Quote from Mister_Whisker >>

"The remains of a god are always infested... wraiths of their most devout followers, broken memories, even twisted and insane celestial guardians... All of them cling to the remains of the beings they once served, leeching off of the spark of divine power that is left behind when the god's soul departs." she says with a shudder.

As Selariel speaks, Hewelathan's eyebrows go ever higher.  He has heard of wraiths, a sort of disembodied spirit whose refusal to "move on" leaves it clinging to undeath in this world.  That would be bad enough on its own, but he's not even sure what a broken memory is.  And an insane celestials sound like they could be very dangerous.  He starts to worry that even with giant strength, a bear may not be effective against such opponents.  How are they going to survive long enough to cast the ritual? 

Hewelathan looks around at his companions and takes heart.  "Well, forewarned is forearmed, at least," he finally says with determination. "When I realized that my belt seemed to bring with it a curse, I didn't expect my path to be easy.  I sought advice at the temple of Ilmater, and ever since Firion and his cult threatened us there a few weeks ago, we've all known that we were in great danger.  The whole world is in danger, if the cult succeeds in bringing back the Dragon Lord!"  He shrugs, "Danger still surrounds us on all sides, but as long we work together, I believe that we can still prevail."

(OOC: Hewelathan doesn't get Improved Circle Forms until level 6, so his attacks while wild shaped will continue to be mundane bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage.  But he can cast Moonbeam and Starry Wisp even while wild shaped.  And if he's not in a wild shape, he can fight with spells and his Moon Sickle, +1.  And if we make it to level 5 before the next big encounter, he'll at least get level 3 spells, like Call Lightning.)

Nickeline listens to Selariel's warning and begins to worry that conducting the ritual will be difficult even without interference from Firion or Zolgu. She doesn't know what a broken memory is, but undead and celestials she could grasp. She says, "Hewey's right. We have a chance to do a lot of good in not a lot of time and only risk an imaginable amount of danger. I'll bet we can prevail, too! Flandal watches over us; his power will keep us safe even in darkness. When the time comes, I will extend his blessings to, um, you guys."

OOC:

Nickeline can cast Protection from Evil and Good on one of the ritual people when they get to the deep ethereal; she has a second vial of holy water if someone else has the spell prepared and also wants to cast it. The spell would last the entire ten minutes of the ritual, but hopefully we're not fighting off extradimensional horrors that entire time!
Alternatively, she can cast Bless to boost concentration saves, but that spell only lasts a minute.

Quote from mamoduck >>

OOC:

Nickeline can cast Protection from Evil and Good on one of the ritual people when they get to the deep ethereal; she has a second vial of holy water if someone else has the spell prepared and also wants to cast it. The spell would last the entire ten minutes of the ritual, but hopefully we're not fighting off extradimensional horrors that entire time!

(OOC: Indeed!  And good point.  I didn't realize that the new version of Protection from Evil and Good has a required material component with a gp cost.  Hewelathan prepared that spell, but I was thinking of the 2014 version.  That material component, "holy water or powdered silver and iron, which the spell consumes," does not list a cost. Therefore, it's not required when he's using a spell focus, like his Moon Sickle, +1.)

Korba has been listening quietly and, as he often does, idly casting minor magics that cause grains of sand to appear to fall from one hand to the other or to create swirls of sand, like tiny dust devils.  (Just talking about the mundane phenomenon, not dust devils!)  He suddenly speaks up, asking, "Mistress, how long will it take to travel to one of these dead gods, once we leave the Radiant Citadel?"  He wonders whether it'll be a short jaunt of a few hours or more like the 6-day trip to sail from Tormere to the Shaded Isle.

Quote from Ben_Evolent >>

Quote from mamoduck >>

OOC:

Nickeline can cast Protection from Evil and Good on one of the ritual people when they get to the deep ethereal; she has a second vial of holy water if someone else has the spell prepared and also wants to cast it. The spell would last the entire ten minutes of the ritual, but hopefully we're not fighting off extradimensional horrors that entire time!

