Seeing Soren's response Titso says "Ok no more Kraken jokes but how about this one it really kracks me up. Anyway there's this barbershop and all the mythical creatures, Kraken, Centaur, Satyr, Minotaur, Leonin, are lined up waiting to get their hair cut or a shave. Don't ask me why they wanted a short back an' sides cos a lot don't have hair and the Leonin would have been awfully pissed if he'd got a short back an' sides but never mind. Well the barber yells out 'next' and the centaur stands up 'my turn' he asks. 'Nah not you him' pointing at the Minotaur. Well the rest sit down and then the barber comes out and says 'next' and the centaur stands up again and says 'pick pick me its my turn now' 'Nah time to release the Kraken' the barber says and the Kraken makes his way inside. Eventually the barber comes out and says 'next' and again the centaur jumps to his feet - hooves clattering all over the place - 'pick pick me its my turn now.' Just managing to dodge a flailing hoof, the Satyr turns to the Centaur and says "St'ihl, for Nylea's sake be still will you. We're all sick of you needing to be the Centaur of attention!'"
Nyklos regards the two strangers - to him - in their group with a carefully raised eyebrow. To the satyr he remarks, "Areus is right I think Tisto. You can regale us with your fine humor later, after we've had plenty of ale to drink."
"In the meantime let's not get sidetracked. If we go to Melandra with just this fragment, I think we probably aren't getting paid." He turns to the priest Astos, "You had said Ephara herself brought the unbroken mask to this temple, but its exact location is unknown?"
Tisto puts up hands and says "I tell even better jokes after a glass or two of wine. In the meantime we were, if I remember correctly told to 'remove a sacred relic from the temple and then bring it to me' welll that doesn't sound like go to the temple and get given a bit of a broken mask which is what has happened so far! You're right Nyklos! We're probably need to do a bit more if we're going to get paid"
You make your way through the temple searching for a full mask. You come across locked doors, even hidden rooms, but over the course of the next few hours no mask is to be found. Astos remains with you, helping as he can, but eventually you give up the search. You have found only rooms that contain nothing more than prayers scratched on thin sheets of bronze, or former high priests’ wine collections.
Astos tells you to keep the white fragment. "If what you seek is the Ainoe mask, the white fragment is related to it if they are not the same. Perhaps it really is the mask The Twelve seek. If not The Twelve will have it returned to us."
Tired and frustrated from the fruitless search you leave the temple grounds. You see that is now late afternoon.
As you exit the temple complex Leander approaches, a woman with him.
The short, bright-eyed woman watches you shrewdly. There’s something grandmotherly about her; albeit a storybook grandmother, rather than a real, human person. Someone kind and stern all at once, with your best interests at heart. Except for the blue stole that marks her as one of the Twelve, she looks like any other middle-aged woman of Meletis, but her bearing and presence make it clear she is someone of considerable status.
Tisto, having lived in the city for quite some time recognize her automatically, and the rest of you observe that local people nearby seem to respect and defer to her as she passes through the sparse crowd still near the temple entrance.
"Are these the ones you spoke of Leander?" She asks the high priest who nods respectfully to her.
She turns her attention to you.
"Greetings, I am Aleixo, a member of the Twelve responsible for monitoring the polis’ many prophecies. The prophecy of Erebos’ Grief shows signs of coming to pass. The auguries and the entrails of sacrifices all say the same thing: only Meletis stands between Elpis and Ainoe, Hope and Doom. Leander tells me that you have come here seeking one of his masks, so I hope that I can persuade you to aid the Twelve and this city. Will you speak with me?"
As the group exits the temple after the fruitless search, Areus says "It looks like that the other fragments of this mask were not in this temple. We should get back to the tavern and think about what to do."
"It looks like that the High Priest is coming in this direction with a person of a certain status." says Areus as Leander and Aleixo walks towards them.
In response to Aleixo's question, Areus replies "Greetings, I am Areus of Akros. Yes, we have come here seeking the Ainoe mask on behalf of one of your agents, Melandra, maybe you know her." Areus will briefly describe Melandra to Aleixo.
"We were supposed to meet her in three days, but since you are here I guess that something has changed."
As Alexio approaches Tisto starts waving his arms in the air and chants in a monotone voice "warning Will Robinson, Warning. Figure of Authority approaching!"
Aleixo looks confused. "Melandra? I know of no agent of the Twelve by that name. And she asked you to retrieve the Ainoe mask on behalf of the Twelve? This situation is worse than I fear and the prophecy is clearly coming to pass."
She stops and thinks for a moment, clearly debating something in her mind and then coming to a decision.
