Why did I help? Malachi wonders the answer to that question himself. Self-preservation, of course, to escape being trapped like a rat in more ways than one. He kept silent as the others shared their reasons for helping, all much grander and more pure than his own. He can’t help but feel pulled along by their compassion, by their sense of ideals and fairness. And now that he himself was marked, it was even more reason to get to the bottom of what was going on. Still, he kept his thoughts, and his reasons, to himself for now.
Malachi listened to Silas’ story with a raised eyebrow. “An organization that works in the shadows and shapes the course of events to their liking? There are stories of such groups in Mardurst and a dozen other towns across the land. Rumors in the wind for drunks and fools looking for someone else to blame. I have never known anyone to claim membership in one.” he pauses, hesitant at Silas’ last request, especially with the sight of those eyes still in his memory “If you want me to look into your thoughts while you make this connection, I am willing to try if you think it will help lead us to answers.”
As they make their way to the inn, he pays close attention to Marion’s story of the Blue Lady and her training. “Did they teach you of any who would oppose the Blue Lady? Any enemies that could give us a clue of who this Razmus is and what he wants?”
"ah yes! I've had that job before. Most of the time it's, break in here, steal that, plant this, kill them, but sometimes a job goes wrong and it's heres some money go get blackout drunk and tell people that the job was done by some dark cult that are much better than the guard, at just about everything!"
Silas whispers to Malachi making sure he's not heard from anyone in the Inn above. He knows that two likely wouldn't leave just yet and the possibility that he came in, killed all the freed prisoners and is currently waiting for Silas's return, isn't impossible ..
"See, it's advantageous to have disreputable source spreading false information with a taste of truth, it makes the truth less believable and people will jump to their own conclusions filling in the blanks to disprove such sources, just to prove how clever they are... It's beyond helpful.
As for the meditation experiment, I'm not going to force you, and it might hurt... A Lot. But seeing what is in here might help me make sense of things, or anchor me in the present time and place enough to draw something important out. Especially now that you've been touched by this weird magics" as he speaks Silas gestures first to his own head then to Malachi's.
As he prepares himself to meditate with the help of Marion, he invites Malachi to sit with him, where ever is comfortable and helpful for a better mental connection.
He then begins. First by calming his breathing, centering himself, focusing on the feeling and the memory of kicking his legs back and forth over the ledge above the city, and then he lets the buzzing in, let's it fill his mind as he calmly focuses.
As Silas, Malachi, Ashley, and Marion arrive in the cellar with Kairem holding a torch aloft, they walk quietly past people sleeping in the cots and in corners of the dark room. Some of them shift in their sleep, and more than once they find themselves glancing at someone lying on their side only to be met with wary, watching eyes. Someone out of view coughs. More than one person can be heard thrashing and whimpering in their sleep.
The group heads up the stairs to the main floor to find that the sun has mostly gone down. Only a few people are on the main floor, and they remain awake and alert, clearly having volunteered or been designated as the night watch. Silas recognizes several as the ones who had had the presence of mind to attack him when he entered the inn as a bear. Only a thin sliver of navy sky remains out the west-facing front window of the inn. Silas, being careful to avoid the windows makes his way up the stairs with Malachi and Marion to find the floor entirely unoccupied, and picks a room at the far end of the corridor
Ashley finds Rana peering out through the curtains stealthily, looking for something. When she sees Ashley, she doesn't move from her position, but quietly says "That man from before, I can't tell if he has moved on. I haven't seen him since the sun went down. But I don't know if he's actually there or not. It makes me feel uneasy."
Back in the lab, Samir looks along the shelf. Shifting aside a couple of jars of what would seem to be ingredients for whatever foul brew Jon prepared in the cauldron, Samir finds a wooden bin filled with unused staples. These staples are entirely unmarked, possessing neither the runes on the ones holding the rat-men together, nor the runes designed to discourage prisoners from removing their bindings. Samir concludes that the staples must be marked after being brought here, immediately prior to their use. However, nowhere on the shelf does he find any tools that would be used for scoring metal or for leaving ink markings in skin. He was also fairly confident that the desk held no more secrets.
So if the runes were done on site, but there were no tools, surely that must mean someone else would come whenever it was time for a procedure, and they would then do the marking while Jon performed the other necessary tasks. It doesn't matter much for the staples, as Samir can think of 5 different tools that he already has on him that would do the trick. But if he can't get his hands on the ink and needle used for the tattoos... When Marion was there, she had supposed that altering the runes would have to be done in the same medium, and thinking through it now, Samir is under the same impression.
A thought occurs to him. Malachi had said that the letters they found in the lab had mentioned someone called a scriptor, and context suggested that the title implied a specialized function within their strange group. And if the title were meant to refer to someone who could write in the Godtongue script, that would mean that the scriptor perhaps was the one who would come to the lab to "script" the rat-men.