(OOC: Indeed!  And good point.  I didn't realize that the new version of Protection from Evil and Good has a required material component with a gp cost.  Hewelathan prepared that spell, but I was thinking of the 2014 version.  That material component, "holy water or powdered silver and iron, which the spell consumes," does not list a cost. Therefore, it's not required when he's using a spell focus, like his Moon Sickle, +1.)

 The 2014 version also requires the component as the spell consumes it. 

Quote from Secretfool >>

Quote from Ben_Evolent >>

(OOC: Indeed!  And good point.  I didn't realize that the new version of Protection from Evil and Good has a required material component with a gp cost.  Hewelathan prepared that spell, but I was thinking of the 2014 version.  That material component, "holy water or powdered silver and iron, which the spell consumes," does not list a cost. Therefore, it's not required when he's using a spell focus, like his Moon Sickle, +1.)

 The 2014 version also requires the component as the spell consumes it. 

(OOC: Sure, but since no GP value is specified, no one in my games cared to track it.  If you're just using one drop of holy water, imagine how many castings just one vial of holy water would last!)

Quote from Ben_Evolent >>

Quote from Secretfool >>

Quote from Ben_Evolent >>

(OOC: Indeed!  And good point.  I didn't realize that the new version of Protection from Evil and Good has a required material component with a gp cost.  Hewelathan prepared that spell, but I was thinking of the 2014 version.  That material component, "holy water or powdered silver and iron, which the spell consumes," does not list a cost. Therefore, it's not required when he's using a spell focus, like his Moon Sickle, +1.)

 The 2014 version also requires the component as the spell consumes it. 

(OOC: Sure, but since no GP value is specified, no one in my games cared to track it.  If you're just using one drop of holy water, imagine how many castings just one vial of holy water would last!)

 ((In my games it was always seen as needing a flask^^))

Quote from Secretfool >>

Quote from Ben_Evolent >>

Quote from Secretfool >>

Quote from Ben_Evolent >>

(OOC: Indeed!  And good point.  I didn't realize that the new version of Protection from Evil and Good has a required material component with a gp cost.  Hewelathan prepared that spell, but I was thinking of the 2014 version.  That material component, "holy water or powdered silver and iron, which the spell consumes," does not list a cost. Therefore, it's not required when he's using a spell focus, like his Moon Sickle, +1.)

 The 2014 version also requires the component as the spell consumes it. 

(OOC: Sure, but since no GP value is specified, no one in my games cared to track it.  If you're just using one drop of holy water, imagine how many castings just one vial of holy water would last!)

 ((In my games it was always seen as needing a flask^^))

 OOC:

Thank you for correcting me about the quantity. Holy water is made by the pint-sized flask, not the four ounce vial (unless you choose to cast Ceremony which for some reason creates only a vial—maybe because it can be cast without using a spell slot?) The larger flask seems to be needed to splash or throw it, too. I actually don't know what use a four ounce vial of holy water would have except for RP purposes or the 2014 Protection from Evil and Good.

Personally I feel like Protection from Evil and Good says the holy water is consumed because practically you can't un-sprinkle someone with holy water, and the spell's wording does seem deliberately not to state a quantity or minimum value for the holy water or powdered silver.

In the 2024 rules, they do explicitly make it a 25+ Gp flask. Interestingly, the flask requirement suggests the smaller vials created by the Ceremony spell are not sufficient even though they are worth 25 Gp.
I haven't switched Nickeline to the 2024 rules yet but maybe I should.