"I had come to the temple to speak with Leander and he told me that you four had come seeking the Ainoe Mask. I had hoped to learn something of the mask but I fear now events have moved faster than expected and I do not wish to interfere any further. Prophecies are tricky and hard to circumvent, and if the Twelve act directly they risk angering the gods and bringing the worst possible fate to pass. We therefore require heroes who are not officially affiliated with Meletis to move the mask out of harm’s way before whoever threatens the peace of Theros can strike. I know how bizarre and far-fetched my request is, but every legend and myth in Theros makes it clear that people who flout the gods’ plans come to bad ends. You may not represent a strong chance of salvation, but they are Theros’ best chance. It seems maybe the gods have ordained your involvement as well. Whose to say but the god's themselves? Do you know the myth of Erebos’ Grief?"
Seeing you shake your heads that you do not she relates the myth to you.
"In ages long past, when mortals prayed the gods to life, Erebos the Shadow had two lovers. Ainoe was the goddess of the doom that awaits all empires, the end of magic, and the grind of time. Elpis was the god of repose at the end of grueling journeys, the spark from which magic blooms, and wayward souls coming home. The three complemented each other and could have been happy together, but this was not the path Theros took. Ainoe and Elpis both fell in the war against the Titans.
Grieving Erebos created two artifacts to remember his lovers, masks shaped in their visages. All the grief and despair at his loss, he poured into the mask shaped as Ainoe. All his warm memories of their time together, he crafted into the mask shaped as Elpis. Then, unable to bear to look at them, he sealed the masks away.
At the height of Archonia’s power, that empire of virtue which held Theros in its merciless grip, the tyrant Agnomakhos set out to find the masks. Legends diverge whether the tyrant never found the masks, or if heroic Kynaios and Tiro returned the masks to the underworld after they defeated the Archons. Either way, Erebos now feared the masks falling into the wrong hands. He broke the Elpis mask into five pieces and scattered them across Theros. Some pieces he hid where only gods may tread, others he gifted to Theros’ greatest heroes, and yet others he gave to dread monsters to guard. The Ainoe mask, which resisted all efforts to destroy it, he gave to the goddess Ephara to keep safe."
"That is the myth of the masks. However the prophecy of Erebos’ Grief is distinct from the myth. These are the words of the prophecy;"
"A foe of cosmic ambition will rip open the gates of death, wielding Hope and Doom as her weapons. Only the light of the sun, in shadow, will hold her back."
"Melandra is no agent of the Twelve, and that this must be the foe who seeks the Ainoe Mask. I will investigate further who she is. As Meletis is the White City, where Heliod the Sun God is venerated alongside Ephara, soothsayers including the oracular sphinx Medomai all agree that “the sun, in shadow,” means agents working on behalf of Meletis. Take this task upon yourselves. If you have retrieved the mask from the Temple of Ephara, please spirit it out of the city before “Melandra” can get her hands on it. I will pay you each 200 gold pieces for this task."
Nyklos runs a hand down his face, barely attempting to hide the look of exasperation on his face. "This is quickly becoming more complicated."
"Let's skip how how bizarre this day has been for us and work off the assumption that we do as you ask."
"This Melandra is expecting us in a few days time at the Winged Harpy. While we take this mask fragment...Somewhere else, you could set up an ambush for her." Nyklos suggests, imparting a physical description of Melandra as best he remembers to the council woman.
A jolt of unease passes through the soldier, and his eyes narrow slightly. "I believe it would be unwise to uncover such an important artifact out in the open like this."
"Surely as a member of the Twelve, you've seen it before? It's not as if it was hidden within the temple."
"People who flout the gods’ plans come to bad ends."
"You've got that right lady" Tisto replies "far better - I'm thinking not to get involved in their plans but I don't think we've got that luxury anymore"he finishes with. He then thinks further about Alexio's request to see the fragment "exactly what is going on here. You and the Chief Priest weren't aware that what may be a fragment of the mask was actually in temple?"
"It seems that the situation is indeed becoming complicated." says Areus in reply to what Aleixo just said to the group. "I will not go against the will of the Gods, and I would like to help, but before proceeding further, would you mind to reply to my friends questions? It seems very strange to me that you, being a member of the Twelve and the High Priest did not know that an important relic was inside the temple. The curator of the artifacts said that this fragment was the only thing related to the Ainoe Mask."
Areus then adds "As Nyklos just said, we should not uncover the fragment here in the open."
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
(ooc: guys I am not saying I not trust this lady........ but didn't melandra give us the token that allowed us to retrieve the mask? it could be the other way round, with melandra trying to protect the mask. food for thought anyway.)
