PBEM - Episode 248. Crystals

Player running the Cleric forgot about the Detect Evil scroll we picked up long time ago.

TWO HUNDRED FORTY EIGHT

(I/C)

“Since the snake only cares about the door,” Brendon mused, “should we pull the other one back and remove its head? Bad enough we might have to deal one undead snake.”

Lyra shook her head, “For now leave it.” She then gestured at the zombie snake, “And we leave that as well.”

Nodding in understanding, the Scout replied, “I hear you. Might want to go and grab those scales by its box it I can. As for this mess, I trust that the three of you will figure out which stone is the one.”

Abraxas held his Scythe and pointed it towards the stones. "What es el plan amigos? I'm ready para que es decided.”

“I think I should blow the Orc Horn and then we dash through the secret door. The call should attract the orcs to come here and leave the area to the south unguarded for us to pass through.”

Lyra nodded, “I agree with the horn plan. As for the stones, these elves seemed to have loved sprinkling information and lore all around the castle - I’m sure we can find SOMETHING that could lead us to some answers.”

The Magic User sighed, giving the Crystals a last longing look. "I think we learned some useful things here. Blowing the horn will hopefully lure someone to the snake. Plus, as Lyra said I'm sure we'll find something we can use if we keep looking around. There has to be something somewhere."

Meanwhile Wyn had moved back to the secret door and was checking the floor for any signs that they had passed through. The stones were pretty much bare and what little dust was there was easily wiped away. “Before you tink about blowing de horn, let me have our door open to leave out of before setting all dat in motion.” Sticking the key in the hidden lock, he twisted it and looked back at the group. “Also, I don't want de snake looking at me when I go to open de door, so someone watch my back en let me know if de snake be looking over here.”

“You’re good to go, Senor!” Abraxas offered as Wyn shoved the portal opened. “El Serpiente! Is looking your way. Is looking. Is looking. Is looking…It’s done, looking back at the main door.”

“Hokay, we good?”

Lannis nodded. “Yeah, we’ve exhausted all our abilities at this time. We should…”

“Wait!” Lyra interrupted.

“What? Your bridle slipped?”

She pursed her lips and blew exasperatedly, “On second through—shut up Lannis. I have something.”

“What you have, girl?” Brendon asked.

She reached into her backpack and withdrew a battered scroll. “Aine just whispered to me that I’ve been forgetting about this.”

“What is it?”

“It’s a scroll. Of Detect Evil. I picked it up almost 6 days ago here in one of the earlier rooms.” She unrolled it excitedly. “I can use it now to identify WHICH stone is Corfard’s!”

The elf smiled, "Oh! Super Priestess!”

Blinking twice, mouth open, face morphing to one of disgust, Lannis shook his head and waved his hands wildly about with frustration. "Look...I...I just...okay. Listen, Tango, there aren't enough hours in a day for how disappointed in you I should be, but somehow you've lowered the bar so bar this barely registered. Thank your fucked up bell curve for that, assuming you haven't eaten the paper it's written on.”

“Like you’ve never forgotten anything important?”

“No. Because I’m not a moron. Moron.” He sighed, rolling up his sleeves and adjusting his wizard’s hat. “Are we doing this now? If so anyone with one of the God weapons come here so we can rehearse. Don’t walk behind Lyra, she kicks. Oh shit, one more thing: You have to have a first thought first.”

Lyra frowned at him, “I have to cast the spell first, dumb ass. So get off your high horse…”

“Ha!” he barked.

“Fucker. Seriously, just calm down a bit or you’ll spring an erection and mommy isn’t here to take care of it for you.”

“Hokay. Small change of plans den.” Wyn headed back to the dais. "You do de spell and tell us which stone is de bad Crystal. Den, we decide on Monsieur Offop’s ritual to remove de Dragon’s stone first, if dere even is a ritual for Corfard’s, and den de Ispan’s stone.”

“That’s the order,” Lannis agreed.