Samir looks over to the three cultists bound and locked up in their cages, and then over to a small pile of things that Joren had pulled off of them before locking them up. If one of these men was the scriptor "Marcus" named in the letter, an examination of their items might turn up something useful. Samir hurries over and roots through the pile carefully, wary of nasty surprises. After hardly a moment, he pulls out a pouch and opens it up. Sure enough, inside he finds a set of rubber-handled tools, quills, and needles along with a jar of some black liquid. Bringing them back over to the desk he sits down and sets out a staple before him.
Now to try altering the rune. He knows touching the staple directly will probably hurt, but he knows not much beyond that. He does wonder, however, if the rubber in Marcus's tools is significant.
Ashley gives Rana a smile, "Thank you for keeping watch while we dealt with a few more down past the lab. Why don't you go lay down for a bit while there isn't an immediate threat? I'll keep an eye open for our friend out there and any others than may come around. Please, we may need you alert later and you've gone through so much."
"Thanks," Rana says. "I'll trust that you and your friends have got the situation handled here then." She turns to face the others who had been staying up with her and makes a quick signal to them, twirling her finger in the air. They get up from their various seats and fall in behind her to head downstairs and get some rest.
Ashley looks out the window and can just make out the silhouette of the hill that Two had been camped out on, but there is no sign of movement or fire.
Before moving around the bar, Silas will concentrate hard on trying to transform his appearance to that of the Firbolg he wore before, he succeeds somewhat although the coloured fur seems less vibrant this time.
Then as he makes his way with Malachi and Marion to the top floor the façade dissipates once more, as they prepare for their meditation experiment, he sees to it that both Marion and Malachi have ample time to prepare anything they might need first, and then begins.
Malachi slowly climbs the stairs with the others and settles into an empty room. As Silas prepares himself for meditation, searching for those thoughts and memories that bring him peace, Malachi sits down cross-legged on the floor in front of him. He gives Marion and wry grin “Wish me luck, and keep an eye on us”
Malachi flips a copper piece along his fingers, calms himself, and tentatively reaches out, trying to make contact with Silas’ mind when the goliath is at peace.
(will go for surface thoughts initially, then spend an action to probe deeper, trying to find what looms large in his mind)
Contemplating the various instruments at his disposal, Samir will select a delicate, rubber-insulated device that resembles a small pair of tongs. Using this, he will carefully pick up one of the marked staples, and should he not be immediately stricken by the magic imbued in the object, will bring it in for a closer visual examination. Samir attempts to cast his mind back to his studies, seeing if he can match the symbol to any others he may have encountered or hears about in the past. Whether he remembers something or not, his next step will be to try to draw a single, straight line from one point of the symbol to another, hoping to create a magical "short circuit" in order to disable its power. He selects what seems to be the most delicate of the quills available from the cultist's kit, dipping it in the ink and moving with the utmost mindfulness and care that he can muster.
Silas sits down in the center of the room and closes his eyes. He tunes out his surroundings and lets the images of his past fill his mind, sitting at the top of his tower. Though Silas doesn't realize it, Marion can see that his eyes have actually begun to open again, but they are unfocused.
Malachi becomes aware of a buzzing sound through his connection with Silas. A terrible sound, it seems high-pitched, frenetic, and urgent, while simultaneously low, rumbling, and inevitable. The slithering presence in Malachi's mind coils up and tries to retreat within itself at the sound.
(Silas make me a charisma check with advantage)
As the metal of the tongs makes contact with the staple, there is a small crackle and a spark jumps from the staple to the tongs. So the effect seems shock based, and conductable through metal, Samir thinks
He mentally pores over all the history and linguistics he had learned, particularly concerning magicraft, but the symbols the Razmus cultists use is entirely unlike anything he has ever seen. Unless, was it perhaps like the ancient runic scripts of the high-elves who dwindled into non-existence centuries ago? No, from what few recovered pieces of that language there were, Samir could tell these runes were far to sharp and rigid in their form, though the complexity and arrangement may have been vaguely reminiscent.
Finally, he makes his marking on the rune, connecting the two points, and waits for the ink to dry.
82
Once he is confident it is dried, he grabs another insulated instrument and cautiously touches it to the staple. This time, there is no spark.
Ashley walks around the main floor of the Inn, setting candles a light, making the place look like it is still occupied. If that man is still out there, he would have noticed a gaggle of dwarves leaving the inn, so she can't act like no one is here. Then just to make herself feel secure, she double checks all on the locks on the doors and windows.
As they enter the room Marion watches Silas as he more and more casually uses the gifts he has been given to alter his appearance. Shaking it off, she turns her focus to the task at hand. As Silas and Malachi begin their own preparations she retrieves another block of incense, and sets it burning in an ornate blue censer, decorated delicately with depictions of the Blue Lady. As the sweet aroma begins to gently fill the room she settles down and kneels herself, before looking towards Silas. Giving him a nod of reassurance she closes her eyes and begins to speak gently aloud, praying to the Blue Lady.
