Meeting Mattric, Again (DM Cayzle) d20+6=22 d20+8=17 d20+5=16 d20+3=23 Thursday March 14th, 2002 12:04:05 PM
The foreman responds shortly to Ilsidur's questions. Yeah, that's the Eagle. Thee can tell by the eagle on the sign." A worker nearby guffaws at that.
"There's plenty of taverns back that a way." He gestures vaguely toward the main market. "Now get out and stop distracting my men."
The group heads back to the Pellet Can. There, a good stiff drink and some conversation help make the time pass quickly. Night falls, and the group slips out of the inn at moonrise (around 9 pm). The streets are dead, so to speak, and the group sees no one walking around at all.
At the Eagle Warehouse, the padlock is gone. The group scouts around and checks for any ambush -- but there are no tracks that a group of people might have made. Looking at the doorway, Trace and Altemia agree (track rolls 22 and 17) that there are the signs of just a single person recently passing.
Inside the warehouse, a lantern burns in an inner room. Inside, the group meets Mattric, who rises to meet you all. He is wearing priestly robes and carries a symbol of a closed eye. Both Ilsidur and Sir Thomas recognize these signs (Religion rolls 16 and 23) as denoting a follower of Jantierri, the Divine Power of Sleep and Prophesy.
"Please, come in and sit down," Mattric says. "We have much to discuss. But first let me apologize for my publicdismissal of you. Ye see, in public I must pretend to be a commoner and devotee of Marteus. Followers of all other gods are looked down on by the noble society, and clerics are persecuted. I alone have survived of the noble clerics that once thrived here, before Abandon was taken into this realm of nightmare. In dream was I warned, so I hid when the dark came. In the years since, I have revealed myself only to the very few I trust. Long I wondered why I continued, but in recent dreams I have seen your coming, and I knew I had a part to play."
He bows, and looks at each of you. "The noble knight. The dwarven priest. The silent bard. The servants of nature. The young one, first of two."
"Welcome. Please ask me whatever ye wish, and be satisfied of my sincerity. Then there will be more revelations."
[OOC DM's Note: Since we are starting a new module, please e-mail me and tell me what spells you will have in your heads. Also, many people have not gotten back to me about updating their PC sheets and going up levels. Please write me at cayzle@yahoo.com. Thanks.]
Trace and Radiant Friday March 15th, 2002 2:05:55 AM
Trace waits for the others to lay out their questions before he adds his bit o' wisdom on the issues ahead.
Two Dreams (DM Cayzle) Friday March 15th, 2002 2:03:35 PM
Mattric waits while the adventurers gape, speechless.
"Well," he says, "That is a lot to digest. But I have more to put on your plate yet."
"This is already a strange place, but recently it has been stranger. The forces of evil -- nightstalkers and other undead -- are no where to be found. The streets are safe at night, although few realize it."
"And many newcomers, such as you, have arrived recently. None seem to know how they arrived, or why. Most are simple, common folk."
With these strange omens, I reached out in dream as I have not these many years. And I had two dreams, which I will tell you."
"In the first dream I stood on knee-deep in a surf of blood, on a bloody beach, where the sand was the dust of bones. With me were all the folk of Abandon. You were there too, with others I have not met awake yet. The bloody surf was horrible, but then the tide went out, and the surf retreated. We looked at each other, smiling. Then the tide came back, but it was a huge tsunami wave of blood, towering 100 feet high, and we were doomed."
"In the second dream, Thou" -- and he points to Sir Thomas -- "were returning to thy home, which was made of ruby bricks. But thy house was empty of people and full of dust. Thou entered, and inside thou found an evil hunger. The force of hunger wanted to eat thee, eat you all, eat everything everywhere."
"Those were my dreams. We followers of Jantierri hold that those who prophesy must not also interpret -- so you must make of these what you will."
"That is all I have to relate to you. Ask questions, if you have any. I will return here each night if you wish my aid."
The group can ask questions or not. [OOC: post through the week-end and I'll answer.] When they leave, it is about midnight. It is raining, but you can see the moon. The face of the moon is horrific, however -- it is splotched with red.