“Bien. If nothin literally earth shattering happens when we move de stones, den de horn plan is a good contingency. Dwarfriend, should probably blow de horn a bit fardder from de door we gonna go through. Not sure how dat sound will carry.”

Lifting the Ram’s Horn up in a salute, Kovid replied, “Tell me when.”

"Du Lac, cen you check de throne to make sure de orcs or anyone else didn't booby trap it?”

“I did earlier. It’s good, fine and safe. And Doc sat on it before.”

“Oh, dat’s good.” He rubbed his chin, “I'm wondering if someone needs to be sitting in de throne when de gems are removed. Since there be so much elf related protections, I be thinking I go to sit dere while de rest do de prayer and weapon poking. I don't want to die when I sit in de throne."

“Sounds very Tywin if you ask me,” Lannis offered.

“Okay, Ladies,” Lyra admonished. “Hang on to your butts.” She had unrolled the scroll and after giving it a quick perusal, she started to recite the written words. Fire crawled across the page as she read the scroll, magic building around the priestess as she made her way from top to bottom until at the very last word, the scroll was consumed and her holy symbol flared to light briefly.

(Detect Evil – Range ONE HUNDRED TWENTY FOOT RADIUS (holy fuck, stone walls do reduce its effectiveness a bit). Duration: ONE HOUR – BX version of the spell rocks) Lyra staggered a moment as the spell laid over her vision like a gauze. “Sweet Aine’s Blessing!” She swore, fingers pointing EXACTINGLY at the western stone. “That one! That stone is bleeding into the negative material plane and is radiating LOTS of evil.” Since she was pointing at it, besides to HER vision, the western stone took on a sickly pus colored yellow overtone that pulsed bright and irritating to everyone that could see it.

“Ugh! It’s pretty obvious now,” Lannis complained.

When she lowered her finger, the effect was limited once again to her. “Oh my! More coming in!” She moaned.

“More evil?!” Brendon asked looking around. “How? Where?”

“Are you reading that thing right?” Lannis asked.

“They’re in room. Check it yourself.”

“Stop!” she said clenching her teeth. “Ok, just lots to process. Getting a handle on it.” She looked at Kovid. “Got a piece of paper and map ready?”

“Always!” Kovid replied.

“For all the good it does us,” Lannis muttered.

“First. Off to the West, north west of here – I can 5 distinct sort of clustered feelings of evil. They taste the same as this Crystal, but not to the same degree of evil intensity.”

“Gotcha.”

“And maybe…just past them? Real muddy, most likely some stone in the way blocking my feel for it, another evil by itself, but a bit STRONGER in Evilness than the 5 other points.” She then turned to the south. “Down there? Also muddy through stone, are 8 points of small evil in a small area, bunched up. Petty I would guess. Change that, 7 of them are weak evil, one is a bit more…middling.”

“Same as the Crystal?” Wyn asked.

“No, different feeling. Evil, but not the same type.”

“Great,” Kovid frowned. “Anything else?”

“Yeah.” She pointed east, “That direction, loosely scattered, a dozen points of evil. They are different feeling than the other two sources, but most of them are weak to middling, one has a bit more ‘oomph’ behind it.” She frowned. “Also muddy feeling, stone in the way would be my guess.”

“Okay, lots to digest here,” Kovid noted.

Meanwhile Brendon had been idling towards the two scales on the ground near the Zombie Snake but before he could get to them or close, the snake turned and faced him, making the Scout stop. It stayed looking at him until he backed up far enough that it then turned back to looking at the door again. “So…I’m not going to go and get those scales just yet.” He looked at the Crystals. “We taking them down and blowing the horn?”

Time now is Day 7, 9:20AM

(OOC)

Detect Evil is very good in BX. And the Cleric can allow others to see the exact evil thing if they point or indicate they want others to see it glow too – it’s either just the Cleric or everyone. Ok – there you guys go! It’s up to you. What are we doing?