"Great Divine, I entreat Thee;
Let Thy presence fall upon us; Blanketing us in Thy protection; And filling our souls with Thy light;
Make these grounds Thine own; That we might sit in hallowed halls; And ward ourselves from the evil we face;
Guided by Thy wisdom; We seek to enact Thy will; And uncover the source of darkness that dost approach;"
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Silas in his calmed state helped along by the words of Marion, still braces himself for the worst, as he knows not what he may see or how this might effect both himself and Malachi.
Malachi feels the buzzing grow in his thoughts until it is about to become painful, but then he senses a shift in Silas's thoughts and the pressure diminishes. The buzzing retreats to the background, and Malachi finds himself able to start pushing deeper into Silas's thoughts and see what he is experiencing
He feels in a high place. A clock tower in the bustling city of Talmouth. His feet dangle and kick over the edge as he looks out and observes the world and the people around him. For this moment, blissfully detached. Malachi is experiencing a memory that Silas is drawing up to enter a relaxed, meditative state.
Then he is in a void. A yawning abyss with no end. There is no sound. No light. No warmth. And he intimately understands every inch of this vast nothing.
Silas has had this vision before, Malachi realizes
But there is something on the other side of nothing. An existence. A world. A reality, adjacent to the void, but unreachable and distant. As if separated from the void by a thin veil of satin, caught between the folds of the not-there.
Malachi feels that Silas is caught between understanding and confusion, his consciousness touching that of something that comprehends too much of the incomprehensible. But Malachi benefits, perhaps, from an outsider's lucidity.
He cannot touch the world, but he must look. Must watch. Must understand. He peers deep into the little pinprick of reality, penetrating through clouds of gas and stars, finding a small chunk of green and blue and black rock. A planet.
He is seeing from the perspective of a vast, alien entity, watching Malachi's world from beyond space and time. Is this the patron, the watcher, that chose Silas?
Further. Deeper. The planet expands. He can see continents. The outlines are fuzzy, but the globe alights with dozens of small glowing points, and the land near these points comes into sharper focus. He pinpoints one, in the center of a meadow in the center of a forest in the center of a crater. A tower is not-there. Strong and tall and non-existent, he looks from the apex of the tower at the surrounding lands, and he understands a little more.
Cambria.
Is this tower some sort of nexus for the watcher's power?
But there is a threat. A needling buzzing, both in Cambria, and approaching from over the seas. He looks down from the tower and sees a soft purple light shining from an empty room in a full inn. His will. The closest he can come to touching this world.
'His will' clearly refers to Silas, Malachi reasons.
The light is growing stronger. It MUST grow stronger. Strong enough to keep his eyes open.
'His eyes...'. It doesn't seem to be a reference to Silas this time, but to the tower. And it seems there are others around the world as well, and through them the Watcher watches all. What would happen if Silas were to sit atop that tower? Malachi senses from Silas that the last part of the vision is different. Something new.
Other lights are visible now. His will is accompanied by lights of blue, one of which shines particularly bright. And there is red as well.
Malachi is looking at the inn from above and to the west.
And... one of the blue lights is tainted. A streak of yellow.
Malachi realizes the tainted light he is seeing is his own. He thinks for a moment to the thing in his mind, but the buzzing begins to grow louder and he realizes the source of the taint is the new mark on his temple.
He knows of the Red, the Blue, and the Yellow. The Ebb, the Flow, and the Apogee. Of the world they created, and the divine war the latter waged upon the two former. He cares little about who wins, but the recent maneuvers of the Apogee have become an imminent threat to his eye in Cambria. As for his will, should it perish, another could be created. Though so few humans survive the process while retaining any sort of usefulness. Better to preserve the current one for now. The threat is coming.
Then Malachi/Silas is looking to the west through Silas's own eyes. The ground and the distant city of Talmouth swirl and twist out of the way of Silas's view, like ink in water, leaving an unobstructed view of the Amethyst ocean. His view magnifies and he is looking across leagues of water until he sees a ship, eastbound. The view expands, and more ships can be seen around the first. At least three score galleons on their way to Cambria. An entire fleet on its way to Cambria
With a jarring snap, Silas's vision returns to his present surroundings, and Malachi finds himself disoriented as he watches himself, through Silas's eyes
This is unusual. As he observes, one of these small beings is trying to observe him in return. Very well.
Without warning, all of the lucidity of the vision Malachi had been experiencing begins to break down. Thoughts that could once be put into words become overwhelmed by a flood of impossible knowledge. Incompatible understanding that threatens to crush his mind and leave him little more than a husk. Like his mother. He realizes dimly that he is now experiencing Silas's connection to his patron in its raw form rather than through the detached lens of an observer. He sees his nose beginning to bleed and his eyes, not Silas's, feel like they are about to burst.