[OOC: Thanks, Ted, for posting even if you have nothing much to say. It tells me that you're set for the day. Otherwise I have to guess if you are late or just not posting. By the way, why are so many people not posting?]
Altemia Friday March 15th, 2002 2:21:17 PM
(OOC:Just waking up after 16 hours at work. I hate being shorthanded!)
Altemia listens closely to all that Mattric has to say. The dreams frighten her a bit. Especially after the waking dream that she and her friends just shared.
"I must admit that I do not know what to make of your dreams sir. I've never tried to interpret dreams before. But I did want to ask you about Marteus. You said that he is the only god allowed here. What can you tell us about him. I know that I have little knowledge of him. I have little knowledge of gods in general, actually."
Mattric (DM Cayzle) Friday March 15th, 2002 2:53:24 PM
Mattric answers in a subdued voice -- almost a whisper. "Some say he is the god of the dead. Others say he is a usurper. But all agree that he is the one who killed Domi, and that he means to conquer all the Wold and all the Powers that oppose him."
"And what is worse, his black-robed priests are the only clerics legally allowed to exist here. All others are arrested. You might decide to hide the signs of devotion to other Powers, as I do."
[OOC: Please feel free to post as often as you like for this conversation with Mattric. I'll respond in kind.]
Altemia Friday March 15th, 2002 3:04:21 PM
"We have heard that Marteus has allied himself with Ga'al and Caerolda. Are they not allowed here, either? Also, does Marteus have a temple in Abandon?"
Altemia thinks to herself, "Well, if this Valdor wants us to make trouble for Marteus, it looks like this is a good place to start."
Mattric (DM Cayzle) Friday March 15th, 2002 4:05:42 PM
"I do not know any who are devoted to these other Powers, but the only active temple in the entire town is devoted to Marteus."
Ilsidur Friday March 15th, 2002 5:04:14 PM
"Mattric, we all received a dream from a person named Valdor. Did you also receive the same dream? If so, please briefly describe it so that we know you speak truly."
Regardless of Mattric's answer, Ilsidur goes on to ask, "What can you tell us of the temple of Martaeus here in Abandon? Where is it located, how many priests are located at the temple?"
Sly Foxx and Luke Friday March 15th, 2002 6:11:22 PM
"Yes!Please! Tell us more about this Valdor?" Then Sly thinks to himself *Was that not the prediction of the gypsies?*
Mattric (DM Cayzle) Friday March 15th, 2002 6:14:12 PM
"Yes," Mattric says, "I heard the words of Valdor. I do not know what they mean, but they gave me hope. Still, I am no hero, to assault the Temple of the Potent One. And I would not call his message a dream, so much as a sending."
"But I know where the temple is, of course. I have been there often, hiding my disgust and horror."
"It is in the Dark Square, once known as the Square of the Gods. Now only his foul temple is open. All the others are shut and desecrated, alas, including the one where once ... I prayed to Jantierri."
From the way his voice stumbles, it is clear that this is a heavy thing for Mattric.
"I do not know more about this Valdor," Mattric says to Sly, "but his words and commitment were such that I find myself believing in him."
"And I could not say how many black priests there are. They seem to come and go."
Sir Thomas Friday March 15th, 2002 6:53:06 PM
[OOC: I didn't realize I missed a post. hmmm. I don't have time to finish my thought now, hopefully I'll have them when I can post again.]
Thomas is angered immediately by two things. One the talk of his home being taken by a thing of evil. Two, by the request to hide his loyalty. He knows the wisdom in the words though and so holds his tongue and agrees until he can control his emotions. In the mean time, he begins to do as asked and cover his holy symbol beneath his shirt.
Altemia Saturday March 16th, 2002 12:56:30 AM
Beginning to take the message the group received from Valdor to heart, Altemia thinks a bit before questioning the priest farther.
