain here for the time being until we have had the opportunity to investigate and resolve the witch issue? Just a warning though, he may become quite agitated once my influence wears off."

[lostsole31]

She seems really resistant, but Dorn is amazingly persuasive. "I can give him a bedroll here, but I cannot force him to stay here. So, when he wants to leave," says Mother Travaine.

For now, though, Elgrior seems only to happy to please Dorn by being here.

[BuckGodot]

Turning to the others Dorn says, "This will give us a very short window of opportunity to solve this issue. Let us make the best use of it that we can."

[digiman619]

Flair walked up to Winter. "Can I talk to you? In private, preferably."

[lostsole31]

Winter thinks for a second. "Sure, but we will have to go out back if you want private."

Winter and Flair leave.

Flair, post IC, but spoilered.

Everyone else, do you do or say anything, or plan anything while in the New Chapel?

[digiman619]

Spoiler: Flair > > > Winter

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Flair is clearly frustrated, but does his best to keep his cool "I don't want to sound ungrateful for your help, but why, in the name of all that is holy, did you describe my skill set as "forbidden witchcrafts"? Are you trying to get me lynched?"

[lostsole31]

Spoiler: Winter >>> Flair

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Winter rolls her eyes, something you don't think you've ever seen her do. "Cesadia does not share the superstitions of her fellow townsfolk. She takes a much more pragmatic view to each person's capabilities, and that was a tongue-in-cheek joke with you and she that she laughed about later, but seemed to have been lost on you. Though I should have expected as much. You used to be really good with people, but were kind of thick sometimes. Now, you still are decent, but a bit unfocused. Like your confidence has gone from 'adamantine' to merely 'unflappable.' This immediate occasion, of course, being an aberrancy.

"Which reminds me, I've been meaning to ask you ..... what's with the, erm, eye makeup? Seems permanent."

[digiman619]

Spoiler: Flair > > > Winter

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Flair dragged his fingers through his hair, slightly deflated from where he was a few seconds ago. "Okay, fine. If you say so, I guess." You get the feeling that he's not entirely convinced by her words, but he decided to move forward anyway. "More than the risk towards myself, I guess I'm more angry that you said anything. I told you than in confidence so being so blase about it just felt like a betrayal."

He then blinked, taking a bit to recognize what she said. "What do you mean 'eye makeup'?"

[lostsole31]

Spoiler: Winter >>> Flair

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"You started out that way - in confidence - about your abilities," she says, grabbing something from her pouch, "but after awhile, everyone ended up knowing, so the particulars are still unknown, but not the general knowledge she could get from asking any one of the former patients."

The something she grabs from her pouch is a small, silver mirror and she holds it up to Flair's face.

[digiman619]

Spoiler: Flair > > > Winter

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Flair starts to get angry again. "No, there are a ton of esoteric magicks in the world, so as far as they know, it's just a lesser known way of using magic. 'Forbidden Witchcraft' implies something evil and dangerous, which my skills are not. No more than any other form of magic with combat utility."

He then cools off when he sees the mirror. "Oh yeah. That. Are you talking about the eye itself, or the stuff coming off it?"

[lostsole31]

Spoiler: Winter ||| Flair

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Flair, you don't get to the second paragraph. Once you lose your cool, she just walks off.

[digiman619]

Flair sighs in frustration, but rejoins the party.

[bcool999]

Jens

Jens keeps silent as the group subdues Elgrior, in his opinion, the fool deserves worse. He follows along to the New Chapel and takes a look around while Flair and Winter have their meeting in private. As he looks at the art around the chapel, he finds it odd that a group whose religion centers around prophecy and death would offer medical services, but as an outsider to their religion he is likely vastly oversimplifying their worship. Though it does make him wonder if they offer a discount on funeral services should they be unable to save a patient in treatment.

[silphael]

As Flair quickly came back, Maeni seems relieved.

"So, where are we starting that inquiry ? Thecave where he's saying he saw the witch ?"

[BuckGodot]

"That seems the logical choice. I suggest we begin there."

[Blackhawk101]

“Aye, We are goin’ to need a boat.”

[lostsole31]

As the party leaves New Chapel, though still not quite sure exactly what or how they intend to move forward (despite bandying about the idea of having a boat), upon stepping outside (or stepping back outside in the case of Flair), they find a raucous scene in the street nearby.

Across the street to the north, standing on the porch of a small building, there is a singular man - a tall, thin, half-elf with dark hair and deep gray eyes. In the street, facing him, is a congregation of townsfolk. They are shouting, calling for him to come out and fess up to the vandalism that has shown up on buildings throughout Thrushmoor.

What do you (the PCs, singular or plural) do?