(Make a charisma save, DC 25, if Malachi wants to try to sever the connection and stem the flood of knowledge)
For Marion, minutes go by in silence as her two companions sit in silence. Malachi's eyes have closed, but Silas's have gone wide and unblinking. She begins to wonder how long this is going to take, and considers whether it would be bad to try rousing one of them, when Malachi begins to convulse. Blood pours from his nose and his lips move too quickly to follow as he mouths a stream of silent words.
The moment that Malachi begins to convulse Marion jumps up and rushes over to him. Relying on the years of training under the clinicians of the order she quickly snaps into action, lowering the half-elf gently to the ground and placing a blanket under his head to cushion it as his body shakes. She loosens his collar, making sure he has plenty of room around his neck to breath, and gently wipes away some of the blood as needed to prevent it from causing further problems. As she kneels beside him, attending as best she can, she speaks to him in the hopes that it will help him break free from the trance before it is too late.
"Malachi my friend, I am here. Whatever it is you are seeing, know that you are not alone. The Lady watches over thee and guides thee. Return to us my friend, listen to my voice. I know that you can hear me, I have faith in you."
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Malachi takes in the visions with amazement, never before having gone so deep and getting so clear a picture of another’s mind. He understands very little, but is beginning to piece something together when, suddenly, he is looking at himself through Silas’ eyes. Then the he begins to convulse and blood begins to pour from his nose. He fights to maintain control of his mind and sever the connection with Silas.
Through the psychological bombardment, Malachi is just faintly aware of that ever-present sensation in the back of his mind unfurling. He feels its tendrils wrapping around his mind, and then something cuts through the pain and the noise.
Not exactly words, but simply a pure communication of intention from the slithering mass.
We are going to be destroyed. But I can save us if you'll let me in, just a little. The price will be soooooo small
The tendrils feel poised, ready to act. All they need is permission to touch Malachi's mind.
"A-ha!" Samir calls out suddenly, a broad grin across his face as he pokes at the now nullified staple with a finger. "Joren! Look! I've managed to cancel out the electrical properties of this staple. It's completely safe to touch now!"
Humming softly to himself, he proceeds to sweep the rest of the staples into a pouch with a sheaf of heavy paper, thinking that there was no real need to disable them all when their properties could perhaps be of better use later. The stone used for the darkness effect earlier is likewise swept into his satchel to be examined later, perhaps to find a use. The talisman, however, he ponders for a moment. It obviously had a use of some kind, perhaps to identify certain individuals? The differing colors that seemed to be associated with his companions - red or blue, depending - were interesting but for the moment he couldn't seem to put together what the actual point of it was. Samir's strong suspiscion was that Jon was using it to try and identify certain individuals for some reason. But why?
Shaking his head he slides the talisman into the bag as well, looking over at Joren. "I think I need to find some food and rest a bit. Will you come as well of are you staying here?" Samir glances over at the captives in their cages. "I suppose I don't really know what to do with that lot."
Yes, yes, anything. Make this stop! I can’t stand it anymore! Malachi strains to hold onto the feeling of the strangely familiar tendrils, trying to anchor himself to something.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Malachi:
There is a series of sharp needle-like pricks in his mind, and he feels the tendrils secure themselves, digging their tips just under the surface of his mind. Something wrenches inside of him and he feels his magical connection with Silas be forcibly severed from within. Immediately the deluge of insanity ceases.
Marion sees Malachi's body jerk and shudder one last time before his body goes relatively still and his eyes shoot open. She immediately notes that his breathing seems to be returning to normal, his pulse is slowing, and the bleeding appears to have abated.
At this moment, Silas too is roused from his state, witnessing the scene before him for the first time though his eyes have not so much as blinked during his meditation.
Malachi:
Malachi feels himself gradually returning to normal, though he feels quite drained. But... something's different.
It hasn't withdrawn from his mind, for one. He can feel it still firmly lodged. Also, he had always been able to get a vague sense of when the presence in his head felt suspicious or agitated, but he is picking up on other emotions now, and with more clarity than before. He feels more in-tune with it than ever before.
It is afraid. Twice in one day now, it made contact with a power that frightens it. That could threaten to destroy Malachi. It's curiosity with Lancet had had consequences, and it was feeling more cautious now, like a wounded animal. It's emotions press lightly against Malachi's, but he can still very much tell where its feelings end and his begin.