(OOC: @Mister_Whisker hasn't seemed overly worried about material components in this campaign, so I expect that the quantity created by Ceremony is fine.  In other games, tier-1 characters may be motivated to take side quests just to acquire the material components for the spells they expect to need against the eventual BBEG.  But Chronicles of the Accursed is focused on that initial premise of (cursed) legendary magic items in the hands of tier-1 characters.  The fact that a cult is chasing the party to kill them and steal their accursed items pushes the narrative along to various exotic locations or set pieces against very powerful opponents.  I don't think that the DM is interested in super detailed inventory management.  It's more about putting very inexperienced characters up against powerful opponents.  Can the party can figure out clever ways to use their magic items to avoid or defeat their enemies?  Or will we try to bite off more than we can chew and be wiped out by a Cone of Cold or one blast of a dragon's breath?)

Quote from Ben_Evolent >>

(OOC: @Mister_Whisker hasn't seemed overly worried about material components in this campaign, so I expect that the quantity created by Ceremony is fine.  In other games, tier-1 characters may be motivated to take side quests just to acquire the material components for the spells they expect to need against the eventual BBEG.  But Chronicles of the Accursed is focused on that initial premise of (cursed) legendary magic items in the hands of tier-1 characters.  The fact that a cult is chasing the party to kill them and steal their accursed items pushes the narrative along to various exotic locations or set pieces against very powerful opponents.  I don't think that the DM is interested in super detailed inventory management.  It's more about putting very inexperienced characters up against powerful opponents.  Can the party can figure out clever ways to use their magic items to avoid or defeat their enemies?  Or will we try to bite off more than we can chew and be wiped out by a Cone of Cold or one blast of a dragon's breath?)

(Ben is 100% correct about that. I'm more than happy to make material components conveniently available, between Lord Akkron, the market, and even Selarial if you have something specific you need that she could reasonably have in her possession)

Selarial gives Korba a small smile.

"It will take us a few hours with me as your guide," she says. "Possibly a little bit longer if something, or someone, delays us. As for the costs and size of a cruiser, for tourism purposes it usually costs 50 gold pieces per hour of travel for a mid-sized vehicle that we can all ride in comfortably."

Quote from Mister_Whisker >>

Selarial gives Korba a small smile.

"It will take us a few hours with me as your guide," she says. "Possibly a little bit longer if something, or someone, delays us. As for the costs and size of a cruiser, for tourism purposes it usually costs 50 gold pieces per hour of travel for a mid-sized vehicle that we can all ride in comfortably."

Korba is surprised, "Just a few hours!  That fast?"  He looks forward to being able to rid his sword of its curse.  "Then let's go find a ship.  Maybe we can get there and finish before the cult even realizes that we've left!"

Hewelathan asks a follow-up question, "Does that mean our destination is close or...I don't know...easy to see?  If the cult sees us leave the Radiant Citadel, could they simply follow us there?"  He's imagining the way sailing works on the sea, where its easy to see ships coming and going in common shipping lanes.  He also remembers that pirates liked to find an island cove where they could wait to waylay merchant vessels just after the ship was out of sight of port.  "Is this place we're going well-known to others in the Radiant Citadel?  If so, the cult may already guess our destination and could be already waiting to ambush us there."  Hewelathan feels like he's being overly paranoid, but the cult never seems to be far behind them.

Quote from Ben_Evolent >>

Quote from Mister_Whisker >>

Selarial gives Korba a small smile.

"It will take us a few hours with me as your guide," she says. "Possibly a little bit longer if something, or someone, delays us. As for the costs and size of a cruiser, for tourism purposes it usually costs 50 gold pieces per hour of travel for a mid-sized vehicle that we can all ride in comfortably."

Korba is surprised, "Just a few hours!  That fast?"  He looks forward to being able to rid his sword of its curse.  "Then let's go find a ship.  Maybe we can get there and finish before the cult even realizes that we've left!"

---

 

Hewelathan asks a follow-up question, "Does that mean our destination is close or...I don't know...easy to see?  If the cult sees us leave the Radiant Citadel, could they simply follow us there?"  He's imagining the way sailing works on the sea, where its easy to see ships coming and going in common shipping lanes.  He also remembers that pirates liked to find an island cove where they could wait to waylay merchant vessels just after the ship was out of sight of port.  "Is this place we're going well-known to others in the Radiant Citadel?  If so, the cult may already guess our destination and could be already waiting to ambush us there."  Hewelathan feels like he's being overly paranoid, but the cult never seems to be far behind them.