"In the years that you have spent here having to 'worship' Marteus have you ever noticed or heard of anything, no matter how small, that we might be able to use against him? Some weakness perhaps? What about the temple itself? And these nightwalkers, are they followers of Marteus or did he bring them here to torment the townspeople?"
Mattric (DM Cayzle) Saturday March 16th, 2002 7:00:18 AM
Mattric frowns. "The black robes, the eyes of Marteus, are powerful, but arrogant. They cannot imagine any opposing them. So one can hide, as I have hid."
"And they are seldom clever," the priest continues, "they tend to see only what is on the surface."
"As for the nightstalkers, I have been able to avoid them and walk unseen even at night, thanks to the miracles of Jantierri."
"Do nightstalkers serve? Were they brought here? I do not know, but it is clear -- from the law against mirrors, for one -- that those in power wish to help them."
Sir Thomas Saturday March 16th, 2002 12:24:12 PM
Finally getting control of himself Thomas takes part in the investigation. Obviously he takes his time in asking all of these questions so as to allow Mattric to answer completely.
"Who is the head priest of Marteus here?
Can commoners get in to see him?
Can we get into the temple using another means than the front entrance?
How can we pass as worshipers of Marteus - I mean, what are some of the rituals that we might need to know if we should try to pass as a follower and go into the temple?
If we were to find a way to defeat this evil influence, would you stand beside us to fight?
Are there others who feel the oppression that would fight if they felt that the effort would be in there best interest and not in vain?
Are there other evils lurking about we have not discussed?
Do you have any suspicions that an army is being bred in the heart of this temple?
Do you have any suspicions that something is amiss within the temple that if we were to go in there we would be in over our heads?
Can you give us a basic layout of the temple so we might plan an effort to discover more about what is going on here?
To our knowledge, we understand that mirrors, garlic, silver weapons, and holy water are all useful items against certain creatures here. Is this accurate? Are there other weapons that might prove useful in a fight against the dark clerics? and lastly, can you help supply us with enough of these items to make our efforts easier? We can supply coin, but it may not be such a good idea for us to walk into the local trader's shop and buy all of these items at once. We wouldn't want to tip our hand."
The last question Thomas asks seems to be the end of his entire store, for now. Thomas is polite and respectful, and he is sure to thanks Mattric for his help.
"Like the rest, I know nothing of this Valdor, but I feel like Trace; we have already been fighting this war. I have no problem confronting this accumulation of evil here before they can cause more harm. And it disturbs me greatly that my family may be indanger and I cannot be there to help them. WE will fight for the cause of this Valdor, and when it is finished here I will think about going home. As for now though, we really appreciate your help and your solace."
[OOC: If I think of anything else I'll post it.]
Sly Foxx and Luke Saturday March 16th, 2002 5:39:14 PM
"Gee! Sit Thomas, You ask all the good question and there nothing left to ask." As Sly scratches his head and pets Luke. "Like the rest of my Comrades. I too will fight with them to the end of this evil. Some of my friends here have homes and families to go back to. But as for me I have no one, no village, I guess I'll have to keep looking for my mother and sister."
Sir Thomas HP ROLL d10=8 Sunday March 17th, 2002 8:29:02 PM
[OOC: Rolled HP for new level. 8]
Trace and Radiant Sunday March 17th, 2002 11:19:25 PM
Trace sits and nods to each question and answer and then add's at the end, " Before we get to Martues and after we dispose of the black robes. Who else is in line to take Martues's spot if we kill him off and try to disband his followers? If we are to have sucess we need the chain of command and locations of all that would oppose this to happen."
Ilsidur Monday March 18th, 2002 12:30:23 AM
Ilsidur waits to hear Mattric's answers to all of Sir Thomas' questions.
"We need to be careful here; we don't want to attack this temple, thinking it is the necessary thing to do. Mattric, is there anything else we can do to help Abandon? Do we know how we can fight this void?"
Mattric Answers (DM Cayzle) Monday March 18th, 2002 12:23:19 PM
Mattric does his best to answer the group's questions.
"Who is the head priest of Marteus here?