As Ashley checks the last window, she hears a small commotion upstairs, with the sound of muffled thumps on the wooden floorboards and the muted voice of Marion saying something that sounds important. (Make a perception check DC 26 )
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Why did I help? Malachi wonders the answer to that question himself. Self-preservation, of course, to escape being trapped like a rat in more ways than one. He kept silent as the others shared their reasons for helping, all much grander and more pure than his own. He can’t help but feel pulled along by their compassion, by their sense of ideals and fairness. And now that he himself was marked, it was even more reason to get to the bottom of what was going on. Still, he kept his thoughts, and his reasons, to himself for now.
Malachi listened to Silas’ story with a raised eyebrow. “An organization that works in the shadows and shapes the course of events to their liking? There are stories of such groups in Mardurst and a dozen other towns across the land. Rumors in the wind for drunks and fools looking for someone else to blame. I have never known anyone to claim membership in one.” he pauses, hesitant at Silas’ last request, especially with the sight of those eyes still in his memory “If you want me to look into your thoughts while you make this connection, I am willing to try if you think it will help lead us to answers.”
As they make their way to the inn, he pays close attention to Marion’s story of the Blue Lady and her training. “Did they teach you of any who would oppose the Blue Lady? Any enemies that could give us a clue of who this Razmus is and what he wants?”
"ah yes! I've had that job before. Most of the time it's, break in here, steal that, plant this, kill them, but sometimes a job goes wrong and it's heres some money go get blackout drunk and tell people that the job was done by some dark cult that are much better than the guard, at just about everything!"
Silas whispers to Malachi making sure he's not heard from anyone in the Inn above. He knows that two likely wouldn't leave just yet and the possibility that he came in, killed all the freed prisoners and is currently waiting for Silas's return, isn't impossible ..
"See, it's advantageous to have disreputable source spreading false information with a taste of truth, it makes the truth less believable and people will jump to their own conclusions filling in the blanks to disprove such sources, just to prove how clever they are... It's beyond helpful.
As for the meditation experiment, I'm not going to force you, and it might hurt... A Lot. But seeing what is in here might help me make sense of things, or anchor me in the present time and place enough to draw something important out. Especially now that you've been touched by this weird magics" as he speaks Silas gestures first to his own head then to Malachi's.
As he prepares himself to meditate with the help of Marion, he invites Malachi to sit with him, where ever is comfortable and helpful for a better mental connection.
He then begins. First by calming his breathing, centering himself, focusing on the feeling and the memory of kicking his legs back and forth over the ledge above the city, and then he lets the buzzing in, let's it fill his mind as he calmly focuses.
As Silas, Malachi, Ashley, and Marion arrive in the cellar with Kairem holding a torch aloft, they walk quietly past people sleeping in the cots and in corners of the dark room. Some of them shift in their sleep, and more than once they find themselves glancing at someone lying on their side only to be met with wary, watching eyes. Someone out of view coughs. More than one person can be heard thrashing and whimpering in their sleep.
The group heads up the stairs to the main floor to find that the sun has mostly gone down. Only a few people are on the main floor, and they remain awake and alert, clearly having volunteered or been designated as the night watch. Silas recognizes several as the ones who had had the presence of mind to attack him when he entered the inn as a bear. Only a thin sliver of navy sky remains out the west-facing front window of the inn. Silas, being careful to avoid the windows makes his way up the stairs with Malachi and Marion to find the floor entirely unoccupied, and picks a room at the far end of the corridor
Ashley finds Rana peering out through the curtains stealthily, looking for something. When she sees Ashley, she doesn't move from her position, but quietly says "That man from before, I can't tell if he has moved on. I haven't seen him since the sun went down. But I don't know if he's actually there or not. It makes me feel uneasy."
Back in the lab, Samir looks along the shelf. Shifting aside a couple of jars of what would seem to be ingredients for whatever foul brew Jon prepared in the cauldron, Samir finds a wooden bin filled with unused staples. These staples are entirely unmarked, possessing neither the runes on the ones holding the rat-men together, nor the runes designed to discourage prisoners from removing their bindings. Samir concludes that the staples must be marked after being brought here, immediately prior to their use. However, nowhere on the shelf does he find any tools that would be used for scoring metal or for leaving ink markings in skin. He was also fairly confident that the desk held no more secrets.
So if the runes were done on site, but there were no tools, surely that must mean someone else would come whenever it was time for a procedure, and they would then do the marking while Jon performed the other necessary tasks. It doesn't matter much for the staples, as Samir can think of 5 different tools that he already has on him that would do the trick. But if he can't get his hands on the ink and needle used for the tattoos... When Marion was there, she had supposed that altering the runes would have to be done in the same medium, and thinking through it now, Samir is under the same impression.
A thought occurs to him. Malachi had said that the letters they found in the lab had mentioned someone called a scriptor, and context suggested that the title implied a specialized function within their strange group. And if the title were meant to refer to someone who could write in the Godtongue script, that would mean that the scriptor perhaps was the one who would come to the lab to "script" the rat-men.