She nods slowly.

"I won't lie to you," she says gravely. "There is a very real chance that the cult could track our movements... or even guess guess where we're going. The good news is there are a few deceased deities to choose from, and we may be able to throw them off by selecting our destination carefully. We may even be able to blend in with a group of tourists if we can find a cluster that are planning to depart soon."

The fact that there are multiple rotting deities floating through the Ethereal within a few hours' journey of the Citadel may not be comforting, per se, but certainly convenient!

"What deceased deities are there close by?" Tamphalic asks, wondering if the cult will expect us to go to a certain one? "And, wait, tourists go to these places? I thought they were dangerous?"

For expedience' sake, I'll give a summary of Selarial's answers:

1. Gods die when mortals cease to worship them; the names of these dead gods have long been forgotten.

2. Yes, tourists do go to these places, but usually observe from a distance. Almost no one is crazy enough to actually land on the body (except you guys, it seems).

"Let's be quick when we get to the market, then, and not stop for snacks; it's not worth giving the cult a chance to catch up to us," says Nickeline. "Of course, that's only if they actually follow us. I wonder if we will be able to tell if someone's watching. It would depend on how crowded the deep ethereal is, maybe."

She is ready to proceed when everyone else is.

Hewelathan is also ready to proceed. 

I guess we'll all assume our disguises either before we leave or, at least, before we exit the secret tunnels near the market. 

"Hmm alright, I would prefer not to bring any tourists in harms way, so I think we should go to one without tourists?"

Okay, sounds like everyone's ready to move on... still not sure where Jodie and Hildegarde are, but I'll try to move us along.

How is each person disguised? That is to say: who is using Disguise Self, is Hewelathan in Wild Shape, etc.?

Tamphalic will use a scroll to disguise as an as average looking human as possible.

First, AFAICT, when we came from the market to Selarial's infirmary, it took us "an hour or so of navigating the tunnels."  I guess that anyone using a scroll is going to want to wait until we're closer to the market before using it -- otherwise, it sounds like the disguise would expire as soon as we arrived at the market.

Hewelathan's plan is to Wild Shape into the form of a Warhorse

• Assuming that we can find a saddle, Hildegard was going to ride Hewelathan into the market.  
• Hewelathan controls his own movement, so the "horse" won't need a bit & bridle or even reins.  Hildegard can just pretend that she's such a talented rider that her horse just knows where she wants him to go without reins. 
• Hewelathan will still have his Cloak of Protection, but it'll be laid across his back as a sort of saddle blanket or a caparison. 
• Hewelathan will also be wearing his Belt of Storm Giant Strength around his torso (covered by the cloak).
• Hewelathan's Wild Shape lasts 2 hours, so he should be fine for at least as long as the Disguise Self spells.  He's just hoping that we don't have to fight since the war horse isn't his best combat form.

Korba had planned to use a Hat of Disguise to disguise himself as a non-drow elf or half-elf. 

• Basically, he'll match his true build pretty closely, just changing his skin and hair color and maybe something about the shape of his face. 
• Since his mithral half plate was scavenged from a cultist and may be somewhat obvious, he'll also make his armor look more like a regular steel breastplate.  That way, it shouldn't draw attention, and it won't be strange that his half-plate isn't "noisy" the way regular heavy and (some) medium armor is. 
• Finally, he'll make his dark sunglasses look like a normal pair of glasses with clear lenses.

@Mister_Whisker, since I'm controlling our warlock PC, I guess it's on me to ask the Warlock question: did we get a short rest at Selarial's before heading back to the market?  In case we run into trouble, I'd like Korba to have all of his spell slots available.