Soren tries to judge wether the old lady is telling the truth
insight: 7
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
“I will take responsibility for what I have done. [...] If must fall, I will rise each time a better man.” ― Brandon Sanderson, Oathbringer.
"According to the myth there are 2 masks. One, the Elpis mask, was broken into fragments and the other, the Ainoe mask, was not broken. In fact it could not be broken even by the gods. So if you have a fragment, you likely have a fragment of the Elpis maks, but not the Ainoe maks. But the goddess Ephra certainly took the mask to her temple and held it within."
Aleixo seems lost in thought trying to work out what was going on. Leander clears his throat and speaks,
"Aleixo, I think I know the problem and why these men have not found the Ainoe maks." He gestures to the temple behind him, "This is not the original temple to Ephara. This one was built no more than 500 years ago. The original predates the city. It should be in the exact center of the original city layout, but where that is I cannot say."
Aleixo looks up suddenly, her eyes focused. "Yes, you are right. This isn't the original temple." She looks to you. "You will need to find the original temple. This Melandra expects to receive the Ainoe Mask in three days. I believe there will be serious consequences if the mask is still in the city by that point. I advise you to explore every avenue to find the first temple: maybe no one knows where it is, but many people might know a piece of the puzzle."
Soren
As far as you can tell Aleixo is who she says she is. Leander certainly believes her to be on of the Twelve and his is absolutely the chief priest at the temple.
"I advise you to explore every avenue to find the first temple" Alexio suggests
"Best place to find out what people know or remember is to go to where they most often swap stories - a tavern."Tisto suggests. "I'm off to The Titan's Draught - its the oldest tavern/wine shop in the city. We might be able to get some information from its patrons. Does anybody wish to join me?" he finishes with
"I doubt that we will find what we are looking for in that tavern Tisto, but considering that it is getting dark, we could start there and ask a few questions." says Areus to Tisto and the rest of the group.
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Soren bristles at the joke " krakens are noble, ancient creatures not to be made fun of saytr"
“I will take responsibility for what I have done. [...] If must fall, I will rise each time a better man.” ― Brandon Sanderson, Oathbringer.
Seeing Soren's response Titso says "Ok no more Kraken jokes but how about this one it really kracks me up. Anyway there's this barbershop and all the mythical creatures, Kraken, Centaur, Satyr, Minotaur, Leonin, are lined up waiting to get their hair cut or a shave. Don't ask me why they wanted a short back an' sides cos a lot don't have hair and the Leonin would have been awfully pissed if he'd got a short back an' sides but never mind. Well the barber yells out 'next' and the centaur stands up 'my turn' he asks. 'Nah not you him' pointing at the Minotaur. Well the rest sit down and then the barber comes out and says 'next' and the centaur stands up again and says 'pick pick me its my turn now' 'Nah time to release the Kraken' the barber says and the Kraken makes his way inside. Eventually the barber comes out and says 'next' and again the centaur jumps to his feet - hooves clattering all over the place - 'pick pick me its my turn now.' Just managing to dodge a flailing hoof, the Satyr turns to the Centaur and says "St'ihl, for Nylea's sake be still will you. We're all sick of you needing to be the Centaur of attention!'"
DM - Stopping a god in his tracks
Areus gives a strange look at Tisto as he tells his joke, "We should focus on the task at hand now Tisto, time for jokes and jests will come later."
"or never" Soren replies through gritted teeth
“I will take responsibility for what I have done. [...] If must fall, I will rise each time a better man.” ― Brandon Sanderson, Oathbringer.
Nyklos regards the two strangers - to him - in their group with a carefully raised eyebrow. To the satyr he remarks, "Areus is right I think Tisto. You can regale us with your fine humor later, after we've had plenty of ale to drink."
"In the meantime let's not get sidetracked. If we go to Melandra with just this fragment, I think we probably aren't getting paid." He turns to the priest Astos, "You had said Ephara herself brought the unbroken mask to this temple, but its exact location is unknown?"
Tisto puts up hands and says "I tell even better jokes after a glass or two of wine. In the meantime we were, if I remember correctly told to 'remove a sacred relic from the temple and then bring it to me' welll that doesn't sound like go to the temple and get given a bit of a broken mask which is what has happened so far! You're right Nyklos! We're probably need to do a bit more if we're going to get paid"
DM - Stopping a god in his tracks
You make your way through the temple searching for a full mask. You come across locked doors, even hidden rooms, but over the course of the next few hours no mask is to be found. Astos remains with you, helping as he can, but eventually you give up the search. You have found only rooms that contain nothing more than prayers scratched on thin sheets of bronze, or former high priests’ wine collections.