Samir looks over to the three cultists bound and locked up in their cages, and then over to a small pile of things that Joren had pulled off of them before locking them up. If one of these men was the scriptor "Marcus" named in the letter, an examination of their items might turn up something useful. Samir hurries over and roots through the pile carefully, wary of nasty surprises. After hardly a moment, he pulls out a pouch and opens it up. Sure enough, inside he finds a set of rubber-handled tools, quills, and needles along with a jar of some black liquid. Bringing them back over to the desk he sits down and sets out a staple before him.
Now to try altering the rune. He knows touching the staple directly will probably hurt, but he knows not much beyond that. He does wonder, however, if the rubber in Marcus's tools is significant.
(How does Samir want to approach this?)
Ashley gives Rana a smile, "Thank you for keeping watch while we dealt with a few more down past the lab. Why don't you go lay down for a bit while there isn't an immediate threat? I'll keep an eye open for our friend out there and any others than may come around. Please, we may need you alert later and you've gone through so much."
"Thanks," Rana says. "I'll trust that you and your friends have got the situation handled here then." She turns to face the others who had been staying up with her and makes a quick signal to them, twirling her finger in the air. They get up from their various seats and fall in behind her to head downstairs and get some rest.
Ashley looks out the window and can just make out the silhouette of the hill that Two had been camped out on, but there is no sign of movement or fire.
Before moving around the bar, Silas will concentrate hard on trying to transform his appearance to that of the Firbolg he wore before, he succeeds somewhat although the coloured fur seems less vibrant this time.
Then as he makes his way with Malachi and Marion to the top floor the façade dissipates once more, as they prepare for their meditation experiment, he sees to it that both Marion and Malachi have ample time to prepare anything they might need first, and then begins.
Malachi slowly climbs the stairs with the others and settles into an empty room. As Silas prepares himself for meditation, searching for those thoughts and memories that bring him peace, Malachi sits down cross-legged on the floor in front of him. He gives Marion and wry grin “Wish me luck, and keep an eye on us”
Malachi flips a copper piece along his fingers, calms himself, and tentatively reaches out, trying to make contact with Silas’ mind when the goliath is at peace.
(will go for surface thoughts initially, then spend an action to probe deeper, trying to find what looms large in his mind)
Contemplating the various instruments at his disposal, Samir will select a delicate, rubber-insulated device that resembles a small pair of tongs. Using this, he will carefully pick up one of the marked staples, and should he not be immediately stricken by the magic imbued in the object, will bring it in for a closer visual examination. Samir attempts to cast his mind back to his studies, seeing if he can match the symbol to any others he may have encountered or hears about in the past. Whether he remembers something or not, his next step will be to try to draw a single, straight line from one point of the symbol to another, hoping to create a magical "short circuit" in order to disable its power. He selects what seems to be the most delicate of the quills available from the cultist's kit, dipping it in the ink and moving with the utmost mindfulness and care that he can muster.
Silas sits down in the center of the room and closes his eyes. He tunes out his surroundings and lets the images of his past fill his mind, sitting at the top of his tower. Though Silas doesn't realize it, Marion can see that his eyes have actually begun to open again, but they are unfocused.
Malachi becomes aware of a buzzing sound through his connection with Silas. A terrible sound, it seems high-pitched, frenetic, and urgent, while simultaneously low, rumbling, and inevitable. The slithering presence in Malachi's mind coils up and tries to retreat within itself at the sound.
(Silas make me a charisma check with advantage)
As the metal of the tongs makes contact with the staple, there is a small crackle and a spark jumps from the staple to the tongs. So the effect seems shock based, and conductable through metal, Samir thinks
He mentally pores over all the history and linguistics he had learned, particularly concerning magicraft, but the symbols the Razmus cultists use is entirely unlike anything he has ever seen. Unless, was it perhaps like the ancient runic scripts of the high-elves who dwindled into non-existence centuries ago? No, from what few recovered pieces of that language there were, Samir could tell these runes were far to sharp and rigid in their form, though the complexity and arrangement may have been vaguely reminiscent.
Finally, he makes his marking on the rune, connecting the two points, and waits for the ink to dry.
82
Once he is confident it is dried, he grabs another insulated instrument and cautiously touches it to the staple. This time, there is no spark.
Ashley walks around the main floor of the Inn, setting candles a light, making the place look like it is still occupied. If that man is still out there, he would have noticed a gaggle of dwarves leaving the inn, so she can't act like no one is here. Then just to make herself feel secure, she double checks all on the locks on the doors and windows.
As they enter the room Marion watches Silas as he more and more casually uses the gifts he has been given to alter his appearance. Shaking it off, she turns her focus to the task at hand. As Silas and Malachi begin their own preparations she retrieves another block of incense, and sets it burning in an ornate blue censer, decorated delicately with depictions of the Blue Lady. As the sweet aroma begins to gently fill the room she settles down and kneels herself, before looking towards Silas. Giving him a nod of reassurance she closes her eyes and begins to speak gently aloud, praying to the Blue Lady.