"Jasper Korble was the head -- and with him, Gregor Terpitte. But both of those have been out of sight -- unusually so. The highest ranking priest with a public face is Jasper's younger brother, Tilman Korble. The Korble family is powerful here. They were the first family to publicly convert when Abandon was taken into the Void.
Can commoners get in to see him?
"I think it would be difficult, unless ye had someone influential to make an introduction. Much more influential than me!"
Can we get into the temple using another means than the front entrance?
"I don't know."
How can we pass as worshipers of Marteus - I mean, what are some of the rituals that we might need to know if we should try to pass as a follower and go into the temple?
"Anyone can enter for public services, held every third day. The next is tomorrow. Wear black with no jewels or riches, bring no weapons, and be respectful and humble in demeanor. Then ye can enter the lower hall. The upper gallery, where nobles sit, and the altar, where the priests sit, are about ten feet above the common level."
If we were to find a way to defeat this evil influence, would you stand beside us to fight?
"I have a position and I am no fighter. In the final fight I would be on your side, but I will not fight in a lost cause."
Are there others who feel the oppression that would fight if they felt that the effort would be in there best interest and not in vain?
"I know a few. Very few. I would not count on them, generally speaking. The danger is too great."
Are there other evils lurking about we have not discussed?
"There is nothing but evil. I do not know what will arise to test you."
Do you have any suspicions that an army is being bred in the heart of this temple?
"I have seen no signs of an army in Abandon. As I said, in fact it has been very quiet of late."
Do you have any suspicions that something is amiss within the temple that if we were to go in there we would be in over our heads?
"I know not who ye are or what ye can do, In general, I suspect ye would be foolish to attack the temple as if ye were an army.
Can you give us a basic layout of the temple so we might plan an effort to discover more about what is going on here?
"All I know are the public areas of the main temple." He gives you a rough idea of a few areas.
To our knowledge, we understand that mirrors, garlic, silver weapons, and holy water are all useful items against certain creatures here. Is this accurate?
"Against nightstalkers, yes. Holy Water will do well against all the undead. But if thou turn the undead," he says specifically to Sir Thomas, "the turning will probably attract attention."
Are there other weapons that might prove useful in a fight against the dark clerics? and lastly, can you help supply us with enough of these items to make our efforts easier?
"I have a small store of coin, and I can give you some holy water. It is not much, though."
(Trace) Before we get to Martues and after we dispose of the black robes. Who else is in line to take Martues's spot if we kill him off and try to disband his followers?
Mattric looks surprised at Trace. "Maybe thou does not understand. Marteus is a Power of the Wold, like Alemi. He killed Domi. You cannot get to him or kill him. If ever thou meet him, flee for thy life!"
(Ilsidur) Mattric, is there anything else we can do to help Abandon? Do we know how we can fight this void?
"I advise thee to think carefully on the dreams I have related to thee. In them thou will find the guidance thou seek."
"But the night grows old, and midnight has passed. Soon the time for words will end. Have you anything else to ask, at last?"
Ilsidur Monday March 18th, 2002 2:40:46 PM
"Thank you, Mattric, for your advice."
Ilsidur turns to the group, and says, "As is the case with most dreams, those two of Mattric's were suitably obscure. I don't understand the first dream, about the sea of blood, the tide and the beach of bones. However, the second dream refers to Sir Thomas' 'home', which may refer to either Alemi's or Domi's temple. Mattric, what is the colour of either of those temples here in Abandon? Perhaps one of these temples with the 'ruby bricks' is hiding the evil in Abandon."
Sir Thomas Monday March 18th, 2002 2:43:30 PM
In response to the call for more questions Thomas must reply, "No sir, but thank you for all you have done so far. The guidance you have provided has offered us much in the way of information. If you'll excuse us, I know you would like to return to a place of solace for yourself, and we must converse about what we will do next." Then he catches himself and asks, "I'm sorry, but I thought of a few actually. Could you provide us with robes of a disciple of Marteus? Also, are there other towns nearby? And is it dangerous to travel outside of the city?"