Astos tells you to keep the white fragment. "If what you seek is the Ainoe mask, the white fragment is related to it if they are not the same. Perhaps it really is the mask The Twelve seek. If not The Twelve will have it returned to us."
Tired and frustrated from the fruitless search you leave the temple grounds. You see that is now late afternoon.
As you exit the temple complex Leander approaches, a woman with him.
The short, bright-eyed woman watches you shrewdly. There’s something grandmotherly about her; albeit a storybook grandmother, rather than a real, human person. Someone kind and stern all at once, with your best interests at heart. Except for the blue stole that marks her as one of the Twelve, she looks like any other middle-aged woman of Meletis, but her bearing and presence make it clear she is someone of considerable status.
Tisto, having lived in the city for quite some time recognize her automatically, and the rest of you observe that local people nearby seem to respect and defer to her as she passes through the sparse crowd still near the temple entrance.
"Are these the ones you spoke of Leander?" She asks the high priest who nods respectfully to her.
She turns her attention to you.
"Greetings, I am Aleixo, a member of the Twelve responsible for monitoring the polis’ many prophecies. The prophecy of Erebos’ Grief shows signs of coming to pass. The auguries and the entrails of sacrifices all say the same thing: only Meletis stands between Elpis and Ainoe, Hope and Doom. Leander tells me that you have come here seeking one of his masks, so I hope that I can persuade you to aid the Twelve and this city. Will you speak with me?"
As the group exits the temple after the fruitless search, Areus says "It looks like that the other fragments of this mask were not in this temple. We should get back to the tavern and think about what to do."
"It looks like that the High Priest is coming in this direction with a person of a certain status." says Areus as Leander and Aleixo walks towards them.
In response to Aleixo's question, Areus replies "Greetings, I am Areus of Akros. Yes, we have come here seeking the Ainoe mask on behalf of one of your agents, Melandra, maybe you know her." Areus will briefly describe Melandra to Aleixo.
"We were supposed to meet her in three days, but since you are here I guess that something has changed."
As Alexio approaches Tisto starts waving his arms in the air and chants in a monotone voice "warning Will Robinson, Warning. Figure of Authority approaching!"
DM - Stopping a god in his tracks
Aleixo looks confused. "Melandra? I know of no agent of the Twelve by that name. And she asked you to retrieve the Ainoe mask on behalf of the Twelve? This situation is worse than I fear and the prophecy is clearly coming to pass."
She stops and thinks for a moment, clearly debating something in her mind and then coming to a decision.
"I had come to the temple to speak with Leander and he told me that you four had come seeking the Ainoe Mask. I had hoped to learn something of the mask but I fear now events have moved faster than expected and I do not wish to interfere any further. Prophecies are tricky and hard to circumvent, and if the Twelve act directly they risk angering the gods and bringing the worst possible fate to pass. We therefore require heroes who are not officially affiliated with Meletis to move the mask out of harm’s way before whoever threatens the peace of Theros can strike. I know how bizarre and far-fetched my request is, but every legend and myth in Theros makes it clear that people who flout the gods’ plans come to bad ends. You may not represent a strong chance of salvation, but they are Theros’ best chance. It seems maybe the gods have ordained your involvement as well. Whose to say but the god's themselves? Do you know the myth of Erebos’ Grief?"
Seeing you shake your heads that you do not she relates the myth to you.
"In ages long past, when mortals prayed the gods to life, Erebos
the Shadow had two lovers. Ainoe was the goddess of the doom
that awaits all empires, the end of magic, and the grind of time.
Elpis was the god of repose at the end of grueling journeys, the
spark from which magic blooms, and wayward souls coming home.
The three complemented each other and could have been happy
together, but this was not the path Theros took. Ainoe and Elpis both fell in the war against the Titans.
Grieving Erebos created two artifacts to remember his lovers, masks shaped in their visages. All the grief and despair at his loss,
he poured into the mask shaped as Ainoe. All his warm memories of
their time together, he crafted into the mask shaped as Elpis. Then, unable to bear to look at them, he sealed the masks away.
At the height of Archonia’s power, that empire of virtue which held Theros in its merciless grip, the tyrant Agnomakhos set out to
find the masks. Legends diverge whether the tyrant never found
the masks, or if heroic Kynaios and Tiro returned the masks to the
underworld after they defeated the Archons. Either way, Erebos
now feared the masks falling into the wrong hands. He broke
the Elpis mask into five pieces and scattered them across Theros.
Some pieces he hid where only gods may tread, others he gifted to
Theros’ greatest heroes, and yet others he gave to dread monsters
to guard. The Ainoe mask, which resisted all efforts to destroy it, he gave to the goddess Ephara to keep safe."