"Great Divine, I entreat Thee;
Let Thy presence fall upon us;
Blanketing us in Thy protection;
And filling our souls with Thy light;
Make these grounds Thine own;
That we might sit in hallowed halls;
And ward ourselves from the evil we face;
Guided by Thy wisdom;
We seek to enact Thy will;
And uncover the source of darkness that dost approach;"
Silas in his calmed state helped along by the words of Marion, still braces himself for the worst, as he knows not what he may see or how this might effect both himself and Malachi.
Charisma (with adv) 20
Malachi feels the buzzing grow in his thoughts until it is about to become painful, but then he senses a shift in Silas's thoughts and the pressure diminishes. The buzzing retreats to the background, and Malachi finds himself able to start pushing deeper into Silas's thoughts and see what he is experiencing
He feels in a high place. A clock tower in the bustling city of Talmouth. His feet dangle and kick over the edge as he looks out and observes the world and the people around him. For this moment, blissfully detached. Malachi is experiencing a memory that Silas is drawing up to enter a relaxed, meditative state.
Then he is in a void. A yawning abyss with no end. There is no sound. No light. No warmth. And he intimately understands every inch of this vast nothing.
Silas has had this vision before, Malachi realizes
But there is something on the other side of nothing. An existence. A world. A reality, adjacent to the void, but unreachable and distant. As if separated from the void by a thin veil of satin, caught between the folds of the not-there.
Malachi feels that Silas is caught between understanding and confusion, his consciousness touching that of something that comprehends too much of the incomprehensible. But Malachi benefits, perhaps, from an outsider's lucidity.
He cannot touch the world, but he must look. Must watch. Must understand. He peers deep into the little pinprick of reality, penetrating through clouds of gas and stars, finding a small chunk of green and blue and black rock. A planet.
He is seeing from the perspective of a vast, alien entity, watching Malachi's world from beyond space and time. Is this the patron, the watcher, that chose Silas?
Further. Deeper. The planet expands. He can see continents. The outlines are fuzzy, but the globe alights with dozens of small glowing points, and the land near these points comes into sharper focus. He pinpoints one, in the center of a meadow in the center of a forest in the center of a crater. A tower is not-there. Strong and tall and non-existent, he looks from the apex of the tower at the surrounding lands, and he understands a little more.
Cambria.
Is this tower some sort of nexus for the watcher's power?
But there is a threat. A needling buzzing, both in Cambria, and approaching from over the seas. He looks down from the tower and sees a soft purple light shining from an empty room in a full inn. His will. The closest he can come to touching this world.
'His will' clearly refers to Silas, Malachi reasons.
The light is growing stronger. It MUST grow stronger. Strong enough to keep his eyes open.
'His eyes...'. It doesn't seem to be a reference to Silas this time, but to the tower. And it seems there are others around the world as well, and through them the Watcher watches all. What would happen if Silas were to sit atop that tower? Malachi senses from Silas that the last part of the vision is different. Something new.
Other lights are visible now. His will is accompanied by lights of blue, one of which shines particularly bright. And there is red as well.
Malachi is looking at the inn from above and to the west.
And... one of the blue lights is tainted. A streak of yellow.
Malachi realizes the tainted light he is seeing is his own. He thinks for a moment to the thing in his mind, but the buzzing begins to grow louder and he realizes the source of the taint is the new mark on his temple.
He knows of the Red, the Blue, and the Yellow. The Ebb, the Flow, and the Apogee. Of the world they created, and the divine war the latter waged upon the two former. He cares little about who wins, but the recent maneuvers of the Apogee have become an imminent threat to his eye in Cambria. As for his will, should it perish, another could be created. Though so few humans survive the process while retaining any sort of usefulness. Better to preserve the current one for now. The threat is coming.
Then Malachi/Silas is looking to the west through Silas's own eyes. The ground and the distant city of Talmouth swirl and twist out of the way of Silas's view, like ink in water, leaving an unobstructed view of the Amethyst ocean. His view magnifies and he is looking across leagues of water until he sees a ship, eastbound. The view expands, and more ships can be seen around the first. At least three score galleons on their way to Cambria. An entire fleet on its way to Cambria
With a jarring snap, Silas's vision returns to his present surroundings, and Malachi finds himself disoriented as he watches himself, through Silas's eyes
This is unusual. As he observes, one of these small beings is trying to observe him in return. Very well.
Without warning, all of the lucidity of the vision Malachi had been experiencing begins to break down. Thoughts that could once be put into words become overwhelmed by a flood of impossible knowledge. Incompatible understanding that threatens to crush his mind and leave him little more than a husk. Like his mother. He realizes dimly that he is now experiencing Silas's connection to his patron in its raw form rather than through the detached lens of an observer. He sees his nose beginning to bleed and his eyes, not Silas's, feel like they are about to burst.
