Heavy is the Head - Campaign thread

All eyes on the West Lookout follow Hemlock and Lam's sudden rush - and Rhys runs directly off of the edge of the platform to cut straight to west lookout, the wings of a Giant Eagle sprouting from him as he transforms mid-sprint. 

There is shock and surprise on all of the faces, and conversation quickly cuts out. Many voices call out some version of "what's going on?" to you, or mumble things to each other in elvish, heavily featuring the word "que?" It is impossible to tell whether any individual reaction doesn't match the crowd watching their honored guests sprint out of the communal dining area. Hemlock and Lam are on the bridge towards West Branch.

Sha-Gravis can see Saffron rushing in a dead sprint towards him, not getting to him quite yet. She manages to grunt out "West - Saoirse - Help!" despite her sprint. Eliza is running as well, though she can't keep up with Saffi.

The doppelganger does its best to keep up with Saoirse, striking out at her shifting stance. It swings its right fist (14 to hit 14 damage) and then its left (19 to hit 13 damage).

Saoirse winces in pain. Though the creature's attacks do not find purchase, she feels her energy draining. Fiery-colored blood tints her ashen lips, as keeps her defensive stance.

Surely someone will come. Someone will reach her in time, before she...

(dodge again)

"This is going to take me a little while, friend. You're welcome to take a seat and rest while I work, if you need. Or you can help the others look for the imposters, if that would be more useful!" Tesfayequickly clears some assorted pieces of what looks to Sha-Gravis like junk, but must be potential crafting pieces in the tortle's eyes, from a comfortable seeming solid wooden chair. If you stay with Tesfaye until they're finished, you can take a short rest. But if you leave to help Saoirse or join the meal, no short rest yet.

Sha-gravis (pretty sure) was not included in any telepathy or mind link.  He is aware of the threats here at the Village Tree, however he is currently here to protect and assist Tesfaye.  “I would not leave you alone at this crucial time.  It would certainly be a tsunami to our efforts if I did.  I believe you alone can chart a course to a nonhostile resolution with your distilation.  The depth of your aptitude is fathomless to me.  I could use this time to sort my thoughts as well.”  With that Sha short rests quietly praying for safety and peace.

Hemlock continues rushing after Lam, finally able to respond to Saoirse now that he has rallied the troops.

"Help is coming, are you ok? What is happening?", he asks a little panicked.

As Hemlock reaches out through the link made by Saffron's mind, the rogue huffs in a regular, audible response "no, it can, hear you!"

"Saoirse needs us? OK!" Tesfaye responds to Saffron's last utterance, after dropping their tools and looking at all of you rushing in. The 'OK' sounds a little unsure from Tesfaye, who so fears the fray of open combat, but they pick up their spear and shield anyway, ready to run to the genasi's aid alongside the rest of you - who are still rushing towards west lookout.

The moment that Hemlock's words of encouragement appear in Saoirse's mind, the Doppelganger's cruel grin shifts into a scowl of fury. "Time to change tactics, then. After all, I am Fire and I am Blood." Those last words are said in a perfect mimic of Saoirse's own voice, a twisted mockery of her own rallying internal mantra. The burned flesh on Filìpe's face closes, darkens and cracks, revealing undertones that look like fire beneath the skin. It sprouts long, red hair, which cascades down its shoulders as it grows to match its opponent's height. Its lip splits open as though it had been injured there. It is as though Saoirse is looking at a mirror, and the doppelganger falls to the floor in front of her, cowering as though Saoirse was the aggressor.

A split second later, a giant eagle lands on the platform beside them, and its feathers recede and melt away to reveal Rhys' halfling form. He points at the floor between the two Saoirses, and vines erupt from the wood, grabbing at you both to restrain you. The Saoirse on the ground seems too weakened and exhausted to resist. The Saoirse standing up has to make a DC17 saving throw or be restrained as well. "Looks like we got here just in time. I am sorry to hold you down, too," he says, addressing the Saoirse on the ground, "but I am not entirely certain who is who."

"Well that would have been handy to know", Hemlock replies over the link as he continues running towards West Lookout.