Thomas gets up to leave and finds a place suitable to pray. "I must pray my friends. I need answers that no mortal can answer." When at such a location, Thomas kneels and goes to Alemi in prayer. He asks his lord specifically about the call to arms and the words of Valdor 'Do not fear falling into disfavor with your Gods, they have sent the call to arms.' This is a comment that Thomas has thought much about in the short time since its utterance. He does not feel that even in times of war should he put aside Alemi's laws of mercy and justice. A lesson Thomas was reminded of in Hook City when he brought about disfavor by killing an unconscious Bear. He will remain in prayer until he is satisfied with the response or his own intuition.
Sly Foxx and Luke Monday March 18th, 2002 5:43:42 PM
After every body was done asking questions, Sly will follow the party back to where ever they will stay. Sly will be beside Sir Thomas, even when Sir Thomas prays. Sly will sit in a corner near Sir Thomas and study in his traveling Magic Book. He will study Flaming Sphere, Web, Magic Missels,Charm Persons,Read Magic and Detect Magic. Sly will stay there until Sir Thomas is done. Luke will lay beside Sly.
Altemia Tuesday March 19th, 2002 1:32:46 AM
Altemia follows the others when they leave, thanking Mattric for his time. Thoughts and ideas tumble through her head as she tries to decide what to do and how to do it. Figuring rest would be the best thing for her, she rests before preparing her spells for the day and meeting the others.
Trace and Radiant Tuesday March 19th, 2002 4:07:07 AM
Trace thanks Mattric and bids him good night. We need to set out goals to achieve and a timeline that we can go by. We need to attack vitals areas of communication they have with each other and profits they gather to keep the church running. We also need to take out keep leaders in a hope to cause confusion and disarray that way it will be hard for them to have a corridnated defense. I feel that these need to happen rapidly once it has begun.
Wet and Red (DM Cayzle) Tuesday March 19th, 2002 6:51:25 AM
Mattric reveals the that the former Domi temple collapsed when Domi died. He gives directions to the former Alemi temple, but he says that no one but him remembers it now. "This place, this realm of nightmares, makes you forget. People have forgotten how long they have been here. They have forgotten the gods they used to know. After months or years ye too will forget. But in my dreams I remember."
He has no robes or disguises. The only town he knows is Wane, although rumor says that shadow roads lead from Wane elsewhere. If you venture out during the day, it is fairly safe, if you keep to the roads. But the children of the night make it dangerous after the day ends.
Outside, it is raining, but the clouds have parted to show the moon. And the face of the moon is smeared with red. Sir Thomas has a slight sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.
The group returns to the Pellet Can. As they step inside into the lamplight, they see that they are all covered in red! Whatever it had been raining, it wasn't just water.
After cleaning up and drying off, the group settles in, preparing for tomorrow.
Sir Thomas and Ilsidur, as they prepare spells and pray, find that it takes twice as long as usual. And there is a strange disconnect -- the divine powers are distant from this place, and their touch is a mere whisp of what it normally is. No one gains the usual reassurance that reaching out to the divine usually provides.
Luke and Radiant are restless, waking several times in the night.
In the morning, the group talks about their next step.
Sly Foxx and Luke Tuesday March 19th, 2002 12:14:26 PM
Sly wakes up with a start, because Luke is restless. Sly washes his face and then takes Luke for a walk out side, a slow walk because he cannot seem to get his though together. It seems he has no energy, noe is he hungry. When he get back to the Inn. He ask evrybody if they feel rested, because He sure don't.
Sir Thomas Tuesday March 19th, 2002 3:57:57 PM
AFter his prayers and resting for only a few restless hours Thomas decides it would be better to go ahead and rise to start the day since it was not helping him to sit idly without really resting. He joins the group as soon as they begin to stir for the morning.