(Make a charisma save, DC 25, if Malachi wants to try to sever the connection and stem the flood of knowledge)
For Marion, minutes go by in silence as her two companions sit in silence. Malachi's eyes have closed, but Silas's have gone wide and unblinking. She begins to wonder how long this is going to take, and considers whether it would be bad to try rousing one of them, when Malachi begins to convulse. Blood pours from his nose and his lips move too quickly to follow as he mouths a stream of silent words.
The moment that Malachi begins to convulse Marion jumps up and rushes over to him. Relying on the years of training under the clinicians of the order she quickly snaps into action, lowering the half-elf gently to the ground and placing a blanket under his head to cushion it as his body shakes. She loosens his collar, making sure he has plenty of room around his neck to breath, and gently wipes away some of the blood as needed to prevent it from causing further problems. As she kneels beside him, attending as best she can, she speaks to him in the hopes that it will help him break free from the trance before it is too late.
"Malachi my friend, I am here. Whatever it is you are seeing, know that you are not alone. The Lady watches over thee and guides thee. Return to us my friend, listen to my voice. I know that you can hear me, I have faith in you."
Malachi takes in the visions with amazement, never before having gone so deep and getting so clear a picture of another’s mind. He understands very little, but is beginning to piece something together when, suddenly, he is looking at himself through Silas’ eyes. Then the he begins to convulse and blood begins to pour from his nose. He fights to maintain control of his mind and sever the connection with Silas.
Charisma Save: 9.
Charisma Reroll with Inspiration: 14.
Malachi:
Through the psychological bombardment, Malachi is just faintly aware of that ever-present sensation in the back of his mind unfurling. He feels its tendrils wrapping around his mind, and then something cuts through the pain and the noise.
Not exactly words, but simply a pure communication of intention from the slithering mass.
We are going to be destroyed. But I can save us if you'll let me in, just a little. The price will be soooooo small
The tendrils feel poised, ready to act. All they need is permission to touch Malachi's mind.
"A-ha!" Samir calls out suddenly, a broad grin across his face as he pokes at the now nullified staple with a finger. "Joren! Look! I've managed to cancel out the electrical properties of this staple. It's completely safe to touch now!"
Humming softly to himself, he proceeds to sweep the rest of the staples into a pouch with a sheaf of heavy paper, thinking that there was no real need to disable them all when their properties could perhaps be of better use later. The stone used for the darkness effect earlier is likewise swept into his satchel to be examined later, perhaps to find a use. The talisman, however, he ponders for a moment. It obviously had a use of some kind, perhaps to identify certain individuals? The differing colors that seemed to be associated with his companions - red or blue, depending - were interesting but for the moment he couldn't seem to put together what the actual point of it was. Samir's strong suspiscion was that Jon was using it to try and identify certain individuals for some reason. But why?
Shaking his head he slides the talisman into the bag as well, looking over at Joren. "I think I need to find some food and rest a bit. Will you come as well of are you staying here?" Samir glances over at the captives in their cages. "I suppose I don't really know what to do with that lot."
DM:
Yes, yes, anything. Make this stop! I can’t stand it anymore! Malachi strains to hold onto the feeling of the strangely familiar tendrils, trying to anchor himself to something.
Malachi:
There is a series of sharp needle-like pricks in his mind, and he feels the tendrils secure themselves, digging their tips just under the surface of his mind. Something wrenches inside of him and he feels his magical connection with Silas be forcibly severed from within. Immediately the deluge of insanity ceases.
Marion sees Malachi's body jerk and shudder one last time before his body goes relatively still and his eyes shoot open. She immediately notes that his breathing seems to be returning to normal, his pulse is slowing, and the bleeding appears to have abated.
At this moment, Silas too is roused from his state, witnessing the scene before him for the first time though his eyes have not so much as blinked during his meditation.
Malachi:
Malachi feels himself gradually returning to normal, though he feels quite drained. But... something's different.
It hasn't withdrawn from his mind, for one. He can feel it still firmly lodged. Also, he had always been able to get a vague sense of when the presence in his head felt suspicious or agitated, but he is picking up on other emotions now, and with more clarity than before. He feels more in-tune with it than ever before.
It is afraid. Twice in one day now, it made contact with a power that frightens it. That could threaten to destroy Malachi. It's curiosity with Lancet had had consequences, and it was feeling more cautious now, like a wounded animal. It's emotions press lightly against Malachi's, but he can still very much tell where its feelings end and his begin.
As Ashley checks the last window, she hears a small commotion upstairs, with the sound of muffled thumps on the wooden floorboards and the muted voice of Marion saying something that sounds important. (Make a perception check DC 26 )