(OOC: I assume at some point he come across the others, but I don't know when)

(OOC: Leaving the result of the ST because I try to get out of the vines.  I don't even trust Rhys right now and I simply want to live. Will post later. Got an 11)

At this point everyone has passed through West branch and Tesfaye's workshop, and are on the bridge towards West Lookout. You can arrive there in your next posts.

The craftsman who had been working near Tesfaye and Sha drops his tools and pushes his back against the wall of interwoven branches as you all rush past.

https://www.owlbear.rodeo/room/5nRs1L_uFdxM/HeavyistheHeadPBP

The standing Saoirse falls to the ground, too. As she fears for her life, she has tried to escape the vines, but hasn't been able to. Frustration, pain and absolute lack of energy has simply made her fall. But something sparks in her eyes: hope, sheer hope, as she sees her friends appear.

She also knows she could say several things that could prove who she is, but the moment she thinks of them, the other other Saoirse will know them, too.

Because of that, what she does is just ... whimper. Whimper, and close her eyes and cover her ears in an attempt to think of everything and nothing. To try not give anything away.

"I won't give you anything ... You've taken more than enough. I ... won't give ... anything ...." is her new mantra, which she keeps repeating to herself, oblivious to what is happening in the outside.

Hemlock rushes onto the scene and screeches to a halt.

"Ah, I see why you were worried now, Saffi", he says with a frown looking at the two identical Saoirses. He thinks for a moment and asks, "Can the real Saoirse show me the item we use to communicate with our artificer friend?"

He then whispers to Saffi, "Can they duplicate items of magic as well? And can they reply over our link? Can we not just ask over that which is real?".

(OOC: Not sure I can do that, because of my narration.  If I can I sure as hell reach for the sending stone and show it. @polaris?)

"Saoirse needs us? OK!" Tesfaye responds to Saffron'slast utterance, after dropping their tools and looking at all of you rushing in. The 'OK' sounds a little unsure from Tesfaye, who so fears the fray of open combat, but they pick up their spear and shield anyway, ready to run to the genasi's aid alongside the rest of you - who are still rushing towards west lookout.

Sha will follow after Tesfaye, trying not to let them out of sight.  Once on the scene Sha looks to Hemlock, “Moonbean?”

When Lam was running, he had gotten out his greataxe and almost worked himself up into a frenzy- if Saoirse is hurt, he is ready to destroy whoever hurt her. He is not prepared for what he actually sees when he gets to the West Lookout, and skids to a halt. Saoirse is being hurt by… herself? How are they supposed to tell which is real? His eyes which had held righteous fury only a second earlier now hold uncertainty and fear as he looks between the two- his dear friend, and the villain taking her form. If only he was certain which was which. He steps forward, brandishing his greataxe, to be closer to both Saoirses- but he doesn’t make a move to strike either, instead looking around at everyone in the room to see if anyone can better tell the genasi apart than he can.

(I think you can certainly pull out the stone if you choose to. You're restrained, but your hands are not bound. You're clearly not going to yet, though.)

"Don't trust it! It's taken my weapons, and the sending stone! Now it's trying to act like I'm the one almost dying here! I mean that it is! You know what I mean. You know me! I'm not one to give up and drop in a fight!" Saoirse (on the ground first) speaks in a voice that carries fury, but also implies that she doesn't have the energy left to really shout. "Moonbeam us both, I can take it!" That last is directed mostly at Rhys, but she also glances at Sha and Hemlock"

"I don't think she can talk into our minds like a true telepath, but it is possible that they've been trained to project thoughts as well. I mean... technically I am the same species as she is. Or atleast half. If I can learn it... why not them? This is what Vince wanted me to be for him. But no, she definitely can't duplicate anything more than clothing and the appearance of armor by changing form. Hemlock I'm... I'm not sure who to trust. It does seem like the real Saoirse wouldn't give up like that."  Saffron points at the Saoirse who is covering hear ears and whimpering.

Even Hemlock's heightened senses do not make it clear who is who. It is clear that the one who is whimpering is also the one with all of Saoirse's gear... but the one who just called out to them gave a good explanation for that...

Tesfaye has leveled their spear towards the whimpering Saoirse. They seem fairly convinced, but water is dripping from their eyes. "I don't want to hurt you, Saoirse."