"That is the myth of the masks. However the prophecy of Erebos’ Grief is distinct from the myth. These are the words of the prophecy;"
"A foe of cosmic ambition will rip open the gates of death, wielding Hope and Doom as her weapons. Only the light of the sun, in shadow, will hold her back."
"Melandra is no agent of the Twelve, and that this must be the foe who seeks the Ainoe Mask. I will investigate further who she is. As Meletis is the White City, where Heliod the Sun God is venerated alongside Ephara, soothsayers including the oracular sphinx Medomai all agree that “the sun, in shadow,” means agents working on behalf of Meletis. Take this task upon yourselves. If you have retrieved the mask from the Temple of Ephara, please spirit it out of the city before “Melandra” can get her hands on it. I will pay you each 200 gold pieces for this task."
Soren nods "and hope and doom are the masks of Ainoe and Elpis"
“I will take responsibility for what I have done. [...] If must fall, I will rise each time a better man.” ― Brandon Sanderson, Oathbringer.
Nyklos runs a hand down his face, barely attempting to hide the look of exasperation on his face. "This is quickly becoming more complicated."
"Let's skip how how bizarre this day has been for us and work off the assumption that we do as you ask."
"This Melandra is expecting us in a few days time at the Winged Harpy. While we take this mask fragment...Somewhere else, you could set up an ambush for her." Nyklos suggests, imparting a physical description of Melandra as best he remembers to the council woman.
"You have a fragment, not the whole mask? May I see what you have found?" Aleixo asks with ernest.
A jolt of unease passes through the soldier, and his eyes narrow slightly. "I believe it would be unwise to uncover such an important artifact out in the open like this."
"Surely as a member of the Twelve, you've seen it before? It's not as if it was hidden within the temple."
"You've got that right lady" Tisto replies "far better - I'm thinking not to get involved in their plans but I don't think we've got that luxury anymore" he finishes with. He then thinks further about Alexio's request to see the fragment "exactly what is going on here. You and the Chief Priest weren't aware that what may be a fragment of the mask was actually in temple?"
DM - Stopping a god in his tracks
"It seems that the situation is indeed becoming complicated." says Areus in reply to what Aleixo just said to the group. "I will not go against the will of the Gods, and I would like to help, but before proceeding further, would you mind to reply to my friends questions? It seems very strange to me that you, being a member of the Twelve and the High Priest did not know that an important relic was inside the temple. The curator of the artifacts said that this fragment was the only thing related to the Ainoe Mask."
Areus then adds "As Nyklos just said, we should not uncover the fragment here in the open."
(ooc: guys I am not saying I not trust this lady........ but didn't melandra give us the token that allowed us to retrieve the mask? it could be the other way round, with melandra trying to protect the mask. food for thought anyway.)Soren tries to judge wether the old lady is telling the truth
insight: 7
“I will take responsibility for what I have done. [...] If must fall, I will rise each time a better man.” ― Brandon Sanderson, Oathbringer.
"According to the myth there are 2 masks. One, the Elpis mask, was broken into fragments and the other, the Ainoe mask, was not broken. In fact it could not be broken even by the gods. So if you have a fragment, you likely have a fragment of the Elpis maks, but not the Ainoe maks. But the goddess Ephra certainly took the mask to her temple and held it within."
Aleixo seems lost in thought trying to work out what was going on. Leander clears his throat and speaks,
"Aleixo, I think I know the problem and why these men have not found the Ainoe maks." He gestures to the temple behind him, "This is not the original temple to Ephara. This one was built no more than 500 years ago. The original predates the city. It should be in the exact center of the original city layout, but where that is I cannot say."
Aleixo looks up suddenly, her eyes focused. "Yes, you are right. This isn't the original temple." She looks to you. "You will need to find the original temple. This Melandra expects to receive the Ainoe Mask in three days. I believe there will be serious consequences if the mask is still in the city by that point. I advise you to explore every avenue to find the first temple: maybe no one knows where it is, but many people might know a piece of the puzzle."
Soren
As far as you can tell Aleixo is who she says she is. Leander certainly believes her to be on of the Twelve and his is absolutely the chief priest at the temple.
"Best place to find out what people know or remember is to go to where they most often swap stories - a tavern." Tisto suggests. "I'm off to The Titan's Draught - its the oldest tavern/wine shop in the city. We might be able to get some information from its patrons. Does anybody wish to join me?" he finishes with
DM - Stopping a god in his tracks
"I doubt that we will find what we are looking for in that tavern Tisto, but considering that it is getting dark, we could start there and ask a few questions." says Areus to Tisto and the rest of the group.