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High Dancer
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>what this place is exactly
As the symbol begins to fade away, I ask her, “Hey so, what is this place anyways?”
Going back to being serious, Mina says, “I think it’s a hidden temple to Omorful’henzio Khakranzee. We stumbled across it after finishing a job to kill a chupacabra. It was using the ruins above as a nest to terrorize some farmers near Felicol. After a quick look and finding some treasure, we all decided to return back to town and offload some of it before returning and exploring some more.”
>Also, ask if any of her friends had voices in their head recently (kind of like you did) maybe perhaps their unnatural actions could be that same reason as yours, they're hearing other voices telling them to do stuff.
>Mina is unaffected. Perhaps because she has a patron entity warding what makes her, well, herself.
>Mina seem unaffected by the mind altering effects her friends succumbed to.
>You may want to mention that you think some aspect of interacting with the box can cause this effect
I’ll word it in a way as to not reveal you all. “So about your friends, can you describe when they started acting unnaturally? Was it immediately after interacting with the box? Any signs, voices in their head, something that seemed off? And any considerations as to why you might be unaffected?”
As if reliving a bad memory, she looks away, one arm crossed and holding her elbow again. “It all kinda started here. We found this weird room in the temple. A ritual chamber of some sort, I wasn’t sure of its purpose, but there were some remnants of really powerful magic in there, and considering how old this place is...”
She pauses to let that sink in. This place looks like it’s been abandoned for a while, but I don’t really know enough about the Weave to wonder why that might be significant. “The Weave was a bit too advanced for me. I didn’t really know what it was used for, but the symbol of the Eye was carved into the ground.There were a bunch of skeletons in the tattered regalia of Omorful’henzio scattered all about the chamber. The box was in the center of the Eye. The skeletons all… looked like they all died brutally. Some had their skull smashed against the wall with their fragments embedded in the stone, others had deep cuts found gouged along the bones in their arms, and others worse still.”
She pauses to look at her amulet. Helping to break out of some stupor, she continues. “It freaked all of us out… except for Roderick. He just went to the box and picked it up. I tried to warn him not to touch it, but he ignored me. After he picked it up… the way he looked at us, it was terrifying. His eyes had nothing but hateful violence in them. Everyone got defensive, but whatever bloodlust existed just then vanished as quickly as it had appeared. I tried to detect if he was charmed or anything like that, but… everything looked fine. Besides the powerful remnants in the room, the box itself and Roderick were normal when it came to the Weave.”
She looks back at me, fear creeping into her eyes. “After that, Roderick asked the others to take a look, to see that it was safe. E-everyone else touched it, I kind of wanted to as well, but… when it was my turn, they wouldn’t let me. Said it wasn’t necessary anymore. Ever since then… all they’ve wanted to do is figure out how to open it.”
Her tears start to well up again. “It was subtle at first, their obsession and their attitudes, but as time went on they got worse. The look that Rod had when he first picked it up, it’s all I see anymore when I talk to any of them now. They call me h-horrible things, throw out veiled threats, and keep trying to get me to leave. …I j-just want my friends back.”
She sniffles and hugs herself while looking down and to the side, avoiding my gaze. She’s softly shaking as well. “S-sorry. I just n-need a moment.”
She stands up and moves into the prison room with Jacob. Well, while I debate that in my head, it sounds like she never touched it. Maybe that could be why she’s unaffected? If that’s the case, I wonder why they wouldn’t let her? Maybe it’s as you all said, and it had something to do with her patron?
>Ask Mina to collect the poison or to drag the body out of the smelly room if she can't.
>Here's a hypothetical: You both do a mutually binding vow beneath the *pantheon* (especially if there's an inclusive term for both the 'good' and 'evil' set of gods, use THAT), that as both of you agree that the box is incredibly dangerous and you will, within the limits of any preexisting oaths each of you may have, and regardless of your current moral stance at any given time, work to get the box to a situation where it's potential for harm is minimized, and to conduct yourselves honorably in the act getting it to such a situation.
>Is such a thing possible?
I’ll ask her once Mina gets a hold of herself. Would feel a little insensitive to do so now. I feel kinda bad sitting here while she’s hurting like that, but if I’m being honest, I don’t really know what to do.
>Ive never heard of an antisocial bard. Though, I suppose if there was one, they wouldnt get out much... ignore that!
I’m starting to think more and more that’s what I actually am. This whole ‘talking to people’ schtick is kinda hard. I don’t think I’m doing a bad job per say, but you all are definitely saving my ass. Thanks again for everything.
>Also, based on some pattern matching of what I've been able to determine, if you are or were especially religious or religiously empowered, or straddle the line between divine and arcane magic, you might be a variant of the 'standard' magical bard powerset called, variously, a 'cantor' or a 'faith singer'.
Do you classify things like that in your world, Winds? That seems very… mechanical? I guess we call our spells specific names though… so maybe I just forgot that’s how things are supposed to be.
Well whatever. Is there anything you think I forgot, or something I should ask? We’ve been here for a bit, we should probably figure out a plan and get moving before her friends start to get suspicious.
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