Lam is racking his brain trying to think of some way to set the real Saoirse apart. He had thought he knew which one was real, but he has become less sure. The problem is that anything he thinks of, he knows the impostor knows about. So he cannot ask either of them how they met or anything, because they’ll both know the answer. Then he considers trying to trick the doppelgänger by thinking of something wrong, or making them admit to something neither Saoirse should know about… but adrenaline keeps him from thinking of anything useful, and besides, the doppelgänger also knows about that plan now. Then he has an idea he thinks might work, based on how Hemlock had figured out Rhys was good earlier. This won’t work if they both respond, and he unfortunately recalls that Saoirse has never heard him do this (which means the doppelgänger knows that too), but he speaks out loud in Primordial. He directs his words to both Saoirses, but mostly to the one that seems to have more fight in her, “Ba mhaith liom muinín agat. An féidir leat labhairt liom i do theanga?“

The whimpering genasi is getting more and more scared by the moment. A moonbeam? That kind of damage will unmask the doppelganger quickly, but would also leave her even more hurt. And then, with the lookout edge that close ... what will stop anyone, be that Rhys or the other Saoirse, to just try pushing her again and, this time, succeed?

The familiar voice of Lam speaking in an even more familiar language, turns her attention away from that. She answers:

 - Déan cad is gá duit. Slán ... a fhágáil ag an gceann a fuaireamar a shíl mé a bheith caillte go deo.

Then she just looks away.

Almost at the same time, the other Saoirse answers as well: "go raibh maith agat a chara. is mise é! is mise é." It is the exact response Lam had been hoping for, down to the last word, other than repeating the last couple words twice.

 Lam, make an insight check with very well-earned advantage.

Lam can definitely see that the one who says exactly what he wants to hear is probably the imposter... but if the imposter can hear their thoughts then it would know exactly how to convince him, so the one that's more convincingly Saoirse must be the imposter! Wait... that doesn't seem quite right either.

Lam begins to think that the 'one with more fight left in her' probably isn't the real Saoirse. He's pretty sure about that, but not confident enough that his reasoning is sound. He probably has about 75% certainly that the one who answered first is the real Saoirse now. But is that enough to stake his friends life on? 

When the first Saoirse answers, the name Sebastian pops into Lam’s mind. He is upset at his own mind, so freely making associations, because he knows everything he thinks is giving the doppelgänger more information. He just gave the doppelgänger Sebastian’s name… unless the first one is the doppelgänger, and took that information from the real one already? He thinks it’s more likely that the Saoirse who said the thing he didn’t expect is real, but what if that is just the doppelgänger playing exactly into what he wants to think? Lam’s grip tightens around his greataxe as he starts to get frustrated by this whole thing. He is definitely turned more now towards the Saoirse who responded first, and he now appears to regard her as the real one. In his mind, that’s what makes more sense to him. But… he takes a deep breath. He has to keep his wits about him.

He turns to Hemlock and Rhys, and realizes that he should probably say what he’s thinking out loud since the doppelgänger already knows his thoughts anyway. He walks just a bit closer to the one who’s looking away from him, points at her and says to everyone, “I think this is Saoirse. But I do not know.” He looks at Hemlock, hoping his friend has a plan.

Hemlock looks at both the Saoirse's and then everyone else there.

He listens as Lam speaks in an unfamiliar tongue, and assumes it was one that the real Saoirse should know.

He waits for their responses. When they both appear to reply, he looks to Lam for confirmation of whether it has separated them or not, before speaking himself.

"That is good to know Lam. I confess I am not certain either, which means the Moonbeam is the obvious option, but is even that a guarantee? And it may well cause too much harm to our real friend", he says, having shown his willingness to do what it takes before, but seeing no reason to risk more harm than necessary.

He looks across to the fire pit and smiles, before holding out his hand and summoning a flame.

"Before we go that far, the real Saoirse is born of fire, and will be able to produce a flame similar to this one and use it to light the fire here", he postulates pointing at the fire pit. "Who wants to go first? How about both together?" he says addressing the pair of twins.

He then stands ready to throw his own flame at whichever cannot pass the test, feeling comfortable that the real Saoirse will not be too harmed by it anyway if he gets it wrong, which is a test in itself.