He starts by trying to focus everyone to the same idea. "As Mattric suggested, I don't think that attacking the temple as if it were an army is the best plan. No offense intended toward Trace, but I don't think we can successfully cut off their lines of communication or revenue with only our small number. I think Ilsidur may have struck on our next best bet. I think that the forgotten temple of Alemi may be our next best effort. We need to find a way to make things more even so that if fighting the temple and all of its inhabitants is necessary we won't all become dead fools. I took Mattric's dream to mean my family of mortals. I think Ilsidur may have something when he says it means my father Alemi and his home. I think that before we look into the temple of Mattric we should search the temple of Alemi. Maybe we can find a way to draw the clerics out of Mattrics temple a few at a time and thereby have a better chance.
"I want you all to know that I desire Alemi's presence and that may also be influencing my desire to go to the temple of my lord . . . I won't lie to you. However, my connection to Alemi was weak last night in my prayers, so I feel a great urgency to return from this place called the Void. If we are to expedite our return from this place I think we must take Mattric and as many people with us as possible. And for those who are left behind we need to leave free of Marteus' influence.
"I really wonder how the cult gods can keep influence here but that the older gods cannot. I think the answer has something to do with worship and that we may find something at the temple of Alemi.
"That is my feeling as to where we sit now. Maybe if Trace or Sly were to try to go into the temple stealthily or without intent of attacking it that they might be able to find out more about what is going on there. I'm not sure it is a good idea to split up though. Am I rambling, or are you guys following?"
Thomas shuts up to allow people to respond. He feels that he has put all of his feelings on the table and he hopes others do too.
Altemia Tuesday March 19th, 2002 11:11:25 PM
Altemia joins the others in the morning for a discussion on what to do.
"If I remember correctly, the ruby is the symbol of Alemi. And with the ruby bricks of your home, Sir Thomas, the dream very well could be referring to Alemi's temple. I think that is a good place to start. We don't know enough about Marteus or his following here to make a difference yet.
"I think before we check out Marteus' temple, we all go the one of Alemi. But, it illegal here to do so. We will have to do so quietly. Perhaps in the evening right before dark. I don't like the thought of being out during dark with whatever is out there too, but at least there shouldn't be that many people around to see us. And during the day today we can get to know the town and the people in it a bit better. Feel out what their thoughts and feelings about Marteus are, maybe."
Trace and Radiant Wednesday March 20th, 2002 1:48:12 AM
Trace sits and listens while feeding Radint his morning meal. "Agreed, maybe I am thinking on a grand scale of stopping them but it will come to that. I am not sure how long we can draw the clerics out a few at a time before the whole wasp nest comes down upon us. I wonder how many we are talking about. We need a test to see what we are dealing with. We need to know how strong they are and how many. With Void and Bear we knew what we had because of all the run ins with each other but this I fell like I am fighting blind. I agree with going to the temple of Alemi casue if misfourtoune should come upon us, a revived temple of Alemi would be our best bet to heal or come back like Uteva did."
Ilsidur Wednesday March 20th, 2002 8:59:30 AM
Ilsidur struggles to connect with his lord Marmathon Dur for his dawn prayers. He prays for guidance for the day for himself and his friends, realizing that today they are heading out almost blind. However, since Marmathon Dur is the god of exploration and discovery, the day promises many opportunities, as well. [OOC: Cayzle, Ilsidur will keep the same spells for the day.]
"I agree, we need to explore Alemi's temple. However, Altemia, I disagree with approaching at dusk. The best information that we have been able to get is that the town is relatively safe during the day, so I propose we head for the temple right away. That way, if we spend some time in the temple, and have to leave in a hurry, we won't be out at night."
[OOC: Cayzle, can you please provide a little more information regarding the directions to the temple that Mattric provided? Is it located in the city? Is it outside the city? Is it in a deserted area, or will we be observed by townspeople as we approach it?]
Sir Thomas Wednesday March 20th, 2002 9:57:45 AM
"I agree with Ilsidur. I think it will be just as safe during the day as it will be at night. If you'll all remember when we showed up it was day time and the streets were mostly abandoned. Plus, time is not on our side. Our ties to our gods are weak here, and from what Mattric said they are growing weaker all the time. That is a scary thought . . . so scary that it will prompt me to push the group to start our investigation now rather than later."
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